The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 17, 1898, Page 32

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, [N o SUNDAY, JULY 17, 1898, % K KN XK KR KE HM NN KKK R K HEN Stanley was 6 * he had never seen any snow— although he had n many things that boy who see snow every winter know noth- ut. had seen roses blooming garde at Christ and had \wberries and green peas for sgiving dinn many times, and st before the time I am going to tell of he had felt a very, Ve hard earthquake. The ground trémbl and I can tell you, Stanley was a badly frightened small boy: he had lived near San F D his 1 and many things are very different there than in the F tates. When his mamr led that she the winter in Idaho with r, who lived in-Silver City, y long, long ge coach, and he nad t deal about the Indians of | although 1 don’t suppose he really wanted to meet any wild In- dians, still it I teresting to know were one a funny thing, too, far, ¥ nley vas an uncle when he w Per- haps th ade him , sol- emn litt You can imag hoawv s to go shopping with his | g warm clothing, woolen | nd' nice presents came for them long journey, a then a inight the coach; for T had 11 you that this oads in thigs West- sat on_ the of the ti n stories : the iaians which me him Inc e p 1 of rown-up the box. when v at midnight rolled up in f the s and very s some time before , 80 1t W get him awake enough o i Was over. | e much that night ) steep and snowy path he w carried up. He only knew he had warm supper before bright fire and -was soon tucked in a nic t bed. When morning came | and he had been j welcome by Howard and tanley 1 look out of the window. te he thought he was lookir n around ro with lis looking down he could were built along the one street that followed the creek, and on the m n sic and e s € ici- nense .dia- sar sleighbells and seé »wn the steep hillsides on so fast, that it ] ath away. to what little boy. could content to j look at such things? it wasn't long before he and How- were equipped. in their warm ove see be and caps, scarfs tied over their ears and around their necks, and, 1tly to Stanley’s surprise and de- ght, their little boots were wrapped pleces of gunnysacks, that Jack Frost couldn’t nip their toes. I mustn’t forget that little Alice blue-eyed, golden-haired maiden of five years, was to be of the party. She was gorgeously arrayed in a “Red Riding Hood” cloak and hood, with scarlet mittens on her hands and woolen socks over her shoes. All this preparation was to the end that Stanley was to have his first les- son in coasting. _.e had never seen a sled, but Howard was very &ure that he could soon teach him all the mysteries of “steering and ‘“stopping,” and Stan- ley was firm in his faith in his nephew’s knowledge and his own ability; so out they went, into.the bright sunlight and sharp air and on the hard-beaten snow path. After a few trials.on a-low bank near the house Howard took the gled tos his favorite coasting place, a steep hillside, leading from the house, ch was < | ERFER XX R ER X KRR RN ARRRR LR XK R XX STANLEY'S COASH: BY AUNT HELEN. EETRLEES LTRSS SRR S S S R KKK KX R KX down which he had made a path that went about half-way down, diverged and led by a less steep incline to the street below.. He weént down himself— two or three times—to show how the thing was dole . and then with great care. and ceremony Stanley was in- stalled and all ready for a fine ride. Howard told him just how to steer the sled in the path and how to stop Now, just at the foot of the moun- tain, in a direct line with the sled's starting point, was 'a miner’s cabin, tree, and in. the trunk of this tree, near the ground, is an opening like a door, through which Mary passes into the trunk, which is almost entirely hol- low. Near by stands another very large tree, also hollow. Now, when Mary discovered the sec- ond hollow tree she asked her mother how she could make a covered passage way between the two trees. Her moth- er sent the hired man out to-cut the hole entirely through the first tree. Then she told them to make two low fences, not far apart, extending from the first to the second tree. Mary went on her vacation trip te San Francisco just then. While she was away the hired man planted ivies by both fences and laid a roof of wire upon the fences. The ivies grew very fast, and when Mary arrived home again she found that she had a covered.way between her “parlor” and her “nurse 4 y,” as she calls the interiors of the two trees. Aunt Kitty gave Mary last Christmas * * * ® * ES * * * EE R R R R R R R R R —\HE .Centerville school term was speedily drawing to a close. Al- ready ~Professor’ -Graham ‘had started making out the yearly re- ports, upon which so many of the pupils depended™ for their promotion into the next higher grade. 