* * The Mystery of a Silent Love
^Chevalier WILLIAM LE QIJEUX
U AUTHOR <»/ “THf CLOSED DOOK," ETC- x
ILLUSTRATIONS fy C DTiTIODES
&
QOPrXtGHT BY THC SMART S£T PUBLUHffff CO
CHAPTER XVI—Continued.
—16—
“Well, (he only Russian who ap-1
peared to have any connection with
them was Baron Oberg. the governor
general of Finland, whose habit it
was to spend part of the winter in
the Mediterranean. From Eima
Heath's conversation at dinner that
evening at Nice I gathered that she
and her uncle had been guests on thp j
Iris on several occasions, although l
must say that Muriel was extremely
reticent regarding all that concerned ;
the yacht.”
"Of course." she said quickly. “Now
that I have told you the truth. Jack,
don't you think it was onlv natural?”
"Most certainly, dear." he answered,
still holding her hand. ‘Yours was
not a secret that you could very well
tell to me until you could thoroughly
trust me, especially as vour father
had been implicated in the theft of
those documents from Malta. The
truth is.” he said, turning to me, !
“Philip Leithcourt has all along been
the catspaw of Baron Oberg. A few !
years ago he was a well-known money j
tender in the city, and in that capaeitv
met tlie baron, who, being in disgrace,
required a loan. He was also in the
habit of having certain shady trans- j
actions with that daring gang of con- j
tiriental thieves of whom Dick Archer
and Hylton Chater were leaders. For j
this reason he purchased a yacht for j
their use, so that they might not only
use it for the purpose of storing the
stolen goods, but for the purpose of
sailing from place to place under the
guise of wealthy Englishmen travel
ing for pleasure. Upon that vessel,
indeed, was stored thousands and
thousands of pounds’ worth of jewels
and objects of value, the proceeds of I
aiany great robberies in England,
France and Belgium. Sometimes they
traveled for the purpose of disposing
f»f the jewels in various inland towns j
where the gems, having been recut.
were not recognized, while at other
times, Chater and Archer, assisted !
by Mackintosh, the captain, and Oiinto
Santini, the steward, sailed for a port,
landed. committed a robbery, and then j
sailed away again, quite unsuspected, i
•s rich Englishmen.”
“And the crew?" I asked, after a
pause.
"They were, of course, well paid,
and were kept in ignorance of what
the supposed owner and his friends
<fd ashore."
"But Oberg's connection with it?” j
I asked, surprised at those revela- '
dons.
"Ah!" exclaimed Muriel. “The in
genuity of that crafty villain is fiend
ish. Before he got into the czar s
favor he owed my father a large sum,
and then sought how to evade repay
ment. By means of his spies he dis
covered the real purpose of the
cruises of the Iris—for 1 was often
taken on board with a maid in order
to allay any suspicion that might
•rise if only men were cruising. Then I
he not only compelled my father to
cancel the debt, but he impressed the
vessel and those who owned and navi- j
gated it Into the secret service of
Russia. A dozen times did we make
attempts to obtain secret papers from
Italian. French and English dock-j
yards, but only once in the case of j
Malta and once at Toulon did we sue-1
ceod. Ah! Mr. Gregg," she added,
"you do not know all the anxiety I
suffered, how at every hour we were I
in danger of betrayal or capture, and j
of the hundred narrow escapes we j
have had of customhouse officers 1
rummaging the yacht for contraband.
You will no doubt recollect the sen
sation caused by the theft of the
Jewels of the Princess Wilhelmine of
Schaumbourg-Lippe from the lady’s
maid in the rapide between Cannes
and lies Arcs, the robbery from the
Marseilles branch of the Credit Lyon
nais. and the great haul of plate from
the chateau of Bardon, the Paris mil
lionaire. close to Arcachon."
"Yes,” I said, for they were all rob
beries of which I had read in the
newspapers a couple of years before.
