Ligonier Banner., Volume 33, Number 24, Ligonier, Noble County, 15 September 1898 — Page 3

An Army Wif n Army Wile. ~- BY CAPTAIN CHARLES KING. . i ; W\N.\ 3 {Copyrighted, 1896, by F. Tennyson Neely.] . - SYNOPSIS. - e . Chapter I.— Fannie McLane, a young widow, is Invited to visit the Graftons at Fort Sedgwick. Her sister tries to dissuale lier, as Randolph Merriam, (whom she had jilted for old McLane) and his bride are stationed there. - . : Chapter llL.—Fannie McLane’s wedding cauves family feeling. A few months later she, while traveling with her husband, meets Merriam, on his wedding trip. Chapter llT.—Some time previous to this ‘Merriam -had gone on a government survey, fallen ill, and had beennursed by Mrs. Tremaine and daughter Florence. A hasty note from Mrs. McLane’s stepson takes him to the plains. L : Chapter IV.—Young McLane dictates to Merriam a- dying message, which is sent’ to Parry. (a young Chicago lawyer and brother-in-law of Mrs. McLane). . “Reply causes Merriam to swoon. He is taken to’ the Trrmaine’s; calls for Florence. -Chapter V.—Engagement of Florence Tremaine ito Merriam is announced; weddingj shertly follows. - Chapter Vl.—Mr." McLane is mysteriously shot !n San Francisco. Merriam ‘is greatly excited when he reads account in papers. While still in mourning Mrs. McLane prepares to visit Fort Sedgwick..

Chapter Vll.—Mrs. McLane arrives at the fort. . Mérriam is startled at the news,

and he and his- wife absent themselves from the formal hop that evening.

Chapter VIII. — Mr. and Mrs. Merriam pay their respects to the widow on an evening when she would be sure to have

many other callers. When the call is returned Merriam is away, and his wife pleads illness as excuse for not seeing her. Mrs. McLane receives telegram: ‘“‘Arrested, Chicago.- Your uncle stricken—paralysis. You will she summoned. Secure papers, otherwise lose everything. C. M.” She faints and is revived with difficulty. Chapter IX.—Mrs: McLane desires to see Merriam. Grafton persuades him to go, but the-widow postpones the meeting till next noon. : :

Chapter X. — Florence learns Merriam has been to see Mrs. McLane, and in a storm ¢I passion will not allow him to &x--plain. Shortly after Merriam is intercepted by Fannie McLane as he is passing through Grafton’s yard.: Florence witnesses the meeting, which she supposes has been prearranged, and swoons. : Chapter Xl.—Mrs. McLane begs Merriam for papers given him by her stepson, but which: he tells her were all forwarded to Parry. Merriam is seriously wounded in fight with greasers. s e Chapter Xll.—Florence, in her deep disappointment, leaves her home in the night for her father’s at the cantonment. ‘ . Chapter Xlll.—Three personal telegraph messages come for Merriam from Parry. Latter is notified of Merriam’s mishap miles from post. A dispatch from her lawyer on his way to the fort, together with account of serious injuries to Merriam, causes Mrs. McLane to faint. ot Chapter XlV.—Merriam is brought in in ‘the ambulance, inquires for Florence, but gets. only an ‘evasive answer, doctor féaring news ef her flight may prove fatal to him. : : ; Chapter XV.—During absence of hospital attendant Mrs. McLane steals in on Merriam, hoping to get from him some papers or information; tells him of hifs wife’s disappearance. Randy staggers out to the stable, and is shortly galloping madly off over the mesa. Mrs. McLane breaks down, tells of dying message of her stepson to effect that the first Mrs. MclLane-was alive at time of her (Fannie’s) marriage, and of the blackmail and extortion practiced on McLane by his first wife and her family. Firially this Mrs. MclLane agreed to leave him on payment of a big cash sum. DMcLane hears that his Sacramento wife had married again, but, lawyers sent to investigate are confronted by the news of her death. McLane returning to New:-York meets and falls in love with Fannle Hayward. Shortly after his engagement is dnnounced he receives a letter from the supposed-to-be-dead woman demanding further heavy payment astheprice of‘her silence.. Upon telling Fannie of his predicament she bade him ‘“‘pay thé money and have it done with.”” Added ‘to this young McLane’s dying statement, witnessed by the officers from Sedgwick, had declared his mother alive. Report comes that Florence has fallen into the hands of Apaches. i o < : " Chapter XVl.—Merriam has ridden hard

and fast and reaches Jose’s. Randy would - have gone headlong to the ground, but-two troopers caught him just in time. - But the troopers knew what to do for their officer and speedily brought him round, and when he asked for Dr. Gould they told him.of ‘his geing, and Randy’s. next demand was for coffee and a fresh horse. iste:

And while he was sipping the coffee and resting on a bunk in the main room, Mrs. Hayn'e came hastening in with outstretched hands and eyes still dim with weeping. She was shocked at his ' ha'ggarfi.appéarance. She could only press his hand in silent sympathy and siruggle hard to beat back the tears that- would have flowed afresh. “You will. stay here with us now.until Dr. Gould returns,” she said. *“I look for -him any moment.” = .

