1 1 Hi iiiii Mystery
iimm
V
IT
By JOHN R MUSICK
Author of Mysterious Mr Howard The
Dark Stranger Charlie AUeuthUea
Double Etc
Copyright 1837 by Robbbt Bokmbbs Sons
All rlchu roterred
CHAPTER V Continued
Who
The very men who robbed me
The reaction which came over the
old man was terrible to witness He
Teealized that after all he might lose
his beloved captain whose life was
still in danger for he was once more
a prisoner
Well well all may yet be lost
he sighed Crack lash lets go and
hunt him Now that we know he is
alive we got something to hunt for
and well hunt him Come Crack
lash
After considerable persuasion Paul
induced him to wait until next morn
ing so they built a camp fire and
prepared to pass the night
Next morning they were early astir
They had packed their knapsacks
and were about ready to start when
BAxil suggested
Perhaps the walrus hide will tell
something about this mystery Let
us take a look at it
He unrolled the walrus hide and
the ex sailor who had long studied
the picture writing of the Alaskan
Indians bent over It and began to
slowly and carefully decipher the pic
tures
The old man had to put all his
knowledge of picture writing to the
severest test to read He made out
that the captain had discovered rich
gold diggings but the walrus hide
could give them no hint as to the
whereabouts of the three men and
their prisoner
Paul suddenly rolled up the walrus
hide and stuffing it in his knapsack
said
That piece of hide is a key to mil
lions I have no doubt and in all prob
ability the scoundrels were trying to
make him give it to them
Lets go Crack lash Lets go fur
I itch to git my fingers about the
throats of the cusses
They hastily packed up broke
camp and were soon on their way up
the mountain engaged in a dangerous
search the result of which they knew
to be doubtful
CHAPTER VI
Berrys Success
We will for the present take leave
of Paul Ralston and return to Berrys
party on their way to the Klondyke
They arrived first at Forty Mile
camp but here found nothing to do
Clarence staked out a claim and
went to digging It was a slow proc
ess and the reward was poor He
took out a little gold but not
nearly enough to pay him for the
hardships Then came reports of the
wonderful finds in the Klondyke dis
trict
Now is your time Clarence said
Ethel Go at once and make all you
can while there are so few in the
country
What shall I do with you he
asked
Leave me behind
Ethel I cannot think of doing
that he declared
You must Clarence I will follow
as soon as possible but hasten on
now and stake out a claim for us
Stake out two one for you and one
for me I feel that this is the turning
point in our careers
And so it proved
It was the saddest day of his life
when Clarence Berry bade adieu to
his young wife and started alone for
the distant mining camp The part
ing of the husband and wife as the
reader may imagine was affectionate
but there were no tears Ethel re
strained them and smiled cheerfully
as long as she was in sight to run
into her shanty and have a little cry
the moment she could see him no
more
The river which must be crossed
before she could reach the Klondyke
was already beginning to show signs
of floating ice and she knew it would
only be a short time before it would
be completely frozen over So she
worked with a will and got everything
packed and started on the little steam
er Arctic for the new land of gold
Her husband and his party joined her
on the way up the river
It was late in the season when this
devoted daring couple struck gold of
any consequence Then it came in a
torrent All through the winter Clar
ence Berry was piling up wealth His
wife was at the mines every day and
as the great chunks of frozen earth
were dumped on the ground her fair
fingers were busily at work picking
out the nuggets During the season
she picked out ten thousand dollars
worth of golden peboles with her
fingers
Though absorbed in gold digging
she never forgot Paul who with Glum
Ralston had not been heard from
since those two persons left in search
for the bold men who had robbed the
youth
One night as they sat about their
cheerful fire there came a rap at the
door of their shanty and they found
Dick Ronold asking admission
Come in Dick What brings you
out such a night and in such a
storm asked Clarence
Didnt I hear ye say somethin
onoe about knowin the feller called
Cracklash Paul who used to live back
there In Fresno
Yes Paul Miller cried Ethel
eagerly We know him What of
him
You know theyve got one of the
fellows tight an fast who tried to
