A FIGHT WITH CACTUS
A RISKY STORY OF A WESTERN MIS
ADVENTURE AT NIGHT.
A Ludicrous Adventure of a Party Hunt
ing Indians In Southwestern Mexico.
The Bravery of a Leader Brought Ridji
icule Upon Himself.
"Haiti What's that?" said our leader
in a sharp whisper.
It was a clear moonlight night in the
extreme southwest of Mexico.
I was visiting a friend who conducted
a large ranch and hacienda there.
A local revolt had just been quelled in
the neighborhood and a spirit of lawless
ness still pervaded the atmosphere. Only
the night before my friend had been
fired upon and ono of his storehouses
robbed by a baud of Indians some fifteen
or twenty strong. Early in the morning
four of us, under the leadership of our
host, had sot out upon the track of the
robbers.
We wero well mounted, and resting
only a few hours at noon had followed
hard after them till nearly midnight. If
we met them in a fair field we could,
drive them into quarters like cows to a
pen, but we had no mind to run into a
trap in the dark with five against fif
teen ; hence caution.
* "Haiti What's that?" our leader had
whispered. Wo had come to the edge
of a dense woods, and across an opou
space, upon the brow of a low sand hill,
clearly outlined in the moonlight against
the sky, we had discovered a dozen or
more half naked fellows, with their
arms extended in every direction, en
gaged in some sort of a weird, fantastic
dance.
We could not 6eo their legs, for the
tops of the trees beyond the hill rose
waist high, making a black background,
but their arms moved slowly to and fro
and we could easily imagine their legs
keeping company.
"Thoso are the thieves!" our host mut
tered. "I know them, even at night.
You fellows just come to the odge of the
wood, wliero they can see you without
knowing how many there are of you,
and I'll have them down here in no
. time."
* Pie rode out alone to the foot of the
hill.
It required no little courage, and we
watched liim witli proportionate admira
tion.
The figures did not cease their dance
or notice him. Suddenly, with his rifle
at his shoulder, he called to them: "I
have you there I If one of you moves
I'll shoot him dead!"
The wind had been blowing through
the trees, so that we could not have
heard their response, but fortunately at
that moment it ceased, and in the deep
silence which settled down upon the
forest in such a momentary lull we
waited for the result.
Every Indian suddenly ceased his
dancing and stood like a statue outlined
against the sky.
"Come down here now," shouted our
V host. "Come quietly, too, for the first
man who makes any trouble drops dead."
We could hear a sound, as of a hurried
consultation of some sort, going on upon
the hill for a moment, but the wind
sprung up again before we could dis
tinguish a single voice, and to our utter
astonishment the fellows actually began
their solemn dance again.
"Come down or I'll shoot I" roared our
host, but they kept on dancing and he
did shoot.
Then there was commotion enough.
A wild cry, followed by a cloud of dust,
rose from the brow of the hill.
"Fire!" yelled our host, and wo re
sponded with a well aimed volley, while
he whipped out his heavy revolver and
gave them another peppering.
There was a iierfect bedlam of screams
from the hill, ami the dust hid every
thing from view. Thoy were either com
ing down upon us in an unexpected
. liordo or running for their lives.
f For us it was eithor fly or follow. We
waited irresolutely for the word of our
leader, when the dust settled and there
stood the Indians, silently going on with
their fantastic dance as though wo were
a hundred miles away.
With a fierce ejaculation our host put
spurs to his horse and dashed up the
hill. We followed, without command,
to find him upon the summit, sitting on
tho ground beneath a line of gaunt and
ghostlike prickly pears—the ungainly
cactus of Mexico.
They extended along the brow of the
hill, their naked, skeleton branches
spreading out in every unaccountable
way and swaying solemnly in the breeze.
Among tho roots a multitude of bur
rows in the dry dust showed where the
sandbirds had been lying, half buried,
and quietly sleeping; and it was their
noisy yelp we heard when they were
frightened away by our host's duel with
the cactus.—Louisville Courier-Journal.
llUHHiati Discipline.
