North Carolina Newspapers

ChePED MST A TALE Of CML STPIfX U f r MISMAMS /&-C.D.RHODES / I 7) # km ■ aa * SYNOPSIS. Confederal* Sergeant Wyatt of the Staunton artillery la sent as a spy to hla native county on the Oreen Urlar by Qen eral JarksosfT Wyatt meets a mountaineer named Jam Taylor. CHAPTER ll—Continued. "Things has changed sum since then. Nobody lives ter hum eny more It'a sure bell In Oreen Hrlar these daya—somebody is gettin' kilt every day er two. The cusses travel In gangs, murderln' an' burnln' from one end o' the county to the other." He a pake in an even, drawling voice, with not the allghtest show of emotion, as though telling an ordinary bit of news: "D d if I know which outfit Is the wua—the Yanks or the Reba." "Which are you with?" "Who, me?" He paused In his bolt ing of food, and gave vent to an un pleasant laugh. "I rather reckon tt would puule the Lord Almighty ter find that out. I don't give a whoop far neither of 'em. I'm fer ol' Jam Taylor, an' It keeps me tolor'bla busy tending tar hla affalra, without both arin' 'bout no government." "Then your name la Taylor?" 1 reckon It haa been for 'bout sixty years. Thar's a alew o' Taylors over along Buffalo crick, an' aom' of 'em are Yanka, an' a parcel of 'em are Reba, but they don't git ol' Jem ter take nary side. At that, I'm gtttln' all the flghtlfi* T hanker after. Naturally, I'm a peaceful critter, If th' cusses let me alone." "Quieted down some over there late ly. hasn't It?" "Hubl Thar'a a rlglment o' blue coata at Lewlsburg, an' a few cavalry men rldin' fher pikes. Don't amount ter a hill o' beans as fer as ther boya are concerned. All they got ter do la go further back In the hills, an' be a bit more keerful. I reckon, yoßng man, ye'll find plenty o' deviltry going on In Oreen Briar, if ye ever git out that away. Wal, thet's all thar Is fer us ter eat, an' I'm goln' ter take a j Bnooxe." He closed the door, fastening It se curely with a wooden bar. and stretched himself out on the floor. The room was dark, as the only win dow was tightly boarded up, and using my bundle for a pillow, I lay down also. In a short time his heavy breathing was evidence enough that Taylor slept. Slowly my heavy eyes closed, and I lost consciousness. The sun was below the mountain ridge, when the heavy hand of the old mountaineer shook me Into sudden wakefulness. With nothing left to eat we were not long in preparing for departure, I endeavoring vainly to get my silent companion to converse, be ing rewarded merely by grumbled and evasive answers. Finally I desisted In the attempt, content to follow his lead. Taylor, astride his sorrel, with gun resting grimly across his knees, rode straight through the brush, away from the pike, down the valley of a small stream. In crossing, the horses drank their fill. "How about the valley road?" I asked as we climbed the opposite bank. The leader back at me. "This yere way Is nlgher, an' a darn sight mor' quiet," he answered gruffly. "Soldiers been marching over the pike all day. Mout be all right fer yer, if yer've got a pass—but 1 ain't got none We'll hev' good 'nough ridin' in 'bout a mile mor'." "You are aiming for the cut-off?" "I be—yer do kno' sumthln' of this yere klntry, I reckon, but yer've got more eddication than eny Cowan I ever hooked up with afore. Yer don't talk none like mountln' folks." I drew a quick breath, sensing the return of suspftan. "That's true," I admitted readily. "You see I went to school at Coving ton; they were going to make. a preacher out of me." Taylor stared into my face, hi* vague suspicion seemingly gone. "Well, I'll be d d —a preacher." He rode on Into the dusk, chuckling, and I followed, smiling to myself, glad that the man's good humor bad been so easily restored. W# were fed at a hut back In the foothills, where an old couple, the man lame, were glad enough to exchange their poor food for the late news from the army. In which they had a son Then we rode steadily to the south. When dawn came we were to the west of Waynesboro. In broken country, and all through those long night hours scarcely a word had been exchanged between us. We camped Anally in the bend of a small stream, where high banks concealed us from 'observation. There was little to eat In our haver sacks, but we munched what we had. and Taylor, his eyes on the horses, 'iroke the sllsnce. " y. "I reckon the critters don't need more'n a couple hours' rest." he said. "They ain't been rid noways hard, an' I'm fer git tin' through the gap durln* daylight—the road ain't overly good I last now." "Across the mountains? is there a gap here?" "Tber road tar Hot Sprints Is *boat allee below yar. I cum avar It ■v.