Milk River Valley news. [volume], October 12, 1904, Image 11

About Milk River Valley news. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1904-1908

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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^"OLD 5 ^ —
FAVORITES
Lasca.
Jit’s all very well to write review’s,
And carry umbrellas, and keep dry shoes,
And say what every one’s saying here
And wear what every one else must
wear;
taut to-night I’m sick of the whole affair,
£ want free life and I want fresh air;
jAnd I sigh for the canter after the cat-
tle ’
pHie crack of the whips like shots in a
battle,
pie medley of horns and hoofs and heads
What wars and wrangles and scatters and
spreads;
Whc green beneath, and the blue above;
And dash and danger, and life and love,
And Lasca!
Lasca used to ride
On a mouse-gray mustang close to my
side.
iWith blue scrape and bright-belled spur;
t laughed with joy as I looked . at her!
ittle knew she of books or of creeds —
An Ave Maria sufficed her needs;
Little she cared, save to be by my side,
To ride with me, and ever to ride,
From San Saba’s dhore to Lavaca’s tide,
phe was as bold as the billows that beat,
Abe was as w’ild as the breezes that blow,
From her little head to her little feet
Sho was swayed in her suppleness to an’
fro
By each gust of passion; a sapling pine,
tThat grows on the edge of a Kansas
bluff,
And wars with the wind when the weath
er is rough,
Is like this Lasca, this love of mine.
Sho was alive in every limb
•With a feeling, to the finger-tips;
And when the sun is like a fire,
And sky one shining soft sapphire,
one does not drink in little sips.
Why did I leave the/resh and the free,
pint suited her and suited me?
Listen awhile, and you will see;
But this be sure—in earth or air,
God and God’s laws are everywhere,
|^nd Nemesis comes with a foot as fleet
On the Texas trail as in Regent street.
• ••••••
The iir was heavy, the night was hot,
J sat by her side and quite forgot:
Forgot the herd that were taking their
rest,
Forget that the air was close opprest.
tThat the Texas norther comes sudden
and soon,
In the dead of night or the blaze of moon;
tThat once let the herd at its breath take
fright,
Nothing on earth can atop their flight;
And woe to tilt* rider, wop tp the
steed,
Who Fall in front of their mad stampede!
Was that thunder? No, by the Lord!
I spring to my saddle without a word.
One foot on mine, and she clung behind,
Away! on a wild chase down the wind!
But never was fox-hunt half so hard,
And never was steed so r Httle spared,
For we rode for our lives. You shall
hear how we fared
In Texas, down by the Rio Grande.
The mustang flew, and we urged him on;
tDiere was one chance left, and you have
but one;
Halt, jump to the ground, and shoot your
horse;
Crouch under his carcass, and take your
chance;
And if the steers in their frantic course
Don’t batter you both to pieces at once,
You may thank your stars; if not, good
by
To the open air and the open sky,
In Texas, down by the Rio Grande!
The cattle gained on us, and, just as I
felt
For my old six-shooter behind in my belt,
Down came the mustang, and down came
we,
Clinging together, and—what was the
rest?
A body that spread itself on my breast,
Two arms that shielded my dizzy head,
Then came thunder in my ears,
As over us surged the sea of steers,
Blows that beat blood into my eyes,
And whem I could rise,
Lasca was dead
• * ♦ * •- « •
I hollowed a grave a few feet deep,
And there in Earth’s arms I laid her to
sleep;
And there she is lying, and no one knows,
And the summer shines and the winter
snows;
For many a dny the flowers have spread
A pall of petals o’er her head;
And I wonder why I do not care
For things that are like the things that
were.
Does half my life lie buried there
In Texas, down by the Rio Grande?
—Frank Desprez.
SUBSTITUTES FOR TEA.
Leaves Found in the American Wood,
that Have Served Well.
