THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, POKTLAXD, AUGUST 9, 1908.
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cin& "the Chronicles of Carlton Clarke, Telebatho-Dcductiw Solver or
Criminal Mvsienes. by frank lovell nelson.
Mystery of the Silver Skull
(In this experience of Carlton Clarke
the tale la an interweave of Occident
and Orient of the1 most fascinating
kind. A silver skull, an Oriental fa
ker and hypnotist, a mysterious mur
der, and an evanescent prisoner are
some of the details of an intensely in
teresting; adventure.)
I HAVE had occasion in the rourse of
these nairatlves to mention a rather
unique tobacco-jar which graced
Carlton Clarke's study table. I Ion felt
there was a story connected with It,
and I bided In patience the time when
Clarke should see fit to t-!l It.
The stiver skull Is pictured In my
mind's eye as I write: the delicate
tracery of Its ornamentation; the al
most uncanny beauty of the head and
fcust which formed the handle; the
face that always Inspired In me rev
erence and awe. Not so Clarke. I
have seen him knock the ashes from
' his pipe and fill It a train from the
skull, talking and laughing all the
while. It was only after I had been
caught several timi s without tobacco
and had suffered the gnawing craving
for a smoke that I could bring myself
to raise the lid by that beautiful silver
head and draw on Clarke's supply.
The skull was that of a woman, pol
ished to the whiteness of ivory and
deftly inlaid and ornamented with sil
ver. The workmanship was marvel
ous. A circular piece had been sawn
from the crown, and into this aperture
was fitted a sliver bowl capable of
holding about half a pound of the
weed. The edges of this bowl were
turned into a rim which concealed the
sawn bone and which was Inset flush
with the surface. So neat was this
joint and so accurati-jy were the con
volutions of the bone followed, that
except for the difference In color, the
skull and the silver seemed one piece.
. The circular section removed formed
the cover; it was also rimmed with
allver, inset as was the bowl, fitting It
so neatly as to be practically hermeti
cal. The silver head and bust formed
a handle In the center of this cover.
The sutures were delicately edged In
silver. Inlaid so smoothly that the most
sensitive finger could not distinguish
bone from metal.
The teeth were perfect and of the
whiteness of rice. In one, the right
upper incisor, sparkled a small dia
mond set into the enamel without the
aid of gold.
Across the pure white forehead. Just
over the eye-sockets, was the word
"Ynath" beautifully Inlaid in silver
script. Looking through the eye-socket,
It could be seen that the bone was not
cut through, but the silver was welded
to It by some process with which I was
unfamiliar.
"Ynath.'" The word stamped Itself
Indelibly upon my memory. A woman's
name, I had long decided. Most prob
ably the name of her whose queenly
head once enclosed the Fkull, and per
haps of her whose brilliant eyes once
sparkled love or flashed scorn from
out those now sightless sockets. Those
eyes, what eyes had they looked Into;
those full, sensuous lips, what lips
had they kissed? ' What clime, what
age had been the theater of her loves
and hates? The costume told not, for
costume there was none. . The hair
gave no clew, for It was gathered In a
glorious, rebellious mass, as Kve
might have gathered her tresses
against the straying breezes of Eden.
But wi.st was the use of speculation?
True to our unwritten, unspoken com
pact. T must await the time when the
spirit moved Clarke to speak. And the
spirit came at a most unexpected time,
under a most singular guise, and In a
most dramatic manner.
We had gone to bed early that night,
hut It was so Insufferably hot that
sleep was out of the question. For days
the lake breexe. usually Chicago's Sum
mer salvation, had been vainly awaited.
It must have been far after midnight
when I fell Into a fitful slumber. I had
watched Clarke's light through the
portieres until the hour of 12 struck
on the silver chimes on our mantel
piece. I knew that he had not even
courted fickle slumber. Then his light
went out. and soon afterward I heard,
or thought I heard, his regular hreath
I awoke with a start, conscious that
something was wronsr. For a few min
utes I lay Inert, uncertain whether my
nerves had tricked me or whether there
was a marauder In our little castle. Thi
a slight turning of the licnd showed me
that, through a rift In the portieres, I
had a view of the library by the electric,
light that filtered In through the bay
windows. The sight I saw for a moment
robbed 'me of all power of voice or
motion. A crouching figure was creeping
slowly toward me across the library floor
with arms outstretched toward the shin
ing silver skull on the table.
