The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 27, 1898, Page 26

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26 THE SAN FR CISCO CALL, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1898. oy 5~ qires Page. EDITED BY DAVID HWALKER. A NEW STORY OF CARABAS. HE Marquis of Carabas, he whose fortunes were made by Puss In Boots, had one son, a prave lad named Arthur. Oneday Arthur called Puss in Boots to join him, and together they went to the King’s bles, where two fine horses were waiting, ready saddled. “Come,” said the Prince, for it will be recollected that the Marquis of Cara- bas married the King’s daughter, “let us be off. “And where to, master?” asked Puss, who-was still active, although quite old. “I"am going to find m beautiful cousin Gwendolin, the only daughter of son of the miller, and to the oldest save her from a dungeon, into which she has be thrown to be held for a ransom by some robber: The Prince said no more, but rode g0 hard that Puss found much work keeping up. Soon the Prince and Puss were beyond the lands of rabas and traveled in a strange country. At sun- down they found a toligate across the road. Beside the tollgate was an inn. The Prince drew rein and entered the inn for refreshments, but Puss wait- 1 ed outside, and talked with some horse- men-who had just arrived. He had not asked many questions when he learned that they were the robbers. He was about to warn the Prince when the captain of the robbers sald: “Not so fast, Puss. We know that you are going to try to take the lovely Gwendolin from us. We will deal with you now and with the Prince a little later.” So saying the robber captain aimed a blow at Puss with his sword, but Puss jumped from the horse like a flash and ran and hid in the inn stable. A few tes later he saw the rob- bers sur: d the Prince, and, al- though the Prince wa brave, there were S0 many robbers that he was soon a prisoner and was tied hand and foot. The robhkers thought that now they had made their fortunes, for the Mar- quis of Carabas would be sure to pay a large sum for the ransom' of his son. They drank much wine at the inn. ‘While they were sitting at the table they kept their eves on the Prince, that he might not escape. Puss now put on the skin of a lion, that he had found in the stable. He first stuffed it with hay, that it might seem large. Then he jumped in and walked toward the robbers. They were frightened at what they supposed to be a live lon. Puss made his voice llarge and roared. At the same time fhe opened and shut the lion’s jaws, would soon return. In a trice Puss jumped from his horse and scratched up the flintv road with much vigor with all four feet, until the horse could go under the gate by kneeling, and soon the Prince and Puss were cantering over a lonely road toward the castle where Gwendolin the Beautiful pined in a dungeon. The castle was guarded by an Osgre, the son of that Ogre whose castle Puss had given to the Marquis of Carabas, PUSS READY TO GO WITH THE PRINCE. and he knew Puss and the Prince as they neared the castle. He shouted. at them in a terrible voice: “Hence or die!” “Walit here, dear Prince,” said Puss, “while I drive on.” Putting spurs to his horse, Puss dashed up to the castle and was across the drawbridge like a flash before the Ogre could draw it up. The Ogre, mad with rage, tried to catch the cat, but could not and Puss once more found a safe hiding-place, this time in the Ogre's great chest. The Ogre hunted everywhere in vain. Finally he went to sleep. When Puss heard the Ogre’s heavy breathing he crept out of the chest and ran through the gloomy castle until he found a stone passage that led down to the dungeons. But the iron door was locked and it could only be opened by a magic word. Puss knocked softly on the door at 00000000000000000000000000600000000600069 To wash the dust fr Why God to ‘What makes it shut? PPPS0L D990 006006¢ L4 SHE POSED THE ’49er. . 4 @ A little San Francisco girl—her eyes with fun aglow— & Asked questions of her grandpa, who she thought all things must know. @ ““What is the fog, dear Grandpa? Is it God’'s own sprinkling ecart, @ m off the flowers and give them a new start? L4 And will you tell me, Grandpa, dear—that is a darling, please— @ n Francisco sent so many busy fleas?” £4 She paused. We heard the sunset gun at the Presidio. @ Then up she sprang and murmured, “That's the Golden Gate, I know. & Is it because the west wind blows it so?” 24 I saw the fun from girlie's eyes into her grandpa’s shine— £ “You'll have to ask some one,” he said, “who came ere "4 @ @ A2 2 2 R A R R R R R R R R R R 2 X2 22 22 X X R 2 2 X X 4 showing the lion’s teeth, and the rob- /bers all