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About Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1902)
ffKElJEWELLEDlTALISMANi IPURITANaAKDWAVAUEi CHAPTER XIII. ( Continued. ) "You must find it elsewhere , then. " "You deny me ? " "Yes , 1' deny you ? " "Do yon reim'inhor that opal I > ent here a few days ago ? " "F do. " "It has a Iris-lory which may cause you to alter your mind. " "What do you know about it ? " "That is was sold to Lingard the gold smith by a .lew , who , as he has since had reason to believe , came by it dis honestly. " "And if one of my Hebrew brethren lias been guilty of a dishonest deed , am I to be anvworablf for it ? " "You are answerable for your own mis deeds. It was von who sold it to him. " "I ? " "Yes , as can be proved. " "Nevertheless , I shall not let you have 'the hundred pounds. " "Not if , in return. I will undertake to procure the goldsmith's silence ? " "Not even then. " "If it can be pro veil that yon stole that opal , not all the vile old riot lies yon have coined into gold for the last twelve years will s-ave you from the punishment which is your due. " "What if 1 have the means of disprov ing it ? " "I am not afraid of that. Yon will see me again , within twenty-four hours , when yon may not be quite so resolute in your denial. " The Jew made no answer to this though a .smile of contempt , in which was mingled some bitterness , passed over his countenance , as Falkland withdrew. CHAPTER XFV. Alice , according to the directions given her by .Tedntlmn , knocked at the door at the termination of the passage. After a little delay , it was pushed open , and she found herself in a closet , standing face to face with one who , as the .lew had told her , was as young and as fair as herself. "I was told to knock at this door , " said Alice , "by an elderly man I saw in the shop. " "It was my grandfather who told you. You are welcome. " By means incomprehensible to Alice , what she had taken to be the back of a very plainly constructed closet , was made to swing slowly back , till there was an opening sufficiently wide for ingress into an apartment fitted up in a style of so much splendor that it reminded her of ' a story she had once heard told of an enchanted palace. It was not till the massive door was closed , and a drapery of Tyrian purple embroidered with gold was drawn back over it. that Alice had opportunity to do more than note the general appearance of her hostess. When she had seated herself on a pile of cushions at her side , she found that her eyes , though shaded by lashes intensely black , were gray , overflowing and with a soft and brilliant light. Her hair , restrained from falling over her forehead by a jeweled band , fell in free and flowing masses over her shoul ders , and descended to the cushions where she sat. Among the few ornaments she wore there was one which drew the attention of Alice from all others. It was the opal she had lost , and when she recalled what Silas Watkins had told her , it at once occurred to her that it might have been given her by Falkland. She observed that the eye of Alice was fastened upon it. "A birthday present , " said she , "and one that I value very highly on account of the donor. " "Who must be a very dear friend , then. " "The dearest 1 have in the world , " she replied. Alice watched her as she said this , but there was no faltering of the voice , nor deepening of the faint rose color which tinged the pure white of her fair and softly rounded cheeks. Unsuspicious of what "was passing in the mind of Alice , she said : "Will you not tell me your name ? " "Alice Dale. " "And mine is Abi. How glad I am that you came here this evening ! You can not think how lonely I am. " "Have you no mother nor sister ? " "None. " "Neither have I. " "Yet you cannot be so lonely as I am , with no one but Asenath to speak to , ex cept my grandfather , and he has little time Tviiich can be spared from his daily toil to devote to me. " "Can it be necessary for him in the evening of his days to attend so strictly to his daily task ? " said Alice. "We are , as you doubtless know , of an oppressed and despised people , and obliged to bury our luxuries , and even comforts , under a show of wretchedness , or the princes and nobles of the land would speedily find some pretext to wrest from us our wealth. I say we , for since my father died a year ago , I have had no one to look to for protection except my grandfather. " The eyes of Alice were often directed to the opal , as they sat chatting together , for after what Abi had told her , she thought she must be mistaken as to its being the one which had been given her by Harleigh. But the more she examined it , the more convinced did she become that it was the same. Several times she was on the point of telling Abi what she knew of it , but finally concluded to suffer