' THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND, SUNDAY IRNING, . NOVEMBER 15. 1908.
THE;
ART
ACL,
or
HE
iff
By Frits Reutter.
AVTJfQ graduated from eoueg
and anxious to begin my career
as lawyer,' I had rented an
office with adjoining living-
. reams on RIchter Plaza $ in
- Berlin. In one . of the .large, old-
,fahloned houses and was now waiting
for my clients to come. To get mora
room for my old books and manueorlpt
.J bad the acrub woman clean an old
closet in which the former tenant had
- . left a mi of old lettera, papers and
bills all torn into small pieces and
scattered all over the shelves and
- The woman told ma that' theee two
room which I now lnhabltated had
benn empty for more than three year".
When I questioned hr further she said
aha didn't remember the name of th
last tenant, but she knew that It was
a foreign name which she had never
larad to pronounce. She didn't know
what hie business had been, bat shy
sald that he waa always writing and
that very often other foreigner cam
' to see hfm. That he didn't attend any
. regular business ahe Judged from his
culet retiring way of living. While
aha waa telling roe all thia aha swept
: all the paper together, but suddenly aha
found something which ahe handed me.
"Look at this? ahe said, "he received
this the day ha left, I remember when I
brought him the mail that he picked outi
thla card first, put It on hia table and
glared at it aa If her did not underatand
It. Probably he has thrown the card
with the. other letters into the closet."
I took the card and looked at It, - it
; was a common playing card, the ace of
hearts. Of course this waa nothing
extraordinary. . But .through the heart
somebody had drawn a, stiletto so na
tural that it looked as if It had been
printed at the same time aa the single
heart, -..-
I kept the card In a' drawer of my
' desk and often wheji I had nothing else
to do I looked at it and wondered what
It might mean. It seemed to me aa If
' It had been a message of evil tidings
to the man who had lived in theae
rooms before me. It waa certain that
he had left the room In a great hurry
Immediately after receiving; the card
and had never again returned. Perhaps '
: he had been tangled up in aome mya-
, terlous affair and the card had been a
warning; to him that he might save htm-
: aelf. ., ..; .-- -
A year passed and I began to get
quite a. good practice, so that I had leaa
time to think of the card and the man
to whom it was sent During the first
' days of December J was very busy and
stayed later than usual at my office
where I no longer lived, ' Suddenly I
thought I heard a noise a of stealthiy
.steps In the hall outside. I looked up
and noticed that It was already late. I
took my lamp and opened - the door
quickly and as I did so I received a
Shock, for out Bide stood a man dressed
in rags and looking as If he were in
the last stages of consumption. He-was
a man of middle age whose face showed
that he suffered much. His hair waa
almost anow- white and I Immediately
- knew when looking; at him, first that
he waa a foreigner and second, that he
nlust be starving. .
I waa so surprised at seeing this un
expected visitor . that I waa speechless .
,. for a few moments. The man kept on
staring; at me and at laat I was able to
..control my vole ones mora.
"Are you looking for anybody heref
I asked, "at thla hour titer is nobody
In thia building-." -
"No." he replied and shook his head.
''J waa looklne- for .you," -
"For me? .Why?"
. "Will you kindly let roe step Into
your rooms for a moment? Just for
one moment Oh, you needn't be afraid
of me. " I'm not dangerous, although I
may look as If I were."
I hesitated but he looked at me calm
ly atad continued: "I once used to live
: In these rooms,"
"Is that so?" I eald and the thought
came to me that this man must be the
mysteTiome tenant and I told, him la .
step inside. ,
" When the door had closed behind
him I asked him to sit down and of
fered him a glass of wine whlqh he re
fused saying:
"First I must tell yon why I cam
here. . For mora than an hour I have
: been standing outside on the stalra
i thinking- of how 1 should get your per
mission to come into this room. You
know I once used to live here and I
had to leave here in a great nurry
some four years ago. Undoubtedly the
other people M?the building were sur
prlsed at my sudden departure."
I opened the drawer In my desk and
produced the mysterious ace of hearta
"Did this card have anything- to do
with It?"
AS soon as he saw the card he
Jumped to his feet, great "beads of
perspiration came on his forehead and
his whole body - seemed to t rem bio as
he looked at the stiletto piercing the
blood red heart.
"Where djd you get this,' he asked,
drawing- a deep sign and sitting down
again. - . "...
"I found it among a lot-of torn let
ters. But may , I ask you what does
Uiis card mean?' , - - il
"What does this card mean?" he re
plied. "It meant that my life was at an
end. that I had been aentartced to
death, and that the executioners were
at my heels. I am a Russian and I
bar been connected with the revolu
tionists ever since I waa very-young.
I was the agent of a aecret service
in thia city. I happened to offend the
leader. I was sentenced and this waa
the warning."
"And then you ran away?"
-"Tea. Ilk a fool, I f led, . only to
come back as you see me now, A
beggar without a home and dying; from -starvation."
