Oxford Democrat. [volume], February 08, 1916, Image 1

About Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933

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The Oxford Democrat.
VOLUME 83. ~ SOUTH PARIS, MAINE, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1916. NUMBER 6
CARL S. BRIGGS,
Dentist,
SOUTH PARIS, MAINE.
Office Hoar® : 9 i. v. to S p. m. Spe
cial attention *iven to children.
Telephone 143-4
|£ERRICK A PARK.
Attorney β at Law,
BBTHEL, . MAI**.
Addison K. HerTlck. Bllery C. Park.
^ LBÏRT D. PARK,
Licensed Auctioneer,
SOUTH PARIS, . MAINS.
Term· Moderate.
J. WALDO NASH.
Licensed Taxidermist,
Tempi· Street, rear Maton;ο Block,
Telephone Oonneotion. NORWAY.
LONGLEY & BUTTS,
Norway, Maine,
Plumbing, Heating,
Sheet Metal Work,
STEEL CEILINGS A SPECIALTY.
Bisbee & Parker,
A'fORNEYS AND COUNSELLORS AT LAW
Eumford, Maine.
GENERAL PRACTICE.
Deorgt D. Bisbee Ralph T.|Parker
SpauIJing Bisbee
10 I y
fclISS HAZEL D. WOODBURY,
I Teacher of Voice Culture,
■seeaoos la South Paria on Saturdays,
li .-tit J4 Beacon Ave., Auburn, Me.
I References: Mr*. Agues L. Morton and Mrs.
■Alton C Wheeler. Mi
E. W. CHANDLER,
Builders' Finish !
wll! furnish DOORS and W1XDOW8 of any
Β:.·· or Style at reaeonahle price·.
Also Window & Door Frames.
If In want of any kind of finish for Inside oi
Outside werk. «end in your orders. Pine Lum
ber and Stilnxlee on hand Cheap for Caah.
Planing, Sawing and Job Work.
Matched Pine Sheathing for Sale.
Ε. IV. CHANDLER,
West Sumner, .... Maine
HILLS,
Jeweler and Graduate Optioian.
MftinsiOMM.
NORWAY, MAINE.
While in Portland Stop at the
PREBLE HOUSE
REMODELED
40 koom· With Running Water.
25 koom» With Private Bath·.
Hooiejuitpatla flrat claaa order.
EUROPEAN PLAN. Si.00 per day up.
AMERICAN PLAN. $2.50 per day up.
EVKKÏ C'A Κ PASSES THE DOOR.
FRANK M. GRAY, MANAGER.
J. Hastings Bean
SOUTH PARIS
Real Estate
and Securities
BOUGHT AND SOLD.
I have both village and farm prop
erty, also high grade bonds for sale.
Loans and investments carefully
made.
Examination of titles a specialty.
Twenty years' experience in title
ppvork.
Indiana Man's Kidney
Troubles Disappear
"After suffering many months from
kidney trouble," writes W. R. Fox,
of Noblesvllle, Ind., "an<l after hav
ing tried many remedies and prescrip
tions. I purchased a box of Foley
Kidney Pills. They noi only did
me more good than any other rt-medy
I had ever used, but they positively
set my kidneys right. Other mem·
berg of my family have used same
with similar results."
Frosm every state in the Union come
unsolicited letters telling of satis
factory results from Foley Kidney
Pills. "When the kidneys become
clogged up, get sluggish, and filter
and strain out of the blood only part
of the poisonous waste matter, the
balance remains and circulates
through the system, uric acid forms,
and swollen, painful joints and inut
iles are th« result.
Foley Kidney Pills cleanse and tone
up the kidneys, so that backache,
rheumatism, sore muscles, aching
joints, annoying bladder disorder·
1 i-retfuiafiiid· xx>u disai ;«U
A. E. SHUKTLJtrr A CU., Sooth Paru.
SUV
Mp M MURIS
h
for the Whole Family
W 0. Frothingham,
South Paris, Maine.
LS. BILLINGS
manufacturer op and DBALERIIN
Red Cedar and Spruce Clap
board», New Brunswick Cedar
Shingles, North Carolina Pine,
Flooring and Sheathing,
Paroid Roofing, Wall Board,
Apple Barrel Heads, and
LX7MBEB OF ALL KINDe
South Parle, - lfalna
I AMONG THE FAMEES.
14 IfUD THB PLOW."
c^*T*PO®'leno· OB practical *«rlciiitur*i topic
« solicited. Address all oommunlcatfone la
"■«•d for this department to Hanr D
^J^«o«ro^AjrtcuituT*J Editor Oxford Des
The "Scientific" Hog.
^ I have come upon an article by Prank
G. Moorhead, in a recent number of The
Technical World Magazine, that Inter
ests me much, and it may intereet other
readers, particularly those who, like my
self, can remember the first attempts in
this co on try to imitate the German
method of balancing rations, particular
ly those for dairy cattle, aa they were
outlioed in the Wolff system.
This article treats of what the writer
is pleased to call the "Cafeteria" meth
od of feeding swine. It was first out
lined for the public by Prof. John M.
Evvard of the Iowa State College of
I Agriculture. The article states that the
professor ban proved that the bog, in
stead of eating like a hog, eats like a hu
man being, only with a great deal more
sense. The dean of the college frankly
admits that "the main objection to Prof.
Evvard's discovery and invention Is that
it proves that the hog knows more than
the scientist." The invention consists
of a box-shaped affair, divided into com
partments, which are each filled with
swine food very much as human food is
placed on the counters of a cafeteria,
and to which the hog has access at ail
times.
The hog is allowed to choose bis own
food in bis own way, regardless of ,its
first cost or whether or not be may
choose a scientifically "balanced" ra
tion. Mr. Moorhead says: "He may
eat gluttonously of one food to the ex
clusion of "ii others. He may gorge
himself wiih corn when it is 70 cents a
bushel laid down; but eat whatever be
will, is the rule of the cafeteria, and it
works wonders in the art of fattening
hogs for market."
The results of a few experiments are
given, which tend to prove conclusively
the beneficial effects of the system.
Seventeen 225-pound shoats were finish
ed on blue grass, having access to the
self-feeder for 68 days. The menu con
sisted of dry shelled corn, meat meal,
whole oats, wheat middlings, lioseed oil
meal, charcoal and rock salt. The hogs
bad access to one food as easily and as
unrestrained as to any other. Tbey
chose the "balanced ration" and made
such good use of the food that they gain
ed 1 75 pounds daily, and fattened so
rapidly that they returned in hog meat
72 7 cents for every bushel of 50-cent
corn that they ate.
