I
THE OMAHA DAILY 11EE: SATURDAY, OCTOllEH 11, 1002.
0
tlDM 1 IVH AC K'VTCTlffV'T i
FAIlJl LAJU A J LtiLjlJlLjIl
Attractive Features of Agriculture at a I
Pursuit with Profit
SOME EXAMPLES TO PROYE THE POINT
W. M. Oatraadrr of Philadelphia I
Gives HI Oplalons aad Cites
Facta t Sopaart Ilia
Caa.-la.teaa.
Mr. W. M. Ostrsnder of Philadelphia, one
af tba beat known real estate dealer In
tba United States, contributed tbe follow-
Ing article te last week'a lasue of Tba
Twentieth Century Farmer, from which
paper It Is reproduced:
To dlscuaa "farm land as an Investment"
la an exhaustlvs way would Involve enough
eubjecta. almost, to fill a book. I shall
dlscuaa It in a general way only, omitting
statistical reports which are atwaya, to the
average person, more or less tiresome.
la th first place It would be well to I
consider a few general lacts. The total
acreage for tbe entire country la 841, 201, I
Hi. The total value of farm producta for I
the year 199 la given by the census bureau
at I4.TJM1S.752, of which amount $1,711,-
90,221 waa for animal producta. I
The number of farms In the United
State ha steadily Increased for the last
fifty year. In 1900 there were nearly four
tlmea aa many farma a In 1850, and 26
per cent more than In 1890. Since 1880
tbe total acreage of farma has Increased
more rapidly than the number of farms, ao
that the average alze of farma has In-
creased Th. mo Important a, rlcuitural
atates beginning at he east, are New
York. Pennsylvania Ohio. Indiana Illinois,
Iowa and Ml.sourl Tocher they em-
brae 44 per cent of tbe total value of
.farm Property and produce about 38 per
cent OI me loini iarm..prou..i..
Beet Opaertaaltlea ia Jtewer Slate. I
The Inference should not be drawn from
the above atatementa that the elates men-
tloned are superior to all others as fields
for Investment. VVhll these states con-
tala many of th finest farms tn th coun-
trr, they do not offer the opportunities to
large Investors that are offered by aome
ef the newer states.
For Instance, In the outh. aome section
ef Georgia are now especially attractive
to Investor. New railroads are now cov-
... U .... ,.,...A (a..llA.lDa ..a
,.,.,...
bringing the.m within easy access of north
ern market.
The aouth Probably offer, larger field.
aa laaraatvnHr 4 h k sa S Pt at AT HS StatSt f Inrl nf I
for Investment than any other section of
th country because of It numerous un
developed portion. A great many thous
and persona fa south each year for the
sole purpose of developing land. Chicago
la the center ot migration to the aouth
and from there go many capitalists and
laveatora aa well a seekers for permanent
borne. Southern fruit growing 1. becom
tng nor Important In proportion to the
Increased and improved ahlpplng facllltlee.
Th fruit I now landed in perfect condl-
tloa In northern narkets, which, a faw
year, ago, were totally Inaccessible.
Fr.lt Orewl.g la Soath.
Another interesting feature la the tact
that thl. year for th. flrat tlma, fruit P'-
clpally peachea) baa been grown more or
lea. tlr among the large fore.t
tre. Th. fruit tree, when grown In this
way get enough .un to prtmote a healthy
growU. while they are protected from th.
froata which ao often prov. lnjurlou. For
tbla reason aoutbern timber land often
prove, a good Inveatment for farming pur-
poaea tn eonnectlon with fruit growing.
In 4h' far west land heretofore consld-
red of little value baa recently produced
soma surprising results. For instance, land
adjacent to the Columbia river baa pro-
duced a yield of wheat to equal or exceed
that of th mlddl west ln some case
nny-six ousneis 10 mo acre, t oes reauus,
of courae, are due largely to Improved
methods ln fertlllxlng and operating the
land.
Portion, of Wyoming, Montana, Colorado,
Nevada, Arlsona and New Mexico bave
ever been developed owing to the lack ot
Irrigation. Should Irrigation facilities be
f urnlahed by th government, that ssc-
tlona would offer aome great opportunities
for profitable Investment.
Irrlcatloa aa Impartaat Fact.
Irrigation ha been an extremely Import-
ant factor In the past In developing certain
aretlona ot th country, and In all proba-
blllty will be Juat as Important In the
future. In a recent report I notice that)
"a comparison of the number of Irrigator
and th number of acre irrigated at the
beginning and end of tbe decade 1889-1899
bow that the hive approximately dou-
bled." ,
Irrlgatlon baa produced many very re-
markable reaults. In fact aome ot the
most valuable agricultural land In exist-
ne waa at one time apparently worth-
jtM
Dakota land, for a long time very quiet,
luta recently taken a strong brace. The de-
mand la principally tor farms of large
aoruM. Kansas land with tha xeention
of th more desirable portions, ha reached
a very low ebb, and a heavy purchase of
Ula land might result In Immense profit.
wHhln th next few year..