During tho review of the array recruits
in Vilna the general in command, turn
ing to one of the now soldiers, asked
*him, "What is military discipline?"
"It is that a soldier has got to do jnst
what he's told by his superior officer,
only nothing against the czar," was the
answer.
"All right, then; you take yonr cap,
bid yonr comrades good by and go and
drown yourself in that lake there. Look
sharp!"
Tears glistened in the soldier's eyes;
he gazed earnestly and prayerfully at his
commander, turned suddenly about and
rushed off to the lake. He was on the
very brink before he was overtaken and
stopped by the aergoant sent to prevent
the involuntary suicide.—Exchange.
When Death I, Welcome.
"There was great pathos," says a mis
sionary in Honolulu, "in a story I heard
from a friend who had just returned
from a visit to Molokai. He suddenly
heard the joyous strains of a hand strike
up in the leper settlement. 'What is it
f or ?' he asked. The answer was, 'Two
lopers have just died in the hospital."'—
New York Tribune.
Following Their Advice.
There was not long since a venerable and
benevolent judge in Paris who, at the mo
ment of passing sentence on a prisoner,
consulted his associates on each side of
him as to the proper penalty to be inflicted.
"What ought we to give this rascal,
brother?" he said, bending over to the one
upon his right.
"I should say three years."
"What is your opinion, brother?"
"I should give him about four years."
The judge, with benevolence: "Prisoner,
not desiring to give you a long and severe
term of imprisonment, as I should have
done if left to myself, I have consulted my
learned brothers, and I shall take their ad
vice. Seven years!"—Tit-Bits.
Beyond It.
"Do you mean to say, Mr. Drybird, that
you don't carry a latchkey? I should
think, of all men in the world, you would
need one."
"It's no use to me. I couldn't use one if
I had it."—Life.
Chipper Chestnut*.
This is the season of the year when the
farmer goes out to examine the mowing
machine, and comes into the house with
two fingers missing and reports to his
wife that the cutter bar is all right.—Bel
fast Age.
F. L begs to invite ffie attention of
the public to the exquisite workmanship
of his ladies' boots. N. B.—Every pur
chaser will receive a box of corn ointment
free of charge.—Neueste Nacli rich ten.
You never know much about the unat
tainable until you get up in the middle of
the night and reach for the mosquito with
the wet end of a towel. —New York Even
ing Sun.
An editor kept his tailor's bill "under
consideration" for twelve months, and
then returned it to the author with a litho
graphed note saying, "The editor regret
that he is unable to avail himself of the in
closed manuscript."—Tit-Bits.
Always pass the fruit to everybody else
before helping yourself. Common polite
ness will induce your company to leave the
choicest specimens upon the plate, and
when it comes to your turn you can eat
them without exciting remark.—Boston
Transcript.
It is a great shock to a young married
woman to realize that when her husband
comes home it is not to tell her how much
he tliiuks of her, but to get something to
eat. —Chicago Times.
For a full crop on the farm commend us
to the old hen.—Lowell Courier.
Many people say they go away to get rid
of their business letters, but the summer
girl relies implicitly 011 the daily male.—
Philadelphia Times.
Persistency is a great virtue, but it
hard to admire It in a fly.—Somerv
Journal.
Thanks to the mosquito, the angler can
never complain of not getting a bite.—New
York Evening Sun.
How to get inside information: Use a
stomach pump.—Truth.
It is a wise child that knows his own
father when the old man is dressed in a
hired bathing suit.—Texas Siftiugs.
Want of Sense.
Great learning is not always accompa
nied by large measures of "common sense."
The celebrated Dr. Chalmers came homo
on horseback one evening, and as neithci
the man who had charge of his horse nor
the key of the stable could be found he
was puzzled us to the best temporary resi
dence for the animal.
At last he fixed on the garden, and lead
ing the horse thither placed him on the
gravel walk. When Miss Chalmers, who
had been away from the house, returned,
and her brother told her he had been uua
ble to find the key of the stable, she in
quired what had been done with the horse.
"I took him to the garden," saidthedoc
tor.
