INTERNATIONAL PRESS ASSOCIATION.. CHAPTER XX. HROUGH the dark ness of the night they flew onward to Dumfries. As they reached the suburbs of the little town, midnight was sounded from one of the church tow ers. The cirriage left the highway, and rumbled on the •causeway of the streets, adoul a •quarter of an hour later It drew up In Tront of the railway station. All was very quiet and gloomy. The -only human being visible was a soli tary railway porter. Caussidiere leaped out. “At what hour passes the express for the south?” he demanded. “At half-past twelve, sir. You’ve ten -or twelve minutes.” Marjorie drew the hood of her cloak closely round her face, and, taking her lover's bands, descended from the car riage and stood shivering and trem bling on the pavement. Caussidiere paid the fly-driver, and, ordering the porter to follow with the luggage, drew Marjorie’s hand upon his arm and strolled into the station. On reaching the platform, Marjorie -cast a frightened look around, dreading to behold some familiar face; but, be yond a couple of half-tipsy commercial travelers and a cattle-driver en route for the south, no one was visible. A little later the two were seated alone in a first-class carriage and rap idly whirling southward. The train ran right through to Car lisle, where they alighted. Hailing a fly, they were driven to an inn, already familiar to Caussidiere, In an obscure part of the town. They were evidently expected, and the hostess had prepared •separate rooms. After a light supper, of which Mar jorie scarcely partook, but which the frenchman made festive with a bottle •of very bad champagne, they parted for the night. “Good-night, my darling,” said Caus sidiere, fondly. “To-morrow, early, I shall be the happiest man in all the world.” Nothing could be kinder or more re spectful than his manner; yet poor Marjorie retired with a heavy heart, and it was not for some hours after ward that she cried herself to sleep. * * * • * • The day following Marjorie’s de parture there was commotion at the manse. At early morning her absence had been discovered, and to make as surance doubly sure, the following note bad been tound lying open on her dress ing-table; "Dear Mr. Menteith—When you re ceive this, I shall be far away. I have gone with one who loves me very much, and in a few hours we shall be married. Pray, pray do not think me wicked or ungrateful; but I was afraid to tell you how much I loved him, for fear you should be angry at my choice. He has promised to bring me back in a little time to ask forgiveness of all my friends. Tell Solomon, with my fond love, how weary I shall be till I see him again; he was always good to me, and I shall never forget him. Tell Miss Hethcringfon, too; I never had a kinder friend; but she must not blame me for following the wish of my heart. God bless you all! Your loving “MARJORIE ANNAN.” That was the letter, and Mr. Men teith read it aloud in utter amaze ment. It would be false to say that he exhibited any more violent emotion, for he had merely a friendly interest in the girl, and felt for her no overmas tering affection. But Solomon Mucltle backit. after listening thunderstruck, uttered a wild cry, and struck his fore head with his clinched hand. “I kenned it, I foresaw it! It’s the Frenchman, dawm him!” “Hush,” said the minister. "No pro fanity, my man.” "Dawm him, dawm him!” repeated the sexton, trembling with passion. 4,He has stolen oor Marjorie away. I saw the deil’s mark on his face when he first came creeping ben oor house and fell sleeping in oor kirk. Dawm him, I say—noo and for evermair!” Then Mr. Menteith, not without diffi culty, elicited from Solomon, who was almost distraught, the whole story of Caussidiere’s acquaintance with Mar jorie, and subsequent visits to the manse. “After all.” said Mr. Menteith, re flectively, “he is a gentleman, and as they are going to be married-” “Married!” ejaculated Solomon. “Marry an awtheist—marry the deil! But he’ll ne’er marry her. He’ll be tray her and heart-break her, and cast her awa’.” In the limits of a small Scotch vil lage news of any kind soon spreads, and before mid-day Marjorie’s elope ment was being discussed everywhere. Presently John Sutherland appeared at the manse, looking pale as death. On questioning Mr. Menteith, he soon learned the whole state of affairs. Mr. Menteith handed him Marjorie’s letter. He read it, and his eyes filled with tears. “May God deal with him as he deals with her!” he groaned. “Docs Miss Hetherington know what has hap pened!” “Not yet,” replied Mr. Mentelth. “I will go to her at once,” cried Suth erland. “it is right that she should know. Perhaps she can advise us what to do.” Breathless and wild, he arrived at the Castle door. Directly he had sum moned the serving-woman, he discov ered that the news had arrived before him. “She’s like a wild creature,” said the servant. “I'm in dread to face her, and she’s ordered oot the carriage, and will drive awa' at once. If ye must see her, gang in yersel’; I daurna announce your coming!” Sutherland stepped into the hall. “Wheesht!” whispered the woman. “I hear her coming doon the stair.” Scarcely had she spoken, when Miss Hetherington, cloaked and bonneted, appeared at the other end of the hall. She approached feebly, leaning on her staff; and as Sutherland hastened to meet her, he saw that her face was like that of a corpse, her hair disheveled and wild, her whole frame trembling with unusual excitement. “Is it true?” she cried, gripping Sutherland’s arm. “Yes, Miss Hetherington.” “Marjorie Annan has left tho manse?” “Yes, last night.” "And in that scoundrel’s company?” “I believe so; but in her letter she mentions no name.” “Her letter? What letter?” Sutherland thereupon told her of the lines Marjorie had left for Mr. Men teith. She listened trembling; then seizing the young man’s arm again, she drew him into the drawing-room and closed the door. “Let me think, let mo think!” she cried, sinking into a chair, and cover ing her face with her hand. When she looked up, her cye3 were full of tears. "She’s a lost lassie! And I might have saved her had I known! Oh, Mar jorie, Marjorie! My brother’s curse has come home to us both at last!” Sutherland looked at her in utter as tonishment. He had expected to find her angry and indignant, but her man ner as well as her words were beyond measure extraordinary. Before he could speak again, she rose to her feet, and said, between her firmly set lips: “Johnnie Sutherland, listen to me! Have you the heart of a man?” “What do you mean?” “While you stand glowering there, she’s rushing awa’ to her ruin! Will you gang after her, and In that villain’s very teeth bring her back?" “I don’t even know where she has gone,” replied Sutherland; “and, be sides, she has fled of her own will, and I have no right-” Miss Hetherington interrupted him impatiently, almost fiercely. “You have the right, that you loved her yoursel’. Ay, I ken all that! Find her, save her from that man, and I swear before God you shall marry her, Johnnie Sutherland!” But the young man shook his head, looking the picture of despair. “It is too late,” he said; “and, after all, he is her choice.” “What right has she to choose?” cried Miss Hetherington. “She cannot, she dare not, against my wish and will. I tell you he has beguiled her, and spir ited her awa’. If you were half a man, you’d be after them ere this—you’d hunt them down.” “But what ccjild I do?” exclaimed Sutherland, in utter consternation. “Do!” cried the lady of the Castle, almost screaming. “Kill the scoundrel —kill him! Oh, if I had my fingers at his throat, I'd strangle him, old as I am!” Overpowered with her emotion, she sank into a chair. Full of amazement and sympathy, Sutherland bent over and endeavored to calm her. As he did so, she began moaning and sob bing as if heartbroken. Then suddenly, with eyes streaming and lips quivering, she looked patheti cally up in his face. “The blame is all mine!” she ssbbed. “God has punished me, Johnnie Suth erland. I should have defied the scan dal o’ the world, and taken her to my heart lang syne. I’m a siDful woman, and—Marjorie Annan is my child!” CHAPTER XXI. HE next day Caus sidiere and Mar jorie walked to gether through the fields until they came to a quaint old church standing alone on a lonely suburban road. When they enter ed it was quite empty, and Caus siaiere, grown very serious now, looked at his watch and walked restlessly a bcut. Marjorie entered one of the pews, and, falling on her knees, prayed silently. How long she remained there she did not know; a hand laid gently upon her shoulder recalled her to herself, and looking up she saw her lover. “Come, Marjorie,” he said; “come, my love.” She rose from her knees; he put his arms about her and led her away. What followed seemed like a dream. She was only dimly conscious of walk tag up the broad aisle and taking her place before the altar rails. She saw as in a mist the clergyman in his white robe, and a man and a woman who were complete strangers. She was con scious of the service being read, of giv ing her responses, of her hands being clasped, and of a ring being put upon her finger. Then she was led away again; she was in a strange room, she signed her name, and as she laid down the pen, Caussidiere clasped her in his arms and kissed her. “My wife!” he said. . ***’ Yes, it was all over; the past was done with, the future begun. Marjorie Annan had been by that simple cere mony transformed into “Marjorie Caussidiere.” The ceremony over, the wife and hus band returned to the inn, where they had a private luncheon. Then she entered tho carriage which was awaiting her, and drove away by her husband'3 side to the railway sta tion. CHAPTER XXII. IIE revelation cf the true relation ship between the minister’s ward and the proud lad.v of the Castle fairly stupefied John Sutherland, it wa: so utterly over whelming and un expected. Tlier. was a Ions pause filled only with the low monotonou. wail cf the miserable woman. At last Sutherland found his tongue, though to little purpose. “Oh, Miss Hetherington, what Is this you are telling mo? I cannot believe it! Marjorie your daughter! Surely, surely you cannot mean what you say?" “It is God’s truth, Johnnie Suther land," replied the lady, gradually re covering her composure. "I thought to bear the secret with me to my grave, but It’s out at last. Grief and despair wrenched it out o’ mo ere I kenned what I was saying. Gang your ways,” she added, bitterly, “and spread it like the town-crier. Let all the world ken that the lino o’ the Hetheringtons end3 as it began, in a black bar sinister and a nameless shame.” "Do not say that!” cried Sutherland. “What you have said Is sacred between you and me, I assure you! But Mar jorie—Did she know what you told me?” Miss Hetherington shook her head. “She had neither knowledge nor sus picion. Even Mr. Lorraine knew noth ing, though whiles I fancied that he made a guess. Only one living man besides yoursel’ ever found out the truth, and maybe ere this Marjorie has learned it fra him. God help me! she’ll learn to hate and despise me when he tells her all.” “You mean the Frenchman?” said Sutherland. “How is it that he-” “Curse him for a black-hearted dev il!” said Miss Hetherington, with an ac cess of her old fury. “He came here like a spy when I was awa’, and he searched amang my papers, and he found in my desk a writing I should have burnt lang syne. Then he threat ened, and fool-like I gave him money to quit the place. He has quitted it, but with her in his company, wae’s me!” And she wrung her hands in despair. Then quick as thought her mood changed, and she rose trembling to her feet. “But there’s no time to be lost. While we stand blethering and glowering, he's bearing her awa’. Johnny Sutherland, let me look in your face. Once again, have ye the heart of a man?” Suiting the action to the word, she gazed at him as if to read his very soul. (TO BE CONTINUE!!.) In the Chinese Quarter. It is an experience for one who has never been in the Chinese quarter to go into one of those dark hallways, say in Pell street, and take either the stairway at hand, or cross the br.eii area and take the stairway of the rear tenement, writes a New York corre spondent of the Pittsburg Dispatch. The air is suffocatingly sweet with the odor of opium. On the stairs you meet Chinamen, smoking cigarettes that give out a curious Oriental smell. At each laundry are four doors, each with ! what looks like a Chinese laundry slip pasted between the upper panels. And if your step is unfamiliar, many of these doors will open. Then you get a glimpse of an Oriental interior, luxurious with couches, rugs, soft burning lamps, delicate china and all manner of costly wares from the east. And blocking the doorway stands the hostess. She will be Caucasian. She will be comely. She will be clad in a loose gown of some gaily flowered ma terial. She will have high heeled shoes and a slight showing of a gaudy silk stocking. In her fingers will be a lighted cigarette. In her eyes will be that shifting, dreamy expression that tells the opium smoker as plainly as the stained fingers tell the cigarette slave. Mlm.d the Nightingale’. Song. An amusing story is told of the late Jean Ingelow. Once when she was staying with some friends in the coun try it transpired that!, although she often wrote delightfully of nightin gales, she had never heard one sing. So one night the whole household went out in the moonlight especially to hear them, and after, by an effort, holding their tongues for five minutes while the nightingales sang divinely, they were startled by Miss Ingelow asking, “Are they singing? I don’t hear anything!’’ With a Londoner’s dread of draughts, the poetess, before going out into the night air, had filled her ears with cot ton wool!—Philadelphia Record. THE APPROACHING CONVEN TION AT LINCOLN. Extcnslre Preparation* llolnp Made for the Gathering—The Program Include* Many Tempting Feature* for the De lectation o? the Pedagogue* of tho Antelope State. State Teachers'* Meeting. Extensive preparations have been going on for somo time past for the holding at Lincoln of the thirty-sec ond annual convention of the Nebras ka State Teachers’ association. It is expected that in point of numbers in attendance and of important business transacted that the coming convention will be the best ever held by this or ganization. It takes place December 27 to 30 inclusive. In addition to the yearly routine work to be done, a number of special attractions have been announced. Among these will bo an address by United States Commissioner of Educa cation William T. Harris, who has been abroad many years, studying educational methods all over the world, and who has but lately return ed home; an address by Dr. David Starr Jordan, one of the most prom inent Pacific coast educators, and manyothers.among whom is President John W. Cook, of the Illinois State normal school. A most pleasing fea ture of the convention will bo the musical carnival, which occurs on Wednesday, December 29. This event has been arranged so that lovers of college glee songs will be afforded a rare treat. Several of the best colllego quartets and vocalists in the country have been secured and many rare old gems will be rendered. The convention will be in charge of President J. W. Crabtree, Lincoln; Secretary Lillian U. Stoner, Valentine, and Treasurer C. R. Atkinson, Fair bury. There will be an executive com mittee composed of E. N. Brown, Has tings; W. H. Clemmon, Fremont; J. F. Taylor, Lincoln, and J. W. Crab tree, Lincoln. Special committees have been appointed to take charge of the college section, county superintend ents’ section, high school work, gram mar school work, primary sectibn, the Nebraska Libray association, So ciety for Child Study, Nebraska Teach ers of Literature, Nebraska Teachers of History nnd the Association of Wo men. Half rates on all railroads have been secured and the same may be said of the first-class hotels of Lin coln. The books for the enrollment of members will be opened in the library room in Lincoln Monday, December 27, at 1:30 p. m. A list of member ship will be published each morning, together with hotel addresses, so that old friends may visit each other. All meetings held will be free, with the exception of 'the evening entertain ments at the Lansing theater, admis sion to which will be by ticket only. It has also been arranged that the state board of examiners will hold a special session at Lincoln during the convention for the purpose of issuing professional state certificates and the board and the state superintendent will hold open offices during Monday and Tuesday of the convention week. A debate, “Should Hawaii be Annexed to the United States?” has been plan ned and will be participated in by membejrs from Lincoln, Hastings, Beatrice and Crete. The first business session of the con vention will be opened in the library building, room 23, Monday evening, December 27, at 8 p. m. The officers who will have charge are Prof. W. A. Clark, clerk, and Prof. C. E. Bessey, vice chairman. The session will be given to the reading of reports from the county schools, normal schools, colleges and to legislation. Not Entitled to Compensation. Recently Attorney General • Smyth received a letter from G. S. Gillnn, county attorney of DawArn county, asking for an opinion as to whether county judges were entitled to com pensation for services rendered in ap pointing judges and clerks of election, there being no statute providing for such compensation. In reply to this the attorney gen eral has written Gillan giving his opinion that not only is the county judge not entitled to claim pay for such services,but that no binding con tract or agreement to pay him for such services can be made by Urn county officials. In the opinion the attorney general cays in part: “I am of the opinion that he Is not. The right of a public officer to com pensation is a creature of statute and does not arise by reason of contract Those who accept public offices which require them to render services to the state must take the office cum oncrc The rendition of such service is gra tuitous unless by express statutory provision compensation is fixed, and an express liability for its payment imposed on the state. "State vs. Brewer. 59 Ala., 131 A promise to pay an officer an extra fee or sum beyond that fixed by law is not binding, thougn he renders servlcec and exercises a degree of diligence greater than could legally have been required. Aalm for Writ of Mandamog. In the supreme court Judge J. If. Broady asked leave to tile an appli cation for writ of mandamus to com pel the governor, members of the state board of public lands and buildings hoard of purchase and supplies, th i state auditor and state treasurer to allow the claims of the officers of’the Society of the Home of the rriend last /uT saIarles and BUPPHes since The InnnranoA Pepartnirnt. In his semi-annual report just filed Willi the governor State Auditor Cor nell shows that the insurance depart ment of his office on the 31st day of May had on hand $7,938, and that the fees col elded .or the t’x months ate as lollows: Jut.c. $4-'4.50; Juh -