The Oregon scout. (Union, Union County, Or.) 188?-1918, January 09, 1886, Image 6

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    o
KNDEAVOB.
A moaning crras the world rolls by,
Through gloom of clou 1 nnd glory of sky
Rings In my cars forever.
And I know not ttlnt II profit? n man
To plow nnd sow, nnd study nud plau,
And reap ttie hnrTCSt never.
"Abide, In truth abide,"
Spake a low voice nt my Mc,
"Abide tlioti, nnd eudeavorl"
And even tlioiuli, nfler care and toll,
I should sco my linpot from n kindly soil,
Though late, 3d blooming ever,
rcrehanco the prize were not worth the pain,
Pcrcliancc tills fretting and wasting of brain
Wins lis true guerdon never.
"Abide, In love abide,"
The tender voice replied,
"Abide thou, and endeavor 1"
"Strive, endeavor; It profits more
To fitrlit and fall, than on Time's dull shore
To sit nn ld'cr ever;
For to him who ba'ci his arm to the strife,
Firm nt his post In the battle of ll.'p,
The victory fa'leth never.
Therefore, In faith nblde,"
Tbc earnest voice still cr'cd,
"Abide thou, nnd endeavor 1"
Mates Sandorf.
-BT-
JULES VERNE.
jurrnon ov "jourtNnr to this centre
OF THE nAUTIt," "TIUP TO TUB MOON,"
"AIIODND THB WORLD IN EinjITX
PATS, " " MIOIIAEIj BTnOOOl'F,"
"TWENTr THOUSAND LEAGUES
UNDER THE SEA," ETO., KTO.
(TBANBLATION COrVlliailTKD, 1833.
CHAPTER VIH
ATTEH THE SENTENCE.
Baronny wns taken back to tho coll ho
ocoupied nt llio bottom of nil olliptio
corridor on tho second iloor of tho don
jon. Snndorf nnd his two friends, dur
ing tlio Inst hours of life Mint romninod
to thom, were quartered in a largo cell
on tho snmo lovel, exactly nt tlio end of
tho major axis of the ellipse- which this
corridor nindo. Tho secret was now
known. Tho condemned wore to bo left
togothor until their execution.
This wns n consolation, oven a plonsuro
for thom, when thoy found thcmsclvaa
nlono nnd allowed to givo way to feel
ings which thoy could not nt ilrst
restrain.
"My friends," Bnid Sandorf, "I am
tho cause of your deaths I But 1 liavo
nothing to ask your pardon for I Wo
worked for tho independenuo of Ilun
Rary 1 Our cnuso was just I It is our
duty to defend her I It ia an honor to
dio for hor 1"
"Mathias,"snid Bathory, "wo thank
you for having associated us with you in
tho palriotio work whioh would havo
beon the work of all your life"
"As wo aro associated with you in
icuth I" nddod Zathinnr.
Then during a momentary silonco tho
threo gazed round tho gloomy cell in
whioh thoy wero to spend their lust
hours. A nnrrow window some four or
flvofeot high, out through tho thick wall
of tho donjon, lot in a certain amount of
light There wero three iron bedsteads,
n few ohairs, a table nnd n slu If or two,
on which wore a few articles of crockory.
Zathmar nnd Bathory wero soon lost
in thought.
Sandorf began to walk up nnd down
tho cell.
Zathinnr was nlono in tho world, had
no family ties and no near relations.
There was only hia old norvant, Borik,
o mourn for him.
I It wns not bo with Bathory. His
death would not only prove a blow to
himself. Ho hnd a wife and son whom
it would reach. That wife and child
might ovou dio 1 And if thoy survived
mm, now wero thoy to live?
What was
io bo the future of n penniless woman j
nnd hor eight -yoiU'-Old child r unit
Bnthory possessed any properly, how
much of it would remain after a judg
ment which directed it to bo coullscatod
und Houtonood him to death ?
