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About The Columbia register. (Houlton, Columbia County, Or.) 1904-1906 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1905)
'A; v js -f"wi-- V-Ss 'I-- - i f I j! Ms i ? i i 5 i s K i ft ' I: f i 1 1 goimd by a Spell j o " -l CIIArTEU XXIl.-KContlnued.) He left me. Several minute elapsed. aud ht did Dot return. I waa becoming uneasy at my alw-em-e frura my compan ions. Then 1 heard the curtain fall I waa just going to leave, when Mr. Montgomery came up to ma again, dress ed for th street. "I can't find it now. Silaa: I will bring It home with me and you can do it to morrow . Vexed and annoyed at thia trifliug, I ran round to tha front of tli house. But to re-enter the nit waa Impossible. Tha people were crowding out in on deuse stream; ao I waa obliged to stand old nntil my companions ahould ap pear, or until tht passage waa auffl cieutly clcirvd for wa to go back to aofk them. I had not atood there many secoda before I mw Mm. Wilson forcing her self tl ronth the crowd, and looking wihl ly about her. She caught night of me in an instant. "Where ia Clara?" ahe cried, gasping for breath. "1 hare ht her in the crowd. Some men pushed between us. and separated her from me: aud from that moment I have lost sight of her. Iook about you. She must b iu the Btreet." The audience were now dispersing in all direction. Up and down, in and out the crowd, here, ther and everywhere, I eagerly sought for her, but aha waa nowhere to be Been. Mr. Wilaon, stand ing in a doorway, trembling aud wring Ing her hand, aoon collected a amall crowd round her. ' "Had they aeen a yonng lady. In a black dress, with long golden hair? aha never ceased asking. At last a man auggeated that the po liretnan who had been stauding about tha door during the latter part of tha performance waa tha moat likely person to haTt aeen her. "Yea. lie had aeen a yonng peraon an awering the description. She had been one among the first of the crowd to come down the passage. She looked aa if aha had lot some one. Wbeu ahe got into the street a young man touched her npon tha arm and an id something, and ahe walked away with him. Then he lost a!ght of her. "What was the man like? I asked. "Oh, he waa a youngish, smooth-faced fellow, with a cap on." was the reply. The Tery man who had beckoned ma out of the pit. It was a plot, then; but by whom originated, and for what purpose? "Take a cab; go to Bow street police at a t ion at once, aud I will follow you in a few minutes," I said to Mrs. Wilson. Back I rushed to the stage door. Had Mr. Montgomery left the theater? He bad followed out at my heels, waa the answer. Suddenly I bethonght me of the public house frequented by Josiah and Mr. Montgomery. Away I ran thither. No; they had not been there that evening. Then I went down to Bow street, where 1 found Mrs. Wilson, more dead than alive, giving her deposition. "Are yon quite certain that the young lady has not gone off of her own free will? swine aweethearting raw, per haps only for a little walk met some one ahe knew, and finding that she had missed you, he has taken her home?" suggested the functionary who was tak ing down the deposition. "Pray disabuse your mind of such an Idea; the yonng lady in question has no friends except those you see here knows no oilier associates with no others." The solemn earnestness of my tones Beetned to convince him of his error, for from that time he gave us a more seri oua attention. "A description shall be sent to the dif ferent leats aud police stations, and jou had better issue bills, and if you care to go to the expense, advertise iu the daily papers. If we hear anything, we will let you know. But you can make your mind easy upon one point nt least, I think so: wherever she is, she has gone with her own free will. There'a no accounting for the vagaries of girls." Both myself and Mrs. Wilson felt very angry at the light and skeptical niuiincr In which a subject so momentous to us was treated; but the officer only smiled at our warmth. Mrs. Wilson expressed her intention of issuing bills early the next morning, offering a reward for her diw-overy. There was nothing more to lie done in that place, for the can was waiting, and I persuaded her to return home