" FOR GOD, FOR COUNTRY, AND FOR TRUTH."
Single Copy, 5 Cents.
r
VOL. XV.
PLYMOUTH, N, C, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1905.
$1.00 a Year, in Advance.
JACK'S
BY RACHEL
T -was only a plain, snug
little house, rising slowly
from the small, neatly
fenced lot, and gradually
assuming house-like pro
.lMnuuns; out Content watched its dai
ly growth with a wonderful light of
satisfaction hi her brown eyes. She
could see it plainly from Aunt Prissy's
little shop window, looking down the
quiet road and across a field white
with daisies; and she loved to watch
the sea of bending blossoms, and whis-
jper softly to herself, 'The path that
leads to it is all pure white."
"Growin' finely ain't it?" said Miss
Triesy, cheerily, dusting and arrang
ing .the bright silk handkerchiefs,
skeins ot yarn, boxes of needles, jars
. -of candy and the rosy cheeked apples
that decorated the show window, even
while she looked beyond them at the
new. building. ""It's goin' up slick as
-a new pin."
"les, yes returned Uncle Jaoehim,
shaking his head; "if there only don't
come a hard wind and blow it over, or
a heavy rahTto flood th cellar, or
Homebody set it a-firc, mebby. There's
no tellin' never no tellin' in this un
-certain world! '
.
' "La, J oachim," said Miss .Prissy,
nimbly mounting the counter and pur
suing conversation and a 'spider-web
together, "we hain't had. a drop of
rain this three weeks, and it's just
.what we're needin'. As for winds,
'twould take something more'n com
mon to blow such walls as them
down."
t if K it
'I don't know 'bout that don't
leuow," answered Uncle Joachim, un
convinced. "It blew a pretty smart
breeze last night, and I could feel our
house shake. Thought very, likely pur
xoof would be carried away afore
juorniu' more'n likely. I went up to
1he garret to-day and tjed a rope, to
the rafters and then hitched the oth
er end fast to the old spinnin' wheel;
but it's doubtful if that'll ' save it
doubtful." V .... . ; , "
Content laughed softly, but Uncle
Joachim heard it.
"Don't inake fun of solemn things,
child; don't never do that," he said, re
provingly "X knew a n an once that
ridiculed the idee .of any burglars ever
breakin' into bi3 house, and the very
next day his brother had his pockets
picked. A good manj folks have a
good many things happen to 'em, and
it's bCst to bo prepared."
"Well," ' commented Miss Prissy,
briskly, "I must say for't, I'm 'bout as
-well prepared for pickpockets as for
anything I know of. .Nobody M make
. much out of my pockets, unles3 they
was suftenn' for a pair of steel-bowed
spectacles and an old brass thimble.
There comes the mail," she added, as
a rusty, dusty horseman stopped at the
loor. "Content and me'll 'tend to it,
Joachim, dear; you're feelin poorly
to-day, -I know, and you'd better sit
"still.'?
He had no idea of doing , anything
else; but it was a pleasant fiction of
Miss Prissy's that "brother Joachim"
-was always just about to do something
useful and energetic a belief that had
never died out in f.ll the twenty years
that she had Mkcn care of him. Fath
er,' mother, i?ver, all Were gone but
these two and the sister's orphaned
'child, Content, a bonny, winsome mal
leu, who had come like sunshine to
ihe quaint, quiet old house.
: Uncle Joachim sat in his easy chair,
jwith gaze that wandered afar off,
mourning over the hills that were not
leveled, the valleys that never would
bo filled up and the mountains that
-wouldn't come to Mohammed. He had
no time uor strength to spare in help
ing '4 do the daily work and bear the
little dally trials, because be was hold
ing himself as a sort of reserve corps
..against the terrible calamities that
never' came. But Miss Prissy's keen
and kindly eyes could, fortunately, see ;
nearer home even to the sewirg of
butttons on; brother Joachim's coat,
the mei.fling of-rents In his linen, and
ihei necessity cf providing; fortthree
meals a day, So she whisked' about,
always busy, worked Vand .'. planned,
turned and darned; mad -'over , her
dresses wrong side up' and inside out,
contrived neat caps out of nothing,
and collars out of what was left.. She
took cars of the small store that was
also, the village postoffice, and looked
. after the diminutive garden besides,
ait 'the whole 'family grateful, and in-
E, lii
HOUSE iss
OH
B. HAMILTON
o
nocently pitying any "poor lone wo
men folks that hadn't any man to help
or pertect 'em."