its history , as far as she herself was concerned , to remain undisclosed , lest she might think that she wished it to be restored to her. The fair Abi , ho\ ever , conld not help noticing with wh : interest she regarded it , though she mis took the cause. She imagined that it wa > its rare beauty which attracted her atten tion , and she unclasped the gold chain to which it was appended , and handed i to her. "Take it , " said sue , "so that you cai. ! the better examine it. Those best skilled in precious stones pronounce it to be unique , no one of its kind they have ever seen or heard of being equal to it in size and purity , or comparing with it in fine and brilliant play of colors. " "A birthday present , you said ? " re marked Alice , hoping that she would be led to say something more of it. "Yes , and what renders it more sacred and doubly dear , it once belonged to my mother. My father being absent the day I was twelve years old , my grandfather gave it to me , with his blessing. Judge , then , of my distress , when the very tirst tiim1 I wore it from home I lost it. " "Lost it ? " "Yes , and I had long given up all hope of ever recovering it , for we dared not noise abroad the loss of so precious a gem , when , a few evenings since , some one came to the shop aud offered it for sale. " "Who offered it ? Did your grandfath er know ? " "I think he did. though he didn't tell mo. He was glad to get it back again , for more than two-thirds of its full value , without asking any questions. " * * * * * * * Falkland , as he slowly returned to his lodgings , felt at a loss what to do. Scarcely a day passed , but that he reck lessly contracted some debt , without the men us of paying forit , and now that Jediitliun , the Jew , had refused to ad vance him the hundred pounds for which he had applied , his last expedient for sat isfying the most clamorous of his credit ors , was cut off. A thought struck him as he placed the key in the lock of the door which opened into his room. He stopped , reflected a moment , and then retraced his steps. There was a tract of land still in his possession , belonging to the estate left by his father , which yielded him only a trifling income. He would offer the .lew a mortgage of this land , if , instead of the one hundred he had asked for , he would give him two hundred. He found the Jew preparing to close the shop. As suming a more conciliatory air than when he parted with him , he made known the reason of his return. His proposal was accepted , and the following morning was appointed for the transaction of the busi ness. ness.When When , at last , he found himself in his own apartment , he saw a man sitting near the table , who , as there was no light , except what was afforded by a fire nearly burnt out , he supposed to be his valet. "Why are you back so soon , Redding ? " said he. "I gave you leave to stay away till morning. " "You mistook me for that rascally valet of your , eh ? " said the man , rising and coming forward. "Is it you , Jem Corkle ? How did you get in ? through the key hole ? " "As the door wasn't locked , such an expedient was unnecessary. " "Then I must have forgotten to lock the door when I returned an hour ago. As Redding has a master key , I supposed it was he. " "You have great confidence in that valet of yours , I suspect. " "No. I don't trust him at all in any af fair of importance , and that is why I sent him away to-day. " "There is little need of your trusting him , for his curiosity is such that he finds things out without being trusted. " 't'Wlmt do you mean ? " "That lie overheard the whole of what you told me , the other evening , about al tering the date of the will old Burlington made in favor of his niece. " "How came you to know ? " "No matter how , as long as what I tell you is true. " "I am lost , then. " "Not so bad as that. As yet , he has told only one person. " "Who , of course , then , must be you. " "Well , to confess the truth , it was. " "I didn't suspect that you were on such confidential terms. " "He had little inclination to bestow his confidence on me , you may be certain. When , on the night in question I left you , I opened the door rather suddenly , when some one darted away from behind it in sucli haste as to make me suspect it was some one who had been listening. I man aged to overtake him , and by dint of per suasion and threats , succeeded in making him confess that he had heard all we had said. I didn't part company with him , however , till I had extorted a prom ise from him not to mention what he had heard to any person living. " "A promise which he will be sure to break , as he is as much given to talka tiveness as curiosity. " "Yes , and I've been thinking it will need a sharp argument to keep his tongue from wagging. " "But where shall we find one who will be willing to make use of such an