Heppner gazette., April 21, 1910, Image 2

MfJJmi
OR
The Devil-Stick
Br ths
"Ths Mystery of
CHAPTER VIII. (Continued.)
"Perhaps I may settle affairs sooner
than you thing," said Aylmer. "Uncle
Jen, I won't be back to dinner to-night,
as I have to go Into Deanmlnster."
"What about?"
"Business connected with the devil
stick and Isabella."
"H'm! You are pleased to be mys
terlous. Why not tell me your busi
ness?"
"Because I may fall," said Maurice,
"Here, Uncle Jen, don't be cross; I'll
tell you about It to-morrow, and then
you will see and approve of my silence
to-night."
"Well," said Jen, with a shrug, "you
are old enough to guide your own ac
tlons. But I must say that I don't like
to be shut out of the confidence of my
two boys In this way."
"You'll know everything to-mor
row."
"About David also?"
"Perhaps I can even promise you
that!" said Maurice, with a smile.
"What!" cried Jen, "do you know
why David has gone to town?"
"Not for certain; but I can guess.
Now, Uncle Jen, I shan't answer an
other question just now, as I must go
Into Deanmlnster."
It was useless to ask further ques
tlons, as Jen saw that the young man
was getting irritated; so, In no vtry
pleasant temper himself, the Major
went up to his dressing-room. He
was of a peace-loving and easygoing
nature, fond of quietness, so It annoy
ed him not a little that all this dis
turbance should take place on account
of a woman.
David and Maurice both being ab
sent. Major Jen was compelled to
dine alone. This he disliked doing, so
hurrying over his dinner with all
speed, he betook himself to the smok
ing room with a book. Here he chose
a comfortable chair near the open win
dow. and attempted to read; but the
somnolent Influence of the evening
was upon him. and before long the
good Major was sound asleep.
. Outside a warm wind was blowing,
and the air was filled with the per
fume of flowers. In the darkly blue
sky hardly a cloud could be seen, and
.fhe moon. Just showing her orb above
the tree tops, flooded the still loveli
ness of the night with wave after wave
-of cold light All was full of charm,
:spellbound as It were by the magic of
Tmoonllght, when suddenly a long, wild
cry struck shudderingly through the
silence. j
Accustomed as an old campaigner to
sleep lightly. Major Jen was on "his
feet In an instant, and again heard
that terrible shriek. It seemed to come
from the direction of the high-road,
and thinking that some evil was being
done, Jen, without loss of time, raced
across the lawn and into the avenue.
In a few minutes he arrived at the
gate, and stepped out into the white
and dusty road; a black mass was ly
ing some distance down, and towards
this ran Jen with an undefinable sense
of eyil clutching at his heartstrings.
The black mass proved to be the body
of a man, cold and still. Jen turned
the corpse over and recoiled. The
lead man was Maurice Aylmer.
CHAPTER IX.
While the Major, hardly able to
credit his own eyes, was staring at the
dead body of his dear lad, Jaggard, at
tracted also by the strange cry, came
running up.
"What is it, sir?" he asked, saluting
Jen even in that moment of anxiety.
"I heard an awful cry, sir, and came
After you."
Jen pointed to the corpse, but said
nothing. Jaggard, ignorant of the
the truth, bent down to place a hand
on the dead man's heart. Then he
saw and recognized the face.
"Mr. Maurice! What does It mean?"
be cried, aghast with sudden horror.
"It means murder, Jaggard!" re
plied Jen, In a hollow voice which he
hardly recognized as his own. "Mr.
Maurice went to Deanmlnster before
dinner, and now " the Major point
ed again to the remains.
"Murder!" echoed Jaggard, his rud
dy face going pale. "And who, sir
n
"I don't know I can't say!" Inter
rupted his master. Impatiently. "Go
and get the men to bring down a
stretcher for the body, and send the
groom for Dr. Etwald."
"Ain't it too late, sir?"
"Do as I tell you," said Jen, so fierce
ly that Jaggard did not dare to diso
bey, but ran off. leaving the Major
alone with his dead.
The road which ran past "Ashan
tee" towards The Wigwam was lonely
even in the daytime, and at this hour
of the night it was quite deserted. Not
a person was In sight, although the
Major could see up and down the road
for a considerable distance, ow'ing to
the bright moonlight He raised Mau
rice In his arms, and placed the body
on the soft grass by the wayside.
