¢ a LITTLE BEN. Captarn | I'he voice was soft and gentle as & woman's—Captain, esi't you take me with you 0 St. Louis? Nob ai lowe &o GArTY any passengers said (he caprwin, grofily, avithout losk- ing up fron n= desk, The tug-h sl msiaver, with her tow of barg. =, wu< (ying at the bavk as Cairo, ll. Siw was the ouly boat ia| sight that showed aay sign.of life; all the others were lzid ap for the winter; navigation was perilous. Mie great y ver wns choked and full of huge masses of floatiag ice, nd all the land was deep with snow aad sleet. It wae intensely cold, $3 was the 22d of December. I cidu't wean to gO RE & passenger, rid the I thought maybe yon would let me work my ay olny with the crew, No; got al. the hsods we want, I Wwlieve said the Usaptain, busy wich his bills. Captain, Jl work mighty bard— voice, captain, please can't I go with you, sir? He tried to speak bravely. but ir was painfully evident that ke was forciag back a sb. The captain finished his wayhill and looked up at his visitor, Well, I be d——m! said the eap- tain. It was a very small boy who had offered | is services t) the eaptsin; a Id with the fice and features of a delicate girl. His soft dark hair hung in wavelets about his neck, His cheeks were pinched and shrunken as His clothing was scant and He was trembliog with cold, and his wide eyes had in them a'lock so imploring that the captain as soon as he bad recover- ed from bis astonishment told him to come into his office and get warm. I know I'm mighty little captain, said the boy as he stood by the stoves bat I'm twelve years old, and I'll work bard as anybody, sir. That's all right, sonvy, said the captain. What's your name anyhow? Ben, answered the buy. Bo you want to go to St. Louis, do you, Ben ? What do want to go there for ? The boy looked at the bluff officer a moment, aod then he said : It's al.nost Christmas, and I prom- jsed mother I was coming home. Mother lives in St. Louis. His simple words touched the cap- tain. The captains mother lived in | if from illness. thin. brown £t. Louis, too, and he was trying to reach bome in time to spend the holi days with her, Well, what's the oatter ? asked the esptain. Ain't you got wo money ? Set down here, little chap, and tell us about it. Looks like having a pretty tough time. The boy sat down and the caplain | you've been by much questioning obtained his story | His parents had residedin NewOrleans, He was born there, His father was | me—baut I took my guitar sad went out of the house, and then [ wrote mother a note sad told her I was go- ing away for a little while, sod 1 would weite to hee every day aud send her money. [avalked from ove town tvaaother all the summer, and io the evenings 1 used to stand on the corner and sing, and people gave me, lots of mamey. I seat it nll to mother Lexcept a line I kept to pay my board. I told mother I was ia business. mever told her what business. I made plenty of meaey in the summer time, but when the weather got chilly Sidu't make so much, snd I sent it all te mother, and sometimes J elept out- doora. And then I got sick sud I had bills every day, and Ghey shook me all to pieces, and 1 couldn't sing like [ @sed to and people stopped pay- ing me, and [sold my guiwr to a man, and | sent the money Lo mother, Aud every letter I got from mother she was begging me to come home, and she said she did not need my money aud busioess was getting good, but you see captain, she fooled me ounce before. I knew she would aay saything to get me back, but the last letter I wrote I told her I was coming home and I'd be there for Christmas, aod yesterday and lust night I walked all the way from Paducah through the smow, and, captain, I csu’t wa'k ARYy more. He had forgotten his present troubl® in the tecital of his adventures. He seemed suddenly to remember his position. He looked at the captain with great pleading eyes. Captain, he almost sobbed, I'll work- Please, sir, let me go! and then the lit’ tle chap broke dewn, and the tears what I blame please, said Bill. Well, you eught to be ashamed of yourself, you white-livered puppy, said the deck -hand with some warmih’ “['m pretty tough man myself, det d—~m me if] am going 10 see such an outrage as that. You go on back to bed, sonny ; I'll take your place. Naw. sou dow't neither, restored Bill. You woulda’t come when Ly celled you, and (Lm captain of the gang, snd avhat I say goes, and don’t you forget it, and before Faglish could interfere he had caught the boy rudely by the arm aad pushed hie from the cabin, Kid be back indie o ten min ates, veflected English, when he was through cursing Bill Howe, and theo he dosed off to eleep agai. It was terribly cold on deck. The boy shivered as dhe man led him over the long liae of berges. Finally they reached the last barge in feont of the steamer, There wes a torch burning in an iron frame. The mau told the boy he must keep a sharp leok ou’ ahead, and when he saw a dangerous drift coming toward them he must signal the pilot by waviag a light. All ri-right, sir chattered the boy and the man swore st him two or three times aud weot baek the steamer, The storm of the wind and sleet was over. The night was beautiful aud still. 