-.iA-'. - •• • ■ tan day* ago an' I reckon 1 kin find my way back. It'a 'bout forty mllea frum thar tar Lewlsburg, mostly hills, but« good trail. I know folka et Hot Springs who will take good keer o' ua. onct we git thar." We rested. dozing, but neither Bound asleep, for nearly three houra. What -1 ever might be In Taylor's mind, the lonely night had brought to me a new { thought relative to my companion The fellow was evaalve, and once he had frankly lied In seeking to explain his presence In the valley, and the rea son for his secrecy of movement. By , now we were decidedly at cross-pur poses, each vigilantly watching the l other —Taylor In doubt as to what the bundle contained, which I never per mitted out of my graap, and myaelf aa deeply Interested In gaining posses sion of a packet of papers, a glimpse of which I had caught In an Inside pocket of the mountaineer's coat His mission, whatever It might be, waa se cret and dangerous Of this his ceaae lesa vigilance waa proof. The light of a dying day atlll clung to the waatern aky when our wearlad horaea bora ua Into the village of Hot Springs. It waa like a dstarted ham let, few houses appealing Inhabited, and tha ahop wlndowa boarded up. Taylor, glancing neither to right or left, rode straight down the main atreet, and turned onto a pike road, leading to the left. A mile beyond, a frame house, painted white, barely via Ible through the deepening dusk, , stood In a grove of oaka. The moun taineer turned up the broad driveway, and dismounted before the closed door, Almost at the same moment the portal opened slightly and a black face peered out. CHAPTER 111. Tha Body on tha Floor. Taylor stood at the foot of the atepa, pausing In uncertainty. "Is that you, SamT Is Mlater Har wood yere?" 1 insensibly straightened In my sad dle Harwood? What Harwood, I wondered—surely not Major Harwood of Lewlsburg, my father's old friend! What was It I had heard about blm a few months agoT Wasn't It a rumor that he waa on Oeneral Ramsay's staty? And the daughter—Noreen— whatever had become of her? There was an Instant's vlalon before me of laughing eyes, and wind-blown hair, a galloping horae, and the wave of a challenging hand. She had thus Bwcpt by me on the road aa 1 took my moth er southward. "1 don't 'peer fer to recollect no such name, Bah," replied the negro, scratch ing his wool thoughtfully. "I done reckon as how you got the wrong house." "No, I reckon not." said the other drily. "Git 'long In, an' tell hltn Jem Taylor Is yere." The door opened wider. "Suah, 1 know you now, Bah. Jußt step right 'long In, the both of yer I'll look after them horses. You'll fln' MRHHR Harwood in the dtnln' room, sah." I followed the mountaineer up the stops and into the hall, utterly Indlf- f I Followed the Mountaineer Up the Steps and Into the Hall. ferent as to whether my company was desired or not It waa not yet dark, but a lamp burned on a nearby table, and a cheerful Are glowed at the far ther end But a brighter glow of light streamed from a room beyond, and. determined to miss nothing,"! was ao close behind Taylor that my quick eyes caught what I believed to be a swift signal of warning to the man within. This, however, an Im pression born from my own suspicion, rather than any real movement, for Taylor took but a single step across the threshold, and stopped, leaning on hla gun. The single occupant sat up right, before htm the remnants of a light repeat, his hand toying with a spoon, and hla eyea shifting from Tay- THE ENTERPRISE, WILLIAMBTOH. NORTH CAROLINA tor's face to my own. Ho was heavily built and broad of shoulder Tbe face would have been bard, but for a gleam of good humor ta the eyes, and tbe softening effect of gray hair, and a gray mustache. Tho man had aged greatly, yet I recognised blm instantly, my heart throbbing with the poasiblllty tbat I also might ha re membered. Yet surely there was ne gleam of recollection In tbe eyea that surveyed me—and why should there be? I had been an uninteresting Isd of fifteen when we last met. This knowledge gave me courage to meet that searching glance, and" to lift my hsnd in the salute due to an officer of rank. "Ah!" said Harwood In deep voice. 1 "a soldier from the valley?" "Yes. sir," respectfully, "the Sixty fifth Virginia." "How does It happen you wear ar tillery uniform?" I Expecting the question I snswered unhesitatingly 1 "They'dlost so many gunncra. some of us were detailed to help. Recruits are coming In now " 1 "What wan your battery?" 1 "Staunton Horse artillery, sir." "Stationed?" "At Front Royal—that was our win ter camp." lie nodded, tapping his spoon against the table, favorably Impressed by my prompt replies His keen eyes sought the face of the silent moun taineer. "You know this man. Taylor?" 