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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1902)
Tim OMAHA DAILY 11EE: HrXPAY, TECEM1nK 21, 1002. - TJHE mi COPYTSOfT. f0O. (Copyright. 19U by T. C. McClure.) , CHAPTER XV. I Am Called for Con.altatlon. Tbe Incident was certainly a puzzling one, for when a few minute later my chief en tered the study hi face, usually ashen gray, was flushed with excitement. "I've been oaring some trouble with a lunatic,'- he explained, after greeting me and Inquiring why I had come down to consult him "The woman's people are anxious to place her under restraint, yet for the present there Is not quite sufficient evi dence of Insanity to sign the certificate. Did you overhear her In the next room?" And seating himself at his table he looked at m through his glasses with that pair of keen, penetrating eyes that age bad not dimmed or time dulled. . "I heard volcea." I admitted. "That was alL" The circumstance was a strange one, And those words were so ominous that I ,was determined not to reveal to him the exact words I had overheard. "Like many other women patients suffer ing from brain troubles, she has taken a violent dislike to me, and Relieves that I'm the very devil In human form," he said, smiling. "Fortunately . she bad a friend with ber, or she might have attacked me tooth and nail just now," and, leaning back In bis chair, he laughed at the Idea laughed so lightly that my suspicions were almost disarmed. But not quite. Had you been In my place you would have bad your curiosity and suspicion roused to no mean degree not only by the words uttered by the woman and Sir Bernard's defiant reply, but by the fact that the female voice sounded familiar. A man knows the voice of bis love shove all. The voice that I had heard In that ad joining room was to the best of my belief that of Ethelwynn! With a resolution to probe this mystery slowly and without unseemly haste I dropped the subject and commenced to ask bis advice regarding the complicated case of Lady Twickenham. The history of It and the directions he gave me can serve no pur pose If written here, therefore suffice It to say that I remained to dinner and caught the I o'clock express back to London. While at dinner, a meal served In that severe style which characterized the austere old roan's dally life, I commenced to talk of the anttca of Insane persons and their extraordinary antipathies, but quickly dis cerned that he bad neither Intention nor desire to speak of them. He replied in those snappy monosyllables which told me plainly that the subject was distasteful to him and when I bade him goodby and drove to th station I was more puxzled than ever by his strange behavior. He was eccentric, it was true, but I knew all his little odd ways resulting from the eccentric ity of genius and could plainly see that his recent Indisposition, which had prevented him from attending at Harley street, was due rather to nerves than to a chill. The trains from Brighton to London on Sunday evenings ara always crowded, mainly by business people compelled to re turn to town in readlneas for the toll of the coming week. Week-end trippers and day excursionists fill the compartments to overflowing, whether it be chilly spring or blazing summer, for Brighton is ever popular with the Jaded Londoner who is enabled to "run down" without fatigue and let cheap health-giving sea breeze for lew hours after the busy turmoil of the Metropolis. On this Sunday night it was no excep tion. The first-class compartment was crowded, mostly, be it ssld, by third-class passengers who had "tipped" the guard, Hnd when he had started I noticed In the far corner opposite me a pale-faced young girl of about 20 or so, plainly dressed in shabby black. 6 he was evidently a third class passenger, and the guard, taking compassion upon ber frsglle form in tbo mad rush for seats, had put her Into our carriage. She waa not good-looking; In deed, rather plain, her countenance wearing sad, preoccupied expression as she leaned her chin upon her hand and gazed out upon the lights of the town w were leav ing. I noticed that her chest rose and fell in deep long-drawn sigh and that she wore black cotton glovos, on finger of which was worn through. Yes, she was the pic ture of poor respectability. Th other passengers, two of whom were probably city clerks with -their loves, re garded her with some surprise that ahe should be first-class passenger, and there seemed an Inclination on