THE COURIER.
t
able? Can it-be cured or uiitiiraled!1
Is it the fault of the system, the
teachers, the homes, or of the popula
tion? If the system does not produce
manly boys and womanly girls, the
public school is not the bulwark or
freedom and the advance guard of civ
ilization that orators sing it.
LITTLE CHILDREN OF THE HILLS
nv MAKTHA 1'IERCK.
For The Courier
III.
Alfred rode out in the gray morning
and climbed up the tall red -topped hill
southwest of the camp. His father rode
in the other direction. Ho was going to
set traps for the wolves which had been
worrying cattle at the Bar M. Three
days ago word had come to ride to the
Bar M ranch with his trips and poison.
This morning he had sent Alfred to take
up all the traps still set in the hills
bordering the valley of Little Bear
creek, with instructions to bring them
to the Bar M in the evening. Had he
looked over bis shoulder he might have
seen the sturdy, shaggy little pony,
carrying the wild little figure up the
Gteep hill.
It was a gray morning. The mists
tilled the hollows between the hills,
usually Alfred could see miles up and
down the valley. But all he could see
at this hour was the shifting fog. Out
of the silver sea the high hills reared
their crimson heads. The cool, delicious
morning air blew freshly across them,
and above, the eastern summits a dim
gold, struggling through the gray, her
aided the day. With a whoop of joy,
born of health and simpie physical de
light in the out-of-doors, Alfred began
the descent at a racing gallop, which
was reckless enough, considering that
the pony might at any moment put one
of his sure little feet into a gopher's bole
and send his rider head-long. But Al
fred was not terrified by any possible
danger, and no experience had taught
him caution, and that bard teacher hid
mercy on him this morning.
When he topped the farthest hill, the
sun had turned all the silver to gold. A
meadow lark Hew up at his feet, whist
ling clearly. He imitated it gayly, and
chuckled at his own success, when the
puzzled bird answered him again and
again. Shy rabbits stood on their bind
legs, cocked forward their long ears and
surveyed him intently. A brown doe
leaped up from a hollow, where she had
slept, and fled before him. He gave
chase with loud hallooing as long as she
ran in his assigned direction. When
she turned aside he reluctantly forsook
her. Altred carried no gun when alone.
That, his father would not allow, lest
worse disaster should come upon him
than any threatened by the wild crea
tures of the bills.
So, Alfred rode until he came at last,
when it was near noon, out upon the
hill-top from whence he could Bee all the
valley of the Little Betr. The hills a
half-mile across the valley seemed so
near that he might have tossed a peb
ble across. But the cattle drinking in
the clear stream in the midst of the
green meadows looked small and far
away. Alfred took his bearings, and
struck into the hills again, following the
course of the valley farther north.
When he had found the traps, he
dropped from the saddle, threw the
reins over the pony's bead, letting them
trail on the ground. Every hill hor6e
knows that this means, "Wait here un
til I come." Then, having eateu his
lunch, he crossed a email hillock and
took up the tirst trap. Leaving it, he
went still further on and found the sec
ond. He took this one, and, returniog,
brought both and hung them over the
saddle. There was still a third, which
be found with little difficulty, though
j
you or I would have walked directly e cross the hillock in search of hia littlo
into it, so cleverly was it covered with master. Sobbing with relief, Alfred put
earth, so cunningly was the earth out his little free hand and patted tho
made to seem as undisturbed as tbo hills shabby brown neck. Ihon, coaxing
bad been before the hunter set foot him closer, be felt along his Bide for the
within thpir lonely roaches. Alfred cat-skin Lag, in which, in tho midst of
stooped over the trap and felt for the his treasures, was the littlo wrench with
chain. Suddenly he felt his wrist which he was wont to open the traps,
gripped by the steel jae. The trap Free, he hurried across tho bills to
was heavier than the others, and with the valley of the Little Bear. There
all effort he could not loosen it from the was the ranchman, lieb Lee, not more
ground with his free band. Neither than five miles along the beaten road,
could be reach the stake at the further whom Alfred knew of old. He thought
end of the chain. Mechanically he felt of warm-heartod Mrs. Lee and more
in all bis pockets for the wrench, though particularly of the bread and butter
he knew instantly it was not with him, and raspberry jam which she bad given
but in the beautiful cat-skin bag which him the last time she had entertained
hung at the side of the saddle. The him in her clean kitchen. She was one
child sat down by the trap. Made to of the few women up and down the val-
hold a strong wolf, it was strong enough leys whose motherly instincts overcame
toholo him, he knew. The little brown her natural hatred for dirt and snakep,
pony was too far away to hear his voice, so far that she always took the homeless
Otherwise all would be well, for it came child into her house when ho came that
like a dog at his call. He knew that by way.
