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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1909)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX. PORTLAND, "That Bell"-By Hillard Eaton 'v. - ST HILLARTJ EATON. BYin-RY was a boy of many charac teristics. The most notable were an small rur lov of sleep and a des perate activity when awake. Ha seemed to lay In a fresh stock of energy every time ha had a nap, and although the most difficult boy In school to waken, when h was awake he was Irrepressible. It was Winter. Berry found that sea son of the year did not agree with his constitution. "This getting up in the middle of the night Is killing mt," he remarked one day at dark to a group of sympathizers. He had the whole school on his side In this particular matter, for work before breakfast In Winter was decidedly unpop ular. At half-past seven every boy had to be at his desk, putting In an hour at mathematics before prayers and break fast. It was pitch dark at seven, when the big bell rang an a signal to rise. It Is curious how difficult It wss to hear that bell In Winter. Berry never heard It; he scorned to rise till twenty minutes past seven. He could dress In ten minutes, and had been known to do It in five. On auch occasions his personal ablutions were apt to be rather neglected. "That old bell is at the bottom of It,." remarked Culverwell, another boy, who found that the heavy clung disturbed his slumbers. "It's John who's at the bottom of the. bell." put In Millward. .'It's time they pensioned him off and sent him to a hospital for incurables," said Berry. "He's a hopeless job." said Millward. "I spent half an hour one day trying to make htm understand that I was willing o stand him a quarter if he d give us a few minutes grace In the morning. But he's aa deaf as a post, and though he took my quarter lie rang us up more punctually than ever next morning. "I wish he'd hang himself with his bellrope," said Culverwell. They eyed the offending bell, which hung Idly Jn Its turret,, built over what was ones a stable, but was not part or tne school building. "I wish we could muffle the old thing. aid Millward. looking wistfully up. "It's freesing hard, and It will be fierce work getting up tomorrow. Berry had been silently Inspecting the Dunning. "Tell you what, fellows." he said at last, "I believe I could get up there If I had a ladder. Out of the small class room window. Jump on to the ledge, then creep up the roof by the chimney, then a laaaer over the space to the turret. M you fellows will hsnd me the ladder, I II go!" They were all dumb for a moment at ma aduaclty. Then Millward said How are you going to get Into the mail classroom T It's always locked In playtime." "Co 'tis," assented Culverwell Then I must get up to the ledge with a. ladder, and then pull It up after m'e." "You're a plucky one!" exclaimed Mill ward, tn admiration. jonn was having hla dinner, and was not likely to be disturbed by any noise for he was stone deaf. The boys found and hauled out his ladder almost from under his nose without his hearing sound. Culverwell kept watch while Millward held the ladder for Berry to ascend It was a plucky If not perilous feat to attempt In the dark. But Berry was abounding In pluck, and the- spirit of the aventure made him keep his nerve. He soon found himself on the ledge, and managed to haul up the ladder after him. It waa an assistance Instead of an en cumbrance In crossing the roof, and he soon waa within a dosen feet of the turret. The bey below anxiously waited for hla reappearance. But he had a job before him. His Idea was to unship the tongue of the bell. He had a glorlus reward If he could succeed, for John would never know If th bell rang or not. Berry worked the tongue this way and that, but It was a difficult job. The In side of the bell was as dark as the In side of a wolf, to use a hunter's simile; he had to feel everything. And the metal was terribly cold. However, at last he managed to un hitch It. He deliberated what to do with ;it now ha had It. He put It In his pocket, and descended as quickly as was con sistent with security. . "Off with the ladder," was his first order. They soon had that In its place again. Then they felt safe from detection. -. "What are you going to do with It?" asked Millward. alluding to the rusty tongue which Berry exhibited. "I think I shall leave It at the bottom of the tower, so they'll think It dropped down." ' "Let's hope they will," said Culverwell, dubiously. "At any rata I'll take the chance." con tinued Berry. "We shan't get called till past s at the earliest. Next