5y, Burt Bowmen . espeeially . showed signs of impatience . “regard to his school work. As the finals were coming in’ he was preparing nightly for,the next: day’s. examination.: With con- HEREEFEFFE R RRRRRXERR R X LERREERET R R R R HIS BAD MISTAKE. BY HOMER' F. KEYES, Stockton. * * * * * * * * * FRE KK KKK R KRR KKK KR KK school term Professor Graham an- nounced to the class that he would not be with them on the last day, as he was sick and felt that he was growing worse. - He said that he would send a substitute to take the class, and ex- pressed regret at not being able to be present on the graduation; day. A murmur arose from the class, but it was suppressed by a few words from the master. The class adjourned half an hour be- even need - to; study- to..carry me through.” SR : ! The boys smiled and Joe turned’on his heel and walked swiftly away. The thoughts that passed through young Hawley’'s brain as he turned his back upon the boys were of an evil na+ ture, and I will only say that before he had reached his home he had decid- ed to “square accounts,” as he ex- pressed it, with his rival, Burt Bow- men. - The next day when school was call- ed every punil was present and the teacher, Miss Robins, stood at the desk, surveying the scholars as they entered, “I see by your actions,” she said, aftet they were seated “that vou are anxious to receive your diplomas. Mr. Graham made them out and I will’distribute them after recess. But for the present we will grapple with those cube root examples left over from yesterday' and she smiled. The hour and a half before recess dragged slowly by and when at last the bell rang the teacher collected the arithmetic papers and the pupils were dismissed for the intermission. { After working a few moments at her desk the teacher stepped into the yard to_watch the scholars. at their play. Joo"Hawley watched this movement with intense satisfaction ‘and at last, unperceived, he slipped into the school- * house from the rear entrance'and stole up to Miss Robins’ desk. The diplomas had been. rolled and neatly tied with the class colors, laven~ der and green, and the names were written lightly in lead pencil on the end “n enable the teacher to determine to whom the diploma belonged Joe looked over the pile of diplomas on the desk and. at last took one from the pile. It had Burt Bowmen's name written’ across the end.. He looked at it a-moment and then taking a match from his pocket he ‘struck it and touched it to the precious paper. . It caught the flame readily and when Joe left the room there was nothing left of the, certificate except the ashes which lay on the bottom of the waste basket where young Hawley placed them. In a few moments the bell rang and the seats were again filled with the pu: pils wearing anxious and hopeful face§. “The diplomas,” began the teacher, “have been rolled and tied, and for the 'convenience of the teacher the names were written lightly across the end, on the outside, but through' some carelessness a mistake has been made, and the names are, in a good many cases, written on the-wrong diptomas.” Joe started and turned pale. “And so,” continued the teacher, “we will have to open the diplomasto find to whom they belong, and I will appoint Mae Robins and Jack Mallory to as- TRAVELED man of martial mien trod Spruce street's dusty way, And sat him down to see the mimic soldiers there at p! At play, sajd I? In earnest marched thesé warriors small and trim And o them 014 Glory"” waved, whose stars not Time shall dim. Now twe and two they onward go. Hark to the jarring drum, Full many the pha k we See parent proud s there to see x come. the traveled _stranger heé Eyes each boy, man. = ow | | | | } | . at the brave and stirring sight his features _beam with joy. llant Lee is captain bold and his and is heard, rch,” all his comrades proudly step. Hait,” ‘not a foot is stirred. | Eddie and Artie, Davy, Will, Clarence, and Robbie, too, Milton, Orton, Roscoe—all Philip and hese soldiers view. s but one musket in the line, but pistols are galore; sharpened laths, resembling pikes, there is a goodly store. And, hark! What dreadful noise Is that, resounding f: and wide? See. The artillery, drawn by hand, it is tk soldiers’ ot pipe on wheels with fed, to Spaniards all, a nd dread. d stranger at this sign of ho 5 Fierce flash hi in his swart lips a machete drips. with gore. Far, far afield his thoughts are now; he sees the squadrons reel Before the withering “rapld fires”; before the sharpened . And not the flowering wayside hedge beperfumed by the rose, Nor babbling children in the street can bring s brain repose. Oh, wait, thou traveled wayfarer, let not thy vision range; For here are girlles fair and'sweet, thy savage mood to change; Each with her Red Cross emblem proud, is ready for the fray; Nor halts, nor shrin! one curly head at the fierce cannon’s bray. Sweet Marguerita, Catherine, Nellle, Rosie, Maggie, Ruth, And