THE COURIER.
KS
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STORIES IN PASSING.
He was a boy of fifteen, a light-haired,
brlht-eyed fellow, who had epeof his
entire life in the city; bo when a friend
invited the family out to his farm and
the family accepted, the boy's heart was
glad. The friend of the family had a
Ron about the same age and the two boys
were on the go from daylight to sunset
in the hay field or the orchard, down
at the creek, or bunting upland plover
in the meadows.
"Ride him down to the tank," raid
the friend's son, bringing out his pony
one morning. Now the pony was a
cattle pony and an animal of that kind
it full of surprises and little tricks of
starting and stopping suddenly. But
the boy from the city did not know
this and mounted the pony, caught the
halter and and dug his heels into the
animal's sides.
Like a shot the cattle-pony started
for the big round tank at the end of the
yard. The halter, was of no use in
holding him and the boy on his back
thought the animal intended a clear
leap of the tank, twenty feet in diameter.
So he let go his hold on the rope and
clutched at the pony's mane and held
his breath.
That animal went on like a rushing
train straight to the very edge of the
tank. Then it gave a little jump into
the air and came down stiff with its
. four legs rigid as iron, its head down and
its back arched, in the attitude of brae.
' ing for the jerk of the Iasaoover a steer's
horns.
Nothing could save the boy riding
horseback. The shock sent him head
long into the air and thon sprawling into
the tank of water, and when he pulled
hisawlf out wet and sore and sputtering,
he still held a bunch of the pony's mane
clasped tightly in his hand.
of people seemed to sway a moment un
steadily and then break into a mad run
down the hill, stuoabling and falling'
over each other and across sidewalks
and lawns. Then there was another fit.
fill glare and a minature volcano broke
loos), crackling and sizzling and sput
tering in childish glee. Rockets were
shooting in every direction, darting into
the crowd and circling along the ground
and ploughing up the sod and smashing
into glass windows. Giant crackers ex
ploded with deafening reports and
showered sparks on all sides. Roman
candles were zigzagging acroes ' each
other's path. Gigantic pin-wheels and
indescribable "pieces" were whirling and
snorting and plunging amid a rain of
fire which fell in sparks and sheets and
balls of various colore. And above all
lights of red and green and blue and
purple flared up and gave the scene the
appearance of a devil's jubilee.
For a man had dropped a match into
the fireworks for the evening's entertain
saent of that town, and in ten minutes
five hundred dollars Lad gone up in fire
and smoke.
She lives here in Lincoln, a pale-faced
little woman, with deep set lines about
, her mouth and a dull dead light in her
eyes. She is never idle and above all,
has no time for talking. At least that
is the excuse she gives whec folks ask
her why sho is so quiet. But those who
know the drami of her life knowB she
has reasons of her own.
Years ago she lived back in Eastern
Iowa and at her home-town loved, and
was engaged to a certain young man
with whom she had grown up. Then
she went back east somewhere to school
, where Ihey filled her headf ull of a lot of
things that ia those days were supposed
to constitute a finished lady. By and by
he came to see her there at school and
she was a little ashamed of his rather
rough western ways and lack of polish.
' She couldn't help showing it just a little,
as much as she loved him, and his pride
was touched. A coolness sprang up
then, a something that neither could
understand nor very well overcome;
. and then he went to Ann Arbor where
. he worked so hard that there was little
. time for letters. While he went abroad
they drifted eo far apart that when the
son of her father's partner offered his
hand and pressed his suit so urgently,
she accepted and came west to live.
Her real lover spent Ave years in
Europe and then came back to a chair
in his a1 ma mater and is now president
of one of the leading universities of New
England.
Her husband proved a failure and
when their fathers' firm went up, he ran
. away, leaving her with nothing but the
children to look after. So now she eews
and does fancy work to get along and
teacfies the children as best she can and
is strangely silent while the Hoes about
her mouth grow deeper and the light of
t bcr eyes fainter and fainter.
"Z-zp boom!"
A sudden gleam lighted up the hill of
be little town, showing a sight -as of
some fantastic carnival. The black mass
One doss not realize perhaps how well
lighted the city of Lincoln really is until
he sees it at night from some eminence,
'such as the capitol dome or the hills to
tne east or west of the city. The best
view, no doubt, is that from one point of
the road coming in from Cushman park
the summit of the last hill just before
dropping down into the valley of the
salt basin. Here all of a sudden the
whole city comes before one, a lake of
light points across the darkness between.