morning Old John sought his belt rope punctually at 7 as usual, rang away steadily for three minutes, and then re tired to his den. One or two boys woke from sheer habit, but. Hearing no bell, went to sleep again. The rest slumbered peacefully on. The whole household was asleep. How "long every one would have slept cannot be known, perhaps till 9. for-when one depends on a bell for waking one waits for the accustomed sqvnd. But dogs are not like human beings, and Fldo, who always had his breakfast at x, began making a great disturbance at a Quarter past. Fido woke his mistress, the doctor's wife. She looked at her watch S:15. She Waa surprised beyond measure, as there was a' strange silence -everywhere. But the clock on the mantelpiece confirmed her watch, and two minutes later bells were ringing In a manner which brought the servants out of their beds with a Jump. By 1:30 every one. boys mid all. had been awakened, Informally, for the bell refused to make a sound. John was sum moned and was at Inst made to under stand what was the matter. He assever ated warmly that ho had rung the bell and went on a tour of Inspection. He found the tongue on tho ground, and. ob taining a ladder from the gardener next door. fas-letied -It In its place aain before It was time to ring for school. "Never hed such a gorgeous sleep In my life." said Millward warmly to Berry. "Pity the trick can't be played twice," remarked Culverwell. '. Something that day put Berry in a peculiarly reckless mood. More than that, he did not get his usual afternoon nap; he was disturbed by an Inconsiderate mas ter, who wanted to know when certain lines were going to be handed la to him. So 5 o'clock found Berry ready for any deed requiring more cheek than usual. The bell! It struck him directly after he had written his last line. Whatever might happen he would have one more good long sleep. He did not need his two friends; ha knew his way now. In live minutes he had captured the ladUer and placed u gainst the wall He was Just stepping off It on to the ledge when he heard footsteps beneath liim, perilously near, l( he attempted to draw up the ladder the noise might at tract attention. His only chance waa to - auite still, In the hope that the r t i At last he rrwaged ro:unhLtch It,, ladder couldn't be noticed In the dark. But it was. Old John happened to have finished his dinner earlier than usual, and was on his way to fetch an armful of wood. "Now, who's bean taking my ladder?" he said to himself. "Suppose it's one of them boys wanting to get their balls off the ledge." He put the ladder on his shoulder and marched off with It. Berry liatened In horror. He did not know It was John who had captured his only means of retreat; whoever It waa, he must throw himself on hla mercy. "Hi!" he called out. In a voice meant to combine a shout and a whisper. There was no response. "HI! you there!" It was a shout this time, and no mis take. But it had no effect. Berry knew now It must be John. It was no use to shout. He tore off a piece of plaster and shied It In the direction of the retreating figure. It struck the ground close to John, but he did not hear It. Poor Berry was left alone on the ledge, 1 feet from the ground. He couldn't drop, for there was a grat ing just beneath him; besides, he could "Don't Fight WithoutFlag" BT HENRY S. EMORY. THE name of Sergeant John Jasper has always been mentioned In American history among the brave soldiers of the Revolution; but the grand record of this uneducated youth wa not fully known until It was revealed at the centennial celebration of Fort Moultrie by General Kershaw of Confederate fame. John Jasper was born on the Black Mingo, or Black River, In South Caro lina, and was among the first who en listed in the celebrated Francis Marlon's company when less than 20 years of age, an 4 at once he displayed that daring courage that placed him In the front rank of that little army of Revolutionary braves. Sir Henry Clinton and Major-General Cornwallis, with 3000 British troops, com posed the land forces for the attack on the city of Charleston, 8. C. Five Eng lish men-of-war were anchored within that beautiful bay. Sullivan's Island, in the harbor, was the rendesvous of the Colonial troops. Among these was the Second Regiment of South Carolina In fantry, commanded by Colonel William Moultrie. Against any further approach of the enemy these men erected a rude fort on the island, and named It Fort Sullivan. It was constructed of palmetto wood and sand, which would not today retiist a single minor shot from a battle ship or a cruiser. On the southeast bas