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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1913)
ABLrB t -Bj&> HORACE HiVZELTINE cojoy/p/c/fr, /9/jt, /t c AfPciu/pc &. ca. 14 SYNOPSIS. Robert Cameron, capitalist, consult* Philip Clyde, newspaper publisher, re garding anonymous threatening letters he has received. The first promises a sample pf the writer's power on a certain day. On that day the head Is mysteriously cut from a portrait of Cameron while the lat ter Is In the room. Clyde has a theory that the portrait was mutilated while the room was unoccupied and the head later removed by means of a string, unnoticed by Cameron. Evelyn Grayson, Cameron s niece, with whom Clyde is !n love, finds the head of Cameron's portrait nailed to ?• tree, where It had been used as a arget. Clyde pledges Evelyn to secrecy. Clyde learns that a Chinese boy employed by Phllatus Murphy, an artist living nearby, had borrowed a rifle from Cam L-rori's lodgekeeper. Clyde makes an ex cuse to call on Murphy and is repulsed. He pretends to be Investigating alleged infractions of the game laws and speaks Of finding the bowl of an opium pipe un der the tree where Cameron’s portrait was found. The Chinese boy la found dead next morning. While visiting Cam eron in his dressing room a Kell Gwynne mirror Is mysteriously shattered. Cameron becomes seriously ill as a result of the *hock. The third letter appears mysteri ously on Cameron’s sick bed. It makes ( direct threats against the life of Cameron. Clyde tells Cameron the envelope was rmpty. He tells Evelyn everything and plans to take Cameron on a yacht trip. The yacht picks up a fisherman found drifting helplessly in a boat. He gives the name of Johnson. Cameron disap pears from yacht while Clyde’s back is turned. A fruitless search is made for a motor boat seen by the captain just be fore Cameron disappeared. Johnson Is al lowed to go after being closely questioned. Evelyn takes the letters to an expert In Chinese literature, who pronounces them rf Chinese origin. Clyde seeks assistance from a Chinese fellow college student, who recommends him to Yup Sing, most prominent Chinaman in New York. The latter promises to seek information of Cameron among his countrymen. Among Cameron’s letters is found one from »>ne Addison, who speaks of seeing Cameron in Pekin. Cameron had frequently de rlared to Clyde that he Ifad never been in China. Clyde calls on Dr. Addison. He learns that Addison and Cameron w’ere at fine time intimate friends, but had a fall ing out over Cameron’s denial of having be**n seen in Pekin by Addison. Clyde goes to meet Yup Sing, sees Johnson, at lempts to follow him. falls Into a base ment. sprains his ankle and becomes un conscious. Clyde is found by Miss Clement, a missionary among the Chinese. He la §ick several days as a result of Inhaling rhorcoa! fumes. Evelyn tells Clyde of a peculiarly acting anesthetic which renders a person temporarily unconscious. Mur phy is discovered to have mysterious re lations with the Chinese. Miss Clement promises to get Information about Cam iron. Slump in Crystal Consolidated, of whPh Cameron is the head, is caused by • rumor of Cameron’s illness. Clyde finds Cameron on Fifth avenue In a dazed and rmaciated condition and takes him home. 7armron awakes from a long sleep and ■peaks in a strange tongue. He gives or Inrs to an imaginary crew in Chinese (argon. Then in terror cries: "I didn’t Kill them.” UMAHTtR a I A.—oonimueo. "Below!" he yelled, fiercely. "Be low. you yellow dogs! Below, 1 say! Every cur’s son of you! Below!” Respite this truculence he was not jifflcult to master. Together Bryan and I grapjjled him; in another mo ment we had him flat on his bed once more, and the nurse was pressing home the piston of that little shining instrument of glass and silver which I had so recently seen him take up from the medicine table. For a moment the patient rolled about, restlessly, muttering strange oaths, mingled with suppliant mur murs. And to me this was the most *adly trying part of the incident. I would gladly have retreated, but Eve lyn begged me to wait. "Just until he is quiet,” she pleaded; •Just until he falls asleep.” At length he lay quite still and we thought from his regular breathing he had succumbed to the narcotic, and so were about to go, when he started up with a little feeble cry, low-voiced, but clearly distinct. “No, no, for God’s sake, not that! I didn't kill them. 1 swear I didn’t kill them. It was an accident. She stove on a rock. 1—1—didn’t, I say! I didn't -I—” His voice trailed into silence. He dropped back, heavily, upon the pil lows. He slept. It is one thing to have your faith In a friend shaken. That is serious enough in all conscience. But your faith may tremble, and sway and rock, and still there is always the possibil ity of its being resteadled and made firm again by explanation—by extenu ation even. It is quite another thing to have your faith toppled