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About Lincoln County leader. (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 1908)
The Ahited Qepulchrel X The V V Tale of O Pelec By Will Lev I CoDTrirhf 1ftaV k r , . " ui initio rton Comfort Cop,rt.ht. ,W. b, J. B. Lp,coxt Cokpt. T,, XhU rer.ed ft. CHAPTER VII.-(Continued.) i guess that s right, too. So you had to lock up Stembridge?" "Yes, I found it advisable one day af- .:i iic unn ineu 10 steal the ship whil was asnore in San Juan," Constable xpiaineu ingeniously. "Pm ,ifi rnn came, because it will save'me from taking him back. That is, unless you decide mat i u nave to go back, too. I did play pretty rough with you, but your man uaa me going strong about that time 1 nti'vA 0nf . .1 i . i . . ... st iu amuuwiruge mat nes an artist. Let's get out of this. What do you pian to do r "Go out and get Stembridge, and settl with you." "The word 'settle' usually refers to dollars up in the States," Constable said oelicately. "It doesn't pay to. buck the detective oureau, Constable, and I'm authorized to taite cash for your part this time." "How much?" "Five thousand dollars and expenses' "It costs money to keep you off one's nip. - "I'm Crusoe of the detective bureau, ud I usually go where 1 please," was the dulcet answer. "I'll have to go out to the ship to get so much money," Constable declared re signedly. "I'll have to go out to the ship to get oieniunuge, saiQ Crusoe. "We'll go to aether." "Where are your men?" "I'm working alone this trip." 'You can pick up a couole of pen- darmes to help you, if you think you'll need help," Constable suggested. This was the galvanic instant. Crusoe glanced at him keenly. He had been able to pick no flaw in the moment talk. lie was a shrewd man in his line and schooled, but Constable had rung true. There Is no inclination on the part of the public at large to concede brilliance of acumen to the heirs of mill- Ions, unless the Bparkling quality has been exposed in a strong light. The suggestion concerning the gendarmes, and a last glance into the face of the young man vanquished Crusoe's final doubt. "I can handle Stembridge Tery tidily, caving your moral support," he declared "He's too old a bird to resist arrest when he s once cornered." Just as you say," Constable said swiftly. "Turn your rig about and fol low on. My launch is ahead, at the feugar Landing." It was not until the other was behind and the back of his own carriage shut ting off the view, that Constable realized he had lost his headache, and was drench ed with perspiration. It was now eight, The ladies had agreed to be ready at nine, In case Uncle Joey had returned with the mail by that time. His several er rands must wait. The present matter would take the entire time, and must be done decently and in order. The driver was commanded to make good speed to the launch, which was in readiness. Cru soe dismissed his rig; Constable bade his driver wait, and the two men boarded. "Make her buzz, Ernst," the owner said to the sailor in charge. "I'm expiring for a drink and a mouthful of clean air." Crusoe was deeply interested in the present manifestation of Martinique's cli mate, and was not readily diverted to the subject which challenged his companion. Once launched, however, upon the deal ings of Nicholas Stembridge, alias Hay den Breen, he became fluent, and Con stable learned that his guest was "the .Rajah's Diamond" among the swindlers of civilization. i Stembridge, according to Crusoe, had started a Central American revolution in order to Reize a range of rich silver hills ; had made good, worked the mines, and sold them, a year later, "salted to a brine," to a syndicate of New York capi talists. He had engineered the Yarmouth-Learns oil syndicate which disor dered Londqn financiers for a day. Of these and other Interesting engagements Constable learned as the launch sped across the fouled harbor. "What does thin prince of manipula tors do with all his- money?" he asked finally. "Well, you see," Crusoe replied, "be bos his army to pay, and he must pay the men pretty well, for the rumor is abroad that they would go on the cross for him. And then he is a golden glory of a spendthrift. I've heard that Paris looks for his second coming as for a Mes siah, since he has promised the Tender loin a punch from the Milky Way. Here we are. Perhaps you don't think I was pleased to Bee your craft lying here this morning when I came in on the Pan ther?" "I presume you were," Constable re plied idly. They were on the ship's ladder, Crusoe walking ahead. The sailor above, on the main deck of the Madame, caught a strange gesture from Constable's hand, and a stranger expression from the eye of his