CHAPTER XII. ( Continued. )
"Nona , my dear child , are you there ?
The lamp Is very dim , is it not ? I
don't sec you , " called the sleepy voice
of Mrs. Heathcote , waking me from a
iMpturous dream of wonderment and
joy. And at the same moment the
Hector entered , full of apologies for hi
long absence.
"I couldn't get away , " he explained ,
with quite unnecessary elaboration.
"These poor things like to talk oift all
their troubles , and they are very long-
winded. You can't cut them short-
to do that would be to ruin your repu
tation for sympathy. Nona , my dear ,
let us have some tea , if you please. I
am afraid it is the Dean's tea full of
pernicious tannin by this time. It is a
quarter to ten o'clock" taking out his
watch. "Why" staring round him in
bewilderment "what has become of
the child ? I could declare I saw her
sitting there In her black gown when
I came in. What queer trick have my
eyes played me now ? "
"
"Miss Branscombe has just left the
room , " I said , coming to the front ;
"and , Mrs. Heathcote Mr. Heathcoto
will you both give me your goo.l
wishes. I we I that is Miss Brans-
combe Nona "
The Rector was staring at me openmouthed -
mouthed as I floundered awkwardly
through my speech. Mrs. Heathcote's
womanly Instincts were quicker. I
saw it In her face , and , crossing over
to her side , took her hand in mine.
"She has made me the happiest fel
low In the world , " I said. "Won't you
congratulate me ? "
"You you ! " exclaimed the Rector ,
red in the face with astonishment , as
the truth flashed upon him. "The
dickens ; I thought it was that scamp
Charlie ! "
"So did I , " I could not help saying ;
and then we all laughed heartily to
gether.
Miss Elmslie came in in the midst of
our mirth. Mr. Heathcote hastened to
explain.
"My dear Miss Elmslie. have you
been as blind as the rest of us ? Here
has Fort been making his running
whilst we have been watching the
other horse ! "
"What do you mean ? " asked she.
"That I am going to ask you to re
ceive me into the family , Miss Elms-
lie , " I put in. ' 'Nona is willing to be
of-livery hat round and round In his
Ijfrnda.
"I thought It might be of consequence
quence , sir , " ho commenced respect
fully. Then , as I closed the door on
the girl , he came close ro me and whis
pered "It's all right. I've been over
to Colonel Egerton's , and shall have
the warrant the first thing in the morn
ing. "
"The warrant ? " I echoed , aghast.
"Yes ; prompt action is the only
thing , " responded the brisk detective.
"The arrest will be made before ten
o'clock. " *
"Arrest ! " Fortunately my back was
turned to the light , and Widdrington
could not see my scared face. "Surely
this is an extreme measure ! "
"Extreme ! " answered the detective ,
"It's the only course , If we are to lay
hands on the will at all. Afterwards
it can be hushed up by the family-
refusal to prosecute and so on. But
intimidation is the only line at pres
ent , and in the circumstances the will
we must have. She doesn't know
where It is of that I am sure. It has
not been made way with criminals
seldom do that sort of thing ; it shuts
the door behind them , you see. We'll
put on the thumbscrew , and it will
come out , never fear" with an odious
chuckle.
*
CHAPTER XIII.
I sat down , faint and dizzy. There
stood the detective , eager , triumphant ,
and no doubt utterly astonished and
disappointed at my want of apprecia
tion of his success.
"The charge is for concealing , " he
went on. "I thought it better to take
that line. "
"I suppose so , " I assented dully. I
was ransacking my brains for a way of
escape. My darling in the clutches of
this harpy of the law ! It was intolera
ble impossible ! A wild Idea of brib
ing him of throwing myself upon his
mercy , crossed my half-distracted
mind. Something must be done.
"I have telegraphed for more men , "
said Widdrington "haft a dozen"of
them in case of resistance , you know.
They can come down by the night
mail. "
An army of constables against one
poor little trembling woman ! What on
earth was the man thinking of ?
