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12
ALL AROUND BAB.
SHE PORTRAYS PAIR WOMAN IN
HER VARIOUS HAUNTS.
Toy Shop Activity—Mothers with Un
ruly Youngsters—Street Appearance
of American and English Women on
Rainy Days—My Lady's Horse Car
Behavior The Fascinating French
Madam on Her Promenade—The Pe
culiar Ways of Dressmakers—A Long;
Suffering Modiste Women, Bony
and Plump—Human Pincushions—A
Female “Dream"ln Mournful Crape.
The Belongings of One Woman’s
Drees Poctets—An "Accumulative
Animal."
(Covvrioht.l
New York, Dec. 10, —If there is any
thing that makes me absolutely more of an
idiot than my family and friends usually
credit me with being, it’s the shops full of
Christmas things. 1 don’t mean the jewelry
shops, nor the brio-a-brac places, nor the
lace and silk palaces; but I mean the toy
shops, I can fall down and worship a white
woolly dog done up in blue ribbons, aud I
can stand for an hour and stare at a me
chanical four-in-hand that careers around
the table, and has on its tin ooach women
who are enough sight better looking than
those usually seen on a really, righty drag.
I want every doll. I love all their belong
ings, from the tiny parasols that protect
their oomplexions to the satin corsets, that
really must be healthy, for they don’t
squeese their figures a bit. I never feel like
stealing except when I am in a toy shop,
and then, really I fall to see why I can’t
take something home without “paying
for it.’’
CHILDREN WHO NEED CHLOROFORMING.
I watched two dolls danoe yesterday; one
of them a gentleman in evening dress, and
the other a lady, whose full tulJe skirts
swept the floor as they waltzed and reversed
as the most fashionable couple would do.
One inquiring child wanted to see where
the music was. and when she was told it was
under the dolls’ petticoats, she said, “O, I
am so sorry that dolls are so improper!’’
You know, really, children lute that ought
to be chloroformed. Another, a small man,
beautifully dressed in velvet clothes and
with a rich lace collar, desired an expensive
mechanical toy. His mover said be could
look at It, but she declined to buy it. When
they got out the shop the young man
stretched himself out ou the pavement and
yelled at the top of his voice. In a minute
a big orowd was around him, he pointed to
his mother and said; “She’s cruel to me! 1 ’
The sympathy of the crowd was entirely
with the boy. He refused to get up until
he was promised the toy. He got it, and
then went home. Aud when he got home
an irate woman broke it all to pieces with a
hammer, and gave him such old-fashioned
treatment that he very politely says just
now, "Thank you, I don’t care to sit down;
I’m more comfortable standing up.” Wasn’t
hi a little beast? I like children, but I like
them very tender and young; and if 1 had
one like this around me, 1 think it would
result in manslaughter, or boyslaugbter, or
whatever it might bo called. It is to be
hoped that during the time when the toys
are on exhibition we will have good
weather, for a woman is hardly able to take
care of herself on a rainy day, aud much
less to pilot three or four cuildren.
LADIES OUT OX RAINY DAYS.
Asa rainy day outer, the American wo
man Is not a success. She lacks the cour
age of the English girl, who doesn’t care
how she looks, provided she is comfortable,
and who, feeling perfectly secure in a good
storm-coat, goes through mud aud water iu
broad soled shoes and galoshes, certain of
coming out ail right. She strides over a
crossing and don’t mind the soft rain drops
on her face. Now, the average American
woman does not look well. Of course, if
she goes in for comfort, she puts on a short
skirt, a long ulster and a felt hat, and takes
an umbrella. But she is very uncertain in
her grasp of it. She takes it by the ex
treme end, aud it wob les to and fro as
the* wind listeth, or else she grasps it way
up by the top, presents the appearance of a
perambulating mushroom, while, as she
can’t see anybody, the lookers-on chance
having* their eyes knocked out, or else
their digestions punched in. After she liur
walked for a blook or two, she usually
concludes to get in a oar and her
umbrella is wildly waved to stop it;
then she makes the elfort to get
on the platform with the umbrella still
open. As the car was not built with this
idea in view, the conductor yells to her:
"Shut that!” She siands perfectly still and
says something about reporting him. while
the nearest man closes her umbrella, and
after that she calmly euters the car, sits
down by somebody who has had the rheu
matism and lets that vile umbrella drip on
him until be almost has a nervous chill.
Instead of putting her money iu her ulster
pocket she’s got it in her dress, so when tho
conductor comes for it she unbutt us the
coat, squirms around to find the pocket, has
the whole oar interested in her efforts, aud
when the money is found gives it to the un
fortunate conductor in a way that suggesis
that he ought to be glad that she was here
instead of making her pay for the privilege.
