Newspaper Page Text
26
LEFT ALONE;
Or,
The Adventures of Ben and Nancy.
CHAPTER VII.
Ben and Nancy were known to
quite a number of people In Glenvllle,
as was also the sad fate of their father,
and by the time Mr. Scott reached the
bank a little crowd had assembled to
bear what might be said. Great was
the wonder of the loser of the bag
over its strange recowry, and, of
course, he felt grateful to the two or
phans.
"I had given up hope of ever
recovering my money. I have
beard about you two children —how
your father Is believed to have perished
In the woods, and how you have brave
ly set out to make your own way in
the world, and I hope your will let
me help you along. Here is SSOO its a
reward for the recovery of the bag. I
bad advertised that amount in the pa
pers, and am only too glad to hand it
over. I want, however, to do some
thing beyond that. When you come
again be sure to ask for me. and we
will have a long talk.”
Ben deposited the money to their
bank account, and they left Glenvllle j
feeling highly elated. In a little over I
six months they had banked about a ,
thousand dollars. Half of this had
come that very day, and they could
not be said to have worked for it, but
It was all their money and would go
ta long ways towards carrying out the
0
A second shot from Boil’s rifle stretched her dead.
plans they had so often talked about.
While the father was alive the place
liad been home to them. They had
known no other, and were satisfied.
With him dead all was changed, and
the was lonely for both. They
felt sure that Mr. Scott wanted to do
something, and before they saw him
again they wondered many times just
■what he would propose.
The fishing season lasted all
through the spring and summer, but
as hot weather came on the catches
■were not so good nor the sales as
many, and so the children did not go
out as often. When next they visited
GlenviUe they were told that Mr.
Scott had gone abroad and would not
return for three or four months, and
the summer passed very quietly with
them. Now and the'.i they walked
through the woods to visit a neighbor,
and now and then a neighbor dropped
In to see them, but for the most part
they were alone. It was one hot day
along towards the last of August that
they shouldered their rifles and set
forth to kill squirrels for supper.
I don’t want you to think that Ben
and Nancy were two angels, who nev
er had a word of disagreement. They
often disputed over this or that, and
sometimes had quarrels lasting the
•whole day. Ben. being the older, and
a boy at that, felt that his way of
managing things was the best, but
Nancy was not always willing to ad
mit this. They had clashed over
'>■~ . ~ ,
L<Q AcU'€
i'mu likklou problems are hidden Imre. \\ lull urr tin t ?
something that very morning, and as
they traveled through the woods Ben
was whistling and his sister pouting,
and neither speaking a word to the
other. One was looking away to the
right and the other to the left when
of a sudden, and without the slightest
warning, a large wild cat, which had
been crouched on the limb of a tree
above them, screamed out and alight
ed on the ground between them. No
wild animal is fiercer or swifter than
a wild cat. But for the fact that she
fell into a hole when she struck the
ground, and was a few seconds In
working herself free, one or both of
the children would have been severely
clawed and bitten. They acted al
most without thought as they dis
charged their rifles into her body and
then ran away a few 1 feet. The cat
was severely wounded, and was try
ing to follow them up when a second
shot from Ben's rifle stretched her
dead.
You may be sure there was no more
quarreling that day, nor for many
days afterwards. The sharp, strong
claws of the beast were preserved as
curiosities, and whenever a dispute
arose the children would look up to
the claws hanging on the wall and at
once begin to laugh. When Septem
ber came they resumed their fishing
trips, and now and then visited Glen
ville to deposit a little money in the
bank, and they learned from t!he
banker that Mr. Scott had not yet re
turned. I may tell you that business
kept him abroad until the next spring,
and that Ben and Nancy spent another
fall and winter in the woods. That
winter was much milder than the
former one, and the ice did not form
on the bay until January. It broke
up again in March, and the fisihing
season was, therefore, a short one.
Among the fishermen who came back
was the one who had purchased their
game before, and again he wanted all
they could kill. Hunting was made a
business, but not with such success.
