THE ENCHANTED BARN
mpyrtgfct 1*1*. by J. B. Lippi noott Co.
“I think I will remain out
here,” she said calmly, alb. it her
heart was pounding away like a
trip-hammer. “Please tell Mr.
1 laker to upifie to me here, it is
much pleasanter than in the
house u day like this.”
”Aw no! You won’t neither!
The secretary don’t receive in
the open air ev?n in summer,”
drawn 1 the man, and stye
noticed that he and the driver
straightened up and stepped
closer to her, one on either side.
She gave one wild glance toward
the open space. There was sim
ply no chance at a:l to run away
even if she succeeded in eluding
them at the star! by a quick, un
expected dash. They were alert
athletic men and no telling how
many more were hidden in the
house.
“Oh, very well, of course, if
it’s a matter of etiquette!” said
Shirley pleasantly, determined to
keep up the farce as long as pos
sible.
A cold, dark air met the girl
as she stepped within the creak
ing door and looked about her.
'U her left was an old fashioned#
(kitchen, dusty and cobwebby. A
fong, narrow hall led to the front
Af the lious^ and her guide point
ed 1i r toward a room on the
light. There wus something hol
ilow and eerie in the sound of
itboir footsteps on the old oaken
YVoor. J'he room into which she
\vas ushered v.a musty and dus
ty as tlie rest, i he iloor was cov
ered wit h an ancient ingrain car
pet. The table was covered with
a magenta felt cover stamped
with a vine of black leaves and
riddled with moth holes. The
walls were hung with old prints
and steel engravings suspended
by woollen cords and tassels. The
furniture was dilapidated. Every- 1
thing watt covered with dust, but
there were finger marks in the J
dust here and there that showed ,
the place had been recently visit- !
ed. Through an open doorway ;
an old square piano was visible |
in what, must lie the parlor. The
place seemed to Shirley fairly
teeming with memories of some
family now departed. She leaped
to the quick conclusion that the i
bouse had been long deserted i
iiud had only recently been en
tered and used qs a rendezvous
for illegal conferences. It c- j
curred to her that there might he j
an opportunity for her to hide j
her precious papers somewhere
■safely if it came to it that she j
must, he searched. How about i
that piano? Could she slip some j
of them between the keys? Hut |
it was hardly likely that there |
Avoukl be opportunity for any- i
thing like tfiat.
She felt strangely calm as she j
looked about upon her prison.
“‘H’m! He ain't come yet!'’ |
remarked her guide ns he j
glanced into the front room, j
“Well, you can set down. He .
won’t be long now. Joe, you
jest look about a hit and see if ;
you can find the secretary, ami j
iell him the young lady is here.’’ |
The man flung himself full
length on the carpet covered
couch and looked at tier with
satisfaction.
“What train was that you said
you must make? I'm afraid
now you might be going to be
just a trifle late if he don’t get
a hustle on, but you can't, hurry
a great man like that you
know.’’
“Oh, it’s no matter!’’ said
Shirley coolly, looking around
her witli the utmost innocence.
“What a quaint old house! Has
it been in the family a long
lime?”
The man looked at her anuis- j
etuy.
"You’re a cute one!” lie re
marked affably. "I believe
you’re a pretty good sport! You
know perfectly well you’re in
my power and can’t do a turn to
help yourself, yet you sail
around here as calm as a queen!
Yon’re some looker, too! Blamed
if I’m not enjoying myself. 1
wouldn’t mind a kiss or two
from those pretty lips-”
But Shirley had melted
through the doorway into the
other room and her voice floated
hack with charming indifference j
jas if she had not heard, though j
-she was ready to scream with
•ioathing and fear of the man:
"Why, isn’t this a delightful
-old piano! The keys are actu
ally mother-of-pearl. Isn’t it
*«udf Would Mr. Baker mind if
it l.'ayed on it!”
. JYjfl before her astonished cap
V.T could get himself to the
doorway she had sat down on the
2H
rickety old hair-cloth stool and
swept the keys lightly. The old
chord:; trembled and shivered as
it awaking from a tomb, and ut
tered forth a quavering, sweet
•sound like ancient memories.