"To the garden!" she exclaimed. "Then
all our flower and vegetable beds will be
destroyed!"
"Don't be afraid of that," said Dr. Chal
mers. "I took particular care to pluco the
horse on the gravel walk."
"And did you really imagine that ho
would stay there?"
"I have no doubt of it," replied the doc
tor, with calm assurance. "So sagacious
an animal could not fail to be nware of the
propriety of refraining from injuring the
products of the garden."
"I am afraid," remarked Miss Chalmers,
"that you will think less favorably of the
discretion of the horse when you have seen
the garden."
True enough, the horse had rolled in and
trampled upon the beds till they were a
scene of pitiful devastation.
"I never could have imagined," re
marked the doctor in deep disgust, "that
horses were such senseless animals."
A retort about the surprising ignorance
of a certain other order of animals must
must have been on Miss Chalmers'tongue,
but no doubt she kept it back.—Youth's
Companion.
A Hungry Man.
Tramp—Madam, will you please give me
a bite to eat? Chicken, for instance.
Lady—Do you love chicken?
Trump—Do I, madam? linve you even a
wing of chicken?
Lady—No, sir.
Tramp—lleart?
Lady—No.
Tramp—Gizzard ?
Lady—No.
Tramp—The head?
Lady—l gave that to the cat.
Tramp—'Where's the cat?— Boston Cou
rier.
Depends Upon Circumstances.
Uncle Erastus I doesn't beleebe in
countin yo' chickiins befo' dey is hatched,
judge, does yo'?
Judge Twinkle—No, Uncle Erastus; but
experience has taught me that In this
neighborhood one can't begin too soon
afterward.—New York Herald.
A Good Day.
Hev. Dr. Primrose—How is it your fa
ther always comes home from fishing on a
Friday ?
Little Johnny—'Cause he's then suro to
find a good assortment of fish in the mar
ket.—New York Evening Sun.
Surprised Pig.
Little Pete never intends to misstate
things, but his very figurative imagination
sometimes gets the better of his facts. He
starts out to tell something which is per- '
fectly true, but before he is done he has
generally drifted oil into some picturesque
exaggeration. The other day he exclaimed
to a companion:
"Just think, Billy t Out in Chicago they
aren't going to be cruel to the pigs any
more when they kill them. They're going ,
to chloroform them."
"How do they do it?" asked Billy.
"Why, they just put a sponge In front of
the pig's nose and he to sleep,
and when he comes to himself he says,
'Why, my ham's gone!' And by and by
he says, 'Goodness! Somebody's sawed my
leg off!' and then ho finds out that he's all
cut upl"—Youth's Compuniou.
Badinage.
(These three girls are exchanging con- i
fidences, and telling each other what sort
of men they like l>est.)
First Girl—l like a man with a past. A |
man with a past is always interesting. j
Second Girl—That's true; but I don't
think he's nearly so interesting as the man |
with a future.
Third Girl—The man who iuterests me
is the mau with a present.—Judy.
Inadvertently Old Fashioned.
They were lingering in the deepening
twilight of the front hall. It was hard for
him to leave. Standing together there,
with a soft glance directed into eyes that
spoke back love divine, they presented a 1
pretty picture.
"And will you always love me?"
The confidence of his hearing indicated
that he had canvassed the situation pre
viously, yet the trusting girl seemed re
joiced to reply.
"Until death do us part!" she cooed.
She rested her brown curls trustfully ,
upon his shoulder.
"No, Emeline. No."
She started as if an iron had been thrust :
Into her heart. Pale with astonishment, i
trembling in every limb, she contemplated
her lover.
"Billy." 1
Her tone expressed a world of anguish. ,
"Do you doubt me, Billy?"
"No, my darling, but"
As he spoke the clouds parted, and
through the rift the moon sent its rays to
bathe his brow In silver light.
"You forget"
He gazed upon her with ineffable ten
derness.
"that we live in a progressive age."
Slowly the color returned to her beauti
ful face, but there remained a look of per
plexity and doubt.
