Pittston Gazette

              Oldest Fewsnaner in the Wyoming Valley PITTSTON, LUZBRNR CO., PA., FRIDAY, MARCH 2iD, 1801. a WeeKly !,oca] and hamilv loumal. I " Best. country ioiir, lingered awhile to exchange ideas—chiefly, in this instance, unreliable news from the seat of war— hurried fussily away to their homes. There was a painful pause. The girl i bowed her head and was silent. "What!" Mrs. Besant cried, in a j hoarse whisper, "you against me, too!" She shook Grace from her with a passionate aversion. "What can I nav the girl asked atid he grinned to think ot Miss Kutn s innocence in supposing him capable of such a waste of money The caboose was full of country-folk going to market, and, if you had asked the rosy-oheckod farmers' daughters which they thought the bravest of the little band of raw recruits, they would have unhesitatingly given him the palm. been received Idier :h when •Lore is better Uian house or lands; Now, M1ss Ruth knew cjuito well that her grand-niece possessed a little store that she had been accumulating foi months, with the idea of surprising the minister with the present of a new heavy overcoat for the winter, and she was justly indignant at the young lady's so obtusely refusing to sec the necessity of devoting this sum to the exigencies of James Lawson. many were cut and bleeding, th or "Now," she said to him, "sit on thi&s chair; rest your arm on the table— Mattie, give me my scissors." AiyTbefore tie cuniu realize wnnt sne was goin1 to do, she had ripped the scam of his coat sleeve and bared the bruised but sinewy limb. repressed astonishment at her action. 'NYE AS A HIGH FLYER. fell with a dismal plunk into a mortar bed just outside' the penitentiary. After that he wore a look of chastened sorrow and a truss. So, Sir Stephen, I'll ride with thee!" Quick she steps where the courser stands. Light sh* springs to the saddle treo. Buddenly Frank Charles Fulton, t his C itain. Mr. Brentwood did not ocfcitpy the parsonage, but lived in his own homestead, a pretty farm-house, well out on the outs'Clrt of the village, near where the river wound its way out of the orchards into the bolder scenery of the mountain lands. It was a quiet, retired spot.1 well adapted to the .studious habits of its occupant, who was a far better read m in thrva his parijhionara hil gallant yo X ton Love is better than kith or kin; So close she clung and so close claspod ha, They hoard no sob of the bitter wind, , Nor the snow that shuddered along the lea. of his Colonel, recti and full prostrate on tho sidewalk, struck on the temple by a roeli hurled from a neighboring window. .In a moment he sprang to the i side of tho insensible man, and ere ; HIS ANNUAL PASS TO PIERCE THE CIRCUMAMBIENT ATMOSPHERE. The great difficulty experienced by the flying machine men of all ages is to overcome the attnospheric influences sufficiently to float the stock. Besnier wanted also to be able to rise by his own rtnaided efforts, like a self made and sockless statesman. He wanted to be able to light out when "shooed," but whether he "shooed" or "shooed not," he died unsatisfied. Poor man! he did not know whether he shooed or shooed not skip through the aeronaut. "Oh, no, no," the girl pleaded, "I would do any thing in the world for you, but—" - Love is better than life or breath! The drifts arc over tho horse's knee; Softly they sink to the soft, cold death. And the snow shroud folds them silently. "But, what, child?" officer in command of the tary depot at Camp Chase, near .minus, who was so offensively per- Not sot! Aunt Mattic had shrcv.-clly guessed what was about to follow, and already stood with a bottle of lotion at her young lady's elbow.' A Few Famous Flying Machines of the "But I think," she added, in low, though decided tones, "if I were Frank, I should go to the front like the rest of the young men." the mob was upon him, man drag his boCly to the shelter of the doorway of a handsome m-ictence. jn the turmoil the incident was unnoticed by his comrades; who marched away beyond hope of re.scue. The mob was on him h; the Ktfcnjrth of desperation he clubbed the foremost, not in his inexperience darin ■to trust to the bayonet; but do all he could it seemed hopeless, for a's one of Die crowd fell another was upon him. Then his musket was wrenched from his hands and lie was dofensele: —but only for an instant, for his eye fell on his officer's sword, and he s from hisso&bbardaiid t ;ed to Fast Viewed from the Standpoint of She was obliged to be more out: pokea. the Present—The Fall of Man After Houses and lands are gone for aye. Kith and kin like the wild wind flee; Lil i and breath have fluttered away, but love hath blossomed eternally. . — Hose Terry, "Can't we borrow from that little fund you have been hoarding away all these weeks?" she asked, plumply. sonal and rude in his .remarks to him, that he v. as disgusted with soldiering before he had even donned his uniform. Thirty days of severe drill and disine did not tend to improve .James •son's appreciation of a military ■er. nor did frequent confinement in and extra fatigue duty a ro.'.ier hue to his surroundings, that he had not his own circle of . aud .sympathizers, jolly like himself, who scorncd I fretted under the ignotrains of military discipline. ml; Uesant's path entirely "Docs it hurt you much?" the girl Adum "And this from you!" The widow's words were very bitter. "Then, when my bright boy, who never in all his life till now has given me one pang of anxiety, is lying torn with bullets on some battle-field, may the thought that it was you and that crazy old mairwho drove him to his fate, fill your soul with half the anguish I feel now. There, I have done. Cry your eyes out girl—when it is too late." asked in a tone of exquisite sympathy as she poured the creamlike liquid over the inflamed muscles. [Copyright by Edgar W. Nye.] any idea of. Ilis household was small, consisting simply of his sister Kuth and granddaughter Grace — the former a lady of uncertain years and temper, whose periodical lit-, of irritability were compensated for by splendid qualifications as a housekeeper and a strong affection for her brother, whom the neighbors said she ruled with a rod of iron — the latter a sweet girl of eighteen, whose radiant smile and winning ways made sunshine in the old man's house. She was tho acknowledged village beauty — a trifle short in stature, perhaps, but with a form exquisitely molded, expressive eyes, which spoke with every glance, a healthy complexion that let the blush quickly suffuse the cheek, yet which bad notlmig .of the' pink-andwliite hectic loveluiess so dear to lady novelists, a small, soft hand, a low, musical voice and an utter unconsciousness of her own undeniable prettiness— in fact, a sweet, strong, pure-minded girl, just