As for Sandorf, nil his past lifo re
turned to him I His wifo came to him I
His little daughter camo- a child of two
years old, now left to tho euro of tho
iitownrd. And there wero his friends
whom ho hnd led to ruin 1 Ho asked
himself if ho hnd dono well, if ho had
toot gono fart hor than his duty towards
his country required ? Woul I Mint tho
punishment had fallen on him nlono,
and not upon those that wero innooeut I
"No! no I I havo only dono my duty 1"
ho slid to himsolf. "My couutry before
nil. nnd above all!"
At flvo o'clock a wardor entered tho
coll, placed tho dinner on tho table, and
wont out again without saying a word,
fiundorf would havo likod to know in
what fortress ho was kept a prisoner,
but as tho President of tho court-martial
had not thought tit to auswer tho ques
tion it was quio certain that tho warder
would not give tho information.
Tho prisonors hardly touchod tho din
ner which had been prepared for thom.
Thoy passed tho rest of the day talking
on various matters, in tho hope that
their nbcutivo movement would one day
yo resumed. Very often they returned
to tho incidents of the trial.
"Wo now know, "said Zathmar, "why
wo havo boon ni rested, and how tha
polico discovered us from that letter
which Uiey camo across,"
Yes, liudinlas," nud Sandorf, "but
into wIiom) liund did that message,
which was one of tho last wo received,
nt llrst fall, and who copied it ?"
"Anil when it was copied," added
Uathory, "how- did they read it without
the grating V
"Tlio gratiug must havo beeuBtolen,"
said Sandorf.
"Stolon! nnd and by whom V askod
Zuthnmr. "Tho day wo wero anebted
it was still in tlio drawer on my desk,
whonoo thu polios took it."
This was indeed inexplicable. That
the letter had been found on tho pigeon ;
that it had boon con led boforo bolua
sent to its destination ; Mini tho liouso
whero tho person to whom it was r.d
dressod had been discovered all Mint
could bo explained. Hut that the crypt
ographic despntch could havo beon
deciphered without tho grating by which
it had been formed was incomprehen
sible. "And besides," continued Sandorf,
"wo know that tho letter was read, nnd
it could not havo been read without
tho grating 1 It mus this letter which
put the polico on our traces, nnd it was
on it that the whole chargo was 1umhI."
"It matters very little, after all," an
swered Bathory.
"On the conttary, it does matter,"
said Sandorf. "Wo havo been betray
ed 1 And if Micro has been a traitor not
to know"
Sandorf suddenly stopped. Tho namo
of Sarcany occurred to him ; but ho
abandoned tho thought at onco without
caring to communicate it t his com
panions. Far into the night Sandorf and his
companions continuo their conversation
on nil that was uuintelligblo with re
gard to these matters.
In tho morning they wero awakened
from sound sleep by tho entry of tho
warder. It was tho morning of their
last day nut one. llio execution wns
Used to hike place in twenty-four hva
from then.
Bathory asked tho warder if ho might
bo permitted to sco his family.
Tho warder roplied that ho hnd no
orders on tho subject. It was not likely
that tho Government would consent
to give tho prisoners tins last con
solation, inasmuch as they had conducted
tho affair throughout with tho greatest
secrecy, and not even tho iiiiino of tho
fortress which served thom as u prison
had been revealed.
"If we write letters, will thoy bo for
warded ? asked Sandorf.
I will bring you paper, pons nnd
ink," roplied the wardor ; " nud I prom
iso to give your lettors into tho Gov
ernor's hands."
Wo aro much obliged to you," said
Sandorf. "If you do that, you do all
you can 1 Jiow shall wo reward you 1
" lour thanks aro sullloient, gentle
men, saw tho warder, who could not
conceal hh emotion.
Ho soon brought in tho writing mate
rials. Tlio prisoners spent tlio greater
part of tho day in making their last
arrangements. Sandorf said all that a
father's heart could prompt in his in
structions regarding his baby girl, who
would soon bo an orphan ; Bathory all
that a husband and a father could
think of in bidding a loving farewell
to his wifo and son : Zathmar all that
a master could say to nn old sorvanfc
who remained his onlv friend.
Hut during tlio day, although absorb
ed in their writing, how many times did
thoy stop to listen 1 How many times
did thoy sook to discover if some distant
noiso was not coming along tho corridors
of tho donjon! How ninny limes did it
seem to them ns though tho door of their
coll hnd opened, nnd that they Avero to
bp permitted ono last ombraco of wifo,
son or daughter 1 That would havo
been some consolation 1 Hut, in truth, tlio
pittiless order deprived them of this
last ndiou and spuied thom tho heart
rending scone.
