J. V ;
.Eft
it- i - i, i it j -
$i.oo a Year, In Advance.
: ; ; FOR GOD. FOR COUNTRY,- AND FOR TRUTH.f 5 1901.; .....
It?-"
IE
XV.
PLYMOUTH, N, C.,; FRIDAY, JT
trine : fi... iv.iK-fl-srtws'wia
TOW
1 ii lit!
"UiC u"i IT i Oi Hi C71 1 rJ lif I i a
J. y
i
r
OOLICIi FAR NIENTE.
A little tone of silence in the heat,
' A little time of indolent delight,
A little dumber at her gemtle feet
Wbo brings enchantment and excess of flght; '
A Is ttle languid dreaming in the sun,
And, ah, bow simply happiness ia won!
. -M
Long hare we toil'd in dtwty city ways,
; . ' T snare the flying form that will not turn
And-bleB; us; vill onr bitter, strenuous days;
Long have we borne with hearts that tbrob and yeara,
'The ting of'sofffiwl Ev'ry human woe
IIa stricken us, land yet we did not know.
... '.
, We did not l.now what happy dreamers guess,
That' only' when the busy hands are still,,
And thought contents itgelf in idleness,
Is she subservient to our grasping will.
Then, 'twist a slumber and a sigh,, man hears
.The em'ry haunting music of the years.
, A little time shut ia, with flow'rs and leaves,
A little space to watch the clouds go by,
Drifting in depths of blue, and sadness leaves , ' ."
' The heart its' fresh findTadiant as the sky; ..'
' And ehe jvho eeorn'd us when we could. but weep,
visits our hearts when tkey
'siOl'tt. PONTIFF .. jilted ia a
. w ,Jaiul ? dreams that beau
O o'tlful isle of any where. Her
J lines yere cast In places
WOW'-that httAiktetl of 'an almost
total exemption from the sordid af
; .. firs of. domesticitjv When, as it oc
rasfonally chanced, plain, practlcal.Mr.
Fontifl requested from her some'serv-
ice demanding action, the look of gen
tle, surprised reproach she turned up
on him, made him feej that he "was a
. , . .thing of clay.... Her eyes, like old folks
' memories, excelled In- sigKts at long
. range. -With oars, eycs and thoughts
V , for away 'she was a combination of
smUaWlity, absent micdedness and vis
i iouary abstraction. '
'- One morning Mr. rontiff received a
'. . tolpgram from an route sister.
) ) ' 1he';.vill have'ta b'emet, Helen,"' he
' . saith'jpressivly " . ' ' .
' ' 'vroiwill m?et' but we'iil mm her."
is , -mfi'rmiired Sdnny-Porttlff.,
;"irortraIu.a'ivcs at;i2.S0, don'tfor-
! T'ijct:, ii6ih.n.;.fv '.v.;.-';; v' '
f, . Vf!he can reijijulbclr thaf, because it'll
; 5 -Ufo o, one f sUjcatches it,"; argued
; . fcoiujy.;.'v. ' '
'.' ."i3i teleplioWo ut) t5, you when it Is-
time to .staijf'," said qMaiJhead: of -the
frfmfij', iginoring. the, jirtei'polatioijisol'
"It's siicirirautiful day,
rthink I
' . ,r,'i;i 'AllC" to the. station,'? : said Mrs.
Pontiff sweetly,
''ITcar',yoiwiir forget jfour. destiny-'
1 ;tv,"i." ,&a Ii.Jj o Ji bintl anxiously: - ,
' .-. , 'JOl, Jleury, Iaininot quite as had
jV" --ns, that!" faitiy. -.piotested Mrs. Pon--IMT..