“Well," she said, “they were all !
committed by Archer or Woodroffe i
•nd his gang — with accomplices j
•shore, of course—and never once did
it seem that any suspicion fell upon
as. While tte police were frantically
searching hither and thither, we used
to weigh anchor and calmly steam
•way with our booty on board. We
had with us an old Dutch lapidary, :
and one of the cabins was fitted as a
workshop, where he altered the ap
pearnnee of the stones, and prepared
them ready for sale while the gold
was melted in a crucible and put
ashore to be sent to agents in Ham
burg."
"Hut that night in Leghorn?" 1 said.
“What happened to poor Elma?"
"I do not know,” was Muriel’s reply.
"We were both on board together, and
standing at the crack of the door
watched you sitting at dinner that
evening. The instant, however, you
went ashore, Chater, Woodroffe—
whom you called Hornby—and Mack
intosh, the captain—who, by the way,
was an old ticket-of-leave man—went
ashore, and, of course, broke into the
consulate. Then, as soon as they re
turned, Elma came to my cabin,
awoke me, and said that the baron
was taking her ashore, and that they
were to travel overland back to Lon
don. She was ready dressed to go. I
kissed her, and promising to meet her
soon, we parted. That was the last
1 saw of her. What happened to her
afterwards only she alone can tell us.”
“But she is not the baron s niece?”
I said.
"No. There is some mystery,” de
clared Muriel. "She holds some se
cret which he fears she may divulge.
But of what nature, I am in ignor
ance.”
"You say that your father has never
taken any active part in the rob
beries? Where is he now?" I asked.
“Ah!” she exclaimed sadly, her
face pale and haggard.
"1 have heard that the vessel was
scuttled somewhere in the Baltic."
"That is true. Oberg’s purpose
having been served, he demanded half
the property on board or he would
give notice to the Russian naval au
thorities that the pirate yacht was
afloat. He attempted to blackmail my
father, as he had already done so
many times but his scheme was frus
trated. My father, because of his in
human treatment of poor Elma, defied
him, when it appears that Oberg, who
w-as in Helsingfors, telegraphed to the
admiral of the Russian fleet in the Bal
tic. The crew from the Iris were at
once landed at Riga, and only Mackin
tosh and my father put to sea again.
Ah! my father was desperate, for he
knew the merciless character of that
man whose victim he had been for so
long. They watched a Russian cruiser
bearing down upon them. when, just
as it drew near, they got off in a
boat and blew up the yacht, which
sank in three minutes with its ill-ob
tained wealth on board."
“And your father?”
She was silent, and I saw tears
standing in her eyes.
"There was a tragedy," Jack ex
plained in a low, hoarse voice. "He
and the captain did not. unfortunate- i
ly. get sufficiently far from the yacht
when they blew her up. and they went
down with her."
And I looked in silence at Muriel,
who stood with her head bent and her
white face covered with her hands
Almost at the same moment there
was a low tap at the door, and the
servant maid announced:
"Mr. Santini, miss.”
“Ah!" exclaimed Jack quickly, as
Olinto entered the room. "Then you
had my note! We have asked you
here to reveal to us this dastardly
plot which seemed to have been
formed against Mr. Gregg and myself.
As you know. I've had a narrow es
cape.”
“I know, signore. And the signor
commendatore is also threatened.”
“By whom?”
"By those who killed my poor wife,
and who intended also to silence me,”
was his answer.
"The same who compelled you to take
me to that house where the fatal
chair was prepared, eh?"
"It was Archer, who, fearing that
you came to London in search of them,
devised that devilish contrivance," he
said in his broken English. Then
continuing, he went on fiercely: “Now
that I have discovered why my poor
Armida was killed, I will tell the
truth, and not spare them. Since
you left Scotland, signore, I have bee'u
up in Dumfries, and have discovered
several facts which prote that for
some reason known only to himself,
Leithcourt. while at Rannoch, w rote to
both Armida and myself separately,
making an appointment to see us at
the same time at that spot on the
edge of the wood, as he had some
secret commission to entrust to us.