Tho door did not open. Doubtless
neither Mine. Uathory or her son, nor
tho steward, Lendeck. to whoso eara
Sandorf's daughter had been given, know
no moro whero tho prisoners wero taken
to after their arrest Minn Borik in his
prison at Trieste. Doubtless nlso, neither
of thom know of tho doom in storo for
the conspirnt ra.
Thus passed llio earlier hours of the
day. Occasionally Sandsord and his
friends would talk for a while. Oc
casionally thoy would bo silent for somo
tinio, nn-! Ih'n tho w hole of their lives
Mould bo lived c vor again in their mem
ories with nn intensity of impression
quito supornntural. It wns not with tho
past, as affecting tho past, that they
wero entirely concerned ; tho recollec
tions scorned all to shape themselves with
a view to tho present. Was it thon. a
prescience of that eternity which
was
about to open on them, of that incom
prehensible ami ineomni'Misuralo state
of things which is called tho infinite ?
Uathory nnd Zathmiir nbaudouoil
themselves without reserve to (heir rev
eries, but Sandorf was invincibly domi
nated by an idea whioh hadtakeu posses
sion of him. Ho could not doubt but
what there had been treachery in this
mysterious alV.iir. Vor a man of his
chiiraoter to die without punishing tha
traitor, whosoever he win, without know
ing oven who had betrayed him, was to
dio twice over. Who hnd got hold of
this message to which tho polico owed
tho discovery of the conspiracy und-tho
nrrost of tho conspirators? Who had
rend it, who had gr en it up, who had
sold it, perhaps? Pondering over this
insoluble problem, Sandorf's excited
brain became a prey to a sort of fover.
And while his friends wrote on or re
mained bileut and motionless, ho strodo
uneasy ninj ngitated, pacing the floor
of his cell like u wild beast bhut up in u
cage.
A phenomeon straugo but not unin
telligible in accordance with acoustical
law camo nt last to his nid nnd whisper
ed tho bcorut ho had despaired of dis
covering. Several times ho had stepped short as
ho turned utthe angle which tho dividing
, wall of the cell niado with the main wall
of tho corridor, on to which tho different
cells opened. In this angle, just whero
the door was hinged, ho scorned to hear
murmur of vo ces, distant and hardly
! recognizible. At llrst 1m paid no atton
,'Jiou to this, but suddenly n tmmo was
I pronounced - his own- nud he listened
I intently. At onco he detected an ac
oustical plienonieiioi), suuh as is observ.
able in tho interiors of galleries and
domes or under vaults of ellipsoidal
1 form. Tho voice truvoling from ono
point of the ellipse, after following tho
contour of Mio walls without being per
ceptible at nny intei mediate point, is
plainly heard at tho other foous. Such
is thu phenomenon met with iu tho
crypts of tho Pantheon iu Paris, in tho
interior of the dome of SU Peter's at
Home, and iu the whisporiug gallery at
SU Paul' in Loudon. Tho fuiutust
word uttered nt ono focus of thcsoctirins
is distinctly heard at tho focus opposite.
There oould bo no doubt that tho two
or moro po-sons w?io wero talking either
in tho corridor or in a cell situated at
tho end of tho diameter, tho vocal point
of which was close to tho door of tho
sell occupied by Sandorf.
Uy a sign ho called his companions to
him. The three stood listening.
Fragments of phrases distinctly reach
?d their cars; phrases broken off and
lying nwny us every now und then tho
speaker moved from and towards tho
point whoso position determined tho
phenomenon.
And these nro tho phrases thoy heard
at different intervuls:
" To-morrow nftcr tlio execution, you
will bo free."
"And then Count Sandorf's goods wo
share "
"Without mo you never would havo
deciphered that message."
"And without mo if I had not taken
it from the pigeon you never would havo
got hold of it '
Well, no one would suspect that tho
police owe'
"Even tho prisoners havo no sus
picion." "Neither relatives nor friends aro
coming to sco them."
