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About Wallowa chieftain. (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 1902)
i!tr T T .? A A A ! A Tg T T : A STUDY IN SCARLET BY A. CONAN DOYLE. a v1 1 i II i iri v'n j t i ? FMIT II Chapter IV Com i nurd One !lne morning John Ferrier was libout to set out tor his wheat fields, . when ho heard the clu k of the latch, i and, looking through the window, saw' u stout, sandy-haired, middle-aged man coining up the pathway. ! His heart leaped to his mouth, for: tliis was none other than the groat lti'lgliaui Young himself. Full of trep idation t'o;' ho know that such a vis- tn .ho ,( tn nroot ho Mnrmnii chief. This latter, however, received llii .4:lliir:finn i-iditlv nml fnlliiwod i,i, ., ',.,, ,,,','i,,,., ,1,., itti..o' " iu l oinu i.iv.v iiiku wo; ammo ,.,,, i "ll.othor Ferrier." he said, taking a ' seat, and eyeing the farmer keenly from under his light-colored evelash- es, "the true believers have been good , friends to you. We picked you up we shnro'.l our food with vm, led vo.i safe to the chosen valley, gave you a goodly share of land, and allowed you to wax rich under our protection. Ls not this so "It is so." answered John Ferrier. "In return for all this, we asked but one condition; that was. that you should embrace the true faith, and conform in every way to its usages This vnn nmniio.l tn dn- nnd this if ! common report says truly, you have neglected." "And how have I neglected It?" a'sked Ferrier, throwing out his hands in expostulation. "Have I not given to the common fund? Have I not at tended at the temple? Have I not " "Where are your wives?" asked Young, looking round him. "Call thorn in. that I may greet them." "It is true that I have not mar ried," Ferrier answered. "But women were few, and there were many who had better claims than I, I was not a lonely man: I lnd my daughter attend my wants." to ! ' "It is of that daughter that I would , speak to you. said the leader of the Mormons. "She has grown to be the flower of Utah, and has found favor in the eyes of many who are high in the land." John Ferrier groaned internallv. "There "are stories of her which I would fain disbelieve stories that she is sealed to some gentile. Thi3 must be the gossip of idle tongues. What is the thirteenth role In the code of the sainted John Smith? 'Let every maiden of the true faith marry one of the elect, for If she wed a gen tile she commits a grievous sin.' This being so. It is impossible that you, who profess the holy creed, should suffer your daughter to violate it. John Ferrier made no answer, but j he played nervously with his riding whip. "Upon this one point your whole faith should be tested so it has been decided in the Sacred Council of Four. The girl is young and we would not have her wed gray hairs, neither would we deprive her of all choice. "We elders have many wives, but our children must also be provided. Stangerson has a son and Drebber lias a son, and either of them would gladly welcome your daughter to their house. Let her choose between them. Tney nre young and rich and of the true faith. What say you to that?" Ferrier remained silent for some lit tle time with his brows knitted. "You will give us time." he said at last. "My daughter is very young she is scarcely of an age to marry." "She shall have a month to choose." said Young, rising from his seat. "At the end of that time she shall give her answer." Ho w:ts passing through the door when he turned with flushed face and Cashing eyes. "It wore better for you. John Fer rier," ho thundorpd. "that you and she were now lying blanched skeletons up on the Sierra Blanco than that you should put vour weak wills against the orders of the Holy Four!" With a threatening gesture of his hand, he turned from the door, and Ferr'.er heard his heavy step scrunch ing along the shingly path. He was still sitting with his elbows upon his knees, considering how he should broach the matter to his daughter, when a soft hand was laid upon his, and, looking up, saw her standing beside him. One glance at her pale, frightened face showed hi.m that sne had heard what had passed. "I could not help It." she said in answer to his look. "His voice rang through the house. Oh, father lather! What shall we do?" "Don't you scare yourself," he an Bwered, drawing her to him and pas ing his broad, rough hand caressing ly over her chestnut hair. "We'll fix it up somehow or another. You don't find your fancy kind o' lessening for this chap, do you?" A sob and a squeeze of his hand was her only answer. ,, . "No, of course not. I shouldn't care to hear yon say you did. He's a likely lad, and he's a Christian, which is more than these folk here, in spite o' all their praying and preaching. There's a party starting for Nevada tomorrow, and I'll manage to send him a message letting him know the hole we are in. If I know anything o' that young man he'll be back here with a sneed that would whip electro-telegraphs." Lucy laughed through her tears at her father's description. "When he comes he will advise us tor