ess eR = . GSS =A S ~~ —-Wooras— ALEVE. QUARTER" Entered According to Act of Congress, in the Year 1896, by Street & Smith, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C: Entered as Second-class Matter at the New York, N.Y., Post-Ofice, Oe ete ete a) ate a a aaa New York, ‘September 12, 1806 Od a ee ee re POD ne ee No. 3382. STREET & SMITH, Publishers, Subscription Price, in 29 Rose Street, New York. $2.60 per Year. 05,0035. on oe ct ctantantactacten Be eee ee etn ete se ease eee te, Preece oR Pre eal eee het eN Ot one net ne be ne te he tal tee e® ym. aaa, ie =. SS th L i i at ai" aa LT he ; \ et. Hi a al iu WAHL: IN Ve - By ENRIQUE H. LEWIS, wa—Z-— YS il [“FROM PLEBE TO ENSIGN” SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. Kenneth Scott is a fine, muscular young fel- low of sixteen, with a lazy, drunken, shiftless father. Kenneth has long cherished an ambi- tion to enter the naval academy at Annapolis. He has made part of the money which will enable him to enter, and Mr. Prince, a wealthy eT “OUR WaYs PART NOW, OLD FELLOW,’’ SAID JACK. ‘‘DURING THE NEXT THREE OR FOUR DAYS I WILL BE UP TO MY EARS IN BUSINESS,’’ Author of “The Valley of Mystery,” ‘The Nameless Story,’ ’ “Yankee Boys in Japan,” ‘The Copper Disk,” “Sword and Pen,” etc., etc. was commenced last week. | gentleman, has promised to lend him the rest. There is shortly to be a competitive examina- tion for the selection of a candidate, and Ken- When his father hears of this, however, he becomes very angry, and absolutely refuses his consent. Indespair Kenneth seeks a friend of his—Jack Stuart, himself a cadet at the academy. The two seek neth has determined to try. 2 Mr. Prinee, and the latter is very indignant, and promises to use his influence. He does so, and forces a consent from Kenneth’s father. Kenneth passes the examination with flying eolors and goes to Annapolis. The first after- noon of his arrival he visits the parade ground with Jack Stuart. A horse of one of the officers becomes frightened, and dashes toward a nurse leading a little ¢hild. The nurse runs away, but before the frantic animal can reach the child Kenneth is at its side, CHAPTER IV, THE ACQUAINTANOE BAGLEY,. MAKES oF HORACE KENNETH £ SHE civilian was Kenneth Scott. Both Nd he and the young ensign had sprang re ) forward on seeing the child’s immi- \“™ nent peril, but the lad was in adyance, Those watching saw him leap upward, his hands clutched the dangling bridle, whieh had been torn from the officer’s grasp, then the horse was seen to swerve aside just as its fore feet were raised above the child’s head. There was a confused jumble of animal and rider and lad, then the former came to an abrupt halt nota dozen yards from where it had started. The child was snatched up by its nurse and hurried to a place of safety, a seore of spectators surrounded the horse, and willing hands were extended to assist the officer to dismount. ‘““No; see to that gallant boy,’’ he replied, authoritatively. ‘'He is injured.”’ Kenneth had released the bridle on seeing that’ the danger was undergo many months of trial and misfor- GoOoD tune before reaching that proud pinnacle of his ambition. He was destined to meet trouble and treachery—to face false accusa- tions, and to taste the cup of tribulation to the bitter dregs, His shoulders were broad and his spirit indomitable, however, aud he did, as the story will show, At the conclusion of the dress parade a number of ofticers crowded about him, and were introduced by Ensign Jack, who was evidently proud of his protege, To Ken- neth’s great relief, the impromptu levee was brought to a close at last by a message from the superintendent, who requested Stuart’s prosence at his house. ‘‘J: may remain to dinner,’’ said the young officer, as he escorted Kenneth to the gate, ‘‘so do not wait for me, In that case I?ll join you at the hotel about nine o’clock, Take a stroll around town during the even- ing; there are many things worth seeing in the old burg.’’ Kenneth waited until the last moment, then as Jack had not made his appearance he eutered the dining-room alone, He was taken to a seat at a large table, and found himself the companion of two lads of about his own age. They were laughing and” talking, and appeared to be greatly enjoying themselves, Kenneth quietly erdered his dinner from the waiter, an ebony-hued son of the South. As the man started away one of the youths ealled out, importantly ; NEWS. up and saw a face dark with passion con- fronting him. ‘Tf this was not a hotel dining-room I would give you a confounded good hiding,”’ threatened the fellow, hoarsely. ‘*Do you know who I am?’’ ‘‘No, nor do I care asnap,’’ was the} quiet reply, ‘‘and as for the hiding, as you call it, 1 will be at your service as soon as I finish my dinner. What do you fight with— popguns or bladders??? A gentleman in evening dress seated back of the boys laughed, The sound wrought the angry lad into a perfect fury. He seized a metal sugar bowl, but his arm was grasped by his companion in time to prevent its use, ‘‘Let the matter go until later, Horace,’’ he advised. ‘*See! every person is watching us.’? ‘All right, all right. But I’ll have satis- faction then. [’ll show the yokel that he can’t insult me with impunity.’? He turned to Kenneth and added: ‘‘My name is Horace Bagley, and I am a candidate for admission to,the Naval Academy.’