1 "Wal, I can't exactly say that I dew, major," be said drawllngly, shift ing his feet uneasily— "He saya he's a Cowan, frum over on Buffalo crick." I "A Cowan! —you mean—" "No, be don't claim ter be none o' oP Ned's brood—bis mar's a wldder woman. Tbey ain't no kin, I reckon." Whatever thoughts might have been In Major Harwood's mind were con cealed by an Impassive face, as he sat there for a moment In silence, gating at the two of us. "No doubt you did what you be lleved to be best. Taylor," he said at " last Quietly. d 'We~will talk It over later You are both hungry enough to eat. I suppose? Drsw up some chairs and Sam will find something No objection to remaining here over night, Cowan T" "Pd be glad to get on. sir, but my horse Is about used up. The roads have been hard and we have traveled rapidly." "Well, there Is plenty of room, and you are welcome. This house," he ex plained, "belongs to a friend of mine, who had to leave the country—too Yankee for his neighbors. I find It rather convenient at times. Ah, Bam. that rasher of bacon looks prima—I'll try some myself." The tbree of us talked upon many subjects, although Taylor said little, except when directly addressed, and I noted that few references were made to the war. That Harwood waa In the Federal service I had no doubt, although he was not In uniform, and, If this was true, then it must be also a fact that Taylor was a Union spy. The meeting here had not been by chance, although a mystery involved the hidden reason why I, a known Confederate soldier, had been entour aged to accompany the mountulneer to this secret rendezvous. At lant the meal ended and the major pushed back his chair and motioned Sain to clear the table. "You two men are tired out," he said genially, "and you had better turn In and get a good night's sleep. We'll all of us ride on Into Green Hrtar to morrow. I'll talk with you a minute, Taylor, in the parlor, before you go; but Cowan does not need to wait. Help yourselves to the tobacco. Oh, Sam! show this soldier up to the back bed room and see he haß everything be needs." It waa clearly -apparent that liar* wood desired a private word with Tay lor and so. after deliberately tilling my pipe, I rose to my feet, stretching sleepily. The black returned with a small lamp In his hand and led the way up the broad ataira. A moment later I waa *ft alone In a small room i at the end of the upper hall with one window, so heavily curtained as prob ably to render the light Invisible from without The door was securely latched, but there waa no lock Then 1 was not being held a prisoner. After some minutes I extinguished the light, and looked out of the win dow It waa quite a drop, though not neceasarily a dangerous one, to the ground, j- Those dim outlines of build ings were probably the stablea, where 1 would dad my horae. With no guards the trick of getting away unobserved would be eaay enough, and I knew the road aufflciently well to follow it safe ly. But I deaired to learn first what theae two men were actually up to. Such Information might prove more Important than my investigations in Green Briar. I atole across to the door and opened It nolaeleaaly. There waa no one vlalble In the upper hall, and I leaned over the stair rail Raxing down, and llatenlng. A light atill burned within the dining room, but there waa no sound of voicea, or of movement. The alienee continued, and I began to cautloualy ateal passage down the carpeted stairs, crouching well back agalnat the side wall. Little by little I waa able to peer In through the open door —the chairs were vacant; there was no one there. The gleam of the lamp revealed a deserted room, the table still littered with dishes What had become then of Harwood and Taylor? Were they sitting beyond in the darkened parlorT I crept to the half-closed door. The room waa black and silent, although I could perceive | dimly the outlines of furniture. Something—some vague sense of I mystery, of danger, gripped me. I felt a, '.-i . :JM a strange choking in tbe throat, and reached for the revolver at my belt It was not there; the leather bolder was empty. My first sensation was fear, a belief I waa the victim of treachery. Then it occurred to my mind that tbe weapon might have fallen from tbe open bolster as I rest ed on tbe bed—a mere accident At leaat I would learn tha truth of that dark room. I stepped wlthla. circled tha overturned chair, and a groping foot encountered something lying on tbe floor. I bent down and touched It wtth my band; It waa tb£ body of e man. The whole truth came to me la a flash—there had been a quarrel, a murder, unpremeditated probably, and I Picked It Up Wenderingly. It Waa My Own. tha aaaaaain had eacaped But which of the two waa the victim? An In stant -1 stood there, atarlng about in the dark, bewildered and uncertain. Then I grasped tbe Ismp from tbe tabla In tbe other room, and returned holding the light In my banda. The form