LORD HARRY.
I -4 fl irry. be tat on ibe shingles on 4ty,
And b lo.leblp wltU Jeaell l laden.
And be Wtd "'s " ,weet Po"lr b
1W beolrt trim lithe rmalilen.
ft tara wllh hl krd"Ml sir,
An "l v' ,e,rm,ne,, to trry;
rn ruo- ox1 '' 'nd snd bor 11 ln4
J tuiok I'm a eaten," said Ixrd Hurry.
AD4whtwm jou give to yourladyr mU
the,
To lb' brlita whom your lordship may boa
ort"
pWWi dinner end dresses tud money," t14
bo,
.in,! lewels to sparkle np n Bert"
u you fir lu( niort, tlr," the maiden re
. i nii ibe irirl whom you marry
Wlitle bit lordship looked down at ber rougt
flxber go a.
Wnt more co be wtntr cried Lord
Marry.
n I bre t lover," tweet Polly replied.
ADd ibe bluthed wltb a nolle ttutt wat
tunny,
Ha Biut (1 ma I11 b'trt, sre be maket nu
nit unuw.
r. 'ilj love tbnt I ask (or not money !"
gne mtde blm a curtsey, nod off went mj
lord,
ind Invited duchess to marry;
f be wu ugly and old, but she'd plenty ej
goia,
And ibe aiads s food mitch for Lord Hrry.
i empie uar.
UP THE MALINGA.
Closing Chapter of Explorer Case
ments Journey.
4 Strife Dane t Baala Trading fat
Irory Cnmni oi me nan-Eatera
An Impassable Barrier Tha
Ketura te Stanley Pool, '
CorrwoHT, issxx
t COXCM'DED 15 TniR Ml'MUCIL
1 Utt greeting at
liaulu wu most
kindly. The
usual ceremony
or blood brother
Lood having been
gone through by
Draught, pres
,cnta were ei'
changed between
thitchlefand our
selves and ' our
men, quickly
striking up
friendships wllh
natives on shore (for Um Itauklndu
of the Equator are an offshoot of the
great Balolo and steak a kindred
tongue) were soon dancing round sev
eral Ores with their new-formed chums,
while Glare and I talked to the chief
snd interviewed blm as to the possibil
ities of many days' steaming yet before
us ere we should reach the end of navi
gable river.
We bad up to this been unsuccess
ful In obtaining any thing like the
quantity of Ivory we expected to find in
the Lulungu, our total stock purchased
and that received as presents from
"blood brothers" only amounting to a
few hundred pounds' weight, which
bad cost us pretty dear, too.
However, In the morning we found
ourselves surrounded by canoes contain
ing magnificent tusks or were besieged
from the shore side by a crowd of old
Loloa, followed by sons or slaves stag
gering under beautiful wblto sixty
pound or seventy-pound tusks. Fully a
ton-weight of ivory was brought along
side the Florida that day, but (Have,
unwilling to spoil the price, would only
buy about three hundred and fifty to
four hundred pounds' weight of it, which
be secured for prices averaging two
pence and three pence per pound, paid
chiefly In brass wire and white and blue
beads, such as children use at home for
making into toy-rings, wblch these
larger African children put to the very
tame uses. A man on getting paid for
the Ivory he had just told would make
T at once with the tin soup-plate full
of beads in his bands, glowing lengths
f red-cotton -handkerchiefs or blue
cloth streaming out behind him; and
the other items received, auch as
poons, brans wire, mirrors, and odds
snd ends like these, gracing the
trus of his adherents who followed
in his wake thrusting their way through
the crowd of would-be sellers of ivory,
who regarded with longing eyes this
ravishing transit of such wealth through
their midst, or even grabbed at the
beads as they shot past, thereby pro
voking an awful row and (he scatter
ing of many small boys to the winds,
SOL,
A VILLAGE BUILT OX PII.K9.
snd sometimes the precious beads them
Ires, when the scramble which ensued
kfgars description,
A busy day was thus spent at Baulu,
nd promising to buy plenty of their re
fining ivory on our return, by which
time we guessed the beads would have
one their deadly work, we bade fare
to the chief, and kindly disposed
People of this happy Central African
tillage,
We left Baulu In the afternoon and
peedily became aware of the fact that
bad left dry land behind us also, for
to little Tillages we soon came to
insisted of huts raised upon piles
Unding in the water, and around on
Try tide we could see no trace of bank
shore to the rUer. The bordering
line of great forest trees on each band
"ood in the rushing water, and as we
teamed on hoping to come to some spot
"ssr solid earth would enable us to
ttP for the night snd eut op
d for next day we paased frequent
"We fishing settlements, but sll con
tructed in the same manner.
At last we were compelled bydark
' and want of fuel to stop at one of
Jes for the night The occupants of
few houses speedily stepped from off
elr little verandahs into their dug
t canoes fastened to one of the sup
Porting pillars of the structure and came
o es where we bad attached the bow
the steamer to the jutting branch of
tlla tree which rose from the surface
"to river.