im mediately. She implored me to accom pany her. No. I would search the neigh borhood; 1 might chaiice to get some tidings. Finding that all her entreaties were In vain, the old lady reluctantly depart ed alone. Mr. Jonathan was standing upon the doorstep w-hen the cab drove up. Before the cabman could descend from the box, he had the door open. "Where is she where is Clara?' he asked, seeing but one person within. Too utterly terrified and bewildered to think of the oddity of such a question from a stianger whom ahe had never1 ; icen before, Mra. Wilson could only gasp, "She ia gone run away with." Ten minutes afterwards, Mr. Jona than jumped into the cab that had brought ber home, aud which he ordered to atay. "To tha Bow afreet police ' Btation aa fast as you can drive," be cried. All that night I wandered al-otit in a frenzied state up and down the streets, flown by the river, I know not where. It came on to rain, and I waa soaked to the akin. Still, hour after hour, I lin gered about the same spot; the dawn broke and merged into broad daylight, and the bustle of the day began, yet still I could not tear myself away; the pass- , ars-by shrank from me they must have thought me an escaped lunatic. At last, I felt that nature could hold out no long er; that I must fall down upon the pavement If I walked about any longer. I can remember dragging myself down ... lo uai: lodging, throwing myself in my wet clothes upon the bed, and then nil Is a blank. CHAPTER XXIII. Wild, grotesque phantasma a sense of Intense suffering, aching pains, pan n ing thirst, and aa awful oppression up on the brain. And then I seemed to awake from a long, troubled steep, rnj an atony beyond my power to describe. I mad an effort and succeeded in drawing a little apart the curtaina at the foot of the bed. Almost within my reach stood a table, upon which was a moderator lamp, burning low. a jug. tumbler, and aome bottles. The faiut raja of the lamp showed me a large, gloomy oak-panelled room, with the ceiling paluted to match. Tie win dows ipposite me were covered with heavy curtains, and the rurniture was ; dark and very old fashioned. On one aide was a huge fireplace, decorated with i oak carvings; in the grate burned a cheerful tire, and there, sittiug beside It dosing, with her face half towarda me, waa an elderly woman, a stranger to me. ' Having finished my survey, 1 crawled back to my pillow and lay still for a time, feeling very much exhausted with my slight exertion. Presently the wom an woke np, came to the side of the bed, drew the curtains, and looked at me. "You are better." she said, kindly. "I am so glsd. You have had a long, weary time of it. but the doctor aaid there would be a change one way or the other to-night. You're with fricuda. who have taken every rare of you." "Tell me. ta Clara found T I asked, eagerly. "Oh. yea, ahe'a all right, aud will come and see you as soon aa you grow strong er, but you mustn't tslk. or you'll hsve a relapse." If I had asked for the Emperor of Russia. I believe she would have told me that he waa coming to see me aa soon aa I was better. Her answers were by no mean satisfactory, but I could perceive that it waa useless to try to extract others from her. Several daya passed, and I saw no pt-iaun except the nurse and the doctor. I put some questions to the latter. I.nt he arawered crabbcdly. that if I wished to get well. I must keep my mind calm. i.nd uot ask questions. To keep my mind calm with such memories aa were haunting me waa im possible, yet. in spite of my anxieties, 1 grew stronger and better day by day. But the anguish of ray mind waxed strength with my body. "Nure." I said one day, detenvlied lv. "I must know where I am. under .vhese tare, and I must have certain qui ttions of vital importance to me solv ed. I know you are concealing these things from me for a good motive, but it is a mistaken one. Instead of calm ing, this incertitude la torturing roe. re tarding my recovery. For heaven's sake, tell ine where I am, whose house th:s ia, and what people I am with?" "Well, sir." sli auswered. "I am only oleyiug my instructions; if I waa to go fioui them. I should offend my employ ers and the doctor, too. and I can't af ford to do that. I will ask leave to tell you what I know, which 1 can assure jou is very little. But if you make haste and get strong, and get about, you will be able to find out everything for your self." ' That day I got out of bed for the firt time, and sat at the window. It looked into an extensive garden, emom passed, as far as I could see, by a high wall, lined wiihiu by rows of tall poplar tritfc. My rooiti was upon the ground lioor. anl tins wall and the trees bound ed my vision. I could see naught beyond th m. CVje afternoon I had fallen asleep over the firr. suddenly I awoke with a jeik; the raya of a red. autumn sun were slit aming across me. ami fnlliug full i:hiii the face of Judith, who was lean in against the fireplace, looking at me. At fiist. I tlioiizht it was a specter of my sleep. I could not believe my eves; I ut I w ns not long left in doubt as to the reality of the vision. An irmicHl sn-ile curled her lips at the sii;ht of my dismay. "A visit from your wife is evidently an unexpected pleasure." she said, mocking ly. I could not answer her: I could only bury my face in my ha mis and shudder at her appearance. "Is this rny reward for all the tender care Tint has been given you dining your illness? for bringing you away from those wretched lodgings, where you might have died? Our married life seems likely to be a bright one." "Would to heaven yon had left me to die!" I cried. "You are no wife of mine." "You wr all find it rather diitlcult to prove lhaf. or to shake me off." "What pleasure can it be to you to torture me in ihis manner?' I cried. "Why not leave me to myself?" "Because hate you. and because I have motives of my own. If gives me pleasure to torture you. No living being has ever made me feel so deeply the deg radation of my life as you have; you. a miserable, spiritless outcast; you. whom. aa a brat, I have beaten with a roil ana always despised; you shudder at my approach, and turn your eyes from me with loathing; and you ask me what pleasure it can be to me to torture you! From the hour of my birth, my life haa been one torture. I have ever been the victim. At last, the tables are turned you are my victim; and as others have dealt by me, so will I deal by yon! No mercy waa ever shown to me; why, then, should I show it to others? ' She was still standing against the fire place. I dared not look at her, but I conld feel the tigerish ferocity of her eyes. cut l aid not come here to rave. first, I came, like a dutiful wife, to congratulate my husband on his conva lescence," she went on, resuming the old irony of voice; "and to comfort him with the knowledge that he is in affec tionate hands; and, in the second place, to arrange certain matters of business with bim, which, if he will oblige me with a few momenta' attention, I will explain. In the course of to-morrow woman will come here iu short, the r man who committed you to aj fath .1.-". ' " ' "-wv. - -v - i-v--.- ,,,-wu,.. ".mfrMMrm ue ". "- hiw .i.n.-- . i . im i- issMtm t . i. , -i im. i , B H . I1H1I , . i "- . , - , . y er'a clarge. 1 require that yon thin ttuhtsitattiigly acknowledge in jiur wife in her presence." "Never!" I exclaimed, (Irmly. "You may k l!l me. but I will never utter iu-b words!" "1 have the rnm of forcing you to sneak them, or any other words that I may choose to dictate to you." At that moment the door waa thrown open. 1 turned luy head aul aaw Mr. Rod well standing upon the threshold. CHAPTKR XXIV. 1 waa aittlng ia a large easy chair with my back towards the door, and he did not see me tor a time, although, by a sidelong glance, I could distinctly see him. He started at the sight of Judith, aa though he had not expected to are her. exclaiming. "You here'" "Pray walk in. and allow me to Intro duce you to my husband." she said, with the old Irony. "Another unexpected pleasure, no doubt!" Mr. Rodwetl advanced Into the room, locking somewhat bewildervd; but when he saw me, he started up with ludlg nant surprise. "What ia the meaning of this? Who baa dared to bring thia fellow here?" he cried. "Thia la too much, Judith. How rnmt ,ou herv j.low ml know of ,, rUc 1 r,nu, understand all n ,lM,k jn ,ON, woJi,4 puf h,;M ma,a vr,-j .d wrathful. It la very easily explained. My hua- band being away from his loving wife, waa selxed with