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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1906)
THE SUNDAY OREUONIAN, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 2, 1906. 47 PETE'S cars were wide open to the talk of the two women. He was for gotten for the moment, and he farmer's wife asked of Aunt Hannah: ''But what did the man want Of the old' trunk?" "Nobody knows. He said that It was aa. old family trunk, and had been sold bv mistake, but he probubly lied about that." "Jim Cummerford muxt have overhauled the trunk when he got it home." "Of course, he did. He' been dead these three years, but his wift says there wasn't a thing but the moth-eaten clothes, and that they had a great laugh at him bocause the trunk cost him a dollar. She knew it went to the barn, but she. can't say who took it away. Perhaps her hus band sold it to some tin peddler before he died." "I have heard of wills being hidden in old trunks," said the farmer's wife, after a while. "So have I. I'll bet there was something of the kind hidden in this one. If there wasn't, why should anybody be: hunting it up?" 'That was the end of the conversation. Before Pete went away he asked where the widow Cummerford lived, and was told that it was on his road and a mile away. After stopping at two houses, he reached the Cummerford- farm.- The widow was a woman who .liked to talk, and she also wanted to .make a number of purchases. It was the noon hour and she gave Pete a kindly invitation to eat with the family. There were three chil dren, but all younger than the boy ped dler. During the meat she asked him many questions, but nothing was said of HOW THEY CAPTURED THE GREAT EEL A GREAT EEL came up out of the sea and killed or drove away all the people In Songs-of-Vlctory Town. But. after a while, a man who had fled with his family returned, and. with his wife and ten children, began housekeep ing In his old home. There were nine boys and a girl in the family, aiid one day the eldest boy said to his . father: . "Why is it that nobody except oursclyes lives in this village?" Then the father told him the story Of the Great Eel, and how, at any time, the monster might return and devour them. That night the boy told the story to his brothers, and said:-"Come,' let -us go and kill that" monster, that people may come back once more to their homes, .and Songs-of-Victory Town be again inhabit ed. I am big and strong, and you," pointing to the second brother, "have medicine," meaning .by that that the second brother was gifted as a magician am could do all sorts of hocus-pocus work and sleight of hand. But for a long time the boys could not find out where Great jEel lived, for then father did not know, and they Tnet -no man who could tell them when they went out fishing and hunting. Finally one day they saw Old Man Heron sitting alone on a rock on the shore, and said to him: "Ho, Old Man Heron, you that are so wise, tell us where does Great Eel live, that we may go and destroy him." - "And how will you catoh Great Eel?" asked Old Man Heron. -'I .will catch him with my hands," said Eldest Brother. "I will put medicine upon him," said Second Brother. .The third brother declared he would shoot him with an arrow, and so, all the nine brothers had some way in which lie would destroy Great Eel. But Old Man Heron laughed and said: "Go . home and listen to what the little bird sings." The next morning a wren perched' upon the . corner of the house and chirped "Sinews! Sinews!" "There." cried the sister. "Great Eel must be caught with a noose of sinews, and I must make the cord for the noose. Go shoot wrens and draw up their sin ews for me." . " . So the boys went out ana shot wrens, and after they had shot them . the sec ond brother put medicine, - upon them, and the birds flew away as good as ever. When the sister had completed the cord- THEY PCIXED THE HEAD OF lie the trunk until she had selected and paid for what she wanted and he was ready to go. Then- Pete. told her of the conversa tion he had heard and asked her for fur ther particulars. Why,. I shall be glad to tell yon all about-it." replied the woman. "Four or five years ago my husband- was in Mil waukee, and at: a sale of baggage he bid "THE WIDOW COMMERFORD, HBIUKLF, MT HTM AT THE DOOR." in an old trunk. He did" hot open it until he got it home, and then he saw that he had been sold-. There was a suit of clothes in' It, but the moths had eaten them full of holes. 