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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1904)
■agLE. ■XMftjW'BHUBMKgWBBWBgBinBBIWEaBr —" '--MtM—grS ] THE FATAL REQUEST || jj OR FOUND OUT I I By A. L. Hurrl* Author of "Mino Own Familiar Friend,” ate. Copyright, 1991, by C a > n e l l t'ubiiehing Company. ij Copyright, l » o x , bystreet «t Smith. ; CHAPTER XVIII.—Continued. "Wait a bit." was the impetuous answer, "there is more to come still." He told him about the visit to th3 detective, and the detective's opinion 1 of the matter. Then, with a little hesi tation in his manner, he related his strange experience on the night of his return: the voice which he heard tell ing him where to loo!;, and the discos- j cry of the photograph in the very : place indicated. Having reached this | point in his narrative he paused to ■ judge of the effect it had produced ! upon his hearer. Dr. Cartwright said nothing, and i Ted went on to tell how the imperfect ! copy of the letter, which he had made | himself from the remains of the original, had been completed and filled up in another hand. The doctor withdrew himself Into ambush, as it were, behind his spec tacles. Then he opened his mouth— “A remarkable co-” “No, hang it all!” was the interrup tion; “don't let 113 have any more coincidences: I'm sick of the very sound of the word. Call it anything you like but that." Dr. Cartwright shook his head. "But what else could it be? My profession al opinion"—in quite another tone of voice—"is. that the sooner you hand this room over to the housemaid the better. Meanwhile, suppose you show me the original document that was burnt ?” The young man produced it front the same secret hiding place as before, and laid it out before him without a i word. There was silence for some moments, which was only broken by ♦he sound of the doctor’s voice, as he repeated the words to himself, as he succeeded in deciphering them. At ine end of five minutes he gave it up. "It's of no use puzzling my brains u '.hl a. u .u, i .■Mi—wwiwniria miiiwhiiii —ii^ time, there is an explanation pos sible." “And that is?" “That in your sleep this arrange ment suggested itself to your mind so forcibly, that you were able to retain the impression on waking, and, what you thought you read with your out ward eyes was. in actual fact, only visible to those of your imagination.” The young man gave an impatient sigh. “Have it your own way. Of course l can't expect you to accept my statement as the truth." "My dear fellow!” said the doctor. Let us both agree to maintain our own without seeking to disturb the other’s opinion. But. for all that, I should like, if you have no objection, to sub mit the origin of this discussion to two tests, and, if you have a micro scope anywhere about the premises and can also procure a lamp, as there is no fire in the grate, we can pro ceed with the investigation at once.” Both articles were forthcoming with very little delay. The doctor examined the blank spaces on the paper carefully through the microscope, then shook his head. "There is no sign of any writing but your own. I suppose you will stick to your original opinion in spite of this?” “1 do.” was the answer, given most emphatically. ”1 thought you would,” answered his friend. “I suppose that now you have told me all there is to be told?” He rose from his chair. “Keep your seat,” said the young man; "I have not done with you yet. First, give me your pledge of secrecy.” The doctor, somewhat puzzled, gave his promise. “Now,” said Ted, "where is the morning paper?" “I left it in the other room. Do l" " ' ' ^HitmMM “No sign of any writing but your own.” and injuring my eyesight over this any longer. Let me see your copy of the letter—that mysterious copy which the ghostly hand filled in for you. I suppose you have kept it under lock and key ever since?” I have done better than that,” was the answer. ‘T have carried it about my person ever since.” i ‘ I suppose you have some specimens f,’ of your late father’s handwriting that may compare it with?” jBk His friend put his hand to his breast Jacket and produced an envelope. •JB’This is it,” he said. ”As to rom ^laring it with any other writing, it happens that, without noticing it. I made the copy upon the back of a sheet of paper upon which my father had written the first words of a letter —a letter, which, for some reason or another, was never finished.” The doctor took the envelope which k was fastened down, opened it and T drew ou't the lnclosure. As he held it, * the other man could see on ihe outer page the date, “April 23d," and the words, “My dear—” He watched the doctor's face. He saw Its expression change from interest to bewilderment, and felt that he was triumphing over the scepticism which had possessed his friend at the outset. “You notice the difference in the two handwritings in which the copy is made?' he asked. “You observe that part of a sentence is written in one and the rest in an other?" “Well, I can’t quite say that I do,” was the unexpected reply. “What do you mean?" “Why, it’s plain enough. Ixtok here!” The doctor held the sheet of paper out toward him. He saw the broken, incoherent sen tences which he had himself written. He saw and recognized his own hand writing. The other had disappeared. 