Happy Days: A Paper for Young Americans — page 3: what you’re looking at

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_ Come an boy” a very tired. “ST HAPPY DAYS ef 3S The boys did not waste a moment, They 1 hurried up the hill, and when they were near the top, looking back, they saw the tramp who had been hit by the stone on the point of rising to his feet. hey can't hurt usnow, Ned. We can t to the top of the hill and vanish long Stare they can reach us,” “Tt was a narrow escape, Jack, for our wheels anyway. If they’d been smashed ust at the start, Dick Carson would have ad the laugh on us,” ‘**Tt’s taught me one thing, anyway.” ** What's that ?” ‘Why, that we must buy a couple of six-shooters at the first store we come to. If we’d had guns with us we'd have been spared all this bother. I thought we’d not need them till we got to ’Frisco, but I see I was wrong,” Ned Norton was now riding in front of Jack Daring. The road was particularly ~ rough, In fact it was almost im ble. ** We've made a mistake, Ned!” shouted Jack; ‘* we’ve got off the track!” ** Nota bit of it. This is all + Ned never finished the sentence, There was acrash, then a splash, and Ned Nor- ton was sent flying over a rail intoa slimy nd, . ein the darkness Jack could not see his chum, but he heard him floundering about, ‘*Swim out, Ned! Where are you?” As Ned did not appear Jack became anx- ious, and he crept to the edgé of the pond to see whether he could render any assist- ance. Then he saw Ned slowly walking to the bank. ** Ugh!” said Ned, disgustedly, “I’m a show. There’s more mud than water in that pond, Jack. I'll never beable to go any further. Never!” ‘** There’s a light over there about a hun- dred yards away. Wonder if they’d give us a bed. Come on; we'll try.” It was a farm-house they had struck, and the farmer’s wife gave a shriek when her eyes fell upon Ned Norton. He was cov- ered from head to foot with a green and red mixture. | c Sakes alive!” she exclaimed, ‘* who are So explained what had happened. ‘*Sure enou 7 fell into our pond, | ! ave a bed, why, of It was no use for Jack to offer to pay for what he and Ned had received at the farm. use, **Wedon't keep a hotel, mister,” cried the farmer with a laugh, and as the two boys rode away he an wife stood look- ing after them till they were out of sight. . ‘They've got plenty of grit, missus,” said the farmer, ** but round the world on wheels! By gosh! they'll never get there,” CHAPTER III. JACK'S ADVENTURE WITH THE BULL—THE TWO BOYS ON THE BRIDGE. Tue boys made a very short stop at Buf- falo. Having procured revolvers and other necessaries, they turned aside to see the Falls at Niagara. Then, for the next two or three days they raced like steam engines, not wasting any time in gbat gay So they went until they came to Chi 3 Here they found letters from home, and a package containing some clothing, which was very useful. : From See they took a southwesterly route, intending to strike nvyer, and from there through the Rockies to San Francisco. : The weather was beautiful, and there having been since they started an absence of rain, the roads were in good condition for fast time. | How they scorched along! How they coasted down the hills! ere were no rk policemen to interfere with their en oyment now. They might do as the pleased, for they met few people on the roads, except in the towns. “ This is glorious!” cried Jack, ** But a bit monotonous.” *‘ Monotonous, Ned! Why, what d’you mean ?” ‘** It’s the same old business, Jack, day after day, riding, riding, riding, nothing to break the monotony but an occasional! tumble.” “Oh, that’s it!” laughed Jack; “ you don’t tumble off enough, only occasionally, Well, my dear Ned, you can cure that, Tumble off as much as you like, I won't in- | terfere.” ” “Stop jollying! you know what I mean, ** T don't.” ** Well, why don’t we have some ad ven- ture? Now you're got it. That’s what I meant to say.” * Ah! now I understand you. ee? dear Ned, don't be impations pies y eon cross the water to get overin have enough adventures then, and don’t you forget it.” rdy for t¢ i > soon fel s1€eL 0 1e vere Ned