Deer were scarce, and only now and
then was a bear to be seen, and the
children only made shillings where
they had made dollars before. There
were many days when Nancy did not
go out with Ben. Although not yet
12 years old, she not only had their
housework to do. but their clothing
to keep in order. If tihe cloth in their
garments was coarse and strong, their
trips through the forest often made rips
and rents, and although Ben was
something of a cook, he could not man
age the thimble and needle. On one
of his trips to Glenvllle he purchased
a complete set of boys’ books, and
with hunting, getting up firewood, vis
iting the fishing village and reading,
the two managed to pass that winter
in the woods rather pleasantly. Things
were going to happen to make it their
last winter, and there was thrilling
adventure waiting for them on water
when the Ice should break up.
(To Be Continued.!
TWO HIDDEN PROVERBS.
SAVANNAH MOT?MAG NEWS: SUNDAY. NOVEMBER 27, 1004. 7
WHAT THE CLMN^D.^
The clown was coming down the
street, hippity-hop, skipplty-skip!
The lumbering elephants and the
awkward camels had all gone by, the
calliope was tooting In the distance,
and the big wagons had followed, giv
ing now and then a g(lmpse of some
queer animal between the bars. Bob,
Kitty and Trot would know that very
afternoon all the wonderful things
that were hidden in those red and
yellow vans: but Nan, poor little Nan,
was a cripple.
At the tail of the procession came
the clown, hoppity, skipplty-hop!
"See how he dances!” cried Kitty.
"He’s the funniest of all."
“Oh, dear!” sighed Nan. “I wish’t
I could see him do his tricks.”
THE GREAT MASON
POTTER SHOW
When Johnny and Charley Wanted
Pocket Money They Got It.
Johnny Mason and Charley Potter
had resolved themselves into a com
mittee of ways and means. It had
struck both of them with great force
that it would be a joyful thing if they
could increase their pocket money;
and now they were perched in top of
’Squire Markham’s rail fence in earn
est debate as to how to do it.
“Let’s go and ask the 'Squire if he
don’t want us to pick up apples for
him,” suggested Johnny.
“No, I guess not,” slowly replied
Charley. “I don’t believe he would
hire us, and the old skinflint wouldn’t
play us anything to speak of, any
way.”
“Oh, you’re afraid!” cried Johnny.
“You’ve been hookin’ apples and
you’re afraid he’ll catch you.”
“No, I haven’t, either,” retorted
Charley. “But some of the other fel
lows have, and he might think It was
me.”
“Teacher says ‘it was I’ is prop
erer,” criticized Johnny.
“You needn’t put on airs and show
off how much you know, even if you
did speak a piece in school last Fri
day," snapped Charles.
The conversation was edging to
ward a quarrel and a possible fight,
but the remark about "speaking a
piece” in school put anew idea into
Johnny's head which at once did away
with all bickering and strife.
He had been remarkably successful
in his speaking of the “piece.” The
teacher, the school superintendent and
other visitors who had been present
had complimented him on it, and he
wanted to stand up before people
again and say things which should
cause them to vary the expression of
their faces from laughter to sorrow.
“Let's give a show!” he cried.
Charley jumped at the idea. “Just
the thing,” he replied. “Jake, our farm
hand. Is teaching me to do a clog dance
and you can do any old thing you want
to, but my clog will be great.”
"Robbie Bell can swing Indian clubs
—little ones.” remarked Johnny.
"Well, get him In If you want to,”
assented Charley. "But no more kids.
Three is enough. We won’t make such
a great lot. and the more we have in
it the less we will get out of it.” Char
ley was a business person on the way
to become a captain of industry, and
Johnny, recognizing his abilities in the
financial line, meekly assented, even
when a decided veto was put upon his
proposition to invite Lulu Jackson, who
could skip the rope inseven different
wavs.
So it was settled. Mrs. Mason con
sented to the use of her wood shed for
the occasion. Johnny, who was an ex
cellent penman, wrote out notices an
nouncing that “Mr. Charles James Pot
ter and Mr. John Henry Mason will
give an entertainment In Mrs. Mason's
wood shed, admission two cents,” and
posted them on the trees and telegraph
poles In the village street and on the
gatepost of the Mason homestead.
