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Eniered According to Act of Congress, in the Year 1898, by Street & Smith. in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. 0.
Entered as Second-class Matter at the New Yori, N.Y.. Posi-Office.

  

 

Vol. 8. pd? laa Be eas Se aa New York. December 30, 1893. Shree No. 191.

WON AT WEST POINT:

OR. AJIN “ARMY CADE? TWN SOOO AND CAMS.

 

BY LIEUT. LIONEL LOUNSBERRY,
Author of ‘Lieut. Carey's Luck,” ‘‘Midshipman Merrill,” etc., etc.

 

 

 

 

 

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[*Won At WEST POINT” was commenced last week.)

 

 

 

 

= CHAPTER V. | A sternness in his friend’s voice showed
| Harold that he had been guilty of a grave
HAROLD HAS VISITORS. | breech of military discipline.

Sy? He had been told that insoience to a
Gy AROLD’S bold speech had a pecul-, superior officer was an unpardonable sin,
el iar effect. punishable by court-martial and probable
iA xe c Instead of retorting, the cap-| dismissal, but nevertheless he still felt
Ve CHINA 3" tain glared silently at hin for a/ rather glad of tne shot he had just given
ANZ 7 Ade ie brief space, and then turned on his heel; Orth. As briefly as possible be explained
—— and walked away. to Carey that portion of his family history
GRASPING ORTH BY THE COLLAR, HAROLD; RAISED HIS HAND THREATEN- “What does this mean, Hughes?” asked ; connected with the captain, and also his
INGLY. “YoU. HAVE GOT TO PUBLICLY RETRACT EVERYTHING YOU'VE | Gonrad, staring after the retreating form | triumph over Ralph at the examination
SAID ABOUT ME, OR I'LL THRASH THE LIFE OUT OF YOU.” |in utter amazement, in Riverside.

      

  

Wie

 
  

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net rest, Cadet

-

3042

CGrooDp

NEWS.

 

 

 

“'There is no doubt but what the cap-
tain holds malice against me for that, as
he was anxious to have his son win an
appointment to the academy by conipet-

‘silently waited, but to his disappoint-

ment, when the barrier was thrown back
he saw, not the genial! lieutenant, but the
one of all others he had not expected to

itive examination, but .I succeeded fair | meet—Captain Orth.

and square,” he added.

“Tat reason certainly has weight,” re-
plied Carey, thoughtfully. “But it is this
question of property that seems far more
important to me. It is very strange that
your father could have contracted such

As if working under previous instruc-

| tions, the cadet-officer of the guard closed
|the door after the captain had entered
j}and walked away, leaving them together,

}

a large debt without the knowledge of)

your mother, and also when he was en-
gaged in a business as profitable as you
say his was.”

“I¢ is a mystery, sir, and I intend to| that the visit was simply

probe it to the bottom if it takes my
life.”

“You are certainly right in looking
into® it, Harold, but”—here the lieuten-
ant’s; voice became very grave—‘“the
most important question now is, what
dves Orth intend doing about your late
breech of military etiquette? From the
manner in which he hurried away, I
think he intends to bring charges against
you at once.”

Harold’s heart fell.

It was certainly a misfortune to get
into trouble this early in his career,

What if it should result in dismissal !

The very thought caused the lad a pang
of overwhelming disappointment, but he
turned a resolute face to his friend and
said:

“It cannot be helped, sir, I would far
rather lose-my appointment than allow
that brute to insult me.”

“Oh! it won’t amount to that, Hughes,”
returned Conrad, with a faint smile,
“But Lam afraid you will be restricted to
the grounds and given several demerits.
If the captain tries to make it go farther
than that, L’ll step in and give my testi-
mony in a manner he won’t like.”

“Don’t you think he will call upon you
as a witness, anyway?” asked Hughes.

“No doubt; but I will have but little to
say, without he pushes matters, By the
way, I think it would be a good idea to
haveza talk with him any——”

“Here comes a corporal’s guard under
arms,” interrupted the cadet, suddenly,
pointing toward headquarters, “I will
wager they are in search of me.”

And so it proved,

n reaching their vicinity the non-com-
missioned officer in charge halted his
men, and then, after saluting the lieu-

-. tenant as befitted his rank, turned to our

hero with the words:

“T am compelled to place you under ar-
ughes, by order of the com-
mandant,”

“Very well,” briefly replied Harold,
stepping forward. “I am ready to go
with you at once,”

“TI will accompany you as far as head-
quarters, Harold,” said Carey.

Placing his prisoner between two pri-
vates, the corporal marched the squad to
the academy guard-house, followed at a
little distance by the lieutenant.

Just before reaching the building de-
voted to that purpose, a lad dressed as a
civilian stepped into view from behind
the superintendent’s house, and stopped
short at sight of the little party. °

To his momentary chagrin, Hughes rec-
ognized in the new-comer Ralph Orth.

That worthy’s face speedily took on an
expression of triumphant Setiait and
turning to a boy clad in the cadet gray,
who presently joined him, he said some-
thing in a low tone. © Oe
' Paying no heed to them, the prisoner
walked past with head erect,-and soon
found himself in the guard-room.

The cadet-officer in charge received him
with military sternness, and taking a
ee elie key from a bunch on his desk,
said: a

“T have orders to confine you, Hughes,
for insolence to a superior officer, the
ere being preferred by Captain Orth,

With that he led the way to a cell, and
soon had the lad locked in behind an iron
grating.

Left to himself, Harold at first gave

_way to despair.

“This is a pretty ending tomy dreams
of nilitary glory,” he said, bitterly.
“Not hardly seven days in the academy
and in dangerof a court-martial. Why
did I bandy words with that scoundrel?
If I could only have held my tongue until
on terms of greater equality with him, it
would have been all right. But no; Iam

lad I detied him, and there will be a
aay of reckoning between us yet.”

Pacing up and down the narrow apart-
ment, the lad tried to console himself for
his sudden misfortune, but it was ex-
tremely hard work. ;

He well understood how little his influ-
ence would be against an old army offi-
cer, but the famed justice of the academy
in al) cases offered some hope.

Presently a rattling of keys against the
door outside proclaimed a visitor, and
cee composed himself in  expecta-
tion. :

“Tt is Carey Conrad,” he murmured, his
face lighting up.

Walking over toward the entrance, he

|

| over his misfortune, so

and alone.

For a moment Orth gazed. steadfastly
at Hughes, then folding bis arms, said:

“Rather a peculiar position for a week-
old cadet, eh?”

It suddenly flashed over Harold’s mind
intended to
afford his enemy an opportunity to gloat
he vouchsafed no

ireply.

 

“Answer me, boy!” repeated the other,
sternly. “ You heard what I said: A nice
situation for one who intended to become
an officer in the army.”

“Well, what of it?” quietly asked
Hughes, keeping his temperadmirably.
“T thoroughly understand my position,
and, moreover, I do not regret its cause.”

His companion’s eyes flashed ominous-
ly, but the next words were uttered in a
more conciliatory tone.

“Now, see here, Hughes,” he said, “I
did not come here to bandy words, but to
see what could be done to get you out of
this scrape.”

Thoroughly surprised, Harold. glanced
keenly at the captain, and something he
saw in that worthy’s expression caused
him to become suspicious again.

Although the offer was fair, yet he
could see it caused Orth a great effort,
and was uttered with lying lips.

Standing on his guard, he awaited the
next words.

“T am now of the opinion that I acted
hastily in having you confined this morn-
ing,” continued the other, slowly, “but
you enraged me, and caused my temper
to, get the betterof me. Now, what I pro-
pose doing is to see the superintendent
and have the charges erased. ‘To. tell the
truth, I hate to see a likely youth like
you ruined in his fondest ambition, and
Tam willing to do what is right.”

“T will certainly feel greatly obliged,
sir,” replied Hughes, warmly.

His suspicions were rapidly disappear-
ing, but the next sentence revived them
four fold,

Visibly gratified at the progress he was

making, the captain smiled, and then

added:

“Now, Hughes, one good turn deserves
another; by withdrawing the charge, I
start you again on the fair road to a con-
mission, but I also wish you to do some-
thing for me.”

He paused and watched the effect of
his unexpected statement,

Instantly becoming reserved once more,
Harold asked cautiously what he wanted.

Awkwardly clearing his throat, the
captain hesitated a moment and then

‘| eontinued.:

“Why. it’s about this debt owing to
my brother Robert by your father. He
wants it settled without trouble, so if
you will write to your mother to sign
over the property in payment, z. will have

you released: at once, and--—’

“No, sir, never!” cried Harold. wrath-
fully ; then he added, bitterly: “So that is
why you come here with an offer of as-
sistance! Understand, Captain Orth; I
would not persuace my mother to sign
such a paper if I were here under trial
for my life.”

Taken aback by the determined words
of the young lad, his companion glared
at him for a brief space, and then, quiv-
ering with rage, fairly shouted:

“You defy me, do you? You refuse my
offer! Well, know that we can secure
the property without your aid easy
enough. Now, stay here and whine for
merey, you scamp. J will use my great-
est influence in having you dismissed

from the academy at once, You shall

never——’

He: was interrupted by a noise at the
door, and the cadet-officer was heard
saying: :

“There is some one with the prisoner,
sir; and I have orders to not disturb
them.” :

“Very well; T will wait here until the
person comes out.” = _

It was Lieutenant Conrad,

Dashing past the captain, Harold
rapped on the iron grating and exclaimed:

“Officer of the guard, we have finished
our conversation, Please admit,the lieu-
tenant.”

The door was opened immediately, and
Carey passed in with a slight bow to his
brother officer. Hardly noticing the salu-
tation, Orth rushed out and disappeared.

“What is up now, Harold?” instantly
asked Conrad. :

The cadet explained in detail all that
had passed between him and his enemy,

After he had finished, Carev sat on the
hed and thought long and deeply, then
jumping to his feet, he cried, firmly:

“There is only one thing that will save
you now. Harold, and it is this: I must
leave for Riverside to-night and try to

:
,

only held so that Carey could

 

securessome information about thiszprop-
perty affair, and hold it over the cap-
tain’s head as a threat.”

CHAPTER -VI,
CRIME,

 

A FOUL

HEN it became generally known
around the school that Hughes,
the popular fourth-classman,
was in confinement awaiting a
court-martial, the cadets united in ex-

 

pressing their sympathy.

Kirby Chambers had taken pains to
spread a detailed account of the hazing
episode, and Harold’s actions on that
memorable occasion had endeared him to
all classes.

However, the combined influence of
the cadets could not help the lad any
except in spirits.

The evening following his interview
with Captain Orth found him in com-
munication with the lieutenant,

The meeting was a brief one, and was
inform
his young friend of his proposed journey
to Riverside,

“T had hard work securing leave of
absence, and had to give the superintend-
ent an inkling of my object,” said the
faithful young officer, as he bid the lad
good-by. “He has promised me to delay
your court-martial for four days, but can-
not promise any further time after that.
I will do my best for you, old boy, but
the chance of success is very slim.”

“You are a true friend,” replied Harold,
in an unsteady voice. “I—I— appreciate
your kindness moré than words can tell.

iSome day perhaps lean repay you, and

“Tut, tut!” interrupted Carey, walking
toward the door. “Just wait until I set-
tle my debt to you on account of that
railway wreck, and then talk.”

Passing from the guard-house, he set

out on his momentous journey, leaving
Hughes with brighter hopes for the
future.

The succeeding four days dragged heav-
ily along, but their conclusion brought
no word from the absent lieutenant.

Each morning Harold ‘listened anx-
iously for the well-known step, but it
came not, and he at last abandoned hope

‘for aid from that quarter.

That something had happened to delay
Carey, he was certain. Perhaps he had
utterly failed in his mission, or maybe
the train carrying him east was wrecked.

At noon of the fourth'day, a messenger
entered the cell to inform him that his
presence was required in the library
building before a general court-martial
in session there.

On reaching the historie room in which
many a now famous warrior had been
tried for various offenses, Hughes found
it occupied by seven officers of different
rank,

_ As everything had been eee pre-

pared, the court proceeded with the trial
at once, calling Captain Orth as the
principal witness as well as accuser. _

His testimony was called for by the
judge advocate of the court, and he was
just in the act of taking the necessary
oath when an orderly entered suddenly
and handed him a note.

Uttering ane impatient exclamation,
the captain tore open the envelope and
read the first few lines. ;

Feeling instinctively that it had some-
thing to do with him, Harold watched
Orth narrowly, and was rewarded by
seeing him pats to the very lips.

Then with an oath the officer turned to
the president and asked permission to
retire for a moment.

Hardly waiting for the latter’s consent,
he left the room, ,

The different members of the court
looked at each other in languid surprise,
and began gossiping over the latest gar-
risun news, ; 4

’Presently the officer in command was
called out, but he returned suddenly and
announced that owing to the withdrawal
of the charges against the prisoner, the
court was dismissed.

As if in a dream, Harold left the room,
and passing into the outer office, found
Lieutenant Conrad, travel-stained and
worn out, awaiting him. Egy

Holding out both hands, Carey smil-
ingly exclaimed: j

“Touess you about gave me up, Harold,
didn’t you? I had a hard tussle of it,
but success came at last, and I arrived in
time, Better late than—why, what is
the matter?”

There was reason for his sudden ques-
tion. ‘

Harassed and worried by the experi-
ences of the past four days, the cadet
found the reaction too great, and just as
his friend was speaking, he reeled and
staggered against a center table.

It was only a temporary weakness, and
soon passed away, however. ; ,

Leading him into’ the open air, Conrad
walked the lad up and down the parade
ground until he fully recovered, and then
continued the interrupted explanation,

 

 

“When I left here that night, I was at.
my wit’s end to devise a plan for secur-
ing the necessary information, to tell the
truth. I did not sleep nor eat until 1 had
formulated a scheme, and on arriving at
Riverside, began at once to work it out.
Arnied with the knowledge of affairs.
Jearned from you, I went at onee to the
residence of Robert Orth and managed to.
obtain a private interview with him. 1
had previously provided myself with a.
detective’s badge and a revolver.”

Harold interrupted him with
clamation of astonishment.

“Yes, a badge and a gun,” repeated
Carey, laughingly. “The reason |] used
those was because I learned my man was
easily frightened, and it was just possi-
ble force would be necessary. Well, on
seeing the confounded scoundrel I pro-
ceeded to business withoutdelay. Show-
ing my badge, I said authoritatively: ‘I
have been sent here to arrest you for con-
spiracy in attempting to secure the for-
tune of the late Henry Hughes.’ Well,
you should have seen him. The cowardly
villain went on his knees and begged for
mercy. Knowing that I didn’t have a leg
to stand on in my accusation, I pretended
to make terms with him, and secured a
letter to his brother, the captain, telling
him to doas I said or all was lost.
Armed with that I started for this place,
a was delayed en route by a wash-
out.”

“Then he did conspire to rob us?” eager-
ly asked Harold, deeply interested.

“Yes, but we cannot prove it yet,” re-
plied Conrad, gravely. “Although his ac-
tions satisfy us, yet it would not hold
any weight in a court of law. No, we

an ex

“must bide our time and investigate the

whole affair from beginning to end. I am
satisfied in doing what I did.”

At that Hughes tried to thank his faith-
ful friend, but the lieutenant stopped
him before he could utter more than a
few words by saying that he could see a
lot of cadets at the other end of the pa-
ea OLnD evidently dying to receive
im.

Looking in that direction, our hero saw
Kirby Chambers and George West, to-
gether with a crowd of other lads, wait-
ing near the barracks, y

On seeing him gazing in their direc-
tion, they beckoned him to join them.

“Go ahead and meet your friends, Har-
old,” said Carey, with a smile. “We can
talk this matter over some other time.”

Not giving the lad a chance to expostu-
late, he left him and walked toward his
quarters,

In afew minutes Hughes was the cen-
ter of a group, the members of which
were all striving to shake hands with
him at the same time.

“Lam heartily glad you came out all
right,” said West, feelingly. “At first I
thought it was all up with you, old boy.”
_ Just then the irrepressible Kirby broke
in, and handing Harold a tuft of long,
coarse hair stitched to a piece of leather,
said solemnly:

“As a token of our esteem, allow me to
present you with the scalp of your en-
émy, Captain Orth, which you have
taken so skillfully this morning. It is
his, as you can readily see by its close
comparison to a jackass’ hide.”

Amid shouts of laughter, the party en-
tered the dormitory and scattered to their
studies. George and Hughes went at
once to their room, where the former told
his companion that he had a piece of in-
formation for him.

“There is a cadet newly joined who has
been seis running you down among
the fel
to Kirby and 1 with a tale about your
home, but we soon shut him up, _Cham-
bers was for licking him then and there,
but I thought it best to wait until we
saw you.

“Is his name Ralph Orth?” asked Har-

old, quietly, but an ominous gleam in,

his eyes spoke volumes.

“Yes, that is his hame. He is from
your place, Riverside, I believe.”

. “What did he say?” C

George hesitated, as if unwilling to
carry tales. Then, evidently making up
his mind to place his friend on his guard,
he said: ,

“Among other things the fellow stated
was that you had begged the members
of the local board to pass you, as your
mother was poor and you wanted to sup-
port her.”

At the despicable lie, Harold became
almost frantic with rage. |

Seizing his cap, he started toward the
apa but West interposed himself and
said:

“Now, don’t goraising a row in public,
old boy. Just wait here a moment and T
will bring the begger up here; then you
can make him eat his words. I'll also
get some of the fellows as witnesses.”

Seeing the wisdom of the plan, Hughes
curbed his wrath and remained in the
room while his friend get out in search of
the captain’s worthy son. Presently a
noise in the corridor indicated that sev-
eral persons were approaching. Eagerly
walking toward the dvor, Hughes neared

ows, he said, gravely. “He came.

 
ae SS re Ree

~~ eet

Th

LW

our
im-
are,

[ar-
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‘(om

up
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ited
ers
‘our
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the
and

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nd T
you
also

rhes

the
h of
Ty a
sev-
erly
ared

*

‘struck by a piece of stone some villain

' young Orth.

GooD NEWS.

3043

 

it just as George and Ki1by entered the
room.

They were alone.

Harold’s questioning glance instantly
elicited the information that Ralph haa
absolutely refused to come.

“The blamed coward is down near the
riding school, and when I told him to
step up here a moment, he grinned and
said that if any one wished to see him
they dould cali at his office,” explained
Chambers, with a burst of indignation.

“Well, that is what we will do,” re-
plied Hughes, quietly..

“The tan-bark arena is asplendid place
for a ‘scrap,’” remarked West, highly de-
lighted at the prospect.

On entering the parade-ground, the
three lads slackened their pace and saun-
tered leisurely along for the purpose of
disarming suspicion.

They well knew that if they were seen
moving ih any certain direction in evi-
dent haste, the whole mob of cadets, with
possibly an inquisitive officer, would soon
follow, ;
~ After skirting the library they walked
down a road sloping to the water’s edge,
and .when midway, turned abruptly
toward the huge building known as the
riding school.

\VWhile passing a clump of bushes a6 the |

top of the lane, neither of the lads saw

a nialignant face peering at them from |

aiid the foliage; tio were they aware of
the evil passions raging’ in its owner’s
breast. Just as they disappédted in
search of the captainu’s son, that worthy
left his place of concealment, and hasten-
ing to the stone parapet lining the upper
edge of the road, dislodged a huge frag-
meéut of rock, and with desperate energy
hurléd if inte the space below,

There was. @ séries of echoing thuds as
the terrible missile stuck and rebounded
from the rocky surface of the bluff, then
a cry of agony sounded on the sultry air,
immediately followed by an ominous
silence.

CHAPTER VII.
THE CONVERSATION.

ITH the final echoes of that ter-
rible cry ringing in his ears

 

the shadows of a heat-Gy row of trees,
then rapidly made his way back past the
library building to a path leading down
to the cavalry barracks. |

Keeping as’ much as possible out of |
sight, he skirted that structure and the
stables, and then leisurely sauntered out

on a small space fronting the riding
school. | E

Just as he came into view, a@ small |

‘group of lads gathered near the face of |

the bluff, turned and saw him. One of |
them, Harold Hugnes, broke from the |}
others, and striding up to Orth, shook
his fist in the latter’s face with the ex-
clamation:

“T have you.at last, confound you! If
the truth was known, that is a piece of
your work also!”

As he spoke, he pointed toward a cadet
lying on the ground. The. lad’s face was
covered with blood, and, from all appear-
ances, he was seriously injured. _

A shattered fragment of rock near by
told the tale. Ralph grew deadly white,
aud trembled violently for a moment,

“Whatis the matter?” he stammered,
“Who is it?” :

“George West, one of the new boys,’
broke in Kirby Chambers. “He was

threw down from the path. Do you
know who did it?” :

As he spoke he glanced ~keenly at

The latter avoided the look, and hastily
replied: —

“No, of course not; why should I?
Anyway, I don’t believe it was pitched by
any one. Those rocks up there are loose,
aid it may have been dislodged by the
wind,” .

Just then a surgeon from the hospital,
accompanied by two privates with a
stretcher, appeared and examined the
wounded cadet. :

In the excitement, Ralph slipped away
and disappeared up the road, unnoticed.

Presently the doctor finished, and made
the welcome announcement that George
was simply stunned by the missile, but
his right. arm had been broken. 5

“It was a very narrow escape,” he
added, glancing at the heavy pieces of
rock scattered about, “and if any fragment
of larger size had struck him my services
world be useless in the case.”

Under his directions the two men from
the hospital corps lifted West tenderly,
and laid him on the canvas stretcher. :

Yarold and Kirby accompanied their
injured friend to the door of the hospital,
and left him there on the surgeon’s as-
suratice that they would be allowed to
see George that afternoon.

“T tell you what it is, Chambers,” said

| Ralph Orth, was the causé of the acci-
dent. It is hard to think that a youth of
his age, and a cadet of the Point would be
guilty of such a. dastardly crime, but |
know him of olc. He wouldn’t hesitate
at anything—not even murder—to get
square with me.”

“Then you think the rock was intended
| for you?” asked his companion, in horri-
| fied tones.

“Yes, that is -my belief,” replied
Harold, thoughtfully. “Of course it
would be impossible to prove it without
witnesses, and it is best to say nothing
about the affair, but I will always think
poor George is the victim of that villain’s
| desire for revenge.”

“Tt is a shame that such a lad should
be an army. cadet!” exclaimed Kirby, in-
dignantly, “This is no place for fellows
of his class. ‘The very idea of a boy not
yet eighteen trying to killa person. If
he is that way now, what kind of an
officer will he make? And to have charge
of men, too, Can’t we do something to
get him out of the academy?”

“T hardly know,” answered Hughes,
slowly. “ You see his, father is a captain,
and has a great deal. of influence here, or
he wouldn’t have been able-to get a
Presidential appointment for Ralph. If

icommandant he would instantly ask for
proofs. Then where would we be?”

“Cashiered ourselves.”

“Ves; kicked out for bringing false
|charges. Our best plan is to keep both
'eyes open and watch the coward. We
will Gatch him sooner or later, never you
mind. In the meantime I am going to
interview him and stop his lies about
me.

“When? Hadn’t you better settle it at
once?” asked Kirby, eager for a fight.

Do not let it be supposed from this that
West Point is an abode of lads fond of
disgraceful or brutal combats. Far from
it! Neither the training there nor the
class of youths admitted to the academy
would allow it, but a cadet is taught,
from the moment of entrance to the hour
of yraduation, that he must at all times
be able to take care of himself either
physically or mentally.

Woe to the boy who shirks a challenge

 

Ralph skipped away from the | ; y
edge of the road and slunk into | find out the power of his companions

| his companion's evident enthusiasm.

 

Hughes, as they walked back to the bar-
racks; “I honestly believe that coward,

to fisticuffs by way of a settlement. of
petty differences! I[e would speedily

contempt. :
Kirby Chambers’ was no different from

| lads of- his age and ceutury, however, and

he hailed the prospect of a fight between
his friend and Ralph with joy, and offered
his services at once, :

“You stroll down to the ravine back of
practice fort; and I will look Orth up. If
give him the challenge before wit-
nesses, he can’t refuse to meet you. § If
he does, it’ll just be our chance to shame
him out of the academy. See?”

“Yes, | see,” smiled Harold, amused at
ai
doubt very much whether you can get
him down here. He is tricky, and will
get out of ib some way. Don’t be long.”

~ Chambers darted away at a rapid

speed, and Hughes walked slowly across
the cavalry parade-ground to a series of
earth-works in the north-eastern corner
of the plateau. Passing through the site
of the summer camp, he crossed over a
moat and entered the fort,

It was deserted except by a couple of
artillerymen cleaning a mortar.

Down in one corner of the inclosure
was asection of bastion lately constructed
by the third-class cadets. ~

Deeply interested in anything pertain-
ing to his studies, Harold strolled over
in that direction, intending to examine
it for “points.” .

On nearing the vicinity, he suddenly
became aware of voices in conversation
just beyond, and halted, not wishing to
play the part of eavesdropper, but the
unexpected mentioning of a name at-
tracted his attention.

. The voice of one was familiar, too.

It was Ralph Orth, and he was talking
about Hughes.

“Yes, he is a low-born pauper, and his
graduation would be a disgrace to the
academy,” came the words, “I would
give a thousana dollars if he was dis-
missed in a month.”

Harold heard Ralph’s unknown _com-
panion laugh; then the latter replied :

“A thousand, eh? Well, you

want to get rid of him badly. If I

thought you really meant it, I would try
‘to earn the reward.”

“Mean it!” echoed Ralph, grimly.
“Wh ,I wonld give more than that if
he was convicted of some disgraceful act,
and fired from here. Havre you the nerve
to try for the money?”

At that moment Harold, wild with
rage and indignation, was just on the
point of darting around the conspirator’s
hiding-place, when it suddenly struck
him that now would ‘be a good time to
secure evidence of Ralph’s plotting,

He patised and reflected that nothing
could be accomplished without witnesses,
Where could they be found in time to
overhear the rest of the scheme?

must |-

Glancing hastily around Harold saw
the two artillerymen. Their backs were
turned, and both were busily engaged
cleaning the trunnions of the motar.