1 wouldn't have the of sinews the boys went again to Old Man Heron and asked him what now they should do. "Go to Sealion Town." said Heron, "and there get the fastest canoe the magic canoe that is swifter than an ar row and which makes the ocean crack with its speed." The boys w-ent to Sealion Town. First DO zsojni The Dog-D&ys exre here And I "tremble wifo When I o or Cfc'ose I'm Y&& oj bite i they tried Fast-Rainbow Trout's canoe. Fast Rainbow Trout stood up in the middle of the canoe, and when the broth ers paddled all together, he fired an ar row forward. It fell abreast of the canoe. Then they tried Steel-Head's canoe. He also' fired an arrow from the mid dle of the canoe, forward, as they pad dled, and the arrow fell into the water just astern of the canoe. Still they did not think that was fast enough, and they borrowed Jellyfish's GREAT EEL INTO THE CAOE; trunk about the house, and so Jim lugged it to the barn and filled it with hay and let the setting hens use it.' I supposed It was there Vet, but when a man came along the other day and- wanted to know about it, I could not find It." "What sort of a man was ha?" asked Pete. "He was a keen-looking man and a slick talker. He said that it was a trunk brought over from Holland by his great grandmother ,and he did not want to lose it. He was willing to pay $10 for it. In deed, if I could have found the trunk and had asked him double that, I guess he would have paid it quick enough. He seemed terribly disappointed." "And what do you think became of it?" "I haven't the least idea. I can't see how it could have got out of the barn without Jim having sold it. or given it away." " "And you couldn't tell this man Where you -might get trace of it?" "No more than I can you. It seems to me 'you are also asking a great many questions., ' "Yes'm; hut you ,see I go everywhere. canoe. When the brothers paddled oil together Jellyfish fired an arrow ns Fast-Rainbow-Trout and Steel-Head had done, and the arrow fell far back in the wake of the canoe. Then they paddled back to Old Man .Heron, arid said: "It is a fine day; tell vus where the Great Eel lives, that we may go and destroy him." But old Man Heron said: "No, brave men, it is a bad day." and the boys paddled home to Songs-of-Victory Town and told of their adventures.' Early the next day they wst out in the canoe again to Old Man Heron and he shouted to them: "It is a eood day, brave men! The mist will melt away with the sunshine." Then he gave them directions how to. find Great Eel, and -said: "When It sleeps, then go to it. When it sleeps, phosphorescent light shines Jn itseyes. When there is no phosphorescent light in its eyes, then do not go to it." ' They started off. After they had gone along for a while they came to the dwelling of Great Eel, and saw the phosphorescent light shine in his eyes. Quickly Eldest Brother threw the noose over the head of the monster, and all the other brothers pulled away on the cord of sinews. They pulled the head of the Great Eel into the canoe and cut it off. Then they turned their canoe, and all together they paddled away for Songs-of-Victory Town. But Great Eel was king of all the eels, and the eels came after them to avenge the killing of their king. But they could not. catch the magic canoe. As the brothers paddled all to gether under the bows the current flowed so fast that it made cracks in the' water. Into the cracks Second Brother poured blue hellebore, and the cracks closed up, sfor he had magic. On the right side and on the left side of the canoe also there opened cracks in the sea, the canoe went so fast, and into these cracks also Second Brother poured blue hellebore, and the cracks closed up again. The eels could not begin to catch them, and so they came in triumph to Songs-of-Victory Town, carrying the head of Great Eel, and stuck the head on a pole in the middle of the village When the people who had fled from the village heard that Great Eel was dead and his head stuck up on. a pole they all came back again to their old homes, and Songs-of-Victory Town was inhabited once more. ,The PePle were so pleased at what Eldest Brother had done that They wade him chief, and the sister who had made the cord of sinews was -mar-ried to the Chief of Sealion Town. Dismal Day's for Willie. v,h'3 K'f" 1" CMc Rord-HerId. in "the" yard t0 nalure' he u 8lPing And has bought himself some dumb-bells which will make his muscles hard Me goes walking every morning with no shoes or stockings on, But it makes him mad when mother thinks he ought to rake the lawn. Sister's got a tennis racquet and she plays with all her might. Every day she keeps It going and Is tired out at night. But whenever mother wants her to help sweep or get a meal She forgets that life is pleasant and you ougat to hear her squeal. Oh, I wish that I'd an uncle living on a farm somewhere And that I could spend the Summer help ing harvest things out there; But there Rln't no fun for Willie; I'm not in the happy class. For, confound the luck, I've got to stay at home and mow the grass. A Chinaman's Criticism. Metropolitan. Among the many invitations I have re seived was one to meet some "club women." The club woman is an Ameri can product. It is now fashionable) to belong to clubs, hence as a rule the clubs are made up of: First. Women who wish to attain no toriety. : They find in the dub an op portunity to read original papers, poems and verses as the members have rules by which they agree to listen to he lit erary productions of fellow-members. Second. Women who by this way in crease their acquaintance. Third. . Women who dislike household work. Fourth. Women who really and hon estly believe they are contributing to human knowledge and happiness by read ing papers and poems on ail cognate and possible subjects. and