blossoming into a promising womanhood. Grace was the old man's grandchild, the orphan daughter of his only son, who hud died with his young wife ten years ago. Grace colored scarlet. The Pennington Air Ship company, of Chicago, will please accept thanks for annual pass over its lines, good for self and family, for one year. I had wanted one very severely, but I had feared that the company might not feel that I was eminent enough to bo placed on the "If I was only sure he was really going to enlist"--she said, with hesitation.cipli Law Caldwell of Springfield, N. ,1. (1780)- ' Here's the spot. Look around you. Above on the height Lay tho Hessians encamped. Ry that church on the right ( Stood the gaunt Jersey farmers. And here ran a wall— J You nay dig anywhere and you'll turn up a cf ! all. Notl.i g more. Grasses spring, waters ran Powers blow '/Yetty much as they did ninety-three yeart ago. Nothing more, did I say? Stay one moment; you've heard Of Caldwell, the parson, who once preached the Word Down at Springfield? What! no? Come—that's liad; why, he had It seemed like Heaven to him—the delicious coolness of that magical application—the tender touch of that wellshaped hand on his burning flesh. Then she bound his wounded arm carefully with lint bandages, and, taking a silk scarf from her own neck, hastily fashioned it into a sling. This is what I call a reciprocity joke. It is for use in our trade with England. Poetry written by Lord Tennyson taken in exchange. Better jokes offered, however, in trade for Tennyson's earlier work, done when he was poet. J » Lawson saw that the battle was half won. "Wish I may die if I'm not, Grace," he interrupted, - greedily "You ask Frank Besant if it ain't all gospel truth." bo_om trie good fcllov hard work eleemosynary list, The conditions on tha back are not severe, and I have already signed them. The}- bind mo not to stand on the platform while the car is in motion unless properly chalked or rosined. They also In the manufacture of flying machines we are apt to forget that the pectoral muscles of a bird are greater than all the other combined muscnlar tissue of the fowl put together, while in man the pectoral muscles comprise only one-seventieth of those in the body. So man iliust rely upon extraneous methods of propulsion, and artificial flying becomes extremely difficult. She opened the door hurriedly and fled into the darkness of the night. "Well," she-said, reluctantly, "1 suppose you must have it," and as she opened a desk and handed him a silk purse, she continued. "There are only thirty-two dollars, but it is all I have." liod it "There," she said, merrily, "that will do for the present—almost as well as grandma could have fixed it. Now let us go to pleasantcr quarters." D.or was i upon hii f. s. Ljiit at moir CHAPTER II. THE WIDOW'S MITE. strewn wi ,!) Bowers. The contrast bevvc'-n tlic quiet ho'tnc at Meltonburg he rough and tumble barrack life x severe strain upon him, but his which was f to ur:' iiimv a praised bifid When the widow so abruptly left Mr. Brentwood's house, he gently closed the door alter her, and with a sigh retired to his chamber, leaving the ladies free to discuss the affair, an opportunity i which Miss Ruth availed herself of with sincere satisfaction. She had been awed for a time by her brother's refractory behavior, but the moment his back was turned launched into a chapter of lamentations on the ingratitude of men and the wicked folly of women, not forgetting, however, to congratulate Grace on the firmness she had exhibited in refusing to encourage Mrs. Besant's apprehensions for her son's safety peon of ;i bi'awny r n, (he Paltry As soon ;is they reached the parlor, Frank managed to express somewhat lamely his thanks for the services she had rendered him; but she was in a merry mood now, and would not let him linger on the thome of his obligations. Presently, but as it seemed to Prank quite naturally, considering the interest the girl had manifested in him, the current of conversation turned on the military movements. She gave it to liirn as ungraciously as it was possible for her to do any thing, but he was not easily offended and took it from her with many expressions of thankfulness. and t blade snapped Aye, I kno keen 2 of duty and innate courage arried liim tliroayh the worst of it. He corac frcra a difi«*icnt home than of bis corapnnioQs; for the Widow t was well-to-do in the world, U been left twenty thousand dol- days, dressed in •iil-rskias, oney by trash to nowa- wliose fathers in r u '4v\ \k \ / X All thu Jerseys aflame! And tney gave him the name * Of the "rebel high priest." He stuck in their KOnre, had soiling ja: t aeh la In the midillo of the present century a bill was intK rjuced rata the hou*e ol commons by 5lr. Roebuck to incorporate a company for the pnrpose of working a gigantic flying machine, also the stockholders.She stayed his prote; stations with an imperious wave cf her hand. an lie' halartheir country's defendorr-, and who have not even a blush for the blood that stains their finery. For he lorod the Lord God and he hated King George. He had cause, yon might say! When the Hesf ians that day Mart hod up with tinyphaosen they stopped on their way At the "Farms," where his who, with a child in lit-r arms. Sat alone in the house. kmi# "I suppose," bho said, "it is just possible that you may be sufficiently grateful to desire to do something in return for tliis?" il the homestead by her husband, a physician in large practice, and, being nan of broad accomplishments and •-.ad brought htfr here of refinement s had never enjoyed, ■c fvi-aroted him for a Fighting to the last, Frank braced himself against the door and diil hif best. There was not a liopv for him, foi the mob was wild with rage athis.de- oxrmfeit taste, she After asking many questions, which Frank was unable to answer, she casually remarked, as though it was a matter of no imnortancc: Cp/ K \ "It comprised a horizontal plane of wire and hollow wooden bars, arrange on jtlio principle of a trussed girder and covcred with silk." I presume the motto of the company was the same as that'on the silver dollar—"In God We Trussed.'* "Try me, Or boy upin an teriuined resistance How it happened none "I will If itc anl; lie idcr t! our I " r ties in jour power nt, re ljis present ccmi".C Then, as a crashing blow frC :n a* axc-hiinfUe fell on his uplifted ;inn t lie door suddenly opened and he. tumbled headlong1 into the hali-way Luckily to s to Fr ■rneml: iai I D a Cic "1 suppose you are on your way to help Lyon redeem -General Sigel's defeat at Carthage?" But C3 and that one of the UireTios crew Who fired thC* etiot- Euougiil there she lay, AnJ Caldwell, the chaplain, her hiL-bauJ aw-ay! Dil be prCiiuh? did he pray? Tuixik. of him tm you staud The Sabbath-day 's work was over, and the minister was on the point of retiring to his well-earned rest, when a shirp ring at the front-door bell announced a late visitor. should Cx if you did you will sOmelim tell me how he 'us j in your de bt." money c. 11 sr And. if trmo .1 congenial companionship. 