davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
CHAPTER THREE.
John Burt's Boyhood.

For two hundred years the Burt
house had withstOod the blasts of
winter and the whitening heat of sum.
mer. Time had worked upon the
rough exterior until it seemed like a
huge rectangular rock, weather-worn
and storm beaten. The small plateau
on which it stood sloped northward
to the sea. Rugged rocks to the west
stood as a wall, frowning at the quiet
beauties Of salt marsh and cedar
swamp below. To the south were
patches Of meadow wTested from
wood and rock by generations of toll.
Through this fairer section a brook
wandered between banks festooned
with WateTcress. Old settlers knew
the locality by the name OF Rocky
Woods,
When Hezekiah Burt died, Peter
Burt inherited the hold homestead in
Rocky Woods. He was young giant
with the shoulders OF a Hercules. At
the age of thirty he took to wife the
faIrest maiden of the surrounding
country, and to them a son was born
aud christened Robert Burns Burt. A
year later the mother sickened and
died. The grief Of Peter Burt was
terrible as his strength. For a year
he remained a prisoner In his house;
then returned 10 work, and for two
years iabored with the energy Of a
demon. His second marriage followed.
E8e led TO the altar the daughter Of a
poor farmer, and OF this prosaic union
seven children were born.
After fifteen years of work and sor-
'roW the patient wife folded her tired
hands. closed her weary eyes and
sank into that sleep which awakens
mot 60 toll II Peter Burt loved his
second wife, he never told her so. If
ne loved her children, his expression
Of affection took a peculiar form. He
shade no secret Of his favoritism Tor
Robert Burns Burt, the only child of
his frst wife
Robert was a boy Of whom any
xather would be proud. At twelve he
was sent TO school In bingham. At
snineteen he entered Harvard, gradu.
rafing In four years with honors. Az
Ger two more years devoted TO a law
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

elder Blake had purchased the old
Leonard farm, and so had become the
nearest neighbor of Peter Burt, There
were several children in the Blake
family, but this narrative has concern
only with James, the eldest, boy Of
John Burt's age.
The two farms we're separated by a
creek, which, at a place called the
willows, widened to 4 pool, famed as
a fishing and swimming place. ON
June morning John was seated on a
log spanning the narrow neck OF this
reach of water. He had landed a
bass. when the cracking OF twigs and
the swaying of the underbrush on the
farther side OF the creek attracted his
attention.
A moment later a boy emerged
from the thicket. He surveyed John
with an expression more OF contempt
than OF surprise. The new conner was
a tall, well.formed lad. straight as an
arrow. quick and graceful in his
movements. He also carried q rod.
which he rested against the log; and
for a few seconds he calmly gazed at
John Burt.
"Heilo,"
Hello" answered John Burt.
"Fishin'?"
No: swimming" replied John.
Think you're smart, don't ye?" re-
spondod the strange boy as he baited
his hook. Crazy Burt's boy, amt
ye? No objection to my fshin', have
you?"
There was a haunting sarcasm In
his voice. and defiance in his air.
without waiting for reply he cast
his line into the water.
you can fish as long as you please
on your own side of the creek" said
John sullenly. For hair an hour no
word was spoken. John caught four
bass during that time, while Jim
hooked only eel grass. Then he cast
his line across the pool, dropping it a
few feet from Johns line.
John Burt's face flushed angrily.
Keep on your own side!" he COM
manded.
IN fish where l darn please! This
isn't your creek" retOrted Jim Blake
with a defiant grin. IF it is, what
are you going to do about it,"
AS he spoke John brought his hook
near the surface, and by a sudden
twist "snagged" Jim Blake's line.
With a jerk he whipped the rod from
his opponents hand. Young Blake
was furious. John calmly towed the
rod across the pool. unsnarled the
lines. and threw the rod on the bank
Obeying a boys first instinct, Jim
looked for a stone. but found none,
Then he jumped for the log. Drop.
ping his rod, John Burt also sprang
forward. and they met in the center
! of the bridge.
Ito be continued)
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