“I? No, indeed. I go on at once, as scon as they can saddle a fresh horse for me. She must be more than halfway to the cantonment by this time, if Mignon hasn’t given out.” - . And then Mrs. Hayne sobbed aloud. “Oh, Randy, Randy! Haven’t you keard? . Floy never regained: the road at all. The mail carrier from Catamount got in an hour ago and saw nothing whatever of her.” - : ' _ “Then I krow where to find her,” said Randy, promptly. “A lovely spot we visited together hardly a month ago, and I could find it easily after moonrise.” : i :

But Mrs. Hayne' only sobbed the more. How could she tell him? Yet it had to be. - : !

““God grant it,” she cried. “God grant it! But, oh, my friend, we've had a dreadful fright! Capt. Grafton’s men struckiian Apache trail yesterday; and they are following it fast as they can go at this moment.” : And with that announcement vanished all thought of further rest for him. Bidding the two troopers saddle anything on four legs that could carry them, he sprang forth into the still and radiant night and was astride his mongrel mount in a twinkling. In vain Mrs. Hayne came out and pleaded with him; Merriam would listen 'to nothing—riothing but tidings of Florence. Itwas barely eight o’clock when, fully armed, -the little party rode swiftly away under the northward stars, following an old trail #hat led to the upper foothills of the Mescalero. They were not half an hour gone when a sergeant and ‘two men rode in from the west, inquiring for Dr. Gould and Mrs. Hayne. They svere three of Grafton’s men sent back from the chase to say they were hot on the trail. There were five Apaches afoot and one shod horse—so the traces told infallibly. Florence, then, was _probably bound a prisoner on that horse, and Grafton would recapture her or lose every horse and man in the attempt o Lo - e ~ And if that night was one of dread and dejection at the ranch, what must it have been to Merriam, reeling and well-nigh exhausted, yet riding grimlong hours, searching vainly, vainly un@m%wg conlight, even along SR e s e e e

into the pallid dawn, for that little cieft in the foothills Floy had named “Mon Abri.” Faint and shimmering the daybeams came at last, and then, and not until then, Murdock, a faithful trooper, now riding by his lieutenant’s side and supporting him with his arm, turned to his c‘omrade, who, dismounted, was striving with the aid of a match or two. to study some hoof-prints they’ had found in the soft surface. “Jimmy,” he whispered, “there’s something moving along that ridge yonder—coming this way. What is it?”’ | ‘ And though soft the whisper it caught poor Randy’s drowsy ear, and he strove to straighten up in saddle. “What? Where?” he faintly asked. “Yonder, sir, not half a mile away. It’s some of our fellows, or I'm a duffer. Yell to em, Jimmy.” i And obedient to the word Jimmy yelled. Over therolling surface the soldier’s voice went ringing through the dawn, and echo sent it elattering back from the buttes and bowlders to the west. “This way, you fellers!—this way!” he cried,-and then, mounting, clapped spurs to his pony and sputtered away down the intervening swale. Ten minutes later Randy Merriam was lying on the ground in a swoon, and George Grafton, with "grave, sad face, well-nigh as haggard as the lieutenant’s, was—bending over him and striving to force some brandy down his throat. Following “for all they were worth” the Apache trail, they had overhauled the supposed marauders not 20 miles back in the foothills—a pacifie hunting-party, provided with the agency pass and safeguard, and culpable only in that they had come too far and had picked up on the plains an Amer.ican horse, abandoned at sight of them by some Mexicans who galloped far away; and that American horse, minus saddle and bridle, was: Floy’s pretty bay mare, Mignon. - [

Then where in heaven’s name was she? c o] It was some minutes before Mérriam revived.. Then he strove to stagger to his feet,. but fell helplessly back. It ‘was nearly broad daylight, but the sun was still below the distant Guadaloupe. Gathering his feeble énergies, Randy strove to describe the little cove and to implore Grafton to’beéar him thither, and was interrupted .by an eager sergeant, who said: *‘We passed just such a brook, sir, not a mile back. Shall I take half-a-dozen meén and follow it tP?,_” L : . f “Yes, at once,” said Grafton, “and I'll go, too. Stay here, Randy.” Indeed, the caution was not needed, for Merriam was past moving now, poor fellow, and ‘his head sank helplessly back upon the soldier’s supporting arm. And then they rode away, Grafton and. half-a-dozen of his men, with . Mignon, leg ‘weary and reluctant, trailing behind. And meantime the troop dismounted and set about maki coffee, while one orderly rode back on the trail to summon Dr. Gould, jogging wearily a mile behind. And presently the doctor came and knelt by Randy’s side and scolded through his set teeth, even while he skillfully stripped away the hunting-shirt and so reached the shatiered arm. ‘ i Then came the glorious sunshine streaming over the Guadaloupe: ‘and , ZR Foo o ‘? ' l o i : & ;in -." ! \ .“!l b“ \'\\ . L e *w%‘}'fi ) e - AR G TR _mfi\ 738 y,/ 2 S e ,-:,,.,, Q"” . S, \A, \_—;/—J &7 g B C o T “\:’i« 8 /) : )L A ) : b e Gathered Randy’s unconscious head on l;er : : bosom.

