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—T HAPPY DAYS‘
“Speech! Speech!” yelled the crowd, as
Harold Stood | lushing and looking very
meh confuse:
ad to red but it took all Harold’s self-
control to 0 steady his voice to speak.
“Fellow townsmen, you have taken me
entirely by surprise,” he an; ‘I—[
hardly know how to thank you for this
display of confidence, and all I can say is
thatifI take the contract for the High
School again I shall try to do phat I al.
ways did, and that is my best; I—'
Told on, Harold,” broke in the jud,
“you've got to take it—understand that!
crowa must! You shall!” shouted the
wd.
eeu what has become of Mr, Plank-
man?” Harold broke out. ‘*I don’t under-
stand this at all.”
hy, haven’t you heard?” said the
“Plankman got his payment_last
night, and he has. run
family and left all the men unpaid.”
The cat was out of the bag at las!
nek this. of course, Harold bai heard
noe Fad the Dilisharg people heard of
Harold's success at Ri and when it
came to their ears he was ‘congratulated
on ever:
Old friends who had not spoken to him
since his father’s death, now came crowd-
ing around him, full of offers of help and
8
Sipe vetoas was the change which Dr.
Walton’s announcement had brought
about.
The next day Harold started work on the
High School bright and early, and at noon,
Jeaving Mury hy in charge, went up to Ris-
le: e town hall committee.
e was Fost cordially received, for the
news of the doings in Dillsburg had tray-
eled up the river. It would have been hard
to find any one willing to admit that he
had belonged to the mob, and before Harold
left town he had the contract signed, seal-
ea and delivered, snugly resting in his
Povext day the drummers for! the material
men came crowding into
This was a surprise to Harold, for he had
expected trouble in this direction,
e was deeply moved when he found
> that. Mr, Bortescue had written to each
firm offering me as security for an
indebtedness Ilarold Holly might contract.
“Ti sho’ ow myself worthy ofall this confi-
dence,” resolve the boy, and during the
next, bye weeks he worked with a will,
=> ma onderful headway on the school,
and nevually getting his excavating for
the f foundation entirely completed up at
Risley.
But it was hard work, and kept Harold
onthe jan
Duri alt this time nothing was I heard
of either Mr. Conklin, or Duchy Moo:
It was every morning at Dilisburg, and
every afternoon at Ris
One night, when he | lan naed at the wharf
on his return to Dillsburg, Harold found
himself in trouble again.
Dick, who always went up with h
was just handing’ ‘a parcel out of the
boat, when a rough hand seized Harold b; Dy
the collar and jerked him violently arqun
Harold ped the parcel and faced
about, to find himself in the clutehes of
Detective Mulvey and another
“Ha, ha, young feller! ‘Just then man we
wantl” sneered Mu » “Ts ou
know the grand jury have indicted - you for
the bank robbery. ers are bo run
you dow , to Whitmanville and loc!
up in jail
i! Ke BE CONTINUED,
‘T FaAiu thar YOUR COLLEC-
Ti mn OF FLAC, PRESIDENT AND GEN=
ERAL BUTTONS. SEE {6th PACE.
me
{This story commenced in No, 124.)
|THE MIRER FRIENDS?
THE CUBAN J soa YANKEE
DEAD SHO
Srory oF THE : Famous BLOCKADE
RUNNER.
By GASTON CARNE,
‘Author Fl va ilaacgo! Boys, ” “Cal Carter, the
Boy La 80.8 Ye on 9 Karl Aquger,”
* Mac reo. ° Boy Guerrillas,” Tw
Yankee Boe Tmong the
Kafirs. sy" etn, ete,
CHAPTER XVI
IN WHICH TUE DEAD SHOT REACHES
GOMEZ’ P,
WueEn Ilorace uttered the word ‘‘never”
d drew his revolver,
oyle and Arcas did likewise, to
the astonishment of the insurgent captain,
who exclaimed ;
inte will be shot to death if you re-
sis’
“In that case we will die with arms in
our hands,” Horace retorted. “I wo
give | my arms to anybody. We have
Come ere with a message to General
Is this part of his force ?”
ut you can’t go to him with arms
an 3.”
