October 4, 1000.
TIIE ILLUSTRATED BKE.
29
fou will find that I don't need an alibi or
anything but an apology. Meanwhile, I
suppose I'd better get someone to go bull
for me."
While I was scribbling a summons to my
father and a vague He to Kate, the girl
was talking In a low voice to the magis
trate. It didn't occur to me what she
was up to till he remarked that he'd leave
mc here for the present, and closed the
door In my face. I called him furiously as
the lock turned, but mademoiselle's heavy
pathetic had evidently been more effective
than my righteous wrath.
My accomplice burled her face and begun
to cry. I leaned against the wall with my
arms folded and awaited developments.
After a moment she pulled herself to
gether. "This ain't stage business," she said, dry
ing her eyes. "It's the shock."
"The shock of rinding that I was still
true to you, I suppose," 1 suggested.
She looked up and smiled. She had a
strange little brown face with a squirrel
brightness about It, and when she smiled
her eyes became two shiny brown lines.
Angry as I was, my face relaxed a little.
"Now I know I've got you Into a hole
a mean one." she began, growing very
serious. "It was a dirty trick, and you
can say just what you're a mind to. I've
been cussed before."
"I don't wonder," I ta'd. "I want to know
why you did it."
She looked at me consideringly. She was
not pretty, but there was an odd at
tractiveness about her face. I don t think
I am an absolute fool in my Judgement
of women (though It Is only fair to add
that Kate thinks I ami, but T saw sincerity
In her. I felt that Is her own way she
would play fair. I think she must have seen
this opinion dawning in me, for she gave
another of her queer little goblin smiles.
"I done It for the biggest reason a
woman ever does anything for," she said
finally.
"Then there Is a man In tfie case?" I
hazarded.
"You're not so slow," she nodded.
"And you want to shield him by getting
someone else suspected in Ms place?"
"Just till tomorrow," she said. "I'll
give away the whole fake myself In the
morning."
"And then how will you be any better
off?"
"Today's today and tomorrow's tomor
row," and she shut her eyes, as though
to hide her meaning. "I suppose they'll
tie all just alike, todays and tomorrows,
after I'm shut up for good," she added.
"I never got In before. Three hundred and
sixty-five days in a year. How many years,
do you suppose?"
"Why did you do it?" I broke out. The
Idea of using great stone blocks and Iron
bars to hold that little scrap of a creature
irritated me.
"Never you mind," she returned. "I
wonder how much she'd do for h'.T man,
the girl that owned the things?" she auVe 1.
"Three hundred and sixty-live d-iys! I
picked up that sock for luck, but I gue.s
It didn't get to working till today. How
did you come here, anyhow?"
"Through the other sock,'' I answered.
8he was not listening.
"And, oh, for one minute I thought they'd
pinch him," she went on. " 'Here's your
partner In crime,' they said. Gosh! I
couldn't look. When I saw It wasn't, I just
went It blind, and luck was with me."
"How. do you know I won't go and tell
all this tonight?" I asked. She looked up
at me very earnestly, and I swear she
wasn't playing a part.
"I don't guess you will," she said slowly.
"I watched you yesterday when you helped
that pretty white lady in the hack oh, I
potted you today as soon as I saw you
close up and I guessed then what sort
you were. A man with your face Is good
to women, and to people In trouble. And,
God, If I'm not a woman in trouble!" She
did not lower her eyes, but they grew sud
denly shiny, and two tears rolled down her
face.
"It's all such a pity, such a miserable
business,' I exclaimed.
"There's not many Jobs I'd stick at, If h
needed anything and I could help him get
It," she said simply. "I bungled and got
pinched. They could get him tonight, but
lie'll be safe by tomorrow. Now you
know." T
There was a distant slam of an Iron door.
"Well," she said, looking squarely Into
my eyes.
Well?" I answered, but I don't suppose
my face had the look of a man about to
do his duty by his country, for the little
goblin smile crept out again.
"I wish I could do something for you,"
She said. "Just for the way you you look
at me. Do you want to kiss me?"
"No," I said, keeping my eyes firmly on
the ground.
"Sorry," she sighed. "I haven't got any
thing else."
"I'll keep the red sock,'' I said, as the
key turned in the door.
My father was In the outer office, very
mad and Very excited.
"It will all be cleared up tomorrow.
It's just a fool mistake," I told htm. "Rail
ane out and let's go home to dinner, I'm
dead tired."
The officer turned up early the next
Morning to tell me that the young woman
Sad acknowledged that she had put up a
game on me, for no reason worth, consider
fn and that what they had found out
about me would have satistied them there
was a mistake, anyway. The woman, he
added, was believed to be a confidence
agent who had been doing several cities.
They had given up the confederate theory.
She was evidently working alone.
I had to tell Kate tho whole story to ex
plain the broken engagemtnt. She took n
cynical view of the case,
"I know Just how she worked you. Any
good looking woman could," she declared.
"She only had to cry a little, and you go
forth and pull wires till Fhe gets off with
out being prosecuted. You're as bad as
Muriel you believe everybody."
Kate may be right; but 1 never quite
lost faith In the brown, gnemlsh face that
looked up at me so squarely. And I have
kept the crimson sock. My wife laughs at
It, but the never suggests that It shall li?
thrown away. Terhaps, on the wholo, she
Is not sorry that I can be worked by a
woman.
Moving Cause of Fire
Many more fires than Is usually sup
posed arise from spontaneous combustion.
It Is. however, by no moans easy to deter
mine whether a fire originates In this man
ner or not, because unless the fire be de
tected In Its very beginning the llamep will
have presently destroyed the evidence of
it. i cause. The dangers of spontaneous
combustion are not at all appreciated by
most people, and a fire originating from
this cause was long regarded as a phe
nomenon. It Is only recently that spon
taneous combustion has been even partially
und'istood. There Is now, however, a
more general conception of the fact that
many substances Ignite without the ap
plication of fire or llame, through the
agency of chemical changes of the ma
terials themselves.
Spontaneous combustion arises because
of the absorption of oxygen from the at
mosphere by various substances having an
affinity for It. The evaporation of certain
oils, especially vegetable oils, such ns
linseed, rapeseed, almond and palm oil, as
well as the drying of moist charcoal, result
In the rapid absorption of oxygen to the
extent of ignition. None of these things
are dangerous In bulk, as In barrels or
cans, but the danger arises when any of
the oils are distributed over fibrous sub
stances, such ns rags, cotton waste, etc.
They form an especially hazardous risk
when covered up so as to confine the gen
erated heat. Petroleum products are like
wise dangerous on account of their vapor
izing qualities and Ignltlbllity.
Sawdust mixed with linseed oil will
Ignite In a few hours. Cotton waste satu
rated with linseed oil will burn through
the agency of spontaneous combustion In
from two to ten hours, according to cir
cumstances. With some of the other oils
named the Ignition is even more rapid
and takes place in from five to six hours
as a maximum.
Silk waste Is more dangerous than Is cot
ton. Wet cotton, damp oatmeal or bran,
and. In fact, most vegetable rubstances,
when packed together In a confined p'ace
without being sufficiently dry, undergo fer
mentation or heating, and are liable to take
fire. Shipments of cotton are thus extra
hazardous marine risks, and because of a
tendency toward spontaneous combustion
may account for some unexplained losses
of ships. Spent tanbark is liable to ignite
spontaneously when stacked In heaps. Iron
filings, to which moisture has acces., gener
ate beat; Iron rust Is combustion or oxida
tion of iron. An Instance was recently cited
by Francis C. Moore wherein a large ma
chine shop was flooded by a sudden freshet,
which thoroughly wetted certain heaps of
Iron scraps or shavings upon the floor of
the shop. They began to heat from the
rusting Immediately after the water had
subsided.' ' '
The spontaneous Ignition of coal mines is
supposed to be due to the chemical action
of water and iron pyrites. Unslacked lime
Is subject to spontaneous ignition when
dampened in any way. Charcoal will burn
when pulverized or divided. Indeed, a ton
or two in a state of minute division is
almost certain to Ignite spontaneously.
Lampblack is dangerous, as there is very
little doubt of Its ability to ignite .-spontaneously
if mixed with oils. which contain
a large proportion of hydrogen.
Tracing paper, made transparent with oil
in process of manufacture, If the sheets are
not thoroughly dry and cool before piling,
will take fire within an hour on account of
the linseed oil used.
Roasted coffee sometimes takes Are spon
taneously. Hay, when stored away too
green or wet, Is very liable to set barns on
fire by the heat generated in fermentation.
Tarred felt and moist, hemp have been
known to take fire spontaneously. Many of
the fires originating in brooincorn ware
houses are supposed to arise from spon
taneous combustion resulting from the sat
uration of the fiber with oil from the see;!,
expressed by the process of baling and
handling, and the numerous fires lit cotton
gin houses may be largely due to the. Igni
tion of cotton saturated with oil from the
cotton seed expressed during the process.
From the few examples cited it will be
quite evident that spontaneous combustion
as a moving causa from which fires result
is more prevalent than laymen have been
accustomed Co suppose. New York ' Independent.
Yetter Wall Paper Co,
JOBBERS OF
WALL PAPER and ROOM MOULDINGS.
OMAJi.l, jSBU.
, ,
$100,000 SAVED!
To WALT.., PAPKR DEAI,KRS In this territory In the last three years, since the Tet
ter Wall Paper Co., opened a regular WAI.I, PAPKR JOHHING HOU8K In Omaha
All eastern jobbers and manufacturers are making Omaha freights. A saving of
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SPKCIAI. INIH'CKM KNT8 If Spring Order is placed In the house. Remember,
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YETTER WALL PAPER CO.
m.
David M. Ilaverly
Candidate for the n - tta if
Clerk of the District Court.
My rei-ord as County Clerk will serve
as an indication of the inn unci' In which
I shall conduct the affairs of the otlice
of Clerk of the? District Court should I
receive the nomination and election.
Under the new KjHtem of vol Inn nt
the republican primury, voters must
vote for the candidate of their choice,
direct. Your vote for uie at the primary
Octolier tith, IUU'1, will he a direct vote
for my nomination, which I hereby re
lectfu)ly bolklt
J
i ii it H.
ft
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1
I?
k Four"
A Railroad
OF THE PEOPLE
Operated
FOR THE PEOPLE
And Recognized
BY TIIE PEOPLE
aa the standard passenger line of
the Central MaUa. 2,500 ml lea
of railway In
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Kentucky & Michigan
Write for folders.
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tien'l. Pass. Asst. Uen l. P.
Ticket Agt- A T. A.
CINCINNATI. OHIO.
OMAHA TRANSFER GO
PAXTON & SHARP. Proprietors
Office and Barn, 1314-16 18 Howard St
Telephone 395. .
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