The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-08-18

which 1 read. I was twenty kinds of a
 hero in a single week. Then l lent my library book at a time, and
 brought on myself at least fifteen in- glorious Quarrels because only live of ] the masterpieces ever came back.
 1 Although I have long since reformed, should like to read about ''Moccasin | Nose again. He was the hero of my , first five-cent novel. I bought him and Med Newton the Young Engineer of the Swan" for dime, and as I read l of their exploits with feverish inter- est that made me deaf to the cry of Johnny. super's ready new world opened to me. "Moccasin Nose" was surely wonder. He dressed in a
 buckskin suit, wore a coonskin cap, and
 in order to live up to his name boycott ted the sole dealer. I cant remember all he did, but he surely was the hope of the blockhouse that was besieged by countless red devils. It was a hot old fight I find myself getting inter-
 ested as think of it.
 Crack! Crack!".
 "Whiz! Whiz!'.
 Each side took two shots apiece for
 a while, but as there were only little
 band of palefaces and a mob of redskins the arrows soon began to outnumber the bullets. No end of Whizes were
 wasted, but every now and then an arr
 row got past rifle and pinned brave made 'Moccasin Mcso'' angry. His trusty weapon said Crack! Crack!
 Crack'-just like that--and three red skins bit the dust Finally the red skins got tried of biting the dust All
 was quiet for a few minutes, and then blazing arrows began to fly through the air The devils were trying to set fire to the blockhouse.
 Crack Crack!' went the rifles, but the Whizzers wouldn't quit They just kept on with their deviltry, and it wasn't long before the hearts of the defenders began to sink. No wonder
 they were getting scared. They. could
 hear the sound of flames crackling on the dry roof All hope seemed lost.
 Everybody except '%Moccasin Nose"
 was white with fear and even he didn't
 see much chance of saving his scalp,
 but he was the real stuff of which heroes are made. After making a mod
 est little speech he climbed out or. the 1 roof in plain sight of the devils in the
 woods. and began to pluck out the
 burning arrows one by one and throw then to the ground. The redskins yelled with ragG. Nose couldn't hear anything but the whizzing. One ar row grazed his head; another passed trough his sleeve If he had not borne charmed life would never have been able to read about hin1. He stayed on that roof until fire was all out As he went inside to give the defenders chance to thank their preserver it be-
 gan to rain, and the redskins got dis gusted and hurried off. That's all re-
 member of 'Moccasin Mose''.
 | The other story, the one about" Ned Newton, the Young Engineer of the Swan,' lacked redskins, but had some thing just as bad in a collection of gamblers called blacklegs. Ned was a smart young fellow. While the other
 boys were going to school, he went to
 work on Mississippi river steamboat
 and rose. not step by step. but in one big jump to the position of engineer While he was looking after things no
 boat could beat the Swan, although the
 race was always awfully close, so
 close that could feel the thrill clear to
 mytoes. Ned never failed to get more speed at the critical time even though he had to order part of the boat charm med into the furnace. Still his big hit wasn't made in the race He laid out blacklegs like "Moccasin Nose" laid out redskins. Once blackleg who car- ried a sword cane tried to cheat one of
 Ned's friend out of everything he had in the world. "No, you don't,' said Ned, and then he and the blackleg had a fight. The sword cane almost pierced Ned's heart, but he dodged just in time. and what he did to the blackleg after that was something terrible. I forget where Ned landed in the last chapter. but it is my present impress
 sion that the owner of fleet of river boats took him into partnership and
 wouldn't let him put up a cent
 While recalling my boyhood herers I must not overlook "Old Neversleep. He was a greater detective than "Old Sleuth." Mystery was meat and drink and rest for him. When Scotland Yard and Inspector Byrnes said that the criminals would forever remain un- know he would pitch in and prove
 that he was the kingpin of all the pro-
 fession. After trying a dozen disguis- es, sliping into seven or eght robbers
 dens and tossing three or four rogues
 over his head he wound u by trapping the whole bunch. Nobody could get
 ahead of "Old Neversleep." Even the
 early bird hadn't chance, for it isn't on record that the words greatest de-
 tective ever went to bed. He was up
 all the time, and just before sunrise