brsiu fever in some wretched lodging; the perish doctor, who was attending him, said that It would not be aaf to remove hltu any great distance. In this dilemma. Mr. Mont gomery, who lived a door or two off. pro posed that he should be tsken to a house of yours, of which, for certain res sous of your own, you had given him the keys. Aa my husband's life is very pre cious to me just now. I thankfully ac cepted the offer." Cease this mockery. Judith, and tell me the meaning of all thia." lo you wish me to be serious?" she asked, menacingly. I wish to know by what right you have brought thia fellow into my house!" By the right of my own will. John Rod well; dispute it at your peril" 'If you desire a scene. It had better be out of the presence of witnesses, he ssld. quietly. What I have to aay ahall be aalJ here. I have no secret from him, and what I have to say I would have bim hear!" I decline the conference." He waa moving away. like a panther she bouuded past him. and placed her back agaiust the door. You do not leave thia room until you have heard all I have to say! IXsohcy me. and I will show you no mercy. I will ruthlessly crush every plan and hop of your lifeT 'You?" he aneered. 'Yea, I. Suppose I were to aend in formation to Bow street of the where sbouta of a certain young lady, fur whose discovery a reward la offend, where would be the fortune yon have been scheming, snd sinning, aud fawn ing for through your whole life?" it be continued.! FRUITS OF CALIFORNIA. Watermelons and Mtrawberrlew Grow to Kemarkabla Pise. Talking aliout strawberries," f aid the California ii. "but you ought to's-v some of our fruit. Why, man allvo i "You raise big; straw b Tries, iln jou?" queried the Penii)if auian a the other hung oil. "Yum yutn !' "How larjre?" "I Iipltate- to tell you. I don't want to bo thought a liar." 'I know you rala lare berries, and am prepared to believe uiivi hint JOU ay. I suppos.' you grow trawU-r- nes aa bljf as beer kej;?" 'Humph!" Well, then, as big aa barreis?" Humph!" 'You don't mean as Mg as bog heads?" 'My dear man. I am living In a house nt present which lias eight retina and butn." "But you don't mean to tell ni? "Eight rooms and a bath, sir, and everv roo;u or gooo size 'And you had all the no:ns cut out of a big stra wherry! 1 s:id I was prepared to believe " "Klslit rooms and a bath, sir. and one or the rfizl'-st itick nouses oil ever saw. The bricks wire made on the premise. I have been ottered e7. .Vai for the bouse." "Yes, but you rather led me to ho- Ifpve that the nous was one of the monstrous strawberries you reined ou: there." "Then I beg your pnrdon, sir. It i a nririi nou. n cost nie over .. 000. The money obtained to build It wns obtained from the sale of water melons." "But about your s raw lurries?" pro tested the disappointed Keystoner. on started out to tell me how ltg they were." v "Strawberries? Strawberries? Oh. well, I'm using one for a toolhouse and another for a stable, but I'm not bragging about them. It's when you get on the subject of watermelon that I'm ready " But the other took up his paper and iiald he guessed he'd see what was fresh from Port Arthur. Improvement. "Your wife Is improving with her bilking, Isn't she?" "Oh, yes." "Her cakes and pies now are good enough to eat, eh?" "Ob, no; but she'a getting so ihe can make them look good enougk to eat" Philadelphia Public Ledger. Two Test. "Darum la an awful coward." "What makes yon think ao?" "Why, he', afraid of his wife," "Well, of course. But I saw him stop a runaway horse last night" Cleveland Plain Dealer. Temper, If ungoremed, governs tits whole man. Shaftesbury. IWSCLY'S woods) x By It W. TAYLOR I CHAPTER VI. Contlnued. 8o far then from an ocular Inspection being an essential Iu a love affair, the very opposite la probably true. Along with the full coiirVsslou of thin fact to herself, came something like a feeling of resentment at the whole conduct of ti ls innu Mti ton. That he had foolishly permitted him self to fall Iu love with her was so very plain a case that everybody hsd sceti it b ug ago! It was certainty not her fault! No, Indeed, nobody could say that of her! Not eveu the loug totigucd gossip of Sandtown! True, too, thsj he had displayed some msgnlticeiit quslitles of strong, calm manhood Iu the face of that awful peril of the storm. She could not deny that. She hsd no desire to subtract from his real deserts In the leaat. But then, was not this, like his new and wide philoso phy of humanity, a rrdcctioii from his superior ortieer? He had told her that his strange new philosophy was also entertsined by Prof, Huntley. And this had contributed much to give It a standing In her estimation. But had he told her the whole truth? No, ahe knew he had not. If he had been frank and honest, he would have said that he had Imbibed these opinions from Prof. Huntley. And If so, was not Ihst splendid display of practical knowl edge, skill and courage the result of Prof. Huntley's training? Undoubtedly she hsd been badly used by Mr. Mason. He had atood persist ently between her snd the perfect man that ahe had learned to love ao quickly, He had misrepresented her to him either directly or by a culpable silence that through a base jealousy refused to put her lx-fore him In her proper light. He waa a mean fellow that Mason. And although her obligation to him must compel her to a fornul recognition of him when they should meet sgnln on Monday, yet she was resolved) to throw so much colduesa Into her manner that he-could int fall to see thst she waa through with him, and that be waa a very thin article, too! And when Monday came and went without him, and without rumor of Hunt ley, she grew even more bitter. If this fellow continued to keep Prof. Huntley sway, she shouldn't eveu speak to him. She would bring matter to a crisis by refusing to acknowledge his first saluta tion upon his return. Then when he should demand an ei planatlon, as she knew he would demand It she would Itoldly charee him with his perfidious conduct in keeping Mr. Hunt ley away, upon whatever ground he should choose to put it. From I.Uxy herself, the condemnation of Mason seemed to spread everywhere to her great surprise and to grow steadily ami in an arithmetical ratio all through the week. Day after day Inquiry revealed little things that looked bad for Mason. The first flutter of anxiety as to bis fate had resolved Itself on the ascertainment of the fact that be had taken the trnlu for the city on that very Saturday evening after the storm. That anxiety was not at all an evi dence of any good quality In Mr. Mason. He. himself bad said to her. in one of his philosophic moods, that this vast hu man interest in a human life was an in stinct common to all observed animal life even cattle ran nbotit wHdly and paw ed the earth at the smell of the spilt hlood'of one of the herd. Anil that, too, although the slain Im-bsi might if alive, be set upon nnd gored by esch separate beast of the herd, with the acquiescence, or the perfect indiffer ence of nil the others. The insatiable desire to penetrate thr mysteries of till the violent deaths, a the answer to the universal animal In stinct of fslr play most strongly de-velo-ied Id the Saxon Hoosier people. They were known to have taken sudden and terrible vengeance upon the mur derer of a man confessedly of very little account to anybody. But he had had a life! And this it was thst hsd aroused the whole popu lace to demand who had taken it? So that whi n the safety of Mr. Mason had leen settled by the train dispatcher at the little station a mile from the vil lage, the defense of Mr. Mason withdrew and Joined the prosicutlon. CHAITKIt VII. As dar after day, and even week af ter week went by without tiding from Mr. Mason he went down to the very lowest plane in the estiniatioi of all Sandtown. "I tell yuh, Squnr, blame If I ever liked that feller Mason, nohow, purtick ler," said "Coon" Redden, ns "Coonrod" Redden, the wealthiest land, owner oi Field county, was familiarly or more for mally called. The whole Redden family were visiting at "Squire" Wickly's on that Saturday evening two or three weeks after the storm and the disappearance. "He tried his level best to argy me down at the Board uv Trado wair nutliuii but the ornerrlest klne a gamblun. Blnmefe didn't! That was that same Safdy evenun, Lizzy, at you uu him got cotch In the hur-kun, up en the big woods, yon reeklcleek?" turning to look straight at Miss Wickly, who was now greatly Interested in the loud flow of the