w That V . . .BY. . . ETHEL A. SOUTIIAM xty UP I c o * i * x" XX CHAPTER IX. ( Continued. ) "Is anything" matter ? " she ask ed , glancing anxiously in the direc tion of her aunt. "Nothing whatever"was the brusque reply ; "it is mo'rely a shawl which Lady. Howard wished for. Bit you did not hear her call , I suppose ; you were too much taken up with that -fellow Brown. " J5velyn raised her eyebrows , and gave film a swift utterly disdainful look. "It is strange what you see in that man , " he went on , folding his arms ; "and , whilst you persistently avoid my eocioty , you seem everlastingly ready to enter into conversation with him. It is not fancy , Miss Luttrell it is perfectly true. Three times to-day have I attempted to speak to you ; thrco times have you made Borne trif ling excuse and turned to leave me.- " "And why have I , " exclaimed Eve lyn , her eyes flashing fire "why ? Sim ply because you persist in discussing the most ridiculous of subjects ! " "I have certainly made half a dozen attempts during the last few days to toll you that I love you , to ask you to bo my wife ; but perhaps that is a topic of conversation which you care to discuss only with your friend Brown , since you appear to find him so very interesting. " < pr rather perhaps it is that , whilst you talk such utter nonsense , he talks sense ! " was the cutting reply. "You call a declaration of love , a proposal of marriage , nonsense , then. " "Yes ; I call anything nonsense that is so contrary to all reason , " return ed Evelyn , her voice trembling. "And , since you know how much I hate it , I wonder you pester me as .you do. " "Oh , very well ! If that is the case , I will not attempt to renew the sub ject again In that way , at any rate ; my attentions shall annoy you no long er , and " "Thank you. " interrupted Evelyn in AGAIN EVELYN ANSWERED "NO ! " low angry tones "that is all I care about ; " and , without another word or look , she turned to the open window and disappeared , leaving Falkland with ruffled brows and lips set In angry determination gazing drearily into va cancy. CHAPTER X. It was certainly true. Miss Luttrell had not been mistaken in declaring that the forged check was not one of those which she had lost some months before ; * and a careful investigation quickly revealed the fact that the check in question had been dexterous ly extracted from the book in such a manner as to leave no blank coun terfoil to raise the suspicions of its owner. "Itis clear , that the forgery has been effected quite recently , and , no doubt , during our stay here , " declar ed Lady Howard , looking towards Eve lyn and Mr. Falkland for confirma i tion of her words , the latter having , despite her niece's protestations , been called in. for consultation upon the weighty matter. "But the thing is , who can have done it ? There are half a dp on men in the hotel who may be really > 'professional forgers for all we know ; but I do not suppose that one of them even knows Evelyn's Christian name , much less her signa ture. " * "I beg your pardon , Lady Howard rou forgot the visitors' book , " sug gested Falkland promptly. ' "The visitors' * book ? Ah , yes her name is there , certainly ! But who snuld be sure it was her writing ? Who would dare to forge a check with such -doub'tful assistance ? And. now that f think of it" Lady Howard tapped her gold-rimmed fan against her fore head "I fancy I myself was the one to write our names. Can you remem ber , Evelyn ? " ! remember quite well. You did write them , I know , " answered Evelyn , with a vindictive little nod towanlu Gilbert Falkland. "Oh. indeed ! But , even if that is so , there arc twenty other ways in which u clever forger could get hold of your signature. You have not writ ten to anybody staying in the hotel , I suppose , Miss Luttrell ? " "Written to anybody ? No oertain- ly not ! " 'Nor lent any books in whk-h your nane : is inscribed ? " "No , " wtmnert Evi-Jyn. with the same decision , "I have not lent any- "Then , as far as your recollec tion goes , you can giveup no chin to the mystery ? You have no remem brance , for instance , of writing a let ter and tearing it up , or of signing your na'ne in any eusiice way wl'icb could possibly be turned against you ? " Again Evelyn answered "No , " but this time there was less assurance in her tones. Standing with her arms folded on the back of her aunt's chair. she had started slightly at Falkland's question , and now , as she raised her head , a strangely perplexed look came suddenly into her eyea. "I I cannot remember anything , " she added hurriedly. "Not anything at all ? " persisted Falkland suspiciously , quick to notice her evident hesitation. ' No'1 abruptly "nothing. " "Well , the only thing is to taki care of that check , " observed Falkland. watching her narrowly. "You see , it i really nil that we have to go upon. If you would give it to me. though. I might be able to do something for you in the matter. " "Thank you. but I shall have no need to trouble you. I" the words Mere spoken in the same lujsitatiug , almost faltering tones ' have given it to Major Brown. " j ' . 