ii i i iinnn mimn
at
HEZEKIAB
PROLOGUE.
Did you ever read a story in
which humor of the finest and
most delicious sort played the
leading part? Did you ever
tackle a tale which made you
gasp by the originality of its
ideas? Did you ever meet some
utterly impossible persons who
never lived and never could have
lived and whom you might meet
any day of your life?
They're here, right here in this
story. They have the most im
possible adventures and get into
the most impossible situations,
just as you or 1 might any day
if the stage were set just right
for us. Furthermore, they are i
very entertaining people, and
they hold the interest' from first
word to finis.
CHAPTER I.
My Friend Wiggins It Introduced.
1 DINED with Hartley Wiggins at
the Hare and Tortoise on an even
ing in October not very long ago.
It may be well to explain that the
Hare and Tortoise is the smallest and
most select of clubs, wboso .windows
afford a pleasant view of Graniercy
park. The club is comparatively young,
and it is our Joke that we are so far all
tortoises, creeping through our several
professions without uid from any bare.
I hasten to explain that 1 am a chim-
ney doctor. Wiggins is a lawyer; at
cuai . uuve ram u unujo lu u ui
graduates of the Harvard Law school, ;
and he has an office downtown, where ;
I have occasionally found him sedately I
playing solitaire while be waited for
M'uie uue iu miic uiiu uui iu iuuciicuu.
He spends bis summers on a South
Dakota ranch, from which he derives a
considerable income.
Wiggins In an athlete, and his sum
mers in the west and persistent train
ing during the winter keep him in tine
condition. As i faced him tonight in
our favorite corner of the Hare and
Tortoise dining room the physical man
was fit enough, but I saw at once that
. . . J. . , i
u u " ii iuiu tuiu uiajfji lieu. uuu
through many years honored me with
hid nunfldi.nnn nml I foil- thnt tnnlehr
after we got well started 1 should hear
what was on bis mind. 1 hoped to
cbeer him with the story f a visit 1
had by chance paid that afternoon to
the Asolando tea room, for, though Wig
gins is a most practical person, 1 1m-
f!np1 thnt ha wnnlrl ho itivm-tod lie
my description of a place which. I felt
sure, nothing could tempt him to visit !
I shall never forget the look be gave :
me when 1 remarked at about his third
spoonful of soup: l
"By the way. 1 dropped Into an odd i
place this afternoon Uurno-Joues tmus, j
Eossettl macaroons and all that sort of 1
thing. They call it the Asolando"- ,
I whs ambling on. expecting to
sharpen his curiosity gradually as I re
cited the Joys of the tea room, but at
Asolando his spoon dropped, and he
stared at tne blankly. It should be
known that Wiggins is not a mun
whose composure is lightly shaken.
"The Asolando," I repeated, to break
the spell of his blank stare. "Know
the place?" '
He recovered in a moment, but he
surveyed me quizzically before reply
icg. "Of course I have heard of the Aso
Undo, but I thought you didn't go In
for that sort of tlilnu It's a trine girl
ish, you know."
"That's hardly against It'. I found
the girllshness altogether attractive."
"You always were tolerably Buscep
tfble, but broiled bntter flies and moth
wings' soullle Kcem to roe rather pale
food for, a inau In your vigorous
health."
"They must have discriminated In
your favor. I saw no Buch things,
though to be Mire I was afraid to quib
ble over the waitress' suggestions. May
I ask when ycu were there?"
"Oh, 1 droppd in quite accidentally
one day last spring. 1 saw the sign
and remeinlivred tbnt somebody had
spoken of the place, and I was tired,
and it was a lung way to the club,
and"-
Disslmulntlon b not an art ns Wig
Kins attempts to practice It at times.
He is by tifltnre the most straightfor
ward of mortals. It was clear that bg
The Siege
of the
Seven Suitors
By
MEREDITH NICHOLSON
Copyright. MO. by Meredith Nicholson
was withholding something, and 1 re
solved to get to the bottom of it
'I dou't think the Asolando is a place
that would attract either of us, and
yet the viands are good as such stuff
goes, and the gentle handmaidens are
restful to the eye-I'ippa. Fraucesca.