Then she takes out her handkerchief, makes
a dab at her face, looks all around me car
with her best smile, aud says, with a pro
longed sigh:
“o, i’m so tired 1”
This expression of weakness affects every
man in the car, absolutely permeates the
being of eaoh one, and in > private opinion
is that if any woman di 1 this the second
time the men would have a row as to who
should have the privilege of letting her um
brella drip on him. Wuen she gels out, it’s
fnn to see her cross tne street. She is used
to being helped by a man. When she is
alone she grasps her skirt in one hand, looks
aronnd, stands on her tiptoes, gets to the
middle of the street, sees a wagon coming
a id vans back; tbeu sue wans irresoluielv
for some time and then rushes across the
street at the risk of her life without any
regard for appearance or else is helped
over cy son.e man who knows the ways of
womeu and feels so. rv for her.
A French woman will never make her
self so ridiculous. She lifts her skirts in a
dainty sort of way, gives a full vie* of a
perfectly fitting boot, a sugges ion of a
black silk stocking—but she only allows
that to be a peep—she gives a coquettisn
glance up and down the street, and then,
with the quieknsss of abird.shi gets over
the bad places and is safe on the other side.
Her skirts are droo[ied, madam is demure
as possible, and has the absolute admira
tion of ail the men who are standing around
her.
ANNOYANCES AT THE DRESSMAKER’S.
Dressmakers are announcing that no froo*-
as is a frock intended for evening wear can
be high in the neck, and everybody who has
a white throat and everybody who hasn’t is
showing the virtue or the fault above a lace
bertha, such as Queen V ictoria wore when
she was first married. I wonder if men
have ihe same trouble with their tailors, and
if they are as impudent to them as dress
makers are to women? If a woman wants
a frock on Wednesday, to get it she has to
tell the dressmaker she wants it on Sunday
mgbt, and if she has a preference for a
bodice that doesn’t require the united efforts
of the family to fasten it on her. she has to
warn the dressmaker that unless it is made
an easy fit she won’t pay her bill. Then she
has to endure being told that her style is
bad, and that it’s a pity she wou’t let the
peonle who really understand dress
arrange her clothes as they should
be. Nine times out of ' ten tho
dressmaker objects to the kind of stays
I have heard of one who
. \ ou ore the first lady I ever fitted
Who didn’t wear satia corsets." For
tunataly, the woman to whom she made
‘OJPudent remark had the courage to
say. Probably 1 am the first respectable
I y .a U • T I r J you are long
f W4Utod th y object to that; if you are
short wanted they object to that; If you
are slender they speak of you as bony, and
if you are plump they say ft is “so
vulgar. ” There ought to be women made
specially to please dressmakers, and then
they might be happier, but. as it is,
although most of them make money, they
seem to regard the average woman as un
desirable, us a human pincushion, and as
something that is to be snubbed.
A TKAR-RAININO robe ahhanokk.
I once went to a tender-hearted dress
maker who wept over my shoulder so syste
matically that I had the rheumatism in it.
It was about a brother who had been killed
by accident; the first tune I was very sym
pathetic, for of course I thought the acci
dent had taken placo within the last year,
but it turned out that he had been dead f r
seven years, and that the acoident would
never have happened if be had been sober.
She used to talk this way; “Shall I fit the
skirt smooth, ma'am. He was me only
b other —a bright young boy, that might,
but for his trouble—would you rather have
a hook, ma’am?—have got on in the world
aud been a credit—l’ll face the sides with
silk—to his own people. He was a beauti
ful corpse, and we gave him—of course,
you oan button it down the front -a wake
that was the talk of the neighborhood for
months afterwards, aud It took three
—the ribbon might do—dispensary doctors
to straighten the men up, so they could
show their respect to the remains After
this she would break down and weep on me,
aud exouse the fact that my bare shoulder
was in the rain, beoause she didn’t want to
stain the stuff. I really think that woman
enjoyod herself. I think she knew the abso
lute bills of sorrow; she comprehended
thoroughly how sublime a thing it was to
suffer herself, and to make her customers
suffer with her. I gave her up; not because
she wasn’t a good dressmaker, but because
from constant weeping and sympathy With
her my nose was getting so red that I was
afraid some tempe. ance sooiety would come
down on me, acting, of course, under a
misapprehension.
THOSE JOY-FOREVER GOWNS.