owner. The sailor did not under stand exactly, but he stood ready for anything that might occur, and accord ingly made haste to assist when Consta ble sprang forward and pinioned the newcomer about the waist. Crusoe ac cepted bis defeat nervlly, but when his gun was removed and his wrists enclosed for the time being In his own manacles he regarded his captor with eyes of hate, In which a little reproach waa mingled. "What's your lay, Constable J' ht in Comfort or;,, v - quired almost steadily. "You're smarter than I thought, and a deal more crooked." "Listen," the other said hurriedly. "I didn't like to do this, but there wasn't any way out of it. I've got a lot on my mind thl i morning, and you complicated matters. It may be that I'm saving your life. The mountain yonder looks as if he were about to blow his brains out, and I couldn't be interrupted until I got certain ladies safely aboard here from the town. As for the fascinating person you call Stembridge, he may be my guest, and he may not. I'll see you about that later on. He's been square as a plumb-line to me. Y'ou're a good man, Crusoe, and Breen is, too. Your lines are different, that's all. You'll get your five thousand that I promised to-day. Just sit tight, and call for anything you want. We'll be good friends, yet. Captain Negley, have Mr. Crusoe quartered pleas antly aft, and tell Macready to serve him with anything he desires. I'll be back with the ladies in about an hour. You'll of course have the ship keyed for a sprint to Fort de France." Constable hurried down the lndrter, and nn instant later was again in the launch, which was aimed at the low-hanging pall, back of which lay the tortured city. It was now twenty-five minutes tb nine. He could make the plantation house slightly after the hour. It was but a moment from the pier to the carriage, and then the half-strangled ponies struggled gallantly through Bue Victor Hugo and up the morne toward the plantation house. Uncle Joey's rig was at the gate, good evidence that the mails had been brought. - Constable entered the house hastily at ten minutes past nine. There was a word of cheer upon his lips. No one was in the library or the music room ; no one but a maid servant was on the lower floor. She was gathering up the litter of broken envelopes and newspaper wrap pings upon the library table. Constable imagined that the maid servant regarded him strangely. He ran to the stairway and called : "Are you almost ready, ladies?" He heard footsteps above and low voices ; then a door opened and Mrs. Stansbury crossed the upper hall and appeared at the head of the stairway. Al ready he was filled with a confusion of alarms. "Pardon me for calling you, but every thing is ready as soon as you can come." "We are not going on your yacht, Mr. Constable," the elder woman said coldly. He sprang up the stairs and faced her in the dim light. Two or three times in his life he had become cold like this, some trait of his Jjreed equipping him with an outward calm, when the issue of the moment was won or lost, but lifted from his hands. "What is the latest difficulty, please?" "I would rather not discuss the mat ter, Mr. Constable." v "May I speak with Miss Stansbury?" It was not given to the mother to ac cede or refuse, for the door behind her was opened and the giri stood In the aper ture, her anguished eyes intent upon him. "I returned to announce that every thing is ready," he said quietly, "and your mofrher tells me that you are not going." "No, we are not going," she repeated in a lifeless voice. , "Is it too much for me to ask why?" She did not answer at once, but seemed trying to penetrate his brain with her eyes. "Then, you have not seen the New York papers?" she said. "You may have this. Ihe others are below. She handed him the front page of a daily journal, dated three weeks before. His own name was there, and not in honor. When he looked Up from the pa per the door was shut. Constable went below. "Where is Mr. Wall?" he dully inquir ed of the maid servant. "He went out to the plantation, sir. immediately upon bringing in the mails." "Where is Mr. Breen?" "He went down to the city, sir." Constable left the house and walked rapidly out the driveway, turning toward Saint Pierre. Here the man's pride In tervened. He had committed a folly, perhaps, but no broad evil. The state ments of the press were farcical. Lara Stansbury should not have allowed her mother and the New York reporters to shake her trust. With reaction piling upon him its most bitter and tragic phases, Peter Constable conceded his fail ure as a lover, and turned to his second ary passion Pelce. CHAPTER VIII. Breen was not wholly unconscious of danger when the large bundle