r ? i "Are you sure that Kardek is at the points?" Yes; that has been arranged. What has been arranged ? And who is this Kardek they are talking about? The conversation continues. 'We must wait until- we get the sig nal," says Faruskiar. 'Is that a green light?" asks Ghan I'Tbe Special Correspondent gir. ' CHAPTER XXV. I have not seen Kinko for two days, and the last time was only to exchange a few words with him to relieve his anx iety. To-night I will try and visit him. I have taken care to lay in a few provis ions at Sou-Tcheou. We started at 3 o'clock. We have got a more powerful engine on. Across this undulating country the gradients are oc casionally rather steep. Seven hundred kilometers separate us from the impor tant city of Lan Tcheou, where we ought to arrive to-morrow morning, running thirty miles an hour. At dinner Mr. and Mrs. Ephrlnell, sit ting side by side, hardly exchanged a word. Their intimacy seems to have de creased since they were married. Per haps they are absorbed in the calcula tion of their reciprocal interests. We have had a bad night. The sky, of purple, sulphury tint, becam stormy to ward evening, the atmosphere became stifling, the electrical tension excessive. It meant a "highly successful" storm, to quote Caterna. In truth, the train ran through a zone, so to speak, of vivid . lightning and rolling thunder, which the echoes of the mountains prolonged in definitely. I think there must have been several lightning strokes, but the rails acted as conductors, and preserved the cars from injury. It was a fine specta cle, a little alarming, these fires in the sky that the heavy rain could not put out these continuous discharges from the clouds, in which were mingled the strident whistlings of our locomotive as we passed through the stations ol xaniu, from Tchene. Houlan-Sien and Da- Tshing. By favor of this troubled night, I was able to Communicate with Kinko, to take him some provisions and to have a few minutes conversation with him. "Is it the day after to-morrow," he asked, "that we arrive at Pekin?" "Yes, the day after to-morrow, if the train is not delayed. "Oh, I am not afraid of delays! But when my box is in the railway station at Pekin, I have still to get to the Ave nue Cha-Coua. "What does it matter, will not the fair Zinca Klork come and call for it? "No. I advised her not to do so." "And why?" "Women are so impressionable. She would want to see the van In which had come, she would claim the box with such excitement that suspicions would . be aroused. In short, she would run the risk of betraying me. "You are right, Kinko." "Besides, we shall reach the station In the afternoon, very late in the after noon, perhaps, and the unloading of the packages will not take place until next i morning. "Probably." "Well, Monsieur Bombarnae, if I am not taking too great a liberty, may I ask a favor of you?" "What is it?" . "That you will be present at the de parture of the case, so as to avoid any mistake. "I will be there, Kinko, I will be there. Glass, fragile, I will see that they don't handle it too roughly. And if you like I will accompany the case to Ave nue Cha-Coua." "I hardly like to ask you to do that.' "You are wrong, Kinko. You should not stand on ceremony with a friend, and I am yours, Kinko. Besides, it will be a pleasure to me to make the ac quaintance, of Mademoiselle Zinco Klork. j I will be there when they deliver the box, the precious box. I will help her to get the nails out of it." "The nails out of it, Monsieur Bom barnac? My panel? Ah, I will jump through my panel." A terrible clap of thunder interrupt ed our conversation. I thought the train bad been thrown off the line by the com motion of the air. I ' left the young Roumanian and regained my place with in the car. - ; . In the morning 26th of May, 7 a. m. we arrived at Lan Tcheou. ' Three hours to stop, three hours-only. "Cpme, Major Noltitz; come, Pan Chao; come, Caterna; we have not a minute to spare." But as we are leaving the station we are stopped by the appearance of a tall, fat, gray, solemn personage. It is the governor of the town in a double robe of white and yellow silk, fan in hand, buckled belt, and a mantilla a black mantilla, which would have looked much better on the shoulders of a manola. He is accompa'nied by a certain number of globular mandarins, and the Celestials salute him by holding out their two fists, which they move up and down as they nod theft heads. "Ah! What is this gentleman going to do? Is it some Chinese formality? A visit to the passengers and their bag gage? And Kinko, what about him?" Nothing alarming, after all. It is only about the treasure of the Son of Heav en. The governor and his suite have stopped before the precious van, bolted - and sealed, and are looking at it with that respectful admiration which is ex ' perienced, even in China, before a