argu ment ? " "Leave that to me. But then there must be time and opportunity. " "To-motvow evening I will find some pretext fi/f sending him to the shop of Jcduthun , the Jew. " "At what hour ? " "Nine. " "Ten would be the better time. " "Yes , but the shop will be closed before then. " "Nine let it be , then. I remember a nice , snug place close by the Jew's tum ble-down domicile , where he who is to be employed can conceal himself. " "And let him be sure not to part com pany with him till he has lost all power of telling tales. " "You needn't caution me on that score. " "And tell him , if the affair occasion noise or outcry , he will be in no danger of being surprised , as the Jews , who are the sole inhabitants of that quarter , are much like the snail , which , at the inti mation of danger , draws itself further into its shell. Tell him , furthermore , that lie may count on .a good round sum if all is performed with skill aud dex terity. " "That lies between him ami me. I wil take care of it , aud shall look to you foi the pay. " Just then some one knocked at tb < door. Both started , as guilty people will ' 'Go , Falkland , and open the door , 01 I will , " said Corkle. He obeyed , though not without SOUK misgivings. A lad of fourteen or fifteei put a sealed note into his hand , anc without speaking , withdrew. The twc had been sitting by the dim. firelight , a ; if they did not care to look each othei in the face. To enable him to read his note , Falkland was obliged to light i lamp. "From a lady or a courtier , " saic Corkle , "as one may know by the odoi of musk. Which is it ? " "A lady Mildred Dacres. " "A billet-doux , then , I suppose ? " "Nothing of the kind , " said Falkland rather sharply. The note contained only the.following briefly worded request , or rather com in and : "Come to me to-morrow morning al ten , without fail. " "It is getting late , " said Corkle. "II is time for me to go. Nine o'clock to morrow evening is the hour ? " "You'll find me here then. " "I'll speak to yon through the kej hole , so that yon may be sure who'it is. ' : "Well thought of. " "And as I've already charged you , mind that your door is fast. " CHAPTER XV. Soon after Falkland's departure tlu second time , the Jew , casting aside his coarse gaberdine , which concealed 11 rich and becoming dress , joined the fail Abi and their equally fair and unexpect ed guest. Alice had already communi cated to Abi all that she herself knew ol what she supposed to be a plan for hei abduction , which she now related to him , "And have yon any suspicion who was the employer of the rnlliauly fellows ? " lie asked. "I have , " she replied. "His name , as I have reason to believe , is Falkland. " "You are right ; there can be no doubt. I have had dealings with him. " "I have been thinking of my friends , " said Alice , after a few moments' silence. "They will suffer much anxiety on my account , and I must let them know , as early as possible , what kind hands I liave fallen into. " "I would fain relieve your anxiety to night , " said the Jew , "but the lad in raj- service is unfortunately absent , and it would be hardly prudent for me to con vey intelligence of your welfare myself. Some one might be lurking near who would recognize me , which would be like ly to lead to a still stronger suspicion as to your hiding place. As there will b explanations- make and directions to give , the message better be a written one , which Aseneth , our maid , shall carry to your friends early in the morning. " "And it must be written to-night , " said Alice. Early in the morning , as the Jew had promised , he gave Aseneth the note , with the necessary directions where to carry it. But when she had left what was called the Jews' quarter she became be wildered , and lost her way. There were as yet few people stirring , but those of whom she inquired the way to the street she was in pursuit of , answered her only with gibes or a sneering laugh. She was not aware that , during all this time , a man was following her. At last , when the street passengers began to mul tiply , and she , becoming still more per plexed , ventured once more to inquire the way , he stepped quickly forward. "What place do you wish to find , my good woman ? " said he. "A house in Charles street , where dwells the widow Elliston , " she replied. "Fortunately , " said he , "I live in a house near hers , and can show you the way. Follow me and you will soon be there. " ( To be continued. ) CHANGE IN LEADING MEN. The Lady Settled the Question as to Who Was the Cad. They had been engaged for a whole week , and met at the same social func tion. After he had missed her for an hour he explored the conservatory , and was mean enough to listen to a conver sation that she was having with a young man whom she had rejected that she might accept the eavesdropper. "Believe