$i.oo a Year, In Advance. ' FOR GOP, FOR COUNTRY, AND FOR TRUTH." Single Copy, 5 Cents.
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VOL. XV. PLYMOUTH. N. C. FRIDAY. MAY 0. 1904. NO. 7.
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iX
TWENTY
I've wandered through the village, Tom, and sat beside the pen -
Where you are still reducing rock as you were doing when
I left you back in eighty-four ah me! How time does fly!
Excuse me while I wipe a briny teardrop from my eye. .
The same old bricks are in the wall you couldn't steal the bricks;
The same old warden's watching you, to thwart the same old tricks.
But few are left to greet me, Tom, and none is left to know
The way they came to send up you, just twenty years ago.
Your cell ' looks gather different, Tom the bars have been replaced
By new ones stronger than the bars your trusty file defaced,
But the same old lockstep's still in vogue you journey to and fro
With little of the awkwardness of twenty years ago.
You know I was your lawyer, Tom, and when the sentence came -You
tried to make me shade my fee, and said I was to blame,
But I had done my duty you are doing yours, I know,
So let us, pray, dismiss the theme of twenty years ago.
W. F. Kirk, in Milwaukee Sentinel.
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By Morice Girard
JQJ ELL, Gerald, you seem
t mm fe strangely distrait to-night;
O A O it is toothache or love.
man?" exclaimed the joviait
. tjb rector ot Menstone, the
Kev. Harry Ingold, a squarson of the
Id school, now fast passing away.
Mountjoy started as the older man
laid his hand on his shoulder.
"Not. toothache, I'm thankful to say.
I've never been troubled with that in
my life."
"Then it must be the other thing."
Ingold linked his arm into his friend's
and drew him into a recess. There were
several of these convenient resting
places in the great ballroom of Mel
Jans Castle.
The scene was certainly not one
.which favored either melancholy or
abstraction. Sir Harry Gayter, the
owner of Mellans, was giving a ball
to inaugurate his shrievalty of the lov
liest county of England, in the eyes of.
at any rate, its inhabitants, Devon. It
,was an affair of the elite of the coun
ty, with a large military, naval and
marine element thrown in, to give a
, touch of brilliance and color to the en
semble. It may be doubted whether
more beautiful women or a finer body
of men had ever before responded to
the hospitable invitation of the lord
of Mellans Castle than on this particu
lar occasion. '
From the alcove to which Ingold and
Mount joy had retired, glimpses could
toe obtained of the dancers as they
floated past on the carefully polished
floor. Gerald sat forward, looking ea
gerly at the couples gracefully circling
round to the tune of a waltz, played
by. the marine band from Plymouth,
stationed in the whispering gallery.
The younger ma u was so intent and
preoccupied that he seemed already to
liave forgotten at any rate, he was ob
livious ef the propinquity of his com
panion. Ingpldv looked at the fresh, strong,
handsome face with evident sympathy.
He knew perfectly what was passing
behind that inadequate, ill-fitting mask.
' He knew that every time the revolu
tion of the dance brought Bertha
Reeve and her partner, Lord Dayre,
Into Mount joy's line of vision, a hard
ness came about the flexible mouth,
. and something Very like pain showed
, Itself in the clear gray eyes.
"You don't think Bertha would ever
look at him, do you, Gerald? Why,
" she could crumple him up in the palm
of one hand.. She is the finest girl in.
the room, and that's not saying little.
'And he! Why,' he has the intellect and
t frame of an under-sized monkey!"
"What does it matter to me whether
she looks at him or not? Besides, you
never know what a woman thinks or
.what she likes." .
"Don't you? I do. I never was a
marrying man; but not the most in
veterate husband in this room, or any
where else, for that matter, can teach
me about what a woman likes or dis
likes." -
"Perhaps, then," hie remarked, some
' . what testily, "you will tell me what
they do like?"
"Well," above all things, . some one
stronger than themselves more inches,
more fibre, more strength. Only a
womaii who wants a title, and can
content herself with that and nothing
more, will marry Dayre; and I can j
YEARS AGO.
2E2
00
00
assure you, with all the confidence in
life, that woman is not Bertha Reeve."
1 cannot help thinking some
times " Gerald said almost under
his breath.
"That Bertha cares for you loves
you?" put in the parson.
"Almost that," Mountjoy assented,
after a pause.
"Why, don't you" take your courage
in both hands, and ask her?"
Gerald looked at his friend.
"How can I?"
"Why not?"
"You know the state of my ex
chequer just as well as I do. I have
the oldest name in the county and the
poorest property. My pedigree Is as
long as my rent roll is short. Bertha
is Miss Reeve, of Reeve, the richest
girl in the west, absolute mistress of
herself and all her belongings. If she
were poor I would ask her to go with
me to Canada, or somewhere, and we
would make out life together somehow.