t?r best. But It is for you that I am frightened, dear. One hears one hears such dreadful stories about those who oppose the prophet; some thing terrible always happens to them." "Hut we havn't opposed him yet," her father answered. "It will be time to look out for squalls when we do. We have a clear .month before us; at the end of that. I guess we had best Bhln out of Utah." "Leave Utah?" "That's about the size of It" "But the farm?" "We will raise as much as we can In money, and let the rest go. To tell T AAA 7- ??! ti3i&& ? & the truth. Lucy, It Isn't the first time I have thought of doing It. I don't care about knocking under to any man. as these folk do to their darned prophet. I'm a free-born American, and it's all new to me. Guess I'm too old to learn. If he conies browsing about his farm, he might chance to run up against a charge of buck shot traveling in the opposite direc tion." "Hut thov won't let us leave," his 'daughter objected I "Wait till Jefferson conies, and we'll soon manage that. In the meantime, don't you fret yourself, my dearie, , , , , i and don t get your eyes swelled up else ho 11 he-wiIkiriR into me when he ses J- There s nothing to he "J8.1 about- and thero 8 no danEer , . John Ferrier uttered these eonsol- : ing remarks In a very confident tone, ,,ut she cml!l! not heIP observing that he paid unusual care to the fastening of the doors that night, and that he carefully cleaned and loaded the rusty old shotgun which hung upon the wall of his bedroom. CHAPTER IV, On the morning which followed his Interview with the Mormon prophet .iiMiu remsr went in lo Dan Line City, and, having found his acquant- nnce who was bound for the Nevada Mountains, he intrusted him with his message to Jefferson Hope, In It he told the young man of the Imminent danger which threatened them, and how necessary It was that he should return Having done this, he felt easier in his mind, and returned home with a lighter heart, As he approached his farm he was surprised to see a horse hitched to each of the posts of the' gate. Still more surprised was he on entering to find two young men in possession or his sitting room Both of them nodded to Ferrier as he entered, and the one in the rocking chair commenced the conversation. "Maybe you don't know us." he said. "This here is the son of Elder Drebber. and I'm Joseph Stangerson who traveled with you in the desert when the Lord stretched out His hand and gathered you into the true fold." "As He will all the nations, in His own good time." said the other, in a nasal voice; "He grindeth slowly but exceedingly small." "We have come," continued Stan gerson, "at the advice of our fathers to solicit the hand of your daughter for which ever of us may seem good to you and to her. As I have but four wives and Brother Drebber here has seven, it appears to me that my claim id the stronger one "Nay, nay, Brother Stangerson," cried the other; "the question it not how many wives we have, but how many we can keep. My father has now given over his mills to me, and I am the richer man "But my prospects are better," said the other, warmly. "When the Lord removes my iatner I shall have his tanning yard and his leather factory Then I am your elder, and am higher in the church. "It will be for the maiden to de cide," rejoined young Drebber, smirk ing at his own reflection in the glass. "We will leave it all to her decision." During this dialogue John Ferrier had stood fuming in the doorway, hardly able to keep his riding whip from the backs of his two visitors, "Look here," he said, at last, strid ing up to them, "when my daughter summons you, you can come; but un til then, I don't want to see your faces again." The two young Mormons stared at him in amazement. In their eyes this competition between them for the maiden's hand was the highest of honors both to her and her father. "There are two ways out of the room," cried Ferrier; "there is the door, and there is the window, Which do you care to use?" His brown face looked so savage, and his gaunt hands so threatening, that his visitors sprang to their feet and beat a hurried retreat. The old farmer followed them to the door. "Let me know when you have set tled which it is to be," he said, sar donically. "You shall smart for this!" Stan gerson cried, white with rage. "You have defied the prophet and the Council of Four. You shall rue it to the end of your days." "The hand of the Lord shall be heavy upon you," cried young Dreb ber. "He will arise and smite you." "Then I'll start the smiting," ex claimed Ferrier, furiously, and he ..would have rushed upstalfs for his gun had not Lucy seized him by the arm and restrained him. "The young, canting rascals!" he exclaimed, wiping the perspiration from his forehead; "I would sooner see you in your grave, my girl, than the wife of either of them." "And so should I, father," she an swered, with spirit, "but Jefferson will soon be here." "Yes. It will not be long before he comes. The sooner' the better, for we do not know what their next move may be." It was indeed high time that some