FREELAND TRIBUNE.
I'inil.IKHKD ! EVEItY
MONDAY AND THURSDAY. ;
TITOS. A. BUCKLEY,
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
OFFICE: MAIN STREET ABOVE CENTRE.
SUBSCRIPTION KATKS.
One Year Jl!50
' Six Months f 73
Four Months 50
Two Months 25
Suliscrilicrs are requested to observe the da to
following tho name on tho labels of their
lupors. By referring to this they can tell at a
glance how they stand on the books in this
office. For instance:
U rover Cleveland 28JuiieOT
means that Grovor 1b paid• up to June2f>„l39s.
Kcop the tigurea in udvance of tho iinsenfcdate.
Report promptly to this office when your paper
is not received. All arrearages must IH> }aid
when puper is discontinued, or colluctian will
be made in tho manner provided by'law.
Holland puts all beggars to work nt
fanning, whether they like it or not,
and thero is less of that sort of thing*
in that country than in any othor civ*
ilized country in tho world.
Canon Wilberforcc, in a recent in
terview published in tho Westininstci
Gazette, contends that the lower aui
mala are immortal, and uso3 his belief
as an argument against tho establish
ment of a Pasteur institute iu Eng
land.
"If it is true, as the Census Bureau
alleges," asks tho Chicago Record,
"that thero are 100,000 more married
men in the country than there are
married women, what, in tho name oi
Hymen, are those 100,000 mcu mar
ried to?"
The proposal of Kaiser William tc
mako tho peanut a liberal portion ol
the German soldier's rations has an
unusual interest for American farmers,
maiutains tho American Farmer.
First, it is something that thero is u
fnir margin of prolit on, which there
is not on wheat and corn sold abroad.
Second, wo would not have, for the
present at least, the destructive com
petition of Russia and Argentina.
But wo fear that just as soon as the
Kaiser's saldaten begin to cat peanuts
in considerable quantities, lie will ol
der the German colonies in Africa to
go into peanut raising. Anyway, it
will bo some years at least before the,)
can produce as good and cheap pea
nuts as we can raise in tho South.
While thero are no night mirages in
the far West like the one oi' an in
verted shore, lighthouse, and vessels,
recently seen oil' tho North Carolina
coast, the twilight or dawn upon
plains o • mountains sometimes bring*
attrauge magnifying of celestial bodies
near the horizon. Thus, at close ol
a day, when from evaporating snow oi
a recent rainfall tho air is humid near
the ground, tho going down of a red
and sullen sun below tho western sky
line is sometimes followed almost co
incidentally by tho rising in tho east
of a full moon, as vast and fiery,
which, red and portentous, seems to
poise at tho moment of its complete
emergence over prairie, ridge oi
mountain, threatening to roll, a burn
ing sphere, down the slope toward the
beholder. Similarly, the morning
and evening stars at times take or
size and colors so extraordinary thai
even the experienced plainsmen car
scarcely believe that now and vast con
stellations have not appeared for the
first time in the heavens.
The western part of Kan sap, it is
said, has been losing its populutioi.-
rapidly within the past lew years.
Twenty-two counties, which in 183.1
contained u population of 102,00.9
souls, now have but 51,003. This <-..
odus has been due to the long and de
structive droughts, to which tho re
gion is subject; and Iho farmers who
remain are still setting up windmill*
and endeavoring by their help to ir
rigate their fields. The loss of popu
lation has not been so marked, how
aver, in the farming districts as in the
towns. All along t;e railroads are
downs, which once contained a teem
ing population, and promised u grout
future, but are uow practically tenant
less. AtChico, for instance, tho train
now stops only on signal. Once it
arrival was a great event, and crowd*
of people swarmed to the st ition. Iu
that day Chico had the appearance, at
least, of prosperity, and boasts were
made of its growth. Kanopolis was
to be the hub of Kansas, and eastern
capitalists, some of them men of note,
invested liberally iu the future of tho
town. To-dny its ambitious Capitol
square is used for a sheep pasture, and
the train rushes by as though it. wer.)
a tank station. South Hutchinson
lurches another illustration. It wu
a young giant at its zenith, with brick
hotels, churches, Rchool-houaci and u
street car line. Prairie dogs now run
about the chancel of tho biggest
church, aud the hotel door is
by a sank bonk.