But there was trouble right away.
Robbie Bell, seeing that his name was
not on the bills, withdrew from the
combination in a huff, and was only
brought back by Johnny going through
the village and adding In pencil to
each bill. “Also Mr. Robert Edward
Bell, champion club swinger.”
The great day of the show at length
arrived, and from a stage skillfully
built of boxes and covered with an
old carpet Johnny, who acted as mas
ter of ceremonies, looked out over an
audience, whkih represented forty
cents, including the extra price paid
by the doctor, the minister, the
teacher and ’Squire Markham, who
had come because each had said to the
other when they saw the boys’ notices
on the posts: "I remember when I
was a boy and got up Just such a
show."
They sat on the back row, but. Just
the same. Charles, the financier,
charged them 5 cents each, on the
ground that If boys paid 2 cents
grown-ups ought to pay more.
Johnny sring his songs and spoke his
piece with great success, but Charley
was so afflicted with stage frig-ht that
he was hardly able to shuffle through
his clog dance, and finally fled from
the stage In a panic, amid the laughter
of the audience. Robbie Bell bumped
his head three times In swinging his
Indians clubs, but did fairly well. The
honors of the occasion, however, were
with Johnny, of whom the "grown
ups'’ present said: "That boy will
make his mark as a public speaker
some day."
Perhaps he will some day; who
knows? However, the three boys en
joyed the show Immensely, and so did
the boys who came to see It, and
whom Mrs. Mason treated to ginger
snaps after It was all over.
When they came to divide up the
money Charley and Robbie took equal
shares, but Johnny got an extra oent
because he had done so wall.
h I.ITTI.K JOHNNY HHYMK.
When I’m grown up, I shall not care
What anybodv says to me:
But I shall do Just what I please,
And be as happy as can be.
And then I’ll take MY little boy
And scold whatever he may do,
“Hersuse," I'll say, "they treated ms
This way when 1 was old as you."
*
I guess tnsybe It will hs hard
For any boy to be MY son.
If 1 should really do to him
What the old folks to ins have dons.
“Never mind,” said Bob. "We’ll
tell you every single thing, and I’ll
learn some of his stunts and do them
for vou.”
Just then the clown caught sight of
Nan.
"Hi! Yunklt, lend me your crutch!”
he cried,
Nan learned against the fence and
held It out to him.
Skipplty-skip came the clown. With
the crutch in both hands he twisted
his jolly body around it, over It, under
it. A hundred antics he played with
the poor little stick that had only
known pain and sorrow.
Nan forgot the ache in her hip when
he turned six hand-springs with the
crutch in his mouth all the time. She
laughed till the tears came when he
balanced it on the end of his nose; and
“GETTING EVEN.”
Patsy Gets Mixed Up in a Tick-Tack
Adventure.
There was no use denying that Mrs.
Amos Scott was a very cross old lady.
She had a beautiful back yard full
of trees and flowers and a big lawn
and a wonderful stable inhabited by
horses and a red-faced coachman, but
if children dared to put even a foot
on her place she screamed at them
from the second story window or sent
her maid or coachman to chase them
away.
Patsy was the only youngster who
ever had seen the inside of Mrs.
Scott’s house. She went once to de
liver a note for her mother, and Patsy
•aw long dark rooms filled with big
dark furniture and dark walls hung
with portraits in heavy gold frames
and then she felt so chilly that she
said the note did not need an answer,
and ran out into the sunshine.
The problem if the street was how
to get even with Mrs. Scott for be
ing so mean. There had been large
holes made in the turf of her front
lawn, and bad eggs were once found
on her front porch, and there was a
verse which used to ring through the
darkness when the coachman came
out with a whip:
“Old Mrs. Scott,
There’s fly on your lot.”
But, somehow, these things didn’t
do much good, and the coachman and
Mrs. Scott grew fiercer 'than ever.
Jim Newton and Arthur Harkness
made up their minds that the only
Mrs. Scott fell back from the window.
vengeance worth while would be to
scare Mrs. Scott, so one night they
fastened a tick-tack 'to her second
story front window. Nobody knew
how they managed it and they never
would tell.
