—— T5h g_—
rjCURVED^l
lJBEADESi= =
— By CAROLYN WELLS =
Author of ‘‘A Chain of Evirh re,” “The Gold Bay,” ZZZZ.
"— *‘ The Clue,” “The White Alley,”
CHAPTER NIKE (Continued.)
“It, is not for me to boast of my
attraction for a lady.”
Count Charlier simpered a
little, and Gray Ilaviland looked
at him with a frown of undis
guised scorn. Ilaviland Imd never
liked the Count; indeed, he even
doubted his right to the title, and
-especially had he feared.a mar
riage between him and Miss Lucy.
And, granting that, this feeling
•was partly due to a consideration
of his own interests, Ilaviland also
distrusted the Frenchman and
doubted Miss Lucy’s happiness as
his wife.
“Did Miss Carrington leave you
A bequest of $10,000 in l nited
States bonds?” went on the cor
oner.
“1—1 don’t" know,” and the
Count stammered in an embar
rassed way.
“You do know!” shouted Ilavi
land ; “the will has been read, and
you know perfectly well that such
A bequest was left to you.”
“ Why did you deny the knowl-j
■*dge?” asked Scofield sternly.
“I’m—I’m not sure-”
“You are sure!” stormed Gray.
“Now, where were you when Miss
Carrington spoke those words to
you? If not in her boudoir, then
on the balcony outside the win
dow, perhaps.”
i< t i lit 'iii ...
ABsura, said tne coroner.
“Not at all,” said Gray; “that
window opens on a Imlcony en
selosod by glass. It is easily
'reached from outside by a small
•staircase, mostly used in summer,
►hut. always available. Ifow could
M iss Carrington speak to the
'Count cemcerning the bonds and
concerning her infatuation for
fhimself, wiiicb is no secret, unless
•he were there before her? And
how could he be in the room—in
'her boudoir—unknown to the
servants? Moreover, Mr. Coroner,
I believe the glove found in Miss
‘Carrington’s hand to be the prop
erty of Count Charlier.”
“But no!” cried the witness ex
citedly; “I have repeatedly dis
claimed that, glove. It is not mine;
& know not whose it is. I know
■ nothing of this sad affair, what
ever. If the money is left to me,
‘.as 1 have been told, it is a—a sur
prise to me.”
“.Surprise nothing!” murmured
Havilaud, but he said no more to
jtlie Count.
“if my story might be told
mow-” ventured Mrs. Frotli
unghain.
After a moment’s hesitation
Coroner Scofield decided to let
her tell it, as having a possible
bearing on Count Charlier's testi
mony.
The rather stunning looking
widow was fashionably dressed,
and she fluttered with an air of
importance as she took the stand.
She related again the story she
■ba<l told of the supposed burglar
whom she saw leaving the living
•room by way of a window at 4
•o’clock on Wednesday morning.
“How can you he so sure it was
-• burglar?” asked Scofield.
“Oh, he looked like one. All
tmddled up, you know, and his
face buried between a high coat
collar and a drawn down cap. And
lie walked slyly—sort of glided
among the shrubs and trees, as if
•voiding notice. No man on legiti
mate business would skulk like
that.”
Might, it not have been Count
“CliarlierT” asked the coroner
bluntly.
“Certainly not!” and Mrs.
Frothingham gave a little shriek.
“The Count is a slrm and elegant
figure; this was a stocky, burly
mau; a marauder, I know.”
“It may be,” said the coroner
wearily. “It may be that a bur
glar was concealed in the house,
.or let in bj' a servant, and that
-Sir! attacked MisS Carrington as
itiu- was seated at her dressing
ttable. It seems impossible that he
<atiould have administered poison
to her; however, and the con
jou&ed circumstances may indicate
jsollnsion between-”
' -“Between whom” askedf” In
wjm'tor Brunt.
“I don’t know,” confessed Sco
field. “Every way I try to think
tit/out 1 run up against an impass
ible barrier.”
wb»l. T say.” begau
10
Haviland; “it is a most involved
case. ! shall cable Carrington
l.oria for authority to employ an
expert detective.”
“Why cable him?” asked Paul
ine; “I am equally in authority
now. Carr and myself each receive
half the residuary estate of Aunt
Lucy, and, of course, 1 am as anx
ious to find the—the murderer as
Carr can possibly be.”