of Major Harwood lay extended on tha floor, lifeleaa, his skull crushed by an ugly blow. Beside him lay a revolver. Its butt blood-etained Be yond doubt this waa the weapon which had killed. I picked It up wonderingly —lt waa my own. (TO BE CONTINUED.) HEIRS TO DEAD GREATNESS Victor and Louis Napoleon, "The Franch Pretenders," Calabrata Thalr Birthday Sama Weak. Both the Napoleon brotherc, Victor anr* Louis. famous for their mirth provoking act entitled "The French Pretendera." celebrated birthdays re cently on the aanie week Loula. tha younger, paaaed the half-century mark, while Prince Victor Napoleon, who would alt on the Imperial throna of France If the republic hadn't de atroyed that piece of furniture, waa flfty-two. Loul, waa Vlctor'a heir to the pretenderahlp until about a year ago. when a aon waa born to Victor and hla royal spouse. Prlnceaa Clem entine of Belgium. Victor Is a grandnephew of Em peror Napoleon I. He lives In Brua aels, and In 1910 married Clementine, the third daughter of King Leopold I of Belgium The birth of another Bonaparte was hailed with great de light by the few followora of the pre tender and the pretenderess. and tha christening of the Infant Prince Louis "King of Rome" was marked by im perial pomp and eclat. The cere mony took place In the palatial prem laes of the proud papa In the Avenue Louise. Most of the Imperialists of France were there, and did not crowd the buildings Prince Louis, the younger brother of the pretender, Is apparently a con firmed bachelor. He served In tho Russian army for many yeara, with rank of lieutenant general, but now resides at Geneva, where the Napo> leona own a fine chateau. Message on a Man's Scalp. We hear much about aecret writing, but have not yet heard of anything to beat the pimple cunning of one Hls tiaeus. a Greek, at the Peralan court In the fifth century, B. C.. who wanted to send a private meaaage to a friend at Miletus. He took a slave with bad eyee, and. under pretenee of curing him shaved hla head. The measage waa then written on hla acalp, unknown even to him, 4he hair allowed to grow again, and the slave sent off to Miletus with a letter which all could read, saying how well he had been cured. And the friend, with whom the plan had been ar ranged, only needed ahavlng matertala to uncover the aecret message.—Lon don Chronicle. Mistake Somewhere. "Yaa»," aaid Uncle Bilaa, "my son Bill hei got back from a special coarse he's been a-takln' at college, with a piece o' paper aigned by th* thoritiee sayln' as how he's an A. M. I dunno what an A. M. is, but I'm afeardey they's some mistake about it, for judgin' from the time he gita down to breakfast he behaves more like a P. M. ter me." New Yorkere Are Milk Drinkers. Milk Is becoming the favorite drink of reeldents of N*w York city, accord ing to recent statistlca of the health department, and the number of U censed saloons is decreasing tt is reported that the consumption of milk has Increased 1* the city M per mm in ten years. r-" t: • it -■ J ' • BID FARM OF INJURIOUS FIELD MICE . -J r rn/^rtm fefo j|l ; field Mica A, Meadow MOUH; B, Pin* Mouse. Prepared by the United Btatee Depart ment of Agriculture.) Field mice, under certain condltiona, may become extraordinarily abundant, and, aa they a*re lnjurioua to moat cropa, metboda for controlling them are of Importance. Unfortunately moat of their natural enemlea are be ing deatroyed or driven away from tha farme. so that these mice are becom ing more and more of a serious pest. Altogether there are borne fifty spe cies of field mice known to exist in the United Statea, but for the fanner who ia concerned only with getting rid of them there are only two claaaea —meadow mice and pine mice. The runa of meadow mice are mainly on the aurface of tbe ground, under graaa or aome sheltering litter. Tbeae runa lead to ahallow burrowa which aerve as winter homes. In summer the mice use surface nests of dead grass. The young may be brought forth In either. Meadow mice destroy grass, cut down grain, clover and alfalfa, eat grain left standing in shocks, injure flowers and vegetables—ln short, do harm in a hundred ways. In the lower Humboldt valley In Nevada in 1907- 1908 they totally ruined 18,000 acres of alfalfa. Trees and shrubbery are also attacked and large nurseries of young apple trees have been known to have been almost wholly destroyed by the mice cutting through the bark at or be low the surface of the ground. When the mice completely girdle a shrub or young tree and eat through the Inner layer of the bark, the action of the sun and wind soon complete the destruction of the tree or shrub. If the injury la not too extensive, prompt covering of the wounds will usually save the tree. In any case of girdling, heaping up fresh soil about the trunk