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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1901)
THE COURIER. whole. Some are cot fitted for teachers, stenographers or typewriters, and others upoc whom this pecessity also falls, can Dot leave their homes. There is not any opportunity unless prairie grass or corn husks may be converted into baskets for that craft We have not embroidery or lace making the art of which we can revive. It seems, however, as if much might be done in the way of carved leather. That done in Mexico and Cali fornia ia beautiful. The exquisite leath er wrought in Germany is an inspiration There is certainly a market for carved leather in Nebraska, of original design and as characteristically beautiful as that of other sections or countries. The necessary tools are simple and inexpen sive, and small amounts might be earn ed by this agreeable task that would assist many a woman eager to earn a little money. The brick made from Ne braska clay is exceedingly fine and hard. Why not a Nebraska tile tha. may be aB celebrated for decoratiou as the famous Delft tile. The lack of any new or lucrative hand employment for Nebras ka women is constantly emphasized by the continual appearance of some new industry in the east for women, started by philanthropists. Not long ago Mrs. Abeeoriginated the idea of rug industry id New Hampshire and Mrs. Volk car ried out the same plan for the farmer's wives of Maine. They furnished the women with good designs and supplied them with wood dyes, which grow mce beautiful with age and are preferable indeed to aniline dyes which are too brilliant and harsh. The Philadelphia chapter of the Na tional Alliance, Daughters of Veterans, are urging a more patriotic celebration of Lincoln Day. The plan is to cele brate the day in the public schools by oratorical contests and to award to the most eloquent speaker a gold medal. The Colonial Damee of New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia held their semi-annual meeting last week inPhila delphia. The Valley Forge National Park Plan and the restoration of the Randolph mansion, which through the courtesy of the Park commissioners baa been entrusted to the Philadelphia chapter, were discussed. The new army bill contains the fol lowing provisions concerning women nurses: "Section 19. That the Nuree Corps (female shall consist of one superinten dent to be appointed by the secretary of war who shall be a graduate of a hos pital training school having a course of instruction of not less than two years, whose term of office may be terminated at his discretion, whose compensation Bhall be $1,8000 per annum, and or as many chief nurses, nurses and reserve nurses as may be needed. Reserve nurses may be assigned to active duty when the emereency of the service de mands, but shall receive no compensa tion except when on such duty; Provid ed, That all nurses in the Nurse Corps shall be appointed or removed by the surgeon general, with the approval of the secretary of war; that they shall be graduates of hospital training schools, and shall have ppssed a satisfactory pro fessional, moral, mental and physical examination; and Provided, That the superintenent and nurses shall receive transportation and necessary expenses when traveling under orders; that the pay and allowances of nurses, and of re verse nurses, when on active service, shall be forty dollars per month when on duty in the Uni ed States and fifty dollars per month when without the limits of the United States. They shall be entitled to quarters, subsistence and medical attendance during illness, and they may be granted leaves of absence for thirty days, with pay, for each cal endar year; and when serving as chief nurses, their pay may be increased by authority of the secretary of war, such increase not to exceed twenty-five dol lars per month. Payments to the Nurse Corps shall be made by the Pay Department. THE MAN -DOG. A WEIRD STORY OF MAGNOLIA ISLAND IN THE ULACK SWASH'. My first knowledge of the singular be ing called "Du Chien. the Mac-Dog," began when we were on duty down in the Peche country, a short time after General Taylor's celebrated "Run on the Banks," in the vicinity of Mansfield. The cavalry had really very little to do except "to feed" and await orders. As a result of this idleness many of the officers and men formed pleasant ac quaintances with the hospitable plant ers in whose neighborhood we were located. One of the planters whom I found to be most congeual, was Captain Martas, a French Creole, whose father had come from Languedoc. lie was himself native born. He was a man of forty-eight or fifty years of age, and bad two sons by his first marriage, who were in the army of Virginia, and a boy two years of age, by his second wife, wtio wa9 a young and beautiful lady. The houseaeeper was a mulatto girl, who was in every physical development almost a perfect being even her small hands looked like consummate wax-work. She had been taught, petted, and indulged as much perhaps, or more than any slave should have been, especially by Captain Martas, who uniformly spoke to her more in toe tone of a father addreesing a daughter, than in that of a master commanding a slave. She was always gentle and obedient. The family seemed to prize her very greatly, and the little boy especially preferred her to bis own beautiful mother. The