1 be deep, measured breathing of the tug away back in the rear, the crushing of the ice along the banks, and now and the howl of a famished wolf from the swamp lands on either shore only made the frozen silence Lo iin the other afternoon, bringing a pair with a little brother and sister. About | more awful and sublime. And above | him the stars seemed doubly brilliant | through the clear, cold air, and be- | had to come. The captain got up and b through the little window. his nose and wiped it carefully. Then he sat down again. Well, well, be said, I wouldn'e ery I reckon we can fix | ad to lovk : He blew | about it sonny. it for you, I expect you do want 10 see your mother sure "nuff. Thank you, sir, said the boy, dry- ing his eyes, I never will forget your kindoess, captain, and now I'm ready for work. | The captain looked at the boy and | laughed. You needn't do anything, sonny, just stay aboard and make yourself comfortable. But the boy persisted, and the eap- | ain told him to go below and do whatever the mate commanded. An hour later the Staver was mas- | | ing the best of her way up the ice filled | turbulent Mississippi, snd the captain | had pearly forgotten about the boy. | He worked with the crew, pulling on | sleety, frozen ropes, wheeling conl to | the furnace, doing whatever the men kind-hearted men. They joked the] boy in their bluff way and told him | | { he had better lie down by the furnace | fires, A They had supper in a dirty mess an artist, who made a sufficient io-| come to support his family in comfort | and to send his son to a musical school. Two ye rs before his father died sud den'y and his mother moved to St her funds modest little the | Business | Louis, where she invested in (rade and opened a mwillinary establishment in ove of poorer sections of the city. did not flourish with the widow, but she managed by dint of saving to keep | her boy at school. I never knew but what mother had | DEX! berth. plenty of money, said the boy, in his simple way. She always gave me evervthing I wanted, till one day last | summer she came to my room, and was singing and playing on my guitar | «|arge tear drops had been slowly forming in the boy's eyes; he hastily | shelves against - room, where the men slept on little he wall, He was] | glad when he crept in between the! i who it appeared was an extremely | awakeaed by the gruff voice of a man | | who was shaking the deck hacd in the | 3 : lout now! Want a man oo the look- Come now, pile out! You go to——, said English. The man let him alone. He came | to Ben's bed, {| Hello! who's this? | 1 : Pile out here, { he would lie down witl the bright, cozy fore him was the great, mad river filled with flashing fantastic ghostly forms that moved, and changed, and waved, and seemed to beckon him. And it was 30 cold, so terribly, death- ly cold. An hour-~two hours went by. The boy kept his eye fastened on the river, but every bone in his frale body was trembling and bis face was purple. The cold hart him ; it was an agony, He sat down on the front of the barge | | Once he looked back at the headlight | of the tug, back to the glowing warmth of the furnace. I must try avd stand it, he kept re- peating to himself, and presently he | took from his ragged jacket a little It contained a | cheap black bresstpin. He had spent | box, and opeved it. | his last cent in s Christmas gift for | He looked seemed to warm him. didn't A was stealing over him. his mother, at it : hurt him any more pleasant dreamy He th ught i * 1 his his arm: he could watch the river just j “1 would let him. They were rough, |. well. And then—no, he 30uld not been lost and the be dreamiog—by some curios magic | he was at home and his mother wal How well he re men bere little Ani there were his books and with him. i room | Dis MUSK jast as he had left them, snd on the table by the window a boquet of pret It must be summer time | | ! | | | ! ] ty flowers, ] hlanket nd he listened t : ) . y : | rough blankets, and he listened to the | hecavse the window was open and the | He's been at bome {three mont | men talking about one Bill Howe | warm air and glorious sunshine