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Anthor of “ The
Onur Standing Army,
‘We have no standing army?
Nay, look around and see.
The man who ploughs the furrow,
The man who fells the tree,
‘The statesman and the scholar,
-\t the first word o
Turn to their country, bre hing
My mother, I am her
Not of a dumb, blind People
is our army m:
. Where schoolhouse and where steeple*
Have cast their friendly shade .
Our army grows in Knowle ledge,
As it to manhood ¢:
And trained in school. ‘and college
Stands ready for its foes.
‘The brawny arms of gunners
Serve minds alert
The sailor's thought has | traveled :
To s he has no’
. Wot for “the joy of killing,
Noy for the lust of strife,
llaye these come forth with gladness
To offer up their life.
Behol our standing army,
Not as in other lands,
An army standing idle,
With empty minds and hands,
But each one in his station,
And peaceful victory
Is tratning for the nation
Iba voes of land and sea.
ome
ANEW: “STORY INNO. 235.
BE ANNOUNCED IN NEXT NUMBER,
- ———__——
rm ome
f Utd story commenced in No, 247.)
(ALTE CANVAS OY:
TWO YEARS WI With A CIRCUS.
A Story of Pinek an and Perseverance.
|
By R. ™ T. EMMET,
7 Hat\ Hart of Harvard,” *' Uhe
charee,” "Nobody's Son. ree ‘the Be
Bie 1B. “ Talking Tom,” ete.
carrer XIX.
. AMONG THE GYPSIES.
But what of Julie? Seized by
s3psy_ ebductors in the
tornados fearful work she bad fallen a
easy victim to superior for
No tetter moment could” have
chosen by the gypsies.
struggled and screamed, but in vain.
bee
her abductor:
Then va merciful faintness came over
her. Ste knew no m
Whealshe came to, otter a long while,
sim was] conscious of a swaying motioi
and knew that she was in a moving ve-
It was a Closed coach and opposite her
sat two dark- featured men, with great
hoops of ‘brass in their They di
fot
ears.
eign tongue,
“Do not fear, mia cari rissima,””
of thera finally in English,
shall core to our queen.
said ou
Thar is the p rophecy.”
With a mighoy effort slic calmed her
oe
s nod managed to
v e you?
“We ire friends, mia cara!”
“Why have pou taken me away thus?”
“Ah it is the command of Vedda, an
she hes tead it in the book of fate. Yo
are to rile us.”
“Ww
wondering
our mothe.
lie was too confused to comprehen
allithis might mean. Tut
she shuddered and aske¢
+ e is he
«Le: will kill me?
The two Espsies exchanged glances an
secmad ‘I pe zzled,
a
TITLE WILL
R.
Boy From Tombstane,”
the
confuxion of the
Of course she
¢ n Her
strength was as nothing against that o!
a ard her unkindly and one of them
tried to speak reassuring words in a for-
vo harm
We shall wor-
ship yeu! and many favors will be yours.
, a Vedda? " asked the little cir-
She is the reader
We sobey her, but you shall be
i
Where is the awful “Yes, y the fate:
—r HAPPY
“Ah, I am Giovanni. Fear not, little
one, Vespada ras, our mother’s foe. He
cannot harm t
All was a junble to Julie and she was
like one in a dream.
to comprehend anything.
up the atte
The earrings rolled on for hours, -It
passed over Jolting roads and
So she gave
Giovanni put his head. out of the win-
dow and spoke 'to the driver in Italian.
Then he opened the door and stepped
“The storm had long since passed and
night had come. The. g lare of firelight
shone into the carriag
Julie was ‘assisted, out and beheld a
strange sce
The deep “seals of a mountain defile
were seen. Pines and hemlocks rose like
grim sentinels in the reflected light of the
camp
About | this camp fire rose canopied wag-
ons, In the canvas sides were little win-
dows and in each was a swart!
n the ground, lolling on blankets, rare
picturesquely dressed gypsies. <A> litt
k was a large, gaudily decorated tent.
As Julie was lifted from the carriage
Giovanni gave a peculiar call. In an in-
stant every reclining gypsy was on his
Women and children flocked from the
wagons and from the shadows about. Loud
cries of joy went up. Firebrands were
held aloft and the little circus Tider,
shrinking but calm, stood revealed in the
relight.
- Every eye was upon her and many were
the exclamations of admiration, of won-
der and of delight. Many of the gypsies
wen! their knees, The women
held up their children high in the air that
they. might get a look at the fair new-
3
It tras like an act of worship. But it
was all strange and incomprehensible to
the young girl. She was half terrified.
But suddenly there was a tmnsforma-
tion. A strange cry went up.