? ‘+ Indeed??? ‘‘What’s your name, may I ask ‘*Certainly ; Kenneth Scott.’ ‘*Where are you from?’? ‘* Hopeville, Llinois.’’ “‘T thought you were a clodhopper,’? was the sneering remark. ‘‘Come in with a load of pumpkins, I suppose???’ ‘*No, Iam here to be examined for admis- 979 sion to the Naval Academy.”? ‘Do I really look like a clodhopper, Jack??? ‘*Why, bless my soul, what an extraordi- nary question !’’ exclaimed his companion, in sur eren: ‘‘Why in goodiess’ name do you ask?’ ‘‘Oh, a fellow told me I did to-night. He said I looked like I had come to town with a load of pumpkins.’’ Hnsign Jack laughed heartily. ‘Well, your clothes are not exactly from the latest fashion plate, but they are good enough. You’ll haye others before yau are a day older, I hope.’? ‘tT hope so, too. Those dark jaunty caps are very tasteful,’’ ‘tBut you won’t wear them for a while. They were the three upper classes you saw this afternoon. The new boys haye to con- tent themselves with a rather ugly outfit of white working clothes at first, You'll see them soon.’’ ; Kenneth’s head did not touch his pillow until long after midnight.. He had brought his books from home, and he made a careful resume of his studies before retiring. He paid special attention to mathematics, which was his only weak point. He was up bright and early the following morning, ate a hasty breakfast, and had devoted two more hours to his books before Ensign Jack made his first.appearance, ‘¢Now, old fellow,’’ said the latter, as they walked toward the academy at nine o’clock, ‘*take the advice of one who has_ been through the mill, and keep cool whatever you do. You are bound to get into an awful blouses and over. Modestly re- treating a short dis- tance he stood quietly stanching the blood flowing from a slight eut over his left eye. As one of the officers —evidently a naval surgeon — hurried up to him, he smilingly shook his head. ‘*It is nothing —a mere scratch,’’? he ex- plained. ‘‘I guess the end of the hit touched me. No, thank you, I do not need any assist- ance.’’ : ‘‘Are you sure if does not require atten- tion?’’ anxiously asked Ensign Stuart, joining him in time to hear the words. ‘‘This gen- tleman — Doctor Web- ster, of the academy— will gladly fix it up for you.”? Kenneth politely re- fused, to the evident disappointment of the surgeon, Suddenly the crowd parted, and the mounted officer rode up. He glanced keenly at the lad, then asked Jack, abruptly: ‘Is he a friend of yours, Mr. Stuart?’ _ Ves, sir,’? replied the young suasign, with a respectful salute. ‘*He is from my town, He is a candidate for the academy from Con- gressman Leadbetter’s district.’’ “A candidate?’’ echoed the officer, evi- dently pleased. ‘‘That CEMETERY 4 U.S.NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAPOLIS, MD M A. P OF THE GROUNDS OF THE © PUTT 1 is good. I am very glad to hear it, very glad to hear it. We HANOVER Sia eB Bea funk when you go be- fore the board of ex- aminers, but don’t you attempt to answer 4 single question until your pulse beats at normal.’’ ‘*Are the examiners so stern as all that?” smiled Kenneth. ‘‘No, they are nice men, but the very fact that you are before them for such a pur- pose makes ogres of them. Last year there was a candidate from Maine, who used to take the shivers every time he entered the examining-room. He failed in two-thirds of the questions, then he took a preparatory course at a school here in Annapolis, and thet failed the second time. He was way up in bis studies until he faced the board, then his memory left him. was a sad case.’? ‘¢ Are there prepara- tory schools here?’’ ‘*Yes, the president of St. John’s Academy Kz has one, and a forme! naval officer conducts another. Of cours@ they are not rec0B nized by the Gover: ment, but they do g0° work in coaching. Lott of boys take a couple? months before stane” ing theexam. Here are at the gate.’’ 4 The ensign hal iP and gave Kenneth his hand, adding frankly’ ‘‘Our ways part n0Ws old fellow. During the next three or tout alae need such material. Young man, you are welcome. I hope to see more of you.’’ He turned and made a sign to the adju- tant. The crowd of spectators left the field and the dress parade was resumed. Ken- neth remained with Jack in an advantageous position and watched the martial scene, with serene unconsciousness that he was the centre of attraction himself. ‘©You have made a lucky start,’’ presently whispered his companion, ‘‘Do you know who that officer is?’’ ‘*No,’? ‘*Tt is Commodore Somers, superintendent of the academy.’’ ‘‘The superintendent??? echoed Kenneth, glancing at the person mentioned with in- creased interest. ‘‘Gee! I didn’t know that.’? ‘‘Of course not. His rank wouldn’t have changed matters the least bit, you daring young rascal. And that child is the daughter of Commander Carpenter, the commandant of cadets. He is away now, or you would hear from him. You have made warm friends, and, take it all in all, you are an extremely lucky dog.’? Kenneth scarcely heard the remark. He was interested heart and soul in the evolu- tions of the cadet corps. As he watched the youthful officers in their picturesque maneu- yvres he could scarcely believe that he, too, would soon don the blue and wield the sword. ‘*And perhaps some day I’ll tread the quarter deck of a man-of-war,’’ he mur- mured, joyously, Some day, yes—but he was destined to|neth upon the shoulder. The latter looked ‘¢Here you, bring me a bottle of your best claret, and be quick about it.”’ ‘¢VYes, sah, sut’nly, sah; jes’ as soon as I get this gem’men’s ordah, sab,’’ replied the waiter. ‘‘Bring that claret at once,’’ insisted the lad, staring insolently at Kenneth, ‘‘When I order anything, | want it, I am not accustomed to wait,’? ‘Ves, sah, but this gem’men——’’ ‘*Bring the claret, confound you!”’ The perplexed waiter looked at Kenneth. The latter smiled and made him a sign to obey the peremptory command. ‘*Wait upon this gentleman first,’’ he said, kindly. ‘‘I am in no hurry.’’ The negro started away in evident relief, but he had not taken three steps before the impetuous youth laughed sneeringly, and said, loud enough for Kenneth to hear: ‘*T thought I would gain my point, Ralph. There is nothing like making people under- stand your position. What right has that fellow to come to this table, anyway. From his clothes he is nothing but a country clodhopper.’?’ As quick as a flash Kenneth signaled the waiter. ‘‘Bring my dinner at once,’’ he said, evenly. ‘‘You can let that gentleman’s claret cool on the ice for a time.’? The darky grinned and hastened away. There was a brief silence, then the loud- voiced youth reached over and tapped Ken-, Horace Bagley laughed derisively,. ‘‘Ha!l ha! you a would-be cadet? Ralph, d’ye hear that? Why, they wouldn’t let you upon a ship through the hawse pipes, let alone by way of the quarter deck. You can’t fool me, young fellow. I have heard such talk——’’ He was interrupted by a step behind him and Ensign Stuart, accompanied by several young officers in naval undress uniforms approached Kenneth. ‘¢Still at it, I see,’’ called out the former, cheerily. ‘‘Well, we will sit down and wait until you finish dinner. I dined with the superintendent and induced these shipmates of mine to come out for a run about town, They are anxious to see the hero of the dress parade episode, ’’ He introduced his companions, and Ken- neth was soon the centre of a group of ex- tremely pleasant young officers. The lad can be pardoned for sending a triumphant glance toward Horace Bagley and his companion, Ralph. He saw with boyish gratification that they were devoured with envy. ‘‘T guess they know now that I told the truth,’’ he muttered to himself. ‘‘Heigho! it’s a pity I have made a couple of enemies even before I don my first uniform. As things look, I’ll have trouble with Master Horace Bagley and his chum.’’ An hour later, as he and the young ensign were returning to the hotel from a stroll through the town, he glanced down at his attire and asked, quietly: days I will be UP ‘tl my ears in business. Your examination Wee last‘at least four days, and at the ep i that time I sincerely hope and trus will be a naval cadet in the service. will occupy different grades in rank, that means an official gulf between Us, remember, if you ever need m assistal do not fail to call on me, Good- luck.’’ ding As Kenneth passed down the street lea‘ tu- to the superintendent’s office he cong! only lated himself on having such a thorous good friend. And, as it transpired in bef of time, he found reason to remember “ Jack’s promise of aid. CHAPTER V. TARDY PIERCE, OF BOSTON. ited HE superintendent of the Umit - States Naval Academy has his tor Ay of offices in the second or upper #0 iD "4 of an old colonial mansion bu} 1750, just ninety-five years before the iy on ernment established the Naval Acader a ip Windmill Point, as the site was © i early days, 0 The inte building was constructed bricks brought especially from Englant', so substantially that if, shows little riibrary age to-day. The extensive academy © a o of over fifty thousand volumes 18 loca the ground floor, jrections nd oe Kenneth had received explicit d y; and good , ee: na te SSS ‘Gh. she eee ee Ce OOP eee ~ => ee a A. a ee a eA eH: \- ted itd ory iD O%5 _ ip 1 of an ary on jons ; w= err? — i) ie if | y i ; ; | Gooyp from the young ensign so he had no trouble in finding the stairs leading to the offices. *He was met at the top by an orderly who showed him into an anteroom. His official notice from the Secretary of the Navy was | taken into the superintendent, | He found seven or eight lads of his own | age in waiting. Among them were his table companions of the night before, Horace Bag- ley and his friend Ralph, whose last name, as Kenneth ascertained in due time, was Nelson. Both boys favored him with a scowl, but Kenneth gave them scant attention. He noticed with some inward amusement that the faces of all were not of their usual color, The evident trepidation shown would | haye excited his laughter under other cir- eumstanees. It must be confessed he felt little mirth at the moment for obvious reasons. The candidates were called in one by one | until it came Kenneth’s turn. He followed the orderly into an adjacent office and found seated at a desk the fine looking officer who had ridden the white charger at dress parade the evening previous. As he stepped forward and bowed respect- fully he felt the commodore’s eyes fixed upon him with exceeding keenness. officer consultedd a document at his elbow, and said, curtly: ‘‘Mr. Kenneth Scott, of Hopeville, [llinois, candidate from the ——th District, eh???’ ‘t+ Yes, sir,?! ‘*You passed a competitive examination??? ‘oY es, sim? ‘‘Humph! that is the only rational way of selecting candidates in a country like this. It gives a chauce for all. Nowadays brains tell. The naval service is a grand service, and a cadetship should be regarded asa prize. By the way, aren’t you the lad whose bravery saved that poor child from the hoofs of that confounded horse of mine??? Kenneth bowed modestly. ‘tAh, ha! I thought so. You have the proper spirit, and we are glad to see such boys come here. But you must not expect that little episode to lighten your way through the academy. There is no royal road to a commission in this school. That will do; report to the medical examining board at the hospital. Good-morning.’’ He bowed abruptly, and Kenneth backed from his presence insome confusion. He felt rather hurt that his motive in rescuing the child had been even suspected, but his good Sense soon told him that the old commo- dore meant nothing by the implied accusa- tion, ‘‘Jack told me that he was bluff in his ways,’’? he murmured, as he left the build- | ing, ‘‘and I guess that was the cause.’’ He hurried down the open street leading past the rows of officers’ quarters until he reached the hospital, which is located near the southern end of the new cadets’ quarters, He took a hasty glance at the latter impos- ing structure, with its balconies and many Windows, then he entered the hospital. He found several anxious candidates in Waiting for a similar ordeal. Kenneth had little fear of an adverse decision as regards is physical condition as he had undergone 4 severe examination in Hopeville. “Tf my mathematics were only equal to My muscles, I’d feel easier,’’ he muttered, Tuefully, to himself. While waiting he scanned a printed notice Posted upon a bulletin board near the door, t gave in detail the various causes of rejec- lon, and read as follows: ‘Candidates will be examined physically Y a board composed of three medical officers Sf the navy at the Naval Academy, Any Ne of the following conditions will be suffi- pent to cause the rejection of a candidate, Z: Feeble constitution, inherited or acquired. Aetarded development. Mpaired general health. °¢ ti ecided cachexia, diathesis or predisposi- on,’ Any disease, deformity, or result of injury that would impair efficiency ; such as: eak or disordered intellect, Cutaneous or communicable disease, nnatural curvature of spine, torticollis, Yr othér deformity. : 1 hefficiency of either of the extremities or {re articulations from any cause, “pilepsy, or other convulsions within five Sars, “Mpaired vision, disease of the organs of ‘sion, imperfect color sense; visual acute- ®S88 must not fall below fifteen-twentieths of © normal in either eye. Mpaired hearing, or diseases of the ear. ial Dasa catarrh, ozaena, polypi, or enlargement of the tonsils, Mpediment of speech to such an extent as duty Pair efficiency in the performance of a Disease of heart or lungs, or decided in- “ations of liability to cardiac or pulmonary Sctions, ®rnia, complete, or incomplete, fist 4ricocele, sarcocele, hydrocele, stricture, bo Ula, hemorrhoids, or varicose yeins of Wer limbs. 'Seases of the genito-urinary organs. buns enc ulcers, ingrowing nails, large ors ; other deformity of feet. SS of man ‘teeth generall Round. y teeth, or t g ally ft ttention will also be paid to the stature © candidate and no one manifestly The | under size for his age will be received at the | academy. In the case of doubt about the physical condition of the candidate, any marked de- viation from the usual standard of height or weight will add materially to the considera- tion for rejection. Five feet will be the min- imum height for the candidate.” ‘*Whew! a fellow will have to be perfect to eseape all that,’’ laughed a voice over KCenneth’s shoulder. The latter turned and saw a slim, dark- faced youth, with a frank, open expression of countenance standing at his elbow. There was something peculiarly winning in his ap- pearance, and Kenneth smiled back very cordially. ‘* Yes, they about coyer the whole gamut of human ills,’? he replied. ‘‘ I guess, | though, those big words mean something very ordinary.’? ‘tl know some of them. My father is a + doctor, and [ have gone through his medical | convenient, | books lots of times... In fact, he wished me to study medicine, but I preferred a naval life. Did you ever see a fellow with torti- collis??? ‘*That’s one of the names on the list,’’ replied Kenneth. ‘*‘What does it mean?’’ ‘tSimply every-day wry neck. It’s very father says. If he treats a wealthy patient for it he tells him he is suf- fering from tortiecollis, but an out-door patient has old wry neck.’ Kenneth laughed. He liked the breeziness of his new companion, and resolved to know more of him. ‘tYou are a candidate for admission to the academy, are you not?’’ he asked. ‘*Yes; I’m from Boston, and my name is Tardy Pierce. Now you would pronounce that the way it is spelled, | suppose. But in Boston we eall it Purse, pronounced P-u-r-s-e. We are very particular about that, you know. What’s your name???’ ‘*Kenneth Scott, and I am from Hope- ville, Illinois. We pronounce our name §-e-o-t-t, not Scout. We are very particular about that, you know.’? The other lad chuckled good naturedly. ‘‘That’s one on me,’’ he said. ‘‘Say, I guess we will get along all right.”’ ‘tT hope so, [ am sure.’’ ‘*But I’m told one meets all kinds of fel- lows in a large school like this.’ Kenneth glanced across at Horace Bagley and Ralph Nelson, and nodded assent to the remark. Yes, one undoubtedly’ meets all classes and degrees at such an institution. He felt, though, that discipline would keep the unruly at their proper level, and he had little fear of trouble. ‘*Did you pass a competitive examina- tion?’’ asked Tardy Pierce, after a pause. ‘¢Yes,?? ‘‘How many fellows competed??? ‘*Hifteen.’? ‘*‘Whew! you must be a regular paragon of learning. I was afraid to tackle a com- petitive exam., so I induced my father to secure me an appointment from the Presi- dent. He has ten at large each year, you know. It took a lot of wire pulling, but pop knew a_politician—he cured him of an in-. growing wart, [ believe—and he got the ear of the President that way.’’ ‘‘How about the mental examination here??? asked Kenneth, much amused, ‘‘There are no ingrowing warts to be cured at the academy.’’ ‘‘Guess I'll have to spread myself, that’s all. I’m in an awful funk, and——”’ ‘¢Mr, T.-A. Pierce next,’’ called out the attendant. “Did you hear him mispronounce that name??? whispered the lad, with pretended annoyance; ‘‘I declare, it's shameful, the ignorance of some people. Ta! ta! I'll see you later.” ‘ : He walked away with an air of supreme confidence. When Kenneth’s name was announced some time later he met_ Tardy coming from the examining-room. He wore an air of cheerful triumph, and whispered ly as he passed ; oy won halide down. They don’t doa thing to you in there but tear you wide open. Three doctors tackled me at once, and 1 shed about a quart of perspiration a minute. Good luck to you.”’ ‘ Kenneth smiled his thanks, and passed into a room tenanted by three surgeons In naval uniforms, and a couple of attendants, The room was large and well lighted, and it con- tained a desk and a couple of small tables covered with testing instruments. He was told to strip in one corner of the apartment. As he stepped out into the strong light an exclamation of admiration came from the eldest of the surgeons. ‘‘What a splendid physique,”’ added another, ene “Young man, where are you from! ‘? | the first time I had heard those words; and | one could easily see that they were uttered, It was |not in joke, but in deadly earnest. Among the claims a dense crowd of men were |massed together, swaying hither and thither, and all yelling angrily and fiercely. ‘*Lynch him! Lynch him!’’—the shout came as from one great throat! ‘‘Something up?’’ answered Pat. ‘‘ Faith! there’ll be somebody up in a minute. Some one’s going to die a violent death—unless he kills hisself first. Come along, Jim.”’ ‘“What a cold-blooded hot-blooded Irish | chap you are, Pat,’’ I said; but my curios- ity was as great as his, and we rushed off over the rough ground as fast as our legs could carry us, to see what all the excite- ment was about. ‘‘What a gang!’’ Isaid to Pat, when we reached the crowd, for it was composed almost entirely of miners who had just left off work. Their faces were bronzed, bearded, and beaded with perspiration; their- arms bare and soiled with the earth; their voices harsh and pitiless. No horseplay had brought them together—one could tell that from the cold, hard look of their eyes; and yet fora time we boys could see nothing of the cause of the uproar. ‘‘What is it??? I asked one man, but he only glanced at me, and went on shouting with the others, ‘*You get home, sonny,’? said another man; ‘‘T guess this isn’t a place for you.’’ But weslunk round to the other edge of the crowd, and it gaped open for a moment, showing us in the centre of the throng, a young man who seemed to be the cause of the uproar. One glance at his face, pale be- neath the bronze, was enough. **Pat,’’ I whispered, ‘‘it’s Jack—my brother! What on earth bas he been up to??? We soon heard, for two or three men came up to join the others, and some one hastened | to tell them the reason for the excitement. | ‘*The fellow’s been salting a claim—firing gold dust into it and selling it to that chap a Se GooDpD with the light beard. Guess we'll have to run him up, just for example like. He ain’t been here very long—comes from Welcome City; and we’re kinder going to show him that we’ve got different ways of doing things here than there.’’ Then the fellow turned again to shouting: ‘‘Lynch him! lynch him! string him up!”’ until the throng began to move toward the pine trees. ‘¢Pat,’? I whispered, ‘‘we must do some- thing. Of course Jack hasn’t done it; but even if he had, he’s my brother, and I ought to try to save him. No one knows him here; you see we’ve only been a few weeks in Yel- low River.’ ‘¢Well,’’ said Pat, ‘‘it’s sorra a bit of good you’ll do by asking them not to hang him because he’s your brother. The only thing is to try to help him escape. Got a shooter with you. In course you ain’t.’’ ‘‘No,’’? I said, mournfully; but the next moment my eyes brightened up. As:I have said, we were right on the edge of the crowd, and the men that composed it were wedged together in a thick tight mass, all of them too excited to notice any- thing but the prisoner in the centre and his accuser. Justin front of me was a big burly fellow whorseemed to be making more noise than any of the others; andon his hip wasa leather pistol holster, the metal fastening of which was undone. It was the work of a second to whip out the weapon; and I looked to see if it was loaded, whispering at the same time to Pat that a shot at the-right moment might give my brother a chance to get away. The pistol was not loaded; but as I looked, the sunlight glinted on some- thing more welcome than any bullet. ‘‘He didn’t do it—he didn’t salt the claim!’ I shouted at the top of my voice, holding the precious weapon aloft. ‘‘Here’s the pistol that did it—there are grains of gold still in the barrel. That’s the fellow— stop him, stop him!’’ The man who owned the pistol, turning round at the sound of my voice, and seeing that the weapon in my hand was his own, started to run; but he was stopped in a few yards. [f he had stood his ground, my in- terference could have done my brother no good, or very little; for the man might eas- ily have explained the presence of the tiny specks of gold, and, beyond the fact that he was known to have a grudge against Jack, there was nothing to show why he should tamper with the claim. But his sudden flight was at once taken as evidence of guilt; he was dragged back into the midst of the crowd and hustled off toward the pine trees. Judge Lynch doesn’t believe in long trials; and there was a large-sized jury to vote for the man’s death. In less time than it takes to tell, a rope had been fixed to a branch of a large tree, the noose fastened round the man’s neck, and he himself placed on horse- back under the tree. ‘*Why’s he on the horse?’* I asked Pat. ‘‘Don’t you know?’’ he said. ‘‘Oh, they always do it like that. You look—that chap’s going to whack up the horse; then, of course, the fellow’s left with nothing un- der him, and hangs.’’ A small space was cleared in front of the condemned man, and one of the miners ad- vanced with a stick to hit the horse, and so launch its rider into eternity. But at that moment something quite unexpected hap- pened. From a clump of bushes near came a erack of a revolver and a puff of smoke; the thick rope snapped in half, curling like a snake round the man’s neck; and the next second he had urged the horse at a gallop against his captors, overturning those near- est to him by the sudden shock of the en- counter, and, before any one could stop him, was hidden among the trees. The surprise was so great that for a mo- ment no one could move; then the whole crowd rushed toward the forest, in the vain hope of overtaking the fugitives. The man who had fired the shot was nowhere to be seen; and the other one was aJready out of range of the revolvers when we got our first glimpse of him and the horse among the trees. ‘*Tt’s no use following on foot,’’ shouted some one; ‘‘get your horses and guns; we can be after them in twenty minutes. It was his brother who fired the shot; he must have had his horse there, too; but they can’t ride for more than a dozen miles or so; be- yond that the bush gets too thick for horses. It’ll be a question then which way they’ll go —probably out Sacramento way; they’ll choose a quiet part to lie low in.”’ It was not long before a band of men, in- eluding Jack, well armed and mounted, started off in pursuit; though Pat and I in vain begged to be allowed to accompany them. ‘‘Beastly sell,’? said Pat; ‘‘but we’ll get some small game, if we can’t get any large. Let’s go out shooting—if that’s the only ex- citement they’ll let us have.’’ So, taking advantage of the respite from work that the afternoon excitement had given us, we started off to the huts to get our guns and ammunition. Here I made an exciting discovery. My brother Jack and I shared the same sleeping place; and under our*bed was a metal box in which we kept some of our portable possessions, valuable and otherwise. I had placed some cartridges in here a few days before, and crawled iu under the bed to get them out, when I dis- covered, to my surprise, that the box had been forced open and all the contents ab- stracted. Pat was waiting for me below, and I shouted out the news. ‘‘Sure, then,’’ he said, ‘‘it doesn’t matter at all, at all; it’s mesself that’s got plenty of ammunition. Come along, Jim.’’ ‘‘But it does matter a good deal,’’ I said. ‘Why was the box locked at all? Jack has the key, but he never locks it unless there’s something inside worth taking care of. Yes- terday he got the gold for that claim all the row’s been about. Where did he put it? In the box, I guess. And who’s taken it? I can see it all now. Those fellows didn’t try to get Jack out of the way for mere spite.’’ Pat thought a minute, and whistled softly and solemnly. Then he said, abruptly: ‘‘Well, we can’t do anything; those fellows may catch the two, or they mayn’t; any way, there’s no need for us to miss our shooting.”’ So we whistled up our old pointer, Punch; and, with guns on our shoulders, and satchels filled with ammunition and _ provisions, sallied forth on our expedition. For a mile or two we followed the route taken by the two thieves and their pursuers; then we turned off to the right, getting into a thicker part of the forest. ‘‘We’re not getting much sport,’’ said I, when we had walked on for three or four hours, old Punch trotting solemnly in front of us. ‘‘It?’ll be dusk soon; and d’m getting a little hungry.’’ ‘Little hungry, d’ye call it?’’ said Pat. ‘‘Why, I feelasif I haven’t even got an inside in me. And, begorra, there’s the very place to have a meal in,’’ he cried, pointing to a little wooden shed among the trees. ‘¢We’ve never been in this part of the bush before; but I didn’t know they ran eating houses here. I guess the place’ll be empty; but we may as well be cautious.’’ So, very slowly and warily we crept up to the hut and pressed against the door. Find- ing that it did not move, we knocked gently ; then, as there was po answer, we both ran against the door. Its rusty hinges gave way and it swung backward into the hut. The same moment two men within sprang to their feet, with revolvers in their hands. ‘‘Back, back, for your life!’’? Pat shouted to me; but there was no time to turn, for one of the glistening barrels was pointed straight at my head. As the man_ put his finger on the trigger my eyes met his, and in that terrible moment I felt that there was no help left for me—he was the would-be slayer of my brother! The next moment the report echoed among the trees, Shot? No, not I; for as the smoke cleared away a strange sight met us. The thief was lying on the ground, with brave old Punch standing across his prostrate body and eying the other fellow suspiciously. For a moment the second man hesitated, his revolver half raised, not’ knowing whether we or the dog were his more dangerous ene- mies. That moment was our opportunity. ‘‘Put up your hands!’’ I shouted, while we both covered him with our guns. He hesitated another half second, then, seeing that the game was up, his arms went above his head, and the day was ours. Little remains to be told. Late that even- ing the younger man, supporting his wounded brother, made his appearance in Yellow River, Punch heading the proces- sion, and Pat and I bringing up the rear with our guns over our shoulders, and the men’s own revolvers pointed at their heads. ‘‘Search party not back yet?’’ asked Pat, when we arrived. ‘‘Bedad, they’ll be sur- prised when they do get here. These fellows tied up their horses as soon as they were out of sight, slipped off to a hut not twelve miles from here, and were just going to sleep when we surprised them, They’d have been off to-morrow in the other direction to get rid of the swag in Portland. But I guess they won’t do it now,’’ he added, jingling the gold in his pocket. Needless to say, old Punch had quite an ovation when the search party returned and heard the story. As for the two thieves—well, the lynching ceremony, in which they took the leading parts, prevented them very effectually from carrying out their programme. —~+- 0 > THEN HE VANISHED. Few men can have been more given to impromptu tricks of a humorous, but not unkindly, sort than Cham, the great French caricaturist. He one day entered a grocer’s shop. The assistants were not busy, and several came forward to serve him. His manner was dig- nifiad, and even grave. Pausing in front of two open casks, Cham seemed in varnest thought. The shopman waited. At last the humorist asked, ina melancholy voice: ‘sWhat are these?’’ ‘¢ Prunes, sir.’’ ‘¢And these?”’ ‘‘Stewed pears, sir.’’ ‘‘Ah! I shouldn’t have thought it,’’ said the strange visitor. And, shaking the grocer’s hand with effu- sive gratitude, he added: ‘Thank you so much! One learns some- thing new every day.’ Then he vanished, NEWS. How Fo Bo Tuines EDITED BY DAVID PARKS. HOW TO STUFF BIRDS.—(CONCLUSION. ) SN my last paper I told you how to skin if your subject, and now we will proceed to the setting up. In doing this cor- © rectly and naturally the art of the tax- idermist is well displayed; or his want of art, as the case may be. The skull, which you carefully cleaned, has to be filled with tow. This should not be rammed in too hard, because into the interior of it go some wires, To Relax a Skin.—Perhaps as simple a method as any is that of undoing the stitches, taking out the tow, and then damping with water. Wet the tow, and let it remain damp inside and around the legs and bill for several days; then, when the skin is found to be soft enough, warm: water may be poured down the neck till it runs through the mandibles. The skins of animals are simply steeped in soft water for a night or two. As regards the mounting, it is usual to have a stand if you are only to have one or two pretty birds perched thereon. I need say but little on this subject, or I should occupy my valuable space by saying too much. Just keep your weather eye lifting as you pass along the street, and if you fancy,a case or stand, why, get some car- penter to make one like it, or, better still, if there be anything of the Robinson Crusoe about you, build one yourself. Well, then, in addition to your tools already mentioned, and the nice soft, clean tow, you will want wire of different gauges according to the size of the birds. This I think you had best let the taxidermist you purchase it from choose for you. It ought to be strong enough, but not too strong, else it is difficult to work. Anyhow, it must be of two sizes, or thicknesses—the strongest for the body wires, the other for the legs. These wires must be cut rather longer than wanted and sharpened at the ends. On the body wire you build on the neck, as it were, molding it as neatly as _ possible. Having shaped the neck, leaving a portion at the pointed end naked for insertion into the skull, proceed to build up the body in the same way, as near the shape of the bird as possible. Bind the whole artistically with fine thread, and then insert the pointed neck end into the skull. If you chance