Clara—oh a goodly company they are in_trut ¢ And ready are their tender hearts and hands to lend their aid % ‘When fall their soldiers on the field, this sweet Red Cross brigade. Above them country’s There Cuba's emblem, see a» Proudly those allied colors fly—tokens of liberty. Ah, envious are the smaller ones who from the sidewalks gaze 8 their older playmates shine in 's dazzling blaze. The stripes upon the overalls that unmi- form-the boys; The crosses red on fleld of white, that are the girlies’ joy The fluttering flags that kiss the breeze fresh from the Golden Gate Make the babes all wish to be big. How hard it is to wait! The troops have gone. B flag. They've marched away. Are they in distant lands? Have they ta’en ship and sailed to where the foam chafes ‘coral strands? Doth some grim fort, with frowning walls, the lurking Spaniard hide? , And ‘will ‘his guns Sink °neath the ‘main, our Spruce street’s joy and pride— Sink them with, sounds that smite the sky and hills granite 'rock— Dear Lord be praised; our babes are here; they’ve just marched 'round. the block! They, led by Lee, scaled the steep hill named for the clinging Vine. And saw below Francisco’s bay in regal splendor shine. And where the sun ensilvered all the sea with glorious sheen The waves like white hands pointed far— “go geek the Philippines.” Ah, no, dear little hands and trials come not ‘ Beneath “0Old Glory’s” folds you live; you yet may pay the debt. Swift to respond ‘when strikes the hour, dear ones, to freedom'’s call; To_sail the seas, to ford the stream, to scale the. guarded wall; ) To hear the shout of victory that reaches feet, your to the skies; To sleep! The sun filled daisies kiss the hero where he lies! Or yet, dear little girls of mine, to toil upon_ the field Reaped by the scythe of bloody war, with death and wounds for yield; To hold the cup to fevered lips; to catch thewparting breath; To take the message of his love; make soft the path to death! Not yet, not yet, your cheerful again sounds on the street: Once more we know the cadence of the myriad little feet. Once more the gay procession’ passes by in proud review; Oh, sun-browned wanderer of the years, pray tell me where are you? Still he is here, that traveler strange, and now a pageant see; The ranks are. broken and the scene is war’'s great tragedy. Swift. from his belt where ‘“red heads' cartridge like are firmly placed drum * Each little lad his pistol draws and hostile ranks are faced. Snap! Snap! The time at last has come Jz\r serious work perhaps; For now the alr resounds with a fierce fusillade of caps. The solitary musket pext upon the chorus breaks % And with its warlike solo some yet slum- _bering echoes wakes. NOt great the carnage. Quick prepare the cannon for the fray! For they who hold that deadly piece will victory: win . tesday. Without a pause the cannoneers spring to their wonted- place, But not a tint of paleness mars the tan on any face. Boom! Boom!- Now doth the - welkin ring and powder taints the air— Prone in the dust some heroes fall, the pictures of despair. ‘What ho! Red Cross, come to the front; your dutles now begin; The sufferers from the deadly fray have need of medicine. The curly heads are prompt to hear, but somewhat .system lack— Contrary pulls have thrown a gasping THE SPRUCE STREET BRIGADE AND THE DARK . STRANGER. hero on his back! And there he waits a better plan; and gazes on the sky; 'Till girls pull all one way that he in shade at last may lle; Some chaff and laughter follow as the doses are prepared. And many heroes had poor chance the medicine to have shared. For, when the hero first from fleld the medicine did taste, “More, more,” he cried, “I'm very ill; T must be dosed in haste!” No_wonder for that medicine in sugar bowl was found, And every hero hearing this at once pro- claimed a wound. And not a hero was there left on the ensanguined field Wha did not wish to be shot down and with white sugar healed. Lo, now, my traveled stranger man, how moveth this thy mood? Close by the myriad wounded ones the sun-browned stranger stood; And at the awful carnage—the ~worst Spruce street ever knew— The tears in copious overflow dripped from his eyes of blue. D. H. W. with a window toward the hillside, and a great snow drift that came up to the window’s sill. In this cabin a miner who had been at work nearly all night was leisurely cooking his late break- fast, all unconscious of the great prep- arations going on upon the hill above him. And ncw Master Stanley is ready. Howard shouts, “Let her go,”’ and Stan- ley lets -her go. But alas, he can’'t stop her, and in spite of Howard's frantic shouts of “‘Steer her.” “Steer her,” he goes madly on in-.a straight line, and like a large-sized woelen cannon ball crashes through ‘the window and lands at the feet of the astonished miner. .Whether the man thought it