tion of this rude fort was planted the flag which has, from that day to this, been the pride of South Carolina. It waa a blue field with a white crescent. on which was emblazoned that strong American word Liberty! When the fort was nearly complete, and the full force of the English army was known, a strong pressure was made upon Colonel Moultrie and his men to evacuate their position, they being as sured that the whole command would be annihilated. But no words of entreaty or threats could induce officers or men to leave the rude garrison they had so seal- ously and faithfully erected. Sergeant Jasper wss one of the garrison, and when he saw the bright Palmetto flag placed thereon, he said ha "would defend it with his life." On the 28th of June, 1T76. the British troops and men-of-war opened their bat teries on the little fort, and for a me ment defeat seemed certain. The quaint old General Horry. In ens of his private letters, wrote: "Such a sudden burst of not lower himself from the narrow ledge He might have done It In daylight, but not in darkness. It was an uninviting night, and not boy waa out of doors. There was nothing ror it but to accept the Inevitable ,and remain where he was till something hap penea. Ha knew well enough what would hap pen. After dinner there would be mus ter; ha would be unable to say, "Here ana Inquiry would be made, resulting In Ills capture and punishment. Everything fell out exactly as he had anticipated. And by the time he was assisted v. down he waa so cramped and frozen he would have, welcomed a canin on the spot to wtarm him. intentionally, or unintentionally, the authorities did not connect his being on the ledge with the outrage on the bell of the day before. He received the usual punishment for missing muster, but be yond tnat nothing was done. Probably the master who captured him considered he had already suffered pun ishment enough. At any rate. Berry was of -the opinion that he had bought hla extra hour's sleep rather dearly. (Copyrighted, 1909, by the Associated Lit erary Press.) flame and thunder could hot but make us feel very queer at first, especially as we were young hands; and had never been engaged In such an awful scene before. He Deliberately Fixed It e tbe Boaifceaat Baetios. But "a few rounds brought us all right again and then, with heads bound up and tripped to the buff, wb plied our bull dogs like heroes." All day long this engagement con tinued, and never for one moment did the Colonial ' troops think of retreat or sur render. It was when the firs .vu the hottest that an incident occurred which infused fresh energy Into the hearts of those American soldiers, and at the same time gave Sergeant Jasper a name that will live as long as American history read. The flagstaff was struck by a ball from the enemy, and. after tottering for moment, fell forward, and th crescent flag seemed lost. . feeling of despair naturally came over every soldier In the fort, Bnd many believed that It was an evil omen. .This feeling, however, was soon dispelled. Sergeant Jasper cried out to Colonel Moultrie. "Don't let us fight without a flag. Colonel!" and with consummate bravery he leaped upon the parapet and thence down to the beach amid a perfect storm of shot, and recovered the flag. Attaching It to a sponge staff, he re mounted the wall and deliberately Axed It on .the southeast bastion. Not long after Sergeant McDonald fell mortally wounded. As he was being borne from the platform he exclaimed: I die, my brave fellows, but do not let the cause of liberty die with me." Ser geant Jasper exclaimed: "Let us avenge this brave man s death. Night closed this gallant defense, and, although the cannonading was continuous and of great severity, the Americans sustained the loss of buf 11 men killed and 25 wounded. Two days after the battle Governor . Rutledge. General Lee and a large com pany of patriotic friends from Charles ton visited the fort and complimented tho heroes of the hour. On this occasion the young wife of Major- Elliott present ed the regiment a pair of colors, one of blue, the other of red silk, beautifully embroidered by t-he women of Charleston. As she handed them to the Colonel she said: "Your gallant behavior In defense of liberty and your country entitles .you to the highest honor. Accept' these two standards as a reward Justly due tn your regiment., and I have not the least doubt, under heaven's protection, you will stand by them as long as they can wave In the air of liberty." Colonel Moultrie replied, saying that. The Second Regiment would always carry them Into action, and that they never would