Nebraska Newspapers

    DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD, DAKOTA CITY, NEBRASKA.
9
EEN FANCY
IP
41 fc . A
ffl GEORGE 13MR
.7
THE CUT DIRECT
Synopsis. Thomas K. Hnnic,
n wealthy young New Yorker,
on n wnlklng trip In Now Ktig
hind ncnr the Ciinndliiii bonier,
Is given n lift In nn automobile
by n mysterious nnd attractive
girl bound for n bouse called
Green Fancy. At Hurt's tavern
Hnmes finds n stnindcd troupe
of "barn-storming" actors, of
which Lyndon Uushcroft Is the
stnr nnd "MIsi Thuckerny" the
lending lady. They tiro doing
hotel work for their bonrd. He
lenrns Green Knncy Is a house
of mystery. That night two
mounted men leave the tavern
under odd circumstances. One
Is shot dend near by; the other
Is brought back dying. Jinnies
comes under suspicion. Ho stays
to help clear up tho mystery.
O'Dowd of Green Fancy snys
that thafplaco of mystery Is not
concerned In any way. Barnes
gets Into tho Green Fnncy
grounds and sees the mysterious
glfl.
CHAPTER VII.
-o-
Spun.Gold Hair, Blue Eyes and Varl-
ous Encounters.
She wjis quite unnwnro of his pres
ence, nnd yet ho was directly In her
path, though some distance nwny. Her
end was bent; her mien was thought
ful, her stride slow and aimless.
She was slender, graceful npl evl
icntly qulto tall, although wio sqcincd
A pigmy nmong tho tovrrlng giants
that attended her stroll. Her hnnds
wcro thrust deep Into the pocket of
n whlto duck skirt. A glnnce revealed
white fdioei and trim unklcs In blue.
She wore no hat. Her hair was like
spun gold, thick, wnvy and shimmer
ing In tho subdued light
Suddenly she stopped nnd looked up.
Ho hnd a full view of her faco as she
gazed nbout ns If startled by somo un
expected, even nlnrmlng sound. For a
second or two ho held his breath,
stunned by tho amazing loveliness that
was revealed to him. Then sho dis
covered him standing there.
In ci flash ho realized that ho was
faco to faco with tho stranger of this'
day before. IIo took two or three lin
pulslvo steps forwnrd, ills hand going
to his hot nnd then hnlted. Evident
ly his senses hnd deceived him. Thcro
was no 8inllo In her eyes nnd yet ho
could hnvo sworn that It was thcro an
Instant before. Instcnd thcro was n
"lovel Btaro.
"I am sorry If I startled" ho be
gan. Tho figure of n man appeared ns If
discharged bodily from somo magic
trc6-trunk, nnd stood directly In his
path a tall, rugged mnn In overalls
was he, who held n spndo In his hand
nnd eyed htm Inlmlcnlly. Without an
other glance In his direction the first
nnd moro pleasing vision turned on
her heel and continued her stroll,
snuntcrlng off to tho right, her fntr
head onco moro bent In study, her
back eloquently Indifferent to tho g.v.o
that followed her.
"Who do you want to seo?" IntnMod
tho mnn with tho spndo.
Before IJarnes could reply a hearty
volco accosted him from behind. Ho
-whirled nnd saw O'Dowd nppronchlng,
not twenty ynrds nwny. Tho Irish
man's fnco wns aglow with pleasure.
"I know I couldn't bo mistaken In
the shape of you." ho cried, ndvanclng
with outstretched hand. "You'vo got
the breadth of n dockhnnd In your
shoulders nnd tho trlmucss of a prlzo
njjhter In your wnlst." t
They shook hands. "I fenr I am
Yespnsslng," said Hnmes. Ills glance
went over his shoulder us ho spoke.
iriio man with tho spado hnd been swal
lowed up by tho earth I Ho could not
hnvo vanished moro quickly In nny
other way. Off nmong tho trees were
intermittent Hushes of blue nnd white.
"I am qulto sure you are," tald
O'Dowd promptly hut without a tnue
of unfriendliness In his innnucr "He
dad, loving him uh I do, I can't help
'aaylug that Curtis Is a bally old crunk.
Mind ye, I'd any It to his fnco I often
ido, for tho matter of Hint. Of course,"
A went on seriously, "ho Is u sick
jnn, poor dovll. You seo I've known
ihlm for u dozen years nnd moro, nnd
tie likes me, though God knows why,
unless It may bo that I onco did his
son a good turn In London."
"Buulclcnt excuse for reparation, I
should say," smiled Barnes.
"I introduced the lad to mo only Bis
ter," said O'Dowd, "and sho kept him
Jkappy for the next ton years. No
doubt I alio provided Mr. Gurtla with
three grandchildren ho might never
bare had but for my graclousuesa."
A look of distress came Into his merry
y. "Ily Jore. I'd like nothing bat
MfeCUlUitUN
Author of "GRAUSTARK." "THE
HOLLOW OF HER HAND."'THE
1PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK," ETC
dpitight if DoJJ, MtcJ anj Company, nt.
ter than to ask you In to have a dish
of tea It's tcntlmc, I'm sure but I'd
no more think of doing It than I'd con
sider cutting off me head. He doesn't
like strangers. IIo "
"Sly dear fellow, don't distress your
self," cried IJarnes heartily. "There
Isn't the least reason In tho world
why"
"You hoe, the poor old chap nsks
us up hero once or twlco a year thnt
Is to say, Do Soto nnd me to keep
his sister from lining the house up
with men he can't endure. So long
as wo occupy tho only available rooms,
he argues, sho can't stuff them full
of objectlonnbles. Twice a year she
comes for n month, In the Into fall
and early spring."
"Why does he continue to live In
this out-of-thc-world spot? IIo is an
old man, I take It, and HI."
"You wouldn't bo wondering If you
knew tho man," snld O'Dowd, "He Is
n scholar, u dreamer, a sufferer. He's
not n very old inun at that. Not moro
than sixty-five."
"Ho certainly has a fanciful strcnk
In him, building n place like that," said
Barnes, looking not at tho bouse but
Into tho thicket above. There wns,no
sign of the blue and white a nil tho
spun gold thnt still dolled exclusion
from his mind's eye. He had not re
covered from tho thrall Into which the
vision of loveliness plunged him. He
was 'jtlll n trlllo dazed and dlstrrfnght.
"Itlght you nre," agreed O'Dowd;
"the queerest streak In tho world. It's
his notion of simplicity."
"Green Fancy. Is that tho nnme ho
gave tho place or does it spring
from"
"'Twas christened ny mo own sis
ter, Mr. Barnes, tho first time she was
hero, two yenrs ago. I'll walk with
you to tho fence beyond If you'vo no
objections," said O'Dowd geulnlly, and
linked his arm through that of Karnes.
Tho latter was tit onco subtly nwnre
of tho fact that ho was being delib
erately conducted from tho grounds.
Moreover, he was now convinced that
O'Dowd hnd been close upon his heels
from tho Instant ho entered them.
There Wns something uncanny In the
feeling that possessed him. Such es
pionage ns this signified something
deep nnd Imperative In tho presence
not only of O'Dowd hut the Juck-ln-the-box
gardener u fow minutes ear
lier. Ills mind was still full of tho lovely
stranger nbout whom O'Dowd hnd so
manifestly lied over tho telephone.
"I must nsk you to npologlzo to U10
young lndy on whom I blundered a
fow moments ago, Mr. O'Dowd. Sho
must hnvo been startled, l'rny con
vey to her my solicitude nnd ex
cuses." "Consider It done, my dear sir," snld
tho Irishman. "Our most charming
and seductlvo guest," ho went on.
"Hcdnd, of tho two of you, I'll stake
mo head you were sturtlcd tho most
Coming suddenly upon such rare love
liness Is almost equivalent to being
struck by 11 bolt of lightning. Moro
than 0110 palntor of portraits bus said
that she Is tho most beautiful woman
In the world. Mnyhup you hnvo heard
of her. Sho Ib Miss Cameron of Now
Orleans, n friend of Mrs. Vnn Dyko.
Wo hnvo qulto nn enchanting houso
party, Mr. IJarnes, If you consider no
moro than tho feminine sldo of It.
Uy tho wny, hnvo you heard when tho
coroner Is to hold his Inquests?"
"Nothing definite. Ho may wait n
week," said Bnrncs.
"I suppose you'll stick around until
lt'8 over," ventured O'Dowd. IJarnes
thought ho detected n slight harshness
In his voice.
"I hnvo qulto made up my nil ml to
stay until the mystery Is entirely
cleared up," ho snld. "Tho enso Is so
Interesting that I don't want to miss 11
shred of It."
"I don't blnnio ye," snld O'Dowd
henrtlly. ' "I'd like nothing better mo
self than to mix up In It. Tho next
time you plan to pay us n visit, tele
phono In advance, I may ho nblo to
persundu my host thnt you'ro n de
cent, law-abiding, educated gentlomnn,
nnd he'll consent to receive you at
Green Fancy. Good dny to ye," nnd
ho shook bunds with tho departing
trespasser,
"Tukln n wnlk?" wns tho Inndlord's
greeting ns IJarnes mounted tho tavern
steps ut dusk.
"Going ovor tho grounds of lust
night's affair," responded Bnrnes,
pausing
,Ab ho entered the door he was
acutoly aware of an intense stare lev
eled at him from behind by tho land
lord of Hart's Tavern. Half way up
the stnlrwuy ho stopped short and
with dltllculty repressed tho excluma
Uon Hint rose to his lips.
He had recalled a significant Inci
dent of the night before. Atuioat Im
mediately after Uie departure of Itoon
nnd Paul from tho Tarcm Putnam
Jonea had maun hU way to tfa tele
phone- behind the desk nnd hnd en 1 lei I
11 number In n loud, brisk voice, hut
the subsequent conversation wns car
ried on In subdued tones, attended by
haste and occasional furtive glances
In the direction of the taproom
Upon reaching his room Harnes per
mitted the suppressed emotion to
escape his Ifps In tho shape of u soft
whistle, which If It could hnvo been
translated Into words would hnvo said :
"Hy Gad, why haven't I thought of It
before? Ho sent out tho warning that
Itoon nnd Paul wen on the wny I And
I'd like to bet my last dollar that
someone at Green Fancy bad tho other
end of the wire."
Mr. Itushcroft wns giving Hamlet's
address to tho players, In the tnp
room when Unrnes camo downstairs
nt nine o'clock.
A small, dark man who sat alone nt
n table In tho corner caught Barnes'
eyo and smiled nlmost mournfully.
Ho wns undoubtedly n stranger; his
action was meant to "convoy to Unrnes
tho information that ho too was from
u distant nnd sophisticated community
nnd thnt n bond of sympathy existed
between them.
Putnam .Jones spoke suddenly tit
Humes' shoulder. He started Invol
untarily. Tho mnn was beginning to
get on his nerves. lie seemed to be
dogging his footsteps with ceaseless
persistency.
"Thnt feller over there In the cor
ner," said Jones softly, "Is n book
agent from your town. IIo sold 1110 a
set of Dickens when he was hero Inst
time, nbout six weeks ago. A year's
subscription to two magazines throwed
In. Hy gosh, these hook agents ure
slick ones."
"He's n shrewd-looking chap," com
mented Harnes.
"Says ho won't bo sntlsfled till he's
mndo this section of tho country the
most cultured, refined spot In tho Unit
ed States," said Jones dolefully. "Ex
cuse me. There goes the telephone.
Mnyho Its news from the hhcrlff."
With the spasmodic tinkling of the
telephone bell tho book ngent arose
nnd made his way to tho little ofllce.
Harnes glnnced ovor Ids shoulder n
moment later nnd saw him studying
the register. The poise of his sleek
head, however, suggested a listening
attitude. Putnnni Jones, not four feet
ff
-.
'
dMm
Suddenly She Stopped and tooked Up.
nwny, was speaking Into tho telephone
receiver. As tho receiver was re
stored to Its hook Barnes turned
again. Jones nnd the book agent were
extimlnlng tho register, their heads
nlmost meeting from opposlto sides of
tho desk.
The lntter straightened up, stretched
his anus, ynwned, nnd announced In a
loud tone thnt ho guessed he'd stop
out nnd get u bit uf fresh nlr beforo
turning In.
"Any news?" inquired BnriK.s, np
pronchlng the desk tiftcr the door had
closed behind tho book ngent.
"It wasn't tho sheriff," replied Jones
shortly, and Immediately resumed his
Interrupted dlscourso on books nnd
book ngents. Ten minutes clnpsed be
fore tlio Inndlord's garrulity was
checked by tho sound of nn automobile
coming to n stop In front of the house.
Barnes turned expectantly toward the
door. Almost Immediately the cnr
started ngnln, with n loud shifting of
gears, and n moment Inter tho door
opened to admit, not a fresh nrrlvul
hut tho little book ngent.
"I'urty trying to make llornvlllo to
night," ho announced cnsunlly. "Well,
good night. Seo you In the morning."
Barnes was not In n position to
doubt tho fellow's word, for the car
unmistakably had gone on toward
Ilornvlllc. lie wnlted n fow minutes
ufter the mnn disappeared up the nar
row stairway, and then proceeded to
test his powers of divination. He wus
ns sure ns ho could be sure of anything
that hnd not nctuully come to pass thnt
In n short time tho automobile would
ngnln puss tho tavern, but this tlmo
from tho direction of Hornvllle.
Lighting n clguretto he strolled out
side. Ho hnd barely time to take a
position nt the darkened end ot tho
porch before tho sounds of nn np
pronchlng machine came to his enrs. A
second or two Inter tho lights swung
uround the bend In the rond n quar
ter of a mile above Hart's Tavern,
and down camo tho car at a high rate
of speed. It dashed past tho tuvcrn
With a great roar and rattle uud shot
off Into the darkness beyond. As It
rushed through the dim circle of light
In front of the tavern Unrnes succeed
ed la obululng a brief but convincing
V fe fa
view of the cnr. Thnt glance vm
nnugli, however. IIo would hnve
been willing to go before a Jury nnd
swear thnt It was tho same car that
had deposited I1I111 ut Hnrt'a Tavern
the day before.
Having guessed correctly In the one
Instance ho allowed himself another
and even bolder guess the little book
agent hnd either received n message
from or delivered one to tho occupant
or driver of tho cnr from Green Fancy.
CHAPTER VIII.
A Note, Some Fancies and an Expedi
tion In Quest of Facts
He started upstairs, his mind full of
the events nnd conjectures of the dny.
As he entered the room his eyes fell
upon n white envelope nt his feet. It
had been slipped under the door since
ho left tho room an hour before.
Terso reminder from the prudent Mt.
Jones ! Ills bill for the day I Ho picked
It up, glnnced nt the inscription, nnd
nt once altered his opinion. Ills full
name wns there In tho hnndwrltlng
of a woman. For n moment ho was
puzzled; then ho thought o Miss
Thackeray. A note of thanks, no doubt
unpleasantly fulsome! Vaguely an
noyed, ho ripped open the envelope and
read :
"in case I do not have the oppor
tunity to sp"ak with you tonight, this
Is to let you know that the llttlo man
who says ho Is a book agent was In
your room for three-quarters of nn
hour while you were away this after
noon. You'd better see. If anything Is
missing. M. T."
IIo mndo a hasty but careful exami
nation of his effects. There was not
the slightest evidence thnb bis pnek
had been opened or even disturbed. If
tho little book ngent spent three-quarters
of an hour In the room ho mnn
nged most cffectunlly to cover up nil
traces of his visit.
Barnes did not go to sleep until long
after midnight. lie now regarded him
self ns definitely committed to a com
bination of sinister nnd piquant enter
prises, not the lenst of which wns to
know about the mysterious young
womnn at Green Fancy.
The next day he, with other lodgcr.s
In the Tavern, was put through an ex
amination by the police and county
olllclnls from St. Elizabeth, nnd noti
fied that, while he wns not under sus
picion or surveillance, It would be nec
essary for him to remnin In the "baili
wick" until detectives, already on the
wny, wore sntlsfled that he possessed
no knowledge that would be useful to
them In clearing up what hnd now ns
sumed the dignity of n "national prob
lem." O'Dowd rode down from Green
Fancy 'nnd created quite a sensation
among the olllclnls by announcing thnt
they had n perfect right to extend
their search for clues to all parts of
his estnte, nnd that ho was deeply In
terested In the outcome of their In
vestigations. The sheriff said he would like to
"run over the ground a bit" that very
afternoon If it was ngreeablo to Mr.
O'Dowd.
O'Dowd stnyed to dinner. (Dinner
wns served In the middle of tho day
nt Hart's Tavern.) He made a great
Impression upon Lyndon Itushcroft,
who, with his daughter, Joined tho two
men. Indeed, the palavering Irishman
extended himself In the effort to muke
himself agreeable. Ho was vastly In
terested In tlie stnge, ho declared. As
n matter of fact ho had been told n
thousand times thnt ho ought to go
on the stnge. . . .
The little book ngent enme In while
they were nt table. He sat down In
n corner of the dining room nnd busied
himself with his subscription llsty
whllo wnltlng for the meal to be
served. Ho was still poring over them,
frowning Intently, when Unrnes and
the others left tho room.
Barnes walked out beside Miss
Thackeray.
"The tailor-made gown Is an Im
provement," ho snld to her. Ho was
thinking that sho was n very prettv
girl, after all.
"Tho frock usually makes the wom
an," sho said slowly, "but not nlwnys
tho lndy."
Ho thought of thnt remark moro
thnn onco during tho course of nn nft
crnoon spent In the woods nbout
Green Fancy.
O'Dowd virtually commanded tho
expedition. It wns lie who thought of
everything. First of nil, ho led tho
pnrty to the corner of the estnto nenr
est tho point where Paul wns shot
from his horse. Sitting In his snddlo
ho called tho attention of tho othor
riders- to what appenred to bo n most
slgultlcnnt fact In connection with the
killing of this man.
Barnes again visits Green
Fancy and meets with a
very different reception,
which is, however, quite as
mystifying.
(TO UK CONTINUED.)
Tea Popular British Beverage.
Tea Is tho most popular of British
leverages, nnd In spite of William Cob
bett's lament that "ten shops" were
being substituted for wholcsomo small
beer to the detriment of the populace
In his day, "tho cup thnt cheers" Is the
staple drink of all clnsses. It cannot
bo Btild thnt there has been any mark
ed deterioration of English people
through constant Indulgence In tea.
Dally Thought.
The commnndvr of tho forces of a
large state may bo carried off; hut the
will of even a common mnn cannot be
I tuken from htm. Confucius.
On a warm day there's no more refresh
ing luncheon than Libby's Veal Loaf,
chilled and sliced! So easy, too. Ask
your grocer for a package today.
Libby, M9Neill & Libby, Chicago
mMmmmiimmmfwiimi!iiiiil!mim
Kill Dandruff
With Cuticura
'All droggtrts! 8oap2fi. Ointment
2S and ui, Talcum 2. Sample each
Tree ot "CiUcora, Ipt. E, Bolton."
EveryjWoman "Wants
FOR PERSONAL HYGIENE
Dissolved in water for douche stops
peine catarrh, ulceration and inf lam-'
motion. Recommended by Lydin E.
Pinkham Med. Co, for ten years.
A healing wonder for nasal catarrh,
ore throat and sore eyes. Economical.
Hal eiHaordinaty deanitnt and aeimiddal power.
Sampl a Free. 50c. all dtugguli, or postpaid by
tnau. The Palton Toilet Company. Boston, Mtu. .
DAISY FLY KILLER BaBBiflSSESB
clcnn.ornamcntal.con
onicnt, cheap. Lat3
ail ecajon. Made of
tnctal, can't epIU or
tip over: will not soil
or Injure anythinir.
(itmrantecu effective.
Sold by dealers, or
6 by EXntEsS,
Dreoaid. S1.23.
HAUOLU bOMEllS, 160 Do Kalb Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Everything Lovely.
"Ilowdy, Gapl" saluted an acquaint
ance, uppn meeting the well known
Rumpus Itlilgo citizen on n shopping
expedition in Tumllnvllle. "How's
everything going with you?"
"Finer'n frog hair, Jurd!" triumph
antly replied Gap Johnson. "Of course,
my wife has been sorter puny, yur of
late, nnd several of the children have
got the measles and mumps and ono
thing nnd another, and tho lightning
Btruck tho corner of tho house tuther
night and like to hnvo tore the whole
placo to pieces, nnd ono of tho kids
fell out of n tree nnd broke Ills arm,
nnd n feller took a shot nt mo day be-
'rftvaA tAf4-Hi n njl viAtv-flritnfl i n
nnd such as that, but I swapped for
n running horse last week, nnd n
couple of my hounds havo got six
pups nplcce. Aw, I tell you, they
can't keep n good man down I" Kan
sas City Star.
Well Known.
I was hurrying homo up the hill when
a llttlo boy enmo rushing down In such
hnsto thnt ho ran headlong into mo.
IIo wns quite breathless nnd very
Hushed.
"Hnvo you seen my pu?" ho managed
to stammer.
"I don't know your pa, llttlo boy,"
snld I.
Ho looked ut mo In round-eyed won
der and his pink cheeks fairly stuck
out.
"You don't know my pa?" ho said In
credulously. "Why, I know pa Just
ns easy I" Exchange.
HimillllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllMrJl
V UTO AM
Brighten the
Horning Meal
with a hot drink that gives re
freshing invigoration.
THe Origisnal
Postum Cereal
is so pleasing and satisfying
that it has completely taken the
place of tea and coffee in many
homes everywhere.
Try this healthful Drink and
note results.
Two sizes, usually sold at 15c and 25c.
At Grocers Everywhere!
MHHIU
Biimim
Gausod by
Acid-Stomach
X.et EA.TONIC, the wonderful modern
stomach remedy, give you quick relief
from dlagustlng belching, food-repeating-.
Indigestion, bloated, gassy stomach, dyspep
sia, heartburn and other stomach miseries.
They are all caused by Acld-Mtomnch from
which about nine people out of ten sutter
In one way or another. One writer an fol
lows: "Beforo I used EATONIC. I could not
eat a btto without belching It right up, sour
and bitter. I have not had a bit of trouble
since the first tablet."
Millions aro victims of Acld-Stnmnch
without knowing It. They are weak and
ailing, havo poor digestion, bodies Improp
erly nourished although they may eat heart
ily. Orave disorders are likely to follow If
nn acid-stomach Is neglected. Cirrhosis of
tho llvor. Intestinal congestion, gastritis,
catarrh of the stomach theso are only a
few of the many ailments often caused by
Acld-Stnmnch.
A sufferer from Catarrh of the Stomach
of 11 years' standing writes: "I had catarrl
of tho stomach for 11 long years and I.never
found anything to do mo any good Just
temporary relief until I used EATONIC. It
Is a wonderful remedy and I do not want to
be without It."
If yon aro not feeling qulto right lack
energy and enthusiasm and don't know Just
where to locate tho trouble try EATONIC
and see how much better you will feol In
every way.
At all drug stores a big box for 60c and
your monoy back If you aro not Batisnea.
fjTOU YOUR ACID-STOMACH)
KNEW THAT WOULD STOP HIM
Lawyer Evidently Was Well Ac
quainted With the Weakness of
His Long.Wlnded Friend.
C. II. Murphy relates the story of a
Philadelphia lawyer, retired, who, In
the days of his active practice, was
notorious for his long-wlndedness.
On one occasion he had been spout
ing forth his concluding argument for
sli hours, and the end was nowhere
in sight, when the opposing attorney
beckoned his associate and whispered:
"Can't you stop him, Jack?"
Til stop him In two minutes," Jack
replied contldently. And he wrote
and passed to the orator tho following
note :
"My Dour Colonel As soon ns you
finish your magnificent argument I
would like you to join me nt tho ho
tel In a bumper of raro old Bourbon."
The lawyer halted In tho midst of
an Impassioned period, put on his
glasses, and rend tho note thnt had
been handed him, then he removed his
glasses again and, taking up his hat
and bag, ho snld:
"And now, may It please the court
nnd gentlemen of the jury, I leave tho
caso with you."
A mlnuto Inter lie wns proceeding In
stately fashion in the direction of the
hotel bar.
Who'd do tho work of the world If
everybody were rich?
'IDS
ATONIC
VKduriS'
t,
r
4r Jf
IPg .! i
XLMHmB9tAtJU --