The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 29, 1898, Page 31

THE SAN TRANCISCO CALLA, SUNDAY, MAY 29, 1598. WEJ) =N ntrado burn- rl who vho was suf- burning de in cheer her up, dressed in its ht rib- k and strike a sword her nat- one ithout a sign of fear di- fiicer and told him wicked man. d to stop h > would not “You will not good brutally, mother was a would and ] that she even you; s0 v and’ left her The sunlight g from her tars of the purest knelt until she had fin- tears > glitte r that the “dear Lord he cruel soldier good.” kissed the dolly, which in her arn “I hope, dolly dear,” the sweet little maiden said, “that he will be good, and so be happy.” A Spanish colonel passed near and saw little Josefa and heard her loving words. “Bring the child to my tent,” he or- dered. Somewhere in far off Spain the colonel had left a little daughter who HER so like Josefa that, as he saw e Cuban 1 he could almost he h s own little girl > back as mercy. They colonel told her of Chi- quita and promised to take Josefa home to Spain to play with her “when the war is over.” rly one morning Josefa was akened by hearing rifle shots. That no new sound to her for she was :d te the noises of war. But now she child, an ory Strange and hard are the chances of war. But I will save the child.” He handed her dolly, which she had placed in his hands, back to he: o, doll “You would b Josefa, and I cannot take her away.” he was a good man, and I know that ind to him. Here, take my my best friend now. Take “good to m a."” - colonel’s eyes W ed. He before him a_dusty plain and a < he had seen them only a before. Then there had stood . not want my beautiful 5 asked Josefa in astonishment. lonely without her, upright, fearless and teheheone started up and ran from the colonel’s whose featur S T tent with her dolly in her arms. Some “Cuba libre; Day after day the number of Cubans pjing fate led her directly to where there stood a grim line of _Spanish soldiers. Before them, at a distance of some yards, were Cuban young men, two were lads, one an acquaintance of Josefa. Forward darted the little girl, understanding the meaning of the scene at once. “Emanuel, E.acnuel!” will save you.” sword of a Spanish officer back had fallen. At the sig- she cried, “I nal the rifles had volleyed once more. Prone uron the ground w th form irl. Forgetting d v, mil- of a little 5 rk, discipline, the officer was 1d in an instant. ,” he said, brokenly. he said, “second dear papa, I am glad you have come. Here is my dolly. 2 shall not wvant it apy more. Be good to it and gi “e it to your dear Ghiquita and tell her to keep it and always for me. Good-by. for Chiquita.” e—er the child looked like hiquita. The colonel took the dolly up with a sensation. There was a red str and blue of the dres - THE YOUNG STORY-TELLERS HILDREN In the San Bernardino public schools, so writes Mrs. Margaret M. Mogeau, superin- tendent for San Bernardino Coun- ty, “to whom I have read the best stories on the boys’ page and the girls’ page, without -telling whether the were written by boys or girls, have ed a preference, in seven out of expres : ten schools, for the boys’ stories. That has been the voice of the majority. Where honors were given to girls the masculine element was not so much in evidence. This experiment proves to me that literary merit is often Jost sight of where the subject is a live one, such as war, Indians, wrecked trains, daring balloon ascensions, etc. “The girls touch most tenderly a sympathetic chord in the human heart when th write about ‘dear little baby boys,’ ‘beautiful fairie: ‘the aerial form,” love and marriage. In choice of subject, lcgical treatment, variety of phraseology, ‘taste, style and ess as to technicalities, the ve, in my opinion, beaten their Paradox as it may seem, 1 think the bo tories are more in- teresting, but a greater amount of abil- ity is shown on the girls’ page. Thomas J. Kirk, Superintendent for Fresno County, writes: “I have read the boys’ and gir page carefully, though somewhat hurriedly. The girl: page seems to me better than the boys’, both in invention and in delicacy of ex- CHIQUITA, THE SPANISH COLONEL'S LITTLE GIRL, PLAYING IN HER GARDEN AMONG THE FLOWERS. pression. I am reminded of Dr. Hol- — land's statement, that “the false is to_your Chiquita.” Cuban had said just before,a cruel line in the reconcentrado camp f{ncreased. fairer than the true,” and in these Yes, he even fancied that he smelled of fire leaped from the muzzles of gu Day after day cruelties were enacted stories the rational idealism of the the odors of the flowers that bloomed in his garden in Spain where Chiguita played hide and go seek with the but- terflies among the hollyhocks, and where her beautiful young mother sang gay songs or danced to the merry sound of the guitar and the castinet The colonel’s Josefa looked “T am eight y said. “Where are your parents?” Josefa told about her mamma and then became a questioner. “Have you seen my papa?” “Who was he?” “Rubio Jimenez.” “The Cuban rebel?"” “No, the Cuban patriot.” “He was—" The officer paused, for something stuck in his throat. Before his eyes came once more the vision of his own little daughter, and he was thankful that she was far over the sea. “He was killed?”” asked Josefa. ““Yes,” answered the colonel; cuted.” “I am glad that you knew him, for up rs old last May,” she “‘exe- THE