perhaps I may come across the trunk for you." "That's so, boy that's so. You are pretty bright for a boy- of your age. If you ever set eyes on that old trunk, come and tell me, and I'll give you half make out of it." i, , "Then, you must' carefully describe it to me," replied Pete. The widow did so, and he had no doubt that it was the trunk the miser was look ing for. When he got away from the house, he sat down in a fence corner to think things over. Mr. Mims had hunted for years and not found trace of the lost trunk. He had been peddling for only three weeks and had heard of it. Right there was the barn where the trunk had been stored for three or four years, and now he must set himself to find out who had taken it. away. He thought first of hastening back to Johnsville ', to give -the miser the news, hut what he had learned would not be good news. The trunk must be traced. . . . , : And there was another matter that would trouble the old man.: Some one else .was hunting for that trunk; some one else must know -about the papers under the false' bottom. It was,, no doubt, one of the gang of land speculators that had robbed Mr. Mims. If they ever found the papers," -. they would destroy the case against .them. No; he would not go back to Johnsville until he had made further injuiries. .-.'-' . -.e boy tried to ' reason out how the 'trunk got away from -the' bam. but that was-a matter that would have puzzled the head of a detective. Would a tramp steal it?' iVo.- Would a tin peddler buy it? It was' possible, but not likely. Would the farmer destroy it? No, not as long as it was In use. What, then,- had become of it? After the boy' had puzzled over the mat ter for a loug time,' he rose up and moved on and tried to dismiss It. from his mind. That night was passed with a kind-hearted farmer, ; who ; refused to make . any charge and gave Pete much good advice. He asked the boy- if he had met any tramps thus far, and he warned -him that there were fellows who would not hesi- 'tate to knock him senseless and rob him of his all, if they met him in a lonely spot. He. told Pete to strike as hard as he could with his cudgel in case any one laid hands on him, and if he was over powered' to give the alarm at the nearest farmhouse. He repeated his words in the morning when the boy was ready to de part, and. before night Pete had cause to remember them. Half a dozen miles away an exciting adventure awaited him. - (To Be Continued.) " 3the story aem CHAPTER "SEC ' mm RAISE. TO BE S0NTfNU NEXT WEEK wth sounWflr chap.zsseJ sounnoH op chapteb xv, "Oh. Granny." erted .little Rd Rldrng Hood, "what great eye you hare got!" "All the better to see row with, my dear." said the wolf. What great arms yo have got?" "All the better to fold yoa In." "What great ara" "All the better to hear your weet votes." "Afxi what a largo noa" ""AO tbe better to amelL" Mo voader the child - aright- x(ed,1 mm 1 FOR THE KINGSHIP OF THERE was a fight on, tooth and nail; a great fight for the kingship of Ratland. The parties contending were Long-tail and Sharp-tooth. The two families had long been hostile, and as they increased in numbers and power the time had come to decide which should rule in the domain of Andrus Barn. The first trouble had grown out of a change o 'residence on the part of Long tail. The Sharp-tooth family had located itself In--a fine corner near the barn sta ble, and the building of a new granary THE FIGHT WAS OX, beyond the "Very partition where Sharp tooth had his front gateway made the spot very desirable. Property went up in that section of the barn so rapidly that the Sharp-tooths felt themselves becom ing millionaires without turning a claw. The fame of the Granary region spread in time down to the far end, of the hay loft, where the Long-tails resided. Now the Long-tails were numerous, .strong boned and sinewy..- ' It seemed absurd that the Sharp-tooths should get such a start in life when, they were no better than the Long-tails: In deed, they were not so good could the Sharp-tooth family trace their ancestry back to the rats that came over in the Mayflower? Clearly, no. Therefore they must be put down from the pride of their nouveau-riehnes, and the Long-tails must do this thing. The Sharp-tooth family. meanwhile. WHEN THE DEER LOST HIS TAIL ONE day when Raven-boy was on his travels he came to the town of Skldans. There, as he, perched upon a tree and meditated what -mischief he could do, he heard the people calling out to each other to come to the .Chiefs house, for the Chief was going to give a feast of cakes made of cranberries and hemlock bark. Raven-boy thought he would like very much to attend that feast himself, but his reputation as a mischief-maker was so great that he had doubts as to how he would be received. So he called out to Eagle: . "Now, cou sin, be my messenger. Go and ask the Chief if I can come to his party." So Eagle, being a good-natured bird, for gave Raven-boy all the tricks he had played upon him and went and said to the Chief: "Can Raven-boy be one of your guests?" . But the Chief said: "No. That Raven boy is altogether too