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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (May 3, 1923)
,IJ The Princess Dehra BY JOHN BE2D SCOTT. CofiyTlrtt. 1*0#, by John R«c« Soott __ ---: '"You go too far with your facts, dear,” she said; ‘‘I, too, thought that every inch of the king’s suite had been searched, but I’ve changed my mind; it hasn’t been—-if it had, we would have found the laws.”—She gave a cry and sprang up. ‘‘The box, Armandi the box! the book’* in it” He looked at her in amaze ment. “The box was empty,” he Wud. “Yes—was! was! Jaut is not now! When did you look ui it lastt” “At the council.” ‘"Exactly—so did T—and Adolph brought it to ms, lid down and ‘locked’, he said. Oh, I see it all now:—it wasn’t locked, and he put the book back in it, and told Lotzen, and Lot fcen killed him—and then, when he came for the book, he found the combination changed—you did it, you know—and as long as Moore was in the suite he could toot break the vault; so he lures ua all away: if he can kill you, he will be king and can get the book at his leisure; if he fail, as he has done, then it’s the laws before we return.” She flung her arms around his neck. “Don’t tell me I’m mistaken, Arinand! don’t tell me I’m mistaken!” He held her off, and looked at her in wondering admiration. r v ■ hi i • t i i x vu wuiimu i lie wciiu, uii faith, and intuition, and loyalty beyond the stars! No, Dehra, I will not say you are mistaken! I do not know ; we will test it. We Will go straight, to the palace— you and T, without a word as to our purpose—and we will open the vault, and the box—and if the laws are in it, yours be the fclory.” “And yours the crown!” she oried, and kissed his hand. Then the train ran into the Station and stopped, and the archduke stepped out and gave bis hand to the princess. The platform was empty save for Count Epping. “Your royal highness will pardon the informality of your reception,” the prime minister ■aid, when the greetings were over; “1 assumed you did not want Lot sen to know of your comipg; I even waited until 9 o’clock to call the council;— and I did not notify him, and so Warn him that we had penetrat ed h is disguise.” “Where is he now?” the prin cess asked. “At Ferida Palace—he went •there last night and has not left it since.” “J think I want him at the tso\Hnul,” she said; “Colonel &loore, will you and Colonel &ernheim please go and summon &*■»; then follow us at once; and <lo you, my dear count, come to **e as soon as the ministers have assembled.” The brougham flashed away, and the archduke drew down the blinds. Dehra gave a satisfied little ■igh aud sank back in the cor ner. “We seem to have beaten him,” she said; “we ihall have Die first look into the box.” Arm&nd put his arm around ber, and drew the fair head to bis shoulder. * 1 have already beaten him, he said—-“we fought first, for i little girl. A fig for the j and the book and the crown!” At the gate of the park the princess signaled to halt, and Raised the blind. ■** Who of the royal council have WTrivedt” she asked the officer on duty. "His royal highness the Dijkc •t JLwtzeu, General Du-”ihe Hot no further. <rTo my private entrance! vpiick, quick!” she called, and the carriage shot away. "“What does it meant” she de manded; “Epping said Lotzen had not left ** Ferida.” “It me*- at you have Solved th' »w.e. Lotzen has wot come the council, he does wot even know of it; he has come for the book.” They drew up at the door, the Wrchduke opened it with Debra’s hey, and they dashed up stairs. She snatched a master-key from w drawer of her writing table, Wad they crossed the corridor and mitered the king’s suite through the small reception room, be tween which and the library lay W cabinet and a bedroom. Aft they • entered the latter, treading cautiously, they heard the Duke of Lotzen’s voice in the library, the door of which stood ajar. “It’s a pity to break it,” he was saying, “but-” and there was a‘snap and crack. Under the archduke’s hand the door, opened noiselessly, and through the narrow rift, between the hangings, they could see within. The duke, no longer disguised but wearing the undress uniform of his rank, was standing at the large desk; beside him an offi cer in a long cape and a cuiras sier helmet; and before him the big, black box of the laws. lie had just forced the lock; now he laid back the lid, and took out the book. “We win, duchess!” he said, “we win! thanks to your mar vellous fingers and quick brain,” and lifiting the helmet from Madeline Spencer’s high piled hair, he kissed her ardently. “Not so, cousin!” said the princess, flinging aside the cur ain, “you lose—it is we who win.” For a moment the duke stood staring, too amazed to speak, and Mrs. Spencer, with a sharp cry, fled to his side; then, as he saw the end of his dream, the passing of his hopes, the fierce and fiery spirit, that was always burning deep in his soul, burst through the gyves of studied equanimity his stern will had im posed. Not yet!” he cried, “not yeti” and turning quickly he tossed the book into the big chim ney behind him where a wood fire burned. “Come on!” he taunted, flash ing out his sword, “come on, cousin Armand !