one capable of giving advice and help should come to the aid of the sturdy old farmer and his adopted daughter, In the whole history of the settle ment there had never been such a case of rank disobedience to the au thority of the elders. If minor errors were punished so sternly, what would be the fate of this arch-rebel? Ferrier knew that his wealth and position wouid be of no avail to him Others as well known and as rich as himself had been spirited away be fore now, and their goods given over to the church, He was a brave man, but he trembled at the vague, shadowy ter rors which hung over him. Any known danger he could face with a firm lip, but this suspense was un- j nerving. He concealed his fears from his daughter, however, and affected to make light of the whole matter, though she, with the keen eye of love, saw plainly that he was ill at ease. Upon rising next morning he found to his surprise a small square of paper pinned on to the coverlet of his bed, just over his chest. On it was print ed, in bold, straggling letters: "Twenty-nine days are given you for amendment and then The dash was more fear-Inspiring than any threat could have been. How this warning came into his room puzzled John Ferrier sorely, for his servants slept in an out-house, and the doors aud windows had all been secured. He crumpled the paper up and said nothing to his daughter, but the inci dent struck a chill to his heart. The twenty-nine days were evident ly the balance of the month which Young had promised. What strength or courage could avail against an enemy armed with such mysterious powers? The hand which fastened that pin might have struck him to the heart, and he could never have known who had slain him. Still more shaken was he next morning. They had sat down to breakfast when Lucy, with a cry of surprise, pointed upward. In the center of the celling was scrawled, with a burnt stick, appar ently, the number 28. To his daugh ter it was unintelligible, and he did enlighten her. That night he sat up with his gun and kept watch and ward. He saw and heard nothing, and yet in the morning a great 27 had been painted upon the outside oi nts door. Thus day followed day and as sure aa morning came lie found that his unseen enemies had kept their register, and had marked up in some conspicuous position how many days were still left to him out of the month of grace. Sometimes the fa tal number appeared upon the walls, sometimes upon the floors; occasion ally they were on small placards stuck upon the garden gate or the railings. With all his vigilance John Ferrier could not discover whence these dally warnings proceeded. A horror, which was almost super stitious, came upon him at sight of them. He became haggard and rest less, and his eyes had the troubled look of some hunted creature. He had but one hope in life now, and that was for the arrival of the young hunter from Nevada. Twenty had changed to fifteen, and fifteen to ten, but there was no news of the absentee. One by one the number dwindled down, and still there came no sign of him. Whenever a horseman clattered down the road or a driver shouted at his team, the old farmer hurried to the gate, thinking that help had ar rived at last At last, when he saw five give way to four and that again to three, he lost heart, and abandoned all hope of escape. Single-handed, and with his limited knowledge of the mountains which surrounded the settlement, he knew that he was powerless. The more frequented roads were strictly watched and guarded, and none could pass along them without an order from the council. Turn which way he. would, there appeared to be no avoiding the blow which hung over him. . Yet the old man never wavered in his resolution to part wjth life itself before he consented to what he re garded as his daughter's dishonor. He was sitting alone one evening pondering deeply over his troubles, and searching vainly for some way out of them. That morning had shown the fig ure two upon the wall of his house. and the jiext day would be the last of the allotted time. What was to happen then? All manner of vague and terrible fancies filled his imagination. And his daughter what was to become of her after he was gone? Was there no escape from the Invis ible network which was drawn all around them? He sunk his head upon the table and sobbed at the thought of his own impotence. What was that? In the silence he heard a gentle scratchingg sound low, but very distinct, in the quiet of the night. It came from the door of the house. (To be Continued.) Amusing Errors of Speech. Bridget, who came to this country last year, has a limited vocabulary, and while she is learning fast, some of the words and expressions she has acquired do not always fit, her ear not having been accurate in getting the rignt term. Thus the other day she said to her mistress: "Shall I fix that Kansas back duck for dinner?" Again, Bridget was telling a tale of a missing (riend in this city, when she exclaimed: - "Do you know, I believe when Katie turns up she'll be found in the Potash field!" - While at