"Ywi - peally'j.eKaggerate my fail-
It'.".'- ; ' '-Vsv:-. '. . .v
. . . . feieh,-rp'ff
"" 1y-. r Yauldo'tUio'f. . When I recall
V'V;cTme4y6u.-flrjgtitedtfron the street
..-nr ajiiil. left little. Sonny to tako,,lve
romuli trips thefore -r'oii , rememltefed
lfiM'pjtiaiteriee;-1 do not feel as if there
, vteftWytlfiug you could fasten in your
jr.omory.".. . ... ., ,
Mi's." Ppntiff's'igjiM. "Tlra t Some
' jr:tTs f.gd. ' There are tiaiM'lYO'xV wbeit
. V wi'h? t 'coniorgef Smiwy -'for tliaf
. . irtiglh of time".' - ''' n - : '
v r.'tferiforgiltiiig"' mo 'wnsiVfc ihrtlf so
remarkable as her squandering eight
v i'pllavA,- oh a .pair o sUppSito
wear, to thechn.viiy ba.ll ayd.theq. for-
getting to take- off her rubbers,"
-htfe'd ih-Sohhy..'-';' v
'.'Now, who is itt. Helen, you are go
jng to meet?' asked Mr. Pontiff warn
ingly, as he started for the oflice. .
N"your sister," she replied trium
I'l'iutly. .
"And what time docs her train ar-
"One-ten," she said, hertt'atingly,
vliila Sonny laughed in his delight.
. "Oh; Helen,... 1.50," ...prt-:.Mpted , Mr.
J'ontiff. V . . v :
"Now, Sonny surely said on'o-lon."
"Never pay tlie slightest attention
i"ikwliat'SoiH!y .says." . ... , ;
5 "She had-lettec this time.-lJ she is
going to "w . Ik to the, station'.. Now,
mother, don't try to- swhu act'oss the
river or look for a ferry.' You 'know
they tore up the bridge six months ago
to build a new one, and people are us
ing a little foot bridge."
"Why, I didn't know they were build
ing a new bridge," exclaimed Mrs.
Pontiff in' surprise, "but then, T
luiven't been on the street in a year."
"Why, mother! It's the widest
iridsein the United States!"
are prone to sleep.
Pall Mail Gazette.
' "HoSv perfectly foolish to build the
widest bridge in the country across the
narrowest. river in the world!" '
v "Well, then, don't you see," laughed
Sonny, "that it is then the shortest
bridge in the world, so it is as broad
asit is long."
"You are getting into deep .waters,
Sotiny,'' interposed Mr. Pontiff. "You
remind me of a man who, was Presi
dent of a street car line that was only
a mile long. He was posing at a na
tional meeting of the Street Car. As
sociation as a magnate. He made a
speech, and in one of his most impres
sive pauses some .one sneered: 'Sit
down! Tour road's only, a mile losg"
True,' ho said, 'true, my road is only a
mile long, but it is just as wide as any
road in the world.'"
The day was one of those indescrib
able links between late spring and ear
ly . 'summer. There were delightful
promises, in the air of. coming beauties,
and Mrs. pontiff, as she made her way
Ration ward, .felt fit peace with allmau
kind, even, unto her coming sister-in-law.
She -walked on iir dreamy forgetful
'ncss of all about her save' the liquid
sky. the soft air . and ' the delicate
breeze until she came to the river.
Must she .cress on that singlt,narrow
beani extending from shore to shore?
She looked helplessly about hw. It
was the noon hour and no one was in
speaking distance save a solitajtry la
borer on, the opposite bank, "ftt could
never get her courage to walk that
plank. Then she recalled what Sonny
had said about people using this tem
porary foot bridge.
"I -ought . to bo ashamed," she rea
soned, "to be afraid' to do- what- prob
ably thousands of people do daily. I
suppose every map woman and child
in Elktown have1 tripped across this
river, oji Ihis. plank. I am always the
last one i uptown "tolo anything."
. Encounigcd by these self-sugges-'tiofs,'
sfio put' one slemler'' unsteady
foot on' the' beam. ;'Theaauother' tx-em-ulous
's'tep- and 'shb' poised 'on, the brink.