The arrival of the mail was always
a pleasant "little ripple in 'the day's
still current, and Content and Aunt
Prissy sorted the small bundle with
some good natured guessing and neigh
borly sympathy hoping this for Mrs.
Grey was from her sailor boy, and
that the one for Deacon Cole would
bring good word from his sick daugh
ter. Content was listening with deep
ening color meanwhile for a step that
was sure soon to come. ,
"Any letters for me, Miss Prissy?"
asked Jack Howard's clear, hearty
voice.
"Not one," answered Content, laugh
ing up into the blue eyes that did not
look particularly disappointed. In fact,
Jack's correspondence was not im
mense; but it wasa satisfaction to
know whether there was anything or
not a great satisfaction, one would
have said, seeing how regularly he
came and the way in which he lin
gered. "
"How are you to-day, Uncle Joa
chim?"
"Hard to say hard to ' say. Don't
feel as if I knew nothin' sure about
myself even. I felt such a burning
heat early this mornin' that I didn't
know but. I was goin to be took right
down with a fever, . and sence then I
had such a shivery-shaky spell as if 1
might be; goin' to have a stroke of pal
sy. Either pf 'em is likely enough;
might one or both on 'em carry tme off
any time," concluded Uncle Joachim.
. "Oh, I hope not," replied Jack, con
solatory, but alarmed, as he followed
Content to the. sunny portico.
M A trysting place that portico had
been for many a day. There the house
across the daisy field had just been
planned, and the promise given that
made it not "mine," but "ours." Room
by room, window by window, it had
been dreamed and talked of, larger
and fairer than it now could be in re
ality, but that only Jack and Content
knew. Jack was skillful and energet
ic; he had laid up soma five or six
hundred dollars, and that was, not all.
"You see, Content," he had said,
gaily, when they talked of it in the
spring time with the old apple tree
showering its pink blossoms around
them where they stood "you see,
there is that work for Kegan, if it suc
ceeds, and I think, it will. It is some
sort of a pumping apparatus, you
know. He had got the idea in his head,
but wasn't workman enough to carry
it out, and so he came to me. I dug
into it until I fancied I knew what he
wanted, and improved upon it a lit
tle, maybe. I've spent all the time I
could give, evenings and odd hours, on
it for nearly five months now, some
times doing and sometimes undoing;
but Regan is to pay me $3000 if it
works as he expects it to. He thinks
I can do it."
"I think so, too," said Content.
"It will be something nice for us,"
remarked Jack, thoughtfully. "But
we won't say anything to any one
about it yet a while, until we are sure.
There is no need, for we have enough
for a little home, even without that."
Uncle Joachim and Aunt Prissy were
not very worldly wise. They thought,
or Miss Prissy did, that love and even
the smallest home promised consider
able material for happiness; and her
eyes twinkled with tears and smiles
behind her old spectacles wrhile, in one
breath, she wondered how she was
ever goin to do without Content,"
and in the next if they "hadn't better
be huntin' tip rags to cut for a carpet
for Content's floor against she has
one."
Uncle Joachim was as nearly con
gratulatory as he knew how to be, but
deprecatory also.
"I don't see why you two shouldn't
stand a3 good a chance for comfort
as anybodj s'posin' there is any such
thing, which is doubtful," he said.
"Any way, 'tis risky, very risky; like
as- not you won't enjoy yourselves.