headlong, by the snatching away of the last vest ige of support, the last sliver of under pinning. That is more than serious. It is calamitous; it is catastrophic; it Is tragic. Back in the library again, I set to pacing the floor. I think Evelyn re sumed her seat in the big leathern fhair. I am sure. For a time I was aot conscious that she was in the room. That it was Inconsiderate of me, I admit. It was, perhaps, unpar donable. And yet It was not wilful. Frankly, I had forgotten her. ah >olute ly, in the stress of the emotional tem pest raised by that revelation in the darkened bedchamber. Back and forth. I strode from book case tc bookcase, over the soft, neu tral-tinted Persian rugs; and all the while there echoed those repeated de nials of Cameron’s that he had ever been in China. “Never nearer than Yokohama,” he had said. "Once I ate chop suey in a Chicago Chinese restau rant.” “I have always been interested lu China and the Chinese, but I know only what I have read.” And the words of his quondam friend came back to me now, too; with redoubled emphasis: "He refused to admit what I knew to be the truth.” Nevertheless I had chosen to believe that Cameron, should he ever return to ue, would be able to clarify this turbid stream of circumstance, and prove the fallibility of appearances. The ijlusion to which I had clung, however, was now in shreds. Cam eron, returning, with body enfeebled and brain confused, had spoken In his at'cuarded delirium. The mask was dropped, the screen thrown down, and barefaced and stark he stood revealed, a wpeful figure In the impartial glare of truth. A- the moment I could see no exten uation. He was a liar and he was a coward; and all the sympathy, all the friendship I ever felt for him died ut terly, as I thought how, probably, every untoward Incident of the past month, with its chain of vexatious consequences, might have been avoid ed had he been brave to the point of confession. It was now plain enough for the least astute to see that at some time he had committed an act which had aroused certain of the Chinese to re taliation. It was this which I had feared from the first. It was this which he had chosen to hide. As I paoed to and fro, his craven words rang once more in my ears: "No, no, for God’s sake, not that! I didn't kill them! I swear I didn’t kill them! It was an accident!" And I knew that he was lying. The very tone of his disclaimer convinced me of his guilt. He had killed, and he cowered before the avengers. Disgust, abhorrence, anger, ail were mine in turn. At length I paused before a window, and remained there, with my back to the room, looking down on the with ered garden behind the house, yet see ing nothing but the red of my own pas sion. A touch upon my shoulder aroused me to a realization of my surround ings, and informed me that I was not alone. Startled as one awakened ab ruptly from a dream, I turned, and turning, there came a revulsion. Every surcharging emotion that had held and bound me gave way instant ly to a violent self-reproach, excited by the pathos of Evelyn’s sad, ques tioning eyes and sadder, quivering mouth. My impulse was to fake her in my arms, and pacifying, to plead pardon for what must have seemed to her an inexcusable churlishness. But the con ditions which so recently she had set upon me forbidding the coveted em brace, I compromised on a hand-clasp. “My dear child,” I began, earnestly, I m sorry. But then you must know how what we just saw and heard dis tressed me. 1 think I have been mad since we left that room. I hardly know what I have been doing. To see him so unstrung, demented, raving. To hear him—” But she would not allow me to fin ish. "Philip!” she cried, passionately. “Oh, Philip! Can’t you see? Don’t you understand? It Is a mistake, an awful nightmare of a mistake. That creature over there is not my uncle. I am convinced that he is not my Uncle Robert.” CHAPTER XX. An Enigma and Its Solution. To my amazement I found that Eve lyn meant more than I fancied. My Interpretation of her words was that Cameron was not in his right mind— that he was not her Uncle Robert, as she had known him. But in a very brief moment she disabused me. ' It is not he, at all,” she declared, with emphasis. "There is a resemb lance, yes. But the man you found in the street is not Robert Cameron; I am sure of that." The idea that I had brought there, not my friend, but my friend’s double, seemed to me too preposterous for a moment’s entertainment. I fear I sus pected, just then, that Evelyn’s reason had been warped a trifle b.v the rack ing scene of which we had been wit nesses. “I would to God, my dear child,” I said, sympathetically, "that you were right. But there can be no question as to the Identity of the sick man. Every one who has seen him recog nized him at once—Checkabeedy, Lou is, Stephen, Dr. Massey. No, no, Evelyn, you must not be misled by his rav ings.” And at this point there oc curred to me a tentative