"He'll probably show fight , " went on
"SHE HAS MADE ME THE HAPPIEST FELLOW IN THE WORLD , " I
SAID.
my wife will you let me be your
cousin ? "
"Is this true ? " she exclaimed in
breathless wonder. "Oh , I was never
so glad of anything in my life" clasp
ing her hands. "Receive you ? Of
course I will. I must go to the dear
child at once. "
"It's the most satisfactory way out
of all our difficulties , " Mr. Heathcote
declared , when I had laid my position
fully before him. "It has relieved my
mind of a great load of anxiety. I
could not have borne to see the dear
Sirl married to that other fellow. And
now I suppose we must give up Forest
Lea. I am sorry about the old place
too. If the will "
"Let it go , " I said , hastily , recalled
to the remembrance of all the trouble
involved in that unhappy subject
"Mr. Tillott would like to speak to
you , sir , " announced a maid , as I
crossed the hall , bed-room candlestick
in hand.
"Who on earth is Mr. Tillott ? " I in
quired.
"It's the groom , sir. He wants to
sec you about a letter he found in the
dog-cart , he says. "
"Oh , yes all right ! Where is he ? "
I remembere * ! then that I had never
read the letter ; it had passed com
pletely out of my mind since thrusting
it into my pocket before my explana
tion with Nona.
"He is waiting in the study , sir. He
said he was sorry to disturb you so
late. "
"Just so which is the study ? "
The-girl conducted me to the door.
It was open , and "Mr. Tillott" was
standing just vithir , turning his out-
the detective.
"He ? Who ? " I stammered.
"Why , the criminal ! " answered Wid
drington.
"The the criminal ! " I repeated
after him blankly.
The man give me a quick critical
look. That I had been dining , and
dining not wisely , but too well , was
evidently the conclusion he arrived at.
Nothing else could account for my in
tense stupidity.
"The criminal Mr. Charles Brans-
combe , " he emphasized. "It's a clear
case , and an uncommon clever game ,
too. Personation of his cousin , Miss
Branscombe wonderful likeness at all a
times fair hair , slight figure like a
girl's no hair on face no wojider you a
were taken in" meaningly. "Lady's
maid in the plot , supplied all the rig-
out , etc. , and gave the tip into the bar
gain. Uncommonly well managed.
Astonishing how the young fellow gets "
over the women they're all ready to
go down on their knees and to sell their
souls for him every one of them. As a
for this one "
'Woodward ' ? " I ejaculated , beginning
to recover from my stupefaction , and ' 1 (
to see daylight through the whole
thing.
g
"Yes , " returned the ex-groom , with
a wink. "Young woman soft on the
sex generally , you see didn't want
much courting to let the whole cat out
of the bag as much as she knew.
Knows nothing about the will ; she be
lieved Mr. Branscombe only wanted to
look at It , she pays. He told her so , R
and she thought it hard lines that he
was not allowed to go to the house
or to be at his uncle's funeral. She 5
never supposed that he wanted to get
hold of the will altogether. And now p
what we've got to do IB to make Mm
hand It over. But" breaking off In hia
rapid explanation "I told you all this
In the letter I gave you this evening.
Didn't you read It ? Bless my soul !
You haven't dropped it ? " as I * rum
maged fruitlessly In one pocket after
another. "You haven't lost it ? "
"It's not here ! No , I did not read it.
Stay I may have left it in the draw
ing-room ; wait here whilst I see , I will
be back directly. "
Mrs. Heathcote and Miss Elmslie had
not yet retired. Lights were full on in
the drawing-room , contrary to the vir
tuous early habits of the household ,
and the two ladies were seated side by
side on a couch by the fire , discussing
over and over again the v/ondeiful sur
prise of the evening.
"What is it ? " asked Mrs. Heathcote ,
rising to assist my search. "A letter ?
No , there is no letter here. Eliza must
have seen it if it had been left en the
tea-table , and she never takes letters
or papers away the Rector has
trained her too well for that. No , it is
certainly not here. I hope it was not
important. But you will be sure to
find it upstairs or in the study. Have
you looked there ? "
Widdrington was awaiting mo impa
tiently when I returned.
"It is gone , " I admitted ruefully. "I
came straight from the garden to the
drawing-room , and from there here. I
must have dropped it. "
"Then the whole thing's blown-
ruined , " cried the man , clapping on his
hat , and making for the door. "There's
not a minute to be lost. "
My letter was gone { here was no
doubt about it. A second and calmer
search through my pockets confirmed
the fact. I had en tire-y forgotten the
paper , attaching no importance to it at
the moment , regarding it as simply a
ruse on the detective's part to attract
my attention ; and subsequent events
had entirely driven the whole circum
stance out of my mind. I had doubt
less dropped the missive with all its
important revelation in the garden or
hall.
