Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 128, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 May 1911 — Page 2

Where Romance Is

"Blouse me, ma’am, but was you lookin' tor somebody 1* The trim, little ’ eastern person looked up at th» representative of the un trammeled west "Yes,” she replied; "I am looking for the conveyance to Mr. X>anforth’s ranch.” “That’s me, ma’am. Least ways Ido the drivln’ of the conveyance. Where Is your check?" * While the man was securing her trunk and strapping It to the back end of the backboard near the little station. Otle Pierson looked about her disapprovingly. So this was the west she had dreamed about! It was all very disappointing and she turned to the vanishing train, which could again llnlrher with civilisation, almost wistfully. Her mental picture of cowboys was of tall. Intellectual young men, with Greek profiles, who wore becoming broad-brimmed hats and two revolvers, the balance of their makedp to match. But even her guide—he was quite presentable looking so far as features went —was weakly conventional, like the rest He wore a vest —and suspenders! “The west Isn’t as I imagined it,” she said, with a touch of severity, when they had started on their 15-mlle drive to the Danforth ranch. "No, ma’am?” encouraged her companion. "No. In all that crowd at the station there wasn’t a real cowboy." "Oh, ma’am!” said the pained driver. "Well, not over two, anyway. There was a tall man, with a blonde mustache, and a beautiful, fit-brimmed gray hat—” "Wiley Piatt,” broke In the other; “he’s no cowman; he’s a tin-horn.” "A whatr “A tin-horn, ma’am—a gambler. He wore that rig to catch the tenderfeet Wiley couldn't ride a clo’eshorse.” “But that shorter man, with a leather band on his bat and leather trousers— ’’ The driver shook his head sadly. "His name’s Coon; he lives in Brooklyn. Sells blankets to the Injuns.” "That’s what I said,” declared Otle, switching back to her original assertion. "Here we are, in the midst of the west, and not a cowboy in eight” "The platform was full of cowboys,” returned the other, stoutly. "Did you happen to notice that tat citisen with the hard-boiled hat—_ "The whatr “The derby hat and red undershirt? That’s old Pap Withers. He’s punched cows for 30 year; take you a day to ride around his ranch. Most of the boys back there work for him. Didn’t, you see their ponies?" “You haven't told me your name,” she suggested presently. “William H. Brown,” he answered, with a touch of self-consciousness. "The ‘H’ standing for Henry, ma’am.” "There!” cried Miss Pierson, turning a pretty face upon him; “could there be any better proof that the romance of the west has gone? A few years ago everybody had nicknames out here; didn't they V' “Yes, ma'am." said William Henry. “Really this western country is disappearing. If it wasn’t for seeing Nellie —Mrs. Danforth is my cousin—l’d be sorry I came!" Mr. Brown, who was known and respected in half a dozen counties as ®ad River Bill, smiled discreetly. Miss Pierson’s opinion of the west did not .Improve with time. There was no beauty and no Interest, and, worst of all, no romance about it. Her search for romance was professional. no personal. She was a shortstory writer who believed that she had exhausted eastern types. She had followed the setting sun to find a stimulus to her imagination and creative powers; but they remained dormant. Even the wooing of Willfkm Henry Brown did not move her —or at least she would not admit to herself that It did. “He's been lovely, Nellie,” she complained afterwards to Mrs. Danforth. "He’s as thoughtful as a man can be. And really he’s clever. But I can’t marry him, can I?” “Why not?” asked Mrs. Danforth, a trifle sharply. “Why, because he's neither one thing nor the other. If he were dressed In eastern clothes, like the men back east, really I should love him. And If he’d wear one of those nice flatbrimmed hats Instead of that old slouch thing, and a flannel shirt open at the neck, and corduroy trousers and a belt, and throw away that borrod old vest, he’d be a perfect western type. I wouldn't let him out of my sight. “But he dresses like a tramp, even on Sunday. I don’t believe the man ever owned a white shirt in his life." The moon was low as Bad River BUI rode home in leisurely fashion from town. Ever and anon he raised his voice in the nasal strains of "The Cowboy’s Lament” There is a ridge a mile or so from the Danforth ranch buildings. Just before reaching It the foreman ceased his vocal efforts to seek the solace of tobacco. He rolled a cigarette deftly and was searching the pockets of the despised vest for a match, when the pony, ears pricked forward, topped rlfion " * a-»s~ i .«.

