TJte THIRD
DEGREE
cA- Narrative
cTVlctropolitan
Life
Bv CHART.FQ wt riM j
" fa All OUU
ARTHUR HORNBLOW
ILLUSTRATIONS BY RAT WALTERS
(Copjrljilit, WW. bj u. w. Ulllingium CompanjJ
, SYNOPSIS.
Howard Jeffries, banker's son, under
tne evil influence of Robert Underwood,
fellow-student at Yale, leads a life of dis
sipation, marries the daughter of a gam
bler who died In prison, and is disowned
by his father. Ha is out of work and In
desperate straits. Underwood, who had
once been engaged to Howard's step
mother, Alicia, is apparently In prosper
ous circumstances. Taking advantage of
nis Intimacy with Alicia, he becomes a
sort of social highwayman. Discovering
Ms true character. Alicia denies him the
house. He sends her a note threatening
ulcide. Art dealers for whom he acted
as commissioner, demand an accounting.
He cannot make good. Howard calls at
' nls apartments in an intoxicated condi
tion to request a loan of $2,000 to enable
nlm to take up a business proposition.
Howard drinks himself into a maudlin
condition, and goes to sleep on a divan.
A caller Is announced and Underwood
draws a screen around the drunken
rleeper. Alicia enters. She demands a
promise from Underwood that he will not
lake his life. He refuses unless she will
renew her patronage. This she refuses,
and takes her leave. Underwood kills
himself. The report of the pistol awa
kens Howard. He finds Underwood dead.
Howard is turned over to the police.
Capt. Clinton, notorious for his brutal
treatment of prisoners, puts Howard
through (he third decree, and finally gets
an alleged confession from the harassed
man. Annie. Howard's wife, declares her
belief in ner husband's Innocence, and
calls on Jeffries, Sr. He refuses to help
unless she will consent to a divorce. To
save Howard she consents, but when she
finds that the elder Jeffries does not in
tend to stand by his son, except finan
cially, she scorns his help. Annie appeals
to Judge Brewster, attorney for Jeffries,
Sr., to take Howard's case. He declines.
It la reported that Annie is going on the
stage. The banker and his wife call on
Judge Brewster to IH4 some way to pre
vent It. Annie again pleads with Brew
ster to defend Howard. He con
sents. Alicia is greatly alarmed
when she learns from Annie that
Brewster has taken the case. She con
fesses to Annie that she called on Under
wood the night of his death, and that she
has his letter In which lie threatened sui
cide, but begs for time before giving out
the Information. Annie promises Brew
ster to produce the missing woman at a
meeting at his home. Brewster accuses
Clinton of forcing a confession from
Howard. Annie appears without the wit
ness and refuses to give the name. Alicia
arrives. Capt. Clinton declares Annie has
tricked them. Alicia hands him Under
wood's letter. Annie lets Clinton believe
the letter was written to her. She is ar
rested. CHAPTER XIX.
The Jeffries case suddenly entered
Into an entirely new phase, and once
more was deemed of sufficient public
Interest to warrant column after col
umn of spicy comment in the news
papers. The town awoke one morn
ing to learn that the long-sougbt-for
witness, the mysterious woman on
whose testimony everything hinged,
had not only been found.but proved
to be the prisoner's own wife, who
had been so active in his defense.
This announcement was stupefying
enough to overshadow all other news
of the day, and satisfied the most
Jaded palate for sensationalism.
The first question asked on all sides
was: Why bad not the wife come for
ward before? The reason, as glibly
explained by an evening journal of
somewhat yellow proclivities, was log
ical enough. The telling of her mid
night visit to a single man's rooms
involved a shameful admission which
any woman might well hesitate to
make unless forced to it as a last
extremity. Confronted, however, with
the alternative of either seeing her
husband suffer for a crime of which
he was Innocent or making public ac
knowledgment of her own frailty, she
had chosen the latter course. Nat
urally, ii meant divorce from the bank
er's son, and undoubtedly this was the
solution most wished for by the family.
