The Advocate-Democrat. (Crawfordville, Ga.) 1893-current, May 14, 1897, Image 6
CARE’S SLAVE. It was the budding May-time, The white boughs overhead; *’Oh, give to me some piay time. Good Master Care,” I said. 1 saw his head begin to shake: “Not now; just wait and see, I’ll give you a holiday When planting’s done,’’ said he. It was the glowing summer; How cool the woodland’s shade! Again an eager comer, “Oh, give to-day!” I prayed. Old Master Care his forehead knit; “The grass is ripe to mow; Work on till haying time is past, And then I’ll let you go.” . It was the glad September; The maple leaves were red; *‘Oh, Master Care! Remember, You promised me,” I said. “And you will find,” he answered me, “I’ll keep my promise true, And you may sport when harvest’s done, With nothing else to do.” blow winter’s winds arc blowing— CHow weak I feel and old!) And by the hearth bright glowing, I shiver with the cold. Arid Caro sits down beside me, And counts up one by one. The tasks that I have doao amiss, Or I have left undone; While 1, low muttering to myself, Wished 1 had laughed and sung. And had my share of honest joy When I was strong and young. CRPTHIN STORRIS Captain Storms put the glass to bis eye, and took a long look. Far on, black against the silvery horizon line, that shapeless speck showed, What was It? Captain Storms' prolonged survey ended, he slowly dropped his glass, and turned to Mr. Scott, the mate. “I knew I was right," he said; “it Is a wreck, a dismantled hulk, drifting about at the mercy of wind and sea. There may be no one left aboard, but we’ll bear down and have a look.” i And then Captain Storms lifted up his voice a stentorian voice It was - and gave the proper orders to the man at the masthead, or at the helm, or somewhere—I don’t know exactly. I would tell you the precise words which Captain Storms used on this occasion, If I could; hut I’m deplorably back¬ ward in nautical matters, So you’ll have to be content with learning that horo straight down upon that dark mass, outlined against the sunny sky. Captain Storms leaned over the aide find lit a cigar. He was a bronzed young man, stalwart and gallant as I take it sailor men mostly are! and he looked the very beau Ideal of n dash¬ ing seaman, in his off-hand seafaring costume. He had a beard, and he had a mustache, big and brown, like him¬ self; and, from the crown of his glazed hat to the sole of his boots, Captain Storms was a sailor, every inch of him. The I,ovely Lass bore down along the sunlit tropic sea and reached that float¬ ing wreck. Captain Storms was the first man to hear the moaning cry of a faint human voice. No living thing was to be seen; but from a corner of the deck ^''Thi' . , tw . , o.Lalivp| ,, ' , ‘ O s alive h 1 p I r » stIO S tiir said Captain Storms. .Speak, friend. Who are you? Where are you?” Again that unspeakably mournful wail. Captain Storms strode across to where a heap of torn canvas and rotten wood lay, and looked down. There in the garish sunshine, with her face upturned to the serene sky, a woman lay dead. Crouching over her, a skele ton child, with long, wild hair, sat making that feeble moan of dumb agony, "My child!" Captain Storms said, pitifully "my child, what is this-” The ghastly little creature lifted a bloodless face and a pair of haggard eye: “Mother’s dead!' “My poor little girl," said the sailor. bending over her ns tenderly ns that dead mother could have done, "you must come with me, or you will die, too. Como!" She rose up a frail little sbadovg of ton years and held tip her skeleton arms. "Peace Is hungry," she cried, piteous lv "Peace ts sick and cold, and mother’s dead." And then as the strong arms lifted her as though she hud been a wax doll. the blue eyes closed wearily, and the weak baby drooped heavily against his breast; and hunger, and sickness, and cold and death were all blotted out in blind darkness. And for wearv days and weary nights —while the Lovely Lass sailed along the southern stvts. and the dead woman lay quietly under the great Pacific the little rescued waif lay fluttering between death and life And during these endless days and nights, the big sun-browned sailor watched over his little girl as a father—nay. as a mother — might have done, until the fluttering spirit ceased its struggles and grew calm in strength and health once more. Little Peace her name was Priscilla Weir IV for sJ Hi oh inch —v - j. » still, and lisped her story to the soft¬ hearted sailor. “There bad been a great storm—oh a dreadful storm!” Peace said, with a shudder; and they went away in boats —all the men did—and mamma was sick down in the cabin, and left behind; and Peace stayed with mamma and was left behind, too. And