Speaking of dressmakers, I don’t wonder
men fall in love with widows. I saw one
the other day trying on her gown in its
completed state—sue was a joy forever—it
was the very latest thing in a
widow’s get up; it was crape, and
crape, and crape And it maide her
skin look illy white. Instead of having
her heavy crape veil drawn over her face,
it was bangiug down in the back, and a
small net one bound with crape was over
her face. It is curious how becoming crape
is, auj women so naturally give in to their
belongings that a woman in crape gets a
lovely, subdued expression on her fa. e that
is wonderfully fetohy. If I had been a
man that day I should have
PROPOSED TO THE WIDOW
before she left the place. The dressmaker
told her, “You must have a dinner dross
made entirely of crape.” Aud the suffering
one said, "O, I couldn’t think of dinners!”
And the dressmaker laughed and added,
"O, yea you will, when you see that dress,
for you will be like everybody else, you
will look a dream In black crape." I
heaved a great sigh; for there was no
chauoe of my lookiug like a dream. How
ever, I consoled myself with thinkiDg that
I could have two pockets in my cloth frock
and put my hands in them iu an independ
ent fashion.
Pockets and independence sre a natural
combination, and the giving of two pookets
to womankind, and these two pocketß just
in front, and where she oan reach them,
have made her feel as if this were indeed a
free country. With the coming of the
pockets it has been discovered that woman
is an accumulative animal. In my pockets
at tbe present aittiug there is a handker
chief, a watch, a letter, two clippings from
the newspapers, three bits of candy (winter
green), four cloves and a picture
of a baby. In the other one are
four 10-cent pieces lam keeping to put in
the bank, a lot of pennies, a bunch of keys,
a glov'G buttoner, a torn veil, a paper that
has on it three addresses and not the names
of the people who live there, a religious
poem and a recipe for making chicken
curry. Can any schoolboy beat that? I
don’t believe mankind bkee these pockets.
He feels that he is belug shorn of part of
bis glory. But then be has so many
glories.
HOW REALLY CLEVER MAI* Ig.
He is a strong creature.
He oan wear a stiff linen shirt and button
tbe buttons with his linge-s without break
ing it, where a woman has to call a glove
buttoner into service.
Ha can tie a four-in-hand scarf so that it
shows that it has been tied, is not ready
made, and yet it is perfeotly even.
He can got the links in bis cuffs without
licking tbe Packs of the buttonholes.
lie oan keep tiis cuffs clean tor a day with
out bolding his bauds as it he were afraid
something were going to touch them.
He can find more fault aud upset a house
hold, and make more women cry than any
other animal.
He is giited with a greater knowledge
about everything than any oncyclopedia,
and is more willing to disseminate it than a
bonk agent.
He beiievos in himself implioitly, and
that’s tho reason he gets the better of every
thing feminine.
He is a man, and he thinks that’s an ex
cuse tor every folly he commit*. And really,
between you and me, I don’t know but what
it is. I haven’t real spirit. I am what the
suffering people call a “down-trodden
worm” —but then I was built that way, a'd
you can’t change your spots, can you? From
the very beginning I was spotted as a wo
man—but then everyn>dy know* that—
that is, everybody who knows my name is
Bab.
CARRIE CARELESS.
What Ehe Thinks of Men With and
Without Muscle.
< Copyright.)
New York, Deo. 10.—I wish Yale and
Princeton would never play another game
of foot ball in New York.
I don’t like to see men—real, live gor
geous men—just once a year, and have only
the memory of them to love during tbe next
304 days.
Perhaps I am a blood-thirsty pagan, but
I couldn’t control a queer exultant thrill
when any one of these long-haired giants
seized the ball aud dashed toward the goal,
knowing that eleven other men would in
stantly jump ou his bead and mingle his
elements with those of Manhattan’s battle
field.
And when the remaining ten men hurled
themselves, with a momentum greater than
Holmes’ comet over thought of striking
mother earth with, upon the waving pulp
beneath them, and forty-four legs began to
revolve like 1- ourth of July fireworks, my
one mad wish was that when Individuals
finally evolved from the primeval jelly, an
eveu number of orange and blues might be
lyiug stark and stiff outlie ground. That
happy incident, you sea, would give Laurie
Bliss a fair chance to make a touch-down,
aud the tall, early-haired Princeton fellow
to thump somebody’s eye with one fist,
while he taokled nis knees with bis disen
gaged arm.
1 told Cnarlie so, and added that it was a
pity be couldn’t play foot ball, because I
would marry any man who could do what
those heroes do.
“Carollue,” was the savage answer, “I
would rather play twenty foot ball matohee
than keep you on your feat. I have picked
you off the top of that high bat m front of
you four times because you won’t ait on the
seat I bought for you. Hit down.” he fairly
shouted. " 1 missed that last punt tending
to you.” But Charlie had “tackled" iu
lime to save me from a wild tumble, and to
1 think him entitled to some of the re
wards of war.
Still, it isn’t the same as if he wors large
humps on his knees aud spavin oure things
around his ankles.
