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Bfi Waif of the Wcstorn Prairies.
> •—
/ CT WELDON J. COBB.
rnAtTItn Vll-rntitlanaZL
Their hands and cyos met One
S ’unco at their rosolnto faces told that
ylto Dospard need havo a rare for him
self when these two men started upon
his trail.
■Remember,* spoko tho scout, "this Is
no ordinary venture •
■I roalUo and am roady for It,* re-
piled Darrel sturdily.
“Already respond has crossod tho
dead line of oivtlliatlon and Is among
the bad lands to tho oast *
, "Then we can follow him there.*
•Yes; only be Is at homo and among
friends, wboro the whlto renegade and
the red warrior will atlko bo banded
against ua Patlanco, courage, and craft
can alone overcome our enomles. •
■ *1 will dare It all tor tho sake of tho
Imperilled girl we seek to save,” cried
Carrol, enthusiastically. “Hut you are
111 from tho wound you received—unable
to proceed on the troll until you are re
covered."
“Not to, Darrel,* replied tho scout.
■Tho herbs I havo taken havo rostorod
tty strength.*
•Thon wo start *
‘ *At onco. *
' Ooo hour later, mountod on two superb
steeds and fully armod end equipped
for the expedition, tho old Bcout and Ills
young companion set forth upon thu
most perilous and momentous advuuturo
of all the'r eventful lives.
CHASTER VUL
OH TUB TUAU- '
k Tho night was bright as day as Dar
rel and hunger ltalph redo from tlio
little town at Minors' Uulcli toward tho
hills to tho oast In the near distance.
As nearly as posslblo, tho fortnor In
formed the scout of tho courso Dospard
had taken In carrying away the recapt
ured maldon, 1 noz Tracey.
They soon found thomsolvos threading
R rocky dofllo, along which tho practical
•ye of tho scout discovered uvldoncos of
recont travel.
•They havo como this way," ho said
to Darrel
•Then wo may overtake them. •
i *Not so easily as you think. *
“Why not?*
“They have a fair start of us, and
once In the mountains It will bo difficult
to follow their trail. “
The landscape became wild, and at
times almost Impassable, as tnoy pro
ceeded on their way. At midnight tho
•cout came to a halt, utterly at fault.
■Wo are In e quandary now,* ho re
marked.
•How?* askod Darrel
*Hero tho course diverges. The out
laws may havo gono down tho valloy to
the wlldornosa beyond, pa-sod through
the gulch yondar to tho outlaw country,
or struck direct through tho hills for tho
Indians.*
For nearly an hour tlioy roconnoltered
St short distance In oach direction. Tho
eoout’s face showed a satisfied expres
sion as ho returned to tho head of tho
canyon.
“Havo you loarned anything?” asked
Darrel, eagerly.
"Yes?”
1, “What Is It?*
I “This. “
Tho scout showed a rlbhon, which
Darrel rocognlzod as belonging to tho
•lppss worn by I nor. Trncoy.
“Do you reoognlTo It?" askod Ra'ph.
I I “Yes.”
“■■ATbon tho Ind.an country Is our des
tination. They are carrying tho girl to
tholr old-time nllles, tho Modocs.”
Darrel looked dooply ^omwrnod, but
the scout sceuiod more encouraged and
vigilant thau ovor, and urged his horse
to.n more rapid rptfl of speed. ,
y Tho.morning light Draught thorn en
couraging traces of tlio porsous tlioy
sought Tlioy wero tolling up a stoop
ascent, when Darrel found a pioco of
brldlo rein. It evidently belonged to
Dospnrd's baud, utul they pressed on,
conlideut that tlioy wore on tho right
trail.
“lloyond hero tbo mountains como to
a stop,” remarked tho scout
“And beyond that?”
“1‘rairlo and forest, nnd tho camping
grounds of tho marauding bands of sav
ages. Hat smoke!”
As hanger Ralph spoko, his com
panion discerned a slight volume of
smoke emanating from to.no rocks be
yond thorn.
They drovo along ns rapidly as tho
broken roadway would admit At a
turn a scono ot wondrous beauty and
extent hold thorn momentarily spell
bound.
Tho mountain of stono shot down
shuur a thousand feet p -rfoctly perpen
dicular, and beyond It stretched a wood
ed plain far as tho oyo could roach.
