Evening Star Newspaper, December 5, 1896, Page 16

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, ‘DECEMBER 5, 1896-24 PAGES. Presse ervey a GAME OF SEE-SAW. length between them. Then he proceeded REMARKABLE. DOGS | stetutetrssteitems. 7203 te, proce The Performances of a Trio of Pure- Bred Pointers. THEY ARE GYMNASTS AND ATHLETES Owned and Trained by Mr. H. O. French of This City. es EXHIBITION OF THE EXPERTS © ANIMALS REA- son? The naturalist will answer no, and if you are dubious still, will enter into {| an intricate disserta- | _ tion to prove that the nfental mechanism which causes a « brute to do thi amb that “—— or the other thing is sor merely what Is known as _ instinct. The man cr woman who has ever owned an intelligent dog or horse, and who cher- ishes memories of the remarkable evidences of genuine smartness which they have given, is very apt, however, to retain a deep-seated conviction that animais are reasoning beings and that they arrive at many of their conclusions by a very well- developed process of considering cause and t. ft would be a difficult thing, indeed, for n the mo: reastic scoffer at the idea animal reasoning to#*remain very long a skeptic if he were entertained as a Star reporter was the other evening at an ex- hibition given by three dogs belonging to a Washington gentleman. For = the animais procested to in the arguments against al qualifications of their sp2cies b of tne most wonderful perform- were all pointe: and pure- too, being regular register- 1 Boek ae addi' in a marked ce- ch are entirely opposed makes the per- als under consilera- in om a » more remarkable The are owned by Mr. H. O. French, who resides at No. 126 V street north- west, and ali belong to one fami ‘onsist- ing of the mother and two The other, Black Bonni i her registered nut years old. tud Book is 28h ar and a haif o re ered umbers: and Dick Brewnie, very dark liver rwhie is a second edi- nd color. representative of The Star on a recent evening. A dog show was in pro- corner of V and ith streets, é throw away, and a great before a big but none of the tricks performed there could equal those in Mr. French's basement and stable. When the dogs were alled by Mr. French they came with a s of glad bounds that indicated antic! tion of enjoyment, and, entering the room, immediately perched themselves upon thtee stands that had been placed for the perpese. Mr. French suggested that lack Bonnie and Brother Dick might bring out the barrel, and the two dogs named went to a corner and rolled out a barrel, Bon- nie using her hind feet and Dick his fore feet for the purpose. Dick Brownie was then told to help them, and he jumped nimbly on top of the cask and proceeded to valance himself and roll the cask along, as ¢ frequently sees men do on globes in uses. The dogs seemed to appreciate the applause which greeted this perform- -e, and their tails wagged still more vio- when Mr. French brought out a set which were small reproductions m ladders. ymnasiam Ladders. He set them up and snapped his finger to his pets, who proceeded to go in single fn Climbing athletes. Then Brother Jack Brownie started from opposite sides, meet- ing on the horizontal ladder on the top, where Brother Jack crouched and Brownie climbed over, and both down without missing a round. The two ladders at an angle were then came drawn in and made perpendicular, being | set up at such a distance that Brother Jack, when outstretched at let length, so to speak, could just reach from one ladder to the other and get perches for his paws. Mr. French instructed him to “go up,” and the dog proceeded to do so. He placed his fore paws on the lower round of one ladder and his hind paws on the lower round of the other, and was stretched at his full canvas, | up one side, across the hor-zontal and | down the other, as sure-footed as human | and Dick | Diek | assistance, save the reassuring voice of his master, to climb in this way to the top-of the two ladders, each of which had twelve rounds. Then he came down in the same way. It was a most remarkable exhibition, not only of intelligence, but of strength and determination as well. This exhibition Im the Swing. scemed to please Black Bonnie so well that she stood up on her hind legs and waltzed around the room, and then, as if to show that she was as dexterous at one end as at the other, she stood up on her fore paws and walked around nimbly with her hind legs straight in the air. Through a Hoop of Fire. Mr. French at this point brought out an iron hoop attached to a handle four or five feet long and proceeded to pour into a groove on the inner edge of the huop a liquid from a small bottle. ‘Then some chairs were arranged in