The Lampasas Daily Leader. (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 1679, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 7, 1909 Page: 3 of 4
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1
*
hich Yellow Wins
By Will Levington Comfort
(Copyright, by J. B. Lipplncott Co.)
You would ha-veAo see. McConachte. jtll_.1J)e.,gins, ‘o- and corn-mission,’ as
to catch the-power of the saying that
he was ’just as mean as he looked.
He had a head like a quinine cap-
sule, and as full of gall. His skin
was grayish-brown; his eyes were like
dead cinders if you let him alone,
but they blew red when his temper
was turned on. A wild-cat had got
the back-tliresh on his other features,
so you needed a field glass to pick
them out. The rest of McConachie
was squat shape and gorilla arms.
We Sodom folks haven’t got any feel-
ing against a man’s looks if his heart
is God’s little garden, but McCona-
chie’s wasn’t.
For ages and ages the Mammon
Canyon and Sodom had known this
eye-warmer. The old river-mother
loved him, if we didn’t, and had sl^own
him her choicest streaks of yellow for
years. He was richer than anybody
in our part of Arizona, and no bank,
kin, circus, or bar ever profited a
smile’s worth from the turnings of his
.pick. We all believed that Mc-
.Conachie took his winnings back to
nature, cached them somewhere in
ithe gorge or under his shanty. He
never got drunk nor married, and the
cache didn’t leak. Maybe we were
rough on McConachie at times.
One blazing noon when Sodom was
scratching away at the claims and
meditating on the soothing night of
seven-up at Blinkey Gile’s red-eye
fountains, there came a sudden boom
from up the gorge, and the shiver of
air which dynamite always pushes
through the cut. This was nothing,
for McConachie had a way of using
powder when things were slow; only,
Bertie CoCtton came in to dinner with
the word that McConachie’s cabin
would know the sputter of bacon no
more—unless somebody else moved
in. Bertie futhermore testified that
a cursory search here and there about
the late McConachie’s claim had un-
“Look Thar!” He Whispered,
covered bits of pulp that had a hu-
man look to the extent that the late
McConachie was human.
The mourning was brief and then
all Sodom descended on to Mac’s
claim and started plugging for the
cache—all except Thigley, the saint
of Sodom, the only living monument
of Peter Dudd’s gospel. Thigley, un-
touched by the epidemic, was gather- surface, any way
ing up the fragments. Presently he
began intoning mercy on the remains.
Those were doleful doings in the red
rock cut, with Mother Mammon
tinkling and Sodom’s gentle villagers
changed to a pirate crew. It all made
me feel as if I was far from home,
and headed wrong.
“D’ ye ’member, Wesley, how' we
rode old Mac out o’ town on a broom
handle for kickin’ Tom Steep’s dog?”
Didsey questioned.
“Yep,” I said. That reminded me
that the dog referred to had been ab-
sent from our midst for several days.
Thigley says, he suffered at our hands.
Only, it would sure make his ghost
squirm some and make signs a whole
lot—if any 'of us got warm to the
treasure cache.”
It was full dark when we quit.
Bertie Cotton was still threshing away
in the ruins of the shanty, and had
dug a trench and various cisterns
on the premises.
“Button, button, who’s got the but-
tno?” Didsey called as we passed.
The little man swore unctuously. A
minute later he called after us in
the dark: “I hope you had a pleasant
funeral, playmates.”
Sodom was raw that night; new
as a wilderness and bad—‘bad as hell.
Mac’s gold had spun and frazzled our
nerves generally. Drink and hate
came in. It wasn’t like old Sodom.
“We’ll get out at dawn in the
mornin’, Wesley—an early start,” Did-
sey suggested. It was midnight then,
and Blinkey Gile was asr busy serving
as the Kicking Horse Rapids.
Sodom was sick and old the next
morning. Mollie Burns’ breakfast
languished. The gorge was filled with
dead, sticky heat, and Mac’s memory
was blackened considerable for his
genius in hiding gold. An idea came
to me.
“Didsey,” I said, “Bertie isn’t mak-
ing it at the shanty, an’ we-all are
scraping virgin rock here. We’re on
the wrong hump. I’ll bet Mac used
his old claim up the river for a cache.”
“If you’re so sure, why in thunder
don’t you go there and find it?” Did-
sey snapped.
“I guess I will—if that's the way
you feel about it,” I said, cold and
ragged.
But I didn’t go up the river. I went
to Blinkey Gile’s, feeling mean, and
savage and empty. A half-hour later,
sitting in Blinkey’s, I heard a shot in
the gorge; then another. In a few
minutes they brought up Andy Craig
with a couple of bullets in his
shoulder. Andy had expressed an
opinion in personal terms displasing
to Tom Steep. Hidden treasure gar-
nished with red-eye is the most sim-
ple and direct brain-poison known in
or out of doors.
