The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 2, 1898, Page 31

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDA 3 OCTOBER 2, 1898. EBITE BY RAVIR e WALKERs command of the firing squad to wait a few minutes for developments, for Gen- eral Garcia, Harry Ostend and another are coming in company to the place. Indeed, their approaching horges are soon heard and the curiosity of all the soldlers is on keen edge at the very unusual situation. ‘‘Here th me,” said Ned. General Garcia and Harry were there Ram! white, Ostend truly. The third person the spy. His face was by reason ‘of fear, and it ashy { | | | { ;i 2 o 4. T 9 [ ; D IN CUBA BINNIE AND NE . fragrant with crests and t slanting call the songsters of the But Rar N‘wooded Cuban hills to hymn its praise. ly of Blue are the distant mountains, their had ter ftened by purple haze, ¢ he would like a royal ntle er with loud screams. Then he regal forms. Blue is h terror, but never All nature is ir - ccncerning the phan- . n at the call of e ng and A bugle a strange from -the cz begins to clir te a high and e a tiful Cub: Sudc nly pr w s in broken » sad that eve nd c Cuban offic Garcia to tr did not Julia ro: nbled of- n a Cu- than of trea- ran around eral G ent nd Ge: his head. g but vengeance e Cubans. Tear dror cheeks upon Ramirez,” ) an act’ of J nd say was_ written d as th Binnje of;his San Franc of the grief his ignominious vhich the news would bring mother Speak no but prepare yourself to die bravely. Let it mot be said that we cked courage. Be assured that the h will yet become k nd our more, names will be cleared of 1 s and he ean <'ear up t A Ramirez to his well-de fate. if only he Ostend, brave and wise Harry now.” An officer came forward to take from were herg Julia the Cuban flag which she held aloft. When the officer was only a few paces off aloud three times, “Cuba libre, Cuba libre fo: Then it was that Ran calmness, That was ti he had heard as it pu he was a fugitive af the Spanish captain i olce that ed him when - he had the c be the sound then he had 0 heart. Now it com. anded the fal vision to arise once more von, the.dead Cubs nd th battlé of the bridge—the depths at t1 captain who was struggling to reach the top of the canyon—the perfidious Ramirez. who there committed murder—the flight from the scene of the tragedy—and ever “Cuba libre"— who went down to pursuing volce—saying as he hastened away Julia’s quick glance saw the change on the face of Ramirez. “Look, look,” she sid eagerly; “he is golng to con- Indeed the sudden terror of that mo- m. may have put it into the mind Spy to tell the truth; but what- impulse he had no opportun- as Binnie a to prison. portunit in the d _delay for o privately him if he had a the disaster at the » many Cuban mount It was true that Binnie and Juliz, as pr mir had seemed to I \ od that the Cuban rased at the :lex Binnie and Ju Were not this the Cuban caus not executed, ev of officers had directed. reached General Garcia xed the day for the ex- court it was that upon the morning al- i to in the op ? this chapter e and Julia were going forth to uted—to be shot dow like At the head of the line were trumpeters. Then came the two soners, with their hands tled bé- hind them and closely guarded by sol- s who had- orders to fire if either prisoner made an attempt to escape Behind them walked a p reciting prayers and speaking words of faith and consolation, to fit them for the end. The rear was brought up by full company of Cuban soldiers. Behind the soldiers there were, omi- ly, carried two coffins. Julia saw and shuddered, but Binnie spoke controlled her- en selected for at the request a thes: bravely to her and she self. the plac of Binnie. “I want to see the Stars and Stripes g over Santiago de Cuba at the he said. The hilltop had of execution that Binnie General Garcla, aware an American who had nowerful friends, and wishing to show all the he could, had granted re- 4 now the hilltop was reached and eparations were made. and Julia were made to kneel side. They were facing the iew and Binnie could not help as he thought of all his old-time hen he was on the cruise of fornia to far-c Guinea. He owly moving te-and fro Did the peril he was gthen his vision? “The California! wered Julia. “You -and this is not the time vou would ed the of- diers. "I Garcia to possible.” u anything that say, American?” command of the cted by Gener ¢ privilege y s a moment that I ; comrade a final embrace. > for only an instant.” er looked at the priest, who , “but my to have your pt freedom—" > interrupted Binnie. fin : life,” responded the officer gravely. Freed for the time from their bonds the two prisoners forgot everything ept each other. Their arms were ined. Thelr volces were i fondly in words of loving fare- "he tears coursed adown their faces freely, and there were Cuban sol- who were quite unmanned by the Warned by this the officer brought the scene abruptly to a close. Once more they are kneeling and. now. the death-dealing rifl: of the Cubans are 1ght to the dreadful level position hich indicates the fatal volley to be 1. One instant and all Is over. n the resurrection and the nered Binnie and mewhat as he glanced directly at the for both he and Julia had re- :d that they might not be blinded: instant more .of.earth and then— is this' din that breaks in upon silence of that deadly in- ot the sound-of the Cuban rifles. No, the officer has heard the trampling of a horse driven furiously up the trail and he has paused. - The trampling comes nearer. Now a rider, urging on his horse recklessly, comes into sight. What does this rider want? He has ridden down the Cuban soldiers in his haste to place himself between and the kneeling Binnie and A “Thank God,” ejaculates the rider, “I am here Just in time! man,” thunders the of- g are you who dares to sak through our lines and place front of our rifl it is Ned, dear old Ned, 2 to Julia. “I have the honor,” goes on Ned, for it is he, “to present this document for your consideration, captain.” ““Advance, stranger, and present the document.” Ned leisurely comes forward and hands to the officer a paper, at thé bottomn of which is the signature of General Garc It is a reprieve, issued that some 1 covered evidence may be considé So the execution d not come off. the word of command the deadly- rifles are lowered and the prisoners are d to arise, which order they glad- v obey. Ned goes to them and they > allowed to grasp his outstretched ands; Ned advises the .officer in ART W ORK PERFORMED WITH clear to all that he was to tell the story that wo favor Binnie and Ju- lia He who had contrived their ruin must free them and at awful cost to himself. Perhaps he would take the position of one sentenced to death. Before Ramirez was called upon to speak, Harry Ostend took from a pock- etbook a photograph and asked Gen- eral Garcla to inspect it The invi- tation being accepted, General Gareia started back .with horror. Ned could not repress his sense of triumph at this manifestation. “Would it not be well to permit Ra- mirez to see the picture?” he asked. dition to being always focused, ' they proved often to be of the greatest value. Binnie and Ned both had tiny cameras when they started upon the ride with the Cuban mountaineers that terminated so tragically at the bottom of the canyon. Down fell horses and men, mixed in one great catastrophe. There lay horses and men, when Ramirez stealth- ily descended into the canyon. With his still smoking pistol in his hand, the spy passed hurriedly 'by Ned in his flight, after the murder of the Spanish captain. Did Ned move? The spy fancied so and bent over him. _An in- nt was enough to fix a picture of the spy’s feature: ‘When Ned recov- ered consciousness, he covered the ex- posed camera, and so preserved a tiny but accurate picture. This was de- veloped by Harry Ostend while he and Ned-were sailing towad Key West af- ter the surrender of Santlago de Cuba. This picture so perfectly fitted into the that Julia told concerning what had seen after the battle of the that Harry Ostend saw that the gainst Ramirez v complete. He stened to return to Cuba, that jus tice might be done. Arriving there he was astounded to hear of the danger of Binnle and Julia. He acted prompt- 1y, and Ned, as we have seen, was just turn for your attempt to destroy hers. Ramirez groveled in the dust at the feet of the happy girl, hardly daring to -believe that she had -rescued him when he was about to.pay the penalty for his many crimes. > AR T PRI Yl e As the readers know, ‘it was indeed the yacht California that: Binnie had seen from the top of the mountain. And now the hour for the departure of the brave craft for the Philippines hascome. Harry Osténd is aboard and so is Ned. There, too, is Ramirez, who will have a new chance in life. Binnie lingers on shore, talking to Julia, until a gun on the ‘yacht is fired to call him to his duty. E “Time is up, my dear Julia,” he says, “and I must go.” ) “Oh, Binnle, promise me that you will never forget me,” ‘Never, never.” They have shaken hands and have parted. Julia stands on the beach and with dim eyes waves her handkerchief in mute adieu. Binnie stands in the stern of the small boat that is carry- ing him rapidly to the California, and responsively waves the small Cuban flag which Julia has given him as a keepsake—her flag which she has car- ried through so many perils, her dear- est treasure. Blue are the waves. -Merrily spar- kle the foam as the clewving bow of the California speeds through it. And now she is farther and farther from shore; and at last a mere speck. Still Julia lingers on the beach until - the vesgel that carries brave :Binnie. can be seen no more. Sg.ends the story of Binnie and Ned in Cuba. D. HW. (The End.) BABY'S FEET. BY -ALGERNON C. SWINBURNE. A _baby’s feet, like sea-shell pink, Might tempt, should heaven see meét, An angel’s lips to kiss, we think, ab; feet. Like rose-hued sea-flowers toward the heat They stretch and spread and wink Thelr ten soft buds that part and meet, On baby’'s feet. No fower-bells that expand and shrink Gleam half so heavenly sweet As shine on life's untrodden brink A baby’s fee — CHILDISH FUN, MAKERS. “We don’t have to punish our chil- dren any more.” “Why not?"” “When one of them gets to acting badly the others courtmartial him.” A gentleman living in a suburban town brought a lawn-mower home one evening and the next morning ‘was out early testing it. His little 4-year-old daughter hearing the noise ran to the 31 LITTLE LESTER, ‘ THE ARTIST BY 'ANNABEL LEE. N February, 1897, the Children’s Hospital ‘opened its doors to a little waif, Lester' Kamp by name, for exactly the second time in “its his< tory of the past two years. It now shelters a prodigy of art, whose con- ceptions, though crude, indicate gentus. The opinions of Keith, Jorgensen, Brewer, Cadenasso, Partington, Lati- mer and Sculptor Le Jeune are summed up by the following expressions—won- derfully endowed, marvelously gifted, a genius, incredible talent, astonishing cleverness, remarkable ability and amazing . skill. Lester Kamp's home, properly speak- ing, has been a transitory one, and his conveyance frequently a police van. He, has arranged his existence in the Pope ward, partly through the kind- ness of the lady managers, partly be- cause his brain was of a measure too full for a home at the Glen Ellen Fee- bie Minded Asylum, and wholly be- cause he was abandoned by a father —svho was too busy to think of him,and deserted by a miother. Often she left him alone throughout the day, without food or drink. Year by year the child grew and so did his wretchedness, and with it his desire to study, to go_to scmook-and last and greatest was his yearning-to; become an artist. Little Lester, after his mother’s de-, sertion, began a rapid succession .of lodging-house. experiences. His trunk consisted of a little pine box,. contain- ing only a scanty amount of clothing and a few toys. That which deprived him of his strength could not rob him of his desire to achieve something in the world of ideals. His landlady, whese name is legion, supplied.him with e¢onomic implements of art. Despite these crude matericls —fragments _of paper ‘for his:canvas and the shears for his pencil; Httle Les- ter. gave a life of form and beauty to his ‘creations, denled -to himself,,. No books taught himm of his art,.nor cheéred him In his laneliness, for he can neither read nor write. Nature planted this genius where he did not belong, opened her page, gave him a startling memory and left the rest to destiny. And she placed this little estray in the asylum for the sick and homeless Rgor. The door opened for me upon - the * playroom of the Children’s Hospital, disclosing a group of boys on cruiches, who completely surrounded a figure by the western window. = One ‘does not re- quire a nurse to point'out the boy won- der; the children do that. His figure THE BUMPKINS AND THE GRANGER GIVE THE FILIPINOS AN ILLUSTRATION OF THEIR IDEA OF THE U. S. CONGRESS DOING POLITICS. “Very well,” said General Garcia. “Look, Ramirez, here is something that will interest you; a sclentific marvel in its way.” Awed, but still curious, Ramirez took the picture in his hand, but dropped it with a shriek that thrilled all who heard. 2 “I confess, I confess that the guilt was mine,” he said, his voice broken and trembling. “You hear, gentlemen,” said Harry Ostend gravely, “Ramirez says that he recognizes the picture and that he is gullty. General Garcia whispers to the cap- tain of the guard and is heard to say in a low tone of voice, “As goon as the Americans shall have gone away.” What is the wonderful picture that has confounded the hard-hearted spy and has forced him to confess that he is guilty of crime? When Binnie, Ned and Harry Ostend arrived in Cuba, performing secret service for the United States Government, they were provided with every convenience that the foresight of Harry Ostend and the heads of the Secret Service Bureau could suggest. Included in the equip- ment were several detective cameras, so small that they could be readily concealed, and so perfect that, in ad- in time to save the lives of Binnie and Julla. ‘When the picture had been inspected by