—there’s your crown, come get it!” “Look to the book, Dehra!” the archduke called, and sprang at Liotzen, with a joyful smile. “At last!” he said, and the fight began. “Push the book farther into the fire, Madeline!” the duke or dered, the words timed to the beat of the steel. Dropping her cape Mrs. Spen cer, with the easy hand of a practiced fencer, whipped out the sword she was wearing, in her disguise as an officer, and was speeding to obey, when Dehra caught up one of Colonel Moore’s swords from the corner and rushed upon her. “Guard yourself, duchess!” Lotzen cried; and she swung around just in time to throw herself between the princess and the fireplace. Instantly their blades rang together. The archduke heard, and out of the side of his eye he saw, and his brow wrinkled in anxie ty. Spencer was no novice; she, too, he knew, had learned the gentle art of the foils in her youth, and under French maitres, and she was not to be despised even by one so skilful as the regent. He had little doubt that he could kill the duke, but what profit in it if Dehra died. He hesitated to speak, it might disconcert her, and yet he must warn her. “Watah her play in tierce,” he said, in the most casual tone; and almost shouted for joy, when he heard Dehra’s little laugh, and her voice calm and easy. Thank you. Armand! But it very nearly cost him his own life, for in trying to catch a glimpse of her he had loosed his eye-grip, and Lotzen’s point shot out viciously, and only a lucky swing aside sent it scrap ing along the skin instead of through the neck. “Kather dose, cousin!” he re marked. ‘‘The next will be closer,” said the duke softly. “Mean while, the book burns.” But the archduke did not fall into the trap, and loose the eye grip a second time. “Let it burn!” he answered, “I’d rather kill you than save it—but I will do both.” “If you can, cousin! if you can—•” and the swords rang on. And the duke was right—the book was burniug, slowly, but burning none the less. His throw had been a trifle short, and in stead of being in the heart of the lire it jjjas on the outer edge, where the coals were not so glow ing. There the leather and Metal cover had protected it for a short while, but now the tiny flames were crawling along the edges, shooting up quick pendjt of light that flared ever higher and more frequent. And Dehra caught the gleam when it flashed the brightest, and in a fury of desire she drove at Madeline Spencer. Hitherto she had aimed only to disarm her, now it was the book at any price. But the American woman’s de fense was still impenetrable; de fense was her forte—trick, feint, attack, she knew every one, and always her sword blocked them or turned them aside. But there she had stopped; never once had she herself assumed the offen sive. She would take no chance of killing the regent; and she had soon discovered the regent was not aiming to kill her. But now she felt the change, and she knew that it was a matter of only a lit tle while until she would have to yield or be aped. She could hear Lotzen and the archduke, at the other end of"the room, still fighting as fiercely as at the be ginning ;—the taunting laugh; the quip given, and returned; the crash of a chair as one of them kicked it away; but all she saw was the flitting steel before, her, and the princess' glowing eyes. Of a sudden there came a burst of voices, the door toward the council chamber was dashed open, and Count Epping rushed in, and all the ministers behind him. Madeline Spencer drew back and lowered her sword; the prin cess sprang to the fire-place and rescued the book, smothering the flames with the hearth rug; but Lotzen ground out an otath and flung himself with fresh fierce ness at the archduke. (To Be Continued Next Week.) ♦444444444444444-4-44 4 * FREEDOM. (4 4 - ■ 4 4 London Times. 4 4 Freedom has Its own laws. It 4 4 may call us to rebel against cus- 4 4 tom and prove ourselves intract- 4 4 able to convention, $}Ut It Imposes 4 4 Its own commandments. There 4 4 Is the perfect law of liberty, and 4 4 men must obey It If they would 4 4 be free. That law comes to Its 4 4 fruition In fellowship with others 4 4 and with God. Men cannot at- 4 4 tain freedom In solitude. Liberty 4 4 must be shared. lie who resents 4 4 the claims of his fellow-men on 4 4 his time, his money, his effort. In 4 4 the desire to be free from all de- 4 4 mands but those of his own wishes 4 4 and Interests, finds himself held 4 4 captive within the narrow prison 4 4 house of his own selfishness. In 4 4 the effort to be free from duty's 4 4 claim, he has been sold to the 4 4 galling and degrading servitude of 4 4 self. 4 4- 4 44444444444444444+4 Record Sallflsh