Farm land adjacent to the large citle.,
rlnclpally ot tha east. I. always attract-
principally
lv to Investors and practically sure to
prov profitable If bought at a lew price.
All land, however, 1. liable to flustuate In
value, and because ef this fact It Is neces
sary for a man te be thoroughly wide awake I .
tn order to be a successful land Inveator or I
operator.
Gaod Farming! AVecHa Prlees.
While th value of a farm a an Invest
ment la largely affected by local condi-
tloo. It 1 also affectsd to a great extent
by the way In which It I operated. A professed and which tbe distinguished rev
farm may be bought for 130 per acre and erend clergy baa. on thla solemn occasion,
after aeveral years under expert manag- ao ably-administered.
meat aell for $40 or 30 per acre. I bave "I care not. though, for creeds la that
la mind a man who recently purchased a unknown country 'from whoa bourne na
farm of S20 acres ln Bates county. Ml- travslar returns' and to which his pure
sourl. and has Just beeen offered $43 an spirit tends for I feel that tha goed man
acr for It. This year his wheat yielded who aleepa la all tbs awful majesty of death
IT bushels to ths acra and hla corn will
yield 80 to 85 bushel to the acre. HI
profit for the year look aomethlng like
this; Profits on corn. 1S.0C0 bushels, da-
llvered in December, $7,000; profits on
fcoga sold. $1.b00; on hogs raised this year,
about $1,100; profits on wheat, 1.(20 busn
el. S1.10C: on flax, etc. about $1,000; snd
. tb differs nc between the purchase price
lot ths farm aad the price be baa bn
offered for It. $3,840. Tb total profits will
amount to about $15,940. or nearly $9,00
net profit la oae year, Just the price be
paid for tha whole farm. Thl I tbs story
.of a man who knew practically nothing
'about farming when he bought the proper
ty, but who was an exceptionally good
manager.
ItlaatratUa at Ga4 Maaacesaeat.
Thl Is simply soother illustration ot the
fact that aay gocd farm Is a good Invest-
meat under tbe proper kind f manage -
meat. Ia nine eases out of ten, when a
farm Is said to be run down and un profit-
able, th cause can be traced to Inefficient
management Farming la the true aens
of tb word la a real acleace, but un-
fortunately thl fact I not appreciated by
th majority of farmer. A great many
farmer with whom I have come la con-
tact easts to thlak that very llul duca -
tloa aad busts ability la needed U rsn
f,rra 1 BTrr !" ob ot thl
dm of men to be mora than ordinarily
successful, while on ths other hand, the
most highly successful fsrmers I have
nwn have invariably been men f mora
!, 'ouc,uon na """"" DU,,ne"
Tut a shrewd. Intelligent business mas
00 00 or -od) farm and
in ninety-nins case out or a eunarea na
rill ba successful. Tn though hand!-
caDOcd br entire lark ef exDerlenee.
Rapid Increase la Yalaea.
t am continually receiving report! from
all parta of tbe country Indicating rapid
Incraaae In tba value of land and great
prosperity among tbe agricultural classes.
One man wrltea: "Farm lands are now
on the verge of tbe greatest boom In the
history of tbe state of Missouri. Cropa are
magnificent all through the state and tba
farmers have been making money."
Another man wrltea: "Farm land in
Minnesota and Dakota have Increased very
largely in value recently. The land la ex-
ceptlonally fine in this locality and the
crops have never been better than they
sre Juat at present."
.Thfse are only camples of scores of
similar letters.
Farm lands will steadily lncrea.ee In
value for three reasons:
Flrat Becauee of the greater Increaae In
population than in the development of new
land.
Second Because of the Increasing desire
of people to locate In statea which are
'Greedy settled rather than go Into a new
territory.
Third Because of tbe tendency of the
middle and wealthier clas of today to buy
country homes of largo acreage for tbem-
aelvea.
Tendency to Hold Onto Land,
boun(, tQ ,n.
Tn9 tend.
. ' . ' ... . .....
the f-w arfer bor
.,,, htm and
n, , M concerned with the questions of
protection and free trade than any other
class of our people. If neceesary he can
live absolutely Independent of any other
class of people.
Lan(1 TaJua ln i part f the country
u affe.tea t0 , gr,at extent by local eondl-
toni vIch are continually changing and
th. who -oiDI, to Invest In land
.haulA stch these conditions very eare-
fu,ly Defore piunglng too deeply.
,. ...VI .,.. r hoiuv
" ' " . "
thtjt un(le. the present prosperous condi
tlona of o"r country, a Judlclou invest
mont In faim land la one of the safest and
pronUbIt investment, that can po.
- .
slbly be made.
