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RING OUT, "YE BELU9U
Ring out, ring ont, ye merry bells,
And let the deep-mouthei cannon roar,
Each patriot bosom swells,
The glorious Fourth is here once more.
"VY hen night descends what joys are his l
The hissing rocket cleaves the skies.
Hark! hear the roman candles fizz,
Behold the red and blue lights rise.
Now, whizz! z-z-zip! bang, torpedoes crash
And split the fretted ear of night,
Fire-crackers jump, toy-pistols flash,
Mid exclamations of delight.
Now blaze the barrel smeared with tar.
Slow matches pass from hand to hand,
And salve and sticking-plasters are
At druggists’ stores in great demand.
HOW WE CELEBRATED.
A FOURTH OF JULY STORY.
tgrjttyUST ” look out for
Lute Carson, boys.
You'll likely find
him campin’ some-
whars below here.
If he hails you, bid
him the time o’ day
and pass on.”
“And who is Lute
m 1 '"- \i j Carson?” said Mark,
A n m) dropping the pad¬
a dle he had picked
up, and balancing
t> himself on the side
9 II J of Our his canoe. friend the
farmer wiped his
Milt A ,i J perspiring and hid his jovial brow
it; ' features behind a
ftlfe mask of gravity.
I > \ “Now I that’s tell,”
morn cau
he replied. “He’ a reckless, good for
nothin’ kind of a chap, with two barum
scarcum sons as big as he is, an’ there
are some as say he wouldn’t stop at no
crime ter jgit what he waated. ’Bout
ten years ago he served a term for high¬
way robbery, an’ since that he's beeu
livin’ away back at Redfield’s Clearin’,
among the mountains. How he lives, I
don’t know, but this time of the year he
generally comes down to the river an’
camps fur a month or so in a shanty at
the mouth of Montongo Creek. He
ketches fish, I believe, an’ sells ’em
down at Laceyville. I don’t s’pose he’ll
molest you, though. Goin’, are ye?
Waal, good by. Stop next year if you
come this way.”
We sprang into our canoes, waved a
farewell to the friendly farmer on whose
land we had camped the previous night,
and paddled swittly down the river in
the bracing air of the beautiful July
morning.
With my companions, Mark Mayne
and Jim Dale, I was making a canoe
cruise down the Susquehanna. We were
approaching the border of Bradford
County, after two weeks of intermittent
paddling from Otsego Lake, am? this
was the first warnhig we had received of
peril ahead.
We paddled along several hours and
then the river narrowed, and we could
hear some distance below us the roar of
the rapids. As we came near we saw
that the channel ran close to the shore.
The river made a bend, and a rocky
promontory jutted out into the water.
We swept into the rapids, Mark taking
the lead, and plunged through the foam¬
ing spray and the half concealed knobs
of stone. We passed in safety through
the worst part, and as we rounded the
point of rocks at a terrific speed, and
glided swiftly into the smoother reach of
water beyond, we saw before us, sub¬
merged to his waist in the very centre of
the channel, a man intently engaged in
fishing.
Y\ e shouted wita all our might, 4 but
the roar of the rapids drowned our
voices, and the man continued to to 3 s
his lines, unconscious of his peril. Mark
maim a desperate effort to turn aside,but
the l:erce emrent baffled his attempt,
and lie strucK the unfortunate fisherman
hi oadstde, aud before he could find time
tb cty out the latter went head foremost
into the river, while Mark glided grace¬
fully over him.
I uttered a cry of horror, and then, to
make matters worse, just as the poor
fellow struggled to the surface aud got
his head and shoulders out of water, I
banged into him sideways and down he
went again, vainly trying to obtain a
foothold on the slippery stones.
Dale followed close behind, and just
as we all floated into the still,deep water
below, the man came to the surface and
waded blindly to the shore, choking and
spitting up the water that he had swal¬
lowed.
He reached the bank and danced about
for an instant, shaking bis dripping
clothes and gasping for breath. He was
a big, burly looking fellow, with a
heavy black beard. W a hesitated for a
moment, not knowing what to do, for
the man was certainly mad, very mad.
Then Mark called out
“I beg your pardon; we really could
not help it, you know. It was an acci-
dent.”
But the man still continued bis -wild
dance; w ,,
the us< 0 0 ’ to sv,ear
fearfully:
“You young wretches!” ho cried.
“I’ll «kiu vou alive * I’ll brea’- ‘ ‘ every
bo» e in vour hodiea rfcoughW I’q t »
te'^c fcit’oaTTua ' W *
**—• “■ - ^ » «•
out of reach he changed his tactics
ran back up stream. We could not im¬
agine what he was about at first, and
then the startling truth flashed upon us.