“Sodom is sure renewing her
youth,” I remarked.
“She’ll renew it on Mammon water,
if she don’t behave,” Blinkey ob-
served. “She’s gettin’ go you can’t
trust her with likker.”
As I look back on the next five
days, I always wish I had a better
forgettery. Every little while faith-
ful Memory hands me a fresh episode
from that cluster of sorrows, and I
see my bright companions and self
rushing to and fro in the ways of
darkness. The spirit of brotherhood
Was as missing from Sodom in those
days as Tom Steep’s Mexican poodle.
Every dewy eve I would vow to search
no omre for the corrupting lucre, now
to go back to peace and my played-
out claim, picking up my old warm
relations with Didsey on the way; but
the gold would clutch me fresh in the
pearly morn, and the madness there-
of.
That fifth noon there -was a yell
from Tom Steep. He had had a dream
in the night. Tom’s soul is on the
Like a pack of
starved dogs, we piled on to him,
lustful to get our fingers in the gold—
mad devils all: Didsey and I at war;
Andy Craig groaning unattended in a
shack up the trail; Mollie Burns cook-
ing grub which nobody had time for;
and Blinkey Gile discriminating as to
who was fit to take his drink. Poor
Sodom!—we weren’t true to her those
five days!
It wasn’t treasure; It wasn’t tt»
cache. Tom had only stiuck a root
We pulled back ashamed and relieved.
And no one spoke. Just then I hap-
pened to look at Didsey’s face. The
light had gone out there. Mad, utter
mad—and our hearts were still at
large! He was tearing up toward the
Gomorrah rim of the canyon, his jaw
slipped and streaky white, his eye
wild. His hands tightened on my
arm like five sets of ice hooks.
“Look thar!” he whispered.
I looked and saw McConachie, as
in living flesh, smiling that twisted
peaked smile and dangling h'i's leg
over the gorge.
“I guess I’m even with all you play
ful gents,” he saW, softly. “I could
’a’ stayed away longer, but my hearl
took on hurtin’ t’ see you overworkin
this way. An’ then you didn’t mear
nothin’ by your jokes on poor old Mac
You ain’t bad at heart—just prankish
I used to joke some—so I come back."
He slid down into our midst. W(
felt him, and he was there. Didse}
was the first to speak.
“You put it on us right, Mac,” he
said, huskily, “an’ we ’predate it ful-
some; but what was them remain?
scattered around the gorge we tool,
for your’n?”
“That thar livin’ material? Come
t’ think of it, Didsey, I recollect tha
Tom Steep’s dog was cornin’ in froir
Soeoro dissipations, an’ did venture a
little too close to that fuse—lemnn
see-”
We held Steep off. I felt a hard,
warm hand settle on mine. It was
Didsey’s.
“I’ve been a cussed fool, Wesley,”
he said. “Let's go over to our own
claim.”
We were lying together in the little
cabin that night.' The Mammon had
pretty near talked me to sleep, when
Didsey suddenly burst out laughing.
“What’s eating you, pal?” I said.
“I was just thinkin’ of Thigley
callin’ down mercy on all that was
mortal of Tom Steep’s dog,” ho
chuckled.
At the Dead Letter Office.
The division of dead letters is one
of the show places of the national
capital and is visited annually by
thousands of sight-seers. There is
much that appeals to human interest
and emotion in the immense stacks of
letters and parcels received at the
rate of 40,000 a day, and containing
articles of every description, some of
them bearing addresses which can
not be deciphered, even by the ex-
perts. In the 13,000,000 pieces of
mail matter received by the division
last year there were 6,000 books, 1,000
pair of eyeglasses, 900 fountain pens,
800 razors, false teeth, marriage li-
censes, rings, shoes, snakes—in fact,
everything from valuable diamonds to
penny souvenirs. There was also
more than $65,000 in actual money,
and commercial paper, including
checks, drafts, money orders, etc., rep-
resenting a face value of $2,203,992.—
Assistant Postmastetr General Da
Graw, in National Magazine.
Best Way to Clean Silverware.
To clean silverware, either solid or
plated, use a weak solution of am-
monia (20 parts water to one of am-
monia) and soap. Rub with a brush
and rinse in alcohol. This is for
bright or polished finish. For satin or
frosted finish, use the weak solution
of ammonia and baking soda. Wet
the brush, rub on the soap, then dip
brush into dry baking soda and
scrub the articles thoroughly. Repeat
if necessary. Do not use soda on
gray silver, it will make it all the
same color.—National Magazine.
A novel sentence was imposed the
other day up in Windsor, Ont. The
governor of the Sandwich jail, having
come into conflict with a judge, was
declared guilty of contempt of court
and was ordered confined in his own
prison for ten days.