"To-morrow, Sarcany."
"To-morrow, Silas Toronthal."
Then tho voices wero silent, and tho
sound of a door being shut was heard.
" Sarcany ! Silas Toronthal !" ex
claimed Sandorf. "That is whero it
camo from 1"
Ho looked at his friends, and was
quito pale. His heart stopped beating
in the grip of tho spasm.
His eyes dilated, his neck stiffened,
hia head sank back to his shoulders
everything showed that his energetic
nnturo was in tho grasp of terrible anger,
pushed to its furthest extreme.
"Thoso two! The scoundrels! Those
two I" ho repented with a sort of a roar.
Then ho corrected himself, looked
round him, nnd strode across tho coIX
"Esenpo! Escapo!" ho exclaim
" Wo must escape I"
And this man, who would havo walked
bravely to death a few hours later, this
man who had never even thought
of making an effort for his life, this
man hud now but ono thought to live,
and live to punish those two traitors,
Sarcany and Toronthal !
"Yes! To bo revenged ?" exclaimed
Uathory and Zathmar.
"To bo revenged? No 1 To do jus
tice "
All tho Count Sandorf was in thoso
words.
CHAPTER IX.
TTIE DONJON 01' 1'ISINO.
Tho fortress of Pisino is ono of tho
most formidable buildings which arose
in tho middle ages. It has a lino feudal
aspect. It only wants tho knights in its
vaulted halls and tho ladies in their long
brocaded robes and pointed bonnets at
its arched windows, and tho nrohers and
crosnbowmen on its machicolations, its
battlemouted galleries, at tho emtira
sures of its niangmals, its portcullis and
its drawbridgos. Tho stonework is still
intact ; but tlio Governor with his Aus
trian uniform, tho soldiers with their
modern weapons, the warders and turn
keys who no longer wear tho parti
colored costume, half yellow and half
red, of tho old days, strike a false note
in Mm midst of all this magniiiceno of
the past.
It was from tho donjon of this fortress
that Count Sandorf was endeavoring to
escape during the last hours before his
execution. A mad attempt, no doubt ;
for tho piisonors did not oven know ;n
what part of the donjon their prison lay,
nor nny thing of the country across which
they would havo to journey after their
escape.
And nerhnns it was fortunato that
their ignorance was complete in the mat
ter. Had they known more they might
have recoiled before tho difficulties, to
say nothing of tho impossibilities of such
an enterprise.
It is not that this province of Itria
offers no favorable chances for an escape,
for no matter what direction the fugi
tives took thev would reach the sencoast
t.wv Imtii's. It is not that tho streets
of Pisino tiro so carefully gaurded that
there is a risk of heing nrresteu nt tno
,.,.v tlvut. nfoii. Hut to eseano from tho
fortress, and particularly from the don
jon occupied uv tho prisoners, nan up to
Mmn Ihwmi considered impossible. Even
Mio idea had nover occurred to any ono.
Tho situation ami exterior arrango
moots of tho donjon iu tho fortress of
Pisino wero us follows : The donjon
occupies ono side of tho terrace with
w!ii..li dm town hero ends. Lounina
over the parapet of this terrace the eyo
. . i i ...
plunges mio a large, uuup nsu
nmrrK.l sides, covered with thick entru-
glements of creepers, nro cut down per-
f I 1 XT. vll.i. ... m.ii.lin i .. tliA
penuioumriv, n"uuii,i nm
troll tin. in is not a hton to enable uuy
ono to ascend or descund ; not a fenco
to halt at ; not a prominence to seize
.wii.i uniiii in niiv nart of it : nothiui!
but tho unoerlain lines, smooth, rugged
and irregular, wiiiou maiu uiu muiquo
nin,MTO tit the rocks. In a word, it i'b
an abyss which attracts, fasshiates and
never gives oaolc nuyiuing uuii drops
into it.