let the conversation drop, and very soon he and Jack sat down by a stream ane ate the sandwiches they had with them, But when they had passed through the town, Jack left Ned behind for a few mo- ments, while he rode on to find out wheth- er they had taken the wrong road, * Help! Help!” Jack heard these cries for assistance very distinctly, and he redoubled his speed i i the pedals fly round as he dashed along. The cries continued and then Jack saw what was the matter. In a field werea girl anda bull. The animal appeared to be of a very sav- age nature, and was endeavoring to reach the girl. The bull made a frantic rush at its in- tended victim with head down, and bel- lowing furiously as it advanced to the attack. The girl was alive to her danger, but seemed stunned with fear, and therefore almost incapable of helping herself. “Spring aside!” roared Jack loudly, as he rushed to her assistance, Perhaps the sight of help at hand may have nerved her, for she did as Jack had told her, and the bull missing her, flew wildly by. But the girl had only escaped for the time. Evidently she was completely overcome, and Jack, appalled, saw her sink on the rass, apparently unable to do anything urther, The bull by this time had checked its mad career, and now, turning, it saw its victim quite at its mercy. It made a ter- rific noise—a cry of triumph—and slowly caren its head as it went, it made for the irl, . Needless to say Jack had not been idle, He had sprung from his wheel as soon as he saw what was happening, and was dashing across the field as fast as his le could carry him. Buta considerable dis- tance separated him from the bull and the irl, : He pulled his six-shooter from his pock- et as an idea entered his head, Bang! Jade Wan disappointed. He thought the noise would have scared the bull, and have caused it at least to halt fora few mo- the shot had no such effect, ia the boy had now considerably lessened the nec between himself and the savage animal, . Looking ahead, he saw the bull pause for a moment, regarding steadfastly its victim as it did so, and then the brute made ready tu charge. Jack raised his six-shooter, took rapid aim, and fired. It was the only thing left for him to do, and he fancied that if he puta bullet into the animal, as he could scarcely fail to do, ib would undoubtedly nig 7 he bullet struck the bull on its near hind leg, and instantly the animal came toaha t. ‘ i It bellowed with pain, and then turning round, it saw it had to do with a new enemy. “Run! Run!” shouted Jack to the girl; **vyou have a chance now.” he boy knew not what she did, He had to think of himself now. The bull was rushing at him. : Bang! Bang! Twice he fired, leveling his weapon at the head of the bull. It made a frantic leap forward, then with a groan the animal sank on the ground almost at Jack’s feet. There was nothing to fear now from the brute, for both the bullets, just fired, had penetrated the skull. A number of people were in the field ner? Ned Norton amongst them. urning, Jack saw the girl he had res- cued clasped in the arms of a tall rie; y |} and then a moment later the pair, and al those with them, came towa where he was standing. ‘““You have saved my danghter’s life, sir,” said the tall man, ‘‘and I'll never be able to thank you enough. Rose, dear, thank your preserver.” : “Oh, Ido, papa, 1 do! Oh, sir, but for you the bull would have killed me! You risked your life for me, and I'll never for- t. Jack, looking at her pretty face, thought he would like to have the chance of risk- ing it often, He made light of what he had one, ‘**I was in no danger,” he said, “ but, of course, I’m very happy to have been of as- sistance——” ** My name is Ralston, sir,” said the gen- tleman, ‘and is my only child, You'll never know what a debt lowe you, Some day I'll perhaps be able to pay if.” hen a chat took place, and the boys ex- plained the nature of their journey. 