Standing In Clarke's doorway was
another figure, white robed, and motion
less but for the flashing eyes that fol
lowed every movement of the intruder's
back.
The figure In the doorway was Clarke,
clad in white pajamas, standing erect,
his arms folded. I was concerned to
notice that he had no weapon, while the
intruder carried In his right hand a
stiletto which Hashed in the dim light
My own revolver was in the rack In the
dining-room, and as I lay watching the
acer.e, a thousand thoughts flashing
through my brain, I could think of no
weapon within my reach but a fragile
nail-file.
Our visitor was no common burglar. He
was dressed in a well-fitting suit of white
linen. A Panama hat. with band of
pongee, covered his black hair. His face
was swarthy, and he wore two little ends
of mustaches twisted almost to needle
points. All this I grasped in the mo
ment by the dim light, so actively did
the scene quicken my perceptions.
Suddenly the tableau broke Into a riot
of action. The Intruder's Angers were
closing over the silver skull. Clarke's
trm was outstretched, and the one word
"Stop!" In unruffled tone broke the
alienee.
The figure turned and the stiletto flashed
in the light. I sprang from my bed and
dashed through the portlers. The figure
Advanced toward Clarke with weapon
raised, while I crouched for a spring at
his throat. But the steady eyes and up
lifted hand) of my companion told
that he had the situation In hand.
The arm was raised to strike, still
Clarke moved not. But the blow did not
fall. The Intruder stared Into Clarke's
eyes, tottered, and the knife clattered to
the floor from his nerveless fingers,
"Sahib flarkel" he gasped.
Clarke Snapped on the electric
while I gathered in the knife.
light
"So you've come for It. Achmon," said
my companion, pushing a chair toward
our caller, who limply sank into it.
"Come for her, yes. For what else have
I traversed these thousands of miles?
For what else have I spent ten weary
years In your cruel, white man's prison?"
"And for what else did you do for Dr.
Ranthan?" Interrupted Clarke.
"I did not do it. The sahib knows I
did not do it. Tnath slew him. She
came to him but she loved him not. She
but used the knife to cut the cords that
bound her to him. Now she '.s calling
to me to call her, for me only she loves
In life or death."
Clarke turned fiercely upon him.
"Fool, keep your child's stories for
them that believe. Did you think to come
here dressed for the boulevard and rob
him who looked through the windows of
your lying soul and read the truth?
Sexton, reach Inspector Ship by phone
and ask him to come here. This case
will please him. Achmon, Instead of
getting the skull. I'm afraid you have
treated yourself to another term of years
In prison."
"The sahib does not know that new
power has been sent me. You can put
me In your prison but you cannot keep
me there. I have left one; I will leave
another. I will get the skull," returned
the Hindu doggedly.
I had no trouble locating the Inspector
at his home and, though he demurred
somewhat, he promised to dress and
come. When I returned from the dining
room I beheld the unusual spectacle of
a man, whose house had just been bur
glarized, pouring out a drink for the
burglar, who had drawn his chair up o
the table and was lighting one of Clarke's
cheroots.
Achmon and I are old friends, you see,"
he said to me.
But I noticed that notwithstanding
his apparent nonchalance his eyes
never for a second left the Hindu.
"Now, Sexton," said Clarke, when he
had filled three glasses, "while we are
waiting for Ship I'll tell you a little
story, and Achmon here will vouuh
for the truth of it. After the fashion
of storytellers, we will serve up the
mystery first and then unfold the solu
tion, which, of course we have known
all the' time. Get my scrap book, the
third from the right on the second
shelf from the top in the first tier.