help do up Paul Well the feller3
cocoa since that nights been a little
rancid I was sec to guard him last
night and his mental train for a min
ute or two seemed on the track Then
I remembered seein him In Frisco
His name is Belcher and hes one of
the men that the feller from Fresno
called Lackland hired the room in
Frisco to talk with
At the sound of Lacklands name
Ethel was on her feet gasping
Lackland Lackland Clarence
he is Pauls rival and enemy I am
determined to see this prisoner called
Belcher
When do you intend to call on
him
To morrow
I will go with you said Clarence
Ethel Berry with her husband en
tered the prison and gazed at the pale
yet fierce face of the prisoner and
cried
I know him Clarence I know
him I saw him in Fresno in con
sultation with Theodore Lackland
They have planned the murder of
poor Paul
With a fierce oath the prisoner
leaped at his fair accuser but the
strong young husband seized him by
the throat and hurled him to the op
posite side of the room
Two men worn tired and haggard
surrounded by mountains of ice and
great sleeping glaciers had halted in
a valley where a few stunted pines
reared their heads above the eternal
snow
Let us rest Crack lash said the
older of the two travelers I give
in shipmate Your winds bettern
mine for you see my old hulk is git
tin waterlogged o late years an
cant make as good headway as it
used to you know
The travelers were Paul Miller and
his quondam sailor companion Glum
Ralston
Paul Miller gathered some dry
pines and made a fire on the mossy
banks of a stream wliich ran close
under the cliff The dry wood spark
led and snapped and the blaze threw
out a ruddy light The pot boiled and
ho put on beans to cook with a little
meat and soon had an excellent sup
per
Ah mate that is good said the
ex sailor as he tasted the coffee
Were running rather short of feed
though and if we dont come upon a
moose or reindeer soon Im afraid
well suffer
Never fear Glum some kind of
game will come our way
Wrapped in his blanket he sat at
the root of a tree still talking to Paul
who was half asleep when they were
startled by a snort In an instant
both laid their hands on their rifles
A pair of fiery eyes gleamed at them
and Paul whose vision was keener
than his older companion saw a
small animal about four and a half
feet in height which in the dim un
certain light appeared to be a con
necting link between the ox and
sheep
Glum Ralston lifted his gun to his
face and fired There Instantly fol
lowed a bellowing roar and a rush
of feet The fire was scattered in
every direction and the old sailor
who was rising to his feet was struck
a blow which sent him sprawling on
the ground
Paul dropped his gun and snatch
ing a pistol fired a shot into the
thick hide of the furious beast just
behind the shoulder bjade It made
one spasmodic leap forward and fell
dead the bullet having penetrated its
heart
The old sailor was staggering to
his feet shaking himself to see if he
had any broken bones
Are you hurt Are you hurt
cried Paul anxiously
N no I think not It was a fall
broadside though and how the horns
missed ripping me from stem to stern
is a mystery
Paul threw on some fresh sticks of
pine and the fire blazed up revealing
the beast he had slain lying but a few
paces away Its long brown and
black hair gave it the appearance of
of a bear The old sailor walked up to
it and said philosophically
Its flesh is good for food and will
keep us alive a good long time
Two days after they had killed the
musk ox they came again upon a dim
trail and again began to take heart
The trail led them through an un
known pass toward the seashore
Crack lash theyre goin seaward
said the ex sailor I can smell salt
water already and I feel better for
it
Three days later as they were
climbing over a hilltop they saw two
men several hundred rods in advance
and gave chase
They were within long rifle range
when the two fugitives discovered
them and began to run
The two men darted into a ravine
and they saw them no more Glum
Ralston was of the opinion the men
they chased were two seal hunters
who had wandered into the woods in
search of moose or deer
They continued toward the coast
following a faint trail At last they
came upon one of those bays that ex
tend inland and saw great floating
icebergs glistening in the light pt the
sun Suddenly the old man stopped
and pointing to some tracks in the
snow cried
Look Crack lash Theres big
game
What do you make it out to be
Glum Paul asked
Nothin more nor less than a polar
bear
Paul had heard much of those fierce