The whole unsavory affair conveyed a
good lesson to reckless young men of
wealth to avoid entangling them
selves in undesirable matrimonial ad
ventures. But it was no less certain,
went on this Journalistic mentor, that
this wife, unfaithful as she had proved
herself to be, had really rendered her
husband a signal service In her pres
ent scrape. The letter she had pro
duced, written to her by Underwood
the day belore his death, in which he
stated his ' determination to kill him
self, was, of course, a complete vindi
cation for the man awaiting trial. His
liberation now depended only on how
quickly the ponderous machinery of
the law could take cognizance, of this
new and most important evidence. '
The new turn of affairs was nat
urally most distasteful to the police.
If there was one thing more than
another which angered Capt. Clinton it
was to take the trouble to build up a
case only to have It suddenly demol
ished. He scoffed at the "suicide let
ter," safely committed to Judge Brew
ster's custody, and openly branded It
as a forgery concocted by an Immoral
woman for the purpose of defeating
Abe ends of Justice. He kept Annie a
prisoner and defied the counsel for
tne defense to do their worst Judge
Brewster, who loved the fray, accept
ed the challenge. He acted promptly.
He secured Annie's release on habeas
corpus proceedings and, his civil suit
against the city having already begun
in the courts, he suddenly called Capt
Clinton to the stand' and gave him
a grilling which more than atoned for
any which the police tyrant had pre
viously made his victims suffer. In
the limelight of a sensational trial. In
which public servants were charged
with abusing rjosltiona of trust, ha
showed Capt Clinton up as a bully and
a grafter, a bribe-taker, working hand
and glove with dishonest politicians,
not hesitating even to divide loot with
thieves and dive-keepers in his greed
for wealth. He proved him to be a
consummate liar, a man who would
stop at nothing to gain his own ends.
What Jury would take the word of
such a man as this? Yet this was the
man who still insisted that Howard
Jeffries was guilty of the shooting
of Robert Underwood!
But nubile oninlon was too Intelli
gent to be hoodwinked for any length
of time by a brutal and Ignorant po
liceman. There was a clamor for the
prisoner's release. The evidence was
such that further delay was inexcus
able. The district attorney, thus
urged, took an active interest in the
case, and after going over the new evi
dence with Judge Brewster, went be
fore the court and made formal ap
plication for the dismissal of the com
plaint. A few days later Howard Jef
fries left the Tombs amid the cheers
of a crowd assembled outside. At his
side walked his wife, now smiling
through tears of joy.
It was a glad home-coming to the
little flat in Harlem. To Howard, aft
er spending so long a time In the
narrow prison quarters, it seemed like
paradise, and Annie walked on air, so
delighted was she to have him with
her again. Yet there were still anxi
eties to cloud their hanniness. The
close confinement, with its attendant
worry, had seriously undermined How
ard's health. He was pale and atten
uated, and so weak that he had sev
eral fainting spells. Much alarmed,
Annie summoned Dr. Bernstein, who
administered a tonic. There was noth
ing to cause anxiety, he said, reas
surlngly. It was a natural reaction
after what her husband had under
gone. But it was worry as much
as anything else. Howard worried
about his father, with whom he was
only partially reconciled; he worried
aDout nis future, which was as pre
carious as ever, and most of all he
worried about his wife. He was not
ignorant of the circumstances which
had brought about his release, and
while liberty was sweet to him, it had
been a terrible shock when he first
heard that she was the woman who
had visited Underwood's rooms.' He
refused to believe her sworn evidence.
How was It possible? Why should she
go to Underwood's rooms knowing he
was there? It was DreDosterous. Still
the small voice rang in his ears per
haps shes untrue! It haunted him
till one day he asked point-blank for
an explanation. Then she told that
she had perjured herself. She was not
the woman. Who she really was she
could not say. He must be satisfied
for the present with the assurance
that it was not his wife. With that
he was content. What did he ears for
the opinion of others? He knew that
was enough! In their conversation on
the subject Annie did not even men
tion Alicia's name. Why should she?"
Weeks passed, and Howard's health
did not improve. He had tried to find
a position, but without success, yet
every day brought Its obligations
which had to be met One morning
Annie was bustling about their tlnv
dining room preparing the table for
their frugal luncheon. Shu had just
placed the rolls and butter on the
table, and arranged the chairs, when
there came a ring at the front door
bell. Early visitors were not so in
frequent as to cause surprise, so, with
out waiting to remove her apron, she
went to the door and opened it Dr.
Bernstein entered.
"Good morning, Mrs. Jeffries," he
said, cheerily. Putting down his medi
cal bag, he asked: "How is our pa
tient this morning?"