I again asked him to take a sip of
wine and eat a little for I wanted to
besrt the whole story.
"No, sir," he replied. "I am not going
to eat or drink, until I have told you
everything and especially why I have
come bare. I have oome to get something
which I left behind when I fled and I
left It behind because I know that I
should never find a safer place for it. I
fled without knowing where I should go,
perhaps I waa to be In constant danger .
among people who think nothing of
snuffing out human life as you do a tal
low candle. At laat I came back to Ber
lin drawn back by a longing to see the
old clncea Tonight I come to your door
intendlftg to aak you to let me enter
this room. The picture is here and I
hall find it
He stood up, went over to one corner
of the room, lifted up the carpet, took
out a loose board In the floor and under
neath found a package wrapped In pa- -per.
' ..
"lou do hot know what has been so
close to you for a year," he said, step
ping over to the table with the lamp.1
brushed the duat from the package and
opened It. "Now look at this."
1 An exclamation of aurprise escaped
my lips, for In front of me I saw the
portrait of a young and beautiful girt
painted by a great master, framed In
gold and crusted with turquoise, sap-
Fhlre and diamonds, r estimated the
rame alone to be worth a small for
tune but I hardly looked at It. so ex
ceedingly charming and beautiful was
the face of the .girl.
The stranger held the picture In front
of him for a long- time, then he lifted It
up and kissed the face wnlle the tears
cam Into his eyes.
"Bhe is dead now," he said, "and aha
died as a martyr. In her heart there
lived all that la good and noble In thla
world and still she had to die banished
from her country in poverty and misery.
8h was my sister."
He once more wrapped up the picture
and put it back Into the old place un
der the floor. II refused to accept my
invitation to eat something and said he
had no mora to tell.
, Then he stood up, thanked me and
left; I followed him to the top of the
stair, looked after him aa he went
down. . I could "no, longer stand it In my .
room, but 1 had to open the window to
see if he bad really left the bouse. I
came out Into the street and I saw how
suddenly two men appeared and fol
lowed him. There was no time for me
to warn him all three disappeared im
mediately, -----
What had happened thla evening had
made me so excited that I didn't close
an eye all night. I was sorry that I
had permitted the stranger to leave the
picture in my office and Intended to do
all I could to find him and make him
take away the picture. I went down
town the next morning. Aa I entered
the narrow streets of the old city I no
ticed a crowd of people standing- In
front. of aJhous,hel4 back my a num
ber of policemen. I hurried to the
house, and. aa I happened to know on
of the policemen, I asked him what
was the matter.
"A murder wag committed In this
house, doctor, he replied, "a foreigner
was found In the empty house killed by
being stabbed through the Heart. Do
you want to aro Inside? The chief of
police and the physician are there." '
I followed the policeman Into a small
room bare of any kind of furnltura The
dead man waa lying on a bench which
had been carried in from outside. I was
not even surprised when I saw him. He
was my visitor of the night before and
the atlletto had been driven into his
p
J If h ' f-
- ' ft I
si
vo years after tne muraer i inese l turned over to Alexis that he
nore obliged to work late one might take, along and keep them until
my prtvat offloa A .Client I j reach blm outside of Russia,
here until after 10 "o'olock. Although I waa watched I hoped to be
"ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ANYBODY." I ASKED.
heart through a card now all soiled with
blood, but still to be recognised as the
ace of hearta
"A foreigner probably a Russian,"
the physician said. "This Is the work
of on of their accursed secret socle-
.tis,y .. . .... . ..
I went to my office and as I came my
clerk came rushing out, crying, "There
have been burglars here tonight, for the
office door waa open when I came thla
morning."
I went Inside and found everything as
usual and entering my private office 1
immediately went to the corner, took
out the loose board, but the portrait had
disappeared. .
In my excitement I thought it better
to inform the police of everything that
had happened. The chief of police lis
tened to my story' with interest, but
without any surprise. There was nothing
to do for the police In a case like thla,
he said, for It waa very seldom that
murder of this kind is found out
Several months paased and I was so
rushed with business that I had very
little time to think of what had hap-
fiened. I waa conducting my first great
egal battle, which occupied my mind
day and night. When vacation time
came I drew a"breathof relief,-for -1-had
won the case and had been praised
by several legal lawyers as a -promising
young lawyer. During my vacation I.
took a trip into Switzerland, came one
night to Zurich . and walked slowly
through the narrow streets without any
? articular objeot in -mind. But here I
ound another link In the chain of my
mysterious stories. In front of a Show
window were all kinds of curiosities
exhibited. I stopped and was surprised
to see the portrait which had once been
burled under the floor of my office. I
looked at it closer and there was no
doubt it was the same painting, the
same beautiful face. The sold frame
had disappeared and the edges of the
painting seemed to show that it had
been torn violently out of the .frame.
The face, however, was the same that
had made such a deep Impression upon
me that I could never forget It. I
went Into the store and a dirty look
4ns man. .-eyMantly a foreigner, ap
peared from a den Tn IPs background'
and asked what I wanted.
