Bellefonte, Pa., September 19, 1913. SIC TRANSIT Can this be death? 1 did not know The death could be so kind— I feared immeasurable woe— A choking—horrid fight for breath— A rushing of the wind. But—over there, What strange clear light Is breaking through the darkened skies? ‘Whose hushed prayer Divides the solemn pauses of the night? What form is it that flies And brings to me unguessed peace— Undreamed—unknown! Lips pressed in the racking pain? With what unutterable gain Of rest and cease— THE GRAY HUNTERS. As Will Gerry walked toward the stable buildings, a succession of thumping goigen broke the silence of the spring Wn. of the -shed entrance. He caught a Ne of E1eY bodies, bared fangs and cruel eyes; the intruders southward over the open prairie, in direction of the river. The watched orn 0) they Ee tred 0 ng snow, t in a row and looked back. “Timber- wolves!” he exclaimed. “No wonder Pedro was kicking. They must be fam- ished to dare come I guess they scented the venison I saved for dad.” He entered the wagon-shed, and when in another moment he rea face was pale with anger were glowing. “You thieves!” he panted. “You dirty sneak-thieves, you've stolen all dad's meat! And I thought I had hung it where nothing eould reach it.” Tears of mortification at his own lack of judgment stood in his eyes as he shook an impotent fist in the direction of the maurauders, now flitting riverward over the blotched reaches of grass and dirty Snow. But Will Gerry did not spend time in vain regrets: he entered the stable, and having quieted and fed Pedro, seated himself on the manger of the empty team stall to consider the situation. The outlook was not cheerful. His father, ill from an unaccustomed fare of salt pork and dried vegetables that had made up their winter diet, must have fresh meat at once. But Will's rifle am- munition was all used up, and his older brother would not return with the team and the Spring supplies for at least two weeks. He owned a 38 caliber revolver and a few cartridges—an Supe. bi as getti was concerned, t- less use! A than a bow and arrow. ver, it was all that he had to work with, and with the hopefulness of youth, he thought that he might knock over a few prairie-chickens or perhaps a rabbit or so. Returning to the ranch-house, he pre- pared a meal from the scraps of fresh meat left over from the day before; then, with his revolver in his pocket, and his hunting knife stuck in his belt, he sad- dled Pedro, and rode in the direction of the river. Soon he picked up the trail of the wolves, plainly prin on the soft sur- face of the snow. Their footprints show- ed that there were two of ordinary size and one of huge p far than any wolf t Will ever seen. Filled with curiosity, he urged his pony to canter, and followed the tracks across the melting drifts. For many miles the northern bank of the valley through which the river ran was high and precipitous; the only ap- proach to the water was by way of a coulee, or draw that, starting at a dis- tance of about a half-mile to the west of the ranch-house, afforded an easy route for wagons ng to an from the river- bottom. To Will's surprise, the trail of the wolves, instead of turning toward the head of the coulee, led straight to the high rim of the valley and skirted it west- ward. Soon, on a wide snow patch that ex- tended to the very edge of the cliff, he found evidence that the animals had be- | i his eyes : 3 : g fi Sitar: i i i § §I3Ed Hi i #423 gg £ ges =%5 i £ 8 g8 i fis : ke Lh RE : ; 1H Is i it 8% ar i i i i g i : fis £3 i ig §% g : ei if ali Hj i i § zeeiEi ih | | his | foe. sume the boy watched him; . rtio r by | ed a I fier i gah; : | i E jit : § g 5g R § i q § i : is i I 2 §2E8 rig E i {i £ : g 3 hl g ; E i i ; : i ¢ 7 | | { Hd is | al t his into pocket. | hunt- His | had | would | : i E i § : £11 2 : 2 y | | contracted and his mouth 2 § g g 5 £ 87 g ey ell ew ol on Huge, gaunt, with tangled mane, blood- ment of savage expectation. At intervals bm td ci mid, en ng ng w re- his i paci Fascinated, drawing his revolver cautiously from his pocket, he waited. ! The cries of the chase ceased, and for | a time there was absolute silence. Then! a quick paiuig of feet sounded from below. t form of the waiting wolf stiff , crouched then shot for- ward. Will knew that the time for ac- tion had arrived. Springing to his feet, he leaped round a clump of bushes that hid the beasts from view. Directly be- low him was the deer, leaping from side to side to avoid the new danger that had a red so suddenly in its path. At ai moment the two smaller wolves raced into view. Leveling his revolver at the deer, Will fired, missed. Once more his weapon cracked; seizing a poplar branch to steady himself, he lean- ed far over to judge the effect of his shot. The deer sank to its knees, and on the instant almost disappeared beneath the snarling mass of gray wolves. At his next shot, one of the smaller animals ceased worying and lay still. Now that they had blood, his firing had no more effect upon the ravenous brutes than would ttering hail; therefor, determined to disable the leader, he lean- ed as far forward as ble to make his aim more sure. he did so, the branch that su him snapped, the earth beneath his feet gave way, and amid showers of wet snow and splinter- he plunged downward, and landed heavily