6
' ———,
SEVEN QUESTIONS OF LIFE.
I.
An inluiit, wailing la his fright
At landing In this world of fret;
Afraid of dark, afraid of light.
With unknown troubles to bo met;
We cry: "Ah, K-O the lovely pet!"
And "How much money will he set?"
11.
Whei- into joyous youth he's grown
We wateh and weigh each chosen
friend,
We ask it wild oats ho has sown,
A il >|>' ik ol v.ay ; - that he should mend.
And often tit-t and distrust blend
In "How ir.\ h money does hi: spend?"
111.
Wli 'ii to th j> litems of this life
He in tn i IVI Income awake.
And think of iji ttiag home and wife—
Whit form ti nt! ics our question take?
Our thoughts thus Into speed) will break:
"W. 11. li'i'.> much money does he mak
IV.
In mfddl 1 ■ IMS Ii come
S- d.'' iy •!: i.iii.'d and staid.
Aid ol his i intei ince ?o Brum
•V times v. I'.mo-t feel afraid.
1; in i :irs we wade
Wi "11 n money lias lie mule?"
K'Xt as a pillar of the slate—
U furl >-i lKht or lifty. say—
V. ' point to him with honors great
'l'll it wait !'•><■ him along the way.
Thee tr cry of the hitter fray
Is "li >w tnt i money will he pay?"
VI.
Aid '■ iti ro: win n days pro by
1..;.. v. tei i ipplng through a sieve,
A'.ii failing hair and falling eye
1 'i' luini I.i - not long to live.
112». tli -n w ; i : -t Inquisitive
\\ it!i "Mow in • h money will lie gi\ V"
VII.
1 : 'I; we meet and ni^'i;
\ him and gently grii\i,
Ar .i: ■ • d (niogy
i li I d m ds we wi a vo.
At.l infuiv we receive
i :i)i.:u .' did he lenre?"
- . :•' ! i.i Daily Tribuin .
—-p
jj By IRVING BACHELLER j
3 AutV. rcf ' Holden." " Carre lof j
1 thi L. :.fd iiles," Etc. i
(Copyrl ■i' by IxttUrop Publishing Company
CHAI'TKR X CosiixiKi).
I!i was ■! gro v whip, thai man David
Parish, <vho 1:;..] built a bis mansion
at Ogdensbu - ..; and owned so rnueh ol
tho north country those clays. Ho was
a gentleman when the founders of lite
proud l'amiii of to-day were dicker
ing in small mer handise. Indeed, one
ti ight look i!i vain for such an estab
lishment a< his north of Virginia.
This side the Atlantic there was no
eiid le of horses to ho compared with
thai he had splendid Knglish thor
oughbreds, the blood of which is now
in every great family of American
horses. And. my faith! he did love to
put litem over the road, lie went tear
ing up hill and down at a swift gal
lop. and tlio roads were nine too
f-mooth in that early day. liefore leav
ing home h • hid sent relays ahead lo
await !i ; coming every 15 miles of the
journey; he always did that if he had
ftr t i This time he had posted
them clear t > the harbor. The teams
VITA quickly shifted; thin we were off
with t cn. s af Hie whip and a
t ii of the k "... horn. lie held up in
th® s vamps. but v.here footing was
I'ii,', ti-.-? high-mettled horses had their
i i-*!i: ami lii ?1" need of urging. We
halted at an inn for a sip oi something
and a bile to eat.
"Parish," said the general, rising ou
stiffened leg-;. "I like your company
and 1 like your wine, but your driving
is :t punishment."
D ri was worn out with la''k of sleep
'viii ret. but lie iiad hung doggedly to
hi. saddle.
■ ilow do you feel?" I asked him as
we tit v.' up on each side of the coach.
"Splii t lite collar," said ho, sober
-1;-. A.i h' re. ted tin elbow on his pom
mo!.