were | We've got davecing in the room. And how pret. tr ] de * fu { | BOpopLisr personage employed ass] ty his mother was as she to k him in | come and be sho captain of the watch. Their conver ] her arms and bent aod kissed him, Certainly 1 do. sation was not of interest (0 Be n. He} And he nestle i his he ad in her Bor hs ! morrow len tdnigt ns | : was soon asleep. At midoight he was | oq hy felt her warm breath on his cheek, and laughed with gladness, 0, how I love you, preity mother, murmured happy little Ben, and he Rouse up, Eoglish ! rouse upl hustle | was going to tell her about the tug, and the eaptain and the strange forms on the river, but it slipped from him and be forgot it, He forgot every- thing. The deckhand known as “English” woke from a sonnd sleep, and instant. | oi brushed them away with the back of | youog fe er! You'll do as well as, ¢ |¥ % ! lveewhy, he could not say-—<he thought She joo) ed his hand. 86 preity, he said, that I ran ap io ber and kissed her. She was smiling wheo she cane jo my room, but when [ Kissed ber she laid her beadjon my shoulder and eried, an’ it nesr.y killed me; I never never saw mother ery before. And ge said she was just nervous and nothing was the matter; but 1 made her tell me, and sho said her money was nearly gore and she was alreid | would have to stop music Jessous, And 1 told her not 10 ery, cause I'd make movey for her, sud, captain, I | tone of wiomph iu bis voice, and for a done it, too. There was a moment his pale face flushed with eonseious prid., I never told mother what I was go- ing to do—I koew she would not Jet : any body else Pile out now! Don't Jay there all night. ment, What do you want me to do? he asked, Well, you are a aweet-scented speci men, you are, said the man, eyeing the man disdainfully, Come on with ‘me! I'll soun show you what you ve got to do, you tew-colored tramp you, Where the devil did you come from anyway? The deck-band kno as Eaglish looked over the side of his bunk, Look here, Bill Howe, he grom- bled, do you mean ter say you're go- Liag ter put that there kid out on the front? [he buy was on his feet in a wo | I mean to say I'm going to do just | ties, le Not fir { oot, he hastily put on a great shagyy f the hoy ing him | overcoat and went forward to relieve him from the watch. He found little Ben lying with his head on bis aim, a smile was on his lips, and in his hand he held bis mother's gift, but his face was colorless as snow, and life had ceased to beat in bis heart. English bent over him a long time. Then he stood up, and, perhaps unconsciously, took off’ his bat, He's dead said Eoglish, in a strong soft whisper. Allanta Constitution. we Minglo's shoo store, FERREIRA, | Wl a a———a— Experimen's show that the native thick skinned grapes ara better winter keepers, than the bist improved varie Et sation Hi ata a | Indian eountry. and it & The cold | : 1 f pensation | | have ME. DUNDERS EXPERIENOE Mrs. Henry Harmon, who lees Well, that's you, &s ir? queried five miles south of Houston, Mogenive Sergent Beudall yesterday, as Mr A MISSOURI DIANA. Dander entered the Central Sustion Bergeant, I like to suy a few worde Go shend, of fine wild tarkeys, which she killed with her rifle the dav before, How came you to kill them 7 wae asked by your correspondent, Why, easy emough. There plenty of wild turkeys in oor locality. Que of my little boys was outhun’ing rabbits about half « eile from the | ;, aon" A. broke Cavadian house. ble saw a gang of werkeys, | gq oo 44 you got it? fe came back, told me about #, sng | Whell, I just shouldered my gum and sarod. wh vontorday and wlan ¥f. 1 { had not traveled far beyond the | : Dunder. 3 All right ’ Po gon pelieve 1 vhas grazy Well, not exactly erszy, but wry ATE | fresh. You see dis 810 bill ? I dao, wad [ can see from here that bank stranger comes io my vhas Carl vhas, lace designated when | was made | | : p g : . Sowebody tells him I vhas collecting happy by eapyiog a fine gaog. ’ fired and killed this large ove, and money to build an orphan bef. 1d all I deta {| Dot whas shust like me. I vhas big fore they could all escape niG- pesrted nnd ohkaritable, und cafery- | ed this one | pody ehpeaks vhell of we. He like | Tell me about some of your feats |, help dot asylum along a leedle by | with the rifle. Well, [ never.did but one piece of | He must have been greon: shooting that I am particalarly proud | yore oo 1 pelief. If be like to gif | of; I once killed a bear. It was along | oo oo [take it. He hands me | asylnm, : : - [subscribing five dollars, while ago, when father lived near the ,. i . ago, he dis ten dollar bill, und I shavgs him | ard hours o " EH] o] - + N 11 head of a small siream that empties | oo ueek, it made your heir shi into Big Creek. Oue morning, sary in the antuman, father left home : dot he vhas a proken pank. Houston. Mother was away speading | 0 . ' ei. the day with her sister, I was alove ’ Keep “ bim get into der papers, {oop. I dosu fied oudt far two foe | . ti J Sergeant i let | vias a | ! Doan Dat Je edle shtill 10 o’cl ck I heard the dogs barking wildly in a cove about 200 yards avove the house. 