THfc OLD WOMAN TALKS.
| I'nt on 1 bo liottlo. Molly, an'make tha firoßurn
Whileil'm a-btudyin* politics an' tryiu' for to
loaru
WhaMu^koß attractive, withtlis flgbtfu'
Wliy rlio nifui r nn ler tbo offlco, an' the effici
runs fcr lifo!
i Tho oi l man's Bold tho oxen, mi' mortgaged
I bull tho mule ;
. lion give tip iiis religion, an' tho children's took
from school;
An' he's fordin' of tho rivers. he's runiiiii'
roundabout.
An' u ohttHin' of tbo office, tRo ollico hidiu'
out I
I'ut on tho kettle. Molly- though nil tho codec's
out,
1 It's Still n conifir; jes'to roo tho stoma coinu
l out tbo Hi'out ;
Tlioroiiin f " ''ro <1 for breakfast, ami thoro's
lit i/i' iiopo o' bread
While fl" old uum hoops a-ruunin' an* tho
office keeps ulioad!
I omit iimko out these politics—no matter how
I try;
1 1 or every tiny tho candidates go dush'n',
spliisl.in' i>v;
An* tlm old mini don't any "iiowtly," an' I'll
wondor till I'm dead.
Why ho still keeps on u-ruunin' an' tho ollico
kcui s nbcuii!
II MI CONFKSSIOX.
It was a sunny morning In April,
the month of ruses in tho South, that
I awakened in my hotel In New Or
leans fo ■ the llrst time in nearly ton
years. The song of birds was in my
cars, tho scent of roses in my nostrils,
-itting by a side window and look
ing out into the beautiful garden ad
joining, with its old Creole home
stead surrounded by shrubs and mag
nolias, thoughts of the past came to
mv mind. Hero in this room mv
bridal eve was spent, and here my
happy 'honeymoon waned and died.
Here a year later my beautiful Ora
was born, and hero, when she was a
year old. 1 lost her, a d with her a
husband's love and tenderness. Oh,
the agony of that time!
The. rippling laughter of a sweet
girlish voice broke through my
reveries. Then I heard another
voice, a woman's;, richer, deeper,
broken now and then by a slight,
hacking cough. It came from tho
garden, but through the dense foliage
1 could see no one. I longed for a
glimpse of their faces, but in vain.
T~~* f T 'T**-
J.; 11
I CAUGHT SIGHT OF A WHITE DKESS AND
OOI.DEN CUBES,
Hut the music of their voices lin
gored in my ear, and throughout the
lay it followed me in my rambles
about New Orleans. When I re
turned to tho hotel 1 again peered
into tho garden, for there was a fas
cination about it I could not resist.
Again 1 beard those musical sounds,
and again I longed in vain for a
glimpse of the woman and child.
Tho /louse was surrounded by a
high wall. An arched door led into
the garden from the street, but it
was always locked. The lollowitig
lay 1 got a glimpse into this para
dise, for, just as I w is passing, a big
negross came out with a basket on
her arm and 1 caught sight of a
white dress, golden curls, a black
log, and a lovely Creole woman sit
ting in a trellised balcony thrum
ming a guitar. Then tho door closed
and Eden was no mora Another
Jay, as i was jjassb g, the door stood
open wide. 1 peered in and saw the
same scene as on tho previous oc
casion, the child romping about the
garden with the dog. All at once
there was a severe lit of coughing, a
faint cry, a wild shriek from the girl;
and as the lady sank swooning back
into her chair, sho let fall her deli
cate handkerchief which 1 saw was
saturated with blood, and blood was
trickling over tho bosom of her white
gown. In an instant 1 was by her
side.
'•bring mo a cup of salt, a glass ol
water, and a spoon," I said to the
frightened child at my s do. She
lifted her great blue eyes to mine in
mute amazement, but did my bidding
without a word.