yet was granted no secured peace
when there was respite from fighting
in Europe. The hostile approach, the
hasty summoning for defense, the ia
tai strife of battle represent that
which is most conspicuous in its his.
tory for a century and a half. What
wonder, then, that the plowshare not
infreuuently turns out of these his
toric grounds ancient arms, frag-
ments of shell and cannon balls large
and small!
Fort Anne is very well preserved,
not exactly as it was, though, for the
life has gone out of it. The palisaded
ditch of water which ran through the
moat is dry and filed up. The tim.
bers that faced the escarpments are
rotten and gone, too. No logs ready
to be rolled down on besiegers; no
pyramids of shot no guns save few
condemned cannon appear on ravelins
and bastions.
Defenders and defenses have alike
disappeared. So also within the ram
parts have all the buildings that
served for habitations and supplies but
one, and still so much is left that one
unfamiliar with its earlier appearance
misses only the life it suggests but
does not present.
Surely, a squad Of soldiers might be
| expected at any moment to pass
through the sally port. The prison
in the northwest angle of the parade,
a dark, sitting cell under the bastion,
seems quite as ready to receive the
guilty as when the last delinquent ex,
plated his offense there.
Annapolis is a city of nameless
graves. No one knows certainly where
the French buried their dead, although
| real heroes and heroines of noble birth
were numbered among them. The En-
| glish cemetery under the shadow OF
the fort shows few names of the
worthy families known to have be
| longed to the early populations.
Gregoria Remonia Antonio, the
| Spanish beauty whose name has beer
associated with that of the Duke o.
wellington, and who accompanied hel
husband to the field of Waterloo ant
watched the struggle of that day, curl
ously enough found her final resting
place here, where the waves Of En-
glish and French hostility broke up
j on the shore.
Across the ferry to the Granville
shore It is but pleasant walk Of 1
forenoon over North mountain to thu
bay of Fundy and back again. From
the top of the mountain one has I
nobler view than at the fort of thu
fair basin and still fairer enclosing
hills and wales which made Samue
Champlain say, as he and his compan
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
Burning Bone.

A. A. G.-GOod raw" bone contains
about 20 per cent Of phosphoric acid
and almost per cent OF nitrogen. In
the burning of bone all the nitrogen
is lost. Valuing this nitrogen at 100
per pound, the loss In burning would
be IS per ton Of bone. In addition to
this loss Of nitrogen (among the most
essential constituents Of plant food
we have also the destruction Of the
organic matter OF the bone in burning.
It is this organic matter (other than
the fat Of the bone} that promotes. by
its fermentation, the disintegratlon
and decomposition Of the bone in the
son, without which, OF course. it q
Of no value as fertilizer
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
&CRESCf
ny NNEITIQM
- Water for the plahes.

How TO keep the dishwater hot Is a
problem which interests large por-
ton Of the women OF the land quite
as much as how TO run the govern
ment and some OF the other prob
lens which women have taken mp
lately. Cold dlshwater is and always
has been one OF the trials which wom-
an has TO bear at frequent intervals,
sometimes because a neighbor comes
TO call whom she cannot take into the
kitchen while she is doing her work
and sometimes because the baby
needs attention or something else hap
pens to take up her time. To put the
pan on the stove means scalding hot
water and possibly damaged crockery
and china when she returns, and to
leave Il in the sink means cold water
and all the grease hardened and
stuck fast to the dishes.
That is to say, this has been the
state of AFFAIRS previously, but now
there is a dishpan which seems to
have the faculty Of keeping the water
at Just about the proper temperature
when the dishpan happens to be left
full Of unwashed dishes for a half
hour or so. This plan is provided with
a wide flange around the edge which
elevates the bottom from the hot sur
face of the stove sufficiently to pre-
vent the water from reaching the
boiling point. Il win also be seen
that there is a double compartment
inside the plan, one space being util-
ICED for the rinsing water and the
other for that In which the dishes are
washed. It is possible to draw the
water on from either compartment
without lifting the heavy pan, fau-
Get being provided for this purpose.
It might also be possible to utilize
this dishpan In conjunction with q
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
Minced Horse Meat.