."Oh,. T itn't!''-. sUe wailed.
, Tlieitifehc! remembered- Henry's tajes
of how his pioneer mother, in her ear
ly days, wont to a Western wilderness
to live and used to, cross the river on
stringers. ' ' -
Keinforeed by 'this colonial' recollec
tion, she took a few steps. Then the
effect of tlio stimulating reflectioss
passed away and left her weak, help
less and scared dimway across the
sluggish, mild stream, which now
seemed to her a roaring cataract. "How
could I' have ever said it was the nai--rowest'
river In the -world?" she
thought.
, She was. now utterly paralyzed, from
terror and unable to take unother step.
Therp Avas only one thing she could do,
and'' she did it strenuously. '"She
screamed. The, lone laborer, working
on. the opposite side turned. and saw
her. ; v ' ' '' '
"Well;; vvoiildn't' that get you I" be
ejaculated, and theii called out:;
"Hold on there! I'm a-coming," and
he hastened toward her. .
Never in the world had anything
looked more beautiful to her than the
fight of this stoggy, red-faced, blue
overalled, black-piped laborer ap
proaching her with a step of ease and
air of security. Whea he reached her
le turned about.
"Put your arms around me," be said,
"ahut your eyes and hang on tight."
She obeyed these instructions so im
plicitly, that the laborer 'felt as if be
had an electric rheumatic belt about
his waist. . ,
Mrs; Pontiff had always been con
scious of an instictive shrinking from
the "common people," but she followed
this plebeian coarse-garbed toiler bliad
!7 and willingly.
"Here we be!" he announced cheer
fully, and Mrs. Pontiff opened her
frightened eyes to iind herself once
more on the beloved terra, lirma. With
a hysterical laugh she sank dow- n on a
pile of. lumber.
"Say, was you doing it on a bet?"
asked her; , rescuer, curiously.
"What!"1 she exclaimed, staring at
him.'
"Well, I heard Kit Dooligan and one
or two women say how they were a
. going to. be the .'first -to walk the plank,
and the fellows about town have been
giving them dares and putting up
money on them, and I though maybe
you society folks was doing the ame.
You're k winner. thongh. The first but
me to cross that ere plar.k."
"Mrs. Pontiff' shuddered. "What" do
you mean? Isn't tkat the bridge peo
ple use right, along? How dp .they
cross?" .' ' - :
'"it was'. his1 turn for' a shock now.
' ''Great 'Septt?; , ' ,he ejaculated.
"Didn't you' see. Uaf; bridge' over
there?";- " "'
She. followed his index finger. On,
the other side of the, piers of the pro
posed bridge were terraced steps lead-
ing down to tlie' water's edge, where
was constructed a snug little bridge
securely railed.
She was silent a moment. Then he.
turned to him. . . ; .
"I was getting dizzy when you . came
to my help, aod in another moment-1
should have fallen' in and drowned. I
wish you would take this; jt's all I
have, with me," and she .put a ten-dollar
bill into his surprised hand. "
"Yes.," she said, in reply to his faint,
protestations, "it's little enqugh, and"
please never .tell- any one." .
As she hurried on to he station, she
thought: - . v-J '
' "I ..wouldn't have H.enry and Sonay
knoy about it for the ifeprld!"
At the..?tati$rC she encouiftered her
hfishanditcing jthe platf ovm.
''Why, riihtibn time!" ha said in a
pleased, surprised tone. ' "I telephoned
to the house. Jjut you lad left, i got
another telegriym trom Carrie, and she
can't come toJday.v- , . ,
Mrs. I'outlff made no response.
" "I'll ride up home:wi'th you' he said,
hailing a carriage'. t . ' ,
When the' Cabman' had closed the-'
door. Mrs.' Pontiff burst into tears.
