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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1902)
THE OMAITA DATLT BEE: SUNT) AT, DECEMBER 11. 1002. 23, even1 skw COPYKKCTT BO. by T C fcaAX - (Copyright, 19r2. by T. C. McClure.) CHAPTER XIII. My Lot. As soon Ambler Jeyoni had slipped out through my little study my lore came for nurd slowly, aa though with aoma unwill ingness. She was dressed, aa at the Inquest, In flerp mourning, wearing a amartly-cut, tatlcr-made dress trimmed with astrakhan and a neat toque, her pale countenance cov ered with a thick apotted veil. "Ralph," alie exclaimed In low voice, "forgivo me for calling upon you at this hour. I knew It's Indiscreet, but I am very itnxloua to aoe you." I returned her greeting rather coldly, I am afraid, and led her to the big armchair which bad only a moment before been va cated by my friend. When she seated herself and faced me I aaw bow changed ahe waa, even though she did cot lift her veil. Her dark eyea seemed haggard and aunken, her cheeks, usually pink with the glow of health, were white, almost ghastly, and her slim, well-gloved hand, resting upon the chair arm, trembled perceptibly. "You have not come to me for two whole daya, Ralph," ahe commenced In a tone of complaint. "Surely you do not Intend to desert me In these hours of distress?" "I must apologise," I responded quickly, remembering Jevons' advice. "But the fact la I myself have been very upset over the sad affair, and. In addition, I've had sev eral serious caaea during the last few days. Sir Bernard has been unwell, and I've been compelled to look after his practice." "Sir Bernard!" she ejaculated. In a tone which Instantly struck me aa strange. It was as though she held htm In abhorence. "Do you know, Ralph, I hate to thing of you In association with that man." "Why?" I asked, much aurprlsed, while at that same moment the thought flashed through my mind how often Sir Bernard had given me vague warnings regarding her. They were evidently bitter enemies. "I have no Intention to give my reasons," ehe replied, her brows slightly knit. "I merely give It aa my opinion that you chould ce longer remain In association with him." "But aurely you are alone In that opin ion!" I aald. "He bears the highest char actor, and Is certainly one of the first physicians In London. His practice la, per baps, the most valuable of any medical man at the prcaent moment." "I don't deny that," ahe said, ber gloved Angers twitching nervously. "A man may be a king, and at the aame time a knave." I smiled. It waa apparent that her in tentlon waa to separate me from the man to whom I owed nearly all. If not quite all, my success. And why? Because he knew of her past, and ahe feared that be might, In a moment of conQdence, betray all to me. "Vague hints are always Irritating," I remarked. "Cannot you give me some rea son for your desire that my friendablp with him should end?" "No. It I did you would accuse me of aolflsh motives," she said, fixing ber dark eyea upon me. Could a woman with auch a Madonna like countenance be actually guilty of mur derT It aeemed incredible. And yet her manner waa that of a woman haunted by the terrible aecret of her crime. At that moment she waa aeeklng, by Ingenious means, to conceal the truth regarding the past. She feared that my intimate friend ship with the great physician might result in her unmasking. "I can't see that selfish motives enter into this affair at all." I remarked. "What ever you tell me, Ethelwynn, Is, I know for my own benefit. Therefore, you ahould at least be explicit." "I can't be more explicit." "Why not?" "Because I have no right to utter libel without being absolutely certain of the facta." "I don't quite follow you," I aald, rather puzzled. "I mean that at present the information I have la vague," ahe replied. "But it it Is the truth, aa I expect to establish it, then you must dissociate yourself from him. Ralph." "You have only suspicions?" "Only suspicions." "Of what?" "Of a fact which will aome day astound you." Our eyes met again, and I aaw in hers a look of Intense earneatness that caused me to wonder. To what could she possibly be referring? - "You certainly arouse my curiosity," I said, affecting a laugh. "Do you really think Sir Bernard auch a very dreadful per son, then?" "Ah! You do not take my words seri ously," she remarked. "1 am warning you, Ralph, for your own benefit. It la a pity you do not heed me." "I do heed you," I declared. "Only your atatement la so strange that it appears al most incredible." "Incredible it may seem, but one day ere long you will be convinced that what I say tonight la the truth." "What do you say?" "I say that Sir Bernard Eyton, the man In whom you