old Hoosier' 'iuiir-rnngiie," ns he him self termed It. "By gum! he nuvver stotmed to say good-by ur how-dy-do, but he ups un he goes aflyiin down to the Bank. Uu thurreckiy he comes anyun out, un awuy he went to the tell-graft offus. a wulkun so fast yuh could a play ed seb-um-iip awn bis cont-tails, Hquiir! Uu the next I h-yurn nr. Mm, he taken the train fur Chicago 'thout stoppnn to settle a lot a little bills rouu about h'yur at I know ur myself. There was a great deal more of the same roaring fire of shrewd, half-humor ous comments and observations upon nt. Mason. - Li.7.y, fully aware that she vlo luled no rulo of Sandtown etiquette, went up stairs to bed In hvt own little hot room, when she tired or the nair ranirue." and wns soon blissfully nneon acinus of tha weight thnt began to drag at her hitherto buoyant and merry heart, It might have been the whistle of the midnight train that awoke her. She did uot know. There Fas no striking of flocks, and there was not aorndcttt light from the wide open south gable window to enable her to see the hands uf her watch, and so she could not mske out that It waa the reverberating roar of the train from the distant city that broke her rvst Into unequal segments. Iter bed waa drawu out In front of the open window so that the cool soft ulght Ixecte coming out of the woods anil across the broad river could lave ber hot fane In Its refreshing eddies and ripple. Whatever had awakened ber, she lay there looking out Into the study street a little bit dimmed with a summer night's fog. She wss sure then that she was fully awake, and that she saw In the road, not sixty feet aw sy. Mr. Will Ma son walking slowly toward the river, and havhtg hi face turned over his right shoulder and his head thrown back just far enough to allow him to fix his eye upon thst window, thst be knew was the window of her bedroom. lie passed oil; and ahe wa so anxious to know more of this hmcty walk of his, because his tery presence seemed to as. sure the re-establlshiiient of a sort of communication with the hero of her dresms Huntley thst she srose and glided to the side of the window fsrthest from the pedestrlsn. She hsd to cross Iu front of the open window, and she thought there wss some danger that he might see the glimmer of her long, white nightdress against the black background of the dark room. Sinking down upon her knees and doubling back till she sst upon ber small, bare feet, and forward till au elbow rest ed upon the low sill of the window, she looked out snd saw him stsmllng with his face turned directly toward ber. Her heart leaped harn against the soft, pliant walla of her little chest, and she drew back Into the darkness. In an Instant she peeped out to be horrified at the spectacle of a gigantic black figure, half enveloped lit, the thick er fog toward the river, ami seeming to undulate threateningly, and to elongate In an upward direction, a some of the make-believe giant of the circus and the farce are aeen t do. Then, while she lay there In a froxen horror of fascinated, wide-eyed gsatng. the huge specter dimmed Slid vanished. How she got back to bed, and what brought ber mother running to her room, she only knew from her. Mra, Wickly lay down, taking her frightened daughter III ber arms, a she wss In the habit of doing yet at times, and endeavored to reassure her by tell ing her that It was simply the climax of some hideous dream. Her father coin ing In. more deliberately aat by the w in dow and told her that this was simply a phenomenon of the fog an unusual one. to be sure, in all its detsils, but clearly explicable upon maxim of physical sci ence. For Inst slice, the uudulntory motion and th elongation of the specter In a vertical direction, were visual phenom ena. The mist concealing the feet of the man concealed all the ground about hlin, and thus left no object within the range of vision for comparative measure mints, such as the rye makes sutomut ii.ally every Instant. The undulating movement upward was thl, pulsating or wavelike advance of the fog bank toward her, thus putting the gradually disappearing body aud lo iid at fnrther and further distances, as more aud more of the foreground was en cronihed upon by the advancing fog bank. That might all be good physical science, but she bad seen something thnt frightened ber horribly. And she felt that some dreadful misfortune was com liii upon ber, she couldn't Imagine what. The bright sunlight of the next day did more to explain away the specter than all the physical science that all Sandtown possessed, All Sandtown, however, got hint of the story in some tiiiaccoiintahle way, ami told it with much multifarious, ingenious and original additions, siueiidiueuts and substitutions, so that it got out that a hant" waa a walkun the "Ovcrcna Road" aa the strictly ex-urban portion of the continuation of Main street had been called from a time so remote that it was lost In legendary Incertitude. CHAITKIt VIII. Right In the middle of the red hot month of July the light, lonm-mlxed sand of the Overcoat Road was in the shim mering air alt day long, whitening the dark coats of the sweating horses that drew all sorts of vehicles along it at all hours of the day and night, aud hid ing the glossy green of wild hemp ami jitnson leaves under a dull veil of gray The whilom school boy of Sandtown was baking his back of a lurid brown as fur down on his shoulders as the cool, clear waters of the Wabash would permit. All at once a vast buzx of wonder changed Into wrath throughout all Sand town, far up and down tin mellow ills tancos of the river, and out upon all the lanes and "wagon tracks' that were trib utary to the Overcoat Road. To those who had not heard the news by renson of temporary absence, rushed everybody, to be the first to communicate the stunning intelligence thnt the Sand town Farmers' Bank had closed its doors. There was no escapade of a cashier Nobody had gone to Canada with tho funds of the bonk In his satchel. If any body had gone to Canada, It Is safe to say thnt Field county, from Sandtown to Redfoot Pond, and from the Wabash to the end oi the Overcoat Road, would have token 4ts "wenpuus," and have gone into the Dominion after the culprit with no other writ of extradition than a rope. No! no! Mister Cashier! You may go from the effote "East ' to Canada with poor peoplo's money In your pocket, with safety. But by oil the Coonrod Reddens of the Wabash country it won't be healthy for you to run away from IIoo- slordom with that sort of luggngo In your bond. "I wouldn't k-yur a blame fur what I lost myself, fellers, but atop and thenk uv the people at halnt got nothun a-tnll leftl Nut the wrappuns ur thur little finger, by gum! Un they halnt one a tha bank company at halnt plnm busted. nulherl You see we waa all a dina en wheat to-g yuthrr, an all at once tha bottom drapt plum ontua otl t'a that left urs all fimter'u un flitter. Bui that haiat the tuit uv ut, tiutber. I Billy Bller thia tuomun. un he trlla me it all tha bank's klatter'l la hilt by one a than blame railroad companies. t'a tsar scheme la to sell tivertheni right slap dad when they halnt a dollar at we kin gtt a holt uv, to buy In nothun with, by gum!" And now came Hilly Bllec, M. C a fresh, roy-cherked young gentleman, with a great show of (sundered linen Iu the' way of big stilt ruffs, "dog colls r." white tie, and all ornamented with mas sive gold sleeve buttons, gold studs and dlnmoud pin. and sll other apHdntuienls ou a corresiHiudlug scsle f msgiilticeiice. The whole 8udlown district gloried In Bdly Biler's flue ralmeut.'as If It were the liidlvtdnsi proHrtv of. esrh and ev ery voter thst "worked' for Billy sll day at the xdla on the occiialoii of each suc ceeding concresstonsl election. 'Hell.i, Billy! Haryuh. Billy! When't yuh git Iu, Billy? purty warm, hain't ut, Billy? Makes you sweat, don't nt, Billy! Hut hot under the collar halnt ut, Billy T' These and hundred of other fortvula of ssliitstlou, together with a disjoint ing hsnd shaking, wslt iqsin the popil bir Billy Bller. snd he Is at once In the center of the crowd of people who are blocking up the Overcoat Road Immedi ately between the Sandtown Farmers' Bsnk building and the court house, to thst extent thst team llll coming through the cloud of dust along thst pop ular thoroiighfsre, a well aa tenuis coin Ink up the rlter road, were obliged tn ttiru out of the way. which they did very cheerfully, when It was known thst Billy Ibler wa back from Washington en pur pose to