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12
But they began to-ride toward the
Antericans, while they still directed keen
and anxious glances at the buildings on
the opposite bank.
Suddenly they saw smoke and flames
issuing from the old mill, and the suc-
ceeding moment the sound ‘of several ritle
shots from across the river, just as they
say Jack and Dan bounding up*the bill-
side.
[T0 BE CONTINUVED.]
—_——— = 0
“HAFPY DAYS” IS CERTAINLY UP-TO-
DATE. OTHERS TRY TO FOLLOW WHERE
WE LEAD
ee
Arkansas Sunk Lands.
“When people living in what is now the
eastern part of Crai, ghead County, Ark.,
o bed one night in the latter part
of December, 1811,” said a former resi-
dent of that region, “they closed their
es on one of the most beautiful and fer-
tile stretches of land that ever man saw.
The region was a series of rolling prai-
ues. interspersed with heavy forests. The
Francis River and its twin sister, the
hile River, wound through the prairies
and around t ges of the woods, which
cast their shadows on the waters from
high and solid banks. When those resi-
dents looked out upon the prospect pre-
sented the next morning they must have
been surprised, n place of the rivers
_and the rolling prairies vast lakes spread
away over the area. In places above the
surface of the largest of these sheets of
water so suddenly brought into existence
the tops of trees could be seen, but in
others the woods bad been entirely sub-
merg' e Jand for 120 miles up and
down the river, and for a width of prob-
ably sixty miles, had sunk below the sur-
face, and water had filled the great cavi-
ties thus formed. The area thus wiped
off the face of the earth came to be called
the Sunk Lands, and that is its name to-
Spo-day the entire area of the Sunk
Lands is a chain of great cypress and |¢
wamps, With here and there an ex-
of sycamore occupy:
trees are festooned with a massive eh th
of parasitic vines and mosses. valley
is probably the most picturesque “stretch
of aquatic scenery in the entire South.
- Steamboats make their way at a favorable
season of the year in the tortuous course
through the long and narrow vistas be-
neath the overhanging and moss-hung
trees, the rivers still retaining their old
names, the St. Francis being navigable
from its mouth, near Ilelena, on the Miss-
issippi, for 200 mile:
“To the canoeist the weird lakes of the
s offer a paradise,
of the. choicest species.
sycamore swamps the beaver, otter, mink,
raccoon and ’possum are as abundant to-
day as they ever were anywhere. Black
bass, Southern bass, a rare and gamy
speckled trout of unexcelled flavor, which
grows to seven pounds in weight; sun
perch, gar. the most enormous catfish and
a fish known down -there as the silver-
The silver-sided perch I
never saw anywhere else. It is the hand-
somest fish I ever looked at, and is as
gammy asa black bass. I caught one of the
catfish of those waters once that weighed
ninety pounds. The old negro who rowed
my boat declared it was a leviathan of the
deep, and it was a leviathan of that deep,
and no mista
“If any one ‘Should ask me where to go
id send him down to the
s. Those waters
have one drawback, perhaps, to the mod-
ern Southern tourist. There are no alli-
gators there. but they’ve gotethe next
thing to them—gars eleven feet long.”
never forget.
ed
Native instinct in India—and elsewhere
for that matter—sometimes accomplishes
what technical training fails to manage.
Sir James Westland recently told a Unit-
ed Service Institution audience that in
the second Burmese war the British man-
aged to upset the big Burmese bell, weigh-
ing forty-odd tons, into the Irrawaddy, in
endeavoring to ship it off to Calcutta as a
trophy. The engineers of the force tried
in vain to raise it, eventually giving up
the task as impracticable, when some
Burmans asked to be allowed to try, and
si
ing end of the bell so as to convert it ex-
ternally into a cylinder, and then rolling
it out of the water and up the bank.
é find you something.
5) comm
‘d fear.
“ST HAPPY DAYS et
[This story commenced in No, 247.)
CAL, THE CANVAS ne
TWO YEARS win A ciROUs,
A Story of Pluck an and Perseverance.
By R. Te EMMET, .
Author or ai the bey From Tombstone,”
“Hal Hart of Harvard,” * Cheek and
Ghent “ ‘Nobody's Son, 26 The B
” 6 Talking Tom,” ete.
CHAPTER X.
THE INCENDIARY’S WORK,
Cal Warner never received a greater
shock in ife. ‘This startling an-
pouncenient of the hobo, Walker, stunned
espa alive and once, more on the
id of the vendetta? It" was a ghastly,
hot ‘ible thoug!
4 soul he exclaimed. “Ts that
trng. Walker? ‘Are you not mistaken?”
“Not a bit, lad,” replied the hobo.: “I
know that he got out of the river and
then was run in by’some officers and spent
three months in jail for vagrancy. But
he’s out an’ near here jest now. Keep
ge
to find ye. 7 run agin Vespada and tried
to finish him, but I got this for my pains.”
alker bared his side and showed a
ragged- ooking wound made w ith a knife.
lle was apparently nigh playe
“Come with me,” said Cal. “I “vill find
you something to eat and a place to
Walker mumbled his thanks and fol-
lowed Cal to a corner of thé canyasmen’s
ent. Ile made jim lie down on a pile of
blankets and s:
“It is after ‘midnight, but Vil try and
Lie there.