It is stated that a government com
mittee has been appointed in Paris
to investigate the use of raw horse
flesh in the treatment Of tuberculosis
and other diseases. On the committee
are, among other well-lnown men.
Prof Debove. dean Of the Paris fac
ulty of medicine, and Prof. Barrier Of
the veterinary school at Abort. The
reasons for the inquiry are not as yet
clear, but may perhaps transpire
when the report OF the committee is
published.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

Burt, but one escaped. A child, two
years old, was found warmly wrapped
in its travelling blanket, uninjured, on
a cake Of ice. few minutes after the
car plunged beneath the water. 1t
was John Burt.
In the opinion of his neighbors,
Peter Burt was crazy from the hour
the news came to him. Strange
stories were whispered concerning
Captain Burt, as he was then called.
Belated travellers along the lonely
road saw lights Burning through all
hours of the night. They heard the
old man talking or praying in a loud
voice.
Upon the death of Robert, Peter
Burt went to Boston and buried his
dead. With fearless eyes he saw the
pride of his old age lowered into the
grave. Robert Burns Burt was a care
full lawyer, and his will covered every
contingency. 1t appointed his father
executor of his small estate, and in
trusted him with the care of his son.
Peter Burt placed the boy in the keep
ing of a competent nurse, and re.
turned to his farm.
Save for the occasional smoke from
the chimney, there was no sign that
Peter Burt existed throughout the
three months that followed. His son
Joseph called at the house, but was
not admitted.
At the end of this period the old
man emerged and was seen in Hing.
ham. For the first time in years he
spoke to his neighbors, who noticed
that his hair was as driven snow
and that his face shone with a
strange light. In the calm manner
| of one controlled by an unalterable
conviction. he stated that he had
made his peace with God, and was in,
spired by Him. He had received the
gift of prophecy and of understand
ing.
When John Burt was seven years
old his grandfather brought him to
the old farmhouse. With the boy
came his nurse and her husband
William Jasper, the latter charged
with the duties Of hired man. Thus
John Burt began his life on the farm
When John had mastered his let
tiers and primer he was sent to school
in bingham, taking the regular course
for five years. Then private tutor
came from Boston. Five days in the
week the boy studied under this
young mans direction, and made rap
i'd progress. With his stern old face
lighted with Joy and pride, Peter BUR-
would listen to the recitations.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

Many dairymen prefer to feed bran
in the form Of mash, but feeding ex-
Horiments prove that there is little or
no advantage in adding water over
feeding it dry. A very good use can
be made of bran by mixing t with en-
s.lage, pulped roots or cut hay. II fed
with cut hay it is well to moisten the
mixture so that the bran will adhere
to the coarser food and not be blown
out of the margin or inhaled by the
animals.
2. A good way to cure a kicking
COW is to attach a short chain, with a
ring in the end to the rack or
stanchion frame; put a hook in each
end of a rope and a ring eighteen
inches from one END. Put the rope
around the left hind leg above the
hook and hook it in the ring and draw
the leg forward until the foot is raised
from the floor and hook 1t in the
chain. Do not put the rope below the
hook, for she can then knock the
bucket over by swinging her foot. A
cow cannot kick with this tackle on
her and she will soon give up trying.
She should be handled quietly.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

along Lovers lane, a delightfully."- pic
turesque footpath at the present day,
which below the hill runs parallel
with st. Georges street, the reslden-
tial street of Annapolis. Across Bah
bling brook, near where Lovers lane
joins the main road at Dargie's mill.
is one of the old French dams, and
on Aliens creek a portion Of the for
tifcation built for the protection Of
the mills.
The French settlement was doubt
less concentrated at Lequille, near the
mills, after D'Aulnay took command
and brought his colony of farmers to
Port Royal. Many relics OF their hab-
itation are found thereabout, and
there are the ancient willows and APP
pie trees which the French loved to
plant, and which. as living monu.
ments, have persisted through the
centuries to mark the places where
stood the homes OF the Acadians.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
Electrleltv In Ianan.