explanation— one in which I did not In the least be lieve. but which, at all events, was worth trying; one which, indeed, 1 prayed would serve. “Cameron, you must remember, has been with his Chinese captors for four weeks. In that time he must have picked up something of their language. It is only natural that he should. So, you see, to hear him use a few words of pidgin-English in his insane gibber ish is not so remarkable, after all. And as for that spirited denial just before he dropped off to sleep, it is very evi dent that they accused him of some thing with which he had no connec tion, though quite cognizant of the facts.” But the girl would have none of it. Tolerantly she listened, and tolerantly she smiled when I had finished. “No, no, Philip,” she insisted, "I see It all quite clearly. Whatever crime was comr £ted, the creature lying there committed it. But he is not my uncle. Others mistook the resemblance for identity. Just as you did, only the situation was reversed. Those who abducted Uncle Robert thought they were abducting that villain we are now housing.” It was an ingenious notion, but of course it was not possible. However. I saw that it would be idle to continue to dispute with her. "What would you suggest, then? Shall we send our invalid to a hos pital?” I asked, In pretended serious ness. But very sagely she shook her head. "Oh. no,” she returned. "We must keep him. He is very valuable to us. Perhaps we can do as contending armies do—arrange an exchange of prisoners.” In spite of my wretchedness, I sup pressed a smile. It was all very amus ing; and yet the fear that she was suf fering aberration due to hysteria, tem pered pitifully the humor of it When, later In the afternoon, Dr Massey called, I told him everything, Including this hallucination of Eve lyn's. "You did perfectly right,” he said. In tone of cordial approval. “The malady with which Cameron is afflicted has a tendency to distort certain lineaments. Especially at times of excitement his face changes, so that Miss Grayson is justified in fancying that this is not the Robert Cameron Bbe knew. I have noticed the dissimilarity myself, but it is due, of course, entirely to dis torted expression. In a couple of days, at most, he will be fully restored, and then he himself will be the best one to rectify her error. Meanwhile, if I were you, I would not dispute her. She has gone through a great deal, and gone through it bravely; indeed with a cour age that is quite phenomenal, and she is entitled to any little consolatory be liefs that she chooses to entertain.” And then, as if such advice were not wholly superfluous, he added: “Be kind to her, Clyde! be good to her. She is a wonderful young woman.” Whereat I grasped his hand, and promised him, lifting him a notch in my estimation because of his perspi cacity. And all the while a lump kept rising in my throat and threatening my tear ducts. On the following day I heard noth ing from Miss Clement, which some what surprised me. though she had told me that her prospective inform ants were likely to take their own lime. Early, on the second morning, however, I had a note from her, the enigmatic character of which impelled me to speculation. "Dear Mr. Clyde,” she wrote, "I hope you can make it convenient to visit me this evening, at the Mission. I want to talk with Ding Fo, an exceptionally well-educated young Chinaman, who tells me that his people are much mys tified over a recent event; and. if what he says be true—and I never knew him to lie—a new complexion is placed upon this whole matter. Come about nine-thirty, after our service is over.” As Dr. Massey’s orders forbidding any one save Mr. Bryan to enter Cam eron's room, issued immediately after our hideous experience, had not yet been rescinded, our knowledge of hi6 condition was. perforce, gleaned entire ly through physician and nurse. 3oth now assured me that he was progress ing satisfactorily, and that there had been no return of the dementia. Evelyn still persisted in her notion that the patient was not her uncle, but his double, and following the doctor's directions l refrained from trying to convince her of the truth; even going so iar as 10 pretend that I believed j as she did. and planning to begin ne- ! gotiations through Miss Clement and ' her Chinese confidants for an ex change of captives as soon as our host age was able to be moved. “I am to see Miss Clement, tonight,” I told her. late that afternoon, “also an Oriental acquaintance of hers, who ap- i pears to be informed on the subject ] which interests us. It is possible that j he will provo the very person who can i arrange it all.”