Newspaper Page Text
THE LEE COUNTY JOURNAL
YOIL. Xl.
THE MID-SEA SUN-
No peak to hige his splendor, till the day
$ Has passed away;
No dial siinde of any tres or flower
o mak the hour;
A wave his orient ecradle, and a wave
His western gravo.
—John B. Tabb in Harper's Magazine.
Mariy's Beaatiful Lady.
) G 1
E Ty Lucretia Macy Gardner. 3
Ever since the eventful day in
Maris Niccoli’s life when a purse lay
at her feet, as if in answer tc her
crippled sister’s cry, “to bring her
home a pair of red slippers,’’ Mar
saret’ Norton, the owner of the lost
property, was always called by Marie
“The Beautiful Lady.”
It is not strange the little sister
iooked upon her as her good fairy;
for at the command of their bene
factress the child was waited to a
sunny room in the hospital where
a canary bird in his gilded cage made
the hours glad with his song, and
caused her to forget, at times, aching
limbs and spine. For, in spite of the
best medical skill, the road to recov
ery promised to be long and tedious;
and, when Miss Norton reported to
Marie the result of the consultation
with the surgeons, she said, “How
should you like to live with me for
a whilee—do my errands, dust a
little, and”"—
“Be your maid?’ gasped Marie, as
if such bliss were tco great to men
tion lightly.
“Why, yes, perhaps; but I think
1 should rather call you my conpan
jon. And now let us talk about school.
It does not seem quite the thing for
you not to go to school any more, do
you think so?”
“I’'ve been to night school since
Anita went to the hospital, but Mr.
Morse asked the other evening if I
couldn’t go daytimes; I guess I look
ed stupid and sleepy.”
“Oh, don’t say that! Of course you
must be tired after your long day
at the ‘dress maker’s. By the way, I
want to tell you of the talk I had
with Miss LaMonde yesterday. She
has agreed to lend you to me for a
little rest and change. She tells me
how willing you always are to do
whatever she wishes.”
Marie’s long lashes hid her eyes; but
Miss Norton saw her choke back a
sob, and she hastened to say: “I want
you right away, for you know there
is to be a vacation for ten days at
the school. I will ask Mrs. Fallon to
take care of any furniture you may
like to save from your room, and ['ll
pay your rent. Then we'll begin all
over, as the children say.
Truly a new page was turned
in the life of the two children of the
tenement; and while it might be easy
to imagine something more hilarious
than spending Christmas in a hospit
al, the change from a dreary room
where even the sunlight dreaded to
enter, to the Broad Street Sanatorium,
with sun parlors on every floor, seem
ed to Anita like transporting to heav
en.
Meanwhile the older girl responded
like a new flower to her new atmost
phere of loving care, and one day
while dusting the reception room, her
voice broke forth into such a burst
of melody that Marie’s beautiful lady
stole to the stairs, and listened to the
strains, suggestive of sunny Italy
even in their lack of training.
It was a simple street song; but
the voice hinted of great possibilities,
and Miss Norton called Marie to her,
and said: “If you will do your best
at school, and the teachers are sat
isfied with your work, I'll teach you to
play on the piano, and my friend Miss
Bartholdi will give you singing les
sons. How does that sound.
“But Anita—you know I want to
take care of her, and I mustn’t use
so much time! I can’t take every
thing from you!”
The last words sounded like a wail
as Marie slipped to the floor, buried
her head in her hands, and sobbed as
her beautiful lady had never before
heard her. “Per-haps you'll be scr-ry
gsome day—that you've been so good
to me!” she stammered.
“Why, who on earth has put that
idea into your head? Has some one
been saying disagreeable things to
you?”
All questioning was useless, but
Margaret Norton Wwas very good at
guessing. “Ah,” she -exclaimed, “I
rather think that silly Janey has been
disturbing you, she is s¢- jealous! But
now listen, dearie; it takes two to
make a bargain, and you and I are
the two! Why, child, what should I
do in this lonely house without a
young girl to keep me ecompany? Who
would brush my hair every night, and
tell me how Moily and that polly
Fritz recite their lessons, while I
laugh away my blues? Who, dear, but
just you? It's our littie secret; and,
when Anita is discharged from the
hospital, she shall come here, and
you and I will teach her all we know.”
