fThePianters
25 FATE'S
By AIRS. ALICE P.
Author of "A Waif from the Sea
Daughter
REVENGE
CARRISTON
," "Her Brightest Hope,"
Wayward Wlnnefred," etc.
CHAPTER XV. (Continued.)
"Oh, I must knowP' she murmured
desperately; "why do I suffer so each
time I take that potion; why does a con
suming fire ltp up within me every thne
the beverage passes my lips? What does
it mean? Can it be poison? Alas, poor
Claire, H is poison. My life la an ob
stacle in the path of Lucian's happiness.
Inless I die, I sh ill npiet tit ir projects
their plans for the future. And it is he
Lucian oh, no, no, no! I will not
is he capable of soiling his soul with a
believe it! lie no longer loves me; he
nates me, longs for my death and yet,
crime Impossible! still, the fact re
mains; there is poison in that potion!"
Her lips compressed into a rigid line
as she concluded. Gresham strode into
the shadow of the beeches and paused be
side her chair.
"Did you send for me?" he asked in
bis breeiy way.
"Yes," she answered, compelling her
self to glance up at him with her accus
tomed calmness. "Doctor, how do you
find me this morning?"
"Stronger and better than you were
yesterday; altogether a different woman
to what you were a week ago."
"Perhaps it is my imagination," she
murmured; then added, quickly, looking
up with a forced smile, "if I am trou
bled by vaporings, it is your duty as my
physician to divert my mind. You prom-
ised to teach me something of botany
when we got into the country have you
forgotten?
"Not I!" returned Gretiham, good-nat
uredly,
"Then, too, it would be useful to me
to know something of chemistry. Natur
ally in our study of botany we shall
meet with poisons-
He bent above her, striving to raise
her, but she shrank away with horror at
his touch, as a cry of anguish burst from
his lips.
"Oh, heavenly Father, have pity upon
my suffering and let me depart in peace!"
Then unconsciousness seized upon her.
and she fell forward prostrate at his feet.
Within an hour a telegram winged its
flight to Sylphide Couramont in New
York. The message, cleverly veiled, ran
as follows:
'Your commands have been executed.
Expect me shortly to consult as to the
location of the farm. CAMILLE."
"And you should know how to combat
with them," rejoined the doctor, falling
innocently into the clever trap while he
sought only to humor her.
"Yes, and how to decompose them,"
continued Ulaire; for instance, I am
likely to meet with the poisonous ivy,
Do yon know of an antidote against its
power?"
Little dreaming what he did, Gresham
thrust his hand into his inner pocket,
drew forth a case, and from it took
small phial of colorless liquid.
"There is a substance," he said, plac
ing the phial in Claire's hand as she
rose to receive it, "which is not exactly
an antidote, but which will serve to
amuse you by detecting inherent poison
in any plant we may discover. If a leaf,
blossom or decoction of the same should
be noxious, a single drop of this fluid
will produo a Jrtartjinr change." ,
Standing erect beside the little table,
Claire watched him as be crossed the
sunny lawn, saw him pass between the
eil of vines that screened the piazza;
then she bent her gaze upon the glittering
phial in her hand.
"At last I shall know!" she breathed,
and Eitraigbtway fell - to trembling until
she was forced to catch at the back of
her chair to prevent her from falling.
"Oh, how my heart beats," Bhe panted;
"I scarcely dare subject myself to the
test, and yet I must must know the
truth!"
With these words she uncorked the
phial and held it above the potion which
was destined for her.
"If there is poison here," she faltered,
"a single drop of this liquid will alter
the appearance of the contents of the
glass. How my hand trembles! ah, sense
less fluid, it Is upon thee that all my
tiapptness, my life depends.
An involuntary spasm rent her frame,
dislodging a single drop of the fluid; it
fe'U nvetii.R the surface cf the potii.i
and slowly sank, sank, sank to the bot
torn of the glass drawing hi its wake a
milky trail that told the baleful story,
Out of the nerveless fingers, down upon
the grasses fell the phial, while from
her blanched lips escaped the words with
strident horror.
"Yes, it is poison, poison! Oh, be seeks
my death!"