the center of the room and Brother Jack and Dick Brownie were placed upon two of them. Krown Bon- nie went back to a far corner of tne apart- ; ment. .Then Mr. French touched a lighted match to the hoop and it burst into flame. Bolling the Barrel. He held it high above thé two dogs on the chairs, and Brown Bonnie came bounding } along, took a flying leap from a small spring board and went through the fiery op like a cot. feat was reveated two or three times, and the chief performer id not seem to mind the passage through the ring of fire a particle. The dogs were put through 2 number of other »erfermances, such as bringing their own tails to their master and ome ground and lofty tumbling, including French invited his guests out to the stable in the iear of the hovse, where he told them he was going to give them a tight- repe performance. Reaching the structure, which was as i neat as a pin, the visitors found a rope stretched about ten feet from the ground and securely attached to two upright iron posts. A ladder extended from ‘he grourd up to each end of the rope, and xn exem- | ination of the latter showed that it Ss composed of two three-quarter-inch_rop: joined together, giving a surface of barely an inch and a ha’f of twisted l:emp. ‘the reporter, who had «xe™mined the so-called Ring of Fire. tight re s in deg shows, which are almost | Invariably made of two ropes with a three or four-inch piece of flat wood between them, was extremely dubious about any dog being able to walk such a rope as Mr. French had stretched, but this doubt was quickly dissipated, when, at a word, Black Bonnie climbed the ladder at one end of the rope and, balancing herself on the latter with all four feet close together for a ino- ment, she stretched out her right leg, got a purchase on the rope five or six inches away and then brought the other raws to the new center of balance. In this way she deftly walked across the rope and then came down the latter on the other side like a hod-carrier, so far as j the ease of her familiar step on the lad- der rounds was concerned. Mr. French ex- plaired that the other dogs were also learn- ing the tight rope and that both the sons would ably emulate their mother’s exam- ple ir less than six months. A’s remark- able as this exhibition was performances even more wonderfi! were to follow. Retracing his steps to the house Mr. French took the visitors back to the room where the performance had «ommenced bing tae Lnadeds. and stretcked a small worsted-covered ma- nila rope loosely from a point in the ceil- ing at one end to a point twelve or four- teen feet away. The rope hung slack and Mr. French calling to Brother Jack lifted somersaults and such things, and then Mr. | him up and placed him on the rope. Then to the surprise of his visitors he began to swing the dog backward and forward until his head almcst reached the ceiling at one side and his tall actually did that very thing on the return swing at the | other. The dog kept his balance perfectly and was allowed to swing until the rope came to a standstill, retaining his balance every moment of the time. The rope was then taken away and a small, flexible wire cable was hung in its place. This cable was not more than a third of an inch in diameter. Brown Bonnte was placed upon this metal rope and swung in the same way ‘hat Brother Jack had been; holding her bal- ance with the same fidelity and determi- nation. When-the pendulum motion had ceased and the wire was hanging stationary, save for the vibratory motion extended to it by the exertion of the dog to keep -her balance, Mr. French asked The Star re- porter to take hold of the wire and shake ft violently. The reporter did so, the dog watching him as he.stretched out his hand with a sort of an uncertain expression in her eye as if she did not like to have ea stranger interfering with her exhibition, but a reassuring word from Mr. Wrench seemed to satisfy her and she held her balance while the reporter shook the wire back and forth and up and down with sharp jerks, which he thought would un- seat almost any animate thing that occu- pied a similar place to Brown Bonnie. Expert in Orthography. When this wonderful performance had been concluded Mr. French Temarked that Brown Bonnie was having a good dea! of trouple teaching her 30ns how to spell, but that he was sure she would accomplish their education In this way before many |, more moons had shown. ‘The visitors were inclined to be skeptical about this, but Mr. French showed them that Black Bonnie was versed in orthography. To prove his assertion he brought out a num- ber of little blocks with slits in them, int» which he Inserted cards bexring the letters of the alphabet. They were ar- ranged in three lines along the floor, and Mr, French invited his guests to try Bon- nie’s qualifications in a short civil service examination. The reporter suggested that she ought to be pretty good on “rats,” and asked that she spell that simpie word. Bonnie went directly to the “r,” picked it up with a knowing wag of her tail and did the same thing with the “a,” “t? and “s.”"