"Why,' Helen," remonstrated h'tr Jius.-!
band,- "yon 'can't be 'dis?ppoin.ted,iat
Carrie's non-appearance, or re those
tears of 'relief ?" -
' "Maybo' fihe will come tomorrow,"
sobbed Mr Poa tiff. ' 'l' " '
'Well,' 'never iiiind! ' Dot cros?
bridges until you c'ofne't.o them!"
"Af;'tWs'injuctioy'hi'sfife; his sur
prise, changed, her, tears' to laughter.
"Heien's luituro' is'e'ven'morp 'delicate
ad sensitife tiiau 'I thought," ho re-.,
fiecfed." - "X must' bo -more qareful of
her." '
That, .evening.. Mr. .pontiff picked up
the" Evening ""Journal and Sonny did
likewise the Heraltl.'Then there issued
from each an excla mation of surprise.
With dreail 'forebodings, Mrs. Pon
tiff hastened to look over her lord aud
master's shoulder.
Then she fell .into his arrasmore ter
rified than she had been during' 'her
trial on the river. For in startling
headlines she caught the words; j
. "She stood on the bridge! A plucky ,
woman! Mrs. Pontiff tlie first person
to cross the first plank of the'- new
bridge!"
"What docs it mean, Helen?" he
gasped. ;
Between her sobs aud laughs she re
lated her experience.
"It's all my fault. Helen," ho said
soothingly. "I shall take better care
of you after this." ' . .
"You had more grit than Kit," exult
ed Sonny. ; . .
Wlen Mr... Pontiff had succeeded- in
quieting , his wife, .ho topk Sonny one
side and threatened him with punish
ment dire ,if he ever, by Jook, thought
or. deed alluded 'to the matter to 'his
mother or to any one. . ' .
There were times when Sonny sore
ly longed to sing "There's One More
liiver to Cross," but he forebore.-
Belle Mania tes, in the New Orleans
Times-Democrat.
There are 2400 mineral wr.tira lot
tied in New Yotk City.
" DOUBTFUL WEATHER PROPHETS.
Harked Scales on TaroiWeteri Da. Not
Always Tell Conditloqs. V-
Much of the current faith in the:i)a-.
rometer as a wfather prophetisY,lt
appears, misplaced." Because a storm
is generally threatened when the fall
of the barometer, is great anl sudden,
and vice versa when it suddenly .rises,
it has been for yejars 'the practice to
niak"; 'barometers .with "fine,"" "cba nge
able" and '?storm" macliQd on them;
ajid .such is., the. .confidence placed In
these by 'many people wha own them
that they grow-indignant at the weath
er if it dares to' rain when the "indica
tor says "fair" or to' be clear if it says
"storm." '' '
All that; a barometer shows is thQ.
pressure of the air upon the earth's
surface at the point where the barome
ter, is jvhen the reading is made. The
pressure does, indeed, vary continual
ly with the weather conditions, but it
varies also with the elevation of the
twifit of observation ?abore" the sea
level, and it ' takes' an expert to tell
whether" any giveij 'Variation is' im
"usual or. abnormal, 'and i? so, what it
means, . A bajrpmet;er adjiiited jjJth.
weatbec signs :for the seashoi'e ma,y
of ten predict .great storms .there, "but
if taken to another and-higher alti
tude the markings' are wholly unrelif .
able,, e.ven.for making guesses. T. F.
Townsend. at the head of the Phila
delphia Weatfieppureau' is frequent
ly, called on by people who know. this
much to adjust their barometer, for
the lerel in wliich they use it. but he is
always careful to poin4t. out why even
jaffer such adjustment, the indications
are not reliable. Philadelphia Record.
'' -Tliree S&rtch Stories.'
A slioemaker . came, to., the minister
asking his advipe. beca.us,e tlat sweep
his landlord, had glv on .him; notice to
quit and.be Avould have nowhere to lay
his head." The minister could only ad
vise him to lay his case before the
Lord. A week later the minister, re
turned and found the shoVmaker busy
and meri'y. ".That was gran' advice
ye gied me, ( minister," saidthe man.'