Now open to page 302 and read the
clipping from the New York Sun. Be
ing a reformed newspaper man you
will recognize the head letter."
I read tloud the followin:
BELLEVUE STUDENT MYSTERI
OUSLY KILLED
"Dr. John R. Ranthan, a graduate
student in Bellevue hospital, was found
dead in his apartments near the hos
pital early this morning. A knife of
Oriental design. Imbedded by the force
of a terrific blow in the breast, was
plainly the cause of his death. As the
doors were all locked from within, the
first theory of the police was suicide,
but the angle at which the blow was
struck and the force with which it was
delivered seem to euggest murder. Dr.
Ranthan was said to be quiet and un
assuming and without known enemies.
He had tiaveled extensively and had
been a collector . of Oriental curiosi
ties." "That's enough," said Clarke. "If
you read the whole story, It will leave
nothing for me to tell. Here is the
case as I saw it."
"Ten years ago I was serving as an
Interne at Bellevue. In thta capacity I
met Dr. John R. Ranthan. He Inter
ested me at once; flist because of his
Immense stature he was six feet five
and modeled In proportion and next,
for the reason that he was pursuing
special work along lines that Interested
me phenomena of the mind and
senses.
"When off duty at the hospital I
often sat with him In his rooms, which
were regular curlouslty shops of his
travels, and discussed the subjects
near to our hearts.
"We could not agree, however. He
was a theorist, while he called me a
gross materialist. He had started
early in his medical practice upon a
crusade of exposure of spiritism, and
ended up by becoming a convert to the
belief. Then, backed by ample wealth,
and hampered by no ties, he searched
the East for the secrets it holds. India,
China, Persia and even forbidden Tibet
he forced to give up their hidden
lore.
"When you have seen the things that
I have seen.' he often roared out to
me In his thunderous voice, 'you will
believe. I have seen an Indian yogi
take a tlhla and materialize the com
plete body, raiment and all. What
do you think of that?' bringing his
ponderous fist down on the table until
the windows rattled.
" 'I think.' I replied, 'that there are
some things that must be seen to be
believed, and even then we may ex
plain them on purely scientific
grounds.'
" "What would you say If you saw
me materialize from this skull the body
of her whose face forma the handle'
The sentence ended in an explosion of
of earnestness, as he playfully tapped
this very skull that Achmon covets
so.
" T should like to see that,' I an
swered. " 'Ah, but you should have een her
In the flesh,' he resumed meditatively.
'God! but she was beautiful! I found
her In the mission at Musaoorle, but
she was not born for the hymn-singing
trade. Her father was French, her
mother a mountain maid of Gurhwal,
and she had been up to Simla once and
' . . .&my ttJ , i
7
"v. t) M I I lMhv
seen- life. When I told he.r of the great
world beyond, where the shadows of
the Himalayas fell not, her bosom
heaved and her eyes flashed like those
of the she-tiger that had taken that
year a toll of a hundred lives In the
foothills. She left the mission and the
half-caste Hindu who had dared lift
his eyes toward her glorious self and
came with me." "
I saw murder in Achmon's beady
eyes, and his chest-muscles swelled at
the deep lntaking of his breath.
"'And then?" I asked," continued
Clarke.
"And then she died. . For two short
months I showed her In the Calcutta
bazaars. Paris, London, New York,
were denied the light.
"'Look, Isn't it beautiful?" and Dr.
Ranthan lifted the silver skull. 'A na
tive Calcutta workman did It, and I
stood over him cursing him with a
thousand deaths if he marred a line or
failed to catch the likeness from the
only picture of Y'nath I possessed.'
"A few days later I bolted into Ran
than's apartments after a book lie had
promised me. I had not been accus
tomed to knock, and as I opened the
door I heard the unmistakable swish
of skirts, and Ranthan stood before
me confused and sheepish. I missed
the silver skull from the table,
" 'Pardon me, you are not alone," I
said.
" 'No yes that Is, I am alone, of
course. The book Is in that room.
Just step right In.'
