That
. . .BY. . .
Mysterious ETflEL A. SODTDAM
Majorlo.
/ CHAPTER XIII. ( Continued. )
"Dropped It ! You do not mean to
-say that the letter is lost ? " exclaimed
Falkland , starting forward with a look
of terrible anxiety on his face. "Really ,
Miss Luttrell , how very " But , dis
covering Miss Luttrell's gaze concen
trated upon him in absolute amaze
ment , ho seemed suddenly to bethink
himself , for , leaning back against the
cushions , ho folded his arms'with an
air of calm complacence and laughed
Indolently. "It is so annoying' , I al
ways think , to lose one's correspond
ence ; one never cares to have one's
private affairs published from the
housetops. But , great heavens , why
are we stopping hare ? " Falkland
sprang up from his seat and let down
the window with a bang as the train
began to slacken speed.
"Why , what do you mean ? We stop
at Redhill , of course ; this is where
Parker will bo waiting with the lug
gage ; " and Evelyn commenced rubbing
vigorously at the window nearest her ,
at the same time peering out anxiously
through the dimmed glass In the hope
of catching a glance of the missing
maid.
But Falkland , who had his head half
way out of the window as the train
came to a standstill by the side of the
lamp-lit station , all at once drew back
into the carriage and brought up the
window again with a resounding bang.
"Redhill , Miss Luttrell ? Oh , did I
not explain ? " As he turned his face
toward her Evelyu noticed that he was
deadly pale. "This train was not
down on the time table to stop here.
Lynwood is the first stopping place ;
so that it will be the next station
where Parker is to be found. "
"Are you sure ? " Evelyn bent for
ward anxiously. "Had you not better
ask somebody to make certain ? Yes ,
hero comes a guard ; ask him. "
She had risen to her feet and was
likely , " was the major's reply In a
voice which made Evelyn survey him
In silent wonder , whKst Falkland's
face became simply livid. "Only , as
it happens , it was fully ten minutes to
nine when I took my departure from
the hotel ; and I can assure you that
barely two seconds before I was in
your aunt's room , talking to Lady
Howard herself ! "
' 'At ten minutes to nine you were
talking to Aunt Lydia at the 'Royal
George ! ' What on earth do you
mean ? "
"I mean what I say , Miss Luttrell ;
and , If it is true that you are now off
to join her in London because this Is
the express , which docs not stop be
fore you reach town I am afraid you
are the victim of another forgery and
some vile scheme concocted simply
with an idea of inveigling you away. "
And , having so delivered himself , the
major folded his arms and , with an
air of studied calmness , stood looking
from one to the other of the two horrified
rified countenances.
CHAPTER XIV.
There was an awful silence , and then
Evelyn passed her hand with a gesture
of dazed bewilderment across her eyes
and slowly recovered herself.
"A forgery that letter ! " she gasped.
"Oh , surely , you are mistaken ! It it
cannot be ! "
Yet , even as she spoke , even as her
eyes rested for one brief moment upon
the major's face , a terrible fear took
posesslon of her , and , starting to her
feet , she made one quick movement
toward the door. Instantly , however ,
a hand was laid upon her arm.
"Miss Luttrell , what are you doing ?
Are you mad' Have your senses for
saken you ? " expostulated Falkland ,
with a sudden vehemence , "that you
can believe such an absurd , really out
rageous fabrication ? "
"MOST LIKELY YOU WILL RECOGNIZE IT. "
about to lay her hand upon the win
dow , but Falkland was before her. He
had seized the strap and seemed to be
making a vain attempt to let the win
dow down , when suddenly a key was
inserted in the lock , the door was
hastily thrown back , and the light of
a lantern was directed into the car
riage.
There was a momentary pause as
Iroth Falkland and Evelyn , completely
dazzled by the light , stared vacantly
at the dark figure before them , and
then
-"Great heavens ! Miss Luttrell , is
that you ? I thought I must have been
mistaken. "
I It was Major Brown himself who
.stood there indistinctly defined in the
darkness ; and at the sound of his
-voice Evelyn's heart gave a great
"bound , whilst every particle of color
retreated from her face. Only now did
she realize that after that evening she
would most probably never see him
again never again ! Full of this new
thought , she immediately thrust out
her hand , forgetting as she did so all
terrible suspicions of the past four-
and-twenty hours.
"Yes , I am here , " she answered ;
"and , as there can be only a second to
wait , I suppose it is good-by ? I am
going now , " she added falteringly , "to
join my aunt , who has hurried off at
a moment's notice to one of her boys ,
who has met with an accident at
school. "
"I do not understand. An accident ?