It'll be a;great. affliction to have Con
tent leave us, but it'll be a load off my
mind to. know she's safe out of the
house. It's a dangerous place to live
in, this is, keepin a" post office as we
do. 'Counts of folks robbin the mails
keep comin' all the time, and I've just
a feelin' that ours 'II be robbed, too,
some night, and we all murdered in
our beds."
"Dear me! I shouldn't think it would
be worth while," exclaimed Aunt
Prissy, unselfishly, scanning the mat
ter in the light of a speculation. "Our
mail! Why, I don't believe there's
ever more'n ten dollars in the whole
on't at one time, and mostly there ain't
anything."
"That don't make no difference,
Trissy no difference," persisted Uncle
Joachim, with a doleful shake of the
head. "You don't know the sight of
wickedness there is in this .world. I
tell you there's plenty of folks that
would do 'most anything for ten dol
lars. "Well, well," succumbing to super
ior wisdom, "maybe it's so; but it does
seem dreadful low wages for any hu
man being to do such work as that
for. I s'pose there comes some time
for most all of us, though, when the
Evil One comes along our road and
asks what we'll sell ourselves for. If
we're willin' to do it at all, I don't
know as it matters much about the
price."
As the days passed by, and Jack's
"prize-work," as he laughingly called
it, bade more and more fair to prove
successful, he and Content conjured
golden plans for the fair little home
kingdom it should bring them how
they would add to this and beautify
that talking it over, evening after
evening, in the soft twilight.
"It's just about done," said Jack, one
day, stopping for a moment at the
door. "Regan wants me to take it
down to the old stone quarry and try
it It's a sort of quiet place, and
there's always water there, you know;
so I guess I'll go this afternoon."'
"Oh, I do hope it will be all right!
just what you expect of it!" exclaimed
Content. '
"Bid it good speed, then," he said,
with a hopeful ' smile, turning away
down the narrow garden path, while
the sweet fact watched him from the
door-way.
The sky was wondrously blue above
his head that day, and the whole earth
raarvelously fair in the golden sun
light. Every rustle of the leaves,
every bird-note, seemed to him most
perfect music as he passed down the
old road that led to the di3used quarry,
bearing his precious burden. It was
a quiet spot, not without its own lonely
beauty in the gay shelving rocks and
the masses of broken stone that lay
at their feet. Mess had grown upon
some of these, and trailing vines from
the green beyond had found their way
thither, rejoicing in the clear water
that Jack had selected for his purpose.
The place suited him altogether, and
as he carefully proceeded with his ex
periment, and trial after trial assured
him that his work was well done, he
leaned back upon one of the rude pil
lars near him, glad to enjoy in that
congenial solitude and silence the first
delicious moment of success.
"Hallo! Why, is that you, Jack?"
said a rather uncertain voice near him;
and he started suddenly from his rev
erie to find that Uncle Joachim had
approached unobserved. "Didn't know
but you was a highwayman, or es
caped convict, or somethin', when I
seen you down here all alone. What
you got there ? Some new-fangled
water-wheel or somethin, s'pose.
Well, well; you young folks always
think you can turn the world upside
down with some grand new plan or
'nother, but you never do it."
"Maybe not; I don't think I'd care
to try, for the side that is up now
pleases me well enough. What brings
you here, uncle?"
"Well," ' answered the old man,
fumbling his way over the rocky, un
even mass about him, "1 just thought
I'd come down here and look round
for a good, big, hefty stone. I tell
you what 'tis Jack, I don't feel a mite
safe about them mail robbers. You
see we open the trap-door nights, and
put the mail-bag right down into the
cellar; and I've been a-thinkln' if we
had one of these heavy stones hitched
on to the under side of the door, so's
two or three men couldn't raise it,
'twould be safer."
. "But I don't see how you ar going
to raise it yourself then," objected
Jack.
"Well, I 1 can't tell exactly," said
Uncle Joachim, somewhat discomfit-;
ed, but persevering. "We'll have to j
think some way, for if anybody got'
down there to rob, and just touched;
off some powder down there, why,
they could blow us all to flinders to
flinders, Jack!"
