2
THE COLUMBIAN, BLOOMSftURCl, Pa.
DYING
LMLLIESI
WE. wore sitting In the iiiohh room
when Steel, of the K. A. M. C,
came lu from nuikluK the po.t mor
tem examination. The air wan hot.
anil the punkuli seemed blowing hot
i t, but no ono had called for a
t Ink. The silence was hard t
-ak.
. ho Colonel did not look down
1 ' u the celling, and the Second la
i miand did not look up from tho
I'- it, when Steel entered, and the
. ' jut ant and I did not say anything.
What did he die of?" the Adju
I fit asked at length ; and the Colo-i-.'l
looked down quickly, and the
Strand In Command looked up. War
ren, of the Artillery, had been late
for his wedding with Miss Craven
that morning, and when they went
to look for him they found him dead
lu his bungalow, staring hard at
nothing, as If he saw death come. It
was the Second In Command who
went In first. They had always been
friends. You could count Warren's
friends on the fingers of one hand.
"What did Warren die of?" Steel
drew with his finger oa Urn table, ai
If he were making a temperature
chart. "That Is what 1 want you fel
lows to tell me."
The Colonel leaned forward. "A
doctor never knows, of course," he
aid, with some undercurrent of
meaning that I could not follow;
"but It's his business to pretend that
he does."
His eyes and Still's met. The
Colonel lias strong eyes, but StiK'1'3
are stronger. "If tle doctor won't
pretend." ho retorted, "there's a:i
inquest."
"flood heavens, man!" the Second
In Command Jerked out, "you're not
going to have any foolery of that
sort?"
Steel drew another temperature
chart fever, with the line running
up high and coming to a sudden stop.
We knew It.
"You needn't call It an Inquest un
less you like," he offered; "but I'm
going to settle this by myself. Shall
we do It here and now?"
The Colonel glanced at him under
his thick eyebrows and nodded, and
the Second in Command nodded, and
I uooded, and the Adjutant nodded.
"But I don't know what It's all
about," he protested.
"Neither." I said, "do I."'
"I think." said Steel, "the Colonel
I 'i the Second could guess. Per
ns you'll put the case, Colonel?"
'It's no use putting guesses," the
onel objected, "and I've no wish
.jut any case at all. "You've asked I
fi . It. Go on."
"Very well." Steel lit a cigarette,
took a few slow draws, and threw It
Impatiently away. "I don't want to
put the case either, but It's this:
Warren was to have married Miss
Craven this morning. If she didn't
mind, there was no reason why he
Bhould." Steel shrugged his shoul
ders ever so slightly, and the Second
In Command drew himself up rig
Idly. "He was my friend," he remarked,
with the ring of combat in his voice.
He knew that we didn't like War
ren. "I was merely disposing of the
theory of suicide." Steel explained.
"I know he was your friend, and
I'm sorry. A quarter of an hour after
he was due at the church, he is found
dead, apparently of heart failure.
He did die of heart failure. Most
people do; but we only call It that
When we can't find any reason why
the heart failed. The symptoms al
low me to put It down to that. They
also allow me to put It down to an
other cause only one. That cause
Is the Inhaling of a certain drug. It
Isn't' known to European medical
science, and I'm not going to make
It known. They know it well enough
In India Warren came from India;
so did Mrss Craven."
"I object to that remark," I inter
posed. "Miss Craven Is a friend of
mine, and very nearly the nicest girl
at the station; and she was engaged
to him. There's no need to drag her
In." '
"That." said the Colonel, "Is the
qeutlon, I take It?" He looked at
Steel; and Steel nodded.
"The whole question," he said,
shutting his mouth with a snap.
"Surely " the Second In Com
mand began, "Is there any need to
go on with this? He he was my
friend; and he was engaged to her,
and Suppose she broke It off, or
anythlnc, and that upset him. He'd
rather us leave things alone. What's
.the good of going into it, Steel?"
Steel set his lips and contracted his
forehead once or twice, and tapped
slowly with his finger on the table.
"It It were just a case of breaking
It otf and she didn't care for him
I'd leave It alone, right enough
Look here! I found Warren's little
dog curled up behind the curtains,
stone dead. Heart failure, too. Fun
ny little beast he was. Remember
how he used to howl when Warren
fussed over her? There was Just a
faint scent about the room when I
noticed carefully like the odor of
lilies when they're going off a bit
That's the way the stuff smells af
terwards. No one has ever told how
it, smells at the time."