be tarnished by any act of theirs." Now, see how nobly that promise was kept! On October 9, 1779,, at the siege of Savannah, one of the flags was fixed on the British lines by Lieutenant Bush, who was Immediately shot down. Lieu tenant Hume attempted to set up the other and was also killed. Lieutenant Gray. In supporting them, was mortally wounded. It remained for Sergeant Jas per to accomplish this heroic work, but in doing so ha received his death wound. He brought the standard off, however. yet the pair were finally taken by the .British troops at the fall of Charleston. Sergeant Jasper sacrificed his life for his flag - and country. His last words were: "Tell Mrs. Elliott I Inst my life supporting the colors she presented to the regiment. Thus died one of the bravest men In martial story. He Is spoken of as a modest, quiet and obedient soldier, and what better character is wanted In pub lic or private life, in business circles, or in the quiet home? , On the occasion of Governor Rutledge's visit to the fort in Charleston harbor he presented Sergeant Jasper his own sword as a mark of his distinguished respect. He also offered the young soldier a commission, but with many thanks he declined them both, say ing that "his lack of education unfitted him for any higher position than the rank and file. (Copyringht, 1909. by the Associated Lit erary Press.) Cry of the Little Brothers. K. B. Barry. In Our Dumb Animal CTbe good St. Francis of Assist called all animals hi little brothers and slstere.) We are the little brothers, homeless In cold and heat, . Fourfootad little beggars, roaming the city , street. Snatching a bone from the gutter, creeping thro alleys drear. Stoned and sworn at and beaten, our hearts consumed with fear. Yon pride yourselves on tha beauty of your city fair end free. Yet we are dying by thousands in coverts you never see. You boast ef your mental progress, of your -libraries, schools and halls; But we who are dumb denounce you, as we crouch beneath their walla. You sit la your tinseled playhouse and weep . v e'er a mimlo wrong. Our woes are the woes of the voiceless; our srlefa are unheeded In song. You say that the same God made us. When before his throne you come Shall you olear yourselves 1n his presence on the plea that he madij us dumb? Are your hearts too hard to listen to a starv ing kitten's cries? ' Or too gey for the patient pleading In a aors beseeching eyes? Behold us. your little brothers starving, beaten, oppressed Etretch out a hand to help us that we, may have food and rest. Too long have we roamed neglected, too long have we sickened with fear. The mercy you hope and pray for, you can grant us now and here. An Adventure WitH a BTMrW Hift; ll I l HEARD THE THUNDER BY iWARLES JOHNSON. THE adventure which I am about to relate occurred when I was. a near as I can discover, between 11 and IS years old. At that age I was exceptionally tall and swift by com parison with my contemporaries, and the exercises of a life spent on a wild sea coast had made us hardy and strong. To spend the greater portion of every Summer barefooted and but half dressed was our greatest delight, while it un consciously developed, by the greater freedom given to our Joints and mus cles, an agility akin to that of the goata which wo often chased In their own rocky haunts. -The English town of Peel, at that time, possessed but one building whose archi tecture rose above the level of a cottage, to-wit: its ancient castle. The old red sandstone houses were built on either side of the paths which once formed the winding tracks from the castle Islet to the country in shore. Tha streets were scarcely wider than the spoor made by the old-time men-at-arms and fishermen. Many of the quaint little bouses were thatched, and on old red sandstone' house with a thatched roof Is a pretty picture. Round, smooth stones from the sea beach formed the pavement of these er ratic roadways and made' walking, if free from mud, at once uncomfortable and Insecure. The stranger often lost his way tn the Intricacies ot the zigzag ging lanes, but, unlike what he might meet In many places, he never came upon anything worse than a od, stiff smell of Old flsli. In one of these curving and narrow streets In close proximity to the quay stood tha butcher's shamble of the Mac- Cumbers, two strapping fellows of over six feet In height, who could handle a sledge hammer or & bothersome heifer as easily as they could turn a herring on their plate. One stormy Autumn day a fully-grown pure white bull stood outside the long entrance to the shamble, with his nose to the ground. Some