The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 17, 1897, Page 28

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1897. THE STORIES OF OUR OWN STATE. HE competition for the honor of a favored vlace on *The Young Author's Page” grows apace. Some excellent sto- ries have been received from children who do not attend any school. They wish to compete and make a plea for the' privi- le them to do so it has been decided to fix November 1 as the aate for closing the competition and to invite all children, under 18 years of age, 1o send in their stories about California, The limit of length 1s 600 words. The real test is the ability of the writer 10 be interesting. Minor faults in compo: tion will not be counted against any con:petitor. All good stories will be given favorable mention. The five will be vublished side by and the best one will be trated by the art departmentof THE CaLL. Do not forget that young artists also have a chance to secure the honor of havinga design placed at the head of the page, side which will be known as “The Young | Authors’ Page.” It was just after sun with their golden torches, their blue nightcaps and their sparkling red eves, | and they were all sitting in a row, over | the shimmering fairy lake on a cluster of Jotus flowers. “*Soon ihe violet queen will be seen in the east, sailing west across our pretty lake in her golden ship, and we will go to-night.” These are two extracts from a story written by a 12-vear-old schoolgirl. They give an idea of the Whoss is it? That would be telling. Ella May Aigeltinger of the Pescadero District School has itten a California story entitled “Sarah, or the Little Girl of the Mountains,” which 1s very good. A. Heschin, 519 Eightb street, sends.in | the first competitive design for the hea ing of “The Young Authors Page. Young artists wko take part in the com- petition shou!d send their photographs with their designs. Kathryn Lee Culver has written a Cali- fornia story entitled ‘“Grandpa’s Fairy.” It is among the best up to date. Sabina Murphy has written a suort story. ANOTHER INNING WITH FUN-MAKERS. HAT is a stirring time the Bumpkins | are having at the foot of Market street this week. They have just come ashore after their trip across the ferry. They are an enterprising lot, and, being out of money, they are trying to seize a “bob- car,” and a great tug-of-war is going on. The car, between the efforts of the boy | Bumpkin who always laughs and the con- ductor and driver, is liable to make its next trip only as kindling woed. Both ends are about to come out, and the roof,on which are the happy family, the dude and the land!ady after ber money, is also about to become a wreck. The student Bump- kin is still a Latin scholar, as his painting betrays. The cattle are as lively as the | Bumpkins. The granger is still out. If the bobcar should fall to pieces, no matter—the Bumpkins can and next week you may see them march vp Market street, headed by the Goat Hill band. The sealicns are observed to have curbed tbeir picnic propensity long enough to put in a day in a sealion kindergart stranger, a real boy, has strayed in, and he evidently feels a iittle out of place. The boys and girls who read this page vprobably never saw such a teacher as here is presented—but, come to think of it, there are schools of fish and schools of sealions (any sailor will tell you thatis s0); therefore there is no reason why sea- lions should not be taught by a whiskered and grown-up sealion patriarch. best | iltus- | st when the fairies | were preparing for a midnight search, | whole composition. | Al Q N & ‘:‘.\\}\11 SN INAUGHTY DEACON, NAUGHTY MOUSE. | It was quiet in the old brown churcb, As a litile mouse peeped forth, Except the noise of the weathervane, Which told that the wind blew north, The mouse ran up the long church aisle In search of aught to eat; Tt 1istened, tremblingly, the while, For the sound of passing feet. Alack!what saw he Sucday eve In Peacon Brown’s large pew ? The deacon ate a bun in church. Som> crumbs might be in view. In place of crumbs an old hymnbook, Down in one corner lay; The mouse chewed it into bits, Then safely ran away. Mark uow the deacon’s eager 100%, His bymnbook is no more. A pile of papers shows the place Where it had been before. No more tte deacon eats in church, | Hismotives are not right; | Bu: now he has no book to hide | His lunch irom other’s s NoNIE E. HOW SAM SAVED ELVIE STIIEE: | REAT-HEARTED and broad-shoul- | dered Sam of Los Angeles has reason to bz thankful that be has passed a | | part of one summer on his uncle’s great | cattle range in Ar.zona. There he learned from the cowboys how to rope a steer, and he became an expert in the use of a | iasso by practicing hard after he had re- | | turned 1o Los Angeles. i 1t was what the boys called an .