PAGE SIX
THE SPRINGFIELD NEWS
The
Homesteader
Copyright, All Rights IU served
-ALLAN."
Synopsis. Plssntlsfled bwUM of
the seemingly barren outlook of
his position as school tracher In
Canadian town, John Harris deter
mine to leave It. take up lnd In
Manitoba and become a home
steader." Mary, the irtrl whom he
loves, declares she will accompany
htm. They are married and set
out for the unknown country. Alec
McCrae. pioneer settler and adviser
of newcomers, proves an Invalu
able friend. Leaving his wife with
the family of a fellow settler. Fred
Arthurs. Harris and McCrae Jour
ney over the prairie and select a
homestead. Mary Insists on accom
panying him when he takes pos
session. They build a shack and
put In a crop.
CHAPTER III Continued.
It was not dreadfully cold, but the
sky seemed only a vast tunuoll of
snow. Darkness came down very ear
ly, but at last Harris began to recog
nise familiar landmarks close by the
trail, and just as night was settling
In he drew Into the partial shelter of
the bench on the bank of the coulee.
The horses pulled on their reins per
sistently for the stable, but Harris
forced them up to the house. Ills
loud shout was whipped away by the
wind and strangled In f. moment, so
he climbed stiffly from the wagon and
pulled with numbed hands at the
double thickness of carpet that did
service for a door. He fancied be
heard a sound, but could be sure of
nothing: he called her name again
and again, but could distinguish no
answer. But at last the fastenings
which help the carpet gave way, and
he half walked, . half fell. Into the
house.
The lantern burned dimly, but It
was not at the lantern he looked. In
the farthest corner, scarcely visible In
the feeble light, stood his wife, and at
'her shoulder was the gun, trained
steadily upon him.
"Mary Mary, don't you know me?"
he cried.
She dropped her weapon to the floor,
where It went off, harmlessly burying
its charge In the sod wall.
"Thank God, oh, thank God!" she
exclaimed.
He threw off his wet overcoat and
rushed 1o her side. But she sat silent
on the bed. staring absently at the
light flickering uncertainly In the wind
from the open door.
He hastily rearranged the carpet,
then, returning to her, he took ber
hands in his and rubbed them briskly.
But she still blared vaguely at the
light !I4U1J3
Suddenly a thought came to him.
He rushed outside, to find that the
horses, of tbelr own accord, had taken
Mary, Mary, Don't You Know Me?"
He Cried.
shelter beside the stable. Here from
the wagon he drew a little bundle and
hurried back to the house.
She was sitting where he left her,
shivering slightly and watching the
play of the light as It flickered up and
down the sail. He tore the package
open and spread Its contents before
her.
At first she took no notice, but
gradually her eyes found the outline of
oft cloth and dulnty feminine do-
vices. With a great Joy he watched
the color returning as her set face re
laxed In a suiMe of InisffiiMe tender
ness. She raised her face to his and
slipped her arms about his neck, and
he knew that for the moment bo had
snatched her out of the valley of the
shadow.
Harris made no more attempts to
market his wheat that winter, itls
wife's health now became his first con
sideration, but, even had there been
no such problem, experience bad
shown that nothing was to be gained
by making the long and expensive trip
to Emerson. The cost of subsistence
of man and team on the way devoured
all the proceeds of the wheat; indeed,
there were Instances on record In the
settlement where men who attempted
such trips during the winter actually
came back poorer than they left, while
those who could show a gain of a bag
of sugar, a sack of flour, or a box of
groceries were considered fortunate
Indeed.
"What shall we eat?" said Harris to
his wife, when, after a full discussion.
It was decided that no more grain
could be marketed until spring.
"Olu we shall not suffer," vaa her
calm reply. "We have over 0O0 bush
els of wheat"
"But we can't eat wheat 1"
"I'm not so sure of that I heard
Mr. McCrae say that lots of families
had wintered on wheat Indeed, boiled
wheat Is something of a delicacy. Even
the best city families rurely have It
although It Is more nutritious than
flour and much easier to prepare."
Harris thrilled with Joy over his
wife's vivacity. The strange gloom
that oppressed ber so much of late
had cost him many anxious hours.