work on Fiiday (v-tromen dous blast near by in the subway rattled the dishes in the kitchen and the girl cried out: "There goes that rapid transom again!" Bear More of an Attraction. Parson (who has just arrived (or the first time at his new country living) I say, porter, my arrival seems to have caused a great deal of excitement in the village. Porter Yes, sir; but it's nowt to when the dancing bear was here yester day. London Tit-Bits. Analysis. She After all, what is the difference between illusion and delusion. He Illusions are the lovely fancies we have about ourselves, and delusions are the foolish fancies other people hav about themselves. Life. Trick With a Piece of Cord. Take a niece of cord about two yards long, hold the two ends with the thumb and Index linger of the right luind and form the figure shown on the left side of our Illustration on the table. Tho task is to pull the cord off the table while another person Is trying to pre vent It by placing the Index linger on any spot inside the figures formed by the cord. You may Ik? certain that any one will select the part of the loop marked with O. When we now pull the two ends of the' cord. It will slide past the finger that is trying to pre vent It. Let us start over again. HOW IT 18 DONE. We lay the cord again and declare that If the partner places the Index finger on the same sjxrt of the figure the finger will be caught and the cord will not be removed. The partner places the linger on 1 we pull, und tho cord Is actually held fast. Solution: The partner has not no tieed that wu have changed the loops of the cord. By comparing the two figures In our illustration you will no tlce tho change. In the figure on the left right end of the cord forms first the loop A, while In the figure on the right It forms the loop behind It, so that in tills case the loop A belongs to tho left end of the cord. How To Make Traps. In Gibson's "Camp Life In the Woods and the Tricks of Trapping," published some years ugo, the following effective traps tliat can be easily made are de scribed: A mouse trnp may be made with n bowl and a knife blade. Put a piece of cheese on the end of the blade of a table knife. Lift one edge of the bowl and put the knife, standing on its edge, under It, allowing the bait to be about an inch and u half beneath the Ikw1. The odor of cheese will attract the mouse and he will find his way under the edge of the bowl, and a very slight nibble will tip the blade and the bowl will fall over on the prisoner. A thimble may be used lu place of the knife. Force the cheese Into the thimble and put the thimble under the bowl with the open end Inward, allow ing about half the length of the thim ble to project out of It. The mouse, In trying to get the cheese out of tho thimble, will cause the bowl to fall. If the thimble be too small to allow the mouse to pass under the edge of the bowl, put a piece of imstboard or a Hat chip under the thimble. To make a fly trap, take n tumbler and half fill it with strong soapsuds. Cut ft circle of stiff paper which will exactly fit into the top of the glass, and lu the center of the paper cut a hoie half an Inch In diameter. A slice of bread may be used In place of the stiff paper. Smear the under side of the disk with molasses before insert ing. Flies will find their way down ward through the hole, and once below the paper their doom Is sealed. In their efforts to escape they will fall Into the soapsuds and speedily perish. By setting a numlier of such traps In a room it will soon lie rid of the pests. What a liny Can Do. These nre some of the things a boy can do: He can shout so loud the air turns blue; He can make all sounds of beast and bird, And a thousand more they never heard. He can crow or cackle, chirp or cluck. Till he fools the rooster, hen or duck, He can mock the dog. or luuib, or cow. And the cat herself can't beut his "nie-ow." He has sounds that are ruffled, striped or plain; He cnn thunder by like a railway train, Stop at the stations a breath, nnd then, Apply the steam and be off again. He has all of his powers in such com mand. He can turn Tight into a full brass band, With all of the instruments ever played, And march away as a street parade. You can tell that a boy is very ill It he's wide wake and is keeping still; But earth would be God hies their noise! A dull old place if there were no boys. Christian Endeavor World. Wisdom of a Stork. On a tree clfse to a house, within a short distance of the river or canal, there was a stork's tiest, with young ones. The roof of the. house caught fire one day, and though the flames did not actually reach the tree, the heat became scorching. So the mother stork flew down to the water, got into it and dreuched her breast; then, returning to her young, she spread the mass of cool, wet fenthers all over them. This she repeated over and over again, fly ing to the river, going down into the water, and returning, her plumage drenched with wet And thus the nest was saved, and the tender nestlings were preserved alive until the fire had been got