Many substitutes for tea cau be
found in any ordinary woods, says the
Washington Star. The Idea Is not a
new one, for many country folks made
use of the substitutes In the days
when the luxury of Chinese tea was
not so easily afforded as now. Before
the Revolution, when the colonists
•were In a turmoil over the stamp
taxes, It was considered unpatriotic
to drink tea that had paid tribute to
the government, and the so-called lib
erty tea was the popular drink.
The four-leaved loose strife was,
no doubt, the herb from which this
beverage was made, possibly with the
aid of various other herbs. This plant
growia foot or two high and may be
rein Jlz«|l by Its simple, upright
stemfjupon which the leaves are set
in whorls of four or five, the yellow
starlike flowers being produced on
long, slender stocks from near the
base of the leaves. It is common to
almost every woodland. The leaves
of the New Jersey tea, a low bush
which grows everywhere in dry wood
lands. and bears in June and July a
profusion of delicate white blooms,
(.was also extensively used during the
~ -
Revolution. An lnfu«lon of the leave*
bolls a bright amber color, and in
looks Is ns attractive ns the real'l^v
erage, but the^tnste, though astrin
gent, is by no means lively.
Some effort has been recently made
In commercial circles to revive the use
of this plant as a substitute for tea.
The leaves are said to contain about
•10 per cent of tannin. Hemlock leaves
and those of the arbor vitae have
plnyed an important part in the mak
ing of rustic tea. The arbor vitae is
a tree that grows wild In great abun
dance hi northern woods, and the
old-time Maine lumbermen used fre
quently to resort to Its leaves tor tea
when other herbage failed them for
the purpose. It W(is thought to be
very invigorating.
The leaves of the wintergreen, a
small plant, whose bright red berries,
about the size of peas, are sold on the
streets under the name of teaberry,
have long been used for tea. From
this it takes the name by which it Is
known in Pennsylvania. New Eng
landers for some unknown reason call
It checkerberry. The foliage is very
aromatic, and people who like a dash
of spiciness in their drink have some
times added Its flavor to real tea.
It Is near of kin and similar In taste
to the creeping snowberry, a small,
delicate vine, abundant In the great
bogs and mossy woods of the north
and Alleghany regions, and this Is
also approved by mountain palates as
a substitute for tea. Thoreau, in "The
Maine Woods," tolls of his Indian
guide bringing it into eamp one night
and recommending it as the be^t of all
substitutes for tea. "It lias a slight
cheekerberry flavor,” ho records, “and
we both agree that It was better than
the black tea we had brought. We
thought It a discovery and that it
might be dried and sold in the shops."
Better known as a tea plant is the
Labrador tea, or the ledum latlfolla of
the botanists, which grows in cold
bogs and mountain woods from Penn
sylvauia northward. The leaves,
which emit a slight, not unpleasant
fragrance when bruised, are tough
and leathery and covered with a rusty
brown wool. Steeped, they give a
wild, gamy flavor to hot water, and
the drink resulting suggests a poor
grade of black ten.
Sweet fern, which is such an abun
dant growth everywhere on sterile
hillside and by- mountain roads, is an
other famous tea plant, often known
as "mountain tea.” In the War of
the Rebellion its use for tea was par
ticularly prevalent in the Southern
States, and many a Southern lady who
was reared in luxury was reduced to
drinking this poor substitute for ner
favorite Oolong or flowery Pekoe.
The foliage and flowers of all the
golden rods are imbued with an
astringent principle and are moderate
ly stimulant, so that their suitability
for the manufacture of a domestic tea
was recognized by the American col
onists as long ago as when George
111. was king over them. One species,
the fragrant-leaved golden rod, known
sometimes as Blue Mountain tea, pos
sesses, In addition, the flavor of licor
ice. Drunk piping hot In the wilder
ness It makes a pleasant feature in
the camper’s limited menu. This es
pecial kind of golden rod begins to
bloom quite early in the summer and
Is easy of recognition, even by the
non-botanical, because of the licorice
perfume which the leaves give out
when rubbed. It Is a very common
species In the pine barrens of Jersey.