1 seized the rifle and hurried to the scene. When I got there I found it was 8 big bear. | All right. IF hind | . : ring you may know it vhas me, legs and was constantly turning about, dot. 4'} ‘wait benitle: der anti} and now and then boxing 3 dog into the wagon comes wee Detroit Free Press last month. 1 frightened at first, but I took a little I took good sim under the left arm, and fired, shoke on we, I vhasgolog 14 to telephone you vhat pumb or vhas it? N amber 400. around ood find dot fellow. telephone und - j : . you hear dot The animal was standiog on its COT Dee was coosiderably | TOOTHACHE AND TINTYPES time to nerve myself, Then in i WOmAD wer iF uf Am puting in a doorway on Gratiot street an iY dis The bear fell awkwardly, rolled down He 1 ‘ ane dav when Detective Bobertiz hs the hill into the little stream, and |“%€“% Detective Bobertiz hay i sree] along and asked hat was the when | made my eaatious approach | PEO” “OUR me aekert what was tn { trouble. 1 ' She's he was dead, St. wis Globe Demo- #t my ¢« just this replied wife, We out here {about seven miles, aud she's bad the toothache for three days and nights " | We drove in this morniug Ww have the There can hardly be a doubt that | 50th pulled and now she wants to the farmer. | eral live THE UNTUTOREDSAVAGE there is something wrong about the | back oul. But it has stopped aching, protest There is not a jail ed the wife anywhere within the b wands of the Cherokee No can ever be at a high point of civilize. | ' Yes, but it will begin pEain as soon reservation. eountry | us we get home Yin g me, No, it won't, Bet urieen nid bail a day for pothing. y | You might have your tintypes tak- | We have always been taoght to look | 4p the That | aud Pythias of | will be the next to haviog a we can't drive | les tion in which there are no jails and | mi nobody does anything to need them, | A pi detective, thing * “1 rented upon Damon as one the most beaun:iful stories of friend. | Yoo ship and honor. Listen lo this from t give you m An another : } 1 - n he Cherokee Indian aod ask vourself sme different Indian was shot man some Lin in the Territory . i head on Ha at the appeal baa sentence must be carried Ng 3 1 €8. BR) yo “ fellow shot. I don’t the Whe re He's at hor A prisoner ander seni Br ’ 4 Rev. Syl Nail see any jail, | city, was elected eran i Ve : Anus he? i editor of t iy Over wii 200 contnib . $1 pedis, tof 1.0 0s %. wit nee of death | " require about | M:. : will ome, comp elie | word, bh \d no jails here Well you don’t expect to get him to | Lr 9 He'll for him, be here to. | I nent Aud the merry stranger laughed WilLeas ] Next day be was on band to the Sheriff s discomfiture Dat a few | cavaleade | It headed by a manly young Indian aud They young the | He went about among the | minutes before the hour a appeared in the distance, wa it was made vp of his friends, the himselt rode gallastly up and Indisn surrendered Sherif 10 hie | crow], shook Lands with everybody, ue his saddle, another his hore ESTORER (ENGLISH) and wo on, Butil he had disposed of Then he his | bosom friend as the man to fire the | fatal shot, an honor his bosom friend esteemed highly. He ook his place ; | pinned a piece of blue ribbon over | his heart, the point the bullet was to take, nud stood up like a man, A few areonds, there was a shot, and he was dead, 1 wonder is there nothiog at al: the white man can learn from the Cherokee Indian, 8. F, Chronicle. io A At Ax Towa railroad conductor who found a pocket-hook containing 8250 { he posse wind #¢ lected —— “- (ive us and hunted up the owner, who provea to be an aged graoger and his wife, was met with this remark from the old Judy: “It wasn good thing some And ule rte, rooming SWAYNE'S OINTMERY ops the theliine and blosding one seen pick it up or we never ‘would have got it aga'n. 3 RAGE CT He 1859-1887. Great Reduction PRICES!!! I am now Prepared to Give oo BIG BARGAINS. DRY GOODS, Dress (Goods from 5c to $2 per yard. NC7IONS, Hose from 3c to $1 perp Lower Tan the Lew: est. © d Call. We Guarantee Satie faction. Countrv Prodvce On hand, and Wanted at all times. C. U. HOFFER Alegnen y st. Belletonte, Po :
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers