A STUDY IN SCARLET
BY A. CONAN DOYLE.
2
t
2
2
CHAPTER VI Continued.
After a very brief pause the detec
tice continued ?
"Of 'course, after that there was
nothing more to be done. I found out
where Lieutenant Charpentler was,
took two officers with me and arrested
him. When I touched him on the
shoulder and warned him to come
quietly with us, he answered us as
bold as brass: 'I suppose you are
arresting me for being concerned In
the death of that scoundrel Drebber,'
he said. We had said nothing to him
about it, so that his alluding to It had
a most suspicious aspect."
"Very," said Holmes.
"He still carried the heavy stick
which the mother described him as
having with him when he followed
Drebber. It was a stout oak cudgel."
"What Is your theory, then?"
"Well, my theory is that, he followed
Drebber as far as the Brixton road.
When there a fresh altercation arose
between them, in the course of which
Drebber received a blow from the
stick in the pit of the stomach, per
haps, which killed him without leav
ing any mark. The night was so wet
that no one was about, so Charpentler
dragged the body of his victim into
the empty house.' As to the candle
and the blood and the writing on tho
wall and tho ring, they may all be so
many tricks to throw the police on to
(be wrong scent"
"Well done!" said Holmes in an en
couraging voice. "Really, Gregson,
you are getting along. We shall make
something of -you yet."
"I flatter myself that I have man
aged It rather neatly," the detective
answered proudly. '"The young man
vulunteered a statement in which he
said that after following Drebber
some time, the latter perceived him
and took a cab in order to get away
from him. On his way home he met
an old shipmate and took a long walk
with him. On being asked where this
old shipmate lived, he was unable to
Klve any satisfactory reply. I think
the whole case fits together uncom
monly well. What amuses me Is to
think of Lestrade, who had started off
upon the wrong scent. I am afraid he
won't make much of It. Why, by Jove!
here's the very man himself!"
It was, Indeed, Lestrade, who had
ascended the stairs while we were
talking, and who now entered the
room. The assurance and Jauntlness
which generally marked his demeanor
and dress were, however wanting.
His face was disturbed and trou
bled, while his clothes were disar
ranged and untidy.
He had evidently come with the In
tention of consulting with Sherlock
Holmes, for on perceiving his col
league he appeared to be embarrassed
and put out.
He stood in the center of the room,
fumbling nervously with his hat, ana
uncertain what to do.
"This Is a most extraordinary case,"
he said, at last "a most incompre
hensible affair."
"Ah, you find it so, Mr. Lestrade?"
cried Gregson, triumphantly. "I
thought you would come to that con
clusion. Have you managed to find the
secretary, Mr. Joseph Stangerson?"
"The secretary, Mr. Joseph Stanger
son," said Lestrade, gravely, "was
murdered at Halliday's Private Hotel
about 6 o'clock this morning."
CHAPTER VII.
Light In the Darkness.
The intelligence with which Lestrade
greeted us was so momentous and so
unexpected that we were all three fair
ly dumfounded.
Grejrson sprang out of his chair and
upset the remainder of his whisky and
water.
I stared in silence at Sherlock
Holmes, whose Hps were compressed
and his brows drawn down over his
eyes.
"Stangerson, too!" he muttered,
"The plot thickens"
"It was quite thick enough before,"
grumbled Lestrade, taking a chair. "I
seem to have dropped into a sort of
council of war.
"Are you are you sure of this piece
of intelligence?" stammered Gregson.
"I have Just come from his room.'
said Lestrade. "I was the first to dis
cover what had occurred."
"We have been hearing Gregson's
view of the matter," Holmes observed.
"Would you mind letting us know
what you have seen and done?
"I have no objection," Lestrade an
swered. seating himself. "I freely con
fess that I was of the opinion that
Stangerson was concerned In the death
of Drebber. This fresh development
has shown mi that I was completely
mistaken. Full of the one Idea, I set
myself to find out what had become
of the secretary. They had been seen
together at Enston Station about half
past eight on the evening or tne tmrd.
At two in the morning Drebber had
been found In the Brixton Road. The
tmestlon which confronted me was to
find out how Stangerson had been em
ployed between 8:30 and the time of
the crime and wnat naa Deeome or mm
afterward. I telegraphed to Liverpool,
giving a description of the man and
warning them to keep a watch upon
the American boats. 1 then set to work
calling upon all the hotels and lodging
houses in the vicinity of Euston. Yon
see. I argued that If Drebber and his
companion had become separated the
natural course of the latter would be
to put up somewhere In the vicinity for
the night and then hang about the
station again next morning."
"They would be likely to agree on
some meeting-place beforehand," re
marked Holmes.
"So it proved. I spent the whole of
yeste'lay evening In making Inquiries
entirely without avail. This morning
I began very early, and at eight o'clock
I reached Halliday's Private Hotel, it
Little George street On my Inquiry
as to whether a Mr. Stangerson was
living there, they an once answered me
In the affirmative.
"No doubt you are the gentleman
he was expecting, they said. 'He had
been waiting for a gentleman for two
days.
" 'Where Is he now? I asked.
'He is upstairs In bed. He wished
to be called at nine.'
"It seemed to me that my sudden
appearance might shake his nerves
and lead him to say something un
guarded. The Boots volunteered to
show me the room; It was on the sec
ond Boor, and there was a small cor
rldor leading up to It The Boots
pointed out the door to me, and was
about to go down stairs again, when I
saw something that made me feel sick
l&h. in spite of my twenty years' ex
perience. From under the door there
curled a little red ribbon of blood,
which had meandered across the pas
sage and formed a little pool along
the skirting at the other Bide. I gave
a cry which brought the Boots back.
He nearly fainted when he saw It.
The door was locked on the Inside, but
wa nut our shoulders to it and knocked
It in. The window of the room was
open, and beside the window, all hud
dled up, lay the body or a man in nis
nlfht-rirona Ha wna nultA dead, and
bad been for some time, for his limbs
were rigid and com. wnen we turned
him over the Boots recognized him at
once as being the same gentleman
wrm find eni'AepA the room under the
name of James Stangerson. The cause
of death was a deep stab In the left
side, which must hare penetrated the
heart. And now comes me strangest
nart of the affair. What do you sup
pose was above the murdered man?"
I felt a creeping of flesh and a pre
sentiment of coming horror, even be
fore Sherlock Holmes answered.
"The word "Rache," written m tet
ters of blood," he said.
"That was It" said Lestrade, In an
awstruck voice: and we were all
silent for a wh'le.
There was something so metnodicRi
and so Incomprehensible about the
deeds of this unknown assassin, that
It Imparted a fresh ghastllness to his
crimes.
Mv nerves, which were steady
enough on the field of battle, tingled as
I thought of It
"The man was seen, continued Les
trade. "A mllkboy, passing on his way
to the dairy, happened to walk down
the lane which leads from the mews
at the back of the hotel. He noticed
that a ladder, which usually lay there,
was raised against one of the windows
of the second floor, which was wide
niun Aftpr nnHHlne. he looked back
and saw a man descend the ladder. He
came down so quietly and openly tnai
the boy imagined him to be some car
penter or Joiner at work in the hotel.
He took no particular notice of him,
beyond thinking In his own mind that
It was early for him to be at work. He
has an Impression that the man was
tall, had a reddish face, and thought
it was early ror him to ne at wont, ne
must have utAved In the roam some
little time after the murder, for we
found blood-stained water in tne Dasin,
where he had washed his hands, and
mirb nn the fihppt where he had de
liberately wiped his knife."
I glanced at Holmes on hearing the
description of the murderer which tal
lied so exactly witn his own.
There was. however, no trace of exul
tation or satisfaction upon his face.
tsa vnn find nothing In the room
which could furnish a clew to the mur
derer?" he asked.
"Nothing. Stangerson had Drabbets
purse In his pocket, but It seems that
this was usual, as he did all the pay
ing. There was eighty-odd pounds In
tt hut nnthW had been taken. What
ever the motives of these extraordinary
crimes, robbery Is certainly not one 01
them. There were no papers or mem
oranda In the murdered man's pockets,
except a single telegram, dated from
Cleveland about a montn ago, ana con
taining the words, "J. H. is in Europe.
There was no name appended to this
message."
"And there was nothing else!"
Holmes asked.
"Nothing of any Importance. The
man's novel, with which he had read
himself to sleep, was lying upon the
bed, and his pipe was on a chair be
side him. There was a glass of water
on the table, and on the window sill a
small chip ointment box containing a
couple of pills."
Sherlock Holmes sprang from his
chair with an exclamation of delight.
"The last link." he cried, exultantly.
"Mv case Is comnlote."
The two detectives stared at him In
amazement.
"I have now In my hands," my com
panion said confidently, "all the threads
which have formed such a tangle.
There are, of course, details to be filled
in, but I am certain of all the main
facts, from the time that Drebber part
ed from Stangerson at the station, up
to the discovery of the body of the
latter, as If I had seen them with my
own eyes. I will give you proof of my
knowledge. Could you lay your hands
upon those pills?"
"I have them," said Lestrade, pro
ducing a small white box: "I took them
and the purse and the telegram, In
tending to have them put In a place
of safety at the police station. It was
the merest chance my taking these
pills, for I am bound to say that I do
not attach any importance to them."
"Give them here," said Holmes.
"Now, doctor," turning to .me, "are
those ordinary pills?"
They certainly were not They were
of a pearly gray color, small, round,
and almost transparent against the
light.
"From their lightness and transpar
ency, I should Imagine that they are
soluble In water," I remarked.
"Precisely so," answered Holmes.
"Now, would you mind going down and
fetching that poor little devil of a ter
rier which has been bad so long, and
which the landlady wanted you to put
out of Its pain yesterday?"
I went downstairs and carried the
dog upstairs In my arms. Its labored
breathing and glazing eye showed that
it was not far from Its end.
Indeed, Its snow white muzzle pro
claimed that It had already exceeded
the usual term of canine existence. I
placed It upon a cushion on the rug.
"I .will now cut one of these pills In
two," said Holmes, and drawing his
penknife, he suited the action to the
word. "One half we return Into the
box for future purposes. The other half
I will place In this wine glass, In which
Is a teaspoonful of water. You per
celve that our friend, the doctor. Is
right and that It readily dissolves."
"This may be very Interesting," said
Lestrade. In the Injured tone of one
who suspects that be Is being laughed
at. "I can not see, however, what It
has to do with the death of Mr. Joseph
Stangerson."
"Patience, my friend, patience. Ton
will find In time that is has everything
to do with it I shall now add a little
milk to make the mixture palatable,
and on presenting It to the dog you will
And that he laps It up readily enough."
As he spoke ha turned the contents
of the wine glass into a saucer and
placed It In front of the terrior, who
speedily licked It dry.
Sherlock Holmes' earnest demeanor
had so far convinced us that we all sat
In silence, watching the animal Intent
ly and expecting some startling effect
None such appeared, however. The
dog continued to He stretched upon the
cushion, breathing in a labored way,
but apparently neither the better nor
the worse for Its draught
Holmes had taken out his watch, and
as minute followed minute without re
cult, an expression of the utmost cha-
grin and dtsanpolntment appeared no
on his feature i.
He gnawed his Hp, drummed his rin
gers upon the table and showed every
other symptom of acute Impatience.
So great was his emotion that I felt
sincerely sorry for him, while the two
detectives smiled derisively, by no
means displeased at this check which
he had met.
"It can't be coincidence," he cried
at last, springing from' his chair and
pacing wildly up and down the room:
"It la lmnnsnlblA that, la should be a
mere coincidence. The very pills
which I suspected in the case or urun
ber are actually found after the death
of Stangerson. And yet they are Inert.
What can it mean? aureiy my wnoia
rfinln n rASflnnlnflr cannot have been
falsa. It Is Impossible! And yet this
wretched dog is none tne worse, ah,
I have it I have it!"
With a nerfnet shriek of delieht
ha rushed to the box, cut the other pill
In two, dissolved it added mug, ana
presented it to the terrier.
ThA nnforttinste creature's toneUO
hardly seemed to have been moistened
In It before It gave a convulsive sniver
In every limb, and lay as rigid and life
less as If It had been struck by light
ning.
Sherlock Holmes drew a long breath
and wiped the perspiration from his
forehead.
"I should hare more faith," he said;
"I ought to know by this time that
when a fact appears to be opposed to
a long train of deductions It invariably
proves to be capable of bearing some
other Interpretation. Qf the two pills
In that box one waB the most deadly
poison and the other was entirely
harmless. I ought to have known that
before ever I saw the box at all."
This last statement appeared to ma
to be so startling that I could hardly
believe that he was In his sober senses.
There was the dead dog, however, to
prova that his conjecture had been cor
rect , x ,
It seemed to me that the mists In
my own mind were gradually clearing
away, and I began to have a dim,
vague perception of the truth.
"AH this seems strange to you," con
tinned Holmes, "because you failed at
the beginning of the Inquiry to grasp
the Importance of the Bingle real clew
which was presented to you. I had
the good fortune to seize upon that,
and everything which has occurred
since then has served to confirm my
original supposition, and, Indeed was
the logical sequence of It Hence,
things which have perplexed you and
made the case mora obscure have
served to enlighten me and to strength
en .my conclusions. It Is a mistake to
confound strangeness with mystery.
The most commonplace crime Is often
the most mysterious, because It pre
sents no new or special features from
which deductions may be drawn. This
murder would have been Infinitely
more ("Ifncult to unravel had the body
of the victim been simply found lying
In the roadway without any of those
outer and sensational accompaniments
which have rendered It remarkable.
These strange details, far from mak
ing the case more difficult, have really
had the effect of making It less so."
(To be Continued.)
Thing That May
Interest You.
Over a million persons die yearly in
Europe of consumption.
Five hundreds nd eighty-seven dis
tinct languages are spoken in Europe.
Forty-five hours constitute a week's
work for women and girls in New Zea
land. Seventy-eight profit sharing schemes,
affecting 53,526 workpeople, were in
operation last year in this country.
Madame Isacescu, the Vienese lady
swimmer, is training for another at
tempt to swim the English channel.
Ont of 2,599 murders of Christians
in Turkey last year there were only 61
cases In which the murderers were pun
iehed. The longest railway run in the world
without changing is on the Canadian
Pacific, from Halifax to Vancouver,
3,662 miles.
The biggest orchard in the world is
near Santa Barbara, Cal. It covers
1,700 acres and contains 31,000 fruit
and nut trees.
The amount of beat generated by a
man's body in a day's work is sufficient
to raise 63 pounds of water from freez
bing to oiling point.
Lord Kelvin,-who is now 78 years of
age, is entitled to place no less than 26
letters, indicating various titles of hon
or, after his name.
Geraniums bloom most satisfactorily
when grown in comparatively small
pots and soil which is termed rich, but
not rank with excessive manure.
In Portugal if the wife pnbliehea
literary works without the husband's
consent, the law frees him at once from
all further matrimonial obligations.
During the past ten years immigra
tion to America from Germany, Ireland
and England has decreased, while that
from Italy, Asutria and Russia has in
creased. '
Three are 6,000 mouks on the prom
ontory of Athos. They pay to the sul
tatn 2,000 pounds a year for the privi
lege of boing allowed to govern them
suives.
The nnmber of ships in the Ameri
can whaling fleet has fallen off in the
last twelve years from 97 fo to 40, and
much the same is the case with the
Scotch whaling industry.
One of Milton's biographers rays that
nearly twenty years elapsed between
the time he sketched out the plan of
"Paradise Lost" and the completion of
that work. The actual labor of compo
sition was condensed into two or three
years.
Farmer Jones I am a-going tew take
my son Hiram to a phrenolyiist tew
find oat what he's best suited fer.
Farmer Honk An' s'poain' he tells
yew the boy ain't suited fer farmin' at
all?
Farmer Jones That's just what I
want tew find out, so's I kin lick it ont
ut him before he gits tew big.
Yonnghnb There's nothing like mat
rimony for teaching a young man the
valne of money.
Oldwed -That's right A dollar a
man gives to his wife looks twice as big
as the dollar he blew in on her during
courtship.
QUEER NIGHT THEFT.
WEALTHY BANKER WAS ROBBED
WHILE HE SLEPT.
Through the Effort of Detective
the Mystery of the Lowes Wee
' Solved in a. Manner Most Unex
pected All Around.
"Shortly after I was put on the 'fly
force,' " suld the old detective, "the
chief sent for me. On entering bis office
I found there a man I recognized as a
banker of repute. Since then he has
become famous. The chief told me to
listen to the story, for It was my case.
The story was brief. The banker kept
some personal securities In a safe at
his own home and some were missing.
They had disappeared one by one at Ir
regular Intervals. The one singular
thing was that on one occasion be had
set out to watch the safe all night and
between 3 and 4 bad dropped asleep
for half an hour. In that half hour
another had disappeared. The lock was
a combination, the secret of which, so
far as he knew, was wholly bis own.
"I went up to bis house and made a
careful examination without hitting on
any theory that would seem to unraveH
the mystery. So I said to the banker that
he must go right along In bis mode of
living, do nothing to let any. Inmate In
the bouse suppose they were under sus
picion or observation, and that I would
conceal myself and watch the safe. For
I was satisfied that the thief was one
of the family, and I fancied It was the
son, who was a high roller.
"This the banker agreed to, and
helped me rig up a place where I could
conceal myself. I began the watching
that night, but nothing came of It for
five nights. On the sixth the banker
went out to a dinner party, but he was
back home shortly after midnight and
the house quletetd down by 1 o'clock.
An hour and a half later I beard a
soft step in the room adjoining the li
brary and presently a form stole lnte
the room, and going to the safe, swift
ly unlocked It ami abstracted a single
security, closing the safe again.
