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About Corvallis gazette. (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1904)
occxxxxxxxx A DOCTOR'S MISSION "GtENROY, CHAPTER XX. Drawing an easy seat close to the cen ter table for Mrs. Clum to occupy, Dr, Klfenstein seated himself in hi own office chair, and laying the wallet before him, said: "This, Mrs. Clum, is a little bag con taining something very much valued by ( the poor man who has just left this world. I presume it will acquaint us with the residence and address of his near relatives. In order that they may be notified of his death, 1 deem it my duty to immediately examine its contents, and as I do so, I wish you to be pres ent, as a witness to the transaction." The key to the wallet Dr. Elfenstein found tied close to the edge of the han dle. Inserting this in the lock, he at once opened it and drew forth its con tents. All that presented itself to his notice was about fifty-pounds in money, and a package of closely written papers. These were without address or signature, but seemed a short journal of daily events. Little did Dr. Elfenstein dream, as he eo coolly turned over these leaves, that they contained matters so vitally impor tant to himself and his future life! Seeing no other mode of ascertaining who the dead man really was, the doc tor commenced at the beginning to read as follows: "Junel8 My God, my God; Why hast Thou forsaken me? is now almost daily my cry. Alone, horribly, cruelly alone! how can it be that Iastill exist? "Nearly eighteen years have I survived this dreadful solitude, and not until to day have I gained from my unnatural keeper the slight boon of pen, ink and paper. This gained, I will divert myself by noting down some incidents of my life. But to what purpose do I write? Who can ever read what, out of an aching heart, I shall commit to these pages? "Yet, after my death, some person may penetrate this living tomb, and then they shall here aee recorded the terrible wrong, the fearful fate that has thus be fallen an unhappy peer of the realm! "Have I been missed from my home? lias any one mourned over my unexplain ed absence? Has my poor Constance Wept over my loss? And has my dear brother Fitzroy forgiven my harshness now that he thinks me dead? "Dead? Yes; all think me dead! I see clearly at this late date the whole of Reginald's fiendish plot. He used that dagger on my arm to draw blood, in or der' to leave the impression tlhat I had been murdered, before he shut me into this living tomb. "Yet I live. I, Sir Arthur Glenden ning, Bar't, am alive to-day, incorcerat ed in this concealed room, built in the ruined part of my own residence." "Ha!" exclaimed Earle Elfenstein, starting to his feet, as he read thus far. "What have I here? If this be true, we have before us an explanation of Sir Arthur's fate. Mrs. Clum. we must have others present at the reading of this im portant paper. Let us both seek instant ly for the presence of our neighbors. Will yon summon Lawyer Huntley, who lives next 'door, while I go for Rev. Mr. Lee? Not one moment will we waste, for who knows but yonder corpse may be all that is left of poor Sir Arthur Glendenning?" Replacing the papers and keeping the precious wallet in his hand, Earle at once left the house for the manse, while Mrs. Clum ran out to summon Mr. Huntley. In less than half au hour they both re turned to the physician's office, accom panied by the above named gentlemen. Then, while eager attention was to be seen on every face, the doctor again opened the wallet, and read, as far as we Lave writiten above. "Merciful heaven, can this be true!" exclaimed Mr. Huntley. "Doctor, please read that last clause once more. I am so dazed with surprise that I can scarce ly understand it." "Yet I live. I, Sir Arthur Glenden nlng, Bar't, am alive to-day, incarcerated In thi concealed room, built in the ruined part of my own residence," again read Dr. Elfenstein, and after a pause he continued : "The fact that this room existed was known only to my father. Sir Geoffrey, and he, shortly before his death, confided the secret to my brother Reginald and myself. We three were alone together when he taught us to open the panels by the aid of a sharp pointed knife, and after leading us inside this strange apartment, he charged us to keep the ex istence of the place a profound secret, as the time might come when such a hidden retreat might prove of immense impor tance. "Dear father! how little did he dream that Reginald, for the sake of usurping raj lawful title and estates, would drag me hither, in the darkness of night, and, by Chaining me like a beast to the floor, by the help of his valet, Antoine Duval, keep me a prisoner for months, year, life! "It was the only time I ever saw this room, until the night I was thrust within