The gypsies separated, making a lane
through their midst to the entrance of
the great fer
of this was lifted and the fire-
light weirdly showed the interior, A
strange scene was reveale:
pon couch of some “fantastic rugs
there reclined the figure of a woman, Her
face was waxen in color, like that of the
dead, her eyes deep sét and burning and
er hair hung in raven locks over her
thoulders,
She was but a rack of bones and plainly
a wreck. But there was a dignity and a
hauteur which was grand and er fea-
tures even now were beautiful,
She was leaning eagerly forward with
her fierce, burning gaze fixed full upon
nN! Julie. The child rider was led into the
tent and stood over the gypsy wo
nD The longer the gypsy queen looked at
Julie the wilder and deeper with yearn-
grew her looks. She breathed deeply
and earnestly and put out one skinny
hand.
“Child, I see you as in the vision,” ” she
said in a voice which sounded like rip-
pling music, “Ah, I knew that you vould
M}come, I knew they would find y
am going to die, child. Vedda has « com-
pleted her reign and you are to. be my suc-
cessor. You are to be queen.”
“Ido not know what you mean,” said
d Julie, timorously. “I want to go back to
the circus.
But yet there was something about this
strangely beautiful but wasted woman
which seemed to appeal to Julie. The
little circus rider felt no fear of her, but
there was a strange warmth about the
rt.
ie
-She leaned forward and put her little
pane trustingly in that of
oe redda for a moment seemed thrilled.
Then she made a gesture and spoke a few
d| words sharp
UL Instantly the flap of the tent fell and
he others were shut out. Oil apers
burned in the tent. Julie was alone wit!
he gypsy queen.
But strange to say she was not afraid.
Some magnetic attraction held her by the
woman
1ce.
d Vedda patted and fondled the little
ra hands, looked wistfully and alg chingly
nto Julie's eyes and said fi
es are eae “My vis-
ion is fulfiled and I see you as I saw you
djin my dream. But there were horses,
wildly rushing horses, men in_ brilliant
ve no fear, mia cara,” said one |clothes and a youth, a youth with hand-
of tien “No harm shall come i the | some face Ah, it all comes back.
dove. Does some one seek thy lift ypsy queen's pale eyes seemed to
Again Julie shuddered.
“Vespada !" she said.
‘
s native tongue.
Tooked at Julie and then at each other.
ne of them leaned forward and
mid :
“Where is he?”
athe two gypsies exchanged startled, Te-
wander’ into space, her lips quivered and
she seemed in a spell. Jnlie listened and
said eagerly:
_ “Ah, that was the cireus, and the youth
Cal Warner. Were you at the circus?
We ride together.
“Yes, res, child! !" said the gypsy queen,
It was hard for her | you.
the gypsy | Ju
DAYS e_
dreamily, “It is all quite wonderful. But
they found you by
thee here, little one, and I
ny life and of the life that is to be for
Talie sank down beside the gypsy queen.
he felt -no feargbut rather a strange
charm. There ve some wonderful fas-
cination in the woman "s eyes.
said Vedda, in a
ong years ago,”
dreamy way, “I was young and beautiful
like you. I-Jived:as free and happy in
y
my” Corsican pm as the bird on its
wing of a bright
was Egypta then, fair and bright as
the stars in which my fate was to be
road. I had no love but for life, ho hate
‘or
“But al 1 maids must live and love.
loved. ne. was tall and fair and of another
race. We plighted our troth. But h
whom I loved not was jealous and hated
and when I threw his passion in his teeth
he took the deadly vow of the vendetta,
The Corsican vendetta, child, which you
do not understa
eppo, my would-be lover, swore to
kill me, my lover and our offspring. I
married the fair American, for I loved
him and he loved me. Our love bore a
child which, had it lived, would be now
much like you. Oh, would it had lived,
In a dark hour Beppo descended upon
r happy hom
“OM husband was murdered ruthlessly,
I was stabbed. Beppo believed that he
had killed m The child I never saw
again. But T I “lived. My brother exhorted
the Mafia to conceal me. I lived and it
has been the passion of my life to meet
with
“T cout not liye longer in Italy. ‘Amer-
ica is the land of the free, where the ven-
detta is unknown. I haye not been able to
win revenge. I met with Gaddo and the
gypsies offered me a haven. m, have
eir queen for these many
Wherever I have g
But he is likel,
“But my end is drawing near. I must
have a successor, for the gypsies must
have a que vision came to me of
years,
gone I I ahave § sought | Bep-
Ls]
mother. om t is hour I step d
thou art the gypsy queen!” P down and
Julie had listened to all this with won-
der and singularly enough without fear.
Indeed, something in the beautiful, wan
woman before her ‘acted like a charm upon
uncanny weirdness of the place,
the ‘hour and of the dark tale did not ine
press her wit!