Bhe tottered faintly to the chair and
sank Into its depths, covering her eyes
from the light of day with her hands,
Bhe failed to note the approach of hur
rying footsteps, she scarcely heeded the
roice of Lucian Courtlandt when he
readied her side, exclaiming:
"Claire in tears! what Is the mat
ter? You do not answer!" cried Court-
land; "Claire, speak! are you ill?"
"No, I am not ill. Io yon not know,'
(he faltered, that invalids bave mo
ments of weakness that they are power
less to control f
"But of what were you thinking,
Claire?"
"1 was thinking of the epoch of our
marriage, of the time when I was chos
en to coimtennnce your child. I wa
thinking how unfortuiinte it is that my
very existence should be a wrong to an
other."
"I conjirre yon," he supplicated, "ban
tsh this horrible thought! alt the world
beseeches you to live! Claire, think only
of your welfare!'
"In order to do that, I must follow the
doctor's directions, must I not?" she ask
ed bending a glance of fire upon hi
bowed bend.
"Of course you must!" be replied.
"And must I take that potion, which
bas been prepared for me r
"Certainly you must, my darling."
Pitying heaven, bow shs misjudged
Mm then!
"Then hand mi It with your own
hands," she said firmly; and as he rose
and passed ber the deadly draught, sh
murmured brokenly, 'I' am so young, Lu
cian and oh! I should so liked to bave
lived a little longer!"
And then, with her eyes fixed upon bis
face, (he drained the potion to the dregs,
nd flung the glass from ber.
Bhe sank upon her knees, gapping:
"Now It Is done!"
As the lightning's shaft falls out of
clear heaven an inkling of the fearful
truth dawned upon Lucian Courtlandt,
II paled to the Hps and cried wildly j
"Claire, what does this mean?"
CHAPTER XVI.
While we have been absorbed in the
events recorded in the preceding chapters,
the fate of our deplorable Civil War has
been decided, and the glorious day of sal
vation for the slaves has dawned; the
martyr President has issued his immor
tal proclamation declaring freedom in
the States and parts of States then In
rebellion, and there is not a foot that
presses the soil of our great republic
whose owner need ever again hide his
head as he frames that humiliating
query: "Am I not a man and a brother?"
The glad news had found Sylphide
Couramont Out in her seclusion in the
great city; she received it calmly, tri
umphantly; indeed, the tidings of the
death of her cousin, Oscar Couramont
shot down while skirmishing as a gueril
la, apparently afforded her more joy; but
the receipt of her hireling's telegram up
on the same memorable day filled her
with a wild, savage delight that she was
powerless to control.
She paced her room, knotting her fin
gers in her long black tresses, emitting
sharp cries and brief laughs that would
have impressed an observer with the be
lief that she had taken leave of her
senses.
Then she abruptly smote the bell upon
her table a ringing peal. To the faithful
Diana, who promptly answered the sum
mons In person, she said:
"Pack up two or three of my hand
home; costumes, lay out my traveling
drees, and order a cab to be at the door
at five o'clock this afternoon."
"Are you going away?"
"Yes, for a few days."
"Where, Miss Sylph?"
"To Newport."
JOIIW TVI.KR.
ANDREW JOHNSON.
IIIIXARD riLLHORB.
CHESTER A. ARTHUR.
In the foggy dawn of the following
day, Camille. the serving man, flitted
like a shadow down Bellevue avenue and
skulked in at the gates of the Courtlandt
rills. Wirh a swift, fearful (fiance
the closed blinds of the house, he plung
ed in amongst some shrubbery and so
made his way to the stables, cautiously
raised an unlocked window at the back
of the building and vanished.
His unnecessary display of stealth was
ample evidence of the guilty frame of
mind under which he labored, since at
that early hour no one was astir, and had
he possessed the fortitude to glance
about him he would have perceived that
is path was clear of any prying eye.
But the wicked flee when no man pursu-
eth, and Camille was flying before the
scourge of a craven conscience. With
Lucian Courtlandt 's frantic cries for help
ringing in his esrs, he had left the villa
on the preceding day, unperceived in
the general excitement attendant upon
poor Claire a fall.
Once safely in the stable, he quietly
closed the window, and heaving a deep
sigh of relief, flung himself into the
hay, hoping to secure the advantage of
an hour's sleep.