“off | aay” at Camp Call Aftar lunch | company arriveda—Mr. and Mrs. Waldron, who brought their little girl, Nellie, wio was four years old. | and was lost. To Binnle naturally fell the | making up the searchine party. | **And now away,” said Binnie, after the | plan bad been uaderstood by all. Mr. and Brs. Waldron were to remain | in camp.: The others went out 10 search. At last all the boys came in, except one, and that one was Sam of Los Angeles. | Another hour passed and no word had | been received from the brave boy from | Los Angeles. | task of Nellie wandered off | ! The signal for help This was followed | up by the number given to Sam—*spelied out with a pistol,” as Tom said. Tom, who was a sprinter, easily outran | the others. He was many rods in advance of his comrades when he rounded a bend in a trail and there saw Sam. One look was enough to show that Sam had Neliie |in bis arms, and Sam’s expression w enongh to show that, while she was per- fectly still, she was not dead. Tom took the child, “Heilo, S8am,” he | said suddenly, noticing for the first time that blood was trickling down Sam’s right | hand from a bandaged wound on Sam’s | right arm, **Hello, what is all thi«?” “Over tnere, go into the thicket and | you will see.”” There the boys went, and they found | a real Texas st-er, with horns sharp as a { needie ana widespreading. The steer had | been neatly roped. On one of its horns was astain of blood, showing bow Sam got hurt. All around, the ground was | trampled and covered with broken tree limbs. The steer looked suilenly up at the | | btoys, and 1here was a wicked expression | in it3 eyes. “Tell us the story, Sam.” “Iwascoming through thatopen snace,” | said Sam, “when 1 saw little Nellie asleep on the ground under a tree. A sound as | if an express train was running away | | came to me just then, and I looked up to | see that brute charging after me with horns lowered and meaning business. Nellie was at the other end of the glen and I was tetween the brute and our little girl. It was either for me to step aside and let the steer trample little Nellie or to make some sort of a stana. 1 had my | lasso in my hand, and, as I am reasonab! | sure with that and am not so good a shot | with a pistol as might be, 1 let go the lasso without really taking any time to think. Then I jumped aside just iu the nick of time and pul ed back, bracing myself as hard os possible. The steer grazed me as he ran by. “Iiell and the las:o got snarled upin | some way, and the steer, just before he | ot to Nellie, felt the rop2 araw, for ithad | him by one forefoot. He was going so fast that he was switched up against a tree and the shock seemed to stun him for | a second or s0. That probabiy saved me | from being drageec to death over the | trail. I was up in a flash and took a turn around a tree with the rope and stood by to see what would happen to the steer. He made a mad rush for me, after stoppin aminute to paw up the ground and bellow. | 1will confess that his betlow seemed very | fierce to me. Now came arace around the tree. The steer came straight on and would have trampled me it the rope had not held. As it was, he was turned, and | went spinning around the tree half a| dozen times, aud I was only =z few fest {ahead as he cbased me. When the rove | | hid about a dozen turnsin it I jump:a to | one side, and there the steer was tied up {all right. I then gota branch of a tree— you will see several broken branches there | —and, with one of these 1 bammered the steer until he did not want any more, | | Then I cut off a piece of the lasso and | { tied his feet. He was so angry that he | | threw himself, and there he is.” As Sam said this he fell forward in a faint. The boys ran for some water and threw it in his face. Tuhen they saw that he bad not oniy one wound, but half a dozen. So he bad not told half the brave | story. He bad had a barder fight than | be bad described. His modesty had kept back much. But the boysthought all the more of him for that. When he went into | camp with little Nellie in his arms she | was still asleep and he gentiy placcd her in her mother's outstreiched arms and | | blushed like a girl when she thanked and | praised him ; the boys were ready to do or | | dare anything for nim. It was agreed | that tne Los Angeles lad had performed | the most valuable service of any of the | boys and the camp kettle was voied to | | him as a token of honor to be carried away by Sam as a souvenir. | Bang, bang, bar | was suddenly heard. HERE SEE THE BUMPKINS IN THEIR GREAT ILITTLE DICK'S DAY OF FREEDOM. day. The night before a gayly painted ex- press wagon had arrived for the event, and Dick could hardly eat his breakfast so eager was heto be out in the garden with his new treasure. Breakfast over he wins mamma’s con- sent to play grocer with him. He drew his wagon outside,and delivered numerous packages of tea, coffee and sugar to mam- ma, seated at the open window with her sewing. He was Laving such a happy time, when much to his disgust his mother was called away to receive a visitor. She did not remain away long, but it was lone enough to turn a bappy boy into a very discontented boy. was a brizht, beautiful June morning,| and little Dick Holman's eighth birth- | ‘ really enjoyed the day and you must an- swer me truthfully.” < fully ten minutes to grasp With a wild warwhoop he started for the door, and then dashed back to give his mother a hasty and get his cap, but he could not find it. He lost no time in hunting up | & boy his mother- never allowed him to play with. It was quite exciting fora | while, but after the boy had won all his | marbles and stolen his pocket-knife he left | in disgust. | Presently he brightened up, thinking 1 of adollar he had at home in his littie | purse. He couid ud it as he pleased and no one to question him. In glee ke ran home for his money. With twenty nickels jingling in bis pocket he starts | forth once more. He decided to take the electric car into the city—for they lived some miles out of town, boarding the first car that passed the door, he rode uatil he came to | Ittook D i the situatio i 5 | | TROM early morning the California | " linnets had been singing to Goldi- locks’ father and mother, “Goldilocks is coming to you; Goldilocks is coming, coming—is coming.” “Bless the little birds,” said Goldilocks’ | motier; “what are they trying to say 2’ Away on the mountain side Goldilocks and the great Stork went along together. | When the sun grew hot Goldilocks said that she was tired. “How would you like to get on my back?’ asked the Stork. *I am stroag ana can carry you." Goldilocks at first said “No,” but the Stork looked as if he would feel burt if she refused, and so she said that she would ride a little. Then the Stork knelt by a big rock, upon which Goldilocks climbed and she could get upon the back of tae bird. “Hold on tight, Goldilocks, for I am going to fly now,” said the Stork. The next minute the Stork flew with | strong and swift strokes from the mount- ain and directly was high in the air. Goldilocks was dizzy at first and afraid that she would fail off, but she put her hands around the stork’s neck and held on. The stork flew from one mountain to another and asked Goldilocks to tell him which way to go. But the farther he flew | the stranger everything looked to Goldi- | locks. Throughout the whole day the | Stork winged his way above mountains covered with snow, and above lakes and rivers, but Goldilocks never once saw her ‘own home. She grew afraid, until she thoug .t of the wonderful silver arrow. | Sne held up the arrow, and then the most | remarkable thing happened. | The arrow flew out of her hand, for she ‘ could not hold it. While she looked, and lin a jiffy, 1t turned into a snow-white swan. The Stork said that the Genie of the | Mountain had done this to help bis little friend Goldilocks find her home. Then he turned and followed the Swan. Long after the sunlight bad faded from the valleys the Swan and the Stork flew over the mountain tops, seeing from the height the sun sinking into the 1ar off Pacific Ocean. But when the sun was out | ot view the air grew dark in a few minutes. | “Ohno,” said Goldilocks, “I want to go | KAHLER'S VISION OF All the boys he had played with had gone to school, but, this being his birth- day, he had been allowed to stay at home, now his mother had deserted. What was | he to do next? He sat down in his little express wagon to think over the situation. Just then unknown to Dick his motker veturns to the window, and is a silent but much interested listener to Dick’s | thoughts—for he has never overcome his baby habit of thinking aloud. “Maun is superior to woman! Uncle says