We ;.ot to headutarters at five, ami
(urn. d ovt, t' i? prisoners. We had
n e: t a warmer welcome than that of
th" colonel
"I contra' ilate you both," he said as
he brought the nun-bottle after we bad
hiatii our repor;. "Vou 've got more
light in you ii ti a wolverene. Down
v.-itk your rr.m and off to your beds, j
aiid report li re at reveille. I have a
(■ .'i job for you to-morrow."
CHAI'TEIt XI.
It wi- ind. ! tougher business than
we had yet known—a dash into the j
ea ii;. country. where my poor head '
was in excellent demantl. D'ri and 1 '
vet"! to cross the lake with a band of
i aiders, a troop of 40, under my com
mand. We were to rescue some pris
<>m : in a lockup on the: other side.
The} wore to he shot in the morning,
and our mission therefore admitted of
no delay. Our horses had been put
aboard a btig at midnight, and soon
after the noon moss we dropped down
tlm lake, going into a deep, wooded
cjve south of the Grenadier island.
There we lay waiting for nightfall. A
big wind was bowling over the woods j
at sunset, and the dark came on its
wings an hoar ahead of time. The !
night was black and tho lake noisy J
when we got under way, bound for a [
flat boat ferry. Our skipper, it turned 1
out, bad little knowledge of (hose wa
ters. He had shortened sail, and said
be was not afraid of the weather. The
wind, out of the southeast, came hard
er as it drove us on. Before we knew
it.the whole kit and boodle of us were
in a devil of a shakeup there in the
broad water. D'ri and I were down
among the horses and near being
trampled under in the roil. We tried
to put. about then, but the great gusts
of wiuj made u* lowei Bail and drop
anchor In a hurry. Roofi the horses
were all in a tumble and one on top
of the other. We had to jump from
back to back to save ourselves. It was
no pretty business. 1 can tell you, to
pet to the stairway. D'rl was stripped
| of a boot-leg. and 1 was cut in the chin
' by a front hoof, going ten feet or so
to the upper deck. To the man who
was never bit in the chin by a horse's
hoof let me say there is no such
remedy for a proud spirit. Bullets are
much easier to put up with and keep
a civil tongue in one's head. That
lower deck was a kind of horses' hell.
We had to let them alone. They got
astraddle of one another's l necks, and
were cut from e:ir to fetlock-—those
that lived, for some of them. I could
see, were being trampled to death.
Hew many I never knew, for suddenly
we lii! a reef there in the storm and the
black night. I knew we had drifted to
the north shore, and as the sea began
to wash over us it was every man tor
himsdf. 'I lie brig went up and down
like a sledge-hammer, and at every
blow her sides were cracking and cav
ing. She keeled over suddenly, and
was emptied of horse and man. A big
wave flung me far anion-, the flounder
ing horses. My fingers caught in a wet
mane; 1 clung desperately between
ciowding flunk.'Then a big wave went
over us. I hung on, coming up n ui le
my capture. He swam vigorously, his
r.o:,c high, blowing like a trumpet. 1
thought we were in for a time of it,
and had very iittle ho|.< for any land-
Ing, save in kingdom come. Every min
ute I was head under in the wash, and
the roaring filled me »v°Mi that mi-hty
terror of the windfall. But. on my
word, then- is no captain li! e -i good
horse in bad water. Suddenly I felt
I,lm hit tlii bottom and go forward on
his kr.(es. Then he reared up, and be
gan to jump in the Fand. A bi wave
v M-hid him down again. lie fell on
his . de in a shallow, but rose and r;in
vrarily iv. i a sot !In ; e'n. in t lie bl. •<-
nc . iround II <■ I i nn 1 I .-co nothing. A
branch whipped me iu the face, and I
ducked. 1 wit" not quick enough; it
was like fencing in the dark. A big
bough hit me, rauing the withers of my
horse, and 1 rolled off headlong in a
lot of bush* s. The horse went on, <>> ii
of hearing, but i was glad enough to
lie still, for 1 had begun to know of my
bruises, in a few minutes 1 took off
my boots and < inptled them and wruie;
my blouse, and i iv back, cursing my
ill luck.