Other canoes from the Tillages we had
A
1mm
?rU,irln,flnf food to sell
for beads and cowries, and big lumps of
rum-c.p.1, which make . capital blaze.
e were surrounded for hours by these
poor creatures, anxious to obtain a few
of the much-covekd possessions of the
white men; and thanks to the supplies
of wood they brought us, were enabled
next morning to resume our Journey.
Day after day our Journey led us be
tween swampy, overflowed banks, every
now and then bringing us to villages
erected on piles standing In the water
miliar u mose we bad passed.
The Inhabitants of these wretched
rlverdwelllngs were poor in theextreme,
snd led a terrible, hunted existence, ex
posed on the forest sldo to the ferocious
sttacks of the I.ufembl cannibals and
on the river suffering from the raiding
canoes of the more powerful villages
lower down. As we journeyed higher
up the misery and wretchedness seemed
to increase, while the number of vil
lages we encountered grew loss and less.
At last, after many days of this, we
reached a point beyond which the na
tives of Mompono. the last village we
kad seen, told us we should find no vil
lages and no human beings. For three
days we steamed up the ever-narrowing
reaches of the river, its current Increas
ing In force as it grew smaller; round
sharp corners, where our bows were
driven into the opposite bank and tho
funnel got entangled in the branches of
the overhanging trees, and yot without
seeing a single canoe or a trace of hu
man habitation.
Climbing a tree one day which stood
on a bluff whose river face was clothed
In a clinging mass of ferns and creepers,
I looked Inland and away up river.
Every where spread a broad, boundless
expanse of trees a wave of thick for
est extending from my feet to the fur
thest limits of the horizon. There was
no change in any direction overhead
the clear sky and the bright sunlight,
underneath and all around level with
the sky-line the dark forest and Its
still, impenetrable wall of foliage I
could not help feeling that this was In
deed the heart of Africa; that here, far,
far from the outer world, throbbed the
pulses of a hidden continent. What
strange life might not lie concealed In
those silent woodland depths? Whence
came this mysterious river, welling
silently up from the dim, swampy re
cesses of the surrounding forest
through which, for ages and ages, the
elephant had roamed and savage man
through countless generations of barba
rians bad pursued the same daily,
monthly, yearly, round of bloodshed and
misery, laughter and death cannibal
feasts and parental joy when another
little savage bad opened his baby eyes
on the theater of life, whose strange
scenos and stranger characters wore to
develop, before his gaze behind that
screen of forest barrier which the go-
nlus of Africa bas raised around her in
most shrine.
Several days were passed traversing
the dreary solitudes, without coming in
contact with a single human being.
On the tourth day we were surprised
to hear a voice coming from the trees,
and to listen to a native shout. We sent
our canoe, and brought him on board
the Florida; but this was not done
without difficulty, for our men had a
sharp chase before be was finally
caught lie was a very sullen fellow,
snd our interpreter had some trouble in
coaxing him to speak at all We were
not very far from a village, be told us.
At bis request a drum was banded blm,
and he beat a signal to his village. We
beard the answering signal, borne over
the water, cloar and distinct He told
us, too, that they would know that it
meant Btrangers were bere, and that we
should soon soo plenty of his people
In the morning a number of strange-
looking men came down toward us in
canoes, bringing fuel and presents.
We soon made friends. We learned that
their village was three or four miles off.
These people were Balolo, and bad the
same peculiar tribal marks I have al
ready mentioned. I went over
to their village, ana a lerrioie
tramo it was, over bogs and morasses
and roots of trees. I stumbled and fell
several times, smashing my watch, and
after all my pains, I found on arriving
there that it was a wreicneaiy poor
nlace.' with absolutely nothing to trade
and only one poor tusk of Ivory in the
whole village. So I tramped back again
by the way I cam, first exacting a prom
Ua from the nutlve we met the preced
ing night at the river that he would
come to the Florida next morning and
act as our guide. When morning camo,
and the Balolo failed to turn up, we
pushed ahead withouthlm.
Leavlne the poverty-stricken settle
ment behind us, we started up stream
again, only to run almost immediately
into a snag at a sharp bend of the river.
On getting safely afloat again we had to
proceed with the utmost care, for we
i0on discovered that there was a suc
cession of sharp turns and no end of
snags Immediately ahead. In avoiding
these we were censtanuy running iu
hanks, for lust t this point the
stream is narrower and more rapid than
at any other. Towards evening we
eame to traces of an encampment on the
left bank of the river, where the Lu
fembl. the dreaded tribe of cannibals,
were said to be. These were the first
signs of. houses we had seen in foul
days; for the last three days bad been
- . . . . thaw ptvtll
spent in dodging me uk
and avoiding disaster to the Horida,
There were no signs of life oout th
encampment, so we stopped snd sounded
a shrill blast from the steam
whistle; but there was no response sav
the echoes which soomed to repeat them
selves indefinitely before dying ent on
tbe wooded shores. We pushed cm for S
mile or more, snd then we observed
fires on shore and two men standing
near tbe edge of the bank. As tbe
Florida drew near one of the men ran
off with the speed of a deer, and the
other, almost equally .lsrmed by our
.udden appearance, darted in behind he
trees and regarded us from that point of
vantage. Several of our men jumped
on shore and tried by persuasion to
coax Wm to come to us, but U was use
less. After a little while he, too, disap-
Judjingbyallthe signs we thought
there must be a village near, and so w.
