The Newark Journal.
O. F. CRAIG, Editor.
Newark- - , Arkansas'
A QUESTION
OF CONSCIENCE.
BY JAMES HARVEY SMITH.
it is almost impossible to ex
plain why a man of intelligence
should exchange ease for discom
fort and plenty for privation. It
is admitted that the only reason
why one should toil is the pros
pect of future rest. To simply se
cure enough food to stay t lie stom
ach and clothing to cover t In* body
need not requirt* more t ban a day s
work in a week, and see what a sim
pie shelter will shield us from the
season's changes.
lint we are nine parts luxury
and only one of necessity. There
must he curtains and carpets to
shut out air and catch dust; orna
mented walls and pictures to hide
them; gewgaws and gimcracks
without number. Kxpenses in
crease with revenue, and the goal
of rest and content perpetually re
cedes.
1 have noticed that women are
not worried in such a situation.
Their entire life is a state of nerv
/ojb unrest and they do not care
r to change it. Man is tin* savage
animal; he is perjietually recur
ring to barbarism. He loves to go
into solitude and live with the
beasts. There comes upon him at
times the passion to kill and de
stroy. He lays on the ground,
wades through swamps, courts
danger and exposure, and hugs
•the disagreeable side of nature.
Then he returns to eivilization, re
sumes his formal garb, and re
lapses into discontent.
Perhaps it was for these rea
sons that I abandoned a good busi
ness in the east and went west.
From Vermont tn Idaho was a far
cry 15 years ago, and l had no
more excuse for selecting the lit
tie town within the shadow of the
mountains than a chance look at a
railway map.
It was a mere hamlet of less
than ;UMt souls, hut. being on tie*
spur of a railroad, was a shipping
point for hides ^nd wool and ore
and had a number of resjcectable
shops and trades. With these peo
ple, however, 1 had no desire for
affiliation. 1 did rwt intend to 1m*
churlish, much less a hermit, but
] had the desire to live apart from
my fellow men for a time at least.
To that end I took rip a claim
three miles from town. It was an
exceptionally tine piece of arable
land for- that region, and there I
built a comfortable* house of six
rooms, stout, with thic k walls to
withstand tlu* winter's cold. The*
household goods 1 had brought
from the* east furnished it simply
but comfortably, and here 1 set
tied down to a peaceful, lonely
life.
' 1 planted a {rood portion of my
claim with hardy fruit trees, and
on a half acre garden i-;1ised
enough vegetables to keep the
table well supplied during the
summer and stock the cellar for
winter. My wife had her flower
garden, and I set out plants-and
foliage around the house. f did
not intend that solitude should
deprive us of any creature com
forts, and 1 had not made such a
revolution in my household affairs
without my wife's consent. She
may have wondered, but she made
no objections. In the Vermont
town where we were married she
w as a belle ami noted for her gay
efv, but she relinquished her ad
vantages without an apparent
pang. Perhaps it was only a worn
an's natural a (quiescence and her
Intuitive knowledge that in time
the lit would pass from me and 1
would pine for the hurly-burly of
the world as 1 had for its seclu
sion.
It was in our third year that the
incident occurred that sent me
back to civilization. Our little
girl, our only child, was then two
years old, and that was another
reason why ui.v wife was content.
The winfpr sot in early that year
and with great rigor, and by the
tirst of December the thermom
eter registered below zero every
day. Fortunately we had an am
I»le supply of fuel, plenty of pro
visions, and lots of reading mat
ter, and fora month we lived a life
of indolent ease. Then it began to
snow, at tirst intermittently and
then in a steady fall until there
was at least three feet on the
level. This was followed by a
thaw, which packed the snow, and
then cold weather set in anew.
It was now the middle of Janu
ary, and just while 1 was congrat
ulating myself on the easy way in
which we were getting through
the winter, Amy, our little girl,
was taken ill.
At the beginning of winter I had
sold my horse as being too much
bother to care for, so 1 tramped to
town and brought back the doctor
in his cutter. This was a remark
able man, this 1 )r. Merton. In the
oretical knowledge he must have
been at the head of his profession.
He was almost the only man in
town with whom 1 had friendly in
tercourse, and 1 was amazed to
liud that he possessed a well
stocked library, was cognizant of
tin* latest discoveries in medicine,
and, above all, had that masterful
air that gt>es so far toward the suc
cess of doctor or divine. AY hen I
once hinted th't he was hiding his
light under a bushel, he laughed
and asked me why I came to Idaho.
It was his whim, as mine.
lie saw Amy and pronounced
tin* case malignant sore throat
with diphtheritic symptoms.
"You had better bring her to
town,” said he.
“Why?” I asked, shortly. “There
is no more comfortable house in
[town than this.”