According to the London Electrical
Engineer, there is great activity in
the utilization of electricity in Japan
for lighting, power and traction pur-
poses. One city plans to develop 49,
000-horsepower by using the power Of
the Tama river. Power stations will
be erected at three points. Electric
traction systems are being installed
at various points, one of these, TWEEN
ty miles in length, now being built.
The power plant for this road is in
course of erection, and will have an
output Of 540-horsepower.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
A somnambullstIc Dancer.

Somnambulistic dancing is one OF
the latest methods Of the expression
of music. A young Russian girl is
the sleep dancer" as she is called,
and her enigmatic ability was discov-
cred by Partisan nagnetopath. While
In a hypnotic condition this young
woman, whose FIRST name is Madeleine
and whose last name Is designated
onlyjby the initial o." viii act out in
pantomime the feeling in q piece OF
music that is played before her. Her
peculiar talent has excited much at
tention from writers. artists and stu
dents.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
CHATTER TWo-contInued.

CfNAFt EN- WO-NoUNtuhues
Prince growled. John looked up the
road.
There's someone coming" he said.
Jessie turned and saw Miss Maiden
approaching. She looked at her mud
.dy feet, her bedraggled hat and her
.spiattered blouse and skirt.
IN get an awful scolding," she
said. half 20 herself and half to the
hoy. Then for the first time she
scTutinized John Burt. She noted
that he was well dressed; that he
vas not bsrefooted. like most farmer
boys. and that he was handsome and
self.possessed.
EDO you belong TO the riHrah?'
asked Jessie, lowering her voice so
that the approaching governess
should not hear her.
Never heard OF IT," replied John
Burt in a puzzled smile. What
Is it?"
Il don't know" said Jessie; but
my papa don't allow me TO associate
with the rifraff, and forgot until
Just now TO ask you II you are a rim.
rail-"
A look Of pain came to the honest
face OF the boy. Before he could
speak Jessie turned TO meet Miss
Maiden.
why, Jessie Garden, what have
You been doing?" With a cry of dis
may the goyerness dropped an arm
full Of flowers and surveyed the wreck
of the sailor suit.
Jessie looked penitent indeed as
she gazed at the muddy shoes and the
torn stocking; but cOntritioa is fee
Die fame in the heart Of a child.
Never mind the old clothes
CIoyie." she said. Watch me catch
n crab! | can do il Just splendid"
Jessie, lay that pole down anC
come away with me, said Miss Nal
den sternly. How dare you PLAY
with a strange boy, What woulC
your father say? Come with me a
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

II the land is sufficiently rich to
grow a fair crop of clover we should
assuredly advise the course you speak
of to improve it. The first cutting of
clover may be made into hay, turning
the second growth under at the close
Of the season. If, however, the soil is
very poor and the growth Of clover
will, unaided, be but thin and meageT,
it would certainly be profitable TO APP
ply a suff1ciency of suitable fertilizer
to give the clover a good start. For
this purpose, nothing could be better
than wood ashes, say, at the rate Of
25 to so bushels per acre, lightly
ploughed under; or, better still, har-
rowed in just before seeding. A good
substitute for wood ashes could be
made as follows: Muriate of potash,
100 lbs; superphosphate, 300 lbs; ap-
piled at the rate Of, say, 200 to 300
lbs. per acre. AS a green crop for
blowing under. probably the best will
be found to be common red clover,
sown at the rate Of to 10 lbs. per
acre.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

Ions sailed through Digby gap into in.
to the sheltered harbor in the sum.
mer Of 1904. "This is the most com.
modious and pleasant place we have
seen in the country" and after a win
ter on the river ST. Croix and cruise
along the New England coast the
French all retained the same opinion.
and came back TO found their perma-
nent settlement at Port Rcyal
The tifteen viyacious courtiers Ger.
tainly did not Intend 10 make druid
gerry egen Of the settlement Of a new
country Under the leadership Of the
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

'Onc0!" She gathered up the flowers
and took Jessie by the hand.
Goodbye. Prince! Goodbye, JohR
Burt" Jessie waved her hand gaily
at her fishing companion as Miss Nal
den turned into the path leading
through the woods.
He was real nice, and you're aw-
-ful good, Govle, not to scold him"
we're the words that reached John
Burt as he carried his basket Of crabs
TO the wagon.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
steenest Of MountaInn.