gilding. the westward Mescalero, and then far out among the buttes, one—two—three, at regular intervals, the ringing, echoing signals of the cavalry carbine; and rough-garbed troopers sprang to'their feet and shouted loud, ‘and clapped ball cartridge into the brown bellies of their guns, and fired unlicensed salvos into the air, and danced and swung their hats, and drew coarse flannel shirt-sieeves aoross their ‘blinking eyes—all at Sergt. Hogan’s jubilant ery: “My God, boys, they’ve found her!” : Found her they had, indeed; curled -up like a ehild, wrapped in her own pet Navajo blanket, sleeping the sleep of. utter exhaustion, and waking only to burst into tears of relief and joy at sight of Grafton’s radiant yet haggard face; then roused to instant action by the tidings he bore and gently, but reproachfully, told her — that, .though sorely ~wounded and well-nigh exbausted, it was Randy who guided the rescuers to her, and who now lay prostrate and unconscious ,barely a mile away. Then she could hardly wait for them to saddle Mignon—could hardly uvrge her laboring favoritefast enough to match her mad impatience. It was a sight to move a heart of flint to see her, as with streaming eyes and convulsive sobs she threw herself from her saddle, and, reckless of them all, knelt ar)x‘d gathered Randy’s unconscious head to her bosom, cooing over him, crying over him, praying over him, begging for one word of love and pardon, then showering tears and kisses on his pallid lips. There was no crime of which ‘the poor child did not accuse herself, for on their hurried way Grafton gravely told her cf Randy’s utter innocence and of his own culpability. Not until the radiant sun was nearly an hour high did their patient seem to respond to stimulant or caress; but at last, to her wild joy, he opened his eyes a little ~moment, looked up in her face, whispered: . “Florence — sweetheart,” and then seemed to drop away into resistless slumber. * !

“A pretty time we had,” said Gould, “getting that pair of spoons back to Jose's!” It was an all-day’s job, between waiting for the ambulance and then finding an easy road for it. But there at Jose’s were “the spoons’’ condemned to stay four days and nights, at least, while the rest of Sedgwick’s scouting parties drifted back to the post, and there ?resumab]y Florence made hler peace with her lover lord, and wept gallons of salt tears as she told him how wicked—wicked—wicked she had been, and how penitent she was and how severely punishéd, though never so severely as she deserved. She would listen to no condoning words of

Mrs. Hayne. She flung herse:f into he. father’s arms when, white-faced and tlen years aged, he reached her st the ranch, and told him what a fiend she bhad been and what an angel Randy- -a statement the captain could not entirely indorse, for he went back to the cantonment at the end of the week confi dent still that there must have been something in Randy’s conduct to undermwine .the faith of such an unusual girl as his Brownie. But he did not say so—it weuld have done no good. . And her story was very simple. Nearing the ranch early in the first afternoon, she saw a party of horsemen riding in toward it, and in her half-crazed state she believed them troops from the post—Randy’s men. So she turned square to the nmorth and rode for the foothills. She had a little store of provisions and some wine in the large sad-die-pouch, and only then discovered that her bag was gone. She could ride away round the ranch, find *“Mon Abri,” and hide there during the night. She had her Navajo blanket. Mignon would bhave grass and water. What more could army girl ask'in that warm and rainless region? Before sunset she had found the romantic little spbt, unsaddled apd picketed Mignon, and later moved her farther down stream for fresh grass, and, then, wearied, she herself slept for hours; and when she awoke and would nave pushed on to the cantonment, lo! Mignon was gone. Florence had heard no sound. She could not account for it. She could only sit and brood and think, and then, as the long, long day—the second day-——drew to its close, pray heaven for Randy’s coming. There, more surely than anywhere else, if he loved her, his love would lead him.