"Why, Billy"
He raised his hand deprecatiugly. '
"Emeline, don't you know that it is not
until death do us part, hut"
Her lips moved as if to utter a reproach, j
"But, according to modern usage, until ]
you have me adjudged insane and shut iu .
an asylum." '
With a glad cry she threw herself Into
his embrace.
"Oh, Billy, how"
A kiss temporarily interrupted her dis
course.
"could I he so old fashioned as to say
until death do us part."
The moon was lost to sight, and in the
darkness he effected his departure.—De
troit Tribune.
Little Johuny Won All lliglit.
Mrs. Terwilliger had the misfortune to
occupy the flat directly underneath the j
Browns, and every day she was driven to
the verge of distraction by the noise made j
by little Johnny. She was just on the
point of making a complaint when she met {
Mrs. Brown, who was engaged in tying a j
piece of crape on her doorknob.
"Goodness gracious!" she exclaimed. "Is ,
there a death in your family?"
"Yes, my dear," sobbed Mrs. Brown. "It
is my poor old grandmother."
"I'm so sorry," sympathized Mrs. Ter
williger. "I thought it was that mischiev
ous little boy of yours."—New York Even
ing Sun.
She Needed a Clasp.
"William," she sighed, and he hung
upon her words with the grip of a fresh- >
man testing his strength for an anthropo- i
metrical chart. "William, why am I like
a broken locket?"
"Ah," he said, "I cannot telV
"Because, William," she murmured, and
her voice had the faraway sound of the
wind moaning on the freshman fence, "I
need a clasp."
And then, hang it, the Hibernian Hebe
came in to light the lamps.—Yale Record.
Juvenile Financiering.
Mother—Mercy on us! You've utterly
ruined that new suit of clothes! How in
the world did you do it?
Little Johnny—Carryin water for the
circus men.
"Goodness me! What did you do that i
for?"
"So's I could get in free."—Good News. I
Forestalled.
Dinguss--Hello, Shadbolt! You don't
seem to have any crease in your trousers
this morning.
Shadbolt (remembering him of old)—No,
and no change either, Dinguss. Left it all
in my other trousers. Morning!— Chicago
Tribune.
MlHHlug Change.
Husband—l think there must be a hole
in my trousers pocket, as I never seem to
be able to keep any loose change in them.
Wife—No, my dear, there isn't, for I
have carefully examined them every morn
ing.—Detroit Free Press.
Didn't Like It.
"Been abroad, I understand? Visited
Switzerland? How did you like it?"
Piggleton (from Illinois)— Tell you the :
truth I was disappointed in Switzerland, i
Too hilly, you know; sot a bit like Clii
tago.—Boston Transcript. I
FOR LITTLE FOLKS. j
Dolly Wuh Iruitl.
We slipped thro' the this afternoon
When Bridget forgot to latch it;
A cricket Addled a queer little tune.
And we hurried along to catch it.
I wish we'd staid in the yard and played,
For we've wandered and turned and crossed
l T p and down all over the town.
Till Dolly is 'fraid we're lost.
I wish I'd minded mamma just right
And thought of her smiles and kisses,
For if wo were forced to spend the night
In any such placo as this it^
My Dolly would die—and so should 1—
But tho only plan I see
Is Just to stay till they come this way
And And my Dolly and me.
—Eudora 8. Bumstead in St. Nicholas. 1
A Kiel) Miser and His Son.
A merchant died at Ispahan in the
earlier part of this century who had for
many years denied himself and his son
every support except a crust of coarse 1
bread. On a certain occasion ho was
overtempted to buy a piece of cheese,
but reproaching himself with his ex
travagance ho put the cheese into a
bottle and contented himself and obliged
the boy to do the same with rubbing
the cruet against the bottle, enjoying
the cheese in imagination.
One day, returning home later than
usual, the merchant found his son eat
ing his crust, which he constantly rubbed
against the door.
"What are you about, you fool?" was
his exclamation.
"It is dinner time, father. Yon have
the key, so I could not open the door. I
was rubbing my bread against it, as I
could, not get to the bottle."
