38
THE SUNDAY OEEGONIAN, yPORTLAND". JTJIsE 21, 1"90&.
.BY SOOTli TAR.K1AJXOAJ
(Copyright, by McClure, Phillips & Co.)
SYNOPSIS.
By a singular chain of circumstances Miss
Betty Carewe has come to confuse Tom Van
revel and Cralley Gray, believing each to be
the other. Miss Betty Is the reigning belle
of Rouen, Ind.. In the days Just preceding
the Mexican War. Tom "Vanrevel Is a young
lawyer of Rouen, and her father's mortal foe.
The two men have quarreled ocr politics and
also on a personal matter, and old Carewe
has threatened to shoot Tom should he ever
And him on Carewe's property. Tom has fal
len desperately in love with iliss Betty at first
eight. Crailey Gray, lazy, generous, popular,
talented, good-for-nothing, And poet. Is Tom's
Jaw partner, and Is engaged to Miss Fanchon
Bareaud, but It is becoming evident that he.
as well as Tom, has fallen upder the spell
of Miss Betty's beauty.
CHAPTER IV.
"But Sparc Your Country Flag."
IF IT be true that love Is the great In
centive to the useless arts, the num
ber of gentlemen who became poets
for the sake of Miss Betty Carewe need
T.ot bo considered extraordinary. Of all
that was written of her dancing, Tom
"Vanrevel's lines "I Danced With Her Be
neath the Lights" (which he certainly had
not done.wben he wrote them) were, per
haps, next to Crailey Gray's In merit,
though Tom burned his rhymes after
reading them to Crailey. Other trouba
dours were not so modest, and the Bouen
Journal found no lack of tuneful offerings
that Spring, generously printing all of It,
even at the period when It became, epi
demic The public had little difficulty In
recognizing the work of Mr. Francis
Chenoweth in an anonymous "Sonnet" (of
23 lines) which appeared In the issuo fol
lowing Miss Carewe's debut. Mr. Cheno
weth wrote that while dancing the ma
zourka with a Lovely Being, the sweetest
rfee lings of his soul, in a celestial stream,
bore him away beyond control. In a se
raphic dream; and he untruthfully stated
that at the same time he saw her wipe
the silent tear, omitting, however, to ven
ture any explanation of the cause of her
emotion. Old General -Trumble boldly
signed his poem in full. It was called
"An Ode Upon Miss C s Waltzing," and
it began:
V. hen Bettina found lair Rouen's shore.
And her aged father to us bore
Her from the' cloister neat.
She waltzed uiKn the ballroom floor.
And lightly twirled upon her feet.
Mr. Carewe was rightfully indignant,
and refused to acknowledge the General's
salutation at their next meeting; Trumble
was 15 years older than he.
As Crailey Gray never danced with Miss
Carewe, It Is somewhat singular that she
should have been the inspiration of his
swinging verses in waltz measure, "Heart
Strings on a Violin," the sense of which
was that when a violin had played for
her dancing, the Instrument should be
shattered as wine-glasses are after a
great toast. However, no one, except the
author himself, knew that Betty was the
subject; for Crailey certainly did 'not
mention it to Miss Bareaud, nor to his
"best friend. Vanrevel.
It was to some degree a strange com
radeship between these two young men;
their tastes led them so often in opposite
directions. They had rooms together over
their offices in the "Madrillon Block" on
Main street, and the lights shone late
;tfrom their windows every night in the
O'ear. Sometimes that would mean only
that the two friends were talking, for
"they never reached a silent intimacy, but,
even after several years of companion
ship, were rarely seen together when not
In interested, often eager, conversation.
Bo that people wondered what in the world
they still found to say to each other. But
,-many a night the late-shining lamp meant
that Tom sat alone, with a brief or a
book, or wooed the lorn hours with his
magical guitar. For he never went to bed
until the other came home. And if day
light came without Crailey, Vanrevel
would go out, yawning mightily, to look
,ior him, and when there was no finding
ihim. Tom would come back, sleepless, to
he day's work'.
Crailey was called "peculiar"; and he
explained, with a kind of Jovial help
lessness, that he was always prepared for
the unexpected in himself, nor did such a
view detract from his plcturesqueness to
his own perusal of himself: though It was
not only to himself that he was. interest
ing. To the vision of the lookers-on in
"Rouen, quiet souls who hovered along the
walls at merry-makings and cheerfully
counted themselves spectators at the play,
Crailey Gray held the center of the stage
and was the chief comedian of the place.
Wit, poet, and scapegrace, the small soci
ety sometimes seemed the mere back
ground set for his performances, specta
cles which he, also, enjoyed, and from
the best scat in the house; for he was not
content as the actor, but must be the
Prince in the box as well.