a visit from some new kind of nta Claus, or an original way of paying a morning call, I have never heard, but his only remark was “Hello,” and Stanley, dazed, but equal to the occasicn, replied, “Hello.” Howard soon came running in, not knowing but what he would find his uncle in fragments, and much relieved when he found that the window was the only damaged article. After assur- ing the miner that his papa-would pay for the window, he led his very much subdued small uncle home. How- ever, this unfortunate beginning did not discourage the young Californian, and before many days he became an accomplished coaster, and more than that—a snowshoe rider as well—but that “is another story." MARY'S TREE HOUSE. MUST tell you a short story about Mary Little’s cute little playhouse in the woods. She lives In Shasta County and there is a creek near the house. On the south bank of the creek there is a huge sugar pine PUZZLE—FIND From the Baltimore American. THE FARMER. . a little stove and a set of iron pans, kettles and saucepans, small in size, but large enough for a little girl to play house with. She can make a fire in the stove and it will cook tiny loaves of bread and cake. Sometimes she has a party of her little girl friends and they all bring their dolls and the hol- low trees and the covered passage— “reception room” Mary calls it—send forth such sounds of mirth and jollity that the wild deer and the squirrels and the birds in the forest stop to lis- ten. Mary often uses broad leaves of the lily for plates and she has the cutest little cups to drink from—the little bowls of the acorns. Climbing vines that fold the trunks of her two old trees gently in their loving embrace, grow gay with colored leaves in the au- tumn, when the frost comes. The ap- proach to her “house” is over a carpet of soft, green moss—as fine as velvet to the touch. The birds have learned not to be afraid of Mary and her friends. One day her papa found a bee tree and he gave Mary all the honey she and her friends could eat at an “all day party.” For music, as the children dine upon viands cooked upon Mary’s little stove, they have the sound of the sighing for- est and the singing of the creek that hurries by, all sparkling and foaming. The alr is always perfumed with the sweet odor of the pine needles and with the breath of oh, so many wild flowers. When the wind blows hard the “house” rocks; but the children.are not afraid, for the roots of the trees are deep in the ground and they are so strong and %rusty that there can be no reason for ear. One day when the children were feasting there was a pattering sound of little feet at the “front’ door.” The children listened and waited, just as still as mice, or ‘“mouses,” as Mary sald. Soon a soft little nose and two very bright eyes were in sight. Soon after the smell of the good things in the house caused a lovely little .baby deer to join the doll party which the girls were having. The deer did not show any fear when once in “the house.” On the contrary, it was coaxed easily through the ‘reception room! into the second room and there it was given a nice lump of sugar. Now the little deer often joins the little girls in their play and seems to enjoy their sports almost as much as thev do. Has any other little girl a nicer playhouse than Mary Little has? -— THE LETTERED FARMER. BY EDWARD_ WIDINER, PORTLAND, OR. There is a farmer who is yy Enough to take his ee, And study nature with his il And think of what he cc, He hears the chatter of the jj As they each other tt, And that when a tree dekk It makes a home for bb. A _yoke of oxen he will uu With many haws and gg, And their mistakes he will éxqq When plowing for his pp. He little buys, but much he sells, And, therefore, little oo, And when he hoes his sofl by spella - He also solls his hosa. stant study he had pursued the year’s work,-and now -his mind was filled with the one thought, “promotion or not-promotion.” . “To think,’”” he said, “if'I am passed T receive my diploma, which entitles me to the privilege of entering any high school of the country-at the opening of the spring term.” Joe Hawley, a young society man of the village, who expected to graduate that year, was Burt's only opponent in scholarship, and the feelings between them, especially .on Hawley’s part, were anything but friendly. On the next to the last day of the 7 o fore the regular hour for dismissal and little knots of-scholars collected about the vard discussing the situation. “I wonder who the substitute will be?” asked Burt. “Surely it will be some one with whom we are ac- quainted. " I suppose she will distribute the diplomas?” “What is that to you? ’asked Joe Hawley, stepping up. “You will not get one.” “I may,” replied Burt, and then he continued: “Why, are you not going up?” “I expect to,” was the stiff response. “I inherit my brightness and do not sist me.” The named pupils stepped forward, and’ the distributing ' began at once. Name after name was read, and Joe Hawley listened with eager interest. Ben Hammond, Frank Rice, Grace Fowler, and so they went on until at last clearly and distinctly came - the name Burt Bowmen! And ‘then the teacher announced that all the diplo- mas were distributed, and Joe Hawley gasped in realization of the fact that the mistakes in the names on the out- side of the papers had caused the fail- ure of his plan. His name had not been called. He had burned his own diploma. 