In the bright moonlight he carefully
examined the body, but could find no
trace of any wound until he came to
the right hand. Here, In the palm, he
saw a ragged rent clotted with blood.
Lut It was a mere scratch not likely
to have caused death, unless poison
were Here Major Jen rose to his
feet with a new and terrible idea In
his brain.
The devil-stick!" he said, aloud.
Again he bent down and examined
the face and hands. Both were swol
len and discolored; he tore open the
shirt at the neck, and saw that the
young man's breast was all distended
aa4 bloated. Undoubtedly the cauM of
of Steep
Author of
Hnsom Cab,
death was blood-poisoning, and the
devil-stick had been the instrument
used to effect the deed. But here the
problem proposed itself: Who had
killed Maurice? The person who had
stolen the devil-stick! Who had sto
len the devil-stick? The person who
Major Jen came to an abrupt pause.
He could think, for a moment, of no
answer to that question; but it Is only
fair to say that, dazed by the terrible
occurrence of his dear lad's death, Jen
had not his wits about him.
While he was still considering the
affair in a confused manner Jaggard
reappeared with the men from
"Ashantee" carrying a stretcher. While
they placed the body of Maurice there
on, the groom bound for Deanmlnster
passed them driving the dog-cart, and
Major Jen stopped the man to tell him
that at all risks he was to bring back
Dr.' Etwald with him. Jaggard won
dered at this, for Maurice poor lad
was beyond all earthly aid but Jen
was thinking of a certain person who
might have committed the crime, and
he wished for the aid of Dr. Etwald to
capture that person. In the mean
time the necessities of the case called
for the Immediate removal of the body
to "Ashantee." It was a melancholy
procession which bore the body up to
the house, and behind came Major
Jen bowed to the ground with sorrow,
In due time Etwald arrived, for the
groom had been fortunate enough to
find him at home. On hearing of the
affair he expressed the deepest con
cern, and, putting all other business on
one side, he came back to "Ashantee"
in the dog-cart. Before seeing Jen, he
went up to Aylmer's room and exam
ined the body of the unfortunate young
man. Having satisfied himself so far
as he was able he came down to the
library, where Jen awaited him.
Well, Etwald," cried the Major,
when he saw the tall form of the doc
tor at the door, "have you seen him?"
I have seen It," corrected Etwald,
with professional calmness, "the poor
fellow Is dead. Major dead from
blood-poisoning."
"I knew It; I guessed It the devil-
stick."
"That may be," rejoined Etwald, tak
ing a seat, "but I cannot be sure. You
see neither you nor I know anything
of the poison which was In the han
dle of that African instrument It
But what are you talking of?" broke
in Jen, Impetuously. "You say that
my poof boy died from blood-poisoning.
How else could he have come by
that, save through being touched or
struck' with the devil-stick? No one
in the neighborhood was likely to pos
sess any weapon likely to corrupt the
blood. If Maurice had been stabbed,
or shot, I could understand the crime;
but as It is, the person who stole the
devil-stick must have killed him."
And who stole the devil-stick?"
asked Etwald, coOUy. "If I forget not.
Major, you asked me the other day If
did. I was no friend of the dead
man; I did not like him, nor he me.
We both loved the same woman we
were rivals. What then so easy aa for
you to say for a Jury to believe that
I had stolen the devil-stick and killed
Mr. Aylmer, so as to get him out of
the way."
"I never thought of such a thing,'
protested Jen. "I do not suspect you."
Then whom do you suspect?" ask
ed Etwald, fixing his dark eyes on the
Major.
'Dido the negress of Mrs. Dal
las!"
'That Is ridiculous. The commis
sion of a crime presupposes a motive.
Now what motive had Dido to kill
your friend?'
She hated Maurice, and she did not
want him to marry Miss Dallas."
Neither did I, If I remember right
ly," said Etwald, dryly. By the way,
suppose you will have a detective to
sift the affair to the bottom? Mr; Sar-
by Is in the city. Why not wire him?'
If I thought that But" added
Jen, breaking off, "how do you know
where David Is?"
Oh!" rejoined Etwald, quietly, "Mr.