then mamma came upstairs on deck, and died; and Peace sobbed, ar.d was so ill and so cold; and then you came,” looking gratefully at the captain, "and Peace doesn’t remember any more.” "Does my little Peace know where mamma came from, and where she was going?” Captain Storms asked. “Yes, Peace knows. Mamma came from New York and was going to China to papa. Papa lived in China and was rich.” But that was all she could tell; and Captain Storms knew that among all the unlikely things on this earth, the most unlikely now was that papa and his little girl would ever meet. The Lovely Lass spent nine long months on the Pacific coast, and then sailed back for America. "And I shall leave my little Peace be¬ hind next voyage,” Captain Storms said. “I have a sister who keeps a school in Philadelphia, a fashionable young ladies’ academy—and Peace shall stay there and learn to play the piano, and talk French and paint pic¬ tures, and grow up a pretty young "And I shall have silk dresses and lots of pictures and story books!” Peace asked, with interest. "Heaps of ’em, Peace! And nice lit¬ tle girls to play with, and music, and dancing, and everything beautiful all the day long.” Peace clapped her hands—that would be lovely. So, by-and-by, when Philadelphia was reached, the captain of the Ixively Lass consigned his little girl—a willing captive—into the hands of Mrs. Lee. Not but that she shed a few tears at parting, too, and clung to the sailor’s neck, and was very sorry whe » !t came to the last, and the good by ki ss was siren. “There—there, my little Peace! ( Captain Storms said, unclasping the clinging arms; “you mustn’t cry like that; it will redden your eyes and swell your nose, and make you look ugly. Keep up heart, little Peace; I will come »«<<* 1,1 a year or two with a cartload °f lovely presents for my little girl. Kiss mo again, and let me go.” Captain Storms imprinted a sound smack on the wistful little tear w< ’ 1 face, and unwound the clasping arms and walked off, and straightway was whistling cheerily along the deck of tbe Lovely Lass, and quite forgetful, I am afraid, of his little Peace and her grief. "Bear;—gssS Tnardtan," thought Peace; "he’s so kind and so good-na¬ tured, and it was nice playing on the deck of the Lovely 1 /ass; but, for all that, I had rather be here and wear pretty dresses, and play with Mrs. Lee’s boarders, and never be afraid of ship¬ wrecks any more." Captain Storms sailed for New Zea land; and on windy nights, when the doors and windows rattled, and great soughs came down the chimneys, Peace lay awake, and thought of him on the terrible ocean, and said her sim pie child’s prayers for his safe keeping, Two years went by, and Peace had just one letter from "guardy” (guard ian) In all that time, and that one to say lie was coming back. She was a tall, rather awkward looking school rrjj.i twelve now with preternatur ally long limbs, that were always in ^ hlf?h shoulders, and promin ent cheek-bones. And so Captain Storms found her when, more bearded and sunbrowned than ever, he walked, with his sea-swing, into Mrs. Lee’s P r * m parlor, Peace sat at the piano singing, My ""lie’s On the Dark-Blue Sea, am. w "h a shrill cry of joy, she jumped up, "'mg herself headforemost into 1,is ’"'to pilot-coat. "Oh. guardy! dear, darling guardy! I’m so glad to see you again! So glad— j so gtad!” "And so am I. little Peace. Don’t choke me with those long arms, my ) girl. Heads tip, and let us see you." Peace lifted her flushed face and I kissed him ecstatically. "Why, how my little woman s grown, getting as tall as the mainmast, by George! and as thin as a shadow. Don’t . they give you enough to eat Peace?” 1 “Plenty, guardy; but growing girls are always thin Mrs. Lee says so. And ; now, what have you brought me from | New Zealand j “Bushels of things. Peace, They11 '>*' by-a»"-by. How does the , hear learning progress? Let us you at '"” piano. j Peace sat down and rattled off polkas and waltzes. "And I read French, guardy, f> i can whirling gayly round on the stool, "and draw pencil drawing, you know. and do fancy work. 1 like everv thing, ! And. guardy, when I grow up and am a young lady, and my education is fin { ished. I want you to fit up the cabin of the Lovely Lass with a Brussels carpet. j and a piano, and heaps of new novels. and take me to sea with you all the time until 1 m an old woman, won t - you?” devoutly Of course. Captain Storms promised, and rose up to take his leave, i “I’m going to China this voyage, he said, pulling her long, brown braids. Fro to t” aim hij lit vo a rove, l suppose?" “Ah! if you only would see him!” Peace cried; clasping her hands. “Dar¬ ling papa! Guardy, he used to he in Hong