the part of the loudly-dressed females to regard ber with contempt. Presently, when we had left the sea and were speeding through ths open country, she turned her sad face from th window and examined her fellow passengers, one after the other, until of a sudden her eyes met mine. In an instant she dropped them modestly and busied herself In the pages of the C penny print of a popular novel which ahe carried with ber. In that moment, however, I somehow entertained a belief that we bad met be fore. Under what circumstances, or where, I could not recollect. The wist fulness of th white face, the slight hollowness of ths cheeks, the unnaturally dark eyes, all seemed familiar to me, yet, although for half an hour I strove to bring back to my mind where I had seen her, It was to no purpose. In all probability I had attended her at Ouy's. A doctor In a big London hospital sees so many facea that to recol lect all is utterly Impossible. Many a time I have been accosted and thanked by people whom I have no recollection of ever having aeen in my life. Men do not realise that they look differently when lying In bed with a fortnight's growth of beard to when abaven and sprue, as their ordi nary habit, while women, when smartly dressed with fashionable hats and flimsy veils, are very different to when in illness they lie, with hair unbound, facea pinched and eyes sunken, which is the only recol lection their doctor has of them. The duchess and the servant girl present very similar figures when lying on a sick bed In a critical condition. There was an element of romantlo mys tery in that fragile little figure huddled up In th far corner of the carriage. Once or twice when she believed my gaze to be verted she raised her eyes furtively aa though to reassure herself of my identity, ad la her reatless manner I discerned 'desire to speak with me. It waa very probable that ah was some poor girl of th Jady'e maid or governess class to whom I had shown attention during an Illness. W hav so many In th female wards at Guy's. - But during that Journey a further and much more important matter recurred t me, eclipsing all thought of th sad-faced girl opposite. 1 recoltected those words I had overheard and felt more convinced that the speaker had been none ether than Kihelwyna herself. Sometime when a man's mind is firmly fixed upon an object the events of his daily life curiously tend toward it. Hav yon never xyerleneed that Strang phenomenon ECRETS by T C MO-UKE for which medical science has never yet sccounted, namely the Impression of form upon the Imagination You have one day suddenly thought of n person long absent. You have not seen him for years, when, without any apparent cause, you have recol lected him. In the hurry and bustle of city life a thousand faces are passing you hourly. Like a flash one man passes and you turn to look, for the countenance bears a striking resemblance to your absent friend. You are disappointed, for It Is not he. A second face appears In the human phantasmagoria. Yon are amazed that two persons should pass so very like your friend. Then, an hour later, a third face actually that of your long-lost friend him self. All of you have experienced similar vagaries of coincidence. How can we ac count for them? And so it was in my own case. Bo deeply had my mind been occupied by thoughts of my love that several times that day. In London and In Brighton, I had been atartled by striking resemblances. Thus I wonder whether that voice I had heard was actually hers or only a distorted hallucination. At any rate the woman had expressed hatred of Blr Bernard Just aa Ethelwynn had done, and further, the old man had openly defied If lliPr " --r- . ' '' bbbbbw-bbbbbbMt-sbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbs "I SAW MARY WALKING WITH A GENTLEMAN. AND THE GENTLEMAN WAS ber with a harsh laugh, which showed con fidence in himself and an utter disregard for any statement she might make. At Victoria the pale-faced girl descended quickly and, swallowed In a moment in the crowd on the platform, I saw her no more. She had before descending given me a final glance and I fancied that a faint smile of recognition played about her lips. But In the uncertain light of a railway carriage the shadows are heavy and I could not see sufficiently distinctly to warrant my re turning ber salute. So the wan little figure so full of romantlo mystery went forth again into oblivion. I was going my round at Guy's on the following morning, when