me , " the discarded one was saying , "I wish you every happiness. I thought all the time that you were too good for me , and I think that he will make you the best of husbands. It is everything to me that you are content. It will probably never come ; but should you ever need a loyal friend send for me , wherever I may be. " "Pardon me for interrupting so happy an interchange of confidences , " sneered the jealous claimant , who suddenly ap peared in front of them , "but they are waiting for you to sing , and naturally wondered where you were hidden. " He led her away , but it was into the hall. "See here , " he began , "it is high time that you and I understand each other. I forbid you running after your old flames , and particularly that cad you have just left. We're the same as married , and there was a ring In that chap's tone that I don't like and won't have. " "And here's a ring that I don't like and won't have. " One swift movement and he was alone looking at the spark ling solitaire in his hand. She called at once on her "loyal friend" to see her home , and there is not the slightest chance that the real cad in the case will be among the wedding guests just after Easter. Detroit Free Press. George Wyndham , who is now Chief Secretary for Ireland in the British Cabinet , is a direct descendant of Lord Edward Fitzgerald , one of the leaders of the Irish rebellion at the close of the last century. Mr. Wyndham is one of the most celebrated orators in the House of Commons. At the Paris Exposition Ontario as a province captured 263 awards , In cluding five grand prizes for education. Ontario received the only first medaJ for education. DIED FOR ANOTHER. UNPARALLELED SELF-SACRIFICE OF THREE SONS. They Voluntarily Submitted to Be Devoured by a Pack of Hungry "Wolves in Order to Save Their Old Father from a Similar Fate. "When Scaevola , in the days of ancient Rome , to show his contempt for a ty rant's power , thrust his right hand into a fire and held it there until it was consumed , he gave an example of sub lime courage and daring which poets and orators have since immortalized. But the story is only a legend. Infinitely greater than the legendary deed of Scaevola , because of the sacri fice , was the action of three young men in Russia , according to a story which has come from the far northern govern ment of Archangel , along the borders of the White sea , who voluntarily faced death in its most awful form and knowingly embraced it that they might by the sacrifice ornhemselves save the father whom they each loved and rev erenced. The names of these heroic young men are not revealed , but their devotion is worthy a place at the head of the highest deeds of self-sacrifice. The young men and their father set out to make a journey by sleigh from Archangel to a village 100 miles dis tant along the shores of the White sea. tory oualities. Birds eat the berries , which to men are poisonous. Cattle may eat the leaves when green auu fresh , but If perchance they should eat a wilted leaf it would poison them. The roots are deadly poison , yet the shoots which grow up six inches high In the spring are an excellent food for man the rival of asparagus and equally healthful. Science has at last paused to inquire why this should be so , and some day the chemical action which can make a deadly poison by wilting a leaf when the fresh one is harmless will be discovered. Similarly it has been observed of American false hellebore or itchweed that the seeds are poisonous to chick ens , and that the leaves and roots are poisonous to men and horses , but that sheep and elk , which chew the cud. seem to relish the plant. In all the poi son , when in the system , acts alike , paralyzing the heart and spinal cord. The poisonous element of corncockle has not yet been explained , but its curi ous action has already been observed. When extracted it mixes freely with water , froths like soap and , though odorless , will when inhaled produce violent sneezing. Caper spurge , the common gopher plant or spring wort , is curious in that the mere handling of it will poison to the extent of producing pimples and often gangrene. It Is a thing that cattle can eat without harm , and goats eat freely , but the milk of the latter will then be deadly poision. In men a moderate dose will produce the world to come , knock at your door this one. little in and ask for a I do , " sighed " friend , "Ah yes , my " have felt and seen the archbishop , "i all I find that the all that , but after only way for the most of us to render life supportable is to work without reasoning. " DRAGGING FOR FLOUNDERS. I Contracted and How the Net Handled. The scheme of our fishermen was to scrape the bottom at a slow pace. The feet IB length , a net was a good sixty that rose to a sort of twine fence height of thirty feet or so at the middle part