“That’s Lute Carson,” said Dale,
“and there is the shanty he lives in,”
and he pointed to a rude cabin that was
built close under the cliff, and had en¬
tirely escaped our notice. mouth of
“And down here is the
Montongo Creek,” added Mark.
“My gracious, look what lies doing!”
cried Dale, suddenly. time
We now observed for the first a
boat turned bottom up on the shore.
Carson, for it was undoubtedly he, had
seized the chain, and was dragging it
toward the water. It resisted bis efforts,
and, letting go of it, he gave a couple
of loud shouts.
“I think it is time to leave,” sug¬
gested Mark; he is evidently calling his
sons.”
Dale was already some yards ahead,
and, without losing any time, we
paddled swiftly down steam. and
Carson still continued to shout,
we fancied we could hear a faint reply.
Then, as he saw us moving swiftly
of reaeh, he ran into the hut,and before
we could see what he was about, he
rushed out again with a gun, and fired
directly at us.
The shot actually spattered about
canoes, and setting our teeth firmly,
paddled as we had never paddled be¬
fore. Another bend was before us, and
just as we neared the turn Mark wheeled
round in his canoe and leveled 3 pair of
field glasses up the river. He took a long
survey and then picked up his paddle.
“There are three of them now,” he
said, slowly. “They have launched the
boat and are coming in pursuit.”
We bent to our paddles without a
word. Our canoes were light runners,
and we stood a good chance of escaping.
But as we rounded the bend we en¬
countered an obstacle that doomed us to
certain capture.
A stiff breeze blew up the river, and
the rolliug waves instantly checked our
progress YVe knew it was useless to
think of making speed in the teeth
such a gale.
Mark scanned the shores closely; on
both sides were the mountains.
“No landing place anywhere. Stop !
I have it,” he cried. “You see that
ledge of rocks over there? Paddle your
best for it,” and as we shot across the
water he explained his idea. It’s our
only chance. We must get our canoes
to the top of that cliff belore they get
near enough to the bend to see us. I
think we can find a hiding place up
there, and it’s the last place they will
look for us.”
Mark’s plan seemed impossible of ac¬
complishment, for a granite wall rose
abruptly to a height of twenty feet, and
beyond it, dense with pine3 and under¬
growth, towered the mountain.
Our canoes bumped the shore, and
Mark leaped ou
“Quick now ’ A. cried. “Get to the
top of the cliff let down that rope
of yours, Dale.”
We clambered up a little to the right
of the ledge, and by the aid of the
bushes reached the top safely. The rope
was a iong one, and, cutting it in half,
wc made a running noose in each piece,
as Mark directed, and dropped them
down to him. Springing into the water
waist deep, he slipped a noose under
each end of my canoe, and then, with a
tremendous effort, we hauled it up.
It was a heavy load, but we brought
it up safely, aud dragged it back under
the pines. Dale’s canoe came next, and
then Mark put the ropes on his own and
hurried up to help us.
We had barely dragged it over the
edge and pulled it back into the shadow
when we heard the sharp click of oars,
and, peeping out through the trees, we
saw' Carson and his two boys rowin"
swiftly round the bend. In great sus¬
peuse we watched them shoot past the
cliff and pull on down the river,
An hour later they came slowly back,
Carson and one son moving the boat
close along the mouutain, while the
other boy traveled the opposite shore,
vainly searching for our hiding place.
Wo hardly drew breath as the boat
passed directly beneath us. Then the
sound grew fainter, aud soon the craft
vanished round the bend.
I wanted to start at once, but Mark
would not hear of it.
“No,” he said, “wo must wait till
dark. Carson is doubtless on the look-
out for us.”
Toward sundown the wind fell and
the river grew calm as a mirror. We
ate a hastily prepared cold supper, and
when the twilight made the opposite
mountain only a blurred dark mass, we
prepared to just resume going our voyage,
We were to lower the first
canoe, and Mark was looking down over
the brink, when he suddenly sprang
back,
“Great Scott, Dale!” he cried. “You
have left your paddle standing up against
the clifl!”
Dale looked down; “So I did,” he
replied, “It s a wonuer , they didn’t . see
it.”
ue “See it? Mark ecnoed, , angrily. “Of
hX?,! “»* “ Ula «»»
ue, P lt? We W — re in a hx now. “I’ll , bet
a^dollar terno they * have been watching all af-
oa or m *? co ' Me dowu - Xow,
, h *5 . dark ,
ere s » anu tea to oue tae J are
.
