Image provided by: St. Helens Public Library; St. Helens, OR
About The Columbia register. (Houlton, Columbia County, Or.) 1904-1906 | View Entire Issue (July 7, 1905)
i -e fv-i 1 v, t1 i r. CHAPTER XXL . When I awoke I seemed to have had an unpleasant dream. The bandit chief, Ti-Taang, had prepared a achema for th seizure of the Chin traaura; ha had attacked tha train In tha plain of Gobi; tha car la assaulted, pillaged, ran aacked; tha gold and precloua atone, to tha value of fifteen millions, ara torn front tha grasp of tha Celeatlala, who yield after a courageoua defense. Aa to tha passengers, another two tulnutea of sleep would have settled their fata nd mine. But all that disappeared with tha vapors of tha night Dream ara not fixed photograph; they fada in tha sun, and end by effacing themselves. In taking my atroll through tha train . aa a good townsman takaa hla atroll through the town. I am Joined by Major ( KoltiU. A'fter shaking hands, ha show ed me a Mongol in tha second-clasa car, and said to me, "That ia not on of thosa we picked up at Douchak when we pick ed up Faruakiar and Ghangir." "That ia so," said I; "I never saw that face in the train before." Popof, to whom I applied for Infor mation, told me that the Mongol had got la at Tchertchen. "When ha arrived." he said, "the manager spoke to him for a minute, from which I concluded that he also waa one of tha staff of tha Grand Transa-iatic." I had not noticed Faruskiar during my walk. Had he alighted at one of the small stationa between Tchertchen and Tcharkalyk. whera wa ought to bare been about 1 o'clock In the afternoon? No, he and Ghangir were on the gang way in front of our car. They aeemed to be in an animated conversation, and only stopped to take a good look toward the northeastern horiion. Had the Mon gol brought some newa which had made them throw off their usual reserve and gravity? And I abandoned myself to my imagination, foreseeing adventures, at tacks of bandits and so on, according to my dream. I waa recalled to reality by tha Bev. Nathaniel Morse, who said to ma: "It Is fixed for to-day; do not forget" That meant the marriage of Fulk Eph rineil and Horatia Bluett Really, I waa not thinking of it It Is time for ma to go and drew for the occasion. AH I can do will be to change my shirt. It is enough that one of tha husband's wit nesses should be presentable; the other, Caterna, will be sure to be magnificent It waa at 9 o'clock that this marriage was to take place, announced by the bell of the tender, which waa to' sound full clang as if it were a chapel belL With a little imagination we could believe we were in a village. But whither did thia lell invite the witnesses and guesU? Into the dining car, which had been conven iently arranged for the ceremony, aa I bad taken good care. It was no longer a dining car; It was a hall car, if the expression is admissible. The big table had been taken away and replaced by a small table which served as a desk. A few Dowers bought at Tchertthen had been arranged In the corners of the car. -which waa large enough to hold nearly all who wished to be present and those who could not get inside could look on from the gangways. A quarter to nine. No one has yet seen the happy couple. Miss Bluett Is ia one of the toilet cabinets In the first van, where she is probably preparing herself. Fulk Ephrinell la perhaps struggling with his cravat and giving a laat polish to his portable Jewelry. I am Lot anxious. We-shall see them as soon aa the bell rings. I have but one regret, and that is that Faruskiar and Ghangir ahould be too 1ujy to Join us. Why do they continue to look over the immense desert? Be fore their eyes there stretches not the cultivated steppe of the Lob-Nor region, but the Gobi, which is barren, desolate and gloomy. It may be asked why these people are keeping such an obstinate lookout ' "If my presentiments do not deceive me," said Major Noltitz, "there, la some reason for it" What doea he mean? But the bell of the tender, the tender bell, begins lu Joyous appeal. Nine o'clock; It la time to go into the dining car. The passengers move In a procession, the four wltnessea first, then th -.,... from the end of the village--I mean of the train; Chinese, Turkoman, Tartars, men ana women, an curious to assist at the fcrcmnnT.' Tha fnur kfnnl. - i - " wuunuin icuiam on the last gangway near the treasure, wmcn tne uninese soldiers do not leave lor an instant We reach the dining car. The clergy man is seated at the little table, on which in the certificate of, marriage he has ' prepared according to the eiixtnmar form. lie looks