The magic wand was again waved
and peace restored. Marie proved
most tractable and found a sympa
thetic audience when she confided to
her heautiful lady that she just Lated
geometry, and did not see the use of
proving one line was longer than the
other when her own eyes told her—
an arzument that Miss Norton had of
ten heard. :
In the midst of diceouragements
several red-letter days stoed out prom
inently—when Marie began French
and Italian; the April moraning that
Anita left the hospital, able to walk
like other people; and the sweet June
¢ay when her beautiful lady was the
first to congratulate her upon graduat
ing the third in her class, and to tell
her that it was decided that she was to
go to Italy in September with Miss
Bartholdi.
“But you—oh, I do so want te learn
to sing! ut how cun I leave Anita
all you?’ The young girl put her
arms around Miss Norton in spite of
the warning “not to crush her lace,”
and’ said such pretty words to her, it
would have been perplexing to deter
mine which cheeks were the brighter.
Marie felt as if under some wizard’s
spell when she¢ founa -herself one Oc
tober morning in the presence of Sig
nor Monaldi, the famous teacher, who
saw great possibilities in the sweet
voice from over the sea, and arranged
a most arduous program for Miss
Bartholdi to follow.
Just as the future looked most
bright, there came. a letter to her
teacher that dashed Marie's hopes in
an instant. Rumors of great tréhch
ery on the part of Miss Norton’s bus
iness adviser threatened utter financial
ruin. Marie grasped the situation, and
said: “There is just one step for me
to take! I must go back to her.
Please don’t say a word, Miss Barthol
di, or I might be weak and easily
tempted. - My beantiful lady! Just
think, where should Anita and I have
been without her! I[t'’s my turn now,
and I can teach music, and pay her
back a little of all we owe her!”
“Poor child, music lessons! How lit
tle she realizes what that means!”
Miss Bartholdi was wise enough to
make only mental comments, and
and waited for the first outburst of
excitement to be over, then, taking
the girl’shand in hers said: “I have
something in my mind that may work
out all right for you. Just be patient
one more day, and I will report if
there is a ray of encouragement.”
Only the previous day while she was
giving Marie her lesson, two gentle
men stood close to the portiere and
listened from their safe hiding piace
to the bird-like freshness of the voice.
One of the audience reported most en
thusiastically to Miss Bartholdi, later
in the aftérnoon: “You should have
seen my friend! Why, Miss Bartholdi,
he just could not wait for her to fin
ish, but whispered, ‘Tell me her name,’
and, when I talked with him after you
had left the studio he said: ‘Niccoli?
Niccoli? My mother had a brother
who went to America somewhere—
that’s her family name; but it’s just
a coincidence probably!” And Signor
Monaldi turned to Marie’s teacher with
a very wise expression, and murmured
as a final word, “It may be a good
plan to have the young lady meet
Signor Buonetti!”
What wonder that the words had
been constantly in her mind; and,
acting upon the adage that two heads
are better than one, a conference with
him resulted in an invitation for them
to escort Marie to the studio of Sig
nor Buonetti.
When the latter heard the name of
Marie’s father, Giovanni Niccoli, he
took her hands in his, and said: ‘“You
are my own cousin, the only one left
of my family; and I must not let such
a sweet girl slip away away from
Italy, the land of the prima donna!
Now, Miss Bartholdi, will you cable
Miss Norton, at my expense, that her
ward has found an [talian cousin over
here, and ask her to take passage in
the next steamer, with Anita and any
papers she has in regard to the two?”
Signor Monaldi could scarcely re
strain himself, but made a great ef
fort to be calm until they had left
the studio far behind, when he said:
LEESBURG. GA., FRIDAY. AUGUST 3, 1906.
“That man, Miss Bartholdi, is im
mensely rich! He has only one hob
by; he is a great collector of val
vable paintings and gems.” Then,
turning to Marie, he added, with true
[talian warmth of feeling, “Now, Miss,
your art can be made perfect; the fu
ture lcoks rosy!” ,
Upon receipt of the cable, Margaret
Norton and Anita felt as if their good
fairies were helping them out of their
troubles, and the delicate face of
Marie’s sister, with its pink flush of
delight, reminded one of the dainty
arbutus, as they took passage upon
the great ocean steamer that looked
like a palace to one of the travellers.
What followed seemed, indeed, like
a chapter from real fairyland. . Miss
Bartholdi removed to another apart
ment; and Margaret, Marie, and Anita
set up a modest establishment which
promised to be permanent. At the
first moment, however, that Signor
Buonetti saw Marie’s beautiful lady,
he appreciated the fact that she was
a rare gem, and &is heart went out
to her even as Margaret’s found Marie.
When in course of time Marie realized
that through her had come the great
est happiness her beautiful lady had
ever imagined, the latter said: *“You
have always talked about bread cast
upen the waters, but I never supposed
¢ would be returned away over here
in Italy! Think what has come to me
because of this Italian cousin of
of yours!”
