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About Ashland tidings. (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919 | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1915)
f Thursday, March 23, 1915 A cur jvn irmivna " PACK BKVKM A Great Mystic Story by Harold McGrath Copyright, 1914, by Harold McGrath. SYNOPSIS. Zudora Is left an orphan at an early age. Her father is killed In a gold mine. Zudora and the fortune from the mine, which grows to be worth J20.000.000, are Jeft In the guardianship of Frank Keene, Zudora's mother's brother, who has set himself up as a Hindu mystic and Is known as HasBam All. He decides that Zudora must die before she can have a chance to come Into possession of her money, so that It may be left to him, the next of kin. Hassam Alt sees an obstacle to his scheme In the person of John Storm, a young lawyer, for whom Zu dora has taken a fancy, and he com mands the girl to put the man out of her mind. Zudora Insists that if she cannot marry Storm she will marry m one. "Well, well," says Hassam All, "solve my next twenty cases and you can marry him; fall In a single case and you must renounce him." Zudora unravels a mystery and wins her first case a case in which John Storm is saved from being convicted of a murder instigated by Hassam Ali himself. Zudora and HaBsam All visit Nabok Shan's house, where sleep overcomes ev ery one whenever Nabok attempts to mar ry a princess. Storm, seeking Zudora. is made a prisoner. Zudora foils Nabok Shan, restores the princess to her original lover and saves Storm from death. A maker of diamonds tells Hassam All his secret. Storm informs Zudora that hla life Is being attempted frequently. Storm suspects Hassam AIL Storm s arrested for stealing the diamond maker's gems, but Zudora discovers the real thieves a pair of mice. The negro help employed on Storm's father's farm are fleeing because a great skeleton hand appears at night upon a hill near by. Storm is baffled In his In vestigation, but Zudora learns that her uncle has employed Jimmy Bolton, a half wltted man. thus to annoy Storm's par ents. Zudora finds Bolton operating a big magic lantern and la attacked by him. Storm appears and saves her. Hassam Ali asks Zudora to find a gem lost by two mysterious old men. Zudora eels a photograph of the gem and It bums in her hand. An old house is mined by Hassam All and the old men. Storm and Zudora are lured there and narrowly es cape destruction when the house blows up. John McWInter, endeavoring to trap and kill George Smith, is killed himself, and Smith Is charged with murder. Hassam All conspires to have John Storm meet the same fate as McWInter, and he and Storm are overcome by powerful fumes. Zudora saves tbem. proves that McWln ter's own dog trapped and killed him and saves Smith from a band of lynchers. An Inventor blows up a submarine with a powerful heat ray which he sends through water. Hassam All sends Zudora to a photographer directly beneath the In ventor's laboratory and orders the In ventor to kill her. Zudora gets a warning, and her life is saved. The heat ray ma chine is destroyed, and the photographer, after a quarrel with Hassam Ali, Is found dead In the river. Wu Chang prevents Zudora's elopement with John Storm by hypnotizing her, and he and Hassam All attempt to smuggle her out of the country. This plot is frus trated by Storm. Baird, Hassam All's double, falls in love with Zudora. Haird and Mme. Du Val kidnap Zudora, and the Van Wick child. Sturm rescues them, and Hassam All dies. With Hassam All dead Zudora Is releas ed of her pledge to solve twenty cases. She confronts, however, tho greatest mys tery of all, which is the mystery of her own life, and the ambition to secure the vast fortune of JX.OOO.OUO left to her. This great photo serial Is being shown in the lending moving picture theaters by the Thunhouser Film Corporation. Among those participating are Marguerite Snow, Mary Elizabeth Forbes, James Craze, in the new role of reporter-hero, Sidney Bracey and Frank Farrington. On looking through her uncle's papers Zudora finds' that her father left her an interest In a diamond mine, and Storm and Baird both lend assistance in trying to regain fur her possession of this es tate which Is being appropriated by rogues' under the leadership of Mmo. Du Val. They plan to frighten Zudora so that she will run away. Failing, they kidnap Zudora and Howard, the mine superintendent, and put them in a private insane asylum. Howard dies, but Zu dora, nearly famished. Is rescued by Storm and his friends. Detective Hunt and Baird find the Zudora gold mine. Mrs. Copland's lewels are stolen, but recovered through the cleverness of Hunt and Baird. CHAPTER XVI. The Battle at the Bridge. ONE