But that year of 1813 had the kick
of ill fortune in it for every mother's
son of us there in the north country,
I have ever noticed that war goes in
waves of success or failure. If we had
had Brown or Scott to lead us that
year, instead of Wilkinson, I believe
it had had a better history. Here was
I in ihe enemy's country. God knew
where, or how, or when I should come
out of it.i thought of D'ri and how it
had gone with him in that hell of wa
ters. 1 knew it would he hard to drown
him. We were so near shore, if he
had missed the rocks 1 felt sure he
would come out safely. I thought of
I.ouison and Louise, and wondered if
e\er I should fee them again. Their
faces shone upon me there in the win ly
darkness, and one as brightly as the
other. Afterwhiles 1 drew my wet
blouse over me and went to sleep, shiv
ering.
A familiar sound woke me—that of
the reveille. The sun was shining, the
sky clear, the wind had gone down.
A crew sat calling in the tree above my
head. I lay in a strip of timber, thin
and I arrow, on the lake shore. Through
th< bushes 1 could see the masts of the
brig slanting out of water some rods
away. Beyond the timber was a lield
of corn, climbing a side-liill that sloped
off to a level, grassy plain. Beyond the
hill-top, reveille was slili sounding. A
military camp was near me, and al
though I made no move, my mind was
up and busy as a eat at a mouse-hole,
looking down at my uniform, not, in
deed. the most healthful sort of dress
for that country. All at once I caught
sight of a scarecrow in the corn. 1
laughed at the odd grotesquery of the
ii in? —an old frock coat and trousers
of olive-green, faded anil torn and fat
with straw. A stake driven through its
collar into the earth, and crowned with
an ancient, tall hat of beaver, gave it u
backbone. An idea came to me. I
would rob tlie scarecrow and hide my
uniform. Iran out and hauled it over
and pulled the stuffing out of it. The
coat and trousers were made for a
stouter man. I drew on the latter, fat
tening my figure with straw to fit
; them. That done, I quickly donned
the coat. Each sleeve-end fell to my
finger-tips, and its girth would have
circled a flour barrel and buttoned with
roeni to spare. But with my stuffing of
straw it came around me as snug at
the belt as the coat of a bear. 1 look
j alarm as I closed the buttons. For half
j a minute I had heard a drum-tap com
ing nearer. It was the measured tap!
tap! tap-tap-tap! so familiar to me.
Now 1 could hear the tread of feet com
ing with it back of the hill. How soon
they would heave in sight I was unable
to reckon, but I dared not run for
cover. So I thrust my scabbard deep
in the soft, earth, pulled down the big
beaver hat over my face, muffled my
neck with straw, stuck the stake in
front of me to steady myself, and stood
stiff as any scarecrow in Canada. Be
fore I was done a column, scarlftt-
I coated, came out in the level beyond
i the hillside. Through a hole in the
| beaver I could see them clearly. They
came on, rank after rank. They de
j ployed, forming an open square, sear
let-sided, on the green turf, the gap to
ward me. Then came three, walking
stiffly in black coats, a squad leading
them. The thing 1 had taken for a
white visor wa« a blindfold. Their
heads were bare. I could see now, they
were in shackles, their arms behind
them. They were coming to their death
—some of my unlucky comrades. God
pity them! A spy might as well make
his peace with heaven, if he were
caught those days, and be done with
hope. Suspicion was enough to convict
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1905.
on either side of the water that year.