Women are never selfish in the
matter of secrets. There are very
few who will not share their last
ope with you if you give them a
chance.
Ghosts of the Churchyard
“And how we doctored his bacon
and plug tobacker with capsicum
while he was down to Soeoro?”
“Yep,” I said.
“We sure was ongentle to old Mac.
. Who ’d’ ’a’ thought he’d ’a’ blowed
his head off this way?”
Thigley praying so close brought
out these reflections.
“We sure wasn’t neighborly,” I said.
A full hour passed before Didsey
broke out again. Thigley was quiet.
. Sodom was turned loose on Mac’s
claim like a nest of demons. There
wasn’t any love running out of our
hearts.
“Do you s’pose folks are all dead
when they get splintered like old
Mac—ghost and all?” Didsey ques-
tioned.
“I’m not a deep sea craft on meta-
physics,” I said. “If Thigley wasn’t
so ’tarnal Ignorant he might en-
? lighten us on things not of the flesh.”
'< “I was thinkin’, Wesley, ii poor old
Mac could see us now, he’d be paid for
The Wraiths That Gather on the
Headstones of the Graves in Old
Trinity at New York,
The ghosts in Trinity churchyard
stir on gusty nights. If one stands
before the iron palings of the fence
and looks across the dark graveyard
to the black skeleton of the elevated
structure, he sees them on these
nights of squalls skipping from stone
to stone, nodding from the blackness
of the shurbs and. winging their way
eerily up into the buttressed shadow
blocks of the chuck.
Occasionally a lusty wind will come
tumbling up Rector street and high
aloft along the dark sides of the Em-
pire building a newcoming ghost will
waver and flop, settling, soaring and
scuttering from window sill to window
sill until on a tangent course it sails
over to settle among the headstones.
Often a ghost will rise from the ranks
of the stones, leap the fence and go
galloping with the wind down into the
canyon of Wall street.
Some of the thin, spidery ghosts
roost in the branches of the trees and
send out fluttering fingers that search
the winds, finding nothing.
These restless spirits that whispei
through' ttye aisles of stones and fly
where darkness shields are only the
discarded waifs of the city’s streets,
after all—newspapers and tangled
skeins of ticker tape snatched by the
wind from ash can and gutter where
they were thrown.
Because the churchyard is hedged
about by piles of stone and brick, it is
the gathering place of the vagabonds.
Every wind of the four leaves its
freight there. Until the sexton’s men
can come around in the morning and
clean up the old graveyard remains
the trysting place of these homeless
wraiths.—New York Sun.
Women who shine in society seldom
shine'in the kitchen.
BUILDING A CISTERN CROWN.
Dne Made of Concrete Is Cheaper
Than Those Built of' Stone
•^(Tr Brick. -r-
To build, a form of wood for a con-
crete cistern crown would be rather
expensive, but one made like the one
shown in the illustration is realfy'
cheaper than where the crown is made
of stone or brick.’ In a great many
places a cistern may be made without
walling up, just simply cut out the
desired shape and cemented to the
earth. For a cistern of this type an
offset of six or eight feet about three
feet from the surface of the surround-
ing soil should be made upon which to
start the crown. Also cisterns that are~
already walled may have new con-
crete crowns put on.
As shown in the sketch, a platform
should be made of two-inch lumber
just even with top of wall. This plat-
form should fit close up to the wall
and should be perfectly tight except
an opening in the center 20 inches
MUDDY ROADS ARE EXPENSIVE
General Co-Operation Among Farmers
Needed to Secure Results.
Beneficial to All,
One thing needed in the country is
more general co-operation among far-
mers to accomplish results which can-
not be done single-handed. Every far-
mer in the country would approve of
good roads, especially at this season
of the year, when there is no bottom
in some localities. But comparatively
fesy.farmers are willing toMig down in
their pockets arid...puli^ up'tSB ''neces-
sary cash with whiefi to pay for these
good roads. There is a- unanimous
howl for hard roads, hufnb fnnds-are
Available with which to build them.
Owners in the big cities have to pay
far the pavement in front of their
property, even though they have no
vehicles of any sort to wear them out.
Farmers, of course, are not willing to
stand a similar expense, but It does
seem that some system of local taxa-
tion could be devised that would bo
fair and just to all. Cost of material
is not great, but hauling and putting
it down properly is the sticker. Tbo
cost of transportation has been fig-
ured out as follows:
By sea freights, one-tenth of one
cent per ton per mile.
By railroads, one cent per ton pev
mile.
By good roads, seven cents per ton
per mile.
By ordinary country roads, 25 cents
per ton per mile.
Ninety per cent, of every load by
steamship, railroad or express must bo
carried by wagon or truck over a high-
way. It costs the farmers of the Uni-
ted States nearly three times more
than those of Europe to market sn
equal tonnage of farm products.