Kong, I know. Try if you can find him fer me when yon go there.” Captain Storms promised this also and departed. Peace clung to him sob¬ bing at the ast. “You’U write to me often this time, won’t you, dear guardy? You only sent me one Htt e stingy letter last time, you know.” "All right, Peace,” the captain said. "I’ll try. I never was much of a scr e, but this time I'll uo my best.” So once again the captain of the Lovely Lass left this little girl, to sail merrily over the world; and once more Peace went back to her horn-book and fancy work. But the months strung themselves out, and the yoars rolled slowly back¬ ward, and Captain Storms, sailing to and fro in golden eastern and southern climes, never came to take this little girl from sch< >1. His letters were few and far betw; jn, despite his promises, only six in si' : long years, and in ans wers he had 'l least received sixty. But the start i ■ and last announced his coming, and old her the wonderful news that he eiifaad met her father in Hong Kong, Vjirth eind that she must be ready to go him next voyage to China. . Captain ts, handsome den; te his middle age, rang Mrs. Lee’s do<*j.-bell, into and the strode, boarding- like a sun-burnt gijtat, school parlor. “But of corn te she couldn’t know I was coming,” lie thought, as he sent up his name; " poor little girl. I hope she’ll be glad t 3 see guardy.” Tbe door opened and a young lady walked In. A tail and stately and graceful young Sfedy, with a dark, hand some face and ' aves of sunny brown hair. Surely, su rely, this was not “Lit tle Peace.” “My dear gua »dian, welcome back! Oh, how happy i am to see you once more!” 5 Yes, Peace, b< yond doubt; but, oh, so unutterably ohanged. Captain Storms reddened! mder his brown skin, and actually etat| 'Sw mered. “Yon surely H me, I see,” she smiled brightly.*) 1 dare say I 1 taller have grown out of all reason. Am than the main roe it now? I was almost as tall, if you ifremembei, six . years ago. said one recollected what ho had all these years, and 'Captain Storms’ face beamed. “I expected to 'r.i my little Peace, and I find a youLg lady so stately and womanly that I ;Sim at a loss what to say to her. I'm* not used to ladies’ society, you see.” i She laid her <-i -d on his arm, and looked up la his honest sailor face, with deep, sweetly shining eyes. “Talk to me as Gon used to, and call me Little Peace. Ah, guardy, how I have longed fa your coming, And my father-—teflR e of him." Captain StorL told her how, by merest accident,i^he bad met, how he was rich and lotAeiy, and longing for her, but unable to come to America; ’how that she the was steward to ;je of turn the with Lovely him, Lass was to take out his wife with him to wait upon her. And Peace listened like one in a pe iceful dream, t being a heroine- -it was living a chap ter out of one bt her pet nove s, to romantic Peace. , So they sailed for that mr-ofi eeles tial land of tea tnd pig-tai s. a P Storms and his (fairy handsome wan . - i Peace had her Yearns realized and there was • a Brussels carpet: m the cabin, and a piano, and lots of new j novels; and ah' - was as h»T>l>>' *“« j days were long Her music filled the Lovely Law with sweetest melody, her clear voice rang out over the pur pie midnight sell, in songs sweeter than the siren stratnp of the mermaids; and her beautiful {face iummer lit up the grim itself. old ship like the sunshine Peace was bright and bewitching and happy as a bijrtl. gad of light: The sailors and the adored cap her as an an tain-uh. the daptain!-adored her too. Sailing along.) by day and by night, through days of amber sunshine and nightsof misty moonlight, to that dis tant land. enough Captain and Storms, big in enough his 42nd to vear—old desperately know ridiculously better-j fell madly and in love. He lost his sleep and he lost his appetite; and he hung on a girl’s foolish words, and ex isted only in the radiance of a pair of laughing girlish eyes. he "Fool that I am for my pains! thought, sometimes, in bitter moodi ness; “I am more than double her age; and I am rough and black and weath er-l.eaten as the timbers of my old ship. No. no, Harry Storms; the only wife for you, my boy, is the Lovely And yet. sometimes he wildly hoped, She talked to him so happily, she smil ed upon him so sweetly, she was ever so eiad when he came, so regretful when he w«t And girls of IS had married men of 42 before now; and. oh whv should it not happen again, and and Harry Harry Storms st rn be the most blessed “S' 'reached China-they r«mbed Hong K' ,n S P-e was folded in •UfhkeVo^ mother.” he said, hts tears faiung. ’Oh, my child’ So like was to stay thr~ weeks in the Celestial Clly-to tan *. perbapn. never