A call or whistle to attract their atten-
tion would also alarm the plotters.

Making up his mind to slip over and
bring them to the spot, Hughes started
hurriedly in that direction.

Before he had gone five paces a loud
shout came from the sally-port.

“Hi there, Harold! Have -you seen
anything of that cub? I can’t find head
nor tail of him.”

Turning quickly, Hughes saw Kirby
Chambers appear in view, waving his
hand.

“Confound it! He bas spoiled every-
thing now!” groaned the young cadet, re-
gretfully. He knew that Ralph would
hear the noise and stand his guard,

It was too late now to help matters,
so Harold beckoned his friend over and
said:

“He is behind the bastion with some
fellow. I heard their voices a moment
ago. We will walk around and have this
affair done with.”

At. first he intended to tell Kirby
what he had overheard, but finally con-

a ;cluded to say nothing at present, and
we made a report cf the affair to the

think it over.

Chambers did not wait for further in-
formation, but led the way in a great
harry:

On reaching the other side of the
mound, they saw Ralph just rising to his
feet from where he had been sitting on
the sloping base of the bastion.

He paled slightly on seeing them, and
started toward the lower entrance, but a
stern command from Hughes brought him
to a halt.

“A word with you, Ralph Orth,” said
the former planting himself in the other’s
way. “I havea little business to settle
with you.”

Just then Ra:ph’s companion started
up and walked toward them.

It was a second-class cadet named Bar-
rett—a burly, hulking fellow, much dis-
liked for his petty ways and ill-treat-
ment of his smaller acquaintances.

“What’s all this about eh?” he de-
manded, roughly.

Orth shot a meaning glance in his di-
rection, and exclaimed, hurriedly:

“Stand by me, Dick; will you? These
cads are going to attack me.”

At that juncture Kirby interposed, and
facing the older cadet, shouted:

“Now you keep your nese out of this
serap, Dick Barrett. That coward has
been running down my chum, and Hughes
is going to make him own up. Iam here
to see fair play, and I won’t allow any in-
terference by you or anybody else.”

While speaking he doubied his fists and
stood on the defensive in a most scien-
tific manner.”

The big cadet glared at him in amaze-
ment, then with a how! of rage drew
ace his arm and aimed a blow at Kirby's
read. is

The latter was expecting it, however,
.and countered lightly with his right, at
the same time launching out with his
other fist in such a forcible way that
Master Barrett landed on the ground at
Kirby’s teet, in a highly excited state of
mind.

In the meantime Harold was not idle.

Grasping Orth by the collar, he raised
his hand threateningly and exclaimed:

“You have got to publicly retract every-
thing you have said about me at this
academy, or I will thrash the life out of
you!” 5
(TO BE CONTINUED.)

=

ZEALOUS GUESSING.

 

Few of the struggles of life are more
agonizing than those of the school-boy,
who has no idea of what is expected of
him, but determines to do his best. His
frantic efforts to meet the teacher’s sug-
gestions half-way are simply heroic.

In teaching his boys the composition of
sentences, a Rhode Island schoolmaster
said tothem: .

“If Task you, ‘What have I in my
hand?’ you must not answer ‘chalk,’ but
make a full sentence, and say: ‘You have
chalk in your hand.’ Now we will go on.
What have I on my feet?”

“Boots,” came the immediate answer,
“Wrong. You haven’t listened to my
directions.”

“Stockings,” ventured another heedless
one.

“Wrong again; worse than ever,”
wrathfully cried the master. “Well?” he
Ce ne interrogatively, to a lad near

m,

“Please, sir——” then he paused. ~ Per-
haps he thought his answer might seem
funny, but, convinced that it was right,
he recklessly gasped out: “Corns!”

—~ ee _____—_

THERE has heen considerable discussion ‘as
to who invented spectacles and who had the
pleasure of wearing the first pair. The honor

 

 

is generally awarded to an Italian named Sal-
vino Almati, who died in 1817.

°

A NARROW ESCAPE.

—_ 4 —

BY W. B. LAWSON.

ee

 

¢ road, mister; take my advice and
¢ leave it alone.”

“But it is fully six miles lo»trer
by the county pike, and I haven’t any
time to spare, if I want to catch the next
train for Dallas,” I replied, impatiently.

“All right, sir; but I reckon you’l] re-
gret it when them niggers get hold of
you,” and the speaker, a tall, lank South-
ern squatter, turfied away as if he con-
sidered his duty ended.

I was in a peculiar predicament, and
fora moment stood irresolute where he
left me. His warning was no doubt hon-
estly meant, and, if it had been under
any other circumstances, 1 would have
listened to it.

A desire to find hitherto unworked
fields for the sale of an article for which
I was the traveling agent, had carried
me down into the backwoods of Texas.

In my rambles among the interior coun-
ties I finally struck a place—a little town
containing a few stores and a handful of
mean-looking houses—about two hundred
miles north of the gulf.

The hamlet seemed so dead that I cer-
tainly would not have stopped if the
horse I was riding had not fallen lame
‘Just as we entered the main street.

Earnestly desiring to reach a certain
railway station twelve miles distant, in
time to catch a train for Dallas, I imme-
diately cast about me for another horse,
and found, to my dismay, that not one
could be procured before evening.

The man I had interviewed stated that
all the animals were in use, and nothing
less than an outright purchase would
secure a mount.

“That settles it,” I exclaimed, de-
cisively; “I'll walk rather than pay forty
or fifty dollars for an old ‘plug.’ Which
is the nearest road?”

“That one you see leadin’ past that old
barn,” replied the “corncracker.” “But I
wouldn't advise ye to take that, stranger:
leastwise, not to-day.”

“Why? Isn’t it all right?”

“Most the time, yes; but now there is
a passel of niggers a-hidin® in a swamp
it runs through, and they are a_ bad Jot.
They’ve sworn to kill any white man as
comes along, an’ we’re jest waitin’ for
help an’ blood-hounds to drive them out.”

In addition, he stated that. three
negroes, long known as worthless char-
acters in the neighborhood, had stolen
several mules belonging to a near-by
farmer, and, on being pursued, had taken
refuge in a quaggy, low-lying piece of
land, known locally as the “Swamp.”

Despite my informant’s gruesome pic-
ture of the probable fate awaiting any
white man foolish enough to approach
the place without armed company, I-re-
solved to try it,

This determination was influenced by
two reasons—the imperative necessity of
my being in Dallas by the following
morning, and a latent doubt as to the re-
ported blood thirstiness of the fugitives.

Seeing that I was resolute, the old
“cracker” left me to my fate with the
words recorded above. He had under-
taken to send my bag of samples by ex-
press, however, so I stepped forth unbur-
dened by anything heavier than a stout
cudgel picked from an adjacent forest.

After walking several miles, I struck
the edge of the swamp land. Here the —
road was carried along a bank of “made” ~
ground, and on each side could be seen the
rank vegetation peculiar to such places.

Presently the silence, and a reécollec-
tion of the squatter’s warning, caused me
to feel a trifle uneasy, and I drew my re-
volver with the intention of carrying it
ready for instant use until the supposed
perilous neighborhood was passed. ;

Finally a spot was reached where tall
cotton-wood trees lined the edge of the
lane, extending their- gaunt branches,
from which hung dismal pendants of
moss, over the pathway, and forming a
shady arch. :

I walked with greater speed on enter-
ing this stretch of road, and kept my eyes
moving from side to side in corstant
search of suspicious objects. PT

Notwithstanding this precaution, I did —
not see a scowling, dusky face peering at
me from behind a bush, nor hear the
“swish” of a raw-hide lariat as it passed
through the air, settling around my body
with a jerk that sent me headlong to the
ground, : =

The sudden attack caused me to pull
the trigger of my revolver involuntarily,
but the bullet buried itself in an over-
heaeee bYaNGHs = ; oe

At. the sharp report three negroes
climbed up to the level of the road, and
instantly surronnded me, One of them
held the other end of the lasso in his
hands, and he lost no timein securely
tying me with it, despite my vigorous
resistance.

eae ary
Ws) ON’T you go by way of the swamp

 

“What in the duse do you mean,

  

 
3044

ruffian?” I demanded, on recovering my
breath. “Release me immediately, or 1
will have you punished for chis outrage.”

A low chuckle from the one who had
fastened me was the only answer. The
others
ion while he trussed me in a skillful
moner.

Allthree of them appeared to belong to
the lowest order of their race, and their
repulsive faces, marked by numerous
scars—relics of villainous orgies — con-
vinced me that but little mercy could be
expected from thern.

After he had completed his task thé

elder negro, who seemed to be the leader, |

assisted me to my feet and pointed
toward the swamp.
“March along, dar, white man,” he

growled, threateningly. “An’ be quick
about ut, as we’uns ain’t gwine ter stan’
no foolin’. Come, trabble along!”

“What do you want?” I asked, ina
more conciliatory tone. It was plainly
evident that bluster would not accom-
plish anything with the desperate men.

Not receiving an answer to my ques-
tion, | added:

“If you intend to rob me, can you not
do it here? I am very anxious to reach
Dallas by morning, and [ wish you would
let me continue my journey.”

One of the scoundrels laughed—a low,
blood-curdling laugh, more like the mirth-
less growl of a hyena than a human
sound.

“You not a-gwine ter Dallas this day,
massa,” he grinned, glancing toward his
companions. “Nor any. oder day, I’m
t’inkin’. Kase why, we’uns done want
yer here. We got a little business wid
yer, an’ when we’uns done git t’ro wid yer
I spects yer won’t kyar to go_ no furder.
Isn’t that so, Pomp?”

“You bet,” replied the leader, witha
chuckle. “ We’uns done got a nice place
fur yer back in de swamp, massa. A
fine little shanty whar we’uns kin receive
yer with honoh an’ hospertality. Come
erlong now.”

As he spoke, the scoundrel gave me a
vicious shove with his brawny hand,
almost knocking me to the ground, Then
each of bis companions grasped me by an
arm, and, thus guarded, I was hurried
from the road to a narrow path leading
through the bog.

At first I resisted with all the strength
possible, but finding it only productive
of kicks and cuffs, I again resorted to
pleading.

That my captors were the negro
wretches mentioned by the old “cracker”
was not to bedcubted, but what they had
against me, a perfect stranger, I could
not understand, but they soon enlight-
ened me. :

In reply to a question as to why they
should treat me in such an outrageous
manner, the leader exclaimed, sullenly:

“We’uns knows what you is, nebber
fear. You is a detective sent down hyar
to take we'uns to jail. But you’ll nebber
do it, honey.”

Isaw their mistake now. They had
evidently been watching the road, and
on seeing me approach with a revolver in
my hand, the desperate scoundrels re-
solved to put one of their supposed ene-
mies out of the way.

Thoroughly alarmed, I expostulated
with them, offering a reward, and prom-
ising on my honor to bring conclusive
proof that I was only acommercial trav-
eler on my way through the district, but
to no avail. ; }

“You is jest wastin’ yer breath, massa,”
at last replied the leader. “ We'uns done
Bok yer, an’ you is gwine to die this very

ay.”

Becoming frantic at the cruel, determ-
ined tone of the brute, I struggled des-
perately with my guards, and, by asuper-
peas effort, managed to force them
aside. 4

Wheeling around, I rushed at the leader,
intending to dodge past him, but my foot
slipped on a miry spot, and I fell pros-
trate at his feet.

The attempt to escape made my captors
wild with rage, and I thought from their
savage actions that I was doomed to die
then and there.

Before I could scramble to my feet, the
leader threw himself upon me, and, as-
sisted by the others, had me face down in
the mud. =

“Yer will try to ’scape,” I heard one
of them say, hoarsely. “ Hit him over the
head wid dat stick, Bud, an’ hit him
hard.” .

Just as he finished speaking I felt a ter-
rific blow, and then all became dark,

How long I remained uncorscious I
know not, but when at last I opened my
eyes it was to see the three negroes sit-
ting close by, each smoking a cob-pipe,
and -engaged in a conversation, which
they carried on in an undertone.

The pain in my head was so violent

that I could not refrain from groaning,
andthe sound instantly attracted their
attention, |
“Got a headache, eh?”
with mock sympathy.

asked Pomp,
“Well, we is

 

maintained an absolute silence at |
first, and*quietly watched their compan- |

 

GOOD NEWS.

gwine ter cure it right soon, massa, Yer
won't have no more pains bimeby.”

“We'uns done got er bang up remedy
fur all kinds of aches, an’ ut don’ need
more n one application needer. Ya, ya!”
laughed the one called Bud.

As he spoke, the dusky scoundrel
pointed to a hole which had been recently
dug in the sodden ground.

At first I could
meaning, but at last the truth flashed
over me, and I turned faint and sick with
horror,

They intended to bury me alive!

At the terrible discovery all my forti-

tude disappeared, and I confess that [
begged the negroes for my life with tears
| of despair.
All my words were useless, and, at last
| seeing that it only added to their feast of
enjoyment,
pared myself for the worst,
long in coming.

Still laughing grimly, they lifted me
to my feet, and then dragged me over to
the excavation.

I could see that it was about two yards
in depth, and large enough in diameter
to receive my body by standing erect.

A gleam of water at the bottom caused
me to glance hurriedly around, and I saw
that the hole had been dug in what was
evidently the bed of a small stream, now
comparatively dry.

Pomp saw my gaze, and, with diaboli-
cal intuition, recognized its meaning.

“I guess yer knows what we'uns intend
doin’ now,” he grinned. “Dis yer hole
will fill wid water bimeby, an den we’uns
will have the ’streme saterfaction of
seein’ yer slowly strangle ter death wid
swamp mud," r

“Yes, an’ when yer givin’ ther las’
gasp, jest remember that yer didn’t land
we’uns in the lock-up, as yer ’spected ter
do,” added the third negro.

 

It was not

Pomp, briskly. “The ribber is risin’
already, an’ we’uns don’t want ter miss
the fun.”

Without further ceremony they lifted
me up, and shoved my legs down the
hole. I could feel the water rise as far as
my knees, then I touched the soggy bot-
tom, with my head about six inches be-
low the surface of the river bed.

Bud proposed to gag me, but the leader
objected, saying he wished to hear me
“holler.”

The demons then shoveled in some dirt,
and packed it around me_so that T could
not move a particle. This was hardly
necessary as the lashings prevented that,
but they evidently intended to make as-
surance doubly sure.

After everything had been completed
to their satisfaction, the three murderers
coolly sat down on a near-by log, and
made rude jokes at my expense.

I paid no attention to them, having re-
signed myself to the horrible fate await-
ing me. I was fast relapsing into a
stupor, and at last only heard their re-
marks as if from a great distance, when
suddenly a sound came to my ears that
caused my heart to throb with renewed
excitement.

It was the faint baying of a blood-
hound! I glanced at the negroes, and saw
that they had also heard it. Pomp had
turned a sickly yellow, and his huge
mouth was haif-parted in overwhelming
terror.

“W-w-what was d-dat?” gasped Bud,
rolling his eyes.

He was answered by a renewal of the
noise. Again came the unmistakable
notes of the hound, but this time much
nearer.. Then a distant shouting became
apparent.

yhis was enough. ;

With hoarse yells of fright, the three
desperadoes disappeared in the brush,
and I could hear the crackling of limbs

fled in frantic terror from the advancing
hounds.

As for myself, at first I could do nothing
but gasp out fervent expressions of grati-
tude for the change in my perilous situa-
tion, then a little water trickling over
the edge of the hole recalled me tu a
realization of the danger.

The flight of the negroes did not assure
me of safety by any means. Jnstantly
seeing that my only hope depended on a
speedy rescue, I shouted with all the
power I possessed :

“Help, help!”

Only the echo of my own voice answered
me, however, and almost despaired.
The water now poured into the cavity in
a steady stream, and it had already
reached to my chin. A little more and I
would die as the negro fiends had pre-
dicted.

Stimulated to renewed efforts by this
thought, I made the swamp ring with my
appeals for assistance—and was answered.

A scrambling noise sounded close by,
'then a muddy nose was thrust over the
edge of the hole, and the deep notes of a
blood-hound proclaimed to the pursuing
party that he had made a discovery.

At that moment I must have fainted,
as I remembered nothing more until I

-

 

not understand their }

 

I remained silent, and pre- |

 

| looking
“Dump him in, niggers,” commanded |

for fully a minute afterward, as they |

| while I

| dragging

 

awoke to find myself stretched out on a
leafy bed with a dozen rough but sympa-
thetic faces bent over me.

“Ye had a close call, neighbor,” ex-
claimed one of the men, heartily.

At first I was too weak to reply, but

finally Isat up and explained to my res- |

cuers all that had occurred.

“Didn’t 1 warn yer not to take the
swamp road?” remarked one, whom I had
no difficulty in recognizing as my squat-
ter friend. “I told yer them niggers was
a bad lot, but you insisted on havin’ yer
own way. Now, I reckon you’ll agree
with me.”

I certainly did,‘and acknowledged so
in a very few words. After resting a
was taken back to the town,
where I at last succeeded in obtaining a
conveyance, and resumed my journey to
Dallas.

Some time later I received word that
my negro captors had escaped, but as
they were never afier seen in the vicinity,
and as the subject was always referred to
with extreme reservation, it is safe to say
that they met their fate in the oldswamp.

>

THE TRAMP AT ROMER’S.

BY JOE RANSOME.

—- + -———

ANSOMEVILLE lies (you wouldn’t
have the slightest doubt of it if
you knew the inhabitants, but I
an} speaking in a geographical

sense now) away from railroads, and out

of the road of tramps. Yet one chanced
to visit it last week.

He came shuffling to the door of
Romer’s house just after dusk, and
pushed in without knocking—a_ hard-
customer, ragged, dirty, with
long, tangled hair, bleared eyes, bloated
face, and a big club in his hand,

Grandmother Romer screamed, and ran
and hid herself under the feather bed.
Romer’s wife tipped over the kettle. of
doughnuts she was frying, and the boil-
ing fat spattered upon the cat and dog,
and made them yell like lunatic pan-
thers. Jobn upset the cradle, and the twins
rolled out and bawled, and scratched, and
pulled each other’s hair, The hired girl
half fainted and went over backward into
the wash-tub, and the hired man slipped
from his chair into the fat, but got up
again in the hundredth part of a minute,

Taken altogether, Bedlam let loose
couldn’t begin with the scare at Romer’s.
But at last John managed to gasp:

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“Somethin’ to eat,” growled the tramp.

“Oh, go ’long!” screamed the wife. “We
hain’t got no money. Don’t murder us,
Oh, dear! oh, my!”

“More likely you'll murder me!”

Tramp as. he was, he could not keep
from laughing as the hired man was
the spluttering and _ half-
drowned. girl out of the soap-suds, the
father trying to separate the squalling
twins, the dog going for the cat, as if
that had been the cause of his pain, and
the grandmother lying with her heels
sticking out from under the feather bed.

How it would have ended no mortal
man or woman could have told, had not
a neighbor come ‘in at the moment and
comprehended the state of affairs.

He dragged forth the smothering old
lady and sat her up in a rocking-chair,
separated the twins and gave them each
a lump of sugar, covered the burned cat
and dog with flour, rubbed the soap out
of the eyes of the servant girl, told the
hired man he had better go and sit ina
tub of lard until the fire was drawn out,
bade Mrs. Romer stcp yelling, and
penny called John Romer a cowardly
fool. ‘

“Don’t you see itis nothing but a
man?” he asked.

“A man!” all gasped ina breath, and
John’s wife went on and said:

“T thought it was a murderer, a bur-
glar, a masked robber, a garroter, ¢ Core oth

By this time she was out of comparl-
sons, But she had recovered her sight an¢
temper, and the way she pitched into ber
husband and the rest was a caution. |

And then the way they all pitched into
the tramp was—well, this was the fashion ?

John went for him with a chair, bis
wife with a ladle of boiling fat, the hired
girl with a dipper of soft soap, the hired
man with a pan of flour, grandmother
with a pillow, and the dog flew at his
heels and tore what ‘remained of his
pants alltoribbons. ~~

Running and fighting, he at last es-
eaped, and reached the village and the
office of a justice. But such a sight as he
presented! His hair and rags were cov-
ered with grease and flour and feathers ;
his coat had lost. the tails: his nose was
bleeding, and one ere was blacked. —

“Howly mother ov Moses!” exclaimed
the representative of Blackstone, “an’ T
haven’t seen such a sight since Donny-
brook Fair. An’ how did yees came in
such a fix, I dunno?” ‘

The story was soon told, and the entire

 

John

|

 

Romer family hauled up and fined for
what the justice called “deffermution of
character,” made to give. the vagrant a
good suit of clothes and feed him.

But John and his family, and even the

dog, are down on wanderers forever,,and.-

won’t even go to Sunday-scboo! any more
because one of the hymns is set to the
tune of “Tramp, tramp, the boys are
marching.”

Don’t believe it? Didn’tI tell you in
the start that Ransomeville lies—find
out for yourself where and how.

__—___—_—~+—-0-+ —

KILLING A BRIGAND.

BY H. C. BLACK,

cine Bike Ca

APRHAT is an ugly knife you have
P there.”
: We were

 

  
  

f———

aN wp 5S 2
) sitting around a stove
- inan inn, in the lower part of
Texas, when these words were uttered.
hey were addressed toa young man of
medium height, dark complexion, and an
extremely handsome face. He was play-
ing with a. dagger-shaped knife, trying
the quality of the steel by bending it
double, when the above sentence was
spoken.

“You may well say it’s ugly, and I
will add that T got it in an ugly way.”

While talking he began to unbuitton is
hunting shirt, and laid bare an ugly
wound in the right shoulder, and turning
around, we beheld another immediately
back of it. Then buttoning up his shirt,

che proceeded to relate the following:

“In 18851 was in Italy, spending the
summer in the vicinity of Naples. One
afternoon I took a walk up in the moun-
tains farther than usual, and night
coming on, I made up my mind to spend
the night in the mountains.

“So -I stopped at an inn, a low two-
story frame hut. On entering I noticed

ia couple of young Italians playing cards

in the corner of the room. I ordered sup-
per, and while Iwas waiting for it, I
noticed in particular that the younger of
the two gamblers kept watching me.

“In ten minutes my host came with my
supper. While I was eating, I noticed
that the gamblers were whispering. to
each other, at the same time throwing
sly glances at me, This aroused my sus-
picions. Finishing my supper, I read
the paper until ten o’clock, when I told
my host that I would like to retire.

*Procuring a light, he showed
room on the second floor, Mine host,
after bidding me good-night, left the
room. I immediately .locked the door,
putting the key in my pocket. Then I
fastened the window, and proceeded to
look to my pistols.

“T laid upon the bed with my clothes
on, determined to watch; but in one hour
I was fast asleep. About two o’elock I
awoke, being aware that some one was
in my room. —

“‘Who’s there?’ I called, but got no
answer.

“Then I proceeded to getup, when I
received the wound that I just showed
you. I grasped out in the darkness,
when, as luck would have it, I caught
my opponent by the threat. I held on,
as only a man whose life is at stake can.
He dropped the knife, and in an instant
I had seized it, and plunged it through
his heart. He dropped at my feet, stone
dead. 5

“TJ immediately left, and retraced my
steps toward honie, where I arrived safe
about nine o’clock next day.

“Imagine my astonishment when I saw

‘in the papers that the noted brigand chief

Spitzolei was found stabbed through the
heart in a but in the mountains. I could
hardly realize that I had killed him.
But, nevertheless, I bad. He was the
first, and I am glad to say, the last man
that I ever killed.” ;
——_>_+~»—————___-
PATS “HYDROPHOBY.”

An Irishman who felt so much “out of
sorts” that even whisky wouldn't cure
him, decided to pay a visit to the doctor.

“Well, my man, what’s the matter
with you?” asked the doctor.

“Shure, docthor,” replied 3
just phwat Oi’ve come to ax yer, fer Oi
don’t know phwat’s the matter wid me.
Oi only know that Oi seem to have a sort
ov Donnybrook Fair goin’ on inside 0’ me.

“Let me look at your tongue,” said the
doctor. “Ah, you havea very bad tongue;
there’s a lot of fur on it.”

“Fur on it!” exclaimed Pat,
“Oh! wirra—wirra!” he wailed, wring:
ing his hands: “thin Oi’m kilt entoirely,
for I kissed a baste ov a puppy the other
day, an’ it’s hrdrophoby Oi've got! Good
hivens!” he murmured, feebly, “fur on
my tongue!” And then, starting to his
feet, with glaring eves and clenched
hands, he velled: “Ont ov my soight,
docthor. or Oi'll bite yer!”

It took the doctor some time to con-
vince him that the “fur” on his tongue
only resulted from a disordered stomach,

aghast.

me toa =

 

Pat, “that’s

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BY EMERSON

BELL.

(“THE ELECTRIC AIR AND WATER WIZARD” was commenced in No. 185.

obtained ot all News Agents.)

CHAPTER XIX.
A NARROW ESCAPE,
<>
sy=\OR the moment after the thunder.
FE bolt struck the electric Wizard
Ac) all in seemed
aos stunned,

Bob was thrown up against Dick, and
the two brothers. elasped hands, almost
certain that the end was at hand.

“We are lost!” whispered Dick, as soon
as he could speak. “That bolt has disar-
ranged the machinery.”

“Tt looks so. My! how wei'are falling!” |

Bob was right. The Wizard now lay |
well over on her side‘in the air, and each |
instant the downward’ course was accel-
erated,

Snddenly the old inventor staggered to
-his feet and made a clutch for the electric
buttons on the wall.

He pushed two of them with all of his
strength, and waited almost breathlessly. |

The boys also watched eagerly for some |
encouraging sign.

At last it came. There was a whirring
sound, new to their ears, and almost im- |
mediately the Wizard became stationary.
in mid-air.

“Thank goodness for that,” burst from
the lips of old Delvour. “Had we kept
on going down we would have landed on
the earth with terrifie force,”

The Wizard still inclined upon her
side, and hardly had_ Delvour spoken
when Longlook and Schnitz appeared |
from below.

The two sailors were deadly pale, and it
was easy to see that they were all but
scared to death.

“Save us! save us!”
kee. “The hull caboose
smash |”

“T can’t vos shtand up ennamore!” |
wailed Schnitz. “I vos most dumble on
mine head alreaty !”