"I did so, and I heard him stealthily
close the door behind me, but not until
I had again heard the frou-frou of a
woman's garments. It took but a sec
ond to seize the book and return to his
study. Dr. Ranthan was calmly seated
reading. The room had no other occu
pant. The door of the third room was
open and it was tenantless. The silver
skull was on the table in Its accus
tomed place.
"The next night I was calling on
Dr. Cartwright, whose rooms were di
rectly below Ranthan's. I had seen
Ranthan go up alone; In fact I had
walked over from the hospital with
him. Soon we heard footsteps over
head, the heavy elephantine tread of
Ranthan, and then the light patter of
a gentler foot. Through a faulty re
gister we heard, also, Ranthan's sten
torlous voice alternated with a sweet
contralto. The -conversation was In an
unfamiliar tongue, but one abounding
In beautiful Intonations.
"Cartwright winked at me. "A night
ly occurence,' he said.
"For some time I saw little of Ran
than. His visits to the hospital ceased
and the studies he had taken up with
so much ardor seemed forgotten.
.XA V78g-
1
"One night about midnight Cart
wright burst into my room at the hos
pital Just as I had come from an In
teresting accident case.
" 'Come over at once he said." Some
thing's wrong with Ranthan. I heard
the crash of a falling body overhead.
I can't raise him. Both his doors are
locked."
"I hurriedly threw on a coat and
followed. The doors resisted all our
efforts and we called the police. A
lock was smashed and we entered.
The place was in darkness. I switched
on the electric light and there, pros
trate on the floor, lay the huge bulk
of Ranthan. The carved-ivory hilt of
a knife protruded from his left side. I
had often noted the weapon In his col
lection. The silver skull was gone.
" 'Suicide,' was the verdict of the
police. The doors were firmly bolted
from within; the windows looked into
a court, the only egress from which
was through the rooms of students on
the first" floor, all of whom. Including
Cartwright, were busy with their
books when the tragedy occurred. Es
cape through the hall was improbable,
for Cartright had rushed out imme
diately. Besides, there were the bolted
doors.
"But Cartwright and I both knew
that Ranthan's hand never struck the
blow that sank 12 inches of blade and
three inches of hilt Into his own heart
Just at the left armpit . A left-handed
blow was out of the question. A right
handed blow at that point would lack
the force.
"A closer examination of the locks
showed me that the one which was in
tact, while seemingly bolted, might be
passed with a key, as the ring Into which
the bolt shot was a false one, hinged at
the top and kept in place by a spring,
evidently the half-baked Invention of
some previous tenant.
"Recalling hints dropped by Ranthan,
the case gradually began to take shape
In my mind when Cartwright who had
assumed charge of the dead man's pa
pers, came to me with this In Ranthan's
well-known hand;
'Read It Sexton, page 401 of the scrap
book:
"For the benefit of science, I, John R.
Ranthan, hereby declare, that if I am
slain, it will be by the hand of Ynath,
half-caste maid of Gurhwal, whose body
I have repeatedly materialized in the
flesh from relics In my possession. I
have sworn not to write the secret. Let
him who would learn it seek out one
Yangmal, a hermit yogi, whose cave lies
In the foothills of the Himalayas, in the
province of Sikhim, ten leagues north of
the temple of Darjeeling. I have spoken."
"He of the damned 60ul lies. He had
H
the secret from Tibet where I myself
learned it," muttered Achmon.
"Well," continued Clarke, ignoring the
Interruption," as I said, I pieced together
the story. The false bolt, and the fact
that Cartwright had left immediately to
summon me, seemed to indicate that an
escape were not impossible. From India,
I reasoned, vengeance had reached Ran
than and to India would his slayer return,
I watched the docks and nabbed Achmon,
In his possession, and carefully guarded,
was the silver skull. This alone convicted
him, for I knew it was useless to tell an
American Jury what I read behind those
eyes, that would slay me now if they had
the basilik's power. The sentence was
life, yet here ho is."
"Then we can save the state of Illinois
something by returning him to New
York," said Inspector Ship, who had ar
rived in time to hear, with staring. In
credulous eyes, the most of Clarke's
story.