"The room was so dark that I could
distinguish only the outlines of the
form, but the darkness enabled me to
follow the thief as he turned from the
safe. I did so, aud with a step as
stealthy as his own. He led me through
the adjoining room, out into the ball,
down the basement steps and Into a
lumber-room, where there was an old
box fur firewood. To this box the thief
went and, lifting the cover, put the se
curity in It.
"Then he turned, and so quickly that
he nearly struck me, and hurried up
the stairs. I was close behind him and
at bis heels when he climbed up to the
second story, where there was a night
lamp In the hall, giving sufficient light
for me to recognize the features of the
man who bad taken the security. From
here he turned Into a room, closing the
door after him. I went down into the
library and found the easiest chair for
a nap.
"The next morning as the banker ap
peared for breakfast I took him down
stairs, saying to him: 'Examine that
box and see what yon find.'
"To his amazement he found every
one of the missing securities and some
papers besides which he had not
missed. He was dumfounded. After a
moment's hesitation he turned to me
with a severe and most stern air and
asked:
" 'Who Is the thief?'
" 'You are,' I replied, complacently.
"He started violently, and for a mo
ment I thought he would strike me. But
he asked, instead, ferociously:
"'What do you mean by that?
" 'Only that you are a sleepwalker,
I replied. 'That's alL I followed and
saw you take the paper and place it
here.'
"He stood still, as one paralyzed.
Then he said:
" 'Keep my counsel. Say nothing.'
"A week later he sent for me to his
office to tell me that bis physician had
told htm It was a case of dyspepsia,
and that when he had come to look
back he found that it was only after a
late-course dinner that a paper had been
missed. Then he added:
" 'You've been discreet so far. Con
tinue to be, and you will see that you
will not lose by if
"I continued to be, and that's the rea
son why I have retired so early, can
drive down the road just as fast &
stepping pair as anyone does, and can
have an automobile if I want one."
Brooklyn Eagle.
EFFORT OF MAPPING A BRAIN,
Scientific Teste to Discover Control of
Limbs and Muscles.
Eminent surgeons have long endeav
ored to find out precisely what parts of
the brain control the various muscles
and limbs of the body, with a view to
ascertaining therefrom new ways of
treating diseases of the nervous sys
tem. Sufferers from such complaints,
especially such as cause Interruption
of the muscular action, may have rea
son to bless the memory of certain
great apes who have co-operated un
selfishly with and without being con
sulted by some British scientists and
surgeons in a series of privately con
ducted experiments to demonstrate new
facts about the brain, says the London
Leader.
Though the scientific partnership
was fatal to the apes, they lived ad
mired and died universally respected,
and their photographs will be handed
down In medical history. Studies of
the brains of the higher apes have
shown that their composition was suf
ficiently like that of man to Justify the
belief that Investigations made on these
brutes would furnish knowledge about
the human brain. To understand the
experiments thoroughly It Is well to re
member that the brain may be roughly
divided Into two great portionsthe
frontal and the occipital which are
separated by the fissure of Rolando.
This fissure extends across the top of
the human head and down on each side
at about the region of the temples.
All that part of the brain which lies
In the front of It that Is, the brain
that Is over the eyes and fills out the
frontal region of the head Is known as
the frontal lobe. This frontal lobe. It
has been found, does almost all the
work of ordering and controlling the
motion of the body and the exercise of
Its various physical functions. It Is
the great central telephone exchange,
or, to use another electric term, thl
great power house where the subtle, In
tangible fluid of thought Is converted
Into a tangible working force and
thence transmitted at varying pressures
along the feed wires of nerves to tbe
various engines of the heart arms, legs,
eyes, mouth, nose aud other organs.
GOOD
Short gtqfie$;
On one occasion at a dinner at Balllol
the master's guests discussed the ca
reers of two Balllol men, one of whom
had just been made a judge and the
other a bishop. "Oh," said, one, "l
think the bishop Is the greater man.
A judge, at the most, can only say, 'You
be hanged,' but a bishop can say, 'You
be damned.' " "Yes," tersely remarked
the master, "but If the Judge saye 'You
be hanged,' you are hanged."
Sir Henry Irving declares that once,
when he was playing "Othello" in a
small town in the then Washington Ter
ritory, his audience was composed for
the most part of miners. "When we
came to the handkerchief scene, where
Othello demands the handkerchief of
Desdemona many times," he says, "I
noticed that the audience was becom
ingly exceedingly nervous. About the
third time the demand for the handker
chief was repeated a large Irishman
In the rear of the house shouted: 'Wipe
your nose on your alaive, you nayger,
and let the play go oa.' "
Frank Rellly, a track-walker, was the
victim of a peculiar accident at Port
Costa recently. He was standing near
a switch to a siding on which freight
trains generally wait for the passengei
trains to pass. He saw a young lady
walking on tbe siding, and, believing
her to be in danger, gesticulated ve
hemently to cause her to step from be
tween the rails. She, In her turn, see
ing the oncoming freight train, mo
tioned back to him that he was In dan
ger. As the train came nearer both
became tbe more earnest In their shout
ing and gesticulating, while neither
thought of stepping off the tracks.