ran away. Puss freed the "Prince and they once more mounted Aheir horses to ride on, laughing at the terror of the robbers. The tollgate was high and doubly barred with iron. The keeper, who was In league with the robbers, had also run off. There was no way to pass that the Prince could see. The robbers first for fear that the Ogre would awaken. Getting no answer he knock- ed louder. “Who is that?” asked a faint voice, which was no other than Gwendolin’s. “I am Puss in Boots. Hurry and give me the magic word that I may open the door of your dungeon, for your cousin, the Prince, has come to rescue you.” The Ogre heard the volces and would have run to the dungeon had not the drawbridge of the castie fallen just then with a dreadful clatter. The same word that opened the dungeon door lowered the drawbridge. The Prince, who had been waiting outside the cas- tle, now made boldly in, blowing a golden trumpet to challenge the Ogre to battle. In an instant the Ogre darted toward the door of his armory to get his big \ club of iron, studded with knots of iron and sharp sp Puss had been there already and had locked the door and had thrown the key down a deep well in the court yard. The trembling Gwendolin had fol- lowed Puss out of her dungeon, and seeing her cousin, the Prince, upon a beautiful horse, his arms and coat all sparkling with gold and diamonds, and S, — i BRAVE PUSS UPON THE KING'S HORSE. the furnishings of his horse being all of polished leather and solid gold, she thought that she had never viewed any man half so brave or so handsome. But just then she espied the Ogre, who was fully sixteen feet high. He was running toward her with mightv strides and the ground shook under his tread. “Ha! ha! pretty Gwendolin,” he roared, in a voice like that of a wild beast, “you shall not escape so. Back to your dungeon!” Save me, my Cousin Arthur,” cried Gwendolin, wringing her pretty hands. “Fear nothing, Gwendolin,” answered the Prince, bravely, as his steed reared wildly at the approach of the Ogre. Spurring his horse to the top of its speed over the rock-paved courtyard floor the Prince did not wait for the Ogre. High towered the Ogre above the Prince as they drew near each other. The Prince’s horse stumbled and the Ogre reached forward his huge hands to seize the Prince. Puss ran and placed his sword between the Ogre’e feet and the monster fell on the pavement, where the Prince speedily overcame him. When the robbers heard that the Prince, aided by Puss in Boots, had de- feated the Ogre, they fled from the land and have not returned to this day. The Prince gave the castle to his cousin, who reigned there, like a Prin- cess, over all the surrounding country. The Prince married her and Puss in Boots often purred by their fireside. R e ABOUT THE COMPETITION. GHE proposed contest between the boys and the girls, to determine, in so far as may be by such means, whether there is any literary su- periority in sex, has' awakened lively interest. Buggestions and In- quiries of many sorts have been re- ceived. One girl writes to ask whether any age limit has been fixed to determine who may be eligible to compete. A boy suggests that, when the two competi- tive pages shall have been published, the first composed by the girls and the second by the boys—or vice versa— the decision shall be reached by ballot. This query and suggestion may be an- swered as follows: The contest being devised for the boys and girls, it would possibly be well to fix elghteen years as the age limit. Further suggestions are, how- ever, awaited. The majority will rule in naming the terms of competition. The decision concerning the relative merits of the pages representing the girls and the boys might be rendered by ballot, but, very likely, after the pages are published the boys and girls will be impatient to get the decision. Balloting is slow. Jurors, selected by some method to be suggested, would give their opinions with little delay comparatively. Many parents have written that their boys and girls are interested and, al- ready, in their homes, are getting ready to write in the competition. The drift of opinion, so far, is in favor of story- telling. The advocates of fiction are up to date, two to one, as compared with those who consider essay-writing the better test. The class of matter to be ENTERING THE published is the subject of lively dis- ROBBER'S CASTLE. cussion. Some of the communications will be published soon—as soon as the expression of opinions has become more general. Boys and girls are requested to write only upon one side of the paper, and to write their names and postoffice ad- dresses plainly. All boys and girls re- siding in Pacific Coast States or Terri- tories are invited to send in their views and suggestions. The following are the principal points to be considered: 1. What age limit shall be fixed for competitors? 