It by my inhuman brother Reginald, two days and one night after I was forcibly taken from my bed. "Ah, that night! when they overpow ered me in my own room; shall I ever forget it? I had retired rather earlier than usual, and had fallen immediately asleep. About midnight, I should judge, I was awakened by feeling a hand press ing something to my nostrils. "I instantly had my complete senses, so dashed the hand with the chloroform ed sponge from my face, then sprang with a bound upon the floor. "Two men stood above me, and firm bands seized and pressed me back, while a gag was forced into my month. A dim light was burning and I saw that, al though masked, one figure was like Fitz roy's, and his dressing gown was wrap ped around his form. "Oh, how I struggled to free tnyse!f! Once I did get a hand loose, and tore the mask from one face, to find it was not Fitzroy, but Reginald who was perpe trating this outrage upon me, his eider brother. Turning then to the other, I BY EMILY THORNTON Author of "Roy Russell's Rule," The Fashionable Mother," Etc recognized the form and voice of Antoine Duval. " "In the course of the conflict Reginald drew out a dagger and plunged it into my arm, then threw the dagger, red with blood, on the carpet, saying grimly: " 'Fitzroy's dagger. Lie there and tes tify that he did this deed! "Oh, my brother, my innocent brother! have they dared accuse thee of my death? This question harrows me night and day. Alas! I tremble for Fitzroy, when such a fiend as Reginald has prov ed himself to be is let loose upon his track. "But to go on: Binding my hands for all my strength could avail little against two hardy men they passed a rope around my body, after first putting on my clothing, and, dragging me from the window, swung me from the balcony to the ground below. ',- "Carrying then my helpless form to the lake, they there bound up my wounds, staunching the flow of blood, which until then they had allowed to drip as it would, then turned and noiselessly bore me to a lonely cave, situated in the heart of Demon's Wood a place never frequented, and, I presume, the existence of which was unknown. "This place had been prepared for my reception, and after fastening me firmly to a staple with a chain they had in readiness, they left me, gagged and help less, then alone, for two days and one night. Twice they both came with food, and, while one stood with a pistol over my head, to prevent a word, the other fed me. "On tne second night they visited me about midnight, and, merely saying: " 'All is now ready for your reception, rise and go with us,' they placed me in a wagon as before and took me back to the Hall "Leaving the wagon concealed outside the grounds, they between them carried me to the mined part, and, entering, conveyed me into this, my prison, which they had secretly arranged for my use. I was not brought here at once, it seems, because on the very night of their daring outrage they had discovered that some revolving iron shelves they had fitted to the entrance could not be securely fast ened, as the large screws to be inserted were too short. Not wishing to postpone the horrible business, they had hastily prepared the cave, and held me there un til other screws could be procured. "Now all was ready and here, just eighteen years ago, I was-thrust and kept a prisoner by means of a long chain fast ened from my ankle to an iron bolt in the wall. I was securely fastened, then the gag was taken from my mouth, and the ropes from my limbs. "From that hour I have seen no human face, heard no human voice! These walls, I know, are several feet thick, built so that no sound can issue from them. Not a movement can be heard, unless the pan els are open, and then but faintly. "Oh, innocent, ruined brother! Oh, forgetful Constance! When shall I cease to think of these two?" Earle Elfenstein paused when he reached these last words, and large tears of sympathy still rolled over his cheeks, as they had often done during the read ing, wliile every one ot his intent listen ers were similarly affected. Conquering his emotion by an effort, he again read on: "May 24, 18 Nearly seven years since I last wrote on these pages. Not once during that time has there been a change in my lot until to-night. "To-night a different hand opened the panels. I knew instantly that it was not Reginald's. Something certainly must have happened to him. The jerk was wanting. "A soft, uncertain way of pushing them apart attracted my attention. There was a longer pause, a seeming study of the modus operandi of the revolving shelves, and a slighter push made them turn more slowly. Yes, I am sure a stranger has been let into the secret of my confinement; and that stranger, I think, must be a timid woman. "June 6, IS Something terrible has happened to my brain. I am