Ked to camp the Th.t.fro
while w. were rttlng - Brewed there
was a sudden commotion and a great
Twd of natives swarmed down upon us
Tey atood off at . respectful distance,
JvidentWhardly knowing do
Sut it snd w. went out toward then.
bTtbey reUred. This we. not
auspicious beginning to ouracquain
InTeo we sent s deputation con.UW
uToftourof our own tiv , belong
Injto the crew to peyt them,
f, me. returned in . hour and re
ed".t they bad met a great crowd
Vt stives sried with
shields, their bodies painted, and wit
very fierce, warlike appearance.
"You can not go on," was tbe reply of
their head-man to our messengers.
"The LufeniM, with many canoes, have
passed up the river. No one ever sleeps
bere on this bank. If you try it you
will all have your throats out"
This was not particularly cheering;
but we decided to sloep there, neverthe
less, snd sleep we did. A strong guard
wu dotalled to prevent s surprise In
the morning we would go up to the Til
lage, which was named Bolando, and
whose people, like all the Balolo, were
kindred to tbe florce Lufembl, and at
me same time frequent tufforers at their
hands.
While we wero, dozing around the
camp fires, in fancied security, a great
shout suddenly went up snd there was
sn Instant panic, resombling the scare
we had experienced at a point one hun
dred miles further down the river.
Rifles and revolvers were discharged
and when we beard drums beating in
several directions we felt certain that
the dreaded Lufembl worl upon us in
force. Owing to the impenetrable dark
ness we wero In Ignorance of the cause
of all this confusion. After awhllo the
firing ceased and the frightened crew of
the Florida were once more convinced
that they had beon the' victims of a false
alarm, as no enemy appeared. The distant
drums, however, continued to beat at
Intervals, and it was not until daylight
that our camp felt quite secure from
attack of tho invisible enemy.
In the morning, dooming It boneless
to risk a visit to the village, after the ex
citing scuro of the night, and as we
were unable to get either tor or fuel
at that point (which Is between two
hundred and fifty and three hundred
miles up the Lulungu river, from the
point of its confluence with the Congo),
we returned to the steamer and went
to Bohoma, a fishing village where we
were told supplies were to be had In
abundance We carried with us, how
ever, a vivid recollection of the Bolando
natives, whom our messengers de
scribed as being of a very martial ap
pearance. They wore, when our dele
gation met them, a variety of weapons,
the principal one boing a wooden
knife, in shape somewhat like a prun
ing hook, this made of an exceeding
ly hard and durable wood, sharpened to
a point, and they used It very skillfully.
In conversation, they employed It to
emphasize their talk, and It was not
encouraging to our messengers to see
these savages brandishing their ugly
looking machetes at every sentence or
two.
Although we were exceedingly anx
ious to push forward to the elephant
country, where, in Its native habitat,
the forest giant we were assured, could
be found in vast numbers, we could not
possibly do it We bad exhausted our
food supply and the problem of revlo
tuallng was becoming harder dally. Be
sides, we were due back at Klnchasa by
a certain date; so we regretfully turned
tbe Florida's bows down-river and be
gan our homeward journey. The cur
rent was strong and at the sharp bends'
of the river we were obliged to proceed
with great caution, to avoid getting
aground nr fouling on bidden snags.
Still, with all our precautions, we struck
on the banks repoatedly, and the Flor
ida sustained considerable damage, but
not enough to prevent us from continu
ing our journey. Finally, we got
through the dangerous swells and cur
rents and into safe water, aftor which
our progress down stream was very
rapid.
On getting back to Baulu, we bought
a great quantity of Ivory about 2,000
pounds of it, and of a very superior
quality. Our journoy to Mallnga was
continued without incident There we
were greeted by tbe natives in the same
cordial way as on our first arrival; but
a serious event had happened durlngour
absence. Their Tillage had boon at
tacked by the cannibal Lufembl in
force; a sharp fight had taken place and
tbe assailants had finally beon repulsed.
Prisoners bad been taken by both aides,
and when we came upon the scene there
were five Lufembi warriors in the hands
et the Malingas. All this the head-man
told us when he came on board the
Florida on the evening of our arrival
Going ashore I saw one or two of tbe
captive cannibals tied op to huge logs,
which wero chained about tholr nocks.
These savages talk practically the same
language as the Malingas, who are, as I
have already explained, a branch of the
great Lufembe race, and have the same
peculiar tribal marks on their bodies,
even to the ridges on their faces.
Physically the Lufembl are magnificent
men; tali, clean-limbed and dignified
looking. A peculiarity about them Is
that they are, as I was Informed by the
head-man, vegetarians in all else except
their horrible love of human flesh.