But as it is! Would not men say I
was a fortune hunter? Nay, should
I not feel like one myself? I cannot
even talk to her like I can to other
girls. I should say that she thinks
that fellow Dayre a genius by the side
of me. Look at them now."
The dance was over. They were now
at the further end of the salon. Lord
Dayre was- half a head shorter than
his companion. An jll-matched pair
physieally, any one would have said
off-hand. But those who knew the cir
cumstances might have judged differ
ently. For in rank Dayre would take
rank of any one at the ball, and in
wealth the mistress of Reeve, an or
phan ruling in her own right, had no
peer.
Neither Ingold nor Mountjoy spoke
a word for the next feAv minutes,
which seemed like an eternity to one
of them at any rate. Gerald felt per
fectly certain that what he loved most
in the world was slipping from his
grasp, and his fate was being decided
while the band rested, from its labors,
and the gay assemblage prepared it
self for the next item in the pro
gramme. There seems something specially in
congruous in blank despair gripping
the heart under such conditions. The
brilliancy of the lights, the beautiful
dresses and conspicuous uniforms all
seemed to mock the gnawing pain at
Gerald's heart. .
Bertha Reeve and Lord Dayre passed
the alcove. As they did so these words
fell, sof tly as they were spoken, on
two pairs of ears: "I hardly know
what to say; it is all so unexpected.
YOU do not wish me to decide to
night?" "May I. come for my answer to
morrow?" Then the speakers passed out of
hearing of those involuntary listen
ers.
"I cannot stay here," Mountjoy said,
in a horse whisper, very unlike his
usual tones. "The air of the place
chokes me. I shall get away without
any fuss. They won't miss me. .If
thej do, make some excuse to Sir Har
ry and Lady Gayter. Say I was tak
en bad, or something."
With a squeeze of the hand Gerald
slipped out of the alcove. Mechani
cally he found his coast and hat, and
then went out at the hall door, lie was
glad that the stables were likely to be
deserted. II had not brought a
groom himself In his present state
of mind he hated to have to make
even trivial explanations and excuses.
With some difficulty he managed 'to
find his own mare among the hundred
horses tethered wherever standing
room under cover could be found. The
carriages were outside in the great
yard.
Gerald was just issuing from the
stables when he heard a great shout
ing from the direction of the castle.
He let go his mare's bridle; she gal
loped out of the yard and disappeared.
Mountjoy smelt burning wood. He
ran toward the entrance of the court
yard. When he reached the great
gates his heart stood still. All the
basement and ground floor of Mellans
were in flames. Panelled and lined, as
the fine old rooms were, with oak, dry
as tinder, centuries old, with a great
staircase of similar material in the
centre, the castle was just adapted for
rapid conflagration.
As it turned out afterward, when
investigation into the cause of the out
break was made, the .fire originated
with the overturning of a lamp in
the butler's pantry.
Gerald rushed to the main entrance,
before which a crowd of guests were
standing. They all seemed paralyzed
with fear. The young man brushed
them to one side. He could see Bertha
Reeve nowhere. She must be in the
burning building still. And there was
Ingold, too, the man he loved best in
the world.
Gerald dashed into the hall, meeting
overwhelming smoke. He was chok
ing, and his eyes were smarting and
red hot. He could hear the cries of
girls, the shouting of men above. In
his frenzy he could have flung himself
into the flames which danced before
him.
Then an arm was laid upon his
shoulder, and he was half dragged,
half led, out. It was the parson,
whose courage was of that order which
rises calm and resolute to the greatest
emergency.
The men, under Ingold's. direction,
were bringing up long ladders.
Up and down they went in relays,
bringing in their arms fainting wo
men. The gentlemen above either
helped by handing insensible burdens
to the rescuers, or stood back to wait
their turn.
Half a dozen times Gerald had been
up and down the ladder he had made
his own. Ingold was at the next. On
each journey he had brought some one
to the outside air and safety, and then
handed her to another willing helper
to take away. But that some one was
not the girl for whom, with glad prod
igality, he would have given his life.
Then at the last, when almost all were
saved, Gerald saw Bertha. He
jumped from the ladder top through
the window and ran to her. The
flames were at the back of her, and
had begun to singe her light dress.
Lord Dayra was still by her side. Just
as Mountjoy reached her she was over,
come and tottered backwards. Lord
Dayre, with a quick effort, saved her
from falling. There were now only
these two and Gerald left at that end
the most dangerous part of the great
salon. Some devil seized him, whis
pering in his ear: "She has half giv
en herself to Dayre; let him save her."