Aylmer told me so tonight"
"No-night!" echoed Jen, starting up.
You saw Maurice to-night!"
Certainly. About at hour and a half
before he was murdered. At my house,"
replied the doctor, with great deliber
ation.
So It was you whom he went to see
on business to-night?'
"I don't know If you call It busi
ness. I asked JUr. Aylmer to call and
see me, and sent the message by that
tramp named Battersea."
"I remember his coming. Go on,
please."
Mr. Aylmer called, as I said," con
tinued Etwald. "And then I told him
that Miss Dallas was ill from being
prevented Ly her mother from seeing
him. That I was sorry for the poor
oung lady, and that I gave up my po-
ition as a rival. In fact" added the
doctor, "I advised Mr. Aylmer to see
Miss Dallas and marry her as soon as
he could."
But why did you wish to act In this
generous manner?"
"For the very simple reason that
Miss Dallas is of a delicate and ner-
ous constitution," said Etwald. "If
she does not marry Mr. Aylmer, with
whom she is in love, she may die. I
uite forget that I should speak In the
past tense now. Major. Mr. Aylraer Is
tad, and Miss Dallas may pine away
of grief. It was to prevent such a ca
tastrophe from occurring that I sur
rendered my claim to her hand."
"Very generous of you Indeed," said
I 1
Jen. Ironically: "but I do not see why
you should behave In such a nobis
manner when you were so much In
love with the girl."
"It Is for that reason that I changed
my mind. As you know, I have been
attending upon Mrs. Dallas this week,
and I saw plainly enough that my
case was hopeless; that the girl was
dying to marry Aylmer. Besides," add
ed Etwald, carelessly, "the mother was
not on my side "
"She wants Isabella to marry Da
vid." "So I hear; and he Is In town, as
Mr. Aylmer told me to-night. Put
what are you. going to do about the
matter, Major?"
"Give notice to the police."
"There will be a post-mortem, of
course," said Etwald, carelessly.
"No, no! I hope not," cried Jen,
horrified at the idea.
"But there must be," Insisted Et
wald, cruelly. "Aylmer died of poison,
and It must be proved that such was
the case. Then we may learn if he
perished from the poison of the devil
stick. Afterwards you must get a de
tective to search for the person who
stole It from your smoking-room. Once
he or she Is found, and the assassin of
your poor friend will be In custody."
" 'He or she,' " repeated Jen, slowly.
"Dido I mentioned; but 'he!' who is
he'?"
"Ah, that Is what we wish to find
out," said the doctor, gravely. "But
how do I know? Battersea may be the
thief."
"The thief and the murderer!"
"Well, no, Major. On' second thoughts
I do not think it is wise to couple
those two words as yet The thief may
not be the murderer but what can I
say!" broke off Etwald, suddenly. "As
yet we know nothing. It is late now,
Major, and I must get back. Shall I
give Information to the police?"
"If you will, be so kind," said the
Major, listlessly, and he let the doctor
go away without another word.
All through that long night he knelt
beside the bed upon which lay the
corpse of the man whom he had loved ;
as a son. The Major was broken-heart
ed by the sorrow which had come up
on him, and when he Issued from the
chamber of death he looked years old-
ed than when he entered It
Fortunately he was not forced to
sorrow alone; towards midday David
arrived from town, filled with grief
and surprise at the untimely end of
Maurice. He found the Major In the
library, and grasped him by the hand
with genuine sorrow.
"My poor uncle," he said, In a low
voice. "I cannot tell you what I feel
Etwald telegraphed to me the first
thing in the morning, and I came down
by the earliest train there was. Poor
Maurice! and we parted In anger."
'More's the pity," sighed Jen, lean
ing upon the shoulder of Sarby; "but
you cherish no anger In your heart
now?"
"Heaven forbid, sir!"
David spoke so fervidly that Jen
saw plainly he meant what he said.
The massive face of the young man
looked worn and haggard In the
searching light of the morning, and
whatever enmity the love of the same
woman had sown between him and the
dead, it was not to be denied that he
was sureenng crueny rrom remorse,
at their unhappy difference. Jen was
sorry, but even in his own grief he
could not forbear a stab.
You can marry Isabella now," he
said, bitterly. fc
No!" said David, faintly, turning
his face away. "At least, not yet."