“‘ ro " sh
attend sr 7 lain, - bat Mart
*£ en J hM up 113
? «Hushl Not a sound,” be said, softly.
“I hear a boat coming, but it s still
some distance up the river. Pull that
canoe back again and get ready for an
attack.” be
There were but few preparations to
made though, for Mark’s rifle and a re-
voiver of mine constituted our whole
arsenal. of
Mark stretched himself on the edge
the cliff and motioned us back. Ten
minutes passed in silence. Then we
heard twice repeated a harsh sound,
like the faint creaking of oar locks.
I could feel the cold perspiration
starting on my forehead as the next five
minutes passed in oppressive stillness.
Dale had crept back behind the shelter
of his canoe. I was wishing most earn¬
estly that something would happen to
put an end to this terrible suspense,
when Mark suddenly cried out, in a
clear, ringing voice:
“I will shoot the first man that tries
to climb this cliff,” and instantly came
a sharp click as he cocked his rifle.
For a minute not a sound was heard,
and then a gruff voice responded: all
“If you fellars up thar hand down
yure vallybles an’ cash, an’ eatable stuff,
you kin go in peace. If not, we’ll come
up an 1 take ’em, an’ give ye a good
trouncin’ in ther bargain.” replied
“That’s a moderate demand,”
Mark. “But if you know what’s good
for you, you will go back up the river
and let us alone. We don’t intend to be
robbed if we can help it.”
“Robbed?” growled out the voice
from below. “What did you fellars try
to do this mornin’? Did yer level best
ter drownd me.”
“Be careful,” rejoined Mark. “Bet¬
ter take warning, for I know you, Lute
Carson.”
Instantly a gun was fired, and we
heard the shot spattering on the rocks
high overhead. Mark hastily drew
back.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to fire,” he said.
“I don’t see any other way, unless—
hold on! I have it, by Jove! YVhere
are those cannon crackers, Charlie?”
To be sure, the next day was the
Fourth of July, although in the excite¬
ment of our encounter with the Carsons
we had for the time being utterly for¬
gotten the fact. We had brought along
two packs of big firecrackers, with a
view to celebrating the day, wherever
we might chance to be. Here was an
opportunity to kill two birds with one
stone.
I dove down into my canoe, and soon
dragged up the two bundles of crack¬
ers.
They were of the very largest size, big
red fellows, and thick a 3 one’s wrist.
Mark tore them open.
“I’ll bet they will do the work,” he
whispered excitedly. “Lie fiat on the
rocks now, and if they fire off fifty shots
they can’t hit us. I’m going to make it
hot for them.”
He crept to the edge again, holding
the one pack and a box of matches in
his hand. Soon I heard the boat
scraping on the rocks, and then Carson
said, harshly:
“I’m cornin’ up there now, an’ if
thar’s any monkeyin’ with firearms, not
one of you'll see daylight ag’in. Jake,”
he added to his son, “if they pull on
me, shoot ter kill.”
An interval of perfect calm followed,
during which, in spite of my deadly fear,
I crawled nearer the brink, which had a
slight upward ascent. Mark suddenly
turned.
“Look sharp now,” he whispered, and
rubbing a match, he touched off a big
cracker close to the head and dropped it
over the ledge.
A fearful report followed instantly, a
deafening explosion that seemed to shake
the mountain, and echoed fearfully up
and down the river, while a streak of
flame split the darkness, sparks and
burning wads of paper flared up every¬
where, and then, while still the hills
echoed, there came a heavy splash aud a
cry of agony.
“I’m killed! I’m killed! I’m a dead
man! Shoot, Jake, shoot, do you hear?”
“Bang!” Jake blazed into the dark¬
ness, and the charge of buckshot hissed
about our ears, and elicited a howl of
fright from Dale.
Jake mistook this for a cry of pain,
and uttered a triumphant shout, but a
second cracker directed by Mark's unerr¬
ing hand blew up fearfully clos® to his
head, and, without breaking the connec¬
tion, he changed the tune to a perfect
shriek of terror and fell backward. Then
we heard Carson clambering out of the
water into the boat.
“The gun! quick!” he cried with a
fearful oath.
Jake made no response.
“Do you hear me? Jake—Bill!” the
old man howled.
“It’s in the river,” cried Bill,sullenly.
“Jake let it slip when he feli over.”
“In the river?” cried old Carson.
“The blamed fool. Give me vour knife
Bill, and I swar I’ll go up thar aa’ slit
ther throats.”