box . containing many millions. " ) I ask Popof what is meant by the gov ernor's presence, has it anything to do with us? "Not at all," says Popof; "the order has come from Pekin to telegraph the arrival of the treasure. The governor has done so, and he is awaiting a reply S3 to whether be Is to sen it on to Pekin, or keep it provisionally at Lan Tcheou. If the imperial treasure was a matter of indifference to us it did not seem to be so to Faruskiar. But whether this van started or did not, whether it was attached to our train or left behind, what - could it matter to him? Nevertheless. he and Ghangir seemed to be much put about regarding it, although they tried ' to hide their anxiety, while the Mongols, talking together in a low tone, gave the governor anything but-friendly glances. Meanwhile, the governor had "Just heard of the attack on the train, and of the part that our hero had taken in de fense of the treasure, with what cour age he had fought, and how he had de- - livered the country from the terrible Ki- , Tsang. And then in laudatory terms, v Which Pan Chao translated to us, he thanked Faruskiar, complimented him, and gave him to understand that the Son of Heaven would reward him for his services. The manager of the Grand Transasi- atic listened with that tranquil air that distinguished him, not without impa- tienca, as I could clearly see. Perhaps he felt himself superior to praises as well as recompenses, no matter from how great a height they might come. In that I recognized all the Mongol pride. It is ten minutes to 10 when we return to the station, absolutely tired out; for the walk has been a rough one, and al most suffocating, for the heat is very great My first care is to look after the van with the millions. It is there, as usual, behind the train, under- the Chinese guard. The message expected by the gov ernor has arrived the order to forward on the van to Pekin, where the treasure is to be handed over to the finance min ister. Where is Faruskiar? I do not see him. Has he given us the slip? . No. There he is on one of the platforms, and the Mongols are back in the car. Ephrinell has been off to do a -round of calls with his samples, no doubt and Mrs. Ephrinell has also been out on business, for a deal in hair, probably. Here they come, and, without seeming to notice each other, they take their seats. The other passengers are only Celes tials. Some are going to Pekin: some have taken their tickets for intermediate stations like Si-Ngan, Ho-Nan, Lou- Ngan, Tai-Youan. There are a hundred passengers in the train. All my numbers are on board. There is not one missing, Thirteen, always thirteen! 'Yes. It will show that the switch Is over. I do not know if I am in my right senses. .The switch over. What switch?! A half minute elapses. Ought I not to tell Popof?" Yes, I ought. I was turn ing to go out of the van, when an ex clamation kept me bnck. The signal there is the signal!" says Ghangir. And now the train is on the Nankin branch!" replies Faruskiar. The Nankin branch But then we are lost. At five kilometers from here is the Tjon viaduct, in course of construc tion, and the train is being precipitated toward an abyss. Evidently Major Noltitz was not mis taken regarding my lord Faruskiar. I understand the scheme of the scoundrels. The manager of the Grand Transasiatic is a scoundrel of the deepest dye. He has entered the service ;of the company to await his opportunity for some ex tensive haul. The opportunity has come with the millions of the Son of Heaven! Yes. The whole abominable scheme is clear" enough to me. Faruskiar has de fended the imperial treasure against Ki Tsang to keep it from the chief of the -bandits, who had stopped the train. whose attack would have interfered with his criminal projects. That is why he had fought so bravely. That is why he had risked' his life and behaved like a hero. But somehow we ought to prevent this rascal from accomplishing his work. We ought to save the train, which is running full speed toward the unfinished viaduct; we ought to save the passengers from a frightful catastrophe. As to the treas ure Faruskiar and his accomplices are after I care no more than for yester day's news. But the passengers and myself that is another affair altogether. (To b continued. Orange Boxes for Nests. In nearly every town orange boxes may be bought at moderate prices. Thev make the very best nest boxen. especially if they are arranged In thu following manner: As every one knows, the orange box is partitioned through the center, thus making plenty of -oom" for two nests in" each box. Take a number of boxes and stand theni on end, and fasten them securely tosrether with strips of wood. Then from old boxes or other sources ob tHin sufficient lumber to make an alley war darkened bv a board over the top. Place a little walk so that the bens may readily