•‘.No, ho assented, wit ha lilt 01
his eye; “but there are more peo
pie. in ease you need aid.”
“Then I would not pet it,” I re
torted. “Everybody is afraid of
diphtheria—1 don't blame them.
Her mother and I will act as
nurses. Can't you write out de
tailed instructions?”
He did so and left the necessary
medicines. The next day he paid
i us another visit and said Amy was
| improving, and the next day all
danger was past. He told us what
treatment to continue and left us.
Four nights later my wife com
plained of a sore throat. My heart
gave a great jump of alarm. It
was nearly ten o’clock and Amy
was sleeping quietly in her crib.
< hitside it was clear and starlight,
but the cold was intense.
“Let me look dow n your throat,”
1 said.
There was no doubt of it. The
diphtheritic spots were there.
She saw the news in my face.
“I suspected it,” she said, qui
et lv, and with a woman’s self-re
straint. “I am so sorry; you will
have to go for I >r. Merton. I will
wrap up my throat in ice band
ages, such as he prescribed for
Amy. You will be back in two
hours anyhow.”
1 lost no time in words, and in
five minutes was on my way to the
town. 1 could see the few twink
ling lights of the houses, as tin*
town lay lower down tin* valley,
and there was no danger of losing
my way, although there was no
path.
Snow covered everything in
sight and the crust was frozen
solid. The temperature was 20 be
low zero, but there was no wind,
and the air was like wine. This pe
culiar weather of the high north
west is a mystery to residents of
the middle states. Well wrapped
and keeping in motion, it has no
terrors for the healthy, and they
t hrive on it.
1 kept in motion you may be
sure; indeed, I kept on a dog trot,
and in less than 20 minutes 1 was
in the doctor’s study.
He was fully dressed and on the
point of going out, but 1 did not at
ome grasp the significance of his
appearance.
“.lust in time,” 1 gasped.
He listened to my story, and
then questioned me minutely uu
til 1 was in a nervous agony.
“Come and judge for yourself,"
I cried at length. "We are wast
ing time. <let out yourcntter;you
can put up your horse in my barn
and stay all night.”
"I have another engagement
three miles west,” he said, grave
ly.
“Hut my wife—”
"Is a patient, and so is this man
who has met with an accident,and
lie has applied tirst. He is in in
tense pain, which I can relieve, al
though 1 may not save his life.”
"And meanwhile my wife will
die!”
"Not necessarily, if you follow
my directions. Now, listen tome
attentively. Here is a powder
which you will dissolve in a half
pint of lukewarm water, and use
as a gargle. These pellets are to
lie taken two every half hour, and
with this"—he put a small vial in
my hand—“you must swat) the
throat as far down as you can
reach, using this brush. Now
hurry home'as fast as you can.”
Something in his manner
alarmed me exceedingly.
"Is it dangerous?” I asked,
faint lv.
"Very,” he answered, bluntly.
"From your description your wife
must have had the symptoms at
least ”4 hours, but underrated
their importance, or perhaps did
not wish to alarm you. Inthisdis
ease time is a most important ele
ment of the cure, and every mo
ment is precious. I know of no
horse that you can conveniently
borrow or hire, and I cannot lend
you mine, but you are a fast
walker. If you do not linger there
is little doubt that you can check
the disease until 1 get there, which
will be tomorrow morning. Now,
\\ lule talking he had made the
remedies into a bundle and slipped
them into my pocket, and now i
| was off like a shot.
1 could not see my house, even
when 1 was clear of the town, but
I could locate it by the same in
stinct that guides the hunter
through the forest and the pioneer
across the prairie. This much J
had learned in my three years’res
idence, and I would have run all
tin* way home, but here a new ob
stacle arose.
The sky had become overcast
during the few minutes 1 had been
housed with the doctor, and there
was even now a spit of snow in the
air, the forerunner of a mountain
storm. 1 recognized that here was
a case where more haste was de
cidedly less speed, since deviation
from the direct route meant not
only delay but death. Yet time
was precious.
I hurried lip the slight incline,
the snow every moment thicken
injr and more impeding my way,
and I roundly cursed tlie storm at
every step, i do not remember
when I was so exasperated at ma
terial causes. It seemed so unjust
that the elements should conspire
against my efforts to save life.
The snow increased in volume
and now the wind began to blow
the snow in sw irls. People in the
(•astern and middle states who call
every violent snowstorm a “bliz
zard” do not know what they are
talking about. In a real blizzard
the w ind blows in no particulardi
; rection. but seems to come from
every point of the compass and
also up and down. The eyes are
blinded, it is difficult to breathe,
and all sense of locality is lost.