83 Going round the world on your wheels?” said Rose Ralston, incredulously. " e 5 7) 7 ; ¥ ae taf j FS, on | r : «Fes, that le wine we'veset outto de] A TITTLE FUN. myself are great travelers, but we go by train and steamer. Perhaps we may meet again during our travels,’ ** | hope so,” said Jack, And then the party separated. More than once Jack looked back, and each time as he did so, he encountered the bright eyes of Rose Ralston. Ned was thoroughly dissatisfied now. “This beats everything,” he wled, ** Just because I stayed behind a few min- utes, I'm left out in the cold,” “That can’t be helped. Some day the same thing ag | happen to me,” ** Yes, when I save the life of a flat nose copper-colored Asiatic, not a pretty girl like Rose Ralston.” Jack roared with laughter, for Ned’s dis- tress was quite comical. And so they went on, nothing more being said about the affair, and both boys scorching alon with all speed. Darkness came on, an found them still riding, **In half an hour we shall be at our rest- ing eae for the night,” said Jack, “Great Scott! What's this?’ “‘Hnlloa! We've made a big mistake, Ned, Thunder! We ought to have struck a bridge fifteen miles higher up stream. Not this railroad bridge.” “There’s no good wasting time, then. Let’s turn and ride back.” “Stop abit. I’m doing some thinking.” _ The bridge in front of them was high above the stream, formed entirely of wood, and consisting of a single track only, “I’ve got it,” shouted Jack, quickly. ** What?” “Tam not going back fifteen miles, you bet your sweet life. Look here, Ned, we'll ride across the bridge.” **Can’t be done, Jack.” “Yes, it can. The wooden trestle on each side is nearly a foot wide, You ride one side, I'll ride the other.” Ned was ashamed tosay no. Here was an adventure truly. One calculated to make the hair stand on end, and he had been dying for some fun and excitement. When the pnt i started to ride along the pea on either side of the rails they new that a fall meant death, for the height was terrific, However, they took these chances, and across the bridge they wentin safety until more than two-thirds of the distance was covered, Then, behind the ard a rushing noise. _ “The train! the train !” he gasped, ‘heir peril was great now. If the train overtook them they would be smashed to atoms, and already it was so close that the beams from the head-light fell upon the two boys, / [vo pxContinvED.) HAPPY DAYS IS THE VERY BEST STORY PAPER PUBLISHED IN THE WORLD. IT 1S **UP-TO-DATE” IN EVERYTHING IT DOES. : —————__ > 0 =e Lighthouse Keepers Along the Florida Keys. Jack looked ove THE job of lighthouse keepers on the Florida reefs is about the loneliest way of making a living in the catalogue of occu- pations. The mental strain has proven so great in several instances that the keeper grew melancholy to such a degree that he ended it by blowing out his brains, The system is now s0 arranged that the sudden darkening of an important reef lamp by a suicide’s bullet is not probable, for two keepers are stationed in each light for com- /pany’s sake as well as to guard against sickness, These two keepers of the key lights for two months ona stretch seldom see any faces except their own and converse wit nobody except each other. The light- houses are, on an average, twenty miles from land, and ships pass from ten to twenty miles away. The lighthouses are built of four great iron pillars, founded got toward | rat deep in the coral and towerin each other. Platforms of steel bind the pillars together, sleeping and storage rooms are constructed and the lamp crowns all, The place is not perilous, but in a a storm must be what the colored folks call ** lonesome” to an uncanny degree, After two months of service the keeper has a month ashore to spend with his fam- ily or how he pleases. e families of the reef lightkeepers are not allowed in the houses. They are looked upon a8 a dis- traction that might cause the keeper to neglect his duty. ost of the keepers have developed into omnivorous readers, Someof them, how- ever, have pursued a mene ib ay and one we have in mind prepa rimeself for admittance to the bar, and has since be- come one of Key West's most eminent lawyers, He has a dramatic manner of expression, and learned it, so ‘tis said, by “ noratin” to the winds and the waves, and his single companion, **What are