So. In high spirits, they planned for
tbelr winter. There were long hours.
and little diversion, and the desolation
of bleak, snow-bound prairies on ev
ery side, but through It all they kept
up their courage and tbelr hopeful
ness. Mary spent much time with her
needle, from which John, when he felt
she was applying herself too closely,
beguiled her to a game of checkers or
an hour with one of their few but val
ued books. And there were frequent
visits and long evenings spent about
a cozy fire, when the Morrisons, or
the Grants, or the Blleses, dropped In
to while away the time. The little
sod house was warm and snug, and as
the men played checkers while the
womn sewed, what cared the pio
neers for the snow and the cold and
the wind whistling across the plains?
eseeeee
At last came the crisis. At 4 In the
afternoon Harris kissed his wife an
affectionate farewell, hitched his
horses to the sleigh, and started out
post-haste for PlalnvlIIe. He drove by
way of the Morrisons, where a few
low words sent Tom to the stable at
a trot to hitch his own team, while
the good wife bustled about In the
"room," almost overwhelmed with the
Importance of her mission.
"I will go for the doctor, Jack, and
you go back and take the wife with
you," was Morrison's kindly offer, but
dlarrls would not agree. It was dark
5y this time, and he felt that he could
trust no one else to make the Journey
to PlalnvlIIe. Besides, there was more
than a chance that Dr. Blaln might be
Incapable, and In that case It meant a
drive of 30 miles farther.
"It's good of you, Morrison," he said,
"but you are more used to your wife's
bidding than I am, and you can be of
good service there. If you will." And
without wultlng to argue he sprang
Into his sleigh again and was whip
ping his team Into the darkness.
"Night, Hurrls," suid the lundlord,
who had a speaking acquaintance with
every settler within 20 miles. "Ye're
drlvln' late. Ye'll have a bite of sup
per an' stable the team?"
"No, Hunk, not tonight thanking
you the same. But I'm after Dr. Blaln,
and I'm In a hurry. Is he here, and
Is be fit?" There was an anxiety ip
the last words that did not escupe the
host.
"Nothln ser'ous, I hope? Frost, or
somethln'?" Then, without waiting for
reply, he continued: "Yes, doctor's
here. Upstairs, bed to the right as ye
go up. Just got in a little back. As
for fit dig Mm out an' Judge for your
self."
Harris lost no time scaling the lad
der which led to the upper half-story
of the building. It was a garret
nothing better where the cold stars
looked through knot holes In the pop
lar shingles, and the ends of the shin
gle nails were tipped with frost. An
other wall lamp burned uncertainly
here, flickering In the wind that whls
tied through the cracks In the gables,
and by Its light Hurrls found "the bed
to the right." The form of a man lay
ROBERT J. C
STEAD
diagonally across It, face downward,
with arms extended above the head,
and so still that Harris paused for a
moment In a strango alarm. Then he
slipped lils hand on tho doctor's neck
and found It warm.
"Come, Doctor," he wild, "I want you
with ine." But the sleeping innn an
swered with not so much as a groan.
"Come, Dr. Blaln," Harris repeated,
shaking him soundly. "I want you to
go home with roe." Ho might have
been speaking to tho dead.
In sudden exasperation he seized the
doctor by the shoulders, and with one
"Watche Doing, Harris?"
heave of his mighty arms set hlra up.
right on the floor and shook him vig
orously.
Dr. Blaln opened his eyes and
blinked uncertainly at the light
"Whatche doing, Harris?" he said at
length, Bnd the recognition brought a
thrill of hope. " 'S do use oot
ta 6leep it off. 'S no use. Harris. "S
no use." And he crumpled up In the
bed.
But narris was desperate. "Now
I'm not going to fool with yon," he
said. "You get up and come with me
or I'll take you. Which Is It?"
But the doctor only mumbled "'S no
use," and fell "heavily fo sleep.
Throwing open Ills coat to get free
motion for his arms, Harris In a mo
ment wrapped the sleeping man In a
couple of blankets from the bed. threw
him over his shoulder, carried him
down the rickety ladder, and deposit
ed him, none too gently, In the sleigh.
There was a mild cheer from the men
LIKE RAINBOW IN THE SEA
Gloriously Tinted Water That Washes
Bermuda's Shores Is an Evsr
Fascinating Marvel.
Hundreds of miles from any const
surrounded on every side by the rest
less surges of the great Atlantic a
mere speck In a waste of sea lies
Bermuda. While not strictly one of
the West Indies, yet Its fuuna and
flora, Its products and Its formation,
are so similar to many of the Antilles
that we may well consider It as a
West Indlun Island gone astray, and
set down or rnther pushed up a
thousand miles and more from its fel
lows. If the ship arrives at Bermuda by
daylight there Is ample opportunity
for the visitor to view the Island as
the vessel steams slowly along the
northern shores and threads her way
through the tortuous channel between
sharp-fanged reefs toward Hamilton.