I bade my self-appointed charge
bring freely of the mixture 1 con
cocted, and soon bad tho pleasure of
seeing that, for the time being, the
hemorrhage was checked.
"You must pardon my intrusion,"
I said; "hut tho door being open,
siPt
TO V . V 'V'
"nil! NO ME A CUP OF HAI.T," I BAID TC
THE FRIGHTENED - HII.D.
the child's laughter attracted me;
and when 1 saw what happened, 1
came at once. Now. I must entreat
you not to talk; and, once in a while,
you must take a swallow of this salt
and if you keep quiet, I think you
w 1: do nicely."
"Who are you. " she whispered.
"I am a friend. You may call nic
Mrs. G evillo." It was my maiden
name I ga\c: what prompted me, 1
know not "I am staying at the ho
tel, next door. If I can bo of any as
| slstanco to you oryour(laughter, con*
I in and inc."
The friendship thus formed was
cemented by frequent visits by mo
to the garden. The sick woman
took to me with feverish eagerness,
while the child, whom they called
Incy, loved mo from the llrst. One
day I was summoned by the old
iiegrcss to tho Creole woman's bed
side.
".-he am goin' to die," said old
Chloc.
I responded promptly. When 1
seated myself by the woman's side
she said feebly.
"I have something very sacred to
ask of you. 1 want a promise from
you that you will help me right a
wrong "
I prow'sod her, and then she con.
tinued: "I must tell you my story.
My father was Spanish, my mother
an octoroon, educated anil retlned.
She had a friend, a Spanish lady who
married an Englishman of great
wealth, unto whom a son was horn a
few days after my birth. She died
and my mother took her child, The
little boy, whose name was Gerald,
became my foster-brother, and wo
grew up to love each other fondly.
Wo were very happy until one day I
realized that my Jove could be that
af a sister no longer. It had sud
denly developed into the deep, pas
sionate love of woman. 1 adored
him, and I told him so. He said to
me: 'You should not say such
things, nor will I listen. 1 can never
love you other than a sister.' I
raved. I swore I would not live did
lie not return my mad devotion. He
talked long, and earnestly, and
kindly, hut only added fuel to the
lire that was consuming me. At last
lie said ho loved, and was about to
wed another. I heard she was alios
ton heiress, a beauty, an only child.
L lost my mind, I think, alter that.
I went to my uncle in Mexico, i
was his pet, and he gave mo this
house and a handsome income when
he died. I could not stay where I
would be compelled to see their hap
piness, but I heard of it.
"A year later 1 was told they had
a child. How I hated her and her
child, her wealth and beauty, and
her white blood! Then 1 returned,
but not to the old h mo. My father
and mother were dead, so I came
here where 1 was not known. Ger
ald's people had gone to England to
live, and he and she were traveling
in Europe. I was alone. I had
boon settled but a week when 1 heard
they had returned, and were stop
ping at the hotel next d or; had a
room that overlooked this garden.
Great heaven! How did I hold my
self quiet? I used t.o go up to the
room above this, and watch them
until my heart was like to burst
with jealous rage. I would see him
hiding roses my roses in her
bosom, her hair, and would gnash
my teeth in impotant wrath, and
pray there might be an adder hidden
in the leaves that would sting her to
death. He would toss them to the
child as she sat at play, and 1 would
gladly have killed them all; but 1
did something that hurt them more.
"One night, when 1 knew them
all to bo away, 1 stole up to their
room and hid a letter I had written
—a passionate love-letter, as if in an.
N
111k. J!
TL_ J K VFP
'V-ataiwiwHr |P
'I WANT A PICOMISE THAT von VII. i, in:i,r Ml
lil'JllT A WITONU."
Awer to one from him—and my pic
ture. where I knew she would see
them. She did, but not until next
day. I had hardly hidden them
when I heard footsteps. It was the
nurse returning with the child. I
hid myself. She laid the sleeping
babe upon the bed, and left the
room. No sooner was her back
turned than the ch Id was in my
arms, and under my dark shawl. In
less time than it takes to tell it, I was
in this room, and the child was on
my bed. I meant to kill it, but it
waked, lo Iced at mo with its eyes,
and held out its arms. I could not
harm it tlion. Ah, what a time
there was! All New Orleans was
searched. Money was spent like
water; but no one dreamed of look,
ing here.