“Well, somebody will have to
authorize it who is willing to pay
for it. As man of business in this
home I am willing to attend to all
such matters, but I must have
authority.”
“You seem to me a little prema
ture, Mr. Haviland,” commented
the inspector. “Perhaps, when the
inquest is concluded, it may not
be necessary to call on any other
detective than our own Mr.
Hardy.”
“Perhaps not,” agreed Havi
land; “but, unless you people all
wake up, you’re not going to get
anywhere. 1 admit the getting is
difficult, but that’s just the reason
a wise sleuth should be called in
before the trails grow cold.”
And then the coroner returned
to his task of questioning Mrs.
Frothiugham.
I lie widow was not definitely
helpful. Iler statements were often
contradictory in minor details,
and when she corrected them they
seemed to lose in weight. She
stuck to the main points, however,
that by the help of a strong field
glass she had discerned, in the
bright moonlight, a man leave by
way of the French window at 4
o’clock, and had seen him make
his way stealthily out by the great
entrance gates of the place.
Cross questioning on this
brought no variations, and the
jurymen wagged their heads in
belief of her story.
Hut her accounts of her own
doings on Tuesday evening were
vague and indefinite.
“1 was in my own home all the
evening,” she said at one time;
and again: “I went out for a
short walk at 11 o’clock.” This
last in refutation of Haskins, the
Carrington butler, who deposed to
having seen the lady walk across
the lawns of Harden Steps.
“Where did you walk?”
“Oh, just around my own
place; and for a moment 1 strolled
over here because the Steps looked
so beautiful in the moonlight.”
“You were alone?”
“I was. 1 have no house guests
at present, save the Count; and
as my brother, who lives with me,
is on a western trip, I was alone,
and I walked about to kill time
until Count Charlier should re
turn after his bridge game over
here.”
“Did you walk near the house
while on the Garden Steps es
tate?” asked Scofield, scenting a
possible espionage of her titled
visitor.
“Oh, no!” and the witness
bristled with indignation. “Why
should I? I was not really an ac
quaintance of Miss Carrington,
merely a neighbor.”
“Beg pardon, ma’am, but I saw
you on the conservatory veran
dah," said Haskins in a depreca
tory wav.
“That is not true, Mr. Coro
ner,” said the lady, glancing
scornfully at the butler. “I beg
you will not accept a servant’s
statement in preference to mine!”
“You are sure of this, Has
kins’” said the inspector gravely.
“Yes, sir. Sure, sir,” and the
man looked doggedly certain,
though a little scared.
“And you deny it?” went on
Scofield to Mrs. Frothiugham.
“1 most certainly do! How ab
surd for me to be over here, and
how more Ilian absurd for me to
deny it if 1 were!”
Tli is seemed sensildc. Why
should she. deny it? And mightn’t
the butler be mistaken? Or de
liberately falsifying?”
If there were collusion or crim
inal assistance by any of the serv
ants, surely the word of all of
them must be mistrusted unless
proven.
And, too, what could have
brought Mrs. Frothiugham to the
[ veranda of a home where she was
uot an accepted guest ? Or, could
[she have been spying on the
fc ountT
I For it had slowly entered the
coroner’s not very alert mind that
| perhaps the volatile widow had
her own plans for the Count ’s fu
ture, and Miss Carrington did not
figure in them. The manner of
the witness bore out this theory,
j .^he was self conscious and at
times confused. She frequently
looked at the Count and then
quickly averted her gaze. She
blushed and stammered when
speaking his name or referring to
him. In a word, she acted as a
woman might act in regard to a
man of whom she was jealous.
And the situation bore it out. If
Mrs. Frothingham had matrimo
nial designs on her distinguished
guest, would she not naturally re
sent his visits to a rich neighbor?
Mrs. Frothingham was not rich,
and she may well have been
afraid of Miss Carrington’s charm
!of gold, which could cause many
a man to overlook anything else
that might be lacking.
Coroner Scofield wras getting
more and more tangled in the
mazes of this extraordinary case,
lie was practically at his wits’
end. At last lie blurted out: “It
is impossible, it seems, to get a
coherent, or even plausible, story
from a woman! Is there any man
present who knows any of the de
tails of the happenings of Tues
day evening and night?”