bright, keen winter day Zu dora and Mrs. Ramsay gut in the former's room discussing the malignancy of tbe Btur that hovered over Zudora's destiny. If only she might And oue bit of com plete evidence against her enemies or. Borne document to fully uphold her claims! She could do uothlng at court with these fragments, these half sheets. Possesslou was nine points In law, nud It did not require John Storm's legal ndvlce to couvluce her of this fact. ' Jf Hassam Alt had not Been a thor ough miser all valuable papers would hare been deposited In the deposit bos ' at the bank. More and more she be enme convinced lhat her uncle bad bnd sinister designs upon her life; lhat he had Ix-en maneuvering to get her out if tbe way so Unit he might control the entire fortune. All sbo wanted was to be mind free. Well, sooner or Inter something would rum up. some work able plun. Three such men as Storm Baird and Hunt would find a chink tn the enemy's armor. ' "I'm going to look through that old trunk ngnln." Zudora declared, rising "Come and help me." So the two of them dragged out tbe trunk nnd went through everything re ligiously, go thoroughly that a moth could not have escaped. Protruding from n torn place In the lining Zudora enme upon a sheet of paper She stud led the pothooks from all angles, but could make nothing of If. However. he In Id it aside for Storm's appraisal. What puzzled her as much as any' thing was the fact that the spurious claimants had the law on their side. Where had they secured their back ing? How had they learned that there existed documents, that there were gold and diamond mines? Hassam All certainly had not confided these facts to tbem. "There is nothing but this sheet with the pothooks," she declared finally. "1 can't make anything out of it" "You poor child! Why don't you marry your sweetheart nnd have dono with all this? He has plenty for both." "That isn't it, Mrs. Rnmsny. I come from a fighting stock, and I will never 9 W- i "1 "Why don't ,ou marry your sweet heart ? give up this tight until I am beaten." She glanced at tbe clock. "It is time John was here. Why not come along with us? The skating will be fine." "I haven't had skates on In an age,'' protested Mrs. Ramsay. "That won't matter; all the more fun for you," insisted Zudora. "You're a strange girL" "In what way?" "Why, you can throw off your bur dens so quickly, without apparent ef fort." "1 do not throw them off; I merely refuse to let them dampen what pleas ure 1 can get out of life." Zudora ran to a. window. "There be is now! He's just as patient and kindly as he can be. And there's a bos under bis arm. I'll wager It's hothouse violets. He never forgets the fact that I love flowers." She did not notice the two men loiter ing on the opposite side of the street, Radcliffe and Gyp the gun man. Storm came in. bis eyes clear nnd his checks full of color. He was bubbling with cheer. "All aboard! The Ice will be just splendid. Here's a Lunch of violets for you, sweetheart." "Thank you. John." Zudora pinned the flowers ngalnst her waist. "You are very thoughtful, after all the trou ble I have caused you." "riffle! What man wouldn't be thoughtful if he had you always tn 7 A A V - i I mm 5 VP 1 iM 'Hera's a bunch of violets for you, sweetheart." mud? What's this? Been rummaging around in the old trunk again? Find anything?" "Nothing but this sheet of paper." John took It "Why, It looks like a map or plan of a mine!" "A map?" chorused Zudora and Mrs. Ramsay. "And 1 didn't know what It could he!" exclaimed Zudora. "I'll wnger 1t!s some data regarding the boundaries of the diamond mine In Africa. Anyhow, I'd hnng on to it It may be worthless, and ngnln it may have value. Tut It back In the trunk. Mr rule 1m. never throw ownv nnv crnp of pnier you do not thoroughly j understand. Whenever I sign a con tract I go to a brother lawyer to see if he gets the same points I do. Put It back into the trunk nnd come along. It's glorious out of doors today." W?ai1 Radcliffe and Gyp the gun man saw the three depart for the skating pond the former instructed the gun man to remain on the watch and to whistle In case of danger. He himself was determined to enter tbe bouse and have a thorough look into Zudora's room. He found an unlocked window In the rear, and through this be enter ed the house. Everybody was out, In cluding the servant, lie could not have found a better opportunity. He knew where Zudora's room was, having once made a midnight visit to It Tbey had tricked him out of a fine lot of gems, and he had not yet re covered from the chagrin of this fact. To this day be had not the least idea where they had bidden the stones. He was certain that the gems were not in the house at present Doubtless they had been disposed