"All right, doctor. He had a splen
did night's rest. I'll call him."
"Never mind, I want to talk to you."
Seriously, he went on: "Mrs. Jeffries,
your husband needs a change of scene.
He's worrying. That fainting spell the
other day was only a symptom. I'm
afraid he'll break down unless "
"Unless what?" she demanded, anx
iously. He hesitated for a moment, as if un
willing to give utterance to words he
knew must inflict pain. Then he
quickly continued:
"Your husband Is under a great
mental strain. His Inability to sup
port you,- his banishment from, his
proper sphere in the social world is
mental torture to him. He feels his
position keenly. There is nothing else
to occupy his mind but thoughts of
his utter and complete failure in lire.
I was talking to his father last night
and"
"And what?" she demanded, draw
ing herself up. She suspected what
was coming, and nerved herself to
meet it
"Now, don't regard me as an enemv.
said the doctor in a conciliatory
tone. "Mr. Jeffries Inquired after his
son. Believe me, he's very anxious.
He knows he did the boy a great in
justice, and he wants to make up
for it."
"Oh, tie does?" she exclaimed, sar
castically. Dr.Bernstein hesitated for a moment
before replying. Then he said, lightly:
Suppose Howard goes abroad for a
few. months with his father and
mother?"
"Is that the nroDoaltlnn?" aha
manded.
The doctor nodded.
"I believe Mr. Jeffries has
spoken about it to his son," he said.
Annie choked back a snb and trnafl.
ing the room to conceal her emotion,
stood with her back turned, looking
out of the window. Her voice was
trembling as she said:
He wants to separate us. I know.
He'd give half his fortune to do it.
remaps he s not altosethpr
Thing3 do look pretty black for m
don't they? Everybody believes that
my going to see Underwood that night
had something to do with his milcidn
and led to my husband being falsely
accused. I ne police built up a fine ro
mance about Mr. Underwood and me
and the newspapers! Every other
day a reporter comes and asks us
when the divorce Is going to take
place and who Is going to institute
the proceedings, Howard or me. If
everybody would only mind their own
business and let us alone he might
forget Oh, I don't mean you, doctor.
You're my friend. You made short
work of Capt Clinton and his confes
sion.' I moan people outsiders
strangers who don't know us, and
don't care whether we're alive or dead;
those are the people I mean. They
buy. a one-cent paper and they think
It gives them the right to pry into
every detail of our lives." She paused
for a moment, and then went on: "So
you think Howard is worrying? I
think, so, too. At first I thought it
was because of the letter Mr. Under
wood wrote me, but I guess it's what
Placed the Rolls and Butter on the
Table.
you say. His old friends won't have
anything to do with him and he's
lonely: Well, I'll talk it over with
him"
"Yes talk It over with him."
"Did you promise his father you'd
ask me?" she demanded.
"No not exactly," he replied, hesi
tatingly.
Annie looked at him frankly.
"Howard's a Drettv eood fellow to
stand by me In the face of all that's
being said about my character, Isn't
he, doctor? And I'm not going to
stand in his lieht. even if it doesn't
exactly make me the happiest woman
in the world, but don't let it trickle
into your mind that I'm doing it for
nis lather s sake.
At that moment Howard entered
from the inner room. He was sur
prised to see Dr. Bernstein.
"How do you feel to-day?" asked the
doctor.
"First rate! Oh, I'm all right You
see, I'm just going to eat a bite. Won't
you Join us?"
He sat down at the table and picked
up the newspaper, while Annie busied
herself with carrying in the dishes.
"No, thank you," laughed the doctor.
"It's too early for me. I've only Just
had breakfast. I dropped in to see
how you were." Taking up his bag,
he said: "Good-by! Don't get up. I
can let myself out."
But Annie had already opened the
door for him, and smiled a farewell.
When she returned to her Beat at the
head of the table, and began to pour
out the coffee, Howard said:
"He's a pretty decent fellow, isn't
he?"
"Yes," she replied, absent-mindedly,
as she passed a cup of coffee. .
"He made a monkey of r.ant run.
ton all right," went on Howard. "What
did he come for? "
"To see you of course." she re
plied.
"Oh, I'm all right now," he replied.