“We will see what can be done,” re-
plied Delvour. “For the present there is
no more danger, as the sto1m seems to
have passed us.” :

“What makes the Wizard lie on her
side?” questioned Dick, considerably re- |
lieved, as were all of the others.

“The bolt must have ripped open one of
the air chambers. As soon as I can find
out what is wrong with the screws, we
will land and make an investigation.”

The old inventor told Longlook and
Schnitz to go below again, and_ he fol- |
lowed, after cantioning Dick and Bob to
mind the wheel, should the machinery
start up again. |

The brothers agreed to remain in the
pilct-house, and said they hoped nothing
serious had happened, |

the pilot-house

 

howled the Yan-
is goin’ ter’

“T trust so myself,” said Delvour. |
“But a storm is the worst thing for elec- |

trical machinery.”
As the old inventor had

said, the worst
of the storm was past. ‘Gut the rain still

poured down in torrents, and the pilot- |
honse seemed to be surrounded by water, !
Quarter of an hour passed, and theelec- |

tric Wizard remained almost in the same
spot in the air.

“Tt begins to look as if it was worse
than he expected,” remarked Bob, doubt-
fully.
work we will be in a fine fix.”

“It’s all right if he can let us down
gradually,” returned Dick, as cheerfully
as he could.

“Yes, unless we are
of some city.”

; we caine down in a city during
such a storm as this, some folks would
imagine the end of the world had come,”

At this moment Longlook appeared.

“Say, the commodore wants Dick ter
cum down ter onct.”
~ “Al right,” replied Dick, making for
the iron, ladder. 5

“An’ he wartits me an’ Bob ter hang on
ter the wheel.”

“Well, you can hang on,” laughed Bob.
“But at present itis perfectly still.”

Dick found old Delvour in the engine-
room, his coat off and his sleeves rolled

up. ;
E Some of the belting has shifted,” ex-
plained the old inventor. “By hook or
by crook we must get it into place again.”
“Where is it?”
“Were, under this machine, and back
there. It’s ticklish work getting in there,

| started.

| to slash around in all dire
|londly. “Stop it!”

| din from the machinery, which

' to throw it off its upper wheel, but failed.

i terrible, and as he clung toa verfectly

| would drop among the many whirring

| the whirring belt dropped from the wheel |

“Tf he can’t get the machinery to |

just over the top. j 3
| brightly upon the polished exterior of the

 

but I thought you conld do it better than
I, and you understand machinery,”

Back numbers can be

 

 

Od) 26 1s aia
his coat.

The vouth understood that he hada
dangerous bit of work before him. The
machinery was close together, and should
if start up while he was among the
wheels, his clothing might get caught,
and he would be horribly mangled.

“Fix that bottom belt first,” said old
Deilvour. “And be careful not to touch
the drum above.”

With great caution Dick crawled in
among the machinery and began to work,
guided by the old inventor’s constant di-
rections.

The belt below the drum was at last
adjusted to the same position it had occu-
pied before the stoppage.

Dick then crawled up to a belt above,
and was just about to catch hold of it
when witha whirr some of the machinery

Dick clung to an iron upright, trying
his best to keep himself out of danger.

Crack! snap! The loosened belt began
ions, making
t each new

  
 

a report like that of a pisto
turn.
9?

“Stop the machine!” cried the youth,

Dick, as he took off : _
S : | took a careful look before coming down.”

 

“T can’t!” gasped old Delvour.

Nothing more eould be heard, as the
was
working ona true balance, grew louder
and louder.

Dick tried to catch the belt as directed,

The leather scraped over his hand, tear-
ing the skin horribly.

*“Can’t you right the Wizard?” yelled
the boy.

Delvour understood the last words and
ran to the other end of the engine-rvom.

In the meantime Dick had to keep on
dodging from left to right, as the loose
end of the big belt whipped this way and
that, Every moment he was afraid
would be his last.

The strain on the youth’s arms was

smooth column, he was afraid that ere
long his strength would give out and he

wheels below.
Just as he felt he could hold on no
longer the Wizard righted herself, and

to the floor.

A second later the machinery stopped,
and rushing between the wheels, the old
inventor caught Dick in his arms.

“Tf I had known what was going to
happen I would never have sent you in
there,” he cried. “Is your hand badly
hurt?”

“The skin is torn, but I reckon some
court-plaster will fix that again.”

“The Wizard is righted once more, and
I trust that we will shortly be able to
resume our journey.”

“Then one of the air reservoirs is not
bursted?”

“It is bursted, but Il have succeeded in
equalizing the balance. We will, how-
ever, need some repairs to-night, when
we land.”

The old inventor continued to work
around the engine-room for fully an hour,
In the meantime Dick hunted up the med-
icine chest and attended to his injured
hand.

They had now left the storm region be-
hind, and once more the sun was shining

electric Wizard.

At four o’clock in the afternoon they
passed over a range of high hills and
then struck into a farming district.

Bob took the glass and by its aid made
out men and horses at work in the fields
far below.

On and on they went until they saw the
sun sink in the western sky, when it be-
gan to grow dark quickly. :

“That is because it became sundown
below long before it became sundown up
here,” explained the old inventor. “Let
me have the glass.”

He took it, and after an examination
announced that a large forest appeared
about fifteen miles ahead.

“We will reach it by eight o’clock and
then descend,” he said. “It may take me
the best part of the night to get the Wiz-
ard back to her original state.” —

° ) : “Catch |
the belt or youswill be killed !” d L
leading down to the stream.

not |

 

“T will help all I can,” said Bob. “ Dick
can stand guard, for he has a sore hand.”

 

The forest reached, the old inventor
scanned the ground below carefully, and
at last selected a landing-place close to
the bank of a mountain stream.

The Wizard was allowed to descend
slowly, and touched upon the grassy shore
without the slightest shock.

As soon as this was done the trap-door

at the bottom was opened and Delvour |
and }
| inside came the sounds of a hammer and

went out, followed by Longlook
Schnitz.

“Now I want you two men to stand
guard,” said the old inventor.

“Co-rect, commodore,” replied the Yan-
kee, and Schntiz nodded.

“One go up stream and one down, and
if you discover any one in the vicinity,
notify me without delay. I think,
though, that you will find no one, for I

The two sailors promised to keep strict

| watch, and a moment after disappeared
| from view.

Bob and Dick came out to take a lock
around. But in the increasing darkuess
verv little could be seen.

“T will bring out some lights to aid vs |
icamp, and around the smoldering camp-_

in our work,” said the old inventor. “We
must not lose time, for: somebody living
in the vicinity may become curious to
find out what the light means, and travel
this way to find ont, and I do not want a
soul to see the Wizard.”

The tools were brought out, and at the
last moment several portable
lights were turned on.

he inventor and Bob went to work
with a will, and it was not long before
the job on the outside of the Wizard was
completed.

“Now we will take the lights inside
and go to work there,” said Delvour.
“We are getting along famously.”

“\Vill there be any harm in my going
out?” asked Diek. “I might watch as
well as Longlook and Sehnitz.”

“An excellent plan,” said the old in-
ventor. “And since they are up and down
stream, you might take a look into the
woods. Th re may bea road somewhere,

“T will.
tol, too.”

“Certainly.”

Dick set out a few minutes later. He
traveled directly away from the stream.

He had gone into the forest a distance
of seyeral hundred feet when a faint ery
reached his ears.

He listened intently. Presently the cry
was repeated in a much louder tone,

The voice was that of Schnitz, and it be-
tokened that the sailor was in trouble,

I suppose I might take a pis-

 

CHAPTER XX,

ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
S35
=3OR a moment more Dick hesitated.
. Then grasping his pistol] in his
&) hand, he hurried for the spot from
“ON whence the cries proceeded.

He had gone a distance of fifty feet
when he stepped into a morass and sank
beyond his ankles,

He hurried back out of this and sought
to make a detour.

This was finally accomplished, but con-
siderable time had been lost, and now the
cries had ceased. ~

“T wish I could see where I was going,”
muttered Dick to himself, as he plunged
along. “It’s too confoundedly dark for
anything.”

  

He passed on for another hundred feet, -

and then came to a halt.

It was only from overhead that any-
thing could. be seen; on all sides were
tall trees and thick brush,

“Instead of helping any one, I’ve got-
ten myself into a fine mess,” said the
youth to himself, as he tried in vain to
find an opening through the brush. “The
stream can’t be far off, but I’m so com-
pletely turned around I can’t locate the
direction.”

He tried to hear the sound of the water
tumbling over the stones, but even in
this he was unsuccessful.

Finally, when his patience was ex-
hausted, he began to call out.

His second cry brought an unexpected
answer from the left.

It was the short, shrill bark of a fox,
and a second later the animal passed
Dick and dashed in the brush on the op-
posite side of the opening.

Then came a gun report and a moment.

later the voice of Longlook
“Shoot the rascal, Peter!” yelled the
Yankee. “Don’t let the critter git away !”

“Hi, Longlook, come this way!” cried |

Dick. “Do you hear?”

“Who is thet callin’ ?”

“Dick Morsell.”

“Dick! How the duse did yeou git
here?”

“TI was looking for Schnitz,” explained
Dick, as the Yankee entered the opening.
“T heard him ery for help.”

“Ke went down the stream—not this
way.” 4S =

“Well, which way is down?”

“Come on an’ I’ll show yeou. I calker-
late yeou ain’t ust ter trailin’ through
the brush.” ;

 

 

electric |

|} manded one

| trouble of your lives.”

“T am not.”

“This way. I heard a cry, but made up
my mind it wuz nuthin’ but some birds.”

Longlook led the way, and Dick fol-
lowed closely upon his heels.

Five minutes walk brought them to the
stream, and soon after they came in sight
of the Wizard, which lay like some _ big,
black monster in the darkness.

The trap-door was open, and from the

chisels, showing that the old inventor and
Bob were stil] hard at work.

Passing the electric craft, the Yankee
and Dick made their way along the course
Longlook surmised Schnitz had taken.

A hundred yards were covered when
Longlook suddenly halted and caught
Dick by the arm.

“Hold on!” he wkispered.

“Do you see anything?” asked Dick,
eagerly.

“Yes. Take a look fer yeourself, but
don’t let them see yeou.”

Dick stepped forward and looked over a
nuniber of rocks directly in front.

He saw a typical charcoal-burners’

fire were clustered half a dozen 1ough-
looking men. ; ;

In the midst of the gang lay poor
Schnitz, bound and gagged. That he had
been roughly handled could be seen by
the scratches upon his face, from which
the blocd still flowed.

“Did yer search him well, Bill?” de-
of the charcoal-burners,
turning to his nearest neighbor.

“T did, an’ he wusn’t wuth the knock-
ing over,” growled the fellow adressed.

“How much, Bill?” asked another, ;

“Six dollars an’ a ring that looks more ™
like brass than gold. Also a plug of navy
double thick.” 4

At this statement there was a round of

-oaths from all hands, expressive of the
| disgust felt that. their victim had

not
panned out moreprofitably. .

“Well, better luck with the next feller
we knock over,” remarked Bill, as he
gave Schnitz.a kick with his boot, “I
wonder how this feller got here.”

“Lost his way, most likely,” answered
another. “Wot's ter be did with him?”

An animated discussion followed, and
it was finally decided to tie stones to the
German’s neck and feet and fling him
into the deepest part of the stream.

“An’ if anybody comes nosin’ around for
him, nobody of us everseen him,” grinned
Bill, by way of conclusion. ;

Dick drew Longlook back.

“We must foil these villains,’
said.

“Thet’s true; but wot kin we do? It’s
tew to six, an’ they be mighty powerful
lookin’ critters.”

“Ican’t help that. We must rescue
Sehnitz at all hazards. Will you run
back and inform the others?”

“Do yeou want ter stay here all alone?”

“There is nothing else to do. Tell them
to bring guns, and hurry.”

Longlook sped off as fast as his long
legs could carry him. His hasty depar-
ture caused considerable noise, and one of
the charcoal-burners sprang to his feet
in alarm.

“Wot’s that, fellers?”

“What’s what, Mike?”

“Didn’t yer hear that noise jest now?”

“Wot kind of a noise?”

“Sounded like a feller running away.”

“Maybe that chap had a chum with
him !" exclaimed Bill, as he bounded up.
“We'll take a look around.”

It was too late for Dick to attempt to
retreat. The gang spread itself in
double-quick order, and in less thana
minute’s time the youth was surrounded
by four of the ugliest men he had ever
faced.

“Down him !”

“Don’t give him a chance ter, yell!”

“Slit his throat!” - .

“Fetch him over ter the fire!”

The foremost of the gang advanced to
grab Dick, but started back when he
found ashining pistol-barrel poked under
his nose.

“Keep away!” ordered the youth,
sternly. “Keep away, or somebody will
get badly hurt.”

“Hully-gee!” burst out one of the char-
coal-burners, “Ain't he areg’lar bantam!
Sock him one in the jaw, Jimmy !”

But Jimmy did-not like the looks of
the pistol], and he made no movement
toward carrying out his companion's sug-
gestion. -

“I want you all to let me alone and
leave that man go,” went on Dick, point-
ing to Schnitz. “If‘you nolest either him
or me further ycu will get into the worst

»

he

“Hear him talk!”

“You're too hig for your boots, boy.”

“Ali at him!” doe

A rush was made at the brave youth.
He fired two shots, the first striking Bill
in the arm and the second hitting Jimmy
in the shoulder.

Then he was thrown down, and the en-
tire gang pounced upon him. ,

 

But before they could harm bim a ring-
ing shout was heard from the bushes,

  

 

.
S046

“rood

NEws.

 

“There are the rascals!” came in the
voice of Bob.

“At them!" cried the old inventor.

“Give ‘em Hail Columbia!” yelled
Longlook. pee
: The three new-comers were all armed,

and lost no time in shooting when they
saw how Dick was faring.

The shots did no bodily damage, but
they thoroughly demoralized the charcoal-
burners, who were cowards at heart.

“The police!” cried one.

“Da is goin’ ter wipe us out!”

“We've put our foot inter it, fellers!”

“TLet’s light out!”

No sooner was the last suggestion ut-
tered than every member of the gang be-
gan to retreat.

In three minutes the camp was de-
serted by its owners, and the party from
the Wizard was in complete possession.

Schnitz was quickly released, much to
his satisfaction.

He told how he had been attacked
from the rear, his gun taken from him,
and how the charcoal-burners had threat-
ened to kill him on the spot if he did not
remain silent.

“An’ ven I kept right on hollerin’ da
vos shtuff mine mouth up,” he went on.
“Da vos rascals vot ought ter haf been
hung alreaty !”

“Right yeou air,” said Longlook. “I'm
fer goin’ after ’em an’ teachin’ ’em a les-
son !”

“We cannot do that,” said Delvour.
“Tt would take too much time, and, be-
sides, it might lead to the discovery of
the Wizard by people living in the neigh-
borhood. All we can do is to see if we
ean find anythin’ in camp the value of
what was taken from Schnitz.”

They took a look around, and the Ger-
man sailor appropriated a heavy pair of
boots and an overcoat, as well as a bottle
of whisky. He also smashed up several
articles he felt certain must belong to
Bill, the leader of the gang,

As soon as the party had returned to

the Wizard, the trap was closed and the
engines were set in motion. They soon
arose to an altitude of five hundred feet,
aud then moved onward to the north-
west.
Bob and the old inventor returned to
their work in the engine-room, and by six
o’clock of the following morning the re-
pairs to the machinery were complete,
and the electric craft was as good as _ be-
fore she had been caught in the thunder-
storm,

“But we must look out for such storms
in the future,” said old Delvour. “It is
queer that I did not think to rise above
it. Such a course would have been easy
enough,”

“Well, onecannot think of everything,”
laughed Dick.

Both Dick and Bob never tired of sit-
ting in the pilot-house watching the grand
panorama that was spread out below
them.

“Climbing the mountains doesn’t
bother one when he is in an air ship,
does it?” said Bob, as he leaned back
leisurely. :

“No; and crossing a river is just as
easy,” returned Dick.

“J wonder where we are now?’

“We are right over the heart of the Mo-
hawk Valley,” put in the old inventor.

“There is a railroad and a couple of
trains!” exclaimed Dick, a moment later.

“That is the New York Central Rail-
road. Weare getting well on our way to
Buffalo, and will pass over that city be-
fore night sets in.”

The old inventor had hardly spoken
when Bob gave a loud exclamation of

alarm. ‘

“What is it?” cried Dick and Delvour,
in a voice.

.““A big balloon, and it looks as if it was
going to run right into us!”

Bob was right, Directly in front of the
Wizard was a monstrous balloon, sway-
ing violently in the stiff breeze, The
basket contained two men,

 

CHAPTER XXI.
A HEROIC AND TIMELY DEED.

house of the electric Wizard held

their breath. 3
a It looked almost certain that th
steel craft would rush into the frail bal-
loon and wreck it. In that event the
basket would be torn from its fastenings,
and it would be easy to guess the fate of
the men on board.

They would be hurled to their death
upon the ground and rocks fully a thou-
sand feet below.

“We must dosomething !” gasped Dick,
as he sprang to the whee! and endeavored
to steer to one side.

Bob leaped to his assistance, and to-
gether the brothers handled the spokes as
they had néver been handled before.

But the space between the two air ves-
sels was too smal! to admit of a turning
to one side, and hardly had the two boys
succeeded in getting out of the direct

EP he the instant all in the pilot-

 

course, when a gust of wind carried the
balloon once more directly before them.

Both Dick and Bob gavea groan. The
windows of the pilot-house were closed,
but they could imagine the agonizing
shouts of the two men in the hailoon
basket, as they now waved their arms
wildly.

“Hold fast!” shouted the
loudly. “It’s all right.”

As he spoke, a strange tremor shook the
Wizard from stem to stern. :

This was followed by a downfall that
nearly took the breath out of the boys’
bodies,

Like a flash they sank beneath the bal-
loon, which was left fully two hundred
feet above them.

Old Delvour stood by the button which
connected with the air reservoirs, and
now he shut off the valve once more,

The electric Wizard at once resumed a
stationary position so far as altitude was
concerned. ‘She still rushed forward, but
they had gone under the balloon, which
was left far behind, and all danger was
past. ~
“What did you do?” asked Dick, as
soon as he could regain his breath.

“Let the air in one of the exhausted
chambers,” explained old Delvour,

“Tt was a great thing to do.”

“Té was the only thing to do, for it was
impossible to stop or back in time. But
I am afraid the Wizard cannot stand
such shocks, for she was not built for it.”

“She seems to have stood it all right,”

“We cannot tell that until we examine
the air chambers. The fearful rush of air
into the vacuums may have caused an ex:
plosion and cracked some of the steel
plates. I will examine them later. Now
I wish you two to go down and find out
how Longlook and Schnitz fared by the

inventor,

The two boys went below.

Here-a great surprise awaited them.

Longlook was found unconscious in the
enzgine-room, having been thrown up
against some iron-work by the sudden
shock,

He was quickly revived, and a liberal
potion of good apple cider made the Yan-
kee feel about as well as before.

In the cook-room they found Schnitz,
howling and swearing all to himself.

The cause was very apparent. Schnitz
had been making soup, and when the
shock came it had landed the pot of half-
hot stuff all over his head and shoulders,

Poor Schnitz was soup from hair to
heels, and was vainly trying to clear his
eyes and ears of the greasy stuff. —

“Der deffil take dot electric Vizard!”
he stormed. “I ton’t vos shtay anudder
day on board, py chiminy! I vos most
dead alreaty !”’

“You mustn't mind such trifles, Peter,”
said Dick, who was ready to explode with
laughter.

“Drifles, hey? Did vos a pig ding, ain’t
it? I vos feel chust like I vos come owit
of a fat parrel, alreaty !” ;

“The movement was necessary,” Said
Bob, and he stuffed a handkerchief in
his mouth,

“You dinks it vos necessary, to shpill
dot soup all ofer mine glodes?” demanded
the rutfled German, savagely.

“We had to get out of the way of a bal-
loon,” said Dick, as seriously as he could.
“Tf we had not we would have killed two

n,”

“Oh, dot’s it.” Schnitz was somewhat
molified. “Vell, der next dime you vos
got ter did dot you chust dell me, ain’t

“We will.” c

The boys returned to the pilot-house
and took the wheel, leaving Delvour to
go on a tour of inspection to see if the

izard had sustained any damages.

“Those men in the balloon will have a
sage to tell when they land,” said

tee

“Tt is ten chances to one that no one
will believe them,” returned his. brother.
“Some will say they were scared ee, im-
agining such a craft as the Wizard, and
others willsay the story was made out of
whole cloth.”

“Thet will suit Delvour. He wishes no
outsiders to know of the existence of the
Wizard.” :

“T would like to know if Captain Bar-
bosa and Mitch are really dead,” went on
Bob, after a ea pause, “If they are not,
it is more than likely that they will cause
us trouble in the future.”

“We will have to keep an eye open for-

them.”

On and on went the Wizard, and mile
after mile was covered, They passed over
valleys and mountains and villages, and
at last the sun went down, hiding the
landscape below from sight.

“Not yet in sight of Lake Erie,” said
the old inventor. “But two hours more
will make it.”
are we see Niagara Talls?” asked

ob. “

“We may catch a glimpse of it as we
pass. I do not intend to make any
more stops until we are on our way
through Canada.”

“How about water?”

 

“We will dip that up from the lake as
we go along.”

Supper was soon announced, and the
two boys’ went below. Longlook was

standing around, his head tied up in a

bandage,

“Darn thet bumpin’ I got this after
noon,” he grumbled, “My head aches yit,
most fit ter split.”

“Tt is not likely that we will get any
more of them,” said Dick, cheerfully. “It
is not every day that one meets a bal-
loon.”

“Say, who wuz those fellers in thet air
balloon?” went on the Yankee, curiously.

“Tam sure I don’t know.”

“Did yeou see thar faces plain like?”

“T can’t say that I did.”

“T wuz thinkin’, supposin’ them fellers
war Barbosa and his dirty tool?”

“Barbosa and Mitch!” shouted Bob.
“Oh, it could not be possible!’

“An’ why not? Them fellers, so yeou
say, is out fer business, an’ if they kin
git ter Alaska afore yeou kin, they intend
ter do it.”

“But the wind might not have been
right.”

“T’ve been studyin’ the wind. It blowed
north-west right along up ter four o’clock,
when it shifted directly around.”

“And we met the balloon at qnarter
past four,” mused Bob. ;

“That means that if the balloon went
up before four o’clock it must have started
from the direction we came,” said Dick.

“Say, Bob, was there any name on thaf
balloon?” he went on, suddenly.

“T believe I saw part of a name.”

“How much?”

“T saw iel painted on the side.”

“Then that settles it. Look here.”

Dick pulled from his pocket a dirty
yellow hand-bill.

“Here ’s a bill of the annual fair to be
held at Mineola, Long Island. Among

other attractions it says Professor Ray-
mond will make an ascension in his bal-
loon Ariel on Wednesday and Friday.
To-day is Wednesday.” ~

“And you think——” began Bob.

What Dick thought could not be told
just then, for at that moment a wild and
fearful cry rang through the main cabin,

It came from Schnitz, who was in - the
cook-room.

“Fire! fire!” screamed
“Der Vizard ist on fire!”

Hardly had the cry reached their ears
when a dull explosion was heard, and in-
stantly the cabin and the passage-way be-
yond became filled with thick, black
smoke!

the German.

(TO BE CONTINUED.)
——_—___—_.¢— 9 —-@—_—_——__——__

MY ICE-BOAT VOYAGE.

BY BINNACLE CAPSTAN.

——+

bra HEN you catch me sailing again,
WA fy, where I can’t throw a sounding

lead and get bottom, or see by

blue water that we are off sound-

ings, chew me up and spit me out again!
went up country the other day, to see

a gal cousin of mine, one of the nicest
red-headed crafts that ever sailed in the
sea of beauty, and a sweetheart of hers,
that is fitting out to be a preacher, who
was home on what is called a vacation,
told-me if I’d go with him over to Otasco
Lake, he’d give me a sail on an ice-
boat. ,

Cousin Mary said she’d go along, so
they hitched two colts onto a cutter, and
away we flew over the snow at full ten
knots an hour to the lake.

When we got there, or to a tavern close
by, the horses were put out and we put
in forva hot lemonade and some mince
pie, and then, when we were warmed,
the preacher’s apprentice came in and
told us the ice-boat was reudy.

So we went down tothe edge of’ the
lake, and sure enough there it was, head
to wind, moored to a stump on shore,
with a big main-sail flapping and shiver-
ing in the gale—a great skeleton of a
boat, with no gunwales, no hottom, noth-
ing but ribs and timbers. I didn’t like
the looks of the craft, but when Cousin
Mary nestled down on the gratings in the
stern, I wasn’t coward enough to back
out, so I stowed myself away on the fore-
castle, where I’d have a chance to see
breakers, if any were ahead.

The preacher that was to be took the
tiller, a chap ashore let go the bow-line,
and gave the boat a send off, and away
we flew before the wind. :

Jerusalem! If ever a craft went that
ice-boat did. No log could ever have
rated her speed, She just flew. But all at
onee I spied sommerbing black ahead. I
tried to sing out to the young preacher to

ort his helm, but we was aboard of it
before I could open my mouth, and the
next thing I knew I was averboard, a
going over that ice faster than the wind,
and Cousin Mary right on top of me with
both hands grabbed into my whiskers.

After we had slid about a thousand
fathoms, more or less, we brought up

 

solid in a drift of snow on the far side of
the lake,

I dug out of that as quick as I could,
aud then I saw the ice-boat on its beam
ends, with the preacher-man stuck in the
grating by one leg, and a fat man, big
enough for Barnum’s show, fast by his
waist-band on its bowsprit.

_ Cousin Mary laughed till the tears ran
down her rosy cheeks, and said it was so
funny.

I felt of a bump on the back of my head
as big asa small cocoanut, and asked my-
self where the “fun” came in for me. I
couldn’t see it.

Give me a boat with a tight bottom and
plenty of sea-room, and I’m at home.
But no more ice-boating for me.

—~- 0

THE TERROR OF TOP NOTCH,

ditenipipa

y) > '
a ES, stranger, that gent as jest
/\, passed .on the burro’s Mose

& Meeker, ginerally called Meek
cf’ Moses. He’s the w’ust man to
pull trigger as ever struck Top Notch.
The camp wuz considered a_ pretty
healthy place tell he kem along, but he
started a semmytary in less’n five hours
arter he stfuck the place, Ugly Dave
"tempted to argue a little with Mose,
an’ Mose wound up the argument an’
Ugly at the same time. Since then he’s
ginerally had things pretty much his
own way, fer thar hain’t nobody as durst
try to lay Mose out, an’ thet’s the only
way the place kin git rid o’ him, ’less
he takes it into his head to go out of his
own free will, I wonder whar he got
thet burro he’s ridin’? Never saw him
hev thet critter before.”

We were standing in front of a 1ough
cabin on the outskirts of a small mining-
tuwn in Southern Colorado.

[had paused to make some inquiries
of the man who was leaning against the
side of the open door-way, smoking a
very black clay pipe.

pees I was asking about the place
an
individual, whose face was almost coy-
ered to the eyes by a bushy red beard,
rode past astride a “Colorado Canary” as
the unmusical little burros are some-
times called in the West.

His belt was literally loaded with
weapons of a very deadly sort, and I
made bold to survey him closely and
inquire who he was.

For some reason I felt that the man on
the burro had seen and inspected me,
although he appeared utterly unaware of
my presence when he passed.

“Then this person is not so meek as
his name would seem to imply?” E
laughed.

“Meek!” blurted the man with the
pipe. “Thet’s jest a way the men down
at the camp hev o’ twistin’ names
about Now, my name back in the
States, wuz Luther Grimes, an’ I will be
honest enough to admit thet I’m about
the laziest man as ever crawled about on
two legs. I jest nacherly despise work
of enny kind, an’ the men all know it.
Feller might ’spect they’d call me Lazy
Luther, but they don’t do nothin’ o’ the
kind. ’Stead o’ thet, they call me Lively
Lute. Never know jest how yer namé
will be twisted out here.”

{could not refrain from smiling a bit
at the man’s honesty in admitting his
natural slothfulness, but I was. still
more amused by the fact that he ap-
eared to regret that he was called
uively Lute instead of Lazy Luther.

I next asked if he knew some people in
that vicinity by the name of Neble—an
old man and his daughter.

“Know ’em?” repeated my_ informant,
in mild surprise. “Wal, Ish’u’d say I
did. Ole Ike Noble lives in the next
cabin up the trail, an’ his darter lives
thar with him. The ole man’s well fixed,
an’ he’s got ever’thing ’vested in land.
He might sell w’at he’s got ter-morrer
an’ hev more money than he c’u’d spend
the rest o’ his nacheral life. But he’s
cranky, an’ rayther likes ter live all
alone out hyer with his gal, what is

 

one o’ the dangdest best-lookin’ pieces:

o’ the feminine animal you ever did

see,

This bit of information startled and
amazed me, for I had not the least idea
that handsome Fanny Noble’s father was
anything but a common miner, who had
just enough of :the “needful” to keep

himself and his only child comfortably
in their rude home.

I had met Miss Noble while she was

visiting her cousin in Iowa six months .

before my appearance in Top Notch, and
but for hor I should never have made
that journey to Colorado, which came
very near: being a trip to death, as the
reader will learn. :

It is not necessary to explain that I
was deeply in love with Fanny Noble.

“Yes, Ole Noble lives next cabin up
the trail,” repeated Lute, as he ren oved
his pipe from between his teeth and
gazeé curiously at me. “Know him?”

the people, an angular, raw-boved,

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“No,” I replied; “but Iam acquainted
with Miss Fanny.” -

My informant partially closed both
eyes and pursed up his mouth enough to
produce a long low whistle, which
seemed to indicate that he had suddenly
comprehended the situation.

He shook his head a little and smiled |

faintly, as he said: : :

“So thet’s the way the cat jumps?
Reckon you must hev seen the gal w’en
she wuz East. But let me tell you, young
feller, you’ve made an awful mistake in
comin’ out hyer to see her. In the fust
place, Ole Noble is death on the fellers

w’at come arter his gal; an’ in the sec-)

ond place, Meek Moses has ’ lected hisself
ter guard that piece o’ femininity. He
wuz most likely comin’ frum thar jest
now. He’s clean smashed onto the gal,
an’ he’s the only galoot as kin come
shinin’ round her ’thout the ole man
gits arter ’em with a gun.”

“But you do not mean to gay that
Fanny and her father recognize that—
ithat—ruffian asa suitor for her hand?”
cried, in horror. “It cannot bel” —

“P’r’aps ’tain’t jest thet,” admitted
‘Lute, restoring the pipe to his mouth
‘and speaking with a lazy drawl while
ihe held it between his teeth and puffed
out a whiff of smoke now and then.
“But, ye see, both the gal an’ the ole
man are kinder grateful like to Mose, fer
fhe foun’ an’ saved her arter she hed bin
lost fer three days in the mountains, an’
Noble wuz jest about clean erazy with
grief, hey do say thet the ole man
hugged Mose w’en he fotched the gal
back to the cabin, an’ the wust-man in
"Top Notch hes bin a reg’ lat waar”. welcome
vis’ter thar ever since. Ever*body ’dinits
ez how Mose is jest crazy in “lové’ with
the gal, an’ she seems ter think purty
much o’ him fer all o’ his roughness an’
general cussedness. Gals are queer
things,” :

“It can be nothing but gratitude,” I
said.

“Dunno 'bout thet,” with a queer smile
anda knowing wink. “But let me tell
you, stranger, ef you’ve come hyer to
court thet thar gal, you’re goin’ to hev
an all-fired warm time of it. In the
fust place, thar’s her dad, an’ he’s an
old varmint; then, in the next place,
thar’s Meek Moses, an’ he’s wuss’n
p'izen. Ten chances to one thetef ye
escape the ole man, Mose he’ll hev yer
skelp. I ’dvise ye to turn tail an’ git
out o’ this part o’ the kentry jest ez fast
ez thet thar hoss’ll kerry ye.”

“Lam much obliged for your advice,”
said I, grimly, as I swung into the sad-
dle; “but Iam notthe kind of a man
who is frightened so easily. While I do
mot desire any trouble with Mr. Mose
M.eker, I shall not hide if he comes after
me with blood in his eye and a gun in
his hand.”

I fancied :I detected a gleam of satis-
faction in Lute’s. eyes, but he shook his
head gravely. ;

“Yer pluck is all right, pard, but I
wouldn’t give much fer yer jedgment.
Goin’? Wal, good-day.”

[ bade him good-day and rode onward
ap the trail, my mind being in anything
but a pleasant state.

I had not come to Colorado to fight the
worst ruffian of Top Notch, but I judged
from what [ had been told that if I re-
mained in town and paid parsicular at-
tention to Fanny Noble [I should surely
have trouble with Meek Moses. |

Far from being a dead-shot with a re-
volver, I seldom carried such a weapon,
having found those which nature gave
me all that I needed thus far in life.

But [I had heard the saying that a man
might never want a pistol in the West,
but if he ever did want one, he was apt
to want it bad.

My reflections were soon ended by the
appearance of a cosy, vine-covered cabin,
nestling at the foot of a steep slope.

Mv heart gave a great leap as I per-
ceived a graceful female figure standing
in the open door-way, with the light of
the declining sun falling on her golden
hair.

It was Fanny. ;

I will not attempt to describe the joy
and amazement of that meeting.

As Lheld,her dear hand in mine, her
blue eyes told me more than her lips ut-
tered, just then. ©

[ had promised that I would come to
her, but now know how she feared
I would fail to do so.

I am sure that I should have clasped
her in my arms and kissed her on the
spot—the spot heing her pretty red lips—
had I not detected a warning glance and
caught a glimpse of a grey-bearded old
man who was watching us_ sharply
within the cabin. :

When the-first delight of the meeting
was over, and I had excused my presence
by a cleverly arranged fiction spoken ex-
pressly for Isaac Noble’s ears, I tethered
my horse and followed Fanny into the
cabin, ¢

Her father had not risen from the chair
in which he was seated when I first ap-
peared at the door, but when she intro

‘
‘

    

See leg POEL

duced me he got up, gazing very keenly
into my face, and extended his hand with
a rather gruff:

“Howdy do, stranger? Hev a cheer.”

This greeting from him did not chill
me, however, as I had been prepared for it.

A glance showed me that the cabin was
divided into two rooms, but I was sur-
prised by the coziness of the interior.

The touch of a tasteful woman’s hand
was visible all around, and far from _ be-
iing like most Western huts, a mere
hovel, it was pleasant and home-like.

I will not repeat our conversation,
which was desultory enough, and would
be of no particular interest, if given.

Fanny’s father did not leave us alone
together for an instant, and he took an
active part in the talk, seeming quite de-
sirous of knowing all about me and my
business.

Fanny herself was nervous and ill at
ease, but I imagined that I understood
the situation quite well, and was not
surprised when she failed to ask me to
put my horse in the shed behind the
cabin and stay with them that night.

However, I remained till after the sun
had set and the shadows of night were
beginning to thicken.

Then Mr. Noble arose, observing:

“Wal, young feller, it’s gittin’ dark,
an’ Top Notch’s a good mile away. The
trail ain’t enny too plain, and you might
lose yer way in the night.”

I smiled to myself, and I fancy that
Fanny’s face grew very red, but I could
not see it because of the shadows,

She found a chance to whisper:

“TI will see you to-morrow at nine. Ride
out of camp by the west trail, and wait
for me by the fallen pine.”

‘Our hands met, and I gave hers a warm
pressure, which was.returned; then, with
a pleasant good-night, I left the cabin,
feeling sure that my journey had not
been for naught.

SoonI was riding down the trail toward
Top Notch.

With some surprise I noticed that my
horse limped a little, and seemed
strangely unfamiliar.

But my mind was too full of pleasant
emotions to think much of such minor
matters.

Suddenly a man sprang out from the
darkness at the side of the trail and
caught the horse by the bit.

“Hole on hyer!” he growled. “I reckon
you’re the man I’m lookin’ arter.”

An angry exclamation broke from my
lips, for I felt that 1 was confronted. by
a robber; but the rough voice assured me
that I was mistaken.

“IT don’t want yer money, young feller;
but I’m hyer ter give ye a leetle ’dvice.
I’m Mose Meeker, Ever hear 0’ me?”

With amazement, and, it must be con-
fessed, a thrill of dread, I acknowledged
that I had.

“Wal, then, you prob’ly know I'm a
monstr’us bad man. Down in Top Notch
I’m called a big chief, an’ thar don’t no-
body durst say his soul’s his own when
(’m about. I’d ez lief kill a man ez down
a horn o’ whisky. I've bin the fust ter
start asemetary in ‘leven diffrunt towns;
includin’ Top Notch. Now w’at I want
to say to you is this:

“Hf you hev enny desire to live to a good
old age, you want to git out o’ Top Notch
jest ez fast ez hoss-flesh ’ll kerry ye.
You hev come hyer to spoon with Miss
Fanny, but [’ll kill ye afore ye shell hev
her! Thet’s all, Go!”

He released the bit, and struck the
horse a cut with his open hand that sent
the animal down the trail at a hobbling
gallop. ;

I was furious, but I resolved not to be
frightened away by the ruffian.

I resolved to purchase a revolver and
stay and fight it out, if fight I must,
That night my dreams were of the gir]
I loved, but each time I tried to clasp
her in’ my arms her witching face
changed to, the scowling visage of the
ruffian Meek Moses.

It was a relief when morning came to
‘banish the horrible phantasms.

I ate a hearty breakfast ,and went out
in front of the hotel to enjoy a cigar,

The usual crowd of loafers was col-
lected, but to my relief I saw nothing of
Meek Moses. :

My watch told me that it was yet three
hours before nine. !

I was impatient for the time to pass.

At eight I sent word to the stable for
my horse, and, as I had vaid my bill at
the hotel for several days in advance, the
animal was promptly brought. s

But, in the meantime, three men rode
excitedly into camp, and soon had an
eager crowd collected around them.

One of the men seemed quite furious
about something, and I caught the words
“stole,” “taken last night,” “best hoss I
had,” and more of a similar import.

The crowd of listeners became very ex-
cited, and loudly spoken threats came to
my ears.

“Here’s yer hoss, pard,” I suddenly
heard. !

“Why, that isn’t my animal!” I ex-
claimed.

 

 

 

“It’s the one ye left last night,” de-
clared the hostler.

One of the men who had just ridden
into town now urged the animal which
he bestode forward, crying in triumph:

“Blame if that hain’t my hoss!”

Then Meek Moses appeared on the spot,
as if by magic, and pointing his finger
accusingly at me, he shouted:

“ An’ thar’s the hoss-thief, Dan Nason !”

I shall never forget the scene that fol-
lowed,

There was a moment of silence, then
one savage roar broke from the entire

jcrowd, and they surged toward me ina
; mass, yelling:

“Lynch him! Lynch him !” »

prehended my danger, I was roughly
seized and dragged along the street in
the midst of the frenzied mob.

When my danger dawned upon me, I
began struggling like a madman, surging

cent—fighting for life. But I was like an
infant in the hands of that mob.

In a few seconds I found myself be-
neath a tree with a noose around my
neck.

“Three minutes ter say yer pra‘rs !”

I heard the words like one in a dream,

In three minutes I would be launched
into eternity !

I was standing face to face with an ig-
nominious death.

My blood seemed turned to ice.

My eyes roved helplessly over the mass
of anger-darkened faces, and on not one
could I see a look of pity.

On the outskirts of the crowd stood
Meek Moses, and as his eyes met mine,
he actually grinned with triumph, and
winked in a most maddening manner.

Then my passion broke forth.

is some of your work—I know it!
hands are stained with the blood of your
fellow-men, but you shall answer for
your crimes at the Judgment Bar! There
is a just Heaven who sees and knows all
things, and which will call you to ac-
count!”

Then came a clatter of hoofs and a fem-
inine ery of horror.

The next moment Fanny Noble was
trying to reach my side; but firm hands
kept her back,

I saw she would not succeed in reach-
ing me before the three minutes had ex-
pired. The thought of what I was losing
—something dearer than life—filled me
with a feeling indescribable.

It seemed as if my heart was eae

The horrified girl saw that she could
not reach my side, and then I saw her
leap from the horse and seize Mose
Meeker by the arm.

I could not hear her words, but I saw
- change come over the face of the ruf-
jan.

Her face was eclose.,to his, and she
seemed to be pleading with all the power
of her soul,

But time was flying,

The man with the watch closed it with
a snap, Saying, grimiy:

“Time’s up!”

“Hole on thar!”

It was Meek Moses’ voice, and the big
fellow made his way through the crowd,
thrusting the men to the left and right.

He quickly reached my side, cut the rope
above my head, and released my hands.

“This feller is innercent” he cried. “TI
stole Dan Nason’s hoss an’ changed with
the stranger las’ night arter dark. I am
the man ye want.”

There was a low murmur of amaze-
ment, followed by a swelling roar that
was terrible in its import.

I felt myself thrust aside likea feather.

It seemed that the blood-thirsty gang
was delighted to exchange me for the
man who had terrorized the town so long.

I knew that I was saved, and Meek
Moses was doomed.

* * * * * *

It is wonderful what an _ influence
woman can wield over man, |

Moses Meeker hated me most intensely,
but he loved Fanny Noble.

When she entreated him to save me,
declaring that she would kill herself if I
was hanged, ruffian though he was, he
put himself in my place and suffered the
fate that came so near being mine.

Yet he was as innocent as I.

Six months later, Manuel Garcia, a
Mexican, was mortally wounded in a
bar-room encounter, and before he died
he confessed that he stole Dan Nason’s
horse,

The animal fell lame, and he quietly
exchanged with me while I was within
Tsaac Noble's cabin.

In the darkness I did not notice the
difference,

It was not such a very hard matter to
secure Mr. Noble’s consent to his
daughters marriage with me, for,
strangely enough, he seemed to Jike me,
and realized that he conld not live long
enough to take care of his child.

Indeed, he lived less than a year after

 

we were nnited for life.

I was appalled, and before I fully com- |

right and left, shouting that I was inno- |

He sleeps in a quiet grave within the
shadow of the snow-capped Rockies,

Whenever Fanny and I visit the spot,
we do not forget another grave, at the
head of which stands a pure white marble
shaft, bearing these words:

“MOSES MEEKER,
“Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged.”

EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT, |

    
  
  
    
   
   
  
  
  
 
  
  
    
   
   
      
   
  
    
  
   
 

 

 

~~

¥ ;
{IMporTanr.—This coluam is /reeto all our re ers. |
We will not be esponsi tin for transactions ee
about through notices in this column. All offers must
be strictly exchange offers. We will not insert any
“for sale advertisements, nor exchanges of fire-arnis,,
explosives, dangerous or worthless articles. If exchange
notices do not eee in a-reasonable time, it aay te
understood that they were not accepted. Address a
communications for this: cozuun to “Exehanwe Le. =

partment.”}

Pak eel al steel

ae.

paw

— fe ee

MISCELLANEOUS.—John Mellen, 78 Reynolds
Arcade, Rochester, N. Y., has a large lot of articles
to exchange forrelics and curios of any kind, no
matter what they are. Please send list at once
and receive his.

TYPEWRITER, ETC.—G. M. Laubshire, Tock-
Box 964, Port Jervis, N. ¥., has a first-class ty pe-
writer, a mimeograph, a camera and outfit, and
other articles to the value of $200 to exchange sep.
arately or collectively for a printing press and out.
fit, or for a press alone. Will give good exchange
for type and printers’ material,

INDIAN RELICS, ETC.—John F. Bowen, Box
62, Tuk a, Miss., has rare Indian relics, books, and a
typewriter, cost $15, to exchange tor best offers in
canceled Columbian stamps. Stamps above 2e.
preferred.

MAGAZINES.—Chas. H. Simison, Box 53, Staun-

ton, Illinois, has magazines to exchange for voys’
papers.
SWORD AND PAPERS.—W, R. Tucker, 820
Central ave., Newport, Ky., has a fine steel sword
and boys’ papers to exchange for U. S. or good
foreign stamps, or anythine “useful,

TYPEWRITER, ETC.—L. E. Moore, Moorefield,
Ark., has a magic lantern with 24 Views, a type-

 

“You inhuman devil!” I shouted, “this |
Your |

| Columbian stamp sent, or best offer in stamps.

 

writer, 25 ten cent libraries, 17 histories of noted
men and women, paper-bound books, 150 foreign
stamps, and 2 wire puzzles, worth $8 or $10, to ex-
change for printing press.

MAGIC LAN TERN.—Abe Herbst, 1641 Madison
ave., New York city. will give a magic lantern for
$1, $2, and $3 Columbian Stamps; willalso. give a
foreign stamp worth 25 cents for every 50 cent

    
 
   
       
     
  
     
    
    
 
   
    
  
   
  
  
   
  
  
   
  
   
   
  
  
 
  
   
  
  
   
   
   
   
  
   
    
   
 
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
 
    
 
  
  
    
  
   
   
    

WATCH, VIOLIN, EWC. — Paul Keystrom,
Maiden Rock, Pierce County, Wis., has a Silver
watch and a violin, value $10 each, to exchange for
a good camera, also books for a cheap caniera,

STAMPS.—Herbert E.Kelley, Niles, Cal., wishes
to exchange stamps with collectors, by means of —
sheets, having 900 to 2,000 varieties. ‘All lette
answered, - a

PAPERS,—L. D. Angell, 1907 Westminster street
Providence, R. T., has 36 story papers toexchange _
for & camera and outfit, Lot of other reading
ter for offers. \

NOVELS.—C. 8. Vedder, Schulenburg, 1
has five and ten cent novels to exchange for sa
Send your list and receive his in return.

NOVELS.—J. W. Goodwin, 1100 Pulman Place,
Wilmington, Del., will give 10c, worth of novels
in very good condition for every 10 Columbian 3c.
stamps; 25c. worth for every 20 Columbian 8c; 20¢
worth for rere: 10 Columbian 6. or 8e. ; 50e, worth
for every 20 Columbian 6c. or 8c. Ice skates. draw-
ing instruments, ‘etc., for al] Columbian Stamps (2¢
excepted) envelopes, and newspaper wrappers

_PROGRAMMES.—1. E, Stokes, 801 Summit ave.,
East St. Lonis, 11l., would like to hear from all
persons interested in collecting theater pro-
grammes. Allletters answered.

MISCELLANEOUS,— Robert L. Stephens, Dan-
ville, I}1., has fossils, minerals, 20 twenty-five cent
novels, pretty cigarette albums, rare foreign
stamps, 3c. periodicals, ete., for foreign, Confeder-
ate, Columbian and other U. S. postage stamps.

STAM PS.— Eugene Balz, 4118 Prairie avenue, St,
Louis, Mo., will give 1 foreign stamp for every | or
2c. stamp of the Columbian issue, or 1 story paper
for évery ten 1 and 2c. stamps.

PRINTING OUTFIT.—E. T. Bemis, 515 Kast
Second street, Duluth, Minn., has a self-inking
oe press, chase 4}sx6 with 8 fonts of type. and

cases, toexchange for a collection of stamps of not
less thanel,500 varieties,

STORY PAPERS.—Lewis B. Shaul, Richfield
Springs, N. Y., has story yapers to exchange for
best offer in theatrical goods, :

BOYS’ PAPERS —August Dupont, Derinda Cen-
ter, Ill., has 117 numbers of boys’ papers. and sev-
eral books, to’ exchange for useful articles ; hooks
preferred, No stamps or cigarette pictures wanted.
Send list. f

PICTURES.—William Slocum, Box 133, Long
Branch City, N. J., has 10 cigarette pictures or 2
novels for every 10 varieties of stamps; stamps for
stam ps.

MISCELLANEOUS.—V. A. Biggs, Box 147, Pat-
chogue, L I., N. Y., has a scroll saw, snap-shot
camera, desk, books, and other articles to exchange
for sportsman’s goods, ‘

MISCELLANEOUS.— Charles W. Simison, Box
53, Staunton, Tll., has boys’ papers, 40 5c. novels, $3
worth of novels above 10c., fountain pen, ete, to
exchange for printing type, complete fonts only,
leads, lines, ete. Good exchange for inking roller
or printers’ stick. <All letters answered.

NOVELS.—Will Gillilan, Viola, Linn Co.. Towa,
will exchange 5, 10, 20, and 25c. novels in g00d con-
dition, for others.

ENVELOPES.—Herbert ©. Gallatin, 1624
Seventh street, N. W., Washington, D. C., will
give one 8c. War Department envelope, uncanceled,
for every 15. 30, or 50c. Columbian stamp, or will
give 1 envelope for every 6 and 8¢. Columbian
stamp. Department stamps to exchange. All
parties having high value Columbians to exchange,
please write.

PAPERS.—S IL. Cronin, Hartford City, Ind.,
has boys’ papers to exchange for stamps or best
offer, or will give a paper for every 8c, Columbian
stamp.

PLATING OUTFIT.—H. E. Victor, Chrisman
TH., has.a plating outfit with gasoline stove to ex-
change for aninenbator or a.camera and outtit.
Has a lot of other articles to exchange.

—--—__—.

   
  
  

    
       
      
      
  

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of members toali joining. Membership ecard will
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NEWS.

 

 

  
    

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ISSUED WEEKLY.

 

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STREET & SMLTIVS GOOD NEWS,
29 & 31 Rose Street, N.Y.

 

Back numbers of GOOD NEWS can always be
obtained from your Newsdealers. If they do not
have them please send direct to this office and we
will supply them by mail on receipt of price.

 

 

It is assumed that contributions wmracconipanied
with staped envelopes to guarantee their retin |
af wiiused, are not reyiurded by their writers as |
worth reeoveriig. “Good News” cannot under |
talce to send back such nuouscripts,

 

 

Advertising rates, 50 cents per agate line,

 

 

Contents of this Number.
SERIAL STORIES.
“Won at West Point,” by Lieut. Lionel

Lounsberry.
eling for Fortune,”

 

 

“Whe

‘dward Stratemeyer.
SHORT STORIES,

‘A Narrow Escape,” by W. B., Lawson.

“The Tramp at Romer's,” by Joe Ran-
some.

‘Killing a Brigand,” by H. C. Black.

‘My Ice-Boat Voyage,” by Binnacle Cap-
stan.

“The Terror of Top Notch.”

“A Big Thing,” by Max Adeler.

REGULAR DEPARTMENTS.

“Short Talks With the Boys” on ‘Trades,
Professions, and Business Pursuits,
by Arthur Sewall.

“Exchange Departinent.”

‘“Ticklets,” by Chas. W. Foster.

“Mail Bag.”

“Puzzle Corner.”

“Short Stops.”

Miscellaneous Jtems, ete.
a a sh ae

IN OUR NEXT.

In No. 192 (out next week), we shall offer
_to our numerous readers the opening in-|
- stallment of

11G-IAG, THE BOY GONJURER:

Life On and Off The Stage.

By VICTOR ST. CLAIR,
Author of **The Young Stone-Cutter.”

Who does not love to push aside the
curtain, and look upon’the mysteries of the
stage ? og ;

And who does not long to understand
some of the marvelous performances of the
conjurer as he appears before the foot-lights
and executes his astounding tricks ?

_ Zie-Zaa, ran Boy Consurer, will let you
into the secret.

Do not fail to read the opening install-

‘ment next week.
nn
No. 194 will contain the opening chapters
of Wirnri1am Murray Graypon’s mid-winter
serial. Full particulars next week,

 

 

 
   
 
     
  
   
   
 
    
 
 

  

|

A BIG THING.

ah i eachins

BY MAX ADELER.

™ ‘ .
NE day while Colonel Bangs was

& sitting in the office of the Argus,
writing an editorial about “Our

4A” Grinding Monopolies,” he sud-
denly becaine conscious of the presence
of a fearful smell. He stopped, snuffed
the airtwo or three times, and at last
lighted a cigar to fumigate the room.
Then he heard footsteps upon the stairs,

{and as they drew nearer the smell grew

stronger. When it had reached a degree
of intensity that caused the colonel to
fear that it might break some of the
furniture, there was a knock at the door,
Then a man entered with a bundle under
his arm, and as he did so the colonel
thought that he had never smelt such a
fiendish smell in the whole course of his
life. He held his nose, and when the man
saw the gesture, he said:

“TI thought so; the usual effect. You
hold it tight while I explain.” :

*“Whad hab you god in thad buddle?”
asked the colonel.

“That, sir,” said the man, “is Barker’s
Carboliec Disinfecting Door Mat. I am
Barker, and this is the mat. 1 invented
it, and it’s a big thing,”

“Is id thad thad smells so bad?” asked
the colonel, with his nostrils tightly shut.

“Yes, sir; smells very strong, but it’s
a healthy smell. It’s invigorating, It
braces the system. I'll tell you——”

“Gid oud with the blabed thig!” ex-
claimed the colonel.

“TI must tell you about it first. I called
to explain it to you. You see, I’ve been

| investigating the causes of epidemic dis-

eases. Some scientists think they are
spread by molecules in the air; others
attribute them to gases generated in the
sewers; others hold that they are con-
veyed by contagion; but I——”
“Aid you goig to tague thad idfernal
thig away frob here?” asked the colonel.
“But I have discovered that these dis-
eases are spread by the agency of door
mats. Do you understand. Door mats!
l_ explain to you how it’s done.
‘man who’s’been in a house
s disease. He gets it on his
ather is porous, and it be-
ed. He goes to another
es his boots on the mat.
n who uses that mat must
sf some he stuff on his boots, and
spreads it over every other door mat that
he wipesthem on. Now, don’t he?”
“Why dode you tague thad sbell frob

 
 

)

     

| udder by dose?”

“Well, then, my idea is to. construct a
door mat that will disinfect those boots.
I doit by saturating the mat with car-
bolic acid and drying it gradually. I
have one here, prepared by iny process.
Shall I unroll it?”

“Tf you do I'll blow your. braids oud!”
shouted the colonel.

“Oh, very well, then. Now, the objec-
tion to this beautiful invention is that it
possesses a very strong and positive

odor.
“T’ll bet it does,” said the colonel.
“And as this is offensive to many per-
sons, I give to each purchaser a ‘nose-
guard,’ which is to be worn upon the
nose while in a house where the carbolic
mat is placed. This nose-guurd is filled
with a substance which completely neu-
tralizes the smell, and 1t has only one
disadvantage. Now, what is that?”
“Are you gvuing to quid and led me
breathe, or are you going to stay here all
day log?”
“Have patience, now, I’m coming to
the point. I say, what is that? It is
that the neutralizing substance in the
nose-guard evaporates too quickly. And
how do I remedy that? I give to every
man wh: buys a mat and a nose-guard
two bottles of ‘neutralizer.’ What it is
composed of is a secret. But the bottles
are to be carried in the pocket so as to be
ready for every emergency. The disad-
vantage of this plan consists of the fact
that the neutralizer is highly explosive,
and if a man should happen to sit down
on a bottle of it in his coat-tail pocket
suddenly, it might hist him through the
roof. But see how beautiful my scheme

Ss. :

“Oh! aid you ever goig to quid?”

“See how complete it is. By paying
twenty dollars additional, every man
who takes a mat has his life protected
in the Hopelessly Mutual Accident In-
surance Company, so that it really makes
no great difference whether he is busted
eegeae the shingles or not, Now, does

“Oh, dode ask me, I dode care a ced
abound id adyway.”

“Well, then, what I want you to do is
to give me a first-rate notice in your
pone describing the invention, giving
he public some general notion of its
merits. and recommending its adoption
into general use. You give mehalf a
column puff, and I'll make the thing
square by leaving you one of the mats,

 

with a couple of bottles of the neutral-
izer and a nose-guard. I'll leave them
HOW cs

“Whad d’you say?”

“T say [’ll just leave you a mat and the
other fixings for you to look over at your
leisure.”

“You biserable scoudrei! if you lay wod
ob those blasted thigs dowd here I'll bur-
der you od the spod! -I wode stad such
foolishness.”

“Won’t you notice it, either?”

“Certaidly nod, I woulded do id for ted
thousad dollars a lide.”

“Well, then, let it alone; and I hope
one of those epidemic diseases will get
you and lay you up for life.”

As Mr. Barker withdrew, Colonel
Bangs threw up the windows, and after
eatching his breath, he called down
stairs to a reporter:

“Perkins, follow that man and hear
what he’s got to say, and then blast him
in a column of the awfullest black guard-
ism you know kow to write.”

Perkins obeyed orders, and now Barker
has a libel suit pending against the Argus.
>

Q \iapp TALKS
OORT eave

a ieee

 

BY ARTHUR SEWALL.

 

eines

C. J. 8., New London, Conn., writes: “I am
eighteen years old, and would like to become uw
lawyer, but I cannot afford to work for nothing,
as | hear most of the boys have todo. J am a
graduate of the grammar school, and T think I
would like that profession. What do you think
ofmy writing? Lam not very rugged. I weigh
110 pounds, and am five feet four inches in
height. Can you tell me a trade which you
think would he good tor me to work at? What
wages do you think [ ought to get ina store as
clerk? Ihave been in the store eight months.”

While it is true that the majority of
boys in lawyers’ offices get little or noth-
ing for their services, there are a few
whose wages are sufficiently large to sup-
port them. if you could strike such a
position it would be best for you, as you
would undoubtedly take to the profes-
sion.

But, if you cannot gain such a position,
do not be disheartened. See if you cannot
obtain employment at something else
during the day, and then take up a thor-
ough and comprehensive course of even-
ing studies. By this means you may be
able to fit yourself for advanced work in
a lawyer’s office, which will pay suffi-
ciently large to warrant you in making
a change to it.

For trades that are good, we refer to

other answers printed from week to
week. Your handwriting is very good.
E. M., Omaha, Neb., writes: “I am fifteen

years of age, five feet seven inches tall, and
weigh 135 pounds. [am desirous of learning
the machinist’s trade. What books would you
advise me to read, and what is the best way to
learn the trade ?”

The best way to learn the machinist’s
trade is to go into a machine-shop and
go to work. Books will help you, but
they will no more turn you into a good
machinist than reading about violin play-
ing will transform you into a player.
Books will teach you the theoretical side
of the trade, and give you hints you will
find useful, but the real, practical side
car only be learned by actually working
at the bench, Piet

For a list of books on the machinist’s
trade, consult any first-cla-s bookseller.
The current issues of the machinist trade
journals will also help you.

P.V. H., Virginia, 11., writes: “‘T am eighteen
years old, and strong, and healthy. T have a
righ-school education, and have worked three
summers at the carpenter trade, but T have no
taste for it. Tam thinking seriously of study-
ing architecture. or applying for an entrance
to West Point. I*have good political backing.
What would you advise me to do?”

What you should do depends altogether
upon your tastes. There is a great differ-
ence between being an architect and go-

ing to West Point.

As we have said a number of times, the
calling of an architect is a good one; the
work is clean and healthy, and the pay
is above the ordinary.
polte to West Point is quite another
thing. To pass the examination you must
have not only a “political pull,” but you
must also be strong and healthy and up
to the requirements in studies.

J, 1. 8., Mill City, Colorado, writes : “T have
a good education, and although Tam two years
younger than any one else in the class, T stood
at its head, with the highest general average.
T know quite a bit about electricity, and of al
things that [love to do, electrical experiments
are my delight. I spend all of my spare time
in studying it, and the more [ study it the more

T like if. [am now learning telegraphy. [have :
and I be- j

read your “l'alks’ about telegraphy,
lieve you are about right, How would this

 

strike you—telegraph operator (so as to be sure
of an income, as I will soon have my mother to
support) and general electrician ? ILhave never
been beaten in debates, and have a nkiug for
any side of a question, so as to get Up an argu-
ment. Would you advise me to be a lawyer?
(I haven’t any capital, and my friends are
peaceful, and’ don’t need any law.) From my
teachers and professor I receive encourage-
pe to go to college, and get all the education

can. I know this would be a good plan. How
would it be to teach school in winter and finish
my education in the summer vacations? After
I get ny education finished, they want me to be
a professor. But I am very quick-tempered,
and haven’t much patieuce with anybody, and
so I do-not know how it would go with the
scholars, but l expectit would go pretty lively.
Will you advise me ¢”

We like the tone of your letter, It
shows that you have original ideas, and
mean to try your best to “get there,” no
matter how difficult the struygle may be-
come,

We think on the whole that you had
better stick to telegraphy, using your
spare time in studying electricity, so
that later on you may branch out as a
full-fledged electrician. This is compar-
atively a new branch, and the openings
are more numerous than in other lines,

J.A.C., Randleman, N. €., writes: “I am
seventeen years old, and am staying in the
store of my father. I don’t Jike. the business.
Would like to go on the railroad as newsboy,
and would like to have your advice about the
matter.”

Newsboys on trains do not, as a rule,
make much, and such a position is not
one in which advancements are readily
made, Besides this, the work is hard_and
the hours long. You had better remain
with your father until your can obtain
something more advantageous than sell-
ing papers and magazines on the rail-
roads.

CONSTANT READER} Waltham, Mass., writes:
“T am now going to the high school, but when
I finish, I shall have to goto work. My ambition
is to become a marine architect. J am an ex-
cellent drauglitsman, both free-hand and me-
ehanical; can design and make model yachts;
can make canoes, both for river and coast,
Which offers the greatest scope, ship or yacht
designing? I have plenty of grit, determina-
tion, and patience.”

Your idea of becoming a marine archi-
tect isan excellent one, and we would
advise you to stick to it. We believe gen-
eral ship designing is better than turn-
ing ones sole attention to yacht models,
although there is sometimes big money
in this branch of the profession. If you
have, as you aver, grit and patience, you
ought in due time make a_success of
whatever you undertake.

J. P., Chieago, writes: “I have a good gram-
mar-schoo] education, and my object is to learn
a trade. The trades I would like are either
electrical, mechanical, or stationary engineer-
ing: As my ears are not very strong, I think I
would not take up the work of a mechanical
engineer, because in the shop there is always
so much noise made by hammering rivets, and
I think if I should work there I might become
deaf. I therefore ask you to kindly tell me
which trade you would think would be best for
me to learn; and-tell me if any of these trades
are unhealthy trades, and the wages these
tradesmen receive.” -

You might take up electrical or civil
engineering with equal advantage. We
would advise you, being defective in
hearing, to leave all shop work alone,
The callings are healthy and the pay is
from fifteen dollars per week up.

I. 8., Asheville, N. C., writes: “What do you
think of the chances of a boy fifteen years of
age, rather tall, good, strong, healthy, and hon-
est, having a good education; and of another
boy the same as above, only he is eighteen
years old, but wants to work ina machine-shop,

in your city, or in any other city? The former

boy woud prefer minstrel of other kind of
show.” ;

We think that the chances of the boy
who wishes to become a machinist are a
thousand per cent, better then those of
the chap. who has a longing to join a
minstre! or any other kind of show.

‘The stage is a delusion to the great
majority. They do not understand that it
demands talent and hard work in order
to secure success. Where one succeeds, a
hundred fail, and often the successful
one fails to make more than an ordinary
living.

G. G. C., Chicago, Tll., writes: ‘Will you
please tell me what I can learn for my trade? I
ain working now for a telegraph company, and
vet $15 a month. IT wonld like to become a sailor.
Please tell me what the pay is at the start, and
where Tl could learn.”

Our first advice to you is to give up al
ideas of a sailor’s life. Sailing the briny
deep is all well enough in romance, but
in reality it is a hard life with very poor
pay. Whatever you do, remain on shore.
As to trades, there are a hundred and one
to choose from. Walk around your city
and keep yuur eyes open, and sooner or
later you will discover one to your tastes. ©

SprctAL Novicre.—Many communica-
tions, improperly addressed to this de-
partment, are answered in the “Mail

Bag.”
‘ ——_——__+1@>+e—___—_--

THe sentence “John quickly extempor-
ized five tow bags” contains all the let-
ters of the alphabet,
 

 

could not breathe.

- appeared.

GOOD NEWS.

3049

 

 

{This Story Will Not be Published in Book-Form.]

MISSING

Ory;

side the two left the vicinity of the bridge
and moved slowly and cautiously up the
bank of the brook.

They had gone a distance of five hun-

MON Hey;

owner by the arm.

The Young Bank Messengers DISCOVETY. tse". «seme caine the low re.
S Ea fo d you them? the low re

By ARTHUR M. WINFIELD,

Author of “One Boy in a Thousand,” “Fighting for His Own,” “ Walier Dunn’s Heroism,” ete.

 

[MISSING MONEY” was commenced iu No, 183. Back numbers cap be obtained of all News Agents.]

 

CHAPTER XXV.
A CLOSE CALL FOR MARK.

‘ so terrified that he could neither
; sah think nor move. ; :
Se There, almost at his feet, rested

 

the can of dynamite. The fuse spluttered | same fellows you met on the road.”

as it burnt itself up.
In a few seconds it =
would reach the end,
and then——”

“Help!” saddenly
burst from the lips of
the young bank mes-
senger. “Help!”

No reply came to this
urgent appeal; . the
sounds of the tramps’
footsteps had ceased,
and all was as still
as death, saving the
dreadful sizz of the
fuse,

“T must get at it,”
cried Mark. “I must!
I must!”

With all thestrength
at his command he
strained at the rope
which boundhim. He
tugged this way and
that, and his wrists
were all but dislocated
by the violence of his
exertions,

But the rope refused
to part—refused even
to stretch sufficiently
to allow him to free
one hand.

The cold perspira-
tion stood out on the
young bank messen-
yger'’s brow, and invol-
untarily he shivered
as he saw the fuse
growing shorter and
shorter.

“Help!” he cried,
again and again.
“Some one help me!”

At last he threw his
whole weight forward
to try by this means to
snap the rope which
held him.

The rope remained
intact, but the action
dislodged Mark’s hat
from his head..The hat
was astiff derby, and,
bouncing on the rocks,
it landed upon the can
of dynamite, which
set, rather unevenly
balanced, on a small
stone. Thecan turned
over on its side, and
rolling from the stone
to the sand, started
down the small in-
cline and disappeared
into the mountain
stream, at once ex-
tinguishing the fuse,

Mark was saved !

For the moment he
But as the can went
under the water and the fuse went out, a
great throb surged through his heart. It
seemed to him as if the last second had
been a year of time.

“Out!” he murmured several times.
“Thank fortuned”

“Tullo there!”

The ery came from overhead, followed
by the trainp of heavy boots,

“Help!” repeated Mark.

“Where are you?”

“Under the bridge.”
“What's the matter?”
“JT am fast.”
’ “All right. I’ll be down in a jiffy.”

The tramp of the boots was again
heard. Then came acrash as the wearer
made a leap into the brush below, and a
moment later a stout, ruddy-faced man
He carried a lantern, which
he held up before him,

“Where are you?”

“Herel am.” —

“How are you fast?”

“Tt am tied up.”

< ten duse you say! How did this hap-
pen oon 5 é P

 

<OR the instant Mark Vincent was | low who was robbed this afternoon.”

“SAVE ME!” SHRIEKED THE MAN.

{explosion. Come on, we will go after |

 

 

turn,

“IT saw somebody just
rocks,”

Mark motioned Harley to get behind a
clump of bushes, and the quarry owner
did so. An instant later came a faint
sound, like that of a person sliding cau-
ae tiously over an uneven rock.

“Two tramps did it. I was after them, “I will make a detour and come up in
and they caught me and attempted to | the rear,” said Mark.
murder me.” i them 1 will whistle like a bobolink.”

“Humpb! Maybe you are the young fel- Mark managed to leave the buShes

without a sound. Beyond them was a
field of corn, and through this he passed
with all speed.

beyond

 

 

 

“Tam.”

“T heard about the case a little while |
ago. I suppose those two tramps are the
rocks, when a dark object sprang up di

 

“MY FOOT IS CAUGHT, AND I CAN'T GET OUT!”
IN HORROR. IT WAS MIKE LAMBLEY!

“Yes, They intended to blow me up|rectly in his path. The object was fol-
with dynamite.” ;lowed by another, and the bank nies-
And Mark related the particulars. isenger found himself confronted once
“Great Caesar! You must have felt more by the two tramps.
mighty queer!” ejaculated the new-comer. | He tried to give the signal to Harley,
“I did. There is the can of dynamite but before he had uttered the first note
now. If it hadn’t rolled into the water I Billv the Owl had him by the throat.
don’t know what- would have happened.”| Then Sandy tried to throw him down,
“That can was stolen from my quarry.” , and an all-around struggle ensued.
“Are you Mr. Harley, the owner of the! But Mark was desperate, and jump-
Little Belle quarry?” ‘ing back he let ont with his rig t
“Yes, And you are Mark Vincent, I. fist. He put all of his_strength in the
suppose,” ‘blow, and it caught Billy the Owl
“Yes, sir. Iam much.obliged for re- | squarely on the nose, almost breaking
leasing me.” i that member, and causing the blood to
“Don’t mention it. But how about spurt freely.
those two tramps? Don’t you want to’ The tramp let out an involuntary vell,
catch them?” followed immediately by a whistle from

“Indeed [I do.” fark.
“Have you any idea which way they) “I'll kill yer fer that!” hissed Billy the
, Owl. “Crack him on the head, Sandy!”

Sandy sprang forward, stick in hand, to

went?

“They started off up the brook.”

“No doubt they are waiting to hear the , do as bidden.

But before the stick could descend

them. Have you a pistol?” upon Mark’s head, an intérruption came

“Yes, sir.” - | from beyond the rocks.

“So have I, If we meet the rascals we| “Drop that stick or I'll put a bullet
can make it warm for them,” through you!”

Harley put out his lantern, and side by |

dred feet when Mark caught the quarry |

 

 

| villain.
| behind you.’
“If I see both of |

He had just gained the rear of the|
lasked Harley, as he secured his man.

MARK GAZED UP AT THE MAN

 

It was Harley who uttered the words,
and he held a pointed pistol in his right

hand,

Sandy fell back dumfounded, and the

stick dropped at his side.

“Who—who are you?” he stammered.
“Tam the man you stole the dynamite

“Go slow!” he whispered, in the lat-| from,” returned Harley, grinily.

“Didn't steal no dynamite——
“This young man says you did, and I
would rather believe him. Mr. Vincent,

those|can you manage that chap if I manage
| this one?”

“T think so,” returned Mark.

“You have broken me nose!” howled
Billy the Owl.

“It would serve you right if I had, vou
Stand still and put your hands
“But me nose——”

“Never mind your nose.
mand.”

As Mark spoke he brought out his own
pistol, at the sight of which Billy the
Owl quickly did as ordered.

“Where do you want to take them?”

Do.asI com-

“Can I get them to
Columbus, do you
think ?” :

“Certainly. We can
march them over to
my house, and then
bundle them in one of
the quarry wagons.”

“Won’t that be too
much trouble for you?”

“I -won’t mind it. I
enjoy the sport. We
will get one of. my
men to drive, so that
these chaps won’t have
any chance to escape.”

The quarry owner’s
plan was carried out
without delay, and less
than two hours later
Billy the Owl and
Sandy were safely
lodged in the Colum-
bus jail.

As soon as the men
were in custody Mark
sent word to President
Darr and to Franklin
Dalton, and these two
bank officials lost no
time in repairing to
the jail,

The two tramps were
closely questioned con-
cerning the attack
upon Mark on the
Bounding Run road.

“Yes, we did try ter
git even wid him,”
said Billy the -Owl.

‘But we are sorry
now,”

“No doubt,” returned
the bank president,
“But Jet that rest. -
What did vou do with
the twenty thousand
dollars?”

“Never took it,” said
Billy the Owl, ear-
nestly, and Sandy cor-
roborated this asser-
tion several times.

“But you must have
taken it,” put in

Franklin Dalton.

“Didn't, boss. Never
knowed he had it.”

“That may be true;
but afser you had
knocked him insen-
sible, didn’t you search
his clothing?”

“We was going to,
boss, but we didn’t.”

“You did not?”

ord No.” P x

“And why not?”

“Well, yer see, be

’ laid so still-like we
|almost thonght he was done for; see? an’
when we heard somebody coming along
the road we skipped out into the woods.”

“And you did not come back?”

“Not much! We wasn't goin’ ter be
catched by somebody waitin’ fer us!”

 

CHAPTER XXVI.
WHO STOLE THAT MONEY?

ye
ASHE tramp spoke with so much
j? earnestness that President Darr
' and Cashier Dalton exchanged .
~~ glances. ; fe
“Yon can swear you did not come back
to rob Vincent?” said the latter,
“We kin both swear.” i ;
7 came along the road to interrupt
you ”» 3
“I don’t know,” replied Sandy. — a
ee or three men,” put in Billy the
wl. .
“Two or three men?” repeated Mark.
“Did you see them?”
“Jest catched a glimpse of ‘em.”
“Can you describe the men?”
Billy the Owl shook his head,

    

 
3050

“They wore dark clothes and soft hats,
that’s all [ know.”

“Did they have any rakes or shovels
with them?” questioned Franklin Dalton,
thinking the persons might have been
farm-hands.

“TI didn’t notice, boss. We lit out ina
hurry when we found ’em coming.”

“Did you hear them pass Vincent after
you ran for the woods?”

“Didn’t hear nuthin’ after that. We
jest lit out fer good.”

This statement of the two tramps could
not be shaken, and much perplexed, the
two bank officials and Mark withdrew.

‘Later on the tramps received five years
each for the attempt on Mark’s life.

“It’s a queer case,” muttered the presi-
dent.

“Mr. Darr, I trust you don’t blame mie,”
said Mark, respectfully, “I did the best
I could and——”

“No, Vincent, I don’t blame you. On
the contrary, you are to be praised for
your efforts to recover the missing money.
But the loss is a serious one, and just at
this time it will fall quite heavily upon
the bank.”

“Tf those tramps didn’t take the pack-
age, it must have been somebody who
came after,” went on the young bank
messenger, thoughtfully. :

“That is true.”

“Then the best thing to do is to find
out who passed on the road between
quarter to three and seven o’clock,”

“That will not bean easy matter to
do,” said the president.

“We can set detectives to work,” sug-
gested Franklin Dalton,

“Of course.”

“Mr. Darr, can you not spare me from
the bank for a day or two?” asked Mark,
eagerly.

“Why do you want to leave?”

“T want to follow up this case.”

“The regular detectives have more ex-
perience in this line of work than you.”

“I know that, sir, but still I would
like to try and see what I could do.”

“Well, you may try. Carson is better,
and he can take your place.”

“Thank you, sir, I shall do my very
best to get back that missing money.”

“Be careful,” put in Franklin Dalton,
anxiously. “Don’t fall into any more
traps. You may not always escape so
fortunately.”

“ll keep my eyes open,” returned
Mark.

When he returned home he found that
the news of the robbery on the Bounding
Run road had preceded him. Half a dozen
neighbors had assembled at the cottage,
and to them, as well as to his mother and
Nellie, he told his story.

Some went away believing he had told
the truth. But there were others who de-
lighted in making a scandal, and these
declared that in their opinion Mark had
merely concealed the money, and sooner
or later, when the matter was forgotten,
oe would use the money for his own ben-
efit. .

This report reached Mark’s ears on the
following morning, when, bright and
early, he started to take the first train
for Columbus. It fell from the lips of
Thad Pounds, a big Rockwood bully, who
declared that it was true.

Thoroughly angry, Mark sought out
Pounds, finding him munching crackers
as he sat on-a barrel in front of one of
the grocery stores.

“Pounds, I want to have a talk with
you,” sald the young bank messenger, on
catching sight of the bully.

“Wot do yeou want?” ‘drawled the
bully, without shifting his position.

“Tf hear you have been circulating a
false report about- me,” went on Mark,
as he came closer,

“Thet depends on whether it is false or
not,” grinned Pounds, who was half a
foot taller than Mark, and considerably
heavier. “I allow as how it’s the truth.”

“What is thetruth?” _

“het yeou tuk thet money yerself,” re-
turned Pounds, raising his voice so that
all around might hear. “There hain’t no
truth in the yarn thet yeou wuz robbed.
Yeou got the money tucked away safe,
‘most likely ter hum, and one o’ these
days yeou an’ yeour mother an’ Nellie’ll
be livin’ in grand style on it.”

“So that is your vic w of it, eh?”

“Tain’t no view. I know a thing when
I know it.” And Pounds set up a coarse

laugh, in which several bystanders
joined. :
“Pounds, I want you to take that

_. back,” said Mark, in a low, but deter-
mined voice, “If you think you can in-
sult me and my family openly, you are
mistaken. I know nothing about the
missing money, and I won’t have any one
say thatI do.” |

“Do yeou mean to say yeou kin stop
me?” exclaimed Pounds, bristling up.

“TL certainly will stop you.”

“Why, see here, ef yeou say another

word [’1] bust you in the snout!”

“No, you won’t, Pounds, You are noth-
ing but a big bully, and if you-esay Istole
that money you are also-a liar.”

The young bank messenger had hardly

 

uttered the words than with a vile ex-
pression the town bully leaped from the
barrel top and rushed at him.

“Stand back!" exclaimed Mark, with
flashing eyes. “Stand back, Thad Pounds,
or else take the consequences !”

“Hol ho! Here the little banty talk!
Why, I kin lick yeou with one hand.”

“You had better not try,” replied Mark,
undaunted.

“Give it to him, Thad,” put in one of
the bully’s cronies. “He’s got a swelled
head since he got to be bank messenger.”

“Maybe he thinks he kin git away with
me ez easy ez he did with the bank’s
spondulicks,” hissed Pounds. “How do
yeou like thet, baby?”

He made a vicious lunge with his fist
for Mark’s head. But the youth ducked
his head and the blow passed harmlessly
by, much to the surprise of the crowd
which had gathered to see the sport.

“That’s the time you missed it, Thad!”

“Try again! You ought to be able to
lick him out of his boots!”

“T stand up for Vincent !” cried another.