wild! I am undone! I can remember nothing! Who am I? Where am I? Ah, yes; I have it! I was a peer; I am so no longer. "I am a poor minister of the gospel, confined here for the sake of religion. I am, in short. Rev. Edwin C. Stiles. How strange that I am here! I can remember nothing. "But I have a Bible, and I read and preach long sermons, and pray continu ally. Yes, some day I shall, I think, be released. I shall preach the gospel. How strange my head feels! Sometimes I think I am going mad!" "July 18. I am preaching and pray ing constantly. Night and day I plead with Go4.to send me a knife. Will my prayers be granted? Shall 1 ever have a knife? Can I ever cut my way out of this weary prison, out to liberty, and preaching?" "July 19. Hallelijah! My prayer is heard! A knife came to me with my food; sent me, I presume, by accident., It was forgotten, and now it is mine! I shall write no more. I shall instantly get to work: I shall soon be a free man. "But these pages, written as it were, with my heart's blood. I shall never once leave out of the reach of my hands. I am Rev. Edwin C. Stiles, a minister of the gospel, and these lines are my diplo mas, my badge of office. Ha. ha; a knife is mine; my own! And now I shall work myself free!" Elfenstein paused and passed his hand over his forehead in deep thought. A sudden idea had seized him; it was this: Ethel Nevergail and he must have been in the corridor when this poor creature faped! Yes; poor creature! These List lines told that he must have been insane, or nearly so, at least, when he es caped. But he had no time to think; a few more words-remained to be read, and his audience were eagerly waiting. These were written in pencil, and the letters were crooked and feeble, as though dona in great weakness. , "August 18. I am sick, dying per , haps! O joy! if this should prove to be ; death! I am weary, tired, worn out, but I thank God I am again myself. ! "Now I know I am Sir Arthur Glen- denning. Lately I have been confused, and thought myself a minister. My brain, my poor brain, was unstrung. At last I am myself. "A knife came to me and ' I took out the screws from the shelves, opened the panels after pushing the shelves aside, and escaped from my prison. "In the corridor I came upon a young girl and a man. Strangers; I knew that at once. Both were strangers. Yet I feared recapture. "I rushed forward, dashed the light from them, and then another frenzy seiz ed me, and my poor head nearly burst with. pain. I uttered a cry in my agony. Then another, as I rushed through the well-known ruins. "The night air revived me. I had not felt its-cheering influence, drawn a fresh mouthful of outside air, in twenty-five years. I opened my mouth, I expanded my chest, I drank it all in. "What cared I for the storm, the howl ing wind, the falling rain? It was de light, it was rapture! I was free! 1 was free! "I knew not where to go, but sped away, away, and rested not until I was hidden in the cave in Demon's wood. There I slept and rested. There I quiet ed my overwrought nerves, and thanked God for the blessed knife. "Morning came, and again I tried to think. My brain seemed heavy, and I could scarcely remember my own name, But it came to me after awhile. Rev. Edwin C. Stiles, a minister of the gos pel. But how could I preach in these threadbare clothes? I must get suitable garments. I' had money: I always had had money. I had it in my pocketbook when cast into prison. My persecutors did not rob me. "So I took the cars and went to Liv erpool, where I bought a suit of clerical clothes, and books, , and papers to sell, 1 bought also a little wallet, in which to lock up these pages. Something tells me I must never part with these my pa pers. "Yes; I have them safe. Now lying here, the wallet is safe in my hands. I returned to the village then, and must have wandered around, selling my books as Rev. Edwin C. Stiles. "But now. I am sane. My senses have returned. I am Sir Arthur Glen- denning, and I am dying. I know I must have been insane, or partly so, for the last few weeks; but my mind is clear, perfectly clear to-night. "In this cave I was taken ill, and could scarcely move for days. I had food to last for a week or more, and I crawled out, once in a while, for water. . "But now food has gone. I am too weak to drag myself to the spring. I thirst. I am burning with fever. I think I shall die! Farewell earth! 