The letter addressed to me apparent
ly fell into someone else's hands_
probably one of the secret agents of
Baron Oberg, who were always watch
ing Leithcourt s doings, and he. anx
ious to learn what was intended, made
himself up to look like me, and kept
the appointment in my place. Armida,
having received the letter unknown
to me. went up to Scotland, and was
abo there at the appointed time.
What actually transpired can only be
surmised, yet it seems that Leithcourt
was in the habit of going up to that
spot and loitering there in the eve
ning in order to meet Chater in secret,
as the latter was in hiding in a small
hotel in Dumfries. Therefore those
who formed the plot must have en
deavored to throw suspicion upon
Leithcourt. It is plain, however, as
both myself and Armida knew the
gang, it was to their interest to get
rid of us, because the suspicions of
the police had at last become aroused.
Poor Armida was therefore delib
erately enticed there to her death,
while the inquisitive man whom the
assassin took to be myself was also
struck dowm."
“By whom?”
“Not by Chater, for he was in Ix>n
don on that night.”
“Then by Woodroffe?" Durnford
said.
“Without a doubt. It was all most
cleverly thought out. It was to his
advantage alone to close our lips,
because in that same fatal chair in
Lambeth old Jacob Moser, the Jew j
bullion broker of Hatton Garden, met
his death—a most dastardly crime,
with which none of his friends were
associated, and of which we alone
held knowledge. He therefore wrote
to us as though from Leithcourt,
bailing us up to Rannoch, in order
to strike the blows in the darkness,”
he added in his peculiar Italia.i man
ner. "Besides, he feared we would
tell the signore the truth.”
“You have not told the police?”
“I dare not, signore. Surely the less
the police know about this matter the
better, otherwise the Signorina Leith- |
court must suffer for her father's j
avarice and evil-doing."
"Yes," cried Jack anxiously. "That's j
right, -Olinto. The police must know
nothing. The reprisals we must
make ourselves. But who was it who
shot me in Suffolk street?"
"The same man, Martin Woodroffe.”
"Then the assassin is back from
Russia?"
“He followed closely behind the
Signor Commendatore. Markoff, a
clever secret agent of Baron Oberg's,
came with him.”
Then for the first time I recollected j
that the man I had recognized in the :
Strand was a fellow I had seen loung- j
ing in the anteroom of the palace of j
the governor-general of Finland. The
pair, fearing that I should reveal what j
I knew, were undoubtedly in London j
to take my life in secret. Now that I
I^eithcourt was dead, Woodroffe had
united forces with Oberg, and intend
ed to silence me because they feared
that Elmd. besides escaping them, had
also revealed her secret.
"I trust that the Signorina Leith
court has explained the story of the
yacht and its crew,” Olinto remarked.
"And has also shown you how I was
implicated. You will therefore discern
the reason why I have hitherto feared
to give you any explanation."
“Yes," I said. “Miss Leitlicourt has
told me a great deal, but not every
thing. I cannot yet gather for what
reason she and her father fled from
Rannoch."
"Then 1 will tell you,” said Muriel
quickly. “My father suspected Wood
roffe of being the assassin in Ran
noch wood, l'or he knew that he had
broken away from the original com
pact, and had now allied himself with
Oberg. Yet it was also my father’s
object to appear in fear of them, be- :
cause he was only awaiting an oppor- j
tunity to lay plans for poor Elma’s |
rescue from Finland. Therefore one ]
evening Woodroffe called, and my fa
ther encountered him in the avenue,
and admitted him with his own latch
key by one of the side doors of the
castle, afterwards taking him up to
the study. He knew that he had come
to try and make terms for Oberg,
therefore he saw that he must fly at
once to Newcastle, where the Iris
was lying, get on board, and sail j
away.