"Oh, I Just want to see If I could find
some little thing among all these cur
iosities to take back with me to Berlin
as a souvenir of Zurich. I'm always
looking for antiques and curiosities."
He replied that all I had to do was to
look around and aald that he had many
valuable things, especially In old painV
inga and chronometers. While he was
praising his goods I leaned over the
partition between the store and show
window to look at the portrait from this
fide. I was absolutely sure now and
decided to buy it at any price.' After
some talk Z finally rot the picture and own living. If anything should heDnen
a Turkish vatagan for 89 franca to me. That everything 'that I ios-
' When I had come back to my hotel sassed was to b confiscated I had
I carefully examined the pictur. It never thought of. According; tb an
was small, probably 20 by $0 centi- order signed by the csar, I was de
meters snd a piece of canvas had been prlved of my whole fortune, mr es-
; stretched aoross the-back, probably to tates and' possessions and made a br-
i keep out the dust and dirt Otherwise arar. " . " "
there was nothing peouliar about the I talked . matters over ' with 'Alexis
picture at all. I returned to Berlin and yjtrefaky. , an old university chum who
locked the picture up la the drawer of had always been my best friend He
my desk. In time my business grew, was at that time still unknown to the
so that I was forced to rent more of-, police and was about to leave for Eng-
; floes,-but I never could decide to give land. ; We went to an English banker 1
up my old -private office for.it alwaya at fit. Petersburg and upon his advice
seemed to me that In this room the l exchanged all my bonds and stocks
solution of the mystery would be re- for English bank notes. The banker
vealed to me, if there were a aolutlon gav m 60 notes on the Bank of Ena
i at all - i - ' .' 14nd. each m-nrth i atia
. About two years after; the murder I These I turned over to Alexia that he
. was once more
evening at roj
kent mi ther
Just a t was .about , to turn out the able to escana.
light 1 heard outside slow soft steps. -"At first Alexis wa embarrassed and
As the door of my office was ajar I aid. not know how he could take all that
could hear It - quite pjaln. s I turned on goney alone; to Germany or England.
, the light again and waited. At flrst-PosslbillUes were that he would be
I thought it was myvcllent who had stripped and searched on the frontier
forgotten something but the closer the and then 60.000 pounds waa rathr a
steps came the quicker they grew and large amount of money for a student
at last the unknown oame upstairs two Then he had an ldna. He had always
steps at a time, I won to the door and been In the habit of carrying with him
looked down the saira. A tail well-; wherever be went the pictur of his
built man stood there In the darkness, dead sister whom h adored Ilk a saint
His beard was unusually long and turn Bhe, like all the rest of us had been im.
lr gray. The stranger addresaed me plicated In the revolutionary movement
iri very good German, but In spit of and had suffered' for It Alexis brought
this I thought him a foreigner. He the. precious picture to ma in my room,
asked ma to : tell him where in this We basted the bank notes on the back
house a man by the name of Alexis Of the portrait and pasted a coarse piece
Vitrefsky was living. Then It waa clear of canvas over It that one should sua
to me that he was looking for the man peqt the existence of the money. Aa I
who lived there befor I rented the had absolute confidence in Alexis I gave
room. ... '.. ' him tn' Portrait and was sure that my
"Was the man you're looking for a money waa safe. .
Russian," I asked. ' Instead of- going to England Alexis
"Certainly he was a Russian," ho re- went to Berlin and a few days later I
plied quickly. "He was a man about was arrested. For several yeara I was
my age, though he may have looked a kept a prisoner in th fortress of Peter
little younger than I do." .. and Paul, then I was sent to the mines,
"Will you please step inside a mo- but before I left th fortress I received
ment," I said, "perhaps I can glv you word from Alexis. A messenger came
some Information." to m through one . of th seoret gov-
I pointed to a chair and he sat down, ernment offlclala I received from him
As the light fell upon his. face I saw a letter In cipher, In which h told
that ho was an unusually handsome me that he was living in this very
man, but that suffering and privation house and he aaked me to com and
had ruined his. regular features, v see him as soon as I should b free
"I should be Very thankful to yon If that he might give back th money to
you could give me even th smallest me. That Is alt, I am rree onoe moro
Information about Alexia," he said, "and, and I cam her only to flna cut that
I thank you i beforehand. Perhaps I Alexis has been murdered and th por
ought to tell 'you who I am. I am trait disappeared."