Vain hope! If he closed bis lids over
is burning eyes, they would fly wide.
stariug open as if worked by irresisti
ble springs over which he bad no con
trol. No sleep for him, and he could
only lie there listening and waiting for
he knew not what. Presently the voice
of the coachman, as he called to rouse
the sleeping groom, sent every drop of
his cowardly blood to his heart, leaving
his limbs frozen and inert.
Hours passed; a lance of the risen
un flashed In at a cob-webbed window
above him, and rested warmly upon the
dead clover tops and sere timothy beads
which formed his conch. At last a bell
rang and the coachman and groom left
the stable for the villa kitchen to break
fast. By this means Camille was made
aware that It must be ten o'clock or af
ter.
His suspense became unbearable; the
heat of the bay stilled bim, and with
gronn he crawled to the edge of his am
bush and sprang lightly down upon the
floor. Two minutes in the harness room
where the brushes and water served to
mnke him presentable, and then he tip
toed to the open stable door and peeped
out upon the sunlit scene. The glimpse
was reassuring; no living Ming was in
sight Now was his chance to learn tho
consequences of hi deed.
He crossed the driveway, skirted tht
luwn and was about to direct his stept
in the direction of an untiaued entrance
to the villa, when in the shadowy path
he suddenly found himself confronted by
Martha Dunn.
"Oh!" exclaimed the faithful serving
woman, recoiling a step, "bow you scar
ed me!"
"Excuse me, Mrs. Dunn; 1 didn't mean
to," wa the unsteady reply. "After what
happened yesterday, you know, he said
insinuatingly, "I went away. I wasn
asked for, was I?"
"Not as I know of. Where did you
go?"
"To look for a new place."
"Humph! You seem In a dreadful
hurry."
"Well, my Job Is up here, and I've
got to look out for myself. You don
seem to believe me."
"You're a fool! And a lunatic Into
the bargain," she added, as she ssw tli
man' face change to a gray, unearthly
pallor, his haggard eyes dilute and his
mouth drop open; after which Inexplln
ble performance, he turned with a stifled
cry of dismay and fled away from bet
i m. th. .hrubber, .a thou pursue b, VICE PRESIDENTS WHO HAVE BECOME PRESIDENTS
Good Martha Dunn might bave ceased
to wonder as to the cause of the panic
j which had assailed the man had she re-
niemoereo mat ne nau nut just reiurueu
to the villa, and had she turned to ses
tha apparition which Camille had seen
standing at an uncurtained window an
pparition well calculated to put to flight
the remnant of his courage!
But Martha Dunn had something bet
ter te do in life than to study the vaga
ries of a man whom she had instinctive-
despised from the first moment that
she set eyes upon him; besides, a car
riage had at that moment driven rapidly
up to the entrance, from which alighted
'hillp Burgess in a state of no slight ex
citement. Step as fast as she would.
MarUia did not succeed lu reaching the
steps ere Dr. Gresham came forth to
meet the new arrival.
"Speak, dortort" cried Clnlre'a father,
in anguished accents, "my daughter my
child "
"Calm yourself, Mr. Burgess."
"Calm myself after the message you
sent me last night? Oh, tell me, Is
Claire dead?"
"No."
"Heaven be praised!"
The grateful words were uttered with
touching fervor, as the old gentleman
sank upon a bench and clasped bis hands
in fervent thanksgiving. Seizing his op
portunity, Gresham turned to Martha:
'Go and prepare your mistress to, see
her father," he said, and Martha quickly
vanished into the house.
'Gresham," the old man said when
they were alone, "tell me the worst; what
is likely to happen r
Nothing. I have saved her. but she
bas been poisoned.
"Poisoned!. How?"
"By the administration of arsenic."
"By whom?"
I do not know. Silence! Here comes
your daughter."
It was true. Upon the threshold Claire
already stood with outstretched hands.
her exquisite, flowerlike face as pallid
as the snowy gown that flowed about
her. At sight of her, Philip Burgess
struggled to his feet with a cry, and
Claire tottered into his embrace, and lay
there as weakly as a .stricken illy. Nod
ding to Gresham to leave them togeth
er, the old man murmured, "Claire, darl
lug child, let us thank heaven that you
are safe! Never again while I live will
I leave you.
"My own dear father!"