1 shall write no more; but with my latest sigh, I thank God that I die a free man." CHAPTER XXI. This, then, was the end of it all! The wayfaring man, dead, in his upper room, was not the Rev. Edwin C. Stiles,- but Sir Arthur Glendenning, the lost baro net. Lost! Yes, indeed, lost to his friends, but not murdered. And Dr. Elfenstein felt a thrill of joy pass over him as" the next thought came. His employer was now Sir Fitzroy Glendenning, and he was entirely cleared of the heinous crime with which he had so long been charged, He was ready to be received joyfully back to his own estate and home. Yes! his summons could bring him, for he alone Jcnew where he resided. He should start for New York immediately, and accompany and care for him on his return voyage. Then another thought came! a thought that made his heart throb tu- multuously, and that thought was this: His pledge had been fulfilled! Sir Fitzroy's name was cleared, and now he was free to woo and wed the girl of his choice. But, as gladly as his heart throbbed one moment before, so suddenly had it sunk again, like lead in his bosom. Was this girl this one girl that he so devotedly loved worthy? Had she a knowledge of that hidden crime? Was her hand the one that nightly opened those panels, and shoved in that repul sive food to a human being a peer of the English'realm! Again, with a smoth ered groan he felt that it was she! He remembered her wild entreaty, that he should neither light a candle nor search that corridor, on that dreadful night. And he had been fool enough to listen to her pleadings. Yes! He was convinced that she had aided the inhu man brother in carrying out his wicked purposes! But again he thrust away the idea; and at last resolved to see this girl, just once more, accuse her of being an ac cessory to this foul wrong, and then hear her reasons for so doing. Possibly there might be some extenuating circum stances, some unexplained reason why she had lent herself to this purpose. (To be continued. I The Stealing of Cait'e. One source of immense trouble to cattlemen has been the calf thief. Many a large "outfit" has gone out of business on account of the "rustler." Where cow herders have to ride the range for fifty or seventy-five miles they are likely to be forestalled in branding a calf by some vigilant rust ler whose little mountain ranch is near the usual grazing place of a bunch of cattle. Or very possibly the puncher for the big 3C ranch has caught and branded the calf with its proper mark; and when many months later he rides on a yearling branded BOB he has no means of knowing that the owner of the latter brand has deftly touched up the 3C with a running iron by the artistic addition of two strokes and an added letter. It may be stated par enthetically In passing that more than one large "outfit" of to-day got its start entirely from "rustled" cattle. In the more arid southwest rustling is not so common because most of the water is pumped and cattle get into the habit of coming home often to drink and can be watched more close lyt but even there It is a factor of no slight Importance. Leslie's Monthly. The average man clings tenaciously to his own opinions, but he expects other people to. change thehs. THE TOILERS. All day the toilers sigh for rest. Nor find it anywhere. . , The sun sinks in the darkling west, And they forget their care; Tired hands are folded on each breast: The Lord hath heard fheir prayer! Through all our lives we pray for rest, Nor find it anywhere. Then comes the Night, with balmy breast. And soothes us unaware. I wonder much "And is it Death, Or but an answered nraver?" Century. SCUD OBI OF II 1FE THE narrative which I am about to write was told to me one bleak night, In a country parlor. It was one of those nights in mid winter, when the wind swept over the land, making everything tingle with its frosty breath, that I was seated be fore a blazing fire, surrounded by a jolly half dozen boys and an old bach elor, a Peter Green, about forty and eight years old. It was just the night without to make those within enjoy a good story, so each of us had to tell his favorite story, save Mr. Green, and as he was a jolly story-teller, we were somewhat surprised to hear him say, "I have no story that would interest you," so we had to find other entertainments for a while, when one of the boys told me to ask him how it happened that he never got married. So I did. "Well, gentlemen," he began, "It does not seem right for me tell how that happened, but as it Is about myself, I don't care much. You see when I was young we had to walk as far as five miles to church, and singing school, which was our chief enjoyment. But this don't have anything to do with my not getting a wife, but I Just wanted to show you that we had some trouble them days in getting our sport. "John Smith and I were like broth ers, or like 'Mary and her lamb.' Where one went the other was sure to go. So we went to see two sisters, and as we were not the best boys imagin able, the old gentleman took umbrage and would not allow us to come near the house, so we would take the girls to the end of the lane, and there we would have to take the final kiss. "We soon got tired of this sort