place every confidence, and whose example aa a great man in his pro fession you are ao studiously following, Is not your friend." "Nor yours, I suppose." "No, neither Is he mine." This aduiission was at least the truth. I had known it long ago.' But what had been the cause of difference between them waa hidden in deepeat mystery. Elr Ber nard, aa old Mr. Courtenay's most intimate friend, knew In all probability of his en gagement to her and of its rupture in favor of her alater, Mary. It might even be that Blr Bernard bad had a hand in tbe breaking of the engagement. It so, that would well account for her violent hostility toward him. Such thoughts, with others, flashed through my mind aa I sat there facing her. She waa leaning back, her bands fallen Idly upon her lap, peeling straight at me through that apotted veil which, half-con. ceallng ber wondroua beauty. Imparted to ber an additional air of mystery. "You have quarreled with Sir Bernard, 1 presume?" I hazarded. "Quarreled!" the echoed. "W were never friends." Truly she possessed all a clever woman' presence of mind in tbe evasion of a lead ing question. "He was an acquaintance of yours?" "An acquaintance-yes. But I have al ways distrusted him." "Mary likes him, I believe," I remarked. "He waa poor Courtenay's most intimate friend for many years." "She Judges him from that standpoint alone. Any of her husband's frlenda were hers, and she was fully cognizant of Sir Bernard's unceasing attention to the suf ferer." "It that la so It la rather a pity that she waa recently ao neglectful," I said. "I know, Ralph I know the reason of crime of murder. her. No after development of character fan then shake her faith, no ridicule or ex posure can weaken her tenderness for a single moment; while, on the other hand, ahe who has blindly believed her lover to be without fault, must ever be In danger of awakening to the conviction that her love exists no longer." "As in our own esse," I added. In an endeavor to obtain from hsr the reason of this curious discourse. "My own case!" ahe echoed. "No, Ralph. I have never believed you to be a perfect Ideal. I have loved you because I knew that you loved me. Our tastea are in common, our admiration for each other U mutual and our affection strong and ever increasing until until" And faltering, she stopped abruptly, with out concluding her sentence. "Until what?" I asked. Tears sprang to her eyes. One drop rolled down her white cheek until it reached her veil, and atood there, sparkling be neath the light. "You know well," she said hoarsely. "Until the tragedy. From that moment, Ralph, you changed. You are not tbe same to me as formerly. I feel I feel," she con fessed, covering her face with her banda and aobbtng bitterly, "I feel that I have lost you." "Lost me! I don't understand," I said, feigning not to comprehend ber. "I feel aa though you no longer held me in esteem," she faltered through her tears. "Something tells me, Ralph, that that your love for me has vanished, never to return!" With a sudden movement she raised her veil, and I saw how white and anxious was her fair countenance. I could not bring myself to believe that such a perfect face could conceal a heart blackened by tbe But, alas, all we men are of the tragedy. The furniture at Rich mond Rond had been removed and the houw advertised for aale, young Mrs. Courtenay having moved to ber aunt's houee In the country, a few miles from several occasions I had dined at Red cllffe Square, finding both Mrs. Hennlker and ber husband extremely agreeable. Hen nlker was partner in a big brewing con cern at Caphom, and a very good fellow, while bis wife was a middle-aged, fair halred woman of the type who hop of afternoon in Hlght street, Kensington. Ethelwynn had always beon a particular favorite with both, hence she wss a wel come gueat at Redcllffe Square. Old Mr. Courtenay bad bad bualnesa relatione with Hennlker a couple of years before, and a alight difference bad led to an open quarrel. For that reason they had never visited at Kew. On the occasions I bad spent the evening with Ethelwynn at their bouse I bad watched ber narrowly, yet neither by look nor by action did she betray any sign of a guilty secret. Her manner had during those weeks changed entirely; for abe aeemed perfectly calm and self-possessed, and, although she alluded but seldom to our love, she treated me with the same sweet tenderness as before the fatal night of her brother-in-law's assassination. I must admit that her attitude, although It Inspired me with a certain amount of confidence, nevertheless caused me to pon der deeply. I knew enough of human na ture to be aware that it la woman's metier to keep up appearances. Waa ahe keeping up an appearance of Innocence, although her heart was blackened by a crime? One evening, when we chanced to be left alone In the little smoking room after dinner, she suddenly turned to me, saying: t j SIM, -tmmi ' felly, i i ' sa i 4' 1 'Ittkl w i WLN nil " if All Drurrlsts Back Ache is Kidney Ache I SAY THAT SIR BERNARD EYTON. THE MAN IN WHOM YOU PLACE EVERY CONFIDENCE, IS NOT YOUR FRIEND." It all," she faltered. "I can't explain to you, because It is not Just that I should ex pose my sister's secret. But I know the truth which when revealed will make It clear to the world that her apparent neglect waa not culpable. 