and tapered to six or seven feet which were each bound at the ends , with a stout piece of wood and bridled on to the drag-lines that led to the sloops. On these drag-Hues were short wood- f een slats , of about the stoutness of fence palings , placed from six to eight feet apart. Twisting and twirling and ever moving forward , the slats were calculated to create a panic among any flounders that might be outlying and scare them toward tbe center of the line of advance. The flounder is a slow swimmer , and it Is a sedately moving arrangement indeed , that does not overtake him. ' He is not only a slow fish , but also one of placid ways , and when overtaken by the advancing line of netting , it is his habit to seek a quiet spot. The quiest- est spots that he can find in a hurried UNPARALLELED SELF-SACRIFICE. They had taken a supply of ammuni tion so as to be provided against an at tack by wolves , with which the region is overrun. Unfortunately a storm so dampened the powder that it was use less , and before their stock could be renewed the dreadful wolves to the number of 200 appeared. Knowing that if they remained together they would all perish , the sons determined upon a desperate scheme through which it was hoped one or more of the party might escape. The scheme was for one of them to leave the conveyance and give fight to the wolves , thereby delaying the latter in their pursuit of the sleigh. When he fell , as undoubtedly he would , the wolves would stop to devour him and probably to fight among them selves , for Injured wolves , especially when stained with blood , are frequent ly eaten by their stronger comrades. The delay would give the occupants of the sleigh a possible chance of escape. But if the wolves again grew hot in the trail another of the brothers was to make a sacrifice of himself , and so on until the father remained. To determine who would be the first victim the sons drew lots and the choice fell upon the youngest. Grasp ing his knife and with an affectionate adieu to his father and brothers , he wraited until the leaders of the wolves were at the back of the sleigh and he could almost feel their hot breath as their red , hungry tongues shot out In rage and their baleful eyes shone In savage ferocity. And then with a com mitting prayer to Heaven he jumped to the ground , sheathing his knife in the first brute that reached him. Again and again the bloody knife was raised and as often found a fleshy scabbard until overpowered by numbers he was dragged to the ground and torn to pieces. For the occupants of the sleigh , which was speeding along as fast as the pow erful horses could draw It , it seemed but a few minutes before the cries of the wolves again filled their ears , and soon the leaders of the now thoroughly maddened pack were up to the sleigh. Lots were hastily drawn and the second son , knife in hand , jumped out and faced the infuriated beasts. He did not die unavenged. For a lit tle later , as the pack again took the trail and came in sight there was not over half a hundred of them. As the leaders again came up to the sleigh the remaining son , after implor ing his father to drive to the utmost , and if necessary to turn two of the horses back toward the pack and ride the other to some possible place of safety , jumped out of the conveyance and faced the animals with his knife. Only imagination can picture that scene , for the third son perished as the other two. But the father'was not again pursued by the wolves. The de lay saved his life , and he reached a settlement in safety , to tell the horri ble story of his escape and of the sub lime deaths of his heroic children. WEEDS THAT POISON MEN. Animals Can Eat Them Without the Slightest Injurious Effect. . Out of weed study is certain to come remarkable information , for the poison ous plaats are the most strangely con stituted and given to astounding varia tions. For instance , the common poke berry presents a spectacle of contradlc- geueral collapse and death in a few- hours. The poision of the sneeze weed develops mostly in the showy yellow flowers and is violent. The young plants are comparatively harmless and even in the mature ones the poison varies greatly some having scarcely any at all. In the case of this plant and the woolly and stemless loco weed some ef fort has been made to find out where they get their deadly poisons. That of the loco weed is a most subtle thing. The poison of the woolly loco produces strange hallucinations in its victims. It affects the eyesight and silently reaches one after another of the vital functions , killing the victim In two years time. Some animals after eating it refuse every other kind of food and seek only this. They endure a lingering period of emaciation , characterized by sunken eyeballs , lusterless hair and feeble movements , and eventually die of star vation. So