1 even lead to .1 dvklC*i unpopularity: j that when thu company clcctcd of- Grace hoard little of the diatribe, for her thoughts were with the widow and her son. Yos, she confessed to herself, she did really and truly love this younj man, who was causinj so much trouble to the mall, and though he had never de- ■t for him. ite me a lett paring. 1 shall be C. bis name was tte*er even offered for id: trxxat—Quit inornr-nt the mob be hind, iiupMled by the false alarm of soldiers /ridvaiving- in the rear, hurled his assail- "Really, I do not know. The com- This plane was furnished with a propeller driven by a steam engine. A tail cap i jle of b in; brought to any desired angle—according to whether the ownei felt elated or depressed, I presume—was arranged "so that when the power acts to propel the machine by inclining the tail upward the resistance offered by the air will cause the machine to rise, and when the tail is reversed the machine is propelled downward and passes through a plane more or less inclined to the horizon, as the inclination of the tail is greater or less."' Cjr the old church today; think of him and that bCuid Of militant plowboys! See the smoke and the heat Of t..at reckless advance—of that strangling retreat! Keep the ghost of that wife* foully slain, ii. your view, And what could you—what should you, what would yiu do? Why, just what he did! They were left in the lurch For the want of more wadding. lie ran to the church. Broke the door, stripped the pews and dashed out in the road With his arms full of hymn books, and threti down his load At their feet! Then above all the shouting and shots Ran:; his voice—"Hut Watts into 'em—boys, give 'em Watts!" idcr.itior manders of the expedition have not discovered sufficient merit iu me to let me share their confidence. A private soldier, j-oung lady, is the mere cog of a wheel, in the machinery of war, and knows about as much of the whys and wherefores of things as that senseless piece of mechanism does of the reason of its rotation." h "Bless my life," said the old par;on, '•who can bo coming here at this t.mo of night? Shouldn't wonder if Deacon Spencer's taken worse, and I'll have to drive out to his place, and the mare's cast a shoe, and—" "So help me Heaven," replied the yonngman, solemnly, "I will do all you ask of tnc—and more, too. if the chance occurs," ami he said it so heartily that Grace forrjot her prejudices sudeiently to shake hands with him; for. having secured all he wanted, he was already preparing|to m;;Ue a hasty re ■ver mind, old chap; Lliey don't how to appreciate merit, but we'll ants forward, and he had time to recover himself antidrug his wounded Captain Inside the house. The heavy door was show t .vc fret to the front/ clared any peculiar affection for her, she felt assured that she was dearer to him than the other young girls in the neighborhood And it was hard—oh, so hard —to lose him; but would she have had him stay at Meltonburg with the women and the old men, when his country was in danger? No, a thousand times no, even though she should never set eyes on him again. vho," Luwron said, familiarly 7 l.ixn on t!ic shoulder, a pieco oh the poor lad (lid not was safe slammed and bolted, and fur the time lie of sympathy wl wvy heartily enjo; Well wight he stare around him with wondepfng eyes, Before him stood a young girl, pale as a sheet with excitement, but beautiful beyond his dreams of woipan's loveliness. He had never seen that peculiar type of feminine perfection found ojily among the Southern laciies, which combines the flashing beauty of the daughter of Italy with the healthy vigor of the Saxon maiden. Somehow or other he had got it into his head that all the young women south of Mason and Dixon's line wero sallow specimens of humanity with lackadaisical manners and feeble constitutions; so this glorious young creature was a revelation to him. But by this time Grace had opened the door and admitte'd a lady. treat. I hen 1 at into trouble' with the "Goodness gracious, Mary Besant!" Miss Ruth ejaculated, holding up her mittened hands in an ecstacy of surprise. "What in the name of wonder has brought you out of doors in the dead of night?" Notone moment too ion. for,contrary to all precedent, the minister came out of his room and peremptorily ordered his women folk to bed in a tono that brooked no remonstrance. Clriil tertft it Cn;;lir.]imur;t who had n t'.iL' regular army •rnits the Doblc art i,» i pent his early vi- iion to "his pasloved, now that he it'.to authority, to bettor bred than lion the object of linately refused Clclaila of military Tigering that they y at the canteen and • t wa'i naturally •'Yes, I know all that, but even a man in the ranks need not be quite a fool." , There was such a flash of insolence in her manner that Frank started in pained surprise. [i dr PIERCING THE AIR. toteaebtho new rc oblige me to refrain from bringing suit against the company in case of accident. Of course I would not be so pesky low down ns to sue a corporation which would give me a free ride. That would be C"is mean as that Polish gentleman whose wife gave birth to a little Pole— sort of a hop pole, as it were—on the 21st of February. The little Pole was born on the ferryboat Middletown, on the Staten Island ferry, just off the Statue of Liberty, and I suggested that they call lam Liberty Pole. But that has nothing to do with the case. The birth of the little fellow on board a ferryboat, followed by a reception presided over by Dr. Robinson, who happened to be present, created general good feeling among the passengers, after which quite a purse of money was raised for the mother and child. Staten Islanders are not only generally well to do, but generous, and so it was a snug little sum which was turned over to the poor woman, who, being somewhat fatigued, turned it over to her husband. The inclination of the tail, however,was intensely downward—an inclination in which the stockholders shared. The machine was designed for carrying freight, passengers and mail, but so far most all shippers are sending merchandise and mail by other routes. The whole apparatus weighed 3,000 pounds, and therefore made quite a large dent in one of the planets on her trial trip. Her reveries and the elder lady's monologue were suddenly broken by three stealthy taps on the window-pane. Both startednn surprise. "The idea of tlic thing!" sniffed MLss luth, but ncvcrt-iclobb preparing to days in huis' .i tors and nic:. was clothed \ "I am really very sorry to seem