W. M. OSTRANDER.
HIS DEAR DEAD FRIKSD,
Mayor
of Atlanta Speaks
Faneral of Nearro.
at th
The funeral of Richard J. Henry, colored.
for so long a t(me porter and private erv-
ant of hi honor, Mayor Livingston Mlms.
embodied ln Its program an episode that It
too notable and too altogether pleasing to
be omitted rrom a epecu commeui. ru,..
th,ti"t v
Lp7hi; .aY.rvlc. had endeared blm
ra - ,n, n,n. But
J numerou company of white men
who c.m. In contact with him.
" B0My wer, entruste4 .un,
(i f(Jr tr(LnRmlBaton to th bank,
nd u ,B ,t,mated that In thla position he
wri9i 0n hla person mllllona ot dol-
,Br M hl, runeral th respect and re-
. f whlu Mmi ot thla admlr-
.hl. . ..srywhere ' In evidence.
Tney mad, . Urg. representation ln the
lare8 aud)enCs.
funeral, conducted by high official
or uanrr'a own church and race, waa naot
jmprte,tVe and full of high tribute to th
character and record or tbe deceased. Tne
ma,yor 0f the city and bit accomplished
wjfa occupied front seat In th church dur.
Ids tbe service, and when th. mlnlst.rlal
offloee had progressed to a certain point
th mayor of tbe city; who was also tba
employer of th deceased, was called on to
.peak.
Without any special time for preparation
and mainly upon th Impulse and suggestion
of the moment Mayor Mlms, who has long
been held one of the most accomplished and
"""J V'i" .k! ""T .
"a Duru
"ru" "uu ""'
"Your call on me to speak on this occasion
was certainly unexpected and yet while ao
heartily commending all that ha been o
feelingly and eloquently said ln reference
to my dear dead friend my friend of more
than a third ot a oentury I cannot retrain
from expressing th genuine grief and sor-
row that hi death has occasioned me. In-
deed, a aorrow tnat my entire ramiiy anare.
and I know, too, it will be felt by th
large number of his frlenda and mine who
knew him so well In th connection b had
with the buslnes In which I have been en-
'0T mn' Jara. and I might add
nis many wmie u-.euu. m mis cuy wno
respected and admired him for the spljndtl
oualltle. that be possessed. He waa ever
ou,u " "
Pop'- " model busbsnd
nl f4,her- a good cltlxen and a loyal and
l '
. "To m. hi. office, of concern and thought-
fulness were constsnt snd grateful.. In ths
eourss of nature he should have survive!
me, and I always thought that If he did
there was po living man on whom I could
better rely for' kindness and care for my
can point to no one wboae dally life
and character afford a better and more com
mendable example to all men to emulate
than th'a.
"Ha well deserved all the comforts, bless-
Inge and promise of th holy religion he
In yonder coma carries with him accent
I able credentials to .11 the happlneis that
pertains to mortals atter death. His mem-
ory win d ireaaurea.
Tha Gratltada af th Helped.
Chicago Record-Herald; Her husband's
brother had through hi own effort be
com very rich.
"Now," be said. ''I will do something
for her and tb children. I am under no
obligation to tbem. but they are poor and
I feel that It will be no more than light
tor m to help them."
Therefore he bought a comfortable bom
fcr them and gave her the deed. Tbea
he took her to th furniture stores and
they secured carpets, beds, ebalrs sad
other thlag 4hal were necessary te make
I them comfortable, and be paid tor them.
arter which he went about his awa affairs
1 rejoicing.
I 8h sat la her new home, with ber hands
I cla!ed in tar tap and a aad look on her
I faoav
"What la the trouble f ber neighbor
asked
I "I . was thinking of the elAshnea and
meanness of some people." she sorrowfully
I replied. 'Think of all th money he baa.
I Y( .he la too stingy, to : narrow-minded
I to even glv us a piano."
An AH Baba of the Sierras
Uy BRET IIARTE.
(Copyright, 1902, by Bret Harte.)
Johnny 8tarlelgh found himself again late
for school. It waa always happening. It
eemed to be Inevitable with the process
of going to school at all. And It waa no
fault "o' his." Something was always oc
curring some eccentricity of nature or
circumstance waa Invariably starting up
in hla dally path to tbe school room. He
may not have been "thlnkln' of aqulrrels,"
and yet the rarest and most evasive of
that genus were always crossing his trail;
he may not have been "huntln' honey,"
and yet a wild bees' nest In the hollow
of an. oak absolutely obtruded Itaelt be
fore him; he wasn't "bird catchln" and
yet there waa a yellow-hammer always
within atone'a throw. He had beard how
grown men hunters alwaya saw the most
wonderful animals when they "hadn't got
a gun with 'em," and It seemed to be bit
lot to meet them in his restricted possi
bilities on tbe way to school. If nature
was thus capricious with his elders, why
should folk tbink it strange if she waa
as mischievous with a amall boy?