again. He made the most of his stay; visiting Peace every day in her palatial home, and growing moodier and moodier every visit. Peace, too, drooped a little, and looked at him wistfully, and lost some of that bright happiness that made her the light of all places. And when the last day came, and he stood up to say good-by. she broke down altogether and cried like a very child. "And I shall never see you again,” she said; "you who saved my life! Oh, Captain Storms, must you go?” And then that bashful giant took heart of grace, as a landsman would have done weeks before. "I must go,” he said, “but we need not part, my darling Peace, if you say so. for I love you dearly; and if you will be my wife, we will sail together, for ever and ever, as you once wished, until our heads grow gray. Mine is not so far from it now,” he added, rue¬ fully. But Peace had thrown her arms im¬ petuously around him, and kissed the dark, crisp locks. "And if every hair were white as the foam of the sea, I should love you, and go with you, just the same. Why, Captain Storms, you have been my hero all these long years; and I should have died of disappointment, I know, if you had left me behind.” So the China merchant lost his daughter, and the Lovely Lass had a second commander; and in all the years to come Peace will reign peren¬ nial in the heart of Storms. A Muskrat ‘ Farm.” John Duffield of Cedarville, Cumber¬ land county, New Jersey, is the owner of a unique farm. He runs a muskrat “farm,” and, in a way, too, that is profitable to himself, Duffield, about two y ears ag0 , f 0U nd that an extensive - liete of he owned along the shores of Delaware Bay, near his home, was of no use, unless he turned it into a muskrat “farm.” This he did, and ho bids fair to become quite -well-to-do in a few years from the proceeds of the rodents, which are rapidly increasing in numbers, Duffield secured a num her of muskrats and placed them on his "farm,” which was well adapted for the purpose. He kept a watchful eye on his charges, and really took as much interest in the outcome of his new venture as ne did In his crop of potatoes and melons. Muskrats once settled on a piece of marsh land suited to their taste will not leave it. The soft-coated rodents need little or no care, and increase at a marvellous rate, The harvest time for muskrat crops comes in the winter season, at a time when the South Jer¬ sey farmer puzzles his brain to pass away the dull hours, Duffield gath ered muskrats from his “farm all of last winter, and he has ieaiued that no farming he ever before engaged in is as profitable. There is a ready mar¬ ket for the sale of the “rat furs” in Philadelphia and New York, and the prices the skins command are from ?20 to $25 per hundred. Duffield has left several hundred pairs of the animals on his “farm,” and if nothing unfore seen occurs he expects to gather sever at thousand pelts next season, The fur is not the only valuable part of the animal, The musk sac has a value to perfumers and wholesale druggists, while the carcass has become quite a delicacy as a substitute for the flesh ^ rabbits Much of the so-called rab . bit stew served up in the city restaur ants , g plain every day muskrat meat, j n j] a - vor jt is similar to that of the rnUhit and an expert epicure could ‘ j not d stinglliRh 0 ne from the other. ^ difference is in the cost of the meats that of the muskrat being abouj . one .’ ha]f )f)e eost of rabbit meat. wquW be hard t0 8nd a cleaner ant thiU1 the muskrat. Svery article {o((d , g tborougb i y washed before ^ en an(J . tg principa i diet is the t j der"roots of sedge grass.—Philadel P , Timeg ______ Europe n R , iiw , v * Mileasre. ’ “ If the pac tries have'established in the building bmldmg of railroads is a > the future has m store for this conn- n try, it may truthfully be s. American railway enterprise is sti its infancy. According to the London Eng neer, one of he leading industrial PubUca turns ol Gioat Britain, the railway mileage of the various European coun tides is as o o^ns. g Miim - • Britain, "Jf* Z iG.6, k the tlTTetheri^ds Netherland , m Germany, .6, '. “ ’ ’ France, ll.o, and Ita < • • in spite of the fact that American railway enterprise has distanced all competitors in the speed and luxury of travel, as well as in actual railway mileage, this country nevertheless pre senta a limited development in propor tion to its area. Indeed, the mileage for the United States is only 5o to the hundred square miles, or -.1 less than Italy’s. While this record seems to place the l mted toates at a serious dis advantage, the showing is more a ppa rent thlin real and is due sole,v to the vas[ extent of territory comprised within our national