By M. J. PHILLIPS

(CoKrricht. ton. by Associated Literary Press.)

out against Bad River’s fingers. There was the glow of a fire to astonish his eyes, and a volley of short, sharp yelps, punctuated by rifle shots to assail his ears. The foreman put both “hooks” Into operation at once; and the urgent rowels nearly lifted the cow pony out of his skin. He leaped into the air like a surprised cat; and then, belly to the ground, he fairly flew toward the scene of the disturbance. In Bad River Bill’s cool brain cause and effect fitted themselves together like a scroll saw puzzle. Danforth and every employe of the ranch were away. Mrs. Danforth and Otle were there alone. Coon of Brooklyn, In addition to hla blanket trade, carried firewater as a side line and sold to the Indians on the sly. Hs had been at the reservation only yesterday and here were the results of hla visit. — U—-

Wily old Ponto, In whom liquor bred craft, had prtSbably slipped away with a half-score cronies to attack the ranch, knowing the women were unprotected. It was a trick that Ponto had played before when drunk. The Indians had no guns; but they did have bows and arrows, made for souvenirs and dangerous in skelled hands. - No doubt it was Mrs. Danforth using the rifle; be was still in time. So engrossed were the Indians In their pastime that they neither saw nor heard the charge until the pony and itß vengeful rider were among them. The foreman leaped clear off the saddle while the sweating horse was still under motion. He had no weapons, and he needed none. Directly in front, his squat form turned away from the raging Bad River, was Ponto himself. The cowboy look three prodigious bounds and brought his right foot Into play with a viciousness and energy remarkable. Ponto fell forward on his hands and knees from the force of It, uttering a loud grunt of surprise and anguish as he did so. Still In this undignified position, he peered over his shoulder, just as Bad River kicked him again, zestfully. The second assault rooted the chiefs aqualine nose Into the soil. He did not stay longer. Scrambling to his feet he dashed away, like the arrant old coward he was. Bad River turned his attention to the demoralised braves that were left He fought like a catamount The Indians tried to rally and fight back, but the white man’s civilisation had robbed them of courage and endurance, and they had neither gun nor knife. In three brisk minutes it was all over and the besiegers were hurrying back to the reservation, much more silently than they had come. Bad River BUI walked up to the front door and entered the living room. The unlighted cigarette was hanging from his nether Up. Nellie Danforth, clutching the rifle, stood by the window, a veritable Mollie Pitcher, Otie was beside her, frightened hut courageous. “Bad River, you sure can fight!” said Mrs. Danforth. "Thanks,” he drawled. “Didn’t mean to interrupt your party, but I guess they’ve plumb gone. You Btood ’em off well. Mis’ Danforth.” “I hope she hit some of them!” cried Otie, spiritedly. Bad River shook his head. " ’Frald not; they all seemed able to run.” He grinned at the recollection of the panic-stricken retreat “Would you mind gettin’ the butcher knife and cuttin’ out this arrow?” he continued, extending his right arm. "One of ’em let me have it as he skipped.” His tone changed suddenly. "Catch her —quick!’’ Otie had fainted.

Bad River Bill and Otie sat on chairs very near each other on the verandah. Bill’s right arm was bandaged; but he seemed to have retained the use of his hand, since it had closed comfortably about both of Otie’s. Punctuating the pastime by frequent osculation, they were planning the roseate future. "I have a hundred and sixty-five acres over by the new irrigation ditch," said William Henry. “When the water comes it’ll sure be a bonanza. We could put up a shack and live there, if we stay^ Insensibly his accent and his grammar changed. “I don’t imagine you care much about the west, though. We can go back eaat and do practically as well. "Father and my oldest brother are architects In Rochester, and there’s e place waiting for me In the firm. I tried the game for a year after I finished college, and liked It Then my health gave out and I came west. "But there’s nothing to keep me here, now, If you don’t want to stay. I can sell that quartef-section tomorrow for good money. So, honey, we can go back eaat to be married.” , "Go back east?” Otie looked at him out of Indignant and reproachful eyes . “Go hack eaat! We’ll do nothing df the kind! Well live on that quartereectlon. t.. - % “Why, there’s no excitement and no room and no true friends is the east And there's no love or romance, e§* ther! Well stay right here in our own west!”