There roomed no means of reaching It
except by a toilsome ride to where there
was u more gradual descent
“Look,” spoke tho scout suddenly.
Darrel thrilled to keen excitement ns
lio glanced at a point soma dlstauco bo-
low them.
A body of horsemen were Just disap
pearing Into a dense stretch of timber.
“Dospard and Ills men!* ho cr.cd.
“It must bo them. "
“Thon they havo escaped us "
“No: necessarily, the trail will be bet
ter on the lowlands than bora 1 think
1 know Despard's plans.”
“What are they?”
“To lojoin one of his olti allies In stage
robbery and war on tho sett ouionts.
“An Indian?”
“Yos. ”
“Who Is he?"
“Shadow Snake, tho Modoc warrior.
What ls’that?”
Directly before them, emanating from
a rockydclilo. smoko ascended—the same
they had observed u fow minutes previ
ously.
“fau It bo a party of Indians?" askod
Darro 1 .
“1 think not. It Is probably tho de
serted camp-firo of Despard's band."
Doth men halted perpoxsdanrt bewil
dered, as tlnfy traced the smoko to Its
sourco. At a cave-llke uperturo in the
racks, a large amount of bashes and
reeds aud loaves wero piled. Those had
been rocontly Ignited, and dense volnmos
of smoko Issued from the heap.
The two men gazed at one snothor in
the profonedest wonder.
“What doos It meat*?” askod tho mvs-
'tifiod Unrt cl.
dv-not know.”
“You think Doiptrd’s rasa bum At
lire?"
“Yesl for they must havt recently
passed this spot"
“For what purpose?"
"That I cannot tell."
“Then lot ue aeoertaln."
They dismounted and approachod tho
cave, lloth started as a low wall, llko
that of a person exhausted by pain,
seemed to cmanato from tho smoking
cava
“Do you hoar that?” cried Darrel, ox-
altcdly. v
“Yes." t t > .
“homo onols In therol" 1
"Probably a wild boast that they tried
to smoko outl"
Tho cry was rnpoatod—agonized, muf
fled, but still p -rfcctly distinct
Darrol Orey turnod pnlo.
“It Is a woman's volco," ho gasped,
wildly. “Alt! ltulph, If It should
“Who?”
“Inot*
Tho scout started.
“No, no; they wouldn’t dare to kill tbo
girl that way. ”
“You do not know them. No crime Is
too deep for those Inhuman ghosils.
Qulckl Aid mo; 1 must know who Is In
that cave. ”
In a moment they were at work tear
ing and dragging the half-ltainlng muss
from tho mouth of the cavern.
Evon after they had removod It tho
pla o was so lillcd with smoke as to
ckoko and blind them
Still, Darrel did not dolay, bat dashed
recklessly forward.
A cry of horror and yet of rollof cs-
capoi his lips as ho saw u human form
lying on a pile of loaves. It was that of
u woman, but It was not Inez Tracey.
Instead, tho dim light of the cave
showed a face dusky, though beautiful
—tlio countenance of an Indian maiden.
Who was bound hand and foot, almost
suffocated by the smoko, exhausted,
dying, threatened by a toi-rllVe doatli
when Darrel found hor. Ilo llftod nor
bo llly In Ids arms and bore her to tlio
outside air.
In profound nmazom-nt Hanger
Ra'ph stared at the strange liguro.
Darrol ro'oasod the bonds that se
cured the girl Her wild, haunted eyes
Bwept Ills face for a moment her bosom
heaved, aud she grasped his hand In thu
doupcsl emotion.
“The Whlto Pawn will never forgot
you!" sho uttered, In a gasplDg cry of
gratltudo.
“Who is sho—how eamo sho lie re?”
asked the bewildered Darrol.
“Ask her; sho speaks our language. It
seems," suggested tha scout
The Indian girl shrank back.at tho
words-, sho shook hor bond vehemently.
"Tho Whlto Down has her secrets,
and will not toll thorn, lltit when tho
day conies when tho lllack Crow stands
faco to faso with her again, let him be
ware!"
“Dcspard!” ejaculated tho scout. “It
was ho who shut hor up In thatbavo to
dlo boo here, my girl wo'vo helped
you out of a difficulty; will you return
tho fovor?"