What days of jubilee there were at Scdgwick when at last Randy was convalescent enough to be moved, and the ambulance brought him back through the same old hole in the fence, Florenoce scated by his side. Another pa--lient was out on a piazza farther down the row, taking the sweet fresh air and listening languidly to the purring of Minturn, who still worshiped at the shrine deserted by Whittaker. Undeniably sallow looked the Widow MecLane, and her eyes gdazed but languidly at the joyous little cortege entering the westward end of the road. Capt. and Mrs. Grafton, the Haynes, and other sympathizing friends - had flocked thither:to welcome the fugitives, and so it happened that there was no one at home but Mrs. McLane and a much -perturbed young: . battery officer to greet two somewhat dusfy civilians, who had just driven out from the junction, and now slowly ascended the Grafton’s steps.” One — Mr. Parry—came jauntily forward. The other—a mutton-chop whiskered, plethoriclocoking ' party—hung - reverentially back, as though waiting permission to venture into the presence of a queen. With swift, anxious, imploring glance the invaljd searched the impassive features of her exasperating brother-in-law and read no hope; but even from, the depth of her despond sprang something of her old-time coquetry as she languidly lay back in the easy-chair and extended a slender, bejeweled hand to the adoring Swinburne. The batteryman bowed stifly and pulled at his mustache in recognition of thisnew arrival, and Ned Parry almost audibly chuckled his enjoyment of the situation. Then .stable call sounded and drew the warrior away and left the field ig the hands of the civilian, and then Parry decided he must “join the gang” at Merriam's; and there presently he was patting Randy on the back and showing symptoms of a desire to kiss Mrs. Randy’s hand, ds he did Mrs. Grafton’s. Mrs. Grafton hurried owut, declaring she must go. and order -more dinner, whereat Parry followed her to the gate and called a halt. She saw the twinkle in his eyes and stopped. ‘“You've brought her good news, 1 ‘know,” said she, with womanly eagerness. .

“More than that,” said Parry, with a comical grin. ‘‘More than Fan deserves by a good deal—l've brought the fellow that brings her the news. Never mind dinner—give him ten minutes.” “Oh, how did you getat the truth?” “I didn’t—l couldn’t. They were shy of ‘me as though I'd been a Pinkerton. I knew Swinburne was sore-smitten. I knew he’'d blow in his whole bank account if need be. I told him the story. and my suspicions, and set him to work. He found the engineer and got the proofs. She owes her deliverance to him.” e ' Tl

“Then it was as you thought—as you told Capt. Grafton?” o “Certainly. Ars. McLane No. 1 died two months after she got her $25,00¢ but the family couldn’t afford to lose so fruitful a member. They had read and written each others’ letters from ehildhood. Either surviving sister could write just as well as the youngest. They planned the game; they fcoled McLane completely, and they as completely dedeived poor young Jack, the only reputable connection they had. Fan’s all right now, thanks to Swinburne. Let him be happy for ten mir utes—she’ll make him miserable the rest ‘of his life.- Let’s go back and look at a picture of absolute. bliss—Floy Merriam’s face. Isn’t sheanidealarmy wife?” : s

THE END.

Trials of an “Animal Artist.”

When one commences to sketch a cow that animal invariably takes her departure, the sleeping lions at Central park always wake up after a few strokes of the péncil, and even the sluggish snail becomes imbued with an amazing degree of swiftness if an attempt is made to sketch him. At'least, this Is the way it seems to the “animal artist.” A Baltimore oriole acquaintance of mine used repeatedly to come to the edge of the cardboard on which I was drawing, and eye the rapidly moving pen with the greatest interest; but if 1 attempted to sketch him, he would fly away immediately. True, I was ounue fortunate enough to catch the bright bird at his bath, when he was so thoroughly engaged in spattering water over everything as to be totally unawsre of my presence. Some animalsarecomparatively easy to sketch, and some are very difficuls. The great elephant belongs to this latter class. Healwaysappears to be in a state of perpetual mo tion.—Meredith Nugent, in St. Nicholas ; .Not to Be Frightened. . Said the minister to an old lady of ax irreligious diimsition: “Woman! d’ye mind there’s a-place where there’s wailing and gnashing of teeth?” “Ye'll nc {right me wi’ that,” said the dame. “I've never ané left in my head to gnash wi’." —Household Words. -

POISONOUS FINANCIERING.

Damaging Effect of the Gold Standard Upon _the Money Circulation. ; -

We have just had a sample of how the party in power in Washington can run a war department. With unlimited money at its command, it has allowed our sick soldiers to die for the want of food and medicines. Geniuses of incompetency: have conirol of the things that affect the very life of the nation. The affair in the war department is but a-straw that shows the way the tide is running. The zame incompetency controls the financial affairs of the country. Financial bloodpoisoning is the result of their doctoring, and the whole commercial life is limited and weakened by it. - Sticking to the gold standard and trying to fasten it so securely on us that we cannot shake it off, they are giving us a credit money instead of a basic money. The circulating medium of a. country is the blood of it, and to make the principal part of that circulating medium bank notes is to inject into it the worst kind of poison. It is one of the most potent means of circumventing the people in their right to rule themselves. o