An experiment to show the difference
in gain between the band-fed and the
"cafeteria" fed hogs showed that the
former consumed 372 to 419 pounds of
food "doled out according to the scien
tific theories of man" for 100 pounds of
gain, at a cost of from $3 97 to #4, while
the bugs that ate at will what they want
ed. used but 364 pounds of food for 100
pounds of gain. Figuring the bogs at 16
λ hundredweight, the cafeteria-fed bog»
made tbe corn fed to tbem worth 83.9
cents per bushel, while tbe hand-fed
hogs returned but 75.4 to 81.1 cents per
bushel.
The article concludes with tbe follow
ing quotation from Prof. Evvard: "It
is a peculiar commentary upon the judg
ment of feeders that tbey should have
the utmost faith in tbe hog as regards
his ability to choose some feeding ma
terials, but yet should hesitate to trust
him with grains, usually high priced,
such as corn, oats, tankage, meat meal,
oil meal, and others."
I think there may be a lesson in this
for all swine feeders and possibly to the
feeders of other classes of live stock. We
ire coming more and more to recognize
tbe taote of the animal in his feeding and
to know that appetite has much to do
with tbe assimilation of food. I believe
I was one of the first to break away from
tbe rigidly balanced ration for cows and
to advocate that tbe appetite and taste
of tbe animal should have much to d$
with the choice of the food given her.
To this end, I widened the ration, fed
more home-produced foods, looked more
than formally to tbe health and'mainten
ance of the animal and less to the largest
possible amount of production, which in
the end incrased profits and improved
tbe herd. Let tbe good work go oo.
Our scientific friends bave much yet to
learn, and it is but wisdom on our part
to follow tbem with open minds and a
readiness to learn from tbem.—B. Walk
er Mo Keen, in Maine Farmer.
Increasing Milk mow.
Please give me information on feeding
cow β to increase their milk flow and to
improve the quality and flavor of the
butter. 1 feed my cows soy bean bay
with plenty of beans on and corn, also
some cornstalks. I got some bran aqd
thought I would mix it with brewers'
«rain.
Easton, Md. C. M.
If is possible to increase the milk flow
of a cow by good feeding and care be
fore it is firmly established. No system
of feeding has yet been brought forth
that will increase the quality of milk,
that is, in the percentage of fat. It
would seem from practical experienoe
tbat it is possible to ascertain systems of
feeding to at least temporarily increase
the percentage of fat in milk, but to sus
tain it throughout the period of lacta
tion we know of no particular kind of
feeds to advocate for this purpose.
Where increased flows of milk are de
sirable, it is very important that the
feeder watch his cows closely at the
time of freshening and gradually increaae
their feed so long as they will respond to
the increase. When the animal has
reached her limit of production, it is
well tben to drop back a little in the
■mount of meal fed, as it ia not feasible
under average conditions to feed all the
grain a cow will eat in order that her
maximum flow of milk may be sustain
ed.
Most any good farm-grown products
produce a good flavored milk. There
area few feeds that affect the flavor, that
Is, what we 'term an off flavor. The
feeding of a large amount of rutabagas
or turnips just before milking will in
variably give the milk an objectionable
odor. Permitting cows to graze on rape
pasture will also cause them to produee
a strong flavored milk. Sven clover
pasture will have its effect and so will
giMI.
We would suggest feeding each ani
mal all the soy bean bay she will con
sume. If It is of good quality, It is a
most excellent roughage. ▲ mixture
consisting of 200 lbs. ground com, 100
lbs. bran, and 100 lbs. brewers' grains
will supplement the bay quite nicely.
Feed about 1 lb. of this mixtnre for
each 3 12 to 4 lbs. of milk produced.~
Hoard's Dairyman.
Coocrete Floors la Dairy Barns.
Tbanse of concretp floprs in dairy
barns is*gaining in popularity because it
Is permanent and ean be easily cleaned.
The one objection against conorete is
tbat It is cold, and this is don· away
with In many barns by the use of patent
brioks and other flooring material pre
pared especially for use with concrete
floor·. The dairy baro· tbat are clean,
santtary and economical are the one·
that appeal to farmers, jay· American
Farming. The replaeing of the old
style wooden stalls with steel tubing
doee away with any extensive oollection
of dost and dirt aid makw the ventila
tion muob better for the cows. Labor
saving devioes also make for better milk
and for les· labor bf the dairyman.
The rooster we breed from ought to
have lots of snap In bias. A bird with
no «punk ought to tak· a back seat when
It oomes to tbat part of th· poultry buil
Mak· your plan· to keep th· piga not
more than aix month·. Ia that tins·
push then as hard as yon can, and you
will rar· mak· son»· good moa«y oat of
The 1916 Fertilizer Question,
f (Κ. À. Sogers In Main· Farmer.)
* The question of fertilizer ia one of
great interest to tbe farmer· of Maine,
especially the potato grower·, and what
to do the ooming season 1· a lite ques
tion to many.
Several have asked my advice as to
whether or not they could afford to buy
fertilizer with tbe potash content figur
ed at $5 per unit, and plant potatoes.
Were we aure of as high prices another
season as we are now getting for our po
tatoes, it would at least give a farmer a
chance to win. No one knows when the
war msy end, and were it to end before
the shipping season was well on, another
fall, and Germany have a normal crop,
prices would be apt to run ao low here
that no money won'd be made on a po
tato crop. With million^ of its men on
the battlefield and other millions work
ing to supply war material, the report la
that Germany has this year tbe greatest
uotato crop anv country ever raised.
Under normal shipping conditions, tbis
would be disastrous to tbe potato grow
ers of Maine.
My own idea is that, taking under
consideration the pride the grower baa
received for any term of years, it 1a not a
safe proposition for most farmers to
plant potatoes when tbe fertilizer costs
over 940 per too.
Probably the most important question
to tbe potato grower is, Csnl grow pota
toes without potash? As to this part of
it, I feel compelled to say yes, at least
on certain soils.
I do not wish anyone to get the idea
that I am advocating planting potatoes
on a fertilizer without potash unless
obliged to do so, yet I am confident that
on maDy soils if the grower will use a
good percent of nitrogen and phosphoric
acid and keep his vines green until frost,
he will get nearly a normal yield of tu
bers.