“Will you, though?” I heard Mark
mutter to himself, and then be touched
off the fuse that joined the balance of
the pack, and, guided Jboat, by the burning
*“*!» *'“* on t to, Se 3
the bunch directlv into their midst
Bang! bing—bingl ban"! ban"!—
bang—bing! bang—bang. Like acan-
nonade the crackers exploded in thun-
<£«£*»?§& ^ r0M succession, STS,” and load , bore toe
s sxms
^ .tn ss £L^; ith -
For a short interval all was quiet, ami
the burning fragments lit up the night
with a weird, ghastly light, and began
to ignite the woodwork of the boat.
Then an arm grasped the chain and the
boat shot out from shore. The flames
vanished and dark figures climbed into
the craft.
“Yure lives ain’t worth a cent,” Car-
son hissed at us. “You’ll hev half an
hour ter say your prayers,” and with this
gentle farewell the boat moved off, and
the creak of the oars grew fainter and
fainter.
“Unless we get out of this at once,”
said Mark, solemnly, “we are lost. Car-
son thinks we won’t dare to leave here in
the dark, but he’ll soon change his mind
when he comes back with another gun.
Grab the canoes quick, now; we daren’t
lose a minute. We must work in the
dark, for it won’t do to strike a light.”
For the next ten minutes we worked
as we had never worked in our lives. One
after another we lowered, or rather
dropped the heavy canoes down to the
water, Mark standing below and casting
loose the ropes. Then we climbed down
over the roeks, aDd in frantic haste took
our seats and grabbed up our paddles.
“Just a second,” said Mark; and
stooping clear under water—he was al¬
ready wet all over—he rose, holding in
one hand Carson’s missing gun.
He pulled himself into his canoe, and
off we shot in the darkness.
As the current swept us down, a shout
rang out from shore, and a responsive
hail came from far up the river.
“Tuat was a close shave,” said Mark.
“They must have landed one of the fel¬
lows up above to watch until they came
back, Won’t old Carson be mad,
though?”
We paddled long and swiftly,steering
our course by the stars and recklessly
plunging through half a dozen rapids,
and toward dawn we landed at the little
hamlet of Black Walnut, in Wyoming
County.
The inhabitants listened in wonder to
our tale and shook their heads slowly.
“We were lucky,” they said, “to
escape so easily. Lute Carson was a
bad man, and even the sheriff, who had
half a dozen warrants for his arrest, had
little desire to meet him.”
We continued our cruise on down,
and in due course of time arrived home.
Lute Carson’s shotgun rests on two
hooks in the canoe house, and the sight
of it brings vividly to mind our memor¬
able first interview with that renowed
“Bandit of the North Branch,” and the
terrific conflict in which our cannon
crackers played so prominent a part, and
which resulted in our celebrating the
Fourth of July on the Third.—The Ar¬
gosy.
SELECT SIFTINGS.
The Hotel of the Three Kings at Basle,
Switzerland, was in existence before the
year 1026.
The value of the precioui metals in
Europe at the time of the discovery of
the new world wa3 only $167,000,000.
In a test of the capacity of typewriting
machines recently made in St. Paul,
Minn., a speed of 200 words a minute
was achieved and officially attested.
A red bird died at the adv.tuced age
of twenty-three years in Zanesville,
Ohio, the other day. It had become
so feeble that it could not mount its
perch in its cage, but it sang until a
year ago.
A most singular method of street
nomenclature is adopted in Canton,
China. Thus there is a street called
Unblemished Rectitude, a Pure Pearl
street, a street of Benevolence and
another of Love.
The cocoloba wood or seaside grape,
a product of Florida, is becoming popu¬
lar for knife handles, the pink and vio¬
lent tint of the wood, added to its great
hardness, making it very desirable foi
that special purpose.
At Greencastle, Ind., there are two
maple trees, growing about fifteen feet
apart. At the height of fifty feet one of
them makes a shaip angle, growing sol¬
idly into the other so that their identity
above that point is entirely lost.
The Chinee makes great account of
his bed, which is very low indeed_
scarcely rising from the floor—but is
often carved exquisitely of wood; but it
never occurs to him to make it any softer
than the rush mats will render it.
Kaleidscope is from the Greek kalos,
beautiful, eidos, form aud skopeiu, to
look, and the sentence-like word means,
to look upon beautiful forms, The
lenses, mirrors and broken bits of glass
making this wonderful toy have oeen
well named.
A man in Mason Valley named John
son had his eye put out by a swallow
a few day ago. He was entering the
barn door when the bird was flying out,
aud bill pierced it came in the contact with his eyef The
ball, and he will lose
the use of his eye.