between the two remain: ing wolves and squarely across their quarry. For a moment there was a pause; then the angry brutes ciosed in. Firing blind- ly, he tried to ward them off and rise. A snarling furry mass that had passed him down heavily across his chest and face and lay still. Flinging it aside with all his strength, he struggled, panting, to his knees just as the gray leader gath- eed Nimselt and leaped at him with open mouth. Will felt a great weight strike upon his chest with irresistible force; th sickened him; I i E sepEanjeEzsiga EEN ili i: £ £2 Bie 7 EEE feett 2 8 i k i i g d 8 i i i Et i Of course 1 asked why and was told | “your voice is not in the least like a true .” Being a Yankee I answer. | 's voice should sound?” “Yes,” | !v 800d. My poor white shoes were so it | bad they mildewed. Although you peo- i § said, “very much nasal.” was the limit, to think that we must have A I I BE A This is a delightfully cool day but as it damp. That reminds me to tell you about my two suits which I had kept hanging in the paper bag I brought with me and which usually hung in my bath- room. I took them out the other day and you should have seen the blue broad- cloth; it was one mass of white mould. At first | was horrified thinking it ruin- ed, but I took a whisk-broom and used some strength and then hung the suits out in the sun (which happened to be ple have the disagreeableness of ex- a thin, raspy voice, whether we will or tremes, just be thankful that you don’t no. I nevertheless insisted that I was have to shave your shoes each morning, as pure blooded as they usually come in that “land of the free” and that they had forgotten that our land was a big one and of course had many and various 1 must say I have more often felt like a curiosity than like a well-liked individu- al. They laugh at my most casual re- | mark and say, “how funnily you put things,” or “what a funny word to use, is that American?” and I am really too polite to tell them that to me their ways and words are just as unusual. How- ever, as | am in their countty guess I will keep still, even when they ask me “why do the Americans spend so much money on the missions in India? This it not their country; they will not reap any benefit, they are helping England,” to all of which I could only say “I do not know, except that the church is not lim- ited to any one country.” True, to them it looks like a desire on our part to flaunt our money, not needing itin our own af- fairs we must needs help a poorer (?) : | | i country take care of its subjects. As for! the native, either high or low, he says! “America is such a rich country it can easily give us anything we want,” and when [ remonstrated with the very rich . | ones about accepting things for nothing they merely smiled, saying ‘they (the Americans) are rich, they can easily af- | ford it.” I have been asked so often about the relative worth of the Presidential candi- dates and you should hear me “side-step” the question for reading only the North American and the DEMOCRATIC WATCH- MAN I am a bit “befuddled” myself as to the actual value of the men. My only selection lies in Mr. Wilson and as | know but little of him I have for once to keep quiet. It is a good thing to be able to do and very easy to learn here. When you can’t speak to the people nor under- stand what they are saying to you, you become accustomed to sitting and keep- ing your mouth shut and I find it saves so much strength. Think I'll form the habit of trying to look interesting and use my muscles for I know that for long they have been of so little use that I am afraid they may become atrophied. It seems so strange to remember that almost a year has slipped by and it is getting toward cold weather again, while at this time last year I was not even thinking of coming here. The adapta- bleness of us all—I feel as though I had always lived here and truly nothing seems new. This morning, when a coolie wom- an came, her cloth about her hips, (like trunks) her entire legs bare to the hips and the “sauri” simply draped over the head leaving the arms and shoulders bare and every movement displaying her en- tire naked body, I smiled, thinking how soon one becomes accustomed to such sights when daily confronted with them. for truly, except when thinking from my former view-point, I never notice wheth- er brown humans have coverings suffi- cient or not. | wonder whether one could so easily get accustomed to other curious forms of living. [do not think it would be very difficult to forget that all babies were not carried in baskets on mother’s heads or astride their hip, but never in their arms like those at home, or to see one's servants bare-footed, sleeping any place—on stones or bare ground—when one is not needing them, but always with their head covered. To go to a shop and expect the shop-keeper to come out and take your order bring- ing the purchases out and placing them for you, and perhaps sending his servants to fan you with an immense palm-leaf fan while you waited, your “sais” squat- ted on his haunches keeping the flies off the horse meanwhile; and whether you will ever forget the great word of India, “Taro” (wait) will be a matter time only will show to me. 1 have done so little of interest this week have but little to tell you about. The house-keeping has become