"Not until I have made an experiment
said Clarke. "Achmon, you say you have
the secret Prove it and the skull Is
yours."
"I know not if the conditions be right
sahib, but I will try," returned the Hindu.
Rapidly he cleared the table of all save
the silver skull, which he placed In the
center. At his direction Clarke then
lighted the gas, turned It down until only
a point of flame showed, and put out the
electrio light He then ranged us In a
half-circle before the skull. The Inspec
tor, who at first declined to be a party to
the Impromptu seance but was finally
persuaded, was on the right. Then came
the Hindu, then myself, and then Clarke.
At the medium's orders we then clasped
hands and waited, our eyes on the grin
ning skull before us. No sound broke the
silence save our regular breathing, which
shortly fell into unison. The Hindu's
hand in mine burned like a coal of fire.
My nerves began to feel the strain. I
was relieved when, with a sidelong glance
of the eye, I noted that Ship's free hand
was in his side-pocket and I felt sure he
fingered the butt of a revolver. The fitful
light seemed to crown the" bust on the
skull with a phosphorescent aura. The
diamond in the upper incisor flashed like
a point of fir. Clarke's hand 'In mine
was as steady as the cyllnderhead of a
marine engine.
Suddenly the Hindu began to Intone
monotonously and seemingly without end:
"Ynath, come! Y'nath, come! Ynath,
come!"
On, on, on until my brain reeled and
my whole being revolted at the refrain.
My eyes were glued to the face on the
skull." Could it be? Yes, the skull grad
ually was fading from view and the sil
ver bust was rising and growing, larger,
larger, and nearer, until
I stole a glance at the Inspector; he
saw it as well a glorious figure stood
before us, the eyes flashing, the nostrils
distended and the breast heaving with
sentient life.
The power of description is palsied at
the attempt to picture her. Loosely clad
In folds of shimmering silk, through
which every line and curve showed as in
bas-relief, she was the living presentment
of the face on the skull; but added to the
cold beauty of line she had the warm
loveliness of life and color that even the
ghostly gaslight could not conceal. A
diamond flashed from her right upper
Incisor when she opened her red lips
In a smile. Two other diamonds were
set in the sides of the nostrils, after the
fashion of the dancing girls in the temple
of Trichinopoly.
Then she spoke, doubtless in her native
Hindustani. The words were unintelli
gible, but the sweetness of the voice was
as of a maid singing in the twilight.
"Ynath, I have called thee," answered
Achmon. "I would question thee. An
sw-er in the tongue thou learned In tha
Feringhee mission. What hand . slew
him of the damned soul, who was called
Ranthan?"
"I slew him, Achmon. I loved him not
He lured me with his tales of the cities
of men, as the flame lures the moth. I
followed him and happiness was mine for
a space. And then I knew I was a
woman of lost caste, in, but not of the
life around me. I pined for the hills of
Mussoorie. I passed and was free until
he learned the great secrt of the master
knot." "Does he not then offend thee in the
ethereal world?" questioned Achmon.
"No, Achmon, he passed out into utter
darkness, and moreover, the freed soul
is at liberty to seek only Its affinities. I
am weary, Achmon, and would return."
"Go, then, light of my soul, and await
my call."
Slowly the' vision faded. Through the
hazy folds of the silken robe again ap
peared ti-e dim outlines of the skull on
the table. Clarke released my hand and
the electric lights flashed up. The In
spector sat as In a trance, his eyes still
glued to the skull.
"I have won, Achmon!" cried Clarke.
"I saw nothing and you know it. I
keep the skull."
"I bide my time," returned the Hindu
sulkily.
The light of dawn was beginning to
Bhow through the windows. The Inspec
tor sprang up with a sudden access of
energy.
"Well, well!" he said. "Got to be get
ting this chap to the station. Y'ou'll
make a charge, of course, Mr. Clarke, in
case New York don't want him. Be
around about ten. Here, my man, I
guess we'll Just put the bracelets on you.