"Then the letter and picture were
found, and hot, cruel words followed,
she accused him of stealing the child
and intending to elope with me. His
proud Spanish blood was llred: bitter
words followed, and ho left her,
swearing be never would seo her
again until ho could place their child
in her arms, and she should beg his
pardon on her knees;but he never has
found the child, for she lias never left
me."
"Inez?" I exclaimed.
"lnoz," she answered.
"Dolores Dominiquo!" I uttered in
low, awful accents.
The creature before mo seemed to
shrivel, as her great hollow eyes
sought mine.
"Who are you?" she hoarsely whis.
pored.
"• crald Stanton's wife."
"Thank God!" she said as a glad
light broke over her face; "I shall,
perhaps, he able to undo the wrong I
have done."
"You can only give me hack my
clo d; my husband is lost to me. I
have been a wanderer on tho face of
the earth for ten years, searching for
him. i have advertised, hut all In
vain, lie is dead, or he must have
forgivon "
"lie thought you were dead.'
"ITow do you know? What do you
mean?"
"Oh, do not look at mc that way,
do not curse mcl" she implored: "ho
has been as true as steel to vou." lie
lives. I confessed all this morning
to the father, lie knows of him,
w 11 And him, will bring him back.
Ah, how I have prayed for this day:
1 have wearied heaven with my pe
titions, and at last lie has been
merciful."
Overcome by emotion I went out
into the garden. L.ttlc Inez.—my
Ora—ran to meet me. 1 icissed
her and then hearing a footstep
looked up and beheld a man evidently
a priest.
"Dolores wishes to sec you,
madamo," he said.
i started lor tho bouse. As 1
entered the room I grew faint and
dizzy. I should have fallen, hut 1
found myself caught and pressed to a
wiluly beating heart 1 lay upon my
husband's breast when 1 awakened
from tho swoon into which 1 had
fallen. Ilia voice was like sweet
music.
"All is well, my darling," lie said.
"All is forgiven and all shall he for
gotten. That poor misguided woman
has gone to her God for judgment, but
die told me all ere she went. 1 have
forgiven her, as you will."
7 riE MAGIC WHEELS.
Ilow to Make SIUKIOWH Turn In Dircctiona
Opposite to Kacli Other.
Cut out of a piece of pasteboard a
circular wheel with large teeth
iround it, and pierce the center of
this wheel with a pin, which next
stick into a wooden ru!e held vcrti
;ully. Then lilt two candles placed
upon a table about three feet apart,
I tnd both at equal distance from the
wall. If you i.o'd the wheel parallel
with the wall, so that it projects
i/jQ
QLFT'T
■V " I " A
upon it two circular shadows, and
make tho wheel turn on its pin axis,
you will see the shadows turn also in
the direction indicated by the little
urrows in the cut.
All this is very easy. Hut now to
make the two-shadow wheels turn in
opposite directions—how would yon
go at work to accomplish that? Place
your wheel perpendicularly with tin
wall. Then back olf until you bring
tile shadows into circular form. At
that moment turn your pasteboard
wheel, and you will see the shadows
turning In opposite directions.
PATENT POSTAL WRAPPERS.
It Does Away wltll tho Trouble Usual]}
Kucounterotl In Opening l'apsrs.
The patent postal wrapper shown
below Is designed to do away with
the trouble usually experienced ic
opening a tightly rolled parcel. It is
an English idea, and Is described a
follows: Kunning from end to end ol
the wrapper are two series of perfora
tions, half an inch or so apart, and
inclining toward each other, in the
manner shown in our illustration,
while at the left-hand side tho outer
two perforations conic right up tc
tho edge, and provide a small tab 01
PATIiNT POSTAL WItAPI'EIIS.
slip that can easily be grasped be
tween the thumb and linger. Tc
open the wrapper, it is hold in the
manner shown and tho tab lirmlj
pulled, when at once a thin slip is
torn out of the wrapper throughout
its length, tho strip being strictly
limited to the widtli of the perfora
tions, and thus preventing any dam
age either to tho papers within or tc
any advertisements that ma.v, as i
sometimes tho case, be printed inside
the wrau .or.
fo-al Suasion in South Dakota.