so stupid," he said, coloring crimson, "but I think you are a little hard on me." It was barely ten o'clock by the Connecticut txrae-picco which ticked over the mantel-piece, but it was "the dead of night" to the village of Meltonburg, whose silent streets at this hour showed never a light, save when -in some cottage window, where sickness was, a lone lamp gleamed like a solitary star. I f(. xst tit /?D f&ml' i=i-M v  I j ., / j D■ T""i: : 1 .4 ito I te -'•V CF,v4'D.Ui$ % «i tyrannize over C "So do I," she said, with a light laugh, for her moods were as changeable as an April sky, "and very rude and unladylike also. Pray, forgive me." And they did. That is all. Grasses spring, flowers blow Pretty mneh as they did ninety-three years ago. You may dig anywhere and you'll turn np a ball— The taps were repeated. elf, espoeiallj .nlni.nl«: "Hush, Grace," Ruth Brentwood said in an excited whisper, "there is nothing to be alarmed about. It is only James Lawson—I saw him hanging round the church door to-night, when we came home from meeting'." io-.i obs-. k IB ~ r.i r But not always u hero like this—and that's nil. , — Ifavt Uarte. vv fair wli "Nay," he declared, heartily; "I have so much to thank you for that forgiveness is out of the question. Now, to turn to a pleabanter subject, may I ask the name of the fair Samaritan who has done so much to-day for sweet charity's sake?" that a The tail had an area of 1,500 square feet, and when jauntily thrown over the dashboard had a tendency to obstruct the view. The visitor was a handsome woman of forty years, who carried her age so well that she might have passed for a decade younger, notwithstanding her tearstained cheeks. Tbas it fell out Cmo day when Serant llrigga v.-as niiora- than ordinarily iusire, that Frank's"pattottw? nearly She blushed under his ardent gaze, and said, demurely: THE [DUE "Oh, dear," Grace muttered, in distress, "if my grandfather should hear him. What shall we do?" "I was watching your unequal struggle through the window-blinds, and at last summoned up courage enough to unbar the door and give you shelter." "Thank goodness, child, your grandfather is safe in his room for the night," was the confident reply. "Open the door softly, and let the poor boy in." •rave w This machine also was unable to rise from its jimson we.eds and soar away into the empyrean blue like a sandhill crane, but had to be scooted along a J She ignored caressing greeting and Miss Iluth's inquiry, and turned the battery of remonstrapt eyes on the minister, who stood uncomfortably expectant.vnec nCl ii'vls together and head .1 Ion rf-lejjjfed comiter-skipper!" "Meaning1 me?' Of course you may. Perhaps you would like ray whole autobiography? It would not fill an encyclopcedia, so you need not look alarmed." Then who continued, with a pretty serio-comic earnestness that fascinated her listener: "My name is Mary Lascelles. I was born of rich but respectable parents on a plantation in the southern part of Kentucky, where I have spent the greater portion of my brief but brilliant life. Our family, which is rather old, migrated into the Blue-Grass State from Virginia—a little previously, I believe, with William the Conqueror from Normandy into England—some time previously, again, with Noah to Mount Ararat. Beyond that I am told that the family records are a trifle obscure, but we have every reason to suppose that the roots of our genealogical tree run right down to Adam and Eve, the original founders of our race." OF THE FOU.'TR. up. jrc the ser. yeli'id, giving the young "But come," she added impatiently, "this is no time for explanations. Raise your friend's head while I summon assistance, for we are only wome;) ITis eyes alone thanked her. The "poor boy," who came into the room slinking at the girls' heels, had not an appearance likely to prepossess a stranger. He was a young man of apparently two-and-twenty years of age, with light, hay-whispy hair and a sallow, unwholesome complexion. II is clothes were old and shabby, his manner dejected, and there was a cringing humility in his bearing which was painful to witness. •oldiOT n thrust in the side that nearly too!: tiia brcathp a way emote ak lek Mil Then, with a world of reproach in her accents, she said: FrDin!t hit his liuS antJ did his best to Hci p liis temper. C5 • A Story of the Late Wai. "You have done your work well, sir— my Frank, my boy, is going to enlist, lie has told me the bitter truth to-night. .1 have gone down on my knees before him and praj-ed him not to leave me; but he is obdurate." "Don't Joolr me lilce that, sir!" the petty tyrant' roared, "or I'll trot yon out to the guard-house. Now, stand; attention! if j ou've. brains e tough in yonr thick head to know what I mean." Frank's'blood was boiling, bat he did his best to be olDedient . zrZ: j|y / ' i BY BERNARD BIGSBY, ▲vthor of " Lortl at Lut,* " Hy Ltdr Tutu "I TOOfGUT I MIGHT VEXTCT1E IS." He took the money and went to Europe with it on the following day. Some men never recover from the nervous shock of becoming a father; others are greatly improved by sending them to Europe. This poor man seemed to realize that nothing but complete change and rest would bring back the roses to his wan cheek. Uo." "Zllen'a Great Secret," "yell Amosi Tlal«Te»." Bto. The minister was speechless. Even the consciousness of having simply done his duty was outbalanced by the infinite pity he felt for the unhappy mother; but Ruth was actuated by no such delicate sentiments, and, with a sniff of defiance, boldly advanced to her brother's rescue. obey the summons. "As if we were a couple of nr.uglity school children. I do believe Josiali is takisg leave of his "I peeped through the window—" he ■aid, glancing furtively into the face of either lady as though doubtful of the reception he was likely to meet with, "and saw the old gent go upstairs; so I thought I might venture to come in." "Fall out of the ranks!" was the next command, given in a voice hoarse tvith Copyright, 1891, by A. N. Kellogg Newspaper Co. senses. (0OVT!CrFT») CHAPTERL on Sunday. Then presently the lights were extinguished in the parson's home and apparent rest Fettled over the household. passion. Neither the sergeant nor the culprit hud noticed the approach of a tall, soldierly, middle- man who was now standing close beside them, gazing with, interest on the scene. But did Mrs. lJcsant, in her fine briclf house beyond the walnut grove, sleep that nigat? Not you in;iy Le sure. Hut wakeful as the mitlcight hours were to her, she fell into a feverish dumber towards morning, only arousing to find the ran i-treaming iytp He is over there yet. Some men, I was going to say, are more honored in the breach than in the observance, but that is incorrect. This man ought to be stripped and tied to the north pole. Then