They differ from other savage races in
the fact that, according to all we could
learn, thoy make war solely through
desire to get their enemies' to eat, and
not because tbey hate tbcm or from mo
tives of vengeance. They are the true
man-hunters, who follow the humab
game to gratify their frightful appetite
forflebh. While othor savages attack
their enemies to punish aggression or
secure revenge, the Lufembi alone
make their ghoulish appetite the
primary object in their raids upon their
weaker neighbors.
The prisoners In the hands of the
Malingas were, stoics, and bore them
selves bravely. A savage, although he
knows he is to be killed the noxt morn
ing, will make no outcry, nor will he
try to escape. Their eyes had a passive
expression, and they faced their fate
uncomplainingly.
The inland tribes are all related, the
Lufembi being generic The latter oc
cupy a country that Is full of swamps
and heavy forests; and to make a Til
lage they have incredible labor, clear
ing the dense growth of timber. The
Lufembe villages are large and popu
lous, we were told at Malinga, and they
have fine plantations, their occupation,
when not making war, being almost
wholly agricultural
. Prominent amoag these great African
Inland tribes are the, elephant hunters.
Into whose country we had penetrated,
and some of whom we had seen. Tbey
are large, pow erf ul men, and physically
the equal of the Lufembl. Tbelr
method of hunting is simple and effect
ive. Firsts watch is kept until the
place in the forest where the elephanU
are accustomed to pats when going to
tbe river Is discovered. Then the buntr
era choose a large tree banging over the
elephant path and to a stout branch or
limb they attach a broad-bladed strong
apear, which U bung point downward.
In such a manner that the head of the
weapon is exactly over the center of the
path. To gauge the position accurately,
one of the hunters ascends the tree and,
climbing out on the limb, drops water
to the ground, which serves as a guide
a Us ethers, who are llio the tret
below. Tbe Sear, when In true posi
tion, alms at the very center of the path.
Attached to the upper end and above
the blade ia a ponderous weight of wood
or metal, which It sometimes takes fifty
men to lift Into position. On each side
of the path is the tail forest grass. A
rope stretched across the path and hid-
'""At
(TV-V V" i
fit1:
TDK F.I.r.rnAHT TRAP.
den from sight connects with the trap
overhead. The elephant In passing
Strikes the concealed' rope, the trap
overhead is sprung, and the broad, keen
blade. Impelled by the great weight
above it, crashes through the foliage
and penetrates the baok of tho hugo
brute at a vital point, generally back of
the head and between the shoulders.
So accurate are the traps of those ele
phant hunters that the game needs no
finishing stroke after the trap has done
Its work.
We returned to Equator where we dis
charged our n:,tlve crow, took on bo-rd
the Zanzlbarls and Loando natives, and
then continued on to Klnchasa.
On reaching the bead of Stanley
Pool, we saw from the dock
of tbe Florida a pleasing and
Unexpected sight On shore among the
trees were several neat-looking tents
and, approaching closer, we were mot
by two young Englishmen who had
rome out there to hunt elephants. Thoy
had already shot three elephants, sev
eral buffaloes and an antelope, and
wero looking forward to more excellent
Sport We went ashore at tbelr Invita
tion and stopped there for the day, start-
tng up steam again In the Florida
Iter breakfast next morning. I need
hardly say that we enjoyed this little
episode after our long sojourn among the
lavages of the upper Mallnga. Ono of
our. hosts, ' Walter Dean, a splendid
voting follow, was killed by an elephant
a few months afterward.
We arrived safely at Stanley Pool Sta
tion on December 17. Ten days before
our return the chief of the station, a
German, had died aftor a short illness.
Bo ended our memorable Journey up the
till then unexplored Malinga to the land
of the elephant, the hunted Balolo, and
the torrlblo, man-eating Lufembl.
Kooer Casement.
ROBERT EMMET'S GRAVE.
It Is Sadly Neglected and Ilia Tombetoo
It Without Inscription.
"While in Dublin I thought I would
like to visit the grave of Hubert Em
met," said Judgo McCarthy. "I hunted
up the Ccinotery of (Has Nurln, Just out
side tho Irish Capital. In this burying,
ground I found the splendid monumonl
erected to Daniel O'Connoll. It is In
shape like an Irish round tower and
very Imposing. I saw there many splen
did monuments erected in memory of
patriots, and in fact noarly all Ireland
is a graveyard with more monuments
than any other country of twice ttsslzo.
I couldn't find . Emmet's grave at tilat
Kevin and asked the gatekeeper to di
rect me. I had to travol by tram-car
into another county, and visit a little
Irish oottage on a hillside near llodons
town. I knocked on the door and an
aged woman answered. She said she
would direct me to tbe grave of 'Ire
land's Immortal hero.' She took down a
big key from the wall and we started
out Wo walked a long way and finally
reached a little country church and a
neglected church-yard, which had for
many years not been disturbed by the
grave-digger's spade. Grass snd weeds
were all about The monuments were
nearly all tumbling to pieces from old
age. I finally was shown Emmet's
grave alongside a- paling. It had
been neglected for a long time, and a
dense undergrowth covered the flattened
mound. A small, plain blue limestone,
shaped like an eclipse and broken off
near the top. was at the hoad of the
grave."
