jJMMJSTi'ii5ff3fcfiliiiliiSliMMi
tiJ
THE FATAL REQUEST
ORF O UNDO U T
By A. L. Harris Author of "Mine Own Familiar Friend." etc.
t'opyrlght, nit, by v,t$ let
Copyright, l 0 s , by
CHAPTER XXII. Continued.
Before he could reply the house
maid put In another word.
"(legging your pardon for speaking,
after being told to hold my tongue,
but It's something beginning with a
'11' ns I saw It myself In ti prayer
book I ennie across necldentitl. '
"So thnt Is how ou eanie by your
Information," said her master. "Homo
thing beginning with u it.' Is II? Sup
poso you let me see the hook?"
"Which I Intended to have showed
it to ou at the llrst." she said, fum
bling in her iMH'kct and producing the
well worn little volume, which she
was nhout to Imiid to her master,
when
A sudden dart-a. long arm stretch
d out. anil u powerful hand wrested
It from her.
"This Is my properly." exclaimed
Its owner, sternly. "The name writ
ten within mny he mine or another's,
but fco long as I choose to keep It a
secret secret It shall remain. '
"This Is most extraordinary con
duct!" exclaimed Mr. Ferrers, "most
extraordinary! I'nder the circum
stances, only one course 1 pen to
mo. It Is Impossible for me to harbor
under rny roof one who has obtained
admittance under a faUe name, and
absolutely lefuses any explanation. I
muht. therefore," assuming his se
verest expiesslon. while the young
man seemed to hold his breath as he
waited for tlu- sentence to be pro
nounced upon him "I must, there
fore, discharge you at once, and with
h month's wages in lieu of the ordi
nary notice."
It was nil tip.
"When when am I to leave?" In
sillied Ted. with eyes fixed upon the
iloor and heart beating furiously.
This question seemed to take the
person to whom It was addressed
unawares.
"When!" he answered; "why oh,
"This is my
as soon as you can; or" with a
slightly more lenient tone, as he re
flected that, after all, as tho fellow
himself had said, there might be rea
sons, not necessarily bad. for the con
cealment "you can remain until to
morrow. If you like."
Victory! Another night, which was
1l ho required.
He could scarcely prevent himself
from showing some signs of oxultn
tlon. Ah! perhaps by this time to
morrow the situation might be chang
ed He might be the judge, nnd an
ot ier
Stay ono moment." Mr. Ferrers
continued.
ThN time he nddrossod the woman
l'erkins. who had reached tho door.
-As I have also a strong objection
to persons who pry into other people's
concerns nnd interfere with their pri
vate property, you may as well tako
a month's notice at tne same time.
That will do; yon can go."
The biter was bit. She had not a
word to say for herself. She had
succeeded In wreaking her spite upon
him who had despised her attractions
-mil repulsed her overtures, but she
had done it at tne expense of a good
situation. Moreover, the man whoso
dlhgrace she had labored to secure
laughed In her face ns ho passed her.
CHAPTER XXIII.
The Envelope With Three Seals.
It wns twelve o'e ock on Friday
nielli. The clock In the hall below
had struck the hour. Another half
hour ticked slowly by. nnd at (he end
of that time a ooor In the upper part
if tht house '' opened s-oftly and
hv Imperceptible degrees.
'The room within was In darl tobS
nnd the figure of the man who can
tlously emerged was barely visible in
the genral glix m.
He irept lightly on his stoel lugcd
feet pat-t tho doors of the ron-.is on
the upper Iloor, and begen to di.cend
the staircase.
It was much In his favor, the stairs
being to well and so massively con
tiucted. that there was no startling
and treacherous creak to (hot i ay tho
feet which trod them secrltly In the
doad of night. And so ho', made his
way t-lowly ami safely to tl)e floor on
which the room was slti.tNed Into
which he was minded to penetrate.
After careful and nolse,lesn search,
) succeeded in laying his hand upon
n candle and a box of matches, which,
earlier In the evening, ho hod secreted
in a convenient, hut out-of-the way
corner.
1'h t I t i M n g Company
S t i e r I it- H M I t h .
He struck n match, and, lighting
the cnntlle, advanced townrds the iloor
of the apartment Into the lock of
which he Inserted his duplicate key.
He entered nnd cloned the door be
hind blm. without, however, com
pletely shutting It.
He put his candle clown on the writ
ing table while he considered what
was to be done next. The waste
paper basket lirst attracted his atten
tion as being at once the nearest and
the easiest object on which to exer
cise his powers of investigation.