On thia particular morning Johnny had
been beguiled by the unmistakable foot
prints so like bis own of a bear'e cub.
What chances he had of ever coming up
with them, or what he would bave done
If be had, he did not know. He only knew
that at the end of an hour and a half he
found himself two miles from the school
house, and, from tbe position of the sun,
at leaat an hour too late for school. He
knew that nobody would believe him. The
puniabment for complete truancy was little
worae than for being late. He resolved to
accept It, and by way of Irrevocability, at
once burnt his ships behind him ln de
vouring part of bis dinner.
Thus fortified ln his outlawry, he began
to Jook about him. He waa on a thickly
JOECVNT SAW THAT HE "WAS CAUHYINO A HEAVY STONE. "WHATS TUB BLAME FOOL GOINO TO DO?" HH
SAID TO HIMSELF-
wooded terrace with a blank wall of
crop" on on aide nearly aa high aa the
plnea which pressed close against It. Hs
had never seen It before; It was two or
three mile, from tbe high rosd and seemed
to be a virgin wilderness. But on close
examination be could see, with tbe eye of
a boy bred ln a mining district, that the
wall of outcrop had not escaped the atten
tion ot th mining prospector. There wer
mark of hi pick ln aome attractive quart,
seams ot the wall, and further on a more
ambitious attempt, evidently by a party
of miners, to begin a tunnel, shown In an
abandoned excavation and the heap ot debris
before It. It bad evidently been abandoned
tor aome time, as fern already forced their
green fronds through the stone, and gravel
and tha yerba buena vine wa. beginning to
mat the surface of the heap. But tbe boy',
fancy was quickly taken by the traces of
a singular accident and one which bad per
haps arrested the progress of the excava
tors. The root, of a large pin. tree grow
ing cloae to the wall had been evidently
loosened by tbs excavators and ths tree
bad fallen, with one of Ita largest roots
.till in opening th. miner, h.d made.
.i. hli. .b- ... b.
and apparently blocking the entrance. Tbe
large tree lay. aa It fell midway across
another but much smaller outcrop of rock
which stood sharply about fifteen feet above
the level of th terrace with Its gaunt dead
limbs In tbs air at a low angle. To Johnny'a
boyish fancy It sssmed so easily balanced
on tbe rock that but tor Its Imprisoned root
It would bsvs made a capital seesaw. This
be felt must be looked to hereafter. But
here hi. attention waa arrested' by some
thing more alarming. Hi. quick ear, at
tuned Ilk an anlmal'a to all woodland
sounds, detected the crackling ef under
wood la tbe distance. His equally sharp
eyes ssw th figures of two men approach
ing. But a. b. recognized tbe feature, ot
one of tbem be drew back with a beating
beart, a hushed breath and hurriedly bid
himself ln the shadow. For he had seen
that figure once before flying before the
sheriff and an armed posse end bed never
forgotten It! It waa tha figure of Spanish
Pete, a notorloua deaperado and slulcs
robber!
Finding hs hsd besa unobserved, ths
boy took courage, and bl. .mall faculties
became actively alive. Tbs two men came
on together cautiously, and at a little dis
tance tbe aecond man, whom Johnny did
not know, parted trom hla companion and
began to loiter up and down, looking around
a. If acting aa a sentinel for tbe desperado,
who advanced directly to the fallen tree.
Suddenly tha sentinel uttered an exclama
tion, and Spanish Pets paused. The sen
tinel was examining tbe ground near tha
heap ot debris.
"What's up?" growled the desperado.
"Foot-tracks! Weren't here before! And
fresh ones, too."
Johnny's beart sank. It waa where be
had Juat passed.
Spanish Pete hurriedly Joined hla com
panion, "Foot-track be !' be said scorn
fully. "What fool would bs crawlin' round
here barefooted? It' a young bar!"
Johnny knew the footprints wer his own.
Tet ke recognised ths truth of ths re
semblance;" It was uncomplimentary, but
he felt relieved. Tbe desperado came for
ward inil Ia t Kit ttnv'a mrnrlM keffmn 4a
climb the small ridge of outcrop until he j
reached tbe fallen tree. Johnny saw that
he waa carrying a heavy stone. "What's
the blamed fool goln' to dot" he aald to
himself; the man's evident Ignorance re
garding footprints had lessened the boy s
awe of him. But tbe atranger'a next essay
took Johnny's breath away. Standing on
the fallen tree trunk at Ha axis on the
outcrop 'he began to rock It gently. To
Johnny's surprise It began to move. The
upper end deacended alowly, lifting the
root In tbe excavation at the lower end,
and with It a masa of. rock, and revealing
a cavern behind large enough to admit a
man. Johnny gasped. Tbe desperado coolly
dop-lted the heavy atone on tbe tree be
yond Ita axis on the rock, ao that It would
keep the tree in position, leaped from the
tree to the rock, and quickly descended.