4f, CHAPTER XIX. Dr. Jeremiah Is Astonished. For a moment there Was a dead silence. Then the young man. still holding the sheet of paper in his hand, dropped into the nearest chair, and the same words fell from his lips which he had uttered before under somewhat similar circumstances—“Am I going | mad?” “Not at all.” was the cheerful re sponse. “Don't you see?" he went on. clapping him on the back. "You dreamt it; that was all.” The other raised a haggard face toward him. “But how about the writ ing which I saw, and ol which, even though it has now mysteriously disap . < peared, I can recall every word.” m "It certainly is very strange," said ^Dr. Cartwright. "But, at the same I I yon want it?” "Yes. I’ll get It,” he replied, and quitted the room. "Read that advertisement, doctor." he sa'il, when he returned, and he handed the paper to the physician. Dr. Cartwright read blindly through a small announcement among the “Situations Vacant.” and then looked wonderingly up at the young ni l. “I’m going to apply,” said Ted. “What!” gasped the doctor. “You mean to say that you're going to trick yourself out as a servant on the off chance of locating your father's mur derer. Why, you're mad, sir, mad. Here, let me read the thing again: ‘Man-servant wanted at once. Apply j personally. .J. Ferrers. Belmont j House, Hampstead.' ” “Ferrers.” broke in Ted, impulsive ly. "That name of all names. There can be no mistake. I tell you I'm going to apply for that situation, and so get a chance to study the man.” “Very well,” said Dr. Cartwright, after a pause. "Go ahead with your plan, and I'll help you all I can. I'll explain that business has made it nec essary for you to leave home for a time.” With Ted, to think was to act. and he wasted no time in shaving off his mustache and repairing to Belmont House. He created such a favorable impression that he was at once in stalled in his new position under the assumed name of Edwards. He was not able to discover anything for many days. Mr. Ferrers kept his room for the most part, and was care ful to lock the door when he left for ; even the shortest lime. With great difficulty. Ted—or Edwards, as we 1 must now call him—got. an impression I of the lock and had a key made, but could yet find no opportunity to use it. But one tremendous discovery "Ed wards," the man-servant, made, and one which he had not anticipated. When his eyes fell on Agnes Ferrers, the pretty daughter of the man he was tracking down, his heart was no | longer in his keeping. He had first | seen pretty Agnes Ferrers in the ! Royal Academy, and the smile she had I then given him for returning a drop j ped program had set his pulses throb 1 blng and stamped her image on his so'.il. Now, by a strange caprice of fate, he was brought irto touch with her again, but they were not on equal footing now. She was mistress, he was a servant—nay. more, a spy.” Besides, had he not sworn to avenge his father's murder. The situation was torture. "It. cannot he." he groaned. "I may not—I must not love her. 1 have my mission." But, try as he would, he could not altogether hide I1I3 affection. His eyes followed Agnes about, and if she did not notice it, there was one other who did. Tills was Perkins, the house keeper. who hud ever been suspicions of “the young man.'1 Not for a mo ment did she allow him to escape her pert scrutiny, and he was often handi capped in his task by her prying eyes. He dared not make any prolonged search, for Perkins would have had him denounced as a thief, and ho should probably have been dismissed. Then came a break in his attempt to unravel the mystery. His mother was taken seriously ill, and he hastened home, only in time to hear her dying message. When the funeral had con cluded ho returned to his task, leav ing his sister in L)r. Cartwright's care. CHAPTER XX. Extracts from a Young Man's Diary. “I find my self-imposed task harder and more torturing to my feelings than ever. Heaven knows how I am to muster strength and determination to carry it through. As it is, 1 am torn by conflicting feelings; my reso lution varies a hundred limes a day. I only returned to my