'1 lip man was too much aslon
i‘ hed to stop her, amused too,
perhaps, and interested. Her
white fingers over the dusty
pearls in the growing dusk had
a strange charm for the har
dened reprobate, like the wonder
of a flower dropped into the
foul ness of a prison. Before lie
could recover, he was startled
again by her voice soaring out in
the empty echoing house:
Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself In Thee;
Let thd water and the blood
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of win the double cure,
Save me Lord and make me pure!
Perhaps those dim, gloomy
walls had echoed before to the
grand old tune, but never could
it have been sung'in direr strait,
or with more earnest cry from a
soul in distress. She had chosen
the first words that seemed to
fit the chords she had struck,
but every syllable was a prayer
to the God in whom she trusted.
It may he the man felt the power
of her appeal as lie stood rooted
in the doorway and listened
while she sang through all the
verses she could remember. But
the last trembling note was brok
en harshly by Joe’s voice at the.
kitchen door in sharp, rasping
orders:
“Hist, there! Can that noise!
Do you want to raise hell here?
Wake up, Sam I Get onto your
,job. Ilennie’s coinin’.”
‘‘That’s all right, Joe! Dry
up! This is good Sunday .school
dope! This won’t rouse no sus
picions. Go to the devil and
mind your business! I know
what I’m about!”
Shirley was almost ready to
cry, but she drew a deep breath
and started on another song:
.Jt'sun, lover oi my sow,
Let mo to Thy boaom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest nJlll is high!
Hide me, oh, my Savior hide,
Till the storm of life is past.
On through the time-worn
words she sang, while the sin
hardened man stood silently and
listened. His eyes had gradually
lost their leer and grown soft
and tender, as if some childhood
memories of home and mother
and a time when he was innocent
and good were looking out his
eyes, reminding him of what he
once intended to be before he
ate the apple of wisdom and be
came as the gods and devils.
Shirley gradually became aware
that she was holding her strange
audience; and a power beyond
herself steadied her voice, and
kept her fingers from trembling
on the old pearl keys, as she wan
dered on from song to song; per
haps happening on the very ones
who knows 1—that this man,
standing in the dying twilight of
the old gloomy house, had sung
beside his mother’s hearth or in
church during his ehildood? Cer
tain it is that ha-stood there silent
and listened for at least half an
hour without an interruption,
while the light in the big room
grew dimmer and dimmer and
all about the house seemed still
us death in the intervals between
her voice.
She was just beginning:
auiu« n nil uir,
Last falls the eventide,
The darkness deepens,
Lord, with me abide!
Wlicn t lie in mi put J'is liaiul in his
pocket and brought out a candle.
Scratching a match on his trous
ers, he lit the caudle and set it
carefully on the piano, where its
light fell flickering, wavering
over her worn young face; and
who shall say that she was not a
messehger from another world
to this man who had long trod
den the downward path?
They were interrupted, how
ever, before this song was fin
ished by a newcomer who entered
like a shadow and stood at the
end of the piano looking wonder
ingly from Shirley to the man,
when she glanced up. She
stopped, startled, for although he
wore no brass buttons nor blue
clothes she was quite sure those
were the same gray eyes that had
looked at her from the recess of
the window in the government
office that afternoon, perhaps
the same boy who had pome after
her car and sent her off on this
long way into the wilderness.
The man Sain straightened up
suddenly and looked about him
half-ashamed with an apologetic
grin:
“Oh, you’ve come, have you,
Hennie? Well, you been a long
time about it! But now I guess
we’ll get to work. Where’s Joe !
.Out on the watch? All right
then, Miss, if you’ve no objec
tion, we’ll just take a little vaca
tion on the psalm singin’ and
turn our attention to worldly
tilings. I calculate you’re sharp
enough to know what we brought
you out here for? I acknowledge
you can sing real well, and you
sorta got my goat foV a while
there with all that mourning
bench tra-la, for you certainly
have got that holy dope down
fine; but now the time’s come for
business, and you needn’t to
think that because I can enjoy a
little sentiment now and then in
a leisure moment that you can
put anything over on me, for it
can’t be did! I mean business
and I’ve got you in my power!