The Colonel lit a cheroot. His gray
hand shook a trifle. The Second
shifted his head again. The Adjutant
and I stared at one another.
"You've nothing to connect her
with it," he said hotly. "I don't be
lieve It"
"No," said Steel slowly, "I'vo
nothing to connect her with It, cx
ept that I don't think she wanted to
marry him. Anyhow, she didn't care
Tor him, and very likely there Isn't
inytiilng in It, but I noticed a cu
rious look on the Colonel's face
when he told her; and a curious look
:n her fare when she looked at hlru.
Can you tell us, Sir?"
The Colonel turned tho eheeroot
round In his fingers nnd Inspected It
os If It were doubtful recruit on pa
rade. "Thero may bo nothing In It," lie
raid: "and she's a woman, and en
titled to the benefit of every doubt
that we can give her. I wasn't going
to say anything, but I'm like Steel. I
don't care to settle this by myself. I
was on the staff at Simla, as you
know, a year ago, before I got tho
battalion. Warren was there then.
So wns she. So was a fellow named
Mordaunt, Indian Civil. Uncommon
ly nice chap. Young and good-looking;
and best pig-sticker I ever met.
She was engaged to him. Most awful
spoons I ever saw.
"Warren was sweet on her, too,
but he hadn't a chance. He took It
awfully well, and was very friendly
with them; but everyone knew ho
was hard hit. The morning of tho
wedding Mordaunt died, like War
ren. Heart failure, too. The sort of
fellow you might have backed to live
to a hundred. They found him sit
ting In his chair with her portrait
Just In front of him. Her portrait!
She took it awfully hard, and nearly
died. Begged every little thing out
of his room to keep. 'They shall
stop with me all my life,' she
told me when I spoke to her about It
she was Just the ago of my daugh
ter 'and remind me. May Ood for
give If ever I forget!' She kept them
In her room after she wns engaged
to Warren even; and Steel Is right.
She didn't enre for him. She'll never
care for anybody but Mordaunt. Ood
forgive us If we misjudge her!"
"I don't misjudge her," 1 stated
hotly. "The idea Is preposterous.
Why should she kill a man because
he was going to marry her?"
The Colonel relit the cheroot and
looked hard at the Second so hard
that our eyes had to follow his. The
Second shifted his head ngaln and
gave a soft little groan.
"I didn't look at It like that at the
time," he said huskily, "when I I
went In. I thought perhaps she'd
given him up nt the last moment,
and and he wouldn't like It talked
about, and she wouldn't. But I did
n't care about her. It was well,
we'd always been friends, he and I.
Perhaps I understood him better
than some of you; and anyhow, I
put. It in my pocket, and It's
cursed hot."
He pulled a stout brown eard
board box out of his jacket pocket
a box of the size that might have
held a locket, or a trinket or two;
nnd a torn wrapper of white paper
that had gone round It. He pieced
tho edges of the paper together on
the table. His hands were too un
steady to lay them quite straight,
and Steel smoothed tho Jagged
eges out, and fitted the letters neat
ly together; and this was what the
writing said, in Miss Craven's pretty,
pointed hand
"In memory of my wedding morn
ing." Sylvia Craven.
"Poor little woman!" said the Ad-
tant. "Poor little woman!" His voice
shook. He was younger than the
rest of us.
Steel took the lid off the box gin
gerly, and felt with his fingers. "If
you will notice," he said, bb If he
were delivering a lecture, "the edges
of the box have little frills of wad
ding to make It air-tight. It would
keep the vapor In till it was opened
under any one's face, and then
heart failure! Smell the dying lilies.
There's nothing left to hurt now.
You needn't be afraid of it."
"Lilies?" I questioned, but my
voice sounded doubtful, even to my
self. "And suppose she did send him
some flowers?"
'"She didn't send him flowers,"
Baid Steel. "She sent him this!"
He held up a miniature, with his fin
gers covering the face. "I don't
know who it is, or why she sent It;
but I think I could guess."
He removed the fingers suddenly,
and the Colonel put up his hands, as
If he wanted to escape the sight.