His friendship for Tom Vanrevel was,
In a measure, that of the vine for the
oak. He was full of levities at Tom's
expense, which the other bore with a grin
of sympathetic comprehension, or, at long
Intervals, returned upon Crailey with dev
astating effect. Vanrevel was the one
steadying thing in his life, and, at the
same time, the only one of the young men
upon whom ho did not have an almost
mesmeric lnlluence. In good truth, Crai
ley was the ringleader in all the deviltries
of the town. Many a youth swore to avoid
the roisterer's company for all time, and
within two hours of the vow. found him
self, llagon In hand, engaged in -a bout
that would last the night, with Mr. Gray
out-bumpering the hardiest, at the head
of the table. And, the next morning, the
levered, scarlet-eyed perjurer might creep
shaking to his wretched tasks, only to
behold the cause of his folly and head
ache triping merrily along the street,
smiling, clean-shaven, and fresh as a
dew-born primrose, with, perchance, two
or three of the prettiest girls in town at
Ills elbow to greet his sallies with approv
ing laughter.
Crailey had been so long in the habit of
following very impulse, no matter "how
mad, that he enjoyed an almost per
fect immunity from condemnation, and,
whatever his deeds, Rouen had learned
to say. with a chuckle, that it was "only
Crailey Gray again." But his followers
were not so privileged. Thus, when Mr.
Gray, who in his libations sometimes de
veloped the humor of an. urchin, went
to the Pound at 3 in the morning of New
Tear's day, hung sleigh-bells about the
necks of the cattle and drove them up and
down the streets, himself hideously blow
ing a brass horn from the back, of a big
brown steer, those roused from slumber
ceased to rage, and accepted the exploit
, as a rare joke, on learning that it was
"only Crailey Gray"; but the unfortunate
young Chenoweth was heavily frowned
upon and properly upbraided because he
"had followed In the wake of the bovine
procession, mildly attempting to play
upon a flageolet.
Crailey never denied a folly nor defend
ed an escapade. The latter was always
done for him. because he talked of his
"graceless misdoings" (so he was wont,
smilingly, to call them), over cups of tea
in the afternoon with old ladies, lament
ing in his musical voice the lack of female
relatives to guide him. He was charming
ly attentive to the elderly women, not
from policy, but because his manner was
uncontrollably chivalrous; and, ever a
gallant listener, were the speaker young,
old. great or humble, he never forgot to
catch the last words of a sentence, and
seldom suffered for a reply, eren when
he had drowsed through a question. More
over, no one ever beard him speak 'a sul
len word, nor saw him wear a brow of de
pression. The single creed to which he
was constant was that of good cheer; he
was the very apdstle of gayety, preaching
it in parlor and bar; and made merry
friends with battered tramps and'homeless
dogs in the streets at night
Now and then he would" spend several
days in the offices of Gray & Vanrevel, at
torneys and counsellors-at-law, wearing
an air of unassailable virtue; though he
did not far overstate the case when he
said: "Tom does all the work and gives
me all the money not to bother him when
he's getting up a case."
The working member of the firm got up
cases to notable effect, and few lawyers
in the state enjoyed having Tom Vanrevel
on the other side. There was nothing
about him of the florldlty prevalent at
that time; -he withered "oratory" before
the court; he was the foe of Jury pathos;
and, despising noise and the habitual
voice-dip at the end of a sentence, was,
nevertheless, at times an almost fearfully
effective orator. So, by degrees the firm
of Gray & Vanrevel, young as It was,
and In spite of the idle apprentice, bad
grown to be the most prosperous in the
district
For this eminence Crailey was never
accused of assuming the credit. Nor did
he ever miss an opportunity of making
known how much he owed to his partner.
What he owed, in brief, was everything.
How well Vanrevel worked was demon
strated every day, but how hard he.
worked, only Crailey knew. The latter"
had grown to depend upon him for even
his political beliefs, and lightly followed
his partner Into abolitionism; though that
was to risk unpopularity, bitter hatred
and worse. Fortunately, on certain occa
sions, Vanrevel had made himself (If not
his creed) respected, at least, so far that
there was no longer danger of mob vio
lence for an Abolitionist in Rouen. He
was a cool-headed young man ordinarily,
and possessed of an elusive fofcefulness
not to be trifled with, though he was a
quiet man, and had whdt they called a
"fine manner." And, not In the latter,
but in his dress, there was an echo of the
beau, which afforded Mr. Gray a point of
attack for sallies of wit; there was a
touch of the dandy about Vanrevel; he
had a large and versatile wardrobe, and
his clothes always fitted him not only in
line but in color; even women saw how
nobly they were fashioned.
These two young men were members
of. a cheerful band, who feasted, laughed,
wrangled over politics, danced, made love,
and sang terrible chords on Summer even
ings, together, as young men will. Will
Cummings, editor of the Rouen Journal,
was one of these; a tall, sallow man, very
thin, very awkward and very gentle. Mr.
Cummings proved himself always ready
with a loud and friendly laugh for the
poorest Joke in the world, his countenance
shining with such kindness that no one
ever had the heart to reproach him with
the evils of his journalistic performances,
or for the things he broke when he danced.