of secretly. The first thing that welcomed bis gaze was the battered old trunk. The scorched leather at once convinced bim that this had come from the house of Hassam All. He knelt beside It and threw back the lid. He eyed curiously the spangles and mulle of tbe old cir cus days. But the folded sheet of pa per Interested him far more. And when he spread It out and discovered that it was practically a complete sur vey of the mine in Africa he was de lighted. He already knew the defines of the African property. So far as he wns concerned It wns of no Intrinsic value, but it would eventunlly be valuable to Zudora. So he stuffed It into bis pocket nnd went on with his search. Then he came upon the false bottom to tbe trunk, and here he found the documents which completed the case. He laughed. With these in bis possession Zudora would lose her case In any court in Americn. What a find! Neither the girl nor her advisers had ever thought to thoroughly investigate tbe battered old leather trunk! He was In high feather when he stole out of the Ramsay house. He bad made a great find. He was legally master of millions. It would be a sim ple case of manufacturing a will of prior date to Zudora's, upon old legal cap, with the notary's senl of some old chap who hnd died in Montana. It would be very easy now that he bad all the documents in the case. Mme. Du Val would be pleased, so pleased that she might lend a more willing ear to his pleas. They had had this trunk all these weeks and had not thought to sound it for a false bottom. That was supreme luck. He felt more and more s if J He Knelt Beside It and Threw Back the Lid. assured of bis star as he rejoined Gyp. Millions, luxury, all bis cravings to be gra tilled! And Zudora, flying across the smooth, glistening surface of tho pond, began to have hopes that her star had reach ed Its nndi uid was once more ascend ing toward the zenith. Well, perhaps It was. Tho sunshine, the exhilaration of tbe sport, the nearness of one be loved, these would have set cheer Into many a heart darker than Zudora's. When tho three of them returned to Mrs. Ramsay's tbe latter served tea, and for an hour it was a happy family. Then Storm remembered the survey map. "You'd better let me have thnt nnd lock It up in my sufe," ho suggested. "You never enn tell what will happen these days." But Zudora searched tho lenther trunk from top to bottom in vain. "That's funny! You saw me put it on the top tray?" "I did." snld Storm gravely, ne went about the room examining the windows. He left the two women and went downstairs. On the linoleum In tho kitchen he saw muddy tracks. That was enough. "Some one has been here during our absence," he declared on returning to Zudoru's room. "Whoever It was has got thnt paper. Evidently I was watched, nnd when we went to the pond the wntcher enme Into the kitchen window. Well, perhnps I'm to blame. I should have put It Into my pocket." Meantime in Detective Hunt's ofllce things were being nrrnnged for the ascendency of Zudoua's star, which wns In truth very low. "Bulrd. I'm going to enter the Du Vnl villa by the fsont dodr this trip." "Whnt do you mean by that?" asked the late Hassam All's double. "I mean that I'm going to enter in a capncliy which will excite mndaui'i vanity There's no womnn alive thnt does not like tho idea of having her likeness perpetuated In oil If done by a celebrated artist." "Thafa true enough," said Baird. "Go on. I'm interested." "Well, I'm going to bo that celebrated artist" . "But, Lord, man, can you paint?" "Well enough to serve my purpose." "You're a man of ninny aurprlses." "Thnt's high praise. You used to be that yourself." "Give me all tho points of tlic game." "Y'ou've heard of Jacques La Fon taine?" "Yes. Just at present he's in the trenches In Alsace." "So I learned. But Mme. Du Vnl will not dig deep so long as I can keep her ' ' J Hunt as Jacques La Fontaine. vanity stirred. Now, then, watch your Uncle Dudley. In ten minutes I'll be the exact counterpart of the painter as he was during his last visit, six months ago. Jle came with splendid Introduc tions, one of which I have. And I've based a neat little forgery on it. Here's La Fontaine's photograph. Keep your eye on me and take a lesson on how to get Into t ho skin of another man. I want to get. Into that villa the worst klud of way. it keeps going through my head thnt there is sonic connection between it and that old Junk hut or garnge we've skylarked In once or twice." "I rcollect the place," observed Bnlrd dryly. "They nearly had mo there one day." Hunt went to work rapidly nnd skill fully and within the stipulated time preenred an appearance that was near enou'li to that of the real artist to fool the ordinary eye. "Great work!" cried