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T2, ,
January 21. 1382.
.-44-:HGoLDEN DAYS;-e
99
be invaded by the motley throng which
crowds them now with waiiderers fi-oni
almost every nation under heaven, and
fills them with the rattling, busy life of
modern times.
A sign ever the arched doorway of the
old house read : ,
“IIEINIKICH BLUME, Coninicrrial Hotel.”
“ This is where the colonel stops, when
he comes to town,” said Aiitonio, as they
went in.
. 1 Dick, following his lead, found
the interior of the house mucli more
clieerfiil and iiivitiii;: than he expected,
judging from its oiitside appearance.
A comely, bustlin-.: Gernian “illllilll,
who appeared to now Aiitoiiio very
well, showed the boys to a room, which
they entered through a corridor, cut oil‘
from what had once been an open court,
iiiclosed by the four inner w.ills oi‘ the
house, for it was built in llll:l(ll'iIllglll:lT
furin, like the larger of the old
Mcxicaii dwellings.
The court u now covered by an ex-
tciisioii-roof, high eiiougli to tidniit a row
of window around tlietop, thus foriiiiiig
a pleasant diiiiiig-rooiii.
In response to l)iek’s deniand for sup-
per, Mrs. Blunie iiiforiiied him that it
was just ready, and, a few nionieiits
later, the two boys went into the dining-
rooiii, where they were soon enjoying a
we -cooked :iiid well-served repast, to
which I)ick, at least, did auiplejustice.
Alter sii per, he sallied out, with his
new frieii ' walk by moonlight
about the streets of San Antonio.
CIIAP’l‘Elt III.
A .iiooxLioiIT iii's'i‘I<:nY.
It wasa calm, clear night, and the light
of the full moon sliowcd every object al-
most as plainly as it‘ it had been d:iv.
As Dick and Antonio came out into the
street, they met a party or’ young men,
who sauiitered past them, laughing and
talking, and went into the hotel.
Dick tliouglit they looked and talked
like Northern men, and he said so.
Antonio returned:
“ They are. The colonel met them,
and went on a llUI]Llllg‘<[)1ll'Dy' with them,
about a month ago. I heard him telling
(‘aptain Loren about them. He sa‘ s
tlioy are surveyors. They are trying to
get a railroad to San Autoiiiu, and these
men are here to see about it. Captain
Loren s a railroad would make a dil'-
erent place of this city.“
“ I should not want it anv dill'crent ii
I was going to live here," Die
ed, look 5 down the iiari-on sti-eet,witli
its liali'-new, lialI'-aiioioiit buildings, and
catnliing a glinipse ol‘ the eatlie<li'al, as
they turned iiito(‘oiiinieroe Street, loom-
in,, up, quaint and solenni, in the nioon-l
light. U This plzwc has a kind of li)l‘Ulfzll
look," said he, “ like the pirturt '
cities that you see in books of t a
“I never saw any books oi‘ ti
and I never s in any other
Aiitonio replied, in a praoii - 1
I don't know how that in 5
there are plenty of Stl‘llUl.S where you we
only big, liandsnnie liouses, or j
fronted stores. Over by the Alamo, you ‘
will set good many )le.xit-aii liousos,
but they are iiio-tly poor t)llL‘S. If you
want to go over tlicre I will show you
wliereI used to live, before I went to
the ranoli.‘
“ I)id vou live with your part-iits‘.7”
Dick in '
l iret .
“No; I have neither lhtlicr nor nio-
ther," said Antonio. “I 1' with an 1
aiiiit-Old Cat, ' call her." -
“ What a name izliod Dick. i
I]
l
“Her name i. Caterina. Lopez,’
tonio replied; “ but the nciqliln -s g
liertliat nick-naino because she qlI.ll'-,
rclsonie and cross. She did not meat
me well, but I never bore her any ;.’,‘l'llll.(0
for that, breaiise I she was poor l
and old and i’e>y igiioraiit. At least, I l
suppose she is poor, tliougli the iici<,vli- ,
bors think she is a misur id has iiiniioy I
hoariled away. I don’t know where she
could ever have got any money, poor
old soul!"