We have the material in ourselves of a healthy and abundant circulation., Never was a body better fed or better developed, but we are now refused the richt of using the resources we have. The very fact that it is proposed, to greatly increase the issue. of national bank notes is a proof positive that the men in control know that-it is an impossibility to get enough gold’ to form a safe currency or enough abundant to meet our needs. In work-| ing for a great, eirculation of notes! issued by private institutions they tacitly. acknowledge our need of they unused silver lying in our mines. That silver would do away with the necessity of having national bank notes. In fact, it is enough abundant to take the place of mest of our credit money!| and give us a large amount of basic money; the enly credit money then be-| ing necessary would be the United| States notes, than which no better aredit money exists on the earth. '

The great fight between the bimetal- ‘ lists "and the monometallists is fas_t{‘ narrowing itself down to a que§tion O"f” whether government shall ‘be for the advancement of private or 01% pub]ic‘j interests. Were there gold en\ough in ‘ the world to take the place lof the‘ great quantities of credit m(tney in | the world we might believe that the gold standard advocates were sincere | in their efforts to displace silver. But since both gold and silver are insuffi-| cient in quantity to fill up the gulf’ we can but conclude that the fight, is being carried on with the hidden \‘ purpose of making the private interests of the moneyed, classes para-i‘ mount, and with the added purpose of abolishing the rule of the masses of, the people in financial matters. }' The blood poifoning has been slowly working for nearly a quarter of a\ century, and we see its effects more | and more every day. Business is still | far from its nmormal condition, even “ after years of depression. The recovery is slow on account of the slowness| of the circulation in the body politic. The poison shows-itself more and | more every day in our politics, where | money is coming to have a pi"edominat-ii ing influence. All of the -]egislation>l to better matters is after the nature| of outward applications to a blood dis- 1 ease. The blood itself needs purifying.} It needs the abolition of the right of, national banks to issue and curtail!

our circulation. It needs further the'{ injection into that circulation of the, streams of the white dollars to dis-]| place the credit money. Inthe human body the “white discs” of the blood| are the disease destroyers. In the! body politic the “white dises” will per-| form the like act of purification. | . Pl H. F. THURSTON. 1

STARVING THE SOLDIERS. ! Shamefuli Neglect and Signs of Job- ‘1 bery in the Military Head- i q'u.u rters., . {’ While death at the hands of the | Spanish soldiers has been a rare event l during the late war, death from tle : neglect of the war department has ‘1 been frequent. ' : i ) Especial attention to this shamefuli_; and criminal condition of affairs has | been called in more than one instance, ’ and the death of Lieut. William Tiffany, of the rough riders, in Boston, | will intensify the feeling of resentment which has arisen against the war department, : iy Lieut. Tiffany served at Santiago and was brought north in the Olivette and landed at Boston. He was taken to a | hotel, given care, but could not rally. The death certificate signed by Dr. F. M. Johnson gives this as-the cause of | young Tiffany’s death: : “Death due to protracted fevers, due | to war life in Cuba, and starvation.” | | While the government cannot con- ‘{ trol fevers, it can provide food and ( medicines and decent shelter for its 5 soldiers, and this it has not done. | There have been ‘eriminal blunders | in the selections of camps, criminal | blunders in sending troops home in | pest ships, criminal blunders in ex- | posing men to contagion, ‘criminal | blunders in failing to supply medicine and surgeons. ‘ In addition there have been robbery, inefficiency, carelessness and cruel neglect in the commissary department. : Alger has much to answer for, and by the storm of popular indignation which is rising he will be swept out of publie life into an oblivion which-is his just deserts. : b ‘ ——Concerning the silver issue exGov. Altgeld says: “I have been asked if the silver question would be prominent in this campaign, Well, gentlemen,you might ask will you have winds in September or will you have frosts in winter. We are getting back to 50 cent wheat, with all the hardships, all the embarrassments, all the trouble that that implies, and the moment you step outside of Chicago you will be confronted by nearly 3,000,000 of people who are directly affected by it. Now, then, that momney question is there. You can discuss it or not, just as you please, but it is there in the minds of the people.” : ~—The salutation ameng Ohio republican politicians now is: “Good | morning; is John Sherman hot-enough tor you?"—Dallas (Tex,) News.

A REPUBLICAN DILEMMA.

Blunders-of the Administration Put 3 the Party in a Bad Pre- = dicament.