"I laid my case before the Lord, tit
ye tcll't me,,an''ndo't'he, sweep's .deJd."
- ' i
At'-a; funeral mGlasgow a stranger,
who had taken his seat in one of the"
mourning coaches, excited the carios
ity of one of 'the other threeoccupants,
jone of whom . at la s't addressed,. him:.
t'Ye'Ii be a brjther o' tpe.jjprp?" "No,
then' ye'll be "at 'least 'a frien p' the
corp?" ,"Not that. either. ; To, tell tho
truth, I've, pot been.'.weel. npyself," And
as" my -doctor , hqs or.derpil - me some
carriage exercise,'. I . thocht;.. this .. Avad
de the cheapest way to takit."
, : A clergyman was rebuked by one of.
j the ruling elders fwr-sauntering on the
Sunday, along the hillside above the
manse. The clergyman took the rebuke,
in "good part, but tried to show the, re
monstrant that the action Of which he
complained Was innocent and lawful,
arid he was about to cifcfliie famous
example, of a. Sabbath Avalk", with the
plucking of the, ears' of cor,n, as set
forth In .the jtjQspels,; when ;Ue . "w'a'S-dn- -terrupted
with the remark,? "Oil ay;
sir, I, k.ep weel what you mean t"o' say,'
but for my pafrt I hae nefer ijpch'
the better o' thepn. l'br' breakin'.v Jle
Sawbbath." Geikie's" "Scottish llomin-..
iscehce's.' ''"' . . . ; t
Gentlemen Sports.'
"Gentleman sport" wjrs th(i.tcr.m..,j
plied' to. the type of' saWn'graduaL-i
from Eastefn4u y crsi ties 'bj-ro.fcssoj? d
William Gafdner-JialQj iuj:i'.;speecn t
the freshmen of f:UVnJ-ersi'ty oi! Chi
cago at the Boyuold Club the. albcr
night. . ..
"Education in the.jiig ,lat.ern insti
tutions is not improving in the least."
Professor lfale said. "On the 'con
trary, I think' 'it is deteriorating.
Schoiiarship has decreased because'the
edij'cat'ionat' system ' is worni-cateri.
l'he.ve isj-joo Jriuch'o'f .the 'gentlVman,
spovf ridea theuo.' ' . . ' .
., "The hoCkOf education. lies inj.tlje-
Western .institutions,' where -stiuRmts--
! attend 'for thopurpose of gaining an
education ami hot f0ij..1he purpose -of
squamlefrng; h vicai'eitTS ' fiionej i iv
an effort" to become a genUe'nlau.'"
Philadelphia Itecord.
I'm not a :brithcr o the.cor." was' life - r T rfi, C
prompt reply. . fWeel.M.ene'll be hi8.;f
cousin?"- "No, I'm not tot." ."No! '-.'
A Pennsylvania fisherman has dis
covered that bullfrogs act as sentries
to fish, and that it is useless to try to
catch bassi when n deep-voiced, bo'low
Inj fro; Is wsitchius.
: .y
in.
Bv a clicking new nnachine -
Which 'clatters arid c'hiffesTaitd throws out
Hp PiXs&l : tn !?tld trreafor.-iw-faey."
"Mft'nv an' many'p the nijikt:
Old ltorace' v(fouTtFiw;!ff'.fH Wasn't theie
lfTo sway mmm .
To bottier; IbeijMdsvU
lie npver ypt-liii!alttence tho
"Fol'ttaiM-sfeei?t53?ith-jMatj.'
and the ancients,
! . Qfeelev. and Ravmond. too.
. Prentice. MedilJ, McCullougb? "Sare
ne'd told everyone what to do.
Now he's -replaced by machinery
"Something that caiinot think
That don't have to cat. and can't "Pi it
..feet," - ... f.vJ
Because it don't know now to drink.