“T won't go to him in any other way. I
man American sent to him by the Junta
in New York with important dispatches,
I don't know that you are insurgents,
won't give up my arms, If you want them
take them
“ Captain,” said Don Miguel, ‘‘I am well
known to his excellency, ‘lake me to him,
Ihave noarms, Ican explain it to him
“Lieutenant, take this man to the gen-
eral, and tell him I have others of his
party, here who refuse to give up their
HW?
away—deserted his | arm
@ lieutenant went away with Don
Miguel, and the captain turned ereely on
Horace’ w
“Td like to shoot you, senor.”
“Which desire speaks very little for
your love Juba,” returned Lorace
“There are plenty of ‘Spaniards on whom
to exercise your Prowess, Why not save
your wrath for them
*T shall keep. some of it for you, senor,”
Horace laughe
Quick. a8 a fiash he raised his machete ts
strike
Horace. "caught it on the barrel of his
rifle, breaking it in two pieces,
aptair n, you will be court- martialed
to-morrow,” sai: Toas.,, “You don’t
know what you have don
“ 0 are you, senor a ¢ ried the enraged
captain, turning on the Cuban,
ama Cuban, you fool!” said Are:
“Tf you are anxious to fight, get another
machete and try it on me,
Somehow the idea got into bis head that
e had gone too far. Arcas had mentioned
courts martial and the words worried him,
e turned “away and asked one of the men
to get him another machete, One was not
convenient, so he waited in moody silence
for the re return of his lieutenant from head-
uarte .
In the meantime the mother and daugh-
ter stood by and heard all that passed,
Boyle and Burns stood ready to use their
weapons at the first hostile movement on
arty to headquarters at once. Ilorace
thet when he heard it, and the party set
out atonce, Their arms were not demand-
again,
o they found the old general awaiting
them at his quarters, Ile had been in bed,
but arose and dressed himself as soon as
he heard that Don Miguel Plavano was at
the door, He knew the Don well as the
toot influential man in Matanzas province,
Horace was presented to him by the Don.
The general looked him full in the face for
a few moments, and then extended his
hand toward him. Horace drew a packet
from a pocket inside the breast of his coat
and passed it to him, Then they clasped
s, and a signal grip electrified the old
warrior,
“Ah! Ah!” he ejaculated. “Comrade
Barbour, I am glad to see you. I salute
youl” and he gave the young American a
salute such as none of his staff had ever
seen him give to more than one person.
fore, and that other one was the President
of the Cuban Republic.
- Horace returned the salute with easy
grace, Tyipreapon th pe old general bowed
to Don Migue:
“Pardon me, Don ‘Niguel, but I amcom-
pelled to look over these dispatches. My
chief of staff will see that quarters are
rovided for yourself and family, I shall
o myself the honor of baying my respects
to the ladies in the morn in
he Don bowed low to him, The general
bowed low to Horace and then retired with
the packet to an inner room,
Don Miguel was puzzled over the respect
paid the young American by t! war-
rior, Senora and Senorita. Plavano looked
depicted in
e guard was
thunderstruck Ue understood then why
Senor Arcas had mentioned court-martial
As “the general had given phim no orders,
he went away with his soldie:
The chief of staff had procured quarters
for Don Miguel and his wife and daughter,
in the house cf a eitizen near the general's
headquarters, They bade Horace good-
night and went away witha guide. Ior-
, Burns and Boyle were then provided
with beds in one room, while Senor Arcas
was given quarters in another place.
The next morning Horace was up early,
Ile wanted to see the camp and army of
the old w: arrlor, who had been more thana
match for the best generals of Spain. He
ound it a ghee campindeed. There were
but few tents to be seen, and the soldiers
he saw were as unlike soldiers as any band
of men he had ever heard o} ere were
men of every color of the hurhan race there,
t}to designate their rank. For
those who had rifles carried the national
on, There were no uniforms save
ainonge the officers, and theirs were simply
all that,
they looked like a crowd of men w: sho were
spoiling for a fight, Spanish officers feared
em more than they did the trained sol-
diers of Europe, for they were men who
could appe ar and yanish at unexpected
points, always terrible in combat, and as
savage in battle as so many jun: le tigers.