"Cannot you go without cheese one ,
day, you luxurious little rascal? You'll
never be rich."
And the angry miser kicked the poor
boy for not being able to deny himself the
ideal gratification.—Cassell's Journal.
Growing l'lunta In Water.
To grow an acorn, a hyacinth glass or
a pickle jar is suitable. Choose a fine,
healthy looking acorn, and orochet with
moderatoly coarse cotton a network case
just largo enough to hold it. Take off '
the cup and put the acorn, point down
ward, in this little bag, closing it at tho
top, and make a loop of cotton of chain
stitch about two inches long, according
to the depth of the jar, to hang it up by. '
Cut a narrow piece of wood of a size I
that will lie across the top of the jar
without slipping in; pass it through the
loop and thus hang tho acorn, point
downward, in the glass, which mußthave
just enough water in it so tho tip of the
acorn scarcely touches it.
Keep the jar in a dark cupboard till
the acorn has sprouted, and then put it
in the light, just as you would a hya
cinth, being careful that you keep the
water always at the same level. This
will livo a long time if properly man
aged. An ordinary sweet chestnut can
be grown in tho same way.—Philadel
phia Times.
llow George Saved II It* Melon.
George had come from the city to 1
spend the summer with relatives on a 1
Now England farm. To his delight ho i
had been given a melon patch to "call
his own." He was carrying the first
ripe melon in triumph to the house one
day, when he met his uncle. Here was
a dilemma! He felt bound by common
courtesy to offer a share of his treasure,
and at the same time he was unwilling
to divide it. The riddlo was solved,
however, and his reputation for gener
osity saved by his asking: "Uncle Ed,
do yon want some of my melon? Say
no!" New York Tribune.
Kites with Lanterns.
! At tho rural points in Maine, where
j they know how, flying kites to which
lighted Chinese lanterns aro attachod is
a very popular amusement. A good
sized kite will carry a number of lan
terns, and tho effect when it is at some
I distance in tho air is very striking.
! Where it has not been triod it ought to
j be, as the feat is not a difficult one and
1 it causes no end of sport.—Exchange.
To AHtoniah Your Friend a.
With Borne lycopodium powder the
| surface of a large or small vessol of [
' water; you may then challenge auy one j
to drop a piece of money into the water, j
| and declare that you will get it with the
[ hand without wetting your skin. The ]
lycopodium adheres to the hand and pre- '
I vents its contact with the water. A lit- I
tie shake of your hand after tho feat is I
over will dislodgo tho powder.
For tho Heathen.
j J| S^Bi 0
"WeßiEfflSi I Meyouhave adollar.
What are you going to do with it?"
"I'm going to thpend it on a naughty
little heathen girl I know."
"Indeed! Who is she?"
"Me." —Harper's Young People.
QUOTATIONS.
Best family flour - - $2.35
Corn and mixed chop, - 1.17
22 p'nds granulated sugar 1.00
3 cans tomatoes - - - .25
5 pounds raisins - - .25
Home-made lard - - - .10
G bars white soap - - - .25
IDry Gcods:
Challies, best, 41 cents per yd.
Some dress goods reduced from
50 to 25 cents.
Scotch ginghams, worth 35
cents, sell for 20 cents.
■\*7"a,ll Paper:
Thousands of different patterns
5 cents double roll up to any
price wanted.
Carpets
and
Cil OlctHs:
Carpets, 17 cents per yard.
I carry the largest stock in
this town.
P > u.rn.lfu.re:
Anything and everything.
Good lounges for $5.00.
0 round-hack chairs for $3.00.
Black hair walnut parlor suit,
829.50.
Ladies'
Smmmer Coats
Are reduced from $3.75 to $2.50.
Some as low as 75 cents.
Straw Hats:
30 per cent, less than last year.
Some at one-half price.
Slroes
and
Footwear:
We are headquarters.
Every pair guaranteed.
Ladies' walking shoes for 75
cents; worth $1.25.