"She's mad," he said. "Mad! We
must hush It up somehow. It will do
no good no good!"
I took the miniature from Steel
and looked at it. It was the picture
of a good-looking young fellow of
about twenty-five; a plenBant face,
mulling as if he saw beautiful Sylvia
Craven, and death and tho scent cf
dying lilies were not In the world.
"It Is Mordaunt," the Colonel salt"..
"She was very much In love with
him, and I suppose It preyed upon
her; and when the time came to
marry Warren Bhe couldn't do It. Or
else she sent It to show that she was
breaking with tho past. Or else or
else . You smelt It, Steel, you
said?"
"I smelt It," Steel said quietly.
"And there was the dog. He would
go sniffing about his master to see
what was the matter, and Funny
little dog he was. I liked him. And
what's to be doneT"
There was a long silence, and no
one moved except Steel, who fidgeted
with the lid of the box, scraping gen
tly with his slender white fingernail
and wetting the paper which had
been pasted over it, where It would
n't come off.
"She's a murderess," said the Sec
ond in Command at last, "and he
was my friend. By heaven, she shall
hang for it!" He struck his big
hand on the table.
"No!" cried the Adjutant sharp
ly. Look here! Steel Colonel, tell
him that What's the good of hang
.n her? She's a pitiful thing."
"Sho must have lost her reason,"
! said. "I understand how you feel
ibout it, Sinclair; but she'd never
have done it if she'd been In her
senses. And she's a woman, and
Let It drop, old man."
"She's not too 'soft and pitiful' to
kill a mun!" The Second raised ti la
voice furiously. "Two men. I've no
loubt Mordaunt was killed In the
lame way."
"I've no doubt Mordaunt wan
killed In tho same way," said Steel
slowly; "but I don't think It was
Sylvia Craven who killed him."
He wetted the lid of the box again,
and drew off another scrap of paper.
"Look," he said, and we looked;
and we saw this In Warren's writing
on the cardboard that Steel had laid
bare:
"From II. Warren
To Frank Mordaunt
On his wedding morning."
"This," said Steel, "is one of the
relics that she took from her dead
lover's room; and she understood;
and she waited; and she wasn't mnd.
And It's murder and she's rid the
world of a cursed scoundrel!"
Thank Ood he didn't belong to the
regiment," said the Colonel.
The Second swayed a little In his
chair.
"He was my friend," he
groaned; and then he swayed a little
more; and the Colonel caught him by
the arm.
"Poor old chap!" he said gently.
Steel drew a temperature chart
upon the table an Incomprehensible
chart, with lines running wiggly
waggly, up and down, up and down.
"I need not trouble you any more,
gentlemen," he said in a professional
voice. "I find myself able to certify
to death from heart failure."
He wrote the same certificate for
Sylvia Craven; but when he spoke to
us he called It a broken heart, and
he put a heap of white flowers on her
grave. It wns his solitary outbreak
of sentiment, he apologized. The
Sketch.
Voracity of Itlack lias.
The black bass Is like "a roaring
lion going about seeking whom ho
may devour." sajs a writer In Field
nnd Stream. "I have seen a good
sized specimen go Into a school of
minnows and eat and stuff until he
could not get any more into his ca
pacious Inside, then go off by him
self, throw up what he had eaten
and begin over again, after which he
would keep on killing the poor, In
nocent minnows apparently for the
mere plensure of killing. Very young
bass will attack minute water plants
and get away with every one in Bight,
adopting tho same method as their
ciders. To illustrate the extent of
the cannibalism of the black bass,
here is an experience of a superin
tendent of one of the fish hatcheries
In Pennsylvania:
"The supeiintedent made an act
ual count of 20,000 young bass about
an Inch long nnd placed them in a
fry pond by themselves. He gave
them food six times a day, and, ac
cording to his statement, each fish
ate on an average three times its
own weight of prepared food every
twenty-four hours. They were placed
In a pond on July 1, and on October
1, when they were taken out, there
were only 11,000, and the record
showed that less than 200 died from
sickness. It Is reasonable to sup
pose, therefore, that, in addition to
the food given them by the superin
tendent, there were about 9,000 bass
devoured by their stronger and more
fortunate companions."
What Becomes of Old Shoes.