While he was going about t camp
with his Winchester on his shoulder, the
swarthy fellows eyed him curiously on ac-
count of his dress, for there were very
few men in camp so well dressed who did
not wear an oflicer’s swor
“What sort of a gun is. is that, senor?” an
insurgent soldier as)
‘It is a Winchester,” Re Teplie
“The man had never heard the name be
He asked permission to examine it.
Ilorace showed it to him, explained its
mechanism, but did not let it pass out of
his hands,
“ Tlow far will it shoot, senor?”
“ot oe killa mana mile off with it,” he
re
The man Jaughed,
“They say the Mauser rifle will do the
same thing, but it is never done,” he re-
marked, shaking his head, ‘*No man can
bit anything so far except by mere acci-
ent.
“ Why pore Horace asked.
“T don't know, senor. lve never seen
neard of it being done,
ll, you people iown here don’t
know much about what goes on in other
parts of the world. Hang up your hat half
a mile away and I'll make a hole in it for
“7 would let you shoot at me all day at
that distance, senor,” laughed the swarthy
ellow,
“There would be a dead fool at the first
shot, ” Horace remark
“Maybe so, senor, *
boast before,
em.”
“Hat I've beard men
Iknow them when I hear
that time a score of swarthy fellows
were around h
on hat hillout there ?” and he ‘pointed toa
ge old tree, gnarled and leatless, stand-
ing ;plainty to pew, in the distance,
lo it and consulted among
themeelves for some minutes, after which
they agreed that it was a little overa half
mile aw
“ Well, i ll show you how to shoot and
prove to you that you don’t know very
much about it. Do you see that knot on
the Limb. out on the right ?”
“ ” they all replied.
“ Well, keep your eye on it. Maybe you
can see bark or dust rom it,” and. then
>
£
the old tree.
«7 "and he raised the
But ere os aimed,
ree.
ou, senor,”
rifle to his roe asi
e saw two crows ying to
te waited a few siglo 3 th ‘hey be trees
nalimb near the top, “I'll take a crow
insten ad of the knot,” he said, aiming and
rin,
‘One of the crows dropped straight to the
ground,
CHAPTER - XVII.
TEACHING AN ARMY HOW TO SHOOT
Ere the Cubans could recover from their
astonishment at the shot, Uorace turned
and walked away, Ile was met by a mes-
senger from headquarters who told him
e general was waiting for
wate hurried on and met Buins on the
ake Mry ve just given those fellows a sample
shot,” he said to the Tennessean, “and
they are probably declaring that I have a
pull with the evil one.”
Burns laughed and started to go on and
enjoy their surprise, But Horace inter-
fered, saying
“You can't understand them. Don’ t go
them without an interpre: eter.”
“* Where are ree going now ?”
“The general has sent for me.”
“Tad ou Dreakfast te”
“No—!
“No, and t am. very hungry too.”
“Come on with me then, Where is
3 Lleft him in the room where we slept.”
“* Guess he’s hungr:
** Guess he is,” laughed ‘Burns,
They met Boyle ere they got to head-
quarters, and all three were taken eharge
of a staft officer, and conducted to a
brea! fast set for them in a house attached
to the general's quarters,
The meal over, the general sent for Hor-
nearly all armed with the machete, Lven
ace, and had an hour's conference with him
ina private room, The secret of that con.
ference is yet confined to those two, That
it was important in many respects is
proved by what followed.
“You must let the men see you shoot at
once, comrade,” the general said to him, as
they emerged from the room.
oy Sh alld do whatever your excellency
may pena,” Ilorace replie:
Thanks, Comrade,” the ‘general said.