animal sagacity or superheated action of the brain doubt less told him of the danger that lay at the end of the dimly-lighted passage he was being persuaded to enter. He waa a fine specimen of an athletic bull, who could, as the sequel will show, take a fence like a hunter. - Island fishermen accustomed to work on the land In winter, are wen ac quainted with the ways of cattle, and with the assistance of a crowd of these men, the brother butchers urged the ter rified brute, who was unfettered by any rope, through the lobby of the dwelllng- house to the- slaughter yard beyond Here he must have been met by some grewsome eight, and, with tall erect and clearing a passage for himself, he rushed down the winding street, headed straight for the beach, and plunged into the stormy , sea, paying as little heed to the ground-swells as If they were waves of prairie grass. Half the entire population of the town quickly collected along the shore to wit ness the struggles of the bull In the bil lows, swimming straight away from shore to sea. It was plain that the animal had gone mad. I stood beside the brothers and heard them say so, and heard them give their valuable purchase up for lost as ha swam an undevlatlng- course out to sea. But the cold sea water must have chilled his overheated blood, for, after swimming about half a mile out, he turned and came back In the midst of the breakers, pausing not a second on tbe beach, but hurrying up for the crowded shore road with snorts of rage and ex ertiorv In such scenes of terrifying excitement there are often comedies. A little tistw erman, not many Inches over five feet, who spent tha stormy days wlldfowllng, rap up to meet the bull as he came through the open " way from the sea beach to the road along the shore. Be fore the bull reached the opening Thomas was seen in a crouching attitude under the seawall, peering round the abutment as cautiously as If he were waiting for a bevy of ducks. He had not long to wait. The bull dashed through and Thomas sprang at him, not with spear or a drawn sword, and with a mighty grip caught him, not by the horns, but by the tall. There Is but one scene which gives a true idea of what followed a dog with a tin kettle tied to his tall. In thus at tempting to stop the career of the mad bull, Thomas had adopted a squat posi tion and held on with commendable bravery, while he bounded and rebound ed, having the same shape as an ordi nary teapot, his extended arms answer ing for the spout of the kettle. The pace of tne Duu not being appreciably lessened, it became evident to every be holder that he was not even aware that the gallant wildfowler was in attend ance. From the way In front of the bull the bravest made good their escape, but the OF THE HOOFS BEHIND ME . rear was brought up ty hundreds of running boys and men. I put the boys first, because the men were soon wind ed; and the first of the boys was one who waa known by ' the sobriquet of "The Deer." As the particular event gvhlch fol lowed more closely concerned the Deer than any other, I will relate the circum stances in his own words: When the bull came to the end of the shore he bounded up the hittdlands like a wild buffalo, followed now by nearly every man. In the town who was not too old or a cripple. Behind these came Vomen, bareheaded, or with divers col ored shawls over their beads. The bull, like a . panic-stricken soldier, heeded nothing but his determination to escape death. - As excited by the chase as any hound, I had so far outstripped my fellows as to be within a few feet of the bull when he cleared a fence in his path. Without vaulted over after him. pausing to consider the situation, I When I landed In the field I waa but a few feet behind the bull. A few yards brought the bull to the precipitous edge of a quarry. Seeing his danger, he wheeled to the right-about so suddenly that I was nearly Impaled upon his horns before I could pull myself up. At that Instant many of the best runners were a lew yards behind me" and soma scores of Old Mr. Jackson's Money - CHAPTER VII. WHBN THB CONSTABLE ARRIVHJD. THB village WAS asleep as Tommy ran through the streets to reach the house of Constable Stevens. Upon arriving there he knocked loudly on tne tloor and had been banging away for nve minutes when Mrs. Steven raised a window and after finding out what was wanted she replied: t 'Well, you will have to go farther. Mv husband's brother, who lives a mile out on the Grafton road. Is very 111 and Mr. elevens is there to sit up with him. You will have to seek for him there." 