SOME POINTERS,

Most of the time whoa * man acta cross, he is thinking of business. Real love means forgetfulness of self, and thought for the one beloved. Cultivate faith rather than suspicion and you will have a better time living. A quarrel between grown people la -always a subject for jest and laughter among those who look on. Just remember, the little children that are clustering 'round about are pattering after you. Make good copy. You mark yourself with the stamp of Ignorance when you declare anything you do not understsind or believe In Is worthless. The only one more bashful Jhan a boy when he begins to tip His -j£#Sgo the ladies. Is a girl when she£HSs out with her first beau. Sometimes it seems to me that savage beasts are better to their kind than human beings are to one another. Jane Jones said to me: “I’ve took notice that the human critter who thinks he’s always In the right, is the human critter who most always is In the wrong.”

HOMEMADE PHILOSOPHY.

If the government would try to save the shipwrecked lives of the country we would havo the largest navy in the world. The land of sorrow, is not yet so barren that hope cannot grow there and take deep root in the sands of Irrigated despair. When young people return from the college and feel too good to associate with old companldns, their edncation has no bottom. It takes a long time to build up an Independent newspaper. A search of the whole country to find the few independent readers. We need someone to have faith In us, to appreciate and love us. See the strange dog in a strange land and picture the unappreciated human being. Our mental atmosphere Is as vital as the air we breathe. Superstition, Ignorance and idolatry are more noxious than the black damp of the subterraneous caves. The world must be lit up with the ray of reason, with the glow of hope, with the warmth of love, with the fire of ambition. Without these the human race would perish.—Utica Globe:

GLOBE SIGHTS.

Hatred is a worse habit than cigarette smoking, and harder to break. A loafer doesn’t get very good results out of the economy be practices. No one feels quite as important as a little man who has Just called a big man a liar. A genius Is the one who does today what the other fellow thinks he will do tomorrow. The real estate dealers seem to have remembered a good deal of the land God forgot What has become of the old-fashion-ed circus that advertised a Behemoth of Holy Writ? There are still a few people, we notice, who consider the tambourine a musical Instrument. The club is the only convincing argument and no gentleman will use that on a woman. ~ - - Most any woman can accumulate money by going bareheaded, but what would the milliners do? —Atchison Globe.

THOUGHTS OF THE WISE.

The pjgbt Is long that never finds the day.—Macbeth. Into the well which supplies thee with water cast no stones. —Talmud. Good taste rejects excessive nicety; it treats little things as little things.— Fenelon. A friend Is a person with whom I may be Bin cere. Before him I may think aloud. —Emerson To have what we want Is riches; but to be able to do without la power.—George Macdonald. The time never comes when a reconstruction does not imperil some great interest. —Heber Newton.

PROVERBS OF PEOPLES

Cheerful company shortens the miles. —German. A gentle hand may lead the elephant with a hair. —Persian. Of two cowards the one that attacks conquers the other.—Porta*

MONEY.

Money Is the string that pulls the world. The scratch that hurts most is the scratch for a Hying. Money makes the mare go, but'it depends upon the driver how far. The easiest way for a woman to get over loving a man is to loan him money. To a girl, a moon without a man is like a mine of money on a desert island. Traveling on the rim after 40 Is the result of not havlnfe looked to the tire before 40. ” Money may be filthy, but a little dirt now and then Is relished by the best of men. tv If everybody, like notes, were taken at face value, what a number of “protests” there would be. There may be some things, that money won’t buy, but one can’t think of them at a moment’s notice. ’ The speculator who casts his coin upon the watered stock looking for returns generally returns still looking.

The man who marries a rich woman and grows tired of her exemplifies the old law of "Taxation without representation.”—Sophie Irene Loeb, In New York Press.

