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