thiB time his father must bo twenty How good to the eyes of little Alfred
miles away, at the Bar M. He would were the lights in the window of the
not miss his son until night had fairly ranch house, as he and the brown pony
fallen, nor grow uneasy at bis absence pounded swiftly along the dusty road
until it had worn well on toward its under the stars. And a little later, wheu
middle watch. Meanwhile the wolves the dream of the bread and butter and
would be out in the hills. Alfred ehud- raspberry Jam came true, be was quite
dered. Already he could see the death contented and happy again. And how
circle narrowing. He knew the ways of sweet and deep was his slumber, on the
wolves too well to wonder what might pallet spread on the kitchen floor, and
come at the last. He know. He re generously shared, as soon as Mrs. Lee
membered as he sat there, dully and was safely up stairs, with the mongrel
miserably, that except his father, of all dog, who whined at the door. Quite as
those who knew him up and down tho 6weet and deep as the slumber of Mrs.
green valleys, none knew whither he had Lee's little son, in his cltan, white bed
gone or when ho might return. And under the eaves or your sleep, my frieud,
the little brown pony, with the long in yours,
reins trailing on the ground, would
stand waiting for his little master, until
nnfil tVio nrnliroa caf imnn Kiim A Ifrarl
....... .n .. . l. .. ......... o0000IMH0IM0t0MM0
shuddered again. The warm, golden x
afternoon Eun poured down udou him. g (pj TJRQ'
A u.a i , i " i t KsLS&E)j'
. uuiu ui ;akiio paoocu vj a ijuaiioi ui a a
a mile to the right, going across the hills Edited by Miss Helen G. Harwood. J
in solemn order to the water gap. Soft- i X
footed rabbits crouched and g zed at
him with wide, scared eyes. Far up in CALENDAR OF NEBRASKA CLUBS
the blue an eagle wheeled in wide- -
sweeping circles, so wide-sweeping, Al- nc..Civil imminent.. . North Bend
fred thought, that he might look down, -. Zetctlc c. Literature Weeping Water
... . ,, -J6. Hound Table. Fr. literature Crete
now upon the brown pony, patiently -jo. History & Art c. German philosopher
waiting, now upon Alfred, lying hope- sicSiiihhiy"..T.sA
lesaly on his back, with his arms flung a, aith Century c. Civil War Pawnee city
. rnu . ,, .. ,. , . , :5. W"s.c, Music Lincoln
out. I he one held fast in the strong steel- ,t Fortnightly c.. Germany ixi Lincoln
tran slnwlv swelling and nurnlinir 3. WV. c. Napoleon .Columbus
trap, oiowiy sweuin-, anu purpling, .jy, Ws. c.. Educational institutions of the U. S.
ached bitterly. Wakefleld
..... W, Sorosis, English literature .Tecumseh
:). Friend-, in Council. Fr. sculptor. ..Tecumseh
After a long time evening came. The g Muslc Auburn
SUn Seemed to fall, once he began to 1. Athenae c. Gothic architecture Lincoln
.... ' . . .. i Review & Art c . Rubens. . York
descend, so swiftly did he go from the
watching boy. The purple twilight
closed around him and the stars came
out, shining white and steadfast in the
far, deep sky.
Quite worn out with his long after
noon of pain and despair, Alfred fell
asleep, though be had planned, iu bis
fear of the gray wolf pack not to close
hiB eyes. The moon swung slowly up
the sky and looked down on the dark
hills and the sleeping boy. It was
quite silent in all the highlands, for it
was yet too early for the rallying cry of
the wolf pack, or the howling of the
coyotes.
Even in the boy's sleep his arm ached
bitterly, and he dreamed again the
dream which often before had made his
lifo-currents freeze. This was always
that his father's big pet rattlesnake had
at last taken him unawares, and eet its
fangs in his hand. He was wakened
suddonly by a touch on the free hand,
a cold, clammy touch which frightened
him in bis waking more than the dream
in his sleeping, he sprang up. crying
out in hi fear. "A'dark shape loomed
big through the darkness. Then in
answer to Alfred's cry came a low
familiar whinny. It was indeed the
pony. He had broken the law of the
bill horses, the law of the trailing bridle
rein, which says, "Wait here until I re
ture," and corns from his waiting place
G. F. W. C Officers for 1900-1 902.
President Sirs. Rebecca D. Lowe. Georgia.
V.-Prcsident Sirs. C T. Denison. New York
2d V.-Pres'd't Miss Margaret J. Evans. Minn.