Marie’s wedding gift, earned from a
first appearance before a critical musi
cal audience, was a King's Daughter
cross, set with pearls, while inscribed
on the other side the dates 1898-1905,
following the letters M, B. L. which
stood not only for Marie’s Beauti
ful Lady, but Marie’s Bright Light,
significant of the day when her own
cross slipped from her jacket, reflect
ing its gleam upon the gray wall, and
sent its abiding light deeper still into
the heart of this daughter of the King.
—The Christian Register.
VILLAGERS AWAIT DESTRUCTION.
Censtantly Watch a Mountain Which
May Destroy Them at Any Moment.
“lI have just returned from the vil
lages of Chamosan and Grugnay, sit
uated near Martigny, in the canton
of Vailais, which are momentarily ex
pecting destruction,” writes an English
correspondent from Geneva,
“The 1,500 people who live there
are in despair and dumbly watch
the landslide above them as it grows
and moves slowly but surely to dis
troy them and all they have.
“‘But they are fatalists and will
not leave their homes. My guide,
who led me to the upper end of the
moving mass, voiced the opinion of
the villagers.” He is forty years old
and the father of a family, but noth
ing could induce him to 'take flight.
“‘Q am certain,” he said, ‘that the
avalanche will sweep us away, but
what can we do? We love our vii
lage, where we have lived since child
ren, and, then, where have we to go
if we lose our all here? I and my
family will stay on till the last aand
take the consequence.’
“As we were speaking there was a
subterranean rumbling, followed by a
noise as of artillery firing and we
could see slices of the forest come
down in a swirling cloud of dust and
fine snow. The ground shook as if
by an earthquake.
“Within an hour [ saw three large
landslips, which rolled down and
added their weight to the mass pack
ed in a gorge above the village. How
long the gorge will stand the press
ure one cannot say.
“Sloping upward behind the gorge
there ig a large scar in the precipitous
mountain side, down which continual
landslips are occurring, pushing for
ward the debris in the narrow gorge
with irresistible force.
“The debris has reached within six
ty yards of the outlet, and the gov
ernment engineers who have been sent
to try to avert a catastrophe fear that
the gorge may give way at any mom
ent and that the falling mass will
sweep everything in its path.
“Springs of water and the BSt.
Andre stream are- forcing their way
through the debris and making the
position more perilous. A waim
wind too, is blowing and melting the
snow, which is increasing the volume
of water.
“Pickets are stationed night and day
around the village of Grugnay to give
a final warning to the inhabitants.
“The engineers are erecting walls
‘and digging trenches in the hdpe of
turning aside the moving maes.”
Body of Dead Financier Encased in
Steel Rep:eptacle.
RESTS IN TROY CEMETERY
Thrcugh Fear of Grave Robbers, Mes.
Sage Was Prevailed Upon to Take
Most Extraordmary Precautions.
Encased in a hermetically sealed
copper envelope placed within a solid
mahogany coflin, the body of Russell
Sage was Wednesday placea in a
chilled steel case, four inches thick,
riveted with steel boits, lockad with
a lock which can c¢nly be opened
from the inside and lowered into a
grave at Troy, 'N. Y. The grave was
carpeted and lined with evergreens
on which the clods were heaped and
the mound built. The steel case weighs
three tons.
Immediately after thé stsel box and
contents were lowered into the grave,
electrical connections were made and
immediate warning will be given if
any attempt is made to tamper with
the remains, ~ !
Jixtraordinary efforts to thwart pcs
sible grave robbers was sanctioned by
Mrs. Sags and her closest friends.
Expenditures in this direction will
be greater than ever known in the'
burial of a private individual.
The cofiin alone of solid mahogany
with its copper inside envelcpe, trim
mings and handles, cost approximate
ly $l,OOO. The steel case and its pat
ent unpickable lock cost $22,000.
1t is called the burglar preef coffin
and it is ascertained that even with
out the added precaution of electrical
protection or guards, it would be im
possible for the most expert grave
robher to get at the body.
Mrs. Sage, it is said, has had a
dread of the violation of the sepul
chre ever since the stealing of the
body of A. T. Stewart, and she read
ily consented to the proposal for.sate
guarding the grave of her husband.
The steel case is of such hardness
that it would take two expert safe
blowers to break the outer shell and
then only by the employment of spe
cially constructed tools. There is no
vigible lock to be attacked. Once the
lid is closed down, a self-locking mech
anisth clamps it inside at tweuty
points and not the slightest opening
is left for the insertion of a wedge.