Gloria and the rest of 'em."
Wiggins pried opeu his artichoke
with the enre of a botanist He had
regained his composure, but 1 saw that
the subject interested him.
"You were there this afternoon?" be
inquired.
"Yes, my first and only appearance."
"And this is Monday."
"The caleudar has said It"
"So you settled your bill with Plppa!
I believe this was her day. She makes
the change on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday. Her eyelashes are a trifle
too long for the world's peace."
"I dare say. I haven't your charming
knack, Ames, of picking up acquaint
ances, so you mustn't expect me to
form lifelong friendships with young
women at cash desks. I suppose it
didn't occur to you that those young
women who tend till and serve the
tables in there are persons of educa
tion and taste. The Asoluudo is not a
common hashery. There's not a girl in
that place who hasn't a social position
as good as yours or mine. Tne Aso-
lando's a kind of fad, you know.
Ames; it's not a tavern within the
meaning of the inkeepers' act, where
common swine are fed for profit The
servants serve for love of the cause;
it's a sort of cult"
Wiggins excused himself shortly,
and I bad a glimpse of him later, in
the writing room, engaged upon let'
ters, a fact in Itself disquieting, for
Wiggins never wrote letters, and it
was be who bad favored making the
Hare and Tortoise writing room into
a den for pipe 6mokers. The epistolary
habit, be maintained, was one tbnt
should be disconraged.
I was moodily turning over the even
ing newspaper when Jewett turned up.
J(Twett alvvaJ.8 tu0W8 evcrythln
ne
droppe(1 U)e ba,j ,nto the pmn of my
lmnie(31;ite ,l)terest w,t H noat ap.
proncu slot
Too 'hnd llbflUt oltl WiPg.v." he re
niarkcd wUh h,3 pr,lmlilf; s,sb
"What's the matter with Wiggins?"
I demanded.
"Ah! lie hasn't told yon? Thought
he told you everything."
This was meant for a stinger, and I
felt the bite of it,
"You do me too much honor. Wig
gins is not a mnu to throw around his
confidences."
'Anil I mthnr fnnnv flinf hlo Litn
,.;. , .,, ,.,,, hil
affairs in particular are locked In his
bosom."
.lewett was a master of the art ot
f''ion He took nn unnecessarily
long time to light a cigar so thnt bis
words might sink deep into my con
Bcionsnexs.
"Saw her once last spring, (lot a
sight draft from the Bank of Eros
Followed her across the multitudinous
8t'- bl,ugI
"But mMS hasn't been abroad.
W,W wus " bls ,)akota ranon a"
sn""'r- H'8 anued from the sun.
J"st ,,s ne ,s every fal1" 1 Persisted.
"Wrote you from out there, did bet
Sent ll'ture postals showing blm
herdiug his cattle or whatever the
bwlsts are? K"l ln to,lcu w,tn on a"
tue tin,e' dni h? 1 teM ou bis flne
color is due to Switzerland, not Da
kota."
"Wiggins Isn't n letter writer nor the
sort of person who wants to paper your
bouse with picture postals. His not
writing doesn't mean that he wasn't on
bis ranch." I replied, annoyed by .lew
ett'H IJHIIIIUT
"Never dropped you before, though.
I wager," be chirruped. "I tell you
bo saw Miss Cecilia Uol lister at the
Asolando teashop. Just a glimpse, but
almost Immediately he went abroad in
pursuit of her. The chevalier that'
her Aunt Octtivin-was along and an
other niece. My sister saw the bunch
of then) In Ceneva, where the chevalier
was breaking records. A whole troop
of suitors followed them everywhere
My sister knows the girl Cecilia and
she's known Wiggy all ber life. She's
Just home and told me about it last
night She thinks the chevalier has
some absurd scheme for marrying oil
the girl. It's all very queer, our Wiggy
being mixed up in It"
"Don't be absurd. Jewett There't
nothiug unusual ln a man being ln love.
That's one fashion that doesn't change
much. I venture to say that Wiggins
will prove a formidable suitor. Wig
gins is a gentleman, and the girl would
be lucky to get him."
"Quite right, my dear Ames; but,
alas, there are others. The comictl-
tlon is encouraged by the aunt the
veteran chevalier. My sister says the
chevalier seems to favor the suit of a
Nebraska philosopher who rejoices In
the Uielodkms n.lliie Of lUck."
.Fewelt was playing me for all his I
stury was worth and enjoying himself i
Immensely.
''For heaven's sake. f;o on!"
"Nice girl, this Cecilia. You know !
the Ilollisters--oodles of money in the
family. The chevalier's tather scored j
big in baby buggies responsible for
the modern sleep inducing perambu
lators; sold out to a trust The fa
ther of Wiggins' inn mora ta had started
in to be a marine paiuter. A founder
of this club, come to think of It but
dropped out long ago. You have heard
of him-Bassford Ilollister. Funny
thing bis having to give up art. Great
gifts for the marine, but never could
overcome tendency to seasickness
Honest! Every time he painted a
wave It upset him horribly. The doc
tors couldn't help him. Next tried his
band at the big gulches downtown
There was u chance there to hit ofi
the metropolitan skyline and become
immortal by doing it first but a new
trouble develoiied. Doing the high
buildings made him dizzy! Honest!
He was good, too, and would have
made a place, but he had to cut it out.
He was so torn up over bis two failures
that he blew in his share of the per
ambulator money in riotous living.
Lost his wife into the bargain and has
settled down to a peaceful life up in
Westchester county in one of these
cute little bungalows the real estate
operators build for you if you pay a
dollar dowD for a picture of an acre
lot"
"And the daughter?"
"Well, Bassford Hollister has two
daughters. It's the older one that has
stolen Wiggins' heart away. She's
Cecilia, you know. Very literary and
that sort of thing, and pushed tea and
cookies at the Asolando when that
idiocy was opened. Wiggins saw her
there last spring. Miss Hollister. the
aunt, whom I'm fond of calling the
chevalier, picked up her nieces about
that time and hauled them off to Eu
rope, and Wiggins senmpered after
them. I dou't know what they did tc
Wiggy, but you see how he acts. I
rather imagine that the chevalier didn't
smile on his suit. She's a holy terror,
tiat woman, with an international rep
utation for doing weird and most un
accountable things. She draws a sort
of royalty on all the baby buggies in
creation. It amounts to a birth tax,
ln contravention of the free guarantees
of the constitution. The people will
rise against it some day.
"She's plausible enough, but she's the
past mistress of ulterior motive. She
got Fortner. the mural painter, up to
a place she used to have at Newport a
few years ago, ostensibly to do a frieze
or something, and she made him teach
her to fire a gun. You know Fortner,
with his artistic ideals! And he didn't
know any more about guns than a ilea.
It was droll, decidedly droll. But she
kept him there a month wouldn't let
him off the reservation; but she paid
him his fe; just the same, though he
never painted n stroke When lie got
back to town he vh m wreck. It was
Just like lieing in lull I warn yon to
let her alone It you should undertake
to rix her tines she's likely in pui ymi
to work di'-iring noi:Moe She's no end
of a ease "
"Well. Willis Is a good t el low. one
Ot the very liet." I remarked, lis I :H.
Borhed these revelations, 'iind II l-n I
the girl's mint he wants to marry "
"There's no teliim." where this nl"l::i
may lead Wiggins. There's souietlniiL
queer In the wind, all righl The ' he
ulier lias brother Bassford whine I.,
can't whimper I rather fancy lie teed
trom her liiiiid Ills girls haven't nn
prospects except through the chevnliei
Nice 'girls, "o I'm told. Miss Cecilia
Hollister is living with her aunt."
"And tile othei sister where doe
she conn- in Y
"Not important. I fancy. Humor 1
silent touching her In fact I've nev
er heard anything of her. But this
Cecilia Is no end handsome and proud
I'oor old Wiggy!"
I was already ashamed of myself
for having encouraged Jewett to dis
cuss Wiggins' affairs, and was about
to leave him. when be snorted in
disagreeable way be had at some Joke
tbnt had occurred to him.
