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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 1899)
CHAPTER XII.—(Continued.) "Nona, my dear child, are you there? The lamp Is very dim. Is It not? I don't see you,” called the sleepy voice of Mrs. Heathcote, waking me from a Rapturous dream of wonderment and joy. And at the same moment the Rector entered, full of apologies for his long absence. "I couldn't get away,” he explained, with quite unnecessary elaboration. “These poor things like to talk oflft all their troubles, and they are very long winded. You can't cut them short— to do that would be to ruin your repu tation for sympathy. Nona, my dear, let us have some tea, If you please. I am afraid It is the Dean's tea—full of pernicious tannin by this time. It Is a quarter to ten o'clock”—taking out his watch. "Why”—staring round him In bewilderment—"what has become of the child? I could declare I saw her Bitting there in her black gown when I came In. What queer trick have my eyes played me now?” "Miss Branacombe has Just left the room,” I said, coming to the front; “and, Mrs. Heathcote—Mr. Heathcote— will you both give me your good wishes. I—we—I—that Is—Miss Brans combe—Nona ” The Rector was staring at me open mouthed as I floundered awkwardly through my speech. Mrs. Heathcote's womanly instincts were quicker. I saw it in her face, and, crossing over to her side, took her hand In mine. “She has made me the happiest fel low in the world," I said. “Won't you congratulate me?” “You—you!" exclaimed the Rector, red in the face with astonishment, as the truth flashed upon him. “The dickens; 1 thought it was that scamp Charlie!" "So did I," I could not help saying; and then we all laughed heartily to gether. Miss Elmslle came in in the midst of our mirth. Mr. Heathcote hastened to explain. "My dear Miss Elmslie, have you been as blind as the rest of us? Here has Fort been making his running whilst we have been watching the other horse!” “What do you mean?” asked she. "That I am going to ask you to re ceive me Into the family, Miss Elms lle,'* I put in. "Nona is willing to be of-llvery hat round and round In hie Ijpida. “I thought It nilRht be of conse quence, sir,” he conuuenced respect fully. Then, a3 I closed the door on the girl, ho came close to me and whis pered—“It's all right. I’ve been over to_ Colonel Egerton’s, and shall have the warrant the first thing In the morn ing.” “Tho warrant?” I echoed, aghast. "Yes; prompt action la the only thing," responded the brisk detective. “The arrest will be made before ten o’clock.” "Arrest!" Fortunately my back was turned to the light, and Widdrlngton could not see my scared face. "Surely this Is an extreme measure!" "Extreme!" answered the detective. "It’s the only course. If we are to lay hands on the will at all. Afterwards It can be hushed up by the family refusal to prosecute and so on. But intimidation is the only line at pres ent,' and in the circumstances the will we must have. She doesn’t know where It Is—of that I am sure. It has not been made way with—criminals seldom do that sort of thing; it shuts the door behind them, you see. We’ll put on the thumbscrew, and It will come out, never fear”—with an odious chuckle. CHAPTER XIII. I sat down, faint and dizzy. There stood the detective, eager, triumphant, and no doubt utterly astonished and disappointed at my want of apprecia tion of his success. "The charge is for concealing," he went on. "I thought It better to take that line.” "I suppose bo,” I assented dully. I was ransacking my brains for a way of escape. My darling In the clutches of this harpy of the law! It was Intolera ble—Impossible! A wild Idea of brib ing him—of throwing myself upon hl3 mercy, crossed my half-distracted mind. Something must be done. "I have telegraphed for more men,” said Wlddrlngton—“half a dozen of them In case of resistance, you know. They can come down by the night mall.” An army of constables against one poor little trembling woman! What on earth was the man thinking of? “He'll probably show fight," went on ’‘SHE HAS MADE ME THE HAPPIEST FELLOW IN THE WORLD,’ SAID. my wife—will you let me be your cousin ?" “Is this true?” she exclaimed In breathless wonder. “Oh, 1 was never so glad of anything In my life”—clasp ing her hands. “Receive you? Of course I will. I must go to the dear child at once.” “It’s the most satisfactory way out of all our difficulties,” Mr. Heathcote declared, when I had laid my position fully before him. *It has relieved my mind of a great load of anxiety. I could not have borne to see the dear girl married to that other fellow. And now I suppose we must give up Forest Lea. I am sorry about the old place^ too. If the will-" “Let It go,” I said, hastily, recalled to the remembrance of all the trouble involved in that unhappy subject. • ••••••••• “Mr. Tillott would like to speak to you. sir,” announced a maid, as I crossed the hall, bed-room candlestick In hand. “Who on earth Is Mr. Tillottr I In quired. “It’s the groom, sir. He wants to see you about a letter he found in the dog-cart, he says.” “Oh. yes—all right! Where Is he?” I remembered then that I had never rfead the letter; It had passed com pletely out of my mind since thrusting it into my pocket before my explana tion .with Nona. “He is waiting In the study, sir. He said he was sorry to disturb you go late." “Just so—which is the study?" The girl conducted me to the door. It was open, and “Mr. Tillott” was