davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15
LADUE's LAST WORDS.

with dreadful loss-there came a mes
sage summoning the aide-de-camp to
Meade's headquarters. An orderly led
him toward a rude wagon-shed beneath
which knelt four officers, surrounding
PROSTATE figure. "He asked for you, -
said surgeon, briefly, and one glance
at the face of the stricken soldier was
enough. Benton threw himself on his
knees, and clasped the cold, nerveless
hand, feebly lifted to greet him. The
failing eyes lighted up one moment in
love then closed in agony, as spasm
of torment seized the fragile form
"Paul-Paul-my God!" was all that
Benton could murmur, and surgeon
hurriedly brushed before him and held
little silver cup to the twitching lips
Of his patient. Mortal, yes" was his
whisper, as the poor lad. exhausted,
lay for a moment in a deathlike swoon.
Then the stimulant seemed to revive
him bit. The dark eyes slowly opened
and fixed on Benton's quivering face.
BLESS you, old boy!"-and every
whisper seemed to come with a gasp
ASeil Ou u uSSSl give
up her letters. Observation-Disclosures ?"
And here the poor lad seemed drifting
away again. Benton thrust his left
arm under the fallen head and strove
to raise it, while once more the surgeon
placed the cup to the parted lips; and,
noting the name, staff officer turned
quickly and said word to waiting
soldier. 1t was another minute before
the swooning lad reopened his eyes.
Two other forms had Joined the silent
group. Benton saw nothing but the
loved face. Then some one. well mean
ing, bent and questioned: ''You asked
for Maj. McKinnon. Did you wish tc
speak"
"McKinnon!" whispered Paul
"McKinnon?" and now shudder seem
ed to seize the wasting form. "Tell
him for me know he stole my letters
Tell him l told Rosalie-every word
he said OF you was cowardly-lie.
And not until the dead hand in his
was cold and stiffening did Benton
know what caused the strange move.
ment and sensation in that group as
Ladue's last words were spoken. Al.
most inaudible, they had reached the
straining ears Of four who bent tc
listen, and of one who, standing, would
| gladly have been deaf to them.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

how he longed to get at McISinnon for
further comfort!
And now that queer customer, Jen-
nlngs, was also under the ban, was
ne! And they needed Benton's evil
dence-Benton whose brevet hung fire
Tor reasons he could not understand
Benton Who didn't love the war office
ana who well knew he had found no
favor IN the grim, deep-set eyes be-
hlnd those comprehensive spectacles.
There was little he could really tell
OF Jennings, though he had never for
gotten that story about the Indiana
sergeant seeing Resale toss the packet
TO him IN the rush and excitement
at the stone house. If that story were
TRUE she must have thought him faith
ful at the time at least. That fateful
notebook, filled with Paul's clever topo-
graphical sketches and his daily mem
oranda-what had not Resale dared
In her effort to send it to safe hands!
What sacrifice had not Chiffon made
In recrossing the Potomac that wintry
night in hopes of recovering it. Where
was 1t now? thought Benton, as once
again he caught sight of the unfinished
dome OF the great white capitol. A
very suitable bit of property the little
volume might be to southern chief
tam again invading Maryland with an
army at mis- back-and very danger
GUS one for southern officer to he
caught with-if alone!
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15
THE LEyEL1NG PROCESS.

The natural forces of nature nearly
all have for their objective point the
leveling Of the earth's surface. The
frost crumbles and disintegrates, the
floods wash the hills, while the rivers
bear the precipitate to ocean and lake
and build up the fertile deltas Of our
great rivers. The avalanche and the
winds are ever planning down the high
lands. Give nature sufficient time and
she will reduce the surface Of the
earth to a level plain. On miniature
scale and as a part Of the great work
this leveiing process is at work on
every farm Of rolling or billy topog.
raphy, which it should be the care Of
the owner to prevent as far as possil
BILE. The furrowed hillside cornf1eld,
the buried hills of corn at the basa
after July storm, represents a definite
money loss to the owner Of the land,
for the rushing, waters will leave: tho
rocks and tough, sterile clays and only
carry off the humus and best plant
food. The owner of farm of, rolling,
acres has ever this problem to face,
not SO much how to increase the fer
tiitty of his soil as to preserve that
which it possesses. We ave before
said that any land having an elevation
of thirty-five to forty-fve degrees
should never be used for crops wilieta
have to be cultivated during the sea.
son Of June, and July of the north part
Of the country. Such lands should BIZ
kept in rotation of small grain and
grass and the sleeper hillsides used for.
forestry. When from two to four inch.
es Of water will fall inside Of an hour,
as is frequently the case in the terri.
tory referred to, the soil cannot absorb
1t, and it is bound to seek an outlet
and work loss.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15
CHAPTER XVI.
WHAT A LETTER REVEALED.