Years ago tbe writer, whose farms
border Casco bay, used to catch and use
hundreds of barrels of fish for the grow
ing of potatoes, spreading them on green
sod and plowing them under; and ooold
raise a larger crop per acre than he has
been able to raise in any of the past four
years. _
These fish did not contain any potash
»nd but little phosphoric acid, but did
contain what many claimed to be an ex
cessive amount of available nitrogen,
vet by keeping tbe vines green until
frost, I could get as large a crop as I
have been able to get since in most
years with a complete, well balanced
fertilizer. It may have been that by
turning under these green fisb, spread as
tbey were on green sod, that the decay
ing fish and sod were the means of liber
ating enough potash for tbe crop. At
any rate, the crop grew and filled out,
and the tubers were of very fine quality.
This brings us back to tbe fact that
practically all the potatoes produced in
Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota are
grown on a clover sod and without any
commercial fertilizer, and so is a large
portion of the crop in York state. There
is. therefore, no surety but what under
the stimulus cf tbe present high prices
and a favorable season that those four
states which are the chief competitors
of Maine might have a very heavy crop,
with consequent low prices, which might
be ruinous to our Maine growers who
planted on $60 per ton fertilizer.
A clay loam subsoil contains an im
mense amount of potash which in its
present condition is unavailable.
The writer has long intended to carry
on a series of experiments on subsoiling
previous to planting potatoes, to deter
mine bow much of tbis unavailable pot
ash might be liberated for the potato
crop, but never has got to it personally,
although we have tried it out to a
limited extent on our Richmond seed
farms. Further, a friend of the writer,
in Pennsylvania, tried it for several
years, with very great results.
There seem to be a few certain condi
tions, which if complied with, result in a
very marked increase in tbe crop.
A clay subsoil doesn't usually get dry
enough in the spring to be safe to break
up. The top soil, or loam, may be In
just the right condition to plow nicely
when tbe subsoil, containing tbe. most
potasb, being largely clay, would mud.
as it was broken or crumpled up, and a«
these pieces of broken clay rubbed by
one another as tbe subsoil plow passed
through, tbe outside surface of each
piece, be it large or small, would be
given an almost impervious coat of olay
mortar. Under these conditions, sub
soiling would be of but very little use.
On the other band, I have never known
of an instance where the subsoil was
broken up when it was dry enough (and
tbe drier the better, provided tbe team
could haul (he plow), but what resulted
in a very great increase in the potato
crop.
Later the writer will take up tne ferti
lizer question from another viewpoint,
Hiving bis own pergonal ideas as to the
value of the present system of analysis,
which does not differentiate between
sources of plant food for analysis only,
and sources of plant food which will
feed the plant.
This last ia one of the most vital
points of the whole commercial fertiliaer
business, and the buyer of fertiliser to
day in Maine has practically no protec
tion whatever, except the honor of tbe
men who compose the different fertiliser
companies doing business in the state.
Wood Ashes.
I have several tons of unleached hard
wood asbes and plenty of good cow ma
nure. Would oorn land be properly
managed if tbe mauure was harrowed
into this plowed sod, the ashes spread
one ton per acre, harrowed in, and lastly
three hundred pounds per acre of aoid
phosphate and one hundred of sodium
nitrate run through planter at corn
planting time? The ashes analyse 7 per
cent potash and over 2 percent phosphor
ic aoid. Would one ton of ashes per
acre of the above analysis affect tbe
crumb structure of the soil in a delete
rious manner? «
Waterbury, vt. W. L. W.
Good wood asbes contain from 3 to 8
peroent of potash and they are consider
ed a good fertiliser. Not only do wood
asbes supply a good amount of potash to
the soil, bnt they are rich in lime and
their mechanical effect upon the soil is
also good.
We would suggest an application of
one ton of unleaobed bard wood .asbes
per acre as a sufficient application onless
tbe soil is very defioiefct in potash." It is
quite a common practice to ulef^om 300
to 400 lbs. muriate of potash to tbe acre
and we would expect a ton of wood ashes
to give aa dood results as 300 lbs. to 400
lbs. of muriate of potash,—Hoard's
Dairyman.
Example of Labor Efficiency.
Efficiency of farm labor ia often aa im
portant aa Its distribution. Two young
men were plowing clover sod. Bach bad
two horaes bitched to a 14-lnoh walking
plow. It waa heavy plowing, and each
team was barely able to plow I 1-2 aores
a day. One morning the men decided
to try three horaes on one plow. They
did ao, and to their great surprise one
man and three horses easily plowed 3
acres a day. They plowed as much as
two men and fonr horses had previously
done and did II much more easily. It
was even easier for tbe driver, beoause
it is always easier to driva a team that ia
not overloaded. The naw arrangement
; released one man and one horse for oth
er work.
So far as preeep^ conditions go, Presi
dent Ness in his address at the recent
meeting of tbe Maine Live 8to'ok Breed
ers1 Association bit the nail squarely on
tbe kead when be said: "Maine should
be advertiaèd aa having live atock for
breeding purpose as ike. haa been for
high-class driving horsei ia the post."
Place the duet bath where the ion
oaa ahlae on It; the· the heas will use It
more freely.
. Beeurethat all the pip tad hoga;
have deep, dry heda. i
VI.—Phoebe
By Ο. HENRY
(Copyright by Doubleday, Page & OoJ
t
OU are a man of ι
many adven- '
tares and va-'
rled enter-!
prises," I said
to Captain Pa· !
trlcio Maloné. j
"Do you be-1
lleve that the
possible ele- !
ment of good luck or bad luck—If there |
Is such a thing as luck—has Influenced j
your career or persisted for or against
you to such an extent that you were 1
forced to attribute results to the op
eration of the aforesaid good luck or
bad luck?"
This question (of almost the dull in
solence of legal phraseology) was put
while we sat in Rousselin's little red
tiled café near Congo square, in New
Orleans.
Brown faced, white hatted, finger
tinged captains of adventure came of
ten to Rousselin's for the cognac.
They came from sea and land and
were chary of relating the things they
had seen—not because they were more
wonderful than the fantasies of the
Ananlases of print, but because they
were so different And I was a per
petual wedding guest, always striving
to cast my buttonhole over the finger
of one of these mariners of fortune.
