Lincoln County leader., December 21, 1906, Image 3

The Trail of the TDead:
THE STRANGE EXPERIENCE
OF DR. ROBERT HARLAIVD
By B. FLETCHER ROBINSON and J. MALCOLM FRASER
(Copyright 1903. by Joseph B. Bowie)
CHAPTER XXIII. (Continued.)
"We shall soon bare news," ho Bald
quietly. "For information that will lead
to his arrest, I hare offered the police,
hero and on the continent, a reward of
five thousand pounds."
He spoke the truth. News came soon,
Indeed.
Wo were lunching together In Graden's
chambers on the fourth day after their
departure, when the telegram arrived.
My cousin opened It As he read, I saw
the line of his jaw set and harden. Then
he banded it across the table. This was
the message:
"Fear we are in great peril Come at
once. Weston."
The realization of those words must
have come to me slowly, for it was Gra
den's band on my arm that woke me
from the stupor into which I bad fallen.
Even then I could hardly understand.
"There is a train at two-twenty," said
he. "Can you be ready In five minutes?"
"But - how can the man how can
Marnac have discovered where they
are?" I stammered.
"In five minutes, I said!" he barked
out. "You have no time to waste."
Wo had still a quarter of an hour to
spare when our cab rattled over the
cobbles of the station-yard. While my
cousin took the tickets, I stood at the
bookstall, staring at the backs of the nov
els, with that call for help twisting in a
dreary chant through my head. "In
great peril. Come at once," so It ran,
over and over again. Several passing
strangers turned and regarded me curi
ously over their shoulders.
I do not think we spoke more than
once before reaching Dover. I asked if
he had telegraphed a reply. lie had done
o, he said, at Charing Cross.
There was a brisk sea running in the
Channel, but I felt no sickness. Indeed
the passage did me good; for I behaved
quite sanely as we passed our bags
through the Calais customs.
Into the train again, and on into the
" night that had fallen. I had a sleeping
berth reserved in the wagon-lit, but I did
not visit it. Sometimes a fury of im
patience seized me, so that I paced the
corridor, peering out into the moonlit
country that went sliding by, in its never
varying sequence of plain and woodland
and steeple-crowned village; but, for the
most part, I sat huddled in my chair
thinking. Heaven help us! What tor
ture an active mind inflicts upon poor
humanity! Grant a man the imagina
tion of an ox, and many are the woes he
Will be spared!
Dawn stole out on us at Basle, and
we stood upon the platform, our faces
showing pale In the tinted curtain of the
sky that hung above the snow-clad ridges
to the westward. The air was very cold,
but not with the English bitterness in its
breath.
We had half an hour to wait Graden
despatched a seconcTlelegram to Pontre
sina, marking the progress of our jour
ney. He also wired to Thusis, ordering
a carriage to meet our train.
rriAPTtfR XXIV.
The sun was up, very red and bold, as
we passed through Zurich; and where it
touched the great Inke, the waters shone
scarlet as blood under the slanting rays.
Before us the Alps were heaving upward,
npnu-inff mttrhtior pverv hour, with the
e ' " n n - -
pinnacles of their strange frost kingdoms
blushing In the early sunsnine. y eleven
o'clock we had left the open country,
passing Into a labyrinth of valleys,
crowned with pines, waiting black and
silent on their snow carpets, scored with
torrents and patched with frozen tarns.
Coire was reached by half-past one, and
the narrow gauge of the Thusis lino car
ried us through meadows and brushwood
morasses until we crossed the upper
Rhine and drew into the station which
is set under the cliff bastions, outworks
of the Alp citadels beyond. (
It was then three of the clock. There
were still forty miles left of our journey
a ten hours' drive oyer the passes to
the distant Engadine.
A carriage with three horses was wait
ing to our order without the station.
We entered it at once, and the driver
swung his team into the Tiefeukastell
road. Fifty francs from Gradeu had im
pressed him with the necessity for haste.
Vet our progress was insufferably tedi
ous. Once across the bridge, we dropped
into a walk, while our straining team
tugged heavily up the pass of Schyn.
To our left the ridge barred the view; but
on the right, narrow valleys sliced deep
into the glittering heights above gave us
sight of the stately peaks that senti
nelled the eastern sky. In an hour we
had entered the forest of Versasca for
such, I have learned, is its name and
so climbed on through the dismal ave
nues of pines till we passed through gal
leries and tunnels, hewn deep In the cliff
side, out into the barren snow fields onco
again.