y" IlAl "A REV fALED.
Once again had Lees valiant army
slowly retired to the Potomac and leis-
nrely recrossed, superb even in defeat.
Just as after Antietam, the cabinet, the
committee on the conduct of the war
Chat remarkable annex to our mill
tary SYSTEM and countless critics all
over the north, stormed at the Army of
the Potomac because it seemed to fol-
low at respectful distance, corsent to
let the erring brethren go In peace.
The man who felt it most that the
beaten enemy should again succeed in
getting away was the one who said
the least-Linco]n had no rebuke for
Meade who. smarting and sensitive
under the lash of Halleck and STAN
ton, asked in his turn to be relieved of
that vexatious command, but could not
be accommodated. ''The plum was so
ripe was all that the patient president
could say, sit seemed a pity not to
seize it" But no one save those that
tried it knew the cost of Selling con-
federate pluns. Stern and defiant the
disciplined ranks in gray turned and
faced every essay to modest them, and
another Writer closed in on the armies
in Virginia, with the same old stream
the Rapidan-for their dividing line.
Then came the final resolution of the
great war president, that as he and
Hallack and Stanton had long tried,
without success, the business of boss
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15
THE POWERS OF THE A,s. J

AAkAA Z w kI1tS O6si <AAk-s
There is one Biblical reference to the
devil in which he is referred to as the
prince of the powers of the air 1t has
never been wholly clear just what this
means. We can understand how the
old chap could properly engineer a
hailstorn, a tornado, a drought, biz
zard, flood, a late frost or a Lightning
stroke, but there seems something
wrong in crediting him with the ma
nipulation of the great arc light of the
universe, the sun, with all its benefi-
cent work, with the sweet breath of
the south wind in springtime, as the
begetter of these halcyon October days
bathed in purple haze and lingering
lovingly reluctant to make way for the
snow and the bitter cold, for the radi-
ant beauty Of June day when the
earth, like bride, greets her master,
the sun. But perhaps it is not meant
in this way and just in an allegorical
sense refers to his command over the
evil spirits of the air. But should it
mean more man is ultimately going to-
beat the devil and largely wrest from
him control of these great natural
forces. Irrigation is impounding the
flood waters and converting an annual
disaster for some localities into an i'm
measurable blessing for others. The
mysterious magnetic currents Of the
upper ether are being seized as mes
sengers to do mans bidding, the sun is
made both fuel and stoller for engines
in California and Sahara, while the
riotous wind is being harnessed and
made the useful and obedient servant
of man. Man will more and more dis
pute with his satanic majesty the con-
troll of the powers OF the air and little
by little will surely wrest it from him.
and, save as the old fellow may from
time stick fork into the cogwheeis
and make wreck, he is to have little
to do with controlling the natural
forces and powers Of the air.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15
Bailey SOILS.