“T don’t. Pounds was right about him

‘having the money.”

Again Thad Pounds rushed forward,
swinging both arms like a windmill.
Mark allowed him to dance about and
make several lunges with his fists, and
then with a quick spring landed a sharp
blow on the bully’s jaw.

The crack hurt, and Pounds staggered
back with blinking eyes. Those who
sided with Mark burst out with cries of
admiration, while the others gazed in
silent wonder.

“Now will you take back what you
said?” demanded Mark, advancing as be-
fore.

“No!” shouted the bully. “I’ll finish
you when once I get at you!”

He made another rush, and succeeded
this time in hitting Mark on the shoulder.
But scarcely had the blow landed when
the young bank messenger’s left fist shot
out, followed by the right, and bang!
whack! Pounds got it between the eyes
and on the nose, and went down on his
back.

‘Crowds generally side with a winner,
and a cheer went up for Mark as he stood
coolly over Pounds, waiting for the bully
to rise.

But he who had lorded it over Rock-
wood so long was almost knocked out.
His right eye was in mourning, and it
took him fully half a minute to regain
his breath.

“Who—what——” he spluttered.

“Have you had enough?’ demanded
Mark. ;

“Let me up.” :

“Not so fast, Pounds. You heard what
I said before. You must take back what
you said,”

“Yeou whelp! I’ll fix yeou, see ef I
don’t!”

The bully managed to scramble to his
feet. This time he did not intend to de-
pend upon his fists, but looked around
for a more reliable weapon.

“Fight him fair, Thad!” shouted those
who sided with Mark.

“T’ll tam the life outer him!” roared
Pounds, still continuing his search fora
weapon.

In front of the store stood a crate con-
taining ax handles. The top of the crate
was open, and with a quick move Pounds
seized one of the ax handles and swung
it over his head.

“Now I'll teach yeou alesson yeou
won’t fergit in a hurry!” he hissed, as he
rushed at Mark.

CHAPTER XXVII.
MARK SHOWS HIS MUSCLE.

-

TAND back!” were. the young bank
messenger’s words, heard clearly
above the cries of the crowd, who
wanted to see fair play.

The next instant Pounds jumped in
front of Mark and the end of the ax
handle came down with crushing force.

But Mark was too agileto be taken un-
awares. He moved at the last fraction of
time, and the blow, instead of reaching
his skull as intended, merely glanced
down his side.

Before Pounds could recover from his
onslaught, Mark closed in on him, The
ax handle was wrenched from the bully’s
grasp, and then Pounds’ head was thrust
under Mark’s left arm, while with his
right fist the young bank messenger be-
gan to pummel away at a lively rate.

“Let—let up!” roared the bully.
“Give it to him, Vincent, he deserves it !”

“That’s so. Hehad no right to take
the ax handle to. you.”

At last Pounds succeeded in getting
his head out of chancery, but not before
his other eye had been blackened and two
of his front teeth loosened.

He staggered back, and striking his
heel on one of the store steps, fell flat on
his back,

“Do you want some more?” demanded
Mark, following him up.

“Don’t, don’t hit me!” whined Pounds,

 

 

‘all his blatant courage oozing away,

NEW S.

“Are you satisfied?”

“Ye-as.”

“Do you take back what you said?”

“IT was only foolin’.”

“That isn’t answering my question. I
want to know if you take back what you
said about the missing money and about
me and my family?”

Pounds muttered something
tone, which no one could catch.

“Speak louder.”

eS, o2

“You take it all back?”

“Yes, confound yeou!”

“Very well. Hereafter, keep your
mouth shut, or I'll treat you*to another
dose of this same medicine,” returned
Mark.

“Cheese it, the cops!” was the sudden
cry, as two policemen came hurrying
down the street, and the crowd scattered
right and left, while Mark hurried around
the corner and skipped for the train,
which was just coming in.

On the ride to Columbus Mark brushed
off his clothing as best he could. He had
not been injured in the least during the
cncounter, and he smiled to think how he
had taken down Thad Pounds. °

“After this I reckon he'll know enough
to leave me alone,” thought Mark.

And he was right.

On arriving at Columbus the youth at
once hurried to the jail. Billy the Ow]
and Sandy were still in custody, pending
an official hearing, and nothing new had
been learned concerning the missing
twenty thousand dollars.

“But we have two keen men on the
track, and they are sure to find out some-
thing before a great while,” said the chief
of police.

“T hope they do,” was Mark’s reply.

Leaving the jail the young bank mes-
senger set out to begin investigations on
his own account. His first steps took him
to the outskirts of Columbus, in the vicin-
ity of the Bounding Run road.

Here were two or three scattered houses,
each fronting directly on the road, and
going up to the first of them, Mark
knocked on the door.

An old man with a white beard and
white flowing hair answered his sum-
mons,

“Good morning,
messenger, politely.
of information,”

“Be yeou? Wall, I'll give yeou wot I
kin,” was the slow reply, and the old
man smiled,

“Did you notice who went by here on
the way to Bounding Run yesterday
afternoon,”

“T seed yeou, I reckon.”

“Yes, I went by. But who followed?”
. “A young lady came tudder way some
time later.”

“A young lady dressed in blue?”

“Don’t know wot kind 0’ a dress ‘she
hed on. She wuz in a buggy with a white
hoss.”

“Yes, I know her,” replied Mark, sure
from the description that the old man re-
ferred to Lillie Stone. “But was there
any one followed me?”

The old man stroked his beard reflec.
tively for several seconds.

“Yes, there wuz Abe Landover went by
on his brown mare.”

“Who is Abe Landover?”

“A farmer liying over ter Hogback
Ford.” =:

“How long after I went past was this,
do you suppose ?”

“Pears ter me it must hev been ‘bout
an hour an’ a half, but I ain’t sartin.”

“Did you see anybody else?”

“No! I laid deown fer a nap after Abe
went by.”

“Was anybody here with you?”

“No; the folks wuz over to Columbus
to do some tradin’,”

“Thank you.”

“Wanter find somebody?”

“Yes, very much,” laughed Mark.
“Good-day, and much obliged.” es

The young bank messenger left the
farm-house and hurried to the next, so-
liloquizing thus:

“Tf nothing better turns up I must pay
this Abe Landover a visit. If he is not
guilty, perhaps he saw the person who
did do the deed, and that will be one stev
nearer the goal.” | ;

At the second farm-house several people
were found. But they had all been out in
a field behind the barn haying on the pre-
vious afternoon, and had paid no atten-
tion to who was passing on the road,

When Mark reached the third and last
place, a tumble-down homestead, he
found only anegro incharge. The col-
ored man was mending a fishing net by
the door and smoking a pipe filled with
strong “tar-heel” tobacco.

“Yisterday aftahnoon?” he repeated,
scratching his head. “Oh, yes, boss, I
was heah de hull time, I was.” ;

“And who did you see, please.”

“Well, in de fust place I seen yo’.”
“ Yes.” ",

in a low

’

*said the young bank
“Tam seeking a bit

 

“Aftah dat cum dat miserly feller, Abe
Landover.” ;
“Whv do you call him miserly?” |
“Cos he would make vo’ wuk harder!

 

ratte teh nit ieee tne ce at Nat lita nae sittin teases Seite ns

dan enny man. in de place, an’ fo’ less
money.”

“You have evidently had some ex}eri-
ence with him,”

“Dun racken I did, boss. I stood it out
wid him onct fer two weeks, an’ it ’most
killed me. He’s too clost fer me, he is.
Why, to git two cents dat felier would
steal dem from his dead muther’s eyes,
suah !”

“Then he likes money, eh?” :

“Dat’s it, boss; he’s a powerful grab-
ber fo’ de dust.”

“Where was he going?”

“Ober ter Boundin’ Run, I racken.”

“Have you seen him pass to-day ?”

“No, sah.”

“Who else passed yesterday, going to
the Run?”

“Well, dare wasn’t none-—-but, hole on,
yes, dar was!”

“Who?”

“De wust lookin’ tramp yo’ ever sot
eyes on,” and the negro threw back his
head and laughed. “He was enouf ter:
make a scarecrow sick, dat feller was!”

“How so?”

“He had on an ole long-tail coat wid’
one ob de tails ’most torn orf, and de:
knees outer bof legs ob his pants, and he:
looked like he hadn’t washed in free:
yeahs. Golly, he was a sight, chile!”

And the negro roared, while Mark:
joined in the laugh.

“Did the tramp stop here?”

“Oh, yes.”

“What for?”

“He boned me fo’ a pipeful ob ter-
backer.”

- “JT think I know that tramp,” said
Mark, meditatively. “Was one of his
shoulders covered with oil and grease?”

“It was, fer a fack, boss.”

Mark at once concluded that the tramp:
had been none ather than Mike Lambley,
He knew the fellow was somewhere in:
the vicinity, and Lambley had worn an:
old Prince Albert coat, and his shoulder:
was covered with oil and grease from,
his attempted ride on the car-trucks.

“Where did he go?” the young bank:
messenger asked, with increasing inter-.
est.

“He asked me de way to Hogback:
Ford.” p

“Hogback Ford? Isn’t that where this:
Abe Landover lives?”

“Yes, boss. I axed him did he wanter:
see Abe, but he said no, he was goin’ ter-
hunt up a sister he hadn’t seen in ten or:
twelve yeahs.”

“Did he tell you her name?”

“He didn’t know it. She was married:
and lived at Hogback, an’ that was all
he knowed. Golly, the sister’ll most hab.
a fit when she sees him !”

“Did anybody come after this tramp?”

“Didn’t see dem if da did, boss, an’ I
was heab all de time.”

“Which way is the nearest to Hogback:
Ford?”

“Take de fust little road on de left,,
jest a spell. down dar, bess.”

“Thank you: Here is a dime to buy:
you another paper of tobacco when that:
runs out.”

“All right, boss, much obliged, sah,
Good-day, sah,” and the negro bowed:
nalf a dozen times as Mark hurried:
off. =
“Things are getting slightly mixed,”
thought the young bank messenger. “If
Billy the Ow] and Sandy did not rob me,
then perhaps Lambley or Landover are:
guilty. I must follow out these different.
clews and see what comes of them.”

Mark thought he could not do better:
than pay an immediate visit to the vil-
lage of Hogback Ford, which he knew
was not overamile and a half away..
He soon reached the narrow road to
which the negro had referred, and
plodded on atarapid gait, resolved to
lose no time until the right clew was
discovered.

Presently he came to a small cottage,
and upon inquiry here found that Abe
Landover’s land was just beyond. The

buildings were set in a hollow, and from

the top of a hill the young bank mes-
senger could see them plainly.

While he was gazing at the house and
out. buildings, a column of smoke arising
from the barn attracted*his attention.
He gave a closer look, and then became
aware that the building was on fire!

No one seemed to be in sight, and hy
the time Mark had dashed down the bill,
and was within a hundred feet of the
barn, the whole lower part of the struc-
ture was a mass of roaring flames.

“That's a goner, sure,” thought Mark,
as he stood still, knowing it would be
useless to try to extinguish the conflagra-
tion.

The thought had hardly passed through
the young bank messenger’s mind when
one of the ees doors of the barn was
flung open, and aman appeared, stand-
ing almost in a frame of fire. ;
-“Save me!” he shrieked. “Save me!
My foot is caught and I can’t get out!”

Mark gazed up at the man in horror.

It was Mike Lambley!

(TO BF CONTINUED.)

 

 

 
 

a eS

a

(seODD

 

NEWS.

3051

 

 

{This Story will not be Published in Book-Form,. }

CAMERA BUD:

OR,

The Thrilling Adventures of a
Traveling Photographer.

its

By EDWARD STRATEMEYER,
Author of “Jack, the Inventor,” “Reuben Stone's
Discovery,” ‘Capt. Bob's Secret,” “The
Tin-Box Mystery,” ete.

-

 

[“CAMERA BOB” was commenced in No. 179. Back
numbers can be obtained of all News Agents.)

CHAPTER XXXVII.
BOB AND FRANK FIGHT FOR IT.

Y Frank Landes’ manner Bob
knew that the young man meant
what he said.

“They ought to receive a warm
reception,” returned the young photog-
rapher. “But do you think it will pay
to stay here and fight them?”

“What else is there to do?”

Bob pointed to the door leading to the
hall-way.

“Wecan skip out while they are try-
ing to get inat the window,” he sug-
gested.

“But I am not dressed.”

“Slip on your clothes. I’ll shut the
window and lock it, so they will find
themselves foiled, and have to come back
to the door.”

As Bob spoke he rushed over to the
window and tried to close it. :

But for some reason the lower sash re-
fused to budge. éven though in his excite-
ment he struck it several times along
the edging.

“T had the same trouble when [ opened
it,” said Frank, who was hurrying into
his clothing as rapidly as possible.

“The confounded thing won’t come
down, and that settles it,” cried Bob,
hopelessly.

“Never mind, let it go.
start.”

Frank moved swiftly toward the door
and unlocked it. As he didso the face of
Raymond appeared at the window.

“Quick!” whispered the young man,
and he flung open the door for Bob to pass
through.

The hotel-keeper saw at a glance that
something was wrong. He whispered a
few words to his companion, and Casco at
once leaped into the chamber.

“here are two of them!” cried the
scar faced man. “You didn’t say he had
aroom mate.”

“He didn’t have. Stop them!”

Frank and Bob had passed into the
hall-way. Casco made after then: as noise-
lessly as possible. 2

In moving toward the stairs the two
had to pass close to a dimly burning
lamp. As they did so Casco uttered a
cry of amazement,_

 

I am ready to

“That is Bob Alden with him! How
the duse did he get in!” . j
“The boy from the freight train?”

queried Raymond.

“Yes. We must catch them. They have
most likeiy overheard what was said.
Come on |”

Down the stairs went ?Frank and Bob,
two steps at a time, with Casco and Ray-
mond in close pursuit. The scar-faced
inan wanted to fire upon Bob, but the
hotel proprietor stopped him,

“Remember, the hotel is half full of
guests,” he said, “We must overcome
them without shooting.”

Once in the lower hall, Bob and Frank
turned toward the front door. ‘It was
locked, but the key was handy, and they
had it open in a trice.

“Now which way?” questioned the
young man, when they were outside.

“Tt doesn’t make any difference. Come
on!”
Away dashed Bob, with Frank directly
behind him.

The way was dark, and the young pho-

_tographer had scarcely proceeded a dozen

steps wher he tripped over some stones
and went down.

Frank came down ontop of Bob, and
before either could rise, Casco and Ray-
mond were upon them.

“We have them,” said Raymond.

“Ton't you dare to move!” hissed the | try

-faced man,
ae And don't you dare to move, either!”
urned Bob.
ae pulling out the pistol he had found
in the room, he pointed it at Casco’s head,
The scar-faced man tumbled back so
quickly that he struck against Raymond,
and this gave. both Bob and Frank a
chance to scramble to their feet. :
This they were not slow in accomplish-
ing, but before they cori £et away, Casco

 

had Bob by the arm, and Raymond closed
in on rank.

The darkness was unfavorable to any
kind of fair fighting, and every one went
in as best pleased him. Casco was a pow-
erful man, but Bob was _ thoroughly
aroused, and he fought so skillfully that
the scar-faced man was soon retreating,

The young photographer followed him
up. thus becoming separated from Frank
and Raymond.

At length Casco turned and fled toward
the brook. Bob came behind, and now for
the first time used the pistol.

The report of the weapon was followed
by a sharp cry of pain from Casco, which
caused Bob’s heart to leap in
thinking he might possibly have killed
his enemy.

But Casco was merely nipped in the
fleshy part of the shoulder, and instead
of dropping, as Bob rather expected he
would, he continued on his way to the
brook, and jumping over, disappeared in
the brush and darkness beyond,

Bob knew it would.be folly just at pres-
ent to attempt to follow the man, and
after a moment’s hesitation he returned
to the spot where he had left Frank and
Raymond,

The two had disappeared !

“Hullo, Frank!" called out the young
photographer. “Where are you?”

No answer came back to the cry saving

“the baying of a couple of hounds in the.

barn, and Bob at once becaine alarmed.
Had Raymond overcome his friend and
done away with him?

“T’ll find out before I leave, and that
settles it,” declared Bob. “Hullo, Frank !”
he called again,

“What’s the row?” asked a voice from
the hotel piazza.

The shot from his pistol had attracted
the attention of several of the men who
were making a night of it in the bar-
room,

“Have you seen anything of Raymond?”
asked Bob,

He knew it would be worse than use-
less to ask any. of those men for assis-
tance.

“He’s up-stairs,” returned another of
the men. “Who fired that shot?”

“You are sure he is up stairs?” went on
Bob, ignoring the question.

“He went up there a while ago. I
haven't seen him since.”

Bob was perplexed. It was more than
likely that the man spoke the truth, and
this being so, what had become of Ray-
mond and Frank?

Fearful of being questioned further, Bob
moved toward the back of the hotel
again, while the men, muttering some-
thing he could not catch, re-entered the
bar-room, g

As Bob walked toward the brook, he
fancied he heard a low ery coming from
behind the barn, which was built close to
the water’s edge.

He hurried in the direction, and caught
a faint glimpse of two forms struggling
behind a number of bushes.

‘Coming closer, he saw that Raymond

had Frank by the throat and was forcing

him over into the water.

As Bob dashed forward, there was a
splash, and Frank went over, while Ray-
mond caught up a club to hit him should
he attempt to rise.

Leveling his pistol at Raymond’s head,
the young photographer cried :

“Don't you dare to strike, Raymond !”

At the sound of Bob’s voice the hotel-
keeper turned quickly.

“What do you want?” “

“Let my friend up.”

“Hit him, Bob,” exclaimed Frank,
faintly. “He has done his best to kill
me.” 7

“Where is Casco?” asked Raymond, as
he began to retreat.

“Never mind,” returned the young pho-
tographer. “Stand where you are, unless
you want tc be shot.”

“Humph! two can play at that game.”

“There will only be one this trip. Fold
your arms, Raymond. This fight is
ended.”

By this time Frank had managed to
crawl from the brook.” His head was
bleeding from a severe gash -over the
forehead.

“Look out. for him, Bob,” he cried.

“TI am looking out. Are you badly
hurt?”

“My head feels rather queer.”

“What shall we do with this fellow?”

“He ought to be locked up.”

“Neither of you can do it,” sneered Ray-
mond, “You don’t know me.”

“Yes, Ido,” said Bob. “You are the
toughest road-house keeper in the coun-

“Thanks for the compliment.” Ray-
mond mused for a moment. “I will make
a bargain with you.
once and we’ll drop the whole matter.”
“You have a great gall!" burst out Bob.

“We sha’n’t leave you until you are safe.

in jail.”

At these words.Raymond burst into a
laugh, j

“You don’t know what you are talking
about. You, a mere boy, expect to do

-

his throag, |

Quit the place at.

what no officer around has been able to
accomplish. Get out of here, before I set
my blood-hounds on you !”

As Raymond spoke he darted around

the corner of the barn before Bob had
time to fire at him.
Then they heard him utter a cry that

was immediately followed by the deep
baying of a hound.

“We had better get out of here!” cried
Frank. “He bas.two of the ugliest blood-
hounds you ever saw.”

“dl give you one minute to get away
in,” sang out Raymond. “After that ('l
; leave both my dogs loose.”

“And [Tl kill both of your dogs for
you!” returned Bob, with flashing eyes.
“So if you want to keep them alive you
had better keep them chained.”

Raymond muttered something under
his breath. . Then there was a rattling of
chains, and the next minute two fero-
cious blood-hounds bounded out into the
| yard,

 

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
HIS NERVE.

 

BOB SHOWS

5 HE blood-hounds stood still for a

{ j2 second on catching sight of Bob
=). and Frank.

Se Then, as if scenting the blood on

Frank’s face, both madea dash for the

young man.

“Help me!” cried the young man. For
the time being he seemed to be fairly par-
alyzed with terror.

“Jump into the tree!” returned’ Bob,
quickly. te

The tree he mentioned stood but a few
feet away. The lower limbs were not*far
from eight feet from the ground and al-
most directly over Frank’s head.

With a desperate spring the young man
caught one of the limbs and drew him-
self up just as one of the blood-hounds
reached the spot where he had been
standing.

Batiled, the hound let out a deep growl
and then stood up on his hind legs, fol-
lowed by his mate.

Crack! Bob pulled the trigger of the
pistol and one of the blood-hounds fell
back, shot through the heart.

“Here, stop that!” roared Raymond,
from the door-way of the barn.

He had not imagined that Bob had
nerve enough to carry out his threat.

“TI told you to keep them chained,” re-
turned the youth, as coolly as he could,
“Better call the other one in.”

The second hound turned at the shot,
and backed several paces. Then he looked
at his mate-as though surprised at what
bad happened.

“Good for you!” cried Frank. “Wait
till I finish the other.”

He drew his own pistol and fired, but
his aim was poor, and the bullet merely
grazed the blood-hound’s back.

With a how] of rage the hound sprang
away from the tree. Then with set teeth
and gleaming eyes, he turned to attack
Bob.

“Go for him, Leo!” cried Raymond.

He was in a rage and would have liked
nothing better than the hound would
have torn Bob to pieces.

Bob again took aim and pulled the trig-
ger. But for some reason the weapon
failed to go off.

The next instant the young
rapher was knocked flat on his
the blood-hound. 3

Seeing this, Frank leaped down from
thu tree and rushed forward.

“Get back there!”

hotog-
ack by

he velled at the
hound, and fired his pistol at the same
time. S :

But the beast naid no attention to the
command, He snapped at Bob, and it was
only by a quick movement to one side
that the young photographer kept him-
self from having his arm torn to sbreds.

“Go for him!” cried Raymond.

Lying on his back. Bob made another
attempt to shoot the blood-hound. He
pulled the trigger again, and this time
the pistol went off, and with a shrill
yelp the beast keeled over and lay on his
side with a bullet through his head.

“T’ll fix you for that!” almost screamed

Raymond. “You sha’n’t leave this place
alive.”
“He gave a shrill whistle, but already
half a dozen men came running from the
bar-room of the hotel, anxious to know
what the firing was about.

“Is that you, Raymond?”

“What’s up?” -

“We heard this firing before.

“These fellows are prowling about the
place,” returned Raymond.

“Thats0o?”

“They are up to no good. This one jus’
shot both my dogs.”

“The duse you say! Why, those dogs
were worth a hundred dollars.” pte

“Every cent of it. Boys, will you help
me capture them?”

“Certainly we will. Hi! stop there!”

“Come on,” whispered Frank to Bob.
“We can’t stand upagainst such acrowd,
The -best we can do is to skip out and
summon the authorities.”

 

“The constable don’t amount to a hill
Of beans,” returned the young photog-
Capher. “Yet if you say go, we'll skip.

was principally after Casco.”

“Come ahead, this way.”

“Lead ahead.”

The young man turned to a lane which
ran to the south of the barn, and Bob
came close behind. It was then that one
of the men yelled for them tostop, but he
was not heeded.

“Where is Casco?” asked Frank, as they
scurried along.

“Got away across the brook. I wonder
if any of those fellows will follow us.”

“Tt’s not likely, after they see the way
you treated the hounds,” laughed Frank.
| “By Jove! Bob, you are a crack shot.”
| “Y used to go hunting with old Peter
Thompson’s gun when I wasn’t any
higher than a rail fence,” returned the
young photographer. “ Which way now?”

“There is a customer of. mine lives up
a side rcad not tar from here. We might
go to his house. I can’t go much farther
with this head of mine.”

“Does it hurt very bad?”

“It aches fearfully.”

“Let me tie it up with a wet handker-
chief.”

Bob got out his handkerchief, and wet-
ting it in the brook, tied it over the
wound. Frank declared this relieved him
considerably, and the two continued on
their way at a more rapid pace than
ever.

“I don’t believe they are following,”
said Bob, as, after five minutes of run-
ning, they paused to listen. “I believe
that was only a bluff to get us off.”

“Raymond is fearfully mad over the
less of those blood-hounds. He set great
store by them. That is one reason the
authorities never cared to go there to
serve him with papers.”

“It was a pity to kill them, but it
couldn’t be helped. I am glad the shots
were such lucky ones.”

“So am I. Here we are at Larchmond’s-
place. I suppose he will think it awfully
queer to be roused up at this time of the
night.”

They now entered a neat garden, and
walking up a gravel path ascended to the

orch. There was no bell, but a brass
<nocker instead, and this Frank used
vigorously.

A minute of dead silence followed.
Then an upper window was shoved open
and a head covered with a night-cap ap-
peared.

“What do you want?”

“Ts that you, Mr. Larchmond?”

a7 Yes.”

“fam Frank Landes, the collector and
agent.”

“Gracious! What business do you want
this time of night? I sent that consign-
ment of eggs off——”

“The eggs are all right, Mr. Larch-
mond. I have other business of a more
serious nature—-—” :

_.“ Gracious, you don’t mean it!” and the
old man’s voice actually quivered.

“Shet the winder, you’ll catch yeour
deth o’ cold, Thomas!” came a_ shrill
female voice.

“T’ll be down in a minit,” said Larch-
mond, and bang, down came thé window.

Several minutes passed. Then a light
appeared in the hall, and they heard the
old man nervously unlock and unbolt the
door.

“Come in an’ tell me the trouble,” he
said. “ Why, who’s this?” he added, look-
ing at Bob.

“This is my friend, Bob Alden. We
have just come away from Raymond’s
Hotel——” =

“Is somebody killed there?” put in
Larchniond, quickly. “I always allowed
as a some day they would have a fight
and——

“No one is killed but Raymond’s two
blood-hounds,” laughed Frank,

 

“Do tell!
ot friend Bob shot them, But we
have had serious trouble, and we want

your advise as to what is best to do.”

“Come into the sittin’-room. It’s all
right, Mirandy!” called Larchmond up
the stairs.

“I’m comin’ down!” returned Mrs.
Larchmond, and presently she appeared,
fully dressed. |

The story of the happenings at Ray-
mond’s Hotel was soon told. Old Larch-
mond and his wife listened with interest,
the old man shaking his head repeatedly,
and the old lady putting in a “do tell” at
every opportunity.

“And now we want to know what is
the best to do?” said Frank, after all the
facts had been related.