under control and all was anfe. The troth of this remarkable Btory n vouched for by ""re than j one eyewitness. The ooriuiui. Great HerrlnK Machine. Very clever Is a Swedish Inventor named Kkenborg, who lias constructed n machine which takes herrings as. they come from the net, sorts them Into four sizes recognized by the trade, scrape oft their scales, cuts oft their betid, splits, cleans and washes them inside and out. The machine does nil this automatic ally, and turns out 20,000 herrings an hour. One of the big floating herring facto ries which go out from (Joteliorg to the herring bunks ls to be equipped with the astonishing apparatus, which ought to effect a revolution lu the price of blotters. How Cnn the Lurk be Happy? Little Nellie Uncle Will said the other day that he was a happy as a lark. Do you suppose u lark Is very happy? Little Hubert I should say not. Why, I road In a book that a lark gets up before sunrise every morning. Tom in ic'o A mend men t. Small Tom in io (at dlliuor) Maninia, chuck me a piece of bread, will you? Mamma (shocked by, Touiuile, is that the way t ask for it? Small Tommie Well, then, please chuck me a piece of bread. CAPACIOUS BED OF WARE. Is Larue Kuough to Hold a Dozen Per sons Comfortably. The great bod of Ware ls famous not only for its size, but because of Shakespeare's allusion to It in "Twelfth Night" When Sir Toby Belch urges Aguecheek to send a chal lenge to his supposed rival, hu says: "Put as many lies In u sheet as will lie In It ulthough the sheet were big enough for the bed of Ware in Eng land." This enormous bed ls 10 feet 0 inches square and 7 feet (1 inches high. It Is made of Spanish oak, ele gantly carved, and ls a wonderful spec imen of antique furniture that for three centuries lias lx-en the pride and glory of the Saracen's Head at Ware. The top ls u solid canopy of beautifully carved wood made In one piece. At the base of each tontpost are boxes. It was the custom lu old times for n newly arrived guest who had never seen It before to drink a toast to the bed In a can of beer. Twelve persons have slept in It at one time, and it is asserted In the old chronicles that twenty did so at a pinch. When Kllhu Burrett the learned American blacksmith, went on his walking tour from London to the Laud's End he turned aside to see the great lied of Ware, aud might have slept In it, but didn't Some modern authorities declare that It ls not older than the reign of Elizabeth, but this can hardly be, as when It was put up for auction part of the eoat-of-urms or the Earl of Warwick wus found on the bottom or back of it with the date 14, and there is a tradition In the comities of Berks and Warwick that It was originally In Warwick Castle and made for the accommodation of King Edward IV. of England, who could not sleep In an ordinary bed, being an Im mensely tall man, only one Inch short of seven feet. This tradition says that it was removed from Warwick Castle where It Is called In the household book "the king's bed" to the inn at Ware to accommodate Edward In one of his campaigns during the wars of the roses. There is common sanse In the story, for Edward was a voluptu ous man, reveling in all the luxuries which could be procured lu so rude an age, carrying with him when he went to war or hunt silken pavilions, .cup boards of plate, feather beds, many cnanges oi apparel and choice wine for uimself and his favorites. EATING TIME. ON CAT FARM. Dietary Table of un Up-to-Dute Feline Hoarding House. The care of cats of absent ana and of those which nre raised for sale has become a matter commanding great attention, and lu Its iin-to-dnio fw. ls sufficiently amusing. The dietary uuie-iuuie aim uully routine on one of these modern cat farms I iiua.u,.ui ... icu an follows: At 8:80 the cats have saueer- iuis ot rood, prepared us for a baby, and given while warm nt ti. ,i,' . .,v. vuiiniar ency of cream. At 12:30 they dine either uu a weii-ooueu sheep's head, cut up very line, or by way of change they have a fish dinner. At 3 o'clock a drink of warm milk Is provided. At 7pm they have fish and rice, or biscuits aouk- eu in inn, clean boiled they are em phatic about the boiling-water ls al ways kept at hnnd, ns cats suffer from inirsi more than is generally realized A white cnt should be cleaned exactly as you would clean the fashionable white neck fur. The h mill rt 1 should be dnmpened, not wet In some air hi wuicu n few drops of "oiif. nionla have been should then be stroked. It should then u aiirinsieu generously with flour which must be rubbed into This must then be thoroughly brushed mil, uuu uie coat nni niio.i .ui. ..... handkerchief. This ceremony should be ...uu.geu in, ns a healthy cat will keep Itself clean In clean ,JL...,. " " "''"'''-tionreairze o ...