The sun was setting as we rattled over
the pavement of the hill village of Tief
enkastell, that crouched in the shadows
of the Albula Gorge. The dying rays
struck fiercely on the distant peaks, un
til those pale ' Ice maidens found rosy
blushes for such reckless gallantry. It
was a spectacle of infinite grandeur, and,
despite my Impatience, I leaned from
the window watching the light fade and
whiten into the opals of the after-glow.
"Wo can thank our luck that there's a
moon," said my cousin, as I drew back
Into my corner. "Those drivers know
the road like a book, but I should like
our fellow to see where he's going in
the Berguner Stein."
"Is It dangerous?"
"A ledge for a carriage way, and a
precipice for a ditch on the near side, is
not particularly pleasant for the nerves
when you can't see your hand before
you."
"You have been here before, then?"
"Oh, yes!" ho said, and so we fell Into
silence.
It was past six o'clock when we left
Filisur, a tiny group of deep-eaved
houses, and dropped down the hillside to
the stream. As we rose the further slope
through a wood of scattered pines, the
moon came peering out from behind two
bare and lofty peaks that towered above
us into the southern night lighting their
icy summits so that they glittered like
blades of polished steel. It was a scene
of such melancholy desolation that as our
horses halted on the crest of the bill, I
lowered the window, thrustingout my
head for a better view. -
In front of us the white road curled
down into a gorge, an ink-black wedge
of shadow that drove Into the distance
between silver cliffs bright with the
moonlight.
"Is this the place you spoke of?" I
asked.
"It's the Berguner Stein, if it's that
you want to know," growled my cousin
from amongst his wraps. "Also, I wish
you would have the goodness to shut
that window."
But the remembrance of what he had
told me about the dangers of the place
sent my eyes to the driver's box. As I
was leaning from the left-hand window,
I did not expect to see more than the
fellow's hat; but, to my surprise, there
he was well In view, his coat huddled
about bis ears. As we moved forward,
the mystery explained itself. The man
I saw was not driving.
"We've taken up a passenger, Cousin
Graden," said I, pulling in my head.
"What's that?" he asked sharply, for
my voice had been lost in the loud com
plaining of the brakes as we trotted
down the decline.
"The driver's giving a friend a lift," 1
cried, leaning towards him. "I suppose
he picked him up at the last village,
where "
I reached no further, for at that In
stant there rose from without a cry of
such utter terror that I sank back into
my place as if struck in the face by a
crushing blow. I saw a falling body
Hash by the right-hand window; the out
cry of the brakes ceased with a grating
clang. And then, with a bound like that
of a leaping horse, the great post-carriage
rushed roaring down the hill.
I thrust out my head, clinging to the
sills of the open window.
The man upon the box seat was lash
ing the -horses so that they sprang for
ward in furious bounds. Even as I
watched, he cast away his whip with a
peal of wild laughter that sounded high
above the turmoil of the flying hoofs and
the heavy wheels. He turned his head,
bending sideways, the reins held loosely
in his right hand. It was the face of
Marnac that stared down upon me.
His hat bad gone, his white hair
streamed backward in the wind. And
he was mad mad with an open insanity
of which I had observed no trace be
fore. He shrieked at me in triumph,
waving his hand now to the horses, now
to tho chasm beyond the four-foot wall
that guarded the road. He cursed me
with furious gesticulations. Even as I
write, I seem to see those eyes staring
at me out of the white paper eyes gog
gling with the lust of murder. Heaven
send that time will wipo that remem
brance from my brain!
I shrank back into the carriage, that
rocked and swung and danced beneath
me. Graden's huge shoulders almost
blocked the other window; but I caught
sight of the glint of his revolver in the
moonlight. Was it to be man or horse?
One or the other, if we were not to leap
Xhe precipice at the first sharp turn. Sud
denly he shouted, and again I struggled
to my post In the darkness down the
road was the glimmer of lights. Nearer
and nearer they drew, and I, too, raised
my voice in a scream of warning. The
last fifty yards we took in one bound
or so it seemed. I saw a carriage grow
out of the shadow that the cliffs above us
drew across the road; I saw our Ieadiiy
horse swing to the left and leap blindly
at the low wall that hid Heaven knew
what frightful depths below; and then,
with a tottering slide that seemed to
wrench the heart out of me, we curled,
as a motor skids, Into one thunderous
crash that blotted out the world.