“Yeou can’t do nuthin’,” replied Mrs,
Larchmond, promptly. :

“We can’t?” cried Bob.

“No, yeou can’t.” —

“Well, it’s this way,” said the old man,
by way of explanation. “Raymond is the.
wust feller in the whole deestrict. Th
law can’t tech him, nohow, I tried to sue
him onct, but the constable couldn’t serve
the papers, nohow.”

“Did you have Dimler?”

“Yes, I had Dimler an’ I had Vincent,

 

 

 
  

30582

too, but it wuz no ust—them dogs kept
"em at a safe distance.”

“But the hounds are now dead.”

“It don’t make nodifference. Raymond
can’t be teched, nohow. Anybody in Ken-
town will tell you the same thing.”

“That’s a nice state of affairs,” cried
Frank. “A man like that to terrorize the
whole neighborhood.”

“Well, you see, Raymond has lots of
relations around here, an’ they all stick
up for him. If it wasn’t for that, some-
thin’ might be did, although I doubt it,
bless me [ if don’t,”

“Thomas is right,” put in Mrs. Larch-
mond, “If your money is safe, you better
go about your affairs and say nuthin’,”

“Oh, the money is. safe enough,” re-
turned Frank. “I grabbed that up and
put it in my pocket the first thing.”

As the young man spoke he put his
hand into his coat pocket to make sure
that the eighteen hundred dollars were
still there. Then he turned pale.

“It’s gone!” he gasged.

 

CHAPTER XXXIX.
BOB MAKES A NEW MOVE.

eee

VERY one in the sitting-room was

. +4) astonished. Bob sprang to his
di jud feet.

: “You are sure it is gone?” he de-
manded,

Frank continued his search, each mo-
ment growing paler.

“Yes, it’s gone!” he groaned. “ EKighteen

hundred dollars! What will the firm say?”
“When did you feel to see if it was safe
last?” asked the young photographer.
“When I jumped up into the tree to get
out of the way of the blood-hounds.”
“ And you are sure you had it then?”
+ es.”

“Then you must have dropped it while

running here. Perhaps it jounced out of
your pocket.”

“Maybe it did. My head hurt so before
you tied it up I didn’t give the money a
thought.”

“Well, the best thing to do is to go
back for it,” said Bob, promptly. “The
quicker the better.”

“What, go back to Raymond’s?”
screamed Mrs. Larchmond. “ He will kill

ou.”

“Te’s tremendous risky,” said the old
man, With a shake of his head,

“Never mind, it’s got to be done,’

’

said

Bob. “Eighteen hundred dollars is a lot
of money.”
“Yes, I must go back,” said Frank,

jumping up. “What would the firm say
if the money was lost? They would most
likely discharge me, and maybe say I
gambled it away, orsomething like that.”

“Will you lend usa lantern?” asked
Bob, turning to Larchmond. ;

“Certainly.”

“You need not go, Bob. I can go alone.”

“No indeed, Frank, we stick together
to the end.”

The old farmer left the sitting-room
and presently returned with a lantern
and a blunderbuss,

“You might.as well take the buss
along, too,” he said. “It’s a putty good
shootin’ piece.”

“Thank you, but I think our pistols
will do, if you have any cartridges
around,”

“Timothy had cartridges for his pistol,”

utin Mrs, Larehmond. “They are up in
is closet. I’ll get ’em.”

She soon returned with the cartridges,
which, luckily, just fit the pistol Bob
had taken from the hotel. It took but a
moment to load, and then the boys were
ready to start back.

“T’d go, only my rheumatism is wuss,”
said old Larchmond, apologetically.

“Indeed you wouldn’t!” putin his wife.
“T wouldn’t let you go for twice eighteen
hundred dollars, there now !”

The boys were soon on the road, The
lantern shown brightly, lighting up every
foot of the way.

“T trust we find it before we get any-
where near Raymond’s,” said Frank. “I
have no desire to get into another tussle
with him.”

“Neither have I,” returned Bob. “But,
Frank, keep your pistol ready for use.
We don’t want to waste words with such
adesperate character as that hotel-
keeper.” :

“T agree with you. Here is my pistol
right in my coat pocket.”

“And I'll earry mine in my hand. You
take that side of the road, while I take
aes and carry the lantern as low as pos-
sible.”

‘In this -fashion the two moved slowly
along, searching every foot of the hard
and dusty road.

“TI would like to know where Casco
went,” said Bob, presently. “For all we
know he might have watched that fight
_ with the blood-hounds and followed us.”

“Hardly. If he escaned across the brook
he most likely set out to join Barker and
Grogan, He would leave Raymond to
_ settle the row here.” :

“I wish they were all in jail,” sighed
Bob.. “Then perhaps I could make Barker

°

 

 

GoonDpD

NEWS.

 

reveal something of the past, and make a
somebody of myself.”

“You'll make a somebody~of yourself,
anyway, Bob,” returned Frank, encour-
agingly. “You've got too much grit to
fail.”

3ut Bob shook his head, as if the idea
of never finding out the secret of his life
did not please him,

Quarter of an hour later they came to
ahalt. They had reached the boundary
line of Rayniond’s place, and still the
money had not been found.

“If we keep the lantern lit they will
surely see us,” said Bob. “You had bet-
ter put it out.”

“But how are we going to find the
money in the dark?”

“By feeling for it. I know exactly the
way we came, and [ will lead on.”

Frank, after some hesitation, put out
the lantern. The first streaks of the
early dawn were now appearing, and it
was not as dark as he had anticipated.

Bob was several yards ahead, moving
along slowly, with his eyes bent on the
ground. Suddenly he gave a low cry.

“Here it is!”

“You have it?’ inquired frank, run-
ning up.

“Tsn’t this.the roll?”

“Yes.” The young man’s face took on a
look of relief, “Oh, how thankful I am!”

“Better examine it and make sure,”
suggested Bob.

“Oh, it must be all right.”

Nevertheless, Frank hastily undid the
paper and elastics which were placed
about the roll of money, and began to
count the biils.

So absorbed did both he and Bob be-
come that they did not notice the ap-
proach of a tall form from a mass of
shrubbery which grew close to the road.

The new-comer was Jim Casco, who was
on his return to Raymond’s Hotel, satis-
fied that for the present, at least, it was
safe to do so.

Casco was astonished to come upon the
pair, and still more taken aback to behold
them. at work counting a big roll of bills.

“What does this mean?” he muttered
to himself. “They can’t have been so near
all this while.” :

He drew closer, and nervously clutched
the heavy stick he held in his right hand,

“It’s right,” said Frank, finishing the
counting.

“You have every dollar of the eighteen
hundred there?” asked Bob.

“ |

“Good enough. Now we might as well
go back without delay. I am dead tired.”

“T should think you would be, not hav-
ing any sleep since last night. Perhaps
Mr. Larchmond will give us a shake
down.”

“T hope so. s

“Where is that wonderfal photographic
outfit you wrote me about?”

“Over in Dartinville. I will have to go
for it as soon’as we finish up with Ray-
mond.”

“ We will see if we can’t have him ar-
rested,” said Frank, decidedly.

“That’s it, And when—what was that?”

Bob broke off short, A dark object
loomed up over his back and a stinging
blow went singing through his head.

“Stop!” he heard Frank cry. “Give me
that money !” :

Both Bob and Frank were sprawling
in the road, while across the fields ran
Casco, with the roll of bills in his hand,

' (20 BE CON'TINUED.)
Oe
THE DUTCHMAN’S INSURANCES.

 

A certain Dutchman, owner of a small
house, had effected an insurance on it of
$4,000, although it had been built for
much less.

[The house was burned down, and the
Dutchman then claimed the full amount
for which it had been insured; but the
officers of the company refused to pay
more than its actual] value—about $3,000,
He expressed his dissatisfaction in pow-
erful broken English, interlarding his
remarks with some choice Teutonic
language. :

“If you wish it,” said the agent of the
insurance company, “we will build youa
house—larger and better than the one
burned down, as we are positive it can
be done for even less than $3,000.”

To this proposition the Dutchman ob-
jected, and at last was compelled to take
the cash they offered. Some weeks after
he received the money he was called upon
by the same agent, who wanted him to
take out a policy of life insurance on
himself or his wife.

“If you insure vour wife,”-the agent
said, “and she should die, you will have
the sum to solace your heart.”

“Donner and blitzen!” exclaimed the
Dutchman, “vou ’surance fellows ish all
tiefs. If I insure my vife, and my vife
dies, and if I goes to de office to get my
money, do I gets all of it? No, not quite.
You will say to me: ‘She vas not. vorth
two tousand dollars, she vas vorth about
six dollars, If you don’t like de six dollars,
ve vill give you a bigger and better vife,”

 

(This Story Will Not be Published in Book-Form. |

OUT WITH COMMODORE DECATUR:

OR,

THE MIDDIES OF 1812.

By J. GIBSON PERRY, U.S. N.

 

(“OUT WITH COMMODORE DECATUR” was commenced in No. 187. Back numbers can be obtained

of all News Agents. }

 

CHAPTER XIII.

THE TABLES ARE TURNED.

iC)

>

Ie the little state-room off the quar-

>

813 terdeck, Martin lay stretched out in
a dreamless sleep.

Ss The day had ,been one of toil and
excitement, and he slumbered heavily.

He suddenly became conscious of aloud
noise at the door,

Bang! bang!

Then the well-known voice of Lanyon
shouted an alarm.

With one agile spring the middy
reached the door, and tried the knob.

To his consternation it resisted all his
efforts and remained fast.

It was locked.

Now thoroughly alarmed, Martin strug-
gled with all his power to open the heavy
portal.

Speedily tinding it
turned his attention to a small
looking forward.

He had barely reached it when he heard
Lanyon utter an exclamation of aston-
ishment, then came the sharp report of
a pistol, immediately followed by the cry
of agony,

He recognized-the tone, and his heart
gave a sudden leap of horror. 3

“Heavens! ‘They have killed poor
Larry !” he gasped.

The very thought nerved him to re-
newed action, and he threw back the
swinging port, drew himself up and tum-
bled out on deck head first.

Quickly scrambling to his feet, he
rushed toward the overhang, and alimost
ran into a man in the act of coming out
on deck.

By the aid of a dim light hanging from
the ceiling he recognized in the other the
skipper of the Lord Clive.

Just behind him were a score of sailors |
armed with billets of wood and other
odds and ends from the hold.

impossible, he
window

 

Jerking a pistol from his belt Martin
fired point blank at the captain, then
throwing the empty weapon at the head |
of another, turned and retreated down |
the deck. \

As he did so he noticed a number of the |

4 American seamen rushing aft with Miller |

in advance.

“The prisoners have risen,
shouted the midshipman, loudly. “Charge |
on them, and fire as you go!”

His command was instantly obeyed.

The ringing reports from a dozen
muskets sounded on the night air, fol- |
lowed by sharp cries of pain.

A commotion was seen in the group of)
men under the overhang, and then sev-
era) of them fell to the deck, evidently
badly wounded.

For a moment the balance wavered,

some retreated to the cabin door, and |
then the majority rushed out on the!

quarter-deck uttering hoarse shouts of
rage.

Whirling their rude weapons, they
charged on the advancing sailors with
desperate courage.

Martin instantly saw that asanguinary
combat was bound to follow.

Placing himself at the head of bis men,
he grasped a cutlass .and engaged one of
‘the foremost prisoners,

In a moment the deck was covered
with struggling forms. Back and fourth,
slashing and cutting, now one side vic-
torions, and then the tide of battle trans-
ferred to the other, they fought with the
greatest valor.

On first joining his sailors, Martin no-
ticed that the entire crew was not
present.

He hurriedly asked Miller the cause.

“The starboard watch is below, sir;
fastened down by some miserable traitor !”
was the startling reply. :

“Why didn’t you release them?”

“Couldn’t; the hasp is caught and
broken.” Ao

This was terribly unfortunate. Now the
crew of the merchantman outnumbered
the Americans almost two to one.

It is true the latter possessed arms, but
the odds were too much in favor of the
enemy.

Still Martin and his brave followers
went into the battle with stout hearts,
and fought as they never fought before,

| to
bullies !” |

 

Early in the ee the middy ran across
the skipper of the Lord Clive.
The latter’s face was streaked with

blood form a ghastly wound in the head,
and he carried one arm helplessly, as if
it had been paralyzed with a blow.

The shot fired at him by Martin a few
moments previously had apparently
taken effect, but he still led his men.

On catching sight of the young officer,
the captain made for him, and raising a
formidable club aimed a vicious blow at
his head.

If the weapon had ever struck where he
had intended, Martin would haye ceasea
fighting then and there.

But the agile youth saw it just in time,
and gavea quick jump to one side, at
the same moment striking out with his
fist in a lusty manner,

He used that natural instrument. be-
cause his cutlass had been dashed from
his grasp a second previous by one of the
sailors of the ship.

As it happened, his firt answered the
purpose just as well. It landed with
such shrewd force that the valient mar-
iner fell. into the scuppers and remained
there perfectly oblivious of further vro-
ceedings.

While this little episode was in pro-
gress the combat had been raging with
varying fortunes.

At first the Yankee tars, in virtue of
their superior weapons, had the best of
the fight, and drove the merechantman
sailors aft almost into the cabin,

But then overwhelming numbers tri-
umphed, and the English fell upon their
antagonists with such fury that Martin
and his crew were compelled to retreat
forward. ,

And so it went for the space of an hour,

At the expiration of that time both
sides were thoroughly exhausted, and a
temporary truce was called.

The young middy rallied his men near
the foremast, and hastily consulted with
Miller.

A hurried count showed that he had
sixteen combatants remaining.

As far as he could see, this was hardly

/one half of the enemy’s force, even after

deducting their injured.

“Tt’s a bad case, Miller,” he said’ to
the coxswain.,
expected happens we are gone up.”

“If them men in the fo’castle were able
join us, sir, we would be all right.”
“True; but we haven’t time to break
open the hatch, I tried it a few moments
ago, and found out that it will take a

hammer and a cold chisel. But we——”
Here comes them villains again,” in-
terrupted Miller, quickTy.

His sharp eye had discerned a number
of shea forms creeping past the main-
mast,

It was the British crew again advanc-
ing to the attack.

During the previous half hour a full
moon had risen, but the sky was so over-
cast that only an occasional gleam of
light filtered @own on the stirring scene
being enacted on the prize's deck.

It was during one of these temporary

illuminations that Miller saw the foe

stealing upon them.

In an instant all was dark again, and
the young leader strained his eyes aft in
vain. °

He was not held in suspense very long.

Suddenly a bhvarse shout rang out and
they again found themselves fighting for
their lives.

But this time the struggle was of brief
duration, —

Beaten back from the first, Martin’s
followers soon found themselves penned
up_in the bow with no means of escape.

One after another was either felled to
the deck or captured, until at last only
the middy and two seamen were left.

Seeing the utter futility of continuing
such an unequal combat, the young leader
hurriedly advised the sailors to surren-
der, and then stole down the starboard
side, unobserved in the gloom.

He had an object in view.

Knowing that the recapture of the prize
was a foregone conclusion now, he cast

| about for some plan to make the victory

only temporary.-

_The only hope left was to try and

ae the frigate if she caught up with
em, ; : i j
For over an hour the Lord Clive had

been tossing about, sometimes aback,

and part of the while making a little

leeway. 2
Therefore, if the United States had not

“Without something un-.

 

 

 

 

 
  

GoonD

NEWS.

S053

 

stopped to fight her pursuer, she should
be soine where in the vicinity.

 

CHAPTER XIV.
MIZZENTOP.

 

IN TUE
(204
STN URING the previous struggle Mar-
5) tin had chanced to notice a tar-
A bucket lying in the port scup-
“=> pers directly opposite the main
chains,

His foot had struck it while dodging
back to escape a blow, and even in the
natural excitement, he involuntarily rec
|| oxnized the object.

(fk f It now formed an important part of
j
}
|
}

 

 

his new scheme,

Taking advantage of amoment of dark-
ness, he crept aft to the spot, and after
go securing the bucket, noiselessly mounted
aes. . the rigging.

His maneuver was successful only be

cause of the commotion forward. If the

fe: triumphant enemy had not been occu-

4 ied in driving the Yankee tars below,

Martin would have undoubtedly been
captured.

As it was, he reached the maintop in
safety, and stretching himself out close
to the edge, listened intently for sounds
from the spar-deck.

He knew that he would be missed be-
fore long, and the ship searched, but he

- resolved to postpone the discovery for
as many minutes as possible, in hopes
that the frigate would turn up.

It was certainly a slender reed to lean
upon, and the chances of the United
States “heaving in sight” were few and
far between, but stranger things had
happened, and in fact it was now the
only show of recovering the Lord Clive.

Martin’s stout heart almost failed him
when he peered irto the impenetrable
blackness enshrouding the ship.

That the astute commodore would
allow alight to be shown from the
frigate was hardly possible, and how else
would the middy learn of th> war ves-
sel’s proximity?

Considering these drawbacks, it is not
to be wondered at that the young officer
was discouraged.

He was almost on the point of going
down and surrendering himself when the
faint sound of voices came to his ears,

 

A Eagerly bending over, he listened to
Re the conversation.
mS “The young officer has recovered, papa,

5 but he is still weak. I hardly think he
should be moved.”

It was the young girl—their fair nris-
oner—addressing her father.

na .. At the words, Martin’s faithful heart

my - Swelled with joy. The young officer she

mentioned could be none other than Law-

rence, still alive.

yt. Since leaving his room by way of the
i‘ window, the middy had been so engrossed
: ee that he had not found time to even spec-
B ulate on Lanyon’s fate.
es That he had been sorely wounded,he

did not doubt—the shot, immediately
followed by the cry of agony, testified to
that—but his greatest fear was that
Larry had died.

Now it was settled, he felt an irresisti-
ble impulse to see his friend.

“He must be in the cabin—carried there
by the old gentleman in a moment of
pity,” he murmured. “If I could only
reach the stern it would be an easy mat-
ter to look through the windows,”

The signs of excitement near the fore-

. castle had passed away, and only a con-
fused mumble of voices came from that
direction.

As yet, as far as he could make out, no
efforts were being inaugurated to look
for him, but a searching party would
probably be formed soon,

Martin made another attempt to pierce

; the gloom, but without success.

; The moon had entirely disappeared,
banked in a somber mass of clouds which
was growing more dense as the night
progressed. — :

It was a good time for concealment, but
on the other hand, very poor for sighting
the frigate.

After gazing carefully in every point of
the compass, the midshipman elimbe4
up the topgallant shrouds to the cross-
trees, and then cantiously worked his
way down the maintopmast stay to the

Se mizzentop.

It was a very dangerous act, but he ac-
complished it in safety, and reached the
cap of the mizzenmast just in time to
hear the sounds of a scuffle from direetly
below. -

At first Martin thought he had been
discovered.

Some one cried: “There he goes!” ana

j then the swaying of the starboard
ier shrouds indicated that a man was hastily

~ ascending to where he stood. —

“By George! if it is only one, he’ll go
down faster than he came up,” he muttered
eos. grimly, picking up a spare block loosely
fastened to the floor of the top. :

Creeping close to the starboard “lubber
hole,” Martin raised his weapon and
1 silently waited. ;
leans He could hear the man gasping from

  
  
   
 
  
  
   
    
  
   
  
  
   
     
  
   
   
   
   
  
    
    
   
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
   
   
   
  
  
 
 

  

 

The sounds drew nearer
a hand clutched

the exertion.
and nearer, and then
the edge of the top.

“Now for his nob,”
young leader.

Leaning over, he took careful aim, and
was just on the point of bringing the
heavy. wooden block down on the man’s
head projecting through the opening,
when a familiar voice exclaimed:

“Great guns, but that was a narrow
squeeze |”

Then, to his unbounded amazement,
Martin saw Lawrence Lanyon craw! up
alongside of him.

The former recognized his friend at the
same time, and the two jads simply stood
and looked at each other in silence for
a moment. 5

Then the senior middy reached over
and gave Lawrence’s hand such a grip
that he almost cried out in pain.

“Why, you confounded little scamp,
where did you come from?” he cried, joy-
fully.

“Just escaped from the cabin,’
swered Lanyon, equally pleased,

“But weren’t you wounded early in the
fight?”

“Yes; the young girl shot me just as I
was calling you.”

“The — young — girl!” gasped Martin,
completely dumfounded.

“Yes, our fair young prisoner. After
turning from the door of your room to
go forward and alarm the crew, I ran
plump into the muzzie of a pistol. I just

whispered the

,

an-

 

had time to recognize her when she
pulled the trigger and shot me. For-
tunately the bullet barely grazed my

head, but it knocked the life out of me
foratime. When I recovered conscious-
ness I found myself on a cot in the cabin,
being tenderly cared for by the same one
who did the deed.”

“Well, by all that’s wonderful, this is
the most romantic romance I ever heard
of. Now, to form a fitting sequel, Larry,
you ought to’ marry-her and live happy
ever after.”

“Whew! I would just as soon be spliced
toa wild-cat,” replied Lanyon, giving a
comical whistle. “But to tell the truth,
Martin, she was awful sorry, and actu-
ally cried over me.”

“I wonder how she ever mustered up
the nerve to do it?”

“Tt was her father; he talked her into
it. While I was lying there just recov-
ering, I heard her wailing and tearing
her hair, and swearing that if I onlv got
well she would devote her life to making
reparation. At that I opened my eyes
and asked if she wouldn’t put me in the
way of joining my crew, for I knew
what had occurred. At that she fired up
a little, then smuggled me out the cabin
window.” ;

“But didn’t I hear the sounds of a
strnggle below there?” asked Martin,
deeply interested. —

“Yes; the man at the wheel saw me
just as I was making for the mizzen
shrouds. He ran and grabbed me, bur I
knocked him down and then came up
here.” ~*~

After he had finished, the senior middy
told him all that had occurred. includ-
ing his scheme for signaling th frigate
with the aid of the tar-bucket.

“Now, if she would only come along,
we would be all rigbt,” he added, impa-
tiently. “If we have to wait, those Brit-
ishers will capture us sure.” 2

“Tt’s a mighty slim chance,” replied
Lawrence, doubtfully.

“Yes, but it’s the only hope we have.
I think—what’s that?”

While speaking, a peculiar noise had
come to his ears—a dull report or “snap”
as of a sail flapping in the leech.

“There’s some vessel close by,” whis-
pered Martin, hoarsely. “Sh——! don’t
make any noise until we locate it.”

Creeping on tiptoes to the edge of the
top, they listened for further indications.

It soon came.

Suddenly the creaking of blocks became
apparent, and then a boatswain’s whistle,
shrill and piercing, sounded on the night
air.

Lawrence felt Martin’s hand on his
shoulder clutching it with painful in-
tensity.

“Do you know what that means, Larry?”
he muttered. “It means safety for us,
and the recapture of the prize. There
is only one ~hbo’s’n on the sea that can
whistle like that, and his name is Tom
Gallant.” :

“Then it’s the frigate!” exclaimed Lan-
yon, joyfully.

“Yes, the grand old United States,”
replied Martin, then he added, solemnly:

“You would think this a miracle or
mere coincidence, Larry, but it’s the in-
evitable triumph of the just side. We
are bound to win in this war with our
oppressor, and for the second time, too.”

Before Lanyon had time to reply a sub-
dued bustle below indicated that the
merchant crew had discovered their peril.

The inassive vards were swung to the
wind, and a lean of the hull proclaimed
pate efforts to slip from the dangerous
spot. ,

”
>

“Now's our chance!” cried the elder
lad, unslinging the pot of tar from his
shoulders. “Strike a light, quick !”

the tiny flame glowed faintly for one
brief moment, and then a vivid glare
lighted up the scene.

 

CHAPTER XV.

AN UNEXPECTED ATTACK.
cA Senn ates
GY % T the same instant both midship-

  

« men shouted as if with one yoice:

4) “United States, aboy! ‘The
“prize is recaptured! Send the
boats !”

A chorus-of angry cries came from the
spar-deck, then a whole volley of shots
rang out.

Luckily none took effect, although their
fiugres were clearly outlined against the
glare of light.

It seemed to Lawrence that a whole

afew ship’s lengths away. At last the
first lieutenant’s voice was heard order-
ing several boats away, armed and
equipped,

It was none too soon, as a number cf
the merchantman’s crew had started up
the mizzenrigging, apparently intent on
getting revenge while they could.

Martin and Lawrence saw them com-
ing, and prepared to defend the top.

The former grasped -his trusty block—
the one he came near using on his friend
—and Lanyon speedily found another.

“You take the starboard side and I’ll
defend the larboard,.” exclaimed the
senior middy. “If those men get up here
we are done for sure.” ,

Lawrence did not reply, but the omin-
ous manner with which he raised his
weapon boded il] for those in pursuit.

In a very short time the foremost of the
English sailors reached the lubber hole.

Peering down, Martin saw that he held
a long knife between his teeth, and a
cutlass in his right hand.

He was evidently prepared for business.

And so was the middy.

Watching his chance, he brought the
heavy block down on the intruder’s head
with a terrific whack.

One such blow was amply sufficient.
Uttering a stifled groan, the man slid
down the rigging like a shot and landed
on the deck beiow.

In his fall he must have knocked down
several following him, as the lads heard
more than one thud.

In the meantime, Lawrence was doing
yood work on his side of the top.

At about the same moment Martin
struck his man, Lanyon tapped another
on the cranium, with like results.

Those below, seeing the failure of their
mates in reaching the mizzentop, sent
another shower of bullets aloft.

Hearing Martin utter a sudden ejacu-
lation, Larry anxiously asked him if he
was wounded. :

“Pretty near it, old boy,” came the
reply. ‘*One of those leaden pellets just
grazed my ear. Ah, there come the
boats from the frigate!”

Rapidly approaching from out the
misty darkness could be seen three cut-
ters filled with men.

On observing them; the two middies
gave a lusty cheer.

It was immediately answered from the
oncoming craft, and then they speedily
dashed alongside.

There was no resistance from the crew
of the Lord Clive; they apparently rec-
ognized the futility of it, and meant to
surrender gracefully. .