Prince Demldoff." " , I was so Impressed with th truth of
This was th name of a famous his words that I no longer hesitated to
prisoner who after many years of exile show the portrait to the princ. Before I
had escaped from the mines of Siberia handed It to him, however, I said: "Par-,
and who had shortly before published a don me. sir, but where are your wife
book about his sufferings there. and children V
1 sat down and told th prince every- 'My wife died while I was la th
' thing I knew about Alexis: His sudden mines." he replied softly, "my boys ar
.flight, hia return, his death and the. now living- In Switzerland and ar hav
theft of th nortralt. He listened to me ing rather a hard Urn of -It, I under
full of anxiety and. when I told him stand." ,
that the portrait had been stolen, ho "And your property, your estate tn
jumped to his feet paced up and down Russia?"
the floor greatly exolted. "Have all been confiscated. When I
"Then everything Is lost to me," he ran away from the Siberian mines I
cried, "I tell you; elf, this portrait wa was practically penniless."
everything to me. Of course, It be- 1 opened my desk and took from the'
longed to Alexis, but It meant more to drawer the portrait which had been hid-,
me and my children than I can tell den there alnce I came back from Zu
you. You don't understand me, but if rich. Without saving; a word I handed
you will allow mo I shall tell you part It to the prlnoe, who took it irom rae in
of th saa story of ,my life." pllent surprise.
I was just about to tell him that I "Look if the money Is still ther," I
had found th picture again, so, grieved said. .
I felt at the sight of his sorrow, but ". I don't doubt that," he eald cnt
I hesitated for after all he might be tins the coarse canvass on the back."
a clever swindler and It was then bet- But how did the portrait come Into
ter first to hear what he had -to tell, your hands? You told me It had been
and then act according; to my best stolen."
judgment ' I, therefore, aaked him to I told him that I had found It at Zu
tell me his story. rich and bought it. While he said this
"What I have to tell you," he began, he out looae the canvas and found th
"Is not very- pleasant to listen to. As SO bank notes. Just as he had said. It
you know 1 belong to that party In Is impossible to describe his joy when he
Russia which Is struggling for liberty, saw the money.
Elver sine I was a young boy I have "Poor Alexis," h cried again and
worked for my country. I have atrug- again, "you are indeed a faithful friend,
arled and suffered and for that reaaon I can Imagine how death cam to you. I
lam not In high favor wtth the caar. have heard that he joined one of the
In fact, the emperor and his family most radical secret societies and was
hat me. But until a few year ago unfortunate enough to offend on of
they let me alone and allowed me to the powerful leaders. These men never
live my life comparatively free. From forget Probably Alexis was hounded
time to tlm I was warned by the by him until he drew his laat breath.
-pe4iea that-1 had -wrlttan.. io.me.thlB; . "But th portrait" he said, "why
In my book which was rather beyond should" the fnuraerer steal that?'' . - -
th limit of what waa nermitted hv .Ths nrlnca ahruaaed his shoulders and
th law, but as I belonged to on of replied: "Perhaps tn two men who
th noblest families In Russian and were ordered to carry out tn death sen
was rich and Influential was never mo- tence on Alexis were looking- at you
lasted. At lest, however, neither my while you examined the portrait and
wealth nor my family could proteot me stole It simply because of th valuable
any longer. On day I received an frame."
anonymous message that I wag to be This explanation seemed reasonable
arrested and punished. Luckily I was enough. . Prince Dumlnoff put the bills
prepared for a' surprise of this kind. Into his pocket He wanted to pay me
My wife waa in Berlin, my two boys something but I only aaked to be al
at school In Germany and I had placed lowed to keep the portrait which evens
In trust for them enough to keep them to this day remlnda me of th exciting
until they should be able to make their avents of those day.
ELECTRIC WAR ON AGENCIES OF DEATH
Liontmued From the First Page of This Section
not exactly known what ar th effect
of these agents; but It la known that
they do to a large extent, serve as spe
cifics for the diseases to which they
have been successfully applied.
- xne Human body is rortined against
- quant Intervals, th remedial agents,
released wnue in transit, mignt tnus
react. But this, again, ia only a sug
gestion, not yet beyond th veriest the
oretical stage.
"A f an adjunct to the Influ-
clne very few specifies, the principal dividual is as nothing In the Interest of human body by any eleotro-chemloal fngmedlalVsnTsVrout&
ones -being mercury and quinine, It is tn life of the swarm. process whatsoever. But other exper- suoh agents might possibly be Injected
xne same thing is true in th ho- ,,ue"lerB nave demonstrated, Deyona tne'into tne oiooa, ana tnereoy reimorc mo
man body. In the beehive th hv power. of denial, that It is possible to at- effect of the agent passed Into the tla-
thelr workers, their reproducers and iacr ?ni1 "es'rov dlseaae germa in the sues directly by th eltotrio current
their defenders. In the areat swarm of hody by remedial agents forced into the "Persons who have doubt aa to th
amebaV which constitutes the human "ueB hv the electric fluid by what Is ability of chemical agents to pass
bods w hav Tour SJari mr T known as cataphoreals. through the akin. into tissues in suf-
tffim&m''&FvMZ . "A Kreat many have been deterred "7 JSfS1
disease In a manner similar to that corpuscles of the blood are our main ii"?""0" Bel.ler " lni- a small ouantU
, adopted In the national defense; for Sx- adar.. In a dusty day In New York Cltt"1' ."f1J? .tr.MLfc? to'th. "km h2y will find tUt thS?