There was a moment’s silence at
this rather petulant speech, and
then Stephen lllsley rose, and,
speaking very gravely, said:
“It seins to be my unpleasant
duty to tell what little 1 know of
these matters.”
The relieved coroner heard this
with satisfaction. Accepting his
good fortune, he prepared to listen
to lllsley’s testimony.
“I was spending the evening
here,” the witness began, “and
during my visit I was in the var
ious rooms. At a late hour, per
haps something after 4l, I was
crossing the hull, and I saw Miss
Frothingham on the stairway.”
Un the stairway! exclaimed
the coroner in amazement.
“Yes,” returned Illsley, his
grave eyes resting on the face of
the widow, who stared at him as
if stricken dumb. “Yes, I saw her
distinctly. She was evidently com
ing downstairs, one hand rested
on the hanister, and she was look
ing upward at the ceiling.”
“Did she see you?”
“I think not. If so, she made
no sign. But she was not looking
my way, and I went on into the
reception room, where I was go
ing in search of a scarf Miss Stu
art had left there. When I re
crossed the hall the lady had dis
appeared.J’
“Did not this seem to you a
strange circumstance?”
“I had no right to any opinion
on the subject. It was not my
affair what guests were at the
house I was visiting, or what they
might be doing.”
“But Mrs. Frothingham as
serts she was not an acquaintance
of Miss Carrington.”
“I did not know that, then;
and, even so, it gave me no right
to speculate concerning the lady’s
presence there. Nor should I refer
to it now except that in view of
the subsequent tragedy it is due
to every principle of right and
justice that aU'truths be known as
to that evening. Mrs. Frothing
ham will, of course, recall the epi
sode and doubtless explain it.”
“I should like to hear the ex
planation!” said Pauline, with
flashing eyes. “As mistress here
now I am interested to know why
a stranger should wander about
this house at will.”
Mrs. Frothingham sat silent.
Her face showed not so much con
sternation or dismay as a cold,
calculating expression, a$ if de
bating just what explanation she
should offer.
At last sue spoke. i may as
well own up,” she said, and
laughed nervously. ”1 was on the
veranda, as the vigilant butler
noticed. I did step inside the hall,
as I had so often heard of the rare
tapestries and paintings, and, in
my ennui, I thought it no harm to
take a peep. The great door was
ajar, and I was a little chilled by
my.walk across the lawns. 1 said
to myself: ‘If 1 meet any one I
will merely beg a few moments’
grace and then run away. Yes,
j 1 did take a step or two up the
stair, to look at a picture on the
landing. It was all innocent
enough, perhaps not in the best of
taste, but I was lonely, and the
light and warmth lured me. In a
moment 1 had slipped out and run
away home, laughing over my es
capade like a foolish child.”
Her light laugh rippled out as
she concluded her story. She looked
ingenuous and truthful, but the
coroner distrusted femiuiue fairy
tales, and this was a little too fan
ciful to be true.
Moreover, Mrs. Frothingham was
i looking at him sharply from the
[corner of her eye. Clearly, she was
f watching him to see how he took it.
j He didn’t take it very well. The
| acknowledged presence of an out
j sider in the house, for a not very
plausible reason, was illuminating
in his estimation. She had been on
the stairway. Had she been to Miss
Carrington’s room? True, she said
she went only to the landing—but
pshaw, women, had no regard for
the truth! Had she and Count
Charlier planned between them to
—bah, why did this woman want
to kill her neighbor? Even if she
were jealous of the Count’s atten
tion, would she go so far as
crime? No, of course not! He
must question her further. And,
y.et,, what good would that do if
she would not tell the truth?
Well, she was in the house at
11 :30, that much was certain, for
Stephen lllsley’s story and her
owrn and also the butler’s testi
mony all coincided as to that.
And then Detective Hardy, who
had just returned from a short
errand, piade a gtartling state
ment. lie declared that the glove
which had been found clasped
tightly in the dead fingers of the
late Miss Carrington did belong
to Count Henri Charlier.
Mr. Hardy had ben searching
the Count’s wardrobe; and,
though he did not find the mate
to that particular glove, lie found
many others, some wmrn and some
entirely unused, but all of the
same size and made by the same
firm as the one now in the coro
ner’s possesion!