go to the second tier of nests. In the rear of each box or nest. CHAPTER XXVI. On leaving Lan Tcheou, the railway crosses a well-cultivated country, wat ered by numerous' streams, and hilly enough to necessitate frequent curves. There is a good deal of engineering work; mostly bridges, viaducts on wooden trestles of somewhat doubtful solidity, and the traveler is not particularly com fortable when he finds them bending un der the weight of the train. It is true, we are in the Celestial Empire, and a few thousand victims of a railway ac cident Is hardly anything among a popu lation of four hundred millions. . Besides," said Pan Chao, "the Son of Heaven never travels by railway." At 6 o clock in the evening we are at King-Tcheou, after skirting for some time the capricious meanderings of the Great Wall. Of this immense artificial frontier between Mongolia and China there remain only the blocks' of granite find red quartzite which served as its base, its terrace of bricks with the para pets of unequal heights, a few old can nons eaten into with rust, and hidden under a thick veil of lichens, and then the square towers with their ruined bat tlements, xne interminable wall rises, falls, bends, bends back again, and is lost sight on the undulations of the ground. All night was spent in running three hundred kilometers. A fog lasted all day, and this hindered the progress of the train. These Chinese engine drivers are really very skillful and attentive and intelligent. Luckily, the fog rose early in the evening. Now it is night and a very dark night, too. The idea occurs to me to walk to the rear of the train, and I stop for an in stant on the gangway in front of the treasure van. The passengers, with the exception of the Chinese guard, are all sleeping their last sleep their last be it understood, on the Grand Transasiatic. Returning to the front of the train, I approach Popof's box, and find him sound asleep. I then open the door of the van, shut it behind me, and signal my presence to Kinko. The panel is low ered, the little lamp is lighted. It is ten minutes to 1. In twelve min utes we shall pass the junction with the Nankin branch. This branch is only completed for five or six kilometers . and leads to the viaduct over the Tjon Val ley. This viaduct is a great work, and the engineers have- as yet only got in the piers, which rise for a hundred feet above the ground. As I know we are to halt at Fu'en- Choo, I shake hands with Kinko, and rise to take my leave. At this moment I seem to hear some one on the platform m the rear of the van. "Look out, Kinko!" I say, in a whis per. . - - - The lamp is Instantly extinguished. and we remain quite still. I am not mis taken. Some one is opening the door of the van. - "Your panel," I whisper. The panel is' raised, the 'car is shut. and I am alone in the dark. Evidently it must be Popof who has come in. What will he think to find me here? The first time I came to visit the young Rou manian I hid among the packages. Well, I will hide a second time. If I get be hind Ephrinell'8 boxes it is not likely that Popof will see me, even by the light of his lantern. I do so. and I watch. It is not PoDof. for he would have brought' his lantern. I try to recognize the people who have just entered. It is difficult. They have glided between the packages, and after opening the further door, they have gone out and shut it behind them. They are some of the passengers, evi dently; but why here at this hour? I must know. I have a presentiment that something is in the wind. I approach the front door of the van, and in spite of the rumbling of the train I hear them distinctly enough. Thousands and ten thousand demons! I am Uot mistaken! It is the voice of my lord Faruskiar. He is talking with Ghangir in Russian. It is indeed Faru skiar. The four Mongols haye accom panied him. But what are they doing there? For what motive are they on the platform, which is just behind the ten der? And what are they saying? Of these questions and answers ex changed between my lord Faruskiar and his companions, I do not lose a word. "When shall. we be at the junction?" "In a few minutes." RUSH INTO DEATH VALLEY. The Hunt for Pota of Gold at the Foot of the Rainbow. The moral of the old Persian prov erb, "The cheapest thing in the king dom is what men hold most dear," is called to mind by the story which comes from San Francisco of the daily sacrifice of human lives in the mad search for gold in the Death valley. Past Funeral mountains, which stand warder at the gate, men are struggling; lured by the lust of lucre. Men have strayed into Death valley many a time before, says the Des Moines Register, but it was when they were crazed with thirst and knew that no torment of the unknown could sur pass the agony of the known. From end to end Death valley is strewn with bleaching, sun-dried and