Tho Indian maldon did not direct at
tention.to the ranger, but fixed her eyes
with a devoted light on tho faco of
Darrol.
“Tho Whlto Pawn would dlo to servo
tho young palo-face," sho said earnestly.
“Thon lead ns to tlio prairies loiuw,”
spoko Darrol.
Sho sprang before his horsa.
“Follow!* she said.
They obeyed tholr dusky guide, who
led thorn from the spot with tlio swift-
noss and accuracy of one familiar with
the locality.
Not a word was spoken until they
reached tlio base of tho doscent to the
plain b-low. Tlio broad prairie, with
Its wooded stretches, lay Before tliom.
As far ns one of these the girl accom
panied them. Thon she turned ns If to
loivvo them. Suddenly sho paused, In a
listening attitude. Thun sho sped light
ly through tho timber.
“She will return,* said Ranger Ralph
“She has discovered something, you
think?” aikod Darrel
A mlnuto later tho litho figure of
White Fawn reappeared.
“A camp of friendly Sioux," sho said,
briefly. "Tlioy uro on tholr way to the
icI Svatlon. b hoy are my friends.
Tlioy go my way. Como; your horses
shall ho cured for, and you sTiiill lid nrd. JI
She led Darrel's horse liy tlio brldlo
until they reached a spot where about
twenty Indians sat around a camp-firo.
Tho savages greeted tlioip Ip a frlopdly
manner, and tlioy remalnod for nil hour
with them, securing valuable informa
tion as to tho country around thorn
Tlioy were Informod that the roving
bands of Indians wore massing tholr
forces under tho leadership of a chief of
the N’ez Forces, who was urging them So
a general attack on the settlements of
tho pale faces.
It was a- they wore leaving tho camp
that White Fawn clasped tlio hand of
Darrol Grey In a warm, earnest pros-
sure
“You havo saved my life,” she said.
“Whlto l'awn never forgols frloud or
foo. Take tills, and in your hour of
danger, It may servo you, If you ever
fall Into thu hands of Shadow Snake or
his trllie.”
Sho lllttod uwny oro Darrel could nsk I
for an explanation of her strongo words.
Ho rogardo I tho singular ornnmont
sho had given him, as Ills horse started
away. It was a piece uf Indian chalk-
stone, with some strange chnractois en-1
graved upon it, nnd lound together by a
chain made of the rattles of a snake. |
Rittlo did either uf tho men dream of ,
Its future vuluo to thorn, or of the effect :
upon their future the mystery surround
ing Whlto Fawn was dost nod to exert.
They wero now compelled to exert
caution In tholr movoeioiits, and kept to
tho timber as much as possible.
The information they had received lod
them to bollcvo that tholr enemies had
gone to Join the savages, massed in camp
at the I’ueblo River, forty miles aeross
the country.
To roach this they would undoubtedly
have to pass through much danger, and
It might be Impassible to follow Des-
peril's trail c os -ly.
Several times that day they saw va
grant parties of Indians In the distance,
but concealed themselves until tlioy were
out of sight.
“There arc two points for us to remem
ber," said tho scout that evening at
dusk.
“What nro they?” asked Darrel.
“Ftrsl, to attempt the rescue of Inez
ami remove hor to a place of safety. “
“And tho other?”
“To reach Walford the Recluse, to
whom Inoz’s father loft her fortune, be
fore Dcspard learns where ho li. Wo are
likely to encounter many daugers ere wo
accomplish it, and^nust be wary, for wo
may come upon our enemies at any mo
ment.”
“Hist!”
They had como to tho banks of tho
river nnd wore waiting while the horset
drank. Sheltered by a little clump of
trees they con d scan tho stream without
being ob-orvoJ.
Derrel had uttered the warning word
as ho eew a canoe coining down lh«
stream.
“An Indian," breathod the scout. “Si
lence, till ho passes “
Tlioy remalnod perfectly still os tho
canoe neared them. Just es the boat
eamo opposite them one of the hotrees
hoofs gave way uudor the soft turf
fringing tho stream. His foot eamo
down with a splash into tno wetor.
Tho Inalua In the cqnco started,
glanced toward the tblcke
ly saw his ambushed to
wild yell he abandouodj
sprang Into the water.
Instantly the cry ws
score of voloes both
Btreum. They leeme
tholr owners toward^
where Darrel And tho,j
moment.