The astringent quality. In a greater or
less degree, Is possessed by nearly all
these plants. They also contain con
siderable tannic acid In their make-up.
These two qualities go far to make tea
the popular beverage It Is.
Havod tor the Fish Trade.
The fish man drove into the yard a
few days after the new summer resi
dents had taken possession of their
home, and seeing an open door he
stepixxl in and confronted the mis
tress of the house.
‘‘Gettln’ settled, I s’pose,” he said
agreeably, allowing his gaze to wan
der from two half-unpacked trunks to
a table loaded with miscellaneous arti
cles. “Well, take your time, take your
time; there’s plenty of It up here! I
understand your husband's a doctoi;.
ma’am."
“Yes, he Is,” said the summer resi
dent. wlio In spite of warnings from
city neighbors that she had better dis
play no haughtiness of spirit under
questioning, was unable to put much
cordiality Into her tone^
“Well, now, I come near bein’ a
doctor,” said the fish man, still with
a wandering gaze. “My folks wanted
I should be one, all exceptin’ of an
aunt that had money, and was looked
to to help me out financially if 1 took
up with a profession. She spent one
summer here, and she made a reg’lar
study of my character an’ parts, and
at the end of the season she up an’
told my folks that ’twouldn’t do, I
must go Into business.
“ “111111 boy has got too much Intel
lect to be hove away on a doctor,’ she
said; those were her very words. Now
how would you like a couple o’ good
mack’rel all slit up an’ ready for the
br'ller?”—Youth's Companion.
A Striker.
Biblis—Of course, you never struck
a man when he warn down?
Bobbs—Well, yes; my rich undo
was down to our bouse yesterday and
I struck him for $5. —Philadelphia
Bulletin.
What’s in These Names?
'llie Japanese words for Kuroki,
the Japanese general, mean "black
tree," while the Japanese words for
Kuropatkin, the Russian general,
mean “black pigeon.” ■
ills Satanic majesty never offers to
go into partnership with a busy man.
_ ——■ — - —
"Well, old man, you’re back again,
I see. Fishing any good?"
“Yes, it the man at the rod Is good.
I had a strange’experience one day,
thought"
"What was it?"
"Why, you see, Brown was up there
at the same time I was and we usu
ally went out together. There was a
channel on one side of the lake not
tar from the hotel, where we could
walk along on good ground and fleli
whenever the boats all happened Io
be out.
"One morning, after we had been
there about two weeks, Brown’s hair
got to looking rather shaggy and he
thought of going to town to have it
trimmed. But the dny turned out tine
for fishing, so he gave it up. We then
started in on the channel.
"We flshed for awhile without much
success. Then Brown made a east
well Into the weeds and got hung up
on a lily-pad. He had a small lino,
which had been used considerably, and
when he jerked It parted about five
feet from the end.
‘The first thing I knew he had slip
ped off his clothes and plunged In. He
swam across till lie found a footing
and disengaged the hook. It was too
far to throw the hook to me and he
required both bands open to’swim—ho
never was much of a swimmer—and
he couldn't be sure of holding his teeth
together If he held it In his mouth cn
account of his habit of spitting out wa?
ter at every stroke.”
“What'd he do?"
“Hft tied, it around his neck and let
it hang down behind. About half
way over the spoon began to turn and
STAMPEDE OF AN ARMY PACK TRAIN.
Art ? 4
dW 11 \
The cut portrays In a realistic manner one form of discouragement
which is coincident with the march across Manchuria. It Is Impossible to
find adequate facilities for transportation. The only means available are
the common carriers of the province, a race of pack ponies not unlike bron
chos In appearance and decidedly resembling them in disposition. These
half broken and wholly vicious little animals are In the habit of stampeding
on the slightest provocation.
COMPARATIVE FIGURES.