tnat. Iasked him if little boys were superior too; and be said ‘Of course they were.” Lremember I told that to Cousin Nell, and she pushed me over and bumped my head very hard.” “Oh, dear! oh, dear! If I were only free what a jolly good time I could have to- da “Dick,” called mamma from the win- dow. “Why, mamma, are you there, and did ou hear what I was thinking?"” ““Yes, dear, and my feelings are not the least bit hurt either. If you will come to me I have a plan to talk over with vou.” Dick climbed through the window and seated Limself on his mother’s knee, but as quickly sprang to his feet again, re- membering his boasted superiority. Mamma smiled and said: “‘Dick, while you were thinging [ have been thinking, too, only you did not hear meas Idid you. lintend to let you do exactly asyou please for this one day. You must not come to me through the day for any ad- vice. Nor shall I offer any to you. You may live this day exactly as if you had no mother 1o govern you. But at bedtime to-night I am going to ask you if you have THE FAIRY-BOAT ARGO SAILING ON THE MOONBEAMS. 1a famous candy-store that he had often visited with his mother. Here he got off, and entering the store ordered an ‘‘ice- cream and soda.” How he enjoyea it! But that was nothing to the joy he f | as be $tepped across to the candy-counter, ! where he had a large box of French can- | dies put up. As he left the store he | | | | seemed to hear memma's warning voice, “Oaly a few pieces, Dick.” He would finish Oh, 1t was a glorious A few pieces, indeed ! the box this time. tnlng to be free and his own master! Up | of goiden Cali‘ornia poppies, every one of | and down the street he wandered, looking {in at the shop windows and eating the | candies. After a while, feeling thirsty, he jmnk another ‘“icecream and soda,” but 1did not enjoy it as he had the firsi. In | fact he did not enjoy it at all, for he had i such a queer feeling in his tittle stomach. It was long past his luncheon hour, but | that was nothing to him, for he felt as if | he would never care to eat again. But he did long for his little bed, and, shall we J confess it, for his mother too. | On, the long ride home in that dreadful How it did shake and torture him! ing home at last, he goes straight to car! | Reach | his room and down on his bed he lies. | There old Mary finds him looking so lwhile and sick. He will not let her call | his mother, but compromises with her by swailowing one of her awful doses. He was very quiet for the rest of the day. Dick confessed to himself this had been a miserable failure, and beiore Ledtime that night his mother knew all his troubles, | and what a comfort to Dick was her sweet | sympathy! ““Why, Dick, my son,” laughed papa, *‘Uncle Nat never had a wife.” MaryY Morris Lroyn. | down and not fly any more to-day.” 8o the Swan led and tne Stork followed to the shelter of a mountain pine tree. There the Swan spread his broad wings over Goldilocks and kept her warm with his down. Strange io say the little girl was not hungry. She fell asleep and slept until the moon came p2eping over the top of the mountain range. Then she awoke, hearing little voices calling and laughing. ‘ Goldilocks rubbed her eyes and stepped out where the mcon shone full upon a bed ! | | which was ncdding its downy nead in | time 1o soft, queer music. “Welcome, Go'dilocks,” voices at once. “Thank you, but where are you?” A hundred fairies ran laughing toward Goldilocks; then joined handsand danced in a circle around her in the moon. light. An old black cricket, who siept | under a stone, crawled out, tuned his vio- | lin and began to play. Half a dozen katy- dids joined with their fiddles in the music. i From their nest in the manzanitas and in | the pines many small birds twittered a cheery chorus, in which the fairies jovially joined. | There are nights, so the fairies sa when the rays of the moon are magic, and i then it is that the fairies have their flower dance. Their little feet call flowers into liie and into blossom, and on the morning after a “magic moon” whole mountain- | sides are suddenly .2bloom. This was a | nragic night when Goldilocks happened to { be on the mountain range. | When the dance was over the Stork told Goldiloeks of fairy boats that sail through the air when the moon shines—boats with gilded prows and banners of silk, with said many { the time as they think abous them. | | ASAILWITHFAIRIES wreaths of white queen flowers upon them, gliding along as on a smooth lake above the dark tree tops