mystic an element gather ed from the earth and the air naturally causes wonder and the desire to know what such things may be and why they are. Ainslee's Magazine. Bashful Elijah. There Isabel we Noah well Woo'd by a bashful feller , For Theodora of this belle Adored but dared not Ella. At last one Eve upon the porch. In Ernest tones he pleaded , He'd give up Paul to win her heart Her love was Saul he needed. "I wish that Ida heart to give , " Unto herself she Seth "If Phebe Levi am a flirt His Si will close in death. " He'd Caesar Randal little while As Titus he was Abel From his big Guy a tender Luke Beamed Dora tresses sable. No sooner Adelaide his arm About her waist so clever , Than up she Rose Andrew away She wouldn't have it never ! In vain did he for Mercy Sue This foolish swain Elijah. "Oh , Hugo 'Ira hall , " she jeered. "I never could Abijah ! " He ne'er came Mary time again And never after seen 'er And he's grown Grace since that sad day While she's grown Evelina. Eugene Field. Work Without Reasoning. The death of Archbishop Corrigan Is bringing forth many stories of his kind ness , his charity and his broad view of living. The following Is a story told illustrative of the latter point , says the New York Times : Last winter he delivered a series of addresses on socialism , setting forth not only his views on that subject , but also his ideas of the art of living. One Sunday morning after one of these ad dresses he was approached by one of his auditors , who asked to speak with him a moment. The archbishop stopped to listen. "It seems to me , " began the person , "that you take quite a cheerful out look upon life. The misery and mis fortune of this world don't trouble you. Hiding yourself In religion , you don't see the masses of worklngmen who , tired of waiting for the happiness ol search are the inviting pockets that open out left and right on the net. These pockets were sufficiently wide and hospitable to enwrap a wine cask at the entrance , but at the inner end , so rapidly do they taper , it would take no infantile arm to wedge in a work- ingman's dinner pail. The crew of a flounder sloop are two in number ; sometimes it Is two grown men , sometimes a man and a Trell- grown boy. In this case , Charlie , the Minna's skipper , was a fair-headed fel low of 26 or 28 , compact , muscular and active. The boy , August , 16 years of age. was a short and stock boy , rather slow to grasp an idea , but a safe exec L > utive once he understood what it was that his captain ordered. During this dragging operation , says James B. Connolly , in Scribner's , with the vessel sailing always across and sometimes almost Into the wind , the crews take things comfortably. Every thing was working nicely by 8 o'clock , and then our two skippers had an easy time of It to watch each other and sail their parallel courses ; and , with drag ging lines taut and with the net in the right placewith everything working . i properly , it became the boy's business to boll the coffee for breakfast. \ Thorough Paced Economy. A young man living on Walnut Hills is a close worker In money matters that Is , he stays close to the shore with his expenditures. He had the good luck to marry a girl whose parents are quite wealthy , and is at present living with his wife in one of his father-in- law's houses. One day not long since , while discus sing affairs with a friend , the latter asked : "Did the old gentleman give you that house ? " "Well-er-no , not exactly " , was tbe an swer. "He offered it to me , but I wouldn't accept it. ' "How's that ? " asked the friend. "Well , " answered the man who had made the lucky matrimonial venture. "You see , the house really belongs to me. I'm living In It , rent free , and I'll get It when the old man dies. If I ac cept it now I'd have to pay the taxes. " Cincinnati Enquirer. He Followed Directions. Murphy being sick and alone In his cabin , Hogan volunteered to take care of him. The patient had been getting very little sleep , so the doctor left some powders and told Hogan to give Mur phy one about bed time. About 7 o'clock In the evening Ho- ? an went out for a few minutes and when he returned Murphy was fast isleep. He slept soundly until 10 j'clock , when Hogan went to the bed side , shook the sleeping man vigor ously and shouted : "Wa-ake up here , Moorphy , till Ol ive yez these powdhers ? f ma-ake ye sleep ! " Colorado Springe Gazette. Too Cautious. "I have the greatest confidence in Dr. Slocum as a physician , " said one of the lector's patients. "He never gives an ) pinion till he has waited and weighed i case and looked at it from every side. " "Urn-m ! " said the skeptical 'friend. 'That's all right if you don't carry it : oo far. There have been times , you mow , when he's been so cautious that ils diagnosis has come near getting nixed UD with the Dost-mortem "