Catch. From the Key West Citizen. The largest sallflsh to be caught in Florida waters this season, was captured yesterday at the edge of the Gulf stream about five miles from this city by Cap tains Fred and Paul Demerltt of this city. The captured fish weighed 91 pounds and measured 7 feet, 9 Inches. Walksrevsr. From the Los Angeles Times. Bishop Rodman Armstrong said In a Washington address: "The party system la perhaps inevit able. Not so a mean and rancorous party spirit. "A mean and rancorous partisan saw a policeman of the opposite party con scientiously pacing his beat in the small hours of the night. " 'Look at that somnambulist.' snarled the partisan. ‘I'll have him fired'." Pulling Himself Together. As usual. Rastus Jefferson couldn’t find his clothes and was pestering his mother as to their whereabouts. Finally his Sunday attire was complete except for shoes and stockings. “Ma," he whim pered, “does you all know where raah shoes and stocking am?” ''Rastus,'' said his mother with a deadly calm, "yo' Is the goodfemothlngest chile I ever seen. Yo' shoes am In de kitchen and yo stockln's Is undah de bed and yo’ fest am on yo'. Now see If you all can min gle them." The postmaster at Blackwell, Okla., holds the record of champion twine saver among the government's thou sands of postal workers, who have been cautioned to cut down requisitions by using over again the string with which Incoming mail is wrapped. Tower City, Pa., put up the record that it had re quisitioned no twine in seven years, and this was pished aside by several others, among them being Marshallvllle, Ga.. which carried It to 30 years. Now comes the Oklahoma postmaster who says elerks, carriers and charwomen work continually and are experts at winding up retied twine, and that they are the twine-tylngest bunch In the United States. •n. moMiiuvr vi i te roresirjr service states that near Champaign. ID., there exists an Isolated oak grove, about three miles long by one mile broad, and that this is indeed a peculiar phenonvmon. It is known as Burr Oak grove and Is surrounded on all sides by open prairie, being situated at a considerable dis tance from the nearest stream, whereas all the other forest tracts In central Illi nois lie along the larger water ooursee. It Is believed from the character' of the trees In the grove that It “mi grated" Into its position from the north east. It lies on a large glacial moraine, formerly, it la believed, covered with similar trees, and has been protected from forest fires, which have destroyed the remainder of the wooded area, by the water standing in the low grounds scattered throughout the grove. Today the most sought after things ®f monoy value in Europe are American bills. Nearly every outgoing ship, for north European ports says a report from New York, carries American paper money most of It being $1, $2, $5 and $10 bills. In Btrlln a premium of 65 per cent, is being paid for American bank notes over what is given for a New York draft. Workmen are carrying out repairs to the masonry at the very summit of Big Ben. the great Westminster clock tower in London, which is more than 300 feet high. A large Tudor rose recently fell from the highest point of the spire, and to reach the spot it was necessary to erect a scaffold 100 feet above the high est gallery. It was then found that five other roses were loose, and these have been taken down, repaired and reflxed. TAFT'S ANNUITY OF $10,000 IS TARGET Socialists Demand Impeach ment or Resignation From High Bench. Chicago, April 30 (A. P.)—The na tional executive committee of the so cialist party announced today that it had adopted resolutions urging the resignation or impeachment of Wil liam Howard Taft, chief justice of the United States, because of his con tinued acceptance of a $10,000 annuity from the late Andrew Carnegie. "Said William Howard Taft has continued to accept said annuity since his appointment to the supreme court of the United States,” said the reso lution, "and tne acceptance of this annuity coming indirectly from the steel trust, the most powerful and predatory corporation in the United States, is not only unethical but a menace to the integrity of our courts and detrimental to the best interests of the American people.” The seolution concluded with a de mand "that congress take steps to secure his resignation or impeach ment.” WEIflTvISK • i j Evidence Points to Murder of Retired Attorney, Distant Relative of Abraham Lincoln. Universal Service. Aurora, 111., April 30.