ampi. uy trance and Germany, along; "I'-""". an innaies enougn mV Yi sue would alo destroy ths t s- hv n alckeat spa Is of
the frontiers and at all the ports of .rm.?. a'seaae ,t0 destroy an army of u theme v Th I la dlsnrovad I hv the th1'' existence, and that this sick spell
. entry, these countries being very men were It not for our human defend- Juet tn if T to inlect Into thS Pl within a" few minutes,
strongly fortified against Invasion of within ths blood, who pounce upon tissues DowerfSt Solsnou remVia? "A good experiment- which might be
foreign foes. Disease germs must be destroy Invadera as fast aa they fo? the . iastratfori of s-S d with the proposed electro-chemical
much more active and virulent in order 'fee In lelon i without the detrucUon of olnt. would be to take a victim of
, -lo. gain entry into the system through "Every gland of the body la a fortlfl- the tissues. tuberculosis with an initial lesion in
' fno'Wcourse. that all ST SaSry5 aSsSfe rF
Infectious diseases are nroduced bv "There are two main flnM ,t'7L.-.Jla .a,dmi.n.I""J2 J. .I'f.?! permitting the lealon to heal."
; micro-organislms. There are two kinds In the body th one, the lymphatlo ays- medium on which they thrive that they
nf rniero-organixms, the vegetable and tern; the other, the circulatory system, are very largely destroyed and. by long
th animal. A well man Is not so easily "Blood Is alkaline, while the lymph, continued treatment, entirely destroyed,
attacked by organisms. In other words, or Julc of th flesh, is acid. These two "Heretofore the method of treatment
the system has less ability to resist fluids are separated by thin membran- y cataphoresls has been by local appll-
- carnivorous microbes than it haa to ra- ous tissue, so that we are. so to sneak, cations of electrodes covered with a
slst th vegetable microbes. anelectrical generator; and the various sponge wet with remedial agents; and despised,
"For example, the bacillus of tuber- nerve ganglia, to a fcry large extent Jh remedial agents have, been forced mi, j
. onlnata la I utoliU rn..L.. , J. -T. 7. . ,, Ifltn t ha tlaanaa ah.t la ,k. million C
i culosis is a scavenger and can gain a by which the nerveslectrical fluid la Pressure of an electric current. Tan- In any lumber yard. Th dealer, or
foothold in the human body or other controlled and husbanded. nerg employ this method for foroin the manufacturer of lumber, never saw it
animal organism only when a proper ' The medulla oblongata, located at IV Phitlt lntJl', to tan tnem' on sale and would not recognise It If
culture medium has been created ther the center of the brain, Is the principal n,li L,?, . J1 e 18 verjr much seen. Yet it Is a magnificent wood, re-
elther by Injury or by ths Influence of nerve ganglion and the principal resist- AnoVw jLatST . .,. . sembllng white ash. and capable of re-
Bom other germ disease. Hence it la anoe coU of th body. The Stratum of tn. AtX, 7.l?fm ZTJ'JSl,1? celving a high polish,
that consumption and many other germ gray matter of th frontal oortex serves iinc elect?oU lntATn,.? r The tree a native of the Molucca
diseases work hand in hand. the purpose of a storage battery, and It tVAXAt Jr ,rXti islands, just south of th equator, some
'There are germs which attack only is the main aeat of electrical supply Stte Efficient as a l remedial ant fim four degrees, and not far from Borneo.
. certain portions of the body, while oth- in aU voUtional human functioning ' u" that the ilsed tiiau ittr "ere H r ?.ga ?Mft tr'-
ers penetrate and live within every tis- "Thus it is that every lymph cell of i,B" reSlstance to th electric cui?Int than " waf brPuKh JIm ,Ch'n during the
sue and fiber. Some of the protozoa are the body acts as a primary battery, or d i the" ur?SdIng heaUhv ""t decade of the nineteenth century
minute, snake-like creaturea, which first source of electrical energy, partly under bv aTillng th? w ?-nl laS. ra,3ually spread over ie
ehter th lymphatic system, and after the control of the human wlfi ani partly electric flub on the disealed tissues u" re verv offenJlve
gainlngr a foothold there, permeate the automatlo tn its action that is to say. This is the reason why the electric cur- whT, V8 , "I1, J68 bSt tha female t?eI2
entire -human organism, where they controlled by the involuntary nerve cen- rent, in this case. Is supposed to have a P, ?h 0dr The treTa have ?
swarm about In the blood and other ter. selective faculty for the searching out Tave. , .Jl.Y Z'.
fluids, and multiply wtb, enormous, rap- "The stomach does not digest Itself, of the disease!' starching out , , 1". i VmVlS
' idlt ,. although it is made of exactl? the same "A well-known inventor in the field f,m a nu?sance on the l?wn
"They Injure the Individual In two substances which It is constantly dl- of electro-chemistry, I- U Roberts, dls. thepm JiVJhf,- ih tn t,
ways: First, by feeding upon the fluids gestlng. The probable reason for this covered that substances may be passed r-.,mwTnnri mountains, errnun of in
frequently found
Sirds nave taken
seeds for lining:
the seeds thus
BLEED THE POOR ON SALARY LOANS-One
Man Who Borrowed $24 Had" to Pay Over $600 to Redeem It
The Despised Allan thus.