Another was Tappingham Marsh, an ex
ceedingij handsome person, somewhat lan
guid in appearance, dainty In manner
with women, offhand with men; almost
as reckless as Crailey, and Often the lat
ters companion and assistant in dissipa
tion. Young Francis Chenoweth never
failed to follow both Into whatever they
planned: he was short and pink, and the
uptllt of his now was coherent with the
appealing earnestness which was habitual
with him. Eugene Madrillon was the
sixth of these Intimates; a dark man,
whose Latin eyes and color advertised his
French ancestry as plainly as his emo
tionless mouth and lack of gesture be
trayed the mingling of another ftraln.
All these, and others of the town, were
wont to "talk politics" a great deal at the
llttlo club on Main street, and all were
apt to fall foul of Tom Vanrevel or
Crailey Gray before the end of any dis
cussion. For those were the days when
they twisted the Lion's tall in vehement
and bitter earnest; when the eagle
screamed in mixed figures; when few men
knew how to talk, and many orated; when
party strife was savagely personal; when
intolerance was called the "pure fire of
patriotism"; when criticism of the exist
ing order of things surely Incurred fiery
anathema and black invective; and brave
was he, indeed, who dared to hint that his
country, as a whole, and politically, did
lack some two or three particular virtues,
and that the first step toward obtaining
them would be to help it to realize their
absence.
This latter point of view was that of the
firm of Gray & Vanrevel, which was a
unit in such matters. Crailey did most of
the talking quite beautifully. ' too and
both had to stand against odds In many
a sour argument, for they were not only
Abolitionists, but opposed the attitude of
their country in its difficulty with Mexico;
and, in common with other men of the
time who took their stands, they had to
grow accustomed to being called disloyal
traitors, foreign toadies, malignant? and
traduccrs of the flag. Tom had long been
used to epithets of this sort, suffering
their sting in quiet, and was glad when
ho could keep Crailey out of worse em
ployment than standing firm for an un
popular belief.
There was one place to which Vanrevel,
seeking his friend and partner, when the
latter did not come home at night, could
not go; this was the tower chamber, and
it was In that mysterious apartment of
the Carewe cupola that Crailey was apt to
be deeply occupied when he remained
away until daylight. Strange as It appears.
Mr. Gray maintained peculiar relations of
Intimacy with Robert Carewe, in spite of
the feud between Carewe and his own
best friend. This Intimacy, which did not
necessarily imply any mutual fondness
(though Crailey seemed to dislike nobody),
was betotened by a furtive understanding
of a sort between them. They held brief,
earnest conversations on the street, or
in the corners when they met at other
people's houses, always speaking in
voices too low to be overheard; and they
exercised a mysterious symbolism, some
what in the manner of fellow-members of
a secret society; they had been observed
to communicate across crowded rooms, by
lifted eyebrow, nod of head, or a surrepti
tious turn of the wrist; so that those who
obseri'ed them knew that a question had
been asked and answered.
It was noticed, also, that there were five
other Initiates to this masonry: Eugene
Madrillon, the elder Chenoweth, General
Trumble. Tappingham Marsh and Jeffer
son Bareaud. Thus, on the afternoon fol
lowing Miss Betty's Introduction to Rou
en's favorite sons and daughters, Mr.
Carewe, driving down Main street, held
up one forefinger to Madrillon as he saw
the young man turning in at the club. Eu
gene nodded gravely, and, as he went in,
discovering March, the General and oth
ers listening to Mr. Gray's explanation of
his return from the river with no fish,
stealthily held up one finger in his turn.
Trumble replied with a wink. Tappingham
nodded, but; Crailey lightly shook his
head. Marsh and the General started -with
surprise, and started Incredulously. That
Crailey should shake his 'head! If the
signal had been for a church meeting they
might have understood.
Mr. Gray's conduct was surprising two
other people at about the same time; Tom
Vanrevel and Fanchon Bareaud; the for
ber by his sudden devotion to the law;
the latter by his sudden devotion to her
self. In a breath, he became almost a do
mestic character. No more did he spend
his afternoons between the club and the
Rouen House bar. nor was his bay mare
so often seen stamping down the ground
about Mrs. McBougal's -hltchlng-post
while McDougal was out on the prairie
with his engineering squad. The ldle-ap- j
prentice was at his desk, and in the day- j
time he displayed an aversion for ' the
streets, which' was more than his partner
did. for the industrious Tom, undergoing
quite as Temarkable aft alteration of hab
it, became, all at once, little better than
a.- corner-loafer. '.His favorite lounging
place was a small drug etore where Ca
rewe street debouched upon-Main; never
theless, so' adhesive is a reputation once
fastened, his ajr of being tbere upon busi
ness deceived everyone except Mr. Gray.
Miss Bareaud was even happier than
she was astonished (and she was might
ly astonished) to find her betrothed de
veloping a taste -for her society alone.
Formerly, she had counted "upon the
gayetles of her home to keep Crailey near
her; now, however, he told her tenderly
he wished to have hSr all to himself.
This was not like him, but Fanchon did
not question; and It was very sweet to
her that he began to make It his custom
to come in by a side gate and meet her
under an apple tree in the dusk, where
they would sit quietly together through
the evening, listening to .the noise and
laughter from the lighted house.