“Cross
Ralph quickly,
and that I
CHAPTER IX
ms MODOCS.
Ranger Ralph directed his horse across
the river and Darrel Orey followed
closoly after him. Tho stream was very
deep at Its center, but tho horses breusted 1
thu swift current and lunded them safely
on tha opposite bank.
“Dash sira.glit. ahead,” shouted tho
scout; "ll Is our only chance."
“No, nol look, Ralph; there Is a camp-
fire In our path."
Tlio ranger brought his horse to Its
haunches and glanced quickly and con-
corned y about him. ltehlnd thorn and
on both s des the woods soeim-d filled
With yolllng Indian-. They hud been |
attraetod to tho spot by the warning
cry of the Indian In tha canoe. i
Immediately after discovering tho 1
strangers, tho savage had disappeared,
and doubt ess reached Ills companions i
who were hustoulug to the thlckut. |
“Dismount!" ordered tho s.-out. In a
low tono. “Wo aro in a s.-rapo and I
must make tho best of It."
“Shall wo abandon tho horsos?” .
queried Darrol.
“For the lime holng, yes,” replied thW |
scout. “Tlio Indians aro coming. We
had bottor suparato."
Ranger Ralph suddenly swung himself
np by the branches of an linmousa troo
under which the horses stood.
Darrel Uroy sought to follow his exam
ple, but, bewildered by tho oxcltoinont
of tho oceasluu, delayed a mooiont too
long.
Three stalwart lavages suddenly eamo
into vlow.
Tliut tlioy had discovered him, tha
yolls uf the Indians Instantly Informod j
him. Ho started for tho rlvor and ran
down Its hanks swiftly.
A cry of concern broko from Darrel's
lips as he glanced ahead Several other |
Indians wero running In an opiioslto di
rection.
Ho was completely hemmed In, and
there sootnod no means of osen|» excopt
a wild dash Inland, which action would
oxposo him to tho fire of Ills enemies
ilo cast one quick glance at tlio troo-
llned stream, and dutormlnod to trust j
himself to tho water. Then Darrel i
dropped out of vlow and began to wado
out Into the Hwlft coutral current of thu j
rlvor.
Ho could hoar tlio savages talking ox- !
cltojly, nnd iippuroiitly making tholr i
way toward him. Near tlio shorn the
drooping willows afforded a shelter from
their prying eyes, hut that ho would not
long be safe there ho fully realized. |
lie thrilled to a now Idea of safety tw
ho saw an object Moating near him. |
It was tho cunoo that the Indian had
abandoned, and It was ttpsldo down. I
Instantly Darrol concclvod a daring
plan of eluding his enemies, at luust 1
temporarily.
He dodged down nnd came up with Ills!
head under tho canoe Then lie stood
In tho water perfectly motion loss.
The savages eamo down to tho edge
of tho stream uud b-nan searching for
ill ill.
lie could discern that they wero mak
ing n thorough quest, and that finally
tlioy divided and proceeded up and down
the stream.
When a l was silent ho ventured tg
withdraw fils Tic,i,l from the canoo and
glniieo about him. No one was In sight
In Ills near vicinity.
“If J could locate the tree wlu-ro Ralph
hid himself I would rejoin him," iio
sjlllo.pul. cd.
.lust thou, however, as he glanced at
tho opposite shore, Ills oyes met a vision
that startled nml unchalnod him.
A camp-firo had boon built, nnd a
largo number of Indians were busy put
ting up some tents
Neal’ tlio firo stood a savage, evidently
tholr chief, directing their movements.
There wore two white moil near him,
and th y were conversing with him
Darrel started as lie recognized thorn!
One was Dyke Dcspard; tho other was
his accomplice, Jim Danton. Even as
ho watched thorn, lie saw tholr two coni-
rados of the'previous day pass, leading
tlu-tr horsos.
On olio was seated a gir Ish form.
Tlio heart of tlio young scout thrilled
to wild emotion us ho i aught sight of tlio
beloved face of Inez Tracey.
“She Is In tho camp, a prisoner,” ho
breathod. “1 will rescue her, or dlo In
the attempt ”
lie dodged down again ns, against tho
the light, he made out a savage form
coming down Hie banks of the stream.
In a moment Darrel was hi his old posi
tion under tho beat.