and above the fields, with crews of laughing fairies, who hoist sails of purple and blue and cruise until the morning star rises bright and silvery. > “On, that must be lovely,” said Goldi~ locks. “Would you like fo go home in a fairy boat?'” “Yes, yes,” Goldilocks said eagerly. There is a little grove of sweet smelling bay trees just beyond the ring where the fairies danced. In the mildle of this grove is a lake as smooth aund as shining asa mirror. The rays of the moon strike upon it and bound upward, for the lake, 109, is bewitched. Here is a fine launch- ing place for fairy boats. When Goldi- locks came there with the Stork and the Swan the fairies drew from its hiding place under an.arbor covered with wild honeysuckle flowers the boat Argo. Then the cutest little fairies, wearing tiny sailor hats and sailor suits, came to man it. When they and Goldilocks were in the boat the Swar stood as a lookout 1n the bow and the Stork was in the stern to steer. Goldilocks was in the muddle, with the sailor fairies all about her. There were wreatns of red roses and great, white queen fliowers on the sides and hanging over the bow of the boat Argo. When the bell flowers tinkled for the midnight hour the fairies pushed the Argoinio a stream of moonbeams. Up they floated, light as thistie-down, Goldi- locks and all. So it was in this way that the little California girl was going home. The Storx was the captain. He told the fairies when to hoist the sails and when to turn them to catch the soft breeze. They raced with the fleecy clouds that chased over the face of the moon. They cruised gayly about until the Swan said: “Hurry up, or the day star will rise."’ Then every little fairy puffed out his rosy cheeks and blew in the sails of silk to go faster. When they came toa stream of moonlignt that slanted downward— pouring over the snowy tops of the Sierra like a silver river—they steered into it. “Home,” said Goldilocks. It was true. Almost before she knew it the boat Argo was 1n the trail by her father's gate. In an instantshe stepped out and the boat went away. Onlythe Stork remained. Overhead flew the Swan. Then it seemed to melt in the moonshine. From one of his wings fell the wonderful silver arrow. “Wake up,’” said the Stork, with bis bill upon the door. Goldilocks’ papa and mamma came out and found their little girl and hugged her and kissed her. Then she showed them the arrow and also the roll that was given toherin the Genie's treasure-house. It proved to be gold—enough so that her papa need not want more. It was magic gold; so that when some was spent there was just as much left. The Stork was gone when Goldilocks locked around. for him, but the little girl was happy, once more at home. i So you see that the braye and the kind not only bring blessings to themselves and to their parents and friends, but also to others. And this is the end of this story about Goldilocks. COMIC DRAWING. E are going to have some funny drawing lessons after awnile. Culver and Bronstrup are chuckling halt Each tapping — <4 of these fun-makers has the honorary degree of F. M. (funny man) conferred upon him herewith. They are makers of fun, pure and simple, and not so very simple. While they are getting ready to giveus some funny local lessons, here are liustrations to show how easy it is for the children to learn in ten minutes to draw scme frisky animals. - OUR CORRESPONDENTS. BECKIE HEINO, C. R. C., writes: “In my last letter I told that I had a puppy by the name of Gip. Well, that poor little thing ied. Every one, after that, told us that bis tail was not cut right. He died on September 21,1897.” JUDITH GUSLEAN sendsa letter, inclosing & poem and a pieture. Also several original puzzies. The poem and picture may be used. TOM BOWLES writes: “Iam impatient for the story about New Guinea to begin.” All right, Tom. You will not wait much longer. The first tnstallment will be published next eek. NITA M. TOMASINI has written a story en- titled ““A True Story of the California Woods,” which she hopes to see on the Young Ade thors’ Page. FLOYD SMITH, C. R. C., writes that she has 8 historical treasure. This is & copy of the ““Ulster County Gazette.” published at Kings- ton, Ulster County, ou Jauuary 4, 1500. The postofSce addresses of the subscribers to the Washington statue fund are desired. Will the contributors kindly forward them as early as possible to the editor of the Boys' and Girls’ Page? L. F.—Communication received and favor- bly considered. TUG-OF-WAR CONTEST FOR