And Lady Howard has left Saltcliffe ? "
"Certainly ! Lady Howard left by
the 8:30 express , " supplemented Falk
land in a tone of some impatience.
"Miss Luttrell had a letter to that ef
fect ; but of course , It is quite likely
that you have heard nothing. The
whole affair has occurred in the space
of about on hour. "
"Ob , noof , course not that is quite
"You mean to say "
"That it is a lie a downright lie , "
he exclaimed , all his pent-up fury
bursting into a flame "as I myself
happenea to see Lady Howard passing
on her way to the station now more
than an hour ago ! "
"You saw her driving past ? " Evelyn
gave one wild despairing glance
around.
"And at ten minutes to nine I left
her sitting in her own room at the
'Royal George , ' Miss Luttrell , " declared
the major in the same peculiarly calm
tone. "Which do you believe ? "
"Which ? Great heavens , do you
suppose there is any question ? " in
terrupted Falkland , with a harsh
laugh.
The major smiled.
"Well , perhaps not , when one takes
into consideration that on the one
hand the statement comes from a man
who would stoop to anything in order
to secure his own ends an Individual ,
In fact , who habitually carries about
with him a supply of a most dangerous
drug , which he administers , as oc
casion requires , to any passing ac
quaintance. That reminds me , Mr.
Falkland. For the future , a third of
that'amount which you gave to me last
night w'ill be quite enough ; and even
then you will have plenty of time to
make a thorough search and disap
pear , bag and baggage , before your un
fortunate victim , whoever he may be ,
has enjoyed more than his allotted
share of dreams ; only be quite sure
he does drink it that is all. I had the
sense not to do so. "
"I beg your pardon , Major Brown ;
but , If you wish to insinuate "
"Thank you , I wish to insinuate
nothing. I am merely anxious for you
to know that you have not been quite
as lucky as usual in the choice of your
subjects , " Here the major raised his
foot to "the carriage step and looked
steadily at Falkland. "You may never
have seen me before I do not suppose
BO , or you would hardly have behaved
as you have but I once had the pleas
ure of seeing you. Possibly , " he con
tinued , "you may recollect the tlmo of
which I am thinking. It was at Monte
Carlo , just before the notorious forg
ery affair was made public. But per
haps my name is not altogether un
familiar to you. Most likely" and ho
pulled out a case of cards and handed
one across to him "you will recog
nize it , "
A decthly paleness came over Falk
land's face.
"Sir Adrian Beauchamp indeed ! " ho
muttered , flinging the piece of paste
board to the ground -In a sudden tu
mult of wrath.'Who do you suppose
would be fool enough to be taken In
by such a piece of trickery as that ? "
"Yet the mere question of Identifi
cation becomes the simplest matter In
the world , " was the major's reply , as
he gave one swift , furtive glance In
Evelyn's direction , a smile involun
tarily crossing his face. "The difficulty
has been to remain Incognito all this
time. As for you , I suppose you would
prefer to sail along under false colors
as long as possible. As Gilbert Falk
land you have more scope altogether a
better chance , In fact , of claiming an
acquaintance with the absent rela
tives of any of your fellow travelers
than as plain , unvarnished Samuel
Cripps , the forger. "
"You blackguard you "
"Pray do not forget that Miss Lut
trell is present , " interrupted the major
in low , concentrated tones. "But it Is
useless to attempt to argue the point.
Your guilt is now thoroughly estab
lished. That check , which fortunate
ly fell Into my hands last night , also a
few lines of your writing and the Im
pression of the forged signature upon
a piece of blotting paper , are all the
proofs that were needed to join the
links In one long chain of evidence ;
and , since the whole affair rests with
the authorities at Scotland Yard , you
will very speedily have an opportunity
of explaining anything that you wish
to be made known to one of their rep
resentatives. "
Here a warning shriek from the en
gine made him suddenly stop short
and , with an anxious glance at the ad
vancing porter , turned hurriedly to
Evelyn.
"Miss Luttrell , what can I say for
myself ? You have heard both Falk
land's statement and my own. Which
do you believe ? I am afraid that mystery
story sounds almost as suspicious as
his. In fact , you know less of me.
But , on my honor , I assure you that
Lady Howard is now at the hotel ! If
you can-trust me" with a supplicat
ing look that was far more potent than
words "come ! I will take you
straight back to her at once. "
Already the train was beginning to
move. The porter had actually reached
the carriage ; his hand was on the
door. For one instant Evelyn hesi
tated , whilst her gaze wandered from
the cold , cynical countenance of Gil
bert Falkland to the dark , handsome
one of Major Brown , ind then , with a
little shiver , she thrust out her hand
to the one held out to her , and an
swered in a low , hurried tone
"I will come ! "
And the next moment she was stand
ing on the platform watching the crim
son lamp of the departing train rapid
ly disappearing in the gathering mists
of the summer evening , alone with the
man whom for the past four-and-twen-
ty hours she and her aunt , and even
Falkland himself , had been regarding
in the light of the most notorious
criminal.
A few minutes' conversation with
one of the porters elicited the fact
that there was no train back to Salt-
cliffe that night. There was , however ,
a gig available which would convey
them the eight miles to their destina
tion.
( To be continued. )
CHRISTIANITY IN BUSINESS.
Its Principle Applied to Commercial
Affairs YTonUl Work a Glorious
Revolution.
"There is not the least question that
as the commercial world is organized
and run today it is run at a fearful
less along the side of money , " writes
Rev. Charles M. Sheldon , author of "In
His Steps , " in the November Ladies'
Home Journal. "Even the rules of
success that business men lay down do
not insure success. Perhaps no age has
equaled this for disturbance and un
rest and warring interests in the busi
ness world. If the principles of Chris
tianity were applied to the whole busi
ness world it would cause a shock
that for the time being would result
in what might indeed prove to be the
greatest financial panic of the ages.
But out of that result would emerge
a new order of buying and selling that
would result ultimately in more finan
cial success on the part of more people
than the world has ever witnessed.
Ultimately love will pay in dollars and
cents better than selfishness. On sel
fish principles the business world to
day does not succeed even in the mat
ter of making money that is , not for
any length of time nor for the masses
of the people. Love in business would
lose lees money , and actually distrib
ute the real earnings of toil among
a far greater number of human beings ,
than is possible now under the pres
ent system. "
She Didn't Mean It.
Under the impression that he wag
saying a good thing , he asked hia
partner why men never kiss one
another , while ladles waste a world
of kisses on feminine faces. "Because , "
the lady replied , "the men have some
thing better to kiss , and the women
haven't. "
\ XK XJK XK x7 KK ;
< > k > k M < ? k > i < ? i
\ y \ x ? < wz / \ / \/i *
THOUGHTS FOR THANKSGIVING
r
UNCLE EZRA'S THANKSGIVING.
Yep , Thanksglvin' Day Is playln' out ,
er so it seems to me ,
Fer It don't make no comparison to
what It use * to be ;
Though the turkey and the mlnco
pies Is the same we've alw'ys
known ,
An' I'm here , an' Sary Ellen , but we're
eatin" 'em alone.
It's the buildln * of the railroads thet
hes made It that-a-way
Thet hes tuck our children from us an'
hes sp'ilt our holiday
Holdln' out their wild shameeries
about lan's that can't be beat
( But whar cyclones digs the taters , an'
whar chinch bugs mows the
wheat ) .
Why , it use' to be thet youngsters didn"
seem to want to go
From the homestead of the ol' folks
BUT WE'RE EATING 'EM ALONE.
any more'n a mile er so ;
They 'ud take things 'twas given 'm ,
an' they'd settle thar an' stay ,
An' they'd fill the homestid table when
it come Thanksgivin' Day.
Law me ! yes , them times Is ended !
Little Sary married fust ,
An' Jim Medders 'lowed he'd take her
out to Idyho er bust ,
An' he bustid , an' I've ben a-sendin"
money ever sence ,
Though it's more fer little Sary thet I
care than the expense.
An' then Chrissy went to Texas
Chrlssy alw'ys was our pride ,
But he headed off some cattle , an' he
hurt his spine an' died.
An * now Sammy's in the city , an' that
ain't so fur away ,
But he's writ us that a baby's brought
'em their Thanksgivin' Day !
So we narrered down the table , beln'
by ourselves , you see ,
An' the turkey'll las' forever , jes' fer
Sary an' fer me ;
An' the raisins in the mince pie ,
bought fer Sammy's special
taste ,
Sence he didn't come to eat 'em , sorter
seem to be a waste.
Yep , the railroads tuck 'em from us ,
an' we're all alone at last ,
An' Thanksgivin's like I told yen , jest
a mem'ry of the past ;
But we're countin' , me an' Sary , on a
better place , an' then
We will have a big Thanksgivin' , an'
the childr'n home again.
again.A.