_A num- ber of other words were given, which she spelled correctly and without hesitation. Mr. French has been a devoted lever of dogs all his life and has been uniformly successful in developing the intelligence of every animal he ever owned, and he has not been without such pets for probably thirty years. He says he never raised his hand to strike a dog in his life, and that kindness and perseverance will accomplish wonders, which well repay any man for the troubie he has taken. He is perfectly devoted to his three wonderful cogs, and it is easy to see that they are one and all extravagantly in love with him. —_—_ THE DRUMMER’S LATEST. Im the Theater He Had More Fun Than Was Intended. From the American Commercial Traveler. The drummer always brings the latest trick. Here it is: Take a spool of white basting cotton. Drop it into your inside coat pocket and, threading a needle with ft, pass it ‘up through the shoulder of your coat. Leave the end arf inch or so long on the outside of your coat and take off the needle. Four iren out of five will try to pick that whole | thread off your “shoulder, and will pull on the spool until it actually does seem as though your clothes are all bastings, and that they were unraveling not only your clothes, but yourself. “I was in to see Wilson Barrett in Claud- jan in Boston last week,” said the traveling man. “It was in the most interesting and pathetic portion of the play. Everybody was rapt. I was sitting bolt upright, and n't know or care to knew a soul around me, when suddenly i felt some one tugging at that basting cotton that I myself had | clean forgotten. I didn’t say a word and not move. Foot by foot it unrolled. Half glancing around, I saw a man—a to- tal stranger—yanking at the thread. His face was scariet. He had pulled out about ten yards and was now hauling in hand over hand. He didn’t care to stop because he had decorated my back and the whole aisle’with basting cotton. He hardly dared to go ahead, for he didn’t know what por- tion of my domestic interior economy he was trifling with. Rip! Rip! went the thread. Hand over hand he yanked it in. The aisle was full of it. ‘For heaven's sake! will it never end?’ said he above his breath. I sat perfectly still and ran the spool while he pulled. How I wanted to yell. I never saw anything half so funny. The whole section of the house got onto it. They didn’t know whether to laugh at me or him, but sat and looked on amazed at the spectacle. At last the stranger behind gave one frantic rip and yanked out about eleven yards in one bunch, and as the cot- | ton got twisted around his watch chain, | over his eyeglasses, in his hair and fille his lap, I turned around and, producing th spool from my pocket, said: ‘I am sorry that I misled you. You see I have about one hundred and twenty-four yards left, but I presume that you don’t care for any more tonight. I am honestly sorry, but 1 can't help smiling.’ “The man was a modest sort of gentle- man in appearance. His face was as red as fire even to his ears. He looked at me and then at the spool. He changed color nce or twice, and when the.crowd caught ‘on a big laugh went up.” q Nose Tree Sixty Feet in Cireumfer- en York Herald, A remarkable rose tree grows in the gar- den of the Chateau Eleonore, in Cannes, the summer residence of Lord Brougham, a nephew of the famous chancellor. The | plant is a variety of the tea rose, known as | “Marie van Houthe.” Though only six years old, it already measures 67 feet in circumference, and will, if permitted, grow very much larger. Lord Brougham at- tributes its extraordinary dimensions prin- cipally to the soil, which consists of rich loam of great depth, and also to the liberal | way in which its appetite for manure is | satisfied. This tree is planted on the slope which descends from the house to the main road. It is of interest to recall the fact that the Chateau Eleonore was the first winter residence built at Cannes, which, it | may indeed be sid, was literally ‘“discov- | ered” by Chancellor Brougham, uncle of | the present owner, while in the beautiful | | garden, not far from this gigantic rose- | bush, is still to be seen the tree beneath | the shadow of which the great chancellor | used to sit toward the evening of his busy life. The chateau itself remains much as it | was when he lived in it, but the gardens | have been greatly extended and improved, | now containing a fine collection of palms, | cocos, shrubs and all sorts of flowers. The | gardens are, however, specialiy famous for } their tea roses, of which 150 varieties are grown, and are, beyond all question, the finest in Europe. From the Nev Applied Humor. : ‘From the Detroit Free Press, : She was in a merry mood when her hus- band came home that evening. “You have often said, dear,” marked, affectionately, ‘that haven't any serse of humor.’ “They haven't.” “You don’t give us the credit we deserve. I'll admit that my sense of humor is not very great. But any faculty can be de- veloped with cultivation.” “Have you been cultivating your sense of humor?” “Yes.” “How did you go about it?” “Do you remember that article in the paper at which you laughed so heartily last night?” “No. I don’t undertake to remember everything that amuses me.”" “Well, I got it and read it. It was about how a woman goes out and buys bargains jall day long and surprises her husband with bilis for bonnets and makes him® get her a tsealskin sacque whether he wants to or 1 not. “Yes; IT recall it now. So you have been cultivating your sense of humor by reading that?’ “Oh, I didn’t stop with simply reading it.” “What—what d'd you do?” he inquired, in a voice that was hoarse with apprehension. “BP went out this afternoon and bought bargains, just as the woman in the article did, and here’s the bill for the bonnet. All that is needed now to make the joke com- plete is for me to tease you for a sealskin sacque. And, don’t you know, dear, I think it’s all too delightfully funny for any- thing.” she re- women i PLANISPHERE FOR DI Showing the Principal Stars that will te EMBER. visible tomorrow at 9 p.m. DECEMBER SKIES A @uide Through the Apparent Maze of the Heavens. a AN INTERESTING VARIABLE BODY - Opportunity of Seeing the So- Called Wonderful Star. a ABOUT THE PLANETS ee Written for The Evening Star. Y FAR THE MOST brilliant section of ithe heavens on a De- zember evening is the eastern quadrant. By 9 o'clock in the early part of the month— two hours carlier at its close—Orion, with sits two first-magni- ude stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel, is well above the horizon, between easi end southeast. Below Or- fon flashes the» brifliant Dog Star, Sirius. Almost exactly in the east, and at about the same altitude as Sirius, is Procyon, the Little Dog. Above Qrion, on a line draw: from Sirius through the “Three King: which form Orion’s belt, is Aldebaran, the “Bull's Eye,” the brightest star in Taurus. ‘To the left of Aldebaran and at about the same altitude in the northeast is Capella, the She Goat, the principal star in Auriga, the Wagoner. Below Capella, and a little to the right, are the Twins, Castor and I’ol- lux, the latter of which—the lower of the two—is sometimes ranked as a first-magni- tude star. Here, within an area which is scarcely one-fifth of the visible hemisphere of the heavens, are. seven stars of the first mag- nitude—one-half of the number that are ever visible in the mean latitude of the United States. To add to the attractive- ness of this region the planet Mars, now the cynosure of all eyes astronomical, is posing here as an “evening star,” outsnin- ing with its ruddy. light the brightest of theSe brilliants, except, perhaps, Sirius. ‘The planet now lies about midway between the two stars which tip the horns of ‘Tau- rus, and in a straight line from Capelia to the head of Orion. No one can mistake it for an ordinary star. In the west the winged horse Pegasus may be seen, at the hour named, plunging headforemost toward the western iorizon. The most striking part of this constelia- tion is the great “Square,” now nearly mid- Way between the horizon and the zenith. The uppermost (now) of the four second- magnitude s' which form this rectanga- lar figure, Alpharatz, is in the head of An- omeda. Her left foot-—marked by the ar Gamma—is now aimost exactly in the zenith. Midway between these two stars is Beta, the brightest of the three which form the maidens belt. Near the " end of this belt is the famous ible to the naked eye as a rather y star of the fifth magnitude, and unmis- takably recognizable through an glass. Interesting Variable Star. Continuing the curving line of the three bright stars in Andromeda, toward the northeast, we strike Alpha Persei, which like them is of the second magnitude. Southward from Alpha Persei, making with it and the star Gamma in Andromeda a nearly right-angled triangle, is Algol, the “Demon,” as its Arabic name signifies, an interesting variable star with which every young star