family was so attractive that I visited it often; one evening on my ar rival at the house, I found that its peace and quiet had been disturbed by one of those painful occurrences which so often marred the happiness of Sjuthern families, and which really constituted the curse of "the peculiar institution." The day before, the beautiful and ac complished wife of Captain Martas had, for some unexplained reason, got into a frenzy of rage with Celia, the mulat tress, and had ordered the overseer to give her a severe whipping. The girl had run off into the Black Swamp dur ing the night, and Captain Mortas, who imparted this infermation to me, was in a state of terrible distress by reason of her absence- He did not seem to under stand the cause of the trouble, but he could not justify his slave without con demning his wife, whom he seemed to regard with a most tender and dutiful devotion. The only emotion which seemed to master him was a heartbreak ing and hopeless gritf. I volunteered to hunt for the runaway, and while ask ing for such information as I thought to be necessary about the neighboriug plantations, and of the almost bound less and impracticable wilderness know n as the Black Swamp, I siw Uelia slowiy and quietly coming up the broad walk which led from the portico in the big gate. She carried in her hand a branch of tie magnolia tree, from which depend ed a splendid blossom of that most glo rious of all flowers. She bowed slightly as she came near the portico, and, pass ing around the corner of the house, entered it by a side door. Mrs. Martas was most passionately devoted to the magnolia, and, from her exclamations of delight, which were soon heard in the hall, we k-ew that Celia had brought the beautiful flower as a peace-offering to her mistress, and that it had been accepted as such. Very Boon tho two women came nearer, and from our seats on the varanda wo could hear their con versation. A teTiblo weight seemed to have been lifted from the heart of Cap tain Martas by tho girl's return, and by the apparent renewal of friendly rela tions between his beautiful wife and his even more beautiful slave a relief which showed itself in bis face and form, but not in his speech. "Yes," said Celia to Mrs. Martas,' it is an old, wide-spreading tree on the very edge of the water, and is glorious with just such splondid blossoms as these. There must be more than three huudred clusters, some that I cou'd not reach being much larger and finer than this one." "And you say," answered Mrs. Martas, "that the air is still, and that the perfume broods all around the tree? oh, how swee J'' "Yes,' said Celia. "it is so strong that ycu can taste as well as smell tho wonderful perfumo. Few people could boar to stand immediately beneath the shade; it is so sweet as to be almost ovei powering." "OL, how I wish I could see it! How far is it Celia?" "Oulj four miles. You can go. It is deep in the swamp; but the pony can follow the ridge all the way. You can go and get home before dusk. 1 would like you to see it before the rain makes the road too bad, or the winds come and come and scatter the delicious perfume that now hangs as heavy aB dew all around the glorious tree for yards and yards away." "I will go!" she cried. "Tell Toby to bring Selim, and you can take a horse. Let us co at once. It is getting late." "I would rather walk," said Celia, "so as to be sure that 1 will not miss the roliloin going back, although t watched so carefully that I know I can find it on foot." Very soon a boy led up Mrs. Martas' pony, and she went out to the steps and mounted, followed by Celia on foot. Tho girl held the stirrup for her mis tress, and as she did bo lookad back at Captain Martas with eyes in which shone strange lovo; but the voico of her inistre&a called her away, and, even in turning her black and lustrous eyes from Captain Martas, their expression totally changed, and showed for a fleet ing instant the murderous glitter that gleamed from tho eyes of a panther when ready for a fatal spring. I was startled and troubled, and half moved forward to tell the lady not to go; but a moment's reflection showed mo how foolish such an unnecessary and Billy interference would seem. A strange mistrust fi-ttted across my mind, but there was nothin on which to base it. I could not give a reason for it, except to eay that I had seen the light of a gladi ator's eye, the twitch and spasm of an assassin's lip, in the eye and mouth of that now smiling and dutiful young slave girl. Th thing was too foolish to think or, and I bold my peace. The women passed out of the gato, and went on quietly in the direction of the Black Samp. Martas and I re sumed our canversation. Hour after hour passed away, and the bud grew large and low in the west; Btill Mrs Martaa did not return. The sun wis setting set; but she had not come. Then Captain Martas called Toby and had him ria to the edg of the wood, and see if he could learn aoything of his mistress; but Toby Boon came back, saj ing that he saw nothing except the pony's tracks leadiag into the swamp, (Continued on Page 9 .) pjlGI of Tke Gourier after February 28, iJoTffil.gO There are orly tWelvte days from rxoW to ljZ END of THE M0J4JH. A YEAR'S SUBSCRIPTION to THE COURIER will cost Delinquent Sub scribers 5Qo more if paid after February 28, Af ter Feb. 28, The Courier iss $l.oO. J I is v H i'i i i',i r