"Where is the Inscription? There Is
no name on this broken and crumbling
stone," I said to my guide.
"No," she replied. "Don't you re
member what Emmet said before hli
death: 'That my name remain In
oblivion and my memory uninscribed
until other ages, when other men can do
justice to my character when my coun
try takes her place among tbe nations of
the earth. Then, and not till thon, let
my epitaph be written.' "
"In the old cemotery also rests the
body of that other great Irish leader,
Theobald Wolfe Tone, who was in his
zenith in 1778, a few years before Em
met's ttme."-N. Y. Star.
The steady reduction of the death-
rate of London in recent rears, notwith
standing the Increase in population and
overcrowding, bas been most remarka
ble. It fell below 20 per 1,000 for the
first time in 1885, when It was 19.8, and
In tbe following two years it was 19.9
and 19.A. in 188 it further declined to
115, which was mentioned by the registrar-general
as "far the lowest death
rate yet recorded In London;" but tbe
report for 189 will be much more fa
vorable still the rate having fallen to
17.6.
A case of money lending at 730 per
cent eame out in tbe Lord Mayor's
Court in London a short time since. Tbe
defendant in tbe ease, named Bryant,
said be was a cashier at a salary of Ai
per week. He bad beea a clerk in the
London and Westminster Bank, but in
consequence of difficulties with money
lenders be bad been discharged. Ills
fellow-clerks then subscribed snd put
his wife and two daughters into busi
ness. On this particular debt be bor
rowed 13 and gave a bill for 15. lie
had paid interest at tbe rate of 120 per
cent on tbe original loan, and was now
summoned for the amount of the loan.
The judge made an order (or I shillings
per month.
if L
ar r-
rill ill w
IIiiVIj j J M ."J VL
IHi
A Story of American Frontier
Life.
By Oapt CHAELE3 ITSO, O.ai,
iuthorof'TSr CoWri t,ivghtrr "r"rt
flrniiix-il urounj were some of tho us-
I aniling party, creslfiilli-n aiul dismayed
at tin imliHiUeil for result of their foray
hut aili.tMnl to attempt to riilo awny,
now 11 nit tlieir favorite young officer
was sore stricken as a result of tlieirtimj
folly Mr Kwen, too, had come rait,
and was lintiliiig alwut, giving direc
tions to the one or two of his hands who
had ventured forth from tho ofllce build
ing. The liii frame home under hose
walls the group was gutheml was evi
dently used as a dormitory for a number
of men, and this hnd been the objxetive
point of the nttack, but not a soul had
issued from iu Krtnls; the occupants
were the men w ho made the ensuult on
I'erry the night of his first vitlt, and
now they deemed it best to keep within.
Everything Indicated that Perry liaJgot
lo the scene just In time to prevent a
bloody and desperate frneua, for tho few
ranch people who nx-nred were still
quivering with excitement and dread.
Ewrn was almost too much agitated to
speuk:
"Uo to Mr. Mnltlnml as soon as you
can, doctor; tliinlias eiren liiiu a fearful
slinking up Mrs. Cowan is having a
, room made ready for Mr. Terry. Ahl
here's young t'owuu now Reudy?" he
asked.
"All ready. Mother says carry the
geutlvman right in. She wunts you to
oiune too," he added, in a lower tone, to
Sergt. 0 wynno, but tho latter tnude no
HJly.
And so, borne In the arms of several
of his men, Lieut IVrry wns carried
across the intervening space nml into the
main building. When he recovered con
sciousness, as tho morning light came
through the eastern windows, he found
himself lying in a white curtained bed In
a strange room, with atrungeyct kind
and motherly fuco bending oror him,
and his captain smiling down luto his
wondering eyes.
"You are coming round all light, old
fellow," he heard Stryker say. "1'U call
the doctor now, he wunted to see you as
soon as you waked."
And then Quin came In and said a few
cheery words, and bade lilm Ho still and
worry about nothing. The row was over,
thanks to him, and lie and poor Nolan
were the only victims; but it hud been a
great shock to Mr. Multlnnd and ren
dered his condition critical.
Perry listened In silenco, asking no
questions. For tho time boing he could
think of nothing but Nolan's loss. It was
such a cruel fate to be killed by those he
came to save.
All that day he lay there, dozing and
thinking alternately, lie wondered at
the tenderness and devotion with which
the kind old Englishwoman nursed him
and seemed to anticipate his every want
Quin enmo in towards evening and
dressed his wound, which now began to
be feverish and painful. He heard his
colonel's voice in the hallway, too, and
beard him say to the doctor that some
body at Kossiter wtts eager to come down
and take enro of him. "Bosh!" said the
blunt surgeon; "I've a fur better nurse
here and a reserve to full back upon
thnt will be worth a new life to him."