The Major looked at him for a mo
ment or two, then,, with a new idea In
his head, he took David by the hand
and led him Into the chamber of death.
Swear," said he, "that you will not
marry Isabella Dallas until you have
discovered and punished the murderer
of Maurice."
(To be continued.)
Love's Reasoning;. .
He Well, lovey, we've been marneci
just a year to-day, haven't we?
She Yes, dearie.
He And do you love me just a
much as ever, my pet?
She More, you old precious.
He More? Are you awfully sure ot
that?
She Sure? How can you doubt It,
darling, when you know you are earn-
'ing twice as much as when we were
married? Puck.
Natural Progression.
Mrs. McCall How about your serv
ant girl? The last time I saw you
you complained about her being so
very slow.
Mrs. Hiram Offen Oh, she's
gressing.
pro
Mrs. McCall Indeed?
Mrs. Hiram Offen Yes; she's get
ting slower and slower. Catholic
Standard.
A
'Where are
Stan's Terror.
you going, my
pretty
maid?"
"I'm going a-shopping, sir." shs
said
'Won't you come with me?" He shook
his head,
And then, base coward, he tnrned
and fled!
Washington Star.
The Ilanior of InvrXment.
"How's that mine of yours coming
along?"
"They've struck a new vein."
"That's funny."
"What makes you think so?"
"Oh, the mine is such a good Joe
that I'm sure it must have a funny
vein." St. Louis Star.
The Educated Kye.
Student (home at vacation) Bridg
et, I've just found another fly In the
milk.
Bridget (appreciatively) Begorrah,
It's wonderful what college tralnln'
will do for ye Yale Record.
A Deroted Husband.
Wife Dearest, If you and I were
thrown on a desert island, what would
you do?
Husband Thank heaven I can
swim.
rHB FOOTBALL CKAJKB.
Gpldemlo Hysteria to Which Women
An Especially Susceptible.
It is fast growing to be the. opinion
of thoughtful people outside of aca
demic circles that the mania for sports
and contests of physical prowess in
our colleges and schools has gone so
far that it constitutes an evil of great
magnitude, writes Albert Bhaw in the
Review of Reviews. One of the reasons
for the intensity of the devotion to
football, for example, as a type of the
Intercollegiate competition, is to be
found in the great size of the under
graduate body and the great prom
inence of the leading institutions in
the social sense. College loyalty has
to express Itself in some form or other,
and ardent devotion to the success of
the college team In it contests with
other colleges comes to be the easlost
form of common expression among, a
great mass of students who can find
no other rallying point.
natural consequence of the Inten
sity of this feeling Is the undue re
sponsibility placed upon the members
of the representative teams. The foot
ball players are made to feel that upon
them chiefly depends the glory or the
disgrace of their college. So over
whelming it this feeling that it be
comes a veritable obsession. Members
of the faculty and of the Board of
Trustees and all the old graduates be
come Infected with the craze.
Women are especially susceptible to
epidemic hysteria of this sort Their
Influence is even worse than that of
men in driving the players to that at
titude of false heroism which would
make any of them willing and glad.
not merely to break his nose or his
collar bone, but to lay down his life on
the football field. They are doing it
all for the glory of the college and the
admiring applause of the score of
thousands of well-dressed girls on the
bleachers who, all unaware to them
selves, have become tainted with that
wretched passion for dangerous gladi
atorial combat that takes the fair
women of Spain to the bull-fight every
Sunday afternoon.
FASHION HINTS
A " smoke-blue" broadcloth suit, has
a natty little coat that is a clever modifi
cation of the Russian tendency.
The skirt and waist are in one piece.
Soutache braid and self-covered buttons
form the trimming, while the yoke is of
"smoke-blue" dotted net.
SPLINTERS.
All to the good Sermons,
Fortune hunters are always looking
for big game.
A man may be self-possessed and
yet owned by his creditors.
It is better to give than to receive
until the other party starts to grab.
Bowers Jones seems to have a hard
time making both ends meet. Powers
Yes, his financial end is short.
You have got to have the coin if
you want to catch the crowd.
goyce Yon never see Smith cut
ting a very wide swath. Joyce You
can't do it very well when you are in
the straight and narrow path.
Some people are like the parrot
which can say only a few words and
talks all the time.