vulture picked skeletons. It is the most bar ren and forsaken place in North. Amer ica. Death lurks on every hand, but men are giving up comfortable homes by the hundreds, with chances a million to one against them, and storming Fu neral mountains in hope to struggle into Death valley to despair because gold has been found a little further on. -The tortures awaiting tnem nave been heralded widely, but cannot daunt the adventurous spirit of the argo-nauts. Al lthrough Death valley," as well as along the fringe of both the Mojare and the Colorado desert, the atmos phere is so devoid of moisture that ev erything is as dry as a bone. The new arrival finds that all superfluous fat and flesh appear to melt away from him. He has to take up several holes in his belt and he has to drink gal lons of water every day where he or dinarily drank several glasses. In fact, the system craves so much water that when it cannot be procured the man's strength falls rapidly, and to be without it,, even in the shade, is sure death after a day or two. To run out of water on the trail and to be forced to travel over the desert in the fierce glare of the sun means in sanity in a' few minutes and death in a few hours. Not even the seasoned resident can resist this heat for long. The only re course of the old resident who loses his water supply in any way Is to seek shelter under a mesquite bush and to wait until the sun ge.es down. Then he most hit the trail and reach a well before sunrise, or unless he has won derful vitality his skeleton will be add ed to the large collection that lines all the roads through Death valley. i The old Persian proverb has been proved over and over again, but never more conclusively than in this case, The hunt for gold has always been the hunt for death. The Western plains, over which the argonauts of 1849 struggled toward California and gold, the silent places along the Chllkoot pass, the great steppes of Siberia, the great wastes of South Africa, wher ever gold has been found, men have offered in bounteous measure that which they hold most dear and yet that which is cheapest in kingdom or republic. . Men by the thousands ; have left riches at home- to tempt fate and that will-o'rthe-wisp gold, and have added their bones to the funeral pyres that mark every such struggle. The Death valley rush is only another In the long list since men sought to find the pots of gold at the foot of the rainbow. BOXES FOB LAYING HENS. near the top, make a hole just large enough to get one's hand in, so that the eggs may be removed in this way and the nest material changed when necessary.. With . this arrangement each hen has a nice dark place to lay, and is nqt disturbed by anything. The illustration shows the idea clearly. Indianapolis News. panied by an attack of alfalfa rust or spot disease. The best remedy for such a condition is to mow the field. The vigorous growth thus Induced may overcome the diseased condition. Smnner Care of Bees. No matter how abundantly you have provided for your bees in clover and buckwheat fields, If at this time of the year the weather is unfavorable and the bees cannot go out honey gather ing you must provide them with full combs for fear of their starving. The colonies need more supply than will keep them alive, they should have twenty or thirty pounds of honey at hand all the time. If the nights are cool the secretions of nectar will be correspondingly small and the bees will get but small loads. When honey is scarce in the hives the bees stint themselves and brood rearing is checked just when it should be at its best and healthiest condition. If you have any doubt as to the hives being sufficiently rationed you can solve your doubt by lifting each hive and its weight will determine ita con dition. If you find many that are too light weight, use your smoker, take out one or two empty combs and re place them with full ones, breaking small holes in them so that, the bees may get at the honey readily. Then yon can leave the bees in peace until they are able to hustle for themselves unless it should be too, long a wait, when you will have to repeat the proc ess. If you have no honey feed sugar syrup. Be careful to retain all the heat in the hives. William Woodville Rockhill, the suc cessor to Minister Conger at Pekin, has had long and extensive training in diplomatic rela tions with oriental peoples. At the age of 3t he was appointed second secretary of the American legation in Pekin and the J following year. 1885, to the full Food and Quality of Milk. Recent evidence collected by F. W. Woll of the Wisconsin station goes to show that the food of the dairy cow influences the quality of the milk pro duced to this extent, that the cow will yield a maximum flow of milk of the highest fat content which she is ca pable of producing on rations rela tively rich in nitrogenous