situation two days ago. I had fully determined in my own mind, before doing so, ihut the only way in which to remain mas ter of myself was to put myself, as far as possible, beyond the reach of temptation, by allowing myself to see as little of, and by holding no sort of communication whatever with, the en chantress, who has made havoc of my sternest and most justifiable resolu tions, and taken my heart and brain captive. "I returned to this house full of the resolution of keeping my plan and pur pose constantly before me—of remem bering whose son I was and whose daughter she is. And how long did I keep faith with myself? How long did I preserve this precious resolve inviolate? Only until she encountered me—quite unavoidably on my part— and, animated by some celestial sym pathy and divine impulse, sjK)ke to me of my mother, pitied my sad bereavement, ‘wished she could have done something, and even went so far as to say that she 'could sympathize with me, because she was half-orphaned herself!’ “‘Poor fellow!’ I heard her murmur to herself as she turned awrny. “‘Poor fellow!’ What title would she bestow upon me if she knew the truth—the truth, which must out sooner or later? Villain! Spy! Be trayer! "But I must not allow myself to think of this, for, if I do, I am lost. Let me employ my pen on some other and less distracting subject. "1 have made a discovery since my return—or. rather, it has been made for me. One of the first items of in formation worthy of notice, which I received from cook, who was appar ently bursting with that and a sense of her own added importance, in hav ing played such a prominent part in the affair, was 'Ixtr’! now, whatever do yon think, young man? Master's been and made 'is will, which I was the chief witness.’’ “This was a piece of news worth having. Why has he suddenly taken this step? What does he anticipate? Does be begin to fear man’s vengeance or God’s? Is he menaced by some mortal illness, the chances of which I have before contemplated, or does he mean to commit suicide and thus elude the just punishment which might await the discovery of his crime? (To he continued.) Wonderful Human Hand. The human hand is so beautifully formed, it has so fine a sensibility, that sensibility governs its motion so correctly, every effort of the will is answered so instantly, as if the hand itself were the seat of that will; its actions are so free, so powerful, and yet so delicate, that it seems to pos sess a quality instinct in itself, and we use it as we draw our breath each moment, unconsciously, and have lost all recollection of the feeble and ill directed efforts of its first exercise, by which it has been perfected, in the hand are twenty-nine bones, from the mechanism of which result strength, mobility and elasticity. On the length, strength, motion and mo bility of the thumb depends the power of the iiand. Without the fleshy ball of the thumb, the power of the fingers would avail nothing, and, accordingly, the large ball formed by the muscles of the thumb is the dis tinguishing character of the human hand. Italy’s King as a Sportsman. The King of Italy is devoted lo all outdoor sports, more especially ten nis, shooting, yachting, motoring and fishing. There is a story that once on returning from a very bad day's fishing, the King met. a poor man who had been very much more successful. The King stopped the man and asked for a light. The man noticed thal the fish the King was carrying were few in number and small, and, not recog ni/.ing the King, chaffed him on his had luck. “You might be the King." said the man. "with that little lot." "Why?" asked the King, slightly em barrassed. "Well," said the man. "everyone knows that he's all right as a King, but he's no sportsman." Spain Is Waking Up. A recent, report from Bilbao states, that there is a very strong possibility I of the import trade in nitrate of soda anti sulphate of ammonia for agricul ture purposes being considerably in ti-eased, owing to the efforts to im prove the methods of cultivation in Spain. About 4,000 tons of nitrate are used every year at Bilbao in the production of acids ami cS.-emical manure. ' Ki:-| ’ fcJwsv Lifts Othsk M&n , ! . itiL.---_^ia , It is not often that Mr. Fletcher buys a new hat two days In sueees sion. He wouldn’t have had to buy them this time if he had not been such a coward. At any rate, Mrs. Fletcher claims that was the reason, although Fletcher holds that he was guiltless of cowardice and that nine out of ten self-respecting men would have behaved just as he did. It all came about, as a result of Fletcher's New Year's resolution. The resolution was not really his, lmt his wife’s. She cut it out of a magazine and gave It to him to paste in his hat. Fletcher had just bought a new derby bat that day. and lie objected to de facing its crown. "But you can paste it on the inside," argued Mrs. Feltcher. 