2. Shall the boys or the girls be first to publish their page? 3. How shall the judges or jurors be chosen? 4. What class of matter is bestadapt- ed to test the abllity of the writer to be interesting? No story or essay should containmore than 600 words. The idea is to get as many articles as possible upon the two pages. By prescribing the length this can be carried out. At least six arti- cles by boys and six articles by girls ‘will be published and more if possible. Next week progress will be reported. Editor of the Call: I am 6 years old. Papa reads the boys’ and girls’ page to me. Vera and I would like Sinbad first. REY CHATFIELD. CRUISE OF THE CALIFORNIA. [Synopsis of preceding chapters: Harry Os- tend has succeeded I making o great fire balloon, using for a covering the principal parts of the great parachutes that bad been used by his comrades and himself to enter the valley where the white King of the Afar- kise had his principal village. The'fire balloon has ‘been tested and has been found to be a guccess. The means of escape from the valley having thus been provided, Harry Ostend Bought an interview with the savages, who cnn-fu in great force to ask the -white men to leave the country. ' Harry Ostend, by playing upon the superstitious fears of the savages, managed to maké the white King visit him. A date was fixed for Harry Ostend to make the final attempt to carry away the white King from among his people. A daring plan was formed, which the white men carry into ef- fect. This is described.in the present chap- ter, with which the story of the first cruise of the California comes to an end.] CHAPTER XVIIL i HE fateful night had come, whe the final attempt was to be made to rescue the White King, and to carry him away, before the very eyes of his enraged savages.. This was the night when the savages’ witch doctor would offer up a half score of savage victims upon fires, to celebrate his birthday, and every sav- age in the tribe was assembled by command of the witch doctor, who was the real ruler of the savages. Fires had been blazing in the ¢amp where the white men were, and above the tree tops the savages had seen, with awe and wonder, a dark object flitting, and had shivered with fear, as the object had mounted the sky, only to be followed by the appearance of similar objects. The hearts of. the vages were full of dread, but they were also burning with hatred of the white men. Round rose the full moon, round and beautiful, above the top of the table mountain. _Its light fell upon the vil- lage of the White King, and brought to view, in the center of the King's vil- lage, a large space enclosed with a ring of stones. Within this ring were four piles of faggots and four stakes. At the outer edge of the ring were the shivering wretches who were to be burned alive. They were to die that the curse brought by the coming of the white men might be set aside. Among them ‘were young girls, daughters of chiefs, and two little children, for the witch doctor had said that all ages must suf- fer that all ages might be free of the curse. The girls and children wailed in their fear, but the warriors who were to die were proud and still. The White King was squatting in front of the piles of faggots, and near him, but moviag nervously about, like a caged panther, was the tall and pow- erful witch doctor, whose eyes were always upon the King. The light of torches, carried by the chiefs of the reral tribes, who were to light the sacrificial fires, fell, flickering upon the faces of savages from all parts of the land, for the news of the coming of the .white men had been carried far and wide, and the entire people were enraged. Near the king was a man of great in- telligence—Kemona—who, trusting to his color and the darkness to give him protection, had fearlessly entered in among’ the savages, well knowing that death might follow if he were discov- ered, but he was nevertheless deter- mined to play the great part that night that had been assigned to him by Harry Ostend. Come success or come death, Kemona would not fail to do his share. At the opposite side of the ring was another man who was fully.as daring —Koti—the savage who had been Bin- nie’'s second in the command of the savage army that won the victory at the battle of the Marwise River. When the moonlight fell full upon the victims of the night the savages brought logs and placed them by the piles of faggots, that the fires might burn the longer. Kemona placed one log at each faggot pile. Why