What becomes of all the old shoes
Is a question quite as puzzling as
where all the pins go. Old shoes,
however, really have an Important
place In the trade world and serve
numerous useful purposes, says the
Chicago Tribune.
They are all cut In small pieces
and put to soak for a couple of daya
in chloride of sulphur, which makes
the leather hard and brittle.
It is then washed off with tepid
water, dried and ground to a fine
powder, which is mixed with an ad
hesive substance, such as glue or
shellac, or a thick solution of gum.
The material is then put into moulds
to form combs, buttons and a variety
of useful things that are supposed to
be made of rubber.
Old leather Is used to make p Tus
sle potash. It is put into a large Iron
pot and heated with pearl ash and
old iron hooks. The soluble portions
are dissolved out, the salt that re
sults is added to one of Iron, and
Prussian blue, used either for dyeing
purposes or as a pigment, Is made.
By another process of reducing the
leather to powder It Is converted
again Into an artificial leather which
is used in making the cheaper grade
of shoes.
' Origin of a Modern Phrase.
"Hip! Hip! Hurrah!" is a mod
ern phrase. The "Hip!" and the
"Hurrah!" do not seem to have
come together before the nineteenth
century. In the eighteenth century
"Hip!" amountd to Just "III" or
"Hullo!" while "Hurrah" wis then
usually "Huzza!" It is like the Cos
sack shout "Oral" but it is supposed
to have been a German cry of the
chase, adapted by the German sol
diers to war, and borrowed from
them by the English, perhaps flm of
all at the time of the thirty years'
war; "Hurra!" is said to have been
the battle cry of the Prussians in the
-war of liberation (1812-1818). Still
the curious fact that seventeenth
and eighteenth century writers call
"Huzza!" a Bailors' shout lends sup
port to the conjecture that it may
really have been the hoisting ory,
"Hissa!"'
,;;.AtiS V!I1TH MANS UI KDI N.
Charles Curtis Only Indian St'iint-n'
In the I'nlted State.,
The most talked of "Indian" for
some time In this country Is Cliar!"l
Curtis, who was chosen for l'nlt:d
States Senator from Kansas to n:n
ceed Burton.
Curtis was then variously di"i
crlliiv.l as a full-blooded Kaw Indian,
a half-breed and a quarter-blood. It
also was declared that ho was tlio
only man with aboriginal blood In lili
veins who had ever won a place in
tho upper house of Congress. This
l:i:-'t statement was a great mistake.
Matthew Stanley Quay of Pennsyl
vania had more than a trace of Indian
blood In his veins and was as proud
of it as Curtis undeniably Is.
Curtis Is a little man with blacK
hair and swarthy complexion. He is
4 7. His maternal grandmother was
a pure blooded Indian, daughter of
L''wU Gonvllle, a Kaw chief, in thy
days before his tribe had left Canada
for the United States. Chief Gon
vllle's daughter mnrrled a French
Canadian and her daughter, Julian
Papua, married C. P. Curtis, a cap
tain In the Fifteenth Kansas Volun
teers, who served In the civil wir.
Captain Curtis was of Puritanical
New England stock. The present
Senator's mother died when he was
a baby; his father, who lost his
health In the civil war, did not sur
vive long and died poor. His part
bred Indian grandmother was still
alive, however, and she knew how
badly he wanted to study. He was
living with her at the time and sell
ing newspapers for a living. One day
ohe said abruptly:
"Charlie, do you really want nn
education bad enough to work for
It?"
"Well, yes, grandmother," said tho
boy. I think I do."
"Well, then," she said, "I'll help
you with part of the Government mo
ney that is coming to me." nnd sho
did.
Tho story of the way he begau his
law studies seems to have been over
looked. He selected Judge A. H.
Care of Topeka, his home town, as a
legal preceptor, and went into hla
o.'ilce one summer day.
"Well, Charles," said tho Judge,
"you seem to be in a good deal of a
hnvrv for nnph a hnt dnv Wliot'a
up?"
The boy told the Judge of his
legal aspirations. The Judge wasn't
enthusiastic. There were more poor
lawyers In Topeka, he said, than
there was practice for them.
"But there aren't more good ones,
and you Hnw Judge," replied the
boy.
"There's plenty of room for gooi
ones and I mean to be a good one."