a telegram was put Into my band. It was from Ethel wynn's mother, Mrs. Mlvart, at Neneford, asking me to go down there without delay, but giving no reason for the urgency. I had always been a favorite with the old lady and to obey was, of course, Imperative, even though I were compelled to ask Bart lett, one of my colleagues, to look after Blr Bernard's private practice In my ab sence. Neneford Manor was an ancient rambling, old Qneen Anne place, about six miles from Peterborough on the high road to Leicester. Standing In the midst of the richest grass country in England, with the grounds slop ing to the brimming river that wound through meadows which in May were a blaze of golden buttercups, it was a typical English home, with its quaint old gables, high chimney stacks and old-world garden, with yew hedgea trimmed fantastically as in the days of wigs and patches. I bad snatched a week end several times to be old Mrs. Mlvsrt's guest, therefore I knew the picturesque old place well and was en tertained by its many charms. Soon after 6 o'clock that afternoon I descended from the train at the roadsldo station and, mounting Into the dogcart, waa driven across the hill to the Manor. In the hall the sweet-faeed, sllver-hulred eld lady, in her neat black and white cap. greeted me, holding both my hands and pressing them for a moment, apparently unable to utter a word. I had expected to find ber unwell; but, on the contrary, she seemed as active ss usual, notwith standing the senile decay which I knew had already laid Its hand heavily upon her. "You are so good to come to the doctor. How can I thank you sufficiently?" she managed to exclaim at last, leading me into the drawing room, a long old-fashioned apartment with low celling supported by black oak beams, and quaint dlamond paned windows at each end. "Well?" I Inquired, when she had seated herself, and with the evening light upon her face I saw how blanched and anxious she was. "I want to consult you, doctor, upon a very serious and confidential matter," she began, leaning forward, her thin white hands clasped in her lap. "We have not met since the terrible blow fell upon us the death of poor Mary's husband." "It must have been a great blow to you," I aald, sympathetically, for I liked the old lady and realized how she had Buffered. "Yea, but to poor Mary most of all," ahe said. "They were so happy together, and she was so devoted to him." This waa scarcely the truth, but mothers r often deoelved aa to their daughters' domestic felicity. A wife Is alwaya prone to hide her sorrows from her parents as far as possible. Therefore the old lady had no doubt been the victim of natural deception. "Yes," I agreed. "It waa a tragic and terrible thing. Th mystery Is quite un solved." "To m th police are worse than use less," she said, in her slow weak voice. "They don't seem to hav exerted them selves in th least after that utterly use less Inquest with Its futile verdict. As far as I can gather, not one single point baa been cleared up." "No," I said. "Not one." "And my poor Mary," exclaimed old Mrs. Mlvart, "she is beside herself with grief. Tim seems te Increase her melancholy Instead of bringing forgetfulness, as I heped It would. "Where Is Mrs. Courtenay?" I asked. "Here. She's been back with me for over a month. It was to see her, speak wlfh her and give me en opinion that I asked you to come down." "Is she unwell?" "I really don't know what ails her. She talks of her husbsnd incessantly, rails him by name and sometimes behaves so strangely that I have once or twice been alarmed." Her statement startled me. I bad no Idea that the young widow had taken the old gentleman's death so much to heart. Aa far as I bad been able to Judge It seemed very much as though she had every desire to regain her frodora from a matri monial bond that galled her. That she was Rrlef stricken over his death showed that I had entirely misjudged her charac ter. "Is she at home now," I asked. "Yes, In her own sitting room the room we used as a school room when the girls were at home. Sometimes she mopee there all day, only speaking at meats. At others she takes her dressing bag and goes away for two or threo days Just as the fancy takes her. She absolutely declines to have a maid. "You mean that she's Just a little well, eccentric," I remarked seriously. "Yes, doctor," answered the old lady In a strange voice, quite unusual to her and fixing her eyes upon me. "To tell the truth I fear that her mind Is