Then they stationed Patsy outside
the front Iron fence, crouching down
low, to see whut happened. Thy
went down Into the Harkness’ area
way and pulled the slender thread.
"Tap, tap, tap,” went the tick-tack,
faint and very ghostly.
Soon a window opened, and Mrs.
Scott’s voice called:
"Who’s there?"
But It was a different voice from
what she ordinarily used. Patsy real
ized that the plan had succeeded. Mrs.
Scott was scared.
“Who's there ?” she railed again.
“Who’s knocking?"
“Tap, tap, tap," went the tick-tack,
so close to her and so mysterious.
“Amos! Amos!” Patsy heard her
say hoarsely. “la that you, Amos?
Do you want to come In?”
Mrs. Scott thought her husband's
ghost was tupping to get into the
house.
Next minute Patsy's blood froze quite
solid—for Mrs. Scott fell back from the
window and stink in a heap on the
floor.
"Stop It! Stop It!” she cried, run
ning to Jim and Arthur. "You’ve
killed her. Oh, come quick!”
Palsy dashed up th steps at Mrs.
Scott’s and rang the bell. The fierce
maid come and looked over fiercer
when she saw Patsy’s white faco.
“Mrs. Scott! Mrs. Heott!” gasped
Patsy. "Upstairs—oh. hurry up! Uo!"
The woman stared. Then ahe began to
underatand and ran up the stairs with
Palsy at her heels.
Fortunately Mrs. Scott hud only
fainted. They got Dr. Hamilton by
telephone, but by the lime he arrived
she was nearly all right again. He
tried to find out what hud happened
to frighten Mrs. Scott, but she would
not tell,
Patsy had bssn übta to help quite a
little, and no ana uaked how she hap
pened to be there. When she saw how
pussled th* good doctor was she felt
ashamed of her pari, and the boya’ too,
and site took hold of tbs doctor's hand
when he put an apple on his chin and
the crutch on top of that, then
tossed them in the air, and caught the
apple in his mouth and the crutch
handle on his toe, Nan’s enchantment
was complete.
Then, all of a sudden, the clown
kissed the handle of the crutch, and
laid it in the little girl’s hand.
With a whoop and a somersault he
darted off after the procession. Hop
pity-skip, skippity-hop, he went out of
sight.
“It’s as good as the whole circus!”
said happy Nan, while Kitty hugged
her, and Bob and Trot tried somer
saults on their own account.
And the clown had a warm spot un
der his motley Jacket, as he went
down the rod. Hippity-hop, skippity
skip!
and said that it was only a tick-tack
which had scared Mrs. Scott.
“What’s that?” demanded Mrs. Scott,
glaring at her from the soft where she
was lving.
Patsy explained.
“Did you put it there?” she ques
tioned.
“No,” said Patsy, "I didn't.”
“Who did?”
Patsy tightened her grip on Dr.
Hamilton’s hand and looked up at
him. He was smiling gently.
‘‘l’ve promised not to tell,” said
Patsy bravely.
“What did they do it for?” was the
next question.
Patsy hesitated a moment. Then
she saw that the doctor was still smil
ing.
“Cause,” she said, very earnestly.
“Cause you never let any of us play
around your barn or yard, and we
wouldn’t hurt any of your things, and
you have the biggest place on the
street, and we don’t have much space
anyhow, and your coachman chases
us with a whip when we don’t do any
thing bad and—and—we tried to get
even with you for it.”
Curiously enough, Mrs. Scott didn't
go into a rage. Instead, she sank
back on her pillows and sighed.
“If my little girl had lived,” she
said, “she’d a been older than you, 'but
she had brown hair that curled like
yours. I s’pose I am a mean old wom
an, but I’ve had lots of trouble, and
you children are a terrible nuisance.”
“Well, you see,” Patsy said quite
gently, “we’re always mean to people
that are mean to us—we don't do any
thing bad in Mr. Harkness’ yard.”
Mrs. Scott nodded drowsily. The
doctor told Patsy to run along home.