BUMPKINS FIND WHAT THEY SUPPOSED TO BE THE *“SPANISH SPY”’ WHO This was Josefa's father, and he was shot by the order of this colonel as a rebel. that chilled and frightened little Josefa. The colonel gave her food from his own table, although he had none too much. She freely divided with the Cubans and they looked upon her as an angel of girls surpasses the rough realism of the boys. “And yet I am skeptical.and hesitate to draw a conclusion regarding the literary superiority of either sex, even on the assumption that conditio vironment and heredity in these writers are the same or equivalent. s no easy matter to determine the rel- ative eminence as literators of Harriet Beecher Stowe and her brother, Henry Ward Beecher. Had the compositor omitted the names and pied the s of the young authors, how many critics of differentiation of s could distin- guish whether the writers were girls or boys? “Why not have a sort of masquerade ball for the little novelists and let the literati guess boy or guess girl?” ozl s ais ” thought the made this little girl, colonel, “I have so like my own A visitor who was trotting 4-year-old Freddie upon his knee remarked to the little fellow’s mother: ‘Do you know, there is something in this voung man I like?” “Say,” exclaimed the preco- cious youngster, “who told you that I swallowed a penny?” D A \\\\\h\'\\\- W" SSETSA ) B DISTURBED THE PEACE OF CAMP HARDTACK. 31 ANENNNRRRRRRRRURRARBNERRG gRRRuRLRLRRAU b 8 b A NIGHT WITH A GRIZZLY. b 3 k.l RN ENENNNRNNENRNERRRARRRRRRRRRRRRRRNS T was a winter afternoon up in the Sierras,” said Uncle Ben,"‘whenI left my log cabin in search of fresh meat. 1 had been snowed in for a fortnight, but the snow had melted enough for me to open the door. With my gun in my grasp, I felt ready for any sort of game. Judge of my astonishment when, not 100 yards from the door, I saw o large grizzly bear sitting upon his_haunches. “When I started I did not expect to find a bear, and with my life seem- ingly at stake I realized that I never before had felt what a poor shot I might be. But, being in for it, I took careful aim at Mr. Grizzly and pulled the trigger. The gun did not ga off. Neither did the bear stir. He seemed to be willing to give me another shot. 1 threw open the lock of the gun. There was no cartridge in the gun! Here I was, face to face with a flerce grizzly, and without any effective weapon. Mr. Bear now lost his patience; or perhaps he smelled the food in my cabin. At any rate, he started in my direction, and a lively race for the cabin door took place. We went through the door neck and neck. I threw myself upon the bed, under the pillow of which were my cartridges. Mr. Bear did not know what to make of this, but as he growled every time that I moved I had to give up reaching for the cartridges” The bear was not hungry. After he had watched me curiously for awhile he lay down upon a rug in front of the bed and went to sleep. “Then I once more thought to get the cartridges, to take a shot at the brute at short range. But he knew too much for me. His eves opened and he growled whenever T moved. There was nothing left for it but to remain quiet. After a while darkness eame and with it a driving snowstorm. The door of the cabin was open. The wind whirled the snow in through the:door. Mr. Jear crawled cut of the wind, up in one corner. of the cabin, and possibly went to sleep again. But I was afraid to move, for the breathing of my un- welcome- neighbor was light. He .was not sleeping very soundly at the best. “T have never passed through a night like that. The chill of the air and the nervous state I was in, owing to the knowledge that, socner or later, the bear would eat me unless some one should come to the rescue, made my teeth chatter. The bear did not know what to think of the noise. He walked to the bed softly, but I could hear him coming. His cold nose touched my face, and then he licked my hands. I theught it best to pretend to be dead, and’ therefore played possum to the best of my ability, and to my success 1;1{ that direction I probably owe my . - “The night was not so dark but that 1 could see the open doorway. Once Mr. Bear’'s huge bulk .as outlined against that space and he sec.ned to be about to go out for fresh air. But the - wind blew in a perfect cloud cf snow and he turned back and crouched in a dark corner and I could not see him. All the time he could watch and un- doubtedly did watch me. Every hour seemed an age long and I felt that day would never come. “It was nearing 3 o'¢lock when I heard a noise outside -of -the cabin; voices and the trampling of a horse. Some foolish persons had lost their way in the mountains and had kept in mo- tion during the night, fearing that if they should lie down they would freeze. Mr. Bear heard the noise and went out. I jumped up and seized my cartridge belt, and, with fingers numbed and trembling with the cold, loaded my gun and ran to the cabin door. “There sat the bear, near the door, upon his hind legs, walting for the strangers to come up the grade. *‘Stand back,’ I shouted, as I took aim. ‘Stand back, strangers, for T am about to shoot a bear.” “The strangers, lost and half-frozen as they were, laughed at this strange remark coming out of the darkness, and evidently wondered what it could mean. But they heard the rifle go off, and, as good luck would have it, the bear was so badly hurt