. "Let me go with you." she urged, laying a beseeching hand on my arm “Do let me go with you, Philip. I am so anxious. It will seem years if I have to wait here for you to bring me the news; and there are sure to be some things you will forget to ask about, if I’m not there to prompt you.” In spite of the unflattery of her speech I smiled, indulgent. Her great blue eyes, pathetically pleading as her words, were able advocates. It was hard to deny her under any circum stances, and now, as I thought it over, I saw no reason why in this instance she should not have her desire. “Yes,” I agreed, “you shall go. But remember, you must be very careful, for the present at least, not to let slip the slightest inkling that we suspect our Cameron is not the real Cameron. We are seeking Information, you know, Evelyn, not squandering it.” Pell street wore its night gaudery when the Cameron electric brougham with Evelyn and myself as occupants glided to a halt before the door of the Mission over wrhich Miss Clement ably and successfully presided. The pale, vari-tinted light of lanterns from the balcony of a restaurant across the way, mingling with the flickering yel low beam of the city’s gas lamps, threw into sharp relief the curious pendent black signs with their red cloth borders and gilded Chinese let tering, hanging before shop doors. It revealed, too, oddly contrasting figures o>* loungers and pedestrians, residents and visitors. And it bared, back of all that was bizarre, the commonplace brick fronts of the typically American buildings, with their marring gridiron ing or fire-escapes. To Evelyn, rarely observant, the combination was inter esting, but disappointing. "It does not look at all as I expect ed it would,” she said to me. “It hasn't the air. It is neither one thing nor the other. It is like a stage scene, care lessly mounted ” As we alighted at the Mission door, the last notes of a familiar hymn, mangled in words and melody almost beyond recognition, flowed out to join the babel of street sounds; and before we could mount the high steps there had begun to pour forth a motley, malodorous freshet of felt-shod soles, that gave us pause; blocking, for a few minutes, not merely the ascent but the sidewalk as well. When, at length, the way was clear, and by direction of a youth at the en trance, we had passed through the close, ill-smelling hall, where the lights had already been lowered, we came upon Miss Clement, alone In a little well-ventilated and brightly-lighted of flee or parlor. Jutting off at the rear. If she was surprised at seeing Eve. lyn, she gave no sign. She welcomed us both with the smiling cordiality ol a life-long friend. But abruptly her smile died. "I tried to get you on the telephone an hour ago,” she explained, “but there was some trouble with the wire. I hoped to save you this Journey for nothing.” "Your protege couldn’t comeT" I queried. "Unfortunately, no," she returned, with a little quaver In her voioe. "My protege will never come again. He was shot to death. Poor, poor Ling Fo!" * "Shot to death!” I cried, while Eve lyn. with cheeks suddenly pale and eyes wide, held her underlip fast be tween her teeth, and gripped hard on the arms of the rocking chair In which Miss Clement had placed her. VYes.” And this strong, sweet faoed, gray-haired woman in gray, her momentarily-lost composure quite re covered, laid a quieting hand softly over Evelyn's tensed clutch. "Yes. That sort of thing Is not unusual down here, you know. There is always more or less bad blood between the tongs. But it was most unfortunate, just at this time, because I feel sure he could have told you something worth learn ing. I’m glad he was a good boy. He was one of the few converts that are really sincere.” "Perhaps he knew too much,” I suggested. But Miss Clement made no com ment. I fancy it was out of considera tion for Evelyn that she refrained from endorsing my conclusion; while I reproached myself for being less thoughtful, I was all the more con vinced that I had voiced the motive for the shooting. As Evelyn did not ask for particu lars, I profited by the lesson thus taught and curbed my curiosity. But I was in no mood to drop the subject. From Miss Clement's note it was clear that Ling Fo had already communi cated to her some of the more impor tant facts in this connection, and of these I hoped to possess myself. "And so. Miss Clement," I ventured, sharpening my wedge, "Chinatown is mystified, I understand." She was seated, now, by her little desk, and for a moment had been turn ing up, searchingly, one paper after another, from an open drawer. At my observation, she paused and raised her glance, a folded sheet of note size in her hand; for a heart-beat her eyes held mine. “Yes,” she said at length. “China town is all at sea, so to speak." "Over what?” I pressed. Slowly she unfolded the scrap of writing she held, and before replying she read it through, slowly and delib erately. "If you don't mind,” she proposed, "I would prefer not to talk about it. I am in a peculiar position here, Mr. Clyde, as you can well understand, and I can’t afford to play false to those who trust me. At the same time I do not always know whom among these people to trust. Some one who knew them very well wrote, once