flin nhvss rises ono of the side
walls of tho donjon, pierced with a few
windows giving liclit to the cells on tho
different floors. Wero a prisoner to lean
out of ono of these openings he would
recoil with terror, lest vertigo drag him
into tho void below. And if ho fell
what would bo his fate? Hia lody
would bo dashed to pieces on tho rocks
at tho bottom, or it would 'bo-curTied
nwny by tho torrent whoso current dur
ing flood is irresistible,
Tli ) ) Mi '"'nil iu it is (villtul
in tho district. Through it runs a rivei
known ns tho Foiba. This river iifldi
its only outlet in a cavern which it has
gradually cut out of tho rocks, and intc
which it falls with tho impetuousity of o
tide-race or a whirlpool. Whero docs it
go us it passes under tho town ? No one
knows. Whero does it reappear ? Nol
ono knows of this cavern, or rather this
canal, bored in tho schists nnd clnys
no ono knows tho length, tho height oi
the direction. Who can say what thous
ands of nngles, what forests of pillars
supporting tho enormous substructure
of tho fortress and entire city its waters
nro dashed against in their course ?
Many bold explorers, when tho water
lovel has boon neither too high nor too
low, havo taken a light boat and
endeavored to descend the Foiba through
tho gloomy tunnel, but tho nrohes havo
been too low and havo soon interposed
nn impracticable obstacle. In fact,
nothing is known of this subt 'irauean
ri-cr. Perhaps it is lo3t in some still
deeper cavern and enters tho Adriatic
below the tide mark.
Such, then, was tho Erico, of which
Count Sandorf did not oven know tho
existence ; and as tho only escapo was
by thu window of his cell, which opened
above tho Hrico, ho would be almost as
certain to meet his death as if ho stood
iu front of the firing party on tho morn
ing of his execution.
Zathmar nnd Hathory waited but for
tho time to act, ready to remain behind,
if necessary, and sacrifice themselves to
help Count Sandorf, or ready to follow
him if their flight would not hamper
his. - ,
TO nr. CONTINUED.
An Iiiterestiiiar Scheme
They wero two traditional newspaper
men.
"Any nows?" asked ono.
"No; tho city oilitor is out, and I am
prospecting."
"Prospoeting for what?"
"A now overcoat. I'm goinjr to try
tlio installment plan. Evor heard of
that?"
"Not in tho gents' furnishing lino,"
answered the surprised writer.
"Well, 'tis a fact," continued tho
other; "witliin a your thoro has been
an important extension in tho system.
Now wo havo sovoral institutions got
ten up for just such a purpose. Going
to one ono of thoso inst'lutioiis nud
naming the article you desire, you nro
asked, What have you got for refer
ences? Whoro nro you employed? and
nro you employed permanently ?" Af
ter answering you nro asked to call
again in a day or two. In tlio mean
time your references aro investigated.
Should thoy prove satisfactory, upon
you culling again tho manager hands
you an order and directs you to a
store whoro tho article you desire is
kept, there to c-'ioose for yourself.
They make urrangenients with stores
for any urt.olo in thu furnishing lino,
mil receive as compensation n per
centage on all goods sold, and tho only
seetintv thoso instalment institutions
have iU tho fact that you aro at work,
anil that von funi'shed satisfactory
references. It ninv ho thought that
on account of this a much larger price
would be charged than nt places
where cash payments are tho rule.
This, however, is not so. Thoy claim
that their price will compare fovora
uly with any house in tho city; in fuct.
thuy point to this as tlio reason thoir
traiio is constantly increasing. Occa
sionally thoy meet with loss by tho
lisliouesty of some individual innt
they have furnished. 1 ho system is
losliiiffd to become in tho iiiture of
grout magnitude."
"Kiglityou are, " said tlio nroinor
scribbler; "guess I'll go alon
loo.
Ilostoti Globe.
The Ivrotlliniriirn.
In tho land ot the Hindoos, who are
it very amiable and gentle people, there
s in many houses a room called the
krodhagaiu, or thu chamber of bud
humor, which serves tho purposo of
ho corner.
"You had better xo into tho krod
ngnra, my child," oborves the Hin
doo mother, when btlle Torn ia dis-
urlied iu mind, "and tlio ro remain
until you feel as a blessed Hindoo
child ought to feel."