The Development of the Country Since
the Battle of .Lexington.
One hundred and twenty-nine years
ago to-day, said a writer on April 19,
an event occurred which turned the
tide of history westward. The battle
of Lexington was fought, the cause of
Justice triumphed, and the American
Revolution hnd begun. A ’few years
later the republic of the United States
of America was legally born, but It
was practically born when the sun
went down on the fields of Lexington
April 19, 1775.
At that time the colonists of Amer
ica numbered less than 3,000.000;
now the freest republic on earth num
bers. without its dependencies, over
80,000,000.
At that time the area of the republic
was less than 80<)A)0 square miles,
now, without its dependencies, the
area Is over 3,000,000 square miles.
At that time all our vast country
west of the Alleghanles was practi
cally terra Incognita; now it Is cov
ered with thriving cities, and produces
and develops the weallh of nations
•ecb year.
At that time the waters of our great
lakes were the fishing grounds of the
Indian; now they carry each year a
commerce greater than the Internal
water-carried commerce of all thd’aa
tions of Europe.
At that time the southern colonists
esteemed themselves rich If they
raised 150,000 bales of cotton annual
ly; now their annual crop Is more than
seventy times as much.
At that time there was less tlian
800,000 shipping tonnage engaged In
our domestic trade; uow the figure is
nearly 5,000,000.
At that time our exports and Im
ports combined did not amount to
875,000,000; now the total Is $2,500.-
000,000, or close upon thirty-five times
as much.
At that time our annual coinage of
gold and sliver was less than SSOO,-
he got a strike from n whopping big
pickerel."
“Must have choked him. didn’t It?"
“I should say it did. Hut the fish
gave a dart, and I thought we should
lose him nnd Brown, too. but they
finally came to the surface —Brown
spluttering at a great rate.
“Soon the fish began to strike at
Brown s hair. At the time I c<iuldn'U
see the rimson for it. but Inti r 1 eat«
to understand. Instead of trypig V
drown poor Brown it was trying tfc
stive Ids life 1 never knew a pickerel'
to net that way before. Now. you tnko
a bass or a muskellunge and it might
tnko the place of a Newfoundland dog
as. a life saver. I know old Hodgkins
used to keep a tame musellunge to take
care of the children when they were
in bathing; but I never knew a pick
erel to never.
“Pretty soon I noticed hltn towing
Brown by his wet hair out into tnc
channel. Then he began racing up
nnd striking again. Every time he
nipped a mouthful of hair his lower
lip scraped the neck below It. You
can Imagine Brown's dilemma, with
his efforts to swim and lighting off
that lislt at the same time.”
"I should say so."
"Well, when he landed be hnd as
pretty a round cut on his hair as you
ever saw : —sort of a football cut, you
understand, with Ills neck nicely shav
ed.”
"That was all. was it? No shampoo
or anythong?”
“No. just the hair cut and neck
shave. I noticed the pickerel eying
Brown's beard rather suspiciously, but
so far as I observed be had not made
a beginning upon It."—Chicago Daily
News.
OOo; now It Is nearly $150,000,000, or
800 times as much.
At that time the aggregate public
debt of the colonies was about sls
per capita; now it Is only $12.25 per
capita.
At that time we had fewer than 500
postoffices; now they number about
80,000.
At that time our national wealth
consisted almost entirely of deter
mination and opportunity; now we can
show tangible assets worth over SIOO,-
000,000,000, with still greater deter
mination and far more opportunity.
At that time our factories of Import
ance could have been collated on the
fingers of two hands; now we have
nearly 000.000 factories of all kinds,
thousands of them mammoth In ca
pacity, employing over 7,000,000 work
ers. earning rates of wages never be
fore reached in nny country of the
world.
The Mocking Bird Hit. Moaning.