This Captain Maloné was a Hiberno
Iberlan creole who had gone to and
fro in the earth and walked up and
down in it He looked like any other
well dressed man of thlrty-flve whom
you might meet except that he was
hopelessly weather tanned and wore
on his chain an ancient ivory and gold
Peruvian charm against evil, which
has nothing at ail to do with his
story.
"My answer to your question," said
the captain, smiling, "will be to tell
you the story of Bad Luck Kearny.
That Is, if you don't mind hearing it"
My reply was to pound on the table
for Rousselln.
"Strolling along Tchçupltoulas street
one nlght'r began Captain Maloné, "I
noticed, without especially taxing my
interest a small man walking rapidly
toward me. He stepped upon a wood
en cellar door, crashed through it and
disappeared. I rescued him from a
heap of soft coal below. He dusted
himself briskly, swearing fluently in a
mechanical tone, as an underpaid ac
tor recites the gypsy's curse. Grati
tude and the dust in his throat seem
ed to call for fluids to clear them away.
His desire for liquidation was ex
pressed so heartily that I went with
him to a café down the street where
we had some vile vermouth and bit
ters.
"Looking across that little table I
had my first clear sight of Francis
Kearny. He was about five feet sev-j
en, but as tough as a cypress knee.
His hair was darkest red, his mouth J
such a mere silt that you wondered
how the flood of his words came rush· j
lng from it His eyes were the bright· !
Aguas Prias. But one would' think I
am trying to win a recruit In yoa!
No; it was Francis Kearny I wanted.
And so I told him, speaking long over
our execrable vermouth, breathing the
stifling odor from garlic and tarpau
lins, which, as you know, is the dis
tinctive flavor of cafés in the lower
slant of oar city.
"I spoke of the tyrant President Cru*
and the burdens that his greed and ln
eolent cruelty laid upon the people.
And at that Kearny's tears flowed.
And then I dried them with a picture
of the fat rewards that would be ours
when the oppressor should be over
thrown and the wise and generous Val
devla in his seat Then Kearny leap
ed to his feet and wrung my hand with
the strength of a roustabout. He was
mine, he said, till the last minion of
the hated despot was hurled from the j
highest peaks of the Cordilleras into
the sea.
"I paid the score and we went out
Near the door Kearny's elbow over
turned an upright glass showcase, '
smashing It into little bits. I paid the
storekeeper the price he asked.
" 'Come to my hotel for the night,' I
said to Kearny. 'We sail tomorrow at.
noon.'
"He agreed, but on the sidewalk he
fell to cursing again in the dull, monot
onous, glib way that he had done when
I pulled him out of the coal cellar. I
•"Captain,' said he, 'before we go
any further It's no more than fair to
tell you that I'm known from Baffin's
bay to Tierra del Fuego as "Bad Luck"
Kearny. And I'm It Everything I get
Into goes up in the air except a balloon.
Every bet I ever made I lost except
when I coppered it Every boat I ever
sailed on sank except the submarines.
Everything I was ever interested in
went to pieces except a patent bomb
shell that I invented. Everything I
ever took hold of and tried to run I
ran into the ground except when I
tried to plow. And that's why they
call me "Bad Luck" Kearny. I thought
I'd tell you.'
" 'Bad luck,' said I, 'or what goes by
the name, may now and then tangle the
affairs of any man. But if it persist
beyond the estimate of what we may
call the "averages" there must be a
cause for It'
44 "There is,' said Kearny emphatical
ly, 'and when we walk another square
I will show it to you.'
"Surprised, I kept by his side until
we came to Canal street and out Into
the middle of its great width.
"Kearny seized me by an arm and
pointed a tragic forefinger at a rather
brilliant star that shone steadily about
thirty degrees above the horizon.
"'That's Saturn,' said he, the star'
that presides over bad luck and evil
and disappointment and nothing doing
and trouble. I was born under that
star. Every move I make up bobs
Saturn and blocks it He's the hoodoo
planet of the heavens. They say he's
73,000 miles in diameter and no solider
of body than split pea soup, and he's
got as many disreputable and malig
nant rings as a big city. Now, what
kind of a star Is that to be born un
der?
"I asked Kearny wnere ne naa od
tained all this astonishing knowledge.
44 'From Azrath, the great astrologer,
of Cleveland, O.,' said he. That man
looked at a glass ball and told me my
name before I'd taken a chair. He
prophesied the date of my birth and
death before I'd said a word. And
then he cast my horoscope, and the
sidereal system socked me in the solar
plexus. It was bad luck for Francis
Kearny from A to Izard and for his
friends that were Implicated with him. '
For that I gave up (10. This Azrath |
was sorry, bat he respected his profes- {
slon too much to read the heavens
wrong for any man. It was night.
time, and he took me oat on a balcony
and gave me a free view of the sky.
And he showed me which Saturn was
and how to find it in different balco
nies and longitudes.
" 'But Satarn wasn't all. He was
only the man higher up. He furnishes
so much bad luck that they allow him «
a gang of deputy sparklers to help
hand Κ out They're circulating and
revolving and hanging around the main
supply all the time, each one throwing
the hoodoo on his particular district. !
"'You see that ugly little red star
about eight inches above and to the
right of Satarn? Kearny asked me..
'Well, thafs her. That's Pheebe. She's
got me in charge. "By the day of youc
birth," says Azrath to me, "yoor life Is
subjected to the Influence of Satarn.
By the hour and minute of it you mast
dwell under the sway and direct au
thority of Phoebe, the ninth satellite.",
So said this Azrath.' Kearny shook
his fist viciously skyward. Ourse her,
she's done her work well,' said be. !
'Ever since I was astrologlsed bad lack
has followed me like my shadow, as
I told you; And for many years be-!
fore. Now, captain, I've told you my1
handicap as a man should. If you're,
afraid ttiis evil star of mine might crip- >
pie your scheme leave me out of it'
*1 reassured Kearny as well as I
tould. I told him that for the time
we would banish both astrology and
astronomy from odWkeads. The mani
fest valor and enthusiasm of the man
drew ma 'Let us see what a little
courage and dlllgènce will do against
bad luck,' I said. 'We win sail tomor
row for Ësperando.'
"Fifty miles down the Mississippi oar
steamer bsoke her rudder. We sent for
a tag to tow as' back and lost three
dagrs. When we struck the.btoe waters
If the gulf all the storm clouds of the
4fi*«iHr> seamed to hare concentrated
above as. We thought surely to sweet
Mi those leaping wavea with oar softer
and to stack oar arma and lumber on
the floor of-the Mextean golf.