“With some excuse he left him in I
the study, and then warned my mother
and myself to prepare to leave. But
while we were packing, it appeared
that Chater, who had followed, was
shown into the study by the butler,
or rather he entered there himself, be
ing well acquainted with the house.
Thus the two men. now bitter ene
mies met. A fierce quarrel must have
ensued, and ('hater was poisoned and
concealed, Woodroffe, of course, be
lieving he had killed him. My father
entered the study again, and seeing
only Woodroffe there, did not know
what had occurred. Some words prob
ably arose, when my father again
turned and left. Then we fled to
Carlisle and on to Newcastle, and
next morning were on board the yacht
out in the North sea. afterwards land
ing at Rotterdam. Those,” she added,
"are briefly the facts, as my poor fa
ther related them to me.”
“And what of poor Elma—and of
her secret? When, I wonder, shall I
see her?” I cried In despair.
"You will see her now, signore," an
swered Olinto. “A servant of the
Princess Zurloff brought her to Lon
don this afternoon, and I have just
conveyed her from the station. She
is in the next room, in ignorance, how
ever, that you are here.”
And without another word I fled for
ward joyfully, and threw open the
folding doors which separated me
from my silent love.
Silent, yes! But she could, never
theless, tell her story—surely the
strangest that any woman has ever
lived to tell.
CHAPTER XVII.
Contains Elma's Story.
Before me stood my love, a slim,
tragic, rather wau figure in a heavy
dark traveling coat and felt toque,
her sweet lips parted and a look of be
wildered amazement upon her coun
tenance as I burst in so suddenly
upon her.
In silence I grasped her tiny black
gloved hand, and then, also in silence,
raised it passionately to my eager
lips. Her soft, dark eyes—those eyes
that spoke although she was mute—
friet mine, and in them was a look
that I had never seen there before—a
look which as plainly as any words
told me that ray wild fevered passion
was reciprocated.
She gazed beyond into the room
where the others had assembled, and
then looked at me inquiringly, where
upon I led her forward to where they
were, and Muriel fell upon her and
kissed her with tears streaming from
her eyes.
“I prepared this surprise for you.
-Mr. Gregg." Muriel said, laughing
through her tears of joy. "Olinto
learned that she was on Lor way to
London, and I sent him to meet her.
The princess has managed magnifi
cently, has she not?”
"Yes. Thank God she is free!” I
exclaimed. "But we must induce her
to tell us everything.”
Muriel was already helping my lovp
out of her heavy Russian coat, a cost
ly garment lined with sable, and
when, after greeting Jack and Oiinto,
she was comfortably seated, 1 took
some notepaper from the little writing
table by the window and scribbled
in pencil the words:
"I need not write how delighted I
am that you are safe—that the Al
mighty has heard my prayers for you.
Jack and Muriel have told nte al!
And Threw Open the Folding Door
Which Separated Me From My Si
lent Love.
about l>eithcourt anti his scoundrelly
associates. I know, too, dear—for I
may call you that, may I not?—how
terribly you must have suffered in si
lence through it all. Leithcourt !s
dead. He sank the yacht with all the
stolen property on board, but by acci
dent was himself engulfed."
Bending and watching intently as I
wrote, she drew back in horror and
surprise at the words. Then I added:
"We are all four determined that the
guilty shall not go unpunished, and
that the affliction placed upon you
shall be adequately avenged. You are
my own love—1 am bold enough to i
call you so. Some strong but mysteri- !
ous bond of affinity between us
caused me to seek you out, and your
pictured face seemed to call me to
your side although I was unaware of
your peril. I was sent to you by the un
seen power to extricate you from the I
hands of your enemies. Therefore !
tell us everything—all that you know i
—without fear, for now that we are
united no harm can assail us." •
She took the pencil, and holding it ;
in her white fingers sat staring first at j
us, and then looking hesitatingly at
the white paper before her. Her posi
tion, amid a hundred conflicting emo
tions, was tine of extreme difficulty.
It seemed as though even now she
was loath to reveal to us the absolute
truth.