A. B. P.
HIS THANKSftlYING.
Tinkle-tinkle , tinkle-tinkle , tinkle-
tinkle.
The leading man engaged in an at
tempt to remove a black spot from his
iress cravat by means of an applica
tion of white grease paint , paused and
listened.
"It's a mandolin , " he naid. "That's
a new wrinkle. We've had all kinds of
fiends in this company since we started
Diit , everything from cigarettes to bi
cycles. Who's the musician , I wonder ?
Oh , I say , Jenks ! Jenks ! Who's the
band wagon ? "
There was a step in the narrow pas
sageway that led to the dressing
rooms , and Jenks , the property man ,
appeared in the doorway. " 3h ! " he
said , "not so loud. The old man'll
hear you. "
The leading man started. "The old
man , did you say not Merriam ? "
"Yes , Merriam , " in a whisper.
The leading man sat on his trunk.
'That beats me , " he said. "The An
cient Mariner tinkling a mandolin.
Now I'm prepared to see Father Time
playing sentimental ditties on a Jew's
harp. "
Jenks did not laugh , a fact which
helped to sober the other man. "It's
no surprise to me , " said the property
man , gravely. "I says to Mrs. Jenks
juet before I left the hotel , says I ,
'Mrs. Jenks , you know what night this
is ? ' 'Thanksgiving , ' she says. 'Why ,
right , ' says I , 'and it'll be a hard night
tor Merriam. '
" 'Poor old man , ' says Mrs. Jenks ,
a-wipin' of a tear. 'Poor old man , I
suppose he'll be playing of his mando
lin again. ' 'That he will , ' says I.
"He hasn't missed it , as near as I
can judge , for thirty years. As sure
as Thanksgiving night comes , just so
sure he gets out that old mandolin of
his and tinkles away. And It's always
the same tune. God ! But it does
make my mind go back. I'll never for
get the first time ho played It You
see , mo and Merriam have been to
gether , off and on , so long that I know
his story most as well as he docs him
self. Not that ho ever talks about It.
To-night , after the show , that Instru
ment ' 11 go back to the bottom of his
trunk , and it won't come out again till
this tlmo next year. "
The leading man was all ears.
"Thirty years ago I was stage door
keeper at the old California theater.
Now , the stage doorman ain't so un
important as some folks think. There's
mighty little goes on that he don't
know something about. He gets the
flowers first , and he usually scos the
cards. He's a good friend to the actor
when the actor's a friend to him , and
he can do a favor now and then that's
worth the while.
"Merriam was just beginning to
climb up the ladder In those days. He
had come into the stock three years
before as utility , but he was a hand
some chap , with brains and ambition
to back his good looks , and it wasn't
long before he got to playing leads.
Say , when Merriam went on as Romeo
at the matinees you couldn't see threa
rows in front of you for the bonnets.
Mrs. Jenks used to live in a regular
garden those days , for Merriam
wouldn't have none of the flowers
the silly girls used to send him. When
I'd offer to bring them home to him
he'd laugh , and tell me he reckoned
my wife cared more for flowers than
he did.
"But I often noticed that he came
into the theater with a big bunch of
violets or roses that he'd bought him
self to give to the little woman who
played opposite parts to him. I asked
him once why he didn't give her the
flowers the girls sent him , instead of
spending money that way. I took a
kind of fatherly Interest in Merriam in
those days. Lord bless you , to look
at him now you'd think he was my
grandfather. He looks that old.
"Well , I seen how things was going
with him and Nellie Moore , and every
body else seen it , too. When she was
on the stage he stood in the wings ,
and his eyes followed every move she
made. I remember one of the women
saying that it was worth while to have
a man care for you like that , and cer
tainly Nellie seemed to like it. She
came to me one afternoon that
Thanksgiving I'm telling you about
and said that she was too tired to go
home after the matinee. She asked
me if I'd run across the way and order
dinner for her. Then she whispered
in my ear that she wanted It served
for two , and asked if I couldn't fix a
bunch light on the stage , so she and
Merriam could have a cozy Thanksgiv
ing dinner all alone.
"Of course I done it for her , and
while they were eatin' I went over to
my boardin' house. There was to bs
I WANT YOU TO LEARN IT.
a change of bill that night , 20 I came
back early to get my props in shape ,
as I had them to attend to as well as
looking after the door. When I came
back to the theater I heard Nellie
Moore playin' a mandolin. She was
always fond of music and carried the
instrument around with her.