Cal Pikes on good terms with, the circus
y and succeeded in getting some
This he took to
Food and warm drink.
W:
The hobo ate ravenously and
dropped off into a refreshing sleep.
he was thus recuperating Cal made
way to Mr. Bailey’s ter
is
then
While | a
on his arm and to look up into a face
above hi.
you, aiken?” he asked.
“What is the matt
“Pye just heard oe firebell ring, lad,
and I thought I’d let ye know,” said the
hobo: “ reckon there’ 8 a building burnin’
down i in the .
“A fire!” exclaimed Cal, leaping up and
now thoroughly wide awake, “What time
it?’
“About five o'clock, I think, my boy,”
replied the hobo.
Cal saw that this was true. The gray
light of fawn was breaking. Daylight
was at
The canvasmen were already astir and
there was much interest in the fire. It
could be seen from a point beyond the
tents. People were thronging the streets
elow.
Cal, however, gave one look and gasped:
“My soul! It is the hotel!”
the (Graveland Hotel
The canvas boy’s
face was ashey pale.
He could think only of those who were
dear to him who were beneath the roof
of the hotel and might even now be in
deadly danger. Cal waited for no more,
but set out at full speed for the scene.
Bi way down into the town his
worst fears were allayed. He met a car-
riage in which were Mr. and Mrs. Bailey
and Julie safe and w
They had escaped “From the burning
hotel just in the nick of time. ~ Cal w
greatly relieved.
“IT am going up to the tent ith the
ladies, Cal,” said Mr. Bailey. “If I have
time I will return and assist what I can
at the fire.
. Behind “Cal were half a score of the
ca.
*Shall I “take them along?” he asked.
There was lots of work to be done
getting the show ready for the cars, but
Ar. Bailey s:
“Yes, but ‘return as soon as you find
that you cant be of no further assistance.”
“AML ri
The canvasmen now with a hoa
cheer fell in behind Cal. Thus they trotted
own into t ow!
Soon they. had- reached the street in
which was the burning hotel. An -im-
mense throng was her
And Cal and his companions arrived on
the scene just in time to witness a thrill-
ing incident.
"A man came dashing out of a narrow
ley. .
_Ile was hatless, coatless and his bearded
visage was contorted with awful fear and
The circus proprietor ‘vas still up, for | agony.
he had much work to accomplish. before
the circus could again get on the road the
next day. So when Cal entered he found
Mr. Bailey at a camp table with a pile
of papers before
“Ifello, Cal!” he exclaimed, pleasantly.
“I was just, wondering where you were.
But—what is the matter, lad? You are
as pale asa gi
Cal was ‘tell pale with anxiety and
Ile sat down on a camp stool and
said:
“Oh, Mr. Bailey, I have bad news.’ ’
“Lh?” exclaimed the. circus owner.
“What is it now, my,
i “Oh, sir, that murderous dog is still
alive
Mr. Bailey gave a start.
Something like a gray ish pallor crept
over his. face. He stared at Ca.
“Eh?? be exclaimed. “W hom do you
mean?”
*Vespada!”
A hoarse, inartic ulate ery issued from
circus owner's lip:
“What is. that?” he ‘gasped. “They said
he was dead
know it,” replied Cal, neand so it was
believed. But it seems e has the
proyerbial nine livés et ae wat? and has
come to life again.
‘or a time neither spoke, but stared
gleadily at each other. Finally Mr. Bai-
the
&
See, must have this Vespada attended
to by the law. Certainly there must be
some way to catch him and bring him to
justice.
“Where is Julie now?” asked Cal.
“She is at the hotel with Mrs. Bailey.”
“Ought they not to be warned?”
“f will go down-at once. I can do no
more work here to-night. To-morrow, Cal,
the circus moves out of Graveland on our
Southern tour,
ave made everything ready in the
canvas department,” said Cal. “Mr. Cole
and myself have arranged for everything.”
“Good!” said Mr. Bailey, with a pleas-
j “T have never known you to
be derelict in duty, Cal.’
moments later Mr. Bailey was
on his way to the hotel. Cal went back
to where he had Tet. Walker,
The hobo was_ sleeping. ex-
hausted himself, Cal laid gown on some
blankets and also went to slee
When he awoke it was to ‘Teel a touch
gouy.
Behind him were a number of officers.
Ue ran full into the crowd, but one of the
oes was upon A great howl
we
“Incendiary ! Lynch him} Sill him!”
In an instant the officers were brushed
away like flies. The unfortunate fugi-
tive was pounced upon as wolves seize
their prey.
He seemed likely to be torn limb from
limb. We was dragged shrieking beneath
a lamp post.
A rope was thrown over the cross-bar
and a noose made. It was certain that
in the their blind fury the mob would lynch
Cal's whole being revolted. The man
might or might not be guilty of a dread-
ful crime. In any event this was not
justice.