The experts in soil physics want 20
get to work, and right away, too, and let
the farmers know just what is the mat
ter with these drained lands which
will not grow crops after they are re.
claimed. An immense amount of drain
age and reclamation of swamp lands
is in progress at the present time, and
many men after spending lot Of
money in this line find that for some
reason the reclaimed soils are not pro-
ductive when planted or sown to our
common field crops. The commons
muskeg slough or swamp, with water
and rat houses, bordered by a growth
of flags and bulrushes, these edged NV
coarse marsh gasses, very often proves
a very refractory proposition when the
attempt is made to crop the drained
and reclaimed land. There is evidently
either too much of some particular
soil constituent or lack Of some es
sential element Of plant FOOD These
soils seem to be lacking in nitrogen
and in an experimental way where il
has been tried, nothing seems to i'm
prove them 50 much as good liberal.
application Of barngard fertilizer. Still
we all want to know Just what ails
them, and we trust the matter will
receive the attention it deserves at the
hands of cur soil experts. 1t will IA
eilitate this investigation If the sarm-
er having such trouble will send a
sample of the soil to the Agricultural,
college of his state.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15
Copyright lae. By q. W. Dillingham; Co

and Geary had suddenly opened on
shadowy gray lines. issuing from the
opposite woods, and Wadsworth sprans
for his horse. But the commander sig
nailed Benton to remain. "You have
done a gallant deed, captain, and have
brought me most valuable informa-
tion," were his words a moment later;
1T shall not be forgotten
Yet Benton was surprised late that
afternoon when, after the din of the
most terrific cannonade ever heard on
this continent, and, after daring and
determined attack, Pickett. Ewell and
Stuart all had been epulsed-Pickett
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15
THE FARMHOUSE CELLAR.

The cellar ut the farm home is in
winter sometimes a hard proposition,
filed full of roots and vegetables, some
of them deeaying. 1t is not health
promoter for the family living over it,
The family cellar should be cementeai
and drained IL necessary: Cabbagesi
End turnips, the two most odorous Of
our vegetables, should not be kept In
1T. An outside root house should care
for them and all large stocks Of other
things which 1t Is desired to hold over
until spring. There is direct eonnec-
ton between badly kept cellars aud,
well kept Cemeteries which IL is not
best to forget:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

Water, which is both food and drink
for the soil, has been found in Geor-
gia, phosphoric acid being held in such
solution as to make the water valua-
Bile fertilizer.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

Prices Of common staples have un.
dergone change. Potatoes have drop.
ed in price from $3.50 per bushel to
S5 cents, while -four has gone up from
H.10 per sack to SLIGO. Pork and
Leans remain the same.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

The foreigner is slowly approaching
the value Of american corn as a food
product. The demand for it increases
year by year. The day Of fifteen cent
corn is gone never to return.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

Speaking Of valuable crops, here is
the hop crop of Oregon, $1,000 bales of
hops worth $4,4o0O0O, employing 49,
600 people to gather them and return
ing the growers about $500 per acre.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

Somebody has figured it out that
there is more nutriment in quart of
skim milk than quart O. oysters, but
the knowledge of this fact will not
cut down the rations of the calves and
the pigs.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

If prolific Summer is the forerun-
ner of cold winter, better lay in an
extra supply of fuel this fall. Nuts,
cereals and fruits were never more
abundant.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

The grape reaches it's finest develop
ment in California. Near Santa Bar
bara is grape vine the stem of which
is fifty-four inches in circumference
and which has yielded ten tons of
grapes in single season.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

New Jersey gives the country its best
sweet potatoes and peaches and it's
meanest trusts. We can never forget
New Jersey.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

1t used to be claimed that the west
could not produce as good a quality
of sweet corn as Maine, which state for
many years took the lead in the corn
canning industry. This is now chang
ed. The western packed corn occupies
try.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

Last winter there was much loss Of
valuable fruit trees by the field mice
girdling them. The only sure way to
prevent this loss is to take sharp hoe
and clean away all grass and weeds
from round the base of the trunk Of
the tree for a distance Of two feet. 1t
is good idea to hill the tree up four
or five inches with earth Thus treated
the mice will let your trees alone.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

1t is not likely that even the most
destructive and wasteful Of mans
work will ever seriously decrease the
supply of our deep sea fishes. Scien-
lists who have studied the habits of
the cod tell us that there are to be
found each year not less than 27S,O0O,-
100000 impregnated cod eggs in the
waters Of each square ME Of the cod
fishing banks off the coast of Norway.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