Muriel, standing behind her chair,
tenderly stroked back the wealth of
chestnut hair from her white brow.
Her complexion was , perfect, even
though her face was pale and jaded,
and her eyes heavy, consequent upon
her long, weary journey from the now
frozen North
Presently, when by signs both Jack
and Olinto had urged her to write,
she bent suddenly, and her pencil be
gan to run swiftly over .lie paper.
All of us stood exchanging glances
in silence, neither looking over lier,
but each determined to wait in pa
tience until the end. Once started,
however, she did not pause. Sheet
- fter sheet she covered. The silence
for a long time was complete, broken
only by the rapid running of the pen
cil over the rough surface of the pa
per. She had apparently become
seized by a sudden determination to
explain everything, now that she saw
we were in real, dead earhest.
I watched her sweet face bent so
intently, auu as the firelight fell
across it found it incomparable. Yes;
she was afflicted by loss of speech, ii
was true, yet she wm Purely inex
pressibly sweet and ffofhanly, peer
less above all others.
With a deep-drawn sigh she at last
finished, and, her head still bowed In
an attitude of humiliation, it seemed,
she handed what she had written to
me.
In breathless eagerness I read as
follows:
“Is it true, dear love — for 1 call
you so in return—that you were im
pelled towards me by the mysterious
hand that directs all things? You
came in search of me. and you risked
your life for mine at Kajana, there
fore you have a right to know the
truth. You. as my champion, and the
princess as my friend, have contrived
to effect my freedom. Were it not foi
you, 1 should ere this have been on
my way to Saghalien, to the tomb to
which Oberg had so ingeniously con
trived to consign me. Ah! you do
not know—you never can know—all
that I have suffered ever since I was
a girl.
Here the statement broke off. and
recommenced as follows:
"In order that you should under
stand the truth, I had better begin at
the beginning. My father was an Eng
lish merchant in Petersburg, and my
mother, Vera Bessanoff, who, before
her marriage with my father, was
celebrated at court for her beauty,
and was one of the maids of honor tc
the czarina. She was the only daugh
ter of Count Paul Bessanoff. ex-gov
ernor of Kharkoff. and before marry
ing my father she had. with her moth
er, been a well-known figure in so
ciety Immediately after her mar
riage her father died, leaving her in
possession of an ample fortune, which
with my father's own wealth, placed
them among the richest and most in
fluential in Petersburg.
"Among my father's most intimate
friends was Baron Xavier Oberg—(
who, at that time, held a very sub
ordinate position in the ministry of
the interior—and from my earlies;
recollections I can remember him
coming frequently to our house and
being invited to the brilliant enter
tainments which my mother gave
When I was thirteen, however, my fa
ther died of a chill contracted while
boar-hunting on his estate in Kiev
and within a few months a further His
aster happened to us. One night
while I was sitting alone reading
aloud to niv mother, two strangers
were announced, and on being shown
in they arrested my dear mother on a
charge of complicity in a revolution
ary plot against the czar which had
been discovered at Peterhof. I stood
defiant and indignant, for my mothei
was certaintiy no nihilist, yet they
said that the bomb had been intro
duced into the palace by the Countess
Anna ShiprolT, one of the ladies-in
waiting, who was an intimate friend
of my mother’s and often used tc
visit her. They alleged dint the con
spiracy Imd been hatched in out
house, color leing lent to that theory
by the fact that a year before a well
known Russian with whom my fathet
had had many business dealings had
been proved to be the author of the
plot by which the czars train was
blown up near Livadia. They tore tin
mother away from me and placed bet
in the gray prison-van, the sight ol
which in the streets of Petersburg
strikes terror into the heart of even
Russian, for a person once in that
rumbling vehicle is, as you know, lost
forever to the world. I watched hei
from the window being placed in tlial
fatal conveyance, and then I think 1
must have fainted, for I recollect noth
ing more until I found myself upon
tiie floor, with the gray dawn spread
ing. and till the horrible truth came
back to me My mother was gone
front me forever!