substances. The productive capacity of the cow, the prices of feeding stuffs and of the milk products are the main factors that will determine how highly nitro genous ration's can.be fed to advan tage. Under ordinary conditions in the Northern States, it will not, as a rule, he thinks, be advantageous to feed ra tions containing over two "pxrands of digestible protein a day, and of a nu tritive ration narrower than 1:6.7, to cows of average dairy capacity. A Lice Killer. A self-working lice killer that is very effective for hogs is shown in the cut Drive a stout stake J into the ground near where the hogs sleep. , ' Grand Collection. Sharpe -Come out to our china clos et I want to show you a collection of souvenirs. v Whealton Why, every piece of china is broken and numbered! Sharpe Yes, they are souvenirs of our different cooks. Haste trips its own. heels and fet ters and - stops Itself .Seneca. What We Eat. An important constituent of our food Is nitrogen, an invisible gas; foods containing protein are called nitrogen ous. Carbohydrates build fat and produce heat and energy; protein does all that and builds the. red meat or muscle In addition. We get oil in the butter used on bread. From these three great food groups we make our feeding stuffs. We get carbohydrates from potatoes, sugar beets, corn. Corn alone lacks nitrogen and will not make sufficient muscle. Wheat bar ley and rye are all rich starches, good to fatten, but not the best for muscle making. We get protein in flax, in the outside of the wheat grain, in clo ver and alfalfa, in bran, middlings and oil meal. These foods are rich in pro tein. Wheat bran, linseed oil, cotton seed meal and any legume. Comparison of Yield. In 1904 Russia produced 205,460,400 bushels of winter wheat and 459,208, 200 bushels of spring wheat making a total wheat production for that year of 664,668,600 bushels, an. increase of some 43,000,000 bushels over the pre ceding year. This still falls several million bushels below the highest United; States crop. Last year Russia produced 1,005,289,714 bushels of rye, 1,120,729,235 bushels of oats, 845,174,- 000 bushels of barley and 25,986,857 bushels of corn. The United States produced 27,241,575 bushels of rye, 894,595,552 bushels of oats, 139,748,958 bushels of barley and 2,467,480,934 bushels of corn. or --i.tivq . I 2v I BUBBHra IT IK. Wind with an old rope, nailing it well, and saturate the rope twice a week with a mixture' of equal parts of lard and kerosene. The hogs will do the rest if there are any lice on them. D. V. S., in Farm and Hhome. Get tin s Good Breed. If you wish to start in poultry rais ing or to begin with a new variety, and wish to Invest as much as the cost Of a good breeding pen maae Dy a relia ble and skillful poultry raiser, that Is the best way to begin. Otherwise pur chase eggs, as many settings as you wish to invest in, and each from a different breed, but always from a re liable one. From each of these set tings you should raise both roosters and pullets. Mark them all carefully and plainly, so that you cannot mis take them, and next spring you will be in a position to mate up two or three breeding pens of your own. Doesn't Pay to Coddle Alfalfa. .! If an alfalfa field is in bad condi tion it is usually best to plow up and re-seed. It scarcely ever pays, at least where irrigation is practiced, to coddle a poor stand of alfalfa. Many grow ers recommend disking every spring, ven when the stand is good, and some hav even found it a paying practice to disk after each cutting. Such disk ing will often prevent the encroach ment of weeds. In the Eastern States alfalfa fields sometimes suffer a check in their growth, tend to turn yellow and otherwise show a sickly condition. Oftentimes this1 condition u accom- Nnrae Crops. A great deal has been said against nurse crops, but in some parts of the Western States nurse crops are quite necessary for the sowing of clover. Where clover is sown with spring wheat the stubble of the wheat when cut helps to hold the snow over the plants during winter and keeps them from freezing out It is the experience of farmers In a good many places that nurse crops protect the clover during summer, especially in regions where the heat is intense. Calves In Group. It is highly desirable to have calves come in groups where a large number of cattle are being kept and the calves are to be raised for beeves. It is only in this way that uniformity in size, weight and finish can. be obtained for the carloads of cattle that are to be sent to market If there are but few cattle it is better to have only two groups of calves, one in the spring and one In the fall. It will be easier to care for them if they are in groups of about the same size than if they come at all months in the year. Adulteration of Farm Product. During April the Massachusetts State Board of Health tested 