"Oh, let me look at you and hold you
close, my darling! To think that they
wanted to kill you! Oh, I know all
Gresham has told me. But I am here
now, and I will unearth the villain!"
"Father!"
"Or better, I will take you away from
here. We will go at once. Do you fancy
I will leave you longer the prey of peo
ple who hate you? to whom your life
is a burden? No, no; we will go today,
When I have placed you in safety, then
I will undertake to discover the wretch,
to force him to expiate his crime!"
She was trembling pitifully now, and
ber great eyes were fixed distractedly
upon his livid face.
"But I ought not I do not want to
go," she wailed, "without the consent of
my husband."
"Your husband!" cried Philip Burgess
with withering contempt, "your husband
who has failed to defend you!"
Ob, in heaven s name, hush, hush!
Accuse no one. It was I I alone who
wished to die!"
He recoiled from her in horror, and
stood looking at her incredulously for a
moment ere he panted: t
To die you, you!
Yes," Claire replied with a fortitude
bom of her unreasoning woman's love,
I sought death by my own hand. I
tried to commit suicide, but they would
not let me die. Would they had!"
And you did not think of you? mother
and me, who would have e.ipired of
grief, had we found you dead!" be cried,
with a trenchant reproach.
'Pardon me, father, pardon!" rhe
wailed.
And then came the terrible, the Inevit
able query, the closing of 'the trap wb
she had set for herself. ,
But who forced you to commit so
terrible a crime?"
(Te be continued.!
Ayer's
Your doctor will tell you that
thin, pale, weak, nervous chil
dren become strong and well
by taking Ayer's Sarsaparilla.
Small doses, for i few days.
Sarsaparilla
The change is very prompt
and very marked. Ask your
doctor why it 13. lie has our
formula and will explain.
"Whin II von old. for rn.nr nsth( as
on thought I ciouls ll. bwntita of tlttn bluutl,
lint, In f.w wlit, Aymr't HanspsrllU oom
slsisly rMionxt m to huh."
Mrs. K. Huuasmsrsa, Vln.l.nd, N.J.
SI M S fcnttls.
A II Srtlffrf.t.
for
i. n. atss no,
The Children
Biliousness, constipation prevent re
covery. Curethese with Ayer's Pills.
Inasmuch as the presidential campaign of 1004 Is drawing near, with
President Roosevelt mentioned as the probable candidate of the Republican
party. It ia of Interest to note that his nomination would mark the exorcising
of the seeming "hoodoo" that has In the pant militated agnlnst those of our
chief executives who became President by the death of the elected head of
the nation. Prior to President Roosevelt there have been four Vice Presi
dents elevated to the presidential chair by the demise of Its Incumbents, the
four being John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson and Chester A.
Arthur.
Mr. Tyler was elected Vice President In 1840 on the celebrated "Tlppe
canoe and Tyler too" ticket and became President within little more than
a month after the Inauguration of General William Henry Harrison, who
(Med 4n April. 1841.
The Whigs again came Into power with the elections of 184S, General
Zachary Taylor, of Indian and Mexican war fame, being elected Vice Presi
dent In July. 1850, President Taylor died, and Vice President Fillmore
was at once sworn Into office, forming a new cabinet, with. Daniel Webster
as Secretary of State.
The third accidental President was Andrew Johnson, who attained the
presidency In 1805 when the assassin's bullet killed Abraham Lincoln. Presi
dent Johnson's tenure of office was marked by a succession of disputes be
tween the Chief Executive and Congress, the apex of dissension being
innho1 wrtan ha was. I mnna rh Asi fnP tha fAinnvn t fmnrt nfflrft nf RfVrfltH TV of
War Stanton, etc. The break between the President and Congress hinged j peopl
Her nig Feet.
respectable old gentleman, some
what tight, on entering an omnibus,
got his feet entangled in a lady's dress
and fell headlong. lie staggered to
his feet, and looking round. Indignant
ly demnmlcd who struck him. A
gentleman present remarked sotto voce:
"You fell over that lady's feet; nobody
truck you."
The Indignant cltlson turned round
and surveyed the! cause of the' accident
a moment, and then, as If by no means
satisfied with the cause of bis mishap,
aid:
"Madame, you bare got the biggest
feet I ever saw!"