I can save you money on any
thing you may need, if only 5
cents worth. Call and see our
equipped store, We have ela
borate rooms from cellar to
third floor, National cash regis
ter, Lippy's money carrier sys
tem, computing scales, the
finest in the world, and six men
to wait on you. Yours truly,
J. C. BERNER.
HORSEMEN
ALL KNOW THAT
Wise's Harness Store
Is still here and doing busi
ness on the same old principle
of good goods and low prices.
HORSE GOOQS.
; Blankets, Buffalo Robes, Har
ness, and in fact every
thing needed by
Horsemen.
1 Good workmanship and low
prices is my motto.
GEO. WISE,
| Jeddo, and No. 35 Centre St.
RUPTUREISHS
I'a. Enao at onco. No operation or business
j delay. Thouaanda of curea. I)r. Mayer la at
Hotel Penn, Heading, Pa., aecond Saturday of
'each mouth. circulars, Advice Ircy.
What is
Castoria is Dr. Samuel Pitcher's prescription for Infants
and Children. It contains neither Opium, Morphine nor
other Narcotic substance. It is a harmless substitute
for Paregoric, Drops, Soothing Syrups, and Castor Oil.
It is Pleasant. Its guarantee is thirty years' use by
Millions of Mothers. Castoria destroys Worms and allays
feverishness. Castoria prevents vomiting Sour Curd,
cures Diarrhoea and Wind Colic. Castoria relieves
teething troubles, cures constipation and flatulency.
Castoria assimilates the food, regulates the stomach
and bowels, giving healthy and natural sleep. C.is
toria is the Children's Panacea—the Mother's Friend.
Castoria. Castoria.
" Castoria is an excellent medicine for chil- •• castoria is so well adapted to children that
dren. Mothers have repeatedly told mo of ita j recommend it as superior to any prescription
good effect upon their children." known to me."
DR. G. C. OSGOOD, H. A. ARCHER, M. D.,
Lowell, Mass. 11l So. Oxford St., Brooklyn, N. Y.
•* Castoria Is the best remedy for children of " Our physicians in the children's depart
which lam acquainted. I hope the day is not ment have spoken highly of their experi
far distant when mothers will consider the real ence In their outside practice with Castoria,
interest of their children, and use Castoria in- and although we only have among our
stead of the various quack nostrums which aro medical supplies what is known as regular
destroying their loved ones, by forcing opium, products, yet we are free to confess that the
morphino, soothing syrup and other hurtful merits of Castoria has won us to look with
agents down their throats, thereby sending favor upon it."
them to premature graves." UNITED HOSPITAL AND DISPENSARY,
DR. J. F. KiNcnELOR, Boston, Mass.
Conway, Ark. ALLEN C. SMITH, Pres.,
The Centaur Company, 71 Murray Street, New York City*
GRAND CLEARING SALE.
: Two WEEKS ONLY, J
! To Make Room for Fall Goods.
" We -will close our entire stock "f
cf Oixfcrd. ties out at cost. <
I GEO. CHESTNUT, 93 CENTRE ST., FREELAND. \
WHAT TO WEAR !■
WHERE TO GET IT!
Two important questions that trouble young men, old
men, big boys and little boys. We will answer your
queries most satisfactorily. We have ready-made
clothing to suit men and boys—all styles and all sizes,
and everything is just from the manufacturer—as new
as new can be. Our stock of gents' furnishing goods—
including collars, cuffs and a handsome line of neck
wear—is certainly worth examining. Then we have
BOOTS, SHOES, HATS, GAPS, ETC.,
in such great varieties that 110 man need leave our es
tablishment without a perfect fit. We can rig a man
out from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet
in such fine style that his friends will he astonished,
and the man will also be astonished at the low cost of
anything and everything he will buy of
JOHN SMITH, b,RKBECK P B R R E'E C L K AN D .
"THE NJW YORK." AR^
Mrs. E. Grimes, Milliner and Dressmaker,
CENTRE STREET, BELOW FRONT.
JOB PRINTING OF ALL KINDS
DONE AT THE TRIBUNE OFFICE.