Honestly, the foot ball men didn’t look
like Apolloa during the rare intervals when
they were on their feet. Their closest re
semblance to anything else on earth was to
disheveled interrogation marks. But, die
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1892—SIXTEEN PAGES.
beveled or not, if one of those Interrogation
marks came mv way I’d answer: "Yes” in
a minute.
Who wouldn’t:
As 1 have been daw Ming about at the
theaters and In the shops and on the stre.-t
this week. 1 have scanned the men with a
hypercritical eye. In turn, a sociological
problem has stared me in the face. It is
this: Why are ojrcity chappies only sal
excuses for those splendid college athletes
whose brain and brawn we women love?
The solution of it I shall not puzzle over
now—not until New Year's, iu fact, when I
shall slam together the big scrap book of this
year’s wickedness, and write the first page
of my new one: "Caroline Careless, why
are you not a better girl yourself?”
A funny little Incident at the Casino the
other night showed how another girl might
have beun thinking of the foot ball heroes,
too.
She lives on Madison avenue, and she has
dangled a twig of nobility ever since she re
turned from Lun’non this fall. Papa bought
him, they say; his name is Lord—no, I won’t
give it--the exposure would be altogether too
mean. He sat beside her iu the front of her
box, and even from where we sat among the
populace we could plainly distinguish that
be appeared to he simply shriveled all
around the edges. Charlie said his blood
hadn't reached his extremities for ever so
many years and suggested that one of my
remarks might bring it to the surface. Not
understanding, I let this pass and watched
milord languidly leave hit seat and slip
back into the box. The girl with the bored
look stooped, picked up a bit of a dog and
sat him down rather hard in the vacated
chair. Then she unbent a little, turned
affably toward the canine and began to talk
to him as If she appreciated a possible inter
change of ideas. By and by he jumped
into her lap and she actually kissed him,
and we felt sorry for any woman in her
Madison avenue shoes.
I can tell you why women are so fond of
dogs. It t because they haven’t anything
else to take the plaoe of the idea they rep
resent.
Now, I don’t need a dog—not while I
have Charlie.
The buds are beginning to blossom at high
teas and receptions, and coming out balls at
Sherry’s and Del's, and the merry faroe
goes on as usual between the girls aud a
hard old world.
Buds! Debutantes 1 Why, these girls
were born 50 years old. They oan walk
down a crowded room with all the eclat and
negligeo of manner of the most married
woman in town, and can listen to a French
man with the artificial smile of Bernard-
Beere, as he “whispers soft nothings” In
her ear. 1 oouldn’t do that, and I write for
the newspapers, too. But thank the kind
hearted editors, nobody knows the real
name of Carrie Careless.
THE GRAVEYARD OF THE OCEAN.
The Great Sargasso Sea That Is the
Center of the Atlantic Currents.
From the Detroit Free Prett.
For several years past the hydrographic
bureau at Washington has been trying to
aoquire a more intimate knowledge of the
movements of the waters of the ocean, and
a great number of bottles, containing mee
sages and securely corked,have been dropped
overboard by vessels. Many of these have
floated thousands of miles before they were
picked up, and, while some were washed
upon native and foreigu shores, others have
found their way into the great Sargasso
sea. Fr-m the courses taken by these dif
ferent bottles It has been found that the
oeau ourrents move around in a vait circle.
Those w hich weredropped overboard on the
American coast took a northerly course,
while those on toe European side floated
towarJ the south. Bottles dropped over
board in the North Atlantia started toward
the northeast, and those from the African
or Spanish coast floated almost directly west
until they reached the West India Islands.
The general directions of the currents were
thus a-certained, showing that the waters
acted upon by wiuds and currents circu
lated round and round like a pool.
In all pools floating objects are quickly
cast outside of the revolving ourrents, or
they are carried with them in their oiroular
route for some time, until they are washed
nearer the center or side of the pool The
bottles that were forced outside of the cur
rents of the ocean w ere cast upon the shores
of some country, but those whioh were
worked toward the center eventually found
their way in the calm waters of the Sar
gasso sea. Here they remain peacefully
until picked up by some vessel, or until
some storm cast them hack into the great
pool.
Vessels very rarely visit the great sea in
the middle of the ocean, but occasionally
they are driven there by storms or adverse
winds. Strange sights meet the gaze of the
sailors at such times. Wonderful stories—
partly true and partly false—have been
told by sailors returning from a forced trip
to the vast Sargasso sea. The surface of the
sea is covered with floating wrecks, spars,
seaweed, b xe<, fruitß, and a thousand other
innumerable articles. It is the great repos
itory or store house of the ocean, and all
things which do not sink to the bottom or
are not washed upon the shores are carried
to this center of the sea. When one consid
ers the vast number of wrecks on the ocean,
and the quantity of floating material that
is thrown overboard, a faint idea of the
wreckage in the Sargasso sea may be con
ceived.