For years the memory of that terrible
lapse haunted him.
"Take her, Dayre, and carry her
down." '
The peer was hardly able to support
Bertha's weight, much less carry her
down the ladder. He glanced at the
window, filled with the eddying smoke;
then he turned to Gerald.
"Curse you," he said; "you know I
can't do it. Take her yourself."
"If I do," replied Mountjoy, "I take
her for good and all."
Then he gathered the girl up in his
arms and carried her down the lad
der, Lord Dayre closely following.
In the afternoon of the following
day Gerald rode over to Reevs to in
quire after its mistress.
Dressed in a teagown, looking very
white and interesting, she received
him in her boudoir.
'I came to ask after you," he said.
"To confess to ask forgiveness."
'For saving my life? It surely is
easily obtained."
"I had the devil in me!" he cried.
Then he told her all.
"So you have come to me for absolu
tion?" she said. "Then you shall have
it without any pains and x penalties,
since you saved my life." She added,
looking at him with a half smile. "Lord
Dayre only asked me whether I would
care to be one of his party for a yacht
ing expedition. Even that I would not
promije offhand. Had it been what
jPQJt Jitfught "
"Bertha!"
ut should have had no hesitation at
aUJ London World.
DAN FLAHERTY'S OWL'
ret to Sing:, But the Sound It Makes is
Anything But Harmonious.
Dan Flaherty, formerly of Hartford,
who runs the Opera House cafe in Wil
limantic, was out hunting the other
day, when he fired at what he thought
was a partridge. The bird dropped
with a bullet through a wing, but it
was not a partridge, but a screech owl.
Dap took the bird by the legs and,
thinking to end its suffering, dashed
its head repeatedly against a big rock.
Then he put the owl in his bag, think
ing to take it home and have it "set
up."
When he got home to his place of
business he threw the limp form of .the
owl into a corner behind a box, and
next day he had Michael Laramie call
for the owl so that he could take it
away and stuff it. But when Dan re
moved the box to get the owl the bird
came strutting out to meet him as big
as life. To be sure the little fellow
was somewhat the worse for wear;
some of his feathers were gone, one
wing dragged on the ground, his neck
was twisted like unto a corkscrew, his
feet didn't track, one eye was shut and
he wheezed when he breathed, but he
was game, and as he wabbled out to
ward Dan and coked his one good eye
up at him cheerfully and tried to speak
or seemed to try to speak Dan's
heart went out to the odd little old fel
low, and Dan gathered the owl up into
his arms and vowed that the owl
should have the best of everything in
Willimantic. So Dan doctored up
"Wottie," as he'calls him, and the owl
gained fast r.nd has become in a week
a great pet.
There is only one thing upon which
Dan and the owl fail to thoroughly
agree. At times, especially in the even
ing, after partaking of his supper at
the hands of Dan, Wottie is apt to find
himself in a musical mood, tand he
bursts forth into song and-such a
song! Say, did you ever hear a screech
owl when he really and truly tried to
make himself heard? Well, the noise
Wottie makes is a cross between a clap
of thunder and a Willimantic Traction
Company car whistle and gong combi
nation with a fire bell accompaniment.
When an outbreak of this kind occurs
the crockery and glassware in the cafe
begin to shiver and break, the lights
go out and the customers fall over one
another trying to get into the street
and far away, even unto the quietude
of Putnam. Then Dan becomes angry
and he seizes Wottie and pushes his
bunch of fives into the solar plexus of
the bird and throws a horse blanket
over Wottie and sits upon him and
stifles him until the owl can screech
no more for the time being. Willi
mantic Journal.
A Monster Steer.
Sixteen years ago the late Dennis
Jeffers, of near Hopkins, owned a steer
that weighed 3330 pounds. The animal
was a monstrosity. He was not fat,
when weighed, but was simply big all
over, being eignt ieet tan. my. jeuers
meant to fatten him and place him on
exhibition, . but without any warning
the steer lay down and died one night.
His hide was saved and is now in St.
Louis. Abe Jeffers, son of Dennis Jef
fers, has been asked to send some of
the bones to St. Louis to be exhibited
along with the hide. Mr. Jeffers has
accordingly dug up the skeleton that
is still in a good state o" preservation.
The steer is considered the largest
framed one that ever lived, and it is
is said that if the skeleton had been
preserved entire it would now bo
worth $1000. Kansas City Journal. .
Complex Origin of tlie Japs.
The Japanese are not as mixed a race
as the wodern "Britons," but they have
a very complex origin. It is certainly
not correct to regard them as originally
Chinamen, for while they do possess
Chinese blood, there is certainly a
Korean strain in them, as well as one
derived from the Malayans and another
from the Ainos or aboriginal inhab
itants of the islands the "snvages" of
Japanese historians. There has conse
quently been none of that disastrous
"inbreeding" which Is fatal to animals,
nations, or aristocracies; and latterly
there is evidence that the Jap is grow
ing taller. London Chronicle.