'or a moment the bar thought of w.. turning home and fighting the stranger, if neea De. xnen t he thought of arousing two or three men and having them return with him. He had it In his mind, how ever, that the constable was a great man and the only one that could do anvthlmr and after a moment's hesitation he started off down the road as directed. The road was slippery with frost, and though he ran as never before it took him a long 20 minutes to cover that mile. By the time ne naa got tne constable out doors and related his story more than half an hour had gone by since he left the miser's door. "I don't see anything to raise a rumpus about." said the Constable, when he had heard the story. "If the stranger said he was Old Jackson's brother then he probably Is. If he was after money, then the old man may have been owing It to him. You eay they talked about Henry being in prison. I guess you were scared and got things twisted." "But I tell you Mr. Jackson la awfully seared of him." protested Tom. "I never saw him scared of anybody before. He didn't want me to leave -the house. Even if it's his own true .brother he's afraid of hirn. I think he'll be killed beforo we can get back there." "That's all bosh, but I'll go along with you. This Isn't a town where people go around killing their own -brothers or any one else. Don't be In a hurry, now. Just take your time and we'll get there all right. You ay the stranger had false whiskers on?" "Yes, sir." "I guess not. I guess you sorter dreamed that. When a boy's scared out or nis iBoots he sees lots of things that are not so. If you think the stranger is a -bad man then I ought to stop at the house and gat my handcuffs and revolver. When I have those with me I'm not afraid to tackle anybody." "But you'll hurry, -won't your pleaded iom. "Oh, there' no rush. We shall get there to find the two brothers talking away as rriendly as you please. If you are so very anxious you might run on ahead. I'll be following you In about live minutes." Whit ailed the Constable was that he was a bit scared. He had never had oc casion to arrest a. man in hla life, and no matter what he had said to the boy he had a feeling that the stranger was a desperate man and up to some mischief. Therefore, he dallied in. his house for a long ten minutes, while the boy went on ahead. The Constable had covered only half the distance when he heard Tom shouting, and as he quickened, his pace he caught the shouted words: "Hurry up, Mr. Stevens! The door Is open and Mr. Jackson is lying on the floor! I believe he has been killed!" "What , further nonsense is this!' growled the officer as he slowly ap proached and looked over the lad's slioul ders into the living-room of the old House. The lamp waa burning on the table. Wild Bull other boys were tumbling over the fence like so many packs of hounds. There was not time for reflection. There was not the infinitesimal part of a second to consider what to do. Whether I Bjcted from instinct or from the habit of dodging my pursuer, I cannot say; dui ii i naa started back to seek safety In another vault over the fence there would have been a great slaughter of boys that day! It Is probable, however. tnat l naa no time to turn back; ' I was within the volumes of hot breath which came from the animal's nostrils and his horns were lowered to toss me. when I sprang off at a tangent and sped up the ueia me pursuer )ursued. The field Inclined slightly down to the seacoast and the gateway to it opened onto the highroad above. IAke the bare which dreads to leap a fence when the hounds are close upon him. I sought refuge In my own speed and an open gap. I saw the fence along the field rapidly become black with' masses of human forms. I became conscious of a loud din of voices yelling to me Incomprehen sible things. I heard the thunder of the hoofs behind me; close very close be hind me. That la all. I thought not of father, or mother, or life, or death. I felt no fear. I had no trembling of the nerves or nervous pulsation of the neart. I have since measured the distance I had to run. It waa 188 yards up an in cline.. When I was half the distance I saw that the gate was closed. I remem bered that I could vault It with a run. J he crowd seemed unable, or unwilling, to render any assistance. If Thomas could but catch the bull's tail now! But Thomas nad been left on the shore road bors de combat. Presently another little man, and sin gularly enough another Thomas I think I ought to give his name. It was Colvln sprang on the gate and held out his hands to catch me when I made the eprlng he evidently thought I was pre paring for. This man plainly risked his