of New York papers was brought with the mails into the library. The ladies had busied themselves over a joint epistle from Mr. Stansbury, and were scanning the front pages of the journals, when a sudden exclamation from Mrs. Stansbury Inti mated the ugly truth. Breen was chang ed from guest to outlaw. Miss Stansbury followed her mother upstairs, the former bearing the paper with her. A second account of the demoralizing Incident was not difficult to find. Breen read the fol lowing hastily: The Madame de Stael, Mr. Peter Con stable's splendid private yacht, cleared for West Indian porta this morning, having on board the young millionaire-owner and, it is alleged, Nicholas Stembridge, N G T O N the notorious revolutionist. idvRinirw and swindling promoter. "The purpose in common of the capi talist and fortune hunter cannot be told. Mr. Constable has figured In the public prints on several occasions, but chiefly through his eccentric ideas of practical philanthropy. So far as is known, he has never before allowed himself to be sub jected fo the attention of the police. It is feared that he will lose at both ends as a result of his present affiliations. "Mr. Constable's friends aver Chat the young millionaire could not have under stood the character of his companion for the voyage, and point out that Nicholas Stembridge, at his best, is a man of fasci nating manners and rre personal accom plishments. It has been added also that Mr. Constable Is of a most impulsive tem perament, and apt to choose his compan ions from queer arteries of society. The young man's innocent intent, however, might more readily be accepted, were it not for the important fact that Nicholas Stembridge, who is known to have been in hiding for several days in New York, was seen on board the de Stael shortly before she sailed ; positively recognized, it Is said, by an astute and reliable mem ber of the local detective force." ' A spirited description of the episode on the Brooklyn pier followed; also a por tion of Nicholas Stembridge's police rec ord. The conservative character of the "paper in which the foregoing appeared led Breen to believe that the account which had fallen into Mrs. Stansbury's hand might be considerably more emblaz oned and embellished. His first thought was that he had become a source of hor ror to the women, and that he must put himself out- of their sight. Breen was not a conscienceless man. A fatalist, a spendthrift, a power that prey ed upon the powers that prey, a polished re,veljer all these he might be, but his blood was clean from the taint of person al treachery. He had come to like Con stable. The friendship was guileless. He had even thought, with a trace of humor in certain moments, that it was worth being called back from the Brooklyn pier for such a large and clear emotion. It is possible that he had never in his life been troubled as now, having brought a vital hurt to the man he wished only to serve. His face showed nothing, not even the heat of the day, as he left the house. His own body had felt all, even the moral dissolution which crawls into the brain to prepare a place for the sinister guest, suicide. The law of cause and ef fect, unable to find any hold upon him self nor inspire any fear this side of death, had linked him with another, and made that other suffer through him. Breen was smitten with the ugliest pun ishment that clean fiber is given to writhe beneath that of seeing a friend beaten to the ground by the rebounding volley of one's own sins. Half way down the Morne d'Orange, he saw Constable's launch turn shoreward from the ship. Constable was probably aboard. Breen wasn't ready yet to meet the man be had hurt. He must think. Moreover, by no means did he ignore the possibility of the Panther bringing one of his logical enemies, nor was he ready to face an .accumulation of consequences in the shape of a man hunter. He turn ed to the right at the base of the morne, and made his way up one of the winding paths to the terraced streets. That his steps led him to the fruit shop, where he had planned not to go again, seemed now but a paltry addition to the incubus which had so suddenly possessed him. At the first terrace he turned and star ed back through the smoke. The launch had just touched the pier at the Sugar Landing. The tall figure of Constable rtepped forth and hastened to the car riage, which was driven rapidly toward the morne. Breen smiled, because it was easier for him to smile than to cry for mercy. Constable was being driven swift ly to the plantation house, where he would find the uclv work that hud hien done there. Mrs. Stansbury would not Board a ship that had been a thief's refuge. Rue de Rivoli was white and