13 HOME A'NT) FARM MAGAZINE SECTION HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE BECTION SERIAL. Bj George B an McCutcheon A Fool and His Money at the lower end where we had stacked V «> <§> <>> <$> <§» <§> <§> <§> <•> 3> 3> 3> <$> 1 “ Well, you wait and see,” said I, howdy-dos to the sun. Strangely enough, with the first peep of day His face beamed once more. “ Aeh, I through the decrepit window shutters I forgot to say that there are padlocks fell into a sound sleep. Britton got on the other side o f the door, just as nothing but grunts from me until half on this side. It will be of no use to past nine. At that hour he came into destroy these. Tho door still could not my room and delivered news that be forced. Mein Gott! How thankful aroused me more effectually than aH the alarm clocks or alarm cocks in th® I am to have remembered it in time.” “ Confound you, Schmiek, I believe world could have done. “ Get up, sir, if you please,” he re you actually want to keep me out of peated the third time. “ The party o f that part o f the castle,” I exploded. The four of them protested manfully, Americans is below, sir, rummaging about the place. They have ordered the even Gretel. “ I have a plan, sir,” said Britton. workmen to stop work, sir, complaining “ Why not place a tall ladder in the of the beastly noise they make, and the courtyard and crawl in through one of dust and all that, sir. They have al ready selected half a dozen pieces and the w indows!” “ Splendid! Th at’s what w e ’ll d o !” they have brought enough porters and I cried enthusiastically. “ And now le t’s carriers over in the boats to take the go to bed! We will breakfast at eight, stuff away in— ” Mrs. Schmiek. The early bird catches “ Where is Poopendyke?” I cried, the worm, you know.” leaping out of bed. “ I don’t want to “ Will you see the American ladies be shaved, Britton, and don ’t bother and gentlomen who are coming tomor about the tub.” He had filled my row to pick out the— ” twentieth century portable tub, recently “ Yes, I ’ll see them,” said I, com acquired, and was nervously creating a pressing my lips. “ D on ’t let me over lather in my shaving mug. sleep, Britton.” “ You look very rough, sir.” “ I shan’t, sir,” said lie. “ So much tho better.” Sleep evaded me for hours. What “ Mr. Poopendyke is in despair sir. He with tho possiblo proximity o f an unde has tried to explain that nothing is for sirable famine neighbour, mysterious sale, but the gentlemen say they are and elusive though she may prove to onto his game. They go right on yank be, and the additional dread of dogs ing things about and putting their own and babies, to say nothing of the amaz prices on them and reserving them. ing delinquencies to be laid to the late They are perfectly delighted, sir, to owner of the place, and the prospect of have found so many old things they a visit from coarse and unfeeling bar- really want for their new houses. ’ 9 bain hunters on the morrow, it is really “ I ’ll— I ’ll put a stop to all “this,” I not surprising that I tossed about in my grated seeing red for an instant. baronial bed, counting sheep backwards (To be Continued Next Week.) and forwards over hedges and fences until the vociferous cocks in the stable China imports wood pulp from Great yard began to send up their clarion Britain, Sweden, Norway and Germany. # a quantity o f rare old furniture in or grimly. SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS. In the opening installments of “ A Fool and His M o n e y /’ Geo. Barr McCutcheon’s charm- iug novel, serial rights for which have been specially obtained for the Home and Farm Magazine Section, we learn of John Bel- lamy Smart, the young man who is telling the story. He has just written his first novel, and at the same time has fallen heir to an immense fortune left him by his uncle. He is 35 years o f age. A fter a visit to London, Smart takes a trip on the River Dan- ube. After finding an old-world town, he discovers an ancient castle, which he purchases from its owner, the Count. With his secretary, Poopendyke, he takes possession of the immense struc- ture, which is supposed to be tenanted only by the caretaker and his family, the Schmicks. To Smart’s amazement, the first night, he hears the cry of a baby. Looking out at a balcony one night Smart sees the white figure of a woman silhouetted. He im- mediately begins a hunt for Schmiek, the caretaker, to solve the mystery o f who the woman may be. With the Schmicks he endeavor s to break down a heavily barred door into that sec- tion o f the castle, but fails. The story continues: «> <$> <§> <§> <$> <$> <§> <3> <$> <£ *$> <§> <§> <$> <$> <§> <$> <£ <$> <$> <§> <$• der to make room for the workmen. “ Herr Schmiek,” said I, abruptly halting my party in the center o f the hall, “ what has become of the rugs that were here last week, and where is that pile o f furniture we had back y on d er!” Rudolph allowed the lantern to swing behind his huge legs, intentionally I believe, and I was compelled to relieve him o f it in order that we might extract ourselves from his shadow. I have never seen such a colossal shadow' as the one he cast. Old Conrad was not slow in answer ing. “ The gentleman called day before yesterday, mein herr, and took much away. They will return tomorrow for the remainder.” <§> “ Gentlemen!” I gasped. “ Re mainder! ' ’ <§> “ The gentlemen to whom the nerr <£ Count sold the rugs and chairs and chests and— ” “ W h a t!” I roared. Even Poopen- <£ dyke jumped at this sudden exhibition <£ o f wrath. “ Do you mean to tell me <§» <& that these things have been sold and <§> Herr Poopendyke intervened. “ They <§> had bills of sale and orders for removal <§> o f property dated several weeks prior <§> to your purchase, Mr. Smart. We had <$> to let the articles go. You surely re €> <$> member my speaking to you about it .” €> <§> ‘ ‘ I don ’t remember anything, ’ ’ I <$ snapped, which was the truth. “ Why— & why, I »»ought everything that the can tie contained. This is robbery! What the dickens do you mean by— ” (Continued From Last Week.) Old Conrad held up his hands as if HE Schmicks fairly glowed with Joy! Afterwards Max informed mo that ex|»ecting to |>acify tae. I sputtered out the door was nearly six inches thick the rest of the sentence, which really and often had withstood the assaults of amounted to nothing. “ The Count has been selling o f f the huge battering rams, back in the dim past when occasion induced the primal baron lovely old pieces for the past six months, to seek safety in the east wing, which, sir. Aeh, what a sin! They have come after all, appears to have been the real, here day after day, these furniture buy •union pure fortress. The west wing was ers, to take away the most priceless of merely a setting for festal amenities and our treasures, to sell them to tho poor rich at twenty prices. I could weep was by no means feudal in its aspect or over the sacrifices. I have wept, appeal. Here, as I came to know, the Eh, Rudolph i old barons received their friends and haven’t I, Oretelf feasted them and made merry with the Buckets o f tears have I shed, mein herr. Oceans of them. Time after time have flagon and the horn of plenty; here the humble tithe payer came to settle his L implored him to deny these rascally curio hunters, these blood sucking— ” dues with gold and silver instead o f with ‘ ‘ But listen to me, ’ * 1 broke in. * ‘ Do blood; hero the little barons and baro you mean to say that articles have been Desses romped and rioted with childish glee, and hero the barons grew fat and taken away from the castle since I cane gr . sb and soggy with laziness and pros into possession!” “ Many o f them, sir. Always with perity, and here they died in stupid quiescence. On the other side of that proper credentials, believe me. Aeh, grim, staunch old door they simply went what a sj»endthrift he is! And his poor %o the other extreme in every particular. wife! Aeh. Gott, how she must suffer. There they killed their captives, butch Nearly all o f the grand paintings, the •red their enemies, and sometimes died tapestries that came from France and With the daggers of traitors in their Italy hundreds o f years ago, the won derful old bedsteads and tables that •hivering backs. As wo trudged back to the lower halls, were here when the castle was new— all defeated but none the less impressed by gone! And for mere songs, mein herr, •nr failure to devastate our stronghold. — the cheapest o f songs! I— I— ” “ I’lease don’t weep now, Herr 1 was struck by the awful barrenness of the surroundings. There suddenly came Schmiek,” I made haste to exclaim, ©ver me the shocking realisation: the seeing lachrymose symptoms in his blear •‘ contents” of the castle, as set forth old eyes. Then I became firm once more. rather vaguely in the bill of sale, were This knavery must cease, or I ’d know tho reason why. “ The next man who not what I had been led to consider comes here to cart away so much as a them. It had not occurred to me at the single piece is to be kicked ont. Do rrru time o f the transaction to insist upon •n inventory, and I had been too busy understand! These things belong to me. • ince the beginning of my tenancy to Kick him into the river. Or, better still, take more than a passing account of ray notify me and 1 11 do it. Why, if thm bHongrag*. In eacusing myself for this goes on well soon be deprived of any rather careless oversight, 1 can only say thing to sit on or sleep un or eat from! that during daylight hours the castle Lock tho doors, Conrad, ami don't ad was so completely stuffed with work mit any ono without first consulting mo. *«d their queer utensils that I By Jove, I ’d like to wring that rascal *s couldn ’t do much in the way of elimina neck. A Count I Cmpli! “ Xeh, he is of tho noblest family in tiou, and by night it was so horribly MacA and h>a*eomo about the place and all the land,” sighed old Oretel. “ His the halls were so littered with tools grandfather waa a fine man.’ * I eon •nd mope and tim ber that it was e* tnvod to sh M im my rage and m off, so help me. ” longer in evidenee. Two or three “ They are yoare to dee Troy, mein aatique mgn, fo r inatanoe, were m iu herr, God knows/' said he dismally. Ing from the main hall, and there was “ It is • pity to destroy fine old psd • i n o m t i t e n u g g e o iio a o f kwka— ” T Copyright, 1918, By Geo. Ban McCutcheon. COMMON SENSE AND A HAMMER FIVE BOOMS. $33700 Ws tarnish any number of rooms and any design you need. Bend for catalog. are all you need to build ono of our attract ively designed cottages ar bungalows. Not portable. Absolutely permanent. Save car penter expense, loss of material in cutting, and many other savings. You get the benefit. We cut every piece to fit, and furnish doors, windows, hardware, paint, nails, all lumber, and lath and plaster or wall board. A numbered diagram tells you how to put it together, without further expense. Ready Built House Company 990 Broadway. Portland, Oregon. WE *ARE SO SURE OF THE QUALITY OF Gold Shield Coffee That we ask you to give Gold Shield a trial, feeling that you will then insist on Gold Shield when Luying coffee. SCHV/A 3 ACHEH EROS. & C 0 .y luc. 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