First Diner Are you looking for
pearls in that oyster stew? Second
Diner No, I am hunting for oysters.
'Victory Bad Enougrh.
In a corridor of one of the unlver
lsty of Texas buildings there is a
large replica of "The Winged Vic
tory," A waggishly inclined student
observed the headless, armless, foot
less statue, and wrote underneath:
"God pity Defeatl" LIpplncott's
Magazine.
The Commerolal Spirit.
Gabriel What is that spirit dicker
ing about?
St Peter He claims the book and
magazine rights to his discovery of
the place. New York Bur
At the Game.
He Hurrah. Another gain. I UO
you our boys are pulling.
She Aren't they. They'll bay ths
leg off that little fellow in the red Jer
y in another minute.
Farm Wagon Jack.
A simple and cheap form of wagon
Jack is illustrated. The material requir
ed is four pieces of wood and a few
bolts. It will serve quite well if made of
soft wood, but will not last so long or
do so much heavy lifting as it would
made out- of hard wood, Hickory is
the best, but white oak Is almost as
good. A is thirty-six Inches long, six
Inches wide and one and one-half inch
es thick. B 1b thirty-six inches long,
six inches wide, two Inches thick. A
Is bolted to B at right angles with live
SilMl'I.K WAGON JACK.
three-eighths bolts. It also has a suc
cession of half-Inch holes bored two
Inches apart, towards the upper part
C is 2x3 inches, of hard wood and as
long as may be desired. It has a suc
cession of half-inch holes an inch and
a half apart. D is three Inches wide
and one inch thick, and about forty-
four inches long. It is bolted to B
near one end, and has a number of
half-inch iron holes through the upper
part, and an Iron pipe to run through.
This simple and cheap device answers
perfectly for all the usual purposes of
a wagon Jack.
How to nut a Tree.
In anticipation of the needs of
Arbor Day the Oklahoma1 experiment
station has in press a bulletin on
"Tree Culture," by Professor Morris
of the horticultural department.
While the bulletin treats of many fea
tures, such as the best trees to plant
for shade or post and pole production,
perhaps the most timely and useful
advice is that relating to planting
which is as follows:
The trees should be set a little deep
er in the soil than they stood in the
nursery row, or where previously
grown. The soil must be worked in
underneath the large roots and tamp
ed firm about them. The top of the
tree should be leaned slightly to the
southwest.
This enables the tree to resist the
hard south winds and before the end
of the first season the tree will be
standing in an erect position. It Is a
good plan to shake the tree several
times while tamping the dirt around
the roots and to pour water about
the tree in order to bring the soil in
contact with every bit of root surface.
After the water has been poured on,
another Inch, or two of dry soil and
good surface should be thrown about
the tree to prevent baking.
Liquor and Price ot Grain.
The Secretary of Agriculture is au
thoritatively quoted as saying that If
every distillery and brewery in the
United States were to close and never
use another bushel of grain in the
manufacture of Intoxicating liquors,
the American farmers, as a class,
would not know it, as far as the ef
fect would show Itself on the markets
for grain.
To Cross a Brook.
This arrangement anchors a post so
it will not pull out when the wires
are tightened. A wire Is stretched
from the bases of the two posts over
the top of the lower post in a brook
or ravine.
Hard-Worked Horses.
Many hard-worked horses suffer with
sore backs and the harness galls. One
of the best remedies for cooling and
healing those sores Is two teaspoon
fuls of ground white oak bark, two
quarts of water. Pour this water (hot)
ot er the bark and let It stand until
cool. Then strain and bottle for use.
Bathe sores in this solution.
Bees and Fruit.
An Insufficient supply of bees will
hinder the setting of fruit While oth
er Insects may take a part In the car
rying of pollen, the fruit raiser must
rely chiefly upon honey bees. Experi
ence shows that, though bees may fly
two or three miles, hives should be
within half a mile of the orchard or
small fruit patch.
Ioararlu- by Electricity.
Logging by electricity, it Is said, will
soon become the common practice in
British Columbia, where electricity
can be readily obtained from water
power. With the disappearance of the
steam engines in the woods will go 85
per cent of the annual forest fires.
. ,iyi. ,
A a
i o- li U
Fertiliser for Meadows.