MRS. HARLAND'S NARRATIVE.
CHAPTER XXV.
I have been asked by my dear husband
to conclude the story of which he has
placed the greater part before you. I
should have preferred that he had not
tried to recall details which I know he
cannot remember without suffering; but
having once yielded to the persuasion of
his friends, I am ready to take every
share of tho burden that he will yield
to me.
My father and I, with UeskI, the man
that Sir Henry had summoned from Po
land, arrived In the Engadine without
any incident that is worthy of descrip
tion. We hud engaged rooms in the prin
cipal hotel under the name of Jackson, a
had been suggested. My father stood
the journey very well. But this neces
sity for giving a false name annoyed
him extremely. It was the first time in
his life that he bad done so, be said, and
I had some difficulty in persuading him
not to confess the whole circumstances
to the manager on the day after our ar
rival. It was on the fourth day of our visit
about five in the evening, that we re
ceived a telegram from London. It read:
"Wo are coming at once. Graden."
As can "be Imagined, we were very
puzzled about it. We had sent no mes
sage, and we could not think what was
the reason for their sudden determina
tion. Reski behaved in a most curious
fashion when I told him. It might have
been the news of some great good for
tune that bad reached him.
"It is very well, very well," he kept
on repeating in German a language
which, fortunately, I can speak, though
not very correctly.
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"Ach, Fraulein! if the two English
men are coming, does it not mean that
Marnac is here?" -
I suppose I turned rather pale, for the
fear of that dreadful man was always
in my heart, though, indeed, I pretend
ed to father that I had forgotten he ex
isted. But the next instant Reski had
dropped down on one knee, taking my
hand and kissing lt-
"I am a dog, Fraulein!" he said sim
ply. "I did not tiiink of what I spoke.
But it is the thing for which I forget
all else to meet this man who killed
my son. For your father and yourself,
have no fear. It is I that will ever
watch. You trust me, Fraulein?"
"Indeed, Reski, I do," I answered him;
and so we parted.
(To be continued.)
MISTAKES OF RUSSIAN POLICE.
Czar's !nw (ifflrrn Declared tc 11
Extremely Stupid.
The Czar's whole bureaucracy has for
years beeu so thoroughly detested by
all classes of Russians that now It is
mainly tilled by the least intelligent of
the population. And of these the police
are the worst, says Ernest Poole In the
World To-Day. I myself was arrested
several times, as bo many correspond
ents are, and I found the police in ev
ery instance the most dense of mortals.
From my newspaper friends I heard
scores of stories about this stupidity,
These two are typical :
Some time ago a man threw a bomb
at a governor, killed him and escaped,
The government sent all over the em
pire a placard and two photographs of
the assassin, his front view and his
profile. And three weeks later a po
liceman In western Siberia telegraphed
"Have captured both criminals and
am bringing them to Petersburg."
At midnight In Petersburg an Inno
cent peace-loving professor stood on a
bridge staring Into the sluggish waters
of the Neva. He was thinking of a rival
professor who had a new theory about
gravitation. -
"That man," said the professor aloud.
"Is the dullest Idiot in Russia."
Instantly a big policeman pounced
upon him out of the darkness and with
out a word began dragging him off. The
poor old professor shook with terror.
"Why am I arrested?" he cried.
"What Is my crime?"
"High treason!" growled the police
man.
"But why? Why?"
"Oh, don't try to fool me ! You called
his Imperial majesty an Idiot!"
"Heavens!" cried the horrified pro
fessor, the spectacles falling from his
nose. "Why should you think I was
speaking of the Czar?"
The big policeman stopped and looked
down, puzzled.
"The dullest idiot in Russia," he said
slowly, searching bis memory. "Who
else could you have meant?"
All Horses Hate Camels.
Smoking a clay pipe, the circus actor
sat in tho winter training quarters.
Under his supervision a thin boy was
learning to ride erect on a quiet horse
with a broad, flat back.