CSBH
:-r?
Wj l U 'B
New Teacher (from Philadelphia)—
Sobloskl McClosky, you have broken
the rules, but 1 will sulVer in youi
stead. Take this rattan and strike
1110. Strike, Sobloskl, and spare not.
m
Ifa,
¥? mm
yqj
Sobloskl (swinging concealed brick)
—One cigar!— Judge.
, 1 IN GOVERNMENT EMPLOY.
; riXEPwE AHE NEAr.LY 7000 FEMALE
| | CLEEK3 IN WASHINGTON.
i riiey Arc Scattered All Through the
Departments—The Varied Work
They Do—Cupid Also at Work.
I WANT to Hl ly a word about the
women clerks of Washington,
writes Frank G. Carpenter in the
(f Detroit Free Press. They are tlio
brightest and ablest people in the
, service. They do their work con
scientiously, and some of the most cf
: fieicnt of Undo SaniVi employes are of
j the gentler sex. If I had my way I
would give the women the preference
; is to all classes of work which they
I can possibly do, reserving only the
harder places for the men. As it is,
j however, there are two men to every
i woman in the departments, and the
utunbor of women all told amounts to
less than 7000. These women are of
\ nil ages, from eighteen to eighty, and
i there is, by the way, one woman in
the Treasury Department who has
now reached ninety years. There are
many women over sixty and hundreds
I of sweet young maidens of twenty
live. Those women do all sorts of
work. Starting in as counters in the
Treasury about a generation ago, they
have extended their work to all sorts
! of clerkships, and they now pass UJJOII
| quest ions of law, examine patents,
translate foreign languages, and do
I everything under the sun. Homo of
the most expert counters of the Gov
: i rnment are women, and several of
the very best bookkeepers of the
Treasury wear petticoats. Women riro
fast making their way as typewriters
and stenographers, and the chief
j trouble to the outside employer of
labor at Washington is that as soon as
lie trains a woman thoroughly into his
work as typewriter or stenographer
she makes an application to Uncle
Sam and gels a place at a higher salary
in one of tho departments. I have
had this experience happen to me a
half dozen tunes, and I have come to
look upon my oilice here as a kind of
training school for tho Government
service. Jn tho dead letter ollico the
most expert translators of bad writing
are women, and it would surprise you
to know that the Treasury Depart
ment has a woman lawyer who pre
pares the briefs for internal revenue
matters and who oould probably make
more outside of tlie department by
practicing law than she gets by acting
as a law clerk within it. Thoro are a
number of women editors in tho ser
vice at Washington. The ollicial rec
ords of the Civil War are to a certain
extent gotten up by women, and in
■ the Navy Dcpa:tment you find women
who are making maps and tracing
charts for our ships in different parts
of the world, and in the Government
printing oilice there are women type
setters, women stitchers, press feeders
i and compositors.