the pauses?” asked the teacher of the primary school. “Things that grows on cats,’ said a little boy. “How did Sharpton win that $50 of you, Chumpley?” “ Bet me-he could show me a sta- tionary engine running.” “I must tell you a secret, old man. I am go- ing to elope, and I want to wear the correct suit; what is proper?” “A cutaway coat, of course, sigge-~Halloe, old man! Bri Excuse me, sir; you have the advantage of me. “ Yes, I guess 1 have; we were engaged tothe same girl, but you married her.” “What did you stop that clock in your room for, Jane?” “ use, mum, the plaguey thing has some sortof a fit every morning, mum, when I wants to sleep.” Johnny—It was a wintry day the last time I went to grandma’s, It blowed and it— Moth- er—It blowed is not proper. Say it blew. John- ny—It blew and it snew awful. First Neighbor—That’s a very dainty dog of yours. Ithrew him some col sausages this morning and he wouldn’t touch them. Second ata PP ace do you take him for—a canni- Barber—Have tray had any mee in shaving students? Appicant (for job)—Oh, yes, sir; I always go over their faces twice with the k of the razor and ask them if it pulls much. He got the job. Visitor—I don’t like the looks of this place. Your town is small and your cemetery is large. Besides, I have met three funerals alre A Native—Oh, that’s nothing, sir, You see, this is a health resort. Lady—And you escaped from the wreck? In- digent Seaman—Yes, mum. Lady—How did you feel when the waves broke over you? Sea- man—Wet, mum, werry wet; but now, mum, I feels dry, werry dry. ** But it seems to me you ask very h wages when you acknowledge that you beeen eet much experience,’ said a —— “Shure, ma’am, ain’t it harder for me whenI don’t know how?” replied Bridget. Doctor—Just place this thermometer under your tongue, Mrs, Henpeck, and keep your lips tightly closed. Mr, Henpeck (after afew min- utes of s hless delight)—W hat will you take for that Instrument, doctor? New Roomer (sarcastically)—Is this all the soap there is in the room? hear 5 sir; all I will allow you. New Room- er—Well, I'll take two more rooms, I've got to wash my face in the morning. Jack—Maud wants toknow why you $5 her com ynow. Tom—Well, the faci is, I'm poate. ack—I’ll tell her, a Rhy wie AE ene . | more, . (brig ng)—} v Do you think sof Jack ee shel pret | vom oo si—i‘CS INTERESTING ITEMS. Little 4-year-old May Hill is one of the queer- est human freaksin the matter of fingers and toes that a person seesina lifetime. She was brought to Fort Worth, Texas, by her father, J. W. Hill. The child has on her left foot nine toes, one growing from the top of her foot, and on the right foot eight toes. She has nine fingers and three thumbs on the right hand, and seven fingers and five thumbs on the left. Each hand is divided into two phlanges, each containing several fingers. The thum w on the hand where one thumb of normal per- sons grows. The fingers are grown together like webfeet. In all, the girl has forty-one toes and fingers. A pearl diver ~~ that one of the strange ef- fects of diving is the invariable bad temper felt while working atthe bottom of the sea. As this usually passes away as soon as the surface is reached, it is probably due to the pressure of affecting the lungs, and through them The exhilaration and temper of the mountain climber is a contrary fonhlnes ae - Mg cause, A sob gorge ngry at some imaginary wrong doing on thé part of thosein the boat above that ‘he gives the to “with the intention the shore. W er the ; ed shoreor notisa q tod si ‘tes one soon gotoutof sightof the skipper and its % The Rev. A, R. Fowler, who is min hands, was arrested at ‘Anniston, 4 a ena wanted at Elberton, ,»on acharge forg- ie 3 : i : ag E 2 58 d : g Bex, ial El @ hs /@) ; Mi * am P > al = r Paet r . “< 7 +e Nei de ore. ‘) a og a y, * ae 2) a A a Oy cw a, Cal Pew er La, 3 rr, 2, ee BA Lo 2 ae Bs Pi agi ro ; of ‘ee “ ot we deg Me ‘A. ae > 5 \ ia DEAS ws me Fults v*% ‘e eS ‘ yee eh ae ‘ . Se ie v “Z ; <™, - why S ein a pve hs - yee ons ee 2 as <a vee Rea tnt Ooo aw \ . Ga we 0 heel .- Se Thy RGM a, ae! 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