gazer should become familiar. Ordinarily it is of the second magnitude, as will be found to b: But at intervals of a little less than three days It undergoes a remarkable change of brilliancy, descending in the space of about four hours to the fourth magnitude, and is quickly recovering its usual brightne he cause of this uncanny behavior, as new considered to have been fully ‘estab. lished by spectrescope observations, is that it has circling around it a dark or nearly dark companion, which-periodically comes between it and us and cuts off a portion of its light. Minima, or Algol, at hours con- venient for observing, will occur on the ith of this month, at 11 p.m., and on the at 8 p.m. Turning now toward the south, we shall have before us the monster constellation Cetus, the Whale, not particularly inter- sting as a constellation, for its brightest two stars are of only the second magnitude, but notable for containing one of the niost remarkable of the variable stars, Omicron Ceti, better known as Mira, the “Wonder- ful. - . The constellation Cetus may he located in this way: Run a slightly curving line from Fomathaut—the bright star now seen low in the solithwest—to Aldebaran, in From Life. Taurus. At about one-third of the distance from Fomalhaut to Aldebaran you will strike Deneb Kaitos—the “Tail of Cetus”— a star of the second magnitude, which marks the monster's tail. At two-thirds of the same distance you will strike Menkar. the “Sneut,” which marks the monster's head. This star may be further recog- rized from the fact that it forms with the Pleiades and the par of stars in the head of Aries a nearly equilateral triangle. Five degrees to the rigant of Menkar is Gamma Cetl, of the third magnitude. Below ana to the right of Gamma—about three de- grees from it—is Delta Cei, of the fourth magnitude. * Decidedly R: Run a straight line from Menkar to Deltz and continue it to an equal distance beyond, and you will strike the “wonderful” star. Mira now crosses the meridian at about 9 o'clock, nearly midway between the horizon and the zenith. At the time of writing—November 23— Mira is of about the sixth magnitude, and is therefore just within the limit of naked- eye vision. It can easily be seen with an opera glass. The star Is decidedly red. it is brightening rapidly and will probably reach its maximum of brilliancy some time in December, when it may be as bright as Gamma Ceti, or even brighter, or it may not rise above the fourth magnitude, for one of the star's eccentricities is its ir- regularity in this regard. Mira runs the cycle of its changes in an average period of eleven months. When at its faintest st is of between the ninth and tenth magnitudes, and is, therefore, far be- low the re: the naked eye. As it brightens its spectrum shows bright lines, and at the time of the star's maximum brilliancy is said to be “exceedingiy beau- tiful.”” These lines are ind:cat.ve of glowing gases, among which is the universally pres- ent hydrogen. The cause of the star's var- jability is one of the still unsolved mys- teries of nature. No one should miss this particularly favorable opportunity of form- ing the acquaintance of this justly called “wonderful sta: The Planets. Mercury was in superior conjunction with the sun on the 28th of last month, and is now an evening star. During the second half of the month it will be visible in the southwest, but at a rather low altitude. Venus is also an evening star, visible toward the southwest. She now sets an heur end a half after the sun. Cbservations made at Mr. Percival Lewell’s observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona, since Augvst last, have confirmed the con® clusion arrived at some years ago by M. Schiaparelli of Milan that both Venus and Mercury rotate on their axes in the same periods, respectively, in which they per- form their revolutions round the sun; that is, that they always present toward the sun the same hemisphere, just as the moon aiways turns the same fac ‘ard the earth. Venus seems to have a dense at- mosphere, which, though apparently cloud- less, particily veils from us. its surface markings. No indications of any atmos- phere whatever could be detected in the > case of Mercury. The position of Mars, in the constellation Taurus, has already been pointed out. The planet is now rapidly retrograding, or mov- ing westward. as indfeated by the dotted line on the pianisphere, which shows its track among the stars from about the mid- die of August to the Ist of January—a por- tion of the “loop” which it will ‘make at this opposition. Its exact opposition to the n, when we shall pass directly between it and the sun, will not occur until the 10th. ‘The planet's