easy as I merely order the food and the cook does the rest. It is not a very good “rest” but not being an expert myself and knowing nothing about an “urrgati” (a native stove burning charcoal) I don’t interfere with his bad attempts, knowing mine would be much worse. Most of these cooks have been taught by the English and I never have considered that they know much about vegetable cooking and never even try to make a salad 2s we know them; all their best efforts are sal- ads made of fruit and so sweet one at home would call them preserves. The chrysanthemums are beginning to look very chirpy and I am told that they have had some very pretty ones here, of course all in pots. The rose buds are for no native knows aught about garden- ing as it is done with the people of the west. or take yellow spots out of all your white clothes before they go to the laundry, due to too affectionate treatment of pins or nails that happen to rust; for iron rust is as plentiful as mould (Continued next week.) sary of Allegheny County—Old Home Week. Invitations are being sent out by the Chamber of Commerce of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh merchants to their merchant friends to visit Pittsburgh dur- ing the week September 22-27, to par- ticipate in the festivities in connection with the celebration. Throughout the week there will be something doing every minute; there will be reunions, formal exercises, edu- cational meetings, pageants of school children, parades of military and other organizations, parades of steamboats on the river a reunions of rivermen, special exhibits at Carnegie Institute, etc. At the Pittsburgh Exposition extra at- tractions have been in cele- bration of the Silver Jul of the West- ern Pennsylvania Exposition Society; among these will be music by the Rus. sian Symphony orchestra, exhibits by the States government, working models of the Panama Canal, the State Bane Canal of New York, exhibits by the City of Pittsburgh, the State Forestry Department and many other interesting events. Under the auspices of the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce the manufactur- ers and wholesalers of Pittsbu have arranged for their tenth inbound excur- sion of Merchants into Pittsburgh to ex- tend over the whole week and are antici- pating many pleasant reunions with their out-of-town friends. Certificates will be given to all merchants who make pur- chases during this week, providing for the refund of their railroad fares to and from Pi Coupon tickets will also be furnished for the ball games, the Pittsburgh Exposition and the leges of membership at the Pittsbu Athlet- ic Association. A Woman’s Story. A woman's st is very often a story of suffering if it deals with the period of maternity. A great many such stories have begun with suffering and ended with smiles of happiness because Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription had cured the pain and restored following is one woman's story: Mrs. W. J. Kidder, of Hill Dale Farm {BRosbTR Center,) Enosburg, Vt, writes: “Your kindly advice and medi- cines have brought me great relief. Dur- ing the past year I found myself p nt and in rapidly failing health. I suffered dreadfully from bloating and urinary difficulty. I was growing weaker each day and suffered much sharp pain at times. 1 felt that something must be done. J t your advice and received a prompt relief. 1 took twelve bottles of Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription, and also followed your instructions. I began to improve immediately, my health be- came excellent, and I could do all my own work (we live on agood sized farm.) 1 walked and rode all I could, and en- joyed it. I had a short, easy confinement, and have a health baby boy.” They Are Always More or Less In an Uncompleted Condition. When walking through the streets in any large town in Chile one is immedi- ately struck by the fact that church buildings are always undergoing re- pairs. One day you will pass a church which for weeks has had about six ladders resting against the walls. Then an- other day you will find that they have been changed to the other side. This constant changing of ladders goes on year in and year out. but no use ever seems to be made of the ladders, though, perhaps. a new brick or a bit of plaster will occasionally be added to the building. There would seem, however, to be a very real reason for the presence of these ladders. The Chilean govern- ment, in fact. levies a tax upon church buildings, but only when they have been compieted. In order to evade this tax. therefore, no church ever has been completed. The law surely might be altered, then, for the eternal presence of these ladders—certainly an ingenious idea— does not add to the appearance of the buildings or to the comfort of pedes- trians in the streets.