8be bad a motive." "A motive in going to town of an even ing and enjoying herself!" I exclaimed. "Of courae, tbe motive waa to obtain relaxation. When a man is more than twice tbe age of his wife the latter la apt to chafe beneath tbe golden fetter. It's the same, every where Jn Bayfalr aa In Mile End; in Su burbia as in rural village. Difference of age is difference of temperament, and dif ference of temperament opena a breach which only a lover can fill. She was silent her eyes caat down. She saw that the attempt to vindicate her alster had, as before, utterly and ignomlnlously failed. "Yea, Ralph, you are right," abe admitted at last. "Judged from a philosophic stand point wife ought not to be more than ten yeara ber husband's Junior. Love which arlsea out of mere weakness Is aa easily fixed upon one object aa another, and con sequently Is at all times tranaferable. It is to pleasant to ua women to be admired and ao aootbtng to be loved that the grand trial of constancy to a young woman married to an elderly man la nqt to add one more con quest to her trlumpha. but to earn the re spect and esteem of the mtn who is her husband. And It la difficult. Of that i am convinced." There waa for the first time a true ring of earnestness In her voice, and I saw by ber manner that her heart was overbur dened by the sorrow that had fallen upon her errant sister. Her character was a complex one which I had failed alwaya to analyse, and it seemed Just then as though her endeavor waa to free her alater of all the responsibilities of ber married life. She had made the effort once before, prior to tbe tragedy, but Ita motive was hidden In obscurity. "Women are often very foolish," abe went on, half apologetically. "Having chosen their lovor for his sultabtlit) they usually allow the natural propensity of their youth ful minds to Invest him with every Ideal of excellence. That Is a fatal error committed by the majority of women. We ought to be satisfied with him aa he Is, rather than imagine him what be never can be." "Yea," I aald, smiling at her philosophy. "It would certainly aave them a world of disappointment In after I'.fe. It has always struck me that the extravagant investiture of fancy does not belong, as is commonly supposed, to the meek, true and abiding at tachment which it la woman's highest vir tue and noblest distinction to feel. I strongly suspect It is vanity, and not affec tion, which leads a woman to believe ber lover perfect, because it enbancea her tri umph to be the choice of auch a man." "Ah! I'm glad that we agree, Ralph." abe aald, with a sigh and an air of deep serious ness. "The part of ths true-hearted woman Is to be satisfied with her lover such as he la, old or young, and to consider him with all hie faults, aa sufficiently perfect for I If , 1 Ik. I V 'I f .OTHER'S FRIEND Grateful women have ensconced securely In their hearts I ceieoratea ua uunng mo insis oi pregnancy. AJ i mother is the constant prop of tbe child after its sue. cesaful issue into the) world. so should Aftthtr't Fritni bo tbe constant companion of toe woman before her child is born. Women weak or strong:, and those with healthy or unneaitny generative organs, will find that child-bearing; is not accompanied by terror if thixexcellent arent for external application is need throughout the child-bearing period. Mitktr't FrUnd it always applied externally and ruboea into tne nesn over ute region of pain, cof tnesa, pliability and expansion are riven to .Km h.,i.aU. ll.. Wu . J -1 f j, -ZrTi allowing the elasticity necessary to bring l'V A''-cT,TirN com'ort whil wlth heavy burden, and lU ti iiiUlr Of all druggists. 