of fun, and I told John, on our way to singing school one night, that I was going to take Sadie home, and that I was going into the house, too. He said the old man would ruin us if I did. "I told him I was going to risk It anyhow, let come what would. He said he would risk it if I would. "So home we went with the girls. When we got to the end of the lane I told the girls we proposed going all the way. "They looked at each other In a way I didn't like too well, but said they (the old folks) would be in bed, so they didn't care if we did. They were a little more surprised when I told mem we thought of going in a little while, but all was quiet . when we go to the house, as we had no trouble in getting into the kitchen. Then and there we had our first court, and I made up my mind to ask Sadie to be my wife the next time I came. "It was now past the turn of the night, and as we had four miles to walk, I told John we had better be go ing. So we stepped out on the porch, but just then the sky was lighted up by lighting, and one tremendous thun der peal rolled along the mountain sides. Its echo had not died away in the far off vales until the rain began to pour from the garnered fullness of the clouds. We waited i.or it to stop until we were all sleepy, when the girls said we could go to bed in the little room at the head of the stairs which led out of the kitchen, as their father did not get up early we could be at home before the old folks were astir. So after bidding the girls good night, and wishing them sweet dreams, and promising them to come back on the next Saturday night, we started to bed. "We didn't have far to go, as the bed stood near the head of the stairs. John was soon in bed, but as I was always a liUe slow and full of curiosity, I was looking around the little room. "At last I thought I would sit down on a chest, which was spread over with a nice white cloth, while I drew off my boots, so down I sat, when, stars of the East! I went plump Into a big custard pie! "I thought John would die laugning, for he said I smashed that custard Into a shapeless mass and the plate right in two. You see we had to be awful quiet, so the old man would not hear. "I was now ready to get into Deo, so I put the light out and picked up my boots, thinking to put them In a more convenient place, when down one of my legs went through a pipe hole, which had been covered by paper, up to my hip. "Now one part of me was up stairs while the longest, part of me was in the kitchen. As my leg was very long, it reached a shelf which was occupied by dishes, pans, coffee pots, etc., and turned it over with a tremendous crash. "The girls had not retired, and we could hear them laugh fit to split their sides. I felt awfully shamed, and was scared until my heart was In my throat, for I expected the old man ev ery moment. "I extricated my leg rrom tne con founded hole just In time, for the old lady looked Into the kitchen from the room door and asked what all that noise was about. The girls put her off a beat they could and I went to bed. CHICAGO UNION STOCK "THE WORLD'S entkance Chicago stock TABDs. chlld & Sulzberger, the firms which have made "Packing Town" famous. The combined investment of the 100 firms within the yard is over $100,000,000. ' Way back as far as 1848 the Chicago slaughtering Industry was given an Impetus by the establishing of the "Old Bull's Head" stock yards at Madison street and Ogden avenue. . It was a great institution for the time, but was overshadowed in 1854 by the completion of a new yard at State and 22d streets. In I860 a half dozen stock yards were established in various parts of the city and the necessity for a union, yard manifested Itself, partic ularly to the railroad interests. It was not until 1864, however, that the Union Stock Yards and Transit Company was organized with a capital stock of $1,000,000. A tenth of this sum was expended for 320 acres of "worthless marsh land" belonging to "Long" John Wentworth, and it is on this meadow that the greatest packing center in the world is located. The area has been Increased since to nearly 500 acres to meet the demands of the rapidly growing enterprise. Within this yard are twenty-five miles of streets, forty miles of water troughs, 9,000 cattle pens, 5,000 hog and sheep pens, and the enormous buildings devoted to the killing and packing business. The present value of the property belonging distinctly to the corporation is over $10,000,000, including the real estate, the exchange building, the National Live Stock Bank building, and the recent buildings used for the annual live stock show. Every railroad entering the city is connected directly with the yards by the company's belt line and over four miles of platforms are used in the delivery of the product to the roads. A synopsis of