The young man watched with an
amused smile for a moment or two, as
he vandered about near by examining
one stone after another, then forgot
him in his. own occupation. A train
went thundering by on the heights
above, and the old man paused in his
search to watch it.
"Dear! how these rocks crack now
and then!" he exclaimed, as a sudden,
sharp sound fell upon his ear.
Jack started and looked up with a
thrill of horror as his quick eye de
tected the rapidly widening fissure that
was separating a mass of overhanging
rock from the main wall.
"Uncle Joachim!" he shouted.
But before the warning cry had left
his lips the old man, too, had seen, and
turned to fly, but stumbled and fell.
In the brief moment that followed a
rush of conflicting thoughts swept
through Jack's mind. Should he catch
up his treasure and bear that to a
place of safety at all hazards? It was
the first, the natural impulse. But his
old companion could he leave him?
Must he make so great a sacrifice for
him! Was that worn-out, useless life
worth so costly a price the hardly won
fruit of toilsome months, his brightest
hopes for the future? Ought he dare
he to caculate the worth of any hu
man life, however weak?
Thought lives in a region above time.
It was but an instant that he paused
irresolute in the sharp, fierce strug
gle; then he sprang to the old man's
side, raised him up, and, half drag
ging, half carrying, bore him away
with the speed and strength that only
such an hour can know hurrying up
the sloping bank until a deafening
crash behind them told that they were
safe.
They paused then,.- exhausted, and
sank down upon the ground to survey
the scene. A great mass of broken
stone covered all the place where they
had stood, and Jack's, model was
crushed to. atoms and buried beneath
it. ' "
"Well, well," murmured Uncle Joa
chim, tremulously breaking the solemn
silence that had succeeded the dying
echoes, "that was a narrow chance,
and I'd never have got away but for
you, Jack. I'm 'bilged to you, I really
am; though, seein' as somethin' is sure
to happen some time, I don't know as
'twould have made much difference
only for the women folkc; 'twould
have been a great loss to the women
folks. More'n likely I'll be sick for
a week or two now. Jack" as a sud
den thought struck him "why, Jack,
you left that jimcrack cf yours down
there, didn't you? Kiud of a p-'iy to
have it smashed up, though I s'pese it
wasn't of much use."
Jack turned his eyes from the ruin
and looked at him with a strange smile
on his pale face. How little he knew
of all the hopes and plans that had
been, or could cbmprehend the value
of that which he so carelessly called
worthless! And yet, perhaps he him
self could as little understand this
work of the great Creator beside him,
of comprehend His purpose in even
this seemingly feeble and useless life
that he had saved. There was nothing
of contemptuous pity in the gentle
ness of Jack's voice as he said:
"Hadn't you better go home novr,
Uncle Joachim? I will go with you."
He told Content the story that day
only Content ever knew it all and she
listened with the light that shone
through her tearful eyes growing
brighter at every word. "Sorry but so
glad!" she said, not so paradoxically
but Jack could understand it.
"It was hard to decide for a minute,
though It seems a shame even to say
it now," Jack said, honestly. "But I
couldu't sell myself, you know, and so
a good many of our hopes and plans
are ended for a long while to come,
Content." j
"But Jack, dear," answered Content,
softly, "I think our work often reaches
farther than we know. It may be in
building our' earthly houses we are
building for our heavenly homes as
well, and some things that crowd and
cramp these may make those all the
fairer." ' '
So Jack's house is only a little one.
but Content thinks Uncle Joachim
speaks more truly than ho knows
when he calls it "well bujlt;" and
watching it from over the blooming
meadow, she sees more than the
daisies, and murmurs to norself, as if
the words were set o inward music.
'The path that leads to it is white
clean and white, thank God'" Good
Literature.
The London Aihambra has a novel
dog act. The dogs perform in conjunc
tion with a ventriloquist, and so ap
pear to tails.