mischievous. Ha will be playing tricks on us. If I catch him around here I will shoot arrows at him." "Hu," said Raven-boy, "will he? Well, we will see." Then Raven-boy flew off Into the wood,s where. In a short time, he, by his magic, made ten canoes out of pieces of a rotten tree. Into the canoes he put spruce cones, standing up along the middle, and at once they looked like men. Then into their hands he put blades of grass,- and the blades of grass at once became like war spears. Then be launched the ca noes on the inlet. Down the inlet flew Raven-boy, the ca noes following him, and came around to the front of the town, where the canoes approached the beach in order, as if a great war party had arrived. The people in the Chief's house, eating their cakes of cranberries and hemlock bark, loked out, saw the flotilla, and ran away in fear. The Chief ran after them,, calling out to them to get their spears and defend the town. Raven-boy, laughing so that he almost cracked his skin, flew into the Chief's house, threw up his beak, as he could do, and at once became a boy. He ate, and ate, of the cakes until he saw the Chief and the people returning with their spears, when he stopped eating to peek through the door and see what they would do. They ran down to the beach where the ten canoes were, and at once saw that the canoes and the people in them were fakes. Then they dashed them ' all to pieces and ran toward the Chiefs house, crying out that it was an other trick of Raven's, and if they caught him they would roast him. They came on so quickly that Raven boy was not able to escape. But he changed himself instantly back into a raven by simply pulling down his beak, and when the company came in they found a very black and demure bird, perched up on one of the rafters of the house. "Here is the mischief-maker. We have caught him at last," cried out the Chief. "And look," cried another of the com pany, "he has eaten almost all our cakes. "Oh, what a glutton!" So they caught Raven-boy, thrust a spit through him and put him over the fire to roast. - After a while Raven said: "One side of me is' getting uncomfortably hot. I wish you would turn the spit." So they turned the spit and Raven, looking up, saw Blue-jay, Woodpecker and Eagle looking down at him through the smoke hole. "Come down and scatter the fire!" cried Raven: "come down and scatter the fire. They are roasting me." So Blue-jay and Eagle and Woodpecker flew down and scattered the Are and asked the Chief to take Raven off of the spit. "He makes so much trouble," replied the Chief, "that we thought we would make an end of him, but if he will dance to amuse us we will let him go this time." Raven promised, and they took him off of the spit and rebuilt the Are. At once Raven threw up his beak and became a boy, dressed In a suit of raven's plu mage. All the people were astonished and the was ignorant of this growing jealousy, and on the night when the wheat was first stored in the completed granary it issued Invitations to a gnawing bee, the results of the night's labor to be a hole leading from the Sharp-tooth domain through the new boards into the granary. Thereafter, those who assisted were to be allowed one hour a week in the wheat bin. Every rat in the Andrus barn was there big and little, gray and brown. All the smaller and less important families ar rived punctually to the minute the Long, tails came late. They stood aloof, tall, stalwart and gloomy, until the sign for gnawing began, then they fell to with a .FOB LIFE OR DEATH. will. Father Long-tail was at the head, his wife and sons and daughters close be hind.. The others were fired by their splendid example, and took their turns at the front. The hole advanced rapidly, and just as the rooster crowed in the neigh boring henyard, heralding daylight, the teeth of the advance-guard bit - the air of the granary. A cheer went up from the crowd; and they fell to with renewed energy. Just as the sun rose the task was completed and the hole nicely concealed from the searching- eyes of Farmer Andrus. And now stepped forth Father Long tail, towering and majestic. "I call upon Father Sharp-tooth to do battle with me for possession of the ter ritory lying around the Granary Hole! He is only a squatter.. You can show no deed by which he Is entitled thus to Chief crfed out:, "Ho, ho! .so this 1b the mischievous youngster!" Just then- there was a knocking at the door, and, "upon opening Mt, there stood Deer, who 'had heard the noise and had the Lion, f m on J a Liq yc-iow eat RidVy ojtc truly Bin ootbmg Stud tr? kmtj.'ncwt foJ.