It was nbout a quarter full of torn
fragments. which he promptly
emptied out before him. A rapid and
cursory examination was sufllclent to
piove that these were of no Import
ance. So ho swept them back Into
their original receptacle.
The next thing to be done must be
to tackle the writing table. How wns
this to lie accomplished? Shocking
to relate, he produced from his pocket
nothing less than a bunch of skele
ton keys!
To his great, disappointment one
after another of the drawers tip.ui the
right hand proved to be empty. He
turned his attention to those on his
left.
He put his hand to one and pulled
out the tightly wedged contents. Ho
spread It open; yes, It wns a news
paper Homo months old. What could
be the reason for preserving it? A
sudden thought he looked at the date
and then Yes. there It was on the In
side sheet. "Terrible Hallway Acci
dent! Tho 4::i) train from Dover
wrecked nnd partially consumed!"
Thero was a full account of that
ghastly affair, with minute details
of all the horrors a recollection of
which returned to him, most vividly
as he scanned the column. He re
placed the first, and took down an
other nnd another.
"Further details number of bodies
property!"
found distressing scenes the In
questthe verdict mysterious dis
covery with regard to a (list class pas
sengerfoul play suspected! Verdict
of Wilful Murder!" And so on nnd
soon he retraced his way through tho
whole of that dark tragedy wasting
what he felt to he precious time, hut
unable to tear his attention away
from theso records of the past.
At last ho rammed tho paper back
into Its pigeon hole and turned his
attention again to 4 ho drawer be
neath. When it at last yielded to
his efforts, ho was rewarded by tho
sight of a flatly folded packet of
parchment, tied with tape tho Iden
tical last will nnd testament which ho
had heard spoken of so often by the
cook. Dut this, though of interest in
one way, was not that of which he
was In search, and he began to feel
a qualm of fear lest, after nil, his
quest should prove useless.
Ills eye. roaming restlessly nbout,
wbb caught by the gleam of brass In a
dark corner. Tho candle, which was
sufllclent to light him at his task, still
left the greater part of the room In
semi-darkness, nnd there was some
thing over there, in thnt corner, which
he had not taken Into account.
It. wns an old fashioned piece of fur
niturethe only shabby nnd evidently
second hnnd article In tho room. It
I wns an upright article ami wns divid
ed Into t vo portions, the lower con
I mining drawers and tho tipper being
I diut In with doors, which were fitted
with a brass lock nnd fastening.
It wns old and much scratched, and
'mil apparently seen considerable use;
but must have been a good article
originally. He took the caudle lu his
band anil, crossing the room, inspect
ed It closely. "Thero Is a look about
It" holding tho candle up higher
"as though It might have a history
attached to It. It looks" with a sud
den Impulse "ns though It might bo
trusted to keep a secret." Ho put tho
candle upon the mantelpieco close by
and again resumed his burglarious
operations. "I shall soon bo nblo to
pass muster us an experienced house
breaker, at this rate," he remarked to
himself, with grim Irony, as tho lock
turned traitor, and tho door, swinging
open, revealed a number of drawers
within, each garnished with a lock
and brass handle. Which should ho
attack first? Much tlmo had already
boon wasted, and at that moment, as
though In answer, tho clock on tho
mantelpieco chimed three, whllo tho
clock In tho hall without repeated the
hour attar It.
I
"I will try the third first" ho said,
and Inserted one of his skeleton keys
Into the lock. Tills drawer tho
third In order from the top on being
opened showed Itself. strangely
enough, to contain three articles, all
of a widely different character.
These were a large and bulky en
velope, a revolver and a small bottle
of coteries fluid. The young man
could not repress an exclamation of
surprise nnd triumph as his eye fell
upon these.
Tho secret ho had been in search of
so long lay ready to his hind tho
proofs of the crime were there wait-
Injj fcr him to grasp them. He knew
It. and yet hesitated. The shock of
tho discovery seemed to paralyse his
hand, so that for an Instant ho was
(Tumble to stretch forth and take pos
session of what he lielieveit woum
make him master of n man's fate.
At Inst he put out his hand, which
trembled as he did so. and took up the
revolver. It was a six-chamber revol
ver, and a glance showed that one
ony of the chambers had been dis
charged. A tierce, hungry look came over his
face as he policed this, and, laying tho
weapon down, he searched for some
thing which ho always carried about
him the conical shaped bullet which
had been discovered In tho studlng of
the fourth carrlnge from tho engine.
He dropped It Into tho empty cham
ber, which It tilted exactly.
"Proof number one!" he said, with
grim Joy, as he felt tho dreadful thirst
for blood return upon him with all Its
foimer strength. He laid tho revolver
down and took up the small stoppered
bottle. What was this, and what bear
ing had Its contents upon the matter?