This apartment serves a still more
mportant use in the family. It some
times happuus iu those fur-off healhen
anils, strange as it may seem to us iu
a land when) oTcryono is always unii-
iiblo nud good lompurcd, that tho
mother herself is not in tho best hu
mor; sometimes tho fathor is positive
ly cross; sometimes a niothor-in-Iaw is
ess amiable Ihnn usual, nnd occasion-
nllv a graiidpaiont does not enjoy tho
festive morn when the gruel is lumpy.
Iu such caes the alllieted person
. .1.1 t
coos-, ot ins own accord, into mo uroii-
hngara, and stays there until ho feels
him elf in benign accord with all man-
and, and In particularly good iniinor
with his own family. loutlri l-w-
jmiiton.
A Suarirostloii to tlio I'reaalnrs.
The secrotary of tho. New
England
Divorce Hoforni league makes tlio
suggestion that on tho approaching
Thanksgiving day ministers should
preach on the family, tho divine laws
by which its purity is guarded, tho
dangers by which it Is menaced, and
the precious interests involved In the
bsuc. There Is a cortain appropriate
ness of. tho theme to tho domestic
chnnielor of the Thanksgiving observ
ance. Wo tear that the growing in
attention to church seivlcesou that
day forbids the hope of gathering
much of an audience tiny where to ro.
celve the instruction und monition
called for, but the subject is one on
which there should bo :'llne upon Hue,
precept upon precept," Uostun H'ufrA-
man.
THE AMERICAN GIKIi.
How nn English Gentleman Views lior fi
a Novel.
Miss Baylor, in her very clever and
entertaining novel, "On Hoth Sides,"
give3 us some finer spirited, pen pict
ures, in which nho contrasts English
and American character, and be it
said to her credit, with entire fairness
to both nationalities.
Mr. lleathcote, and elegant and ac
complished young Eimliohman, who
having safely eluded tho wiles of the
mntch making British matrons with
eligible daughters, comes to America,
and in a charming family of Haltimo
reans, where ho is received with genu
ine hospitality and allowed to ride,
walk and talk ad libitum with the
daughter of the house, finds himself on
the other horn of tho dilemma.
"Tho weight of excessive eligibility
suddenjy slipped oil him (Mr. Heath
cote), like the albatross from the neck
of the ancient mariner, leaving him a
thankful and happy man. In a week
he had established himself firmly at
Mr.Unscombo's declined to accompany
his undo to Virginia, and definitely
settled in his own mind that ho would
take tho step matrimonial the step
from tha sublime, well not always to
bo ridiculous. With this resolution
he naturally thought thatthegreatest
obstacle to success bad been removed:
but ho was soon disillusionized. Ho
hnd already come to see that Ameri
can girls wero very much in tho habit
of being gracious to everybody, ar.d
saying pretty and pleasant things,
with no thought of nn hereafter; nlo
that they did not live with St. George's,
HanoverSquarc,or its American equiv
alent.TrintyChurch.New York, stamp
ed on tho mental retina. Miss Bas
combe was 'very nice'to himself,but she
was quite as nice to a dozen other men.
It was quite clear that if there was
to bo any wooing done, he would have
to do it go every step of the way
himself, with no assistance from Miss
Bascombo. 'How on earth am I to
show her that I care for her?' he
thought. 'Other men send her dozens
of bonnets, nnd box after box of ex
pensive sweets, without end, nnd thoy
come to see her continually and take
her about every where, and are en
tirely devoted to her. I wonder what
fellows do over hero when they are
serious? How do they mako them
selves understood when they go on this
way habitually? It is a most extraor
dinary state of alinirs!
Nothing seems to mean nnything
here, it is worso than beiny
in England, whero everything meaiw
something. No, it isn't either.
I vow that when I am at tho
Clinton's, in Surrey, I scarcely dare
oiiiv the girls so much ns a muthn,
and if I ask the carroty one, Beatrice,
the simplest question, she blushes and
stammers as if I were proposing out of
hand. But what am I to do? I can't
sing and take to serenading Edith on
moonlit nights with a guitar and a
blue ribbon around my neck. I can't
push her into tho river that I may
pull her out again. 1 dare say there
is nothing for it but to adopt tho
American method enter with about
fifty others for n sort of sentimental
steeplechase, elbow or knock every
other .fellow out of the way, in the
running, work awfully hard to please
the girl, and get in by half a length if
ono wins at all. There is no leeling
sure of her until ono is coming back
from tho altar, evidently."