Derelicts, or abandoned vessels, fre
quently disappear in mysterious ways, and
no accounts are given of them for years by
passing vessels. Then suddenly, years later,
they appear again in some well traveled
route to the astonishment of all. The
wrecks are covered with mould and green
slime, showing the long, lonesome voyage
which they have pissed through. It is
generally supposed that such derelicts have
been swept into the center of the pool and
remained in the Sargasso sea until Anally
cast out by some unusually violent storm.
The life in this sea is interesting. Soli
tary and alone the acres of water, oovered
with the debris, stretch out as the vast
graveyard of the ocean, seldom being visited
by the vessels of human beings. Far from
all trading routes of vessels, the sight of a
sail or steam vessel is something unusual.
The fishes of the sea form the chief life of
these waterv solitudes. Attracted by the
vast quantities of wreckage floating m the
sea, and also by the gulfweed on which
many of them live, they swarm around in
great numbers. The smaller fishes live iu
the intricate avenues formed by the sea
weed, and the more ferocious denizens of
the deep come hither to feed upon the quan
tities of small fish. Iu this way the subma
rine life of tne Sargasso sea is made inter
esting and lively.
The only life overhead is that made by a
few sea birds, which occasionally reaob the
solitudes of this mid-ocean cemetery. A
few of the long fivers of the air penetrate
to the very middle of the ocean, but it is
very rarely that this occurs. Some have
been known to follow vessels across the
ocean, keeping at a respectful distanne from
the stern. Other birds have been swept out
to sea by storms, end have Anally sought
refuge iu the Sargasso sea. Still others,
taking refuge on some derelict, have been
gradually carried to the same mid-ocean
soene. There is sutflolent food floating on
the surface, or to be obtained from
the fishes which live amoug
the forests of seaweed, to support a
large colony of birds. It is sur
mised that many of those found in the sea
have inhabited those regions for years,
partly from oholoe and partly from neces
sity. Birds swept out there by storms
would not oare to venture the long return
trip to laud, and finding abundance of food
and wrecks on which to rest and rear their
young, thep might easily beoome contented
with their strange lot. Just how far the
strong winged sea birds can fly without
resting is all conjectural, but It is doubtful
if many of them would undertake suoh a
long journey seaward with no better pros
pect* ahead thau a dreary waste of water.
Caller—What are yon l >oklng through that
big pile of comic papers for? Exchange
Editor (with a sigh of disappointment}—For
fun.— Chicago tribune.
AT THE “ RAILF.”
Fr jm t'.e San Francisco Argonaut.
Gerry, engineer at the iaddin, wan
drunk. He had been in that condition ever
Sine- the “grand open :ig” of the Gold Bar
liquor dispensary.' Barnes, the superin
tendent of the Aladdin group, was mad.
This state of mind on tho part of the “old
man” also dated from the grand opening
aforesaid. These conditions resulted in Mr.
Gerry’s retirement fr nn his p sitinn as
engineer, nnd left hiir. free to ere ange his
“time,” even unto the last cent, for the
doubtful oblivion-pro iuoer dispensed at the
Gold Bar and other institutions of its kind,
of wnich toere were several in camp.
The old man hesitated before letting
Gerry go. It is nsuaiiv easy enough to find
plenty of men to thump a drill or dump a
car, but good engineers are not alo ays
available. So Barnes reasoned and pleaded
with the erring Gerry, and tried every pos
sible way to get him to sober up and go
l ack to work, but without success. Gerrv
would promise to go on shift; he would
promise anything ond back up hla word
with much profanity and an occasional
flow of maudlin tears; but when the whistle
blew for his shift he would be too drunk to
lie on the ground without holding od. Once,
indeed, Barnes got him to bed and slept
him for several hours, and Gerry started
for the mine that evening with a lunch pail
and quite an assortment of good resolutions;
but the seductive Go and Bar lay almost in
his path; he fell, and the next day the old
man drove to town to find another engineer.
The new engineer was rather out of the
usual order. I have often wondered how it
was that Barnes took him on; for the old
man always instated that a mine was no
plaoe for boys, much less an engine room,
and the new-comer was certainly not a man.
He could not have been more than 18, to
judge from appearances, and was small for
bis age. But he oould handle an engine
with the best of them.
“Flies at it like a veteran, doesn’t he?”
remarked the old man, as he watohel the
new engineer, on the evening of his arrival,
handling the engine as though he had mail j
it himself. And Barnes rode down the
gulch to camp, actually whistling in bis
satisfaction at having found a competent
engineer who did not indulge in any habits
likely to incapacitate him for duty.