distance from us now is about 000,000, miles, All observations of Mars thus far report- ed sre confirmatory of those made two years ago. There can be little question lewlands, aud that they owe largely to vegetation of some sort. orange-yellow areas, formeriy regarded as continents and islands, are very probably desert highlands. Hence their never-chang- ing hue. The interesting question now is, Are the mysterious “canals,” which trav- erse its surface in all directions, its dark, as well as its bright areas, natural or arti- ficlal? Jupiter now rises about midnight, and is already in a good position for observi wiih a telescope. He will be ‘stationary’ on the 25th. After that date his motion will be retrograde. Saturn and Uranus are near each other in the Scorpion, and are both morning stars, rising in the morhing twilight. Neptune Is in Taurus, 5 degrees southeast of Mars, but, of course, invisible to the naked eye. On the 3ist, at 2 a.m., Washington mean time, the earth will be in “perihelion”—the point in its orbit at which it approaches the nearest to the sun. We shall then be 3,000,000 miles nearer the sun than we were in July. On the 20th, at 9 p.m., the sun will enter Capricorn, and it will be midwinter in the nerthern hemisphere. New moon occurred yesterday at 0. pm.; full mcon will occur the 19th at 11:05 p.m., Washington mean time. ‘The mcon was in “perigree’ Wednesday and will be in “apogee” on the 14th. = ee Just Suited Him, From the Indianapolis Journal. “Who is that lovely young man?” asked the Soured Cynic. “That?” said the other mai. “That is Timmins—Reginald Orville Timmins, the poet.” = “H'm! Got a set of initials just suited to his business, ain't he?” THE CRANK AND PEDAL CLUB TAKE THEIR ANNUAL DINNER. AN INDIAN RAID{ Incident in the Early Days of the Union Pacific Railroad, ATTACKED BY A BAND OF SWOUY oe ee ee Plucky Fight Against Odds of a Railway Station Agent. ——+-—____ PERIE OF A FAMILY Written for The Evening Star. Ke THAT KID quiet,” said Bankers in a hoarse whisper. “I'm doing the best I can,” sald his wife, trying to hush the little one, who was sobbing and moaning in her lap. In the baby’s milk wagon a bitter fight was go- ing on between pares goric and pain, and the latter was dying hard. The wind rain against the side of the car made it rock to and fro, “Emma,” said Mrs. Bankers to her friend, “take that bottle and hold it between you and a crack im the car, and when it lightens drop ten drops into the spoon—i suppose we must rot strike a light.” “You bet you don’t sirike any light here unless you are ready to give up your chig- non,” said Bankers, without taking his eyes from the crack through which he was peeping. Emma tock the bottit, and at each flash of lightning dropped a drop cf hush medicine into the spoon, and when she had put in ten drops they gave it to the baby. That made twenty drops—it was dangerous—but it was sure death to all of them if the baby cried aloud. The rain came in great gusis and with such force that it seemed that the car could hardly hold the rail. it was not a and Pullman car; just a comgnon red stock car standing on a siding with a few armfuls of straw upon the floor. Occasionaily Bankers turned to glance at the two wo- men who were crouching in one «of the car, and when the lightning lit their faces they were fearful to behoid. Now the rain, cold as sleet, came through the cracks in the car and stung the faces of those within. Mrs. Bankers had seen > wind ters at Woodriver, but her friead, the young woman who ern Nebraska to teach school, was in € sense a tenderfoot, and the experien: this wild night had aimost driven her mz A Rosh for the Cotinge. “There they are,” whispered Zankers. Now the women put their eyes to a crack, and when a fiash came they could see a reef of feathered heads that formed a half circle around the house, like a f about a woman's neck. Half the mounted and made a rush for the ¢ The door was broken and swarmed in. ad come out to Ww ther boa nd dis- tiage. the red One of them (00k a 1 per and lighted it at the open Sreplace to make a torch and by the light of it the lit- | © party in the stock car could see the Sioux running, half croucaing, fr to room, in search of the oc ing the place deserted and s their disappointment, the fire to the house, and by started to loot the railroad sta stood less than a hundred yards The station agent had been warned as the others had been, by a Pawnee scout, but had bravely refused to leave his post. He had made no light, but sat in one end of the dark little room which served as ticket office, telegraph office and sleeping room, and as the Indians approached opened fire. At the very first shot the leader of