The lumber interests of the states Of
Washington and Oregon paid two Of
the transcontinental roads during 1908
the enormous sum of $22,500,000 for
/ freights on their products. this sum be-
ing over one-third of the entire freight
receipts Of the two roads. The freight
on car of lumber from that section
looks like about $3.50 by the time it ar
rives In the central west.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

The small farm solves many prob
lens. 1t gives a man good neighbors
and better social and church privi-
leges, 1t secures better schools, ribs one
Of the hired help nuisance, compels
more intensive systems Of agriculture
and a. more intelligent rotation Of
crops, brings better highways and COM
pels the keeping of only the best
grades Of domestic animals. Most men
have too much land for their own good
and for the good Of the country at
large.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

The man with an irrigated farm To-
Gated in some section of almost per-
petual sunshine has almost cinch in
an agricultural and horticultural way.
The long list Of risk and uncertainties
which beset. the farmer in the regions
where dependence is placed on natural
rainfall are removed from him. The
destructive winds, the hailstorm, the
alternate flood and drought, the I'M
welcome early and late frosts, all the
result of atmospheric disturbances, are
unknown in these lands of perennial
sunshine. Then the securing Of his
crop of whatever sort5in a perfect con-
dition becomes an absolute certainty.
His agricultural religion is one based
purely on good works, while with the
other 1t is based on faith and works,
often mostly faith. The one is doing
business on cash basis, the other on
credit.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15

There is rugged beauty about the
oaks possessed by no other of our for
est trees-a sturdy, storm defying, in
dependent type of forest life which
makes them to other trees what the
Norseman Is to the italian or Hindoo.
They meet the oncoming winter in a
khaki uniform and sturdiiy dare the
wintry blasts to do their worst. Slow
of growth and long lived, they typify
the pioneers of the Country.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-15


truth in it-that no one was more
amazed than Fred when they brought
me in. I've not yet heard from her,
but l shall. and Jack shall know the
moment can find him.
WAS it not strange that that same
old notebook, which she risked so
much to send to me that night Fred
caught her at the stone house, should
later have been the means of saving
Jack? She found it in the breast pock-
ct of my new uniform coat at Henry's,
and slanclng through the pages saw
the sketches and memoranda / bad
even then been making; supposed it
was of vast Importance something
that we ought to have and, fearing it
would fall into the hands of the enemy,
bethought her OF Jennings and Judge
Armistead; slipped into my uniform,
and Fred has probably told you the
rest"
SO there it was at last:-the story of
her daring and devotion and Benton,
had he but opened his heart to Paul
IN the few days that they were to-
gether at the Chiltons, might have
known it all! There then was McKin-
non, Furthermore, unmasked, and even
more of a blackguard than they had
deemed him, Now, at least, must Ros-
allie know how utterly she had wronged
the man whose devotion to her she
surely could not fail to realize, yet not
line from her had found its way to
Elinor. There was some comfort in
the belief that now she knew. but
The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-25
The GhpisGm@s Star
By Grace MacGowan Cook.

y little Star all undismaved
Stepped down the duskv ways of night
White-footcd. smiling. unafraid.
1t passed the orbs of greater light
1t held its slender taper high,
The tiny splcndors piercing far
1t knew its time to shine was nigh:
For 10, it was the Christmas Star
y little child knclt in the dark.
With clear eyes raised and lifted face,
She saw the tiny travelling spark
Move on from its appointed place.
The tears wcllcd so she scarce could see,
Its orb of brightness grew bar.
Mother" she cried. ii comes to me.
1t kissed mvcvcs theChristmasStarr'
God knows that both these things are one
The star ti.t shines. the cv" that sees.
The answer 70 the PRAYER is shown
Unto the sinner on his knees.
On the lo1g lanes Of splinrcrrd light
D,sccnGs the shining ava;ar
But only tears of pure delight
Could bring the holy Christmas Star.
The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-25
G. II E G II no. 1880