upon a time, something like this: You can take a Chink away from his fan. Away from his lotteries, fiddles and Joss, You can give his queue to the barber, boss: But you can t get down to the roots that start from the yellow base of his yellow heart. And it’s very true. There are those here who pretend to adore me, who would think nothing of treating me as they treated poor Ling Fo, if they suspected 1 knew anything and gave information." “1 don’t want you to think I’m a coward. Miss Grayson,” she went on, turning to Evelyn. “I think I’ve proved to you that I wTant to help you and mean to. but I’m rather upset tonight, and I’m so afraid we shall have to let matters rest a little longer. There is one thing, though, that you cau do for me, if you wilL” The last sentence was addressed to me, and I made haste to assure hei that she had only to command me. As she bad spoken she had been folding and refolding the pape* in her hand, until it was now a tiny, one inch square. “Take this," she said, handing it to me, her voice a low murmur, “and after you have read it, destroy it. 1 shouldn't want it found in my poa session.’* “1 understand. Miss Clement," I re turned and the folded square went into my waistcoat pocket. “It may mean more to you," she added, in a whisper, “than anything I could say.” When once more in the brougham, speeding northward, Evelyn, who had been unusually taciturn throughout the interview, asked me a question. “Did you mean what yon said, Philip?" "What did I say?” I queried. “That you understood." “I understood that it might not b« well for her to have this letter of Ling Fo’s about” “But the rest? Her refusal to talk? i Her uneasiness? Her fear of possible I traitors?” she persisted. Once more she had gone straight to the heart of the situation. I had been as puzzled as she by the missionary’s attitude of constraint, which I could not attribute wholly to the tragedy she had told us of; and I admitted as much to Evelyn. “If she suspected eavesdroppers,’’ the girl argued, “she said too much. If she didn’t fear being overheard, why couldn’t she tell us all she knew?” For want of a better answer I said: “Perhaps the letter will solve the enigma,” and plucking it from my pocket with thumb and forefinger I began carefully to unfold it. The interior of the vehicle was bril liantly alight, and though we were already far beyond the Chinatown zone and the chance observation of any lurking spies, I nevertheless chose discreetly to draw the shades prior to outspreading the written page. Before the sheet with its network of creases was quite flattened, Evelyn, who was bending attentively near, ex claimed in surprise, "It is her own handwriting! See, it is written by . Miss Clement herself!” Already absorbed, I made no re- ■ sponse. Avidly my eyes were racing j over the lines; greedily, my brain was digesting them. “Tidings of the cruel murder of i Ling Fo have just reached me. When you come, as I know you will, I shall not dare to speak what 1 have written, | and which is all that the poor boy j ever told me. Already there are spies j about me, and your visit is a risk to j us both. I would have prevented it, If I could. “Three weeks ago, according to Ling 1 Fo, a white man was abducted by or der of the Six Companies, and shipped to China for punishment, aboard a tramp steamer. Ling Fo- would not give me the white man's name or any 1 of the particulars, save that sixteen years ago he had committed a crime, known to every Chinaman in America as ‘The Crime of the Sable Lorcha,’ or ‘black funeral ship,’ by which near ly one hundred Chinese coolies lost | their lives. “It seems now that this man, who they thought was on the ocean, sud denly reappeared in New York, a few nights ago. He was recognized and set upon by two Chinamen, but he escaped, and the Six Companies and all the tongs are in a ferment over the mystery.” Evelyn’s hand was on my arm as 1 read, her face close to mine, reading ; with me. Having finished, I held the sheet for a moment, waiting for her to signify that she, too, had reached the end. And in that moment the brougham came to a sudden halt. Before either of us could voice a ' word the door on my side was j wrenched violently open, and the blue steel muzzle of a revolver covered me, (TO BE CONTINUED.) Food of European Peasants Many Are the Substitutes for Bread Eaten by Poorer Classes of Europe. In various parts of the world the poorer classes consume little or no bread, the London Globe observes. Baked loaves of bread are practically unknown in portions of southern Aus tralia and Italy and throughout the agricultural districts of Roumania. Austrians aver that in the village of Obersteirmark. not very far from Vienna, bread is never seen. The staple food is sterz, a kind of porridge made from ground beechnuts, taken at breakfast with fresh or curdled milk, at dinner with broth or fried lard and at supper with milk. This dish is also called heiden and is substituted for bread not only In the Austrian dis trict mentioned but in Carinthia and other parts of the Tyrol. Northern Italy offers a substitute for bread in the form of polenta, which is a kind of porridge made of boiled grain. Polenta is not, however, al lowed to granulate like Scotch por ridge or the Austrian sterz. It is in stead boiled into a solid pudding, i which is cut up and portioned out with. a string. It is eaten cold as often as it is hot and is in every sense an Italian’s daily bread. There is a variation of polenta call ed mamaliga, the favorite food of the poorer classes in Roumama. Mamaliga resembles polenta inasmuch as it is made of boiled grain, but it is unlikt the former in one respect—the grains are not permitted to settle into a solid mass, but are kept distinct after the fashion of oatmeal porridge. A False Alarm. "Mrs. Gabbit felt quite foolish last night.” "How did that happen’” "Mr. Gabbit opened his mouth sev eral times, as if he were just about to get in a word edgeways, and Mrs. Gabbit talked a blue streak for an hour before she found out he was merely yawning." Would Open Up Argentina. A petition has been placed before the Argentine national senate for a concession to construct and operate for a period of sixty years cable rail ways in various parts of the Argsq tine republic. MAKE BETTER PUBLIC ROADS Experience Has Taught That Much Work Can Be Drne During the Winter and Early Spring. At this time of year much interest is aroused concerning road improve ment. As has been found out by ex perience, much work can be done to earth roads early in the season, in fact, during the winter and spring when they soften, if they are system atically dragged there is no equal amount of work that can be done with as good effect at any other time of the year The law permits the highway com missioners to make contracts with per sons living alongside a road to do the dragging. To facilitate this work, the state highway commission has just is Bued blank contract forms which may be used by commissioners in making their contracts, says the Farm Home. These blank forms are bound with stubs attached like an ordinary check Crushed Rock Road in Missouri. | book and are very convenient. They will be furnished free of charge to | any highway commissioner who will i apply for them to the state highway commissioner, Springfield, 111. The commission has also just is sued a pamphlet on the procedure that should be taken when a vote on hard roads is proposed. Much time and expense will be saved if all who are interested in having petitions cir culated and vote taken will be sure that all steps have been taken in ac cordance with the law. Instances are Constantly arising where through a misstep at some point or other the whole proceeding is made invalid, causing delay and expense. Any one wishing information concerning the township hard road law of the state of Illinois can get the pamphlet here mentioned free of charge on applica tion to the Illinois highway commis sion, Springfield, in. GOOD ROADS IN CALIFORNIA Pacific Coast State Ranks Next to New York in Making Appropria tions for Improvement. Next to New York. California ts do ing *he big thing in road building. It has 2,300 miles of main routes and 400 miles of laterals, and it is spend ing its lump appropriation of $18, 000,000, of which it is said, ‘‘Approxi mately 70 per. cent, cf the burden will fall upon the incorporated cities." Cal ifornia communities have the spirit of the times. For instance. Los Angel the county alone spent $3.500,000 on oil macadam highways. In Alabama a system of trunk roads from north to south and from east to west has been laid out. Louisiana has spent almost $10,000,000 in four years. Mississippi counties have de clared bond issues of $600,000, and the state will spend millions in the next three ‘years. Utah spent $2,000,000 in the past two years. Minnesota is preparing to build 2,700 toiles of road next year. Maryland has got its road building under a rigorous system. Its newest program calls for about $5,000, 000 in two years in the 23 counties. , This is the latest expert knowledge. FILLING ROADS AND STREETS Modern Transportation Demands Best of Thoroughfares—Aim Shoufd Be to Even Filling. When graveling streets, if the out sides are filled first and the stones raked toward the center and covered, it will leave the surface in nice con dition. When the center is filled first it is impossible to cover the stones with the thin covering at the outsido of the fill. 1 noticed a tillage street that was being raised ten inches with coarse gravel. The center was filled first and the coarse stones raked to the outsides. It required twice the time to do the grading as if ihe out sides had been filled first and the coarse stones raked toward the deep est part of the fill in the center, writes an expert in the Farm and Home. Moreover, th9 street is sprin kled with stones that could not be covered, which