"In some towns they won't let us
show," said the man, "unless we have
no camels with us. Camels are a seri
ous drawback to shows. Horses are so
much afraid of them that lots of towns
won't let a camel enter their gates.
"A horse won't go near a piece of
ground a camel has stood on. The very
smell of a camel In the air will make
a horse tremble and sweat And this
fear Isn't only found occasionally In a
horse here and there. It Is found In
every horse all over the world. Queer,
Isn't It? I often wonder why ' It Is,
Cattle hate dogs In the same way, and
cats hate dogs so, too. Here, though,
we can account for the hatred. Dogs in
primitive times fed on cattle, no doubt,
aud even to-day, here and there, they
kill and feed ou kittens.
"Horses love dogs. I'm sure I don't
know why. Dogs fear no animals but
pumas and leopards. You can take a
dog up to a lion's or a tiger's cage and
he will show no fear, but take him up
to the cage of a puma or a leopard and
he will tremble and moan and slink
away out of sight.
"AH very puzzling, Isn't It?" Phila
delphia Bulletin.
The Shorter the HI., re.
"Tell me," said the Boston matron,
"do you believe In Ions engagements?"
"Really," replied the Chicago mat
ron, "I never gave that much thought,
but I can't say that I believe In long
marriages." Philadelphia Press.
V' "Tif.
Halr-Balla.
We are frequently asked what causes
hair-balls. These concretions are pro
duced by the animals licking them
selves or other animals. As a result
of this habit the hairs swallowed are
carried around by the contractions of
the stomach and gradually assume the
form of a small pellet or ball. These
Increase In size as fresh quantities of
hair are Introduced Into the stomach,
which become adherent to the surface
of the hair-ball. These hair-balls are
found most frequently in the reticulum
or second stomach, although sometimes
In the rumen. In calves, hair-balls are
generally found In the fourth stomach.
There are no certain symptoms by
which we can determine the presence
of hair-balls, and therefore no treat
ment can be recommended for such
cases. The walls of the reticulum have
In some cases been found transfixed
with nails or pieces of wire, and vet
the animals during life had not shown.
any symptoms of Indigestion, but had
died from maladies not Involving the
second stomach. St Louis Globe-Dem
ocrat
Handy Bag- Holder.
To construct this bog holder make
a funnel with fo,ur boards 10 Inches
long, 12 Inches wide at top; 7 Inches
wide at bottom; take four laths 1 and
BAG HOLDER.
2 inches, 31 feet long, and fasten on
funnel for feet with sufficient slant
to stand steadily; drive four small
nails in funnel, 3 inches from bottom,
at corners, to hook bog on. For filling
corn in ear In phosphate sacks, tho
funnel Should be made larger, so corn
could be readily shoveled In with grain
shovel. Farm Progress.
Big- Demand for Pork.
The demand for pork this year has
astonished even the most sanguine
friends of the hog. Both fresh and
cured meats have been taken In large
volume right along at prices which
were so high that they were expected
to check consumption. There are three
reasons why this condition has existed
and still exists. First Is the prosper
ity of the South, a large consumer of
cured meats. The Southern trade was
never larger than It Is to-day. Next
la the growing foreign trade, which
like our own, seems to proceed regard
less of prices. And, finally, the people
of this country have learned to eat
bacon. Its consumption Is unprece
dented in our history, and is still grow
ing. There hns been no shortage In
numbers of hogs, but a vastly Increased
demand. This Is why prophecies based
on hog 'supplies have foiled and nre
likely to, fail In the future. National
Stockman.
Pasturing- Clover.
Clover Is Injured when cattle are
permitted on the field when the land
Is very wet. There Is a temptation to
allow cows to use the clover fields
some, but any gain by so doing Is al
ways at tho expense of loss In some
other manner. Cattle do much harm
by tramping; for which reason not
even the pasture should be used until
the grass has made considerable growth.
Close grazing should never be, allowed!
Multiplication of Weeds.
To give some Idea of how weeds
multiply It may be stated that a single
plant of pepper grass will produce 18,
000 seeds; dandelion, 12,000; shep
herd's purse, 37,000; wheat thief, 7,
000; common thistles, 65,000; chamo
mile," 16,000; ragweed, B,000; purs
lalne, 375,000; plantain, 47,000, and
burdock, 43,000. The Importance of not
allowing a single weed to produce seed
cannot be alluded to too frequently.