help bla friend In thl extrem ity. "Now, liy.." ssld Billy In a bnd. Jolly, (ihmI nslurrd Voice, snd taking off his shiny silk bat to permit the thorough mopping of his rosy, smooth, fat fsce. I m a go-un down with CtMHirtsI, b yur, fur ill uner, un when we git bark we'll go un see whut these railroad fellers I try- uu to stesl from ) oU I n If It s too big fur uu to pack off In a hurry, we'll make them sweat awhile Instead of ns." Thl speech wss followed by a gleeful rosr of applsudlug laughter from the whole crowd, which, with much Inter change of knowing comments on Billy Biler's shrew dues and ability to coia with the very suisrtest of the rsllrosd ruscsls, snd their own shrewd foresight hi electing such Congressman s Billy Bller broke up iu little groups to dis cus the it unt Ion. "Billy." sal.l f.M.nrod Redden, ss the two drove past Squire Wickly's house on their wsy to the big white frame nisn sion of the old farmer "right there Is the msn un the g'yurl sfs bout the wust hurt over this lsiik business nv nlrry on uv urse fe!Urs. Weekly's mighty nigh plum, slap, dub m vu ii -ray. Un I low the g yurl halnt milch U tter. Smartest and puni est g yurl rouu h yur, tis! Blame pity fur urn." "How much do they lose?" asked Billy Biler. ss he prcpsred to light a clgsr. without show ing any interest in the iiieu tat condition of the patient. "II nut much fur's the 'mount's gut anytheug to do with ut. (tut bits sll snd a little more, tiicbhr. They wa two moggiji yuh see, uu the g'yurl ml gut nu IT saved to pay urn off. Un when she went, she foiin three uv urn slid a two! The Squire's tryun to gi that for tune 'st he low he's helred. and he'd Ihode hi a third moggiji right plum slap, dab ou top a the y other two! Un you see that kiven-d the Inn' Mil ao l.i-l mt Hither could tech bottom, by gum. The Ian' halnt wntli uiore'n half uv ut. I'd a bought it In myself, rf bit ml a hen any w burs nigh worth nt. But shoh!" and Coonrod Redden hsiked down and kicked the toe of his Imh hopelisly sgaitist lint firm of the ittshhoiirl. "What did Wickly do with the money? He must a got a tlnoiin ur so, didn't be?" asked Billy Bller, hewing the end of Uie lighted cigar, and watching t.ti- rod Redden out of the corners of his lnre whitish eye. "(), you can't nuvver tell w but feller does with money, 'batawny. Thode ut away, Ink as nut. Il-yamler he gc Into the bouse willi both weemun follerin im! Shouldn't wonder if they'd be trou ble there, Billy! He's mighty nigh plum ship dab criiy, by gum!" (To lie continued. I MOSI FAMOUS OF PLARL8. Named the Tuvenler and In I'oaM lon of the Khali of I'erslu. The most fatuous penti in nil tha world Is owned by the shah of Persia nnd called tin Tini-nlcr. It wns num. ed for the celebrated traveler f that iiiinie uml was sold to the shah's un. cistors by him for $.V0,(iOO. Today It Is probably worth inure tluin $Viof. in). Another ejistern king, the Utimi of Muscat, has in his collection a jM-url worth IHkVlMNi, weighing twelve uml ii half en ruts. The daylight can bo seen through It. Princess YoUNoupofr finest gem is wonderfully be.nitlfiil. It wns first henril of In HCO, when t'eorgllnm Calnls sold It to Philip of Spain for $ IHO.tgHi. The pope's pearl Is worth fso.ooo, a has ib'sccndi-d In u regular course to the Incumbent of the throne from one of the curliest polios, who became possessed of It Iu u manlier which has not been told. These are all of the truly celebrated penrls. But there nre renin rltnble pearl necklaces which hnve an enor mous value-. They are usually nmiln up, penti nfter pearl being added to the set, nnd lending Jewelers nre con stantly on the watch to secure more to add to the chnln, Pink penrls nre not us valuable as either the black or the white. Queen Victoria had n necklace of pink pearls which is worth $HO,oK and the down ger empress of (Jernmny hud otio of thirty-two penrls which would easily sell for f 12.VKK). The women of tho Rothschild family have gems of this sort which far exceed In value those owned by royalty. Baroness Oustave De Rothschild possesses one mode up of five rows of penrls which' Is val ucd at $200,000, Demand In China for Japanese can vas shoes, fans,' china and antimony Is Increasing since the present Far East war began. , ... . rf