the murderous band leaped high into the air, | came down on his feet, ieaped up again | and again and finally fell in a heap to rise | ho more. With a deafening yell the an band made a rush for the door and be to beat against it with tomahawks, and guns. Having emptied his rifle the agent now took up 2 pair of 45-caliber revolvers, and fairly rattled against the door, and | no less than a half dozen hair-iifters sank | to the platform, causing the besiegers to | i | h | | joa, N back a space. From a distance they an to pour the lead into the building, the agent, ag behind a little | unhurt. An Ind:an | the burning cottage | and attempted to fire the station, but the | rain and wind put out the fire.” Two or | three Sioux, noticing a string of cars upon | the siding, began to search for stock or | eatable rreight. Fate of One Indian. From car to car they ran, thrusting their rifles into the straw. “Uh,” said an old buck as his rifle found something soft in oneof the i ers felt a hurt in his short rib: ng hold of the side of th r thi n began to pull and | strain. By the merest chance he had taken hold of ‘he car door, and now as it opened | he thrust his hideous head inside. Bankers could have blown the iop of ihe joux's head off, but he knew that to fire would be to attack a dozen redskins against whom he could not nope to hold out long. The wo- en scarcely breathed. The baby, fuli of paregoric, slept as though it had’ already entered upon its final rest. ‘The other two Indians had given up the | rch among the empty cars and gone | back to the station, where the agent, hav- | H ing reloaded all his guns, Kept the gan, hopping and dancing about the station pi form. The old Sioux at the car door co: hts head and listened. He must have fancied he heard somet breathe, for now he put his hands upon the sii! and aped into the car. He had siraightened up when Banker: fell across his feathered head, dropped like a bes tered a faint scre: seund that came from her corner fol time. The Sioux never moved a finger, and Bankers, having removed the warrior’s fi and ‘The school ma’am ut- he arms and ammunition, gave the gun over to his wife and then covered tne dead Sioux h straw. Already the little frame coitage had burn- ed to tne ground and the rain had nearly quenched the fire. E attempt made by the band to fire the station had ended in failure, and the Sioux were now preparing to storm the fort. It hard for Bankers to keep quiet in the car while the agent sold his life so bravely and so dearly to the Sioux, but there were his wife and baby, and the heipiess school ma’am, who | had been persuaded by the Bankers to come to this wild region, and he felt it his duty to protect them as best he could. Timely Relief. Presently Bankers felt the stock car vibrate perceptibly as though it were being rolled slowly along the rail. His first thought was that the Indians were | pushing the empty cars down near the sta- tion, and that they would set fire to “the straw, and then there would be no possible escape. Now there was a roar, as of an approaching train, and an instant later a great dark object hove in sight and rolled past the car. It was a locomotive drawin; a dozen box cars and running without a headlight. The shouts of the besiegers, the rattle of rifles and the w.ld cry of the night prevenied the Sioux from feeling the vibra- tion or hearing the sound of the approach- | ing train. The agent, who had been sev ed, now crawled to the key and Ogallala. At the first attack oe aad for help, and now, he told the cy there, he could only hold the place a little while longer. The agent was still at the key when the engine, rolling up to the station, shook the building, and he | knew the moment he felt the quiver of it | that help was at hand. Instantly doors of the box cars came oj company of government scout: nees, except the officers, lea platform just as the band of making their last desperate charge upon the station. ‘Before they could realize | that reinforcements were at land the Sioux were beset by the scouts, who al- ways fought to kill. The battle vas short and decisive apd when the Sioux fled they left more than half their number upon the field. Probably the most anxious man in the whole party was the conductor of the spe- erator | |r Gladness Comes wit a better understanding of the transient nature of the many phys- ical ills, which vanish before proper ef- f ntle efforts—pleasant efforts— rightly directed. There is comfort in” the knowledge, that so many forms of sickness are not due to any actual d ease, but simply to a constipated condi- tion of the system, which the pleasaut family laxative, Syrup of prompt- ly removes. That is why it is