A single hour's work In destroying
weeds may save weeks of lubor next
season.
J.
Handling; the Young- Horse.
It Is so easy to ruin a young horse
or
let mm lose bis life that It Is a won-
der
people are not more careful. Coun-
try
boys often think It "smart" In
hitch up a green colt and drive to town
the first trip. It looks dashln and
brave, but it Is really senseless. A
rrightened young animal threw Itself
on a paved street of a town tho first
time It was taken there and broke Its
leg. it was bewildered by the noise
and crowds and had never Mt th
touch of harness before. Don't go off
Sunday afternoon Vnnwlnr that
your sons and all the boys In the
neighborhood will hitch up the colt. A
noisy, yelling crowd Is enough to scare
a steady horse, and a young one will
try to Jump out of Its skin when sur-
rounoea oy a lot of youngsters eager
for fun. it may be fun for them, but
the future usefulness of the animal la
ai stake. Richardson, In National
Stockman.
Destroying- Weeds.
There are two ways of comnletelT
destroying weeds. One Is to let them
have the opportunity to grow, and, by
frequently cultivating them, turn them
unacr as rast as they make their ap
pearance; the other being to crowd
them out by growing some crop that
will not give the weeds a chance to
grow. No eyateuj of cultivation will
kill all the weeds If a crop is desired
such as corn for the grass and
weeds will only be kept down so long
as cultivation lasts, especially as corn
is usually "laid by" at a time when
the weeds are producing seeds, thus es
tablishing themselves for the succeed
ing year. As a test of what supposed
clean culture of corn may be, simply
cut down a row of stalks and a row
of weeds will remain. As a single weed
produces thousands of seed, the labor
of destroying the weeds must be re
peated next season.
Grind the Hay and Stover.
Alfalfa meal Is a standard commod
ity on the feed market, yet I see but
little In print as to the results of feed
ing It, but the few dairymen, says L
W. Llghty In National Stockmnn, I
heard speaking about the experience
they had with It seemed very favor
able. A prominent Pennsylvania dairy
man a few days ago told me hit Is
about putting In grinding machinery
that will handle the timothy and mixed
hay and reduce them to a fine ground,
crushed condition. Who ever tried this
practically? Is there any available In
formation In the experiment station re
ports? I would not like to commit my
self, but It seems to me theoretically
that we could do the rougher part of
the chewing cheaper with gasoline or
alcohol power than with cow power. It
has been amply demonstrated that
feeding the cow easily digested feed
saves feed.
Wonders of Concrete.
- nere are some concrete possibilities
You can build concrete foundations.
sidewalks, fences, water troughs, cis
terns, water tanks, shelves, cesspools,
gutters, floors of all kinds In the cellar,
barn and stable, steps and stairs, well
curbs, horse blocks, stalls, hog pens,
troughs, chicken housen, corn cribs. Ice
houses, Incubator cellars, mushroom
cellars, bolted frames, bridge" abut
ments, chimneys, ventllutors, rams,
windmill foundations, fence posts,
clothes posts and hitching posts. There
Is one form where the post and rail
fences and the feed bins are concrete,
and In another even the lattice under
the house piazza and the laundry stove
are made of It CaRes of this kind are
extreme and Impractical, however.
Farming.
Value of Weight In Homes.
Every hundred jiounds odditlonal
weight In the ense of a heavy draft
horse Is worth from 25 to 50 cents
more per hundredweight when making
a snle. A farmer is In position to feed
as cheaply as any professional feeder.
To sell well on the market horses must
bo fat, sleek and well groomed. The
buyers demand fat. If one has time
to give proper exercise and light work,
something may be added to the value
of the horse, and it will be ready to
go right Into the heavy work of a city
buyer. A little additional grooming,
together with blanketing, for a month
will also add a good bit to the sellh'g
price.
Tuberculosis.
When cows are affected with tuber
culosis It Is difficult to discover the
fact In the first stages. The animal
may have a cough or be emaciated,
yet be free from the disease. Veteri
nary surgeons now test them with
tuberculin, which Induces characteris
tic physiological effects, and, although
this test has been accepted by many
yet It has strong opponents, who claim
that It does not fulfill expectations
Should the tuberculin test prove un
reliable the examination of herds for
tuberculosis will be very difficult