Steamers" sailing from New York to
San Francisco by way of the Strait of
Magellan must cover same 13.WQ miles.
TELEGRAPHER MEETS HIS FATE'
A telegraph man sat by his key
And dreamed there was peace across the
sea.
Then with a start he raised his head
And listened while the sounder said:
4
"From1 Chiyoda and Kioto, Chinnampo and
Ka-San, r
Chemulpo, Hakodate and places in Japan,
There"s an army of 'em marching to tight
the Russian Czar,
From Yongampo and Fuji, Mokpo and
Naniwa,
Hatsuse, Hashidate, Yong-ju and Yoshino
Che Foo, Bayan, Chitose, Saiti, Idzumo,
Ping-Yong, Itsukushima, Tokiwa and
San-su,
With Kogoro Takahira and Admiral Uriu;
From Suma and Nagasaki, with Nagai and
Togo;
From Ta-Tung-kau and Miji, with Baron
Kanako; '
Asama and Azuma, Sasebo, Wei-hai-wei.
Sotokichi and Kasagi, Gensan and Akishi,
Seoul, Akitsushima, Chin-Yen and Asahi,
Yakumo, Yokosuka, Kasuga, Idzumi,
Iwate, Shikishuma, Ta!:asago and Chon-ju,
Yashima and Niitaka, Masanpo and Yalu,
Tsushima, Kamimura, Tokio and Chang-
song, .
The Japanese are marching 300,000 strong.
The telegraph man, with a glassy eye,
Lifted his head and heaved a sigh.
Then the sounder began again:
"Russia is moving a million men;
The Czar is going to fight the Jap
At the following places on the map "
The telegraph man let out a yell
As they carried him off to a padded celf.
New York Globe.
Experience is costly,
As all of us can tell ;
We purchase it at retail.
And then at wholesale sell.
-Life.
Laura "This time last year you
were engaged to that little homely
professor." Bertha "Sure enough;
.what was his name?" Detroit Free
Press.
Bacon "Why is it. that the landlords
won't let children in their flats?" Eg
bert "Oh, I suppose they're afraid
the janitors' dogs may bite them."
Yonkers Statesman.
"What is Jones doing nowadays?'"
Surveying." "What?" "Yes, he
walks up and down Broadway every
afternoon and looks at the pretty
girls." Columbia Jester. ' "
Butler "But do you " remember all
you read?" Baker "I hop? not. If
I did I shouldn't enjoy the original
writings of some of my friends, you
know." Boston Transcript.
Nell "Maude has suddenly discov
ered that she needs exercise, so she
goes out for a walk every day." Belle
"Yes, I heard she had a lot of new;
clothes." Philadelphia Record (
With skilful hand the cook reversed J
The pancake that it might not burn;
To whom the nervous pancake 6aid: j
"Oh, dear, you gave nie such a turn!" I
New Orleans Times-Democrat.
Little James had been telling the
minister that his father had a new set
of false teeth. "Indeed, James!" re
plied the minister. "What will he do
with the old set?" "Oh, I suppose,"
replied little James, with a look of
resignation, "they'll cut 'em down and
make me wear 'em." Ram's Horn.
"Yes, he proposed," Miss Passay
continued, blushing, "and when pap?,
came into the room he found me in
Mr. Huggins' arms' "Ah, now I see," .
exclaimed Miss Speiiz. "I wondered
what your father meant to-day when
I heard him telling my father that
Mr. Huggins had an old head on
young shoulders." Philadelphia Tress. "
An American visiting Dublin told
some startling stories about the height
of some of the New York buildings. v
An Irishman who was listening stood
it as long as he could and then quer
ied: "Ye haven't seen our newest
hotel, have ye?" The American
thought not. "Well," said the Irish
man, "it's so tall that we had to put
the two top stories on hinges." "What
for?" asked the American. "So we
could let 'em down till the moon went y
by," said Tat Brooklyn Eagle. n
Escaping Their Enemies.
It ha: been noticed that Australian
eucalyptus trees grow better in South
Africa than in Australia, and the sug
gested explanation is that the South '
African trees have all been raised frotL
seeds instead of from young plants. In
this manner they have escaped from
the insect and fungoid enemies to ,
whose attacks they are subject in Aus
tralia, and now stringent regulations
are enforced concerning the importa
tion of eucalyptus plants into Cape ,
Colony, lest the foes of the trees be
brought upon them again from their ,
original home. . - -- - -