Gcron'iii'.o, the r.otod Apache chief,
has le.ii'rneu to read, and can write his
nanye. He is exceedingly proud of his
acninlichmeuts.
TIFIC
NDVSTRJ
Diminution of glaciers within a half
century has been noted in Spitzbergen,
Iceland, Central Asia, the Rockies and
Alaska.
A European i
nventor has 'converted
the spokes of
whistles, which
air action. The
by a series of
connection with
duce a peculiar
heard above the
an automobile Into
are operated by the
whistles are controlled
small rubber balls in
the spokes, and pro
whistling noise, easily
sound of traffic.
Several rivers of Australia's interior
sink into the earth and are lost. A
recent discovery in the district of Euc
la shows that they form subterranean
lakes twenty-five or thirty feet below;
the surface, and Jthese. lakes, if they
prove to contain sufficient potable wa
ter, are expected to lead to the devel
opment of new territories in the arid
regipn in which they occur.
Oxygenated water at twelve volumes
Is pronounced by M. A. llenard the
best preservative of milk.. , Added di
rectly after milking,' in the; proportion,
of two to three per cent., it decom
poses in six or eight; hours into water
and oxygen, Jeaving no foreign sub
stance as do borax or salicylic acid,
and effecting no( change like boiling or
freezing; The antiseptic action per
sists long enough to prevent alteration.
' A new vegetable for table, use is the
Crambe tatarla, an umbelliferous plant
resembling sea, kale. The sweet roots,
raw and cooked, are eaten" by Tartars
and Cossacks, and for 'these : and the
sprouts also, it is recommended for
cultivation by a prominept member of
the Academie do Cuisine of Paris, who
declares that it is finer in flavor than
asparagus and cauliflower, which it
suggests. The roots are boiled in salt
water and seasoned in butter, a salad
of young leaves and slices of (root being
another dainty luxury. , in L '
Paper Wedding Party.
'A paper-gowned bride and a bride
groom wearing a suit of . paper cut
after the conventional full dress pat
tern, were the principles at a wedding
celebration J this evening at the home
of the bride's parents,' Mr. and Mrs.
L.' H. Ueilpin. , , 'J'L, . ' " "
Mr. and Mrs. W. N. ' Eichberg, the
young couple in question, will re-enact
the scene to-morrow and their guests,
who will number about fifty, will wear
costumes of paper in honor of the
young couple's marriage.
There will be. a mock -.wedding cere
mony. Mrs. Eichberg wearing a bridal
gown of white tissue paper, and hav
ing a long veil of the sain, perforated
to represent tulle.
Even the bridal bouquet, a shower of
white blossoms, will be of paper.
Chicago Telegram to the Philadelphia
Inquirer.
It Melted the Sheriff.
Sheriff Mays, of McKean County,
went to Kane to sell the belongings of
Charles Mahood in a suit for debt.
Mrs. Mahood, with tears in her eyes,
told the sheriff Bow hard luck had
come to her husband and herself and
concluded by saying that her little
iftiild was then in a dying condition.
I rhc sheriff went to the child's bedside
rand saw the woman's pitiful story
verified. The little, one expired while
the officer was in the house. Then, in
stead of proceeding according to law,
the generous sheriff circulated a sub
scription paper which he'headed with'
a donation of his own. Soon he suc
ceeded in raising a fund sufficient to
meet the obligations of Mahood and
the threatened legal execution did not
take place. Bradford Era.
Triumph For the Enxligh Tougne.
'An English speaking nation has
grown up on the west side of the At
lantic which has done, and is doing
more than the jnarent country to give
the tongue a world vogue. Two-thirds
of the people who epeak English live
in the United Slates. The Industrial
and commercial conquests which this
country is gaining tell In favor of its
people's tongue: A century tigo French,
Spanish and4 (Jerruah w ci'-1 1 far ahead
of English in the uuirber of" persons
who used them as a vehicle of speech.
But in the lapse of time English has
passed all of them and is spoken by
more people to-day than is any other
civilized tongue. Chicago Journal.