That house was the most hospitable In
Rouen. Always cheerfully "fully of com
pany," as they said. It was the sort of
bouse where a carpet-dance could be ar
ranged In half an hour; a house with a
sideboard like the widow's cruse; the
young men always found more. Mrs.
Bareaud, a Southerner, loving to per
suade the visitor that her home was his.
not hers, living only for her art, which
was that of the table. Evil cooks, tak
ing service with her, became virtuous.
dealt with nectar and ambrosia, and grew
fit to pander to Olympus, learning of
their mistress secrets to make the Ill-
disposed as genial gods ere they departed.
Mr. Bareaud at 50 had lived so well that
he gave up walking, which did not trou
ble him; but at C5 he gave up dancing.
which did trouble him. His only hope,
he declared, was in Crailey Gray's prom
ise iu nivciiL iur unu a. uuiicuve partner.
There was a thin, quizzing shank of a
son, Jefferson, who lived upon quinine.
ague and deviltry; and there were two
daughters, Fanchon and Virginia. The
latter was three years older than Fan
chon, as dark as Fanchon was fair,
though not nearly so pretty; a small,
good-natured, romping sprite of a girl,
who had handed down the heart and
hand of Crailey Gray to her sister with
the best grace in the world. For she had
been the heroine of one of Mr. Gray's
half-dozen or so most serious affairs, and,
after a furious rivalry with Mr. Carewe,
the victory was generally conceded to
Cralley. His triumph had been of about
a fortnight's duration when Fanchon re
turned from St. Mary's; and, with the
advent of the younger sister, the elder,
who had decided that Cralley was the
incomparable she had dreamed of since
Infancy, was generously allowed to dis
cover that he was not that vision that
she had fallen In love with her own idea
of him; whereas Fanchon cared only that
he be Cralley Gray, whatever kind of
vision that was. And Fanchon discovered
that it was a great many kinds.
The transfer was made comfortably,
with nice judgment of a respectable In
terregnum, and to the greater happiness
of each of the three younger people; no
objection ensuing from the easy-going
parents, who were devoutedly fond of
Cralley, while the town laughed and said
it was only that absurd Cralley Gray
again. He and Virginia were the best of
friends, and accepted their new relation
with a preposterous lack of embarrass
ment. To be In love with Crailey became Fan
chon's vocation: she spent all her time at
It. and prpduced a blurred effect upon
strangers. The only man with whom she
seemed quite alive was Vanrevel; a little
because Tom talked of Cralley, and a
great deal because she could talk of
Cralley to Tom; could tell him freely, as
OLD MAN HOGAN ON THE PRESIDENT'S TOUR
BY HENRY M. HYDE
HIST! Be quiet. Speak softly
an' lay your big stick behint th'
kitchen dure. The Prisldlnt av
th United States has Jlst got back from a
14,000 mile round-up av th' North American
continent in th' upper story av a sleepln'
car an is tryin' to take a" tin-minute nap
bayfore he begins th' Juties av'th' day.
"All he's goin' to do bayfore dinner is
to clone out th' postoffice daypartmlnt,
slttle th Chinese question, box twlnty
rounds with Gin'ral Wood, whrlte a short
history av th' Mexican war in free vol
umes, an' ride thlrty-slvln miles across
country.
"Be th day afther tomorrow' he explcts
to be up to a full day's wor-r-rk.
"Th Prisldlnt rayports that he injoyed
th trip Immensely. Though he was tlmpt
ed greatly be college professors. Western
Governors, mountain lions, cowboys and
other wild animals, he kilt nothln' while
he was away. Th' nearest he come to it
. .. m
was to scare Uncle Mark Hanna almost to
death be s'endln' him a tilligram suggistlng
that he wouldn't objict to th Ohio con
vintiori indorsln him for a second term.
"Durln his abslnce th' Prisldlnt con
sumed forty-slvin banquets, eighteen state
luncheons an' a dozen breakfasts, besides
some food which he et on th dlnln' ca-ar.
He made two hundurd an' thirteen speech
es, dedicated ninety-six monuments, klst
nine thousan' and sixteen little girls, clum
to th' top av nineteen mountains, was
preslnted with wan thousand an' sivin bo
kays, four bronchos, a box av honey an
a tame grizzly bear an beat sixteen cow
boys on a sixty-mile Tide across th Bad
Lands. Bcchune times he studied botany,
consultid with th' par-thy leaders, av
twinty-two states an' investigated manny
strange anj curious speclmlns av th' lower
ordhers av th' animal kingdom, includin'
Governor Yates av Illinois.
"Manny tbrillln adventures mar-r-rked
th thrip. At wan time, while th Prisidlnr
tialparthy was campln out in Yellowstone
' "
she.' could tell no one else, how wonderful
Crailey was, and explain to binV:her lov
er's vagaries on 'the ground tbat'it was a
necessity of geniuses to' be unlike the less
gifted. Nor was she alone In suspecting
Mr. Gray of genius; in the first place, he
was so odd: In the .second, his poems
were "already attracting more, thanlocal
attention," as the Journal remarked"gen
erously, for Crailey bad ceasedto present
his rhymes to that Valuable paper.. Ay!