Fortunately this was not a fully
developed blizzard, or 1 should
never have lived to tell this tale,
but it was severe enough to till me
with apprehension, and 1 breathed
a sigh of satisfaction when I came
to a huge bowlder that cropped
up on the plain, and 1 knew that 1
w as in t he right path and less than
a mile from home,
dust as 1 left the shelter of the
bowlder l fell over something on
the ground, and before 1 could
rise a hand clutched my coat.
It was a man almost covered
with snow. He rose to his knees,
still holding to my coat, and in a
voice faint and almost inhuman
cried: “Stranger, for the love of
Clod, help tue out of this.”
“The road is straight before you
to t lie town,” I said, trying to
pluck away from him. “best un
der the lea of this rock and then
push on.”
“I can hardly move,” bemoaned,
rising to his feet with great difti
culty. “I'm clean beat—walked
miles since three o’clock—I m
chilled to the bone.”
“Follow me then to my house,"
1'said, with rising impatience at
the delay.
As I strode forward lie caught
me again and walked by my side
quite briskly for a dozen steps,
and then fell back again like a
drag.
“Heavens, man!” 1 cried, giving
him a shake. “I am in urgent
haste. 1 cannot carry you—you
must keep up.”
“I'm doing the best I can, he
! replied through his chattering
teeth, and even through tlie storm
I could see his wan face shrink
with pain. “Don’t be too hard on
me, pardner; I'd do as much for
you.”
“I know you would; but this ia
a matter of life and death.
“It is for me—sure.”
He gave another lurch and this
time fell on the ground.
I was in despair. The man was
a rough looking miner. I had nev
er seen him before, and he was
nothing to me except a human be
ing, one of a billion. It would l>**
necessary fairly to drag him to my
house, and that would require at
least an hour,even if my strength
did not give out. Meanwhile what
would happen to \gg wife? The
warning words of d»**doctor stood
out before me as if written in let
ters of tire.
.Never was man pi area in a
worse predicament. If I left this
man here he would surely die, and
if I reached home so much as a
minute late my wife might die.
There passed through my mind
with the rapidity of lightning
every tale I had ever heard of en
gineers sticking to the locomotive
going to certain destruction in the
effort to save the passengers in
the coaches; the captains who
stood on deck and went down witli
the ship while the boats carried
away the passengers; the men
who led forlorn hojtes in battle or
siege; the man who leaped intothe
chasm to save Home; the men and
women who ministered to plague
stricken cities and died from the
scourge; every one who died from
devotion to duty.
These men and women left men.
women and children behind them
to suffer, while the world applaud
ed the acts of heroism. Hut what
is the applause of the world save
empty sound? A statue here and
there, a line in history's pages, or
maybe a notice in a newspaper
and there it rests. Whochronicles
the sorrow of the heart wrung and
perhaps impoverished dependents
of the forgotten heroes? Who
gives them a thought while gazing
on the statue or tomb?
And yet—it is simple human
nature to succor the distressed
There is not one case in a thousand
of honest poverty; improvidence
and vice are tin* parents of beg
gary and want, but who can calm
ly dissect flu* cause when linngei
appeals? Who can stop to in
quire into a man’s character when
he is struggling in the rapids?
These opposite views presented
t hem selves to me as the man lay at
my feet, and occupied but a min
ute.
I inaui* a nt«*j» away from Inni
and lie cried in agony;
“Pardner, you ain't going t..
leave me here to die!”
Again I hesitated, and then
made my final resolve.
Von have heard the argument
and you know the situation.
You know what you would have
done in my position,
'Well, that is what I did.—Chica
go Tribune.
No Beauty.
American Magnate — What!
You insist upon ray settling a
million on you? Why, yesterday
you said only f500,000.
l>uke—Put since then I’ve seen
the girl.—Town Topic*.
CATARRH
K’hawking and Spitting, Dropping
Into the Throat, Foul Breath,
THROUGH0 THE BLOOD
By Botanic Blood Balm (B. B. B.)
TO morn IT, SAMPLE SENT FREE,
Botanic Blood Balm fB. B. B.l has cured to stay
CL'eJ more cu-.es of Catarrh than all others remedies
combined, B.b.B. kiilsor destroys theawfulcatarrhal
po son in the Hood which causes the symptoms, and
thus makes a perfect lasting cure of the worst old case*
SYMPTOMS.
The poison In the ypod reduces had. offensive, fetid
breath.badteeth.ara sickness of the stomach;in some
cases vomiting up clear phlegm; enlargement of the
soft bones of the nose.affecting sense of smell,ulcera
tiens of the mucous membranes, hawking, spitting up
lumps, weak stomach, nose Heeding, headaches.snor
Ing u’h e asleep, stopping up of the nose: thin, hot
Hood, all run down, specks flying before the eyes,low
sp r ted, etc. Botanic Blood Balm [B, B. B.Jforces Its
way through every blood vessel and vein, expelling
ail catarrhal po son that stands ill Its way, per
mane-.t y removes every symptom and thus makes,
a perfect Cu'e. B.B.B. sends a flood of rich,
pure Hood direct to the aff. > ted parts, giving
warmth aid strength Just wheie it Is needed.