We’re 10 miles from any settle
ment, and no neighbors any
where ’s about. Everybody
moved away. So it won’t do any
good to work any funny business
on us. You can’t get away.
We’re all armed, and no one
knows where you are! If you
behave yourself and do as you’re
told there won’t be any trouble.
We’ll just transact our business
and then we’ll have a bit of sup
per, and mebbe a few more tunes
—got any rag-time in your rep
it war?—and then sometime after
midnight, when the moon’s good
and dark, we’ll get you back to
civilization where you won’t
have no trouble in gettin’ home.
But if you act up ami get funny,
why you know what to expect.
There was a young girl murdered
once in this house and buried in
the cellar and ever since folks
say it’s hanted and thej' won’t
come near it. That’s the kind of
a place we’re in! So, now are
you ready?”
C!l,;jnir .1_1 „x!ll Ti.
'—'**-* * »^ V.V*»VA UitU UI/lUi A L
seemed as if her life blood had
suddenly congealed in her veins
and for a second she felt as if
her senses were going to desert
her. Then the echo of her own
song: “Hide me, oh, my Savior
hide!” seemed to cry from her
soul silently and she rallied onee
more and gained her self-control.
“Well, Miss,” went on the
man impressively, “I see you're
ready for the question, and
you’ve got your nerve with you,
too, I ’ll hand you that! But I
warn 3rou it won’t do no good!
We brung yn out here to get a
hold of that note book you wrote
in this morning, and we’re goin’
to have it. We know that Mr.
Barnard left it in your care.
Hennie here heard him say for
you to keep it. So it won’t be of
any use for you to lie about it.”
“Of course!” said Shirley,
standing up and reaching over
for her hand-bag, which she had
laid on the piano beside her while
she pla3red. “I understand per
fectly. But I’d like to ask you
a question, Mr.-?”
“Smith, or Jones, whichever
you like to call it. Spit it out!”
“I suppose you are paid to
bring me out here, Mr. Smith, and
get my property awa3’from me?”
she said gravely.
“Well, yes, we don’t calculate
to do it just for sweet charity.”
“And I am paid to look after
that has beeu given me. I just
that has been given me| I just
have to look after it. It’s out
of the question for me to desert
it!” Shirley spoke coolly and
held her little bag close in the
firm grasp of her two hands. The
man stared at her and laughed.
The boy Hennie fairl3' gaped in
his astonishment. “A girl with
all that nerve!”
‘ Or course, 1 understand per
fectly that you can murder me
and bury me down in the cellar
beside that other girl that was
murdered, and perhaps no one
will find it out for a while, and
you can go on having a good time
on the money you will get for it.
You know I didn’t come here
alone today-!
Both men looked startled and
glanced uneasily into the shad
ows, as if there might be someone
lurking there.
“God came with me and He
knows! He’ll make you remem
ber some day!’’
The boy laughed out a nervous
ah! ha! of relief, but the man
seemed held, fascinated by her
look and words. There was si
lence for a second while the girl
held off the ruffian in the man
by sheer force of her strong per
sonality. Then the boy laughed
again, with a sneer in the end of
it, and the spell was broken. The
leer came nito the eyes of the
man again. The sneer of the boy
had brought him to himself—to
the self he had come to be.
“Nix on the sob-stuff, girlie!”
he said gruffly. “It won’t go
down with me! We’re here for
business and we’ve been delayed
too long already. Come now, will
you hand qut that note-book or
will we have to search you?” He
took a stride across to where she
stood and wrenchtfd the hand-bag
from her grasp before she was
aware of his intention. She had
not meant to give it up without a
struggle, much as she loathed the
thought of one. She must make
the matter last as long as possi
ble, if perchance God was sending
help to her, and must contest
I every inch of the way as far as
| lay in her power. Oh, had any
one picked up her cards? Had
the book with its message
reached any friendly eye?
Frail and white and stern she
stood with folded arms while
they turned out the contents of
the little bag and scattered it
over the piano, searching with
clumsy fingers among her dainty
things.