as though be waa ac customed to tnis sort of thing, which ia aa much commercial as mntrimonial. Here is Mr. Fulk Ephrinell, dressed thia morning Just aa he waa dressed yes , terday, with a pencil behind the lobe of bis lett ear, for he has Just been making out an account xor nia new xork bouse, ' Tiers la MIhs Horatlfl Rlnptt n tl.n drr. as plain as ever, her dustwlnak over ber traveling gown, and In place of Jewelry a noisy bunco oi keys, which tinnira from Vipf belt. The company politely rise (is the bride and bridegroom enter. They "mark time," as Cntern says. .Then they ad vance toward the clergyman, who li fanitnff with til fin-iil temtiner nn i Bible, open probably at the place where Isaac, tne son or ADranam, espouses ue becca, the daughter of RacheL We micht fancy we were In a chapel If wt only bad a harmonium. And the f I (orrespoodept music ia here! If It la not a harmonium, it la the next thing to It An accordion make itself heard la Catania's hands, Aa an ,aoclent mariner he knowa how to manipulate thia Instrument of torture, and here he is swinging out the andante from "Norma" with the moat actordion eaqQe expression. It seenis to give great pleasure to the native of Central Asia. Never have their ears been charmed by the anti quated melody that the pneumatic ap paratua waa rendering so expressively. But everything must end In thia world, even the andante from "Norma," and the Rev. Nathaniel Mora began to favor the young couple with the apeech which had done duty many tlmea before nuder similar circumstance. "The two eoula that blend together flesh of my flesh lucre and multiply " In my opinion he had much better have got to work like a notary: "Before ua .there haa been drawn up a deed of arrangement regarding Messrs. Ephrinell, Bluett A Co." My thought remained unfinished. There are ahouta from the engine. The brakea are auddenly applied with a scream and a grind. Successive shocks accompany thje stoppage of the train. Then, with a violent bump, the car pull op la a cloud of sand. Everything is upset in the dining car, men, furniture, bride, bridegroom and witnesses. No one kept his equilibrium. It ia aa indescribable pell-mell, with cries of terror and prolonged groan. But I hasten to point out that there waa noth ing serious, for the stoppage waa not all at once. "Quick."' aaid the major. "Out of the train!" CHAPTER XXII. In a moment the' passengers, more or less bruised and alarmed, were out on the track. Nothing but complaints and qoestiona uttered in three or four differ ent languages, amid general bewilder ment , Faruskiar. Ghangir and the four Mon gols were the first to Jump off the cars. They are out on the line, kandljar in one hand, revolver in the other. No doubt an attack haa been organised to pillage the train. The raila have been taken np for about a hundred yards, and. the engine, after bumping over the aleepera, has come to a standstill In a aand hill What! The railroad not finished and they sold me a through ticket from Tlflis to iVkln! And I came by this Transasiatlc to save nine days In my trip round the world!" shouted the voice of the irascible baron. "The baron is mistaken," said Popof. "the railway is completed, and if a hun dred yards of rails have been lifted here, it haa been with some' criminal Inten tion." I ' "To stop the train!" I exclnim. "And steal the treasure they are send ing to Pekin!" says Caterna. "There is no doubt of that, says Popof. "Be ready to repulse an attack." "It is h l-T-.an j and his gang that we have to do with?" I ask. . Ki-Tsang! The name spread among the passengers and caused inexpressible terror. The msjor said to me In a low voice. "Why Ki-Tsang7 Why not my lord Faruskiar?" 'He the manager of the Transasi atlc?" "If It Is true that the company had to take several of these robber chiefs Into Its confidence to aasure the safety of the trains " "I will never believe that major." "Aa you please, Monsieur Bombarnac. But assuredly Faruskiar knew that this pretended mortuary ran contained mill ions." "Come, major, this la no time for Jok ing." No, It was the time for defending, and defending one's self courageously. The Chinese officer haa placed his men around the treasure van. They are twenty in number, and the rest of the passengers, not counting the women, amount to thir ty. Popof distrimutos the weapons, which are carried in case of "attack. Major Noltits, Caterna, Pan Chao, Eph rinell, driver and stoker, passengers, Asi atic and European, all resolve to fight for the common safety. On tha right of the line, about a hun dred yarda away, stretches a deep, gloomy thicket