Next morning Rice, the assayer, who hai
been over near the Gila for several days on
business for the company, returned. The
new engineer and myself were sitting at a
rather late breakfast when the assayer en
tered the dining room. The latter came
over and shook nands with me, aud I Intro
duced the new arrival. Rice shook hands
with him in his frank wav, glancing at the
engineer rather keenly. The latter seemed
embarrassed and acted strangely, I thought,
though I paid no particular attention to the
fact at the time. Wiien, afterward, I had
occasion to think of it, I remembered that
Rice was unusually silent that morning for
some reason.
Tne new engineer soon became the most
popular man in oamp. He was so pleasant
and obliging, and withal so gentlemanly
aud nice in his ways, that everybody “cot
tone!” to him straight off. Maybe it was
partly because he was never profane and
had no bad habits, but, despite this, never
"preached," that we liked him at first. And
then we liked him because he was “white”
-that is about the most expressive ad
jective we could apply to him.
And “Milly,” as we called him (his name
was Milton Ledyard), seemed, In return, to
like all the buys, in his quiet, undemonstra
tive way, though It was quite plain he took
a particular liking to Rice. This, in itself,
was not surprising. Everybody liked Rice.
He was big and handsome and had a deep
bass voice and a jovial, hearty way about
him. Moreover he could shoot quicker and
straighter than any one else iu camp; oould
and did drink more thau any other one man
in the whole district, without showing it,
aud was always ready to help the weaker
side In a row, albeit even Milly was not
more gentle.
But there was something about Milly’s
admiration for Rice that distinguished it
from the feelings the rest of us entertained
for him. When the engineer was off Bhifc,
he invariably stayed around the assay of
fice, or, if Rice was not there, at a saloon,
or anywhere else the big assayer happened
to be—generally at a saloon, more’s the
pity. When Rice spoke Milly seemed to
hang upon his words, and when he moved
about Milly’s eyes would follow him In such
a queer way. It was evident that Riou did
not like to have the little engineer hang
about him so closely—it made him nervous,
although he never vas otherwise than kind
to and friendly with the little chap.
“Let’s go over to the baiie to-night,” sug
gested Rice, at the breakfast table one
morning. “There’ll be plenty beer nnd lots
of Gila monsters to dance with. Come on,
colonel; we’re getting rusty and netd a little
shaking up. You oan get Jerry McNiohol’s
little cayuse, and I’ll borrow Barnes nag.
Want to go and shake a foot, Milly ?’’ he
added, notirg the wistful look in the lad’s
eyes. “All right; let’s make up a orowd
and go. And pat on your best bibs and
tuckers, boys—two of old Miles’ girls are
just Pack from St. Louis, and we want to
create au impression."
So that evening we set off in high spirits
—Rice, Milly, Jones and MoTavish—two
shift bosses—and myself. On the road to
Gila we passed through two other camps,
and were joined by a half-dozen others.
When we reached Miles’ the dance was in
full progress. We could bear the music of
the violin aud guitar, the cliok of the cow
boys’ high-beelcd boots, and tbe nasal notes
of the “caller off” (evidently, from the ex
pressions he used, a "cow hand”) a long dis
tance away.
We met with the usual hearty welcome of
the southwest, and it was not long before
we were inside takiug a hand in the fun.
Milly and I for awhile sat and watched the
others, and got no end of enjoyment out of
It. In the ooruer nearest us Rice, with the
grace natural to men born south of the
Mason and Dixon’s line, was saying pretty
things to a big, freckled, raw-boned "Gila
monster,” with a pink dress and a magenta
sash, who responded t<> his remarks with an
occasional “Aw, sho! Y’re s ullin’ me!” or.
* ‘G’way, now ! Ye must think I’s bawn yis
tiddy.” MaeTavish, with his broad Gaelio
brogue was trying to talk to a pretty Mexi
can girl whose stock of English was very
limited and who couid not understand a
word he said. But Mac was never so con
tented as when be was doing all the talk
ing, and the young lady’s oft-repeated “Si,
senor—si, senor,” and a glance from her
dark eyee now and then made him per
fectly happy and quite confideut that he
was making a brilliant impression.
Then acr.isa the room there was a young
cowboy, who a- dressed up and seemed to
feel it. He wore a pair of noisily striped
trousers, seersucker coat and vest and a
blue cotton snirt, with a paper collar, and
on his shirt-front was an artificial flower,
pink in eolor, of species unknown and fly
specked to a considerable degree. But be
was, oh I so proud of it! Every now and
then be would stroke it and readjust itoare
fully. and his satisfied air clearly proved
that he felt himself the best dressed man in
the room. His partner was a tall, thin girl,
with red hair, worn in a Psyche knot, a red
dress and a white sash.