'Yes," said Fletcher. "That's where I think it will go if 1 paste it in at all. It .would bo rather conspicuous on the outside. But i don't want it anywhere. It won't do me any good to make a resolution. I'll break it right i.way. I always do." “But you really ought to try to keep this,” she urged. "Just read it and see what it is about." Fletcher took up the clipping she had laid on the table and read it aloud: "Resolved. That I will do all In my power the coming year to please my wife.” Mrs. Fletcher nodded encouraging ly. "Well,” said her husband presently. "I don’t see why you want to label me with that. It Isn’t in the least appro priate. I always try to please you. and. besides. I'd feel beastly uncom fortable going around with a copy book quotation of that kind stuck in my hat. Supposing my hat should blow off some time and give the fel lows a chance to see the clipping?” In the end, however. Fletcher's ar guments proved unavailing, and the resolution to promote domestic felic ity was pasted in the crown of his new derby hat. The day after his capitula tion was a bad one for hats. Mr. Fletcher’s derby came in for its share of buffeting. Twice it was lifted from his head and blown into the faces of passersby, who caughl It and returned it v. itli uncompMinentary remarks. The third time h was less fortunate. Fletcher was st» tiding on the rear platform of a Hrmdway car when a howling blast of wind made straight at him and sent his own hat. in com pany with two others, careening down the street. A small boy gave chase to the fugitive headgear. Two of the lints got the start of him and were sent whirling into the chaotic depths of a vacant lot. the third lodged in an angle of a board fence. The boy pick ed It up and ran after the car. A man who stood jammed against the railing reached out and took the hat. ! He hauled it in bottom side up. and in so doing read the New Year's resolu | t:on. "By George!" lie said, “one of you fellows must be kept in leading strings all right. Which one of you is it that is so ground down that you have to paste the badge of submission in your hat?” The three bare-headed men ex changed glances. “Not guilty," said the heavyweight blonde. "1 am not married.” Fletcher and the third man were left to settle it between them. The third man was shabby. He eyed the new derby longingly. Fletcher red dened and shuffled uneasily. The shabby man noticed the signs of con fusion and embraced his opportunity variantly. "It's mine." he said. Tiie shabby man left the ear at the next crossing. Fletcher watched him go with a kind of despair. He had paid $5 for the hat and its loss under such humiliating circumstances af flicted him sorely. Still, he had de nied it once, thus making reclamation impossible. Fletcher bought a second derby ex aetly like the first. He hoped thereby to deceive his wife and prevent her discovering the exchange, but she noticed the absence of the resolution, and by degrees wormed the whole story out of him. Then was when she called him a coward, but Fletcher maintains that there was no other way out of the difficulty with horor to himself and his sex.—New York Times, I The Man-Eating glam~ Bailors are proverbially fine romanc ers. One who recently returned from a voyage In the South Pacific tells tthis story of a narrow escape from death when caught In a living trap on one of the little islands there. "The ship," he said, "had stopped at the island fuj- water, and I was walk ing along the beach at low tide, look ing for shells and other sea curiosi ties. I reached a rock which at high ttide was under water and started to climb around it, without thought of danger and without paying much at tention to the surroundings. As I turned the corner of the rock I felt my foot slip on something soft; there was a snap, and the next instant I discovered that. 1 had carelessly walk ed into one of the great moilusks or sea clams, which are to be found at low tide along the coasts of those islands. "These clams are over three feet in diameter, and the muscles which hold their great shells together are like steel springs. When I stepped into the open dam the two shells shut up with a snap, imprisoning me as in a vise. The edges of the shell caught me above the knees, and at first I thought i would faint from the pain. Then I tried to push tlie shells open. I might as well have tried to pry open the doors of a locked Iron safe with my bare hands. "1 had a clasp knife, and, drawing this out, I attempted to cut the muscle which held the shells together. But 