—Warren J. Lincoln, retired attorney and distant relative of Abraham Lincoln, is be lieved to have been mysteriously , slain and the body hidden. Evidence of the crime was revealed early Mon day when the Lincoln cottage was found deserted. After 15 hours of investigation, here is what the authorities learned: Mr. Lincoln retired Sunday night. His bed was empty Monday morning, the room in disorder and there were indications that a body had been dragged through the bedroom win dow. An Indian club, the probable in strument of death, was found in a green house, 300 feet from the house. A whisky bottle wTas near the club, both bloodstained. Find Nightshirt, Glove. Mr. Lincoln's nightshirt, his night cap and a woman’s glove, tied in a bundle, were fished from an old cis tern. Mr. Lincoln had separated from his wife and brought suit for a divorce a month ago. Three persons were being sought by the authorities Monday night. They are: Mrs. Lina Lincoln, the estranged wife. Byron Shoup, her brother. A “sandy haired stranger” seetj lurking around the green house. Death Threats Reported. Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln were married in 1912, and according to neighbors, had quarreled frequently during the last few years. They separated last January. Mrs. Lincoln is said to have threatened her husband with death if he sued for divorce. He filed a suit a month ago charging cruelty. Byron Shoup, her brother, had made his home with the couple and is said to have threatened to “beat him up” if Mr. Lincoln sued for divorce. The "sandy haired stranger” was brought into the case after John Lincoln, 20 years old, a son of Mr. Lincoln by a previous marriage, was taken into custody in Chicago lata Monday. He is said to have told the authorities about the stranger having been seen at the green house. Brother Discovers Crime. Mr. Lincoln established the green house in partnership with his broth er, Edward, after he quit practicing law several years ago. It was Edward Lincoln, wrho discovered the crime and notified the police. The woman’s glove found in the cistern was identified by Marie Kine, a neighbor girl, who had taken care of the house for Mr. Lincoln. S>he had left it in the cottage when she quit work Saturday night, she said. RUSSIA DEMANDS SEAT AT LAUSANNE GATHERING Lausanne, April 30 (A. P.)—An of , Octal protest against "Russia being arbitrarily kept out of the conference'’ was sent to the Near East peace con ference today by M. Verovsky, the soviet representative here. He de clared such a decision was indirect violaticfh of the terms of the invita tion sent to Russia by Great Britain, France and Italy, preceding the first Lausanne conference on November 14. 1922. Verovsky in his protest says Rus sia cannot accept the ultimatum of the conference that she must sign the convention fixing the status of the Turkish straits before being ad mitted to tjie conference. SETTLEMENT SATURDAY. Washington, April 30.—The United States and Great Britain will reach a final agreement on the debt settle ment at a conference here Saturday, Secretary of the Treasury Mellon in dicated Monday. JAPS SEND DELEGATES. Tokio, April 30 (A. P.)—The Japan league of peace has decided to send five representatives to the Interna tional Educational conference which will be held in Oakland, Cal., from June 27 to July 6. Recent action by London music hall managers in placing a ban on colored jazz orchestras from the United States should help relieve the shortage of negro cotton field workers In the southern states. IN DEFENCE OF THE TRUTH By the Rev. H. C. Hengell, Ph. D. Reprinted, from the CapiUil Times of Madison, JFis. In the past I have often urged, in written articles and lectures, the sym pathetic consideration of justice to the worker. The conviction lias been growing upon me recently that the whole institution of private capital is becoming unjustly discredited in the mind of the public in general and of employees in particular by the unfair propaganda of many prominent self styled “progressive” politicians whose aim is to ride into power by heading an agitation to nationalize the rail roads and other big Industries of thq country. Not only private capital, but labor as well, that is to say, the whole nation, is in need of friends and de fenders against these unscrupulous agi* tators, among whom are even a few United States senators. These agitators deceive the people both by flattery and by partly igno rant and partly dishonest misrepresen tation of facts. They flatter the dear people by pre tending to work for the operation of the railroads, the mines and other big industries by the people themselves. That seems to imply the extension of more and more power to the people. It Is called “progressive.” The progressive politicians tender' rafher dubious flattery to the people, however, in assuming that the latter do not perceive that the transfer of ndustry from private owners to the public really means the management )f industry by the politicians. Private capitalists have their faults, but they are paragons of efficiency in serving the public compared to the majority of politicians. The latter are too lazy t>r incompetent to care properly for the streets and alleys of a small city like Madison. . . . i’utmc ownership and operation of the railroads and of other big indus tries would Indeed