the receipts and values for 1903. as taken from the report of the secretary may be of interest: Value. Cattle 3,443,428 $154,093,403 Calves 272.718 2,727,180 Hogs 7,837,649 106,787,977 Sheep ; 4,589,792 18,588.657 Horses 101,103 ' 13,522,526 Totals 16,244,690 $295,719,743 eome conception of the steady development of the stock yards industry In Chicago may be gained from the knowledge that the figures for 1903 showed a gain of about 9 per cent over the previous year. Chicago Journal. while John was strangling himself un der the cover to keep from laughing aloud. "We soon went off into the land 'of dreams with the hope of waking early. I wish I could tell you my dreams, but it would take me too long. One mo ment I would fancy myself by the side of my Sadie, and the next I would be flying from the old man, while he would be flourishing his cane above my head. This came to an end by John giving me a kick. - "On waking up and looking around, I saw John's eyes as big as my fist, while the sun was shining In at the window. "What to do, we couldn't tell, for we heard the old man having lamily pray er in the kitchen. "John looked out of the window and said we could get down over the porch. " 'Get out and dress as soon as pos sible,' said, he. "So in my hurry my foot got caught in the bed clothes, and out I tumbled, head foremost, turned over, and down the steps until I struck the door, which was fastened by a wooden button, and it gave way, out I rolled in front of the old man. He threw up his hands and cried: "'Lord save us!'. for he thought It was the devil. "The old lady screamed until you could have heard her a mile. I was so scared and bewildered that I could not get up at once. It was warm weather and I was quite scantily clad. "When I heard the girls snickering it made me mad, and I jumped up and rushed out of the door. "Ou I started for the barn, and when half way through the yard the dogs set up a howl and went for me. "When I got Into the barnyard I had to, run through a flock of sheep, and among them was an old ram who backed off a little and started for me. With one tound I escaped his blow, sprang into the barn, climbed up the logs Into the mow, and threw myself upon the hay. , After John had slid down the porch into a hogshead of rain water, he came to me with one of my boots, my coat, ! and one of the legs of my pants. He found me completely prostrated. Part of my shirt, my hat, one leg of my pants, my rest, stockings, necktie and one boot were left behind. "I vowed then and there that I would never go to see another girl, and I'll die before I wilL" Family Journal. YARDS, BIGGEST BUTCHER SHOP. rne world's mggest outcner snop i Is the term frequently applied te the Union Stock Yards of Chicago, and a study of a few statistics will readily demonstrate the reason, In 1903 over 300,000 carloads of live stock, valued In round figures at $300,000,000, were slaughtered within the precincts of the yards, or approximate to 60 per cent of the total receipts at all stock centers In the country. Over $40,000,000 was distributed in wages to over 50,000 men employed In various capacities about the yards. This vast volume of business Is divided among nearly 100 firms. Many of these, however, are comparatively unknown to the coun- -try at large and are controlled by the Armour company, Swift & Co., Nelson Morris, the Cudahys, and Schwarz- SIX TIMES PRESIDENT. Mexico Again Honors Her Beloved Ruler, Porfirio Diaz. For the sixth time President Por firo Diaz has been chosen head of the Mexican republic. General Diaz is nearly 74 years of age. He was first elected President in 1877, and has since virtually guided the destinies of the republic. When he was first chosen to the chief executive's chair the con stitution did not alUiw of him succeed ing himself. When his term expired he had General Gonzales elected Presi- POBFIRIO DIAZ. The mother of a boy was sitting on the porch. The boy came out eating a big piece of bread and butter. "If that should fall on your toes," the mother said, "It would mash them." dent, while he really directed affairs from another office. He succeeded in having the constitution changed subse quently and has since been regularly chosen to fill the office by his people, among whom he Is idolized. He has filled the chair with profound wisdom and along the lines of progresslveness. It is doubtful if he will be able to serve through his six-year term, as he is beginning to age rapidly and the strain of office is perceptibly telling upon him. The Vice President, Romon Corral, may, be called upon to dis charge the duties of his office before a great while. Well Paid. "Does Sue Brett really get as biff a salary as she says she does?" "Better than that She gets almost as big a salary as her press agent say she doe."-biladlphU Ledjrex.