Rellly proved to be In the wrong. The
freight, Instead of taking the siding,
went straight through. While he was
still trying to cause the young lady
to get out of the way of supposed dan
ger, the train struck him from behind,
hurling blm from the track and break
ing his right arm in two places, badly
cutting bis head and bruising his side.
He will recover.
Apropos of the death of John W.
Mackay, the New York Herald remarks
that one of the notable episodes of the
residence of the Mackays in Paris was
that which connected them with Mels
sonler. The great French artist was
commissioned by Mr. Mackay to paint
a portrait of his wife for the sum of
seventy-five thousand francs. When It
was delivered the Mackays decided that
it was entirely unworthy of the sub
ject and of the painter. "I wanted a
Melssonler," be said, "not Melssonler
painting a slovenly imitation of Ca
baneL" This criticism was indorsed by
some artists who bad seen the picture.
It was said that the French artist
deeming anything to be good enough
for Nevada, took no pains with the
work, that he had produced it after an
Insufficient number of sittings, and had
hastily painted In the hands from one
of his models. Furthermore, the por
trait showed a woman ten years older
than Its subject Many French artists,
however, Indorsed the work. His
friends gave Melssonler a dinner as a
vindication, and the French press and
public were for a time clamorously in
dignant The Indignation rose to a cli
max when It was reported that Mrs.
Mackay bad thrown the picture Into the
fire. This was not true. It was hung
In a small room, with Its face to tbe
wall. To-day It hhs an abiding place In
Carlton House, Mrs. Mackay's London
mansion.
The Knocker.
She had a little hammer,
She used it with a will,
She knocked at everybody
They couldn't keep her still;
She knocked about her neighbors
If they were friends or foes,
She knocked about the table,
And knocked about her clothes.
She knocked at hubby's smoking,
About his snoring, too;
She knocked about his whistling,
And so, perhaps, would you;
At last the Reaper claimed her,
Her course on earth was run;
Her husband then considered
Her knocking days were done.
But hubby went one evening
To see a spirit show,
Where always in the gloaming,
The spirits come and go,
He heard a spirit knocking
"My wife," he said, "I'll betl
Now, isn't she a wonder?
By gosh! she's knocking yet!"
-Youkers Statesman.
Many Uses of a Banana.
Immense fortunes have been made
out of the banana business. Revenues
do not accrue alone from tbe sale of
the fruit for the leaves are used for
packing; the juice, being strong In
tannin, makes an Indelible Ink and shoe
blacking; the wax found on the under
side of the leaves Is a valuable article
of commerce; manila hemp Is made
from the stems, and of this hemp are
made mats, plaited work and lace
handkerchiefs of the finest texture;
moreover, the banana Is ground Into'
banana flour. Tbe fruit Is to be sold ;
for dessert is ripened by the dryj
warmth of flaring gas jets la the stor- j
age places In which it Is kept and
care has to be taken to prevent soften- j
Ing or overrlpenlng. Tbe Island of
Jamaica yields great crops of this use
ful and moply-maklng fruit
Whs They Don't 8 peek.
Stella tea, my age is in the family
Bible.
Bella Then, I presume, it must be
In Revelations.
A man likes to hear a woman say she
has never been kissed, even If be
doesn't believe It
THEY ARE LOOKING FOR THINGS.
Persons Who Go Along the Street
Watching tho Sidewalk.
"The 'lost and found columns of the
newspaper Is responsible for a rather
peculiar habit" said an observant citi
zen, according to the New Orleans
Times-Democrat, "and it produces a
rather singular mental condition. It
has caused a great many persons to
snake a rather close study of the side
walks of the city, and no doubt many
of them live in tbe constant hope of
picking up sometbiug very valuable.