' l[![ wse you gave her your earn-
gs ' llil siigglistlil .
“Yes, as l0ll'.;‘ :is I st:iyerl with lier,"
said .tiiI.-niio. " But that did not aniount
to iuuoli. 0t’ ooiirse.I p;iVl‘ her sonic-
tlllll."ll()iV, wliciivvl I 0-iii."
“ You " iid Iii: tliouizlithilly
ro;;:irrliii;.; his conipaiiion, and woiider-i
mg how a boy who had only Ion doll.
a inonlli could spare any poriioii of his
“‘:I<.[I‘.‘-I For :1 in' I‘ old woiiian who had
l)I'Ul]):Ill)ly abused him as long as slic
i l .
in
Antonio seemed to read his thought,
for he said.
“She isa crossold woniaii. but she and
her rlaiiglitcr are the only ' I
iave in the world; and Igiiar. a was al-
ways kind to me."
'l‘liey had, by this time, I‘l‘.’lCllCLl the
brid,-.rc acros ti Sa Antoiiio lliver,
which was built so low that Dick re-
marked, as they went over it:
don't see wliy they made this
llritlge so elos-,down to the water. If
the river should happen to rise, it would
b ‘UT away.
“Tlio river never does rise-or fall,"
returned Antoiiio.
“ Why not ?” asked Dick.
“ li0(‘illlS0 it eonics froni a spring."
r‘7" rcpeatw ' , t.
“ . ii Antonio; “the whole
river guslies up out of the ground in
one great spring, as clear as crystal, and
[lows of! as wide as you see it lI0l‘e. It
is about a mile from here-up there
it )Cl'l you see that grove oi t "
“It must be ll line it," . iid Dick.
“I should like to seeaspring of that
size.“
“We will go up there to-niorrow, if
you like," Antoiiioreplied. “It i a be-
til'iil place. lint Captain Loren , the ,
San Antonio Spriiig is not so great a eu-
riosity as the water-lioles at our raiicli."
“ ‘Vliat are they .7“ asked Dick.
“TWO deep holes, nobody knows how
deep,” said Antonio, “ for they have
never found any bottom, tliougli they
have sounded with more than a liuiidred
feet oi‘ rope about twenty feet apart-
aiid alwavs level I'ullof water. It never
overtiows nor ever gets any lower. The
banks are hard clay, and there are se e
mi live-oak trees close hi’ ,
to be ‘ ' The run:
was built there 0 ' the trees
and the water, and the colonel called
it os Hoyos Ranch from the holes.
That is the Spaiiish name for theiii,”
Antonio explained.
'l‘hey had ero . ed the bridge, and were
now approachiiig the Alamo, :iiid Dick
zed upon the hatterod walls with a
brave boy's interest in the scene of a
brave, heroic S[l‘llL!‘.','ll‘.
How many heroes had died uiioon-
iheonlvtrc
3?
quered here! How terribly they had
avenged themselves bel’ore their gallant
carts were pierced by the fl)0lll:lll'S‘
steel! 'l‘lius tliouglit Dick, as, follnwilig ,
Aiitoiiio's lead, he passed mtothe Alamo. ,
He walked about within the old fort, l
and tlioiiglit how grini and forbiddinv.;
it looked, even now, in the peaceful
iiiooiili it, and he tried to iIii:igiiie how l
it iiiii' li:ii'o looked wli ii the ;:i'ouiiil ,
was piled with the bodu oi‘ its dead
dol'i-iidoi's, and the foes whom they had i
slain were lying by llllllill't‘ils all arouiid l
tlieiiirt. But the svoiic was more than i
l
his faiicyconld pi<‘llli'('. and his i'eIli-i:-
tions were iiitiiriaiptl-d by Antonio, who
an d Ins irni and lYlll.‘s‘[)i‘l't‘4lI ‘
“ llii-k, look at that woiiiiiii. I“'UlI(lr‘r
what she is about 1"’
Dick looked around, and saw ' feinalc
ii;-nr( . "ii-r along in iulow oi’
the wall, asit ah id to ho semi, and mov-
IIIL‘; toward tho d:irkl>sl eoriior of the
tort, where the stone walls lll:lllI':) glrmlll
that was iiei iiiislied in the hri litost
hours of ll.I)
She sooiiiell to be unaware that Ilium ,
was any otliar person ill the fort, and the ‘
boys kept still, and wateiied her qliiln
along into the deep shadow and stoop
down in the aii;.rle ol the walls.