"Sir!" respouded the lady, flushing
with anger.
"Pray, don't apologise! It ain't your
fault, but take my advice, alt sideways
In the future, and give theui the full
range of the bus."
Itbc umstisra In, Dub.
Frisco, Utah, May 2nd. There Is a
great dual of rheumatism in this and
neighboring states and this painful dis
ease has crippled many a strong man
and woman among an otherwise healthy
on the method to be followed In reconstructing the American Union.
Chester A. Arthur, who In 1880 was elected Vice President on the Re
publican ticket headed by James A. Garfield, took the onth of office as Presi
dent of the United States Sept 20, 1881, the day after Mr. Garfield died at
Elberon. N. J., victim of Gulteau's pistol. Mr. Arthur's administration was
not marked by any event of momentous Importance, but was characterised by
bis opposition to extravagance In appropriations, his views on this matter
leading blm to veto the river and harbor bills of 1882.
RUSSIAN TROOPS AT MUKDEN.
Csar Will Change the Law.
It Is reported that the Czar Intends,
should his next child be a (laughter, to
publish a new law of succession, under!
which, on a failure of sons, the eldest
daughter of tho reigning sovereign
would, as in England, succeed to the
throne. The decree will, It Is suld,
greatly Irritate the princes of the Im
perial house, who will thus be pushed
One of the chief causes of the Russo-Japanese war was the refusal of
the Czar's Government to withdraw the Muscovite soldiery from Manchu
ria and especially from Mukden, the capital of that province. Instead of
taking these-troops away, however, more have been constantly shipped In
and added to the forces already present At one time Russia did make a
bluff at withdrawal, It Is true, but eyewitnesses reported that the armies
which marched out a day or two later marched In at another gate. At fre
quent intervals a few Slav regiments sally forth from their quarters In Muk
den and parade through the streets to overawe the natives. Our Illustration
shows one of these processions and also gives a graphic Idea of the appear
ance of Ivan In uniform.
Recently, however, there has been In
troduced into Utah remedy for Rheu
matism which bids fair to stamp out
this awfully painful complaint. The
name of this new remedy is Podd's
Kidney Pills, and it has already
wrought some wonderful cures. Right
here in Frisco there is a case of a Mr.
Grace who had Rheumatism so bad in
his feet that he could hardly walk.
He tried many remedies in vain but
Dodd's Kidney rills cured him.
His wife says: "We both had Kid
ney Trouble and my husband bad the
Rheumatism so bad that lie could hard
ly wslk. We used Dodd's Kidney Pills
with much benefit. W hsve tried
many remedies, but none have done us
so much good as Dodd's Kidney Pills."
Similar reports come from all .over
the state and it would seem as if Rheu
matism had at last been conquered.
Uncle Sam's Coffee 11111.
It Is estimated that the people of the
United States drink 1.000,000,000 gal
lons of coffee in the course of a year,
at a cost of about 10 cents per gallon.
The Importing cost of the requisite
quantity of coffee berries for this sup
ply at 7 cents a pound, is about $75,
000,000. From this It appears that
preparation, package, distribution and
dealers' profits make the prices to the
consumer about double the Importing
coat
A TRANSPORTATION EXPERT.
William Barclay Parsons, of the Pan
ama Commission.
The most distinguished .engineer on
the Panama Commission Is William
back or superseded, but there can be Barclay Parsons. He won bis spurs In
no doubt that It Is within- the preroga
tive of the Cznrs, who have repentedly
decreed rules of succession.