(TO RK PONTINCED.)
Didn't Break Her Word.
"Maud married! Why only last
June she told me she wouldn't marry
the best man that walks the earth."
"That’s all right: the man she mar
ried rides, in an automobile."
CITY PROVIDES BIRD HOUSES
Inducement for Feathered Songsters
to Make a Season's Home in
Cleveland.
The city of Cleveland proposes to
encourage friendliness toward birds,
and no one will believe it misdirected
effort. There is growing aprreciation
everywhere of the desirability, econo
mic and sentimental, of bringing back
aur native song birds in as large num
bers as possible.
East Technical high school is mak
ing for the city forestry department
200 model bird houses, which will be
placed in various parks. Some of
them already have been delivered. It
is a fine piece of co-operation between
two branches of municipal activitly.
Forester Boddy has prepared a list
if fruit-bearing trees, shrubs and
vines that furnish food for birds,
which will be a help for those who
wish to put out bird houses about
their own premises. The time is at
hand when the native birds return
frcm the warmer climate and will be
seeking nesting rpctt.
It is all an excellent bit of city
government usefulness of which the
public will approve. It should result
in a widespread revival of interest in
the whole subject of bird conserva
tion. It may be considered to repre
sent the same sentiment which de
mands of the present legislature that
quail be further protected from hunt
ers.
Nature of Genius.
Men may. he says, with Cincinnatus.
prefer plowing to war and statecraft,
but they are not able to follow their
bent. They are possessed of an in
satiable desire to be at work in what
ever their line may be. Those who
conquer nations and found empires
are not moved by ambition. They
are moved by the enormous force of
vitality which struggles within them
and must find way out. Cicero was
more intellectually nimble than Caesar.
Ben Jonson had more learning than
Shakespeare. Babeuf's intentions were
better than Bonaparte's (he lost his
head for them). Sir Harry Vane was
a far more logical revolutionary than
Oliver Cromwell. What was there in ;
the four great men I have named
which brought them to the front? Had
they any gift in common, setting them
apart from other men? Yes, one.
and one only. Not deep insight, not
high moral purpose, not desire for
fame. They did not become super
men by studying for the position, not
by taking thought and laying careful
plans. They came to the front with
out appearing to make any effort to
get there—because they were more
alive than other men.—T, P.’s Weekly.
A Rubber Armor Plate.
Andrew Setzinger, a Pittsburgh po
liceman, has invented a shock absorb
er for battleships and other armored
vessels. By his method the armor
plate is lined with a rubberlike sub
stance, thickly studded, and made by
a process which he has invented.
According to Mr. Setzinger, when
a projectile penetrates the armor
plate, even should it pass through
into the ship, the hole cut out will
close up through the action of the
rubberlike substance, which vulcan
izes from the heat caused by the
friction from the projectile. This will
keep the water out. This process, it
was said, has been tested on a small
scale and found efficient. It was
stated that a foreign government is
now arranging for a test of it with
large-caliber *.'uns.
Horse Stands Over His Dead Rider.
J. Stulton, English lance corporal,
tells this story:
"One man of the -th lancers I
found lying on his back with his eyes
staring at the skies. He was dead
without doubt. Standing over him
was his horse, without a wound. It
was looking into his face every few
minutes, and then neighing in a piti
ful way that sounded just like a hu
mah being in an excess of grief. To
hear that poor animal was enough to
bring tears to the eyes of the most
hardened of men.*’
Here is another incident related by
an English soldier:
‘‘Colonel - and I rode over the
awful Vailly bridge at the rear of bis
regiment. The noise of shell fire was
so great that we could not hear each
other. He stopped, pulled out his re
volver, got off, and shot a horse. Then
remounted. At other moments fout
shells at a time struck that bridge
Yet while his act of mercy was being
done not one came near it: ten sec
onds later it was white with shell
bursts.”