To have even unintentionally drawn
this soliloquy from a rather conceited
young JMigiisiimnn, whose nttitiuio
toward tlio gentler sex una Hitherto
been, to say tho least, evasive, was no
small triumph for MissBascombo,who
had succeeded in bewildering and as
tonishing Mr. lleathcote even more
completely than Miss Bijou Brown
bad done his sister, when she called a
young man of her acquaintance "a
erlectlY lovely leiiow," pronounced
is noso "a dream," and finally ac
knowledged to corresponding with
twelve of his ilk, ai'dingthat she gen-
rally read these letters to "Pepper,"
who laughed fit to kill himself over
them."
It is pleasant indeed to see the Amer
ican girl placed uetore us in a proper
light, in view of the many caricatures
in both English and Americnn fiction,
in which alio has played a prominent
part. Miss Baylor places the English
daisy, Ethel lleathcote, besii o ono of
our own Americnn wild roses, and
demonstrates quite clearly that, with
all tho freedom that our social cus
toms permit, the American girl is quite'
as modest, ingenuous, womanly and
true hearted as her English sister,
whoso every action is hedged in by
conventionalities, and whose every
step is attended by a chaperon.
Making: Dollars.
On tho corner of Chestnut and Juni
per Streets in Philadelphia is a square,
rtzlv building with a bed or two of red
ran in ins in irout, unu a unueu
ates flag flying overheard. In tho
centre of this minding, m an open
courtyard, aro piled-upcrates covered
with stout wire not, and guarded by
men under arms.
These crates contain partially re
fined silver ore from Colorado, and the
vuluo of each is about a thousand
dollars.
Some thirteen or fourteen thousand
pounds of silver is melted every day,
and comes out of tho grimy smelting
room in glittering ingots. Theso lomt
bars are held each in turn' under the
topping machine, which ia a heavy
steel shaft with a knio edge that
smooths oil the ends of themetnlbars
ns easily as if it were paring an applo.
Tho ingots then nave thosnape, anu
n good deal tho appearance, of a bar
of white cream candy in the confec
tioners' jnrs. Each ono is next put
under rollers, like dough, nnd tlateneu
out to tho thickness of a dollar.
Tho precious dough is then heated
and handed over to a gigantic
cook made of revolving wheels nnd
steel bars, who swiftly cuts it into tiny
biscuit, two hundred nnd fifty in the
minute. These little enkes afo seized
by another machine which mills tho
.edges, amUhep pass into n trough filled
with ncid to wnsh them, and from that
to a revolving tdb of unwdust. They
4
are now smooth bright discs of silver
with milled edges.
The press which makes them into
coins is like a monstrous dumb, intel
ligent creature. It is waited on by a
pretty young girl who drops the discs
into a long tube, from which thisdumb
monster (who seems to bo thinking of
something greater than its work) picks
each one out with its claw-like lingers,
places it between its lips, on one of
which is a head of Liberty, and tho
other nn eajdo. Tho mouth shuts on
it with terrific force, and spits it forth,
a dollar.
Each dollar is weighed, and if too
light or too heavy, is rejected, and
sent, back to the melting furnace.
The Government is a thrifty manu
facturer; the fragments, wo may bo
sure, aro carefully gathered up, that
nothing is lost. Tho pieces out of
which the coins are cut, and the silver
filings from tho milling machine, all go
back, of course, to bo melted over.
The floors and walls of the mint nro
covered with iron grating, through
which tho scrapings and precious dust
sift. These amount in value to thirty
or forty thousand dollars a year. At
certain intervals the grating itself is
melted down, and yields its prey a
the precious metal. Youth's Companion.