One of the staff came in at that moment
and reported that the men were very much
excited over a shot made by Senor Barbour
half an hour before,
“Call out every man to witness some
more of it,” the commander-in-chief order-
7 p08 every regiment and company was
in
General Gomez. and his staff, accom-
panied by llorace, Burns and Boyle, rode
down the line.
phat a motley crowd they were!
t they were brave fellows who were
wil, to face the enemy at any time, day
orn
by, and wondered who the newcomers
were,
After they had ridden down the line
they turned and rode back to the center,
There the old general, on whom depended
the hopes of Cuba, stopped and addressed
hem.
“Soldiers of Cuba!” he sung out ina
clear, ringing voice. .“‘ The Junta in New
ork has sent to us comrade Barbour and
his rifle. Le has brought two friehds with
him, Senors Burns and Boyle. e
to show you how to make Cuba the Burial
ground of Spanish soldiers. Down the
ine and beyond stands the image of a
Spanish soldier against a tree, The suit
is stuffed with leaves, and on his breast is
atarget. There is no man in our ranks
who can hit it at such a distance, A
thousand shots might be fired in vain, and
so much good ammunition lost to
cause, Comrade Barbour will fire ten Shots
atitin your presence, that you may see
what can be done by a man when he tries,
I know that a man can learn to do any-
take us. ‘all pet fools, senor,” re-| thing.» Cubans are brave men, and if the
marked another, ‘* b you u make a mis-| were also good marksmen, I would lea
take. We Know atone things down here, | 1,000 of them prainst 10,000 Spaniards,
eh, co: Now, Comrade Lar
“Sil” chorused the crowd. Horace dismounted vand adjusted the
“‘T don’t take you for fools, w you / sight on his The men looked on in
to be, br; re, mien—ood soldiers, but poor breathless fllence.- Me tooka quick aim
t shot: ow far is it to that ol; d tree |and fired, he ten shots were delivered
inside of two minutes. The two men took
the stuffed suit and bore it slowly along
the line that every soldier might see the
bultet holes in the target, w hich was mark:
ed out on the breast of the
Every bullet had gone trae tf the mark,
and the exclamations of wonder were
heard all along the lin
When it was brought to the old warrior
to inspect he took off his hat to Horace,
who saluted him as a soldie:
enor Arcas Sass that a “Spanish cave |
alry company of G) men were defeated
them—these three’ m
rade Barbour will explain to you how to
become good shots like himself, It is part
of his mission to us to do
Ilorace held his rifle in his left hand,
at spoke ina clear voice that was heard
Me At no other time does a man shoot so
carelessly as in battle,” he said. ‘“‘Thou
sands of shots are fired that do no harm to
the enemy. It is all because men do not
aim, They fire in the direction of the
enemy an and trust to fortune. Of all people
who fought for liberty you Cubans have
less ammunition to throw away.: With-
out. Rowd der and lead your rifles are of little
use With skilled marksmanship
the lone. range rifle, like the Mauser, Win-
chester and others, it is the best_armin
the world, The secret is this, Cubans:
Learn to shoot well, and then never pull
pour trigger till you are sure of your aim,
ve me two rifles like this and of a com-
any of fifty men, charging at full speed
half a mile away, not one could get to me,
I can shoot from ten to twenty times a
minute, and make every bullet count for
one dead man, At long range learn to
judge distances and raise the sight to that
point. ‘Chen, if the wind is blowing right
br left of you, you must consider that. One
thousand dead shots can whip ten thou-
sand of the best soldiers in the world.
Every man can become a dead shot if he
tries hard, fora man can learn to do any-
thing. Weyler has learned how toclaim
a victory for Spanish arms that was won
by your machetes. That is the fine art of
lying. If you will learn the fine art of
ooting you will free Cuba and place her
among the nations of the earth, for she is
the richest island in all the world.”
‘ubans cheered wildly.
“Now I am to give every man
who has a rifle (bere one lesson in marks:
manship, That will be one round of am-
munition to each man, Your captains will
detail twenty men at a time to come to me.
I will explain to each one how to use his
They cheered the old warrior as he rode ~
s