At which he was Joined by the other man,
who waa carrying two heavy chamois
leather bags. They both proceeded to the
opening thue miraculously disclosed, and
disappeared In It.
Johnny sat breathless, wondering, e
pectant, but not daring to move. The men
might come out at any moment; he had
seen enough to know that their enterprise
as well as their cave waa a secret, and that
the desperado would subject any witness
to it, however Innocent or unwTling, to hor
rible penalties. The time crept slowly by;
he heard every rap ot a woodpecker In a
distant tree, blue Jay dipped and lighted
on a branch within hla reach, but he dared
not extend hla hand; hla legs were Infested
by ants, he even fancied he beard the dry,
hollow rattle of a rattlesnake not a yard
from him. And then the entrance to the
cave waa darkened and the two men reap
peared. Johnny stared. He would have
"out-rubbed his eyes If he had dared. They were
not the earns men! - Did the cav contain
other who all th while had been shut up
ln lta dark recesses? Was there a band?
Would tbey all swarm out upon him?
Should he run for his life?
But the illusion was only momentary?
A longer look at them convinced him that
they were the .am men In new clothe,
and disguised, and aa one remounted tha
outorop, Johnny'a keen eye. recognised blm
a. Spanish Pete. He merely kicked away
the atone, the root again deaoended gently
over tbs opening and tba tree recovered Us
former angle. The two hurried away, but
Johnny, noticed that tbey were empty
handed. The bags had been left behind.
Tbe boy waited patiently, listening with
his ear to the ground, like an Indian, for
the last rustle of fern and crackle of un
derbrush, and then emerged stiff and
cramped from bis concealment. But he no
longer thought of flight; curiosity and ambi
tion burned In hi small vein. He quickly
climbed up th outcrop, picked up the fallen
stons and in spits of Its weight lifted It
to the prostrate tree. Here he paused and
' "' k. , . . . . p7. .
I Th '"m " ,oofk,d0
I The aolltude was profound. Thei
profound. Then
mountUg the tree and standing over its
axis be tried to rock it as the others bad.
Alas! Johnny's beart waa stout,' bis cour
age unlimited, hla perception all embrac
ing, hi. ambition boundless, but his sctual
avolrdupoi. waa only that of a boy ef 10.
The tree did not move. But Johnny had
played see-saw before, and quietly moved
toward Its highest part. It slowly de
scended under ths changed center ot grav
ity and ths root arose, disclosing the open
ing as before. Yet here tba little hero
paused. Hs waited with his eyes fixed on the
opening, ready to fly on th sallying out of
anyone who bad remained conceal 1. He
then placed tb stone whr be bad stood,
leaped down and rsn to the opantng.
Tbe change from the dnirllng sunlight to
the darkness confused him at first, snd hs
could see nothing. On entering he stumbled
over something which proved to be a bot
tle In which a candle wa. fitted, and a box
ot matches, evidently used by the two men.
Lighting tbe candle, be could now discern
that the cavern was only a few ysrds lung
ths beginning of a tunnel which tbe ac
cident to the tree bsd stopped. In one
corner lay tha clothes thst the men hsd
left, snd which for s moment seemed sll
thst the cavern contained, but, on remov
ing them, Johnny ssw tbst they were
thrown over a rifle, a revolver and the two
chamois leather bags that tba men had
brought there. Tbey were ao heavy that
the boy could scarcely lift them. His face
flushed; his banda trembled with excite
ment. To a boy whose truant wanderinga
had given him a fair knowledge of mining.
he knew that weight could bave but one
meaning, Gold! He hurriedly untied tbe
nearest bag. But It waa not th gold of
th locality, of tha tunnel, of the "bed
rock!" It waa "flake gold." the gold of
the river. It had been taken from tho
miners' sluices ln ths dlstsnt streams. The
bags before him wer the spoils of the
sluice robber spoils that could not be sold
or even shown la tbe district without danger
spoils kept until they could be taken to
Maryavllle or Sacramento for disposal. All
thl might have occurred to th mind of
any boy of the locality who had heard the
common gossip ot bis elders, but to Johnny's
fancy an Idea sas kindled peculiarly his
own. Here was a cavern like (hat of the
"Forty Thieves" In the story books, and
he was the Alt Baba who knew Its secret!
He was not obliged to say "Open, sesame."
but he cnuld say It If he liked, If he was
D anybody.
Yet alas! he also knew It was a secret
he must Veep to himself. He bad nobody
to trust it to. Hie father waa a charcoal
burner of small means; a widower with
two children, Johnny and bis elder brother
Sam. The latter, a flagrant Incorrigible of
22, with a tendency to dissipation and low
company, had lately abandoned his father's
roof, only to reappear at Intervals of
hilarious or maudlin intoxication. He had
always been held up to Johnny as a warn
ing, or with the gloomy prognosis that he,
Johnny, was already following ln hie tor
tuous footsteps. Even if he were here he
was not to be thought of as a confidant.
