77 I W B P Waite k Cim The Hitchell Wagon is without doubt the best farm wagon sold in this mark et today Tho users of wag ons huvo learned this hence the unprecedented demand But wo are prepared to supply all despito unusually large sales Ranges Wo have in stock the Maleable tho Jewel and tho Bound Oak Steel Rangesbe sides a large stock of Cast Ranges and Cooks The P BXNKKSS Wire Nails We always carry a large stock of Barb Wire and Nails We can also supply your needs in all kinds of Builders Ha rdware and Tools p i ui ArlMVIlUll LAND OWNERS and buyers if you want to sell be sure and see me soon I have inquiry for all kinds ol lands i Furnaces and Stoves We have a good line of furn aces and heating stoves If you are intending to put in a furnace this fall be sure to inspect our stock and get es timates Farm Machinery We are prepared to meet your needs in Press Drills 5 Disc Drills 5 Hoe Drills Gang Plows Sulky Plows Disc Harrows Pipe Frame Har rows Corn Shellers etc Call on us when in need of anything m this line Oils We have always on hand Axle Grease Hard Oil Machine Oil Cylinder Oil and Belt Dressing We also carry Lin seed Oil and Paint flartware S DO IT NOW If you want to buy call on me and let me quote my price and thus save you money LELindeman Office East Side Main St Over McConnells Drug Store flcCook Nebraska STOCKMEN NOTICE Do yon ever ship anything o market If so the selecting of your commission firm is a matter that should be carefully considered It is important to you First of all your interest demands absolute reliability You want to know for a certainty that your money will bo returned to you after your stock is sold returned promptly too You want to be sure your stock will be sold for all it is worth on the market a poor sale can undo your work of a long time Your stock must bo handled carefully and correctly a good fill helps materially to pay shipping expenses Because our service insures you all these good features we merit your business Consign your nest shipment to us CLAY ROBINSON CO stock Yards KANSAS CITY We also have our own houses at Chicago South Omaha Sioux City South St Joseph Denver South St Paul and East Buffalo Head our market letter in this paper Write us for any special information desired The McCook Tribune Only One Dollar the year i I SOWE Henry By Seton course Paul I admire you for it You must not go in there mensely It is just like you to go and do the thing quietly and say nothing about it but oh you must go away from here I I it is too horrible to think of your running such risks Rath er let them all die like flies than that You mustnt do it You mustnt She spoke in English hurriedly with a little break in her voice which he did not understand With ordinary precautions the risk is very small he said practically Yes But do you take ordinary pre cautions Are you sure you are all right now She stopped They were quite alone in the one silent street of the stricken yillace She looked UDinto his face rpsBBB j 1 r rfTi u IrwA RS Merriman Copyright 1895 by HARPER BROTHERS CONTINUED FHOSI LAST AVEEK jnd ddenly breathless he half frown ing But he did not meet her eyes Paul she said again what did you do this for Why are you here Oh why are you In this wretched place Because you sent for me he an swered quietly Come let us go out I have finished here That man will die There is nothing more to be done for him You must not stay in here Steinmetz lingered behind to give some last instructions leaving Paul and Catrina to walk on down the nar row street alone How long have you been doing this asked Catrina suddenly She did not look toward him but straight in front of her For some years now he replied simply He lingered Ho was waiting for Steinmetz who always rose to such emergencies who understood secrets and how to secure them when they seemed already lost Catrina walked on in silence She was not looking at the matter from his point of view at all Of course she said at length of Her hands were running over the breast of the tattered coat he wore It was lamentably obvious even to him that she loved him In her anxiety she either did not know what she was do ing or she did not care whether he knew or not Are you sure are you sure you have not taken it she whispered He walked on almost roughly Oh yes quite he said I will not allow you to go Into any more houses In Thors I cannot I will not Oh Paul you dont know If you do I will tell them all who you are and and the government will stop you What would be the good of that said Paul awkwardly Of course Catrina went on with a sudden anger which surprised herself I cannot stop you from doing this at Osterno though I think it is wicked but I can prevent you from doing it here and I certainly shall Paul shrugged his shoulders As you like he said I thought you cared more about the peasants I do not care a jot about the peas ants she answered passionately as compared It is you I am thinking about not them I think you are self ish and cruel to your friends I did it after mature consideration said Paul I tried paying another man but he shirked his work and showed the white feather so Stein metz and I concluded that there was nothing to be done but do our dirty work ourselves And that is why you have been so fond of Osterno the last two years she asked innocently Yes he answered falling into the trap Catrina winced One does not wince the less because the pain is expected Only that she inquired Paul glanced at her Yes he answered quietly They walked on in silence for a few moments Paul seemed tacitly to have given up the idea of visiting any more of the stricken cottages They were going toward the long old house which was called the castle more by courtesy than by right How long are you going to stay in