standing just withir, turning his out the detective. "He? Who?" I stammered. "Why, the criminal!" answered Wld drlngton. "The—the criminal!" I repeated after him blankly. The man give me a quick critical look. That I had been dining, and dining not wisely, but too well, was evidently the conclusion he arrived at. Nothing else could account for my in tense stupidity. “The criminal—Mr. Charles Brans combe,” he emphasized. “It’s a clear case, and an uncommon clever game, too. Personation of his cousin, Miss Branscombe—wonderful likeness at all times—fair hair, slight figure—like a girl's—no hair on face—no wonder you were taken In"—meaningly. “Ijady’3 maid In the plot, supplied all the rig out, etc., and gave the tip into the bar gain. Uncommonly well managed. Astonishing how the young fellow gets over the women—they're all ready to go down on their knees and to sell their souls for him—every one of them. As for this one-” “Woodward?" I ejaculated, beginning to recover from my stupefaction, and to see daylight through the whole thing. "Yes." returned the ex-groom, with a wink. "Young woman soft cm the sex generally, you see—didn’t want much courting to let the whole cat out of the bag—as much as she knew. Knows nothing about the will; she be lieved Mr. Branscombe only wanted to look at It, she says. He told her so, and she thought It bard lines that he was not allowed to go to the house or to be at his uncle's funeral. She never supposed that he wanted to get hold of the will altogether. And now what we've got to do la to make Mm hand It over. But"—breaking o* In his rapid explanation—“I told you all this in the letter I gave you this evening. Didn’t you read it? Bleea my soul! You haven’t dropped it?”—as I rum maged fruitlessly in one pocket after another. “You haven’t lost it?" ‘‘It’s not here! No, I did not read it. Stay—I may have left it in the draw ing-room; wait here whilst I see, I will be back directly." Mrs. Heathcote and Miss Elmslie (bad not yet retired. Lights were full on In the drawing-room, contrary to the vir tuous early habits of the household, and the two ladies were seated side by s>de on a couch by the Arc, discussing over and over again the wonderful sur prise of the evening. ’■\Vhat is it?” asked Mrs. Heathcote, rising to assist my search. “A letter? No, there is no letter here. Eliza must have seen it if it had been left on the tea-table, and she never takes letters or papers away—the Rector has trained her too well for that. No, it Is certainly not here. I hope it was not important. But you will be sure to And it upstairs or in the study. Have you looked there?’’ Widdrlngton was awaiting me impa tiently when I returned. “It is gone,” I admitted ruefully. "I came straight from the garden to the drawing-room, and from there here. I must have dropped it.” “Then the whole thing’s blown— ruined,” cried the man, clapping on his hat, and making for the door. “There's not a minute to bo lost." My letter was gone—there was no doubt about It. A second and calmer search through my pockets confirmed the fact. I had entirely forgotten the paper, attaching no Importance to It at the moment, regarding it as simply a ruse on the detective’s part to attract my attention; and subsequent events had entirely driven the whole circum stance out of my mind. I had doubt less dropped the missive—with all Its Important revelation—In the garden or hall. I opened the window of my bed room, which looked over the lawn and garden path by which I had returned to the house. A man’s figure—Wld drington’s—was Just vanishing through the gate. He had evidently been searching over the ground, so that no efforts of mine were needed. I won dered what success he had had. Proba bly he found the missing letter, and all fear of miscarriage to his plans was over. I sat up late Into the night, writing and reading. Sleep, in the tumult of my mind, was out of the question. I had to think over and realize the won derful and blissful change which had come into my life. Nona, my peerless treasure, was mine—my own. And the cloud which had overshadowed her— even In my most loyal thought—htul dimmed the rapturous Joy of my be trothal. I had almost forgotten Widdrlngton In the floodtide of my happiness, but, when 1 descended to the breakfast room the next morning, I was abruptly recalled to the subject of last night’s interview. On my plate lay a note marked—"Delivered by hand.” It contained only these words— “Gone. Disappeared last night. Let ter not found.” Later in the day the detective’s in telligence was confirmed by the Rector. Mr. Charles Branscombe had gone from Forest Lea, leaving no address behind him. The two or three female servants remaining in charge either knew or would tell nothing. Charlie had always a fascinating influence on their class and set; as Widdrlngton had said, there was something of a feudal devotion In their loyalty to him. They no doubt thought his case a hard one, and they would not betray him. Mr. Heathcote’s new groom had also disappeared—summoned to London by the dangerous Illness of hia father, thl household believed. To be continued. WOMEN'S CLUB And the Reason for Their Rapid Growth of Late Tears. It was at a woman’s club, after tht meeting, and when the hum and buzz cf feminine voices were intermingled with the clatter of spoons and tempo rarily hushed by the mouthfuls of ice cream, that the following conversation took place between two women, one of whom was an ardent club