Republican campaign managers find themselves ‘“between the devil and ihe deep sea.” = The ink had not dried on the protocol arranged between this country and Spain ‘before the republican 'congressional committee announced that its handbook was ready for the mails. Over 60 per cent. of the contents of the compilation was, it was "given out, taken up with the recital of bow the republican party had brought on and conducted the most successful war of ancient or modern times to a conclusion without the aid, advice or consent of any other political organization. . Before the hot-pressed pages of the handbook were off the press, the “round robin” signed by the generals of the army in Cuba came like a burning simoon- to draw public attention upon the horrors of mismanagement by the republican war secretary. Then came the gamnt and hollow-eyed heroes to their native shores to grow weaker still in a treeless, waterless camp and to tell with irembling voices the story of their privation and neglect. Then came revelations of the unmedicined and unvictualed hospital ships, the mortality and pestilence of the military camps and the political favoritism, jobbery and inecompetence: responsible for these unnecessary and horrifying conditions. The mass of these exposures have been made since the republican campaign handbook has been placed in the hands of the printer. - ' ' Other facts, too,. have emerged. Alger and Corbin have been charged with the unparalleled conduct of sending a secret dispatch, calculated to cause a clash of authority between ‘the general in command of the armies of the United States and his subordinate, which might have dangerously intensified the military ecrisis brought to a focus by Shafter’s bungling management of the Santiago campaign had it not been for the good sense, promptness and firmness of the former. _ '

Gen. Miles” coming will be the determjning point in the course of the republican administration as to whether or not the chargesagainst the war department will be subjected to the searching inquiry which is demanded by an evenwhelming majority of the American people, the democratic and independent press, and .all the republican organs that have not been Hannaized. The president is said to be wavering between duty - and the counsels of the men who have been the controlling element in republican politics and have supplied it with its biggest scandals. : o g If anjinvestigation is staved off till after the fall election, it will be looked upon by the people as an exhibition of cowardice that is equivalent to a full confession of the sins laid-at the door of that large segment of republican official life known as Algérism. - If an investigation is, ordered, the damaging facts that have already been ventilated will receive the sanction of judicial ‘corroboration. L In either event, the criminal blunders committed by republican officialdom will come in for a scathing rebuke at the hands of the outraged and deceived people on the eighth day of November next.' - . ) ;

Chairman Babcock has done wisely to take his prematurely advertised handbook out of the hands of the printers and to hold it for correction and revision.—St. Louis Republic. °

POINTS AND OPINIONS.

——John She'rm'and is not a copperhead, a democrat or a mugwump, but his voice is for an immediate investigation of the war department.—St. Louis Republic. - : » ——llt is a poor:day for politics in this country when the republican press cannot find some awful (?) fight in the democratie ranks to sputter about. —Buffalo Times. :

——Up to date, so far as has been announced, no American girl has attempted to kiss Secretary Alger or any of the officials’ in 'the various bureaus of his department.—N.. Y. Press (Rep.). - : P ——Senator Foraker has appointed himself a committee of one to see that theMcKinleyitesdonotsteal Cuba from the Cubans. He is out to make trouble for the Hanna-McKinley combine, and he will make it.—Kansas City Times. ———Alger is afraid that the publication of facts about the way the soldiers were treated will-produce evil effects abroad. Can it_create worse effects than were produced by the announcement ‘that Alger had at last landed a; cabinet office? — Albany Argus. : ) i ——The republican goldite organs ane boasting over the large surplus in the United States treasury. They seem to be unaware that a large surplus in the public treasury means a large deficit inthecirculationof money for business purposes. It does,’how‘ever.—lllinois State Register. : ~ ——Alger and the irremediable woes ‘inflicted by his political methods are ‘but symptoms of a disorder that is ‘'working blight and decay among the roots and branches of the present ad'ministration of the federal govern'ment. Alger is responsible for ‘the k&ickness and mortality in our army. ‘But who is responsible. for Alger? Back of all the scandals that have come qut of the war secretary’s'maladministration looms the vicious and td‘ebauching system of favoritism and ‘bargain which made it possible for 'such a man to be appointed to one of ‘the highest and most vital trusts in {the public service.—St. Louis Repubey b | ——The money paid by the people Ifor $200,000,000 of bonds was taken out 'of the money circulating in business. If the democratic proposition for issuing $100,000,000 of treasury notes, land issuing silver certificates on the bullion in the treasury coining the same into’ standard full legal tender dollars had prevailedsinstead of $200,00,000 being taken out of the circulation, that amount wculd have been ladded to the circulation to the great advantage -of ‘general business.. The monopollés and trusts might not havé Lbeen benefited by this, but the plain ‘peOple',‘ the ordinary business men of ‘the country, would have felt the bene~ ficial effects in an increased and more vroftable business—Tlizols State lwmr'?» e