'You have given it to Major Brown ? " Had a thunderbolt fallen at Falk land's feet , greater dismay could not have been depicted on his counte- v nance. "Yes ; he suggested it ought to be n put in the hands of an expert at e once ; and so he is taking it up to London in the morning. " she added , P b giving the necessary explanation as > t < tersely as possible , and then turning h away quickly , as though she could not trust herself to utter another syl S ! lable. * S "He is taking it ! Great heavens. 7 Miss Luttrell. you cannot mean it ! S ; ( Surely you have never been so foolish S ; ( as to allow such a thing ? " gasped is Falkland , starting forward , his face isB livid , an expression of absolute in B credulity in his eyes. U A faint nod w a very different one from that with which she had favored : n him a moment before was Evelyn's only reply. "Oh. Miss Luttrell. this is worse than madness ! " Falkland passed his w hand across his forehead with a ges fa ture of despair , of dazed indescribable faF bewilderment. "Did not instinct , your hi own common sense , tell you the bi truth ? If nothing else , the very biM fact of his anxiety to secure that M check should have aroused your sus in picions. You might have guessed It t whose handiwork it is ! " er "Guessed ? " repeated Lady Howard. tr "Good gracious , Mr. Falkland , you do ns not mean to say that you have found In : a clue to this affair already ? " lit "Yes , Lady Howard : I believe" he st. gave a triumphant glance towards CO Evelyn "our suspicions" with a very ell decided emphasis on the plural pro V.'l noun "are correct. That fellow Brown V.'lw ; is the forger ! " lif "That fellow Brown is the forger ! " CO Falkland's voice sounded miles and tn miles away yet how the words rever tnmi berated In Evelyn's ears with - what fu clear "distinctness they seemed to ring al- [ through the silent air , toecho round the dusky lawn ! A momcut before a horrible fear had possessed her , a fear which had sent all the blood cours ing wildly through her veins ; and then Oh , impossible ! Major Brown a forger ! It was impossible ! Mr. Falkland always had disliked him. From the very first he had been prejudiced about him , and had done his utmost to make both Lady How ard aud herself share in his suspic ions. It was too terrible ! In that one moment it seemed as though she lived through all the past fortnight again. One after another the various events of the well remembered days passed in rapid succession through her mind , whilst above all , as a climax , a crown ing point to the whole , a certain af ternoon , scarcely thirty-six hours be fore , stood out clear and defined from the confusion of the various occur rences. Every syllable which had been spoken , every subject which had been broached , came back to her as vividly as though once more she was sitting in the forsaken library , pen in hand , with Major Brown standing attentive ly by her side. Oh , why had she been so dense , so blind as to see neither through his evident manoeuvers nor the strange yet palpable eagerness of his manner ? If nothing else had roused her suspicions , she'ought at least to have realized that Major Brown was not at all the kind of man to waste his energies up on a simple birthday book. A birthday book ! How could she have allowed herself to be so easily taken in ? She had certainly expressed some astonish ment upon the occasion she was un doubtedly somewhat dubious at first but how quickly he had overruled her ! Without appearing the least perturb ed , he had explained away everything yes , everything ! He had even been able to find an excuse for the blankness - ness of the pages , and she had act ually believed him , had believed the whole of his fabrications , though in reality that horrible book had been purchased simply as a means for secur ing her signature ! "You hear what Mr. Falkland is saying , Eve ? " How far her thoughts had carried her , or how long she had been standIng - Ing with her hands clasped tightly to gether , gazing out straight before her it the shadows growing deeper and leeper , Evelyn had no idea. Did she