100 per bottle. Our hook, "Motherhood." FRF. weak where a pretty woman la concerned. After all, it la feminine wiles and feminine gracea that rule the world. Man Is but a poor mortal at best, easily moved to sym pathy by a woman's tears, and as easily misled by the touch of a soft hand or a pas sionate caress upon the Hps. Diplomacy la .inborn in woman, and although every woman la not an adventuress, yet one and all are clever actresses when the game of love is being played. The thought of that letter I had read and destroyed again recurred to me. Yes, she had concealed ber aecret the aecret of her attempt to marry Courtena for his money. And yet if, as seemed so apparent, she bad nursed her hatred,' was it not but natural that ahe should assume a hostile attitude toward her sister the woman who had eclipsed ber in the old man's affections? Nevertheless, on tbe contrary, she waa al ways" apologetic where Mary was concerned, and had always sought to conceal her short comings and domestlo Infelicity. It waa that point which ao aorely puzxled me. "Why should my love for you become suddenly extinguished?" I asked, for want of aometblng other to say. "I don't know," she faltered. "I cannot tell why, but I have a distinct distrust of the future, a feeling that we are drifting apart." She apoke tbe truth. A woman in love ia quick of perception, and no feigned af fection on tbe maa'a part can eVer blind her. I saw ahe read my heart like aa open book, and at once strove to reassure ber, trying to bring myself to believe that I had misjudged her. "No, no, dearest," I said, rising with a hoi low pretence of caressing her tears away. "You are nervous and upset by the tragedy. Try and forget It all." "Forget!" she echoed in a hard voice, her eyea cast down despondently. "Forget that night! Ab, no, I can never forget it never!" CHAPTER XIV. Ia Distinctly Carious, Tbe dark daya of tbe London winter brightened Into spring, but ths mystery of old Mr. Courtenay's death remained an enigma inexplicable to police and public Ambler Jevona had prosecuted Independent inquiries aaalduously In various quarters detectives bad watched tbe subsequent movements of Ebort and the other servants but all to no purpose The sudden disap pearance of Ehort waa discovered to be due to the Illness of bis brother. The Identity of the assassin as well as ths mode In which the extraordinary wound had been inflicted both remained mysteries Impenetrable. At Guy's we were a trifle understaffed and my work waa consequently a trifle heavy; while added to that Sir Bernard waa suffering from the effects of a severe chill and had not been able to come down town for nearly a month. Therefore I had been kept at It practically night and day, dividing my time between the hospital, Harley atreeta and my rooms. I saw little of my friend Jevons, for his partner had been ordered to Bournemouth for his health and, therefore, bis constant attendance at his office In Mark lane waa imperative. Ambler had now but little leisure aave on 8undays, when we would usually dine together at tbe Cavour, the Olobe, the Florence or some other foreign restau rant. Whenever I spoke to him of the tragedy he would sigh, his face would assume a pusiled expression and he would declare that tbe affair utterly passed his compre hension. Once or twice he referred to Ethelyna, but It struck me thst he did not give tongue to what passed within bis mind for fear of offending me. Hie meth ods were based on patience, therefore I oftea wondered whether he waa still "I've often thought how strange you must have thought my visit to Jour rooms that night, Ralph. It was unpardonable, I know only I wanted to warn you of that man." "Of Sir Bernard?" I observed, laughing, "Yes. But It appears that you have not heeded me," she sighed. "I fear, Ralph, that you will regret some day." "Why ahould I regret? Your fears are surely baseless." "No," she answered decisively. "They are not baseless. I have reasons strong ones for urging you to break your connec tlon with him. He ia no friend to you." I smiled. I knew quite well that be .waa no friend of hers. Once or twice of late he had aald in, that peevish, snappy voice of his: "I wonder what that woman, Mrs. Court enay's sister, is doing? I besr nothing of her." I did not enlighten blm, for I had no de aire to hear her maliirned. I knew the truth myself sufficiently well. But turning to herI looked straight Into her dark, luminous eyes, thorn eye, those m. n I. . . V-l. I ' . AL spell, saying: "He has proved himself my best friend up to the present. I have no reason to doubt him." "But you will have. I warn you." jn waai manner, men, is he my enemy 7" She hesitated, as though half fearing to respond to my question. Presently she said: "He la my enemy and therefore yours, Why is be your enemy?" I asked, eager to clear up a point which had so long pus- tiea me. I cannot tell," ahe responded. "One sometimes gives offense and makea ene mles without being aware of it." The evasion was a clever one. Another Illustration of her tactful Ingenuity. By dint of careful cross-examination endeavored to worm from her tbe secret of my chief's antagonism, but she was dumb to every