did he do this? Was the savage awakening in PUSS FINDS A SAFE HIDING PLACE. him? He and Koti had their war clubs, and in each club were concealed pistols and cartridges. The witch doctor ordered that the fires be now lighted. He said, in a loud voice, that he would not use the stakes to tie the victims this night, but that the unlucky ones would be thrown, pin- i e foned, into the flames. This being his birthday, he would give them a chance to-escape by the burning of their bonds. A hoarse cry went up from the waiting savages, and the torch-bearing chiefs hesitated to light the flres as they looked up. “Give me a torch,” shrieked the witch doctor, with rage, ‘I'will light the fires, though all the skies should fall upon us, and ‘the mountains sheuld bury the land from sight.” But, lo! in the sky was now a won- derful sight. Across the face of the full moon, even as the witch doctor defied the skies, passed a dark globe that car- ried beneath it a mass of fire. From the globe came flashes and loud explo- sions. At once all the thousands of savages ~were upon. their feet and shouting in dire chorus that the curse had fallen upon the land. . Down, down from the lofty heights ‘of the sky came, slowly and majesti- cally, the dusky globe, with flaming brands that the savages supposed to have been kindled in the sky. Not a moment paused theiron-nerved witch doctor, although he was as much puzzled by this strange apparition as were the savages over whom he ruled with steady hand. He placed the torch to the four piles of fagots in quick succession, and the twigs burst into flame. Even then embers fell on his head -and shoulders from the visitor from the sky, searing his skin, but he was too nie and Ned see the witch: doctor IooBénllp and realize that he has lost his last chance, for the ‘White King has struck him down and has leaped into a basket that hangs bélow the black globe: While Koti and Kemona are making a heroic battle, the two boys, strictly obeying instructions, also step into the basket, and Binnie cuts a rope that held the - globe to the ground, and so the King departs from ubjects. ¢ m?{ostl zjmd Kemona drive back their enemies, who are so disturbed by the events of the night that they have lost heart. Then Koti and Kemond speed back to the white men's camp. Two hours later all the white men, having with them the ‘White . King whom they have rescued, are on the top of the table mountain, and are making a rapid march toward the Marwise River, where they will find war canoes to take them back to the California, as she lies at moorings. In the yacht they will reach San Francis- co without other adventures. So the prophecy of the witch doc- tor was fulfilled and the White King was lost to view as he went toward the sky. Even while their King was being car- ried away toward the sky thé savages, who had lost him, felt the ground trem= ble beneath their feet. A horrible roar- ing noise—the sound of an avalanche— at the same time smote their ears. The moon was suddenly hidden behind ‘Was 't then a dream? JUNGLE IN THE FROST. Illumined with the highest art was the chilled window pane, For there the fairy, Frost, had toiled all night with might and main; And there were minarets and towers of many cubits span, Such as are seen where tinkling trains go into Ispahan; And giant plants that grow in shade by Orinoco’s flow; ‘And over flowering valleys lorded summits crowned with snow. Amid the pictures which the deft, aerial fingers drew 3 ‘Was a dim jungle where tall canes and densest foliage grew. 'Twas seeming twilight, for the sun, slow leading on the day, No golden arrows yet had sent upon their flaming way. Athwart the jungle something moved. Between the cane bright eyes Peered at me; and a rustling sound filled me with new surprise, Or was it real? To which on flying carpet I had journeyed through the air? But tiger ne'er was dressed in white; and, lo! the sudden sun The jungle lights; and from it smiles my baby, Romping Fun. ‘Was this a tiger’s lair 306 308 108 308 308 108 308 20K 308 208 308 308 33 308 00 108 30030 30K 0% 00 3% haughty to show that he was dis- turbed. Now a strange occurrence jarred the nerves of the frightened savages beyond endurance. From each of the four faggot fires proceeded ter- rific sounds that followed explosions. Following the noises came a rain of faggots and burning brands and torches. The sacrificial fires had been scattered and torn to fragments, and fire and ashes covered the heads of the people, who began to flee in every di- rection. The horrible black globe continued to descend from the sky. The blazing fire that it brought was the only light excepting the white glare of the moon by