Osterno asked Catrina at length About a fortnight I cannot stay longer I am going to be married Catrina stopped short She stood for a moment looking at the ground with a sort of wonder in her eyes not pleas ant to see Then she walked on I congratulate you she said I only hope she will make you happy She is beautiful I suppose Yes answered Paul simply The girl nodded her head What is her name Etta Sydney Bamborough Catrina had evidently never heard the name before It conveyed nothing to her Womanlike she went back to her first question What Is she like Paul hesitated Tall I suppose suggested the stunted woman at his side Tfts ONLY FIVE CENTS MORE than the price of the McCOOK TRIBUNE secures it and the Weekly Inter Ocean Both for One Year THE WEEKLY INTER OCEAN is the only weekly paper published by a Chicago daily and is the leading news farm and home paper of the West Improved and strengthened by the addition of many new features Enlarged farm garden and dairy departments Reliable and practical veter inary department Home Health Club Health and Beauty Hints The most com plete household page Styles for all ages The best Boys and Girls page offered by any paper Queer problems and puzzles Chess and checker columns Best Fiction The International Sunday School Lesson Full and complete market reports The McCook Tribune regular price 100 a year The Weekly Inter Ocean 100 a year both tor only 9105 a This extraordinary offer is made to secure NEW SUBSCRIBERS but old subscribers can take advantage of it by paying their sub scriptions one year in advance Editor year And graceful Yes Has she pretty hair asked Ca- triua I think so yes You are not observant said the girl in a singularly even and emotion less voice Perhaps voii never no ticed - Not particularly answered Paul Catrina was unaware of the thought of murder that was in her own heart Nevertheless the desire indefinite shapeless was there to kill this wo man who was tall and beautiful whom Paul Alexis loved It must be remembered in extenu ation that Catrina Lanovitch had lived nearly all her life in the province of Tver She was not modem at all De prived of the advantages of our en lightened society press without the benefit of our decadent fictional litera ture she had lamentably narrow views of life She only knew that she loved Paul and that what she wanted was Pauls love to go with her all through her life She was not self analytical nor subtle nor given to thinking about her own thoughts Perhaps she was old fashioned enough to be romantic Catrina hated Etta Sydney Bambor ough with a simple half barbaric ha tred because she had gained the love of Paul Alexis Etta had taken away from her the only man whom Catrina could ever love all through her life The girl was simple enough unsophisticat ed enough never to dream of com promise She never for a moment en tertained the cheap consolatory thought that in time she would get over it she would marry somebody else and make that compromise which is responsible for more misery in this world than ever is vice Where does she live asked Ca trina In London I wonder said Catrina half to her self whether she loves you It was a question but not one that a man can answer Paul said nothing but walked gravely on by the side of this woman who knew that even if Etta Sydney Bamborough should try she could never love him as she her self did When Karl Steinmetz joined them they were silent I suppose he said in English that we may rely upon the discretion of the Fraulein Catrina les answered the girl You may so far as Osterno is concerned But I would rather that you did not visit our people here It is too dangerous In several ways Ah murmured Steinmetz Then we must bow to your decision he went on turning toward the tali man striding along at his side Yes said Paul simply Will you come to the castle asked the girl And Steinmetz by a gesture deferred the decision to Paul I think not tonight thanks said the latter We will take you as far as the gate Catrina made no comment When the tall gateway was reached she stop ped and they all became aware of the sound of horses feet behind them What is this asked Catrina Only the starosta bringing horses replied Steinmetz lie discovered nothing Catrina nodded and held out T our has her hand Good night she said rather coldly Your secret is safe with me CHAPTER XII HE Palace of Industry where with a fine sense of the fitness of the name the Parisians amuse themselves was in a blaze of electric light and fashion The occasion was the Concours Hippique an ultra eqliine fete where the lovers of the friend of man and such persons as are fitted by an ungenerous fate with limbs suitable to horsy clothes meet and bow A crowd of well dressed men jostled each other good naturedly around a long table where insolent waiters served tepid coffee and sandwiches In the midst of these as in his ele ment moved the Baron Claude de Chauxvllle smiling his courteous ready smile which his enemies called a grin Not far from him stood a stout gentleman of middle age with a heavy fair mustache brushed upward on ei ther side This man had an air of dis tinction which was notable even in this assembly for there were many distinguished people present and a Frenchman of note plays his part well He stood with his hands behind his back looking gravely on at the social festivity He bowed and raised his hat to many but he entered into conversa tion with none This VassIIi is a dangerous man he heard more than once whispered Now if a very keen observer had taken the trouble to ignore the throng and watch two persons only that ob server might have discovered the fact that Claude de Chauxvllle was slowly and purposely making his way toward the man called VassIIi De Chauxville knew and was known