Still less could he trust his father, who
would be sure to bungle the secret with
sheriffs and constables, and end by bring
ing down the vengeance of the gang upon
the family. As for himself, he could not I
dlsDcee of the Bold if he were to take It.
The exhibition of a single flake of It to !
... .. . ... ..
and as It was Johnny hard fste to be al
ways doubted, he mlaht be connected with
the gang. Aa a truant he knew he had no '
moral standing, but he also had the super
stition quite characteristic of childhood
that being In possession of a secret he
was a participant ln It criminality and
bound, as It were, by terrible oaths! And
then a new Idea seized him. He carefully
put back everything s he had found It,
extinguished the candle, left the cave,
remounted the tree and closed tbe open
ing again, as he had seen the other do It,
with the addition of murmuring "Shut,
sesame" to himself, and then ran away as
fast as his short legs could carry htm.
Well clear ot the dangerous vicinity, ha
proceeded more leisurely for about a mile.
until he caem to a low whitewashed fenca,
enclosing a small cultivated patch and a
neat farm house beyond. Here ha paused,
and, cowering behind the fence, with ex
traordinary racial contortions, produced a
cry not unlike the scream of a blue Jsy.
Repeating It at Intervals, he ws presently
relieved by observing the approach of a
nankeen sunbonnet within the enclosure
abovs the line ot fence. Stopping before
him, the sunbonnet revealed a rosy littles
face, more then usually plump on one
side snd a neck enormously wrapped In a
scarf. It wa. "Msely" (Amelia) Stryker, a
school mat., detained at home by "mumps,"
a. Johnny wa. previously aware. For, with
the famous indiscretion ot some other great
heroes, be was sbout to entrust his sscret
and his destiny to ons of tb weaker sex.
And what wer the minor possibilities of
contagion to this?
"Playin hookey agin?" said the young
woman, with a cordial and oven expansive
smile, exclusively confined to one aide ot
her face.
"I'm! So'd you be ef you'd bin wbar I
bev," he said, with harrowing mystery.
"No say!" aald Meely, eagerly.
At which Johnny, clutching at the top of
the fence, with hurried breath, told bl
tory. But not all. With the Instinct of
a true artist,., he withheld the manner In
which the opening of the cave was revealed,
said nothing sbout the tree, and, I grieve
to say, added tbe word "open sesame" as
the Important factor to the operation.
Neither did he mention the name of Spanish
Pete. For all of which he was afterward
duly grateful.
"Meet me at tbe burnt pine down ths cross
roads st 4 o'clock," he said, in conclusion,
"and I'll show ye."
"Why not now?" said Meely, Impatiently,
"Couldn't. Much as my life Is worth!
Must keep watching out! You come at 4
And with an assuring nod he released
the fence and trotted off. He returned
cautiously in the direction of the cave; be
was by no means sure that the robber
might not return that day, and hi my
terlou rendesvous with Meely veiled i
certain prudence. And It waa well. For
as be stealthily crept around the face of
the outcrop, hidden in the term, he siw
from the altered angle of the tree that tbe
cavern waa opened. Ha remained motion
less, with bated breath. Then be heard
the sound of subdued voices from the csv
em. snd a figure emerged from the open
ing. Johnny grasped tbe ferns rigidly to
check the dreadful rry that rose to hi Up
at its sight. For that figure was hla own
brother!
There was no mistaking that weak
wicked face, even then flushed with liquor
Johnny had seen it too often thus. But
never before as a thief's face. He gave a
little gasp and fell back upon that atrang
reserve of apathy and reticence. In wh en
children are apt to hide their emotions
from n at such a moment. He watched
Impassively the two other men who fol
lowed bis brother out to give him a small
bag and tome Instructions, snd then re
turned within the cave, while his brother
walked quickly away. He watched h'm
dlaappear; he did not move, f r even If i
had followed him he could not bear to face
him In hla sbarne. Then out of hla sullen
despair isms a boyish Idea of revenge. It
was those two men who bad made hla
brother a thief!
He vil very near the tree. He crept
stealthily on bis bands and knee through
the bracken and as stealthily climbed tbe
wedge of outcrop, and then leaped Ilk a
wildcat on th tree. With Incredible ac
tivity he lifted the balancing atone and as
tbe tree began to move. In a flash ef per
ception transferred It to the other side
ef It axis, and felt the root and debris,
under that additional weight, descend
quickly with something like a crash over
the opening. Then he took to bis heels.
He rsn so swiftly that all unknowingly he
overtook a figure, who, turning, glanced at
him and then disappeared ln the wood. It
was hla second and last view of his brother
as be never saw blm again.