Tho Judge saw that he meant
TfH,
SENATOR CHARLES CURTIS.
business and allowed him to be en
tered as a law student In that office
forthwith. Senator Curtis Is- a re
gular member of the Kaw tribe, al
ways has been popular among the
Indians, and Is responsible for
much legislation in their Interests.
That there was Indian blood in the
veins of the late Senator Quay is
often spoken of as an unauthentl
cated rumor. The truth is that Mr.
Quay not only freely corroborated
the story in his lifetime, but often
spoke of the circumstance with pride
to his friends.
Modern Business Politeness.
"A custom of politeness that is
modern in the extent of its practice,
if not in its introduction," said a
man old enough to be acquainted
with ways comparatively speaking
ancient, "1b that of writing 'tbanka'
or 'thank you' after the signature on
receipted bills sent in due course on
payment of accounts; a form that
costs little effort on the part of the
signer and that is sure to be not
unpleasing to -the person to whom
such politeness Is offered.
"Widespread Is tho custom in Its
practice now, and so in its observ
ance, not likely to be surprising, but
to-day there came to my attention
an Instance of courtesy in this form
that did at first seem rather strained
and excessive.
"On a receipted bill received with
goods sent to me C. O. D.. I found
after the signature the polite 'thank
you,' and here this seemed almost
superfluous; for this was a transient
and impersonal transaction. But a
moment's reflection showed that the
'thank you' here was really neither
superflous nor excessive, but quite
correct; that we should have re
ceived from the salesman if we had
paid him the cash for the goods at
the time of their purchase."
Care for Pauperism.
Finding that stone-breaking and
oakum picking were not profitable
onough the authorities of Horsham,
England, decided to put able-bodied
paupers to work at grinding corn
in a mill. Next day not a pauper
was left la the almshouse.
i
Tho Kind Yon Have Always
fn use for over 30 years,
and
Tryy7'. sonal supervision since Its infancy.
ttCCAvti Allow no one to deceive von lu this.
All Counterfeits, Imitations and Just-os-good" are but
Experiments that trill o with and endanger the health of
Infants and Children Experience against Experiment
What is CASTORIA
Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Pare
porlc, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is Pleasant. It
contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotio
substance. Its ago is its guarantee. It destroys Worms
nnd allays Feverlshness. It cures Diarrhoea and Wind
Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation
and Flatulency. It assimilates the Food, regulates the
Stomach and Dowels, giving healthy and natural sleep
Tho Children's Panacea The Mother's Friend.
GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAY3
Bears the
The Kind You Have Always Bought
In Use For Over 30 Years.
mm, Tt
$15,000,000 For State's Schools.
Leading Educators ask That Appropriation
Prominent educators of the State
have issued a stattment on behalf
i the plan to increase the ntmrn.
priation for the public schools from
$13,000,000 to $15,000,000. Chair
man Sheatz, of the house appro
priations committee, has already
indicated that he is in favor of mak
ing this increase and so has Gover
nor Stuart. The statement in pait
is as follows :
"Harrisbunr. Mnv 6 Wp invito
serious attention to the following
facts relative to the general appro
priation bill now before the legis
lature and, in the light of what is
hereby shown, we are ennfid put- nf
immediate co operation in aiding us
10 secure an increase of the Slate
appropriat on for schools from
$13,000,000, as now proposed,
15,000.000, as it should be.
"In iSO-l-l the armronriatinu rifr
pupil in Pennsylvania was $5.20,
while the appropriation rr nimil in
the bill now pending is but $4.89.
Although the total contribution to
education is larger, the proposed
increase aoes, not by any means
keep pace with the in?rea nf
school population. In 1895 the ap
propriation for education was 46
per cent, of the total revenue, while
in me present bill the appropria
tion is but 25 per cent, of the
revenue. Should new revenue bills
be passed, as now seems likely,
and the aonronrintiona fnr imnio
be not increased, the perceutage of
mc amount given to education will
ian Deiow tweuty-hve.
"The manifest cnnr1nirm ic tlmf
t.U,
the schools have imperative need
for more money by State appropria
tion. In almost every public ad
dress during the recent campaign,
the governor put himself on record
as desiring to deal generouslv and
more liberally with the
schools, and we are most certain
that he is anxious to fulfill
promise of the campaign."
MAY COURT JURYMEN.