Presently, between dances, In came a
oouple of the Miles boys with beer and lem
onade.
“Hold on, you bands I” shouted Mose
Miles to the musicians; “wait till I water
these yere heifers!” And he proceeded to
let the "heifers’’ refresh themselves accord
ing to preference, Informing the meu, "Ef
you all wants waterin’ go tew It; it’s thar,
an’l sho’ain’t goin’t’hustle far vou cow.
han’s.”
Pretty soon I noticed that Uice was pay
ing considerable attention to one of the
Gila girls, a pretty little thing, whose father
raised “garden truck” a few miles up the
river. He danoed half a dozen times iu
succession with her and did not leave her
an instant. Th sis never the proper thing
and is not good policy where girls are
scarce, and 1 knew it might make trouble,
especially as the girl was understood to
bes good as engaged to Uarve Bragg, who
was one of th* worst meu in th* country
when feeling disagreeable. And he seemed
to be feeling disagreeable this evening.
Every few ininutee he would return from
the ro m w here the beer aud whisky were
on tap and look scowiii gly on at the scene
in the big living room; and I knew enough
of bitn to believe that he was likeiy to cause
. trouble presently. I wentoverand whispered
a warning to Rice, but he shook his bead
I and laughed. “Pshaw! he won’t do anv
' thing—not to-night, anyhow. All right;
, I’m only going to dance with her this once
more,” he whispered; and I left him. batf
s tisfled, but still somewhat apprehensive
of trou le.
It came. The next dance was a quadrille,
and Rice aid nia partner were just takiug
their places in the first set, when Harve
Bragg, ; is face like a thunder-cloud, strode
out ou the floor and touched the assayer on
the arm. As Rice turned I saw by his eyes
that he, too, was affeoted by the liquor he
bad drunk, and had doubtless been impelled
by its influence to act as he had.
“See yere, Mister ilan!” hissed Bragg,
threateningly; “this yere foolm’s b’en goiu’
on long ’nough. Let loose o’ that heifer, an’
give a white man a show!”
Rice’s eyes blazed. He stepped back a
couple of paces, out of hearing of the
women, and answered, with quite earnest
ness:
“Go to —sir! I’d have you understand
that no white-eyed oow-puncher can bully
rag me. I’m going to fiuish this dance—and
more, if I choose. But if you have any
thing to say about it I'll accommodate you
after this quadrille in any way you like.”
Bragg’aeyes sparkled. “Guns?" he asked,
eagerly.
“Yes, anything. Go out and wait In the
road by that white rock. I’ll be out there
when I finish here. When I reach the out
off down there begin shooting.”
"AH right.” And Bragg, who was ]con
sidered the best shot iu the county, went
quietly away, satisfied. The music struok
up, and the danoe began as though nothing
had happened. Indeed, while every one
knew that there had been trouble, there woe
only one person besides the principals who
had heard the conversation and who knew
that the trouble was not yet over—and
presently he slipped from the room.
ilarve Bragg, pacing impatiently up and
down the road, waiting, with six-shooter in
band, someone coming from back toward
the house. He turned at the white rook and
hailed, his gngera clutching nervously at
the stock of his revolver. He couid see a
figure advancing in the gloom. Nearer,
nearer, to where the cut-off left the main
road.
Nowl
Two shots rang out almost simultaneously.
Harve Bragg felt a sharp pain in his left
shoulder, but Kept pulling the trigger. Two
more shots from each, and Bragg fell to the
earth, shot through the lungs, but with suf
ficient strength left to Are his three remain
ing shots.
Down in the road we found them both—
Bragg just dying, and Milly—poor little
Milly, with three wounds—shot through
and through aud gasping for breath. Rice
and I picked him up and carried him in.
aud the others cared for Bragg. We laid
Milly down on the bed in tbe Missess Miles’
room. He motioned to me to go out aud
close the door, and I went, leaving Rioe
alone with him.
Ten minutes later, Arthur Rloe, with a
drawn, deathly look on his handsome faoe,
came into tbe hall where I was talking to
one of the Miles girls.
“Go to her,” he sai l strangely; “it is my
wife, and she is dead.”
He took my arm aud drew me from the
house aud down to where we bad left the
horses. The clouds were gone and the moon
light made his livid face look fairly ghastly.
We halted and faoed each other.
“I lied," he said, “I lied ; she was not my
wife, except maybe in the eyes of God. I
deceived her—betrayed her and fled like a
coward. I have been sorry, nut l heard
she was dead nnd thought I could make no
amends. Bury her, old man, and say on the
stone, so everybody oan see it: 'Alice, be
loved wife of Rice MaoArthur’—that’s my
name. I can’t bear to stay. Good-by—
gc od-by, dear old boy—God bless you.”