During the period of dog days, -ay
old residents of Florida, the mocking
bird’s song is never heard. Prior to
that time he Is almost an Incessant
singer from morning until night. Even
on moonlight nights one seldom
awakes but the soft, sweet warble of
this bird can be heard. During the
forty days of ektremely hot weather
naught but a low chirp Is heard. He
moans about in a subdued manner, as
though he were ashamed of his abil
ity to sing; Indeed, he seems to have
divested himself of his accustomed
frivolous, flirty ways, and one may
Imagine be is doing penance fur his
past hilarity.
Undo Eben.
If some men,” said Uncle Ebon,
"would put In half so much time
studyin’ de ten commandments as dey
dis's studyip’ sevetr-tip der wouldn't be
nigh so much police court doins."—.
Washington Siar.
S _
One looks terrible when eating corn
। on the cob, but the feeding Is heavenly.
OUR BUDGET OF FUN.
HUMOROUS SAYINGS AND DO
INGS HERE AND THERE.
Joke* end Jokeleta that Are Supposed
to Have Been Recently Bora-—Say Inge
and Doing* that Are Old, Cur ion* and
Daughoble—The Week'* Humor.
Employer—Do you want four weeks'
leave of absence? You arc only en
titled to two weeks' vacation, you
know.
Clerk—Yes, I know: but I want two
weeks In which to rest up after my
wfcatlon.
Betting Traps and Cap*.
"Yes, the foreign duke was con
spicuous /among the beach smart cir
cles." /
don't say!. How many women
were after him?”
“Thirty.-”
“But there are only fifteen young la
dles at the beach.”
“Yes, but each has a mamma."
Etiquette.
“If a young man winks at a pretty
girl and she modestly drops her eyes,
what should the young man do?—Anx
ious Inquirer.”
In the best circles of society It would
be the young man's place to pick up
the young lady's optics and hand them
to her.
Not Quite Clear.
Biggs—Diggs, shake bands with my
old friend, Dr. Slashem.
Diggs—Delighted, doctor. By the
way, what is your specialty allopathy,
homeopathy, veterinary or divinity?
True to Her Sex.
He—l understand your friend, Mrs.
Shopperton, Is a great bargain hunter.
She—Yes, indeed. Why, she actu
ally broke her engagement with a man
worth an even SBOO,OOO and married
one worth only $480,000.
ProfeHnionn 1.
Giles—Thal fellow across the way Is
a guessing contest expert.
Mlles —A guessing contest expert!
Giles—Yes, he Is connected with
the weather bureau.
Cruel Fate.
Ernestine —How did your automobile
elopement turn out?
Mytllla—Awfully sad.
Ernestine —How was that?
Myrtllla—Why, Harry had only $lO
when we started and after some rural
sheriff fined him the full amount for
fast riding he didn’t have any left for
the license or preacher.
Difference.
“Now. just to prove that men have
better tempera than women," said Mr.
Wiser at supper, "when did. you ever
hear of a man slamming a door to
■how Ids rage?"
"They don’t slum doors,” responded
Mrs. Wiser, quietly.
"Ah, I knew you were forced to ad
mit It."
"No, they kick them.”
Unnatural.
unnatural.
A—
“My! My! How awful cluse the
ocean Is to the shore to-day!"
Doubtful Compliment.
Miss Antlquate—lt la claimed by
Some that the’ human race la more than
100,000 years old. Do you lielleve It?
Mr. Biffbang Well, if you say so,
I am not going to dispute IL
Hennittve.
“See here,” snorted the rhinoceros,
“I may lack grace and beauty, as you
say, but hereafter I'll thank you to
keep your opinions to yourself."
"Dear me!" exclaimed the giraffe; “I
had uo ld'-a you were so thin-skinned!"
Not In His Line.
“Now,” said the pert salesman, sar
castically, as he started to put back
the rolls of silk, “can't you think of
something more I might show you,
ma’am?"
“Yes." replied the shopper, "but I
don't think you have it”
"What Is it?”
“More courtesy,”—Philadelphia Led
ger.