Looking anxiously at his wife across
the table, he said: "You're the one
that needs tuning up. I heard you
crying last night You thought I was
asleep, but I wasn't. I didn't say any
thing because well I felt kind of
blue myself."
Annie sighed and lecned her head
"Jlir&ifiLtSSJ.lHER DAY OF TRIUMPH
- iu wo T
been through together, and what
they're saying about us "
Howard threw down his newspaper
Impatiently.
"Let them say what they like. Why
should we care as long as we're
happy?"
His wife smiled sadly.
"Are we happy?" she asked, gently.
"Of course we are," replied How
ard. She looked up and smiled. It was
good to hear him say so, but did he
mean it? Was she doing right to
stand In the way of his career? Would
he not be happier If she left him? He
was too loyal t,o suggest it. but per
haps In his heart he desired it. Look
ing at him tenderly, she went on:
"f don't question your affection for
me, Howard. I believe you love me
but I'm afraid that, sooner or later'
you'll ask yourself the question all
your friends are asking now, the ques
tion everybody seems to be asking."
"What question?" demanded How
ard. "Yesterday the bell rang and a gen
tleman said he wanted to see you. I
told hlra you were out, and he said
I'd do Just as well. He handed me a
card. On it was the name of the news
paper he represented."
"Well?"
"He asked me if it were true that
proceedings for a divorce were about
to be instituted. If so, when? And
could I give him any information on
the subject? I asked hi in U'hn wnntnit
the information ,and he said the read
ers of his paper the people I believe
he said over a million of them. Just
think, Howard! Over a million reo-
ple, not counting your father, your
friends and relations, all waiting to
know why you don't cut rid nf mo.
why you don't believe me to be as bad
as they think I am"
Howard raised his hand for her
to desist
"Annie please!" he pleaded.
"That's the fact, Isn't It?" she
laughed.
"No."
His wife's head dropped on the table.
She was crying now.
"I've made a hard fight, Howard,"
she sobbed, "but I'm going to give up.
I'm through I'm through!"
Howard took hold of her hand and
carried It to his lips.
"Annie, old girl," he said, with some
feeling, "I may be weak, I may be
blind, but nobody on top of God's green
earth can tell me that von 'ro not tho
squarest, stralghtest little woman that
ever lived! I don't care a damn what
one million or eight million think.
Supposing you had received letters
from Underwood, supposing you had
gone to his rooms to beg him not to
kill himself what of it? It would be
for a good motive, wouldn't it? Let
them talk all the bad of you they want
I don't believe a word of it you know
I don't."
She looked up and smiled through
her tears.
"You're so good, dear," she ex
claimed. "Yes, I know you believe in
me." She stopped and continued, sad
ly: "But you're only a boy. you know.
What of the future, the years to
come?" Howard's face became se
rious, and she went on: "You see
you've thought about it, too, and you're
trying to Hide It from me. But you
can't. Your father wants you to go
abroad with the family."
"Well?"
(TO BR CONTINUED.)
A Potythelst "
"When the late Blshon Fobs wan
president of Amenla seminary," said
an aged Methodist of Philadelphia, "I
once heard him deliver an Interesting
Easter address on heathenism and
Idolatry.
"Bishop Fobs showed us. with a lit.
tie story, the bad effect that the many
gods of polytheism has upon the mind.
"He said a little English boy living
In India, was rebuked by his mother
for telling a falsehood.
"'God, if you tell falsehoods, will
be very angry with you,' said the
mother.
"'Very well,' the youngster an
swered. 'Then I will change my
god.' "
Recovery of Lost Standards.
A curious experiment was once
made to determine whether a lost
standard could be recovered by purefy
personal efforts. The assumption was
made that the standard of length was
lost One hundred operatives and oth
ers accustomed to dealing with meas
urements were asked to give by esti
mate their ideas of what the given
standard was-r-in other words, to
guess at length of th,e meter. It was
found that the guesses were most ac
curate for lengths of about six Inches
that small lengths were underesti
mated and larger ones were overesti
mated. Taking the average of the
100 subjects the result varied but
few one thousandths from the tiuti-
Not Our Language.
"Your wife says your youngest baby
can talk."
"Yes," answered Mr. Bllgglns. with
slight hesitation. "Rut be appears
to take naturally to something like
Volapuk or Ecpiramo
SOCIAL FUNCTIONS IN HONOR OF
THE GIRL GRADUATE.