slowly giving way." I remained silent, thinking deeply, and as I did not reply she added: "You will meet her at dinner. I shall not let her know you are here. Then you can Judge for yourself." The situation was becoming more com- plicated. Since the conclusion of the In quest I had seen nothing of the widow. She had stayed several days with Ethel wynn at the Hennlkers; then had visited her aunt near Bath. That was all I knew of her movements, for, truth to tell, I held her In some contempt for her giddy pleas ure seeking during her husband's lllneBS. Surely a woman who had a single spark of , ' ... . affection for the man sno naa marneu could not go out each night to theaters and supper parties, leaving him to the care of his man and a nurse. That one fact alone proved that her professions of lovo had been hollow and falBe. Whlla the twilight fell I sat In that long, somber old room that breathed an air of a century past, chatting with old Mrs. Mlvart and learning from her full particulars of Mary's eccentricities. My hostess told me of the proving of the will, which left the Devonshire estate to her daughter, and of the slow action of the executors. The young widow's actions, as described to me, were certainly strange and made me strongly suspect that she was not quite responsible for them. That her remorse was overwhelming was plain and that fact aroused within my mind a very strong suspicion of a circumstance I had not before contemplated, namely, Jhat during the life of her husband there had been a younger male attraction. The acutc ness of her remorse seemed proof of this. And yet. If argued loglcnlly, the existence of a secret lover should cause 'her to con gratulate herself upon her liberty. The whole situation was an absolute enigma. CHAPTER XVI. HeveaU uu A.touiidiaK Faot. Dinner was announced and I took Mrs. Mlvart Into the room ou the opposite side of the big old-fashLonud hull, a luus lew cellluged apartment the else of the Uraw Ing room, and hung with soma flue eld family portraits and miniatures. Old Squire Mivart had been an enthusiastic collector of antique china and the speci mens of old Mouielupo and I'rblno hang ing upon the walls were remarkable as being the finest in any private collection in the country. Many were the visit, he had made to Italy to acquire those queer looking old mediaeval plates with ibelr crude coloring and rude Inartistic draw ings, and certainly he was an acknowl edged expert in ceramics. The big red-.uaded lamp In the center of the table shed a soft light upon the snowy cloth, the flowers and the glittering silver, and aa my hostess took her seat she elghod slightly, and for the first time asked of Ethelwynn. "I haven't seen her for a week," I was compelled to admit, ''Patients have been so numerous that I haven't had lltuo to go out to sea Iter, except at hours when calling at a friend's bouse was out of the ques tion." "Do yon like the Hennlkers?" her mother Inquired, raising her eyes Inquiringly to mine. "Yes, I've found them very agreeable and pleasant." "H'm," the old lady ejaculated dubiously. "Well, I don't. I met Mrs. Hennlker once, and I must say that I did not care for ber In the least. Ethelwynn la very fond of her, but to my mind she's fast, and not at all a suitable companion for a girl of my daughter's disposition. It may be that I have an old woman' prejudices, living as I do in th country always, but somehow I ran never bring myself to like her." Mrs. Mlvert, like the majority of elderly widows whs have given up the annual visit to. London In tb season, waa a trlSe behind th times. More charming aa old lady could not be, yet in common with all who vege tate la the depths of rural England she waa just a trifle narrow-minded. In religion, she found fault eonatantly with the village parson, whom she declared waa guilty of ritualistic practices, and on the subject of her daughtera she bemoaned the latter-day emancipation of women, which allowed them to go hither and thither at their own free wlll. Like all such mothers, she consid ered wealth a necessary adjunct to happi ness, and It had been with her heartiest ap proval that Mary had married the unfor tunate Courtenay, notwlthstsndlng the dif ference between the ages of bride and bridegroom. In every particular the old lady was a typical specimen of the squire's widow, as found in rural England today. Scarcely had we seated ourselves and 1 hnd replied to her question when the door opened and a slim figure In deep black