I As my feet sank deeper in the soft
earth I felt as if 1 were going down to
my grave. The soldiers led them into
the gap, standing them close together,
backs to me. The squad drew off. The
i prisoners stood erect, their faces turn
ing up a little, as if they were looking
| into the clear, blue sky. I could see
I them waver as they stood waiting. The
' sharp-shoot er3 advanced, halting as
i they raised their rifles. To my horror,
1 saw the prisoner?, were directly be
tween me and them. Great God! was
1 also of that little company about to
| die? But 1 dared not move a step. 1
j stood still, watching, trembling. An
j officer in a shining helmet was sp'-ak
< ing to the riflemen. His helmet seemed
| to jump and quiver as he moved away.
, Those doomed figures began to reel and
! sway as they waited. The shiny 1 ir
| rels lifted a little, their muzzle:-; point
! ing at them and at me. The corn
; seemed to cluck and tremble as it
j waited the volley. A great black bill
J sho! across the sky in a lons curve, and
i began to fall. Then came the word, a
' fit:sh of fire, a cloud of smoke, a rear
Jof rifles that made me jump in .>y
tracks. I hoard bullets cuffing the c< rn,
| 1 felt ihe dirt fly up and scatter <> er
me, but was unhurt, a rigid, motion
j man of straw. I saw my country). "ii
j reel, their lees ;;o limp as their
| 112 [%
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STC'K Ttlli STAKE IN KUOXT OK ME
TO ST 15ADV MYSELF AND STOOD
ST IKK AS ANY SCARECROW IN
I'ANA DA.
bodies fall silently forward. The sol
dier.-; stood a moment, then a squad
went after the dead will) litters. Form
inn in fours, they marched away as
they bad come, their steps measured
by that regular rap! rap! rap-rap-rap!
of til- drum. The last rank went out
of sight. I moved e little and pulled
the stake, and quickly stuck it again,
for there were voices near. I stoou
waiting as stiff as a poker. Some men
were running along the beach; two
others were coming through the corn.
They passed within a few feet of me
on each side. 1 heard ihom talking
with much animation. They spoke of
the wreck. When they were all by me
I faced about, watching them. They
went away in the timber, down to a
rocky point, where I knew the wreck
v. as visible.
They were no sooner out of sight
than I pulled the stake and saber, and
shoved the latter under my bl«? coat.
Then 1 lifted the beaver anil looked
about me. There was not a soul in
sight. From that level plain the field
ran far ton thick wood mounting over
the hill. I moved cautiously that way,
for I was in the path of people who
would be coming to see the wreck.
I got near the edge of the distant
wood, and hearing a noise, halted,
and stuck my stake, and drew my
hands back in the sleeves, a"d
stood like a scarecrow, peering
through my hat. Near me, in the
woods, I could hear the cracking of
sticks and a low voice. Shortly two
Irishmen stuck their heads out of a
bush. My heart gave a leap in mo.
; for I saw they were members of my
! tioop.
"Hello, there!" I called in a loud
\ oice.
It startled them. They turned their
heads to see where the voice came
lruni, and stood motionless. 1 pulled
I my stake and made for them on the
| run. I should have known better,
| for the sight of me would have tried
' the legs of the best trooper that ever
j sat iu a saddle. As they told me aftar-
I ward, it was enough to make a lion
I yelp.
"Holy Mother!" said one, as ihey
broke through the bush, running for
their lives. 1 knew not their names,
but I called them as loudly as I dared.
They went on, never slacking pace, ft
was a bad go, for I was burning for
news of D'ri and the rest of them.
Now I could hear some heavy animal
; bounding in the brush as if their run
ning had startled him. I went back to
the corn for another stand. Suddenly
a horse came up near me, cropping the
brush. I saw he was one olf the boat,
I lor he had bridle and saddle, a rein
hanging in two strings, and was badly
cut. My friend! the sight of a horse
did warm me to the toes. He got a
taste of the tender corn presently, and
came toward me as he ute. In a mo
ment 1 jumped to the saddle, and he
went away leaping like a wild deer.