"Kearny did not seek to cast off one
jota of the burden of our danger from
II» shoulders of his fatal horoscope.
He weathered eve# storm on deck,
smoking a black pipe, to keep which
alight rain and sea water seemed bat
as oit And ha shook lia flat at the
bleak eleode behind wtdck hie belefal
-- Cri·. At-L ■ Aiv :,,f1 ·· I ι ·- '
etc ana uguiest ome anu uie uuyeiui· :
est that I ever saw. He gave the dou- '
ble Impression that he was at bay and
that you had better not crowd him fur
ther.
" 'Just In from a gold hunting expe
dition on the coast of Costa Rica,' he
explained. 'Second mate of a banana j
steamer told me the natives were pan· j
nlng out enough from the beach sands '
to buy all the rum, red calico and par· J
lor melodeons in the world. The da;
I got there a syndicate named Incor 1
po rated Jones gets a government con !
cession to &U minerals from a given
point For a next choice I take coast
fever and count green and blue lizards I
for six weeks in a grass hut I had
to be notified when I was well, for the
reptiles were actually there.
M Then I shipped back as third cook
on a Norwegian tramp that blew up
her boiler tw* miles below quarantine
I was dneto bust through that ce liai
door here tonight so I hurried the reet
of the way up the river, roustabouting
on a lower coast packet that made a
landing for every fisherman that want
ed a. plug of tobacco. And now I'm
here for what comes next And ifll
be along, it'll be along,' said this queei
Mr. Kearny; Ifll be along on the
beams of my bright but not vary par
ticular star.'
"From the first the personality of
Kearny charmed me. I saw in him
the bold heart the restless nature and
the valiant front against the buffets
of fate that make his countrymen such
valuable comrades in risk and adven
ture. And just then I was wanting
such men. Moored at a fruit compa
ny's pier I had a 600 ton steamer
ready to sail the next day with a cargo
of sugar, lumber and corrugated iron
for a port in—well, let us call the coim
try Esperando—it has not been long
ago, and the name of Patricio Malonl
Is still spoken there when Its unset
tled politics are discussed. Beneath
the sugar and iron were packed.s
thousand repeating rifles. In Agniu
Fries, the capital, Don llaJSàel Valde
rla, minister of war, HSperando*·
greatest hearted and most able pa
triot awaited my coming. No doubt
you have heard, with a smile, of tfef
bMdgnlflcant wars and uprisings ja
those little tropic republics. - They
ihake bot a faint clamor against the
gin of great nations' battles. But
down there, under all the ridiculous
uniforms and petty diplomacy and
senseless countermarching and in
trigue, ars to be found statesmen and
patriots. Don Battel Vaide via was
one. His great ambition was to rates
ttjNwamto Into peace aad honest pro··
perttjr and the respect of the serious
- HêtÉtà IvMgte M
*
skies cleared one evening he reviled his
malignant guardian with grim humor.
" On watch, aren't you, you red
headed vixen? Out making It hot for
little Francis Kearny and his Mends,
according to Hoyle. Twinkle, twinkle,
little devil ! You're a lady, aren't you—
dogging a man with bad luck Just be
cause he happened to be born while
"Got busy, you on· course. Five days
•yod banshee!" only should have
perando. Our Jonah swallowed the
bad credit of It with appealing frank
ness, but that scarcely lessened the
hardships our cause was made to suf
"At last one afternoon we steamed
into the calm estuary of the little Bio
Escondldo. Three miles up this we
crept, feeling for the shallow channel
between the low banks that were
crowded to the edge with gigantic trees
and riotous vegetation. Then our whis
tle gave a little toot, and In five min
utes we heard a shout, and Carlos—my
brave Carlos Qulntana — crashed
through the tangled vines waving his
cap madly for Joy.
"A hundred yards away was his
camp, where 300 chosen patriots of Es
perando were awaiting our coming.
For a month Carlos bad been drilling
them there in the tactics of war and
filling them with the spirit of revolu
tion and liberty.
" 4My captain—compadre mio!' shout
ed Carlos, while yet my boat was be
ing lowered. 'You should see them In
the drill by companies—in the column
wheel—in the march by four—they are
superb! Also in the manual of arms
—but alas, performed only with sticks
of bamboo. The guns, captain—say
that you have brought the guns!'
44 Ά thousand good filles, Carlos,' I
called to him. 'And two Gatllngs.'
" 'Valgame Dios!' he cried, throwing
his cap in the air. 'We shall sweep the
world!'
"At that moment Kearny tumbled
from the steamer's side Into the river.
He could not swim, so the crew threw
him a rope and drew him back aboard.
I caught his eye and his look of pa
thetic but still bright and undaunted
consciousness of his guilty luck. I told
myself that, although he might be a
man to shun, he was also one to be
admired.
"I gave orders to the sailing mastei
that the arms, ammunition and provi
sions were to be landed at once. That
was easy in the steamer's boats, ex
cept for the two Gatllng guns. Foi
their transportation ashore we carried
a stout flatboat
"In the meantime I walked with Car
los to the camp and made the soldiers
a little speech in Spanish, which they
received with enthusiasm, and then I
had some wine and a cigarette In Car
los' tent
"The small arms and provisions were
already ashore, and the petty officers
had squads of men conveying them to
camp. One Gatllng had been safely
landed. The other was Just being
hoisted over the side of the vessel as
we arrived. I noticed Kearny darting
about on board, seeming to have the
ambition of ten men and to be doing
the work of five. I think his zeal bub
bled over when he saw Carlos and me;
A rope's end was swinging loose from
some part of the tackle. Kearny leap
ed Impetuously and caught it There
was a crackle and a hiss and a smoke
of scorching hemp, and the Gatllng
dropped straight as a plummet through
the bottom of the flatboat and burled
Itself in twenty feet of water and Ave
feet of river mud.
MT fiimAil m XT hanlr nn fhû o/tana Τ
your boss was
floorwalker. Get
busy and sink
the s hip, you one
eyed banshee!
Phoebe! H'm!
Sounds as mild
as a milkmaid.
You can't Judge
a woman by her
name. Why
couldn't I have
had a man star?