They have all sorts of wild dreams
about finding Jewelry, more or less val
uable, and big rolls of money aud
things of that sort I am not speaking
of the unhappy and extremely unfortu
nate class whose life Is spent in search
ing the sidewalks and the gutters for
whatever trifle they may pick up. I
have In mind a different sort of people,
people who are more cultivated and
more refined, and whose minds have by
degrees bent Into the groove. Maybe
some of them have found something at
some time or other, and this has caused
them to search, more or less diligently,
the sidewalk as tbey rush along the
street I know of one case of this sort
a young man who has been so Influ
enced by the habit that be goes along
the street with his head down, often
passing his nearest and closest friends
without seeing them. He made tbe
statement to me a few days ago that
during tbe last year he bad found six
silver dimes on the sidewalk, and he
had gradually drifted Into the habit of
searching the sidewalks with his eyes
as be passed along the streets. 'Be
sides,' he said, 'I am always reading
the lost and found column In the news
papers, and tbe thing has a sort of fas
cination for me. It has produced a
perpetual condition of mental excite
ment, and of course I get a great deal
of pleasure out of it' Now, here is a J
curious thing. Men for some time have
Indulged the foolish uabItof counting
cracks in the sidewalks or telegraph
poles, and touching things with their
bands, but few of us have been aware
of the existence of a class of men who
are constantly trying to find something
as tbey brush along the street When
we have found men looking Intently at
the sidewalk we have supposed that
they were counting cracks, or trying to
keep from stepping on cracks, or mak
ing some sort of curious study of the
sidewalk's topography, but Instead we
now learn that they are actually look
ing for wealth, trying to find some
thing that somebody else has lost
What strange flights fancy doth take
In these latter days!"
MISSION OF THE CHEAP CIGAR.
Method in the Madness of Selling for
Absolutely Low Prices. -
"So you are going to try to force us
retailers out of the business!" ex
claimed an Irate little cigar man, bris
tling with Indignation and addressing
the manager of one of a number of
cut-rate cigar stores. .
"Nothing of the kind," replied the
manager, bustling about his work.
"And tbe tobacco-trust has put you
up to this and Is footing the bills!"
was the cigar man's second explosion.
"Now, see here," said the manager,
taking the angry little man by the
buttonhole and leading him out of tbe
way of customers, "you don't under
stand the game. We're Increasing the
consumption of tobacco. We're build
lug up your business."
"Don't see it," said the retailer,
"when you sell a standard 5-cent cigar
five 'for 12 cents."
"That's just the way we're doing it"
replied the manager. "The man who
smokes two 5-cent cigars a day comes
In here and takes five for 12 cents and
smokes them all in a day. A few
weeks of that, and he wants his five
cigars every day. He gets tired of
coming around here to look for bar
gains, and in a few weeks he begins to
stop at your stand, as be used to do,
but Instead of buying 10 cents' worth
of cigars, he leaves a quarter in your
cash register and carries away half a
dozen cigars. We've Increased your
trade 150 per cent"
"I hadn't looked at It that way," said
the retailer, calming down.
"And here's another scheme of ours,"
continued the manager. "Hundreds of
smokers never treat themselves to a
10-cent cigar. We offer three 10-cent-ers
and three fivers for a quarter. The
smoker takes them and gets the taste
for the better cigar. When he comes
back to yonr shop be wants a 10-cent
cigar."
"By Jove! It's a great scheme," said
the cigar man, quite appeased. New
York Times.
FARMS AND RAILROADS.
Profits on Agriculture Not Bo Bmell
After AIL
A special census bulletin gives the
value of farm property, Including am
cblnery and live stock, as $20,514,001,
638. The total value of farm prod
ucts for 1889 was $4,739,118,752, and
the gross income from tbe farms was
1754,177,700. making 18.3 per cent on
the value of tbe property Invested. A
gross Income of 18.3 per cent would
not yield a large net Income, when the
heavy expenses for labor, material,
maintenance, etc.. Is considered, re
ports the Buffalo Express. Unfortun
ately, It Is not practicable, probably
Impossible, to secure accurate statis
tics of net Incomes, which alone might
show how the farming Industry stands
In comparison with others. It Is Inter
esting to note, however, that the steam
surface railroads of the United States
show an Investment of $12,708,910,837,
counting all assets as a part of the In
vestment. This makes the Investment
In railroads three-fifths as great as In
the most Important of all producing
Industries. Tbe gross Income was In
1901 $551,020,400, which would be only
4.2 per cent on the Investment and out
of this expenses must be met which
are at least as great proportionately
as the expenses from tbe agricultural
Industry can be. On the whole It
would seem that the profits from agri
culture can hardly be so small as to
Justify the discouragement which has
become almost habltuafwlth American
farmers. On the contrary. It Is a mat
ter for surprise that tbe Industry does
not attract more of the capital that Is
so eagerly seeking Investment In trans
portation and manufacturing lines.
Selling lee at a profit of 1U0 per cent
is certainly a cold snap.