hear what Mr. Falkland was saying ? No , she had not heard a word , and , what was more , she was utterly indifferent as to what it might be ; yet it was with a gesture sugges tive rather of acquiescence that she sal down on the low bamboo chair and waited resignedly for anything further that had to come. "You see , Miss Luttrell" it was Falkland himself who claimed her at tention this time "we can do nothing without the check ; we have no proofs whatever as to the forgery. Brown is safe as if he had never put pen to paper at all. " "Is he ? " observed Evelyn calmly. His words seemed to imbue her with a sense of strange undefinable relief. "Ah , yes I suppose that would have been the only evidence against him ! But of course it does not matter. It is really not of much importance , " she added in a voice particularly free from any suspicion of regret. "It does not matter ! Why , Miss Luttrell , 1 have just been pointing out to you the greatest importance of this affair , and have been saying how eas ily the whole thing can be managed ! But no time must be lost. You ought to ask the Major for the check this evening without fail. " ( To be continued. ) TIio Census of Germany. The Times publishes a careful analy sis of the German census , taken on Tune 14 , 1S95 , from which it appeal's that the population amounted on that day to .11.770,000 , of whom 24,400,000 vvere males and 26,360,000 females , the excess of females being , therefore , nearly a million. This population in n-eases at the rate of a little more than million a year , for which new means jf maintenance , education and housing : mist be provided. The rush is , of : 'ourse , to the towns , the general urban : opulation having increased since 1832 g y 3 J jier cent , while the population of .owns with more than 100,000 persons lad more than doubled. Of the total , ) .292,000 are occupied in agriculture , 1,281.000 , in industry , 2,238,000 in trade , 94,000 ! in the professions , 631,000 as oldiers or sailors , and 1,399,000 as erva.nls. The proportion of servants > the lowest in the census-taking vorld , not half the proportion in Great iritain. The Catholics are about a ; hird of the population , while of the Ir rhole commercial class 5.71 per cent Iral re Jews. London Spectator. al labi Ik MHrvel'fl Home. bi biai Donald G. Mitchell , known far and ai i-ide as Ik Marvel , lives on a 200-acre cc arm upon a hill near New Haven. ol olpi "rom ; the road the house is invisible , a pih igh evergreen hedge concealing it , h : ut from the porch a fine view of New 01 laven is afforded. For many years i th Ir. Mitchell has lived there , indulging his love for nature and agriculture. of is an ideal place. The house is cov- 01 red by English ivy , and evergreen -ees surround it. The fields are level thin floors , and the stone walls have bean tiilt with neatness and accuracy. A in ttle house on the /arm is built from su tones . gathered from the fields and ca sst only a trifle over $1,000. Mr. Mitch- th is 72 years old , but he walks in the cods every day. He is very fond of tl ( alking and thinks to it he owes his th he fe , for when young he was told he had nsurnption. For two years he amped over Europe , walking 603 T tiles in England alone. He success- > illy staved off the disease , but has ways kept up his walks. i A DANGEEOTJSBEMEDY TARIFF REPEAL "IN DEALING WITH TRUSTS. To'Itomovrt Protection Would Hither Ho Ineffectual untl Worthless , or Kino It Would Prove Uestructlvo to Our In dustrial System. , To the questions , Is the Customs Tariff the mother of trusts , as was as serted by Mr. Havemeyer ? and Would the repeal of protective duties on arti cles controlled by trusts render the Bucce.'is of trusts impossible in this country ? one of the most thoughtful answers yet given by any of our pub lic men is that of Representative Tawney of Minnesota , which is printed in the current issue of the American Economist. Mr. Tawney , a conspicu ous member of the house committee on ways and means ; of which the late Nelson Dingley was chairman , arid which formulated and framed the Dingley tariff law , is a man who evidently thinks before .talking. In this respect ho differs quite radically from certain other Minnesota talkers and writers , who are strenuous advo cates of the repeal of protective duties as a means of smashing the trusts. Ex- statesmen who never had any reputa tion for brains and editors more or less influenced by commercial consid erations take a flying jump and land squarely upon the conclusion that by the removal of protection the trust problem is at once solved. To jump at a conclusion is the