He behoved ho was as safe as before,
but he learned Ills error a moment lutor.
Thu boat was suddenly pulled toward
the shore, and ho knew that the Indian
he had seen was its former occupant.
Darrel quickly comp ohi-nded tbo situ
ation. Dodging down under the wator,
ho loma nml there for a moment Thon
he rulseil himself slowly.
The snvogo was adjusting the canoe a
fow feet away. Darrol crept cautiously
toward him. A brilliant idea, to entor
tlio Indian camp in disguise, hail entered
his mind.
Seizing a heavy stone ho dealt the
savsgc a terrific blow Tlio lattor fell
to the ground with n groan.
“Victory!” muttered Darrel, excitedly,
“I will yot rescue tho imperilled Inoz!”
|TO US CONTINUED.|
PLEASE
TRY
A. m ihi j
CANDY CATHARTIC
Lightning-Pro T.
Women who are afraid of thunder
storms are having their i-hairs and bed
steads made with glass foot to servo as
insulators What is tho matter with
1 the good old-fashioned feather-bed where
i all the women aud children of tho fam
ily took refugo in a thunderstorm? Or
I tlio dark closet where tha preserves were
kept? Perhaps the glass Jars made that
secure, but no power on eaith cversav*rf
. the preserve
JOc.
25c. 50c.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The great commercial products of the
Philippine Archipelago are auger,
hemp, tobacco, copra nnd coffee, and
their importance, ns articles of export,
are In the order given.
The ability to read the Constitution
of tne State, which Is required of a
voter, Ib hold by the Supreme Court
of Wyoming to be on ability to read it
In the English language.
Ill a recent speech Mayor Rose, of
Milwaukee, said he wished that every
woman whose husband was at the
front might wear some distinctive
badge, so that he might take otf his
hat to her.
The Minneapolis Times wonders why
our young men take to the law instead
of to the farming. We suppose, com
ments the St. Paul Globe, It Is because
they look forward to being appointed
receivers of bankrupt banks at from
97,000 to $10,000 a year. That beatB
farming.
American armies have thus far been
tho world's most fertile sources of war
stories. The Civil War added about
five thousand titles to the Nation’s
list of hooks of home origin. But
when the American soldier begins to
embody In literature his recollections
of foreign experiences Incident to the
present war all war-story records will
be broken, and tho wonder will not
cease while the veterans remain alive.
There Is a private in a i.lsconsln
company and he Is certnlnly, a patriot
ic American who desires to fight and
uphold *tho honor of his country. In
1K7H he graduated from West Point !
and served five or eix years In the I
army. Ever since he has been lead- !
Ing a private citizen’s life, and when
tha present war began he decided to
go to the front. He failed to close his
business in time to receive a commis
sion, hut tills made no particular (lit-
ference with him, and he enlisted as a
private.
The cultivation of the camphor free
in Florida has ueen so successful that
the section promises to be a formidable
competition with the Far East. In
China, Japan and Formed.!, but a small
portion of the great camphor forests
now remain, owing to the wasteful
methods of obtaining the gum from
the trees, Which in many were cut
down entirely. In Florida, on the
other hand. It has been fnir.d that j
camphor could he produced profitably
from the leaves and twigs, obtaining
a pound of the gum from seventy-sev
en pounds of the catlings. The tree re
quires no fertit'zatlon, aud Is ex
tremely ornamortal
According te a Rus lan linguist, Eng-
11st, Russian and Chinese wil be the j
only three languages in use two hun- !
dred years from new. During the
t\ven(ieth and twenty-first centuries, !
tlie whole of Continental Europe nnd
of Asia, with the exception of China, !
will have adopted the Russian lan
guage. English will be spoken in
Great Hiltain, Australia, Africa and
America, and Chinese will be the lan
guage of the Celestials and the Oceanic j
Archipelago. There are at present Slit)
distinct languages spaken—89 Euro
pean, 114 African, ltlfi Asiatic. 117 Oc
eanic and 117 American, vrhile in the
Russian Empire alone sixty different
tongues are found.
Russia Is experimenting with giant
searchlights mounted In balloons and
containing electric burners connected
with dynamos on the ground. She Is
also introducing tall observation tow
ers put together out of sections dis
tributed among the men while on the
march. In their drills with these a
squad of sixty pien can erect com
plete structures in twenty minutes,
thus enabling the officers in command
to survey a much wider extent of teirt-
tory than would be possible without
these devices. The Prussians already
have an excellent system of army bal
loons with photographic and other
equipments, and In ...is particular take
tho lead of all the European nations.