% TN\ Y i [ R o‘" . 5 ' fl I,.V\.T" J {B" ’g}g’;&‘ @ 3,';{;"46’@ 7~k X/ \QN? £ AL < { ( e AR W MlDeddle LB ’ _ - — - -\ : P‘. _.“. ‘/ \» . S = ? ;- WP NP AN PNGNSNININNI NI NI NI NSNS NGNS . A MODEL SCHOOL. ,“If I were asked to give advice - About our children’s schoals, The management,’” said Idle Kate, ° ‘“Should be by different rules. -~ “For Grammar is no.use at all, With every noun and verb, Whose very names, it seems to me, Sound simply quite absurd. “Then History, with its endless wars, . -All mixed with kings and dates, Is just as senseless as to tell . : The square miles in the states. | “Another task the teachers give, . - I cannot understand, Why we must bound each continent, And every tract of land. = “In ‘problesns I have tried to solve . "~ The simple Rule of Three, ) But why I do these silly things ) I really cagnot see. i "wa‘, I should scorn all stupid books, And throw them all away, . And with my pupils just discuss - | ‘ The questions. of ‘the day. “What dances were then most in vogue? What colors we should wear? What springs were best to patronize?. When needing fresher air? “What etiquette should be observed * In making social calls? ’ And what deportment’s rules require At dinners and at balls? - ‘““A woman, of exquisite taste, Should teach the larger girls The' latest style of dressing hair In lovely bangs and curls. " “Some music also I would have, ‘With flutes and clarionets, ) Pianos, too, and violins, : Ax;d boys’ and girls’} duets. “I could not possibly omit, B A very needful part N - Of education by the means ) Of sweet esthetic art. “What once required practiced skill, |Now all can imitate, B ,With' storks and lilies we could paint Each jug and jar and plate. * ‘wA social chat should end the day,’ » ) With nuts and cream and cake. With school conducted in this way Would keep us Wthfa'“'ake. ! “Pleasure combined ‘With work would be An economic rule; ° gl With this reform we should behold A truly model school, ) : ¢TI will see yet,”” said Idle Kate, “This plan of mine succeed; : . For all I-think -must be convinced Th4t this is what we need.” This school, alas! so nicely planned, Could never be arranged, T For children still adopt_the course She thought shquld ‘all be changed. And those who think they can avoid - All labor, and attain To. useful knowledge, soon will find Their hopes are all in vain. —Virginia G. Ellard, in Golden Days.

A PHILIPPINE BOY.

Able to Manage One of the Huge * . Water Buffaloes, Used There . E as a Beast of Burden.

Charles 8.. Howard contributes to St. Nicholas a story of the Philippines, under the title of ‘“Juanito and Jefe:” Mr. Howard says: ‘ : On an obscure little island in the Philippine group stands an obscure little native village; and in this village there stood, a few years ago, a certain hut, built, like ihe others, entirely of bamboo, and’thatchedtwith_dried- nipa leaves. In this hut there dweltachoc-olate-colored family, consisting of Mariano Pelasquez, his wife, and a sturdy 11-year-old boy, Juanito by name.

' -old Mariano had lived as a.boy in one of the large seaports, and there

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JUANITO TUMBLED INGLORIOUSLY

had learned to speak Spanish fluently; and this language he had taught Juanito as he grew up, in hope that some day the boy might become a servant or possibly a clerk te one of the Spanish or English residents—preferably the latter, as the Ingleses paid better wages than the Epanoles, and were less liable to throw boots and dishes and things. s Mariano was a species of agriculturist whenever he chose td exert himself, which was seldom. He owned a tiny bit of land, on which stood a commodious hut and a faithful mango tree; but the pride of his heart was his carabao, or water buffalo, which tugged at the plow or rough cart on the rare occasions when Mariano took to farming. These carabaos are huge mouse-colored beasts, amazingly hideous in appearance, and very savage when wild; but they q're docile as lambs when once tamed. Moreover, their trgmendous strength is of great service, while their very slow gait is quite in accord with the ideas of the Philippine natives, and perfectly suits the laziest of races. )

This particular carabao was called “Jefe” (which means “chief”), because he was the largest and strongest in the village; and the Pelasquez family took the same amount of pride in him that an English family would have in a thoroughbred race horse. Therefore the head of the household was greatly exercised in mind one morning to discover that Jefe had broken his tether during the night and left for parts unknown.. ' : ; ; : “Oh, thou ungrateful one!” muttered Mariano; ‘and I was to plow today. Juanito!” he called. - = “Si padre,” answered Juanito, appearing in the doorway arrayed in a pair of short trousers, his customary costume. i s {‘Good boy, to> answer in Spanish,” said the father, smiling, and holding out his hand, which Juanito dutifully kissed, as all good little Filipinos are

expected to do ¢very morning, and all bad ones must. *“See,” went on Mariano, “that pig of a Jefe has broken his rope, and gone probably to the riverbend. Getfrom thy mother some breakfast and seek him.”

Juanito loeked thoughtful. “Perhaps the crazy Englishmen whe arrived yesferday have stolen him,” he suggested. | ; ; Two naturalists, who seemed English, had come to the village the evening before, and spent the night at the priest’s house. Juanito had seen them, and had thouglt of little else ever since. i .