woman, as could easily be seen by the string of medals and insignia which ornament ed the front of her bodice, while the other was Just the ordinary everyday woman. “My dear,” said the club woman, grabbing her companion's hand, I must be going. I am due at a meeting of the daughters of Lafay ette Post, and then I must drop in for a moment and see Mrs. Blank about our next meeting and the topic for cussion.” “How do you find time ior all these clubs and what does your hus band say to all thl3 running about?" “Ten years ago it was I who sat at home and waited till between 5 and 6 for him to come home. ‘Mats nous avons change tout sela,’ he sits home and waits tor me now. I have been out since 9 this morning and I am just looking llge a tramp now. Well, he does not seem to mind it; he Is Just as good and dear as he can be. We board you know, and I never had any chil dren. But good bye; I shall see you again at the ‘Justlcia,’ shall I not?" Is this the solution of the abnormal gn"owth of woman’s clubs, “We board, you know, and I never had any chil dren." Is it the lack of motherhood which has driven her into the clubs? Twenty-five years ago the United States supplied 15 per cent of the world’s coal consumption; now it sup plies 30 per cent. TS NO BACKWAKD STEP rHE PRESIDENT’S CIVIL SERVICE ORDER APPROVED. Federal Commlmloner Harlow Declares It to lie In Accord with the Spirit of the Law and Calculated to Improve the Public Service. In his recent letter to the president of the Civil Service Reform associa tion of St. Louis, Mr. John B. Harlow, a member of the federal clvll-servlce commission, upholds the action of President McKinley in removing from the classified list the positions em braced In the order of exemption which was Issued by the president several weeks ago. So far from disapproving of these exemptions Commissioner Harlow presents reasons which amply support his view that the modifications put in force by the president’s order are for the benefit of the public service and will result In securing a higher degree of efficiency than has hereto fore been possible. It clearly appears from Commis sioner Harlow’s presentment of the case that much of the criticism passed upon the exemption order of May 29 has been based upon lack of correct Information or upon an erroneous con ception of the facts on the part of the critics, and that in Issuing his now famous order, after full and careful consideration of the subject, and after a thorough discussion of the matter with his cabinet officers, President Mc Kinley has not only not violated the civil-service law either in letter or In spirit, but has construed that law wisely, intelligently and with regard solely for the best interests of the pub lic service. On this point the closing paragraph of Commissioner Harlow’s letter is clear and emphatic. The commissioner brings prominently into view the fact that, as amended by the order of May 29, the rules are for the first time the result of the united discussion of the president and his entire cabinet, and are an innovation to that extent, as all members of the cabinet are thoroughly conversant with the rules, while in the past members of the cabinet have stated that they have never read the rules and were much surprised to learn of some of the provisions in them. "The present rules are now fully un derstood by the heads of departments, and I am confident,” says Commis sioner Harlow, “that they will be bet ter obeyed in the future, not only in the letter but in the spirit, than any civil-service rules have been in the past.” This view of a member of the civil service commission may well be ac cepted as against the unfair and ma licious criticisms of mugwump stick lers for the most radical forms of in terpretation and application in connec tion with the civil service—interpre tations and applications of the law which the fair test of practical opera tion has shown to be impracticable, nonsensical and of actual detriment to the public service. Commissioner Har low is much the better authority on this subject, for he speaks with knowl edge and experience. So is Secretary Gage, whose recent statement In the Washington Star was so convincing a3 to bring about an entire change of atti tude on the part of so rigid a cham pion of strict construction as the Pio neer Press of St. Paul. That paper, after an exhaustive review of the case as presented by Secretary Gage, is constrained to say: “The Pioneer Press accepts with en tire satisfaction and full confidence in the honesty and good faith of Presi dent McKinley and Secretary Gage their assurance that in this order there has been no letting down of the bars for political appointments—that they are in the Interest of an honest and efficient administration of the public business, and will prove a substantial benefit to the merit system. That as surance is equivalent to a guaranty. The public will have a full opportunity to see in the actual working of these new rules whether this declaration is true, or whether the doors have been opened wide for the Inroads of the spoilsmen, as has been charged.” Exactly in line with this sensible conclusion all unprejudiced persons will stand. It was the conclusion in evitably formed after reading the very clear statement of facts contained in the interview of ex-Secretary Corne lius N. Bliss in the New York Mail and Express. The conclusion that in Pres ident McKinley’s order of civil-service exemptions there has