And, weak and feverish though he was,
Perry's heart thrilled within him; he
wondered If It could mean Gladys. Two
days more he lay there, the fever skill
fully controlled by the doctor's ministra
tions, and the pain of his wound sub
dued by Mrs. Cowan's cooing bundnges
and applications. But there was a burn
ing fever in his heart that utterly re
fused lo go down. Ho strained his eurs
listening for the sound of her voice or
tbe pit-a-pat of her foot full in the corri
dor. At last he mustered courage and
asked for her, and Mrs. Cowan smiled:
"Miss Maltlund has been here three
times to inquire how you were; but It
was while you were sleeping, Mr. Perry,
and she rarely luares her father's bed
side, lie is very til, and seems to be
growing weaker every day. 1 don't
know what we would have done if we
had Dot found Dr. Quin here; he has
pulled 111 til through two or three bad
seizures during the past year,"
"Where liud you known the doctor be
fore?" asked Perry, with an ea-er light
In Lb eves
"Nowhere; but It was as though one
of his own kith and kin had suddenly
made his spjiearunce here to welcome
Mr. Maitluml. The doctor Is a first cousin
of Mrs. Miiillnud's; she was from ire
land, and it was from her family that
the ranch was named. Lord Dunraven
Is of the peurago of Ireland, you know,"
added Mrs. Cowan, with the cheerful
confidence of (he Englishwoman that
very person of any education or stand
ing must be familiar with the pages oi
Debrett.
"Uow should I know anything about
ItT laughed Perry. lie felt In merry
mood; another page in his volume of sus
picion and dread was being torn away,
snd Ruin's relations with the household
were turning out to be such as mode
him an objecf.of lively Interest, not of
Jealous doubt
Then came the callers from the garri
son. It seemed as though all of a sudden
the blockade had been ruUed and that no
people were to warmly welcomed al
Dunraven as the very ones who had been
especially proscribed. Mr. Maitland,
weak and ill as ho was, had asked to be
allowed to see Col. Biainard on the occa
sion of that olllccr's second visit; Stryker,
r Parke bad all been
allowed to come up and See Perry a few
moments, but Mrs. Cowan was vigilant
and reinonw-luMt, would allow them only
a brief Interview, and, with smiling de
termination, checked her patient when
be attempted to talk. The third day of
bis Imprisonment Dr. Quin came scowl
ing in along In the afternoon, manifestly
annoyed almut something, and said a few
words In a low tone to Mrs. Cowan, and
that usually equable matron fluttered
away down stairs in evident excitement
"It's Mrs Belknap," explained the
doctor, In answer to Perry's Inquiring
look. "She has ridden djwn here with
Dana and sent her card up to Gladys
who can't bear the si-lit of her; 1 don't
know why; Intuition, 1 suppose."
Presently Mrs. Cowan reappeared!
"Miss Gladys has asked to be excused, as
she does not wish to leave her father at
this moment; and the lady would like to
oome up and ace Mr. Perry."
"Tell her nor said Quin, savsgely.
Ko herei I'll go myself." And down
went lite doughty medical officer, and
straightway the rumbling tones of hb
harsh voire were heard below i the wonh
were indistinguishable, but Mrs. Cowan'i
face indicated that there was something
In the sound that gave her comfort Sht
stood at the window watching the pail
as they rode away.
"Miss Gladys shuddered when she hoc
to shake hands with her that day whet
wectuue away from Mrs. 8prague's,"suU
she. "1 hope that lady la not a particn
litr friend of yours, Mr. Perryl"
" We have been very good friends In
deed." said he, loyally. "To be sure, )
hir hardly known Mrs. Belknap t
month, but both shi and ths captalr
have been very kind to me," All tin
tame, down In the bottom of his henrt
he did not wonder at Miss Maitlnnd'
sensations. He was beginning to detain
of ever seeing her, and yet could get m
explanation that satisfied him
"You know she oan walk only with
great pain and difficulty even now,'
aid Mrs. Cowan "llor ankle was ven
Uully wrenched, and she hardly goc
farther than from her own to her fatli
rr's room You ought to feel compll
meiited that she has been here to you'
door three times."
"I fovl more like butting my brnln
out f;r being asleep," muttered Perry Ir
reply "1 wish you would wake me
next time, Mrs. Cowan. I shan't believt
it until I see it, or hear her voice at the
loor."