1 couldn’t quite reach It, and every lime I made a stab the shells would close tighter than ever. I have sailed the seas a good many years and been in bad places before but never one where things looked so hopeless as they did then. There was no use in calling for help, al though cf course, I did, for I had wan dered up the beach nearly a mile from where the rest were. "But what at first looked like my greatest peril proved my salvation In the end. The tide was coming In, and unless I could escape from this living trap l would be drowned. I thought. So I redoubled my efforts with the knife. They were useless. The tide kept creeping up. Then It Anally reached the part of the giant clam where was the muscle which contracts and expands the two shells. To my surprise and joy, when the water reached this muscle it relaxed, only a little, to he sure, but enough so that I could manage to pull out my leg. It was the tightest squeeze I was ever In. you may believe.” We all know' the clam-eatlng man, but this is the first hear l of a man eating clam.—New York Press. g " TT ■ - . The Rose Jar’s Scent --- 1 1 1 11 Just n subtle brenth of roses, just the faintest whiff of rose leaves. In the mistiness of twilight stealing softly l hi oiigh l h " room From the jar of olden ehinH that has held for years the. sweetness Of a ih ad and vanished summer and its delicate perfume. Oh, the wings of fancy flitter nnd the thoughts go trav'ling backward With a mingled pain and pleasure to Hie days of long ago. When tin roser> was tended by a maiden fair and holy Whom you si rved. as Jaeob I.aban, for a flaming Jacqueminot. You re member her llrst token w as a pale rose anel u white one. And you bowed as to some seraph as you took It from her grace. Truth the rose was cold, though lovely, but Its frost was some atoned for Ky the warmth of all the blush In the half-averted face. Her next token was a pink rose—some thing more than you had hoped for. Something less than l.ove demanded for his goblet's shining brim— Them you kiss' <1 the lady's fingers and you vowed yourself to patience As you kissed ih" lady's lingers that were very white' and slim. Then Hie best of all, the red one—oh, the flaming, velvet red one!— That she gave with such u trembling, such a fjulv'rlng little smile. Hut the eyes were straight and Hteadfnst and you knew through all the play ln*r That twas more than rose she gave you for your keeping all the while. Oh, the rose of velvet petals! Oh, the lovely, flaming June rose! Oh, the rose of ruby color, that Is like a human heart! Then you plucked the scarlet blossom of her lips, that love had opened. Oh, thp doulde-petaled flower thut her love had blown apart! Oh. the fragrance of the rose Jar. with Its dead and buried treasure! How II floats upon the stillness of the twilight of the room Till you seem to touch her fingers—till you almost seem to see her Coming toward you from the mystery, the silence and the gloom! Oh. the joys that, like the roses, blos somed brightly, blossomed bravely, Willie and pink and flame of scarlet, hut whose hiauty bright Is fled! Only now and then to greet you, with a message tender, coming Like the fragrant breath of perfume from the roses that are dead. —Waterbury American. The Four Leaved Shamrock. The New York Tribune thus re marks: “A shamrock Ir a trefoil. How can there be a Shamrock IV? Here iu this country when a gentle maiden plucks a "four leafed clover" she tucks it into her shoe and devout ly believes that the first man she walks with will be her future husband. Some men will never pass one of these specimens, because they believe they are “lucky.” It is barely possible that the shamrock, which is closely allied !o the clover family, has this same tendency to put forth an extra leaf oc casionally. That is for the botanists to answer. Hut it will certainly be no breach of scientific etiquette for Sir Thomas Mpton to send over a boat which will suggest the four-leaved clover, even though he may be going counter to the tradition of the Irish plant. He is certainly entitled to all the good luck running, and no one will blame him for stretching a point of fact just a trifle if he decides to build a new Shamrock. i ' t Tin Ore In tha Transvaal. It is reported from Johannesburg that a new and unexpected source of wealth has been discovered in the ter ritory of the late Boer republic. Near tin eastern border of the Transvaal, on the ledge of the Ipfty South African plateau, three valuable lodes of tin ore have been found, and the deposits am apparently so extensive that pre dictions are heard that the new colony may prove to be as ricli in tin and cop per as it is already known to he in gold. No chromos or cheap