HOME-MADE WIRE STRETCHER,
A Concrete Cistern Crown.
square. This should he boxed up, let-
ting the box extend a little above the
ground.
The space around the box may then
be filled with wet, fine sand, as shown
in sketch; then start directly upon the
wall with concrete made of one part
Portland cement, two parts good,
clean, sharp sand and three parts
coarse gravel or crushed stone. Mix
the sand and cement together dry,
moisten the stones or gravel, then mix
with the cement and sand; then add
water until mixture is the consistency
of stiff mortar. Put on four or five
inches thick and smooth with wooden
float; let stand about two weeks, then
open a hole in the platform, which
should be previously arranged, and let
the sand run out into the cistern. The
platform may then be torn to pieces
and handed out. The sand may then
be drawn out with a rope and bucket.
A crown made of concrete will never
need any repairing.—J. Wesley Griffin,
Warsaw, Ky.
FRAME TO PROTECT VINES.
Found to Be Cheaper and More Pow,
erful Than the Factory-
Made Device.
The writer some time ago was com-
pelled to fence a 40-acre farm. He
was in McDonald county, Missouri, and
and as this county has no stock laws
a factory stretcher could not be se-
cured without driving to Neosho, Mo.,
a distance of 20 miles.
A home-made device was finally con-
structed as shown in the sketch. A
clamp was matie as shown at D with
two pieces of 2 by 4 inch studding, 43
inches long. The six-foot lever,
was also made of 2 by 4-inch lumber.
A Wire Stretche*.
Light Wooden Device to Support
Young Growing Tomatoes, Peas,
Beans and Other Plants.
This is for use in growing young
peas, beans, tomatoes or other such
new, tender plants needing some kind
of support. The frame is light and has
hinges for packing away when the
season is over. It is strung with wire
and is driven into the ground, the ends
of the legs being pointed. Further-
more it is braced by a wire and sta-
ples at each end.
The trace chains were fastened to
the level and clamp with clevises; the
two stay chains were also fastened to
the lever with clevises, as shown at
A A. When using the device the
clamp was fastened close up to a post
by bolting some over the wire, the
lever was then made fast to the next
post with the trace chain, as shown
on left-hand side of cut, by working
the lever bacl; and forward, and plac-
ing the hooks of the stay chains in the
links of the trace chain, B, the wir<
was soon made tight.
The device was found to be nioro
powerfud than the factory stretcher,
and if anything quicker, and when we
finally secured a stretcher from Neo-
sho it was set to one side and our
home-made device used instead.
As the entire outfit was secured on
the farm the cost of the same was th©
time it took to make it, about two
hours, the six half-inch bolts for the
clamp were taken out of the hay raelfc
—J. E. Bridgeman, Lamar, Mo.
Soup Beans.
Small navy or soup beans are now
selling in some sections for two dol-
lars per bushel. Prices always aver-
age higher than for wheat. New
York and Michigan have been grow-
ing the bulk of the beans of this
class, but there is no reason why
other sections of the. country should
not engage in this profitable busi-
ness. The crop thrives well in lime-
stone and glacial soils. The smaller
varieties as the pea bean seem to be
the best yielders and are most large-
ly grown. The rows should be not
more than 28 inches apart and the
plants should stand from two to four
inches apart in the row.
Killing Burdock.
Burdock, that great pest, is a hard
thing to kill, but salt will do the
job. Cut off the plant just above
the surface before it goes to seed and
drop a handful of coarse salt on the
spot. As the seeds lie in the ground
many years sometimes and then pro-
duce plants one treatment is ixot
enough. But if salt is applied when-
ever the plants appear they can be
eradicated in time.
Dragging Roads Systematically.
In certain portions of Missouri far-
mers are said to be organizing local
associations of good road draggers,
says Prairie Farmer. These men are
uniting and pledged to systematically
handle the split log drag upon the
r’oads near their farms.
This is the most systematic method
of dragging roads that has been
brought to the attention of the publie.
There is no question but what these
men can greatly improve their local
highways without notable expense.
The Missouri idea might well be adopt*
ed in other states.
Good Price for Hogs.
Hogs are a good price now, and
indications are that they will be bet-
ter by next fall. Corn, too, is high,
so make the corn go as far as pos-
sible with pasture, skimmed milk,
slops and supplementary foods.
Honey Always Finds Market.
Pure honey, the kind made by the
real bees, never goes begging for a
market, and the feed for the bees
from which the honey is made docs
not cost a fortune either.
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Vernor, J. E. The Lampasas Daily Leader. (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 1679, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 7, 1909, newspaper, August 7, 1909; Lampasas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth910727/m1/3/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Lampasas Public Library.