The corners are all rounded.
The body of Russell Sage was
buried in Oakwood cemetery bheside
the hody of his first wife. The body
arrived in Troy in a private car at
tached to a regular train from New
York,
The words which are lo be eugraved
on the Sage monument are: ;
“I have done the best that I could |
“by the light of the day.” \
The funeral services prover over
the body of Mr. Sage were held in the
Tirst Presbyterian church at Far Rock
away Tuesday afterncon. A number
of prominent citizens wecre among
those who were present to pay a last
tribute to the memory of the aged
financier. 1
After the services in Far Rockawady
the body was placed in a special car
and sent to New York city, where
it was *aken to the Sage home ini
Fifth avenue. The casket was placed }
in the front parlor and so arranged
that the friends of the family wh-)i
called might have a last iook at the
face of the dead financier. i
FILES SUIT FOR HEAVY DAMAGES. l
|
Memphis Brokers Seek to Recover $60,~ |
000 from New Orleans firm. t
A suit for $600,000 was filed in the ;
United States circuit court at Newi
Orleans Wednesday against Gibert & |
Clay, a bhrokerage and commission |
house, who do a cotton business there |
with connections in several scuthern |
cities.
Armstrong & Co., brokers and com
mission merchants of Memphis, Tenn,,
brought the suit, claiming damages
for alleged breach of contract. |
Involving Officials of the Southern
Cotton Association.
COMMITTEE IS APPOINTED
Allegations of Representative Anderson
Before Georgia Legislature to Be
Investigated by Committee,.
As the result of the charge made
by Representative Anderson of Chat
ham county on the floor of the Geor
gla house of representatives, that ce=
tain officials of the Southern Cottoa
Association have, under assumed
names, been speculating in cotton,
a full and complete investigation has
been ordered by Harvie Jordan, pres
ident of the Southern Cotton Asso
clation, this investigation to be pub
licly conducted. :
- Another development was a card
from A. A. Fairchild, publishing man.
ager of the Southern Cotton Assocla
tion, admitting that last spring he
purchased an eighth interest in the
Piedmont Brokerage Company at At
lanta because he considered 1t a good
investment, but that later learning
that such an investment was distaste
ful to the officers of the cotton ase
gociation disposed of his interests.
He says that he makes this state
ment because the name of Mr. Cheat
ham: had become mixed up in the af
fair, being in some way confounded
with his own, and says that he is
willing to state again that Mr. Cheat
ham has not owned and does not own
a share of stock in that company.
President Jordan furnished the
press with the following statement:
““Representative Anderson of Chat
ham has publicly withdrawn all ref
erence or any intimation to me in
his alleged charges on the floor of
the house last Tuesday, which is en
tirely satisfactory to me persomally.
As president of the Southern Cotton
Association, however, and in my of
ficial capacity, I cannot permit the
alleged charges made by Mr. Ander
gon against unnamed officers or em
ployees of the assoclation to stand un
ct@llenged, Positive and definite proot
must be presented rather than hear
say evidence, and the names of the
alleged parties or party given out to
the public. 1 have, therefore, appoint
ed the following officers of the asso
ciation to hear whatever testimony
Mr. Aunderson or others may have rek
ative to the matter and bricz the
facis or falsity of the alleged chiirges
to a firal decision as promptiy as
possible.
“Colonel W. L. Peek, Cenyers, Ga.,
national committeeman; Hon, M. L.
Johnson, Atlanta, Ga., president Geor
gia Slate division; Mr. John D.
Walker, Sparta, Ga., treasurer Geor
gia state division.
“These gentlemen hold high posi
tions in the Southern Cotton Associa
tion, and are well known to the peo
ple of Georgia, and can be depended
upen to impartially and thoroughly
conduct this investigation. The com
mittee hag been notified 4nd request
ed to meet here next Monday morning
July 30, at 10 oclock a, m., in the
president’s office, 212 People building
“Representative Anderson has also
pecn officially notified of the appoint
ment of the above named committae,
the place of meeting and requested
to be present and testify to his al
leged charges. The trial of this mate
ter will be open to the public, as the
Southern Cotton Association has
nothing to conceal! with reference to
the acts and doings of its official work,
or thut of its officers.
“SQecretary Richard Cheatham also
deinands a full and complete inves
tigation of the charges preferred by
Mr. Anderson, and every opportunity
will ke given R=zpresentative Ander
son, either to sustain his alleged
charges or withdraw them in as pub
lic a manner as is necessary.
“HARVIE JORDAN, ;
“president Cotton Association.”
NO. 4.