so aa to cover the wounda and prevent evaporation is recommended as the simplest remedy. To save large, valu able trees, however, bridge grafting Is often resorted to. Pine mice ordinarily live In the wooda and are not, therefore, found on the open platna, though they like land that la not frequently cultivated. They tunnel their way from fence rowa, hedges and wooda Into gardena and cul tivated fields, where they live" on aeeds, roots and leavea. Like meadow mice, they also destroy fruit treea, particularly in upland orcharda. They attack the treea below the surface, so that their work la frequently not re vealed until the tree la dead. Mean* of Extermination. When the mice, both meadow and pine, are In small number*, trapping la probably the easiest method of get ting rid of them. From 12 to 20 trap* to an acre may often be aet with ad vantage in the mouse runs. Where the mice are abundant or the area* large, poisoning la a quicker meana of extermination. The following formulae are recommended in Fanners' Bulletin €7O of the United States department of agriculture: Dry Qrain Formula. Mix thoroughly one ounce powdered atrychnine (alkaloid), one ounce pow dered bicarbonate of soda and one eighth ounce (or leaa) of saccharine. Put the mixture in a tin pepper box and sift it gradually over 50 pounda of cruahed wheat or 40 pounda of cruahed qeta in a metal tub, mixing the grain constantly so that the poiaon will be evenly distributed. | Dry mixing, aa above described, haa the advantage that the grain may be kept any length of time without fer mentation. Ir it U desired to molaten the grain to facilitate thorough mixing, it would be well to nan a thin starch paste (aa described below, but with 't atrychnine) before applying the •iwi Tha attMh hmw nirdmi and fermentation la not likely to forfow. If cruahed oats or wheat cannot be obtained, whole oats may be used, but they should be of good quality. Aa mice hull tbe oata before eating them, it la dealrable to have the poison pene trate the kernels. A very thin starch paste la recommended aa a medium for applying poison to the grain. Pr«pfcre aa followa: Wet Grain Formula. Dlasolve one ounce of strychnia sulphate In two quarts of boiling wa ter. Dissolve two tableapoonfuls of laundry starch in one-half pint of cold water. Add the atarch to the strych nlne aolution and boll for a few mln utea until the starch is clear. A little aaccharlne may b« added if desired, but It is not essential. Pour th« hot atarch over one bushel of oats In a metal tub and stir thoroughly. Let the grain stand overnight to absorb the poison. Distributing Poisoned Grain. The poisoned grain prepared by either of the above formulas la to be distributed over tbe infested area, not more than a teaspoonful at a place, care being taken to put It in mouse runs and at the entrances of burrows. Small drain tiles, IV4 Inches in diame ter, have sometimes been used to ad vantage to hold grain, but old tin cans with the edges bent near ly together will serve,nhe same pur pose. - Field mice may also be driven away by thorough cultivation of fields and tbe elimination of fence rows. In the case of trees, clean tillage and the re moval from the neighborhood of weeda and grass will prove an effective pre caution. Finally, the farmer should remem ber Ibat there are many animals, birds and snakes around the farm which do little or no harm, and are most useful in keeping down the numbers of field mice. Among these owls deserve spe cial notice. Mice are tbe chief diet both of the short-eared and the barn owl. The common screech owl de stroys English sparrows as well aa mice. It stays close to orchards and farm buildings and is, therefore, a useful assistant. TREATMENT FOR HOG VERMIN Wise to Have Dipping Tank and UM It on All Btock, Whether They Need It or Not. Uce oa hogs are treated: By getting the animal in a corner aad scrubbing him with aa old broom dipped in crude oiL By pouring kerosene on hia back with a can (this kills the lie* and often pretty near kills the porker). By hanging a blanket saturated with crude oil in a sap through which ths hogs must pass, thua oiling them auto matically. V By setting ap a manufactured de vice which gives the animals an oiled surface against which to rub. By providing a bog wallow in which a little crude oil is poured. lly dipping them in a dipping tank lilted with a preparation sold for ths purpose You may choose to let the pigs and the lice tight it out. In this ca.se, you may be sure, the hogs will get the worst of it The stock farm on which wisdom retgns haa a dipping tank 1B which all the stock are dipped "whether they need it or not" Most Poisonous Weed. - Wild parsnip or water hemlock ii one of the most deadly poiaonouf plants that grow la the fields or opes range country.