borders When this J Prance or Belgium, it will not only P-nt portion to Us area which will surpass ■ '■ '■ 0unt,y * Constitution. THROUGH GEORGIA. A fight on the present system of fees as compensation for county offi¬ cials in Fulton, which has long lain dormant, has been renewed by the county commissioners. A meeting to discuss the all import¬ ant question of building a cotton fac¬ tory for Dublin was held a day or two ago. The idea was only informally discussed, but the sentiment was that the people should not fail to raise a sufficient amount to erect such an en¬ terprise. * * * The supreme court of the state has decided that Terrell Hudson, colored, of DeKaib county, must suffer death for the murder of Seab Halcomb, an¬ other colored man. Last fall Hudson quarreled with Seab Halcomb about a dog, and the altercation quickly ter¬ minated in the shooting of Halcomb. Judge Newman, of the United States ;ourt, has changed the date for hear¬ ing the petition of the Atlanta Consol¬ idated Street Railway people relative to the granting of transfers. He has set Hay 21st as a time for hearing the case. The hearing will be held in New Orleans, to which city Judge Newman will go for that purpose. The Savannah police commissioners have been asked to abolish the “free and easy” places now so numerous in the city. The chief of police holds that these resorts are responsible for most of the crime committed in Sa¬ vannah. He declares that three re¬ cent murders are directly traceable to these places, where both white and colored of the lower classes congregate in large numbers every night. * * * The governor has shaped thq future of the Atlanta artillery. The company w ill not be disbanded, and the rem¬ nant left by the courtmartial will be allowed to enlist new men until the complement required by the regula¬ tions is secured. The reorganization will pot take place until the ranks are full. This will bring in new blood and give the new men a chance to participate in the organization. The memorial exercises at the Re pnen Confederate cemetery will be ob¬ served on Saturday, May 15th, and quite an elaborate and entertaining programme will be carried out. Gen¬ eral Clement A. Evans has been invit¬ ed to deliver the memorial address, and speeches will he made by ex-Gov ernor R. B. Bullock, Major C. H. Smith (Bill Arp), Colonel W. P. Me ( i..»- n..y oLChattaapoga, and General Phillips, of Marietta. * * * The application filed by the receiv ers of the Southern Mutual Building and Loan Association asking for au¬ thority to offer a reward for William O. Hale, was argued in the superior court at Atlanta before Judge Lump¬ kin. That Hale is badly wanted was plainly shown by the argument of the receivers and their attorneys and others interested in the case. The attorneys contended Hale might be caught and if he was once brought be¬ fore the court, they were of the opin¬ ion that he could tell many things which are now unknown. Judge Lumpkin has taken the matter under advisement. Governor Atkinson has decided that the bonds of two tax collectors and two tax receivers m the counties of Fulton, Floyd, Houston and Crawford are illegal, and has notified them to make new ones by the second of June, if the surety company which made their bonds does not in the meantime perfect them by depositing $50,000 of United States bonds or Georgia bonds as required by law. Since the new law was passed, bonds for twenty three tax collectors and receivers m various counties have been made by comp(mieg _ Niae teen of these bonds were made by a company which ^ t , ied witll the !aw by making the $50,000 deposit. The other four bondg were made by the American Bonding and Trust company, which complied with the law, theOT(ler The weather bulletin issued for the t week is uite encouraging to the farmers and shows that a very good a q vance was made in farm work during the week. Cotton is about,all planted; some is up ' and being chopped. Re¬ ports rela tive to this crop are favorable as a rule, though in a few localities the stand is rather poor. Wheat, oats and rye are doing well, Gardens, though still backward, have made noticeable improvement. The melon crop is not first-class, but in some lo¬ calities is promising. Light frosts oc¬ curred in exposed places on the morn¬ ing of May its' 2d, but it was not damag¬ ing in effects. Reports from the northern counties indicate that the damage to the peach crop is less seri¬ ous than it was thought some weeks ago, while from other sections of the state unfavorable reports have been received. In the middle and southern divisions peaches are falling rapidly. Pears are cut short by blight. The prospects for apph s and berries are good.