From Arboriculture,
Among the very common trees, yet
almost totally unknown, la the much
111 smelling allanthns. A
million dollars could not buy a board
NEW TORK, Nov. 14. An employe rebels, he Is brougkt to time by threats
' rPOr,iUn hr lW&JSitt
pany who had to secure cash be- ia im,,,, to the company, . It considers
cause of sickness In his family a man a "good risk" if it knows his em
went to a loan broker and Ployer will disoharg him If he has bor-
. . . ... , , rowed ahead on his wages. Employes
agreed to pay $30 In on month for tha know this too, so th companies adver-
2 loaned him. When th money was tis that tha loans will not be mad
received he found out that It cam from known to employers. One oompany
. i. .i- ..,,. -r, T which advertised in this way, caught
a loan office In Providence, R. I., and a man overdu, ,n ht, payment and de-
that the man to whom he had applied. In manded an extra amount of 16.10, whloh
this cltv was merely an agent This was Interest on th loan at a rat of
aa , mi,k.. i nia more . than 800 per cent a year. He of-
was on November 1. Hi salary was fer,d t0 pay atth rat of 60 per cent
reoelved late In the afternoon I D- but his employer was notified and he
cember 1, th data th amount was due, almost lost his job. Shylock's pound
whloh mad It Imnnaathla to ret tha ot ne"n OUnds Ilk stmpl Interest com
wnion maae it Impossibi to get in pared wlth th- al).wer of tne owner of
money to th Providence office oj the a loan company to a man who asked for
ame AmV, . ' L nior time, and said that If his em-
The following morning a man from a pioyer waa -notified h would be dls-,
colleoUon company called at the office charged and the only course open to him
of the borrower and demanded 130 on then would be sulclda The proprietor
the Joan, 1 1.4 protest fee, $5 collection of the oompany a woman! is reported
fee anu 1 1 brokerage, making a total in the book to have said that "If he
of 87.. It was Impossible for him committed suicide they would olos the
to pay this amount from his ISO wages office a day and attend th funeral, but
and still meet his living; expenses. The the employer would be notified unless
loan company orterea to maae mm a he paid the next day."
new loan of $24 If he would pay th
$14.49 difference. This he did. for
which he agreed to pay $30 January 1
Women -are largely employed by the
loan companies. Thy work for lower
wages ana tnen. too, mere wouia oe
wiu imauno ui niv UUUf, J, mwi. Wfl llv ins involuntary power . ""-''w --" v iiuinuun yiai traa Haln? oulte
"Whenever a disease germ enters the the atoms or molecuVes of the chemical f"rrent. Ptr eitaniple. hy his method. Thn clusters of wlnned
nnman body it la Immediately attacked agent that form the digestive fluids. w'""'nlf "I cniorine can oe passea out the(r n..ta, some of
oy me aerenaers or tne ooay, enter - rnis power, while mainly involun- J7-," ri" T " ';T,r i . v, eacaplng them.
among which are the chaa-ocrtes. or tar- In its action and bevonrt th nrw.r titlon. through the partition into a aolu- "
Unless of the will, ia. like most other involun- 1 nartitinn hri
or al- tary processes, somewhat subservient Thiorlde of nrTtlah Tn th cT. UinS
ar in- to the influence of the will, W, breathe, of 'the louir "able.1 Vechsntv"0
white corpuscles of the blood.
the phagocytes are debilitated
ready overfed, the disease germs
vnaniy sirnycfl
"If, Wever, the phagocytes fail ta voluntarily. To a certain extent we SetatlnSus 7haractr Is imnervPou.
IHSfn.. k ? quarantine tbem and partly involuntarily; and th pr.ooess of "It ha occurred t" me that. If the
illy.
being of a
The
'Telegraphy In China.
From th London Globe.