"I knew there wus something," ne
said, "about Miss Cecilia's younger
Bister, and I've Just recalled it. Tlu
girl bus a most extraordinary name,
quite the most remarkable you ever
heard Ilezekinh: Bang! Thut's the
little sister's name. Bassford Ilollister
had been saving that name for a son.
who never appeared, to do honor to
old Uezeklnb, the perambulator chap
So they named the girl for ber grand
dud."
1 left him aud learned at the office
that Wiggins had. within half au
hour, left the club hurriedly In a cab,
taking a trunk wltb him. He bud
mentioned no in nil address to the
clerk, and this was very unlike Wig
gins.
:To De Continued.)
In County Court
From Wednesday's Dally.
Petition for the probate of tho
will of the lale Mr. Rhoda Rose
was llled in the ollice of County
JiHke Allen J. TltM-son today. The
(li'rcasi'd was a resident of near
WecpiriR Water and was the own
er of a very fine farm in that
locality, where the Rose family
resided for many years. P. J.
Rose, a son, was here today look
ing after the mutter.
There are a few boxes of sta
tionery on our bargain counter.
You will have to hurry if you want
some while tho price is so low.
Mttsfeiairgh Perfect" IFosace
Why we use Open Hearth Wire
in Preference to all other kinds
Remember the iron wire your father
and your grandfather had around the
farm ? Good old wire, wasn't it ?
The Special Open Hearth Wire, as we
make it today from our own (secret)
formula, is more like the old time iron
wire than that used in any other make
cf fence.
Made in Different Stylet for FIELD, FARM, RANCH, LAWN, E". T
CHICKEN. POULTRY and RABBIT YARD and GARDEN
Ask your dealer for "Pittsburgh Perfect" and insist on his furnishing it.
you that some other fence is just as good. If he doesn't tell
"Pittthurml Perfect" Brandt of Barbed Wire:
Bright, Annealed & Galvanized Wires Twitted
Cable Wire; Hard Spring Coil Wire; Fence
Staplet; Poultry Nettint Staples; Regular Wire)
Nailt; Galvanized Wire Naila; Large Head
Koofing Nailt; Sinele Loop BaleTiee; "Pitta
btiruh Perfect" Fencing. AU made of Open
Hearth material.
UP
A MODERN AND UP-TO-DATE
DELICATESSEN IN THIS CITY
I'ruin Wednesday's Dally.
IMaltsiiHuith js to have a now
(ii-liiatt'sscn shop, as Fred Wag
ni'r, who lakes charge of the New
York hakery on April 1, expects to
install a modern ami strictly up-to-date
I'slahlisliiiH'iit of this kind,
where all (he templing ami np
peti.ing dishes that are lo lie pro
cured in any of he delicatessen
shops of the large cities can he
had by his customers, lie will in
stall a line lunch room in the
ha'-i'iy, where anyone desiring
something dainty ami appetizing'
for their lunch can drop in ami he
served in a very few minutes. The
new establishment will have
almls, cold roast meals and sand
wiches oT all kind ready to serve
to those who may call and it will
make an ideal place for I he busy
man or shoppers to drop in for
lunch, and under the direction of
Mr. Wngnor the puhlie can bo as
suitciI of courteous treatment and
the host that he market affords in
the way of delicacies. The room
occupied by the hakery is to re
ceive a thorough overhauling' and
be repapered and painted piv
patory to the. installing of new
Ihiuros of the most up-to-date
style, and the lunch room will be
lixed up in a manner that will
lr.ll harmonize with Die danlies
served there. This is tho kind of
.1 f'iiv tint has been needed here
i'o- a loii ime and it is lo be
hoped Dial Mr. Wanner will meet
.i!h the nai ronaei hi- enterprise
..I well deserves.
In th District Court.
rim Wednesday 'n Dully.
ill the oliice of the district
clerk an answer and cross-petition
has been tiled in the case of
William A. (Leghorn s. Charles
T. Tosier. Clara Chaplin. Sarah
ChatVn. el at. The answer and
cross not 1 1 ion cuines lrniii Akron.