But now, strange to say. the crucial and
most despairing moment of hla day' ex
perience had come. He had to face Me?!y
Stryker under the burnt pine, and the
promise he could not keep, and to tell her
that be had lied to her. It was the only
way to save hla brother now. Hla small
wits, and, alas! hla smaller methods, were
equal to the despairing task. A coon a
he "w n'r waiting under the tree be Ml
10 eP"ng ana aanclng witn an extrava-
f"nce ln wh,ch hysteria hsd no amall part
Sold' Sold' B.nM inln ann n (hi
8old! Sold again and got the
money!" he laughed, abrllly.
The girl looked at him with astonish-
n,ent- hlrb- changed gradually to corn
and then to anger. Johnny's heart ssnk
but he redoubled his antics.
"Who's .old?" she said, disdainfully.
"You be. You awallered all that atuff
about All Baba! You wanted to be Morgy
Anna! Ho! Ho! And I've made you play
hookey from home!"
"You hateful, horrid, little liar!"
Johnny accepted his punishment meekly
In his heart gratefully. "I reckoned you'd
laugh, and not get mad." be said, sub
missively. Tbe girl turned, with tesrs of
rage end .vexation in her eyes, and walked
away. Johnny followed at a humble dis
tance. Perhaps there waa something In
stinctively touching In the boy's remorse,
for they made It up b(fors they reached
her fence.
Nevertheless Johnny went home miser
able. Luckily for him, his father waa ab
sent at a vigilance committee called to take
cognizance of the late sluice robberies, and
although this temporarily concealed hla of
fense of truancy, the newa of tba vigilance
meeting determined hlra to keep his Hps
sealed. Hs lay all night wondering how
long it would take the robbers to dig them
selves out of the cave and whether they sus
pected their Imprisonment was the work of
an enemy or only an accident. For several
daya he avoided the locality, and even
feared the vengeful appearance of Spanlab
Pets some night at hi. father's house. It
wa. not until the end of a fortnight that
he had the courage to revt.lt the .pot. The
tree wa. In It. normal poaltlon, but Im
movable, and a great quantity of fresh debris
at the mouth of the rave convinced him the
robber., after escaping, bad abandoned It as
unsafe. HU brother did not return, and
either the activity of tbe vigilance commit
tee or th. lack of a new place ot rendesvous
.eemed to have dispersed the robber from
locality, for they were not heard of
atn.
The next ten years brought an Improve
ment to Mr. Etarlelgb' fortune. Johnny
Etarlelgb, then a student at San Jose, one
morning found a newspaper clipping In a
letter from Mies Amelia Stryker. It read
aa follows: "The excavators in ths new
tunnel in Heavyston Ridge lately discov
ered th skeletons of two unknown men.
who bad evidently been crushed and en
tombed aom ysara previously by tha falling
of a large tree over tbe mouth of tntv tem
porary refuge. From aotcT, river gold found
with them they were supposed to b part
of th gang of sluice robber who infested
the locality some year ago and wer biding
from the vigilant."
For a few day thereafter Johnny Btar-
leigh vaa thoughtful and reserved, but be
did not refer to tba paragraph In answer
ing tb letter. He decided to keep It for
later confidences, when Miss Stryker should
become Mrs. Starlalgb. -
Mortality Statistics.
The following births and death wer re-
Sorted at the office of the Board of Health
urtng the twenty-four hour ending at
noon Friday:
Death Mrs. Katie Bwinarskl. 2718 South
Twenty-fifth street, aged 44 years: Mrs. P.
P. Schmidt. 1941 Boulh sixteenth streot,
aged 66 years; Peter Benson, KM South
i weniy-secona sirei, sgea u years; Mra.
Eleanor Jones. 248 North Twenty-eiehth
street, aged 74 years; Mrs. Mary J. Tlarnan,
uiannaa, ia., ageo. za years.
uirins winiam aiaranam, ixm ivooust
street, girl; John Luidholm, 3223 Charles
street, girl.
Bonbons
Xswry PaeSNBg-) Warranted I
If yon bay Lowney's Candies in th
original sealed packages you will find them
la perfect condition, or money refunded.
Rase'el" Assorted . I lb. Me.; H lb. 8&c
"SaavaslT" . . . . I lb. Oe.; H )h. Sic.
"Aarrlraa Reaattsa" I lb.tvOc.; H lb. tOc
"Pinks." "PssslM" I , n, so- . u iv eoe
or"reret.s.-ata" 1 w-0-.
'Golfers" I lb. tOc.; H lb. SOc.
t oioalal Danes" . . I b. Oc ; H lb. 80c.
"Cheeolat rrMlati" 10c. and tic.
Chocolate Aiaeads", . 18c., Sac. and Oc.
.acpiisV PstrafSt are
Full IVigkt.
Radam's
Microbe Killer
Ciaveia all Blood and
Chronlt Diseases.