The note book she had rolled
within her handkerchiefs and
made it hard to find. She feared
lest her ruse \yould be discovered
when tfxey looked it over. The
boy was the one who clutched
for the little book, recognizing
it as the one he had seen in the
office that morning. The man
hung over, his shoulder and
peered in the candlelight, watch
ing the boy anxiously. It meant
a good deal of money if they put
this thing through.
‘‘Here it is!” said the boy,
fluttering through the leaves and
carefully scrutinizing the short
hand characters. ‘‘Yes that’s
tho dope!”
He ran his eye down the pages,
caught a word here and thei’e,
technicalities of manufacture, the
very items, of course, that he
wanted, if this had been the spe
cificatioixs for the government
order. Shirley remembered with
relief that none of the details
were identical, however, with the
notes she carried in her shoes.
The book notes were in fact de
scriptive of an entirely different
article fi*om that demanded by
the government. The question
was, would these people be wise
enough to discover that fact be
fore she was out of their power
or not?
furtively she studied the boy.
There was something keen and
cunning about his youthful face.
He was thick-set, with blond hair
and blue eyes. He might be of
German origin, though there was
not a sign of accent about his
speech. He had the bull-dog
chin, retreating forehead and
eagle nose of the kaiser in em
bryo. Shirley saw all this as she
studied him furtively. That he
was an expert in short-hand was
proved by the ease with which
he read some of her obscure sen
tences, translating rapidly here
and there as he examined the
book. Was he well enough in
formed about the government
contract to realize that these
were not the notes she had taken
in the office that morning? And
should he fail to recognize, it was
there perhaps some one higher in
authority to whom they would be
shown before she was released?
She shivered and set her weary
-:_4.:_
»vvu m im uv u i nmmi ivn
over the little crinkling papers
in her shoes. Somehow she would
protect those notes from being
taken, even if she had to swallow
them. There surely would be a
way to hide them if the need
came.
Suddenly the tense strain un
der which she was holding her
self was broken by the man. He
looked up with a grin, rubbing
his hands with evident self-grat
ulation and relief;
“That’s all right, Girlie!
That’s the dope we want. Now
we won’t trouble you any long
er. We'll have supper. Hennie,
you go get some of that wood out
in the shed and we’ll have a fire
on the hearth and make some
coffee!’’
But Shirley, standing white
and tense in the dim shadow of
the room, suddenly felt the place
whirling about her, and the can
dle dancing afar off. Her knees
gave way beneath her and she
dropped back to the piano stool
weakly, and covered her face
with her hands, pressing hard on
her eyeballs; trying to keep her
senses and stop the black dizzi
ness that threatened to submerge
her consciousness. She must not
faint—if this was fainting. She
must keep her senses and guard
her precious shoes. If one of
those should fall off while site
was uneouscious all would be un
done.
Continued next week.
Although the cost of living Is stll
going up in Home and milk, meat. fish. ,
butter, an! bread oil cost more than |
they did during the summer, figure;
1 iely published by the Commune r»; !
li):ne show that the pro-perit\ of tn
p ople is steadily Increasing, onU
t'ie Homans eat and drink *;•
f.muae themselves more in 1 J1
they did In
WOOD FAMINE SURELY AHEAD
Measures That Alone Could Have Pre
vented Have Been Too Long
Delayed, Says Expert.
The cost of wood may fluctuate, but
the general direction of the prices for
wood products is bound to rise, atid
the movement will gain tremendous
, impetus a few years lienee. There is
' going to be a wood famine in tills
country and little can be done to pre
vent it. We have procrastinated too
long. Much can he done, however, to
alleviate and shorten its duration.
Forest protection Is one of the prophy
lactics. Out of 822,000,000 acres of.
virgin forests we have 187,000,000 left.
We are cutting this remainder at the
rate of 5,500,000 acres yearly. In
25 to 80 years our supply of virgin
timber will he exhausted. This hiatus
will continue until trees can he grown.