31 LITTLE HOMER'S SLATE BY EUGENE FIELD. FTER dear old grandma dled, Hunting through an oaken chest In the attic, we espied ‘What repaid our childish quest; 'Twas a homely little slate, Seemingly of ancient date. On its quaint and battered face ‘Was the picture of a cart, Drawn-with.all that awkward grace ‘Which betokens childish art, But what meant this legend, prayt ““Homer drew this yesterday?” Mother recollected then— What the years were fain to hide— Bhe was but a baby when Little Homer lived and dled; Forty years, so mother said, Little Homer had' been ‘dead. So_the homely little slate Grandma's baby fingers pressed, To the memory consecrate, Lieth in the oaken chest, Whfli‘& unwilling we should A A A A A A A A A A A A e now, Grandma put it, years ago. HOW'" REX WAS SAVED. ERE is a true story. about a wonderful dog who saved the life of little Rex Allingham of Fly Créek, Or., aged 4 years. One Saturday afternoon at the end of March, after little Rex had- been. seen by his auht playing in the yard with his dog, trying to drive the animal with a string, he and the dog were missed. = Miss Allingham, the aunt, went out In search of -the child, and followed his track for nearly two miles. Fhen.it was lost, and she was com- pelled to return home. * It was now dark, and the weather cold. A search party of men with lanterns ‘was at once organized. They followed the tracks of the boy and dog along the trail which leads from the Fly Creek ranch over the Matoles for someé. dis- tance. Then the tracks left the trail, Wwandering' in the woods in every direc- tion, at one time returning to within a mile of the home ranch, and then wandering off again. Until 2 o'clock. in the morning this was kept up, and then the track was lost so that no one could find it by the aid of the lanterns. It was now so cold that the searchers had to build.a fire ‘and remain by it till daybreak. They had lost all hope of finding the child alive. The exposure, they felt sure, must-have -ended-his life. With daylight they resumed their melancholy search, and after a time the trail of the boy and the dog was again found. They ,followed it now very carefully, and it was not lost again. At 8 o’clock in the morning the men saw the dog at a little.distance.ahead, and soon they caught sight of a child's motioriless and prostrate body curled beside it. They hardly dared approach, but presently: they did so, and were overjoyed to find that the child was lit- tle Rex, and that he was not dead, but was sleeping profoundly, well en- veloped in the dog’s warm fur. The little boy must have = walked twelve or fifteen miles, and was thor- Qughly exhausted. But for the dog he must have perished in the cold. Two facts are remarkable about the dog’s conduct. He stuck by the child and.did-not start for home, ‘as most dogs would have done, when the child in his wanderings approachsd nearest to it; and he had intelligence enough to cuddle close to the boy to keep him warm, and not circle about., as many dogs, even of the most devoted kind', would have done. Rex was taken home, and with rest and care recovered from his exposure and exhaustion. e LITTLE ALICE'S STRATAGEM. HERE is a bright little girl over in’ Oakland; in fact, all the little girls over there are bright. Her father thinks that his Alice is wvery' nice. H¢ has told her sev- eral times that she was sweet. Last Saturday she went out to a candy store with her mother and she was treated to ice cream soda, which was so nice that she determined to scheme for some more.. Sly little puss!.- She knew that she could get anything she want- ed from her father. Perhaps her mother is a mind reader. At any rate she told Alice that she could not ask her father to take her to the candy store that day. “One drink of soda water was enough.” ‘Now Alice has a mind of Her ‘6wn and she made up her mind to get the soda water that very night at all haz- ards. ' So, when it came supper ‘time and her father was at the tfable. she waited her chance. “You are so sweet, Alice, I could ea you up,” said papa. % “Speaking of ‘sweet things,”” an- swered sly little Alice, “they ‘have a nice new. soda water fountain in the candy -store around the corner.” % Alice’s mother had to laugh and Alice had the soda and her mother made No. 3'in the soda water party. =1