Kills the microbes of the lung sod cures
Consumption; kills the aiirrobaa el the
kidneys and core Bright Diktats; killa
Ilia microbes of tha ibroat snd cure
Diphtheria ; kills th microbe ol iha akin
aad curat Ectama; kiita tha microbe of
tbe blood and ear ftbeumatitm, Cancer,
Taurrii sod all ether Blood and Chromo
Diaeatet. Call er aend for free bittery
ol remedy and laatlnatiial to
MTE13.IIIL0N StUS CO.. auks, Hth.
S ! u aia Jr" nmuiiiir rein-
itfwlvisW.nl b:'ix:c
Ta..r. P.uurroyel; eoi a lnL f.tlura: loos.M. bmmI
eutisit beaas relieves In a law saa. Si-uu at
Haau MoCessell Ua C., Ostaaa, Met
.lowjsfEyjs
Chocolate
ABSOLUTE
SECURITY.
Genuine
Carter's
Little Liver Pills.
Mutt Caar Signature) 4r
bVm PeoSlsll Wrapper Me law.
Year entail aad as sany
tr tsks as BKfaa,
lrOR HLaOACHZ.
FOR DiniNESS.
rOR IIUOUSRESt,
FOR TORPID LIVER.
FOR CONSTIPATION.
FCR SALLOW SKI.
FORTMECOMPLEXIOI
osutmwai awaanawwi,
efgla. I rstraty TetaMyfcVa
'a """SI IBSSWStSSJ mmM
CURC lOK HEADACHE-
ATHLETES
TO KEEP IN r.OOD TRIM
MUST LOOK WELL TO .THE
CONDITION OF THE SKIN.'
TO THIS END THE BATH
SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH
HAND
SAPOLIO
All Oroccrt mud Drvgglstt
a BEAUTIFUL VOJ.ttK.
Fully bait ber obarms lies la tae f Very
ol bar 0 air.
Imperial Hair Regenerator
1 reeponalMe for moat, of the beantlfol
shadea ot hair yoo ae bMlay. Itlaabw.
intely harmlea, raallv iiiplleA. Inraln.
sbla tor Beard and Mnaiaarhp. Hamul
ef hair eolored tree. Beud tor ramuliiak
Imperial Chemical Co.. 135 W. IM 8l.. .V A.
Bold Dy bhermHii & M onnell Drug Co.
Omaha. Neb. '
Phoenix,
Arizona.
The winter homo of no less
than 25,000 persons, who go
there to escape the hardships,
of a winter In tho North.
Excellent hotels; Innumer
able boarding houses; mild
climate; clear, pure air;
plenty of places to go and
thing to do; most cheerful
health resort In tho coun
try; endorsed by every cll
tnatologlst In America.
Easily, quickly and com
fortably reached by the Kl
Faao-Kock; inland Route
and Southern Pacific Kall
rnad. Kates and full in
formation furnished on re
quest. Low rates to California,
Washington, Montana, Ore
gon, Utah and Idaho now
ill effect. Ak about them.
TICKET OFFICE
1323
Farnam St..
Omaha, Neb,
DoubK Dally
Train Service
via the
Jouisville &
Nashville Railroad
between
Cincinnati, Louisville
Chicago and St, Louis
and
Nashville, Mcmphla
Atlanta, Dlrmiiifihain
Mobile, New Orleans
Florida and
Citilf Coast Points
Through Bleeping Cars and Chair Cars
An Unexcelled Dining Car Service
LOW RATE EXCURSIONS
First and Third Tuesday each Month
For rstes, maps, folders and time
tables, Addrres
C. L. STONE, Gen. Past. A it..
T.oulsville, Ky.
"Paint it Red"
Is a favorite expression, but everybody does
not care for RED. It you buy your paint
from us you can get any color you want, be
cause we are agents for tha best paint it Is
possible to mix. It Is the "110KSESHOK
BRAND," made by the Mound City 1'aint
and Color Co., St. Louts. It com ynu
11. CO per gallon and no one can give you
any butter even when they charge you
more. Call for a sample card. ' Kstlmstes
cheerfully given.
Fuller Drug & Point Go.
Ill South Itth Street.
P. 8. We have decided to quit selling
arugs and give all our time to telling
paints. Our prescriptions will now n
Oiled by Kuhn V Co., 16th snd Douglas St.
J. P.
Tbos suffering from wesk
nesaes wblrb .r the plen.ures
of life should take a dollar bet-
tleof Juven FUla. (toe bottle
will tell a story of marvelous reaults ana
ereste profound wonder. Thl ruedlcine his
more rejuvenating, vitalising fr. e than ha
ever been offered. Kent by mail In plain
pa'kage only on receipt of this adv. aud tl. if
Tbi is K worth ol medicine for one dollar.
Blade Ir Its orirlnators C. I. Hood Co.. pre
frlstor Uood'g fears.iarllls, Lowell, 11 ass
- ' j-
Wi a rrsrr-tVcs
0AM LKO
MP