(She had excused herself to Mrs. Bel
knap, and tho doctor hud denied that
lovely woman her request to be allowed
to come up and see Mr. I'erry; and yel
the very next day, when the big foui
mule ambulance from Rosslter cami
driving up to the front door, and Mrs
Spraguu and Mrs. Lawrence, escorted
by the colonel and Capt Stryker, ap
pen nil on the veranda, how did it hap
pen that the ladies were speedily ushered
upstairs to Miss Maitland's own room
and that, after an animated though low
toned chat of half an hour with her
ihty were marshaled down the long cor
ridor by Mrs. Cowan In person, and, U
Perry's huge delight, were shown in U
Ins hidldo? It looked as though Quin
were showing unwarrantable dlscrimina
tiou Stryker and the colonel, too, cam
in to see him. anil the latter told him thai
both Mr. Maitland and Mr. Ewen hac
Ugfd that the arrested soldiers mlghl
not bo punished. Including Bergt Lear)
and Kelly, there were now twenty tuer
under charges more or less grave lu tlieli
character, nml he had asked that a gen
rr;d court martial be convened for theli
trial "Die colonel deeply appreciated tlx
feeling displayed by the stricken propri
etor and his overseer; be was touched
that even in hlsextreiue Illness and proa
t rat Ion Mr. Maitland should Intercede foi
the men who had made so hostile an In
vaslon of his premises and brought upoi
the inmates of Dunraven a night of drcai
and anxiety; but discipline had to In
maintained, he replied, and the ringleod
era in the move bad been guilty of I
flagrant lireooh which could not be over
lxked
But on the following day the fourtl
of Perry's stay the doctor came dowi
with a f.ioe full of gloom and distress
(loth nurse and patient notod It, and In
quired the caU'W. For a time Quit
avoided rtny direct rcplyt "somethini
had rallied him up at the punt," he an
iwcriil; ".Nin'l tell you about It now
I'll do It by and by. I want to think,
lie examined Perry's leg, d rested and re
bandaged the wound, and thou wen
hack to Mr. Maitland's room. Theycouh
hear his voice In the hull after a while
and IVrry 'a heart begun to throb heuvily
lie wits sure the low, sweet tones, almos
Inauilible, that came floating along tin
corridor, were (hose of Gladys Whel
Mrs Cumuli sioko to him on somo or
dinarv topic, he Impatiently Utile lie.
hush he could not bear to be disturbet
-iinJ, far from being hurl at his petu
luuce, Mrs Cowan smiled softly as alii
turned away
Then Quin came back, and, afte.
IlilgetJiig around a moment, abruptly ad
dressed his ruitlrnt:
"IVrry, do you romomlier that morn
tng you rode down here right after re
veille and met me on- the trail or at
least would have met me if 1 liadn'
d'slged and gone over to the othor sidi
of the vnlleyr
"Certainly I do. doctor."
"I may as well explain that singula
performance first You may have bean
that I didn't get along amicably witl
your predecessors of the Eleventh. The.
colonel was ass enough to totally miscon
true tlie purSNM of my visits here, am
l was u enough to wake no explans
.on. The Maitlands went sway; I was
nt called for again while tho Eleventh
-uiuinud; and therefore I sold no more
..suit It Mr. Maitland returned iinex
ictedly soon after you came, and the
rst I knew of it was the signal lights
. Iling ine he was there, ill, and that 1
iu wanted. It was the night of the
nlmnl's dinner party. I couldn't ex
iluin then, and decided to go at once
in J explain afterward. When I met
roii all of atujdcn the next morning,
.lie first Impulse was to get away out of
your sight, and I olieyed It simply be.
Jituse of the l.npluasant experiences I
nad Is-en huving with your fellow caval
rymen I did jot want to have to an
wer questions, See? I was ashamed
it it. but too I ,te to turn back." 1
IVrry nodded "I understand li
no w," he Maid.
"Well, what I want to ask Is about
Sergl Gwyune. Did you meet hint be
fore you got back?"
"Yes -a. mile or so out from the post'
"You stopjied and talked with him
didn't you'r'
"Yes for several minutes."
Mrs Cuwan's needlework had fallen In
her In p She was seated near the w indo w
snd had been busily sewing. Now she
was lixiklng up, eager and intent
"You've known him a long time
haven't Tour
Vi-e ever since he Joined. He's one
of the bint sergeants I ever knew."
"Yu would hardly think him guilty
if any dishonesty, would your
Mrs. Cowan was rising from her chair,
the mill le work had fallen to the floor.
"Dishonesty! Not by a good dcalf
was the reply that bade fair to be even
more impulsive, and was checked only
in deference to the presence of a woman
"Well, neither would I, from what
I've seen of him; and yet Mr. Maitland's
teal ring was found on him last night"
"My God! Of course he could explain
it In some wayr
"He couldn't or wouldn't He sim
ply st'sNl'there, white as a sheep except
when those bruises made blm green and
blue, lie had denied the charge flatly
when accused; and yet there it was in
his chest i never saw any man so taker
shock as Capt Stryker; he said be would
have sworn to his innocence,"
"fti would II en I do. by Jupltert It's
some foul olot! It's"
But he got no further. To his own
smaze, to the utter bewilderment of Dr.
Quin. Mrs Cowan precipitated herself
upon her patient, seized the hand that
lay neare.i her on the coverlet, and
burst forth into half articulate, sobbing,
indignunt words, mingled with kisses
showered passionately on that astonish
ed hand.
"Oh, bless hliu for the words) Oh,
God blce you, Mr. IVrry! Oh, '
the foolsl the lunatics! A
thief. Indeed. The Idea of bis
being accused! ' Oh. Oodl what
would his mother In heaven say to this?