Perhaps nowhere else In all the
world Is there such gloriously tinted
water. Indigo where deep, azure and
sapphire nearer shore, opalescent tur
quoise In the shallows, and marbled
with royal purple and amethyst where
reefs and coruls dot the white sand of
Its bed, the sea that lops Bermuda's
shores Is an ever-changing, ever-fusel-natlng
marvel; a thing of wondrous
beauty Impossible to describe In words
or to reproduce In pigments. A. Hyatt
Verrlll in "The Book of the West
Indies."
Rollers for Flat Feet
A Chicago doctor says that flat feet
should be rolled regularly, and he bus
devised rollers of different forms on
which the foot Is exercised.
Althmr "T Com ?3
fwnrAwr. " tfr. lAi
about the stove over these herole
measures, and one of them thoughtful
ly threw the doctor's satchel Into the
sleigh. The next moment til were
lost in the darkness.
Harris drove for an hour, watching
the trail keenly In tho whitish mist of
the winter's night, nnd urging the
horses to the limit of their exertion".
He had almost forgotten his passen
ger when he felt B stir III the bottom
of the sleigh. Looking down cloely
he found the doctor trying to extricate
a flask from ono of bis pockets. With
a quick wrench he took It from him.
and would have thrown It Into the
snow, but the thought struck hint that
It might be needed, and he put It luto
his own pocket.
The doctor struggled to his feel.
"Say, Harris, you're friend o" mine,
but don't take too ninny liberties, see?
'S no nte try In without It. Ju-di glvn
me that bottle now, or I'll get out an'
go homo."
Harris was so pleased at the signs
of returning coherence that lie could
have hugged the doctor, but he only
aid, "You've had enough for tonight.
And you won't get out. because If you
try to I'll knock you senseless In the
bottom of tho sleigh."
After that the doctor remained si
lent for some time. Then suddenly lie
demanded: "Shay. Harris, where you
takln too to. anyway?"
"I'm taking you to tny home."
"Wlm' for? You're all right I
guess " Suddenly tho doctor
stood erect
"Harris, Is your wife sick?"
"That's why I come for you."
"Well, why the devil didn't you say
so? Here, give me that whip. Har
ris, Harris, what did you waste time
arguing for?"
"I didn't waste much. The argu
ment was mostly on your side."
"Harris." said the doctor, after a
long silence, "you think I'm a fool.
You're right. It Isn't as though I
didn't know. I know the road I'm go
ing, and the end thereof. Ami yet,
In a pinch. I cun pull myself together,
I'm all right now. But It'll git toe
again as soon as this Is over.
Any good I am, any good I do, N Just
a bit of salvago out of the wreck.
The wreck yes. It's a good word that
wreck."
Just as the dawn was breaking he
knelt beside her. Her eyes were very
largo and quiet. nd her face was
white and still. But she raised one
pale band, and the thin fingers fondled
In his hair. She drew his face very
gently down, and big silent tears stood
In his eyes.
"We will cal htm Allan." he said.
The chaoses of a quarter of
a century.
(TO l K CONTINUED.)
Black Hols of Calcutta.
This name was given to an apart
ment In Calcutta In which a party of
English were confined on the night of
June "0, 17.VJ. The garrison of the
fort connected with the English fac
tory at Calcutta was taptu'red by the
Nawab SlraJ ud Duulu, w ho caused all
the prisoners taken to be confined In
a room 18 by 14 feet 10 Inches. This
cell had only two windows, obstruct
ed by a veranda. Of the 150 pet pie
who spent the night In a horror of
thirst, heat and agony from pressure,
only 23 survived the experience.
FORCED .REMOVAL OF EDICT
Londoners In Riotous Mood When
Monarch Threatened to Closs
City's Coffee Houses.
All England was up In riotous de
fense of the right to pursue happiness
and coffee when. In 107.), Charles tried
to close the coffee houses ns "the great
resort of Idle nnd disaffected persons,"
hot beds of political Intrigue. So loud
were the protests against tho prohibi
tion that the king was forced to re
voke his proclamation. To save his
dignity, he said that "out of his prince
ly consideration and royal rompusHlon
all and every retailer of tho liquor
aforesaid shall be allowed to keep op
en until the four and twentieth day of
June next." The arid date came and
went and the lid didn't go on. The
London coffee houses still flourished,
champions of free speech when the
press was controlled and parliament
unreliable.