The ordinary receipts of tne Govern
ment in a year amounts to about $350,-
Ot)0,(JOO. The ordlnarv expenses of the
i^ate thelvY5£
all
DRUGGISTS.
government vary little from year to
year, they have exceeded $385,000,000
In no year since the close of the Civil
Wnr. The annual receipts and ex
penses of the railroads of the United
States nre nearly three times greater.
One cannot note the numes of tho
ships of the American navy without
appreciating the wisdom of those who
honored the cities and States of the
South nnd the North Impartially In
these designations. The Boston and
the Baltimore, the Concord aud the
Raleigh, fought side by side at Manila,
nnd every section of the country Is
represented In the vesse.s of Admiral
Sampson’B fleet.
We aro beginning to miss our mer
chant marine, says the New York Com
mercial Advertiser. The long delay
in starting the Philippine army on Its
long voyage shows how serious is the
lack of merchant ships of our own. In
our early sea fights, the merchant mar
ine was the making of tho navy. A
good share of our old-time navnl
heroes came into the navy from the
merchant service. The sailors who
won the great navnl victories of 1812
had their training on Gloucester fish
ermen nnd Salem Iudlamen. The dar
ing privateers who chased the British
merchant flag from the seas In that
war were merchant ships whose sides
had been hurriedly pierced with port
holes, and whose deck houses had been
dismantled to make room for long
toms.
According to United State6 Consul
Man at Bergen, bicycles arc In general
use in Norway, although not as exten
sively ns In other parts of Europe, the
use, perhnps, being more limited to tho
class In comparatively easy financial
circumstances. The roads are macad
amized and would be adopted to bicy
cling were it not for the large rainfalls
In western Norway, which amounts to
about eighty-five Inchea per annum.
The hilly nature of the country is an
additional drawback, necessitating uh
much walking as riding. In spite of
these conditions, however, the consul
says the bicycle continues to grow in
popularity. Most of the bicycles sold
In Norway nre from Germany nnd the
United States. The duty on cycles is I
30 kroner ($8.04) each. There is nol
differential duty favoring cycle manu
facturers In other countries. Cana
dian bicycles with wood rims, mud
guards nnd other American Improve
ments are advertised and sold as
American wheels.
It Is an unquestioned fact that every
being and everything has its day of
usefulness. The farmer today is the
most useful nnd prominent Industrial
subject and consequently the most suc
cessful, remarks the Agricultural Epi-
tomist. The products of his industry
have the greatest cnll and demand of
the many Industries of our United
States, nearly all of which are most
actively engaged at this time. While
it Is true he lia3 encountered many set
backs and depressions for several
yeat'3 past, yet at the came time he
has experienced less hardships and en
joyed more privileges and freedom
than any other calling, nnd now that
the brightest day3 of his existence are
staring him In the face no one can help
but realize his greatness and independ
ence.
H. C. Fischer, who has just retired
from his position ns comptroller of the
central telepragh office In London,
says lie has a lively recollection, when
superintendent of the foreign depart
ment, of the tremendous excitement in
England at certain momentous crises
In the American Civil War. It was in
those days looked updn as a piece of
exceptional enterprise that several of
the newspapers, in order to be the first
to obtain news from America, hired
tenders to Intercept the mail steamers
when approaching Cork harbor. Then
would follow a race to be first at the
Roches Point telegraph office, whence
the messages were telegraphed to the
old foreign gallery, and subsequently
sent out, sheet by sheet, for publica
tion In the special editions of the Lon
don rapers. This was, of course, be
fore the laying of the first Atlantic ca
ble. The war ended in April, 18(15,
while the laying of the first Atlantic
cable was not completed until July 28,
lSfid The first cabling done over th*
line was somewhat expensive. $100 be
ing charged for twenty words. This
rate was reduced about three months
afterward to $50 for twenty words, and
the following year it was looked upon
as comparatively cheap cabling that a
man could send ten words for $2(1
That was thirty years ago. The rate
now Is 25 cents a word.