8KCOXD Wrkk.
Howard Purse, lllooiusburg.
L. E. HchwHi tz, lilooiuHhurg.
Edward Levan. Con viu.liui.,
J. K. Kunds, Mt. PleiiHiint.
jonn . i.aiibucli. Kiitfarloaf.
Hoyd Fry, JilooiuHlmrg.
Evan Kuckulew, Jienton Horo.
Bruce Culandar, Uiiurereek.
Aaron Trexler, Conynglmrn.
Charles Horner. Catawitwa Horo.
Lnrenza 1). Kohrbach, Franklin.
JoHeph Heacock, Greenwood.
Cliarles Huiith, Madison.
Isaac Mann, iJrlarcreok.
Adam HrociiiH, Catawlcwa Iloro.
Wesley Bniitli, Mt. Pleusantd
Pierce Keifer, Centre.
O. V. Vanlieu, Flwhinncreek.
Mordioal Vooum, Jackson.
Irani I). Pitall, Pine
Daniel Uerr, Mifllin.
JeHHieO. Edwards, Berwick.
Joe HiiiiM'iiHteel. Hcott.
C. W. McKelvy, Nlooinsburg.
Freaa Hunslnger, Berwick.
Tlios. Menscli, Catawissa twp.
Ellas Gelger, Montour.
Clarence F. iiodllne, Mifflin,
OASTOIltA.
With yglhn Kind You Have Always BOKtt
13
Bought, and which hns been
has borne tho signature of
has been made under his pcr-
Signature of
kiiaur ant'ir, ncw Yon orrv.
Keep the Balance Up.
It has been truthfully said that
any disturbance of the even balance
of health causes serious trouble.
Nobody can be too cartful to keep
this balance up. When people be
gin to lose appetite, or to get tired
easily, the least imprudence Brings
011 sickness, weakness, or debility.
The system needs a tonic, craves it,
and should not be denied it; and
the, best tonic of which we have
any knowledge is Hood's Sarsa
parilla. What this medicine has
done in keeping healthy people
ueaithy, 111 keeping up the even
balance of health, gives it the same
distinction as a preventive that it
enjoys as a cure. Its early use has
illustrated the wisdom of the old
saying that a stitch in time saves
nine. Take Hood's for appetite,
strength, and endurance.
m -
They say that marrying a Boston
girl is a good bit like putting your
love in cold storage.
. . .
Birth-marks which mark and
mar the outside of the body ire a
grief to every mother whose child
may bearthem. But for every child
who bears a birth-mark on the skin
there are many who bear an indeli
ble birth-mark on the mind. Ner
vous mothers have nervous child
ren and many a man and woman
owes an irritable and-despondent
temperament to those days of dread
when the mother waited the hour
of her materuity. The use of Dr.
Pierce's Favorite Prescription
strengthens the mother for her
trial. With strength comes a buoy
ancy of spirits and quietness of
mind, which is one of the happiest
gifts a mother can bestow on her
offspring. By giving vigor and
elasticity to the delicate womanly
organs "Favorite Prescription"
practically does away with the pain
of maternity and makes the baby's
advent as natural and as simple as
the blossoming of a flower. No
opium or alcohol in "Favorite
Prescription." All ingredients
printed on bottle-wrapper. Is not
a secret or patent medicine, but is
the open prescription of an edu
cated and experienced physician.
.
Sick Headache,
largely a woman's complaint is
chiefly caused by indigestion, con
stipation and toipid liver. You can
prevent it by taking a dose of Dr.
David Kennedy's Favorite Remedy,
once every few days immediately
after a meal. Pleasant to the taste.
No nausea or griping. Write Dr.
David Kennedy's Sons, Rondout,
N. Y., for a free sample bottle.
Large bottles $i.oo, all druggists.
! A Positive
CURB
Ely's Cream Balm
ii quickly ibiorbed.
Givei Rditt at One.
ATARRH
It C'louu(iH, soothe
hi-ttlg and protects
tlie uiseaaed mem. I
bruue. It curt-s Ciu
turru ami drives
away a Cold in the
Head quickly. Ke-
HAY FEVEU
tores the Henses of I
laste and Smull. Full size SOcts., at Drug
gists or by mall Trial Size 10 cts. by maiL
c
1
.r-