the only remedy with millio«sof families, andis everywhere esteemed so highly by all who value good health. Its beneficial effects are duc to the fact, that it is the one remedy which promotes internal cleanliness without debiliteting the organs on which it acts. It is therefore all important, in order to get its bene- ficial effects; to note when you pur chase, that you have the genuine arti- cle, which is manufactured by the Cali- fornia Fig Syrup Co. only and sold by all reputable druggists. If in the enjoyment of good health, and the system is regular, laxatives or other remedies are then not needed. If afflicted with any actual disease, one may be commended to the most skillful physicians, but if in need of a laxative, one should have the best, and with the well-informed everywhere, Syrup of Figsstands highest and is most largely used and gives must general satisfaction. cial train that had brought the scouts trom Ogallala. had ridden all way on the locomotive and the mon he train stopped he had leaped to the ground and gone through a shower of bullets io where the cottage which had been the home of the Bankers had stood. The sight of ih house in ashes made him sick at h but there was still hope; they might h taken refuge in the station, and ‘acing about, the fearless conductor fought his way to the door. By this time the ¥.oux were giving all their attention to th scouts, and the conductor forced his . through the shot riddled door. The agent lay upon the floor in a pool of bis ow blood, but he was still ally Where ire * asked the conductor, glaneing at rk room. Found His Sweetheart. “Among the stock cars, if they sul alive,” was the reply which came in a faint whisper. “I saw them leaving the house dusk—go to them—I'm—I'm all right,” and the conductor haviag placed the wounded man upon his bed, made for the stock cars. “Bankers. where are nd Bankers answered aw. Now the conductor Meht and climbed into the Mrs. Bankers greeted him chang to tears, for in hand lamp sh» had sec looked like the Ace, a face of 3 child. mma,” there w: the conductor, % upoa his ki nt holding the lig io his swee rs fac ‘0, you chump,” sa only fainted when I kil he gave the dead Indian a him out of the “But the pleaded Mrs. Bankers. ‘She's all said the husbani, “Oniy a little too much proved to be. parego: and so it * said Bankers, shaking who was regaining brace up. You've got the on- com- all safe asked the ot feeling for her back hair. yt ve friend, you have saved us . I played,” said Bankers here in the straw while the ag ing murdered. “But you saved conductor, who them all ali Yes," sai after all.” And all th not a dream. It is only a scrap of the history of the early days of the Union Pac The brave station agent hiding yas be- w the was over aid wom, ved at Bankers, “thacs son.ething an old man now, and one of his lez horter than the other—t that wa shot that night. The ba having covered from her severe tassie with col nd paregoric, is now one of the most arming women in one of ovr enarm . The conductor at this writing a gener ntendent of a well known nows of for vinters hav wife’s 1 It is almost r face is still young an: remember that she thy ing this story to me, and that she had fainted in a stock car on 2 id night at Woodriver. ee CY WARMAN OF COURSE IT WAS TERRIBLE. But the Little Lady Saw Extenuating «in the Daring Bet. uirnal, Lovey- his the papers,” said Mrs. that some brute of a man bet on against a brownstone house the ction.” So I under: Lovey: indi and,” said Mr. laimed his © I think such things are simply barbarous and ought to be put a stop to. The idea of a cold-bloodedly risking his own wife for a brownstone house. It is perfectly awful. Supposing he had to: But he didn’t lose,” replied Mr. Lovey- dcvey; he won. And he got the brownstone bi th Well, of cour assented young matron, somewhat more mildiy, is very nice. But it would have been terrible if he had lost. Siill, a brownstone house is lovely. So it is, my dc worth the ckances of -osing a nic “Oh, no; of course Loveydovey. hastily. how is the bet mad “That's simple enough.” replied her hu! hand. “Sam Singleton owns stone house opposite, doesn’ Yes. And I own you?” Yes.” “Well, I pat you up against the I win I keep you and get the | Louse. If Sam Singleton wins he house and “Ther house. If rownsione keeps his wrinkling with the returned her husband. * said Mrs. Loveydovey, after ilen: few minut What it?” asked Mr. Loveydovey, locking up. “Didn't,” she asked, “didn’t: Mr, Singleton waat to bet Diplomacy, discharged Young Husband—“Have you the sook yet? Young Wife—“No, dear: wait until she's finishe] her dinner People are always rore willing to grant favors after a goog meal.”