- irequenny run Into three figures, so the care bestowed on them Is not altogether unreasonable. Let Others W-il- ti. . .... - mc r lOOr. Do you think out the Jkes In the funny column?" nnWu,! n. t f.; ; T!.,r,!a.,kr.doe.B thnt" ww the . .,U1UUU1,UUB jsews. We have noticed with regret that no one ever seems too poor toVe.jiw- First Premiums Taken by Royalty Hoyaltles seem to possess more rec ords in proportion to their number than most other classes. The Gorman Emperor Is, of course in the van. He has made 280 speeches, unequnled by nny of bis subjects. He probably holds also the travel record for anyone except an engine driver. In one recent yeur he traveled on log days, covering In all 18,750 mil, by hind and sea. Ills average JournpylnM for the last seven years have been 13,. 000 to 1-1,000 miles a year. Another record of the Kalser'B ls the owner ship of the greatest number of estates held by any one person on earth. He has no fewer than eighty-three. The Shah of I'erslu speaks three lai gauges, but the Khedive leads the list with a good knowledge of six different tongues. His Arabic. Turkish, French and English nre perfect, and he Is suf. liclently well ncqunlnted with German anil Italian to niako himself understood without the least difficulty, though h Is not really a fluent Breaker of thess tongues. Few men alive can do more. The young King of Italy Is the pos sessor of a magnificent collection of coins. There nre 50,000 specimens kept In twenty-four great cupboards. Thess coins come from 200 different mints. The old Roman coins nre unequnled. Besides being lu the very first clas ns a writer of romantic word pictures, the talented Queen of Koumnnla Is be lieved to be uuequaled anywhere ns an embroiderer. That this ls no Idle boast on the pnrt of her admirers ls proved by the fact that her work took the gold medal at the Paris exhibition in open competition with that of nil the best seamstresses In Europe. Nor. was Carmen Sylva the only royal exhibitor nt the great Paris show. King Carlos of Portugal sent a very beautiful pastel drawing, for which lie, Judged hb an artist and not a King, received u Bllver meduL Mention has been made of the Kaiser's lare number of estates. The Czar beats lilui In acreage, f He owns more land tlmii nny other 'human be- ing. Russia's crown estates comprise, over 050,(XM,000 acres of cultivated soil,' to sny nothing of uncounted square miles of forest aud about sixty-five mines. A queer record belongs to Princess Sophie of Prussia. At her wedding she had to kiss 140 different royal friends and relatives. She is said to have ac complished the tusk in three-quarters of an hour. The tallest reigning Queen is Wilhel mlna of Holland, says the London Mall. She measures 0 feet DVi Inches, the shortest the German Em press. The tallest King ls Oscar of Sweden; the shortest the Czar of Rus sia. MARK TWAIN'S FIRST WINNING. How He Bossed the Job of Rolling tttonea Down Inclines. In the Century Bev. Henry M. Whar ton tells this anecdote of Mr. Clemens is a boy, which he heard in Hannibal, the humorist's old home: A fuvorite sport of the boys was to go to a hill near an old mill and start a loose rock down the steep side utitll, gathering force' and velocity. It finally went crashing into the water below. On one occasion nu Ill-directed missile assailed the mill nnd made a hole through It like the path of a thirty pounder. The miller ran out nnd lifted up his voice lu prayer, beseeching heaven to spare him nnd his property, promising, if the prayer was answered, never to ask unother favor of the Al mighty while he lived. One immense boulder, partly burled in the hillside, promised to the mind of young Siuu a lot of fun. He culled the boys together and thus addressed them: "Fellows, this ls a bigger rock than ever rolled down any hill; It will tnke lots of work to move her, but when she starts all the world can't stop her. We can lift her out. I will be the boss, nnd you fellows work, and we will see the greatest thing that ever happened." Many Sun duys were spent In tolling at the sides and underneath the great rock. The "boss" never for a moment lost his nerve, bwt cheered the others on lu their work, until one day they succeed ed In turning over the great mass of stone. Over and over it went faster nnd faster, till the boys were frightened almost out of their senses. They did not know where or how the thing would stop. It was making for the road which wound. around the -hill; some one might be pnsslug; or, even if not the way might be forever blocked. They watch ed and wondered. At lust It struck the rond with tremendous power, nnd, tak ing a mighty leap, landed in the chan nel of the Mississippi River. Of course no one knew who did It. but It is Ud thnt It was necessnryto 8en fl tfovern' ment dredge to take the obstruction from the stream. Silks in the United Htates. Of all the sUks used in the United States $20,000,000 worth is Imported nnd $107,000,000 worth borne made. The domestic silk Industry employ 9.1 Ann on nnn ..,r.,An nnd li.0w children in 483 mills, with $81,O0O,0W capital ' ' A Bad Break. "Wbnt Is It dear?" "Why," faltered the bride, "it BW be nil right but this man sends 'Man? happy returns of the day' with n' present" Prize fighters often require their efr ond wind, but book agents never lo their first Some people make a virtue of nece Ity as a last resort