“Slio‘s di-.;gin<,; in the groiind, wliis- I
pcredlliuk ““'ll:Illill',(l0yUllSl1]>])lISL‘?" ,
" For bnrioil %I't".lSlll‘4.‘, pciliaps!" I‘X- l
,.iimcil Aiitoiiio. l
h Or perhaps slic is hidiiigsoiiirtliiiig,‘
llivk rejoiiim . '- Yes, lliat's il l" he
added, asthc woiiian stood up and simil-
with her foot upon tin n-uni
“She has liuri ,d wiiielliiiig thi u: see ,
her stamp it dowi
“ What can it iiiraii‘?” iiinrninrenl .in- ,
uiiio. ;
“Slit-‘s eoiiiinq this way." iid Ilivk,
as tho woman, iiiieoii.-oioiis that aux" om-,
w: ii atl-hint: ll4‘[‘ pi-om-<'-lill,‘-iok li“"“ ,
linal stampoiitlie groun-l and IIIUYNI‘
an , no loii;,:vr alloiiiptin-,z to l‘Ullt34‘.ll ‘
1 ' l
licrw l.
The hoys stepped out of siqlll. [Wr-
,.,.i, M: 1, - . (‘Illlllll‘.',‘ in lhnir
dim V sud them in the full
light of the moon. and Antonio stai-lull. ‘
‘l‘IlIll1‘tl,llllll(‘l‘lllSlil‘(‘:lIllI
Old (‘at-niy aunt!
ii(;,.,,..p,u,.;[ Iiovuii siippnso she has
' iviiioiiovniitllivri‘ ‘ "N-Illl l)l“li- i
.1) an: son.“ ,
And, as the old woman p ‘od outof,
sitrlil, the two litlli 'iai-lod, 1iI.‘<uIIirc4‘X-
citi-iiieiit, to t'V]llUl‘(‘ the soniic oi her
niysterious oporatioii.
0 BE (‘ON
has pit
‘ oi" the p
The pi
. i:it'n.] l
PIKE-SPEARING BY TORCHLIGHT.
BY J. F. PENNISGTON.
There are undoubtedly Iiiindreds of
boy-readers of Goi.ni-1): I) irs who have
waiidered during the glo
day , rod in hand, by the side of some
sparkling streain, or reveled in tliojolly
sports oftlie woods. As the brightiie. ‘of
suininer fades into the drcz
and his aiiiuseiiieiitsare . >nietinies rur-
tailcd by the (7lrl'3lllIlSCril)C(l limits of the
libi v or parlor, he linds tinie “ hiingiiig
heavy on his lI)llI(lS ”
Freqiiently he wearies of books, and
indoor games, such as chess, draughts
(clieeker lose their eharni, and be-
come p ively tiresome to him.
Winter has i outdoor sports no less
pluasaiit and cxci lug tha '
iiier. Auioiig them all there is, perhaps,
no outdoor ‘ more invigorating or
(livers. , ing than pike-spearing by torch-
light.
A briefrcspite from his studies for an
evening, to enable him to llIilU]l.’(9 in this
sport, not only helps him to relieve the
dull nioiiotoiiy of his close, quiet room,
but he will return to his books with a
ii al and energy and increased iii-
cw
tcrcst.
l<‘rom ()4,-tobcr on till early spriiig, the
pike is in season, and as it abounds in
mill- tr ams and clear running w: e '
, ol' the United States, the l' .ade
who is disposed to -y the sport of
“ tlii-owing the spear“ w 11 have no diffi-
culty in tiiidiiig the pike “at home" in
the streams in his own iieigliborliood.
The boat used is generally a light
skid‘, so that it can be puslied about easi-
ly, ev i in shallow water.
ie p r is ordinary brooiiistick,
niinus the corn and wire, or‘ course.