WAYSIDE WISDOM

Laugh at the world and the world will laugh with you. . ' Ct. Few men are as grateful to others as they expect others to be to them. Mighty few women are “talked about” as much as they would like to think. The layman who prescribes for others always consults a physician for himself. Every woman thinks that she dresses so well that she can afford to neglect her shoes. A woman appreciates no compliment so much as the one which she expects you to pay. When a man begins to talk a great deal about being honest, It Is a sure sign that he isn’t The housewife that caters to a man’s vanity needn’t worry about catering to anything else. No matter how many men may be present- at a nice "society function” they always feel lonely. Nothing makes you doubt a neighbor’s character quicker than to find out that he Is getting rich quicker than you are.

JUST SO.

It is possible for a man to be nobody’s fool but his own. A woman Isn’t necessarily fair just because she’s a blonde. Some men would have better wives if their wives had better husbands. j* Half the people who are trying to get into society should be arrested for counterfeiting. A woman at the theater gets almost as sore at the villain as a man at a ball games gets at the umpire. The one lie a woman will always believe is when a man tells her she Is the most beautiful thing In all the world.

MOTTO FOR EACH DAY

Suffering la no proof of sin. Look for character and grace. Don't be fooled by pretty face— But sin is always followed by suffering. Censure from the bad is true praise to the good. , ■ Don’t be the first to quarrel—nor the second. It la hard to be patient with those who boast of their patience. There Is a better world for those who strive to make this one better.

IOSH BILLINGS’ PHILOSOPHY

A flattera** is all tongue and no teeth. He would bite If he could. Whenever you find e man who la atrikly honeat. yu will find one who is truly courageous. It will do tew endorse sum men, but not their paper; while thare are oth-. ere whose paper Is safer tow endorse than their karakter. We lass at sheep bekause when one ov them leads the way all the rest follow, however rfdikllus it may he; and 1 suppose sheep lass when they see os doing the very earns thing.—New fork Weekly.

MEXICAN BURIAL CUSTOMS

BURIAL methods in Mexico have been subjected to a,number of changes during the history of the country and, to this day, differ radically from the, customs observed In - English-speaking countries. Practically all of the aborigines of the country were converted to Catholicism during the early years of the conquest. Previous to 1825, all dead were buried in the churcheß, for to be buried In consecrated ground was a universal desire. The floors and walls of the churcheß necessarily Boon became honeycombed with excavations and niches in which the dead had been placed. A charge, varying from a few dollars to thousands, according to the situation in the church, was collected for the right of burial. Proximity jp the altar was most desired and the writings left by the priests tell of fabulous sums paid for certain sections in the more famous churches. The poorer classes were buried in the more distant parts of the churches, generally in a catacomb, which provided several hundred niches on each side of a long passageway or tunnel. Certain catacombs were set aside for paupers, but for the'most part graves were rented for a certain period of time or for perpetuity. It was a general practice to pay for a term of five or ten years, and on the expiration of this time, when no further rental was forthcoming, the bones were moved to the charity catacomb, where they were left with the hundreds of 'unidentified. The grave was then resold. This custom was practiced for 200 years, and. only those familiar with the great number of churches existing In Mexico can imagine how the dead were burled in the limited ground inclosed within the walls of the churches. It can be said truthfully that every church in Mexico marks the burial place of thousands.

Absolute necessity caused the closing of all graves with cement, but through carelessaess this was not always done properly, and early In the last century many of the epidemics which were then soourging the country were traced directly to the custom of burial in the churches. The'matter was called to the attention of the authorities by the physicians of the time, and ultimately orders were issued throughout the republic prohibiting further burials in the churches. For many years the order could be enforced only partially, owing to political difficulties within the country and the refusal of the priests to comply with the drder, as well as the general desire among the residents to follow the old custom of being buried in hallowed ground. According to their ideas this hallowed ground could exist only within the Bpace Inclosed by the walls of the church. Between 1830 and 1835 many portions of Mexico were visited by disastrous epidemics of smallpox and cholera, which caused the authorities throughout the country ty enforce orders In regard to the discontinuance of all burials In churches and to provide municipal burial grounds In which to inter all bodies. These municipal cemeteries were divided into tour parts, in three of which the -graves were rented and in the fourth part burials could be made without charge. The three parts carried individual scales of prices, but the shortest term of rental was for a space of seven years. Graves could be rented at a certain rate per each eeven years, or a perpetual right would be Bold at any time. Consequently the wealthier people were all burled in one division, where practically all the rights were taken tor perpetuity, while in the cheaper divisions many of the rights would expire at the end of the first seven years. When the time expired and no payment was made to cover the subsequent rental, the bones were exhumed and placed on the bone pile, which was periodically burned. This plan Is still continued In a few of the Interior placee, but since 1860 most of the larger municipalities have discontinued the practice of burning the bones. * The arrangement of the cemetery of today In Mexico follows the same plan of division, arrays providing one section tn which no charge Is made tor burial. As the greater part of the population is very poor this free division forms the largest part of the burial grounds. These different divisions are separated by high walls, as Is the entire -cemetery separated from the surrounding grounds. The eni.li , ' I ■-a” . 'O%-■ TS ' V’

est-priced division from which gateways lead to the poorer divisions. The first division is generally made into a place of great beauty, for in addition to the decorations on the indlivdual graves, the municipal authorities expend much time and money on the upkeep of the entire division. The prices charged so vary with the town or city. In the larger cities there are often many divisions made of the first-class lots according to the desirability of their tocationT In this way the very wealthy may gain an exclusiveness which is often not possible in the smaller places. Iff some Instances in_ Mexico City iota have sold for as higfc as $20,650,. yet the average first-class lot can he rented for a period of seven years for sl6, or a perpetual right can be obtained for $l6O. In thd second and third division, this price is greatly reduced. Practically all of the graves taken in the first division are for perpetuity, while In the second and third, the reverse is the case. When the seven years have expired on the rented graves and no renewal has been made, all monuments and marks are removed and the grave leveled with the ground. A record of the grave is kept, however, and when fifteen years has passed from the date of the former burial it is again rented. It is found that, by that time, all vestige of the former body has been destroyed. In many places niches are made in the walls surrounding the cemeteries into which the bones are placed after the expiration of the seven years.. By law all bodies must be interred for at least this length of time, after which the bones may- be removed .from the ground and placed in the niches, If the relatives so desire. Oftentimes one niche is used for an entire family. The bones are carefully removed from the grave and, after being placed in a small box or urn, they are deposited in the niche. The opening Is then closed in such a way as to render the space airtight The usual lettering is - placed on the exterior, giving the name of those whose remains are within, together with the date of their birth and death, much the same as the inscriptions on tombstones. The average rental for a niche is $25, which pays for the perpetual use, no rentals being- made on any other baßis. This method is used more generally by people-of the middle class who are not able to buy a perpetual right in the finst division of the burying ground, but who generally rent a grave in the second or third division and at the expiration of the seven years move the remains to the nlehes. In the city of Oaxaca, In the southern part of the republic, niches were built for the first time more than sixty years ago. Shortly after they had been built an epidemic of cholera made great ravages on the population. People died so rapidly that it was impossible to prepare a sufficient number of graves to bury them. In order to stamp out the pestilence by completely disposing of the remains, the Jodies were placed in the niches and the opening closed and thoroughly cemented. The wall containing these niches stands today, being the western wall of the first division in the Oaxaca cemetery. Last year it Was discovered that one side of this wall was sinking and a great crack had appeared, passing through Borne of the niches where the* cholera victims had been placed. Many people were frightened lest another cholera epidemle should ensue. The authorities hastily closed the opening and consulted eminent authorities as-to the possible danger that might result. So many years had passed since the appearance of the cholera, and with the contlfiual sunshine peculiar to Oaxaca, the wall containing the niches had been bathed in sun nearly every day for the entire period. _lt was the opinion of the medical authorities consulted that no better place could have been found for the cholera victims, as the germ of this disease lives only so long as moisture is available, but once thoroughly dried no danger cen come from it. The sextons at the cemetery had unknowingly made the best possible disposition of the bodies and this perhaps did much toward checking the spread of. the dread disease.

His Hope.