a aort of Jungle, ia which doubtless are hidden the robbers, await ing the signal to pounce upon us. Suddenly there Is a burst of shouting, the thicket has given passage to the gang in ambush some sixty Mongols, nomads of the Gobi. If these rascals beat us, the train will be pillaged, the treasure of the Son of Heaven will be stolen, and, what concerns ns more In timately, the' passengers will be massa cred without mercy. And Faruskiar, whom Major Noltitz so unjustly suspected? I look at him, Ilia face la no longer the same; bis fine featurea have become pale, his height has increased, there, is lightning In hla eyes. Tbe bandits fire a volley, and begin brandishing their arms and shouting. Faruskiar, -pistol in one hand, kandljar In the other, has rushed on to them, his eyes gleaming, his lips covered with a light foam. Ghangir Is at his side, fol lowed by four Mongols whom he Is ex citing by word and gesture.' Major Noltits and I throw ourselves Into the midst of our assailants. Ca terna is In front of us, his mouth open. his white teeth ready to oite, hla eyes bunking, ma revolver nourishing about The actor has given place to the old sail or who haa reappeared for the occasion, hee beggars want to board ua," Mid he. "Forward, forward, for the honor of the Bag! To port thero. lire! To starboard, there, fir! All togvlher. HIT, And It was with no property darters he waa armed, nor dummy pUtoU loaded win Inoffensive powder. No! A revolver In each hand, fee waa bounding along, fir lug right and left and everywhere, l aa Cbio al exposed himself brave ly, a smile on hla llpa. gallantly leading ou tbe other Chlueae piiger Popof and the railway men did their duly bravely. Sir Francis Treveilyaa, of irevellyaa llalL took matters very coolly, but Ephrinell abandoned hluiaelf to true Yankee fury, being no Iras irrv tated at the iuterruptlou to hla marriage than aa te the danger rua by hla forty twe package of artificial teeth. iarusklar, my hero I cannot call hit anjrthlug el dlaplaya extraordinary In trepidity, bearing bliuaelf th boldest U the struggl. and when he had exhausted his revolver, ualag hla kandljar like a man who had often faced death and nev er feared It Alra.l ikM w w. .1.1 both aide, perhapa a few dead among ti passenger, who lar on th line. I have had my shoulder greawd by a bullet, a aimple scratch I have hardly noticed. The Uv. Nathaniel Morse doe not think that hla aacred character compels him to eroea hla arms, and. from the way he worts, oue would not imagine that It waa the first time h ha handled fire arm. Caterua ha hi hat shot through, lie utter aomethlng about thunder and port hole, and then, taking a moat de liberate aim, shoots atone dead th rufflan who haa taken such a liberty with hla best headgear. For ten minute or so th battle con tinue with most alarming alternation. The number of wounded on both aide lu creaaea, and th buue I still doubtful. raruftklar and Ghangir and th Mongol have been driven back toward the pre cioua van. which the Chines guard have not left for aa Inatant Hut two or three of them have been mortally wound ed, and their officer haa Just been killed oy a nutlet In the bead. And my hero doea all that th moat ardent courage can do for tbe defense of thetreaaur of th 8on of Heaven. I am getting uneaay at th prolonxa tlon of the combat It will etntlnue evidently aa long as the chief of the band a tall man with a black beard urgee on his accomplice to th attack on th train. Up till now he haa escaped nnhurt and. In spite of all we can do, he Is gaining ground. Shall we be obliged to take refuge In the vana. aa behind the walla of a fortress, to Intrench our selves, to fight until th last haa suc cumbed? And that wtll not be long, if w cannot atop the retrograde movement which ia beginning on our side. To the reports of the guna there are now added the crle of th woman, who in their terror are running about the gangways, although Mix Bluett and Madame Caterua are trying to keep thetn Inxlde the cars. A few bullets have gone through the panels, and I am wonderlug It any of them have hit Klnkn. Major Noltits come near me and says. "This Is not going well." .No, It Is not going well." I reply, "and I am afraid the ammunition will give out We numt settle their commander-in-chief. Come, major " But .what we are about to do was jjone by another af thnt very inHant ' I'hia other was Fcrimklar. Bun-ting throiik'h the ranks of the assailants, he ch ared them off the line, In spite of the blows they aimed ut him. He ia In front of the bandit chief, be raise his arms, he stabs him full In the chest. Intsantly