For several miles they extend in parel
lel rows from north to south,
beginning with a single light at the
northern end and steadily growing more
numerous until you can plainly dis
tinguish O street by its. double bright
ness, and then tapering out again to
the single point far to the south and
high above all, the four lights at the
capitol look down like some watchful
beacon over the city. Here and there a
Bicgle arc or perhaps a whole row or
circuit dies away for a moment, leaving
that portion of the city ia darkness, and
flash forth again. Or if you are a
little late in coming in, you may be able
to see them all go out, commencing
with those far to the north and south
and gradually working in towards the
city the light dying away to a pencil
of red, glowing uncertainly a second and
then going out in darkness. Then
darkness has fully taken the city to
itself and the night is any one's.
Ten or twelve years ago there were
half a dozen young men in Lincoln all
of family and position and influence
now and too busy for such things a3
they once did who every summer spent
a month at a certain farm down near
Nebraska City, where they 4 fisrjed,
boated, lounged about, played jokes and
had a good time generally. One sum
mer they were down at the farm
as usual and expecting a friend from
the city the next day thought best to
mention the fact to their host.
"Our friend Murphy will be down
tomorrow," they said, "he couldn't come
with us on account of some extra church
work. You see he's a minister a good
fellow enough when you know him but
pretty straight and not eo easy and free
as the rest of us chaps here. So you
want to treat him pretty careful, you
know no cigars or liquor or anything
of that kind he's pretty sensitive on
such things. We know how to handle
him aLd jou just watch us. And what
ever you do don't give us awav."
Murphy came down the next day, a
tall, lank, roleran faced young fellow
but with an eye that might imply al
most anything. The farmer met him
at the train in the spring wagon and all
ths way out the farmer talked pleasantly
of the weather, and the crops and the
high moral tone of the neighborhood
and what excellent fellows were his
friends who were boarding at his farm.
Murphy listened to it all and said little,
wondering to what kind of a place the
bo j s had come.
They arrived just at noon and he was
greeted cordially but with serious facps
by his friends. Then they sat down to
dinner and he noticed that they were all
subdued and very quiet and kept watch
ing the farmer. He also noticed that
thero was nothing to drink on the
table but ice water, and he made a
mental note to find out later why they
had come to such a place.
Then the farmer broke the silence by
asking Murphy to ask grace. Murphy
looked bewilderingly at all the grave
faces of his friends and then burst out:
"No. I may be good all the test of the
year at home but I'll be damned it I
came down here to attend a camp
meeting. What's come over you fellows
an how you look like a lot of deacons.
And why don't you trot out snmothing
to drink? I'm as dry as a Dutchman
and nothing here but water. What in
thunder's the matter with you chaps
you're not generally carrying about
such sanctimonious wings a6 this."
And the others dropped the joke and
laughed but it took the farmer all their
stay to get over the shock.
H. G. SHEDD,
kondon better.
At one of the banquets, last week, the
Queen appeared in a truly gorgeous
gown, by far the gayest she has worn
for forty years or so. Her guests were
all astonished and delighted to see the
venerable lady in a really regal frock
for once. It was of richest black moire,
embroidered all over the front of the
bodice and skirt with gold inlaid with
jewels, the design representing lotus
flowers (the IotuB is the emblem of the
colonies) forget me-notsand wheat ears.
Every one admire! the exquisite work,
but the dear old lady's festal garb ceas
ed to be a source of wonder when it was
made known that the embroidery was
executed at Agra, and that the Queen,
after thinking what Bhe could do to help
her poor famine-stricken Indian sub
jects, had hit upon the idea of setting
the fashion for Indian gold work. No
doubt our smart people will now pro
ceed to adopt it.
Yju will like to hear a littlo about the
preeents the Queen has had. The
diamond brooch from the Princess of
Wales and her children consists of one
large oval brilliant, surrounded by smal
ler ones, and showing no setting. She
wore it on Jubilee Day, and very splen
did it looked. The married sons and
daughters, headed by Saxe-Coburgs,
gave a chain of sixty diamond links a
happy ibea having in the center of all
the Imperial crown. The pearl and
diamond brooch froin the household is
fine, too. One of the most interesting
gifts is the Empress of China's picture,
painted by herself. It represents a view
of rocks and sandy shore, having many
red-crested storks about. Now the mean
ing of all this is subtle. The stork with
the red crest is the emblem of long life,
as it is only supposed to acquire tnat
ornament when it is 1,000 years old, and
it also typifies parental love. The en
tire meaning of the work is, "May you
live a thousand years, and may your
children be as numerous as the sands of.
the sea." The Empress is a strong
minded female, and considers herself
and Queen Victoria the most remark
able women of the day.