Patsy stole down through the dimly
lighted hails and finding the boys still
standing helplessly outside the fence,
she told them what had happened.
Next day a note to Mrs. Newton In
vited Patsy and her friends to come
and play in Mrs. Scott's back yard
whenever they felt like it.
THE EARLIESTTOY
IN THE WORLD.
Excavation In a cave In Switzerland.
In which there once lived human be
ings who existed before the great Ice
Age. has Just broug t do light the
oldest child's toy In i e world. It is
a whistle made of the v oe bones of a
reindeer, and it Is still In good con
dition, although It was made ut least
15,000 years ago.
The modern discoverer who found It
blew through it. and It gave out a
shrill, clear whistle. That was the
first sound It had sent out since its
child owner dropped It. When that
c-hlld blew It, Its sound may have
frightened the calves of the hairy
mammoth, the cubs of the cave bear
and the young of the mighty auerochs.
The child that played with it was
dressed In rude skins and cowered by
the tiro In rave, while It waited for
Its savage father and mother to return
home with slain animals for food
Now the toy will bo put Into a mu
seum for modem children to see.
GOT HKR 7.00 MIXK.D.
"Mamma," asked a little Detroit girl
!”* h " „n C !, U r n { roni Bun< iy ■ehool,
what m all thin about u donkey and u
darning needle that they talked about
In Sunday uchool to-day?"
"You meun the camel and the
needle s eye?" Inquired her mother, af.
ter thinking awhile.
"Oh. yea that's It. I knew It was
something In your work hasketcried
she, looking highly relieved.
—Bodge—"l wish I could live my Ilf#
over again!" Hodge—" Don't you think
It would be a better wish to live over
somebody tine s life?"—Boston Tran
script.
Uncle Sam’s
Military Squirrels
Live Under Fortifications and Frisk Around Can
nons and Projectiles.
Uncle Sanfls military headquarters
in the East are on a little island in
.the upper bav of New York, almost
under the shadow of the skyscrapers.
More than fifty thousand people pass
it In ferryboats every day, but not one
in a thousand ever sets foot on it; for
it is entirely devoted to the army.
Armed sentries patrol every foot of its
shore, armed sentries with loaded
Krags and side arms guard the land
ings, and a stranger must not set his
foot on the little domain which is sa
cred to war.
It is altogether a soldier’s land. Ev
erywhere are cannon and other instru
ments of death that belong to the sol
dier’s trade. One cannot walk a thous
and feet in any direction without com
ing on rifleld guns or earthworks sur
mounted by old and new cannon.
Uncle Sam’s initials “U. S." stare at
one everywhere. The visitor Is bewil
dered at every turn by the unexpected
life which is entirely different from
anything that he has known in his
everyday existence.
Instead of whistles and bells for sig
nals, trumpets peal out. Instead of
nodding to each other, as men do in the
city, they salute stiffly. Everywhere
are men In drab clothing and leggins,
They sit unfenringly on cannons that have killed many hundreds of men.
with cartridge belts abound their waists
and hats bearing strange emblems.
Here and there are other men, also in
military dress, but bearing a great let
ter “P” on their backs that is visible
as far as they themselves can be seen.
These are military convicts—soldiers
who have been convicted of crime or
misdemeanor; and they are guarded by
mounted men fully armed as they
work on the roads or 'the sea walls.
Everything is so warlike, even in
times of peace, that the civilian vis
itor unconsciously holds himself
straight and falls into the marching
step that he sees everywhere. Then he
falls to examining the graceful, won
derful rifled guns that stand looking
mutely out to sea, each with its deadly
chambers. He speculates on the terri
ble death that these “parks” of artil
lery could spit out in a moment If the
signal rang from any part of the is
land. And then—all at once he sees
something bob up and down jerkily on
Dillydoll and Japlittle
THEIR MISDEEDS.
111.
Clibclub and Clubcllb were two of
the very bravest policemen that mor
tal eve had ever seen. Their health
was of the finest white wood and their
uniforms were the best Prussian blue,
with almost genuine gilt for buttons.
So Clibclub and Clubclub naturally
ware determined to do their duty
whatever happened, "far,” said they,
"we are the finest and we must live
up to it.”