Boston, no less, was his mart. ' ' -
He was rather radical In his HterJry
preferences, and hurt Jthe elder Cheno-
weth's feelings by laughing heartily atJ
some poems of the lateLord Byronl of
fended many people by disliking -the style
of Sir Edward Bulwer, and even refused
to admit that James Fenlmore Cooper was
the greatest novelist that ever lived". But
these things were as nothing compared
with, his unpatriotic defense of Charles
Dickens. Many Americans had fallen into
a great rage over the vivacious assault
upon the United States In "Martin Chuz-
zlewlt"; nevertheless, Cralley still boldly
hailed his (as eixry one had heretofore
agreed) the most notable humorist of any
day. Of course the Englishman had not
visited and thoroughly studied such a city
as Rouen, Cralley confessed, twinkllngly;
but, after all, wasn't there some truth In
"Martin Chuzzlewit?" Mr. Dickens might
have been far from a clear understanding
of our people: but didn't it argue a pretty
ticklish vanity In ourselves that we were
so fiercely resentful of satire; and was
not Hus" very heat over "Martin Chuzzle
wit" a confirmation of one of the points
the book had presented against us? Gen
eral Trumble replied to this suggestion
.with a personal one to the effect that a
man capable of saying a good word for so
monstrous a slander, that a man. sir,
capable of declaring his native country
to be vain or sensitive, ought to be horse
whipped, and at this Cralley laughed con
sumedly. Trumble retorted with the names of
Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr. "And
If it comes to a war with these Greas
ers," he spluttered apopletically, "and It
is coming, mighty soon, we'll find Mr.
Gray down in Mexico, throwing mud on
the Stars and Stripes and cheering for
that one-legged horsethlef, Santa Anna!
Anything to seek out something foolish
amongst your' own .people!"1
"Don't have to seek far, sometimes.
General," murmured Cralley, from the
depths of the best chair In the club, where
upon Trumble, not trusting himself to an
swer, went out to the street.
And yet, before that same evening was
over, the General had shed honest tears
of admiration and pity for Cralley Gray;
and Miss Betty saw her 'incroyable'.agaln,
for that night (the second after the Ca
rewe dance) Rouen beheld the great ware
house fire.
CHAPTER V.
Nero Not the Lnt Violinist of His
Kind.
Miss Carewe was at her desk, writing
to Sister Cecilia, whom she most loved
of all the world, when the bells startled
her with their sudden clangor. The quill
dropped from her hand; she started to
her feet; wide-eyed, not understanding;
while ' the whole town, drowsing peace
fully a, moment ago, resounded Immedi
ately with a loud confusion. She ran to
the front door and looked out, her heart
beating wildly.
The western sky was touched with a
soft rose-color, which quickly became a
warm glow, fluctuated, and in the In
stant, shot up like the coming of a full
Aurora. Then through the broken foli
age of the tree-tops could be seen the
orange curls of flames, three quarters of
a mile away though they were.
People, calling loudly that "It was
Carewe's warehouse," were running
down the street. From the stable, old
Nelson, on her father's best horse, came
galloping, and seeing the white figure
In the doorway, cried out in a quavering
Par-r-rk th camp was attacked by a large
an' ferocious pack av rayporthers, who
were driven down from th' mountain In
great numbers be hunger an ordhers from
their managin' edlthors. For a few hours
th' whole counthry was kept in great sus
plnse, but whin th pa-pars come out th'
nixt mornln' it was relieved to find that
while silver was still speakln' over at
Lincoln, Nebraskay, slllnce was as golden
as it always has been.
"Th thrain wint so fast at some places
that th' chairman av th' dlllgation to wel
come th' Prisldlnt at Cheyenne, Wyoml ng,
was only half through his spache av in
troduction whin th' prisldlntial special
pulled Into Kansas City, Mo., four hundurd
miles away, an' at slvral' large cities In
California th' people on the outskirts av
th' crowd are still flghtin' desperately for
a chance to git to th center an shake
Rosyfelt be th hand.
"But 'twas a great thrip. All over th'
country wist av th Mississippi River th'
Prisldlnt seen th' wonders av irrigation
an listened to th' still greater wonders
av exaggeration. Out in th' State av
Washington he seen th' place where th
accommodating salmon leap over th' dams
Into th' inds av long tin spouts an' come
out at th other ind neatly done up in
pound cans, with rid labels pasted on thlm.
In Kansas he visited th place where whis
kers grow so luxuriously that wan promi
nlnt citizen, com in' home late at night
got lost in his own beard an' starved to
death bayfore he could be foun' an' res
cued, though ivrybody in th' counthry
turned out an looked for him for two
weeks. His feet trod th sites av no less
than four hundurd future metropllses av
th' world an' he seen a dozen thrlvin' com
munities where if you don't get into th'
cyclone, clllar in time to avoid throuble
you'll be taken in, against your will, be
the seller av long distance town lots.