Thus cornered Count Charlier
reluctantly admitted that it was
his glove.
”1 denied it,” he thus excused
himself, ‘‘because I have no idea
how it came into Miss Carring
ton’s possesion, and I did not wish
to implicate her in an affair with
my unworthy self.”
“H’m,” thought Gray Havi
land, fixing liis attention on the
CouiU and oq^the flittered Mrs.
Frotliingnam; “a precious pair of
adventurers! I expect Scofield
is right, we won’t need an expert
detective.”
there was more of the inquest.
But its continuance brought out
no developments not already here
transcribed. There was much
cross questioning and' probing;
there was much rather futile ef
fort to make all the strange de
tails fit any one theory; there was
variance of opinion; and there
was more or less discussion.
But, as a final result, the coro
ner’s jury brought in a verdict
that Miss Lucy Carrington met
her death by poison administered
by a person or persons unknown,
who thereafter, probably for the
purpose of diverting attention
from the poison, struck her a blow
on the head. The jury in their
deliberation felt that Count Henri
Charlier was implicated. But, not
having sufficient evidence to
make a charge, suggested to the
detective force that he be kept
under surveillance.
X.
BIZARRE CLUES.
It was Saturday. The funeral
of Miss Carrington had been held
the day before and the imposing
obsequies had been entirely in
keeping with her love of elaborate
display in life. The casket was
of the richest, the flowers piled
mountain high, the music, the
most expensive available; for the
young people in charge had felt
it incumbent on them to arrange
everything as Miss Lucy would
have desired it.
It was a pathetic commentary
on the character of the dead wom
an that, while all who mourned
her felt the shock and horror of
her death, they were not deeply
bowed with sorrow. Pauline, as
nearest relative, would naturally
grieve most, but for the moment
her affections were lost sight of in
the paralyzing effects of the sud
den tragedy.
Anita Frayne had practically
“gone to pieces.” She wTas ner
vous, and jumped twitchingly if
any one spoke to her.
Gray Haviland was reticent, an
unusual thing for him, and devot
ed most of his time to matters of
business connected with the es
tate.
Estelle, the maid, had suc
cumbed to a nervous breakdown,
and had been taken to a nearby
santorium, where she indulged in
frequent and violent hysterics.
The household was in a contin
ual excitement. Lawyers and de
| tectives were coming and going,
! neighbors were calling, and re
| porters simply infested the place,
i Pauline and Anita, though out
wardly polite, were not on good
terms, and rarely talked together.
But this morning the two girls
and Haviland were called to a
confab by Hardy, the detective^
(Continued Next Week.)
A Budapest bank haa decided to sue
ex-Emperor Charles for 10D.00Q.QU0 rrowni,
the amount he subscribed to ehjht wet.
, iMiMh
Clover Plant Shows Us
How To Get Nitrogen
*53 Out of the Air fc>»
By P. Q. HOLDEN.
FOR thousands of years swaet
clover, alfalfa, and other mem
bers of the clover family have
been gathering nitrogen out of the
air and converting It Into fertilizer
to enrich the soil and Increase the
production of farm crops. So qui
etly, so mysteriously have the clo
vers performed this beneficial task
that It was not until a few years
ago that we even knew they were
doing It at all.
We have not learned even yet Just
how the clovers are able to do this
work, but they showed us that It
could be done and since then scien
tists have been at work endeavoring
to find some method of converting
the nitrogen In. the air Into a com
mercial product.
In this they have been successful.
Our entry Into the war resulted in
the expenditure by this government
of something like $30,000,000 for the
erection of a nitrate plant at Muscle
Shoals, Alabama. By a scientific
tm ■ —^—S
A Beautiful Field of Alfalfa, One of
Gathering p!fnta_N£
tlce tne Evidence of Prosperity
Which Always Follows Fertile
Soil. ^ ..^
process the nitrogen In the air was
to be converted Into ammonium ni
trates for the manufacture of gun
powder and other high explosives.
But Just as the plant was com
pleted and the first samples of the
output turned over to the govern
ment the armistice was signed.