He thrust some bills Into my band, whis
pering “For her,” leaped on his horse and
was gone—into the hills. 1 never saw him
again. He went to Central America and
was murdered by plundering natives a year
later.
We burled Alioe as he had asked. I
wonder If the little woman knew bow many
sincere mourners she had? And Rice—we
miss him too; but maybe both are happier
now.
THE TAIL OF A COMBT.
How a California Man Chased It
Through the Streets.
lYom the San Francitco Examiner.
Alameda, Deo. 1. — Comets have been
flirting their tails In the face of this earth,
and meteoric showers have been disturbing
the atmosphere, but it remained for an
Alameda man to chase a piece of that comet
through the streets.
It was on Sunday morning at 3 o’clook
that Walter Hoge, one of Alameda’s solid
citizens, was staudiug at his window watch
ing the meteoric showers that had been
promised for that time. Mr. Hoge had heen
up all night waiting for the sky to dear
that he might view the meteors. The clouds
that had blown away earlier in the night
were commencing to blow up again, and
the heavy storm that did so much damage
was just commencing.
The rain was falling slightly, and Mr.
Hoge was about to turn away from the
window, when there was a flash of light,
followed by a pronounced report.
A FIERY METEOR.
A ball of fire as large as a hogshead fell to
the street not more than 200 feet away. Mr.
Hoge was startled. He called to bis wife,
who had gone to another room, but in bis
excitement he forgot to wait for a reply and
started on a run after the burning ball of
fire.
“I rushed from the room, down the flight
of stairs aud barehead started to the spot
where the section of tho comet or the me
teor had struck," said Mr. Hoge, and he
spoke in ail seriousness. “The ball of Are
was still burning brightly in one spot. It
was of a purple hue and burned so fieroely
that the street was illuminated as brightly
as though the electrlo light tower was run
ning full force. It was but 100 feet away
when suddenly a gust of wind started It
rolling eastward.
“It rolled like a ball of fire,” continued
Mr. Hoge, “and 1 started after it. It went
at a rapid rat 9, and I quickened my speed.
But it was too speedy for me, and after a
quarter of a mile chase I abandoned the
race. The ball of fire diminished somewhat
us it drifted along, and was finally wafted
around the oorner of Walnut street and I
lost it.”
NO SIGNS IN THE MORNING.
Mr. Hoge returned to his home greatly
disappointed. 11s bad seen a section of the
tail of the comet, and was not able to see it
at a closer range than 100 feet.
“But there is no doubt about it," said Mr.
Hoge. “1 saw the flash of fire, and it re
mained burning in the center of the street
for fully a minute. My great regret is that
1 did not run for it the very moment it fell.”
Mr. Hoge went to bed, but the interven
ing hours till daylight were restless. He
arose to endeavor to learn more of the sec
tion of the strange heavenly body. There
was no bole iu the macadam. Only a slight
residue of ashes remained, and it was only
Indistinctly traced along the avenue, show
ing how the ball of Are had rolled in zig zag
fashion as it was wafted away by the in
creasing strength of the gale.
Triwet—Dicer, I wish you would lend me
$25.
Illcer—This Is an unseasonable time to try to
borrow money.
Trlvvet—How so?
Dioer—The days are getting so short, and
time is money, you know.— Truth.
Mas. Gadder—Dear me. It’s raining. But I
must go out.
Mr. Gadder—Why must you go out?
Mrs. Gadder—Mrs. Tawker told me a great
secret last night, and—well, I must go out
Mr. Gadder—You are too lata. I saw Mrs.
Tawker herself going out an hour ago .—Aie
York Freu.
THIS IS NOT THE EARTH, OR A MAP OF THE UNITED STATES. *-
o &“n7aK.". r ,‘.tS'lo me'&SSoi m ,„S SSSfc’SBSWSSSfiKSfi KStfS; ,S'r'“sfe”r* houl< ‘
mule” is no longer believed, but a thrifty and economical man can get his acres, and the mule too, if he will watch shipping their vegetables and other truck. The Charleston and Savannah Railway and Augusta road intersect this * y nave caiieq on me.
he opportunity. I present the opportunity ? Hereafter there will not be the ‘‘shadow of an excuse,” if you property, affording the best facilities for transportation of fruit*, vegetables, melons, etc., to the city or to northern Q I—l DORSF
re landless. The map below is that of" The Grange ” plantation, divided into farm lots. The lots are about 5 acres market*. The price asked for a lot is very reasonable and the terms of payment most favorable. Don’t fail to find out “ ” CONGRESS * STREET
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