Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-12-26
A NEBRASKA IDYI,.
Hhe story OF New Years Conspiracy In
tie Town of Bubble
by Kate NJ. Clesrv.

BY Kate N. Cleary.
Bubble waS booming and it was the
eve OF the New Year in Bubble. The
certainty of the former accentuated the
pleasure of the latter fact. Crops had
been good, and the past week of les
Invites had demonstrated that it had
been year Of abundance and therefore
OF comparative content So the farm
ers who logged in on or iolted behind
their heavy-hoofed horses admitted the
leading statement with a supremely
satisfied CONVICTION that other towns
were not booming as was Bubble and
an absolute Indifference to the proba-
bility of its being New Years Eve else
where. A delicious day it was too.
although not the typical winter one
which imagination invariably asso-
ciates with New Years day. There
was no snow; the air was crisp. keen.
IN Its frosty sweetness eXhilaratiur as
wine; by a Sky of subdued vet intense
blue was the biIlowiug prairie domed
and boundeu; against that serene and
perfect background fields of rided but
unriven corn flung out their tattered.
taWuy banners; the winding, brownish
roads rau0 like steel to every passing
sound; along those ueSolate country
ways the sumac shrank in blasted
beauty, and skeleton sunfowers reared
aloft the bare, brown hearts from
which had fallen long ago the disks of
gold But the old man, who, mounted
on the front seat Of ponderous, creak-
ing farm wagon, drove over the hill
and down the one new ugly, busting
street which boasted the business. the
barter, and the commercial enterprise
Of Bubble, thought not at all of his sur
roundings, not even of the day. He
did not stop at either general store, at
the tinshop, the saloon, or the drug
store. With an occasional nod to
familiar faces he steered his team
straight down the street, past the pre-
tentious hotel the gaping livery barn,
the big, bleak undergrad. and drew
up beside the platform of the railroad
depot,
'Whoa-ah tharl Train most due,
Tom? Hope it's. Owe q sort of a
niece aboard-me cousin Moike's child.
Did We know that?n
The station agents assistant smiled
back at him. Did he know thatp Who
did not know that old Rafferty, had
some months ago sent money to Ire
land to bring out young relative of
his. A queer character, old Rafferty,.
Seventeen years of his life had been
passed as sailor. He claimed to be one
of the survivors of the battle between
the Merl'imac and the Cumberland,
and that it was he who fired the last
shot on board the latter vessel when
it, with colors still bravelv flying, sunk
beneath the waves. Dearly did he love
to tell of the affair, particularly of the
part that concerned himself, of the
three hours spent under the water be-
fore rescue was effect. AT the close Of
the war he took up "a claim in Ne
braska, and by slow degrees, in loneli-
ness and privation, had accumulated
not little wealth. Out of pcrilous-
ness he had seen peace come. A friend
ly and familiar figure was ne to all.
Somehow people always smiled at old
Rafferty, cordially, too. There was a
comical kind OF fascination in the face
visible between the shabby felt hat and
the huge comforter of purple, red,
and yellow yarn-a shrewd sallow old
face with grizzled beard, bushy brows,
and youthfully alert, bright eyes. Then
his accent was delightful, his own
broad and hearty brogue being flavor
ed with Western infections wholly for
eign to it.
"On time, sir.
A whistle another. A puff of smoke;
a distant roar; vibration of the rails;
a shrek of steam; glare of Light
then the train was laundering up-had
paused, painting, snoring, disgorging.
A girl stepped out and down on the
platform.