first telegraph line was opened
In China in 1872 and there are now
about 15,000 miles of line, the whole
,to localise their evil effects. This is digestion is, therefore, partly under the human body wr to h tntAaa4 k. under Imperial control. The Chinese-
IIJL? Ji?" ,wl!,h tuberculosis. Post- control of the will. tween two such solutions as a part of language bejnar syllabic and not alpha-
mortm examinations frequently dls- "Not only this, but practically our such a partition and the other portions betic. many may wonder how a mes-
coyer lesions where the bacilli of tuber- powers of resisting disease and of send- of the partition be made non-conductive, sage Is transmitted,
i miosis -Dave been quarantined , and Ing out the army of phagocytes to at- then electric currents could be made to The method Is simple but Ingenious,
starved out' - .tack disease germs are, to a large ex- pnss through the human body, thereby There are as many characters as words
. 'However, If the animal organism ia tent under the control of the will. It carrying; remedial agents Into the hody in the Chinese language, and the mea-
not auffWntly strong, then the disea has been found possible, under hypnotic In a way more efficient than heretofore, sages are aent In number cipher. When
corns continually tnlarae thair domain, influence., to ; csum a .blister to rise on Buts I have -aid, I hav not tried the numbers- ar received at , tha other
feMinr Aipon-thelr Carrier waHa, onttfrt'ie .arm of a, hypnotlxed- subject the this experiment and I offer It only as a end a double-ended type la used, with
thev rlnally break through into the clr- "UDJect bS,nf tnorouahly convinced that sugg.ej'tlon 16 other experimenter In numbers afonend and -characters at
culation In- suftlctent numbera to defy a mustard plaster has been placed upon this field Of Investigation. , the reverse.- A message Is set up by
l) power of resistsne. P?.Arm- , . w s .x. . "It Is, however, a queation .whether or th numbers and then printed from th
"One might describe the human bodr , "Obviously, then, much of the defen- not th atoms of a remedial aa-ent like reverse end, which shows the Cbarao-
wuu M- " wwt-.w -i i. i, i tiui (a;, -I'uo v'T-i 1 1 m uiaif il imtlupcn m lerS. ' - ' 'I- ' ' --'
under tne influence or electric rur- , , ,. , - . - ,
. wouia-De capaoie or breaking
from the current, to react cher.i-
ither In attacklnr the dlaoaan
or cembinlnar with the tlaauea nt
hody. .
If It should be found by XMrimant
in the berhive. what M,ti.ri!f,rv -iv :...f -'-wrorr; v. "lzi.c.'i'js'zzl"?:"!
. . . ., a v . , , , . 1 - -kv"."v w . . . . . . 1 " - " 1 " wi, cirviuv v " 1 1 m v unaer
.-.u.. .v iut acmmaiea pracucanie or . posmoi xo utterly fle- these rondlttona then, possibly, bv in.
aa a repuoiio oi amecac. tc. nararvn
tlnc mad wp cf '1 C' sums oey ar) electrical m tneir na- body
microacoplo lndivlduala tuii . . ...rW, ' ur. m nervsj-wmoiricai iiuia oemg rents,
rKTmSnAc;Li n enormous aggrega- away
r'jr'r,...!. V.;'iJ.,'r",ui"w.r." t on of electrical ceiia. - Icallv
.......-. "-J"'wuis -oi.wMcn , . -Kotwlthstandlng the fact that I have s-erms
ZZJ it-: rnr.l7V,2!!."t,ra,Jn,cro ronducted a large number of expert- the
s?plc In aise. Instead of beine; the Six menu to help my forevlew of thla prob-
' A Bothersome Conscience. ',
From Washington Star. "
"1 hop you cam out of that hor
trad with a clear conscience." '
"Tes. answered 81, smiling; '"but It
kind o worries me. My conscienc Is so
, . , ... , ... . ... , , - .. , .. .. . . . v. . .u, Vi.T.II, veoMkX, - III- UUHRUBUJT C1W till, i Call ( D D teUI
' u-r im, and th Ufa of the la- stroy ail the farms of disease Ja th terrupting th lecU-lo current at, fre- 1 must o! got th wust.o' th trad.".
rJVJJ cnstanrdanrerof NSy. "nolc. 'Mf
iror-dJroT.y thr$87a4Tuiiro rstntKrr
January 1. to Insure himself against a " ttm by th women man-
repetition of extortion the following "er7 . . . ' ' '
month, he secured a loan of f 0 from A long series of interviews with men
another agent, for which he agreed to in the loan business, som of whom
pay $20 on February 1 and $20 March 1. talked frankly, led. Mr. Wasaam to con
On February l the second agent was elude that the 80 loan offices of which
paid the first payment of $20. The ha knows personally have an average
manager very kindly offered to glv him capital of $10,000, which brings in year
a new loan of $30 if he wished to pay ly an average return of not less than
the $20 which was due March 1, and in $40,000. In all, the Investment Is about
this way the old debt would be can- $300,000, with which Is done an annual
eeled. He accepted the loan and again business of about $1,200,000. There is
agreed to pay $50 .a month for' two comparatively little legislation on the
months because, as he put it, "I got $10 subject, but those states which have
and I needed It." attempted to regulate It have fixed the
At the end of 1 months; the next maximum interest at from IH to 1 per
June, he had seoured about $160 cash cent a month. The legal rat of lnter
and paid out, as nearly as he could cal- est In NewXork state is 8 per oent a
culate, about $65. He had secured loans ye'.r. In a few caves which have been
from at least 10 different companies, taken befor a court the loan companies
His position was seriously endangered have contended that thla rate did not
and his family was in such destitute apply to them; that they were not loan
circumstances that an appeal was made Ing a man money, but were buying his