. 3.'J''
Gone i the'oW'tranHvpVinteT, '
Who'd M yan for a "bi.t,';
Arid after the fc1rikerouhi "asam "hit toe
pike'U ' t.i :i .
. To a town where heTniiht get a stfc.
He's lfeled mdrig tbaWumb;rs
By. .tlie 80ulles3 linotypes
Which' sputter a"nd fitss aitrsera line thna:
V'Hadf a;t"klnir5 twMnbcyg pi pes."
Josh Wink, in Baltimore American.
' iv.-r . . . .i . . -vrtir ts yi:
'- i .:'fi'!r:v-.-?wii ::
"Vn rvKflt- im novaJflno-oV
"Some
Jiew-tangled vegetable.' ,
Ask the
cbok'Chicgd KeVorcPile'rald.
'"Henpetk.'aVdb-yfe'n'ihink of a
man jvho mamies rfor. mawti ?" "Think
he earns every cent he .gets." Detroit
Free Press.
It irn't the thing yon do or say,
-' W ail 1 the w-yoti tof f &y i fc.
What .would ithe. egg ainjount to, pray,
" If tne harttip'oiTthe-perth to lay it
i-Visiter-r''1' "yiiruuafetferown up.
.wB.1 jqu be.a docV)5.'p,or fatherr'
Eobby "Mercv, no!. WbyI conldu't
even kli 'A faijmir'oWinind Coun-tl-y.
" :
Belle-'iHex about MadgS? She has
'"GlacfyS ' ('sglJihg)-0h,'dear, bo
hash't proposed; lbt rf-Bttiel "Well,
Avjjat;. can-pji; expeo.t; .o-tehap who
navey .runs his aijto over.tqp miles au
hour?" ' '
Wife "Do you believ narry, that
married 'men Itvft. Jditger thasi single
men?'- irueband'l-bnifticnow, but
it-.probablj. seems -.loriser."tcSt. Joseph
Gazette. v
. "I . maintain," "she d'ec.laf ed, "that
women ' arc ' butler pekker3 thau
men." ' "But sometihios -quantity is
mUtaJien foiLqualitr," he pointed out.
New, .Yorker. .
.. . . .' . . . .. . ..
Jay "Wonder why Smartee turned
tha.t portrait 6nck't6 'O'rtuie?' Flay
.".Weff you. seV jid 'a?tjyt't'an paint
"jimarteo; as ' bjg, a" ue is-'
Newiork..Tm,ies. ',. -t9,t
"T could rmike Sip iititkinger all
f right' if iie'-was'ri.'f so dtftewt' satirical.
Bif he k'Cpsfh6"Miain oiit between
us." " iSa't: .clia suit", ''.'rFarcasrB."-.
Lieyciantf ji'.ijimt.Q.aier. rtx
i-i Pootllenpb'or,'lV;V?pitaph
'- Oa -hif! depa WbeklVili:
- 'lfire lies- njviifr, tt ,
To save my life
. . . . I .caiuJ: vrcpiW. Jt is to laph."
Catholic Standard and Time3.
Dubb."Won"t ye?i -sing, Miss
Squeel?" Mibs? 'Sqifeel Prff1 not in
very g5d" voice to"-n1ght, I fear," Dub
by'evei miiid.'. Any UUivl would be
.better, thnxx fitting, around Jhis way."
'Chucago Daib.es:'! .'
City Friend (viitkis. in Scottish ru- f
ralubwn) AnaeH' mo, Andrew, art-
Vi-r'lh.e KirUar'the
kj;elejtiou : a'jbegitli.t ftujuy
Aula ivjrk. Vdfc 'imciJ. '.
The Czar owns o
and cbatoaux
sia. If.takc--vauts
to c.-'X
ics amoi
stablo
Si"'
lie s crowded out by umufovsaiiQi
fc.Bl-ill.A.L. X. ,WW
cate." .,
.1
3;