to pierce the skull, the pointed end is afterward to be snipped off close to the bone, and it makes a firmer job. the neck over the padded wire, keeping it, as you work, as shapely as you possibly can. The form of the tow body should be most’ exact, and bits of tow or cotton wool may bave to be added bere and there. The leg bones that have been left in are to be wrapped up to form the thighs, the body wire at the lower end being turned over.and looped a little. By slow and sure degrees you now bring the skin over the body .wire and padding. If the skin has not been allowed to get dry it will in a measure guide you to the shaping of the bird. It isa matter of molding, re- member, and most artistically must it be done. As you go on you will often have to lift up your subject to see how things are going on. The neck should be nicely sloping and smooth, the breast have sufficient fulness the back broad, and to some extent flat, and not humped inany way. Wherever necessary you must add bits of tow or wadding. The thighs should not be too far apart, else the bird will look straddling, and the work be spoiled. The leg wires being sharpened are pushed up through the sole of the bird’s foot, on the under side, and just beneath the skin. This also must be artfully done. It is sent on up the thigh padding, and brought out under the wing at the opposite side, and there it is clinched. The ends of the wires at foot may be left long or short, as you please. They are meant to hold the bird in position when you mount it. Positioning.—Put a pin or piece of sharp- ened wire in through the tail to give it the set you wish it to dry in, then put in the eyes. A morsal of putty is usually put in the socket first, to fix them; and even after they are secured, a little touching up may be found necessary with enamel about the eyelids to cause them to look natural. But much will depend upon the bird itself. f you have seen or borrowed a set-up bird it will be a great assistance to you in the business. As described, the whole business of skinning, stuffing, and mounting, seems difficult. Well, it is somewhat, and you may take a whole day to your first bird; but you will do your next in half a day, and when an adept at the art you’ll be surprised at the amount of work you can do in even an hour. But it is better at first, if not always, to work slowly and well. Now you proceed to give the body of the bird—neck and tail, and head—its proper position. Place entomological pins wherever needed to keep the body, ete.. nicely in form, They can be pulled out when the subject is dried You must now get the skin of |’ ° and set. The wings will have to be fixed in position also, in fact, you can do almost everything with these pins and with your hands and fingers in molding. There is something yet to be done—namely the arrangement of the feathers with needle and awl. It is now time to say something about preservatives, and there are many of them. But you must be very careful with them, for they are all more or less poisonous. Purchase your preservative of a taxidermist, and when doing so, be sure to ask to what extent it is poisonous, and how to use it. As a wash for the outside of the birds you have set up, a grain of corrosive sublimate in an ounce of eau de cologne will do. This is also poisonous, so be careful; but it will keep moths and other vermin away. Now I must finish this article by giving one or two useful hints. 1. In skinning, use the knife only when necessary, but shove or push with your ~ fingers or the knife handle instead of tear- ing or pulling. Moderately long nails on your fingers are handy. If your nails are pared down to the quick, you’ll never make a clever bird stuffer. 2. Rest the bird always on the table; don’t let the weight of the skullstretch the neck skin. 8. Keep the skin from touching the skinned body. You may use some bits of cotton wool between the two, for the skin must be kept clean. 4, Before skinning the head, plug mouth and nostrils with a little cotton wool. This helps to keep the skin clean and nice. 5. The portion of bone left on with the tail feathers must be carefully cleaned. Indeed you are to leave no portion of fat or flesh any where. 6.°The preservative will keep the skin and bones from decaying if plentifully used, but you cannot expect it to penetrate through any flesh you leave about the man- dibles or wings or anywhere else; so care is needed, 7. You can purchase an ordinary stuffed bird in any big town for a small price. This is a good plan. You can dissect it and see how it is set. up. 8. If you go in for taxidermy never pass a naturalist’s window without having 4 look in. 9. It would be best to get a lesson or two in the art, though, if you are clever, and do all I tell you, you need hardly trouble about this. If, however, you do take a lesson from a regular bird stuffer let it be after, not before, you have had experience of your own. —_—__—___<—-9—— (This Story will not be Published in Book-Form.| HEROES OF THE HILLS Fighting the King of the White Gaps: BY JOHN H. WHITSON, Author of *‘Among the Gypsies.” > te ae (“HEROES OF THE Hits,” was commenced = No. 327. Back numbers can be obtained of all New Agents.) CHAPTER XVII. UNDER ARREST. LYDE and Casper were appalled bY <€- the statement of the officer. To. be taken to the Springfield jail and 1° \ prisoned as common felons