of many He had but recently arrived from London He found himself called upon to shake hands with this one and that He went from one to the other and each change of position brought him nearer to the middle aged man with upturned mustache upon whom his movements were by no means lost Finally De Chauxville bumped against the object of his quest possi bly indeed the object of his presence He turned with a ready apology Ah he exclaimed the very man I was desiring to see The individual known as this Yas Bill a term of mingled contempt and distrust bowed very low He was a plain commoner while his interlocutor was a baron The knowledge of this was subtry conveyed In his bow How can I serve M le Baron he Inquired In a voice which was natural ly loud and strong but had been re duced by careful training to a tone In audible at the distance of a few paces By following me to the Cafe Tan tale In ten minutes answered Do Chauxvllle passing on to greet a lady who was bowing to him with the la bored grace of a Parislenne Vassili merely bowed and stood up right again There was something in his attitude of quiet attention of un obtrusive scrutiny and retiring Intelli gence vaguely suggestive of the police something which his friends refrain ed from mentioning to hliu for this VassIIi was a dignified mail of like susceptibilities with ourselves and just ly proud of the fact that he belonged to the diplomatic corps What posi tion he occupied in that select corpora tion he never vouchsafed to dollne but It was known that he enjoyed con siderable emoluments while he was never called upon to represent his coun try or his emperor in any official ca pacity He was attached he said to the Russian embassy Ills enemies called him a spy In ten minutes Claude de Chauxvllle left the Concours Hippique At the Cafe Tantale not In the gar den for It was winter but In the in ner room he found the man called VassIIi consuming a pensive and soli tary glass of liqueur De Chauxville sat down stated his requirements to the waiter in a single word and offered his companion a cig arette which VassIIi accepted with the consciousness that It came from a cor oneted case I am rather thinking of visiting Russia said the Frenchman Again added Vassili in his quiet voice And M le Baron wants a pass port And more answered De Chaux vllle I want what you hate parting with Information The man called Vassili leaned back in his chair with a little smile It was an odd little smile which fell over his features like a mask and completely hid his thoughts It was apparent that Claude de Chauxvilles tricks of speech and manner fell here on barren ground The Frenchmans epigrams his meth od of conveying his meaning in a non committing and Impersonal generality failed to impress this hearer Then said Vassili if I under stand M le Baron aright it Is a ques tion of private and personal affairs that suggests this journey to Rus bla Precisely In no sense a mission suggested the other sipping his liqueur thought fully In no sense a mission I give you a proof I have been granted six months leave of absence as you probably know Precisely so When a military offi cer is granted a six months leave it is exactly then that we watch him And you want a passport Yes a special one I will see what I can do Thank you Vassili emptied his glass drew in his feet and glanced at the clock But that Is not all I want said De Chauxville So I perceive I want you to tell me what you know of Prince Pavlo Alexis Prince Pavlo Alexis said Vassili is a young man who takes a full and daring advantage of his peculiar posi tion lie defies many laws In a quiet persistent way which impresses the smaller authorities and to a certain extent paralyzes them He was In the Charity league deeply implicated He had a narrow escape He was pulled through by the cleverest man in Rus sia Karl Steinmetz Yes answered Vassili behind the rigid smile Karl Steinmetz Prince Paul is about to marry the widow of Sydney Bamborough Sydney Bamborough repeated Vas sili musingly with a perfect expres sion of innocence on his well cut face I have heard that name before O- CHAPTER XIII the English quay of St Pe tersburg a tall narrow house stands looking glumly across the river It Is a suspected house and watched for here dwelt Stepan Lanovitch secretary and or ganizer of the Charity league The Countess Lanovitch belonged to the school existing In Petersburg and Moscow in the early years of the cen turythe school that did not speak Russian but only French that chose to class the peasants with the beasts of the field that apparently expected the deluge to follow soon Her drawing room looking out on to the Neva was characteristic of herself Camellias held the floral honors in vase and pot The French novel ruled su preme on the side table The room was too hot the chairs were too soft the moral atmosphere too lax One could tell that this was the dwelling room of a lazy self indulgent and probably ig norant woman The countess herself in nowise con tradicted this conclusion She was seated on a very low chair exposing a slippered foot to the flame of a wood fire She held a magazine in her hand and yawned as she turned its pages She was not so stout in person as her loose and somewhat highly colored cheeks would imply Her eyes were dull and sleepy The woman was an incarnate yawn She looked up turning lazily In her chair to note the darkening of the air without the double windows Ah she said aloud to herself in French when will it be tea time As she spoke the words the bells of a sleigh suddenly stopped with a rattle beneath the window Immediately the countess rose and went to the mirror over the mantel piece She arranged without enthu siasm her straggling1 hair and put CONTIJJCED ON TH1BD PAGEj J 1 1