“Heavens, boy!” exclaimed Jacob Cole,
who was at Cal's shoulder, “They ought
not to hang that man without a trial.”
“Tt is awful!” exclaimed Cal. Then
a daring thought struck him
’He looked over his shoulder and saw
that nearly a score of the canvasrhen and
cireus employees were behind him. This
was enough.
‘Instantly he lifted his voice and, with
all his might, sent forth the well- known
cireus rallying ¢
“Hey Rube! Trey Rube!”
CHAPTER XI.
STARS OF THE CIRCUS.
From Maine to California, an
within the limits of the United Rites
that cry will bring one circus man to t
aid of another. So it wi
zike an avalanche the ‘canvesmen
husky fellows, came tumbling to the bias | st
of Cal Warner, who had himself reached
he side of the man beneath the lamp
ost.
Pothier re was a swift, terrific stru;
erowd rolled back, circus mensureed
about the owuld-be victim, who in
twjekling was released,
en several of the canvasm
im by the arms and hustled hi ma eeued
“Take him to the tent,” was Cal's’ or-
der. “IE he is guilty of any crime we will
‘n him over to the proper authorities.”
OF course all. this had not been done
without a proper resistance. Skulls were
cracked and sinews twisted in the battle.
But the canvasmen were organized and
the crowd'was not. This was what told
the story,
‘Once Sut of the press it was easy for a
number of the {fanvasmen to hustle the
prisoner away into the darkness and up
the hill to the tent. Then Cal learned that
nothing could be done to assist at the fire.
blaze was already under control
and the firemen were resting easy. So he
made his way back“to the circus ground.
It was not difficult to ascertain why
the crowd had tried to lynch the unknown
ole had been in some way identified as
the incendiary. Ahether he was guilty or
not remained tobe se
Cal went at once ‘to Mr. Baley’s tent.
The circus owner was already busy mak-
ing preparations for shipping the com-
pany to the South.
Cal sent the canvasmen quickly about
their work. Then he turned to Mr. Bai-
ey,
“pid you see the fellow whom we
cued from the b 2” he, asked.*,
thought he would te. ee ched.
“Ah, yes!” repligd Mr. Bailey.
“Ye
has gone, I believe.
“Yes; te slipped away.
But we should have. “held him?’ ox:
claimed Cal. “He may be the incen-
diary.”
ey that is too bad,” said. Mr. Bai- .
“I ‘did not see the fellow. The boy
in the canvasmen’s tént said that he } wave
them the slip somehow.”
t this moment a hand was lai(i on
Cal’s arm. {
-He turned and was face to face with
Walker, the hobo. -The latter’s eyes shone
like stars,
saw him!” he gasped, “and I tried
to get him, but he got away too quick. a.
Cal starte
coh? he exclaimed, “You knew him?”
Ye: e was no other than Vespa: dal?
yes te Lied py eried Cal. “And I:
faved Bs li Are you sure of that,
Wa
mp was positive. Of course 2
tremendous sensation was created. Then
all was clea.
‘No doubt "Vespada had fired the hotel,
thinking to work out his oath in that
manner. That Cal should have saved him
from the death he so richly deserved, was
indeed an instance of the irony of fate.
ut it was too late to do anything fur-
ther about the matter now. The villain
was beyond pursui
We will not dwell upon the details of
shipping the circus to the South. Bufiie re
it to say that one fine winter day t
cireus pitched its tent in a bright inte
city in ‘Tennesse:
There had been some changes in the
circus company. Many of the former
stars had been supplanted by other:
Cal now rode regularly with Talie in
the great bareback act. “They met with
wonderful success.
othe closest guard was placed upon the
ung girl over whose fair head hung the
deadly vendetta. -Thus far nothing had
been “seen of the Corsican demon who
sought her life.
Crowds thronged the tent that first
night of the show in/Tennessee. They ap-
plauded erery act and seemed to be very
appreciativ.
When the beautiful black horses gal-
‘oped into the ring Cal came out in his
pink and spangled tights and bowed in
the centre of the sawdus'
hen he vaulted Heke upoa. the back
of one of the horses. Around the ring
he flew at a lightning pace. He turned
somersaults, stood on his head and did
many wonderful things. hen. sadden's
another figure appeared in the
It_was that
and airy Mille. Julie vaulted from the
finemaster’s hand to the back of one
1
Then he snapped her small whip and
i g. She danced
I
ing a misste}
nd now came the great tandem Act
Cal came up behind on bis trained black
teed, he was alongside and he
stood with a foot on tie back’ of ech
“Nile. Julie was held upon his arm ad
balanced from his knee, from bis vik
der, and even pirouetted ‘on his head ¥ i
the’ horses flew around the ring. It-w
an act Par excellence.
ow t
I e crowd cheered! thunder,
The applause -rolled up like
and Mr. and Mrs. Bailey watched the pair
with loving and admiring he
“Really, Kate, they a the. ‘stars of t
show,” said Bailey. “We could ill afford ,
to lose them.
(Continued on page 14.)
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