Queer Orchid Freaks.
An extraordinary collection ot
plants, many of them hitherto mi
known, is to be exhibited in New
York city by Harry J. Black, an Amer
ican. who has spent years on Bolivia
Peru and Brazil, hunting orchids anc
other strange flora. The collection cJ
orchids which he is bringing with hint
to the show is valued at $75,000
Among his other flowers, one spec!
men is so sensitive that it closes Its
petals in fright at a sharp noise. Oth
ers wilt into unconsciousness if anes
thetics are applied to their leaves. A
species of jatropha, from Colombia
secretes a poison, which it shoots
through two fangs like a serpent’s
when touched, ar.d the sting is dead
ly. Another stinging plant is covered
with coarse hairs, and when one ol
them is snapped enough poison is di»
charged to kill a man.
, mu—M~m-n r m i i a wr~t Muirn
1 SHEEP GROWING MADE QUITE PROFITABLE
Southdown Ram, Two Years Old—First Prize Winner and Champion.
(By H. H. SHEPARD. Missouri.)
We live on a hilly, brushy farm in
the Ozark region of Missouri. For
several years we have been clearing
up and fencing our farm, but we have
had a terrible time fighting brush and
sprouts on the newly cleared land.
Some cattle, hogs and horses have
been an aid in eating and killing the
sprouts in the permanent pastures,
which have been fenced with high and
tight-woven wire.
One of our neighbors has been keep
ing sheep for several years, and has
had splendid success with them. La;t
year he had some ewe lambs for sale
and we purchased eight of them, and
a buck from another farnfT'r to mate
Choice Lot of Lambs.
with thorn. For the eight lambs we
paid $3C and $10 for the ram, making
a total cost of $46 for the little flock.
Since we had the pastures already
fenced with woven wire for hogs, cat
tle and horses, there was no extra ex
pense in providing pasture for the
sheep.
In our brushy and sprouty pastures
the small flock of sheep ate and grew
spendidly, refusing feed in the lot or
barn till the middle of January this
year. They made practically all their
living on the waste of the farm and
pastures, and the actual cost of feed
ing them outside of what they secured
outside was not more than five dollars.
Except when snow was on the ground
they preferred being out in the hills
and brush foraging in the winter tc
housing and feed in the barn.
This spring we had six Iambs from
the eight ewes. All the sheep and
lambs are fat and in fine condition and
excellent health. We sheared and
shipped the wool last week, securing
28 cents a pound for it from a S;
Louis commission firm. The clip from
the nine sheep gave a net return, aft
er expressage and commission wot
deducted, of $21.85, or a little ov
$2.12 each sheep, for wool only.
This was about 50 per cent of what
the sheep cost us last August when
they were purchased. Counting the
lambs worth $5 each by August, the
total Income from the flock will
amount to $51.85. Deducting $r.,sr.
for feed, the flock will have netted
us $16 in one year, or even 100 per
cent net on the original investment,
which is from two to ten times as
much net profit as we make with any
other of our farm animals.
Besides being highly profitable
sheep are the easiest of all domestic
animals to handle. Our children like
them immensely, and can handle them
with ease and safety. They clean the
land of weeds and sprouts, and they
fertilize richly as they roam and for
age. They are so good in so many
ways that we are preparing to in
crease our flock to 50 ewes on the 100
acre farm.
Of course, sheep and wool are extra
high in price right now, but indica
tions point to continued high prices.
Those having hilly and rocky land can
turn it into rich income property by
fencing it and pasturing with sheep.
Money from the animals comes in at
least twice each year—whenrwool and
lambs are sold. Old sheep are high
priced, and lambs are the highest they
have been in many years, and prices
for both old and young sheep have
continued high without material
change for many months. Where ths
farmer has any spare land not suited
to cultivation, sheep raising offers
golden opportunities at present, and
perhaps will be equally or more profit
able for years to come.