I hear that Her Majesty has shown
special respect to the Papal envoy, and
that, when he presented the Pope's auto
graph letter to her, she rose from her
throne in token of reverence. Monsignor
Sambucetti is a handsome man and very
polished. By the way, it is p.h amusing
fact that his presence in the procession
was illegal; all diplomatic intercourse
between the Vatican and the Court o!
St. James is cut off by act of Parliament,
and though many bills to reverse this
have been introduced, they ha' e never
been carried. But Leo XIII is a clever
man, and did not see why his personal
friendship for the Queen and for our
country should be blocked by an old
statute; so, when he became Pope, he
didn't wasto time in sending to ask
whether he might appoint an envoy; he
simply dispatched the courtly Ruffo
Scilla as his representative, taking it for
granted that he would be received. Of
ourco the envoy was received, and there
the matter ended." Now the Pope's em
bassador takes his place in England, as
a matter of course, and even the most
bigoted person doe3 not dare raise a
protest.
The Honors' List caused much growl,
ing. The Lord Mayor openly vows that
he "expected more." Altogether Lord
Salisbury has not given universal satis
faction. The Queen's garden-party was a great
event. Five thousand guests' were pres
ent, and the gardens looked lovely. Once
inside them, you would never dream that
you were in the heart of London; and
the lake is. so pretty, brightened with
the Queen's barges and the boatmen in
their picturesque get-up. Her Majesty
had a good deal of white about her gown
chiefly whit 3 chiffon, for which she has
a great fancy. She drove amon her
guests in a low victoria; and afterward
took tea in the tent in perfectly homely
fashion, sitting in whole view of every
one, with a big white serviette spread
over her lap, a typical old lady, sipping
her tea and Deaming! All the royalties
were there; space forbids me to mention
their frocks; but the Grand Duchess
Ssrge, the Grand Duchess of Hesse and
Priacess Maud were the beauties. The
Ducbe63 of Marlborough's delicate pale
green and white costume, with hat to
match, was a big success; so was Lady
Dudley's "rose-frock" in silken muslin.
Lady Henry Soaierest looked sweet in
black and steel; the young Duchess of
Newcastle did not look so nice as usual;
and the lord Mayor's people were "all
over the place." The Bancrofts wero
much congratulated on the knighthood
bo3towed upon Sir Squire. Diamond
ornaments were freely worn on bonnets
and bats; nearly every woman sported a
pearl necklace; boleros were general;
and 1 am thankful to add eoft tints
were universally worn. None of the
early VicWian olore, with which we
have been threatened, appeared, nor did
the poke-bonnet; indeed, pretty little
toques were almost the only wear.
Somebody has discovered a blue or
chid! It is to be called "Ddndrobium
Victoria Regina," ia honor of the Jubilee
year.
I- must not forget to tell you about the
Princess of Wales' dinners for the poor.
She could not manage to visit more than
three of the gatherings, but sho chose
the poorest centers. Clorkonwell, Hol
born and the Peoples' Palace. She mado
herself so pretty, in a light silk frock
covered with bouquets of pansios, and
frill upon frill of soft peach-mauve chif
fon. No wonder the poor folks were
charmed! She took the Prince and her
daughters with her, and they all went
about among the ragged crowds shaking
hands and chatting with freedom that
soon made everybody at ease. You would
have liked the groan of satisfaction that
arose when she walked into the Clcrken
well dining-ball. "Why, she's actually
a-coming amongst us!" said one man
open-mouthed; and come she did, to
such good purpose that the rough flower
girls started chatting to her as though
they had known her all their lives; and
one old Irishwoman, when asked it she
had enjoyed it, patted her on the back
with such a grimy hand, and Baid:
"I have that God bless you, my
dear!" "Aint she lovely?" quoth a flower
girl. "My, she's a real lady. An' I tell
yer toot she might walk down the New