Into one end of the stick ‘s driven a
slender piece ofstecl, the projectiiig part
beiii;.; three iiiolics long, with the end
‘K:
barbed-2'. 0., made like the letter V iii- ‘
w , A, in order to firmly ,
vvrtvtl
hold the lishulien it has pierced its
.t.
Tlirougli the other end of the stick a
hole is bored ii ith a giinlot. care being
taken not to s Illl the wood. Into this
hole a strong twuio is tied.
The length ol'thc twine should be
from eight to twelve yards, wrapped
evenly on a woodon l‘('l‘l, wliivli is held
.sc<'urely in the how of the boat, to pro- .
vent its lieiiig d iwii ovi-rlioarrl w
the pike “ilzislws
it I'tor lu=iIig.: strut-ll.
A piece of slit-ct-iroii, about two feet
square, should be provided to K:-‘lluli the
drippings from the ll)l't‘ll, and to prcvoiit
the wooil-work oi‘ the boat from taking
tire. The liil'(‘ll i i-pine.
Two poi-soiis usually “ uian " the boat-
0110(1) paddlv and guide it llirough the
water; the oilicr, iii the bow,1o do lhe
>’[N':lI llli.
I'0qllil‘l‘S :i L ,
’ll‘Vl('l'(illN I .iiid to(:.. the spear. It can
l)IHl'l'Yl‘l', be llt‘(lllll‘C‘(l by a little prac-
lioe, and iiiaiiy ho
can “loss the stint
“.-iii-iliv.
(‘oi idorzito sports-nieii will take mist-
)(‘ll
:iiid hardly miss a
limit. to x
ieir l‘oot oil" tll(' damp
rds. Thick clothiiip; worn as apro-
toction ilgllllst cold iieatlivr and a pre-
eaiition :lf.’f:IilISt sickiiess.
Wlien starting out, there should he
nnreolcd say four or live yards of the
accuracy in pike-speariiig, is to
. within a coiivrnioiit d‘ i.n
aiiioiig the tufts of long grass, or swim-
niing to and fro, he should not act hasti-
ly. He should keep cool and walvh
every inoveinent oi’ the irey. The ut-
IIlII>l qiiietncss should ie preseiwi-ul.
The guiding oi‘ the boat to the proper
place in l‘ollowin;: the pike slioiild be
coniiiiuiiioated by “ Iiirm-r Iiiotiuiis"
I'i'oni the spearer to tho ]liIlllllt’7'.
When the pike sers the rlit, lie will
lll$llll(.'llVl,'l) stop swiiuiiiiii-,, '
iiioiioiiless on the button
‘ u-o, ii ‘I ob-
serving his position, throw llie spear as
quickly as pos ‘ll e.
(ecp the boat statioiiary. Let him
iave all the twine the Y‘(‘(’lCllll‘1IllIR,ll‘
ho (it ‘us it. lie uill soon hecoiim ex.
liausted.
A ood way to acquire dexterit
a iish made
npoii a “diiiiiiiiy.” 'I‘his I
out of caiivas, stulled with . iwdnst. It
a(l'or(ls on ‘l(lL’I‘HlllC a... .. in, and at
the same time enables one to become a
practical spear-caster.
Calm “‘t’:llll(3l' and a clouded sky are
the best time to I, and l'i:om an hour
‘ uftcr sundown until ten or eleven o‘cloek.
4sl:Il'ls'llll‘l>llgll the ,
en, quick ore and a ,
of ill)’<‘(1ll2lll]I:lllO('5 ‘
rpct to spread in the bottoni of tho , u
twine, which should be carefully coiled, ‘
so that it will “ run 0Il"' easily when the ‘
spear is thrown
'l‘lie boat should be paddlml slowly
and cainionsly, :iiid the rclleotioii of the
light ol the [or ii upon the water will
i-oiiliisn the pike ind in most cases he
will ' still until the harp
slnvl awzikeiis hi I to a sen. 2 o‘ . daii-
g'l‘I', when IN‘ is oil‘ like iot.
lll‘ lisli should be [H‘l‘illlll0ll (o“plav,"
that is. run at will, vvoii if all the [nine
is Il[ll‘l‘4‘l(‘ll. This is obvious, as to jerk
siill-lniily upon the twiuv .lll(‘l' the stool
‘d the Iisli,olten (‘.:lllSL‘SllH‘ loss
he will soon becoiiic cxliaiistcd,
‘ whmi, by ]l:l(l(llllll.: slowlv and rec-liiig
l in as you liiove along, you can rupture
the lisli without dillioiiltv.