he ought to be covered with obloquy and annoyed to death by a never ending procession of people squeezing by him to go and get a jag, while through eternity he is cursed by the evasive odor of their cloven breaths as the}' file by on their return, while himself perishing for a drink. ' was the Lord's Day—the day of all others when peace and good will should hare reigned; but the Nation was in the throes of civil war, and the tide of men's i v i 1 passions rwept over the ind—even over the quiet valley of the Mnskinpaxa, with ita sleepy agricultural villages and pleasant homesteads. Even the hamlet of Meltonburg—the last place in the world where you would have looked for excitement—was on Though Grace glanced at him coldly and refused the hand he stretched towards her, Miss Ruth beamed upon him her sweetest smile, for this elderly lady loved the shabby ne'er-do-well with the blind affection of a woman—» perhaps because she had brought him up from childhood and showered so many favors on him. "Hoity-toity!'' she said. "Here's a pretty to-do about nothing, Mary Besant. I'd be ashamed of myself, if I were you, making such a fuss over the lad. Is he made of different clay from other young men, that he should be tied to his mother's apron-string, when his country needs his services? Do you think that Stephen Williams and Johnnie Black, and a score of others in the place who have gone to tho front, hadn't mothers to weep for them—just as fond of them as you are of your Frank—aye, and proud to think they have strong sons willing to defend them. Not go to the front, indeed? Briggs colored crimson and saluted with an air of great deference. "Dismiss the squad and report at once in my office," was the stern order, which the discomfited sergeant forthwith proceeded to do, not, however, before he had hissed in the young soldier's ear a promise of bitter retribution if he got into trouble through him. "Then you have not always lived in St. Louis?" Frank asked, inuch entertained by her badinage. her easement "Not I, indeed. We are simply on a visit here—grandma and I—taking care of my brother's house in his absence on business." With hurrying footsteps she sought her bey's chamber, l.oping against hQ£C that in the lone hours of the night he had changed his tnind and was not after all going to leave licr. James Lawson's brief career had been meteoric and full of trouble. Left as a baby one night on the door-step of a farmer's house, he had been saved from the tender mercies of the poor-house by the compassionate interposition of the minister, who had given the waif and stray a home in his household and, while never legally adopting him, had brought him up under his care, with as much consideration for his welfare as though he had been a blood relation; which kindness he had returned by developing in early manhood such a reckless instinct for vice that Mr. Brentwood had been driven to turn him adrift and refuse to have any thing to do with him. But James Lawson had cunningly managed to keep on the blind side of Miss liuth, and that good lady had never ceased to befriend him, surreptitiously supplying him with means out of her very limited resources. AT THE GRAVE OF BESNIER. ▲ CRASHING BLOW FROM AN AX-HANDLE railroad track at great speed, down hill, till the proper velocity was attained, and then by depressing the tail it was supposed to rise like an eagTe and bark the shins of planets yet unborn. Nest day another non-commissioned officer took clial-go of the recruits and Frank did not see his persecutor any more during his brief stay in Camp Chase, tli'Uigh several of "the boys" told him that IJriggs was "0:1 to him," and sooner or later would find a chance to get even with him. FELL ON HIS ABM She did not explain to him that the One peep into the bright little bedroom and the fearful truth burst upon her. in the house as the domestics have fled in terror to their quarters." business which callcd her brother away from home was the command of a regiment of irregular Confederate cavalry, at that moment doktg dashing service with Price in Missouri. But I am wandering. I am very grateful for the pass, and if I do not avail myself of it I know of a man who used to ask me to loan him my railroad pass. I will let him go, perhaps, in my place over the road the first time, and then when it is better ballasted I will go myself. Iler boy was gene There was the chamber che had taken such pleasurable trouble over—every little nick-nack in its place, except a cabinet portrait of herself, which was taken frum its frame—the snowy counterpane unrumpled, and on the bureau a letter simply addressed "To Mother." Ah, how her heart beat as she tore the envelope ojDen and read the contents. Could woman want more loving words or dearer comfort than those nrecious lines contained. Even her hopeless spirit rose as sher read and re-read the sweet message—nay, she even shared his anticipation «f a happy, though perhaps distant reunion. The pang of parting was over, and from that hour she was another woman. Why, even a smile played upon her lips as she peruned the oft-repeated injunctions to be kind to Grace Brentwood in his absenc—as if she could be any thing but kind to the sweet girl. Presently, however, she returned, accompanied by a sweet old lady with 6ilver hair, and a bevy of colored women, whoso neat white caps and aprons showed a gleaming contrast to their ebon skins. Even as she spoke she left him. It did not do so. You can get the stock low, or suburban property will be taken in exchange. My annual pass has expired. So has the inventor. When he took liis flying machine out of the round house he was the picture of health. When he was next seen it was eight years later, and a lad 11 years old went up and got him out of the top of a tree. "And, may I ask," the young soldier queried, blushing and stammering like a schoolboy, "how, with such surroundings, you have retained your loyalty to the Union? I thought that—" CHAPTER m. ON TDK I LOAD TO OLOItY. this holy day in unusual commotion; and the scene of this mental disturbance was, of all other places, the village church, a building whoso walls had never, since the early settlers had first hewed its rafters from the virgin foresttrees, resounded to any thing more stirring than a condemnation of rural sinners or an invocation to a godlier life. The pulse of the place was throbbing at fever speed, and the reason was that Rev. Josiah Brentwood, the aged pastor, was preaching a war-sermon. It was not that the people were lost in astonishment at the peaceful old man's discoursing on such a subject, -which (could hardly have seemed more odd to them than if one of their own sheep had-suddenly turned to rend them, but that the burning eloquence of one they had loved, but had never suspected of the