Deafness. Ringing In the Ears, Head Noises.
Ne. rly all cases of Deafne- s are caused by Catarrhal
Pi -on in the Hood. The air passages become
clogged ly catarrhal dt.wts stopping the action of
the \ bratory bones. Thousands of sufferers from
even total deafness have had tl etr hearing per*
manently restored by taking B. H. B. for catarrh.
B. B. B, gradually removes the catarrhal deposit from
the air passages, thus making the nerces of the ear
respond to the svmptoms of approaching deafness
and catarrh. B.B.B. never fa.Is to remove ringing In
the ears or head noises in a few week’s time. If deaf or
hard of hearing try Botanic BlooJ Balm B. B. B.
It may be the very remedy your system needs.
OUR GUAR* NTEE.—Take a large bottle of
Botanic Bicod Balmt B.B.B. iss directed on label,
and when the right quantity is taken a cure is
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Botanic Blood Balm [B.It.R.] i*
Pleasant and safe to take. Ttiorouglily tested for 3C
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Strengthens Weak Kidneys and Stomachs, cures
Dyspepsia. Sold by all Druggists, $1. Per Large
Bot: e. a ith complete direction for home cure Sample
Sent Free by writing Blood Balm Co., Atlanta, Ga.
Describe your trouble, and special free medical advice,
to suit your case, will be sent to staled tenet.
l)oin«*wfi<* Rconoiny in Knnum,
A wife who loves her husband will
rot object to cutting his hair every
week or two, instead of every two or
three months. Any man can learn to
shave himself. A box of blacking,
costing ten cents, will last months. A
chunk of soap, some hot water and a
rag will take the grease and dirt out
I of an old unit of clothes Almost any
i man can go to bed an hour sooner once
in ten days and hav'e his wife “crease
his pants. ’ A brush ami a little elbow
grease will ‘ake the dust out of one’s
clothes. Of course it costs ten or fif
teen cents a week extra *o have nice,
clean collars and cuffs every morning.
And there vou are. Of course if your
wife doesn't love you she will kick on
cutting you hair and “(teasing your
pants,” but then if she doesn't love it
is your fault. She will “tidy you up”
every morning if you are any account
and treat her right.—Atchison Globe.
A Tail Story From London.
A New’ Yorker who Is now in London
declares that one of his greatest pleas
ures here is the number of people who
speak English. At home the grocer
comes from Holland, his butcher is
a native of Brazil, his chemist is an
Alsatian, his chef is a German, tils
valet was born in Tokio. his servants
are Irish and Swedish, his coachman
is a Cuban, his barber comes from
Trieste and his fruiterer from south
ern Italy. A few months ago, when
he had to call in a doctor suddenly
to attend to one of his servants, a Per
sian answered the summons. He is
clothed by a cockney, has a Canadian
for a business partner, and expects to
be buried by a Scotchman.—Ixmdon
Chronicle.
r
TURN OVER TIME
When Nature Hints About Food.
When there’s no relish to any food and
all that one eats doesn't seem to do any
good then is the time to make a turn
over in the diet, for that's Nature’s way
of dropping a hint that the food isn t the
kind required.
“For a number of years 1 followed
railroad work, much of it being office
work of a trying nature. Meal times
were our busiest and eating too much
and too quickly of food such as is com
monly served in hotels and restaurants,
these together with the sedentary habits
were not long in giving me dyspepsia
and stomach trouble which reduced my
weight from 205 to 100 pounds.
“There vs as little relish in any food and
none of it seemed to do me any good. It
seemed the more 1 ate the poorer I got
and was always hungry before another
meal, no matter how much I had eaten.
“Then I commenced a fair- trial of
Grape-Nuts and was surprised how a
small saucer of it would carry me along,
strong and with satisfied appetite, until
the next meal, with ho sensations or
hunger, weakness or distress as before.
"I have been following this diet now
for several months and my improvement
has been w great all the others in my
family have taken up the use of Grape
Nuts with complete satisfaction and
much improvement in health and brai
• American people undoubtedly eat
urriedly. have lots of worry, thus hind
ring digestion and therefore need a food
hLt is predigested and concentrated in
“rl.hmeat” Nam. plv.n by Post™
;o Battle Creek, Mich
Look in each pkg. for the famous little
oQk, "The Road to Wdlvilie.”