She gazed long and earnestly into the
old queen’s eyes. Then she clasped the
thin hand and said in her sweet child
‘h, how very like my life yours has
been u ‘so ave been pursued for my
ife. also have been the
vendetta.” Victim of a
ie gypsy queen started Violent!
she gazed deep and earnestly at and
little strangling cry came from her i
You pursued by, the vendetta?”
exclaimed, tersely. “You—but iar che
lood of our people in your yeins,
cag, , Speak, speak and tell me. a
Who are
yout am Julie La V: ane,
they.¢ call I yespada
. da!” se Tpamed the gyps;
epringing ‘the ie couch with wide
y. “Ile is the fiend!
child! That is the name! 1 Vane as
Ile came to America after
was dead. There Ves-
It was a brute
Deliriously the gypsy q
queen to:
Ju ie’s sleeve. Phere ‘w as a faint “Wil
oss near the should Vv
da caught Julie in her ra rng. tantly yet
“My child, my ow
is good!
est! I am
CIIAPTER Xx,
1m CAL IN A NEW ROLE,
le circus went on to t the n
Of course Cal went with ‘it and at attended
to his duties just the “ee
For nothing was to beg gained by doin
otherwise, He could not find W,
hoe nd Walker nor
hope fe fee him until Walker should
He could
only_rest cont,
sciousness that Julie wae enfe gtte uth
mately would be 7
ite it wae oe restored to her friends.
e knew that tt “va as a favor
cinity with Rypsies to steal ote ro
nd rear t
heeome ae thee hem in their ways to
t wtrange th
have selected Julie, for the wane peegnld
their own people was in her veing,
. {coaxed it. The
- h But Cal did not heed it,
- So all that Cal foul do was to wait
for word from Wa.
the mounting! fe circus was doing a
fine business. Wherever the show went
great throngs turned out,
Cal was rapidly: paying up for his in-
terest.and Mr. Bailey was daily more
pleased with his young partne:
In his prosperity Cal did not forget his
mother, Like a true son he sent her reg
ularly good remittances for her comfort
and to pay for the little hom
over Graveland Cal was known as
an exemplary son. he esti-
mation of people was as rapid as it was
sure and permanen
But life with a cireus is bound never
to be devoid of thrilling incidents. Dur-
ing-this tour Cal iven an oppor-
tunity to once more ‘signally distinguish
‘imself.
Among the attaches of the circus was
Professor Calhoun, noted as the wor! ld fa-
mous lion tamer.
At every performance of the show he
invaded the lions’ den and made them
perform various wonderful: fea
‘al was one of the kind who is bound
to be thorough in everything. He was
good rider, an acrebat of no mean skill
and had mastered all the pursuits of the .
ring to a nic
He now turned his attention to the
menagerie. Ile began with training the
monkeys and the paroquets,-the zebra and
the horned horse. He sacceeded so well
as an animal tamer that, oe ecame in-
terested in the lions and t'
Professor Calhoun ikea” ‘Cal well, and
showed him many secrets. Soon Cal w
able to make friends with even the fiercest
of the lions—old Ben, who had killed
three keepers in his
me day the show Was playing in a
northern New England town. A. large
crowd was present.
y was furiously hot, as circus
days proverbially are. For some reason
Old Ben was {Cross and sullenly refused
to obey Calhou
‘he crowd ‘had just cheered the acts
of the other lions, and it w Id Ben’s
turn to leap through the paper hoop.
‘alhoun -approached ‘lion . and
n he commanded.
Id Ben growled and showed his ugly
jaws. The professor struck him savagely
with the w
The e nest. ‘instant a flash of yellow shot.
across the cage. Then the horrified audi-
ence saw Calhoun lying on the bottom of
the cage, with the lion’s jaws firmly fixed
in his sho ulder,
San awful moment. Women
fainted and men grew sick at heart. The
roaring of Old Ben was terrible to hear.
oor Calhoun might be eaten up then
and there, for all that any dared give him
aid. It was a sickening spectacle. But
the lion tamer fortunately did, not lose
his head.
Ile knew just what to do.
Instead of Struggling he ‘lay quite still
and passive in the lion’s clutches, Ol
Ben held him in that one vise-like grip
A and glared at those outside the cage.
tr, Bailey had rushed into the ring and
wal exhorting the other keepers to give
id ut none of them seemed
able to do this,
But suddenly a light form in. spangled
ights came bounding into the .
crowd drew a deep, shuddering Tne
© newcomer, without a moment's hes-
itation,: sprang to the door of the cage,
t urew at f open “and leaped in. It was Cal
z
The ung circus i pale
but cal. tee proprietor was pale .
of rescue, did not hesitate in his work
im and his teeth slowly relaxed their
grip on Calhoun's shoulder,
full of fierce fury, were
t t was seen that he
{ °
warning went jittack him. A cry oO!
In his right
a long, sharp-bladed knife,
e
But he k f
trying t to pacify the ty ane the folly o!
not r Ben had tasted blood and he would
las! ted, mash his mood while that taste
“this was to Kill jut one thing to do.
* we
e kn best weapon. All
had passed through | Cal's aes in a
6 ad not ti
formulate his desperate fae, Bim Jong fo
CHAPTER XXI-
The 8 BRAVE DERI
thi uspensa of the crowd was some-
ing awful. Sone men, started t
ww ¥ owand
the cage with pistols, But Cal shouted: