7;e (Chauffeur and the Jewels Coprrtaht. 1Vi. hy J. B. Lippincott Companv. All riithts re-serveJ. - m ii i WKSVKBBBSU-i- KSBSKOH CHAPTER IV. Three days after Mrs. Waring and her party loft Havre, an artist boarded the Liverpool express just ns it was leav ing Birmingham, barely In time to be locked up iu his carriage by the rushing guard. The two other people in possession of the first-class compartment young sports with their bulging caddy bags, their suit cases, and their Gazettes took up the en tire seat. The artist settled himself mod estly in a corner opposite, and pulling his cap well over his face and long, curly brown hair, opened his Daily Telegraph. Having read the editorials from end to end, he glanced leisurely over the polit ical news, and finally, doubling the pa per, took in the various paragraphs of current interest with attention and, one 'u particular, with some, amusement. This was dubbed, "Special from The Paris Herald," and contained these head lines : "Remarkable Burglary at Havre." 'American Woman Robbed by Her Chauffeur." And then below : "Mr. Richard Waring, of New York and Washington, who has been traveling on the Continent with a party of friends, was the unfortunate loser on Wednesday of some unusually fine diamonds, valued it 250,000 francs. "The gems must have been stolen from her trunk while at the Hotel Maritime. The suspected thief is her chauffeur, one Ludovic Sarto, lately in the employ of His Highness the Prince del Pino. Sarto has been running Mrs. Waring's motor tor the past two months. 'The burglary was not discovered until this morning, when the party was leaving Calais, but the authorities of the place were immediately informed of the au'air and are on the lookout for the thief. A reward of 5,000 francs is offered for his tpprehension." Having read this paragraph twice over very tjarefully, the artist folded the paper, crammed it into his pocket, and leaned back in his seat, giving himself up to a fit of hard thinking which lasted till the train rumbled into the Liverpool station just five minutes late. It was while the artist was hunting ap a cab that he first noticed the man in the brown overcoat a tall, thin, stoop ahouldered person, who favored him with a brief, interrogative stare, then disap peared into the ticket office. A minute after, a four-wheeler contain ing a painter and his paraphernalia bowl ed swiftly away in the direction of the Metropole Hotel. From time to time its passenger looked out through the little window at the back with a keen, inquir ing glance. Finally passing out of a broad avenue, the trap crossed a square t right angles and turned a sharp corner. "Stop," said the man inside suddenly. Dismounting, bag in hand, he looked furtively to right and left. Ahead of him stretched a long, narrow street given over apparently to lodging houses and a few unpretentious shops. Pulling out a sovereign, "Cabby," he Baid, speaking with a strong foreign accent, "behold your fare and something, as you see, be yond. Make your best time to the Met ropole and leave there my belongings. 1 et out at this place." Then, crossing the street as the cab rattled off, the artist plunged into a sta tioners opposite. He was standing at the counter a little later, reflectively choosing a note book, when the sound of wheels outside made him start and look out expectantly, but there was nothing unusual in sight only a station cab, containing a commonplace looking man in a brown overcoat, pass ing by the shop at a quick trot. Paying for his purchase and shoulder ing his bag, the artist walked briskly up the street. Turning on his course, he goon took to side alleys and short cuts, walking with the assured gait of one who knows his town thoroughly, until the gray stone facade of the Hotel Adelphi came into view. Entering the lobby, "Can you tell me." he asked the cle,rk suavely, ''if His Ex cellency the Prince del Pino is not stay ing here?" The young man consulted a slip of pa per. "Leaves by Majestic this afternoon. Suite 21, second floor. Take a lift." The words came out automatically with out the slightest punctuation. Following the direction, the caller found himself at length standing outside of a closed door upstairs. After a little the door was opened in answer to his ring and a head thrust out. "Ilis Highness bogs to be excused," an nounced a guttural voice, without any preliminaries. But the artist steppi-d forward and, prizing the cautious one by the hand, held it very firmly. "Alceste." he said in French, "do you not recognize me, my friend? It is Sarto." The other gave a start. "Come in, come in, without doubt," he said in a low voice, "and close the door behind you." It was an imposing anteroom in which Sarto now found himself, with doors opening out at the two ends, and six long windows communicating with a bal x)ny commanding the street. While the visitor looked about him, his companion slipied to the portiere oppo site and drew the draperies more closely. Turning he came back rapidly, a trim looking fellow of middle height, the typi cal French valet, with a sallow, mooth sbaven face. "And so it is Ludovic Sarto!" he said Incredulously, approaching the pseudo art ist. "I should never have known you." as he surveyed the professional get-up with a slight smile. "I see, I had better ask no questions! Eh bion, my friend, here you are safe at least, only" Btruck by a sudden thought he asked a few words In a whisper "have you ever had the scarlet fever?" The chauffeur nodded his head. "A light case, when I was a boy," h as By Edith Morgan Willett sented briefly : and then, with some con cern "Not the prince?" The other acquiesced. "The devil, say rather!" he ejaculated feelingly. "Such temper, such abuse, for the past week ; and now this high fever M. le docteur is in there now." He glanced at the oppo site door. "One cannot tell yet positively what may be the outcome. As for our journey this afternoon, where are we to go what we are to do?" 'lie shrugged his shoulders, spread out his hands, rolled his eyes, and glanced upward, all in one brief, pantomimic mo ment. "But how about yon, mon chou?" The chauffeur pushed back his long ar tistic locks, which now showed unmistak able signs of belonging to a wig. "As you suggest," he said, "it is wiser sometimes to ask no questions about the past. For the present" This with a whimsical lift of his eyebrows "Scotland Yard is nfter me. I have been followed all the way from Southampton. That is the reason I am here." He paused, his eyes inscrutably on the valet ; but Alceste avoided the gaze. "You come at a bad time, then," he objected, with sudden fretfulness. "The prince ill myself with a hundred de mands upon me one must see, under these circumstances " "Ah !" broke in the chauffeur. Look ing down, he studied the points of his boots and appeared to meditate a moment, then, shaking off his abstraction, "Come, then," he said lightly, "no more of my affairs. We will discuss thine for the nonce. Sit down ; let us talk." Placing himself leisurely in a chair, he eyed the valet with a faint smile that hardened and broadened. "Ah, Alceste! But the sight. of thee recalls many things! Dost thou remem-, ber those two weeks at Toulouse?" His gaze rested reminiscently on the ceiling. "And that accident to the gens d'arme? It was an unhappy mistake of thine," he laughed jarringly. But Alceste did not laugh. 'Tn peu plus bas," he expostulated, his eyes on the closed door opposite. Sarto crossed his legs with deliberation. "Aha !" he laughed unheedingly. "There was also that affair in Spain. Ma foi ! How amusing !" He raised his voice with apparent unconsciousness. "The prince has he heard of these little incidental divertisements? Eh, Alceste?" Alceste made no immediate reply. His eyes were still glued on the door, his usually dull skin turned the spent, un healthy hue of a wax candle. After a pause, "Is not this a bad time for such banal reminiscences?" he asked, meekly enough now. "I am all eagerness to do what you wish in this difficulty. It is but a question of expedients. Chut!" He broke off abruptly, listening, for from the next room came the sound of voices, and then footfalls. "M. le docteur !" ejaculated Alceste. "Already !" He moved swiftly toward the door. Then, over his shoulder, "Look you ! Through that door opposite ! Make haste ; I will be with you directly." Ilis tone was almost beseeching. Rising with a careless shrug, the other stepped into the next room. Having clon ed the door, he stood listening to the sound of approaching feet. The next instant a voice became audi ble, the hoarse, wheezy voice of a very fat man. Standing close by the interven ing wall, Sarto could hear every word. "Yes," the doctor was saying, "there is considerable fever, but we can't be sure what the trouble is for twenty-four hours at any rate. If it wasn't that Liverpool had been so full of scarlet fever lately 1 should say positively " He broke off abruptly. "Well, keep him quiet and do what I told you." "Mais, monsieur," the valet's voice rose in voluble remonstrance, "all arrange ments mok for Son Altesse departure to day. Look you ! The very trunks have left for the steamer. This hotel full cr-r-owded. Eef all dese peoples suspect the truth, dere will be great tr-rouble big fuss!" The doctor was evidently in a hurry, for the chauffeur could hear the struggle with his overcoat. "Suspect," he grunted. "Why should they suspect? Can't you keep things quiet a little longer? I tell you seriously the prince can't be moved for twenty-four hours without danger. Just tell Mr. Burlington that, with my compliments. I'll drop in later and have a word with him." There was a shuffle of departing feet and the door closed. Stepping over to the window which gave on the street, the chauffeur glanced out. hoping for a glimpse of the great man getting into his brougham, but there was no sign of either. Instead, a hansom had just driven up to the side entrance and, as Sarto watch ed it, some one jumped out and passed rapidly into the hotel a tall, thin man in a familiar looking brown overcoat. With a muttered exclamation the chau feur turned away and stood perfectly still, staring ahead of him with the di lated, startled look in his eyes of a hunt ed animal. Listening with sickening ex pectancy, he made out the creak of the ascending lift outside, the sound of feet along the hall, and a loud knock. After a moment's silence, it was repeat ed, and the flip-flap of Alceste's slippers came hastening from an inner room to answer it. The door was opened, and a quiet voice was heard to the listener's strained senses most unpleasantly distinct and near. "These the' prince's rooms?" It asked suavely. "The clerk tells me that a friend of mine was directed up here a half-hour ago an artist tall, dark man. I've called for him ! Just ask him to step out, please !" There was a pause, while Ludovic held himself stiffly at bay, wondering what would come next ; everything hung on the talet't next word OuI, monsieur," ramc the guttural re sponse at last "The ent!enians that you describe called hero, ii-y-a vingt min utes, but as Sou Altesse could not see hoom he leave directly." "Indeed?" The tone sounded incredu lous. "That is very extraordinary! The clerk tells me he didn't see him go out. How do you account for that?" "I do not know, sir, nie !" Alceste's reply was glilmess itself. "I shut do door on boom. Son Altesse, he so much occu py, and myself no less." The detective took the obvious infer ence. "Well," he remarked, after 11 pause, "if you're sure he's not here, I won't detain you any longer. Much oblig ed. Good morning!" And footsteps re treated down the hall. The situation was apparently saved, but the astute chauffeur realized thoroughly that the Adelphi was no longer a possi bility for him. Some other hiding place must be found, something must be done and at once. The next half hour he spent tramping up and down his rather circumscribed quarters and cudgelling his brains for a solution of the problem that confronted him, so absorbed in his thoughts that h.' almost forgot to wonder what had become of Alceste. ' At last, however, the valet made his appearance, his colorless face more cha'ky than ever. "Ah !" he ejaculated savagelyfi for the moment more interested in his own dilem ma than in the chauffeur's woes. "Could anything be worse? Some servant has spread nbrond the report that Son Al tesse has the scarlet fever, and the hotel is intete, foil ! Every one in a panic ! M. le Proprietaire declares that if the prince does not carry out his intention and leave to-day, every one in the house will leave; his season will be ruined! Miserable canaille !" He wrinkled his forehead. "If one could but arrest their suspicions, keeps things quiet for twenty four hours longer, when everything will be decided." Sarto seemed deep in thought. "The staterooms are taken?" "But yes, taken and paid for the best on the ship. Ah! Mille tonnerres ! Sacre ! And the very trunks on board !" "So much the better," said the chauf feur suddenly. Alceste stared at him. "I mean it !" the other repeated. "Let them go, even if they have to cross the ocean to save appearances !" He was standing before a mirror, star ing at himself critically, eagerly. "Yes" to himself "it could be man aged with a little ingenuity." Then, turning to the valet, "Calmes toi, Al ceste!" he said soothingly. "You have helped me and I shall now extricate you. This moment even, a blessed idea has come to me by which all can be managed. The affair is concluded ! Between us both we can accomplish everything. His Excellency can remain here in secret un til the crisis of his illness is passed, and yet at the same time the proprietor, the hotel, all the city if necessary, shall see the Prince del Pino sail for America !" (To be continued.) Our Consumption of Tobacco. According to the census figures re cently issued the consumption of to bacco In the United States is enormous. The money spent for cigars in the year ending June, 1005, was $198,180,372 and for cigarettes, $0,354,803. The sales of chewing and pipe tobacco showed an expenditure of more than $110,000,000, of which it is estimated that $55,000,- 000 was spent for smoking tobacco. Uncle Sam's appetite for the weed Is voracious. The consumption of tobac co lias increased from 293.894.453 pounds in 1900 to 355.02O.971 pounds in 1905. This Includes chewing tobacco. In 1905 he actually smok; d more than 1 ,"0,000,000 pounds. Yes. it all went up in smoke, and with it the cost of the Panama canal and of 27 battle ships. The consumption of cigars has in creased 27.." per cent since 1000. and of cigarettes. 27.3 per cent. From ISiif) to 10or the consumption of cigars and cigarettes steadily increased seevufold. During the same period the population of the country in Teased only a little more than twofold. More money is spent each year on tobacco than on itatoes or vegetables or fruits or coffee. Tame and Wild (in me Mixed. School Teacher And now that we have finished discussing the lion and the tiger, who can tell me about the lynx? A painful pause. Finally a small hand Is hesitatingly elevated. Teacher Well, Tommy, can you de scribe the lynx? Tommy No'111. Teacher Then why did you raise your hand? Tommy I thought Willie Wuggles could tell. Teacher And what made you think Willie could describe the lynx? Tommy 'Cause his brother's a cad die. Absence of Mind, Browning So your engagement with the rich widow is broken off, eh? What was the trouble? Greening Oh, one of my famous bad breaks, . ns usual. In an unguarded moment I asked her if I was the only man she had ever loved. Too Healthy. "Do you believe that mosquitoes car ry malaria?" "Not the mosquitoes around here," answered Farmer Corntossel. "They couldn't possibly do it and be ao health-." Washington Star. Hentanrant Keparlee. "Waiter, what kind of a sttnk was that you served me with Just now?" demanded the dissatisfied guest. ' "Well done," resiondel the waiter, with a low bow. "H'm! Io you mean me or the steak?" Of the 387 recorded ministers of the Society of Friends In Great Britain 153 are women. Feet of the Horse. The usefulness of a horse depends largely upon the quality of his feet. If they are sound and well taken care of he Is able to travel and work well, but If they are defective and neglected his usefulness Is Impaired and he can not be depended on In any emergency, ns he Is liable, when his services are most needed, to become partially if not wholly disabled, resulting In serious loss to his owner. But few horses are born with perfect feet, yet the defects by carefui treatment are often entire ly cured ; also many horses with sound hoofs are practically ruined by the ignorance or carelessness of black smiths. The proper shoeing of horses and the general care of their feet Is a matter that should receive the strict attention of every farmer, nnd yet, as a rule, it Is wofully neglected. The fanner should have knowledge of the natural formation of a horse's foot, so as to be able to determine whether the animal Is being properly shod or not, and while that Is being done he should never go away and leave the smith to slight the work to get through with It or butcher its feet If he does not un derstand his business. While no definite rules for shoeing horses can be given, some general prin ciples are acknowledged by all com petent horseshoers, namely, the heel should never be cut except to remove a ragged point. The same Is true of the frog, which Is an elastic cushion, intended to reduce the Impact of a sud den shock to the foot. The butteris Is an instrument that may do an im mense amount of damage In the ha:ids of an incapable operator. -Much mis chief Is done by it every day. When the toe is too long and projects beyond the hoof, It causes stumbling and It should be shortened. A hot Iron should never be applied to the foot to ascertain its evenness, as many black smiths do merely to save time, when they know it Is not right. A seared surface between the hoof and the shoe makes the contact less perfect and the shoe necessarily less rigid than it ought to be. The outside of the hoof should not be rasped more than Is necessary to cllncfe the nails, as this thins the crust and re duces the strength of the bearing sur face of the foot. Weakening and decay are sometimes the result of this prac tice. Oil applied to the hoofs occasion ally during dry weather Is beneficial. To Tell a Horse's Age, At four years old eacn jaw shows four permanent teeth, whose tables are worn to the same level. The dividers are worn upon both of their borders. Looked at from the side, the corner ioeth are quite small. At four and a half years the nippers show wear on both edges. The corner teeth and the hook or canine teeth are In evidence. Depth of Cyclone. From the study of clouds an official of the United States Weather Bureau concludes that the ordinary cyclones which traverse our country from west to east are not more than two or three miles in depth, although their diameter is many hundreds of miles. In oth.r words, their motion does not affect the upier regions of the atmosphere. In the case of hurricanes, this au thority finds that the depth Is greater, amounting to as much ns five or six miles. But higher currents blow direct ly across the cyclonic and anticyclonic areas which produce storms and fair weather at the surface of the earth. This new theory tends to offset form er Ideas concerning the circulation of the atmosphere. An Aarrlcnltaral Pent. So great have been the ravages caused by the dodder a leafless, twin ing, parasitic plant that a decree has been Issued by the French President prohibiting Its Importation Into the country. It Is a veritable agricultural scourge, attacking and destroying hops, vines, clover, peas, tomatoes and many other kinds of agricultural produce. Once having found Its way Into any dis trict, it Is most difficult to get rid of, and constitutes a permanent source of anxiety to the farmer. Cutting down, burning and poison have all been tried eith unsatisfactory results. Unprofitable Kzperlnientlnsr, In the entire realm of scientific In vestigation there Is nothing more Inter esting nnd marvelous than the growth and development of plants' from the beglrnlng or the germination of the seed to the reproduction of the germ. Each species of plant has its distinct ive character and life habits nnd only nourishes where natural conditions are favorable to Us growth. To attain any degree of perfection, the soil and clim ate combined must be such ns the plants require, although a moderate de gree of success may be attained when either of these factors are not exactly suited to Its growth, but where both are deficient In any considerable de gree the plant can not be successfully grown, except by artificial means whereby the necessary natural condi tions are created. If the chemical com position of the soil Is favorable, nud climatic conditions unfavorable, the latter can be created artificially such as protection from cold and excessive heat and lack of moisture and, like wise, if the soil is deficient In the chemical elements which the plant re quires, they can be ndded to, but In either ense the process Is laborious and expensive and the results unsatisfac tory. All plants are indigenous to certain kinds of soil, and all soils are especially adapted to the growth of certain kinds of plants, nnd nature can not be improved upon In any way, nor can her deficiencies be successfully remedied by artificial means. In order, therefore, to be successful in his busi ness, the farmer must "keep close to nature and mark well her ways." He must raise only such crops as are best adapted to the soil of his farm, In ac cordance with his experience, and wholly refrain from extensive experi ments with such "as are of doubtful utility. Keeps Chickens at Home. An Iowa man has designed an anti flying chicken-wing attachment having In view to prevent the annoyance and (WLM W I'M damages Incident to chickens scratch ing in your neigh bor's garden. The device ' Is attached to the chicken's wing. It Is made of parallel pieces of wire bent Into the form of an el STOrS FLYING. bow, with a hook at the bend. To apply the attachment to a chick en's wing It Is slipped over the wing, and by placing the parallel sides toward each other the hook can be snapped In position and retained by the resiliency of the wire. The hook will be on the Inner corner of the wing and will pre vent the device from slipping off. The chicken will thus be prevented from spreading the wing as required to fly and thereby unable to get over a fence Into the neighbor's garden. House of Corn Cob. In some parts of Europe corn cobs are used for building purjioses. The cobs are collected and taken to a fac tory, where heavy compresses crush and mold them into blocks of various sizes, Just as bricks are variously molded. These blocks are then bound with wire so as to make them hold to gether. They are then soaked In tar to make them water-tight, and pre ready for use after this treatment Of course, they are much lighter than bricks, are always dry, and make good houses. This is but one of the very many ways In which Europe shows a greater economy than Amerca does. There Is little over there which goes to waste. Even the refuse and garbage of Paris is made to serve a purpose by being burned and converted Into pow er. (out of Feeding Hen. Bulletin No. 115 from the West Vir ginia Experiment Station gives the first year's record with (100 hens. It gives pictures and descriptions of houses, method of handling, amounts, kinds and cost of feed and egg produc tion. The cost of feed for the year was 80 cents per head ; total cost $1.42 per head. The fowls averaged 113 eggs each, valued at $2.43, so that each hen returned a net profit of $1.01. How to Feed Out Sllaire. Owing to the constant contact of the air with the top layer of silage It is necessary to remove a horizontal layer of silage to a depth of not less than one and one-half inches daily to pre vent any . from spoiling. If this fact is kept In mind when building a silo its diameter can be made such as to make possible the feeding of a layer of this depth dally with the amount of live stock on hand. John Michels. I)Ik rlbnl ion of Manimnl. The distribution of mammals over the earth shows many curious features. North America, Northern Europe nnd Asia have many families In common. Such animals as wolves, foxes, bears, deer and moose, beavers, squirrels and rabbits live all around the Northern Hemisphere. The mammals found on Isolated Islands are of surpassing in terest to the naturalists. The Care of Sheep. Overfeeding or sudden changes from poor to very rich food, combined with want of exercise, If not actual causes, will contribute to the development of the loss of wool among ewes. An English shepherd being askeo what he attributed his unequaled suc cess in the show ring to, replied: "To two things always having my entries trained to walk In the halter, and to al ways being polite to the judge, no mat ter what iwsitloii he placed the exhibit In." V THE WEEKLY 1215 Magna Cliarta signed by King John. 1G09 Champlain left Quebec to explore the lake which bears his name. 1G10 Champlain defeated the Iroquois near the mouth of the Richelieu river. 1700 Madrid entered by the English and Portuguese. 1741 Alliance between George II. of England and Marie Theresa of Aus tria. 1745 Louisbourg, N. S., taken by the British from the French. 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill. 1778 British evacuated Philadelphia. 1793 City of Archangel, in northern Russia, nearly destroyed by fire. 1795 Union College founded at Schenec tady, N. Y. 1812 United States Congress declared war against Great Britain. 1815 Battle of Waterloo. 1S19 The Savannah, first steamer to cross the Atlantic, arrived at Liver pool.... The State of Maine separat ed from Massachusetts. 1820 The Earl of Dalhousie assumed of fice as governor of Canada. 1831 Reform bill reintroduced in tha British Parliament. 1837 Accession of late Queen Victoria on the death of William IV. 1839 Total defeat of the Turkish army by Ibraham Pasha on the Euphrates. 1S40 Montreal and Quebec incorporated as cities. 1850 Steamer Griffith burned on Laka Erie with loss of 300 lives. 1853 Termination of the Burmese war. 1S50 President of the United States rec ognized the filibuster Gen. Walker as President of Nicaragua. 1859 Repulse of the French and English squadron on the Peiho. . .Commodore Tatnall of United States navy, in Chinese waters, made his famous ut terance : "Blood is thicker than water." I8G3 Japanese ports closed to European and American traders. ISO! Alabama sunk by the Kearsarge. 1807 Execution of Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico. .. .North German consti tution promulgated. 1S08 Mumaita evacuated by the Para guayans. 1809 Kansas negroes petitioned Con gress for suffrage. 1S70 Treaty of peace between Brazil and Paraguay. 1871 Corner stone for the New York State capitol laid at Albany. 1872 Earl of Duffer in assumed office as governor general of Canada. 1890 Armenians massacred by Turk near Erzerum. 1893 'Monument unveiled in Waldheim cemetery. Chicago, in memory of the "I lay market anarchists." 1895 Baltic canal opened by Emperor William. 1900 Spain codid the Caroline Islands to Germany. 1903 Regina, Saskatechewan, incorpo rated ns a city. 1907 Tly French chamber voted to sup press the agitation in the wine grow ing districts by force..,. The Mayor of New York turned the first sod in the construction of the Catskill water supply. .. .President Roosevelt signed a treaty with Santo Domingo. The Chicago Board of Education ha decided to bar all candidates for jxisitionf as teachers in the public schools who are over 50 years old. The Minnesota school for the deaf thik year graduated seven students, each of whom has learned a trade, in addition to his academic training. Contractors are now at work on a building to be erected at the Minnesota school for the deaf, which will cost close to $50,000 and is to be completed this year. President Northrop of the University of Minnesota notified the students that any one having unpaid bills outstanding at the close of the school year would not be graduated. At the annual meeting of the alumni of the Minnesota school for the blind, held at Faribault, Dr. Iorr, superin tendent of the school, was presented witb gold-headed rane. At Rono, Nev., the entire State took 1 holiday the other day to celebrate tha dedication of the Mackay School of Mines and the reception of the statue of Mac kay, both being presented to the Stata and University of Nevada by Clarence IL Mackay and his mother. In revenge for the passage of a prohl. hition law in Alabama, which deprived tha schools of Mobile city and county of $80, IIOO annual revenue, the anti-prohibitionists at a special election, defeated a pro posal to levy a special one mill school tax, leaving the schools without financial support