j Everyone lias heard of tho pretty
! girls of tho Treasury, but you find
j beautiful maidens in all of these Gov
, eminent departments. Hoke Smith
directs tho handiwork of ?500 girls,
and Secretary Lament lias a company
of li t in his department of war. Fost
liiastcr-Goneral Bissall has hundreds of
; maidens under him, and in tho Gov
! eminent printing ollico there are more
than 100 ) women. Many of tlieso
come of tho best families of tiio coun
! try. Not a few are tho daughters of
noted Generals, Governors of States,
Senators and Representatives and now
and then you find a relative of a Presi
dent or a Cabinet Minister. The ma
jority of them aro women of good edu
cation, and with but few exceptions
they arc educated and refined Indies,
llioy rec ivo salaries raugiug from
$7-') to TBUO a year, and a large num
ber of them support families. Many
of them are widows, not a few are old
maids, and thousands arc sweet mar
riageable young women, who have too
much sense to change a Hiiro living un
der Uncle Sam to a prospective one in
company with some good-for-nothing
man. The be3t of them are, however,
open to engagements, and not a few
of tile most notable marriages of Wash
ington in the past have been in con
nection with Government clerks. At
torney-General Brewster got his wife,
whos • features wore Venus-like in their
beauty, in a Government department
hero. She was the daughter of Robert
T. Walker, a former Secretary of the
Treasury, and us sue sat at her desk
one day in tho Treasury department
the future Attorney-General walked
Through the room. She made some
; emarlc about his homeliness. Ido not
! A now whether Brewster overheard it
>r not, but he saw her, and with him
it was a <sti.se of love at first sight, lie
' ought au introduction and shortly af
terward oiler od her liis hand and his
wealth, and his name for herself and
ier children. It is said that lie pro
>oscd to her in w- rds something like
his: "My dear, you are beautiful
| nd J am hideous, but if you will marry
no it will not bo the first instance oi
ho niatiug of beauty and the bea3t,
uid I assure you you will never regret
..larryiii" me." His proposition was
i coop ted, and the next time Mrs. Brew
dor came to Washington it was us iho
wife of the Attorney-General of the
United States. Stephen A. Douglas
ot his wife iti one of the departments
of Washington.
It is u won dor to me that tliero fire
not nioro marriages among clerks.
Young 111011 and jouug womon of mar
riageable age work nido by side in the
departments. They come in contact
with each other hourly ami sometimes
full in love with olio another, but not
oltou. In the bureau cf engraving
and printing, where the money is
made, there is one man and one wo
man at every printing press, iftul there
i no separation of the sexes. There
are, I believe, more plat.mie friend
ships here among young men and
young women than you will lind any
where else in the country, and cases
have been known where couples have
married and kept their marriages a se
cret for years in order to avoid tho
rule that a husband and wife shall not
bo employed at tho same timo in tho
civil eervico at Washington. Many
such cases have been found out, and
tho recent investigation of the Con
gressional Committee will probably
lead to some changes in this respect.
According to its report there were last
fall twenty-four bin bauds and wives
drawing salaries from Uncle Sam,
which the husbands and wives who are
out of work and have no job at ull
think is decidedly unfair.
SELECT SITTINGS.
Mail is distributed in 68,-103 post
offices in the United States.
Postal cards have been in use in the
United States since May 1, 1873.
In Japan cows arc used as beasts of
burden. Milk is not used by the Jap
anese.
A featuro of a New Zealaud concert
was a comic Irish song sung by a Maori
native.
Tho Portuguese say that no man can
be a good husband who does not cut a
good breakfast.
A Now York dealer in men's furnish
ing goods displays a sign reading:
"Shirt Constructor."
Buckingham Palace, London, exclu
sive of its contents, represents an ex
penditure of $30,000,000.
A Vermont turkey that was sold in
tho Newport market recently had sev
eral pieces of pure gold in its crop.
A block sawed from a tamarack tree
in Lost Canon, Mono County, Cal.,
has embedded in it tho horns of a deer.
There is a well at Scarpa, a village
near Tivoli, Italy, which is 1700 feet
deep, all but twenty-six feet being cut
in solid rock.
Nevada (Mo.) people nre wearing
iron linger rings for the rheumatism.
One blacksmith has made over a hum
drod of them.
Aurora, 111., was tho first city in the
world to illuminate its streets with
electricity. The wires were placed in
position in 1881.
Mr. Faux, a man of forty years' ex
perience in English libraries, puts
down the ordinary life of a popular
novel ut nine months.
A New York doctor has put over his
door an illuminated sign, "In all cases
that I do not cure I guarantee to pay
half the funeral expenses."
Russia, Roumunia and Servia arc the
most illiterate countries in Europe,
eighty per cent, of the population be
ing unable to read and write.
There is a mountain in Oregon which
is slowly moving into the Salmon
River. It will, in course of time,dam
the stream and create a largo lake.