He could not have been more fright
ened if I had dropped on him out of
the sky. I never saw such energy in
flesh and blood before. He took a
mighty fright as my hand went to his
withers, but the other had a grip on
the pommel, and I made the stirrups.
I leaned for the strings of the reign,
but his neck was long, and I could not
reach them. Before I knew it we were
tearing over a hill at a merry papa,
I can tell you. I was never so put to
it for the right thing to do, but I
elung on. The big hat shook down
; tipon my collar. In all my life I had
never saw a hat. so bi>.'. Through the
j break in it I could se*3 a farmhouse.
: In a jiffy the horse had cleared a
i fence, and was running, with the I'eet
j of terror, in a dusty road. I grew an
i gry at myself as we tore along—l
I knew not why. It was a rage of dis
! comfort, I fancy, for somehow, I never
! felt so bounded and cluttered, so up in
! I lie air and out of place in my body
! The saber was working loose and
I hammering my I.nee; the big hat wa«
> rubbing my nose, the straw chafing
my chin. I had something under rny
! arm that would sway and whack the
! side of the horse every leap lie made.
1 boro upon it hard, as if it were the
jewel of my soul. I wondered why,
and what it might be. in a moment
the big iiole of my hat enmo into con
junction with my right eye. On my
word, it was the .'.tale! Mow it came
i Iheie i have never known, bit, for
some reason I hell to it. I looked
•! neither to right nor left, but sat erect,
<:•)? hand on the hil< of my saber, tt c
oilier in the mane of the horsa, 1-now
, ing full well I was the most hideous
j looking ereatnro in t lie world. If I
; i;ad come to the gale <. 112 heaven 1 bc
j lieve St. P(ter would have dropped
! his leys. The straw worked up, and
j a great wad of it hung under r,:y cliin
11! o a bushy beard. I would have riv
en anything for a sight cf myself, nnd
laughi d to thin), ci' it, although fac
ing p. deadly peril, as I l:new. Bat I
was y<> mg ami had no fur i.i r.:e
■ 1 . Wo - ! 1 ' ' I
have his youth on his <1 ..th-br.l' It
wrs a I' l'i in tie dark, bit 1 v. a?
ready to take my chancer!.
Evidently ' was muring a village.
Oroupr, of men w• e in t'-o shady
thoroughfare: children thronged the
doorynrri ■. Tliero wns every sign of a
holiday. An v.e Reared hem 1 oaaght
my 1- v tin !, r my r;c \ and drew
my ham's !:»«•» the I ag i i - ves an'
waved th'-ra wildly, whe .;.;ng 15' o an
: to
hor •. st ling ' fore an inn, broke
his baiter and crashed over a feneo.
A /can .1 d.:t; r.;n for his life in front
of me. yelpipg pa he leau d over a
stone wall. Geese 3nd turkeys flew in
the air a.-; Ire; el (hem. T'ne p'o -'e
hail seemed to take me for r:r,me vil
lage youth on a masquerade. Wa
flashed into the open country before
the sound of cheering had died away.
On we went over a long strip of hail
noil, between fields, and off in the
shade of a thick forest. My horse be
gan to tire. I tried to cah.i
him by gentle words, but I
could give him no confidence in me.
He kept on. laboring hard and
breathing heavily, as if I were a ton's
weight. We came to another cler.ring
and fields of corn. A little out. of the
woods, and near the road, was a log
house white-washed from earth to
caves. Ity the gate my horse went
down. I tumbled heavily in the road,
and turning, caught him by the bits.
The big hat had shot off my head: the
straw had fallen away. A woman came
running out of the open door. She had
bare feet, a plump and cheery face.
"Tonnerre!" said she. "Qu'est ce que
cola?"
"My countrywoman." said I, in
French, feeling in my under-trouscrs
for a bit of silver, and tossing it to
her, "I am hungry."
"And I have no food to sell," said
she, tossing it buck. "You should know
I am of France and not of England.