- “Ingleses.do not steal carabaos, thou monkey,” answered Mariano. “These two particular lunatics seek only bugs and snakes. Thinkest thou that they could put Jefe in their pockets? Haste away, now, and come not back without him.” . I i : )

Juanito sectred two plump bananas from his mother and trudged away-across-the fields toward the bend in the river. Carabaos at liberty for the time being always assembled therme to sink th2mselves up to the eyes in the eool water, and to doze in comfort, defying their'insect torméntors. v Juanito munched his bananas as he went along in the cool motning air, and soon was pushirg hisway through the Bushes which skirted theriver, following the path worn by the buffaloes in.their pilgrimages. Coming out on the bank, he saw, appégrentliy floating on the rsurface, about a dozen huge horned heads, whick turned slowly and fixed as many pairs of big, sleepy eyes on.the coming boy. - : - Juanito studied them carecfully. “Aha!” ‘he exclaimed at last, *there thou art—thou.with the biggest horns! Come here, Jefel!” . i | - But Jefe was too comfortable, and would not come; so Juanito finally took off his trousers, and waded in uniil he -could elimb up.on the great beast’s back. “Now get up, big stupid!” he shouted, pounding the massive head vigorously with a small fist. Either the insult or the thumps had the desired effect, and, with many sighs and ‘grunts, Jefe scrambied laboriously to his feet (almost submerging his comparions in the waves created by the process), and splashed shoreward. Juanito secured his trousers, and mounting again, urged his pondercus ‘'steed along the path. Asthey emerged from the bushes, Juanito caught sight of two figures across the field, dressed in ‘white, with huge sun helmets, apparently examining something closely. “Hola!” exclaimed Juanito, “the two English lunaties. -Let us go and see what they have found, Jefe.” .

I may say here that all the ignorant natives. of the far east, being unable to unilerstand their ways, came to the conclusion long-.ago that the English and American races were composed entirely of harmless lunaties. s

Jefe, having been at last persuaded to turn his nose in that direction, proceeded; one leg at a time, toward the two white figures. . . Now. there is a peculiarity about these CarabaosofwhichJuanitowasunaware; and that is that, although they can be controlled and led by a six-year-old native, if necessary, at the same time, in those- parts of the islands where a white man is a'rarity the ~sight of fone seems to drive the creatures frantic, and they will often attack with all the*fierceness and fury of a wild bulli @ white person who has not :given them the slightest cause; and their attack ‘is really the more dangerous to| the victim, for a caraboa’s horns age each as long and thick as a man’s arm. A single carabao has been known t?o attack-and kill a fullgrown tiger. f ~Co'nsequenti‘y, Juanito was hardly prepared when, about half way across the field, Jefe raised his head aloft, and began tol utter strange, nasal grunts, pricking his great ears forwm'g; and was still less so when the hitherto placid beast of burden quickened his s'(ep_sX into a sort of sidie, and then broke into a Ilumbering, elephantine canter. . “Haya! qua| tiene tu? (What hast thou? .what is the matter?”’) shouted the amazed Juanito, striving to main-tain-his balance. But Jefe’ssides were still.wet and slippery, and in another moment Juanito tummbled ingleriously off. T - i {

He Assumed His Riglfis.'

The laws of Bohemia provide for compulsory ’edvlucation up to the age of 14, and this led to an amusing incident the other day. While the clasSes ,were going on in a village school one gt the pupils ;sud(jenly got up-as the clock struck ithree, packed up his books, and made for the door. “Well, boy,”. said the master, “whither . away?” “Sir,” replied the boy, without moving a muscle, I have just completed my fourteenth year, and, as itis now some seconds since I have entered my fifteenth year, you have no legal right to detain me.” - And with that he went off, making a bow to his fellow-pupils’ and a long nose at his master. , " Rat and Snake Kept House. Joseph: Garrizh found a log along +he Potomac river, near Williamsport, N. Y., and proceeded to chop it into - firé\’\"fid. ‘While he was in the act of splitting the log he was surprised to see a snake three feet long and a large rat occupying the same nest in the hollow of the log, Both rat and snake, which seemed on very friendly - terms, attacked Mr. Garrish.. The snake coiled for a spring and the rat made for -him, biting viciously at his feet and finally running up his panta- . loons leg te his waist. The rat was finally shaken out and dispatched with an ax and the snake experienced a simitar fate. = | : : o " . A Gentle Hint. - Man (hurriedly)—Are you Mrs. Lawson, mum? .- ; > heyag 2t b = ' - “Well, I've been cent to tell you that voutr husband’s iiead has been broken, mum, and I'mto break it to you gently, mum.”—Tit-Bits 00l e ~ To Sell a Town at Auction. - Verditschew, a town in the province of Kiow, Russia, will be sold at auction at the end. of the month: It owes the government and other creditors. 3,919,382 rubles 53RWM“JQ S el LG ik e Bage Little Elmér—Pa, when is a man réally old¥. ~ LAI % ém,f Broadhead — Whi e e