been no back ward step, no letting down of the bars for the easier entrance of the spoils men, is one that the level-headed and fair-minded people of the United States will promptly accept after a full knowledge of the facts. Trusts and Soup Houses. The reason trusts were not so nu merous under Cleveland as under Mc Kinley is because democratic rule and principles make times so hard that capital can find nothing profitable out of which to make a trust. Under Cleveland’s democratic rule capital re mained idle on account of lack of con fidence in the democracy. But no sooner was republican rule restored than' capital at once entered the busi ness arena with full confidence. Democratic hard times is death to trusts and every other business. Republican prosperity is profitable to trusts and all branches of business. Which is best, hard times and no business, or prosperity and revival of business everywhere? Yes, we admit that republican good times create enough profitable business enterprise so that a number of men will attempt to combine for the pur pose of controlling all the business In sight, but democratic hard times and free trade invite no such feelings for the owners of surplus money. We believe it is the greatest blessing that could happen to the country for the money men of the nation to buy up the struggling enterprises, for the blight of Clevelandism and democracy had so crippled business enterprises that new blood (money) alone can save them. We believe the republican party can be trusted to fully protect the people from injurious trusts; In fact the American people themselves will see to it that republican prosperity remains and that a trust that injures the public shall not exist. It is much better to have a full stom ach and fight trusts than to be starv ing and have not even a trust to fight. We prefer prosperity and trusts to famine and starvation. Trusts and soup houses do not go together.—Og den (Utah) Standard. Tariff as an Issue In lOOO. Leading democratic newspapers here and there are in favor of making "tar iff reform" the chief issue in next year’s campaign, and the recent tirade of Trust King Havemeyer against pro tection is bearing fruit. The Philadelphia Record is one of the newspapers which believes the tar iff issue would be a winner for the democrats. "With tariff reform as the issue,” it says, “the democratic party would not only be united, but to its banner would be attracted tens of thou sands of voters who can no longer be duped with the false pretense that pro tective duties, while enhancing the cost of the necessaries of living, give labor and high wages to workingmen.” Of course the Record, in common with other eastern democratic news papers, hopes that the revival of the tariff issue will dispose of sixteen to one, and it may be sincere in the belief that the democrats would be strength ened by having such an issue. Never theless, we are Inclined to believe it would find itself mistaken. The bene fits of protection are not a delusion. Th people of the United States have had one dose of tariff reform, and they do not want another. The disastrous panic following the election of a free trade congress and president caused an industrial paralysis which threw hundreds of thousands of workingmen out of employment and caused a loss to them in wages amounting to many millions of dollars. The return of pros perity following the re-enactment of the republican protective tariff law fur nished an object lesson which nobody can disregard, and the voters will not forget it. The republicans would be gratified tc see the democrats adopt tariff reform as the paramount issue next year.— Cleveland Leader. Refreshing. Oar “Heavy Bardens.” Dun’s Trade Review is authority for the statement that business failures In this country during the second quar ter of 1899, just closed, were the small est reported in that quarter for twenty five years. It was also stated that the average per failure, $7,165, was the smallest ever known in any quarter; that the average per firm in business and the ratio of defaulted liabilities to solvent exchanges were both the smallest ever known in any quarter. We recommend the examination of this report and the careful study of it to Mr. Bryan and Mr. O. H. P. Belmont and to all of their free-trade followers who pretend to think the country is laboring under heavy burdens. Such study would probably not have much enlightening effect on any of these gentlemen. They are not men who are to be disturbed by such things as facts; but it may perhaps give the country a rest for a brief period from their vaporings and give the people an op portunity to reflect upon the present marvelous prosperity of the country and the swiftness with which that prosperity has followed upon the heels of the protective tariff. The free-traders who, under the leadership of Bryan and Belmont, are ranting about the country’s present heavy burdens, are not showing the usual cleverness of their kind in seis ing upon a campaign cry which will appeal to the passions of the thought less and the ignorant. Our present era of prosperity is too aggressive and in sistent not to make itself felt above all empty denials of Its existence. No Adequate Reward Offered. Generally the opposition, while set ting forth the dangers and evils which combinations called trusts present, and making the present tariff responsible for them, offers no remedies. It is like physicians who would attempt to cure disease by shouting about its fatality and declaring that unlesa something shall be done at once the loss of life must be very great.