Bnlrd. "I tell you what you enter the villa nnd get established, nnd I on my part will see where thnt garage trapdoor leads to." At 1 that afternoon Hunt, armed with his forged introduction, presented himself at the front door of the Iu Vnl villa. He wns ushered In by the pom pous footman. The pernio artist was requested to be seated. Then the foot man took the letter upstairs to. his mis tress, who was more delighted by the letter than the fliTiught of being paint ed. She had met the distinguished Fremli nobleman but twice, and It flattered her grently to believe thai she had been remembered. And, more than tills, the famous artist had once noted her singular beauty nnd never would be happy until he had put It upon c anvas. Thus Hunt's Initial reception wns most eordlnl. Mme. Du Vnl would be A Mme. Du Val Would Be Delighted to Give Him Many Sittings as He Desired. delighted to give him ns many sittings as he desired. Baird met Hunt a short distance from the villa, and the two of them walked toward town. "What luck?" asked the reporter. -"It was tho enslest bit of work 1 ever did. Whuu you tickle n woman's vanity yon blind her. 'm going to put up nt one of the hotels. She might bnve It in her mind to call me up to change the hour of appointment. Tomorrow I'll begin to outline her features. You can take It from me, the ugh, that she'll nevar hnig this portrait anywhere for her friends to see. Whnt I wnnt Is a few minutes alone inside thnt vllln, when they think I'm outside of it That's the ticket, and it may take a wee)i or two to make tho play." Later, when they reached another part of the town, Baird caught Hunt by the arm. "See that old codger ahead of ug?" Hunt nodded. "Well, that's the diamond cutter I told you about. Suppose we run along after him and see where be goes?" The old man led them to his den without so much as n single glance over his shoulder. Hunt agreed to go inside while Bnlrd stood on gunrd out side. Half nn hour inter Hunt rejoined tho reporter. ' "I have seen Cnptnln Rndcliffe go in there," snld Bnlrd, "nnd I've just been thinking hurd." "No!" cried the detective Jestingly. "That bearded man in Montana nnd the cnptnln shape up n good deal alike." "So much alike that I'm certain they are one nnd the same. I've been think ing too. Rut when a fisherman ensts his net he first makes sure that there nre no holes in It. Thnt old lnpldnry's fnce is known to me. Half tbe smug gled gems go to him, but wo can't ar rest the old boy.. It's only logical that If some one brings hi In a stone to cut he cuts it without asking questions. But I'm hanged If I don't stop some of the men who go there. I can't bother with him now. I wnnt Mme. Du Vnl's portrait started." Four days later at half nfter 4 nt the snme moment Zudora nnd Storm set out upon n short automobile trip you could have seen the detective In his velvet Jacket, daubing away ear nestly and with no Inconsiderable suc cess. He could pnint nnd paint well, but he wi8-n man who required ac tion, complexities to untangle, mo bility, and it irked him to sit In a chair for nn hour or two with the odor of pnint making him headachy. Mmo. Du Vnl sat so thnt from the corner of her eye she could watch tho fountain. By and by Hunt lajd aside his pnlcttp. "That will be nil for today. I nra quite sure you nre tired." "Join me with a cup of chocolate," she said amiably. While they were sipping tho choco late the fountain Jet reversed, nunt it r- ...r i fa) 4 1 v- XH . 'lWr Lr.vJ ff.' 4j Cautiously tho Dctectivd Re-entered. pretended not to notice this peculiar ity, hut he could see that madaine be gan to st ir restively. Suddenly she set down her cup, complaining of a violent headache. Hunt gathered up bis materials and politely excused himself. The footman, however, In let ting him out failed to note that the ferrule of Hunt's cane had caught be tween the door nnd the Jamb. Cau tiously the detective re-entered nnd tiptoed inio the conservatory. He waited for n moment or two, then stole out Into the salon. A spot on ono of the columns attracted his attention. Upon close Inspection he found It to be a sliding panel. He wns lingering about for a method to open It when he heard footsteps. He slipped behind the portiere. It was Mine. Du Val, coining down to greet Cnptnln Rndcliffe, who hnd Just come In. She nt once showed him the portrait. Hu shrugged. Ho was not nt all Interested In this stylo of art. "There goes the fountain," he warn ed. "Merciful heaven, I had forgotten all nbout those fools! They struck the signal while La Fontaine wns here, but luckily be did not notice it. Let them in." Hunt wns very much surprised to see three old antagonists enter the room from ono of tho columns. He wns still more surprised when he snw mndnme open the secret drawer In tbe onyx table. Ills eyes snapped. Thnt table would be worth while. Just ns soon ns these precious rogues left the n!on ho determined to Investigate. He wns nn Ingenious man, but his ingenu Ity failed utterly to learn the secret or the onyx table. f He wns ccrtnln, how ever, that It held nil he wanted so badly. He left the villa unobserved. In the mean time Baird had discover ed that the tunnel from the garage ted directly to tho Du Vnl villa., but he hnd chosen a bnd dny for tho Investigation The three crooks, returning from their visit cnneht sight of him and gave chnso. He reached tbe trap door In the garage first but before be coaia make the door they , were upon him. He succeeded In laying out two of them, but the largest man proved to be a tough customer. This was not tho first time Baird had felt the bear like grip of the man. They battled through the doorway, along the sidewalk, until they reached the bridge. That Baird lived to tell tbe tale was due solely to the unexpected arrival of Zudora and Storm. They recognized Baird as he and his an tagonist toppled over the parapet Into tho icy stream below, where the fight still raged. At length tho reporter succeeded In getting free of the clutch IX mm y V if -if L III Mme. Du Val and Radcliffe Examine, the Map. of his antagonist, who paid the penalty for his loyalty to a bad cause. Storm got a rope from bis tool box. This he tied to the extra tire. Iliiiulnir It out toward Ralrd as one Would throw a life preserver ut sea. Ralrd was all In. He had just strength enough to grasp the tire, and Storm hauled uway with a will. TO BK CONTINt'EO. Diamonds From Sugar. Although nt first thought the state ment seems incredible. It is perfectly true thnt n lump of sugar may be con verted into diamonds. Not all tbe sulv. staucc of the sugar,. of course, will en ter Into the composition of tho dia mond, but only tlie carbon that it con tains. Sugar consists of carbon united with oxygen and hydrogen. It Is an easy matter to separate out the carbon, and in certain experiments for the pro duction of diamonds this sugar cuiIhhi has been employed. The diamonds so produced were, of course, very small and destitute of commercial value, but still they were real diamonds and the chemical result achieved would be no greater Intrinsically if they were us big" ns the ('iilliiian. Selei, lists have often expressed the hope that nn Improve ment In the process of manufacturing diamonds may lie effected whereby tho necessity of dissolving the carbon la molten iron may be dispensed with, nnd the required combination of great pressure with great heat may bo brought about by some such operations as squeezing the carbon between red hot metal plates. -Exchange. Origin of Mussel Catching. Mussel culture in France where It Is carried on more extensively than anywhere else originated so far back ns l'-'.'So, when an Irish ship wns wrecked near I.u Roehelle. One of the rescued sailors, .lames Wnlton. being; hard put to It for u living, conceived the plan of selling nets on poles for the capture of sea fowl at night, tho muddy shores of the bay being fre quented by these birds In large num bers. Re fore long he noticed that myriads of young mussels been me at tached to the stakes, nnd thnt, being; nbove tho level of the mud, these grew rapidly. Thereupon be interlaced branches of trees between the stakes, thus formlug a kind of wicker work, which also became coated with mus sels. Wnlton's example was followed by soma of the natives of La I tot hello nnd nn Industry was started which has uow flourished for close on 800 years. London Mail. Buckingham Palace. Buckingham palace stands on tho site of pleasure grounds known In thu days of Evelyn nnd Pepys nud fre quently mentioned In their diaries us the Mulberry gardens. The property was eventually bought by tbe Duke of Buckingham,' who erected the first house, which, however, was uot large or handsome, notwithstanding that It wns even then called Buckingham pal ace. George III. purchased It front the dowager Duchess of Buckingham ns a residence for Queen Charlotte, whose palace, Somerset House. In tho Strand, wns required for public pur poses. After much haggling with bis majesty's agent the duchess parted with It for i0,000. It wns not great ly nltered till 1824, when it was eo Inrged nnd almost rebuilt nfter de signs by Joseph Nnsh for the London , residence of the royal family Loudon Chronicle. Asking Too Much. "This Is nn nge of Invention." re marked the bumptious philosopher. "Then." snld his friend, "maybe yoa can concoct a new excuse for me to give my wife for not going home to dinner tonight." Whereat the punctured philosopher subsided.-Cleveland Plain Denier. L i"