—London Answers. King Robert Bruce's Watch. In Dalzell's “Fragments of Scottish History” is the following: “The old- est known English watch was made, it is said, in the sixteenth century. There exists a watch which, antiquarians al- low, belonged to King Robert Bruce.” In tracing this subject further was found a letter in the Gentleman's Mag- azine dated Forfar, Aug. 20, 1785, and signed J. Jamieson, who therein states that the watch was offered for sale to him by a goldsmith hawker of Glas- gow, who afterward sold it for 2 guineas, and it was next sold for 5. The letter does not trace the curiosity further, but we find in a little work Adam Thompson, entitled “Time Timekeepers.” that it subsequently found its way into the collection King George III. — Philadelphia quirer. PRESIDENT WILSON FOR GOOD ROADS “Every Class Has Its Argument for Good Roads; and Putting Them To- gether They Form an Irresistible Mass of Arguments.” — President Wilson. Every law aiming at the improve ment of the highways of the State or country, has, as its fundamental] force, the highest interests of all the peopie. No road can be built, no important highway improved, but that every class of people is benefitted thereby. Though perhaps a different kind of not the less true that the benefit is di- rect and appreciable to each. Probably the most direct benefit by highways will accrue to the farmers. Although they form less than one third of the population—32 per cent to be exact—their immediate and con- stant use of the highways along which they live, and between their farms and immediate sufferers from bad roads, and gives them the most prompt relief when the roads are improved. The benefit of the improved roads to farmers assumes many forms. First, by the United States Government of- ficlals, a good road saves the average farmer $1.41 on every ton of produce he markets and of supplies ne brings home. In addition to this farmers can make a specialty of market gar- den truck at three or four times the distance from a railroad station where the roads are good than where they are unimproved, and garden truck al- ways brings good prices. Then, the farmer's children can go to school every school day, instead of cause of bad roads. He can take his family to church reguiarly; and he can drive over and spend an evening with a neighbor. For five or six miles are less hard on animals and vehicles, and also on those who are riding, over a good hard surfaced road, than is a mile and a half where the roads are in their primitive condition. There are many other ways that the farmer benefits, such as the promptness with which the doctor can reach him in case of sickness or accident; in mak- ing a quick trip to town to replace a broken part of a machine, or for other needed supplies: and for getting out of life some of those pleasures so fre- quently denied those who are isolated by roads not suitable for travel. And, in Pennsylvania, it is not alone those who live along the State Roads that will derive the benefit. Official figures, gathered in several states, show that approximately 85 per cent of the travel goes over the main roads, which amount to about 15 per cent of all the roads in a state. hilly, and the roads follow the valleys of streams the proportion of the roads which carry so much of the total travel is somewhat less, probably not more than 12 per cent of the total mileage, because the local roads make short cuts to the main roads wherever possible. Nearly every farm 1s so located as to give it the shortest possi. ble trip to the main road, so that in nearly every trip on the road some part of it is over the main road, which in Pennsylvania is the State Road or the State Aid County Road. With roads improved with a hard surface, a team can haul three tons with more ease than it can haul one ton on an earth road, and with less wear and tear on vehicle and other equipment. There is another point which is of- prospect. Invariably, when a road is improved, conditions along that route change almost at once. Houses and barns get fresh coats of paint; tumble are made to work properly; the front and side porches and steps of houses get a few badly needed nails and per- haps boards to put them In condition; front yards are claaned up and trees trimmed; unsightly accumulations of broken farm machinery, and other ma- terial is removed to the rear of the premises, or some other place out of sight, and the whole view from the road becomes pleasant, and indicative of culture, comfort and prosperity. In the thousands of miles of good roads which have been built in the United States during the past few years, there has been hardly an excep- tion to this rule. And the prosperity is real—real money in the farmer's pockets—and that fact makes the cul- ture and comfort possible. But the farmer has not a monopoly of the benefit when good roads are built. The merchant profits because he can sell goods at any time, instead of having his clerks idle when the , roads are bad and finding himself { short handed and overworked when ' they are passabd. With the improve i ment of the roads the custom becomes ! more general and evenly distributed, , with greater profits and satisfaction to both merchant and customer. | The doctor, the lawyer and the preacher find their hardships greatly reduced by their being able to get about readily without reference to the seasons. The clerk, the miner, the mechanic, the laborer, who wish to take a trip in the country for an even- ing or a Sunday, can put on their Sun- day clothes and go with comfort over good roads, while with the roads unim- proved the seasons when such trips benefit may accrue to each class, it is ' the improvement of Pennsylvania the most available trading center and | market town, makes them the most ! according to official figures compiled | being