"He come home full av enthusiasm an
only regrettln' that things had not been
a little livelier an more excltln' while
he was away.
"All along th route av th' prisldlntial
train from Chicago to Kokomo, Injinay,
on th rayturn thrip, th'" right av way
is marked be breathllss and gaspin'
newspaper mln an politicians. Th'
whole West Is out av breath. ?-But 'twill
raycover" in plfnty av time to holler
'Hurrah! be th time av th' nixt national
convintlon.
"From Germany comes word that th
Kaiser is ready to dayclare war on th
United States on th' ground that th'
Prisidint Is infringin' on his copyright
" 'Afther spendln some fifteen years in
workln up me reputation as th most
strenuous man In th world,' says Wil
helm, 'I am not prepared to sit sthlll
an' watch this upstart av a Rosyfelt
beat me record. What good did it do me
to whrite an opry with me lift hand
while I shook th mailed fist av me right
mitt in th face av th solar systim, If
he is goin tt sthart out on a special
train an do stunts that make me look
like a cast iron statoot ay a Jtlnth sin
tury Hohensollem? It Is up to me to
make good, so look out "lor1 little WlIHei
On the first av th' month I shall start
turnln' a series av "back handsprings
over th' map of Europe, windln'-up with
a double somersault whlch'll 'land, me
on top av th' tower av London. .An' If
that don't hold him I'll shoot over to
America on an air-ship, throw a. bunch av'
cat-fits at th St Looy exposition, an'
thin run for prisidint on th DIramycrkt
ticKct witnuncie ueorge Dewey as. me
candidate for "Vice-Prisidlnt' "
(Copyright, 1903.) v
voice, without checking his steed:
"I gola' tell yo' pa. Miss Betty; he In
do kentry on lan' bus'ness. Go back in
de house. Missy!" . .
The other servants, like ragged, sketches
In the night, flitted by, with excited ejacu
lations, v't6 Join the runners, and ""Miss
Betty followed them across the. ' dew
strewn turf- in her light slippers but at
the gate she stopped. J
.From up the street came the sound of
a bell smaller than those of the churches
and court-house, yet one that outdid all'
others In 4he. madness of Its appeal to
clear the way. IJ: was borne along by
what seemed at first an Indefinite": black
mass, but which as the Aurora, grew
keener, producing even here, a faint, yel
low twilight resolved Itself ' Into, a mob
of hoarse-shouting men and boys,,- who
were running and tugging at ropes, which
drew along three extraordinary vehicles.
They came rapidly down the street andi
passed' Miss Betty, with a hubbub and din
beyond jail understanding. One line of,
men. mo3tof them in "red shirts and oil
cloth helmets, at a dead1 run with, "the
hosecart; ' a : second line with the hand
engine; the third Adr&rgtpg the ladder
wagon. One man1' "Yaa riding, a tall,
straight gentleman'' In "evening clothes and
without a hat, who" stood precariously n
the hosecartj calling In an annoyed 'one
through a brazen trumpet Miss Betty
recognized him at once; it was he who
caught he? kitten; and she thought that
if she haabeen Fanchon Bareaud, she
must have -screamed a warning, for his
balance appeared a thing of mere luck,
and. If he- fell, would be trampled under
foot, and probably run over by the en
gine. But happily (she remembered), she
was not Fanchon Bareaud.
Before, behind.- and beside the depart
ment, raced a throng of boys, wild' with
the Joy experienced by their species when
property Is being handsomely destroyed:
after them came panting women,holdlng
theic sides and gasping with the "effort to
keep- up with the flying procession. ,
Miss Betty trembled, for she had never
seen the like In her life; she stood close.
to the hedge and let them gQ by; then she
turned in after them and ran like afleet
young deerl She was going tp the fire.
Over all the uproar could be heard the
angry voice through the trumpet, calling
the turns of the street to the men In the
van. upbraiding them and those of the
other two companies Impartially; and few
of his hearers denied the chief his "right
to1 express some chagrin, since the de
partment (organized a half-year, hard
drilled, and this its .first fire worth- the
name) was late on account of the- refusal
of, the members to move until they had
donned. their new uniforms; for the uni
forms had arrived from Philadelphia two
months ago, and tonight offered the first
opportunity to display them in public.
"Hail Vanrayel! . panted Tappingham
"Maftsh to. Eugene Madrillon. as the two
running in .jthe van, of the "Hose com
pany," splattered through a mudpuddle.
"You'd think lie" was Carewe s only son
and heir Instead of his worst enemy. Hark
to the maril"
"I'd let It burn. -if I were he," returned
the other. " v
"rt was all Crailey's fault" said Tap
pingham, swinging an arm free to wipe
the spattered mud from his face. "He
swore he wouldn't budge without his uni
form, and the rest only backed him up:
that was all. Cralley said Carewe could
better afford to lose his shanties than the
overworked department Its first chance
to look beautiful and earnest. T,om asked
him why he djdn't send for a fiddle,"
Marsh finished with a chuckle.