be a calamity in America, where professional politicians are grounded in a tradition of graft and incompetency. If the politicians )f today, given authority and a man late from the people, are so grossly incompetent In the business of gov ernment that they cannot keep the streets and alleys in proper order, how can they be expected to manage competently and economically the greatest highways of the country, the railroade? It is not really a question of public or private ownership of the railroads, but of public or private man agement of the railroads. Under pub lic ownership and operation the poli ticians would do the managing, or rather mismanaging, and the public would be compelled to pay for the economic waste incurred by men who traditionally do not know or care enough about business to run a peanut stand successfully. The senatorial and other demagogs 'll our American political life who are ioveting their neighbor’s goods, are not only attempting to flatter the peo ple into the extravagance of public twnership, but they are deliberately misrepresenting the facts regarding the railroads and other big industries. Many of them are shameless liars in their propaganda for a socialism in which they hope to be dictators and bosses. A few examples of such lying will suffice to justify ray rather blunt statement. We are constantly told that the Esch-Cummins act “guarantees” the railroads a return of 5% per cent per annum. Since August 31, 1920, there has been no guaranteed return of any per cent to any railroad In the coun try. If, in the face of constant gov ernmental regulation and revision of rates and wages any railroad is so marvelously well managed as to be able to show a net return of 5% per cent with which to pay interest on Its bonds, etc., it is, under the Esch-Cum mins act, entitled to the 5% per cent, but no more, no matter how efficiently it may be managed. Thus, while the Esch-Cummins act‘limits the possible net earnings of the railroads to a maximum of 5% per cent, it no more guarantees anything to the railroads than the Volstead law guarantees one half of one per cent alcohol to the users of near beer. We are further told that the rail road stocks are largely “water” and that the poor, long-suffering public Is expected to guarantee 5% per cent return to this “water.” This charge is also false. The physical valuation, without ref erence to stocks or bonds (capitaliza tion), made under the LaFollette valua tion law of 1913, plus actual-cash in vestments made since, less deprecia tion, is .greater than their capitaliza tion by millions of dollars. In other words, there is no room for the al leged “water” in the railroads even under the Eighteenth amendment. It may be true that shady deals in over-capitalization (watering) of rail road securities may be proved in some notorious instances, but these cases should be specifically named and con demned without Involving all the rail roads. It is unjust to make sweep ing generalization preparing to depreci ate the value of railroad securities to the value of German marks, a process which amounts to ruthless confiscation of the property of railroad stock and bond holders. Russian sovietism goes no further than this. A further lie against the railroads that (deserves to be nailed is the charge of excessive freight rates, of rates so high as to rob the farmer and other producers and the consumer aimu, Records show that the average freight rates on western railroads are only about 40 per cent higher than they were seven years ago, while wages are 80 per cent; taxes 90 per cent; fuel 100 per cent higher than they were at that time. Stories of freight rates higher than the total price re ceived for wheat, etc., are pure bun combe. In January, 1923, wheat was $1.25 a bushel at Minneapolis, that Is, 40 cents higher than In 1913. The freight rate from points as far as South Dakota wras only four to five cents higher than In 1913. I hold no brief for the railroads or for any other industry, but I love fair play and detest unfair propar gartda. I am a Catholic priest, but 1 write neither as a priest nor as a Catholic, but as an American Citi zen who mews with alarm the crea tion of prejudice and flass hatred by men and organizations, not rec ognized as socialists or communists, butimbuedwith the same destructive philosophy, and pursuing the same ruthless methods. Ignorant or ma licious, they are endangering Amer ican ideals of freedom of opportunity in favor of the servile state in which citizens in business as well as poli tics, will be the prey of scheming politicians.—A dvertisem ent. Yeast Foam ssxis* What a girl learns about oven temper ature when baking bread is valuable when it comes to baking cakes, pies, meats, fish, etc. Send for free booklet "The Art of Baking Bread” . Northwestern Yeast Co. 1730 North Ashland Ave. Chicago, UL Come One! Come All! V/ A 'wr and keep it up — Make Your Town Spotless % Town