that his only thought was to get away. He dragged himself down the trail as the strangers <came up, nearly crowding them over & precipice and astonishing them greatly. “The strangers were old acquain- tances, Tom Nelson of San Francisco and Edward Martin of Santa Barbara. I made the cabin comfortable for them and we all slept until daylight, with a securely barred door between us and the bear.. We found Mr. Bear in an ugly.mood and ready to show fight, and it took four shots to finish him. By the time we had him skinned and indoors the heaviest snowstorm I have ever seen. in the Sierras set in. “We were close prisoners for a full fortnight. During that period we did very - well a were jolly, having enough to eat afid drink, and the wood- pile in one corner of the cabin proved to be sufficient to carry us through the storm. My newly found friends had passed through many adventures, of which I must tell you later.” PRUE AND THE WINTER BIRD. BY EDITH LAWSON, SAN FRANCISCO. because it was hair close ing against Prue couldn’t go out snowin, She sat in a rockin to th her nose pre: ne. on she saw a pretty white dow, and it said: % Prue started up, the window: But pretty bird fly up to the w “Good afternoon, Pr because she had never heard a bird talk before. Then she said: “Good afternoon, white bird. Are you not cold this snowy afternoon?” “Oh, no,” said the bird. “This is the happiest time in my life, for I am a win- ter bird.” “Is that so? But pray, where did you come from?” said Prue. “From my Majesty, the Fairy Queen,” replied the bird. “How very queer! But why did you come?"” ame, for'the Queen is going to take a trip to Summer Land, and told me to come here into your People World to see if any little girl would like to take her place while she is away. And I thought you might like to; would you?” “‘Oh, y said Prue, I would truly very much.” 'All right, then. a seat on my ba “But am I not t a little too heavy?” “Of course not,”” said the bird. “I am twice as strong as you, although I am small.” How is that?” Come along; just take Fairies and fairy birds are always twice as strong as people up here in People World.” “All right,” said Prue, “I will if I can get through this glass.” “That's easy enough,” said the bird, and he lifted his white wing, and the first thing Prue knew the window had melted away and she was sitting safely ‘on the bird’s back. As they flew along Prue saw lovely things. The bird said they were taking the falry snow path which led to the ieen’s palace. Indeed, Prue thought it . for flowers were all made of snow, and houses, trees and grass the same. Then she’ wanted to know where they were going, and the: bird said “To Snq Fairy Land.” E o Bnowy: “It must be very grand,” said Prue. “Ts everything made of snow? Excuse me for asking so many questions, but it is very puzzling.” “ will excuse you,” sald the bird, “but things are not puzzling when you get used to them. 1 can’'t explain now, though. for here we are.” Prue looked up and saw little ice houses where fairies as small as your finger were i small chairs to their And in the middle of the tiny ice- houses was one larger than the rest, which was the Fairy Queen's palace. The bird flew to the ground and told Prue to walk into the palace. But Prue said: “I am too large; I can’t get in.” The bird said, as he brought from under his wing a small snow candy, “Eat this and you will be small enough.” And sure enough after Prue had eaten the candy she was as small as the bird himself. So the bird led Prue into the castle, where Prue saw a tiny ice throne glitter- ing with diamonds. Then the little Queen said, “Oh, this is a_beautiful person. She shall be Queen always.” Prue got very excited, but-just then she heard a well-known voice saying ‘‘Prue, wake up and come to dinner.” She opened her eves and ran down to dinner. And so it was all a dream. A CHANCE TO GUESS. HO has the best little boy or girl? Every mother answers at once, “I have.” The answer is correct. They are all good; so much more generous, truth- ful, sunshiny, democratic and loving than any similar number of their eld- N N RN ers that it IS no wonder that each dis- cerning mother and father believe that their children are the best. The purpose of this is not to bring about a discussion as to where the best little one lives or what is its name and who are its parents, but to see how many will correctly guess who is rep- resented by.the picture which is pub- lished with this. Two persons have the real answer already—the father and mother—and very likely there are lit- tle children who can make a shrewd guess. It would be worth a journey to Oak- land this morning to see their faces THE MEN WHO BOW. BY CHARLES A };EELER Of all polite people, what ones, can you guess, Excel all their fellows in spite of their dress? Not a Chinese ' mogul nor a prince of Bombay Knows better the arts of politeness than they. For morning and evening they stand face to face, ‘ In two little rows, and without changing place They bow and wiey bow, and they never get through— This very considerate handcar crew! ol i A little girl of four had learned the Bible text, “Love one another,” at Sun- day school. She repeated it after re- turning home, and her mother asked her if she knew what it meant. “Why, of course I do,” she replied. “It means that I must love you and you must love me; I'm one and you're another.”