"Carewe might afford to lose a little,
even a warehouse or two. If only out of
what he's taken from Cralley and the rest
of us, these three years!"
"Taken from Vanrevel. you mean. Who
-SXTMMEI'l
Every season has its own diseases, but Rheuma
tism belongs to all, for when it gets well intrenched
in the system, and joints and muscles are saturated
with the poison, the aches and pains are coming and
going all the time, and it becomes an all-the-year-'
round disease ; an attack coming as quickly from sud
den chilling of the body when overheated, a fit of in
digestion or exposure to the damp, Easterly winds of
Summer as from the keen, cutting winds, freezing
atmosphere and bitter cold of Winter.
Rheumatism never comes by accident. It is in
the blood v and system before a pain is felt. Some
inherit a strong predisposition or tendency; it is born in them; but whether heredity is
back of it or it comes from imprifdent and careless ways of living, it is the same always
and at all seasons. The real cause of Rheumatism is a polluted, sour and acid condition
of the blood, and as it flows through the body deposits a gritty, irritating substance
or sediment in the muscles, joints and nerves, and it is these that produce the terri
ble .pains, inflammation and swellingand the misery and. torture. of Rheumatism. No
otner disease causes sucn pain, sucn wiae-spreaa
sufferings It deforms and cripples its thousands,
leaving them helpless invalids and nervous wrecks.
When neglected or improperly treated, Rheuma
. tism becomes .chronic, the pains are wandering or
shifting from one place to another, sometimes sharp
and cutting, again dull and aggravating. The mus
cles of the neck, shoulders and back, the joints of the knees," ankles "and wrists, are
most often the seat of "pain. Countless liniments and plasters are applied tp get relief,
but such things do not reach the poisoned blood; their effect is only temporary; they are
neither curative ,nor preventive. Th$ bloqd must be purified, and all irritating matter re
moved from the circulation before permanent relief and a thorough cure is effected, and no
remedy does this so certainly and so quickly as S. S. S.V It contains not only purifying
and tonic properties, but solvent qualities as well, ajll these being necessary in eradicating the
poison and making" a -complete- and lasting cure of Rheumatism.. S. S. S. cleanses the
t f blood of all irritating: matter and the acid particles are
will find it not only the best blood purifier,, but a most invigorating tonic-r just such a remedy
as they need to enrich the blood and quicken the circulation. -
Whether you have Rheumatism in the acute or chronic -stage, the treatment must be
internal, deep and thorough in order to be lasting. Never be satisfied with anything less
than an absolutely, perfect cure. This you can get by the use of S. S S., the oldest
and jjest purifier .and greatest of all fonics r
Write ns fully and freely about your 'case,- and medical advice will be given without
charge, and our special book on Rheumatism will be mailed free to all desiring it. r '
TSE SWJfT $PGIFJG COMPAMY. ATLANTA, GA
doesn't know where Crailey's Here's bucket brigade, had formed a line and
Main street-loo's, out fpr the turn!" were throwing large palls of water In the
They. swung put of the. "thick shadows general direction Qf the southernmost
of Carewe. street into full view of the warehouse, which it was now impossible
fire, "and -their faces -ere illuminated as to save; while the gentlemen of the "hook
by. sunrise. ; and-ladder company," abandoning their
The warehouses stood on the riverbank. wagons, and armed with axes, heroically
at the foot of the street Just south of the '. assaulted the big door of the granary, the
new "covered bridge." There -vvere four ot second building, whence they were driven
them, huge, bareslded buildings; the two I by the exasperated chief, who informed
nearer the bridge, of brick, the others of j them that the only way to save the wheat
wood, and all of them rich with stores-of j was to save the building. Crailey Gray,
every kind of river merchandise and costly ! one of the berated axmen. remained by
freight; furniture that had voyaged from t the shattered door after the others had
New' England down the long coast across ' goae, and. struck by a sudden thought
the Mexican Gulf, through the flat delta, j set his hand upon the iron latch and
and had made the winding journey up the ' opened the door by this simple process,
great -river a thousand miles, and almost I I "was not locked. Cralley leaned against
a thousand, more, following the greater the casement and laughed with his whole
and lesser tributaries-; cloth from Connect- I soul and body.
icut that- had been sold in Philadelphia, I Meanwhile, by dint of shouting in men's
then tarried over mountains and through ears when near them, through the trum-
forests by steam, by canal, by stage, and
six-mule freight wagons, to Pittsburg.
downthe Ohio,, and thence up to Rouen
on the packet; Tennessee cotton, on Its
way to Massachusetts and Rhode Island
spindles, lay there Beside huge mounds of
raw woot from Illnols, ready to be fed to
the Rouen mill; dates and nuts from the
Caribbean Sea; lemons from groves of the
far-away tropics; cigars from the Antilles;
tobacco 'from Virginia and Kentucky;
most precious of all, the great granary of
the farmers' wheat from the level fields
at home; and all the rich stores and the
houses that held them, as well as the
wharves upon which they had been. land
ed, and the steamers that brought them
up the Rouen River, belonged to Robert
Carewe.