He removed tho stopper and inhaled,
the contents carefully. A strong and
unmistakable odor of bitter almonds
greeted him. I'russie aeld, beyond
doubt! What did this point to? There
seemed to be only one answer pos
sibleSuicide! A means of escnpo
provided In ease of the worst happen
ing. He replaced the stopper and
placed the bottle by the side of tho
revolver, while he took tip tho third
nnd last article. This was the envel
ope before mentioned. It was large
and thick and sealed In no less than
three places. On It. In place of an
address, were written tho stranga
words: "To he burned, unoponed,
after my death."
To be burned, unopened, after his
death! what did that mean? Why.
if it were to be burned, unopened, had
Ire put himself to the pains of writing
It? For that the euvelope contained
the completed copy of the "true narra
tive and confession of tho strango
tragedy" he had not the ienst doubt.
But why hail he described It as the
strange tragedy? Cowardly and de
testable It might well be but why
strange?
"At any rate, so far from Its being
burned, unopened," he said, aloud. "I
will now myself "
He held the letter in one hand nnd,
with the other he was about, to break
the seals, when a voice cried:
"Stop!"
(To bo continued.)
Doctors Anew a Good Thing.
Congressman John Sharp Williams
tells of a man in Mississippi who is a
hypochondriac of tho first order. This
Individual's falling Is a source of never-ending
amusement to his fellow
townsmen. It was of this man that
some one humorously remarked. In an
swer to a question as to how tho sick
man wns getting on, that "ho com
plained that he was feeling somewhat
better."
Mr. Williams says that tho hypo
chondriac was one day telling a friend
of his efforts to regain his old-time
health. He ran over tho list of doc
tors whom he had consulted. Where
upon the friend remarked:
"Well, old man. 1 must say that you
appear to have lots of faith In doc
tors." "Certnlnly I have," replied tho sick
man. "Don't you think tho doctors
would be foolish to let a good cus
tomer like me die?" Colorado
Springs Gazette.
Long Lines of Kings.
Though Japan he the latest country
to enter tho circle of world powers,
her emperor surpasses all sovereigns
In the length of his pedigree, accord
ing to the Loudon Chronicle. Ha is
the one hundred nnd twenty-second
member In direct, unbroken descent
of his family who has sat on tho
throne of Japan. The founder of his
house was, In Japanese legend, a god
dess of tho sun, and contemporary
with Nebuchadnezzar, GOB years be
fore tho Christian era. On the other
hand, the Ilomanoffs have been royal
only since ItiOl, when they succeeded
to tho sovereignty of tho thou ex
tlnct house of Hurlk. Ah for other
European rulers, King Edward can go
back to Cerdlc, 39." A. 1) tho Haps
burgs to 052 A. 1)., and tho Hohcn
zollerns to tho eighth century, but as
kings only to 1701.
Why It Wasn't Legal.
In tho New York Ijiw School at a
recent lecture on tho making of wills
tho caso of n woman In ono of Rider
Ilaggnrd'rt books was cited. This
woman had a man's will Inscribed In
Ink on her hack. And the will was
hold regular antl legal because It had
been made In writing.
After giving this practical Illustra
tion, the professor called on John
Smith, saying:
"Is a will so Inscribed regular and
legal lu your opinion?"
"No," nnswered Smith.
"Why not?" asked tho professor.
"Docause It'c a skin game," replied
Smith.
Tho professor felt angry enough ti
order Smith out of tho room, but tin
class laughed so much that ho de
elded to ovorlook tho student's till
uancy.
lh ', iBMBPsBBMfc Nl
Nightgown.
No matter what the demand for
fancy nightgowns may be evety wom
an wants n few of the comfortable
sort that can be worn when occasion
demands This one Is modeled on
simple lines, hut is tasteful lit the
sit"" lime and Includes wide sleeves
that tire both coin
a
I'ortable and fash
able, and are fin
ished with deep
becoming frills.
The model Is mndo
from cambric with
trimming of em
In older), but all
material In use for
4649 Night (Innn,
32 to 40 bust.
underwear, cottons, llanuelet, wash
I flannel nnd the like are appropriate.
The gown Is made with full length
fronts and a back which is gathered
and attached to the yoke. At tho
neck is a simple roll over collar and
tho right hem laps over the left to
form the closing. The sleeves are
fuller below the elbows than above
and are gathered Into narrow bauds to
tho lower edge of which tho frills
are attached.
Tho quantity of material required
for (he medium sl.e Is S'i yaids 27
Inches wide or t" yards "t Inches wide,
with 3W. yards of embroidery to trim
as Illustrated.
The pattern 4649 Is cut lu sles for
a 34, 30, 38, ID, 42. 41 and 4(! Inch bust
measure.
"Buster Brown" ult.
"Duster, Drown" has become far too
familiar a figure to need Introduction.
His admirers aro many and It Is safe
to assume that Interest lu his cos
tunio is as general as Is amusement
over his doings. The model shown
will be recognized at a glance and Is
made of dark blue serge stitched with
cortlcclll silk and x.urn with linen
collar and cuffs and bilk tie, but as
11 the materials used for boys' anils
f tho sort are appropriate thero Is
ample range of choice. The blouse
Irawn on over tho head, which makes
4646 "Duster Drown" butt,
2 to 0 years.
tho essential characteristic, Is emi
nently becoming to small boys as well
aB filmple to make and tho trousers aro
full and baggy at the knees.
Tho suit consists of blouse and
trousers. Tho blouse Is shaped by
means of shoulder and underarm
seams and Includes full sleeves with
roll-ovor cuffs nnd a belt that Is pass
ed under straps attached at the under
arm scams. . At the front is cut a
short opening thnt is concealed by tho
tlo. Tho trousers aro eln Knicker
bocker style, drawn up under the
knees and allowed to droop.
Tho quantity of material required
for the medium size (4 years) Is 3Vfc
yards 27 Inches wide, 3W yards 32
Inches wido or 2i yards 44 Inches
wide.
The pattern 4646 Is cut lu sizes for
boys of 2, 4 and G years of age.
Jeweled Hose.
Smart women aro alwnys looking
for something new, nnd their latest
fancy Is Jeweled stockings. Tur
quoises sewn on bronze-colored silk
hose, with bronze kid shoes to match,
are tho favorltos.
Pink and green stones on nny col
ored grounds, with shoes of the same
shade, and iridescent lizards, beetles
and reptiles embroidered on black aro
worn with black satin shoos.
Tho daintiest of all are tho white
silk stockings worn in England. They
aro netted all over with laeo or trel
Used with embroidery, and fit for a
fairy princess.
Raffia Baskets Are the Fashion.
Some of tho prettiest baskets shown
In tho stores this senson are made of
raflla. Among tho most useful ones
aro tho hnuglug baskets made of
roods, Interwoven with raflla of tho
most beautiful colors. Japanese gin
ger Jars anil pottery of all sorts also
make cffcctlvo receptacles for plants.
Readers of tills paper can fcocuro nny May
Matilou pattern Illustrated nboc by tlllluRout
all bluuks lu coupon, nnd mmllni,', with 10 cent,
to E. li Harrl-on & Co., OS Plymouth 1'Uco, Chi
cago. Vttttcru will he mailed promptly.
Name ....
Town ... .
Bute
Pattern No
Walst Measure (It for ekirt)....
Uuu Measure (tf for waist).,.
Ago (It child's or miss's pattern)
Wilto plainly, rill out all blanks. Unclose
10a MalltuK.1:. Hairlson Co., C5 1'lymoutU
I'lace, Cblcstfo.
T. ivi
if
A SMART
Dlotisc coats with shoulder capes
are the smartest of all smart things
and suit young girls exceedingly well.
This one Is made of tan colored
broadcloth nnd is trimmed with fancy
braid, hut all suiting and cloaking
materials aro equally appropriate.
When desired the enpes cun be omit-
ted. but they add hugely to the effect
and are much to be desired. Doth
blouse nnd skirt aro tucked at front '
Pearls Produced to Order.
In his scientific pearl farming Prof.
Dubois has transplanted n colony of
pearl oysters from the coast of Tunis
to a point near Toulon. Of theso oys
ters ono lu 1,200 yielded a pearl. Act
ing on the theory that the pearl dis
ease or the shell is due to the accro
Hon of mother of pearl under tho ac
tion of n parasite, the experimenter
hns tried to trnnsmlt the disease to
other oysters and hns succeeded In
producing one or more pearls from
every ten oysters.
Walking Skirt With Kilt.
Since walking skirts have become
csTablished facts smart women aro
ever on tho outlook for novel effects.
The skirt Illustrated Is quite new and
Is lu every way admirable, an It pro
vides tho smooth
lit over the hips,
that moans perfect
outline, combined
with geneiotis llnre
below the knees.
The model is mndo
of mixed gray
chovlot stitched
with cortlcelli silk,
but all suiting and
skirt materials are
4648Wnlltlt.cflktrt,
22 to 30 whIM.
appropriate.
The skirt Is made with circular
front and sides, full length back gore
nnd flounce. The back gore and the
flounco nro laid In deep kilt plaits and
are Joined to tho upper portion, which
Is made circular and fitted by means
of short hip darts.
Tho quantity of material required
for the medium size Is 8 yards 27
Inches wide, G',6 yards 44 inches wido
4 yards C2 inches wide.
Tho pnttern 4648 Is cut in sizes for
n 22, 21, 2C, 28 nnd 30 Inch waist meas
ure. Corsage Sachet.
The heart-shaped corsogo sachet of
white satin Is to wear around tho neck
beneath tho lingerie. Tho ribbon edge
nnd bow make a pretty flnlbh and It
Is suspended by a ribbon.
Another corsage snehet on this or
der consists of two pads about two
inches sqtiuro, with a small bow In
tho center of each. They are fastened
to the ends of a strip of baby ribbon.
For tho .Japanese sachet, mndo of
Japanese silk, a bag two and o-ie-half
by threo Inches, nnd In tho top scam
fasten a .lapanoso doll's head. Around
Its neck a ribbon Is tied, stock fashion,
Tho most popular sachet odors at
present aro sandal wood, orris ami tho
Japanese perfumes.
The Walking Skirt.
The short skirt can ho qulto becom
ing nnd smart, provided it Is full.
Heavy winter skirts this year uro be
ing mndo without linings, und aro
worn with a very smart silk petticoat
of fiufllclent substauco to keep thorn
well out at tho feet.
BLOUSE COAT.
and hack and are Joined at tho waist
lino beneath tho belt. Tho sleeves nro
largo nnd amplo with shaped cuffH
that aro eminently stylish. To mako
tho coat for a girl of 14 years of ago
will ho required G yards of material
27, 3?A yards 44 or 2?A yards 52 Inches
wide. A Mny Mnnton pattern, No.
4634, sizes 12 to lfi years, will bo
mailed to any uddress on receipt of
ten cents.
Fancy Waist.
All broad shoulder effects aro in
vogue ami, us a consequence, berthas
of all sorts aro worn. This smart and
effective waist combines plno green
Corenn crepe with chiffon velvet in a
deeper shade and cream colored lace,
and exemplifies a bertha of the now
est sort together with alcoves that
can bo full or elbow length as de-
Blred. Tho laco
yoke over the un
der ono of velvet
Is slnguluiiy hand
some as well as
noyel and thenise
of both heavy and
lino laco on tho
same waist Is a
featuro of tho lat
est designs.
The wrist Is made
over a fitted lining
4647 Fancy Waist,
32 to 40 bust.
which Is faced to form the yoke and
on which tho full front and backs
and tho circular folds, which glvo
a bertha effect, aro arranged. Tho
sleeves are made plain above tho folds
hut full and soft below, forming full
puffs, which aro finished with frills
when elbow length Is used, and be
low which deep cuffs are added to
glvo full length. At the waist is a
shaped bodice that Is softly draped.
Tho quantity of material required
for the medium size is G yards 21
Inches wide, 4 yards 27 Inches wide,
or 24 yards 44 Inches wide, with 1
yard of all-over lace, 1 yards ot
velvet and 3 yards of lace for frills to
make as Illustrated.
The pattern 4647 Is cut In sizes
for a 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40-lnch bust
measme.
ftr
iiwijcu
An old steel pen If kept In your
Inkpot to absorb tho ucld, will make
tho pens In dally uso wear better.
Carroll oil, which should nlways bo
kept ready to use In cases of burns, Is
mudo of equal parts of Unseed oil and
lime water.
White fur can bo cleaned by rub
bing with sawdust moistened with
benzollnc; but tho bcnzollno must not
be used near a light or lire.
Wlicn cleaning plato mix tho whit
ing occasionally with a llttlo gin or
whisky and water, nnd you will get a
far better polish than if water alone is
used.
Hot water cans should always bo
turned upsldo down after use. It Is
tho tiny drop of wntor left standing
In tho bottom that causes rust, und
holes soon follow.
Cleun whlto corsets by scrubbing
with a lather of soap, ammonia and
warm water, afterwards thoroughly
rinsing. Steel should bo roraoved
I first, or Iron molds will result
mmw liBB IjS?Hl miIa
vui wawmiu
eg C WffPir '
1
u
Mr
m
m
i tH
IV.
V
i vf
ti h
a
ii
4
?zm$sEi
rrcaKTrnrn8"
"ttTTttri
. liNijj,v
"J&!
?tfyjSSajj