Colorado, win-re t he defendant s,
Clara Cluiplin and Sarah Chatlin.
reside, and ask Dial the plaint ill'
he required lo sol forth proof of
the ownership of the land in
question and that the defendants
he granted just and esuilahle re
lief. A little ad In the Journal will
serve the purpose.
S(B
Alfalfa, ONION SETS
Red Clover. White,
White Clover, Red,
Alsite Clover, Yellow Globe.
Timothy, PEAS
Dluc Grass American Wonder,
Kentucky Blue, Blis Elcrbcring,
English Blue, Tom Thumb,
Bromus Incrmis, White Marofat.
Red Top. BEANS All Kinds.
t3?"Wc carry a complete line of all kinds
Seeds and Flower Seeds.
. P.
' " T
KB
It takes longer to make this special '
Open Hearth Wire, but it excels in
strength, toughness and long life, and
consequently makes the most service
able, satisfactory fence. The wire is the
very foundation of fence-durability.
Buy "Pittsburgh Perfect" Fence for
lasting satisfaction.
;arden -vcry uuu viuarauieeu
From Near Union.
V. A. I'inkle and W. L. Taylor,
two of (hose jolly, whole-souled
fellows from Liberty precinct,
were in the city today looking af
ter business mailers with coun
ty seat friends, making a pleasure
call on a few of them, and the
Journal was included. They re
port everything in old Liberty
fully up to the standard of excel
lency and everybody looking for
a busy year during IIU.'J.
1HE 131 POWERFUL
STORY EVER STAGED
"Tho Price She Paid" at the Par
mele Theater Monday Night,
March 24.
"The Price She Paid" is the
title of one of the most gripping
comedy dramas that has been seen
this season, of all the offerings
that have been presented none haH
been received with more praise
than this latest ."effort of Loin U.
Parker.
In addition to the fact that the
story deals w ith I lie marriage
game in a now way aud points a
big moral where an attempt lo
gel money dishonestly is con
cerned, the management has been
particularly successful in secur
ing the services of Miss Irene
li.uiicls, perhaps the mosd. capable
actress of emotional roles in the
country today. Her wonderfully
s 1 1 1 1 ; 1 1 hot ic oice has been pro
nounced even more effective in
depicting dillicull passages than
that or Helen Ware. "Tho Price
".'ill" will be seen at I be Par
inele theater on .Monday night,
Ma roll Ji.
Case Is Dismissed.
The case againsl Walter liril
lain ami Mrs. Itertha Stricklin,
which was set for hearing yester
day before Justice Archer, was
dismissed, as there was not suf
ficient evidence to show thai they
had been living together in viola
tion of law, and Ihe justice re
leased them.
Buy your fancy
the Journal office.
stationery at
dlS thai Grow!
EAST
(Successor to John Bauer)
J f V J
Do not allow him to persuade
it, write ut direct.
If you are interetted m Wire Fencing, writ
for FREE copy of our ALMANAC, 1913-
Pittsburgh Steel Co.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
IF
Off for the Bryan Banquet.
From Weilnenday'8 Dally.
This evening being the birthday
of William Jennings Mryan, the
Lincoln Hryan club gives a
magnificent banquet in honor of
Urn llfty-third birthday of the
great commoner, who has come
from Washington lo be present at
the even I, and admirers from all
over the stale will gather there lo
greet the new secretary of state.
There were quite a number from
this city passengers for tho cap
ital cil Ibis morning to take in
the event. Among those in the
parly were: W. K. Fox. I). C.
Morgan and wife, George Snvder.
1). O. Dwyer, Fred Morgan and
wife and W. D. Wheeler.
Buys Several Pieces of Property.
From WednoBdav's Dally.
William Orr of Clarinda, Iowa,
was here yesterday visiting with
J. F. Clugy and family and attend
ing the McMaken sale, which was
held yesterday afternoon. Mr. Orr
purchased several pieces of prop
erty in this city as an investment.
Smoke Up!
Save time, trouble and get
better results by using
Wright's
Condensed
Smoke
75c
per bottle enough for a
barrel of meat
F. G. Fricke & Co.
The a5w Store
. 186-'PHONES-186
JETf
of Garden Seeds, Field
woo