the thieves beat ft retreat without eren carrying off their dead and woiiudwl. Some run aenws the plain. some disappear in the thickets. Why pursue them now that the battle hue ended In our favor? And I must say that without the admirable valor of Faruskiar I do not expect any of us would have lived to tell the story. But the chief of the bandits is not dead, although the blood flows abundant ly from his chest He ba fallen with one knee on the ground, one band up, with the other he Is supporting himself. Faruskiar stands over him, r towering above him. Suddenly he rises In a lust effort his arm threatens his adversary, he looks at him. A last thrust of the kandljar Is driven into hi heart Fara skiar returns, and in Kuasian, with per feet calmness, remarks: Ki-Tsang la dead! Ro perish all who bear weapona against the Son of Hear en: ft be continued. The Path of Peace. It was toward nightfall on the third day after Mr. Hogan'a departure for Boston that he returned to bis family In Cbetwlck, with a bandage round his head which covered one eye, and with hla left arm In a allng. Mrs. Hogun looked at him in alienee for some moments. "Well," she aaid at lost, in a tone of great chlliduess, "you're a fine-looking man to be 'coming home from a visit to your uncle that's a priest;" "It was the great crowd did It," said Mr. Hogan, meekly. "We were all striving to get into the building at the one tlmei and there wns one man fell against me when I waa; holding my arm out to make room for uncle, he being-undersized, and that broke a bone, or at any rate sprung it out o' place. . - "And two minutes after, when uncle was trying to get me out of it, there was a man pushed us both flat, and tben be and another one walked on me bead." "And what was all this great crowd?" asked Mrs. Hogan, suspicious ly. ' -"It was the Peace Congress," said Mr. Hogan, calmly. -Youth's Compai Ion, mm r m Orchid Worth fS.OOO. Tha Cyprlpedtuta Falrrienwitn la one of th rarest orchids la tha world. It waa Introduced into England tome fifty year agn, and at one Unit waa cttaiparatlvely well knowa. but rb- n-ijuently it died out and Is now to all Intent and. purpoeee a thing of tha paat One tiny scrap U eUll known to txlat la England, ai well at four equally small piece ia Parta. but aa flowering plants all pecltneni of tha orchid Juve disappeared, 'alike ia tha collection! of Europe and in tha Bo tanic Garden of Calcutta, where also they once flowered. For aotue yean a a 13,000 oaram. inn of orchid growers fn St Albans, England, has had a standing offer of I reward of 1,000 for a healthy sped- sen of the orchid, and as the plant trtglnally came from tbe almost Inac cessible wild of Bhotan, among the ofty Himalayas, the regions have 'or many years been searched by ad venturous spirit anxious to gain the reward. It Is now announced that the search has been successful, and the lucky finder, when he lands his plants In England In good condition, will re ceive the prize of f 1,000. For Hen and Chirk. While there are several forms of coops for tbe old hen and her chicks, says the Indianapolis News, the one built on tbe well-known lines, a' full span, U generally considered tbe most deslrablo, although there are several way of Improving this old affair. One of the main troubles with tbe old coop Is that It wns not always dry, a, se rious defect, when one considers how harmful dampness 14 to yoimg chicks. This may be prevented as well as pre venting the warping of the boards If the two strips placed across the top are lapped, aa shown at Fig. 0 in tbe Illustration. Then ventilation may be supplied by placing a number of small holes In the peak of the roof, at the back and in front, covering a slmflar place with fine wire netting, doubled as shown in the Illustration and at the point B. This wire will keep out ver mln 'as well. The lower part of the coop Is so arranged that a small door may be readily opened when it Is nee essary to let tbe old hen out, and yet she cannot got it loose herself; the CHEAP CniCKElT COOP. slats are placed far enough apart so that tbe chicks can go in and out at will and they should be placed wide apart so that no change will need to be made as the chicks grow. A little more lumber and 'brains put in the making of coops for chickens would make the old hen more comfortable and prevent many of the chickens from dying of roup. Feeding BiUge to Cow. Many cows will like silage the first time they taste it; a few will mince at it for a few feeds, but for a few feeds only. It is best not to feed too heavily to a cow just learning to eat It I have had cows eat greedily