which the savages could see it.Many «savages refused to move, thus showing their superior courage. These were gathered about the witch doctor. Be- neath the black globe were two boys with white faces. They held in their hands dark objects, from which they poured forth, with noises that made the woods reverberate, an unceasing stream of fire in fierce flashes. In all the ways through the forest were heard in horror-stricken tones the dismal death songs of the savages, and barbaric chanting, heralding the doom of the King of the savages and of their land. ‘When the dark globe had fallen to the level of the tree tops the witch doc- tor stood as if petrified for a. moment. But he roused himself and cried to those ‘around him:’ % “Qur doom may yet be set aside if the King is not allowed to leave our land.” His right hand flew to his long and keen knife of bone. As agile as a ‘lion, he sprang toward the White King to strike him down. The King heard and saw the witch doctor, blood was on fire, for he.knew that his only choice now was between death and rescue. He must first fight for his life. His own knife was in his hand. The savages, aghast with sur- prise, saw their witch doctor and their King battling ferociously, each intent only upon the other, and both seem- ingly forgetful of the presence of the white men and of the doom of the whole people. The witch doctor was about to con- quer. The King has fallen, and the sharp knife of the witch doctor is about to fall. One more second and all is over. The King will be no more, and the Cruise of the California is a failure. Is it true? That depends upon the acts of the two white faced boys who were under the black globe, and who are now upon the ground, Binnie and Sam. Not all, for Kemona and Roti have forced their way to the middle of the circle of the raging savages, and there, back to back, two against an army, they are firing their revolvers in a des- perate struggle to keep back'the bar- barians. and his driving clouds and the darkened sky above them was rent by flashes of lightning. An earthquake set In mo- tion masses of rocks upon the moun- tain nearest the village, and these rushed down with fearful speed upon the doomed people. Where the chief village of the Afarkise was there is now only ruin. So ends the story of the first cruise of the California. D. H W. s 06 TS PAPA WAS THE MAN. “Who was the father of this land?" the teacher asked aloud. 'Twas an examination day and there were parents proud. Expectantly they harked to named that immortal one— Truest of true, bravest of brave, the lofty Washington. But through the rows of curly heads a giggle ran around— For from the seat of Susie Gray there came a curious sound. . Busie had brought her talking doll to school with her that day, And, resting in her little arms, mimic infant lay. But Marjorfe Daw, who sat next seat— she has a laughing facé— « Had pulled a string that came to view under the dolly’s lace. ‘With that the dolly ope’'d its mouth and from its little head Answered the teacher—'Papa, papa,” that is what it said. —_—— The majority of letters recefved from the children indicate that they wish, first of all, to hear what adventures, not hitherto recorded, befell Puss in Boots. The majority must rule, and the gallant exploits of Puss in rescu- ing Gwendolin, the beautiful, from a dungeon, are this morning related. Goldilock’s, Jack the Giant Killer's and Cinderella’s new adventures are asked for. They will be published. Next Sunday morning the story of what happened to the Telegraph Hill boy who was presented with a Roc’s egg will be told and illustrated. MARY AND THE KITTENS. BY MARION DEWEY. O, our_ household Mary's a very mean hear the miss; She pulls kittens' tails and makes them 8o ‘‘siss!™ The poor little creatures, they tremble with fear ‘Whenever the sound of her footsteps draws near. She pinches their talls and she beats them with_brooms, And she hunts them unmercifully out of the rooms. But one kitten, Buffy, her favorite, it seems, Invading her window, breaks in on her reams. In the night, at that window, she hears & queer sound, ‘And she trembles for fear that the burg- lars are 'round. But it’s only her Buffy, who now in the night Takes revenge for his wrongs, which is only but right. For she kicks him and beats him and pulls his poor rall, And none of his spits are of slightest avail. But Mary bas good points as well as the 2 ad; And when at the kittens she isn't too mad She. showers attentions on Buffy Bob ear, And catches him up by the tail, nose or ear. - THE BUMPKINS, THEIR WILD ANIMALS AND THE * GOTE HILL BAND ”” HAVE A “SIRKUSS” PARADE.

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