inquiry, fencing with me In a manner that would have done credit to a ponce court solicitor. Though sweet. In nocent and intensely charming, yet there was a reverse side in its character, strong, nrm-minaea, almost stern in Its austerity, I must here say that our love, once so passionate and displayed by fond kisses and hand-pressing, in the usual manner of lovera, bad gradually slackened. A kiss on arrival, and another on departure, was all the demonstration of affection that now passed between us. I doubted her. an though I strove hard to conceal my true feelings, I tear that my coldness was apparent, not only to her but to tbe Hen nlkers, also. She had complained of It when ahe called at my rooms, and certainly sho had full reason for doing so. I am not one of those who can feln love. Some men can I cannot Thus It will be seen that although a cer tain coolness had arisen between us, In muuer mai seemea almost mutual, we were nevertheless tbe best of friends. Once or twice she dined with me at a restau rant and went to a play afterward, on such occasions remarking that It seemed Ilk "old times," In the early daya of our bliss ful love. And sometimes she would recall those sweet halcyon hours, until I felt pang of regret that my trust in her had been shaken by that letter found among the dead man'a effects and that tiny pUcs or cnenuie. But I steeled my heart, be cause I felt assured that tbe truth must out aome day. mine was a atrange position for an man. I loved the woman, remember; loved ber with all my heart and with all my aoul. Yet that letter penned by her had shown me that abe had once angled for larger apotls, and was not tbe sweet, un sophisticated woman I bad always supposed her to be. It showed, me, too, that in he heart had rankled a fierce, undying hatred. Because of this I did not seek ber so clety frequently, but occupied myself dill gently with my patients seeking solace In my work, as many another professional man doea where love or domestlo happiness la concerned. There are few men in mv secretly at work upon the case, and. if so, ' pro.'esslon who have not bad their affairs of whether he had gained any addltlonaf facts, j tbe heart, many of them serious ones. The xei ne toia me nothing, it waa a mystery world never knows bow difficult it Is for ne saia mai was ail. doctor to remain heart-whole. Sometimes Of Ethelwynn I aaw but little, making bis lady patients deliberately aet themselves my constant occupation with Sir Bar- to capture him, and will apeak Ill-naturedly ' bjj i.-u. oam u iucd or mm ir be refuses to fall Into their net. up her abode with Mrs. Hennlker a mar lied cousin, living la Redcllffe square, at whose house Mary bad stayed oa the atght At others, sympathy with a sufferer lead into a airtatton during convalescence, and often a word apokea la Jest la order to May as well call thinps by their rijiht name. It is backache, to be sure but the kitlueys are to blame niue times out of ten. They fail to take the uric acid out of the blood that's where the trouble begins You know the rest; backache, headache, urin ary troubles, diabetes and then, liright's Disease. Doan's Kidney Pills Cure kidney trouble of any kind. Are doing it right here in Omaha every day. Omaha people indorse this claim and tell their ex perience for the benefit of others. Read this case: Mrs. O. A. Earl of 120Jtt South 11th street, says: "Doan's Kidney Tills cured me of trouble with my back, which bothered me for two years. I tried different remedies, but none gave me relief until I procured Doan's Kidney rills at Kuhn sV Co.'s drug store, corner 15th and Douglas streets. Before I took all of one box I waa relieved, and in a short time cured. They are a grand remedy, and you are at liberty to use my name for publication." Price 50 Cents- Foster -Milburn Co. Buffalo, N. Y. cheer Is taken seriously by romantic girls who believe that to marry a doctor is to attain social status and distinction. Helgho! When I think of all my own little love eplBodes, and of the Ingenious diplomacy to which I have been compelled to resort In order to avoid tumbling Into pitfalls set by certain designing daughters of Eve, I cannot but sympathize with every other medical man who is on tbe right side of 40 and sound of wind and limb. There not a doctor In all the long list in the medical register who could not relate strange stories of his own love episodes, romances which have sometimes narrowly escaped developing into tragedies, and plots concocted by women to inveigle and to al lure. It is so easy for a woman to feign illness and call In tbe doctor to chat to her and amuse her. Lots of women In London do that regularly. They will play with a doctor'a heart as a sort of pastime, while