The pursoli who uses the spear should ‘
alw x ' '
gs inaiiilaiii an upright position in
the how when the i. motion.
'l‘lu- spear should be elevated in a strik-
ing lllililltli‘, and his eye lmpi eoiistaiitly
on the ir-
Many go out later and remain longer,
but the loss of sleep and exposure to the
cold is detrimental to health, and I would
suggest that my young 1' (is who iii-
dulgc in pike-spearing remain out not
more than two hours at a time.
A eas-
THE
GIRL HEROINES OF SCITUATE.
In’ PROF. I-‘RED. MYROS COLBY.
The hens cackled drow ily in the
bariiyard of the old light-house; in the
Inc, August afternoon s k y sported
great sailing islands of clouds, whose
white, glistening heads looked in and
out through the green apcrtnn-s of iiiaple
and I'ruit-ladt-ii apple-lioiiglis.
The slizidows of the trees were already
slanting to the southeast, and the waters-
of the little liurbor nf'Scitu:ite, on’ the
Rhode Island coast, glisteiied like a
mirror.
Here and there upon the sliecny sur-
face,‘ long, tapering shadows were TI‘-
tlectcd. These were cast from the tall
‘ts of several liriti.-:h sliips-ol"-war,
wliieh, through all the loin: siiiiiiiicr-
time, had kept the iittlesea-uaslied town
in close lcaguer.
The light-house was a stone structure,
[our stories high, oeciipyinezi little rocky
proinentory westward oi’ ih<- vil 0,.
At liigli-tide, the proniontnry “.I. en-
'rt from the iuaiiilaiid by the
iding waves, but when the water
w s ' tl c e “':L a ii id strvtcli of
gre ii land, which afforded easy eoniiuu-
iiieatioii between the town and th(-light-
house.
The distaiice interveniiig was about
hall‘ :i mile
Zebedce Bates, the keeper of the lip;ht-
house, was an ol(l Revolntioiiary solilii-r,
who bore the wounds of Moiiiiioutli and
liraiidywiiie upon his person, anti loved
to tell of the surreiiderol‘ (‘oriiiiallis at
Yorktown, where he had sliakcn hands
itli I. fayette, Count Roeliaiiibciiii, and
all “them liireigii fcllers,“ as he was
wont to say.
M rs. Bates had died a few years before
the date of our story, and the household
and Rcbeet-a llaies- it ho were a ed
A .
Abbie and Reheeea were the two
siiiartest girls in Scitnatc. Mrs. Bali-s
had been :i woniaii of remarkable facul-
ty, and was :i belle in her yI)llIl;.','<?l‘ days.
llor Ilaiiglitvrs had lllll(‘l'll(‘(l liergood
ind ability, together with iiiiicli oi’
' heroism of their Revolu-
tionary sire.
Abbie, the oldest, w. i hloiide, blue-
eycd, iii-liaired, but with plenty of
aniiiialion, and quiic as ;:()()(l-ltlllilllg‘ s
her tail, st raight, black-evod sister, with
evolmm-:4 dmwii true bow, and ll
El
little hand which iicvi-r saw the thing it
could iiol do.
Porliaps Rcheooa was the most posi-
live and the quickest of Sllt‘(‘Cll witlial,
. . Q
but. in re-adiiinss oi wit an: sh
oi‘ indgiiicnt, slio was her
ferior.
lint. as we have said. they were each
smarter than irls in general. Iloth
could harness aeliaise or rowaboat;
he could saddle :iiid ride anv horse in
.Il<‘l‘.
When lll‘ discovers a pike lazilyiiesing the iieigliborliood, they could cut out