I can't make the
remarks to Phoe
be, you be—blast
For eight days
gales and squalls
and waterspouts
beat us from oui
landed us in Es
fer.
heard Carlos' loud cries as If from
some extreme grief too poignant for
words. I heard the complaining mur-,
mur of the crew add the maledictions
of Torres, the sailing master. I could
sot bear to look.
"By night some degree of order had
been restored in camp. Military rules
were not drawn strictly, and the men
were grouped about the fires of their
several messes, playing games of
chance, singing their native songs or
discussing with voluble animation the
contingencies of our march upon the
capital.
"To my tent, which had been pitch
ed for me close to that of my chief
lieutenant, came Kearny, indomitable,
smiling, bright eyed, bearing no traces
of the buffets of bis evil star. Rather
was his aspect that of a heroic mar
tyr whose tribulations were so high
sourccd and glorious that he even took
a splaador and a prestige from them.
♦"Well, captain/ said he, Ί guess
fou realize that Bad Luck Kearny le
still on deck. It was a shame, now,
about that gun. She only needed to
be slewed two inches to clear the rail,
and that's why I grabbed that rope's
end. Who'd have thought-that a sail
or, even a Sicilian lubber on a banana
coaster, would have fastened a line In
a bowknot Don't thiqk I'm trying to
dodge the responsibility, Captain. It's
my luck.'
" There are men, Kearny,' said I
gravely, 'who pass through life blam
ing upon luck and chance the mistakes
that result from their own faults and
Incompetency. I do not say that yoo
are such a man. Bat If all your mis
haps are traceable to that tiny star the
sooner we endow our colleges with
chairs of moral astronomy the better.'
" 'It lint the sise of the star that
counts,' said Kearny, it's the quality.
Just the way it Is with Women. That's
why they gave the biggest jpianéts
masculine names and the little stars
feminine ones—to even things up
when it comes to getting their work
in. Suppose they hsd called my star
Agamemnon or Bill McCarty or some
thing like that instead of Phoebe.
Every time one of ' those old boys
touched their calamity button and sent
me down one of their wireless pieces
of bad luck I could talk back and tell
'em what I thought of 'em In suitable
terms. But you cant address such re
marks to a Phoebe.'
" It pleases you to make a Joke of
it, Kearny,' said I without smiling.
•But it is no joke to mi to think of my
Catling mired In the river ooze.'
M 'As tctthat,' said Kearny, abandon
ing his light mood at once, 1 have al
some experience In hoisting stone In
quarries. Torres and I have already
spliced three hawsers and stretched
them from the steamer's stern to a
tree on shore. We will rig a tackle
and have the gun on terra flrma be
fore noon tomorrow.'
"One could not remain long at outs
with Bad Luck Kearny.
" Once more,' said I to him, 'we will
waive this question of luck. Have you
ever had experience In drilling raw
troops?
44 Ί was first sergeant and drill mas
ter,' said Kearny, 4in the Chilean army
for one year and captain of artillery
for another.'
44 'What became of your command?
I asked.
M 'Shot down to a man,' said Kearny,
'during the revolution against Balma
ceda."'
"Somehow the misfortunes of the
evil starred one seemed to turn to me
their comedy side. I lay back upon
my goat's hide cot and laughed until
the woods echoed. Kearny grinned.
Ί told you how it was,' he said
44 Tomorrow,'. I said, Ί shall detail
100 men under your command for man
ual of arms drill and company evolu
tions. You will rank as lieutenant
Now, for God's sake, Kearny,' I urged
him, 'try to combat this superstition if
it Is one. Bad luck may be like any
other visitor—preferring to stop where
it is expected. Get your mind oil
stars. Look upon Esperando as youi
planet of good fortune.'
" Ί thank you, captain,' said Kearny
quietly. Ί will try to make it the
best handicap I ever ran.'
"By noon the next day the submerg
ed Gatling was rescued, as Kearny had
promised. Then Carlos and Manuel
Ortiz and Kearny (my lieutenants) dis
tributed the rifles among the troops
and put them through an incessant
rifle drill. We flred no shots, blank oi
solid, for of all coasts Esperando is
the stillest, and we had no desire to
sound any warnings in the ear of that
corrupt government until they should
carry with them the message of liber
ty and the downfall of oppression.
"In the afternoon came a mule ridet
bearing a written message to me from
Don Rafael Valdevia in the capital,
Aguas Frias.
"Whenever that man's name comes
to my lips words of tribute to his
greatness, his noble simplicity and hia
conspicuous genius follow irrepresslbly
He was a traveler, a student of peo
pies and governments, a master of scl
ences, a poet, an orator, a leader, a
soldier, a critic of the world's cam
paigns and the idol of the people o!
Esperando. I had been honored by
his friendship for years. It was I who
first turned his mind to the thought
that he should leave for his monument
a new Esperando — a country freed
from the rule of unscrupulous tyrants
and a people made happy and prosper
ous by wise and impartial legislation.
When he had consented he threw him
self into the cause with the undivided
zeal with which he endowed all of his
acts. The cofTers of his great fortune
Were opened to those of us to whom
were intrusted the secret moves of the
game. His popularity was already so
great that he had practically forced
President Cruz to ofTer him the port
folio of minister of war.
"The time, Don Rafael said in hid let
ter, was ripe. Success, he prophesied,
was certain. The people were begin
ning to clamor publidy against Cruz s
misrule. Bands of citizens in the capi
tal were even going about of nig ts
hurling stones at public buildings and
expressing their dissatisfaction,
bronze statue of President Cruz In the
botanical gardens had been lassoed
about the neck and overthrown, it
only remained for me to arrive with
my force and my thousand rifles ana
for hiiqeslf to come forward and pro
claim himself the people's savior to
overthrow Cruz In a single day. There
would be but a half hearted resistance
from the 000 government troops sta
tioned in the capital. The country was
our·. He presumed that by this time
my steamer had arrived at Quintanae
camp. He proposed the 18th of July
for the attack. That would give us six
days in which to strike camp and
march to Aguas Prias. In the mean
time Don Rafael remained my good
friend and compadre en la causa de la
libertad. .
* * iU - 1"»· — 1
VU lue uiuiuiug VI UJC ». v „
gan our march toward the sea follow·
lug range of mountains, over the sixty
mile trail to the capital. Our small
arme and provisions were laden on
pack mules. Twenty men harnessed to
each QatUng gun rolled them smoothly
along the flat, alluvial lowlands. Our
troops, well shod and well fed, moved
with alacrity and heartiness. I and
my three lieutenants were mounted on
the tough mountain ponies of the coun
try.
"A mile out of camp one of the pack
mules, becoming stubborn, broke away
from the train and plunged from the
path Into the thicket The alert Kear
ny spurred quickly after It and Inter
cepted Its flight Rising In his stirrups,
he released one foot and bestowed upon
the mutinous animal a hearty kick.
"The mule tottered and~fell with a
crash broadside upon the ground. As
we gathered around *lt It walled Its
great eyes almost humanly toward
Kearny and expired. That was bad,
but worse to our minds was the con
comitant disaster. Part of the miile's
burden bad been 100 pounds of the
finest coffee to be had In the tropics.
The bag burst and spilled the priceless
brown mass of the ground berries
among the dense vines and weeds of
the swampy land. Mala suertel When
you take away from an Esperandon
his coffee you abstract his patriotism
and 60 per cent of his value as a sol
dier. The men began to rake up the
precious stuff, but I beckoned Kearny
back along the trail where they would
not hear. The limit had been reached.
MI took from my pocket a wallet of
money and drew, out some bills.
• " 'Mr. Kearny,' said I, 'here are some
fonda belonging to Don Rafael Valde
via, Which Γ am expending in his
cause. I know of no better service it
ca» buy for him than this. Here is
$100. Luck or no luck, we part com
pany here. Star or no star,, calamity
seems to travel by your side. You will
return to the steamer. She touches at
▲motepa to discharge her lumber and
iron and then puts back to New Or
leans. Hand this note to the sailing
master, who will give you passage.' I
wrote on a leaf torn from my book
and placed it and the money in Kear
ny's hand.
" Ooodhy,' I said, extending my pwn.
It 4s not that I am displeased with
you, but there if no place In this ex
pedition for—let us say, the Senorlta
Phoebe.' I said this with a «mile,
trying to synooth the thing for him.
Hay yon have better lock; oompa
nero.'
"Kearny took the money and the pa
per.
" *U was jus| * little touch,' said he,
- 4- -
■Jort . little lift with the to. of mj
Koot But what's the odds? Tha
"«ί TJT "poUer
T«s my «gj
I would have Uked to tw in ttattetle
fight with >00 over Frtos
Success to the ca\ise. Adios.
"He turned around and set ο
the trail without looking back The
unfortunate mole's pack sadd e
transferred to Kearny's pony, and
again took up the march.
"Four days we Journeyed over the
foothills nn4 mountains, fording icy
torrents, winding around the crumbling
brows of ragged peaks. «eeP^g8^
rocky flanges that overlooked awful
precipices, crawling breathiess^ over
tottering bridges that crossed bottom
Iphs chasms.
"On the evening of the 17th we ca™P*
ed by a little stream on the bare hills
five miles from Aguas Frias. At day
break we wore to take up march again.
"At midnight I was standing outside
my tent inhaling the fresh cold air.
The stars were shining bright in the
cloudless sky, giving the heavens their
nrôDer aspect of illimitable depth and
distance when viewed from the vague
darkness of the blotted earth. Almost
at its zenith was the planet Satura,
and with a half smile I observed the
sinister red sparkle of his malignant
attendant—the demon star of Kearny s
111 luck. And then my thoughts stray
ed across the hills to the scene of our
coming triumph, where the heroic and
ι noble Don Rafael awaited our coming
|o set a new and shining star in the
flnnament of nations.
"I beard a slight rustling in the deep
grass to my right I turned and saw
Kearny coming toward me. He was
ragged and dew drenched and limping.
His hat and one boot were gone. About
one foot he had tied some makeshift
of cloth and grass. But his manner as
be approached was that of a man who
knows his own virtues well enough to
be superior to rebufTs.
" 'Well, sir.' I blm
coldly, 'If there Is anything in persist
ence I see no reason why you should
not succeed in wrecking and rutning
us yet.' ,,
" Ί kept half a day's Journey behind!
said Kearny, fishing out a stone from
the covering of his lame foot, 'so the
bad luck wouldn't touch you. I
couldn't help It, captain. I wanted to
be In on this game. It was a pretty
tough trip, especially In the depart
ment of the commissary. In the low
grounds there were always banana
and oranges. Higher up It was worse,
but your men left a good deal of goat
meat hanging on the bushes in the
camps. Here's your $100. You re nearly
there now, captain. Let me In on the
■crapping tomorrow.' |
" 'Not for a hundred times a hundred
would I have the tiniest thing go
wrong with my plans now/ I said,
•whether caused by evil planets or the
blunders of mere man. But y onde
Aguas Frias, five miles a*a/ an*J
clear road. I am of the mind to defy
Batura and all his satellites to spoil
our success now. At any rate,
not turn away tonight as weary a trav
eler and as good a soldier as you are
Lieutenant Kearny. Manuel Ortls'i
tent is there by the brightest fire. Bout
him out and tell him to supply you
with food and blankets and clothes.
We march again at daybreak.'
"Kearny thanked me briefly, but
feelingly, and moved away.
"He had gone scarcely a dozen steps
when a sudden flash of bright light
illumined the surrounding hills. A sin
ister, growing, hissing sound like es
caping steam filled my ears. Then
followed a roar as of distant thunder,
which grew louder every instant This
terrifying noise culminated in a tre
mendous explosion which seemed to
rock the hills as an earthquake would.
The illumination waxed to a glare *o
fierce that I clapped my hands to my
eyes to save them. I thought the end
of the world bad come. I could think
of no natural phenomenon that would
explain it My wits were staggering.
"The deafening explosion trailed off
into the heavy roar that had preceded
It, and through this I heard the fright
ened shouts of my troops as they
stumbled from their resting places and
rushed wildly about; also I beard the
harsh tones of Kearny's voice crying,
They'll blame it on me, of course, and
what the devil It Is, it's not Francis
Kearny that can give you an answer!'
"I opened my eyes. The hills were
still there, dark and solid. It bad not
been! then, a volcano or an earthquake.
I looked up at the sky and saw a com
et-like trail crossing the zenith and ex
tending westward, a fiery trail waning
fainter and narrower each moment ·
" Ά meteor!' I called aloud. Ά me
teor has fallen. There Is no danger.'
"And then all other sounds were
drowned by a great shout from Kear
ny's throat. He .had raised both hands
above his head and was standing tip
toe.