305 arti cles for evidence of adulteration. Of these, ninety-eight were found adul terated or varying from the legal standard. Thirty-three convictions were secured during the month for selling adulterated foods. The num ber included three cases of milk adul teration, four of maple syrup or sugar and three of cider. The total fines im posed amounted to $900. secretaryship. In 1886-1887 he was w. w. bockhill. charge d'affaire in , Korea and during the next two years explored China, Mongolia and Thibet visiting many remote regions of those countries. Returning to the United States, Mr. Rockhill became chief clerk of the State Department in Washing ton; then third, and, In 1896-1897, First Assistant Secretary of State. In 1897 he was appointed United States minis ter to Greece, Roumanla and Servla. From this post he resigned in May, 1899. In July, 1900, he went to Pekin as special envoy and remained in China during the long-continued negotiations between the Chinese government and the powers, and was largely instru mental In securing the signing of the final protocol. To have been an important part In the developing of a national reputation for a husband Is an enviable accom plishment for any woman.- To an un usual degree Mrs. William E. Cramer was of assistance in the building of the Honorable rep utation of the late editor of the Mil- w a u kee Evening Wisconsin F over forty years, uunug pracucany mks. w. k. ua.-icit. all of the time her husband was en gaged in the formation of his career, Mrs. Cramer was his eyes and ears and his trusted and necessary assist ant She accompanied him on tours of Europe and of this country and ren dered him invaluable assistance in the securing and preparation of the manu script that made' the blind and deaf editor a national character. Her de votion to her husband was beautiful, and at the last tinged freely with the pathetic. She remained at his bedside and ministered to his needs until his death. Among the remarkable experi ences she had while traveling . with Mr. Cramer was during the Franco Prussian war, when the Cramers were locked up in Paris for several-months during the siege. - "'j Rev. Lee Anna Starr, a Methodist minister at Paris, 111., recently came into public notice through her refusal to marry a couple until she was fur nished' evidence that neither of the contracting parties was a divorcee. Miss Starr has been in the gospel ministry ten years, and in that time she says she has officiated at many KcV. i.. a. bi.vurf. weddings, in out one instance has she deviated from her rule not to marry a person who has been absolved from a marriage contract by legal action. In that in stance the ceremony had practically commenced before Jtiiss Starr learned that the woman was divorced. She immediately caused the proceejdings to be postponed until she learned that the divorce had been obtained on the ground of desertion, and that the wife had been unable to secure trace of the husband who had wronged her. Con sidering that this constituted scriptural grounds Miss Starr -proceeded with the ceremony. She believes divorce to be a growing evil which can be combated by clergymen refusing to marry diverced persons. Agricultural Building- at Portland. ' The agricultural building at the Lewis and Clark Exposition, Portland, Ore., is the largest anil one of the handsomest structures on the ground. It is 460x210 feet In dimensions, and is situated on the east side of Colum bia court the main plaza of the expo sition. The structure cost $74,659. - TheO.pew.rm. The gapeworm stays in old yards all winter and come, to the surface when the days get warm. He is discouraged by cleaning up and the liberal nse of lime. A good way to fool him la to locate the poultry yard in a new place that la. high and dry. Farm , Journal. W. D. Howells, after his long sojourn In Italy, will spend the summer at Kit- tery Point Me. -: Theodore P. Delyannis, prime min ister of Greece, who was assassinated by a gambler, had a record of forty- six years spent in the public service, with few temporary inter ruptions. He was born in Kalavryta in 1826, and studied in Athens. In 1843 he entered the govern ment service and was rapidly promot ed to high positions, t. p. deltarwm He was the representative of Greece at the Berlin congress In 1878, and in 1885 became premier. Twice he suf fered political eclipse on account of his foreign policy, but after a short retirement each lime was re-elected. e- C. H. Dallas of Leavenworth, Kan- has a Sharp's rifle sent to that State In 1855 by the abolition society of Boston. marked as Bibles. -,. Edward Doyle, the blind poet of New York, has just issued his third book. He Is 60 years old, and has been sightless for thirty-seven yean... Boston Corbett the man who Is cred ited with having shot J. Wilkes Booth, the assassin, of Lincoln, la residing Im Texas. ,