The
Blood Sucking- Farm Mort-
A San Joaquin county, Cal.,
writes as follows to a local paper; '"I
have lived in this locality twenty-one
years. During this time I have farmed
from ICO to 820 acres of splendid
land, within seven miles of Lodi,
When I came to this country I pre
empted a quarter section. Twelvo
years ago I bought the adjoining quar
ter section, mortgaging tho whole for
$10,000 to enable me to buy it. Out
of the profits of my twenty years'
farming I have supported my family,
fenced my lands, built a good barn
and stable, and paid i?iJ,5UU upon my
house, which I built five years ngo at
a cost' of $5,200. I raised ?2,700,
balance on the house, on a joint noto
which a neighbor helped me to make.
'This is what I have accomplished.
It is an honest confession. Some havo
done better mnny have failed to do aa
well.
"On the $10,000 mortgage I have
paid 8 per cent, to a Stockton bank
for the past eleven years. I was
figuring up what this 'plaster' has
cost me in that time. Just think of it.
I have paid $00.05 interest per month
on that confounded, blood-sucking
mortgage. Adding t o the compounded
interest I havo paid $9,000 interest
for my foolishness in going in debt to
buy that quarter section. Tho $2,700
I owe on the joint noto has cost mo in
interest in tlio Inst four years, at 10
per cent., just exactly $1,500, count
ing the broker's comniittsion. For tho
glory of owning 320 acres of land, and
for the comfort of living in a good
house, I have paid $10,500 interest,
nnd still I owe $12,700. I tell you.
Mr. Editor, mortgages knock out
more fnrmers financially than short
crops and low prices.
i am hfty-seven venrs old; grev
hairs and fewer of 'em remind mo that
I am sliding down life's decline. If I
am not old enough to learn wisdom, I
must always remain a blank tool.
"I am tired ot this big ranch of mine.
with its big debt, its big expense and
its small net prohts. 1 in tired of
slaving for kid-gloved money-lenders.
Ono half of my farm is for sale. I'm
going to unload I will sell 100 acres
of as good land as there is in this
valley, all well fenced and with other
valuable improvements, for just tho
amount of my debts. Anybody who
will release me of two damnable iron
clad, double-riveted promissory notes,
together amounting to $12,700, can
take that quarter section."
He Toole Whiskey.
Prom the liig Horn Sentinel.
A nobby and snobbish milord of
British extraction travelled from Big
Horn with us and Abe Idelinan on
tho stage coach early one week. Mil
ord was excessively exclusive. lie
wouldn't be sociable, and spoke to no
one except the two ".lohn Henry"
servants he had with him, and was
altogether as unpleasant as hiss nob
bishness could make him. At a din
ner station there wero a lot of jolly
cowbovs on a lark, and ono of them
"treating" ovcrybody, asked tho En
glishman to drink.
Of course milord retuseit. 'ino cow
boy displayed a djingerous-looking six
hooter and very impressively insist
ed on his drinking. "But 1 cawn t.
you know; I don't drink, you know,"
was milord's repiy. air. uowooy
brought tho muzlo in a dangerous
proximity to tho knot in wich mil
ord's brains wero supposed to lie hid
den somewhere, and then ho said he'd
drink he'd take soda water, you
know.
"Soda water nuthin', said Mr.
Cowboy, "ion 11 take straight whis
key."
'But, aw, this American whiskey, I
cawn't swallow it, you know."
"Well," said the cowbov. I ll mako
a hole in the side of vour head so that
wo can pour it in." nnd ho began to
draw on milord, and milord said:
"Aw, that'll do, I'll drink it."
u lien the cowboy invited muoru s
servants to drink, which horrihea
lim. "Thev don't drink, you.knov,"
ho said. "Well, we'll 6eo whether
they do or not," snid Mr. Cowboy.
1 ho chances nro you don t give em
n 'hoportunity.' Come up here, you
fellows, and guzzle;" nnd tho two
John llenrvs. with n show of reluct-
mice, but really glad to got a drink,
came up, and the cowooy passeu a
tumblerful of torchlight procession
whiskey for milord, and tho 6ervauts
loured for themselves.
Then the cowboy made the John
Henrys ciink glasses with milord, nnd
ali drank, and there was great fun.
Milord tried alter that to be very lol
ly, and tho stimulant assisted him de-
cidedly. nut in tnocoacn neieii uack
into his exclusivoness, and retained it
throughout, and has piobably, got it
vet.
i