will make extra ex pense to haul away, and it will be a rough road for yearn to come. A deep fill should always be made from the ends and then the dirt will settle evenly. If part of the fill js made through the center, and then the dirt dumped off on one or both sides, it will take several years for it to finish the setting, which will g0 on unevenly. At least so says a very successful contractor who has had much experience with this work. More Silage Beef. The past season has seen more si lage beef on the market than ever be fore. ss feeder has recently taken up the silo. niimiiiimTo women iiniiimiiri Now is jhe Tie® those pains and aches resulting from weakness or derangement of the organs distinctly feminine sooner or later leave their mark. Beauty soon fades away. Now is the time to restore health and retain beauty. DR. PIERCE’S Favorite Prescription That great, potent, strengrth-grivinir restorative will help you. Start today. [Hill You Druggist will Supply Yon flllllf 1 FREE TO ALL SUFFERERS. If you feel ‘OUT OF SORTS“RUN DOWN’or’GOT THE BLUES SUFFER from KIDNEY, BLADDER, NERVOUS DISEASES, OHRONIC WEAK N ESSES, ULCERS.SKIN ERUPTIONS.PILES. write for my FREE book, the most instructive MEDICAL BOOK EVER WRITTEN,IT TELLS ALL about these DISEASES and the REMARKABLE CURES EFFECTED by THE NEW FRENCH REMEDY. N,1. No2 N.3. THERAPION if it's the remedy for YOUR OWN ailment. Don’t send a cent. Absolutely FREE, No’followup’circular*. Dr LeClf.RC IftKD. CO, HAVERSTOCK KD. HAMPSTEAD, LONDON,ENO. FLOWERS IN THE HOUSEHOLD Simple Methods That Will Keep Them Alive, Fragrant, and a Pleasure for Many Days. To make flowers last a week or more, four things are necessary. First, do not try to arrange them the mo ment you get them, but put them in a pail of water for a few hours, so that every stem will be under water up to the flower. Second, cleanse the vase thoroughly before putting in the flow ers and change the water every day. Third, the cooler you keep the flowers the longer they will last. If you are too busy in the morning to enjoy them or have to go out for the afternoon, do not leave them in the living-room, for they are not used to such a tempera ture. Every night put the vase in a cool place, or better still, plunge the stems up to the flowers in a pail of water. Fourth, cut about a quarter of an inch off each stem in the morning. It is more trouble to do this under water, but it pays. If you cut the stems in the ordinary way air bubbles get Into the stems and impede the tak ing in of water.—Delineator. ARCTIC SKEPTICISM. “Did you see the janitor?** “Yes. I told him it was as cold in j onr flat as at the north pole.” “What did he say?” “He merely looked supercilious and asked tor my proofs.” Queer Ironing. A writer in the Wide World maga zine says that the most curious sight he saw at Cairo was men ironing ' clothes with thier feet! The men were employed in the native tailoring establishments. Except for the long handle, the irons were shaped like the ordinary flat-iron, only larger. A solid block of wood rested on the top of the iron, and on this the men placed one foot, guiding the iron in the desired direc tion by means of the handle. For the sake of convenience, ironing boards were raised only a few inches from the ground, and, however strange the method may seem to us, the work was done very well and very expedi tiously. Paradox. “What makes you think those rumors are groundless?” “Because they are so much in the air.” Natural Supply. “What's the use of all the sand on the seashore?" “That’s what they scour the seas with." When you analyze the ideal husband you will find that he hasn't the nerve to be anything else. FLY TO PIECES. The Effect of Coffee on Highly Organ ized People. "I have been a coffee User for years, and about two years ago got into a very serious condition of dys pepsia and indigestion. It seemed to me I would fly to pieces. I was so nervous that at the least noise I was distressed, and many times could not straighten myself up because of the pain.” Tea is just as injurious, because it contains caffeine, the same drug found in coffee. •'My physician told me I must not eat any heavy or strong food, and or dered a diet, giving roe some medi cine. I followed directions carefully, but kept on using coffee and did not get any better. “Last winter my husband, who was away on business, had Postum served to him in the family where he board ed. He liked it so well that when he came home he brought some with him We began using it and I found it most excellent. “While I drank it my stomach never bothered me in the least, and I got over my mrvous troubles. When the Postum was gone we returned to cof fee, then my stomach began to hurt me as before, and the nervous con ditions came on again. “That showed me exactly what was the cause of the whole trouble, so I quit drinking coffee altogether and kept on using Postum. 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