empty. The door of the shop was shut but not locked, and the littie round window dark ened with a cloth. Iireen entered, slam ming the door quickly, to keep' out the hot, poisoned air of the street. The dark shop was as empty of humans as the thoroughfare, but a quick step sounded in the rear. Pere Rabeaut entered from the ash-quilted court. "What a day, M. Breen! The birds are dead and dying. Soronia Is ill unto death " "Soronia ill!" Breen said under his breath.' The old man hastened away. At the rear doorway, Soronia pushed by him. Her hair was unfastened, and the loose white garment that she wore was open at the throat. The father stared as if she were a specter. His lips moved, and he turned suddenly to the man standing in front of the shop. She moved toward the American. Her eyes aroused him. The darkness had no power to divest them of expres sion, for the passions were burning there fear lest this was not flesh which filled her gaze; ecstasy in that he was thprp'nt all, in life or death or dream. His act of yesterday had wrought the ghastly pallor j the deathly illness was heart-starvation. She touched his shoulder and his cheek with chilling hands; there fell from her lips strange, low words of no In that he knew. Suddenly she caught his hand to her breast, whispering that she had feared she was dreaming. "What were you dreaming, little one?" he questioned. j "I thought I was dvimr when T Vi,.A your vofce. You said you said you would come no more." "But did I not come, little fnlro Wl could remain away from you?" She seized his fact In her cold hands, whispering, "Do you mean that you will stay?" (To be continued.), . TELEPHONES MOVING TRAINS j Engineer's Cab Connected br Ap j paratnn with Diwpatcher'a Office. It has long been recognized tbnt some moans by which telephone communica tion could be held by train in motion wouM be of great advantage aa an ad junct to the block system. One of the most recent suggestions along this line j is an apparatus invented by an Iowa man, the details of which are shown i In the accompanying illustrations. I A horizontal bar of nietal extends from the side of the tender for Its en tire length. This bar drojvs close to TEl.Kl'HONE IN CAn OF ENGINE. Hie outer rail, making electrical con-, ncctiou with nietal standards set in the ties beside the track. The distance be tween these standards Is a little less than the length of the bar, so that the latter Is always In contact with nt least one of them. A telephone Is mounted in the cab of the locomotive mid con nected through the locomotive wheels and the rails to the dispatcher's sta tion, blockhouse or other point. It will be seen therefore that communication may be had with the train at all iiolnts along the track where the standards are located. These can be placed at the be ginning and end of blwks, or at other points where It would be of advantage to hold communication with the mov ing train. The man who is always nnvinir com pliments to women may be nn awful liar, but he doesn't need any affidavits In that business. When a girl can love on old man it's a sign she can fool him Into thinking It's real. Everybody Is Intolernnt of other ieo- pie s bad habits when he lias different ones of Ills own. A pleasant thing about expecting money is all you can plan to do with It until it comes and your family gets It It's the easiest thing In the world ror n woman to make a man think he Is In love with her unless they are married. If a man had all the money there li In the world lie would blame his luck because there wasn't more. The thing a woman admires nlnrnt her husband's business sagacity Is how nearly successful It sometimes Is. The reason n woman says her pray ers so faithfully is so that If anything goes wrong it won't be her fault. A girl who freckles feels just as phil osophical about them as a man docs about being In a stork market panic New'' York Press. ProblhitUin In Mexico. Is the prohibition sentiment spread ing even to .Mexico? The State of Mor ella has Just enacted a law prohibiting the sale of liquor by the glass to la drunk In the place where It Is bought Liquor may be bought and sold by the bottle only and must be carried away. Many of the states have largely sup pressed gambling of the worst sort by stringent laws nnd faithful enforce ments. High license prevails nearly ev erywhere In cities, and the number of saloons In the various states has bwn greatly curtailed within the last few- years. Police regulations are all the time being made more strict. The statu of Chihuahua enforces very close regu lations. Governor Creel's views on the subject of Intemperance are will known. It Is due mainly to his Initia tive that the state Is one of