Again the lesson taught us by the
clover proved of value to us, for
now Instead of, making gun-pow
der and other agencies of de
struction the plant will be used to
convert the nitrogen into fertilizer
concentrates. With the same ma
chinery, the same power and the
same raw materials the great plant
will take its place in the rebuilding
of the nation.
The practically unlimited amount
of raw material available Is shown
by the fact that the air above one
acre of ground at sea level contains
85,656 tons of nitrogen.
Nitrogen at present Is worth 20
cents a pound. If you own a 100
acre farm there Is over $14,000,000
worth of nitrogen In the air above
your land. At sea level air weighs
nearly 15 pounds to the square inch
and a trifle over 77 per cent of it Is
nitrogen.
Every farmer can have his own
nitrogen factory. Ten, 20, or 40
acres of sweet clover or alfalfa will
gather the nitrogen out of the air
and use It to fertilize his soil.
The government plant Is a triumph
of science. It will prove of great
value to the farmers of America,
especially to the farmer of the
south. But the clover patch will not
lose any of Its usefulness. It will
continue to mean fertile soil, hay,
live stock, dairy products, meat
products, prosperity.
New Idea*.
From Dupont Magazine.
I see no reason why the producers ol
steel should not Increase the use of steel
to replace lost war business. As lumbei
production falls off because of deforesta
tion, steel can and will replace many uses
of wood.
Why should not the United States Steel
Company design 20 or 30 houses to
be built of standardized structural steel
and concrete, so it would be possible for
the homebuilder to select a design and
have the ready cut steel laid down at his
freight station? He would then build a
fireproof house, requiring no insurance,
and strong enough to last for generations.
Why should not the copper producers
induce everybody to use peimanent cop
per screens Instead of iron screens that
rust out? All hotels coo^ with copper
utensils, why not all homes?
One of our greatest industrial staples is
cotton. Its consumption can be largely
Increased by developing new fabrics in
place of Imported silks and linens.
Paint Is a very common manufactured
article, yet the paint consumption of
America can certainly be doubled by
teaching people the real purpose and
economy of paint and improving dis
tributive facilities.
Doctor and Wise Man.
“Take this medicine.” said the young
doctor, as reported by the Journal of the
American Medical Association. “If It
doesn't curtf you, come back in a lew
days and I'll give you something that
will.” The patient pocketed the bottle
reluctantly. In a few moments he re
turned: "If you don't mind. Doc. I'll
take some of that that will cure me right
away.”
Nothing Left.
From Harper's Magazine.
"What did your father say when he
broke his pipe. Walter?”
"Shall I leave out the wicked words,
mother ?”
"Why, certainly, dear.”
"Then 1 don't believe there is anything
to tell you. mother.”
Case at Hume.
From the Louisville Courier-Journa
“1 see some scientists are going to
Lidia to study suspended animation "
“These scientists ore imruactlcai. Why
go to India hqforn buying > gyyk at m»'
hired raga?“
Weekly Health Talks ^
Where Most Sickness Begin*
and Ends
BY FRANKLIN DUANE, M. D.
It can be said broadly that most human
ills begin in the stomach and end in the
stomach. Good digestion means good
health, and poor digestion means bad
health. The minute your stomach fails to
properly dispose of the food you eat, trou
bles begin to crop out in various forms.
Indigestion and dyspepsia are the common- j.
est forms, but thin, impure blood,
aches, backaches, pimples, blotches,
ness, belching, coated tongue, weakness,
poor appetite, sleeplessness, coughs, colds
and bronchitis are almost as common.
There is but one way to have good health,
and that is to put and keep your stomach
in good order This is easy to do if you
take Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discov
ery. It is a wonderful tonic and blood
purifier, and is 60 safe to take, for it is
made of roots and herbs. Dr. Pierce, of
Buffalo, N. Y., stands behind this stand
ard medicine, and it is good to know that
so distinguished a physician is proud to
have his name identified with it. When
you take Golden Medical Discovery, you
are getting the benefit of the experience of
a doctor whose reputation goes all around
the earth, Still more, you get a temper
ance medicine that contains not a drop of
alcohol or narcotic of any kiatk Long ago
Dr. Pierce combined certain valuable vege
table ingredients—without the use of alco
hol—so that these remedies always have
been strictly temperance medicines.