Here Are a Few Seasonable Dishes for
Such Occasions Cold Chicken
Bouillon Always a Part Good
Combination Salad.
Just as the new bride is feted with
little social functions of all sorts, so
Is the girl graduate given her own
special festivity. One of the prettiest
social functions given In her honor is
a pretty luncheon, to which ere Invited
all the girls of her class. If there are
twelve maids. a long table will be used,
but with a numerous company a num
ber of round tables are preferred. The
tables are got up in a very "partyfled"
manner dainty china, a profusion of
flowers, burnished silver and sparkling
glasses giving them quite a wedding
air. New favors for these charming
functions are small, stiff bouquets
made up like the old bridal nosegays.
The flowers for these are artificial, the
daintiest that can be had, and about
the paper horn that holds them there
Is a frill of some pretty cheap lace.
The long stem of the bouquet Is
wrapped with tinfoil. The menu of
the banquet may be as grand or as sim
rle as one considers consistent with
such gala fixings, but the usual spread
includes some delicate appetizer, bouil
lon, an entree In season, broiled spring
chicken, i. green salad, Ices and cake.
Salted almonds or peanuts and little
dishes of bonbons are scattered over
the tables.
Here are a few recipes for seasona
ble dishes for such functions:
Cold Chicken Bouillon. Get good
roasting chickens and remove , skin
and fat when cleaning them. Put them
on In cold water, adding at the same
time one leek to each chicken, two
tender carrots, one onion and a SDriir
o; parsley. Let the chicken barely
simmer until it falls to racs. Take It
off the fire, remove superfluous grease
and then strain. Clarify the bouillon
wun tne whites and shells of two eggs
and then strain amain. Put on the
Ire until needed and serve In broad tin
teacups or, better still, bouillon cups.
Many persons prefer the bouillon hot.
Combination Salad. Wash a head of
romalne salad in several cold waters.
Then take large shears and strip the
leaves Into pieces about an Inch wide.
Clip green peppers In the same way,
cutting tnese almost to threads. Put
these in a large bowl, add some canned
asparagus tips carefully drained nf
liquid, two tablespoonfuls of chopped
chives, and four tender beets cut in
thin slices, and then throw in the ten
der hearts of two bunches of celery,
these split into four. Use French
dressing, olive oil, aalt, pepper and
lemon Juice. This salad should be
kept cold as Ice before serving.
Salted Almonds. Shell two pounds
of almonds and then boll them five
minutes; remove skins while still
warm. ThIs Is how the almonds are
blanched. As soon as they are peeled,
sprinkle lightly with fine table salt
Lightning Cake.
Melt in a cup one-third cun of but
ter. then drop into that two eees. Fill
a cup of rich milk and beat into one
up sugar which has been sifted
with one and two-thirds cuds of flour.
3ne teaspoon of cream of tartar, one-
aalf teaspoon of soda, one-third tea.
spoori of salt Flavor with one-third
teaspoon each of lemon and vanilla.
Add more flour or milk if needed to
make the right consistency.
Brown Bread.
Two tablespoons butter or drlnninr
bait cup brown sugar, two tablespoons
molasses, add a Dlnch of nit tvn
cups of sour milk or buttermilk, one
CUP- flour Sifted With One teannnnn
soda, three cups graham flour. If de
sired, add one egg, beaten, at the
last
Left-Overs Used.
Use the left-over potato from a nr.
vioua dinner in cakes with a smaller
cake of sausage on top and bake un
til they are brown. The sausage sold
loose at good markets is most can.
venlent for the cakes. The potato
should be mashed and seasoned with
a. little butter, salt and DeDner nn.
housekeeper uses a little bacon fat
In place of butter on the potato. Left-
jver nsn may be flaked, covemd with
sream and mixed with eratod Ameri
can cheese and be heated In the oven
and served on toast
All Fixed.
"So," said her Indulgent father,
'young Mr. Nervey wants to taka vn
away from me."
"Oh! yes," replied the dear girl,
but he says he'll bring me back nti
the wedding Journey. He has decided
that we shall board with
Catholic Standard and Times. .
Use for Milk Cans.
Forty-quart milk cans are vr
renient ror keeping flour, etc. In if
rou happen to have one that la nm i.
use for any other purpose.