I opened the window of iny bed
room , which looked over the lawn and
garden path by which I had returned
to the house. A man's figure Wid-
drlngton's was just vanishing through
the gate. He had evidently been
searching over the ground , so that no
efforts of mine were needed. I won
dered what success he had had. Proba
bly he found the missing letter , and all
fear of miscarriage to his plans was
over.
I sat up late into the night , writing
and reading. Sleep , in the tumult of
my mind , was out of the question. I
had to think over and realize the won
derful and blissful change which had
come into my life. Nona , iny peerless
treasure , was mine my own. And the
cloud which had overshadowed her
even in my most loyal thought had
dimmed the rapturous joy of my be
trothal.
I had almost forgotten Widdrington
in the floodtide of my happiness , but ,
when I descended to the breakfast-
room the next morning , I was abruptly
recalled to the subject of last night's
interview. On my plate lay a note
marked "Delivered by hand. " It
contained only these words
'
"Gone. Disappeared last night. Letter -
ter not found. "
Later in the day the detective's in
telligence was confirmed by the Rector.
Mr. Charles Branscombe had gone
from Forest Lea , leaving no address
behind him. The two or three female
servants remaining in charge either
knew or would tell nothing. Charlie
had always a fascinating influence on
their class and set ; as Widdrington had
said , there was something of a feudal
devotion in their loyalty to him. They
no doubt thought his case a hard one ,
and they would not betray him.
Mr. Heathcote's new groom had also
disappeared summoned to London by
the dangerou ? illness of his father , thJ
household believed.
To be continued.
WOMEN'S CLUB
And the Reason for Their Rapid Growth
of Iato Years.
It was at a woman's club , after the n
meeting , and when the hum and buzz
of feminine voices were intermingled °
with the clatter of spoons and tempo
rarily hushed by the mouthfuls of ice
cream , that the following conversation C
took place between two women , one of
e
whom was an ardent club woman , as
could easily be seen by the string of ?
medals and insignia which ornamented - .
ed the front of her bodice , while the
other was just the ordinary everyday .
K
woman. "My dear , " said the club
woman , grabbing her companion's
hand , I must be going. I am due at
f
meeting of the daughters of Lafay
ette Post , and then I must drop in for .
moment and see Mrs. Blank about
our next meeting and the topic for OjS
cussion. " "How do you find time lor
all these clubs and what does your hus
band say to all this running about ? "
"Ten years ago it was I who sat at
home and waited till between 5 and 6
for him to come home. 'Mais nous K
avons change tout sela , ' he sits home V
and waits for me now. I have been out c'
since 9 this morning and I am just of
looking lige a tramp now. Well , he
does not seem to mind It ; he Is just as
good and dear as he can be. We boardC
C/
you know , and I never had any chil
dren. But good bye ; I shall see you
again at the 'Justicla , ' shall I not ? " Is D
this the solution of the abnormal
growth of woman's clubs , "We board ,
you know , and I never had any chil
:
dren. " Is it the lack of motherhood
which has driven her into the clubs ?
bibi
Twenty-five years ago the United
States supplied 15 per cent of the
world's coal consumption ; now it sap-
plies 30 per cent. elw
IS NO BACKWARD STEP
THE PRESIDENT'S CIVIL SERVICE
ORDER APPROVED.
federal Commissioner Ilarlow Declare *
It to Bo In Accord with the Spirit of
the Ijuv and Calculated to Improve
the Public Service.
In his recent letter to the president
Df the Civil Service Reform associa
tion of St. Louis , Mr. John B. Harlow ,
a member of the federal civil-service
commission , upholds the action of
President McKinley in removing from
the classified list the positions em
braced in the order of exemption which
was Issued by the president several
weeks ago. So far from disapproving
of these exemptions Commissioner
Harlow presents reasons which amply
support his view that the modifications
put in force by the president's order
are for the benefit of the public service
and will result In securing a higher
degree of efficiency than has hereto
fore been possible.
It clearly appears from Commis
sioner Harlow's presentment of the
case that much'of the criticism passed
upon the exemption order of May 29
has been based upon lack of correct
information or upon an erroneous con
ception of the facts on the part of the
critics , and that in issuing his now
famous order , after full and careful
consideration of the subject , and after
a thorough discussion of the matter
with his cabinet officers , President Mc-
Klnley has not only not violated the
civil-service law either in letter or in
spirit , but has construed that law
wisely , Intelligently and with regard
solely for the best interests- the pub
lic service.
On this point the closing paragraph
of Commissioner Harlow's letter is
clear and emphatic. The commissioner
brings prominently into view the fact
that , as amended by the order of May
29 , the rules are for the first time the
result of the united discussion of the
president and his entire cabinet , and
are an innovation to that extent , as all
members of the cabinet are thoroughly
conversant with the rules , while in the
past members of the cabinet have
stated that they have never read the
rules and were much surprised to learn
of some of the provisions in them.
"The present rules are now fully understood -
derstood by the heads of departments ,
and I am confident , " says Commis
sioner Harlow , "that they will be bet
ter obeyed in the future , not only in
the letter but in the spirit , than any
civil-service rules have been in the
past. "
This view of a member of the civil-
service commission may well be ac
cepted as against the unfair and ma
licious criticisms of mugwump stick
lers for the most radical forms of in
terpretation and application in connec
tion with the civil service interpre
tations and" applications of the law
which the fair test of practical opera
tion has shown to be impracticable ,
nonsensical and of actual detriment to
the public service. Commissioner Har
low is much the better authority on
this subject , for he speaks with knowl
edge and experience. So is Secretary
Gage , whose recent statement in the
Washington Star was so convincing as
to bring about an tntire change of atti
tude on the part of so rigid a cham
pion of strict construction as the Pioneer
neer Press of St. Paul. That paper ,
after an exhaustive review of the case
as presented by Secretary Gage , is
constrained to say :
"The Pioneer Press accepts with en
tire satisfaction and full confidence in
the honesty and good faith of Presi
dent McKinley and Secretary Gage
their assurance that in this order there
has been no letting clown of the bars
for political appointments that they
are in the interest of an honest and
efficient administration of the public
business , and will prove a substantial e '
benefit to the merit system. That as fi
surance Is equivalent to a guaranty. fisi fia
The public will have a full opportunity si
sitl
to see in the actual working of these tl
tlai
new rules whether this declaration is ai
aiS
true , or whether the doors have been S
opened wide for the inroads of the El
spoilsmen , as has been charged. " Eln
Exactly in line with this sensible n
conclusion ( all unprejudiced persons M
will stand. It was the conclusion inevitably ai
aiw
evitably formed after reading the very w
clear statement of facts contained in la
the j interview of ex-Secretary Corne st
. stei
lius N. Bliss in the New York Mail and ei
Express. The conclusion that in Pres
ident McKinley's order of civil-service tc
tcbi
exemptions there has been no backward bi
; bia
ward step , no letting down of the bars bivz
for the easier entrance of the spoils vz
men , is one that the level-headed and vzm
fair-minded people of the United States m
will promptly accept after a full ai
knowledge of the facts. pi
of
Trusts and Soup Houses.
The reason trusts were not so nu le
merous under Cleveland as under Mc ra
Kinley is because democratic rule and hf
principles make times so hard that us
capital can find nothing profitable out in
which to make a trust. Under
Cleveland's democratic rule capital re le
mained idle on account of lack of con of [
fidence in the democracy. But no sli
sooner was republican rule restored et
than capital at once entered the busi
ness arena with full confidence.
Democratic hard times is death to
trusts and every other business. til
Republican prosperity is profitable to CO
COm
trusts and all branches of business. m
Which is best , hard times and no fo
business , or prosperity and revival of Pi
business everywhere ? di [
Yes , we admit that republican good an
times create enough profitable business sh
enterprise so that a number of men in
will attempt to combine for the pur- Jo
pose of controlling all the business in
sight , but democratic hard times and
free trade Invite no such feelings for
the owners of surolus money.
We believe it is the greatest blessing
that could happen to the country for
the money men of the nation to buy up
the struggling enterprises , for the
blight of Clevelandism and democracy
had so crippled business enterprises
that new blood ( money ) alone can save
them.
them.We
We believe the republican party can
be trusted to fully protect the people
from injurious trusts ; in fact the
American people themselves will see to
it that republican prosperity remains
and that a trust that injures the public
shall not exist.
It is much better to have a full stomach
ach and fight trusts than to be starv
ing and have not even a trust to fight.
We prefer prosperity and trusts to
famine and starvation. Trusts and
soup houses do not go together. Ogden -
den ( Utah ) Standard.
Tariff as an Issue In IOOO.
Leading democratic newspapers here
and there are in favor of malfing "tar
iff reform" the chief issue in next
year's campaign , and the recent tirade
of Trust King Havemeyer against pro
tection is bearing fruit.
The Philadelphia Record is one of
the newspapers which believes the tar
iff issue would be a winner for the
democrats. "With tariff reform as the
issue , " it says , "the democratic party
would not only be united , but to Its
banner would be attracted tens of thou
sands of voters who can no longer be
duped with the false pretense that pro
tective duties , while enhancing the cost
of the necessaries of living , give labor
and high wages to workingmen. "
Of course the Record , in common
with other eastern democratic news
papers , hopes that the revival of the
tariff issue will dispose of sixteen to
one , and it may be sincere in the belief
that the democrats would be strength
ened by having such an issue. Never
theless , we are Inclined to believe it
would find itself mistaken. The bene
fits of protection are not a delusion.
Th people of the United States have
had ] one dose of tariff reform , and they
do ( not want another. The disastrous
panic following the election of a free-
trade congress and president caused
an industrial paralysis which threw
hundreds of thousands of workingmen
out of employment and caused a loss to
them in wages amounting to many
millions of dollars. The return of pros
perity . following the re-enactment of
the republican protective tariff law fur
nished an object leson which nobody
can disregard , and the voters will not
forget it.
The republicans would be gratified tc
see the democrats adopt tariff reform
as the paramount issue next year.
Cleveland Leader.
Refreshing.
w
Our "Heavy Burdens. " A
Dun's Trade Review is authority fo
or the statement that business failures th
n this country during the second quar- :
er of 1899 , just closed , were the small- ca
'st ; reported in that quarter for twenty- arA
ive years. It was also stated that the A
iverage per failure , $7,165 , was the u !
mallest ever known in any quarter ; tote
hat the average per firm in business to
nd the ratio of defaulted liabilities to be
olvent ( exchanges were both the pcAi
mallest ever known in any quarter. Ai
Ve recommend the examination of this th
eport and the careful study of it to
Ir. Bryan and Mr. 0. H. P. Belmont
nd to all of their free-trade followers th
; ho pretend to think the country is tic
iboring under heavy burdens. Such fin
tudy would probably not have much th
nlightening effect on any of these wz
entlemen. They are not men who are dr [
3 be disturbed by such things as facts ; cai
ut it may perhaps give the country wl
rest for a brief period from their be
aporings and give the people an op- tw
ortunity to reflect upon the present de
larvelous prosperity of the country pr
nd the swiftness with which that so
rosperity has followed upon the heels
f the protective tariff.
The free-traders who , under the
adc-rship of Bryan and Belmont , are De )
anting about the country's present ire
eavy burdens , are not showing the ire
sual cleverness of their kind in seiz- At
ig upon a campaign cry which will St ; <
ppeal to the passions of the thought- foi
ss and the ignorant. Our present era be
prosperity is too aggressive and in- ma
stent not to make Itself felt above all ace
tnpty denials of its existence.
va
Jfo Adequate Reward Offered. abi
Generally the opposition , while set- nd
ng forth the dangers and evils which All
ambinations called trusts present , and
taking the present tariff responsible
r them , offers no remedies. It is like I
hysiclans who would attempt to cure we
sease by shouting about its fatallty thj-
ad declaring that unless something not
lall be done at once the loss of life cip
lust be very great. Indianapolis the
aurnal. PS'
An Infallible Teat.
A recent dispatch from Louisville ,
to the great nc-
Ky. after referring
tivlty found among the manufacturers
and jobbers of plumbers' supplies In
that vicinity , concluded as follows :
"One firm here hna been vainly tryIng -
Ing to hire a hundred more workmen ,
and had already largely increased Its
force , but the additional workingmen
are. not to be had for any considera
tion. "
There is not a single American , pro
tectionist or free-trader , who , If he
had been cast away on a desert Island
for a time and had not known what
had occurred in his absence , had not
known what changes of national pol
icy had been made , would not know , If
shown , as his first bit of information
about his native land , the above dis
patch , telling of a vain search , not for
work but for workmen , that the coun
try was under a protective tariff law.
Not the president of the New England '
4f ,
Free Trade league himself , nor even \ I
Mr. Cleveland , the high priest of free
trade , would have any doubts as to
that fact.
Such a thing has never been known
under free trade ; similar instances
have been numerous under protection.
This fact of itself ought to be sufilcleiit
to cope successfully with the fallacies
of the free-trade theorists. When one
policy is so invariably productive of
prosperity and the opposite policy is
so invariably productive of industrial
ruin and disaster that the mere exist
ence of prosperity or of business paral
ysis Is sufficient to Indicate which pol
icy is in force , there ought to be no
difficulty in choosing between the two
policies. In justice to the American
voters it must be recognized that they
never have had any hesitation about
choosing protection whenever the issue
between the two policies has been fair
ly and squarely put.
The Demand for Labor.
A dispatch from Pittsburg to a trade
paper reads :
"The summer lull which usually
starts in with warm weather will not
be a factor In Western Pennsylvania
this year. Almost every firm Is look
ing for men in various parts of the
country , as none can be had here. In
the meanwhile steel mills and furnaces
are starting up that have been idle in
many sections , and the former opera
tives having moved away , search is
being made among the workmen here
for skilled mechanics who can take
charge of such plants. This is caus
ing all sorts of offers for labor and
fixed salaries are being done away with
to hold men. "
The difference between hard times
and prosperity is that when times are
hard the workingman .hunts for Avork
without being able to find any , while in
prosperous days the work hunts the
man , and , as the above dispatch shows ,
not without some difficulty in finding
him. This is just the difference also
between the results of free trade and
those of a protective tariff. In the years
from 1S93 to 189C under the free-trade
administration of Mr. Cleveland and
the blasting effects of the Wilson law
American workingmen hunted for
work in vain. Today as a result of the
Dingley law , the manufacturers are
hunting for workmen , and , as the dis
patch says , are making "all sorts of of
fers for labor. " There should not be
any doubt as to which way the Amer
ican workingmen will vote in 1900.
They will naturaly prefer to have work
hunt them rather than for them to
have to hunt for work.
Kuromaniacal.
Strange as it may seem , we generally
eat , drink or smoke by the brand or
label , and this is particularly true of
wines. It is sometimes said that the
American wines are not equal to the
foreign. It is a well-known fact that
the foreign champagnes are not bot-
led in this country , and yet labels and
aps for the popular foreign brands
ire largely made in the United States.
short time since sample caps of pop-
ilar French champagnes were shown
us , and orders for two of these caps
the number of 50,000 each had just
een placed in this country. The pur-
ese of that , of course , was to bottle
American wines and label them with
he most popular French brands.
It is well known that the natural
Sierican champagne is the purest in T
he world , and it is a pity that decep-
ion should be used in bottling these
Ine American wines and branding
hem as French wines. The only safe
vay to secure pure wines , if one has to
rink , is to secure well-known Ameri-
an brands. But there are Euromaniacs
i'ho must have a foreign cap and la-
, and if they are willing to pay
wice as much for the American un-
er : the foreign brand and cap there is
robably < no way to prevent them from
doing.
Higher Wages for 45,000.
As a result of the final conference at
etroit between the representatives of
ron and steel manufacturers and the
ron and steel wage committee of the
imalgamated Association of Iron ,
teel and Tin workers , the wage scales
iron and steel workers , as fixed by
recent convention of the Amalga-
lated association , were practically all
ccepted by the manufacturers. This
leans that there will be a general ad-
ance of 25 per cent In the wages of
bout 45,000 men employed in the iror
steel manufacturing industries.
Jbany ( N. Y. ) Journal.
Should Be Instructed.
From the Covington ( Ky. ) Common-
ealth : Those Democrats who say
lat "trusts have come to stay" are
representing a Democratic prin-
iple. Democracy , first of all , is for
people and not the individual. The
greatest good to the greatest number.