A freak of nature occurred recently at
the ranch of E. Givens, near Mariposa
Cal. One of his work mares gave birth
to twin colts, one a horse colt and the
other a mule colt, something that has
never before been known to happen. The
former is living, but the latter died.
Mackerel are taken in nets and bv I
hooks. The most of them are caught
in nets,which are taken around a school
of them and gathered in. When the fish !
are scattered they are taken by hook and !
line. This fish is wholly a food fish,and I
is saltedm large quantities for home'and i *
export*
* m £2$ 833 m
•V i n 1 1 1
is m
r i ri
a
m V . sHW m
Mrs. Ward, author of‘'jm~j
mere,” is firmly opposed to
rights.
“Dr. Mary Weeks Burnett aj
band” were registered the other
Chicago hotel.
There is no European COM
which in women France. clerks are more j
than
An entirely new art of gil<Ji Df l
has been invented by Alias Emil :
of Washington.
Mrs. Abbott, of Cambridge,)
aged ninety-four, hi3 kept a <y,
nal for fifty years.
The material par excellence
orate thin dresses for the summeri
icately colored dotted organdie. 1
The authorities of Meran, in; J
trian Tyrol, have forbidden the g"
wearing of long trains by women.
The broken and distorted fj
Chinese lady is called a “GoldeJ
by Chinese admirers of such distaj
I In fashionable stationery ti*
shades and tints are very bed
although there never will be objfl
to plain white.
I It keeps some women busier to
their careless husbands are propsi
tired than to see that their own 4
are in fashion. <
authoress, Mrs. Frances continues Hodgson observe Burnett]
to ia I
ington abroad the of holding custom informal she adoptei j
receptii
the Sundays. 1
Dr. Jennie McCowan has
elected for the third term as Secret!
the Academy of Natural Scieacd
Davenport, Iowa.
Miss Frances Willard, the cela
advocate of woman’s rights, is asa
blue-eyed woman, apparently of del
physique, but really capable of a
deal of hard work.
A popular glove for the summa
be the pale yellow wash chamois I
They have been found to wash as «i
the white ones, which will be won
as much as last year.
The American dress reformers art
paring to renew their crusade at fl
tauqua this year. They declare
their reformatory ideas are makiagiL
progress all over the country.
Turkish women, all of whoa 1
earrings from their seventh year, il j
the use of these jewels from Hagai
is held in veneration as the motii
Ishmael, the founder of their race. I
For those of the who like in slender the Daal efeij
novelty season extend froasl
gown. The breadths
to hem, and the fulness is laid iaal
box plait down the front and back.
A pretty summer fancy is fora'
hat and a parasol of the same mat!
Valenciennes with a broad brim
three large Prince of Wales fell
erect on the crown is a becoming i
The American Federation of Woa
Clubs now includes 174 societies, rtj
senting 15,000 members. The olds
them all is supposed to be Sorosis, *1
recently celebrated its twenty-first ii
day.
Women have been admitted as stut
at Johns Hopkins University, Biltii
Md., since 1S^9, the pioneer at
them having been Miss Cnristine
who, by special vote of the faculty,
permitted to study mathematics.
Massage, which used to be
wooden dummies, with
further assistants, is now
on living subjects, children evea
for experimental models. In
the profession affords a double
Miss Utnc Tsuda, now a
dent at Bryn Mawr (Penn.)
anxious to raise $3000 to found a
arship to give Japanese women a :
years’ training home in America, teachers aud for Japi4 fittj
to return as
girls.
Hulda Friedrichs, a young Get!
woman, has been engaged by the !
Mall Gazette to make a tour of the Ikl
social States institutions for the purpose of writing u?|
of the country,
ally in their effect on woman’s cl
ditions. Atj j
The new book written by the
duchess Stephanie, of Austria, is
be remarkable both for the elegau-l
style by its aud author. descriptive talent disphj rati
These gifts are so
the case of royal authors that the
duchess is to be congratulated.
An excellent innovation to secure \
comfort of ladies who travel is tin 8
lo ment trunk hnee ,
P J on some of the
mails. These girls are h » 8
wlth their Hedies, they know ho*
coulb tbe hair, wash and dress ebui-
atld reacler innumerable services'-
ma ke tnveiing more endurable.
iie " ina Morphy, of New One’
has a n!c(x ‘ eG oi great called chess “The pwj. “
Com P° c a waltz
Waltz,” which she has deaic*
to iIiss the iIor Chess phy Club is saitl of to the be Crescent a remark^ t«j
talented woman. She is accomp* 1 ',
in music and painting, and speaks
fluently.