beasts but never seen one The
near proximity of this one roused his
sporting blood and in an excited man
ner he asked
rssssKSsiKSfrvT ens izr
Cant we find him He seems tc
be a monster Glum and I must have
a shot at him
Paul hurried in the trail of the
bear and dreamed not of danger
Suddenly there came from beneatt
his feet a loud cracking sound like
the report of a battery of artillerj
fired in unison and the great ice floe
on which he stood began to tremble
and rock
Dumb with amazement he stood and
trembled with some unknown dread
It was several seconds before Paul
comprehended his danger and then
it was too late The ice floe with its
glittering spires had parted from the
sjiore and was drifting out to sea
Already it was too far for him tc
reach the land on which his compan
ion stood wringing his hands in
despair
A terrible death seemed staring
him in the face when a new dangei
arose On his ears there burst i
fierce growl and looking up on ar
elevated portion of the ice floe rapid
ly drifting with him toward the seas
he beheld a monster polar bear glar
ing at him with the fiery eyes of rage
and hate
God have mercy on my soul the
youth groaned and prepared to meei
his fate with the courage of a hero-
CHAPTER VII
Glum Ralstons Return
After the frantic effort on the pari
of Belcher to seize Ethel Berry foi
discovering him to have been in Lack
lands employ the wounded man grew
sullen The miners were anxious tc
hang him and to have it over with
but cooler heads prevailed It wil
never do said Clarence Berry to
destroy the only hope we have of
recovering Pauls gold and solving
this mystery which deepens with
every new development Besides we
have had no lynching yet in the Klon
dyke and let us not have any if we
can avoid it
One evening after the simple re
past was over Clarence and Ethel sat
discussing the probable fate of Paul
who -was never out of Ethels mind
Poor Paul he must be dead she
said her eyes filling with tears I
must write to Laura I must tell her
his awful fate
After a few moments silence he
heaved a sigh and said
It will be very bad news
She must know it some time
Clarence
That is true and perhaps the
knowledge of his fate awful as it is
will not equal the suspense
I will write to morrow When
can the letter get through
Not before spring you need not
hurry he answered with a sad
smile
Suddenly the door was caused to
quake by the thump from a giant
fist and opening it they found their
nightly visitor Dick but he was not
alone this time Gid Myers was at his
side The faces of the two men wore
looks of anxiety
What is the matter asked Clar
ence
We want yer gun Clarence said
Long Dick as soon as he could re
gain his breath I want to tell ye
on the dead that theres either some
man a bear or old Nick up on the
hill
Fearing their excited imagination
had conjured up a monster from a
wandering polar bear though those
animals were seldom seen in that part
of the country Clarence took down
his Winchester rifle and accompanied
his companions to the foot of the hill
where the mysterious creature had
been seen A tall gaunt object with
a warm bearskin coat hanging loosely
about his shoulders was coming
slowly down the hill The approach
ing stranger had his gun strapped on
his back A hatchet was in the belt
at his side with his pistols and he
was leaning heavily on a long stout
stick He came slowly as if very
weary
Curiosity gave way to pity and they
hurried up to meet him
To be continued
r2
KITTEN BLOCKED SIDEWALK
Everybody Dodged the Dirty Feline
Until a Banker Appeared
At noon to day when Park Row
Manhattan was crowded with hungry
mortals looking for their favorite
eating place a half starved black and
white kitten made its appearance on
the sidewalk It might have wander
ed out of some cellar or some tattered
newsboy dropped it hoping to see
some fun The ball of dirty fur land
ed directly in front of a clerk He
made a frantic effort to avoid stepping
on the kitten and was successful A
young woman following stepped to
one side The crowd followed her
lead Then at the rate of a hundred
or so a minute people were turning
aside lest they injure the kitten Any
one of the number could easily have
raised the little mass of bones on his
or her toe and tossed it into the gut
ter The kitten held full possession
of the sidewalk for fully five minutes
Then a banker whose time is worth
several dollars a minute caught up
the little feline worthless from al
most everybodys point of view and
carried it a distance of twenty feet
and tenderly deposited it in an alley