" 'Now you try , ' she said , and Mer
riam answered that he didn't know a
note.
" 'I'll teach you , ' she said. 'There's
an air I want you to learn and remem
ber. '
" 'All right , ' said Merriam , and he
took the mandolin from her. She
showed him where to place his fingers
and kept humming the tune until he
could play it with only one or two
breaks. Then she went to her dressIng -
Ing room to get ready , and Merriam
sat there thrumming until the half
hour was called.
"That night there was a good deal
of hand-shaking , and the word went
around that there was to be a weddin'
at Christmas.
"The next night on my way to the
theater I noticed a crowd around the
stage door , and heard talk of a run
away. I hurried up , and as I did so
Merriam came out , his face as white
as a ghost's.
" 'For God's sake , get a doctor ,
Jenks ! ' he cried.
"I rushed to the nearest drug store ,
and , luckily , found one there. When
we got back to the stage door Merriam
was waiting , and , without a word , he
led us to a sofa in the wings on which
Nellie Moore was lying. The doctor
bent down over her for a minute , shook
his head and said he was too late.
"An understudy played Juliet that
night and Merriam as usual was the
Romeo. The audience didn't know th.9
real reason for the change , but In the
tomb ccono I don't neo how they could
help fooling It.
"Thcso of us who saw It from the
wlnga will never forgot It. The women
were In hyotorlcn and the stage hands
and flymon were nearly as bad. I don't
know how Merriam over lived through
It , but this I do know. Ho was a dif
ferent man from that night. Ho
seemed to lose all his ambition and ho
withered up BO , that when I mot him
at a rehearsal two yearo later , I hardly
know him. Ho wna bent much as you
see him now , and was playing char
acter old men. Every year ho dropped
down further , until they wouldn't trust
him with anything batter than bttu
and servants. Yes , sir , and that ol < l
man has played Romeo with the best
of them. "
The story was finished , but the man
dolin still tinkled. The leading man'3
face was drawn , and Jonks sat think
ing. Perhaps the former was thinking
of his own high tide of prosperity , and
of what the future had In store lor
him.
him.But
But sympathy and curiosity are
closely allied , and soon the two mon
were tiptoeing through the passage
way. They paused before the old act
or's room. A ray of light filtered
through a crack in the thin pine door.
Merriam was d.'essed and made up for
A CROWD AROUND THE STAGE
DOOR.
a comedy servant. His green livery
coat hung on a peg on the wall , and
the red wig with which he covered
his own white hair lay on the dressing
table before him. There , too , was a
faded photograph of a pure-faced girl
in the dress of Juliet. The actor was
bent over his mandolin and the lead
ing man now caught the tune for the
first time , broken , but recognizaVe.
"When other hearts and other lips
Their tales of love shall tell ,
Then you'll remember , you'llemum -
ber "
Twang ! There was the sound of a
broken string.
"First act ! All up for the first act ! "
The callboy came tumbling down the
passage and the listeners hurried up to
the stage. A few minutes later the
callboy came up , too , and ho found
the stage manager fuming.
"Where's Merriam ? " he cried. "I
can't hold the curtain all night for that
doddering old fool. Hurry him up ,
will you ? "
The boy disappeared , and reappeared
almost instantly.
"Mr. Merriam's " The tears
choked his voice and he got no further.
The stage manager made a rush for
the stairs. Ten minutes later he came
up dressed for the comedy servant ,
but the man whose name was down
on the bills for the part lay in his
dressing room clutching an old man
dolin , with his eyes fixed on a faded
photograph.
The Soldier * In Hattle.
It is not easy for the hearts in
darkened rooms today , mourning sons
and brothers to see God's face in the
gloom , and if we give thanks for
brave men and brave deeds , for the
heroism that faced death unflinching
ly in the trenches or on the seas , it
should be in humility , that the world
has not progressed far enough in God's
way to be relieved of the curse of war ,
but we can be unreservedly thankful
for the voices that have rung out in
all the land for peace. Let us bo thank
ful that never before have so many
men and women been pleading for the
right in defiance of the wrong. Nevex
before have so many thoughtful ones
faced the evils of the times , the great
underlying causes of sin and misery ,
and sought to solve the knotty ques
tions of our modern civilization.
Servants at Dinner.
Thanksgiving dinner in the servants'
hall. The butler and housekeeper at
the head and foot of ihe table ,