obliged tc remain at home be | In a region | where the country is more or less | ten overlooked, which must appeal to the farmer when good roads are in down fences are fixed up; front gates | waste will be so reduced that the final selling price will be but a fraction of what it is today. This wiil apply to practically e article of vegetable contemplated are completed, the “high cost of living,” which has for the past few years kept thousands of noses to the grindstone, will appear as but the faint recollections of an unpleasant dream. GOOD ROADS CONVENTION AT HAR- RISBURG. Representatives From Each County Are Asked to Attend to Discuss the Proposed Bond Amendment. The most important event in the ; history of road development in Penn- sylvama will be the Good Roads comn- vention to be held in the Hall of Rep- resentatives, Harrisburg, Thursday morning, September 18. Here will meet representatives of ' motor clubs, good roads associations, boards of trade, chambers of com- merce, medical societies, the hotel | men's association, county and town- ship officials and road builders and | users. | As far as the farmer is concerned | there is no longer any need of argu- ' ment as to the advantages of improv- | ed roads. He is fully aware of the financial and social benefits to be de- | rived from hard roads which can be | traveled, regardless of weather, 363 { days in the year, and he thoroughly | understands how much closer they | bring him to his market and how | much more produce he can haul even though he may not be familiar with | the statistics that have been compiled which prove the fact. The farmer now owns a large and | Tapidly increasing proportion of the | motor vehicles used in this state and | he and the city motorist are a unit on | the good road question. | It is the city resident who needs ed- ! ucating. who does not realize that the i benefits of a system of improved roads extend to him, even though he never sees the roads themseives, in the re- duced cost of garden truck which will be the inevitable result of the improv- ed road and the cheap automobile. The indifference of the city resident. | who does not use a motor car is what’ | is hardest to overcome in any good the coming election. The matter of discussion however at | the coming convention will not be the | necessity or advantages of improved roads but how we are to secure them in Pennsylvania while we live to enjoy them. Are we to follow the example of | New York and some of the New Eng- land States and issue bonds to pay for their construction so that they can be ! built now, or are we to continue to de- | pend upon the varying and often mis. ! erly appropriations made each two i years by the Legislature which will | always be secondary to the ever in- | creasing demands of our benevolent i : and educational institutions | the November election is—shall the | constitution of the state be amended | to permit the issuing of bonds for ' highway improvement, it really spells | shall we have improved roads in Penn.’ | sylvania now or is our splendidly planned system of 8,000 miles of state | highways connecting all our county seats and important towns to remain a system on paper only, until our | grandchildren’s time. This must be decided at the conven- | tion. If the bond issue is endorsed then county committees will be form- ed at ouce and meetings will be held throughout the state. It is an important question and one that should have serious considera. tion. The popular sentiment among men who have>made a study of the subject undoubtedly favors the bond issue plan and in fact no argument worthy of consideration has been of- fered against it. Even were the greatly exaggerated statements which have been put into circulation for political reasons, as to the inefficiency of the present High- way Department, of the poor work, lack of proper supervision political jobbery, etc., true, they would consti- tute no argument against the bond is- sue proposition, for no money from this source can be made available dur- ing the present administration. Every one interested in getting bet- ter roads in our state is urged to come ‘to Harrisburg September 18. The farmer in particular will be made wel- come for he is the man who gets the most direct and the most substantial benefit and in this case he gets them without cost to him, so he of all men should put his shoulder to the wheel. Can Snakes Fascinate Their Prey? Mr. Fitzsimons answers this ques- tion in the negative. The belief in fascination is general, but there seems to be nv real foundation for it. “I have had much experience of snakes,” writes Mr. Fitzsimons, “and have made it my business to observe carefully their habits and ways. both in their natural condition in the wild state and captivity, and in no instance have 1 ever known a snake to fascinate an animal in the manner it is alleged to do.” He has seen two species, which he mentions. many a time in trees sur- rounded by a crowd of fluttering, ex- cited birds. But the birds were not, he says, fascinated by the snake. They were endeavoring to intimidate it in order to frighten it from their haunts. - Westminster Gazette. ~=Subscribe for the WATCHMAN | roads movement particularly such as’ While the question to be decided at’ se
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers