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 "
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"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.
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"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.