power of oratory, should stir them to such enthusiasm was indeed a matter of wonder. At once the elderly lady took command of affairs. I have several other passes over competing fines—air lines, as it were—issued years ago and decorated on the back with low cut conditions. The Besnier flying machine, for instance, invented by a gentleman of the above name residing in Sable, France, issued passes some years ago, and I have carried mine now until it hd.i a careworn look which casts a gloom over aerostation and such things as that. The.order to march had come. Uncle Sam in those days did not waste much time in turning his citizens into soldiers-^-perhaps not as many days as the German or English Governments would have demanded months—but when Frank's regiment, together with the Twenty-seventh and Thirty-ninth Ohio Infantry, turned out of barracks they presented a very imposing martial array—at least so thought the country people, through whose villages they passed, and who were at that time in mortal dread of a raid by the enemy from Kentucky. So they cheered the bold boys as went along and showered blessings on theiij heads, not forgetting, too, the more Substantial comforts of hot coffee and: cold lemonade brought in buckets by grnteful women. With banners dying and drums beating his must have bpen a cold nature indc* d whose enthusiasm was not kindled by this Uuttering panoply of war. "Nay, don't let me sail under false colors," she interrupted. "I am heart and soul a worshiper of the bonnie blue flag, and would give every drop of "Here, you, Aunt Chloe and Lucinda, help this gentleman to carry his wounded friend to the guest chamber"—for already Charles Fuller was showing feeble signs of animation—"And you, Dorothea, fetch ma some brandy, a sponge and a basin of warm water." - He had changed a great deal. He had lost most of his hair. Also his head. But his teeth were found buried in the trunk of the tree, and they had the name of the maker in the roof of the plate. So he was identified. Even at that eventful moment young Besant may be forgiven if he felt pleased that notwithstanding his private uniform the courtly old lady had alluded to him as a gentleman, for he knew that the Southerners never applied the term to others than those they considered their equals in culture and In this country flying machines have had a downward tendency until recently. I am glad to notice that Chicago is taking an interest, and I shall certainly do everything I can to advance and encourage the enterprise. "I've come to wish you good-bye," the young man said, lugubriously, giving his hat, which he carried in his hand, an extra nervous twirl. The first thing to be accomplished in successful aerost Uion is to overcome the force of gravity and the resistance of capitalists. The n.-xt is to overcome the force of gravity or provide easy and convenient places upon which to alight. C#1 "And, why good-bye, James?" Mis9 Rutli inquired. "Are you going to leave Meltonburg?" I wish I had room to go on with the history of flying machines and aeronautics in this country, but it would take too long to even publish the obituaries of the inventors. All have been confident, but all have failed. That is no reason, however, why the matter should not yet succeed in the future. Far be it from me to speak slightingly of the glorious possibilities in store for us. It is only a few years since a passel of bright young humorists sat on the banks of the Hudson and laughed till they ached as they watched the awkward floating thrashing machine of Robert Fulton. It was not remarkable, then, when an hour or two later that young lady tripped from the parson's honse down the shady lane to make her peace with the widow, that she found herself received witlf open arms, even before she position. The third requirement is that the aeronaut shall be able to guide his rolling stock in such a way as to avoid running into a brighter and more beautiful world. "what in the xavk of woxdebP* "Yes," he replied. "I am going to "Now," said the hostess, graciously, when the sick man had been laid upon the bed. "You two"—meaning the young lady and Frank—"had better go down-stairs and wait results. If my simple appliances fail to effect a cure, a physician must be fetched at all hazards, though the disturbed state of the streets compels us to look at that as a last alternative. The women are too frightened to venture out, and your uniform would attact undesirable attention."Pshaw, if it wasn't for the absurd prejudice of the age, I'd shoulder a musket myself. You have done your living best to spoil that boy of yours, and I tell you to your face that I am glad you've failed. If Frank is going a~soldiering he is doing just what he ought to do, and you should go down on your bended knees—not to him, but to God, to thank Kim for having given you a son with such spirit. Tears, indeed! If he was my lad, this would be the proudest moment of my life." enlist." "Ah!" There was keen satisfaction in the lady's-ejaeulation, while she glanced at Grace! with a look, which said as plain as words: "Wflktdoyou think of that now?" ' M. Besnier, who was a locksmith of Sable (pronounced Sablay), invented a flying machine which consisted of four rectangular wings arranged in pairs at opposite ends of two rods passing over the shoulders, the rear extremities of the rods being connected by cords to the ankles of the remains—the wearer, I mean—in order to enable his legs to pay their way by op-rating a rear set of The congregation of petty merchants and farmers, with their wives and daughters, sat in their pews spellbound, while with graphic simplicity he told them the story of the civil war, now in the fury of it3 first passionate outburst. Ilia fervid description, his unsurpassed spirit of patriotism thrilled them with an emotion they had never felt before. And when he told them that cruel as war was, there was a time when the most God-fearing Christian must gird his loins for the fight and "leave the tender ties of home and kindred to serve his fatherland, -the sacred character of the spot was for the moment forgotten and a little storm of applause greeted his glowing words." f . V:,V| ](f! \ h=± W-M £ ' I MW'M p _ Bii "Well," she said, exultingly, "that is owl news, indeed." Their objective point was the Ohio river, which they reached in due time, when they were transported by boats down the muddy but majestic stream Mr. Lawson did not seem to appreciate the manner in which his anuounccment was received. lie expected feminine sympathy not congratulations. to St. Louis. "quick!" she cbied. Here their first real trouble bofell thera. The boys got news of the gathering storm, even before they made the city, when on stopping to "wood-up" at a lone landing, a grinning countryman yelled jeeringly at t!:em. Thus it happened that Frank found himself once more tete-a-Ute with the charming Southern girl, who, as soon as they reached the luxurious parlor, set herself about inquiring after his personal injuries, which, in the hurry of attending to the more serious state of his friend, had been ignored. lie was shocked, as he passed, a mirror, to see the unpresentable condition he was in —clothes torn, face swollen and bleeding and hands literally black with dirt. "Yes, Indeed, James," Mis* Brentwood gushed, "you have now & chancc to cover yourself with glory and show the folks what a fine young fellow you are, after all their mean ta .k about you." my blood to see your whole host of Northern robbers and cut-throats swept into the sea." wings, But •where are ' they today? They are dead, and no man seeks to dig out the mass and read their tinremembered names. They laughed and then they died. Fulton ca tsidered and lived on. Ho laughs best who laughs last. If you desire to malre a hit. laugh at some of your own odd tire&Ks. Uut if you want "oblivion to have a cinch npon your fame, laugh at the shiny elbows and ragged knees of genius and progress. D This was a day of surprises to the minister's friends. In the morning h& hid astonshed those who had known him for years by his display of oratory; tonight he literally paralyzed Miss Ruth, whose tongue heretofore had been accustomed to wag in perfect unrestraint, by a sudden as.i.raption of authority. Besnier was not able to rise from the ground and soar away like a lark, but could climb to the top of a house, and after putting on his wings could float off in such a way as not to hurt himself so severely as you might think that ho would. M. Besnier once flew across a river where friends with hot spiced rum and nice dry, warm clothes were waiting for him. But he never could get over his sorrow and disappointment that he could not rise from the stubble when flushed by a dog or shooed by one of his family. He died at the close of the "Then why in the name of Ileaven did yofi sqecor us?" Frank asked, dazed at her revelation. IT 1= "liullo, Y;n!':-D, you 'una 'ull get it almighty hot dou n at the city. The Seceshes is sv.viruiin' over .the hull place, an' they're a-goin' to give yer a reg'tar hooroar on landin'. I allow ycr'd better turn roun' an' go home, while yer shins be tol'ble whole." "It isn't glory I'm after," the fine young fellow frankly acknowledged. "It's the bounty and the chance of getting a living, let alone being away from the eternal tagging of the folks around here, who aecm set on driving a fellow into trouble." »• ! "A mere woman's whim," she replied, jauntily. "I saw you struggling against fearful odds, and could not resist the impulse to come to your rescue. I shall be sorry for it presently, of course, but meanwhile let us forget that we are enemies." '8=1 For an instant the preacher's eyes rested on the figure of a young man; and he was pained to see the youth's handsome face flush scarlet and his eyes droop before his glance in an agony of shame. "Silence, Ruth," he commanded. "Mrs. liesant came here—where she had a right to come—for consolation in the hour of need, and I will not have her annoyed by your senseless gabble." A bullet from an officer's pistol—fired to frighten, not to kill—cut the joker's facetiousness short and caused him to retire with more cxpeditiousness than dignity, but the result of his pleasantry was observable in the serious faces of many—especially of those who had been most expressive of their desire to meet the enemy. The trouble was—whether by design, or because some one had blundered—there was no ammunition. The brilliant pageant after all was but like a painted picture of war's alarms. The girl smiled as she read his thoughts. "It is a soldier's KD«l' she said, "and yours are honorablc *scars; do not be discomfited." « "Anil your grandmother," Frank gasped, "is she too a—" Miss Ruth's face fell a little at this disclosure; but the fact remained that he was going to the war, and she solaced herself with this small crumb of comfort. Senseless cabbie! For thirty years Ruth IJrentwood had ruled her brother with uncontrolled austerity, and now he had turned upon her with a rudeness and vulgarity which so overpowered her that she sank upon a sofa in speechlcss indignation., "A rebel? Certainly. Now, sir, you had better go and show your Northern chivalry by telling your commanding officer what a hornet's nest you have fallen into." lf;trd JolD. Poor Frank Besantl He had taken every word of the sermon as a reproach to himself; for while all the lads of the neighborhood had shouldered a musket and gone to the front, he had remained at home—not from any fear of the dangers of the battlefield, but because the gentle woman, whose hand was now nervously clasping his, was his widowed mother, and he was her only child and the idol of her heart. 6 HE READ AND RE-READ TIIE BWEET "If I could only sccure a little soap and water," Frank said, with a lugubrious air. Seventeenth century, and on his tomb are carved, iy French, the lines: "Children."' said their mother, "yon must go out of doors if you want to play. You will disturb your father in the next room." MESSAGE, "And I thought that may be," her protege unblushingly continued, "you'd be willing under the circumstances to give me a helping hand to start with." could utter her tremulous plea for reconciliation, for the poor child's patriotism had been put to a fearfui strain during the hours of darkness, and with the dawn she had arrived at the conclusion that she could not give Frank to her country after all; though all the while she knew she was weak and selfish. So she was half-glad when she learned that the temptation of wooing him from his duty was taken away. Come, birdie, come. And fly Willi me. There was no affectation about her, no fine ladyism to ffeeze him into a sense of seeming troublesome. ClI would ratlie.r my tongue were cut out!" the young man declared, hotly. "No, Miss Lascelles, we are making war on men, not women, and there is no clause in our code of honor which demands the necessity of betraying those who have befriended us." He broke his leg while trying to fly with a hired girl weighing 183 pounds. In after years he wore a cork leg, and when his wife wished him to fold his wings and come off the perch she would lock up his cork leg in her bureau drawer and concpil the kev in the familv Bible. Being a Free Thinker, he never discovered the key, and for many years was at the mercy of his wife. "What is he doiu7" "He is deeply engaged in literarj work, my child, aud he needs Absolut* "And now, Mrs. Besant," the pastor began, soothingly, turning to the widow, "let me ask you—" "Money?" Grace asked, sharplv "Yes, money," was the surly response. "1 must have means to get to headquarters, and I've a few debts round here, which ought to be paid, 01 they'll say I ran away to get rid of them." "Come with me," she said, chcerfully, "and we will see what Aunt Mattie the cook can do for you. It is useless your waiting until a chamber can be prepared."quiet." When, however, they reached the docks, aud found the broad wooden quays deserted, the laugh went round, and the men "fell in" with many a simple jeer at each other's nervousness. "Writin' a bonk?" "More 'difficult than that, iivy dear,- answered the mother, in a hushfed tone. "He is trying to read a dialect story in one of the magazines."