You won't try any of your A. P. A.
tricks with them."
Achmon meekly extended his hands.
I thought it was largely bluster, and
was not surprised when. Just as they
were ready to start the inspector turned
to Clarke and in a perfectly audible
whisper said:
"Mr. "Clarke, couldn't you come on
with us? I don't mind admitting I'm a
bit creepy." '
"It is not in the least necessary," re
turned Clarke. Ghosts don't walk in tha
daytime, and besides, haven't you your
driver outside?"
"Didn't you see her?" I asked Clarke
after the inspector had departed with his
prisoner and we were completing our
previous hasty toilets,
"I saw nothing and heard nothing but
the Hindu's one-sided nonsense."
Then I told him what I had seen and
what I was sure the Inspector had also
witnessed.
"Now, how can you explain it," I asked.
"Dr. Hudson has already explained It
pretty well. At least, he has given us a
working hypothesis. Your senses were
under the control of the subjective mind
while I was normal. In other words you
were hypnotized. A young Englishman
THE life of Darwin gives no support
to the theory of Dr. Osier as to
man's uselessness after' passing 40
years of age. -Darwin was born in 1S0D,
and It waa 1S59 before he published his
Ingenious theory and the Investigations
that made him famous.
Mr. Darwin never attempted to ex
plain the origin of man or of life. His
main contention was, first, that there
are no fixed boundaries conflrrnlng or
defining species in the animal kingdom.
In the human species he contended
that there are more differences be
tween its two extremes than there are
between man and the. next species be
low man. If an ape were to be sudden
ly changed into a man capable f rea
son and voluntary opinion and expres
sion, tha accomplishment would bo
looked upon as a miracle. But if the
eame result transpires In the course of
time It is looked upon as merely nat
ural, and. In fact all the species of
which the animal kingdom consists
have, according to Mr. Darwin, arisen
In that way.
Natural selection means that some
things fall for lack of appreciation suf
ficient to furnish them a support from
the supporters, while other ventures
succeed because they are appreciated
by those who hold the means of sub
sistence. The law Is the same for a
crab, a peacock or a magazine.
As to the origin or nature or lire, or
who furnishes it, or as to when exist
ing species will be replaced by others
further advanced, Darwin is silent He
does claim, however, that it has re
quired many millions of years to fur
nish the present species of man as he
Is found on this planet
Darwin knew that it is as Impossible
for something to come out of nothing.
gradually as it is impossible for some
thing to come irom notning suddenly.
He also knew that one condition Is de
veloped from another, each from a
prior one. Darwin does not try to
travel backward to the first condition
of the universe, nor forward to its
final condition. Hence he is not in
opposition to the first verse of Genesis
nor to the last In Malachi, or in the
book of Revelation.
Darwin insists on the absolute law of
change. But the changes, whether of
growth or decay, are always changes
In accordance with order the order of
the universe. Darwin opposes the Idea
DarwinianTheory and Hi ghCollar s
once snapped a camera on the rope
trick as performed by a Hindu ' faker.
His eye saw the faker toss the rope into
the air until the end was lost In space.
The faker's boy climbed the rope until
he also disappeared. He appeared again
and climbed down. The faker then
hauled down the rope and passed his hat
for annas In the crowd. The dry plate,
w-lien developed showed nothing but the
pantomime of the faker. Y'ou were the
deceived eye while I wag the infallible
dry plate."
After a rather neglected breakfast and
a nap to recover the murdered sleep of
the night before, we proceeded to the
station to complete tha formalities of the
Hindu's arrest. When we arrived, In
spector Ship met us with a lugubrious
countenance and mysteriously ushered
us into his private office and closed and
locked the door.
When he had assured himself that no
unbidden ear was listening he turned
to us and said:
"He's gone!"
"Gone!" exclaimed Clarke. "You don't
mean to say you allowed him to escape
hand-cuffed, between our place and the
station?"
"No, I got him here safely enough.