to the Charity Organisation society for- salary in advance, Just as they might
assistance. An investigation made by "y a farmer's growing crop. But very
this society showed that in addition to -aw caaea ar ever taken Into court If
the large amount paid, the loan compa- .th company- suspects that' a man has
nles still claimed about $160, which It even, consulted a lawyer. It demands lm
was necessary to pay In order , to save mediate payment with a threat of notl
the man's position, fying- his employer. Then, too. th men
An unusual story? It may be, but it who borrow on aalaries are not often
Is true and only one of a score used to the kind given to litigation. That they
Illustrate a report on the salary loan are wage-earners is clearly shown by
business In this city, made after a care- the fact that 90 per cent of th pay
ful investigation coveting- several ments are made weekly and the most
months and including; a complete record frequent amounts are under $16. It is
of the loans made to 188 different men th workman with the Saturday pay en
by the 30 or more loan companies oper- velope, and most often th employe of
Sting here, .Th report Is published to- a large transportation company or man
day in book form by the charities publi ufaaturlng establishment-who Is th
cation committee of this city. Th In- usual cuBtomr. In som cases h is
vestigatlon wan made by Clarence W even led into the trouble by hi supe
Wassam, . acting for the Russell Sag rlors, Mr. Wassara has record of
Foundation, which was endowed by Mrs. foremen, timekeepers, - and even of a
Sage iwith $10,000,000- for Jut , such private secretary, who were in th em
studies. ; , ploy of a loan firm and wer paid eom
- What it means to a poor man, r a missions on all loans mad to th m-young-
married man on a small salary, ployes of their house. : y . , , t '
to be In debt is shown overand over. The salary loan, Mr. WaSeam points .
again by such eases aa that of th eK out. Is a necessity in a large city to the
low who borrowed $18.26 and paid baok man on a small salary. If hls wages;
on it $25.48- In six weeks. Th king- just about equal the cost of living for
pirl of the whole business lies Jn tack- himself and his family, he must borrow
ing on extra charges If payments- ar somewher In case of sickness and
overdue, even for a day, li th victim childbirth, to meet Insurance premiums
and In many family emergencies. Galary
loans are not intrinsically bad, but at
present th business methods In vogue
are frequently opn to sever crltlolsm.
This Is especially true where the loan
la made from outside the state, as In
the story which opens this article A'
company in Providence, R. I., loans all
the money. The loans are made through
agents In New Tork whose sole Interest
is In tholr commissions. The collec
tions on overdue payments are mad
by a large collection agency, an officer
of which told Mr. Waasam that it
charges wer baaed oh what they
thought they could get out of a man.
The oolleotions on overdue payment
lead often to th making of a new loan
to repay an old one thus enmeshing the
borrower In an endless chain of debt
Tne chapter on "P-roposed Remedies"
has for its keynote this sentence: 'The
salary loan business thrives upon se
crecy, and any effort whloh tends to de
stroy this secrecy will aid in regulating;
the business."
A woman who manages a -loan office
told Mr, Wassam that "the salary loan
business depended upon their ability to
keep ine general . public uninformed as
to their methods." Another manager
said that If a campaign of publicity,
commenced some time ago bv the New
Tork Herald, had been continued, It
would hav been necessary for htm to
close his two. offices.
mr. Wassam's suggestions are: Com
plete publicity; cooperation by employ-
ers In guarding their men against ex
tortion; consulting the wife and family;
legislation covering- rates, conditions,
regulation ;ef deceptive advertising and
prohibiting- the use of the mails to mis
representative circulars, and possibility
of establishing of a loan association to
be run like the one connected with St.
Bartholomew's church. This is a "busi
ness philanthropy." paying fair returns
on the small capital which the church
could furnish, but run in the Interest
of the borrowers. It haa been conspic
uously, successful, and in nine yeara
operations Its losses have been less than
five eighths of 1 per cent
Tax the Cata.
From the Emporia (Kan.) Gazette
-' It Is really difficult to understand
why th eats have escaped their share
Of public responsibility. Few thinker
will dlaput th statement that such
animals ar entirely too numerous. Tha
well-fed, well-groomed cat that stays at
home and attends to Its knitting by th -family
hearth is not a menace to th
public welfare, but who will defend tha
ad-eyed tomcat with the tragic voice
that sings wild dirges at dreary mid
night's cheerless hourT And his nam
is legion.
On cat of that description is a
greater nuisance than a dozen doga And
It may also be said of the cat that 111 '
a born thief and porch eiimber; and tt is
also a vehicle for 'disease germa, and
many other things which are unpleasant.
If cats wer taxed, the useful ones
would survive, and tha masteries ones f
would have to die the death; and there
ar few who will argue that such a con
summation is not devoutly to be wished
for, ., ,-' - - . - . , ..' .,
Sauce for the tten.
-i
From Harner Ttuur.
Mother Alice. It Is bedtime. All th
little chickens have gone to bed. -.
Alio Ye, mamma, and so- ha th
hen. . . - . . ... r.-