And yet somebody the other day
accused New Yorkers of lacking ten
derness of heart Brooklyn Eagle
Potatoes the Greatest Crop
Potatoes form the worlds greatest
single crop 4000000 bushels being
produced annually equal in bulk to
the entire wheat and corn crops
American Girl Painters
The American girls whose paintings
are exhibited in the Paris salon this
year have interested the art centers
of the world
MlilfftWPlfltl
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G W MARSH
For Secretary ol State
HBHgj9KrfiKjlljMHKl
CHARLES WESTON
For State Auditor
w1PxD3u9KtllB
PETER MORTENSEN
For State Treasurer
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Good Country for Sauerkraut
In Cuba cabbages frequently weigh
as much as twenty pounds All vege
tables do well Radishes may be
9aten from fourteen to eighteen days
after sowing lettuce in five weeks
after sowing while corn produces
three crops per year Sweet potatoes
are perpetual The natives dig up the
tubers cut them off and plant the old
vines which produce a new crop in
three months All sorts of fruits hor
ticultural and greenhouse plants and
bulbous stock are also grown
Journalists and Newspaper Men
Frank Munsey the publisher met
an acquaintance who asked him to ex
plain the difference between the men
who call themselves journalists and
the men who insist on being known
simply as newspaper men The
difference is this replied Mr Mun
sey a newspaper man spends most
of his time in getting things printed
about people and news and a journal
ist spends most of his time in get
ting things printed about himself
An Eye For Business
A story is told of a colored butler in
one of New Yorks most fashionable
suburbs who being given one hun
dred or more invitations to a social
function for delivery could not re
sist the temptation to slip into each
a massage circular of his wife who
was seeking patients The surprise
and consternation of the invited
guests at receiving the two documents
may easily be imagined
The Carping Critic
One of those callous Parisian critics
says of Bernhardt as Ophelia Mme
Sarah did wrong to put so much Ver
million on her face In the drowning
scene she seemed quite to color the
water Besides no woman while wear
ing such a beautiful flowing dress of
India silk would under any circum
stances sane or insane come within
a quarter of a mile of a watery grave
Indian Divorce
The first Indian divorce granted in
Oklahoma has been granted
in Pawnee county by Judge T B
Hainer who is near
ly 80 and partially blind accused his
squaw of infidelity abandonment and
neglect of duty The suit was con
ducted in the Pawnee language Jas
R Murie a Carlisle Indian acting as
interpreter for the court
Women Work a Sawmill
The four daughters of Benjamin
Gottschalk of Jersey Shore Pa have
recently announced that they intend
to work the sawmill of their father at
Youngdale until it attains an average
output of 30000 feet of lumber each
working day The girls are hard at
work and are striving to break the
record they established last season
Chinese Ministers Banquet
Since Minister Wu attended a fare
well dinner at which he ate bok du
qualch sai foo edible birds nest
sharks fins yellow fish brains sui
shen yan man and crab omelet no
one will blame him if he shows a de
sire to hasten back to China before
any more entertainments can be given
in his honor
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JOHN H MICKEY
For Governor
E G McGILTON
For Lieutenant Governor
Davis Offer to France
Major Scheibert of the Prussian ar
my se ved as unofficial for Germany
never recognized the Confederacy at
tache to Gen Lee and saw personally
the campaigns of 18G2 3 in Virginia
and Pennsylvania In his recollec
tions he records a conversation with
Jefferson Davis in which the presi
dent of the Confederacy declared that
if Napoleon III would break the block
ade the south would give him a free
hand in Mexico and provide troops for
his conquest
Craze of Opium Smoking
Opium smoking is increasing in
Eastern Siberia and causing the
authorities much anxiety owing to the
frequent deaths therefrom The po
lice recently discovered 32 opium dens
in Vladivoptoclr 18 in Nilosk 13 in
Noviesk and 4 in Irkutsk There are
twice as many undiscovered dens
The craze has not touched the work
ing classes as yet but seems to be
confined to the officials and their
wives
Advance in Formosa
People of Formosa who have been
wearing the pigtail for 300 years are
beginning to cut their hair This
shows that the Island is becoming
more Japanese in its ways as it has