,cartmnsd f,o~, rsgs ~
res, he is. " cried Mrs. Noah. Il
can't be mistaken. He is Jimmie Heed
less OF Orange. Ncw-Jersey. Down with
him"
I'm not, began Jimmy-boy es.,itcdlv.
I'm"
To the rescue" cried General Blue
face Tin Guards to the rescue. He
isn't Jimmie Needless at all-hc's Ii,nuv-
boy Perkins OF Weehawkcn. and he
was Very good TO me in the bus. He
wiped my tears away when was crving
and if he hadn't done that nv l,auti-
tul n" Uniform would have been washed
or
Every soldier in the room at these
ringing words from their commander
sprang to Jimmy-bov's side. and formed
an almost inpregnable Gordon around
him. The baiiicd Toys fell back. while
Jimmy-bov, seeing an opportunity to es-
cape, ran out OF the house. and fled
madlv up the road. He had not gone
far when he saw ahead of him a huge
hollow cylinder. made OF leather that
appeared for all the world like a big
water pipe. Shivoring with excitement
he jumped into this and hid at its fart her
end Suddenly something seemed To
seize the rubber tube. twist it about
rapidly. and then ali was darkness.
Iimnv-boy felt himself being shot rapidly
through space. and then there was i
bump and all was still
Well | dcclarc,' said a voice from
behind huge desI, on the front OF
which was 4 big sign labeled Cashier "
They We got things awtully mixed up
in the toy floor. They've sent down
one Of the babies from the check-roofn
instead Of
Il Jumped in myself. painted Jimmy
boy as ne emerged from the end OF
the tube. The toys were after me
and
'Ca-a-ashl" cried the Young woman
who owned the voice Here. Mamie. sc
she added to the small errand girl who
responded. Take this boy back to the
check-room. We can change hundred
dollar bill at this counter. hut We haven't
time to figure out how much this
boy is worth in quarters. dimes and
nickclS. "
Aud Einiuv-bov was led back to the
chcck-roon. where he found his mother
and Mrs. Wiggins and the clerk search
ing high and low for him
Il knew thcrc'd bc trouble If we took
him. said the clerk. Is he delivered
Ii"mv-hoy to his mother. Hereafter.
Mrs Wiggins. think we'd better make
The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-25
A Christmas Mess@Se
Continued /,-0m f9ge y

was sympathy between the father
and the son. for each had been in the
others place, and knew how the other
felt.
y magical power somewhat Ike that
OF the wonderful stone comes with Christ
mas 1t turns grown-up folks into
children, old into Young. for at lcas,
one day in the year. And it lets the
Young look into the hearts Of the old
and see the love that dwclls there.
Fathers and sons. mothers and daughters.
cousins, unclcs, aunts. all are brought
into one heart around the Christrlas-trrc.
all learn 70 forget themselves and to
think of others; and this bond of love
is one of the blessings that Christmas
The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-25
MRS. JOHN A. .LOGAN'S TALKS
Life Insurance Policies AS Foundations For Fortunes
his is the ninth OF Mrs Loedns Series of Informative Talks

laying he foundation OF fortune.
| "i.l gladly send To- YOU upon arpli-
cation. the iI,rrnrur. Of the METROPOLITAN
Ii. Insurance Company and advise. YOU
Of t." hest r'an 'n -'ut your needs
With cordial greetings to nv readers.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-06-27
ToLs,ol ON WAR.
His Ten Column Story Breathes
Gloomy Forebodings.

London, June 27.-The Times this morn
ing prints a ten-eolumn dissertation on
the Russo japanese war, written by Count
Tolstoi in his most violent style. The
trend of this remarkable document is,
first, against the war, but it Is princi-
pally a thunderous philippe against the
Russian government and the Russian or
thodox church, and generally against the
existing order of things.
Tolstoi says that the revolutionists
throughout Russia are dissatisfied,
gloomy and exasperated, and the old APP
peal for faith king and fatherland has
lest its spell over the Russian Masses"
The ten columns breath gloomy fore
bodings and preach revolution. Tolstoi
holds the emperor up to contemplation as
an unfortunate and entangled young
nan. recognized as the leader of 10000, 00o
people, continually deceived and compell-
ed to contradict himself
Tolstoi, however, does not stop at Rus
STA, for Japan is given a share of his
singing comments for having forceably
resisted what he terms the ''unprovoked
aggression of Russia