HANDY BAG HOLDER
SAVES MUCH TIME
Light Materials May Be Used in
Construction of Device for
Granary or Barn.
Every farmer should have some kind
of a bag holder, so that grain, chop or
bran can be sacked without requiring
the services of a second person. A
square or round hopper, stationary in
some corner of the granary or a mov
able one supported by three spreading
legs is easy to make and handy to use.
Light material may be employed in
making such a holder.
The height of the hopper from the
floor is regulated by the length of the
bags used, as the bottom of the bag
should not rest on the ground while
being filled.
Dull hooks or nails of such length
and position as judgment dictates will
hold the bag while it is being filled.
Such conveniences as these are simple,
but they save not only time but much
needed energy.
ALWAYS KEEP MILK
COLD AS POSSIBLE
Bacteria Increase Very Slowly at
Low Temperatures—Put Li
quid Against the Ice.
(By WALTER 3. LEUTZ.)
The colder milk is kept, the longer
It v.’ill remain sweet. Bacteria are
responsible for the changes which take
place, and bacteria increase in num
bers very slowly at low temperatures.
Therefore, do not leave milk where
it will get warm. If possible, put it
directly against the ice.
If this cannot be done, put it in the
compartment of the ice box directly
beneath the ice, for the air circulating
through the ice chest is coldest direct
ly after it passes over the ice.
If no ice box is used, keep the milk
as cool as possible by putting it in the
cellar, or by wrapping the bottle in a
damp cloth and setting it out of the
direct sunlight in a current of air.
Feed for Farrowing Sow.
It is Just as important to use care
in feeding the sow following farrow
ing time in the fall as it is in the
spring. Pigs are sometimes scoured
by allowing the sows free access to
the alfalfa after they have been shut
up a week or ten days.
Specialized Farming.
Specialized farming is the kind of
farming that puts fertility into the soil
and profits into the pockets. That’s
the difference in many cases between
specialized and general fanning.
FEEDING CHICKENS
GRASS FROM LAWN
In Case Fowls Are Not Accus
tomed to Green Food They
Will Engorge Themselves.
(By H. S. KAK I.VS, Colorado Agricul
tural College.)
In cities where chickens are kept in
back yards, it is sometimes a com
mon practice, after mowing the lawn,
to throw the cut grass into the chick
en lot to supply green food for the
fowls. In case the chickens ar^uot
accustomed to green food they will
engorge themselves and frequently be
come crop bound. The grass will be
come impacted in a large mass in the
crop which becomes distended. The
bird straightens its neck and yawns,
show's signs of distress, and if not
properly attended to, may die.
Prevention of course should be prac
ticed, and it may be stated that fewer
cases of impaction occur, if instead of
, feeding the cut grass, the chickens are
allowed the freedom of the grass plot.
Treatment should be sought in con
suiting the local veterinarian.
MANURE PILES ARE
DANGEROUS PLACES
Favorite Breeding Spot for Sta
ble Fly—Animal Refuse Should
Be Spread at Once.
Although Btraw is the principal
breeding place for the stable fly in
the grain belt, thousands of them de-1
velop in manure piles. The house fly
and horn fly also breed extensively
here and therefore the greatest care I
should be used in dealing with thisj
animal refuse.
Manure should be hauled out and]
scattered at regular intervals and any]
accumulations of straw or hay, espe-t
cially adjacent to stables, should bel
disposed of. Stable manure beingl
usually in close proximity to human!
habitations, the flies from it havr
freer access to man to disseminate
human diseases.
Best Corn for Silo. ,
A considerable amount of corn will
go into the silos this fall. Don't gcil
in too big a hurry and cut this cornl
too green. Best results will follov.l
if the corn is allowed to be well dent!
ed before cutting.
Let Sheep Eat Weeds.
Turn your weeds into profit by lefj
ting some sheep eat them.
Lambs Relish Mangles.
; Mangles, when finely sliced,
greatly relished by lambs.