become Japanese in its government It
means the final abandonment of the
outlaw wife The change has been
brought about since the extensive and
successful operations against the
rebels last April
Manchester Would Be Governor
The lord lieutenancy of Ireland for
which the duke of Manchester was
an applicant has been given to an
other and he is now seeking the ap
pointment of governor general of the
commonwealth of Australia a post
that is going begging because of the
low salary attached and the enormous
expense involved in the discharge of
its social requirements
The Different Races
A Chinaman who acted as secretary
to a former Chinese minister to Eng
land has published a book in which
he says There is nothing which an
American wont say there is nothing
which an Englishman wont eat there
is nothing an Italian wont sing there
is no measure to which a Frenchman
wont dance and nothing Russians
wont covet
Forgers Working in Portugal
Great excitement has been caused
in Portugal by the discovery of a man
ufactory of Portuguese bank notes in
Madrid with distributing branches all
over Portugal A base coin factory
has also been discovered in the Villa
Nova and large sums of false money
have been seized The principal for
gers have been arrested
Search for Mines in Scotland
The duke of Argyle in the hope of
ocating minerals is having the In
veraray estate surveyed by a mining
3xpert who has unearthed numerous
specimens of an ore composed of
nickel copper and lead The late
duke of Argyle once wrought nickel
silver mines without being out of
pocket
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W K FOWLER
For Supt Public Instruction
f REPUBLICAN STATE CANDIDATES
WH liliiiM
G D FOLLMER
For Com Public Lands and BIdgj
Ssjtp S JEr1
F N PROUT
For Attorney General
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Reunion of Alden Family
At the reunion of the descendants of
John and Priscilla Alden held at
Ross Park near Binghamton N Y
last week there was present a repre
sentative of the sixth generation from
John Alden who was born in the town
of Windsor Broome county on March
28 1815 The oldest living descend
ant is Timothy P Alden of Bingham
ton and the youngest Florence Alden
20 months old Members of the fam
ily attended the reunion from all parts
of the country
Market for Our Sweet Potatoes
James J Davidson of Swedesboro
N J recently shipped three barrels
of sweet potatoes to London One
barrel was packed in fine sawdust an
other in coarse sawdust and the third
in tissue paper the same as oranges
are packed All in good condition
but those packed in coarse sawdust
were in prime shape Englishmen
will eventually have Gloucester coun
ty sweets as a regular side dish
with American beef and mutton
Her Future Provided For
The little daughter of Beerbohm
Tree the famous English actor is the
subject of a pleasing story Once
when some visitors were talking of
theatrical matters a lady took the
child on her knee and said And
you my dear I suppose you intend to
be a great actress when you grow
up Oh no not at all was the
self possessed response Mamma in
tends me to marry
Extensive Advertising
No street in the world can boast of
so many advertisements as Broadway
New York The combined length of
the two sides of Broadway Is 52800
feet The amount of advertising on
the buildings and in shop windows is
such that it would take a man be
tween eight and ten days of eight
hours each to read his way up one
side and down the other
The Thrifty Bride
Shes one of the most economical
women I ever saw her neighbor was
saying Why do you know what she
did She got married three weeks
before she was ready just to make it
possible for her husband to take ad
vantage of the summer excursion
rates on their wedding trip and they
were only going about eighty mile3
anyway
Skittles and Customs Authorities
Some time ago the customs authori
ties seized a box of skittles that ar
rived in Constantinople on the plea
that the balls were hard and heavy
and might be used as cannon balls
which would be exceedingly danger
ous It was not till one of the em
bassies had taken a lot of trouble that
the balls were given up
King Alfonso Observant
The young king of Spain may be
troublesome to those nearest him but
he is evidently not lacking in keen
ness One hundred years ago he says
news was carried across Spain in one
day now with the telegraph it takes
two days A king who observes de
fects can most likely find a way to
remedy them
1
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