In five years ending 1920 there were
JOO.OOO forest fires in the United States
whien did damage amounting to more
than $8.1,000,000. Forest fires have
caused on annual loss of about 70 hu
man lives, to say nothing of stocks,
crops, buildings and improvements.—
G. A. Wldpple in the Thrift Magazine.
SHE DYED A SWEATER,
SKIRT AND CHILD’S COAT
Each package of “Diamond Dyes” con
tains directions so simple any woman can
dye or tint her worn, shabby dresses,
skirts, waists, coats, stockings, sweaters,
coverings, draperies, hangings, everything,
even if she has never dyed before. Buy
“Diamond Dyes”—no other kind—then
perfect home dyeing is sure because Dia
mond Dyes are guaranteed not to spot,
fade, streak, or run. Tell your druggist
whether the material you wish to dye is
wool or silk, or whether it is linen, cotton
or mixed goods.—advertisement.
The Engine’s Ears.
Mr. Smith was n commercial trav
eler. and only came home at long in
tervals. On one of these lie was tell
ing his five-year-old son all about his
wanderings. “And then I came home.”
lie finished.
“And did you oonw home in a train,
daddy?” asked Johnny.
“Yes, sonny.”
“And did you see the enrs of the
engine?"
“Of course not,” laughed Dadt .,.
"Engines don't have ears.”
“Oh, yes they do!” persisted the
small hoy. “Haven't you ever heard
of the 'engineers, dtuldy?”—London
Tit-Bits.
Bath Night.
1'at was helping the gardener on n
gentleman's place and. observing a
shallow stone basin containing water,
he Inquired what It-was for.
“That," said the gardener, “is a bird
bath.”
“Don't be foolin' me,” grinned Pat.
“What is it?”
"A bird batli, I tell you. Wlty do
you doubt it?”
“Because I don’t belave there’s a
burn! alive than can tell Saturday
night from anny other."—Boston
Transcript.
Makes a Discovery.
A four-year-old boy visiting In Co
lumbus last week had lmd but little
experience in the country, having
lived all of his life in a large city.
His knowledge of plants was limited
to those lie lmd seen In parks and in
the very small yards in city homes.
He wus driving in the country with
relatives, and the machine passed a
field overrun with foxtail, a tall grass
with a brushlike tip. The youngster
regarded the grass with bulging eyes,
and finally he cried, excitedly, “Oh,
mother, mother, here is the place where
tlie vooly worms grow.”—Indianapolis
News.
His Honor’s Little Jest.
“What’s the charge, officer?”
“Reciting ‘Curfew Shall Not Ring
Tonight,’ your honor.”
“That isn’t against the law, I'm sor
ry to say.”
“But he had one arm around the
neck of a drayman's horse and was
reciting the piece to tiie poor brute.”
"Umph I This case should be prose
cuted by the Society for the Preven
tion of Cruelty to Animals.”—Birming
ham Age-IIernlJ.
SHOULD HAVE SHONE AT THAT
Tragedian's Visitor Evidently Designed
by Nature to Teach th£ Art
of Elocution.
James K. Hackett, who played
Shakespeare very successfully during
the Paris season by invitation of the
French government, told a story at a
luncheon.
“Once after a performance of Mac
beth,’’ he said, “a card was brought
in to me, and 1 consented to see its
owner, though he was a stranger.
“Well, the man came In pompously
enough. He was elderly and he was
atllicted with a bad stutter. He
w-wanted to k-know, however, if I
hadn't a vacancy for him, as it was Ills
heart’s d-desire to be a great tragedian.
“Well, I said, of course, that I could
;h> nothing for him. So he took up his
hat, heaved a deep sign, and mur
mured :
“ ‘Then I’ll have to k-keep on t-teach*
ing elocution for the p-present.’”
Beginner’s Luck.
An ardent angler took a friend fish
ing. The friend knew nothing about
the gentle art, but was set up with all
flie necessary tackle, and a nice, com
fortable seat on the bank.
The experienced hand started fish
ing a few yards higher up the stream.
Presently the novice said: “How
much do those red things cost?’’
"I suppose you mean the flout?" said
the angler. “That only costs about
lu opence.”