all, General Garcia ordered that Binnie and his brave comrade should be set free at once. Hardly had this happened when the Cuban soldiers hur- ried Ramirez to the spot where Binnie had so lately knelt. “Mercy, oh, mercy!” beseeched the SpY. “Officer, do your duty,” said General Garcia sternly. Harry Ostend and Binnie turned aside. Ned looked with pity toward the cowering wretch . who was trem- bling before the guns which Binnie and Julla had faced so courageously only a few minutes, before. Y “One moment,” said Julia; “I beg for the life of the prisoner as a reward in full for the service I may have ren- dered Cuba in her time of need.” “His life is yours, Julia,” answered General Garcia, after some thought. “But why do you wish him to live?” “There are other lands where he may do better. Let us be merciful.to him as a token of our gratitude for release from the Spanish yoke.” “Rise, dog,” sald General Garcla, “and thank this magnanimous girl for saving your wretched existence as a re- window to investigate, and after gazing at it in astonishment for a moment, ex- claimed: “Oh, mamma, papa’s tuttin® ze gwass wiz your tarpet-sweeper!”. “Do you know what will happen to you if you don’t hand that apple over right away?” said the big boy to the little boy: And the little boy gave it up. Seueges CASTLES OF AIR. BY CHARLES ELMER .UPTON, PLACERVILLE. Years agone, when. 1®e was beaming, ‘And fate looked kindly on you and me, Oft we sat together, dreaming Of that future when we should be Men of high and kingly station, Dwell]!rl;lg in mansions bright with gold, Helping to guide the march of a nation, Masters of power and fame untold. Comrade mine, the years are going, Time has shattered our boyhood's dream; Into the future we come, unknowing, Yet, O friend of old! I deem ‘When the curtain of life is falling We shall heirken a sound afar— Thé voice of the Infinite, calling, calling To the land where our castles are} is one of misery. and it takes some time for the feeling of commiseration to lose" itself in wonder at his work. Closely cropped hair, of golden brown, edges a face so pale, so suggestive of physical pain and resigned endurance, that it looks prematurely old. The eyes are large and of that hopeful blue, which, when seen in a child who has never known anything but despair, are most affecting. A ragged and rusty coat slouches over a back curved in and squeezes the raised shoulders and ele- vated chest. A gray shawl wraps the limp and paralyzed legs. and his’ feet hang shoeless to the floor. Haols Theé hands, such capable hands, are small for his body &nd his years, and hig_ delicate fingers seem ‘as it gifted with intelligence.” Hands of symmetry, energy and power, that cut pictures all day long for the sick children, who regard him with awe. A ‘smile that is rare and does not animate the face discloses a row of neglected teeth. His movements denote that sort ‘of apathy which; if not accompanied by genlus, resembles imbecility. He has a whole- souled abstraction in-his work, without which, like “Blind Tom,” he is merely an instrument. These qualities along with his infirmities have been his fate since his birth twelve years ago. Sen- sitive to neglect and loyal to memory, he hopes with the intensity of a child- ish heart that his father will come to see him. Once or twice, while out in the hos- pital yard, Lester saw his father dr ing a team on Sacramento street, and waved at him with his handkerchief. The father answered the mute token of recognitien, and since then the more than orphaned boy watches for the- passing teams with a wistfulness that is touching, and says: “I would rathe see him that far away than not at all.” His father has married again and has children by his second wife to claim his attention; but the: hapless child does not know this, and defends him with these words: ~“I guess my father is too tired when he gets through work or he would come.” B If Lester lies back to rest during the day it is to wish and at night to dream that his father will come to see him soon. This poor little stray was never so comfortable anywhere as in the Chil- dren’s Home. Wearing the rags ef charity, ill fitting as thev are, he shows his gratitude by cevoting his hours to study while-the other children play. He sits in his chair and dreams of the time whén he will have bright colored paints and brushes for his material, in- stead of the, colored paper and scissors now supplied him by the nurses. He dreams of ‘the future which will bring hiin' health, tools for his art and the. return of his father’s love. Unlike the childish trebje, his.voice is low ‘and pathetic, and he tells story in a tone so plaintive, yet ten- der, that it goes straight to. the heart of the listener. ‘My