" 'Phoebe's gone!' · be cried with all
>is lungs. 'She's busted and gone to
b—II Look, captain! The little red
headed hoodoo has blown herself to
smithereens. She found Kearny too
tough to handle, and she puffed up
with spite and meanness till her boiler
blew up. It'll be "Bad Luck" Kearny
no more. Oh, let us be Joyful!
" Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;
Humpty busted, and that'll be all Γ "
1 looked up, wondering, and picked
out Saturn in his place. But the small'
red, twinkling luminary in his vicinity, j
which Kearny had pointed out to me
as hie evil star, had vanished. I had
Men It there but half en hour before
There was no doubt that one of those
- . ι
—
awful and mysterious spasme of na
ture had hurled It from the heavens.
"I clapped Kearny on the shoulder.
44'Little man,' said I, let this clear
the way for you. It appears that as
trology has faUed to subdue you. Your
horoscope must be cast anew with
pluck and loyalty for controlling stare.
I play you to win. Now, get to your
tent and sleep. Daybreak Is the word.'
"At 9 o'clock on the morning of the
18th of July I rode Into Aguae Frlas
with Kearny at my side. In his clean
linen suit and with his military poise
and keen eye he was a model of a
! fighting adventurer. I had visions of
him riding as commander of President
Valdevla's bodyguard when the pluma
of the new republic should begin to falL
"Carlos followed with the troops and
supplies. He was to bait in a wood
outside the town and remain concealed
there until be received the word to ad
vance.
"Kearny and I rode down the Calle
Ancha toward the resldencla of Don
Rafael at the other side of the town.
As we passed the superb white build
ings of the University of Esperando I
saw at an open window the gleaming
spectacles and bald head of Herr Ber·
gowltz, professor of the natural sci
ences and friend of Don Rafael and of
me and of the cause. He waved hie
hand to me with his broad, bland
smile.
"There was no excitement apparent
In Aguas Frlas. The people went about
leisurely as at all times. The market
was thronged with bareheaded women
buying fruit and carne. We heard the
twang and tinkle of string bands In
the patios of the cantlnas. We could
$ee that It was a waiting game that
Don Rafael was playing.
"His resldencla was a large but low
building around a great courtyard in
grounds crowded with ornamental
trees and tropic shrubs. At his door
an old woman who came informed ue
that Don Rafael had not yet arisen.
- Tell him,' said I, 'that Captain Ma
loné and a friend wish to see him at
once Perhaps he has overslept'
"She came back looking frightened.
* ·:I have called,' she said, 'and tun*
his bell many times, but he doea not
answer.1
"I knew where his sleeping r0°®
was. Kearny and I pushed by her and
went to it I put my shoulder again·*
the thin door and forced it open.
"In an armchair by a great table cov
ered with mai» and books sat Don Ra·
fael with his eyes closed. I touched
his hand. He had been dead many
hours. On his head above one ear wa·
a wound caused by a heavy blow. It
had ceased to bleed long before.
"I made the old woman call a mozo
and dispatched him in haste to fetch
Herr Bergowitz.
"He came, and we stood about as 11
we were half stunned by the awful
shock. Thus can the letting of a few
drops of blood from one man's veins
drain the life of a nation.
"Presently Herr Bergowitz stooped
and picked up a darkish stone the size
of an ©range which he saw under the
table. He examined it closely through
his great glasses with the eye of sci
ence.
·« fragment,' said he, 'of a detonat
ing meteor. The most remarkable one
In twenty years exploded above this
city a little after midnight this morn
ing.'
"The professor looked quickly up at
the celling. We saw the blue sky
through a bole the size of an orange
nearly above Don Rafael β chair.
"I heard a familiar sound and turned.
Kearny had thrown himself on the
floor and was babbling his compendium
of bitter, blood freezing curses against
the star of his evil luck.
"Undoubtedly Phoebe had been femi
nine. Even when hurtling on her way
to fiery dissolution and evei lasting
doom the last word had been hers."
Captain Maloué was not unskilled In
narrative. He knew the point where a
story should end I sat reveling In hie
effective conclusion when he aroused
me by continuing:
"Of course." said he, "our schemes
were at an end. There was no one to
take Don Rafael's place. Our little
army melted away like dew before the
sun.
une uay arter ι naa returned to
New Orleans I related this story to a
friend who holds a professorship to
Tulane university.
"When I had finished he laughed and
asked whether I bad any knowledge
of Kearny's luck afterward. I told
him no; that I had seen him no more,
but that when be left me he had ex
pressed confidence that bis future
would be successful now that his un
lucky star bad been overthrown.
"'No doubt,' said the professor, 'he
is happier not to know one fact. If
he derives bis bad luck from Phoebe,
the ninth satellite of Saturn, that ma
licious lady is still engaged in over
looking his career. The star close to
Saturn that be imagined to be ber was
near that planet simply by the chance
of its orbit. Probably at different
times he has regarded many othet
stare that happened to be in Saturn's
neighborhood as his evil one. The real
Phoebe is visible only through a very
good telescope.'
"About a year afterward," continued
Captain Maloné, "I was walking down
a street that erossed the Poydras mar
ket An immensely stout, pink faced
lady in black satin crowded me from
the narrow sidewalk with a frown.
Behind ber trailed a little man laden
to the gunwales with bundles and bags
of goods and vegetables.
"It was Kearny—bat changed. I
stopped and shook one of his hands,
which still clung to a bag of garlic
and red peppers.
" 'How is the luck, old companeroT*
I asked blm. 1 had not the heart to
tell him the truth about his star.
"'Well,' said he, Ί am married, as
yon may guess.'
"'Francis,' called the big lady la
deep tones, 'are yon going to stop la
the street talking all day7*
" Ί am coming, Phoebe, dear,' said
Kearny, hastening after her."
Captain Maloné ceased again.
"After all, do yon believe in luckr
I asked.
"Do you?' answered the captain,
with his ambiguous smile shaded by
the brim of his soft straw hat
Her Wish.
"Snoring, my dear, la the sign of an
easy conscience."
"Hubby, there are times when I wish
you weren't so contented with your
put career."—Detroit Free Press.
Cultivate the MM.
It is the mind that makes the body
rich; and as the son breaks through
the darkest clouds, so honor peersth ta
the meanest habit—Shakespeare.
Trouble teaches man how much thsrs
Is hi manhood —Henry Ward Beeoher.