The new scheme Is, moreover, In full
accordance with the history of Russia,
where women hnve so often rclgne
and there Is no reason to believe that
It would be unpopular. The arrange
ment seems to Englishmen the one
most in accordance with the principle
of hereditary monarchy, the Hullc law
Involving the risk that n dynasty may
perish. Mole heirs have never been
wanting In France, but they failed In
railroad work In
China for a syndi
cate of which the
late Senator Calvin
8. Brice was the
head, but Is best
known as the de
signer of the sub
way In New York
olto for the Itnnld
(l Transit Commls-
jy nion, or wdicd ub
WM. B. PABAONB. D a IOT
vs.-. kaah iha Mot emrlnor. Ills
J cai n is
r a i l
Austria when Mnrln Theresa mounted work In connection with the transpor
tation problem In New York to-day
the most difficult and complicated
transportation problem in the world
bas been marked by a high order of
ability and eal. He may not bave
shown much originality, but it was
not field in which pioneering was
desired. He Is now recr.gnlr.ed as one
Itomancs vs. HeatUm. of the foremost transportation eipens
Sentimental Maid Of course, one In the world, as la witnessed by the
must be inspired before he can write fact that he has been chosen an ad
poetry, vlsory member of the royal (English)
Practical Poet Sure thing. He must commission which Is to Investigate and
be Inspired by a realization of the fact report upon the passenger traffic prob-
the throne, and they have fulled en
tirely In our own time In Holland. It
Is quite possible that the consent of
the next heir has been obtained, us ho
Is In 111 health end his cbunce of sur
viving his brother Is but a doubtful
one. London Sjiectutor.
rigging to the water, and as he could
not swim he would have been drowned
but for a young officer who sprang In
after him and held blm up till assist
ance enme. 1
Later the young officer received a
complimentary letter from the Secre
tnrj of the Navy. Every one rejoiced
but the old seaman; be coveted the let
ter for his ensign.
"That's a nice thing to hare, a letter
like that" be said, a few days later.
"You ought to have one."
"I don't quite see how I can get
one," laughed the ensign.
"Well, see here," said the old man,
engerly. "To-morrow night I'll be In
the main chains, fussing with some
thing or other, and I might fall In, and
you could Jump after me."
"That would be very good of you,"
said the ensign, gravely, "but you see
I'm not a good swimmer by any
means."
"Ho! That's no matter," said the
old seaman. "I'll hold .you tip 'till the
boat comes."
Their Very Best.
Real Estate Agent Yon really
ought to buy the bsjise. Now, if you
and your wife will only discuss tha
matter thoroughly
Peckhnm Oh, that's out of the)
question. We never discuss things.
The most we can ever do Is dispute)
about them. Philadelphia Press.
that be needs the money.
lem of London. Mr. Parsons Is young
and energetic, and on the Isthmus will
An Insinuation. ! find a neiu ror original ana consmici-
Mrs. Noctor Do you believe our new lv work of a higher and more Interest
neighbor Is a man of character? j Ing type than be bas as yet bad to deal
Noctor Well, be has a character all with
right
such as It Is.
A Thrilling Rescue.
An amusing story Is told of an old
teaman on one of the United States
Golfs a nice, foolish game, and there
In't an harm In If n far S I klluw.
except for the balls-tbe stiff ball nt wota-ri n tn North Atlantic anuad-
tbe beginning, the lost balls In the He was not . person of wide af-
middle and the high bslls at the end fectlona. but h. had a warm place In
of tbe game.-George II. Lorlmer. in " 'oun who htd
..; ... " 0iAi.,i- -,..h... i been kind to him In many little wsys.
... n l One day a landsman fell from the
The Very Latest News.
"Your wife," began the reporter.
"and the man with whom she eloped
have Just been caught in New York,
where they lost their money and were
stranded just as they were starting for
Europe. We thought you'd want to
bear the news, and "
"That Isn't the news," replied the
man. "The news Is that I've aent
them enough money to see them
through." Philadelphia Press.
Then He Shows Himself.
Kwoter You can never Judge a man
by bla clothea.
Newltt Unless he's clothed In a lit
tle brief authority. It's easy to size
blm up then. Philadelphia Press.
ABSOLUTE
SECURITY.
Genuine
Carter's
Little Liver Pills.
Must Bear Signature of
5m Psc-Slmll Wrapper Dslow.
Tory sssall aaa as aasy
te take as sagas.
icakhp;si
FOR HEADACHE.
rOR DIZZINESS. .
rOR BIUOUSRESS.
FOR TORPID LIVER.
FOR CONSTIPATION.
FOR SALLOW SKIN.
FOR THE COMPLEXION
osuvusMi wrwi uwm
ftalil a.C'ho. GZ
CURCtICK HEADACHE.
nis: Tonnel Progressing.
Nearly two-thirds of tbe twelve
miles of tbe Blmplon tunnel are now
completed.
L
I4I In timi Hold by drmnru. I