en tered and mechanically took her chair. She crossed the room, looking straight before her, and did not notice my presence until she had seated herself face to face with me. Of a sudden her thin, wan face lit up with a smile of recognition, and the cried: "Why, doctor! Where did you come from? No one told me you were here," and across the table 6lie stretched out her hand In greeting. "I thought you were reposing after your long walk this morning, dear, so I did not disturb you," her mother explained. But, heedless of the explanation, she con tinued putting to me questions as to when I had left town and the reason of my visit there. To the latter I returned an evasive answer, declaring that I had run down be cause 1 had heard that her mother was not altogether well. "Yes, that's true," she said. "Poor mother has been very queer of late. She seems so distracted, and worries quite un necessarily over me. I wish you'd give her advice. Her state causes me considerable anxiety." "Very well." I said, feigning to laugh, "I must diagnose the ailment, and see what can be done." The soup had been served, and as I car ried my spoon to my mouth I examined her OLD MR. COLKTENAV HIMSELF." furtively. My hostess had excused me from dressing, but ber daughter, neat In her widow's collar and cuffs, Bat prim and up right, her eyeB now and then raised to mine In undisguised tnqulsltlvencss. She was a trifle paler than heretofore, but her pallor was probably rendered the more noticeable by the dead black she wore. Her hands seemed thin, and her fingers toyed , tiprvmiAl v u-tth her snnnn in a manner which nervously with her spoon In a manner which betrayed a concealed agitation. Outwardly, however, I detected no extraordinary signs of either grief or anxiety. Sho spoke calmly. It was true, In the tone of one upon whom a great calamity had fallen, but that waa only natural. I did not expect to find her bright, laughing and light-hearted, like her old self In Richmond Road. As dinner proceeded I began to believe that with a fond mother's solicitude for her daughter's welfare Mrs. Mlvert had slightly exaggerated Mary's symptoms. They cer tainly were not those of a woman plunged In Inconsolable grief, for she was neither mopibh nor artificially gay. As far as I could detect, not even a single sigh escaped her. She Inquired of Ethelwynn and of the Hennlkers, remarking that she had seen nothing of them for over three weeks, and then, when the servants had left the room, she placed ber elbows upon the table at the risk of a breach of good manners, and, rest ing her chin upon her hands, looked me full In the face, saying: "Now, tell mo the truth, doctor. What has been discovered regarding my poor hus band's death? Have the police obtained any clue whatever to the assassin?" "Non none whatever, I regret to say," was my response. "They are useless worse than useless!" she cried angrily. "They blundered from the very first." "That's entirely my own opinion, dear," her mother said. "Our police system now adays Is a mere farce. The foreigners are far ahead of us, even In the detection of crime. Surely the mystery of your poor husband's death might have been solved If they had worked assiduously. "I believe that everything that could be done has been done," I remarked. "The case was placed In the hands of two of the smartest and most experienced men at Scotland Yard, with personal Instructions from the superintendent of the criminal In vestigation department to leave no stone unturned in order to arrive at a successful issue "And what has been done?" asked the young widow In a tone of discontent. "Why, absolutely nothing. There has, I suppose, been a pretense at trying to solve the mystery, but. finding It too difficult, they have given It up and turned their atten tlon to some other crime more open and plain-sailing. I've no faith In the police wnatever. It s scandalous!" . I smiled, then said: "My friend. Ambler Jevons you kno him, for be dined at Richmond Road one evening has been most active In the af fair." "But be'a not a detective. How can he expect to triumph where the police fail? He often does," I declared. "His methods sre different from the hard and faBt rules followed by the police. He commences at whatever point presents Itself, and labori ously works backwards with a patience that Is absolutely extraordinary. He haa un earthed a dozen crimes where Scotland Yard has tailed." "And be is engaged upon my poor hus band's cose?" asked Mary, suddenly inter ested. "Yes." "For what reason?" "Well because he is on of those for whom a mystery of crime has a fascinating attraction." "But he must hav some motive n de voting time and patience to a matter which doea not concern him in the least." Mrs. Mlvart remarked. "Whatever Is the motive. I can assure you that it is an entirely disinterested one " 1 said. "But what haa he discovered? Tell me," Mary urged. .:JVV V4' .,. .....5v .: WV'-v--.'