-md Yu nced'nt be try in, Aftho Lm jiffy Know your come to see what all the confusion was about. "Come in," cried the Chief, "we have Just caught the mischievous Raven-boy and he is going to dance for us. Come In and see the fun." So Deer entered apd sat down In a cor ner, for he was not much used to society; but he really did like to see dancing. As soon as Raven-boy saw Deer he thought of another mischievous trick to play, and called out to the newcomer: "Oh, my worthy friend from the coun Old ' THE CITT 'SPARROW. , "I love this country life," explained. Miss Sparrow, from the city, "Because I think the angleworms Are really very pretty." RATLAND keep the rest of us In poverty and sub jection. Who is he that we, should gnaw holes for his pleasure and profit? One hour a week, forsooth! Come out. Fath er Sharp-tooth, and let this be a battle of honor to the strongest." "Honor!" hissed Father Sharp-tooth, aroused to a fire of indignation. "Do you call it honor .o do batle for my own? Am I accountable for the location of the granary? Honor!" Bitterly Father Sharp - tooth ground those sharp teeth of his. "You may take your choice," said Father Long-tail calmly: "Either you fight with me, or I and my family, which numbers twice your own, will fall upou you and annihilate you male, female, the aged and the infant none shall be spared." Then arose Father Sharp-tooth, and his eye glittered. "Be it so!" he thundered forth: "I have not your size and muscle, but I have courage and my teeth are sharp, likewise my good sword. Let the families not in terested in this quarrel choose the arena and let them see that there Is fair play." The barn floor was hastily decided upon and a ring was formed. Pale, but with nerves of steel. Father Sharp-tooth faced his burly opponent. A feint or two and the fight was on, for life or death. Jaws clashed and claw claiched, fur flew and blood flowed. Little by little Father Long-tail forced his adversary to ward the barn door. Through the door, out of the door they fought. Into the open yard, where the cows looked on in amazement. Then two other wondering spectators arrived Jock and Jenny. With towsled heads and shining eyes, just out rrata Tlin nthep rate allinl Wn V Ha Ol. human children appeared, but not Fathe.. Longtail and Father Sharp-tooth. Their, eyes were filled with the blood of battle:' they saw nothing but their own vantage and disadvantage. Jock and Jenny came on and stood , close by: the combatants saw them not. , On, on, toward the henhouse wall Father Long-tail pushed hla weakening oppo- nerft. "Once I get him behind that board . fence, where it is not so blindlngly light.,, I can see to make an end of him," mut , tered Father Long-tail. Father Sharp-tooth gave one desperate lunge, and then turned despairing eyes ' upward. Above him he saw Jock and.. Jenny, round-eyed and excited. Slowly he gave way and disappeared under the , henhouse wall. Father Long-tall fol lowed. "Ha, ha," panted the victor, "now I have you." Jerk, jerk! What was that at his cau dal appendage? Father I,ong-tail felt himself lifted bodily and swung in the. air. He looked up and saw Jock, whose KI i'l U LIIHL IUIIK ULM II1U.I Iir IIHU left outside as he followed Father Sharp-" tooth. He was caupht as In a trap. Kuthpr Shrn-tonth lrinktnp nut froi pl under the sheltering henhouse, rejoiced...,. He crept away silently and said to the . hidden rats that were waiting under the barn: "Be glad with me. Father Ixing-tail " is slain, and the Granary remains tha property of the Sharp-tooth family." Then he fainted into the arms of his friends. If you go Into the granary of the An-" drus barn today you will find a hole that' has been stopped up. That Is the hole where, 30 years ago. Father 3harp-tooth his enemy. try, I wish you would lend me your skin . to dance In. I cannot dance very well unless I have extra clothing on." Deer being a good-natured and obliging person, at once took off his skin and ' handed it to Raven-boy. It had a very long tail to it, and to the end of the tail Raven-boy tied a bundle of pitch wood. Then he threw It over his shoul ders and began to dance. Never was such dancing seen before. All the people were delighted with it, and quite forgot nHfat' a rr i c Vl I oirn a nannn TJ a irAn V-. was. " Suddenly Raven-boy whisked the end of the tail of his borrowed clothing into the' nre and the pitch-wood blazed up fiercely At once there was great confusion. Deer running to save his clothing and the oth ers to remove the blazing pitch wood before it could set the house afire. In the confusion, Raven-boy threw oft hla deer-skin, pulled down his beak, became a raven again Instantly and flew away through the door. He did not dare to visit the Skldans again for two years, and even now, when a Raven sees a deer in the forests, ha Aaab t" n -h.n T .1 mi nn Vila hide again he found that the tail had been almost all burned off and that la why deer have had such short tails ever- MUkO 1 ILL UMf. Iess Pomp at Paris Funerals. ' Van, Vt.I, Dmb, I A picturesque figure will vanish from Paris, owing to the decision of the Mu nicipal Council to abolish the office of "organizer of funereal pomp" at funerals.. His onlv dutv wan to walk in front re-. splendent in a three-cornered hat, dress coat and waistcoat, knee breeches an.4 pumps, decorated with a scarf of colors of the city, and carrying a long ebony cane. . When You Were Little. O. longest years ago, 1 When everything waa new, The sky seemed just the bluest bowt With Just Inside, to you. Stuck tight were moons and moons. And stars both big and small; And O, It seemed so wonderful That Ood had made them all I .V VZ 1 .'