easiest of all ways out of a perplexing dilemma. It re quires little thought and less knowl edge. But is the trust question so easily settled as all this ? Representative Tawney thinks it is not. Briefly stated , his presentment of the proposition is this : The repeal of the protective tar iff as a means of smashing the trusts would be either absolutely worthless or else absolutely destructive. If , as is claimed by all free-traders , by all mugwumps , and by a few wabbling protectionists , the protective policy has outlived its usefulness in the United States , and is no longer neces sary in order to enable our domestic Industries to compete with foreign production , then , as Mr. Tawney clear ly points out , the repeal of protective duties would accomplish nothing in re straint or control of trusts. It would be a worthless remedy , for the trusts would continue the even tenor of their way , just as though nothing had hap pened. If , on the contrary , protection is es sential as a means of assuring the pos session of the great home market to the domestic producer , then the re moval of protection would , while un doubtedly smashing the trusts , at the same time smash our vast industrial system , and by so doing would drive domestic production out of the field and leave our consumers wholly at the mercy of foreign trusts not amenable to regulation and control through the operation of our domestic laws. Such is the alternative. Either pro tection is or is not needed. Either the trusts of the United States could get along equally well without it , or else its repeal would wreck the domestic trusts and also wreck domestic in dustries. This is a consummation which might prove acceptable to free traders and mugwumps ; but would it prove acceptable to the country as a whole ? Half-hearted protectionist writers and ex-statesmen who think they think would do well to follow representative Tawney's example , and give this question serious considera tion before they become so cocksure of 1' having solved the trust problem by the abandonment of protection. RETURN OF CONFIDENCE. o It On mo About Solely Through the Iles- toration of the Policy oT 1'rotectlou. Some people are foolish enough to believe that the present happy condi tion of affairs is attributable to the is ist restoration of financial confidence , but t it requires no special acumen to dis tl cover that this confidence rested on tl tlh he belief that protection would set h he wheels of industry in motion. If is he fact were otherwise it would long si since have disappeared , for it must not je forgotten that there has been no nonetary legislation since the election f President McKinley and that our nonetary system remains practically n the same state that it was when . . Cleveland falsely held it responsible , , or the disasters which the carrying ut of his un-American free-trade pol- cy brought on the country. It is true „ here is a largely increased stock of i . old in the United States , but no legis- J ation touching the standard or man- j . : pulation by the treasury has brought i ir ibout that result. Protection did it by j argely increasing the favorable trade j . " . lalance. By diminishing our imports j nd increasing our exports we have ac- omplished what no legal regulation , f the standard could have accomI I „ lished. By sticking to protection we ave kept out of , or at least lessened , ur indebtedness to foreigners , and hus we have made it impossible for uem to force us to yield up any more th our gold than we find it profitable convenient to part with. th Protection is entitled to credit for tai tiis result , but its enemies , under the an uise of monetary reformers , are seek- j ru ; ig to obscure the fact. They will not ' SDC ucceed , however , because the Ameri- an people are acute enough to discern Co > tiese facts , which stand out plainly : First. That in 1S92 , when protec- on was in full blast , "the business of ie country was in a provokingly th < ealtliy condition. " th ( Second. That during the years J th < hile free-trade was impending and in ; ity rce , that is , between the fall of 1892 trj cd 1896 , a disastrous depression set and continued , during- which bankj j Po ruptcy was rife and great numbers of workinnmcn were deprived of employ ment and with their families reduced to want. Third. That as soon as McKI'ilcy and a Republican congress were elect ed and a protective tariff was assured business at once revived and the coun try entered on a career of prosperity that makes it the envy of the rest of the world. Cause and effect are so closely linked in this matter it is Impossible to escape the conclusion that protection and free-trade are responsible for the re sults described. They were the only factors in the problem , and It will be idle to seek to make it appear that the trouble was due to the standard , or ap prehension concerning the currency. The attempt will be made , however , but there is every reason to hope that the American people will not he led astray , but will intelligently conclude that the policy that brought prosperity before 1S92 and restored it in 1897 is good for the country and should be permanently maintained. San Fran cisco Chronicle. Tim Dotlcfl Will Not Work. Protection is a Republican policy. The Democrats have formed the habit of denouncing it , and they think they must keep it up , with or without rea son and sense. And so , with the splen did record of protection staring them in the face , and being unable to point to a single fact that i.s not to its credit , they wildly re-echo Ilavemeyer's Hip- pant utterance with some such scheme as this in their heads : "The people like the protective tariff ; let us try to make them hale it by circulating the absurd lie that it is the mother of trusts. " The hypocrisy of all this is quite as comical as it is revolting. It shows what a poverty-stricken old concern the Democratic party is. Free silver is dead. Flag hauling as an issue is worss than no issue at all. Fantastic yarns about trusts and the tariff are the only remaining resort. The Democracy grabs at this grotesque banner and flourishes it frantically , hoping to rat tle voters and muddle their thinking apparatus. But the dodge will not work. It is a confession of weakness and a proclamation of stupidity. The people see through the game and will coldly keep out of it , preferring to re tain their prosperity , their open work shops , their 100-cent dollars , their ster ling Americanism , and their respect for the flag of their country. Freeport (111. ( ) Journal. . A Suggestion for tlm Pewey Arch. : : ; : ) What Uo Needs. tr Here is a bright and shining exam- fa ' ile of the. protection afforded consum- tli rs by competition. Without the Dcs- cc hers and Arbuckles there would be no of heap sugar. With them the fangs of ca he sugar trust are drawn , and instead V 1 a monopoly it is only a large cor- til loration in competition with smaller dTl nes , which have the power to regu- Tl ate prices. HE What Mr. Havemeyer seems to need in 3 not so much modification of the - ariff as a law prohibiting any one but fie Havemeyer combination manufac- uring or selling sugar. From his ex- ibitions of monumental gall and self- w ihness , it is a wonder he has not urged w nch action by congress. Tacoma nc Wash. ) Ledger. ha tli A Divided Responsibility. en Protection enriched the few at the if xpense of the many , and the trusts lat grew out of protection are doing go ie same thing only a little more so. pone -Toledo Bee. The Bee is mistaken ; that is not so. he political history of the country lows that protection to home industry no as always a great help to American wi bor the bone and sinew of the coun- an y. att y.As As for trusts , the fact is , the Repub- by ean party is no more responsible for lai lem than is the so-called Democratic th ( irty. In that respect all parties are in bei ' he same boat. " Norwalk ( Ohio ) Re- int : ctor. One of the Evils. 1 Those Denver steam whistles which liai e inhabitants of that city are com- 190 aining about as nuisances are one of Ev e evils of a Republican protective she riff administration. When Republic- of is are in power factories are always enc nning , whistles blowing , chimneys hin joking and like misfortunes worrying gre e people. Martinez ( Cal. ) Contra (01 sta Gazette. Viewed ivlth Alarm. ' Xotwithstanding the crime of ' 73 and par e "robber tariff" in connection with a r e present Republican administration nev e farmers show a degree of prosper- par - and happiness that must be very parD dng to Billy Bryan and his gang of tha ccimists who view it with alarm. licii iinona ( Kan. ) Republican. hoe WOULD BE SMASHED. American Industries and the American I Standard of Wages nd tlvlnff. Senator Hansbrough of North Da kota hits the nail on the head when he says : "Congress might revoke every article and section of the' tariff law carrying a protective duty , and it would not make the slightest differ ence with the so-called trusts. " The proof of the truth of this statement is found in the fact that free-trade England also has formidable monopo listic combinations. Minneapolis Trib une. Convincing as this fact may bo , It is not the only proof of the aoumlnesB of Senator Hansbrough's conviction re garding the relation of trusts and the tariff. Trusts In Great Britain do not fear external competition so long as they are able to control domestic com petition. To control domestic compe tition is much easier In a free-trade country than in a country where pro tection acts us a perpetual stimulus to internal competition. Ii the truth were known there are trusts in the United States to-day that would welcome the repeal of all protective duties as the surest safeguard against the greatest menace to their successful operation the menace of new competitors. They are not disturbed at the prospect of In jurious foreign competition under free * trade. Competition of that kind could be easily met by reducing the cost of production that is , by reducing wages. Protection being abolished andv. wages having been reduced , it would be plain sailing for the trusts. No ; the repeal of protective duties would not smash the trusts. The things certain - , tain to be smashed in such a contin gency would be the American standard of wages and the American standard o/ living. No Siitlnfylnjc Thoiii. Bryan newspapers in out-of-the-way places are copying the figures of a New York paper showing that the increase in the prices of fifty or sixty articles since January 1 , 1897 , has been 28 per cent. Thereupon a howl is set up against the protective tariff and the trusts. The greater part of the increase is in iron goods , tin plates , etc. While there is a tin plate trust , there is no iron trust. The advance in tin plates in the United States has been but half is much as in Great Britain. Provi sions , me"ats , and particularly beef , are higher than a year ago , but the tariff Iocs not affect the price of beef a par- .icle , and there is no combination that an be seen that can affect the prices is a trust might. The growing scarcity af cattle and the increased demand ause the advance in prices , which be- ins with those who raise cattle. Lum- jer is much higher than two years ago. nit there is no lumber trust , and the ariff cannot materially affect the rice , so that the increase mabe at- ributed to the scarcity and the great- y increased demand. In 1S96 Mr. Bry- m and his satellites went up and down he country declaring that so long as he gold standard prevailed prices vould decline , and there would be no irofii in trade and no activity in pro- luction and trade. The gold standard irevailed , and now these same men ire pitying the poor and denouncing he trusts and the tariff because prices lave advanced. There is no satisfy- ng these fellows. Indianapolis Jour- tal. Wages and Prices. Those who refuse to confess the ruth take pleasure in pointing out the act that there has been an advance in he prices of some common articles of onsumption , amounting to an average f 15 per cent , but they fail in most ases to also state that wages have ad- anced fully 25 per cent at the same ime , and the number of unemployed windled to insignificant proportions , he present industrial policy of the ation has , in its practical working , idicated the wisdom of its principles -Minneapolis Progress. Utility of Trusts. It is a fine thing for Democrats that e < have trusts , for without them there ouJd < be nothing for Democrats to de- ounce. Yes , trusts are good things to ave around when platform making me comes in this country. The Demo- atic party would be more consistent her leaders in Congress would help epublicans to annihilate them with Dod laws on the subject. Williams- 3rt ( Ind. ) Republican. 3Iay lie an In sue. The tariff is not now an issue , but jbody can tell what the Democrats ill do before the next election. Ther.- > e at present strong indications of an tempt to force the tariff to the fronr taking up the trust issue on the lines id down by Bryan.and if that is done e testimony of Mr. Grace as to the 'neficial effects of protection will bo teresting. Cleveland ( Ohio ) Leader. Novices 2fot Wanted. There isn't any question that Wil- im McKinley will be re-employed in 00 as advance agent of prosperity , ren if the "crops" should be a little ort in that year , there will be enough farm produce left over from 1899 to courage his employers to stick to m. The people won't want to risk a een hand at the business. Greenville hio ) Courier. Of COUMO It Knew. 'The trusts own the Republican rty. The trusts created McKinley as political leajier and the trusts will rer be attacked by the Republican rty. Norwal-k Experiment. Did not the Experiment know that in it brief paragraph it was giving pub- ity to a series of abominable false- Dds ? Norwalk ( O. ) Reflector.