-. 7". .: t". ( ys1 y; 'ft t.f:v."tr.V''y .:'':, V.v.,' ' v 5fW-TVJf rf i ' yU. A i .:! ' ,v'.' tf.S, :?.;.'''.., '-"'.'''' ''A' wtf$ rt iv-rvN? rTf 4w m mk hi mm pm w &l m ) ) c k v ) o p mk "I am quite In Ignorance," I said. "We are most Intimate friends, but when en gaged on such investigations he tells me nothing of their result until they are com plete. AH I know Is that so active is he at this moment that I seldom see him. He Is often tied to his office In the city, but has, I believe, recently been on a flying visit abroad for two or three days." "Abroad!" Bhe echoed. "Where?" "I don't know. I met a mutual friend In the Strand yesterday, and he told ine that he had returned yesterday." "Has he been abroad In connection with the Inquiries, do you think?" Mrs. Mlvart inquired. "I really don't know. Probably he has. When he takes up a case be goes Into it with a greater thoroughness than any de tective living." "Yes," Mary remarked. "I recollect now the stories you used to tell us regarding him of his exciting adventures of his patient tracking of the guilty ones, and of his marvelous Ingenuity In laying traps to get them to betray themselves. I now recol lect quite well that evening he came to Richmond Road with you. He was a most interesting man." "Let us hopo he will be more successful than the police," I said. "Yes, doctor," she remarked, sighing for the first time. "I hope he will for the mystery of It all drives me to distraction." Then, placing both hands to her brow, she added: "Ah! if we could only discover the truth the real truth!" "Have patience," I urged. "A compli cated mystery such as It Is cannot be cleared up without long and careful In quiry." "But in the months that have gone by surely the police should have at least made some discovery?" she said In a voice of complaint. "Yet they have not the slightest clue." "We can only wait," I said. "Personally, I have confidence In my friend Jevons. If there is a clue to be obtained depend upon it be will scent It out." I did not tell them of my misgivings, nor did I explain how Ambler, having found himself utterly baffled, had told me of his Intention to relinquish further effort. The flying trip abroad might be in connection with the case, but I felt confident that It was not. Hn knew, as well as I did, that the truth was to be found in England. Again we spoke of Ethelwynn, and from Mary's references to her sister I gathered that a slight coolness had fallen between thera. She did not, somehow, speak of her In the same terms of affection as formerly. It might be that she shared her mother's prejudices, and did not approve of her tak ing up her abode with the Hennlkers. Be It how it might, there were palpable signs of strained relations Could it be possible, I wondered, that Mary had learned of her sister's secret en gagement to her husband? I looked full at ber as that thought flashed through my mind. Yes, she presented a picture of sweet and Interesting widow hood. In her voice, ss In her countenance, was Just that slight touch of grief which told me plainly that Bhe was a heart-broken, remorseful woman a woman, like many another, who knew not the value of a ten THE ORDER OF THE AGE &ptvAyLr Wi fcivSTfyTV vJ fVlX.V.vV , .Ayrl A, COOK, II. 0. fraud In medicine almost as much a, th. fakir, themselves. We hear people talk of so much humbuggry In medicine, and then, when they need tb. services of a doctor, accept tbe nearest at band, without Investigating his reliability or worth. When I treat an ailment I do so on a legal, written guarantee that haa unlimited capital as well as reputation behind it. and try to treat every man as I would want to be treated If conditions were reversed. I cure If A LlinnPCI C I.u.,Jr,!.r.ltiWlth.0V.t kritr, I ""' untK-al operation, and eajse no detection from UlllllIlllllE.1 I" EXn. .?LZ"0t ,lme' I do not merely attampt palliative measure, by the usef InlllUUUasLsta iot.' in 'lM:,r,l"K r ny of the other nonsensical method, resorted to by pretender. but I cure the varicocele to stay cured