If piles arc torturing you, get and use
Pierce’s Anodyne Pile Ointment. The /
quick relief it gives is hard to believe until
you try “it. If constipated Dr. Pierce’s
Pleasant Pellets should be taken while
using Anodyne Pile Ointment. Few in
deed are the cases which these splendid
remedies will not relieve and usually over
come. They are so good that nearly every
drug store has them for sale.
___ ___
If a man doesn’t know when to be
silent, he doesn't know when to speak,
STOMACH ACIDITY,
INDIGESTION, GAS
^ ■ as®?"*>»- -
QUICK! EAT JUST ONE TABLET
OF PAPE’S DIAPEPSIN FOR
INSTANT RELIEF.
When meals don’t fit and you belch
gas, adds and undigested food. When
you feci lumps of distress in stomach,
pain, flatulence, heartburn or headache.
Here Is Instant rdief—No waiting!
A
Just ns soon as you eat a tablet of
Pape’s Diapepsin all the dyspepsia, in
digestion and stomach distress ends.
These pleasant, harmless tablets of
Pape’s Diapepsin never fnil to ulhke
sick, upset stomachs feel tine at cnce,
and they cost so little at drug stores,
Adv
Only a mother can lick ’em and love -w
’em at the snme time.
State of Ohio, City of Toledo, Luca*
County—ss.
Frank J. Cheney makes oath thru he !»
senior partner of the Arm of F. J. Cheney
A Co., doing business In the City or To
ledo, County and State aforesaid, and that
said Arm will pay the sum of ONE HUN
DRED DOLLARS for any case of Catarrh
that cannot be cured by the use of
HALL’S CATARRH MEDICINE.
FRANK ,T. CHENET.
Sworn to before me and subscribed In
my presence, this 6th day of December.
A. D. 1886,
(Seal) A. W. Gleason. Notary Public.
HALL’S CATARRH MEDICINE is tak
en Internally and acts through the Blood
on the Mucous Surfaces of the System. ,
Druggists, 75c. Testimonials free. ^
F. J. Cheney A Co., Toledo, Ohio. Jr
When schools flourish, all nourishes.
A Terrible Ordeal!
Gravel and Kidney Stone Caused
Interne Suffering — Doan’s
Brought a Quick Cure.
Edw. J. Turecek, 4332 F.ichel burger
Ave., St. Louis, Mo., says: “1 was
taken with a terrible pain across the
back and every move I made, it felt
like a knife being driven into my back
and twisted around. It lasted about
half an hour, but soon came hack and
with it another affliction. The kidney
secretions began to .pain
me; the flow was scanty
and burned like Are when
passing. I had severe
headaches and my bladder
got badly inflamed, too,
and I noticed little par
ticles of gravel in the se
cretions. Doan's Kidney
Dills had been recoin
mended to me and I be , .
can their use. The first l0rtc'*
naif box brought relief an 1 1 passed
a stone the size-of a pea. It was a
terrible ordeal and afterwards a sandy
sediment and particles of gravel settled
in the urine. 1 got more of the pills
and thev cured me. The inflammation
left and there was no more pain or
gravel. I now sleep well, eat well and
my kidneys act. normally. Doan’s
Kidney Pills alone accomplished this
wonderful cure."
“Subscribed and sworn to before me."
JAMES M. SMITH, Notary P-'blic.
Sal Case’s «t As; Store, 60c > Bos j
DOAN’S K» “JiV I
F03TER-MILBURN CO.. BUFFALO. N. Y. 1
' .—-\
More Eggs? Use Germozowt \
A hen with bright, ro«r comb, nctire and rieotoos. ft
bowels In order, free from cold, end roup. aou prop
erlr fed. ;e eenerally n good laser and not bothered
with lice. He a Iroublea almost nleeyr start wdh
cold: or bowel complaint, That’a GerTnoione'i big
help. Regular use tfiree times a week, dose the work.
Atdro* or seed otorea or tablet form, postpaid,
from here. 75 rente, with free poultry bores.
•10. H.LKCO.,Dop*.0, OMAHA. HU.
Persistent Coughs
hre dangerous. Get prompt relief from
1’ieo's. Slops Irritation; •madting. Uf-HMins
and sale tin young and pM. No etniataa in
IPISO’S