That It was her father's property which
was Imperilled attested to the justification
of Miss Betty in running to a fire; and, as
she followed the crowd Into Main street
she felt a not unpleasant proprietary in
terest in the spectacle. Very apposite sen
sations animated the breast of the man
with the trumpet who was more acutely
conscious than any other that these were
Robert Carewe's possessions which were
burning so handsomely. Nor was he the
only one among the firemen who ground
his teeth over the folly of the uniforms;
for how they could plainly see' the ruin
being wrought, the devastation threat
ened. The twp upper stories of the south
ernmost watehduBfr had swathed them
selves In one; great flame; the building
next on the north, also a frame, was
smoking heavily, and there, was a wind
from the stfuthwest which, continuing
with the fire unchecked, threatened the
town Itself. There was work for the
volunteer brigade that night
They .came down Main street with a
rush, the figure of the chief swaying over
them on his hlch nrh nrhllo VnIiJ-t!i
Ing was drowned in the louder roar of
greeting from the crowd into which they
plunged as a diver into the water, swirls
and eddies of people marking the wake. A
moment later a section of the roof of the
burning warehouse fell in, with a so
norous and reverberating crash.
The "engine company" ran the force
pump out to the end of one of the lower
wharves: two lines of pipe were at
tached; two rows of men mounted the
planks for the pumpers, and, at the word
of command, began the up-and-down of
the hand-machine with admirable vim.
Nothing happened: the water did not
come; something, appeared to be wrong
with the mechanism. As every one felt
the crucial need of haste, nothing could
have been more natural than that all the
members of the "engine company" should
simultaneously endeavor to repair the de
fect; therefore ensued upon' the spot a
speciea of riot which put the engine out of
Its sphere of usefulness.
In the meantime, 50 or GO men and boys
who ran with the machines, but who
had no place in their operation, being the
dissolved and filtered out of the system, thus relieving
the muscles and joints and removing all danger of future
attacks. Under its N tonic effect the nervous system re
gains its 'normal tone and th appetite and digestion im
prove, resulting in the upbuilding of the general health.
S. S. S. contains no Potash or minerals of any descrip
tion, but is sTiaranteed purely vegetable. Old people
. pet when distant tearing axes from their
hands. Imperiously gesticulating to sub
ordinate commanders, and lingering In
no one spot for more than a second, Mr.
Vanrevel reduced his forces to a sem
blance of order In a remarkably short
time, considering the confusion into which
they had fallen.
The space between the burning ware
house and that next It was not more
than 50 feet In width, but 50 feet so hot
no one took thought of entering there; an
area as discomfiting In appearance as it
was beautiful with the thick rain of
sparks and firebrands that fell upon It
But the chief had decided that this space
must be occupied, and, more, must be
held, since it was the only point of de
fense for the second warehouse. The roof
of this building would burn, which would
mean the destruction of the warehouse,
unless it could be mounted, because the
streams of water could not play upon it
from the ground,, nor, from the ladders,
do much more than wet the" projecting
eaves. It was a gable roof, the eaves
20 feet lower on the south side than on
the north, where the ladders could not
hope to reach them. Vanrevel swung bis
line of bucketeers round to throw watir,
not upon the flames, but upon the laddir
men. Miss Carewe stood in the crowd upon
the opposite side of the broad street
Even there her cheek3 were uncomfort
ably hot and sometimes she had to brush
a spark from her shoulder, though she
was too much excited to mind this. She
was watching the beautiful fiery furnace
between the north wall of the burning
warehouse and the south wall of Its
neighbor, the 50 feet brilliant and misty
with vaporous rose-color, dotted with my
riad red stars, her eyes shining with the
reflection of their fierce beauty. She saw
how the vapors moved there, like men
walking in fire, and she was vaguely re
calling Shadrach, Mesbach, and Abed
nego, when, over the silhouetted heads of
the crowd before her, a long black ladder
rose, wobbled, tilted, crazily, then lamely
advanced and, ranged Itself against the
south wall of the second -warehouse, Its
top rung striking ten feet short ot the
eaves. She hoped that no one had any
notion of mounting that ladder.
A figure appeared upon it Immediately,
that of a gentleman, bareheaded and In
evening dress, with a brass trumpet swing
ing from a cord about his shoulders; the
noise grew less; the shouting died away,
and the crowd became almost silent, as
the figure, climbing slowly, drew up above
their heads. Two or three rungs beneath,
came a second a man in helmet and uni
form. The clothes of both men, drenched
by the bucketeers, clung to them, steam
ing. As the second figure mounted, a third
appeared; but this was the last, for the
ladder was frail, and sagged toward the
smoking wall with the weight of the three
men.
(To be continued.)
HIS WIFE 'A GREAT SUFFERER.
f My wife had. beea troubled -with Rheuma
tism for some time when she heard of 8 S 8,
which she tried, and which cured her com
pletely, as she has not suffered slnoe. I rec
ommend 8 S 8 as a good medicine.
Okolona, Miss. ' J. E. REEDER.
A"