the unfortunate medico often cannot af ford to hold aloof for fear of offending. If he does, then evil gossip will spread among his patients, and his practice may suffer considerably; for In no profession does a man rely ao entirely upon his good name and a reputation for care and integ rity at that of medicine. I do not wish It for a moment to be taken that I am antagonistic to womeq, or that I would ever speak ill of them. I merely refer to the mean method of aome of the idling class, who deliberately call in the doctor for the purpose of flirtation and then boast of it to their Intimates. To such, a man's heart or a man'a future are of no consequence. The doctor is easily visible, and is, therefore, the easiest prey to all and sundry. , In my own practice I had a good deal of experience of It. And I am not alone. Every other medical man, It not a gray headed fossil' or a wleened woman hater, has bad similar episodes; many atrange some even startling. Reader, In this narrative of curious events and remarkable happenings, I am taking you entirely and completely Into my con fidence. I seek to conceal nothing, nor to exaggerate in any particular, but to present the truth as a plain, matter-of-fact state ment of what actually occurred. I was a unit among a hundred thousand others engaged in the practice of medicine, not more skilled than the majority, even though Sir Bernard's Influence and friendship bad placed me In a position of prominence. But In this brief life of ours it Is woman who makes us dance as puppets on our miniature stage, who leads us to brilliant success or to' black ruin, - who exalts us, above our fellows or hurls us Into oblivion. Woman always woman. Since that awful suspicion bad fallen upon roe that the band that bad struck old Mr. Courtenay was that soft, delicate one tbat I had so ofteru carried to my lips, a blank had opened m my life. Consumed by conflicting thoughts, I recollected how sweet and true bad been our affection; with what an Intense passionate love-look ahe had gased upon me with those wonder ful eyes of hers; with what wild, fierce pas sion her Hps "would meet mine in fond caress. Alas! It bad all ended. She had acted a lie to me, That letter told the bitter truth. Hence, we were gradually drifting apart. One Sunday morning In May, Just as I bad finished my breakfast and flung myself Into sn armchair to amoko, aa was my habit on the day of rrat, my man entered, aaying that Lady Twickenham had aent to ask If I could go round to Park Lane at once. Not at all pleased with this call, Just at a moment of laziness, I was, nevertheless, obliged to respond because her ladysmlth was one of Sir Bernard's best patients, and suffering aa she was from a malignant In ternal complaint, I knew It was necessary to respond at once to the call. On arrival at her bedside I quickly saw tbe gravity of the situation, but, unfor tunately, I knew very little of the case, be cause Sir Bernard himself always made a nolnt of attending her personally. Al though elderly, she waa a prominent woman In society, and bad recommended many patients to my chief in earlier days, be fore be attained the fame be bad now achieved. 1 remained with her a couple of hours, but, finding myself utterly confused regarding ber symptoms, I resolved to take the afternoon train down to Hove and con sult Sir Bernard. I suggested this course to her ladyship, who was at once delighted with tbe auggestion. Therefore,' promising to return at 10 o'clock that night, I went out, swallowed a hasty luncheon, and took train down to Brighton. The house was one of those handsome mansions facing tbe sea at Hove, and as I drove up to It on that bright, sunny after noon it seemed to me an ideal residence for a man Jaded by tbe eternal worries of & physician's life. The sea-breeze stirred the suubllnds before tbe windows and the flow ers In tbe well-kept boxes were already g?7 with bloom. I knew the place well, for I bad been down many times before; there fore, when the page opened tbe door he showed me at once to the study, a rociu which lay at tbe back of tbe big drawlug room. "Elr Barnard is In, sir," the psge said. "I'll tell him at once you're here, and he closed the door, leaving me alone. I walked toward the window, which looked out upon a small flower garden, and In so doing, passed tbe writing tails. A sheet curiosity of foolscap lay upon it, and prompted me to glance at it. What I saw puzzled me considerably, for beside the psper was a letter of my own that I had sent him on the previous day, while upon the foolscap were many lines of writing In excellent imitation of my own. He had been practicing the peculiarities of my handwriting. But with what pur pose was a profound mystery. I