Experiment station tests have shown
that nitrate of soda-is the one fertiliz
er most needed by meadows in the
spring. As early In the spring, the
second yeaf after wheat, if clover has
been grown, as new fresh growth
shows, make a mlxturo of $qual weight
of nitrate of soda and fine dry earth,
and' apply broadcast at the rate of 800
pounds per acre. It would be quila
useless to use, any other form of f or
tillzer, for everything depends upon
immediate availability of the plaut
food. By this treatment not only will
wild grasses be kept back, but also
sporadic patches of clover. The young
timothy will develop very thick
growth, due to very extensive stoollng.
The cost of fertilizer and its applica
tion will be about $4 per acre If no fall
application was made, and $6.75 if If
was necessary to fall fertilize.
Benefits ot the Silo.
It will keep your stock thrifty an
growing all winter, produces fat beef
more cheaply than dry feed, enables
cows to produce milk and butter more
economically, Is more conveniently han
dled than dry fodder, prevents more
of corn stalks in the manure, fur
nishes a feed that the stock will relish
In the cold winter months, makes pa
latable food of stuff that would not
otherwise be eaten, enables the farmer
to preserve food which matures at a
rainy time of the year, when drying
would be next to Impossible, and is
easily constructed and the expense of
building will be more than returned
the first year, and because it Is the
most economical method of supplying
food for the stock during the hot, dry
periods in summer, when the pasture
la short Missouri Experiment Sta
tion. Ripening- Apples on Trees.
The longer apples remain on the
tree, unless the weather becomes too
cold to permit their exposure, the bet
ter the flavor and the keeping quali
ties. The fruit that comes to perfec
tion the farthest north, as that in the
Hood river region of Oregon, appears
to have the finest keeping qualities
without deterioration In flavor.
Of the varieties raised in the East
the winter russets keep longest with
out being put in cold storage and real
ly reach the full perfection of flavor
only late in the winter or the early
spring. It used to be considered a
marvelous and almost an Impossible
thing to keep apples over from the
fall till the first summer apples ap
peared, but with methods of cold
storage so extensively used as they
are now this is easily achieved and
with far less deterioration in flavor
than might reasonably be expected.
Poor Shelter tor Sheep.
Often we see sheep housed In places
like that shown In the picture. One
can imagine what the interior of this
hole would be after the winter rains.
It is dark and entirely without venti
lation except for the front, and In a
case of a driving storm sheep would
be In a worse condition Inside than
1 i $'!
Via txi;x Jii I ,
BAD SHKEP-8IIIXTKB.
out. Sheep never thrive if confined in
sheds that are draughty, too close, or
badly ventilated, and it is- surprising
that men who. have raised sheep for
many years with poor results do not
seem to appreciate this fact. A shed
with an open side on the south and
with an allowance of about twelve fe-it
of floor space for each sheep, should
be provided. Every sheep farm should
have a dog-proof fence.
Watch the Cat.
Keep your eye on the pet cat If yju
have one. If not, then your neighbor
may have one which visits you occv
sionally. It may cause the disappear
ance of many a chick you can not ac
count for. It takes a pretty sharp eye
to catch them at it sometimes. The
only remedy we ever found effective
In such cases is to kill the cat. It Is
impossible to break them of the habit
once they get It. Agricultural Epltom
lst Trapping; Hawks.
We recently heard of a poultrymah
who fastened several traps on posts
and stumps near his poultry yard for
the purpose of catching hawks. The
traps worked day and night, and It
was not long until he had caught five
hawks, an owl and a polecat. Hawks
have a habit of lighting on a post or
tree to survey the" field before swooping
down on their prey. Farmers' Mail
and Breeze.
Land and Those Who Work It.
Ninety per cent of the land Is owned
by the men who work it and about
70 per cent of.it is farmed by the
most intensive methods. The 30 per
cent In grass is not pastured. A seven
year rotation generally practiced Is:
Clover and grass two years, rye, wheat.
roots, barley, oats. The land Is well
manured and produces heavy crops of
grass.
Fine Conntry Butter.
A woman In Illinois who makes fine
butter writes that she skims the cream
of two or three days' milk together,
letting It all sour at one time, and
churns as soon as it is sour. She
makes pound rolls, and her butter al
ways commands the highest price, her
customers preferring it to creamery
butter