“Well, I owe you twopence," said the
novice. “Thi> one you lent me has
sunk."—London Tit-Bits.
Attention.
The family was out of town, and the
house was left in charge of a young
housemaid. On opening the door the
lirst morning she found the charwom
in standing there, obviously angry.
“I've been ringing and ringing here
for half an hour,” she said. “Why
ever didn’t you come, sooner?”
“Oh! Was that you?” replied the
housemaid. “You kept on so regular
that I thought It was only the tele
phone.”—London Tit-Bits.
How’s Your Stomach?
Any Weakness or Distress ?
Red Cloud, Nebr.—“Some time ago I
wrote to Dr. Pierce’s Invalids’ Hotel for
his advice in regard to my stomach
trouble, which I was sure was neuralgia.
I began taking Dr. Pierce’s Golden
Medical Discovery along with the
‘Anuric Tablets’ and feel that I have
been greatly benefited by their use. I
had about given up when I wrote Dr.
Pierce — now I am feeling fine. I
have every faith in Dr. Pierce’s med
icine.”—Mrs. Dora Coleman.
If you need a building-up tome for
stomach and blood obtain Dr. Pierce’s
Golden Medical Discovery from your
nearest druggist, or write Dr. Pierce,
President Invalids’ Hotel in Buffalo,
N. Y., for free medical advice.
SIOUX CITY PTG. CO., NO. 47-1921.
morfiJirriK Ainui7u nunnLi »uwnMiuii; m™«u »»«
Spohn’s Distemper Compound
With the approach of winter horses are again more liable to
contract contagious disease—DISTEMPER, INFLUENZA,
COUGHS and COLDS. As a preventive against these, an occa
sional dose of **8POHN*«" Is marvelously effective. As a rem
edy for cases already suffering. ‘WOHN’S” is equally effective.
Give it as a preventive. Don’t wait. 60 cents and $1.20 per bottle
at drug stores.
Hl'OHN MEDICAL COMPANY GOSHEN, INDIANA
WESTERN CANADA
W^TgSslandof Prosperity ih
offer* to home seekers opportunities that cannot
Mk be secured elsewhere. The thousands of farmers ff :
1 ^ ' . - from the United States who have accepted Can- g
9 ada’s generous offer to settle on FREE homesteads
£«&■* 9 or buy farm land in ber provinces have been well j
-/ij ■ repaid by bountiful crops. There is still avail
■Stffi? ^ ■ able on easy terms
1 Fertile Land al $15 to $30 an Acre
‘•-% M —land similar to that which through many years
\9lv\*?V‘ ’.*.*** has yielded from 20 to 45 bushel*of wheat
• • M;'*’' MI/ to the acre—oats, barley and flax also in great
— JmfV* abundance, while raising horses, cattle, sheep -
\and hogs is equally profitable. Hundreds of farm*
W\]\ ifnliiii 'era in western Canada have raised crops m a ^
v 'I.P/vf '/ single season worth more than the whole cost of
fg\JU IwXllI/ their lard. With such success comes prospwty.
x Independence, good homes and all the comforts
v and conveniences which make life worth livmg.
v\ Farm Gardens, Poultry, Dairying
: lUiSiW&r^- are sources of income second only to grain \^W/
H>. m growing and stock raising. Attractive ch- otB
1 r feiIgRBVnLx m mate, good neighbors, churches*, schools,
fjplg^y 0/ y 9 good markets, railroad facitities, niral tele- Imftx
fc -. 9 For UlaVtrated liUrmtanv description of farm 'sJmSjJ
Ktffci [M jrffjjBf
V>-~ • t _ 1 Ml Bnnr 117. W.Htrten. SmUi
" 7. IdkdM. Hewn «, Sec tide 0<rah«, «•&..
HEarerT ’f/Jn/sS MdS.A.04n»lt,l11 JaskscnSI.SI rul.Wu.
iLMlWfi8^\VA8isf>lrAF^3P a.ii>oh«.j a,,m. om. or i^mipniM W/ilVfi 9
l™ll 1 “ilTW Wit' .«A ColoolLtUn, Dominion of C.n.d. *