A company has been formed in New
Zealand to establish a whaling station
on the Kerinadee Islands, in tho Paci
lie Ocean, northwest of New Zealand.
Vienna, Austria, has entered upon
an extensivo scale of embellishment,
and unsightly public buildings are to
give place to new ones of urtistie do
sign.
Martin and Carbcrry Clack, of Lam
bertville, Ohio, are twins, aged twen
ty. Martin weighs 190 pounds and is
deaf. (Jarberry weighs 103 pounds
and is blind.
A globe of water fell near London
in 1616, striking a gontloman sitting
on his veranda, and completely drench
ing him. It is known in history aa
"the water fnotcor."
General Sterling Price,
"I was on the staff of General Ster
ling Price," said Colonel E. D. Par
sons, of Kansas City, "aud from long
acquaintance with 'Old Pap,' as the
boys called him, was able to form an
accurate estimate of his character.
Here is one side of it: On our retreat
from Springfield, as tho General was
riding along on a splendid horse ho
caine across an old Confederate, who
limped at a snail's pace, evidently drag
ging his exhausted frame with great
difficulty.
" 'Here, get up on my horse,' said
Pap. The wounded soldier, with tears
in his eyes, protested that ho couldn't
think of doing it, hut the General
jumped down, lifted tho man in the
saddle, and plodded along tho miu'Uly
road, paving no hoed to his subordi
nate's thanks.
"And this another side : It was dur
ing tho battle of Lexington, aud tho
bullets Hew thick and fast. A ball
struck General Price's saddle, shatter
ing it -and turning tho occupant half
way round in his seat. His son, who
was near by, came up in haste, and
cried out: 'Father, are you hurt?'
" 'General Price, if you please, sir!'
Then, after a minute's pause—'Gen
eral Price can assure Colonel Price that
ho is unharmed.' "—Washington Post.
Nature's Treasure Caskets,
Geodes are frequently received by
tho Geological Survey at Washington
from persons who come across them.
Nature's treasure caskets, they might
be called. They are nodules of chal
cedony, tilled with beautiful crystals.
At the beginning there was a cavity in
a rock. Water percolating into it de
posited silica in crystalline form.
S'ometimos the silica was stained with
iron oxides, and in such cases the no
dules are lined with amethyst. It of
ten happened that tho supply of water
was cut off while tho process was go
ing on, and thus was produced a no
dule containing water. There are
few things in nature uiore interesting
than a geode holding a bubble of air,
and perhaps a gill or two of water
to bo seen through tho translucent
coat of tho nodule —which has been
shut up in tho little box for ages.
When the rock containing a geode in
broken open the latter falls out
A TERRIBLE REVENGE. 1
Smallpox-Infected Illankets Destroyed
tit-ores of Indians.
fan Antonia (Tex.) rorrenpondent
in the Globc-Detnocrat: John Fer
ris, the. veteran stage driver, who in
the early 50s drove the stage on the
jvcrluni loute between independ
ence, and Santa Fe, was relat
ing soiiit of his interesting exper
iences to a group of friends the
athor d.Jy wlion he told a story, the
jircunislances of which will be re
called hj many of the pioneer citi
tens of Su Louis and the Western
:ountry.. .
"The smallpox outbreak among
the Comanche Indians in the ycav c.f
18.'55," sad he, "cuused a stir
tlirougiiut the Western country. I
carried tho llrst news of that devas
tating plague to the outside world I
was maid rig one of my regular trips
from Santa Fe to Independence,
when 1 stopped at a small trading
post silnkled on tho Neosho liivcr.
There wis groat excitement among
the few white settlers at the post,
snd when 1 inquired the cause of the
■oiumotion 1 was told that smallpox
had been raging for several weeks
among the Indians who thickly pop
j latcd tliit section. 1 was taken to
the plat J where the dead rod-skins
nal been buried, and there were
aundrcds'of newly formed moulds,
each of viliich represented a victim
if the setMirge.