The lockup-keeper took him downstairs
and I went along and took off the brace
lets. Then I saw him put .Into the center
cell in the north tier and the door turned
on him. The lockup-keeper says he was
there when he had up the bunch for
morning rollcall. About 15 minutes ago
I went down for something and took a
look- into his cell. It was empty. The
lock hasn't ben tampered with; there is
lock hasn't been tempered with; through,
Now how did he get out?"
"He may have had a confederate," I
suggested.
"And I Buppose the confederate has '
keys to the cells and could walk into a '
crowded police station in broad daylight
and take his man out. No, sir, that
fellow just faded away through the iron
and stone and you'll never make me
believe' anything else. Now, gentlemen,
if this ever gets out I'll be the laughing
stock of the force. Luckily I didn't book
him, and I've sworn the lockup-keeper
to secrecy on pain of his job. I want to
ask you to keep it dark."
We gave the promise. Later and under
most peculiar circumstances was this ban
of secrecy lifted but that is another
story.
"I think I can find your man again,"
Bald Clarke.
"You needn't find him for me," quick
ly returned the Inspector. "I wouldn't
touch him again for the site of the City
Hall."
There had been several impatient taps
at the inspector's door and so we de
parted. As we were leaving the station
Clarke turned to me with a worried ex
pression and said:
"We must hurry horn?. Why didn't
I think of It before. The skull! It's
Oyama's day off." Oyama was our own
name for our Jap servant.
We lost no time getting home. The
door seemed to be all right. In fact It
was fastened with a tumbler-lock which
would have given the most experienced
burglar a bad half-hour. We had no
fear of the rear door, which was secured
by chain-bolt.
We entered and took a hasty view of
the library.
The silver skull was gone!
Tlio windows gave no more clue than
bad the doors.
"What do you make of It, Clarke?"
I demanded.
"I repard It as a worthy basis of
serious Investigation," he answered medi
tatively. It was years afterwards and in a
strange land that Clarke and I again
rolled a cigarette from the silver skull
but that, also. Is another story.
The next story in the series of adven
tures of Carlton Clarke, entitled "The
Soul of the Blue Bokhara," will appear
next week. ,
I of suddenness In natural changes, be
I cause nil oider requires a succession
of conditions, and these conditions all
require the lapse of time. It Is not
possible for bread to be made out of
stones, except by a long process, in
volving many changes according to ln
finite wisdom, made by a manipulator
who has all means at his command and
who makes no mistakes.
Even Darwin was obliged to admit
the existence of many causes for the
great variety of changes he found' in
the universe. If there hnd been fewer
causes there would have been fewer
effects manifested today. If the pea
cock's tall had lost its brilliancy the
species would have died out. The old
style oranges will soon be replaced by
the seedless orange, because the latter
pay better.. Other freak varieties o
fruit will come into favor for the same
reason.
Human caprice sometimes interferes
temporarily with the laws of Nature.
Thus, some leading fashionable wom
an once had something ugly 'on the
back of her neck. She made a high
fancy collar to cover it up. And now
women who have beautiful neeks imi
tate the one who had the ugly neck,
and they wear stiff, ungraceful collars
extending up behind their ears, entire
ly hiding every vestige of the neck.
But the beautiful neck will soon asset-?
Itself, according to the Darwinian the
ory, and the temporary condition will
pRs with the circumstance which pro
duced it
He's Learning.
Chicago News.
I'm not at all a callow youth.
I've had experience to burn;
And yet I find, to tell the truth.
That I've an awful lot to learn.
It doesn't matter where I ko.
Life takes an unaccustomed hue.
Colored with facts I didn't know,
I'm always learn'.ng something; new.
I've traded horses in my day
And thought that I waa bard to be&t(
But lately I have cause to say
My knowIedKe still 1b Incomplete.
The- same In politics. I'm free
To say that there I missed ray cue.
They made a monkey out of me.
I'm always learning something new.
In every blessed phase of life
Some novel little kink appears.
I have been married tr my wife
A matter now of twenty years.
It's odd that I should have to change
Concerning her my point of view,
But her Inst notion's mighty strange.
I'm always learning something uw.