life, for the bull was not more than ten feet behind me In all the chase, and a slip or a loose grip would have meant that bull, man and boy would have come crashing In to the gate together. It Is more than likely, too, that the headlong pace at which I ran would have made It Impossible for me to take the state with out shortening my stride and threading my way a little, and that might have been fatal. I think that it is fair to say that no athletic festival of ancient or modern days ever furnished a more exciting race for the spectators. A wild shout announced -the success of my race for life as I leaped clear Into Colvlii'e arms and carried him, or was swung by him, to tho road beyond. At the seme In stant the baffled bull swerved reund and, running through a gap Into the next field, still kept up his mad career. By this time one of the butchers- had arrived with a rifle. Posting himself behind a fence In a line facing the run ning bull, he fired at & distance of about ten yards, and the bull fell at his feet with the mark of 'the rifle bullet through his skull. . , The death of the bull waa a merciful one and I went down with tbe crowd to see him as he lay, the symbol of ani mal beauty and force, endurance and speed, conquered by Ingenuity and a su perior intelligence. (Copyright, 1909, by the Associated Ldt erary Press.) and by its light they could see the old man lying on the floor with one of his legs doubled under him, while the rocking-chair in which Tommy had left him Bitting was also upset. There was deep silence over everything, and after a. min ute spent In looking In from the doorway ' the Constable, to his shame, whispered: "You go in first! You know the house better than. I do. The old man may have fallen to the floor in a. fit!" Tommy Clark advanced and bent over no naa never seen a dead person before, tout one look told him that Old Jackson was no more. The old man's necktie and collar had been torn off, as also tu.j collar of his coat, and those things, together with the upset rocking-chair, plainly showed that there had been a struggle. As a matter of fact -cojr vi aee irom toe cuts and scratches on his face and the finger prints on his throat that the miser had been choked to death. "It was the man who called him his brother that did it," exclaimed Tommy, - auuMou si me vxjnstame. "I Shouldn't wnnHor I.. .-. !.... i ter that must be looked Into." was the reply. "I'll stand tie re by the, door mnA you run untown enH m,.A people as you can. Tell them to hun-v Tell them there has been a murder. Tell them I era here and will probably catch the murderer before morning." Half an hour later there were 20 men !n toe old house, all anxious to know all about it. Tommy was made to tell his story over and over, and all were deeply Interested except the Constable. He wanted K to be understood that he had taken the leading part In the affair and must have all the credit The body of the old man was lifted up and laid on the bed, and while one was suggesting that this, and another that that, should be done, the weeping boy suddenly cried out: "Why, the man was broken open Mr. Jackson's trunk and mode a search of the rooms! Don't you see he has even been down cellar and left the trap-door open?" "Aye, he came to rob as well as mur der," answered one of the citizens. "And -what are you doing, Stevens?" asked cnother. "Are you going to let the fellow get away. "No. I ain't," replied the Constable, as he moved over and took Tom by the col lar. "This , is the guilty party!" "(To be continued.) The Uplift in Cactus Center. "Denver Republican. Sence the Country "Life Commission called upon our rival town There's a heap of old-time notions that'll nevermore go down; We've cut eut the typo of rancher and of all types he's the worst Who thinks that irrigatin' means a-quench- ln' ot his thirst. We have told our shootin' sheriff of our back-to-natur" needs, And he's used the hoe, promisc'us. on our growth of human weeds; We have closed the gamblln' places, and the good-by aisn we slips To the youth whose Springtime fancy light ly turns to poker chips. We have had a lioss-thlef raisin', and the neighbors all agree That a more upliftin' session this here place . will never see; And we've painted, sence we started, sev- 'ral pairs of high-heeled boots. All the pairs eontalnln' Trilbies of our gun- flghtln' galoots. - So we've put our bid In heavy for free seeds from Uncle Sam, And we're goln' to have a college and an irrigatin' dam; We'll shftw 'em thst for farmin' that is eclenced and way up Cactus Center'e got the deadwood on that l measly spotted Flip. J