Come, you shall have enough, and lor
no price but the eating. You have a
tired horse. Take him to the stable,
and 1 will make you a meal."
ITo !!(_• Continued.)
TRULY A MODEL SERVANT.
YV':IM Soiuouh.'il in Sn'-. i;i^
II;:tl a ftutul
j.'.iss Ida M. Tarbell, the writer, w a >
talking at her home in New York
about servants, relates the Tribune.
"1 have he-n reading," che t:aid,
"John Fo: s tee's 'Life of Dickens,'
and the book iia.s reminded me of the
pompous Forstcr's body servant, Hen
ry. pie' vv.i des'.-riued Ilenry during
his Pst *. i- it to Amc. iea.
" i he man, it seems, was devoted t:
his master. From one year's end to tiie
other ho never needed a reprimand.
"It was therefore surprising o;i°
night, when For.star was entertaining
several writers at dinner, to gee the
scrupulous Henry make error after
error. He upset a plate of soap, and
Korste i* uttered a cry of alarm. He for-
I sjot to serve savce for the fish, and his
! master said, 'Vvhy Henry!' Altogether
lie made the excellent dinner seem a
slovenly and poor repast.
"When, at the end, he had set the
port and walnuts on the table, Henry
leaned over Forster's chair and said in
a tremulous voice:
" 'Please, sir, can you spare me now?
My house has been on fire for the
last two hours..'"
•IniiniiOMO Humor.
Here is a typical Japanese humor
ous story: A quack doctor had pre
scribed the wrong medicine for the
only son of a certain family, with the
result that the boy had died. The
parents determined to have revenge.
So they sued the doctor in a court of
law. The affair was eventually patched
up, the quack giving the bereaved pa
rents his own son in return for the
one he had killed. Not long after this
the doctor heard a loud knocking at his
door one night. Ongoing to the door
lie was informed that the wife of one
of his neighbors was dangerously ill
and that his presence was required at
once. Turning to his wife, he said:
"This requires consideration, my dear.
There is no knowing but that it may
end in their taking you from me."—
Chicago Daily News,
I Balcom k Lloyd, j
fp Nil
II m
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WE have the best stocked
general store in the county
II and if you are looking for re- |j
liable goods at reasonable
M prices, we are ready to serve |l
you with the best to be found.
Our reputation for trust
worthy goods and fair dealing
\K is too well known to sell any |l
but high grade goods. |
! § i|
,\] Our stock of Queensware and jij
Chinaware is selected with
great care and we have some
of the most handsome dishes
ever shown in this section,
both in imported and domestic
makes. We invite you to visit
pJ us and look our goods over. ft
iU 11
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I Balcom & Lloyd. »!
®k J!
LKr □ □. □ □ □ ;*±EF o -zuz- □ □ □; -=i_rr o -=_zr
| LOOK ELSEWHERE S; f Sr E §
:LaBAHS|
♦: S2B Bedroom Suits, solid frOI s3fi Sideboard, quartered (for
U oak at 4>ZI oak, . 4>ZO '3
O oak at *.fv.... . 4><&U oak, «OIU M'
Gl A large line of Dressers from Chiflloniers of all kinds and
W §8 up. prices.
ffilfT* We carr Yin stock the
I A rge i St " d^r C u? ets I J
J line of P samples. 1 S
W | {' f jjfl jftr ~ Curtains' that can- U
$ A large and elegant line of Tufted and Drop-head
ft Couches. Beauties and at bargain prices.
£l The finest line of Sewing Machines on the market, £L
rf the "Domestic" and "Eldredge". All drop heads and W
ft warranted.
$ A fine line of Dishes, common grade and China, in oK
sets and by the piece. <>
As I keep a full line of everything that goes to make
* up a good Furniture store, it is useless to enumerate them W
v
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JCL the tiui.li, and if you don't buy, there is no harm done, as &
rf it is no trouble to show goods.
| GEO. J. La BAR. |