"Smallpox had up to that time
oooii an unknown dlsca-o among
these Imßaiis, and tho outbreak was
tho rcsiilo of one of the most turilile
icheincs of revenge 1 have over seen
recorded In tho spring of 1885 two
young m e of wealthy families, whoso I
names 1 have now forgotten, went
jut from ft. Louis to the plains fot
the pui'ifiso o.' spending a few
months, the object of tho trip being
for tho benefit of one of the young
men's health. They reached Council
jjrove sa:ly and decided to reman
there a (-hurt time. They decided
to get a taste of the sport or hunting
ouifalo, which at that time came
within twfcnty or thirty milos of
Council ('dove in large numbers. Ac
cordingly tlicy left Couno 1 Grove one
morning cprly on a two week's hunt.
They werJ mounted on good horses,
which s >h attracted tho covetous
eyes of straggling bauds of Indians
whom they met. On the third day
ifter the young men left Council
Grove til i came upon a large herd
sf buffalo, and they had an excit ng
chase. The invalid young man
silled on ,of the animals and had
lismountkl to view his prizo when a
big, straliing Indian rode out of a
cluinp of jottonwood trees, and with
aut. wari ihg shut tho white man
lown aujjthon proceciled to take Ids
scalp. The companion of the rnur
lercd mill witnessed the horrible
crime mil thinking that a similar
fate awaited him if he tarried in
that section, put spurs to his horse
and hea.kd In tho direction of Conn
c 1 Groij. Ho was closely pursued
by the flood-thirsty Indian, who had
Bxchanad his mount for that of tho
man lit had just killed. After a ty
hard am long rio tho white mail ™
escape! and reached Council Grovo
in an lhaustcd condition. A parly
was aitince organized to go out and
lirngßithc remains of the mur
dered jnan, and it was led to the
spot If the survtvor. The body was
founi lo ho horriolv mutilated, and
It halllioen stripped of every par-
Liclcaf raiment. Tho companion of
the ifurdercil man vowed that lie
wnul have revenge upon the whole
trihJof Indians for the foul deed
whii ono of tlie members had com
milled, and he kept Ills vow.
•jle returned to St. Louis, and
wljn lie arrived in that city he
leaned that the hospital there con- • 1
tailed a number of cases of smallpox.
1H made tho acquaintance of one of
tjb attendants of tho hospital, and
irlticcd the latter to sell hiin a num.
tIT of blankets which had been used
wi cover the smallpox patients. Ho
lien boxed these blankets up secure-
A nud shipped them lo Council
prove. He went out und personally
distributed the infected blankets
among tho Indians gratis, and re
/coivea much praise from the Indians
and Dcoplo generally for his phi lan- w
throphy. When the necessary time i
had elapsed after receiving the A
blankets there was a general out- '■
of smallpox among the Indi- A
litis. The disease spread rapidly and i
theyldlcd hv the score. As soon as
an Indian would feel tho fever which
attepds the disease coining on lie
would make a bec-iino for ttio Noo- M
sho liivcr, into which lie would g
plulgc. lie would die in a short
time after getting out or the water."
His Last Word
A New York man iias taken tho
hanicr fur stinginess. Ho was very
rich and correspondingly close, llav- A
ing linen sick for some time, ho was
convinced that, his time had about
ionic. He made his will and dis
posal of ills immense fortune, then
lie sent tor the undertaker. He had
noticed IHIW i rone the avorago uu- (
dertakor is to lake unfair advantago
financially of tlic remains, so ho do
torialiiod not to ho swindled, even
ai tcr ho was dead. .So when tho un
dertaker come thc.v wrangled over
the price of the collin and the shroud.
The undertaker wanted to make the
shroud largo and comfortable, und
with frills around tiie bottom. It
was cut down several yards, however,
until It was a pretty tglit lit, and
then came the discussion about the
ice. The undertaker wished tu
charge 57 for ice. "It will tako $1
worth of ice to freeze you properly,"
lie said. "You will have to kno k
off a dollar," said the sick man feebly, f
"I will not need so much Ice as tho p
ordinary corpse beraiiso 1 always have
cold feet, and—lnstwint-r—my leet
—were partially frozen." These were
his last words.
*