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