forever so that th. result, are self-evident. I cur" SPECIFIC BLOOD POISON cause there Is no effort by Hot Springs people or doctors to disguise this fact Th the ounce, snd a sane man would s. soon have the disease a. too mjch of the rue and you will get these fact, from their own Up. " 01 lhe rtl" LOST MANHOOD bitterly retfret hi. rglect. My consultation pian ui jiouiv iiraimrai., Aaares COOK MEDICAL CO. 110.U2 (Over Daily New. ) der, honest and Indulgent husband until he had been snatched from her. Mother and daughter, both widows, were a truly sad and sympathetic pair. As we spoke I watched her eyes, and noted her every movement attentively, but failed utterly to discern any suggestion of what her mother had remarked. Once, at mention of her dead husband, she hnd of a sudden exclaimed In a low voice, full of genuine emotion: "Ah, yes. He was so kind, so good al ways. I cannot believe that he will never come back," and she burst Into tears which her mother, with a word of apology to me, quietly soothed away. When we rose I accompanied them to the drawing room, but without any music and with Mary's sad, half-tragic countenance before us, thq evening was by no means a merry one, therefore I was glad when, In pursuance of the country habit of retiring early, the maid brought my candle and showed me to my room. It was not yet 10 o'clock, and, feeling In no mood for sleep, I took from my bag the novel I bad been reading on my Journey, and, throwing myself Into an armchair, first gave myself up to deep reflection over a pipe, and afterward commenced to read. The chiming of the church clock down In the village aroused me, causing me to glance at my watch. It was midnight. I rose, and, going to the window, pulled aside the blind and looked out upon the rural view lying calm and mysterious beneath the brilliant moonlight. How different was that peaceful aspect to the one to which I was, alas, accustomed that long, blank wall in the noisy Maryle bone Road. There the cab bells tinkled all night, market wagons rumbled through till dawn, and the moonbeams revealed drunken revelers after "closing time." A strong desire seized me to go forth and enjoy the splendid night. Such a treat of peace and solitude was seldom afforded me, stifled as I wss by the disinfectants In hos pital wards and the variety of perfumes and pastilles In the rooms of wealthy patients. Truly the life of a London doctor la the most monotonous and laborious of the learned professions, and little wonder is it that when the Jaded medico finds himself In the country or by the sea he soldom falls to take bis fill of fresh air. At first a difficulty presented Itself in letting myself out unheard, but I recollected that In the new wing of the house, In which I had been placed there were no other bed rooms, therefore with a little care I might descend undetected. Bo, taking my hat and stick, I opened the door, stole noiselessly down the stairs, and In a few minutes had made an adventurous exit by a window tearing the grating bolts of the door and was soon strolling across the grounds by the private path, which I knew led through the churchyard, and afterward down to the river bank. With Ethelwynn I had walked across the meadows by that path on several occasions, and In tbe dead silence of the brilliant night vivid recollections of a warm sum mer's evening long past came back to me sweet remembrances of days when we were childishly happy In each other's love. Nothing broke tbe quiet save the shrill cry of some nightbird down by the river, The order of the age is improvement. A substitute may be good, but there Is nothing In the world as good aa th best. In tbe treatment of disease a physician's claims are empty unless exemplified by actual results. Old methods are crude and unsatisfactory and a truth-loving people demand that the arguments and claims of specialists nowadays be accompanied with tangi ble results. In order to met tbee demands a doctor must be qualified by natural endowments and the right kind of experience. When these natural gifts are bequeathed to him he Is recreant to duty It he does not diligently apply himself and make tbe most of them. Tbe iron rules of ethics should be made to yield to the Inexorable necessities of the times, and bestow as much good upon his fellow man aa possible. Such qualities and qualifications were never given to man to be used in a medical trust Incorporated under the head of ethics, and until people learn to accept truth where