Rec. Sec. Mrs. Emma Fox, Michigan.
Cor. Sec. Mrs. G. W. Kcndrick. Ii.
Ttcas Mrs. E. M. Van Vechten, Iowa.
AutL Mrs. George II. Noyes. Wis
Director Mrs. Edward L. Huchwalter, Ohio.
Mrs. Charles W. Fairbanks, Indiana; Miss
Margaret J. Evans, Minnesota; Mrs. Margaret
J. Lockwood. Histrictof Columbia: Mrs. Annie
West, Massachusetts; Mrs. W. J. Christie.
Montana: Mrs. W. J. Coad, South Dakota: Mrs.
William Streeter, New Hampshire: Mrs. R. L.
Priddy. Kansas.
N. F. W. C. Officers for 1900-01.
President Mrs. Draper Smith, Omaha.
Vice-President Mrs. Durland, Norfolk.
Rec Sec. Miss McCarn, Fremont.
Cdit. Sec Mrs. Neely, Omaha.
Treasurer Mrs. Cross, Fairbury.
Auditor Mrs. Page, Syracuse.
Librarian Mrs. Stoutenborough. Platts-
mouth.
Almost every week a new club is
heralded into existence. The organi
zation of anew club indicates either a
need or ambition among a certain num.
ber of people. The club has become
the means of personal expression in the
world of women. To those who are al
ready becoming morbid as to the wo
man of the Twenty First Century and
are holding ideaa gruesome to the very
extent of predicting that in that ugt
man may not even be allowed to 6elect
bis own neckties. An investigation of
tho purpose and purport of clubs should
bo somewhat of an alleviatiou to afflict
ed feelings. It is a difficult if not impos
sible task to accomplish single-handed
much in the way of charity, city im
provement, or to gain a littlo recreation
or culture, unless ono is an inhabitant
of a city or a university town. Clubs,
owing to their organization and tho co
operation which makes existence for
them, have put much within tho reach
of almost overy woman that not mauy
years ago seemed entirely improbable.
Clubs are the outward expression of tho
needs and aspiration of the women of
the present day. Each year their work
ib becoming more practical and more
ecientitic, I03S fairy-like and lees super
ficial. Greetings and good wishes may bo al
ways extended to new clubs that have it
useful purpose. Mrs. Hermann J. Hall
of Chicago, formerly Chairman of tbo
Art committee of the General Federa
tion and in a large measure responsible
for the successful art meetings of tho
Milwaukee biennial has formed a new
society "the National Outdoor Art As
sociation" of which she has boon chosen
president. The headquarters of the as
sociation will be in Boston. Mrs. Hall
in speaking of the organization saB:
"There is a great work to bo done by a
national organization of women all in
terested in preserving the beauties of
the part of the country in which each
one lives. It in time to go into the small
towns. There destruction is waged
against the natural beauties of scenery
by the relentless progress of industry
and economy. The Woman'B Auxiliary
of the Outdoor Art Association will act
a information bureau to its members
everywhere, and as it is affiliated, will
have the services of the leading land
scape gardeners of tho country. Every
thing that concerns the improvement of
our outdoor surroundings in an artistic
sense will be among tho interests of tho
Auxiliary. One of our particular aims
will be to enlist property-owners to get
away from the conventional style in
planting these grounds."
The Fremont Woman's club is urging
a public library for Fremont with ener
gy and ability. The tremendous and
organized effort it is putting forth must
meet with pleasing results. A commit
tee of five has been appointed from the
Woman's club and business men to ar
range for a mass meeting to be held on
Thursday, January .'Slat. Another
committee was appointed to interost tho
secret societies in the undertaking.
Last Sunday and next Sunday tho min
isters of Fremont will preach upon the
value of a library to a community.
Miss Laura D. Gill, A. B , A. M a
graduate of Smith College, was chosen
dean of Barnard College at a meeting of
the trustees. The deanship has been
vacant since the resignation of Mrs.
George Haven Putnam, a year agj.
Meedames Harriet MacMurphy and
Lilian Gault, delegates to the recent
convention of Women's clubs, held in
the interests of the Louisiana Purchase
centennial, at Kansap City, presented
their reports to the Omaha Woman's
club at the regular meeting on Monday
afternoon.
The ladies were enthusiastic in praiso
of the cordial reception accorded them
in Kansas City, and stated that Nebras
ka bad been honored by the appoint
ment of Mrs. MacMurpby as secretary
of the convention. This state was also
one of the foremost in the number of
delegates sent.
The secretary, Mrs. Kennedy, read an