There Is no knight-errantry in Eur
ope today. Don Quixote is dead even
in Spain. Europe Is engaged with
very practical and even prosaic prob
lems. How best to sell two boxeB of
merchandise where hitherto but one
has been sold engngcs more attention
than all matters of mere sentiment
combined, Hence the attention being
paid to the Far East, where China
alone, with four hundred millloA pos
sible customers, is rapidly yielding to
the spell of the persuasive drummer,
with samples In one hand and a swofd
In the other. But if knight-errantry
wero In the meridian of its activity
Spain could not hope for a really capa
ble champion. Nobody of consequence
would ride to the relief of an old vira
go. Spain Is not a winsome damsel
In distress, but a termagant who haa
at laBt Justly been brought to book for
the offenses she has committed against
her own household. She is despised
both by her own and by her neighbors,
and as Prince Bismarck has said in his
blunt and direct way, “She deserves
her fate.”
Until 1815 It was the custom of the
United States governthent on the ad
mission of each new Btate into the
union to signalize the fact upon the
nation’s flag, not only by increasing
the number of its stars, hut also by
increasing the number of Us stripes.
But in the year mentioned, when five
new states were admitted Into the
union at one time, It became apparent
that eventually this process of redupli
cation would result In disfiguring the
nation’s ling; nnd, accordingly, the
matter was referred to joint commit
tees of the house and senate with tho
direction that some definite plan he re
potted. While the matter was under
warm discussion, Captain Samuel C.
Reid, one of the heroes of the war of
1812, suggested that, Instead of chang
ing both stnrs and stripes whenever
new states were admlttad Into the
union, it would be much better to fix
the number of stripes at thirteen, rep
resenting the original thirteen states,
and to make the number of stars alone
variable. This suggestion met with
unanimous approval, and in due time
the design agreed upon was reported to
congress. Without opposition, the de
sign received th# cordial Indorsement
of congress; nnd on April 4, 1.818, the
measure setting forth the formula
which lias ever since been observed In
adjusting the stars and stripes to the
changed conditions of the union re
ceived the signature of President
JamcB Monroe. Jii3t at this time,
when the nation’s flag is so strikingly
in evidence and when the whole coun-‘
try, without regard to past differences,
Is solidly united underneath its folds,
It is not amiss, remarks ’the Atlanta,
(Ga.) Constitution, that the foregoing
reminiscence connected with its early
days should be revived.
A Family Wedding Ring.
he wedding ring of the Verney fam
ily of Claydon, Buckinghamshire,
England, Is an enormous one, Intend
ed to be worn outside the thick milita
ry gloves of the time of Charles I„ and
was used by an ancestor of Sir Henry
Verney at the fatal battle of Edgehlll,
After the fight, when search was made
for the gallant Verney, nothing could
be found but n gloved hand, firmly
clutched round the Royal standard,
and this ring still remaining on the
finger. With this relic of their ances
tor the Verneys solemnize their mar
riages, though, of course, a lighter cir
clet is substituted after the ceremony.
The last marriage in which this ring
was used was that of Sir Harry Verney
to the sister of Florence Nightingale.
In Abyssinia not so very long ;
salt was the principal medium of
change, being practically used
money.
SAVE
MONEY
1! FREE!
•Inscriptions of u 11 our E'lftnou and
(irsniH- KEMEMUER we are the
only IIrm of actual manufacturers
sell I iir exclusively to tho general
public direct, at factory
CASH OR ON EASY PAYMENTS ~
oircmnMiuircjLjMaiioanmnJrgansThlppfc^^'tliirty dnyH^rtanjiyoiir^
inty-flve years. No m«»m»T ro tn * ~ •
i iil warrant toFtu
niriits from us during nearly M y«*nr«.
new book ‘The Heart of the People," eon
lug a thousand rtvent re I e reiser*, sent . .
1MF.VT FAIL TO WHITE AT ONCE to
CORNISH & CO.,
Mnnut'nelurfrii of American Planai and Orgnwi
TKUMS: No Satisfaction, No Pay.
’^Ife^lTfnrparfitJul.’vnioi our popT?
•lnr C*®-I*urlt»cr*lilp IMun by s
which any one cam eawlljr obtain a '»
roUMRlt Plano or Ornn for noth- >
ing. Full explanation with every
catalogue.
EMUvblUlictriiicuriy^&O Years.
WASHINGTON, H. J.