' ' As though he had not borne
far bo much already! It's his
owij his own ring, I tell you! Who
els should wear It? Who dare
takf It from him now? sea oh.the
Infamy of it all!"
In her wild excitement, In her Inco
herent praiso and lamentation and wrath
and Indignation, her voice, her sobs,
rang through the room and out along
the broad corridor. Even In tlieir amaze
the two men heard a hurried step ap
proaching, a limping, halting, painful
step, yet rapid and Impulsive. Quin, ab
sorbed In his contemplation of tho ex
cited woman, paid uo attention; Parry's
eager eyes were strained upon the door
way, where, the very next instant, with
pallid features and startled mien, Gladys
Maitland appeared and stood staring in
upon the tjtectaclo of Mrs. Cowan kiss
ing and sobbing over Perry's hand. Al
ready he had divined the truth, and
strove to warn the tear blinded woman
of her presence; but Mrs. Cowan's ex
clteniont bad Increased to the verge of
hysteria; she was laughing and crying
now by turns, blessing her soldier patient
for his faith In the accused sergeant, and
then breaking forth anew In indignant
expletive, "Who are his accusers? Who
dare say thief to him? Not one
Is fit to look him in the face! Twos the
very ring Ills mother gave lilm, see
bis own! hisownl"
And then the doctor seized her and
turned her so thnt she must see Gladys
Gladys, wild eyed, panting, staring, tot
tering forward from the uxrwoy. One
sharp cry from the woman's lips, one
spring towards the reeling form, and
she had caught the girl In her arms,
"Gladys, Gladys, ray llttlo pet! my
own baby girll Look up and thank Godl
Pre tried to keep my promise and his
secret until he released mo, I've tried
hard, but it's all useless; I can't, I can't
Oh, Gladys, sweetheart, your mother's
smiling down on us this day. Who do
you think has come back to us, safe and
strong and well and brave? Who but
tout own brother, your own Archie,
OladyaT
CHAPTER XVIIL
e"
.'i-swy11V,r,nVi
ES, certainly rery pretty
now. It's such a pity that
Englishwomen grow coarse
and stout and red faced so
arv amin after thev are married." The
speaker was Mrs. Belknap, and her soft
voice was tunod ta a pitch of nlinrwt
patnetlc regret ' They were talking of
Miss Maitland, who had just been as
listed to her saddle by the colonel, and
now, followed by tlte faithful Griggs
sad escorted tT7apt Striker. tu rid
ing away homeward after a brief call at
the post Fort Itossiter, once so hum
drum and placid and "stupid," as ths
ladles termed it, had been the vortex of
sensations for a whole fortnight, and
one excitement had trodden on the heels
of another with such rapidity that people
were growing weary.
Perhaps the happiest mnn In garrison
was Capt Htryker; he had refused to be
lieve in the guilt of Sergt. Gwynne when
Capt Wayne cume to hliu to say that
there were men In his troop who openly
accused the sergeant of having that cher
ished seal ring secreted In his chest So
coutldunt was he that he hud gone with
the captain and Mr. Furnhuin to the
stables and there told Gwyune of the
charge against him. Gwynno flushed
hotly, denied the truth of the story, but
hesitated when asked If he would allow
his chest to be searched. This was quick
ly noted by Wayne and Karnham, and
the search was insisted upon. Gwynne
then said there were a few items in that
chest which he allowed no one to see; he
pledged his soldier word that they were
nothing but a paper or two, some little
photographs and a book. These he asked
permission to remove first; then they
might search. But Wayne sternly re
fused. The sergeant turned very white,
set his lips, and hesitated still, until his
own captain spoke: then he surrendered
bis key.
Wayne and Fanlham bent over ths
chest while tiie troop first sergeant rapid
ly turned over the clothing, books, etc..
with trembling hands. There was a little
compartment at one side, in which were
lying some small Items a pocket com
pass, a pencil case, some keys, a lockot
and a neck chain, and, among these,
something wrapped In tissue paper. Thii
was handed to Capt Wayne, who un
rolled the paper.and there was a mosiv
seal ring. A crest was cut in the stone,
and, taking It to the light, Wayne wai
able to make out the motto, "Quod sur
sum toIo videre," It was the ring Mait
land had lost
Btryker looked wonderlngly at his ser
rtaat, who stood there as though petri
tied with amaze and consteruaiiou, palt
as death, and unable to say a word.
Asked to explain tbe matter, he could
only shake his head, and, after awhile,
hoarsely muttered, "I know nothing
about it I never placed it there," ...
"Do you mean to tell me you never saw
It beforeT asked Wayne, sternly. And
Qwynoe was eilcnt.
"Is this the first time you ever saw It
I say?" repeated the captain angrily.
"No, sir; I have seen it beforo," wai
the answer.
"Then you must have kr.iwn twot
stolen, and you haveconnlved its con
cealment," was Wayuo's triumphant
conclusion; and on the report of his offi
cers Col Brainard had no alterant! vemt
to order G Wynne's close arrest, Oaly
8tryker'sappeal and guarantee saved the
sergeant from couQuetueiit in t!te guard
tamae. ,'