premiums, but a better quality and one-third more of Defiance Starch for the same price of other starches. American Apples in Germany. Last year witnessed a groat in crease in the imports of American ap ples into Germany. For the first eight months of 1902 the imports were 3,696 metric tons of 2.204 pounds each, against 214 tons and D43 tons during the mine months in 1902 and 1901. Of American dried fruit, baked and simply preserved, the German im ports for the same period were 25,251 tons, against 11,981 and 12.060 tons, respectively, in 1902 and 1901. PUTNAM FADELESS DYES color Silk, Wool and Cotton at. one boiling. Fatal British Climate and Cooking. The climate of England kills half the oppulalion. according to London Truth, the cooking kills the rest. Throughout (he world, wherever thero is the sun or a spring, there are Eng lish men and women endeavoring to repair their constitutions. The medi cine hill of the English people—to gether with its accompanying ex penses—is sufficiently large to support, a second-rate power and does mainly Btipporf many large and small towns on the Continent and elsewhere. The Wonderful ('mm Separator. Does Its work in thirty minutes and leaves less than 1 per cent butter fat. The price Is ridiculously low, accord ing to size, *2.75 to *«.00 each, and when you have one you would not part therewith for fifty times Us cost. JUST SEND THIS KOTICB with Go stamps for postage to the John A. Salzer Seed Co.. La Crosse. Wts.. and get their big catalog, fully describing this remarkable ('ream Separator, and hundreds of other tools and farm seed* used by the farmer. (W. N. U.) The easiest way to outwit a liar is to tell the truth. Story cf a Missionary. A capital story has been told by an American missionary who lias just arrived in London from Korea. The difficulty in learning the language of that country is increased eaurmnusly owing to the large number ol words which, with a slight Inflection of tbo voice, are used over and over again with an entirely different meaning. The missionary in question was preaching to some natives, and assur ing them that unless they repented they would go to a place of punish ment. Amazement rather than terror was written on the faces of his ori ental listeners. Why on earth, if they rejected, his advice and refused to repent, should they be dispatched— to the local postofflee! On another occasion a lecture was delivered, in the course of which a beautiful moral was being drawn from the gay ca reer of the tiny butterfly which was suddenly cut short in the clutches of the spider. The smile, however, fell somewhat short of its intended mean ing, an* it was not until the laughter had subsided that the lecturer be came aware that the victim which had been floundering amid the dainty silken threads of the web was a donkey, which in the Korean language. It appears, is synonymous with butter fly. Even the silk-covered umbrella has its Ups and downs. DIDN’T BELIEVE That Coffee Was the Real Trouble. Some people flounder around and take everything that’s recommended to them but finally find out that cof fee is the real cause of their troubles. An Oregon man says: “For 25 years I was troubled with my stomach. I was a steady coffee drinker but didn't suspect that as the cause. I doctored with good doc tors and got no help, then I took almost anything which someone else had been cured with but to no good. I was very bad last summer and could not work at times. “On December 2, 1902, I was taken so bad the Doctor said I could cot live over twenty-four hours at the most and I made all preparations to die. I could hardly eat anything, everything distressed me and I was weak and sick all over. When in that condition cof fee was abandoned and I was put on Postura, the change in my feelings came quickly after the drink that was poisoning me was removed. “The pain and sickness fell away from me and I began to get well day by day so 1 stuck to it until now I am well and strong again, can eat heartily with no headache, heart trouble or the awful sickness of the old coffee days. I drink all I wish of Postum without any harm and enjoy it immensely. “This seems like a wonderfully strong story but I would refer you to the First National Bank, The Trust Hankirg Co., or any merchant of Grant’s Pass, Ore., in regard to my standing and I will send a sworn state ment of this if you wish. You can also use my name.’’ Name givon by Postura Co., Battle Creek. Mich. Still there are many who persistent ly fool themselves by saying “Coffee don't hurt me," a ten days’ trial of Postum in its place will tell the truth and many times save life. “There's a reason.” I.ook for the little bcok “The Road to Wellville” in each package.