Mount Mckinley is known to be
the steepest of all the great noun
tains of the world, and 1t is unlike
most other great peaks from the fact
that arctic conditions begin at its
very base. The prospective conquer
er of this immense uplift must pick
his path over broken stones, icy
slopes. sharp cliffs and an average
slope Of 40 degrees for at least A.
900 feet.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
Doas That Smoke Plpes.

These two dogs. Dewey and Ruth.
are the pets OF Minneapolis man.
Their skill at balancing pipes between
their teeth is but one of the many
clever tricks they have learned. In
justice It should be said that the pipes
are never lighted, but the dogs enjoy
them, all the same. and anybody who
tries to interfere with the after-dinneF
smoke must watch for a fight
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
New pishpan Solves Problem.

small alcohol lamp, which would be
located In the center Of the pan and
warm the water in both compart-
ments, thus doing away with the
necessity of starting up the fire to
heat water for this purpose. Virginia
A. Cassell Of Snake Creek, Va, is the
inventor.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
HousE 81 slx ROOM.
Well Arranged Structure at compara-
lively Small Cost.

HNNAN fAANAHHAA @ANAEAkNG ~ 19AANRaNA
lively Small Cost.
An excellent plan for a six-room
house is shown in the accompanying
sketches. The rooms are OF good size,
and the plan is exceptionally well ar
r.uged, being very compact and eco
nomical. The cellar stairs 80 down
from the kitchen under the main front
stairs; there Is an outside entrance on
the landing at the ground level. The
exterior is very neat and satisfying,
and the house is a popular one. It is
well finished in natural woods
throughout. The dimensions are as
follows: Width, 81 feet 6 inches;
length. including veranda, Al feet 6
inches. Ceiling heights: Basement, z
feet: first story, 9 feet 6 inches; sec
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
Fertilizer For Glover,

E. A. WI wish to enrich a piece.
Of land and cannot obtain yard ma.
nure; would it be better to apply ar.
tiicial fertilizer or to grow clover and
plough the crop under?
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

Feeding Bran; Curing a Kicker.
A. 81. What is the best method
of feeding bran to mich COWS? What
is the best method of curing a heifer
of kicking while she is being MIXED?
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

You can hardly have much of a
pasture by the 25th of June, but you
can pick up your pasture as you sug-
gest by broadcasting more seed over
the vacant strip. If the seed is sown
as the frost is coming out Of the
ground, it will be sufficiently covered
without narrowing; but, If the ground
is very heavy and It Is impossible to
do so, stroke with a light harrow
before seeding, followed with a roller
afterwards, will cause the seed to
start at once. For permanently improv-
ing your pasture, l should make mix
ture for this bare strip in the follow
ing proportion per acre: Timothy, II
lbs; Red Glover, s lbs; Hungarian
grass or German millet. 10 lbs. The
timothy and clover will permanently
improve the pasture, and the millet,
which is an annual. will give a crop
the hrst year.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
Enerov 81 RadIum.

A chunk of coal releases, during
combustion, enough energy TO lift it,
self about 1000 miles. or, say, from
New York to Manila. But chunk
Of radlum emanation yields without
any combustion an amount Of enregy
In the process Of its evolution that
would lift It not only to the sun but
10 the orbit OF the planet Neptune, the
outside fence post Of the solar sys-
tenn, and which Is about thirty times
farther from the sun than earth is.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

W. w. HI have a new pasture in
which there is a strip where the seed
ing did not catch we'll. Could scat.
ter some more seed on this in the
spring as to have it fit for pasture by
the 25th of June? If so, what would
be the best kind of grass to use?
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

ond story. 9 feet. Cost, including
plumbing and furnace heat, $4,000 to
$1,000.
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

We cannot live better than in aeek.
ine 70 become better Seneca
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05
CHAPTER FOUR.
James Blake.

James Blake.
John Burt was fourteen years old
when he first met James Blake The
Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1904-05-05

Work and purpose 10 the moral OF
every heroic Iife.-w. HID, Adams.
The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1904-01-22
Speeial Advertisements

a GOOD young mule for sale. Call
"A on NJ. w. Bobo. #