of it the first few feeds, and then become turned against it, but a little bit in their trough for a few feeds, and they are all right again. For a cow, though. which is used to .it, nothing tinder eighteen or twenty pounds to a feed will gorge ber. Cor. Farmers' Guide, 4 Keep a Sheep Io. Every farmer who has a flock ef Af. ty or more sheep ought to keep a good shepherd dg. He U worth a big price lu tbe first place, and will earn bis coat every year In aavlng sheep snd lambs and In doing the work of a man. Their Intelltgvuce is ilmoat human and they will take sole care of a flock of sheep, spending every day and night with them If allowed to do so. It ia better, however, to ptitthe sheep in an iuclosure at night, and relieve the dog from the care of watching them. Ia the morning he may be seut out wttb . tout, and he wtll herd them on any eld of lend or keep them within any bounds ludtcated. The fidelity of the shepherd dog is remarkable. In Colorado one night last winter a herder brought bis flocks aud hnrtied to his cabin to rook him self some supper, for be was more than usually hungry. But he missed the dog, which usually followed him to the cabin of aa evening to have ber sup per. The herder thought It rauiet strange, but made uo search for tbe dog that night But when be went down to the corrals the next morning he found the gsle open and the faith ful dog standlug guard over tbe flocka. The herder in his haste the night be fore had forgotten to close the gati and the dog, more faithful than ber master, bad remained at ber post all night, though suffering from buuger snd thirst On another occasion this same dog was left to watch a nVk of sheep near tbe herder's csbln while the herder got bis supper. After he bad eaten hla supper be went out to where the sheep were and told the dog to put the sheep In the corral, This she re fused to do, and, although she hsd no supper, she started off over the prslrte as fast as she could go. The herder put the aheep In tbe corral and went to bed. About midnight be was awakened by the loud barking of a dog down by the corral. He got op, dressed himself and went down to the corral, and there found the dog with a band of fifty sheep which had strayed off tbe previous day without the herder's knowledge; but tbe poor , dog knew It, and also knew that they ought to be corrated. and ahe did It A well-bred shepherd dog the Scotch collie, if bred from working stock. Is the best will coat from $23 to &30, but they are worth it soy time. (Mock-Proof Open Oate, The drawing will give you an Idea how much time and worry can be saved If you have csttle or horses in the pasture and through which many wslkers pass dally. It takes only one extra panel of fence. Simply place a panel (C) one and one-half feet past stock moor OATK. first post In panel l and pauel E the same distance, but letting C be on one aide, while E Is on the other, and at the same time leave room enough through which one person may paaa with easev As panel I) fits In between C and E, It bcconles Impossible for a horse or cow to pass. A show the en trance and B the outlet The main reasons why I say It is better than a gate are as follows: 1. It is always open to people and Is shut to horses and cows. 2. If you had a gate In its , place it would so often be left open by careless, Indifferent, thought less people. 8. It Is much easier to make or keep In good shape than a gate. Some may say that there Is no need of either, but If you did , not have some handy opening through which walkers could' easily pass they would climb over your fence and then you would soon have two or three planks off, and probably broken. Farm Jour nal. Poaltry Picking. x It Is not always the fat ben that be comes broody. The scratching hen gives ber chicks much exercise. ( . Pullets hatched now will come In for late summer layers. Give the whole wheat to the hen and soft feed to the chicks. Drive the young under shelter dur ing sudden showers of rain. Try a camphor ball for lice. Place one In each nest as you set the hen. Whole, corn, grit and fresh water are the best fare for the sitting hen. The fact that the hen Is laying lg no sign that sjje wants to leave her young. Keep food constantly before the alt ting hen so she can help herself at will. Thirteen eggs in early spring and fif teen during late spring and summer are large enough sittings. Whitewash the interior of your coopa and sprinkle carbolated lime on the floor. This disinfection drives away lice. Covered runs are a protection from hawks, cats or dogs. They should be moved to fresh plots of grass eacfe week a 1 1