mother,” he be- gan and was passively silent for so long that I thought »- had forgotten my question, “my mother only abused me once, but she neglected me. , Some- times ‘she left' me all day with only dry bread to eat and no watet, and sometimes I didn’'t always have dry bread.” His speech is slow and hesitating as if trying to recall in detail the mem- ory of some unpleasant dream. “She liked my brother best because he wasn’t a cripple like me. He had a nice straight back and could walk so far ‘without getting tired, couldn’t. Nobody likes crippled boys as well as strong ones. I guess that was why she didn’t take me along. One time when my mother left me, I got dry and tried to get a drink. I fell and hurt-myself and ~ried so hard that a policeman came in and took me away: in a van.” Suddenly he quit talking and I looked . out of the window quite a while after and I his * that, until T heard a dry little sob and’’ turned to see_the tears splashed from those great blue eyes. He bent his head that I might not see his emotion- while his littie' hand fumbled in his spacious pocket for a rag of .a hand- kerchief to dry his wet cheeks. His veice trembled and his lips quivered; then he said, “I've got a Very bad cold.” Brave. little heart, yours is the kind. that beats in the breast of the hero.. Casting about him for love and find- ing his affections thrown back upon himself, this elf-child like a true ge- nius, has created a world of his own,, who" and has peopled it with beings care for him and he calls this world “the world of make-believe.” “The kind people of make-believe land only come when the night is dark,” so Lester says, ‘‘or when I put my head under the bed clothes, then they came and:talk to me and tell me to be brave when I am discouraged and to be a good-little boy, and that I wilk Vhen my be a great artist some day. back hurts so hard sometimes I have to cry, and then they come and put their hands on me and make me feel so strong, and just like I could walk if I tried. I make believe I go with them to Berkeley some times and to San Jose, where I used to live, and to the toy shops and to ever so many places that I have seen, and once I went to see my father with :these people. He was asleep and when I said ‘Hello’ to him he didn’t wake up, but he smiled at me. “‘These “make-believe people are ‘so kind and never scold me. Their vaices haven't any sound, but I hear them tell me how to cut my pictures and what I shall make. They say that T can model in clay after awhile, but not here, be- cause it would make too much dirt for. the nurses ‘to clean up and that wouldn’t be right. They say I am go- ing -away from here. Some one is go- ing to give mé a home just as soon as they see my pictures in the paper, and I'll have all the paints I want to use, nice warm eclothes to wear and good things to eat. “I don’t know where my new home will be yet and I don’t know where my father is—and I wonder how him know where to come to see me.” Something of Lester's uncanny knowledge has taken possession of me —something of his faith in these in-- visible friends, and I wonder who will give him this home and what his future will be? e, IN- STORYLAND. BY MARGARET WIDDEMER. In Storyland, in Storyland, I would that. * I were there, Where all the men are handsome, and all the maids are fair. Where castles loom on every hand, where all the days are bright, ‘Where every lovelorn maiden has a gal- lant errant knight. In a castle I sit spinning, looking out with eyes of blue, Always, ever, I am watching for one gal- fant knight and true; But though many kneel before me, I dis- dain and spurn them all, And sing softly, looking outward through the loophale in the wall: “He who comes to woo me. Must be dark and grand” (For my own long rippling hair it gleam- eth %{;!den in my dream). “When he comes ‘to sue me For my lily hand” (And, I'm looking pensively out to the sunset-glowing stream). List! - Was that a horse’s hoof-beat .on the drawbridge o’er the moat? And ‘my song it breaketh quickly and adown the hail I float, As a -gallant. knight -he strideth up to where I stand apart, - And he kneels before me proudly as he asketh for ‘my heart! As T answer softly, softly, oh, it beateth ; fast and loud: g I should know him and should love him were I lying in my. shroud, For ’tis. he, the knight I've dreamed of, and T gladly: clasp his hand As he leads me from my eastle to a wider oryland! - Little Nellie was sent to the corner grocery for a pound of butter. “Well, little girl,-‘'what can I do for you?" asked the grocer. ‘“Be quick, for I'm awful _busy.” = ‘“P-please, sir,” stam- mered Nellie, ‘: .y: m-muzzer sended me for a p-pound of b-butter, but if’ you 18 b-busy dive me a h-half p-pound,” Il let.