When they heard the commotion
made as old Grandpa Jack Spring
bang jumped up and hurt Blacker
black very badly indeed, they hurried
to the scene as fast as they could,
which was not so very.
“Oh, goody, goody, goody!” said
Dillydoll. "They are going to arrest
Grandpa Jack.” And she just laughed
all over.
Japlittle sakl nothing. He was too
much pleased.
In the meantime Blackerblack lay
quite melancholy and said In the cor
ner whore he laid fallen straight on
the top of his head. This did not do
him so much good. No! Hbck#r
black fek bad and his handsome face
showed It plainly, ns you can see If
you will look.
I’llhclub and Clubcllb, the two brave
policemen, hastened to the sld# of
Grandpa Jack Hprlngbang'a house and
#atd In two loud tones of voice:
"We arrest you for assault and bat
tery disorderly conduct manslaughter
murder surrender in lilt name of the
one of the great cannon. He looks
again and lo! It is a squirrel.
He chirps, and Mr. Squirrel, with a
merry flirt of his tail, glides down the
long, lean barrel of the gun and runs
trustingly up to him. At his feet it
sits up at attention. He stoops and
holds his hand out. Uncle Skim’s
squirrel promptly reaches forth one
of its long, black forepaws and puts
it into his hand, where It feels around
for nuts. Within a moment half a
dozen companions come scampering
down from cannon, mortars, piles of
cannon balls and earthworks.
After they have wheedled all the
nuts out of the visitor and he walks
on, he is followed by a chattering
parade of the little bushy-tailed beau
ties.
Wherever he goes he sees more.
They frisk across every path. They
sit even on the piers that jut into the
busiest harbor in the world. So tame
and confident are they that they scam
per under the feet of cavalry and army
cart horses, looking for a chance nut
that the riders or drivers may tlhrow
to them.
Never a soldier of them all dreams
of hurting the dainty things. It would
go hard with him if he did; for Uncle
Sam the Soldier has made his head
quarters of Governors Island a little
Eden for the furred and winged
things. Almost in the .heart of great
New York the birds of passage settle
there and spend a few weeks each
year, as if they knew that the place of
oannon and gun is a sacred refuge for
them. The gulls swim .and flap all
around the island. The squirrels know
so well that the soldiers are their
friends that they do not even jump
when the morning and sunset guns
boom out. Tlhe steamers that carry
provisions and ammunition and re
cruits to the island may toot <and bel
low and blow off steam all they please.
The squirrels know that it is all
bluster, and they actually sit at the
very gangplank begging for goodies
when companies of soldiers swing
ashore.
It is a strange and an impressive
sight—the most innocent of His crea
tures living in joyous and perfect love
side by side with men who are en
gaged in the most terrible trade in
the world.
law at once or we will have to club
you you are our prisoner we will take
you dead or alive!”
Then they stopped to take a long
breath. Grandpa Jack Springbang
listened with great patience, kindness
and perseverance. Then he suddenly
struck Clibclub and Clubclib violently
on the sides of their fin* wooden
heads with a large club.
"There must be some mistake!” said
Grandpa Jack Springbang with a
sweet smile as he hit them again with
great grace and cordiality.
Clibclub and Clubclib at once start
ed to fall down with much majesty
and force, and Dillydoll and Japliittle
just hopped and skipped and rubbed
their hands for joy at the fight. They
were not a bit sorry that they had
caused an old and venerable man like
Grandpa Jack Springbang to hit per
sons with a club or that Clibclub and
Clubclib should be struck on their
beautifully painted faces and heads.
No, Indeed!
Dlllydoll and Japlittle only laughed
Huhahahuhuhaha!
(To be continued.)
JIMMY** MTTLB HISTAKIO.
"What’s the pa an’ ma question?”
asked Jimmy, reading the newspaper.
"Don’t knew," said his father, look
ing very much puzzled, "unless It’s the
bringing up of troublesome boys. Why
do you want to know?"
"Why, (he paper says President
Roosevelt discussed the pa rt* ma ques
tion," said Jimmy,