the most orderly In the republic. The saloons ore well regulated and closed nt rea sonable hours; gambling Is either sup pressed or carried on under close sur veillance, nnd recently the governor even put a stop to the bullfights at the state capital owing to the disorders ac companying them. El Taso Herald. You may think you have a great many friends; how many would stick to you, nnd care for you, If you had smallpox! One I In some countries, notably In tho Russian provinces north of the Cau casus, the sunflower serves other pur poses besides ornamenting gardens with its huge golden bosses. The seeds are used to make oil, which is employed lioth iu the manufacture of soap and in cooking. The stems nnd leaves are burned and the ashes used to make potash. Last year the sunflower fac tories of the Caucasus produced 15,000 tons of potash. There are something over 0,000 varie ties of orchids recognized and described by the authorities in the botanical gar dens of Rio de Janlero. A very largo portion of this list of plants is com posed of varieties which have little or no value from any stnmlioint. Soino varieties are very common, while a grent many of them are rare enough to command from $15 to ?:;0 In Brazil. Other varieties are very rare and tho value of specimens Is mostly fixed by what collectors will pay for them, vary ing greatly from time to time. Probably three-fourths of the orchid-exporting business, in value, is In less than a doz en varieties of the plant. Major Hodder Is an Englishman who baa hixu sundering why the ltarbailoes, alone of the Antilles, are free from ma laria. He thinks It must be beenuso the Ba rim does, alone of the Antilles, nre free from gnnts. But why no gnats? Because of the wild nnd benefi cent profusion of fish called "millions." The millions eat the gnats while they're still larvie. Acting on Major Hodder'a theory, the Jamaicans, the people of Colon and the colonists of British Gui ana Imported millions nnd the gnats vanished. In Africa, where rage the most dendly swamp fevers, millions are employed with Immense success. The same means has been adopted by the Italian government to rid the Rinnan Campngnn of Its Insect foes. Those who love experimentation may try the following method of making a cheap barometer, practiced In France. Take 8 grama of pulverized camphor, 4 grams of pulverized nitrate of otas slum, 2 grams of pulverized nitrate of nmmonla, nnd dissolve In (10 grams of alcohol. Put the whole In a long, slen der bottle closed- at the top with a piece of bladder containing a pin-hole to admit the air. When rain Is coming, the solid particles will tend gradually to mount, little star crystals forming In the liquid, which otherwise remains clear; If high winds are approaching, the liquid will become thick, as If fer menting, while n film of solid particles forms on the surface; during fair weather the liquid will remain clear and the solid particles will rest nt the bottom. Since tho colliery explosions nt Courrteres, in France, nnd the more recent disasters In the United States and elsewhere, a public demand hns been awakened In Europe for some kind of organized rescue work In connection with nilnes. In Austria and France provision of rescue apparatus In nilnes Is made compulsory. In Germany It Is optional, but has been voluntarily adopted. In Russia where over fifty men nre employed In one mine It Is pro vlded that "every colliery must hnve a rescue corps trained to work in irre splrnble gases," that "the number of men In each corps must lie equivalent to 4 ier cent of those engaged In the largest pit or shaftwork" and "that the number of c pletely equipped sets of breathing apparatus nt each colliery must 'not be less than three." SCHOOLROOM FURNITURE. Combined Aillimtuble l)eU. rimla a ml Receptacle for Hooka, Kto. Few parents realize how uncomfort able nre the desks and seats provided for children In the public schools, or they would en deavor to Influ ence the direct ors to substitute others of up-to-date construc tion and design ed with some idea of assuring ease to the pu pils while work ing. A combined desk, chair aW receptacle PKSK ANDCHA1H. designed along the proper lines is shown here, patented by nn Alabnmii man. The desk Is adjustable, so also are the chair and the receptacle, the latter providing n convenient place at the side of the chair on which to placo the books, papers nnd similar articles. Both the desk and the chair enn be nd Justed to nccommodnte children of va rying degrees. All three of the parts nre connected by Iron bnrs. so that they cannot bo enslly sepnrn ted' after once adjusted. A woman's Idea of a perfectly nwrul thing Is to have some one call when sh is washing her hai