—Cb icago TrilD "Ask me nothing, sir," was the passionate reply. "Tell me, simply, will you try to undo the evil you have done? It is not too late oven now; you have great influence over my boy. and a word from you might turn him from his fearful purpose." " 'Code of honor' in a band of highway robbers—really, Mr.—all, pardon me, you did not favor ine with your name—thank you—Mr. IJesant—what— a—very—amusing—idea!" Every word of the discourse had fallen like a drop of molten lead in his ears, tingling them with a sense of undeserved shame; yet, if he could have read the thoughts of the few who really had him in their minds, he would havo been solaced to know that they were only moved with a great pity for the mother they were assured was so soon to be bereft; for none, who were intimate with him, doubted what the end would be. He followed her into the kitchen where Aunt Mattie, a stout, motherly colored woman, speedily made preparations for his ablutions, while his conductress tripped back to the reception room, promising to wait his arrival. "That they will, I am certain," Miss Ruth declared, with an air of conviction; "and, besides, Grace, the pool boy can not start with empty pockets." And, while these two tender women were mingling their tears and giving each other consolation, Frank Ilesant, in company with James Lawson and two young farmers from the neighborhood, was hieing away as fast as a local freight train would carry him to Columbus. It was not till thej' reached the streets th:.t the rtorm burst upon them. A cloud of dust it seemed to them at first. Then out of it crashed the roaring din of a frenzied mob shrieking vengeance. mi ft About a century and a quarter later Jacob Degen, a prisoner at Vienna, constructed* an apparatus having two ran brella-like wings on each side of the operator and worked by manual power. He was a convict, however, and the rather rigid rules governing prison life interfered with his experiments. The jailer would allow him to fly to a height of fifty feet, but had a cord attached to the machine so that Degen could not escape.And the Big Man Stood No Chance. "And that word, my dear friend," Mr. Brentwood said, sadly, "can never be spoken. If Frank were my own son, be could not be dearer to me, but—" The young beauty's insolence only called a smile on the face of the goodhumored soldier. Aunt Rachel—Yes, I like him well enough, Jerusha; but how did you ever happan to marry a man a head shorter than von are? Grace confessed that it would be very disagreeable to do so, but offered no suggestion out of the difficulty. But when, with Mattie's assistance, he strove to take off his coat, the wound in his arm pained hiin so intensely that ho could not bear to raise it, though in the excitement of the past quarter ol' ah hour he had been unconscious of his hurt. For a moment the ranks halted. Then, loud and clear ns a trumpet came the command: "Nay, Miss Lascelles," he said, soothingly, "let us keep our quarrels for the battle-field. You can not provoke mo to tight you, so your taunts are hardly generous." "It would only cost a matter of forty dollars, and I think, Grace, you would say you were cheaply rid of me at that price. Why, the old gent himself would jump at the chance if yau would only ask him." Niece—I had to choose, auntie, between a little man with a big salary and a big man with a little salary.—Chicago. Tribune. The widow heeded him not. Grace, notwithstanding her first repulse, had nestled to her side, and was standing with hands clasped on her arms, her big eyes moist with tears. To her Mrs. Bcsant turned almost fiercely. Three of the little party were miserable enough, for there had been hotuewrenchings, which had played havoc wi\jh the emotions of the honest lads. Fix bayonets! Charge!" She knew it, too. And, with a steady step, as though on parade, those gallant lads marched in a solid phaladfx sweeping the howling crowd before them. As she clasped her loved one's hand she turned on the pastor eyes full of bitter remonstrance, insomuch that the good man hesitated and stammered under her appealing glance, and only recovered himself with an effort for the continuation of his address. A pert reply rose to her lips, but ere the words could be uttered the clatter of a horse's hoofs rang on the paved streets, stopped opposite the house, and, as both the young people ran to the window, Frank saw a tall, robust man with long 'black hair dismount and fling the bridle to a negro boy. "Fo* de Lord, chile. Yo' arm's broke," cried the excited woman, as, notwithstanding Frank's remonstrances, she ran to the parlor to call the aid of her young mistress. Mast lie Done. Grace shook her head despondently but Mr. Lawson was in exuberant spirits, cs he had thirty dollars and a bottle of whisky in his pocket, find was cutting adrift from many unpleasant reminiscences. As for paying his d-bts—such a piece of extravagant folly had never entered into his head, Frank ltesant was in the rear rank "Look here, Mr. Scrib?, your paper says that my lecture is to bo a comic one, and it isn't so." "Why are you silent, girl? I thought you loved my boy. Have you no word to add to my prayers that may make that cold old man more human and less dutiful? Speak! Perhaps he may listen to you." "Forty dollars!" Miss Ruth ejaculated. "I have not Ave available dollars in the of the last company, and as the rioters rallied round by-streets and massed behind the soldiers, the hardest brunt of fighting was immediately around him. As yet no serious wounds had One day ho cut the rope and soared away into the ether bluo; but as he was putting his thumb to his nose in an attitude of derision at the warden his off wing buckled to, and a moment later ho "Then,nnv dear sir," returned the editor, "ycu mast make it comic. This journal never makes mistakes."—Har- Haroer's Bazar. world. What can the poor boy do, Grace? You sit there like a wooden i doll, and say nothing." Deftly and coolly as an experienced nurse, the girl set to work to relieve him, with a lmlf-amuscd smile at his ill- The sermon ended at last, and the excited congregation, after the manner of ITU ua co.MiALtu)