A Short Party.
Church—Did you see my sister, at
the fair?
Gotham—Ye«, I did.
“Had her flnnce with her, did she
not?"
“Well, there was a young man with
her."
“A short party?"
“Well, yes; he looked ns if he hadn't
a dime to his name."—Yonkers States
man.
•A Sordid Nature.
"Don't you want to deserve the
gratitude of your fellow citizens?”
"The trouble with gratitude." said
Senator Sorghum, “Is that It Is usual
ly expressed by the words 'thank you,’
unaccompanied by cash."—Washington
Star.
Not a rtaualblc Reason.
"Why did Tourem have the motive
power of his auto changed from steam
to electricity?”
“I dunno, unless It's because cur
rents are cheaper than gasoline.”—
Cleveland Plain Dealer,
May Have Seen Him.
Justice—Have I ever seen you be
fore ?
Offender—Can’t say. yer honor.
Shouldn’t wonder, though, I’ve been In
pretty hard company In my life.—Bos
ton Transcript.
Love's Young Dream.
Old Gentleman—What? Marry that
young pauper! Why, he can’t even af
ford to buy coal.
Daughter—But be won’t have to buy
coal. pa. We’re going to lioard. —New
York Weekly. z
Not a Hopeless Case.
Him —Miss Elderlelgh is certainly a
very odd girl.
Her —Y’es; but leap year Is only half
gone, so she still has a chance to get
even.
To Be Depended Upon.
“One thing I like about our new
man,” said a member of the flrm to
his partner, “is that he’s reliable. You
can always tell what he Is going to do
next”
“And what Is that?"
“Nothing.”—Tit-Bits.
More Efficacious.
Customer—Haven’t you got in any
of Parker’s Purple Pellets yet?
Country Druggist—-Yes; just came
to-day.
Customer —Ah! I’ve been asking for
them every day for a week back.
Country Druggist—For a weak
back? Better try a porous plaster.—■
Philadelphia Ledger.
Bure.
The Electric Fan —If her father
came down what would you do?
The Electric Light- -Light out.
If It Waa Good.
“What did Oolumbui do that pleased
the king?’ naked the kindergarten
teacher.
“He stood an egg on end,” replied
the smart boy.
“And what did he do then?’
The smart boy thought a moment
and then responded: “He ate the
egg” u-
Downtrodden Man.
Rodrlck—Bo the car was full of la
dies. Was there much standing?
Van Albert —I should say «o. Some
of the ladles were standing on their
dignity and the rest were standing on
my feet.
Only Style She Knew.
“Madge isn't writing poetry any
more.”
“Why not, dear?’
“Ob, the editor said he didn’t like
her style. Madge thought he meant
her dress, and said she’d never speak
to the horrid man again.”
Much Cheaper.
The old Kansas farmer rode up to
the lawyer’s office and dismounted.
“How much do yeou charge for git
tln’ a divorce?’ be drawled, shaking
the dust from his boots.
“Guess I can fix you out for a hun
dred,” replied the brisk attorney.
“Too much, neighbor. I’m going
home.”
“What are you going to do about tha
divorce?”
“Oh, I’ll let a cyclone blow Betsy
away. It’s much cheaper.”
Positively Brutal.
“My face is my fortune, sir,” she
said.
“Well.” he replied, “poverty Is no
disgrace, but It’s awfully inconvenient
at times.”
Cloud-8 weepins.
Sharpe—They are thinking of put
ting up a seventy-story building In,
New York.
Wheal ton —Whew! What will be
the exhet height?
Sharpe—The height of folly.
The Hidden Face*
“Hello, hello. Is this Mr. Jlgson?’
“Yes.”
“Can I borrow .your auto for thia
afternoon ?”
“Why, no. I shouldn’t think you’d
have the face to ask for it”
“I haven’t That’s why I’m asking/
over the phone.”—Cleveland Plain
Dealer.