Of all the Hterory and political
meeting places, the most Influential
was one popularized by the pationage
of the poet Drydcn. Llterury aspir
ants of the day pnld dearly mere
ly for the prlvllcgo of entering the
room the great man usually occu
pied. There It was that Pepys saw
him, center of an admiring throng,
having "very witty and pleasant dis
course." Dryden's chair always was
placed by the Are In the winter and
ca the bulcony In summer.
Stop Up Mouse Holes.
Take a plug of common washing
soup, stop tho hole with It, and you
may rest assured you will have no
further trouble from that quarter. Il
Is also good for ruts uud ants.
moY
SCOUTS
Kuli.lui'leil by National Council of the
Hoy Henuta of America )
A SCOUT LEADER'S PLEA
By Wllfsrd A. Pstsrson.
There's a heap o' tusks before us
And It somehow sort o' seems
That the men who make great nations
Are the men who follow dream
We've been dreaming of world brother
hood, Of universal peaee,
And chaos would be certain
If the dreaming we should cease.
There's a dream somewhere within ins
of a tuition strong and great;
Of a manhood good and noble,
With the pluck Instead of "fate."
It's a dream of love In aetloii,
Men who'll lead the nations far.
With the Golden Bute I fore them
As their leading, guiding star.
We cannot slop at dreaming,
We have got U form a plan.
For the boy of t"dny. tomorrow
Will be the Nation's man.
In our boyhood lies tomorrow.
In our boyhood lies our dream".
Boys will be MEN If we'll help 'ein.
It Is up to us, It seems I
Oh. life Is full of buttles;
But the greatest one to ne
Is to help our future manhood
Belter citizens to be.
Here's the secret we are searching.
Here's the mighty LIGHT we need.
HELP THE BOY IPGItADE TO
MANHOOD.
BE A M AN. STEP I P AND LEAD I
8COUT8 A3 FORE8T GUIDES.
The plan for making scouts agents
In the conservation movement In the
state of Pennsylvania, has met with
more than the anticipated sniccess.
At present more than fl.ooO IVmisyl
vanla boy scouts are enrolled as for
est guides, the proud possessors of
certificates of service signed by Glf
ford Plnchot. the state commissioner
of forestry.
According to Solan I Purkes, scout
commissioner of Beading, chief forest
guide and originator of the forest
guide plan, the movement has two ob
jects: one, the preservation and con
servation of the forests and the bird
and other wild life In them, and sec
ond, the development of good scout
ing, with n distinct new feature added
In the responsibility for wild life and
a greater Interest In trees), birds and
wild life generally which Is strictly In
line with the scout plan of outdoor
life and Interests. It Is believed that
the plun will be of great value wher
ever it Is tried. The scouts of Berks
county, Pa., have saved. It Is claimed,
during the year, over one hundred
thousand dollars worth of forest
growth from destruction by fire, and
this Is only one of the 07 counties)
which are benefited by this splendid
movement.
DOUBLE EAGLE VETERAN 8COUT.
In Topeka, Kan., they are proud of
William Mennlnger. William Joined
a troop of scouts as a tenderfoot In
March, 1 ft 1.1. By July of the same
yeur ho was a llrst class scout, with
his rye on merit badge achievement.
He qualified for u.'l of the badges, thus
making himself more than a "double
eagle." He Is one of tle six veteran
scouts of Topeku, an assistant scout
muster, an export examiner In bird
study, a member of the spcclnl court
of honor, hns been an editor of tho
Topeka Boy Scouts Trull and served as
assistant scout executive In the ab
sence of the executive. At present
he Is studying medicine at Cornell.
SCOUTS, PROPERTY GUARDIANS
Boy scouts of Louisville, Ky., are en
rolled In tho local membership of "Thw
Guardians of Property" und tnke ft
special pledge to safeguard property,
especially nt home, school or church.
The same boys ure called upon to as
sist In bundling crowds ut parades,
the verdict being that they nro Just as
efficient ns the police In this dllllcult
Job somo change from tho old duys
when tho small boy and the policeman
used to be sworn enemies. "Cheese It
the copl" now reads "Glory be! A
boy scout I"
HERE'S A BUSY SCOUT TROOP.
In Its nnnunl report Troop Sixteen
of San Diego, Cul says through Its
scoutinuster : "My troop assisted In
extinguishing five fires; James Lnnko
ley, first cluss, rescued a woman who
fell under n street cur; the scoutmas
ter applied first aid to three accident
victims and also saved two tieople
from drowning."
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