GEO. P. CROWELL,
iPiioeessor to K. L. Smith,
published House lu the vslley.J
DEALER IN
Dry Goods, Groceries,
Boots and Shoes,
Hardware,
Flour and Feed, etc.
This old-established honse will con.
tinue to pay cash for all its goods; it
pays no rent; it employs a clerk, but
does not have to divide with a partner.
All divHends are made with customers
in the way of reasonable prices.
Lumber
Wood,
Posts, Etc.
Davenport Bros.
Lumber Co.
Have opened an office in Hood Kiver.
Call and get prices and leave orders,
which will be promptly filled.
Regulator Line
STEAMERS
Regulator and Dalles City
Between The Dalles and Portland
Daily Except Sunday.
Leave Dalles 7 A. M.
Arrive Portland 4 P. M.
Leave Portland 7A.M.
Arrive Dalles 5 P. M.
Leave Hood River (down) at 8 :S0 A. M.
Arrive Hood River (up) at 3:30 P.M.
W. C ALLAWAY,
General Agent
White Collar Line
Portland -Astoria Route
Str. "BAILEY GATZERT." .
Dslljr round trlpi except Sunday.
TIME CARD.
Leaves Portland T:00 A. M
Leaves Astoria 7:00 P. M
Through Portlsnd connection with Steamer
Nalicotta from llwaco and Long Beach points.
White Collar Line tickets Interchangeable
with O. K. k N. Co. and V. T. Co. tickets.
TheDalles-Portland Route
STEAMERS
"TAHOMA" and "METLAKO"
Daily trips except Bandar.
Str. "TAHOMA."
leaves Portland, Mon Wed., Fri T:M A. M
Leaves The Dalles, Tuea., Thura. Set, 7:00 A. U
Str. "METLAKO."
Leavei Portland, Tues., Thu., Sat 7:00 A. M.
Leaves The ballet Won.. Wed., Fri 7:00 A. M.
Landing and office: Foot Alder Street. Both
ehouea Main 361. Portland, Oregon.
AGENTS.
JOHN M. F1IXOON....! The Dallas, Or
A. J. TAYLOR. Attoris, Or
1. 1. LACKEY Hood River. Or
WOLFOKD & WYER3 White Salmon, Wash
J. C. WYATT ...Vancouvor. Wash
R. B. GILBRKTH .. Lyle. W ash
JOHN M. TOTTON' ........8tevenion, Waili
HKNRY OLMSTED.. Carson, Waih
WM. BUTLER Butler, Wash
E. W. CRICHTON,
Portland. Oregon
OREGON
JOST LINE
and union Pacific
fits!
. UBS SCHEDULE ..--ptf,T
fortune. Or. Aaaivs
Chicago Bait Lake, Denver, 4:30 p.m.
Portland Ft. Worth.Omaha,
Special Kansas City, 8t.
t-.uoa. in. Lmils.Chlcagoaud
via East. -Huntington.
At antic V alia Walls twls- S: 10 a.m.
Express ton, Spokane, Min
8:60 p.m. neaiinlis.Kt. Pant,
via Duliitli. Mliwau-
Huntington. kee.ChlcagoAKaat
St. Paul Fait Lake, Denver, 7:00a. m.
Fast Hall Ft. Worth.Omaha,
;15 p. m. Kansas City, Hi.
via I.uis,Caicagosiid
pokana Eaau
OCEAN AND RIVER SCHEDULE
HIOM PORTLAND.
Ml p.m. All sailing datea :00p.m.
aubject to change
For Ban Franctsco
bail every a days
Dally Cerumbla Klvsr 4 00 p.m.
Kx.nunrtay Itsaaiers. Ix. Sunday
H:Uu p.m.
t-eturday To Astoria and Way
It) o p. m. La nd int,
:tte.a. Willamette lnr. :p. m.
Mon., Wed. W ater permitting. Ex. Suadaf
and Fri. Urrson City, New
berg. Kaleui, Iiide-
feiKleure, Cnrval
isand Way lud-
in ga.
1:00 am. Willamette snd Vast- I SO p. m.
Tees., Thur. mi airare. Hon., Wsl
and Sat. Water permitting. sad Fri.
Oregon City, lsy.
ton, A Way Land- ,
logs.
Lv. Ttlparle Snake liver. Lv.Leeiatoa
4:06 a.m. 7:00 a. m.
Daily except Rlparia to Lewiston Daily except
Monday. j Monday.
A. L. CRAIQ,
General Passenger Agent, Portlaad. Or.
A. K. SOU, Ageat. Hoed Kiver.
o