—Indianapolis Journal. An Infallible Test. A recent dispatch from Louisville, Ky.. after referring to the great ac tivity found among the manufacturers and jobbers of plumbers’ supplies In that vicinity, concluded as follows: “One firm here has been vainly try ing to hire a hundred more workmen, and had already largely increased its force, but the additional workingmen are not to be had for any considera tion.” There is not a single American, pro tectionist or free-trader, who, if he had been cast away on a desert island for a time and had not known what had occurred in his absence, had not known what changes of national pol icy had been made, would not know, if shown, as his first bit of information about his native land, the above dis patch, telling of a vain search, not for work but for workmen, that the coun try was under a protective tariff law. Not the president of the New England Free Trade league himself, nor even Mr. Cleveland, the high priest of free trade, would have any doubts as to that fact. Such a thing has never been known under free trade; similar instances have been numerous under protection. This fact of itself ought to be sufficient to cope successfully with the fallacies of the free-trade theorists. When one policy is so invariably productive of prosperity and the opposite policy is so invariably productive of industrial ruin and disaster that the mere exist ence of prosperity or of business paral ysis is sufficient to indicate which pol icy is In force, there ought to be no difficulty in choosing between the two policies. In justice to the American voters it must be recognized that they never have had any hesitation about choosing protection whenever the issue between the two policies has been fair ly and squarely put. The Demand for Labor. A dispatch from Pittsburg to a trade paper reads: "The summer lull which usually starts iu with warm weather will not be a factor in Western Pennsylvania this year. Almost every firm is look ing for men in various parts of the country, as none can be had here. In the meanwhile steel mills and furnaces are starting up that have been idle in many sections, and the former opera tives having moved away, search is being made among the workmen here for skilled mechanics who can take charge of such plants. This is caus ing all sorts of offers for labor and fixed salaries are being done away with to hold men.” The difference between hard times and prosperity is that when times are hard the workingman hunts for work without being able to find any, while in prosperous days the work hunts the man, and, as the above dispatch shows, not without some difficulty in finding him. This is just the difference also between the results of free trade and those of a protective tariff. In the years from 1893 to 1896 under the free-trade administration of Mr. Cleveland and the blasting effects of the Wilson law American workingmen hunted for work in vain. Today as a result of th9 Dlngley law, the manufacturers are hunting for workmen, and, as the dis patch says, are making “all sorts of of fers for labor.” There should* not be any doubt as to wlilch way the Amer ican workingmen will vote in 1900. They will naturaly prefer to have work hunt them rather than for them to have to hunt for work. Euromanlacal. Strange as it may seem, we generally eat, drink or smoke by the brand or label, and this is particularly true of wines. It is sometimes said that the American wines are not equal to the foreign. It is a well-known fact that the foreign champagnes are not bot tled in this country, and yet labels and caps for the popular foreign brands are largely made in the United States. A short time since sample caps of pop ular French champagnes were shown to us, and orders for two of these caps to the number of 50,000 each had just been placed in this country. The pur pose of that, of course, was to bottle American wines and label them with the most popular French brands. It is well known that the natural American champagne is the purest in the world, and it is a pity that decep tion should be used in bottling these fine American wine3 and branding them as French wines. The only safe way to secure pure wines, if one has to drink, is to secure well-known Ameri can brands. But there are Euromaniacs who must have a foreign cap and la bel, and if they are willing to pay twice as much for the American un der the foreign brand and cap there is probably no way to prevent them from so doing. Higher Wages for 45,000. As a result of the final conference at Detroit between the representatives of iron and steel manufacturers and the Iron and steel wage committee of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin workers, the wage scales for iron and steel workers, as fixed by the recent convention of the Amalga mated association, were practically all accepted by the manufacturers. This means that there will be a general ad vance of 25 per cent in the wages of about 45,000 men employed in the iror and steel manufacturing industries. Albany (N. Y.) Journal. Should Be Instructed. From the Covington (Ky.) Common wealth: Those Democrats who say that "trusts have come to stay” are not representing a Democratic prin ciple. Democracy, first of all, Is for the people and not the individual. The pgreatest good to the greatest number.