found, whether In th office or newspaper, the crowning achievements in medical science will not hav been reached. The many ds'enrte In specialty advertisements of so many pretending who really tries to faithfully meet th - f -..., niBim, ui Q ' ' , u D VVUV VI ethics Its only semblsnee of right to exist; but you may a well reason that because there are fake merchants, good ones must keep their doors closed. The present generation demands, and haa a right to demand, that a doctor who places bis services upon tbe market shall give In return for money paid him the product of past discoveries boiled down and crystallized Into facta, not experiments, and the sick man who accepts the services of a doctor who baa not kept himself fully abreast of the tlm la in Mama tnr annli. -h- and reflex disorder. I treat on the most approved scientific method, and In tha ? !;. n"-m-a.kt" ha " ' hi. life lo neglect .uch ailment.; Iher i. irZL ZZa J.I s "'""i"ciea case or mi. Kind anywhere that du. not U free and cheerfully given, and I Invite you to call upon m or writ for Offlc Hours- a. m. to I p. nr; Sundays. and the low roar of the distant weir. Thl sky was cloudless and the moon so bright that I could have read a newspaper. I strolled on slowly, breathing the refreshing air, and thinking deeply over the complica tions of the situation. In the final hour I had apent in the drawing room I had cer tainly detected In the young widow a slight eccentricity of manner, not at all accentu ated, but yet sufficient to show me that ahe had been strenuously concealing her grief during my presence there. Having swung myself over the stile, I passed round the village church yard, where tbe moss-grown grave atones stood grim and ghostly In the white light, and out across the meadows, down to where the waters of the river Nene, rippling on. were touched with silver. The river path wss wide, run ning by tho winding bank, away to Peter borough and beyond. Aa I gained the riv er's edge and walked beneath the willows I heard now and then a sharp, swift rustling In the sedges, as some water rat or other, disturbed by my presence, slipped away Into hiding. Tbe rural peace of that brilliant night attracted me, and, finding a hurdle, I seated myself upon it, and, taking my pipe, enjoyed a smoke. Even since my student days I had longed for a country life. The pleasures of th world of London had no attraction for me, my ideal being a snug country practice, with Ethelwynn aa my wife. But alas! my idol had been ahattered, like that of many a better man. With this bitter reflection still in my mind, my attention waa attracted by low voices as though of two persons speaking earnestly together. Surprised at such In terruption, I glanced quickly around, but saw no one. Again I listened, when of a sudden foot steps sounded, coming Cown the path I had already traversed. Beneath the deep shadow I saw the dark figures of two per sons. They wero speaking together, but In a ton so low tbat I could not catch any word uttered. Nevertheless, as they emerged from the semi-darkness the moon shono full upon them, revealing to me that they were a man and a woman. Next instant a cry of blank amazement escaped me, for I was utterly unprepared for the sight I witnessed. I could not be lieve my eyes, nor could you, my reader, had you been in my place. The woman walking there close to m was young Mrs. Courtenay the man was none other than her dead huabandl (To Be Continued.) An t p-to-Unte Shave. The antiseptic shaving saloon Is the latest achievement In hygienic science, says an exchange. The victim la seated In an enameled Iron chair, with his neck and shoulders enveloped in a rubber pad that baa been dipped In an antiseptic solution. Previously tbe razor, soap dish and brush bave been sterilized by half an hour's hard boiling. Nothing Is allowed to touch th face that has not been either sterilized or disinfected antlseptlcally. Even the finger tips of tbe operator are dipped in a solu tion. Taps are turned by the foot, and the drawers where towels are kept are microbe proof. practice and the fraudulent, alluring specialists militate against a doctor nuhiio Anm.n .u.. k. a - In S7 to 0 days, without the use of potash or mer cury, and when we see doctors aavertislng that they give the Hot Springs treatment for thl. condi tion, we krow that their treatment I. mercury, be- 1 ney ruD It Into you lietween bath, bv wdy. A.k victim, who have gone thera South 14th St.. Omnha. ! a. m. to 1 p. m.