was bending over, closely examining the words and noting bow carefully tbey had been traced in imitation, when, of a aud den, I heard a voice in the drawing-room adjoining a woman's voice. I pricked my ears and listened for the eccentric old fellow to entertain was most unusual. He always bated women, because he saw too much of their wiles and will fulness as patients. Nevertheless It was apparent that he had a lady visitor in the adjoining room, and a moment later It was equally apparent that they were not on tbe most friendly terms, for of a suddon the voice sounded again quite distinctly rallied in a cry of horror, as though at some sudden and ter rible discovery. "Ah! I see I sea It all now!" shrieked the unknown woman. "You have deceived me! Coward! You call yourself a man you, who ould sell a woman's soul to the devil!" "Hold your tongue!" cried a voice which, I recognized as Blr Bernard's. "You may be overheard. Recollect that your safety can only be secured by your secrecy." "I shall tell the truth!" the woman de clared. "Very well," laughed the man who was my chief In a tone of defiance. "Tell It, and condemn yourself." (To be Continued.) On SUFFERING WITH RHEUMATISM CURED BY the use of SWANSON'8 "5-DROFS" BERNARD BENBE, Ooortell Ipwa,WTtti "I have taken about one boulo of "8-DKOPS,k and It has cured me of Rheumatism. I K.r hod the Rheumatism for three years; went on crutches for about two years and could not ..rest dr or nlu-ht. After taking one-half bot tle of , S-OROPS" I was well in a week, and I will praise as Ions- aa I live." MRS. JAMES McCARTER, 109 Edmund Street, St. Paul. Minn., writes: "Your "B-DKOPS" Is the bes mndiolne I ever used. I was 4 cripple with Rheuma tism (or nine months. The sample bottle which you ' sent me rave me relief, and I provurrd two lerg-e size bottles of tbe remedy, and after using am entirely welL" J. T. JOLLY. Juniata, Ky., writes: "I have hod Rheumatism lor twenty years, and have been confined to my room for two yenr. In two weeks after I com menced uslnjr your 5-UKOPS" I was up, and in one month I had laid my crutches away, and I am able to work." "5-DROPS" CURES RHEUMATISM BY REMOVING THE CAUSE. IWAHON'I "5-DROPI- Is Ike only mtoiolna la tha world that will cure Rheumatism In all at Ita forms and stages sf development. Rheumatism la a blood disease, and is caused by poisonous mat ter (lactic acid and nric acid) being retained in the blood. "5-DROPt" cures this dreadful malady by elimi nating from the blood, these poisons aud any other impurities which may prevent perfect circulation, thus removing the cause of the disease. This is the only way in which a permanent cure may be obtained. With the blood pore, perfect circulation is assured, and disease isan impossibility. "5-DR0PI ' is an internal and external remedy, which acts quickly, safely and sorely and is an absolute enre for Rheumatism. "B-DROPt" taken Internally will dissolve the poisonous acid, remove it from the system and cleanse the blood of all poisons.. An application of "5-DROP!" to the afflicted parts will stop the pain almost instantly, while the causa of the disease is being surely removed by its internal dm. Aches, pain and soreness disappear as if by magic when "B-DR0P1 ' is used. "5-DROPS" NEVER FAILS TO CURE Rheum tlsm, Neuralgia, la Orlptto, Oolds, Coughs, Soro Throat, Bronchitis, Lumbago, Sciatica, Gout, Asthma, Catarrh, Uver and Kidney Troubles, Nervousness, Back echo. Dyspepsia, Indigestion, Croup, Nervous and Neural glo Headache, Malaria, Heart Weakness, Paralysis, Oreeum Ing 'Numbness, Sleeplessness and Blood Diseases, HftTIPE? "5-DROPS is perfectly harmless and can be taken by a child as well as an adult. It is entirely free from alcohol, opiates, salicylates or other in jurious drugs. If "6 DROP! ' is not ob tainable in your locality order direct from ns and we will send it prepaid on receipt of price, $1.00 per bottle. Large Size Bottle (30O Doses) SI. OO. For Sale by Druggists. Ask Veur Druggist lor ths "SWAN SON PILL," s sure cure for Constlpotloc, PRICE 28 CTS. SWANSON RHEUMATIC CURE CO.. 160 LAKE STREET. CHICAGO. FREE COUPON (TftADC MARK. Ho. 210. Cat till out send It ltlt jrottr nsmaftnU 4tirm So Hw&MoM Uhtimliet'r (..CUlrf otid you will b cnt trial bottlu of UlMrt" I rM, puMpct. 44 Follow the Flag." HALF FARE SOUTH PLUS $2.00. ONE WAY OR ROUND TRIP. Tho lyhaeh H R WILL BELL t,ckets to many I llC iUUudll Hi 111 POINTS IN THE BOUTH AND BOCHEAST at above rate on tbe 1st and til Juesdars of each month. Tlcketa sold daily to all the winter resorts of the south st greatly reduced ratea. For rates and descriptive matter call at WABASH CORNER, 1601 Farnam street, or address (ian'l. Aat. Pass. Dept.. Omaha, Reb. HARRY E. MOORES,