“Come on, Martin; let’s get down there
in time to receive our fellows,” cried Lan-
yon, preparing to descena.

On reaching the deck, they found the
merchant crew grouped on one side, with
the skipper at their head,

They favored the middies with a scowl]
of hatred, but forebore to offer thei any
bodily injury. . ne cae

Rusbing to the gangway, Martin tipped
his cap to an officer just climbing over
the side, and exclaimed: y

“Very happy to see you, Mr. Scott; in
fact I don’t know when I have been so
glad at meeting you.”

The officer smiled briefly, and then
asked the cause of the trouble.

He was soon informed.

“Ah! they got the best of you, eh?
Well, you must have been born undera
lucky star, Martin, or else the frigate
would not have happened along so oppor-

once more, and this time in such a man-
ner that they won’t get away in a hurry.”

Acting under his directions, the skip-
per and his erew were again confined in
the forward hold, but with a score of
armed seamen with them.

After this was attended to, Lawrence
rwent aft with Mr. Scott and knocked
on the cabin door. - ;

He had told the lieutenant of his little
episode with the old gentleman and his

 

daughter, and the former was eager to
see such interesting personages.

His companion did as he was bidden; |

| sion,
| hands, and had evidently prepared to use

year elapsed before an answering hail |
came from the frigate, now dimly visible |

tunely. We will now secure the prisoners |

 

“Your adventures will makea great
yarn to spin to your shipmates, Lanyon,”
he smiled. “I don’t doubt but what any
of the boys would risk a shot to be at-
tended by such a delightful voung lady.”

Lawrence felt his head doubtfully. He
was not certain but what such a narrow
squeeze w"s to high a price to pay for
the pleasure.

Nbdt receiving an answer to his knock,
he turned the knob and. walked in, fol-
lowed by Scott.

A startling tableau inet their eyes.

Standing at the farend was the old
gentleman, his face suffused with pas-
He held a brace of pistols in his

them.

Close to his side was the young girl.
She had thrown her arms around his, and
was striving te prevent him from dis-
charging the weapons.

‘Taking in the situation ata glance,
Lawrence sprang forward and disarmed
the incensed man just in time.

In another second he would have freed
himself from his daughter's detaining
grasp, and fired at the officers.

“What do you mean, sir!” sternly de-
manded Lieutenant Scott. “You are a
prisoner of the American Government,
and have been used leniently by the junior
officers in charge of this prize. Now, if
you cannot control] yourself, 1 will have to
order you confined with the rest of the
prisoners in the forward hold.”

“Tf do not recognize your government,”
howled the enraged Englishman, strug-
gling to free himself. “You are pirates,
and I will die before I surrender. Un-
hand me, I say!”

Lanyon caught an appealing glance
from the young lady, and whispered a
few words to his superior officer.

The latter nodded and directed several
of his men to place the old gentleman in
a state-room.

When this had been attended to, the
lieutenant whispered :

“You haven’t introduced me, Lanyon.
Remember, Iam to take charge of the
prize in poor Jones’ place.”

Lawrence looked perplexed.

“By George! I declare 1 don’t know
her name!” he replied.

He spoke so Joud the young lady over-
heard him. She smiled slightly, and then
remarked :

“You must pardon my father, gentle-
men;-but he’s a member of the English
parliament, and has strong views on
most subjects. He is Sir Raiph Vane,
and I am his only daughter, Mildred
Vane.”

This was rather conciliatory language
from one who had tried to shoot him not
four hours previous, was Lawrénce’s
idea, but he simply bowed in reply.

After a few further words, they left
the cabin and joined Martin on the quar-
ter-deck.

During their absence the senior middy
had suddenly concluded that be would
prefer returning to the frigate instead of
remaining on board the prize.

Certain information given him by Mr.
Scott concerning the future movements
of the man-of-war caused him to think
that he would rather be with her during
the next few weeks. eee

When the lieutenant came up he
broached the subject, and received a re-
luctant consent,

“TIT would much rather have you and
Lanyon with me, Martin, but if you wish
to change places with the junior officers
have brought with me, well and
good,” ;

Lawrence was perfectly willing to go
with his stanch friend, so he and Mar-
tin returned to the frigate. :

On reaching the ship they received a
summons to app@ar in the commodore’s
cabin.

Decatur asked for full details, and on
being informed by Martin, he praised
both lads very highly for ther efforts in
signaling the frigate.

He had hardly finished when a messen-
ger hastily entered the cabin and ex-
claimed, breathlessly:

“Three lights have just been sighted
abeam, sir, and tie first lieutenant thinks
they are cruisers |”

Decatur sprang to his feet and was in
the act of leaving the room when the lond
report of a heavy gun sounded from the
right.

It was immediately followed by a
crash, and a cannon ball penetratéd the
apartment, scattering splinters in every
direction. 5 es

(TO BE CONTINUED.)
——_ + -0
PAT WAS GOING FOR HIS SHEARS.

Captain (to green sailor): “Pat, my
lad, go aloft and trim the snils.”

Pat (starting to go below): “ Yes, sor.”
’ Captain (sharply) : “Here, what are you
going below for?” :

Pat: “For me shears, captain, dear!
Sure yon don’t think Oi wud be afther
thrimmin’ the sails wid me fingers, do
yez?”

  
 

CGroODp

NEWS.

 

 

[This Story Will Not be Published in Book-Form.}

WHEELING FOR FORTUNE,

BiCYy OLN 4G OY be: Pe Se AEDS.

By JAMES
Author of “The Counterfeiler’s League,” ‘Messenger No, 48,

 

OTIS,

etc.

 

 

“WHEELING FOR FORTUNE” was commenced in No. 189, Back numbers can be obtained of all News Agonts.

CHAPTER VII,
A HARD ROAD.

») ETER certain of the band had been
sent to this second entrance re-
ferred to by Buck, in order to
make sure the cave was not en-
tirely surrounded, it became indeed, as
the leader had said, “every man for him-
self,”

The ponies which had been picketed
around the sides of the subterranean
dwelling were now being saddled hur-
riedly, and each man was looking well to
his accouterments, for the chances were
that in a few moments a human life
might depend upon the mechanism of the
revolver or the strength of the saddle-
girth.

Although the horse which Buck had rid-
den during the night was sadly in need
of rest, he preferred taking his chances
of escape on that animal rather than any
other, since it was one which he had
come by honestly, and this fact might
stand him in good stead when they
reached a town or settlement.

As a matter of course Reggie’s prepar-
ations for the night occupied very little
time.

He had left his wheel near the fire,
where he could keep it in view all the
while he remained there—for his con-
fidence in his companions was not very
great—and this he lifted from the ground,
realizing that if they were forced to
travel very far over such a country as
he and Buck had encountered when they
came*from the highway to the cave, the
bicycle would bea great-hindranceto him,

Unhampered by it, he could walk very
much faster, and yet there was no thought
in his mind of leaving it behind, for dur-
ing the many miles to be traversed after
they were west of Hartington, the ma-
chine woald be of greater service than
apony., Already the majority of the men
had disappeared, and those who remained

 

don his bicycle until matters should be*
come so desperate that there was ho
longer any hope he would have a ¢hance
of using it.

It was impossible for these fugitives
to make their way through the bushes
without more or less noise, with the
horse and the wheel to hamper, for they
certainly were hampered- now when it
was possible only to proceed at a walk.

During an hour the two had probably
traversed a distance of four miles, and
Buck spoke for the first time since they
started:

“T reckon we can count on givin’ the
officers the slip this deal, but what puz-
zles me is how they stumbled on the cave.
It seems positive one of the gang must
have given the snap away, and yet if
that had been the case, why didn’t he
explain about the underground passage?”

As a matter of course, this was a ques-
tion Reggie could not answer, nor did it
trouble him very much,

It was sufficient for him that they were
comparatively free once more, for the
idea of being identified as One of a gang
of horse-thieves, in u country where scant
ceremony is shown such gentry, was by
no méans pleasant. Buck had brought
with him from the cavern seme food,
and the two ate a decidedly frugal break-
fast as they continued their way across
a country sparsely wooded, but yet pre-
senting sufficient in the way of bushes
and underbrush to prevent rapid trav-
eling. i

Buck insisted that Reggie should ride
at least half the way, and although the
boy objected to this division of labor, he
was forced to occupy the saddle every al-
ternate hour,

Until nearly noon they continued on
slowly and steadily, and then, in a
thicket of scrub oaks, Buck insisted on
ealling a halt,

“It istime we took care of oursefves,”
he said, as he dismounted and removed
the saddle. “The horse needs

 

were using every effort to leave the dan-| badly as either of us,”

gerous place in
space of time.

Buck’s horse was soon ready, and mo-
tioning to Reggie, the twostarted toward
an exit directly opposite the one by which
they had entered.

It was a passage which had been dug
through” the earth, and shored here and
there with roughly hewn trunks of trees,
being sufficiently large to admit of a
man’s walking by the side of his horse.

‘As a matter of course this place was
shrouded in deepest darkness, and Reg-
gie hugged one side of the tunnel closely
in order to feel his way. :

“Needn’t be afraid of stumblin’, boy.
Everything is plain sailin’ here,” Buck
said. “The one fear is thas we may
get huddled in with a lot of horses
‘down néar the entrance, and then it
won’t be very pleasant.” ‘

“Where does this lead to?”.

“We shall come out the other side of
the hill in a small growth of timber;
hardly enough to hide us from view during
the day-time, but plenty to keep you
from using your wheel for the next five
or six miles.”

“Are you sure the officers don’t know of
this passage?”
- “IT wish I was, From all that could
. be learned there was none at this enda
few moments ago, although it may be
they’re layin’ for us, and we shall find
ourselves facing half .a dozen Winches-
ters in a few seconds after coming out.”

This was by no means a pleasing pros-
pect, and if Reggie had wished, when he
first entered the cave, that he had not
mixed himself up with any such com-
pany, he regretted it doubly now, when
the possibilities were that he might soon
find himself in the midst of a hand-to-
hand: fight, classed as an outlaw. It
seemed to him as if fully half an hour
was occupied in traversing this passage,
although such could hardly have been
the case, and then they emerged cau-
tiously into the open air.

Not a sound could be heard save the
rustling of the foliage directly in front of
them as the men made their way through
the bushes, and Buck said, in a low tone,
to Reggie: :

“Keep close to my stirrup, boy, an’ if
it so happens that you are forcéd to
leave your wheel, swing yourself up be-
hind me, and the pony must carry
donble.” —

Reggie mentally resolved not to aban-

the shortest possible

-
4

Although he disliked toadmit the fact,
Reggie was very reéarly éxhausted, and
ithe time for the halt had come most
'opportunely, for it seemed as if it would
| have been impossible for him to continue
on very much longer,

“T don’t reckon we need fear being dis-
turbed here,” Buck said, as he picketed
the horse, and threw himself upon the
ground by the side of Reggie. “We can
afford to stop until we are thoroughly
rested, and when we start again it will
be over a country where you can we
your wheel, consequently we shall make
good time.”

| Reggie slept soundly until theshadows

of night had begun to tengthen, and then
he was aroused by Buck, who said, as he
shook him into consciousness: :
“Turn out, lad. and have somethin” to
eat. I’ve cooked a few slices of bacon,

 

 

an’ when you get your share inside,
you'll sleep all the better.”

“Are you going to stay here any longer?”
Reggie asked, as he staggered to his feet,

“Until morning, unless something hap-
pens.”

Buck had built a small fire, and the
odor of the bacon was ‘so appetizing
to the boy, that he was soon ready to do
full justice to the rude meal.

Then came a night of uninterrupted
slumber, and when theestun’ rose again,
the two were thoroughly refreshed.

Another meal of bacon, and then the
start was made, Buck bearing off sharply
to the north, in order to strike a road
where Reggie’s wheel would be of some
advantage.

Before nine o’clock the boy had
mounted, and the journey was continued
with reasonable speed until nightfall, a
halt having been made only at noon.

“There’s where we'll sleep to-night,”
Buek said, as he pointed ahead to a rude
log building, in front of which were
tethered a couple of ponies,

“This isn’t another case of stopping
with horse-thieves, and finding the
sheriffs after us before morning, is it?”
Reggie asked, apprehensively.

“Nota bit of it, lad. TIT wouldn't have
taken the risk of putting you in the cave,
but for the fact that we were likely to
be hurd pressed before mornin’, From
this time out you tan count on meetin’
a different sort of people, though I can’t
say for certain yon’ll be in better hands.”

“Who lives there?” Reggie asked.

“An old fellow who has a curious sort

rest as}

 

of a history. Five vears ago, he an’ his
partner came here from California. They
had thirty thousand dollars worth of
dust with them. This man, Old Ike,
they call him, tended to the housework
and such as that, and his partner was
the treasurer. One day Ike had been out
huntin’, and came back to find his chum
dead—bored full of bullet-holes, From
that day to this, the thirty thousand dol.
lars never has been found. It is believed
to be buried around here somewhere.
I'll venture to say there isn’t a sqtiare
foot of ground the old fellow hasn’t dug
up in the hope of finding it,”

“Perhaps it was stolen?’

“IT reckon not. It had been buried; but
he didn’t have curiosity enough to find
out where, when there was a chance
to get the information. Most likely his
partner was killed by those who hoped
to make a big haul, but there was no
sign that the stuff had been carried
away.”

“There seems to be visitors,
those are his ponies.”

“Almost everybody who comes by this
way steps in tosee the old man; he keeps
a sort of hotel.”

“Perhaps those horses belong to the
officers,”

“There's no danger of their being out
here, Horse-thiéves don’t congregate in
this sectioti of the Gountry. ou see——’

Buck had stopped suddenly, as a horse-
than emerged from a bib of timber at the
left; atid at right angles with thé road
they had been traveling.

Reggie instinctively haltéd. by the side
of his companion, both. gaging itttently
at thé new-comer until Buck exclaimed,
in a tone of vexation:

“It’s Abe Harris! What
blown him across our path?”

“Are you likely to have trouble with
him?” Reggie asked, solicitously.

“IT don’t allow there’s any danger of
that, but he ain’t the kind of a chum I'd
like to travel far with. Besides, after
what’s been said betwixt ~he an’ I, we're
not likely to agree very well,” 3

Harris had réeognized the boy and his
iriénd, and rode forward with 4 a
greeting, as if glad of having met wit
acquaintances. __

There was nothing for it but to treat
him civilly, since he came in such a
friendly fashion, and Buck said in reply
to his question, as the three halted fifty
yards or more from the cabin:

“Yes, we allowed we'd stop here to-
night.. Sure of getting good grub by
payin’ for it, and no danger of meeting
any one who might be interested iii us:”

“That was my idea. Did you have
trouble in getting away?”

“No; never saw any one from the time
we left.”

“T wasn’t so lucky. A couple headed
me off within five minutes after I came
out, and for half an hour or so the
chances were even between us. I got the
best of them, though, and kinder allowed
I'd run up into Dakota. It’s too hot
round here,” — ‘<

“Tt ts, for afact,” Buek replied, shortly,
as if not caring to prolong the cohversa-
tion; but Harris was determihed to know
in what direction the two.were going;
and since he would easily have discov-
ered on the following morning, Buck
thought it wisest to admit the truth, and
the man said, in a tone of relief:

“Then since we’re heading in the same
direction, we'll travel together.” ;

This was not at all pleasing to Reggie.

One of the gang from the cave was
quite enough, without adding to the
party the most disreputable looking
member of the band. ;

Buck looked at him meaningly, as if
to say that they would not travel very
far together, and then led the way toward
the old man’s shanty,

The door was open, and as they arrived
opposite the house it was possible to dis-
tinguish the inmates of the single room
the building contained.

Then Reggie halted suddenly. Seizing
Buck by the arm, he whispered, hoarsely ;

“There’s the fellow who called himself
Jack Hardy, and with, him is the man
who robbed us.”

unless

ill-wind has

 

CHAPTER VIII.
AN UNDERSTANDING.

EGGIE involuntarily halted as he
saw the boy whom he was so anx-

ious to avoid, and Buck said,
sharply:
“It won't do to back out now, lad.

You might as well face the music, and
before we say good-by to this crowd,
we'll give your friend to understand
you’ve had all of his company vou want.”

“Ts it Jim Somers?” Reggie asked.

“It is, for a fact. If you can show me
a bigger all-round villain than he is, I’d
be willing to travel a good ways for the
sake of seeing such a curiosity.”

They had continued to advance while
talking, and by this time were at the
door of the hut, where could be seen Old
Ike, who was’ preparing a meal for his

‘care to get behind me,

 

two guests by the aid of an open fire
built on a raised platform.

Jack Hardy had not paid any partic-
ular attention to the new-comers until
they seated themselves on a bench near
the door-way, and Buck cried to the old
man:

“Well, pard, I s’pose you can give us a
bit of grub, when you’re through with
the job you’ve got on hand?”

Ike looked around, nodded familiarly
to Buek and Abe Harris, as if they were
old. acquaintances, gazed scrutinizingly
at Regie, and without making any re-
ply, continued his labors.

The horse-thief evidently did not ex-
pect to receive an answer to the question
regarding supper, but apparently under-
stood from the nod of recognition that
the request would be granted.

Jack Hardy and his companion looked
around on hearing Buck's voice, and as
a matter of course, the former recognized
Reggie.

“It seems that we ain’t going to part
cOmpany quite so soon after all,” he said,
as he came toward the boy in what he
evidently intended should be a friendly
manner, “Unléss you have other chums;
we had better pull together from here to
Hartihgton,”

“If I had not, I should prefer to travel
alone, rather than go with the man who
robbed me,” Reggie replied, curtly. “How
does it happen that you are on such good
terms with him?”

“There’s no use kicking after a thing
has been done. When I left you, I met
him; and we struck it friendly together.
He was willing to do, the square busi-
ness about the inoney he cogh from ime,
Flashed up nearly half of it, and if you
agree to chum with us the rest of the
way, we can make some kind of a trade
with him about your cash.” ;

“I'll attend to that part of it,” Buck
said, with a significant gésture,
an’ I have met once before, an’ I reckon
he’d like to oblige me if I asked him a
favor.”

This was spoken sufficiently loud for
the alleged highwayman to hear the
worts; and he turhed angrily to look at
the speaker. ,

One glance at Buck’s face, however,
was enough to cause the man to change
his belligerent bearing for something
which was very like fear,

“T don’t know as there’s any cal! to
have trouble until after ~supper,” Buck
said, “and then, perhaps there won’t be
any neetl of it, for I allow you'll be will-
ing to straighten things with~ this boy
you robbed, eh, stranger?”

The. man, uttered something which
could: not be dist nguished, and Buek
said, in a low tone to Abe Harris: a

“It'll be a good idea to keep your eyes
open reasonably wide while we’re here.”

“I always do when that kid of Head-
ley’s is ’round,” the man_ replied, and
Buck said in a low tone to Reggie: :

#If there should happen to be any dis:
turbance before we turn in, take good
You are too much
of a tenderfodt to make any fist in a
scrimmage, and had better keep out of
the way,” | :

“Thad rather hot have the money back

than that there should be any tow which :

might delay us,” Reggie replied.

“T don’t allow we shall be delayed very >

long, but we'll have an understanding
with both these fellows, for it’s evident
they’ve been looking for you, an’ we
sha’n’t get rid of them with soft words,
that's certain.”

“It seems to me you gentlemen ave
achin’ for trouble,” Jack Hardy said, as
with a swagger he went toward the
highwayman, en g

“I reckon there won’t be any if you
keep yourself quiet, my bantam; but
don’t jet your hands swing too hear that

holster,” Buck said, with an assumption -

“He?

of carelessness, and Reggie noticed thathe ~

had grasped his weapon ready to draw it,

“You seem to be talkin’ pretty loud,”
the young tough said, with a sneer.
“From what I had heard.of_ this place of
Ike’s, I thought it was always agreed
there shouldn’t be any trouble in it.”

“I don’t reckon there will be, Jim
Somers; but we’re not countin’ on givin’
you time to make a break,” Abe Harris
said, menacingly. “When kids like you
take to puttin’ on so many frills, it’s
time somebody stopped ’em, an’I give
you fair warnin’ that I’ll put my mark
on you at the least sign of a fuss.”

“T’ve heard what your mark is, but I
kinder claim that I sha’n’t wear it yet
awhile.”

“Then keep a civil tongue in your
head,” Buck said, sternly. “IJ don’t want
to pick a fuss with boys, but I’m not
countin’ you in that class. It’s your
friend that I’ve got a little matter to
settle with, an’ after that’s done you
an’ I can figger up things, if you think
there’s any need of it.”

During this altercation Old Ike had
continued his work as calmly as if his
guests were engaged in a most friendly
conversation. :

It was an unwritten law with those

‘

 

 

  
 

 

 

 

 
 

   

 

 

 

 

 

GOOD NEWS.

Sos5

 

who frequented the cabin that there
should be no disturbance raised in the
building, and whether his guest was
horse-thief or trader, he had no fear of
any serious fight

Before the boy who called himself Jack
Hardy could reply to Buck’s last remark
the old man placed before him and his
companion a bountiful, though not deli-
cately prepared, meal, serving the food
on tin plates on the bench beside them.

Then he began cooking food
later arrivals, and Reggie took advantage
of the lull to say to Buck:

“Jack Hardy ——”

“Call him Jim Somers, lad, an’ then
everybody'll know who you mean,”

“Very well. Jim Somers seems deter-
‘mined to havea fight; but I’m afraid——”

“Don't let that worry you, my boy.
‘He's feelin’ kinder mean to think you
‘should have found out who he is, for, of
‘course, any chance of getting the best of
you in a friendly way is gone. Then
again, he knows Abe, an’ has allers had
an idea he might get the Harris brand
on him in time; but he’s only blowing
himself now with the hope of standin’
us off.” ?

“You know what.a serious matter it
would be to me if anything should hap-
pen to you, for I’m depending on your
helping me find father.” :

“That part of it will be-all right,”
was the careless reply. “We'll have our
understandin’ without anything more
serious than a bit of tongue-lachin’, I
reckon; but if it should come to some-
‘thin’ different, Jim Somers has played
his last game, for I’d think no more of
puttin’ a bullet through him than I
would through a skunk, an’ perhaps not
quite so much.”

Regyie understood that it was useless
for him to attempt to change the course
of events in any way, and he remained

_ silent, Buck and Abe Harris. conversing

now and then in regard to their future
moments. .

The second supper was cooked and
served, and then Ike seated himself out-
side the shanty to enjoy his smoke.

‘The suppositious highwayman finished
his supper, filled his pipe leisurely, and
was apparently on the point of leaving
the building, when Buck said, curtly:

“You an’ I have seen too much of each
other before this to make a great deal of
talk necessary between us. You heard
what I said a while ago, an’ I mean it.
This boy is with me, an’ what you’ve got
that belongs to him, better be turned
Over before you go out.”

Jim Somers looked up quickly, and

wep rting the unpleasant fact that Abe Har-

-“ris was on the alert, he made no further

sign that he was interested in the con-
yersation, .

The man turned sulkily, and went
back to his seat by the side of Somers.

During two or three minutes not a
word was spoken, and then Old Ike broke
the silence, removing his pipe as he said:

fe allow you ain’t all countin’ on stop-
pin’ here to-night, are you?”

“The boy an’ I reckon on it,” Buck re-
plied.

“An’ I figger that it won’t be hard for
you to give me a shake-down,” Abe Har-
mis said. .

“Then that fills the bill,” Ike added,

nickly. “I never count on takin’ in

iore than three at the outside. The piace

5 small, an’, as you know, gentlemen,

Udon 't care about accommodatin’ too

aany at a time,”

“Does that mean you’re to throw us out
in the cold?” Jim Somers asked, quickly.

“I ain't throwin’ you nowhere; but
‘seein’s how there isn’t bunks enough for

more’D I’ve named, you’ll have to camp’

somewhere else.”

“But my partner an’ I got here first,
an’ here we're goin’ to stay.”

“That's as may be,” Ike replied, and
Reggie watched the old man intently,
wondering how it would be possible for
him to limit the number of-his guests,
when they were so pugnaciously inclined
as the present ones appeared to be.

~ tts time them as ain’t goin’ to stop,
got out,” and Ike arose slowly to his feet,
stretching first one limb and then an-
other, something after the fashion of open-
aes jack-knife. San
_ He knocked the ashes carefully from
his pipe, put it in his pocket, glancing
around as if calculating how long a time
would elapse before night fully set in
and then entered the building. :

Jim Somers leaped tu his feet, and
backed against the wall, his companion
following his example.

Buck and Abe Harris gazed at the land-
lord and his guests as if they were in no-
wise interested, and a serutinizing ob-
server would have failed to see anything
in their faces to tell that a fatal en.
counter might be begun at any instant.

“Now see here, boy,” Ike said qnietly
but mel: “you don’t want to make
any trouble ’ronnd this ‘ere shanty, for

it’s been standin’ in the same place quite
a while, with me in it Men have stopped
here; but f don’t cotton to sich as you,
You’ve had your supper, an’ perhaps it’s

for the}

 

a good deal more’n you’]l get some other
time. Now I want you to pay for it an’
go out.”

“I'll pay for my supper, my lodgin’, and
my breakfast when I’ve had ’em, but
not acent till then. Eh, partner?” and

| Jim Somers nudged his con)panion.

“That’s what you said,” the man re-
plied, with a grin.

“Hold on there, Ike. Before you go any
further with these gents, there’s a little
business for me to settle. I don’t allow
to interfere with a game of yours, but in
this case give me ashow before the deal
begins.”

Reggie would have stopped Buck if it
had been possible, but the latter stepped
past him quickly into the room, his
weapon leveled at the fellow who had
played the part of highwayman.

“IT thought there was to be no dancin’
in this shanty!" Jim Somers cried, mak-
ing an effort toward drawing his revolv-
er, but desisting as Buck looked sternly
at him.

“Neither is there while men are 'round;
but when it comes to boys an’ sneaks,
why, things have got to be run a little
straighter. You know what I want,
so come down with the stuff, an’ then
maké your settlement with Ike!”

Abe Harris stepped into the door-way,
ready to take his part in whatever might
be done, and the fellow who had robbed
Reggie saw that the odds were against
him.

“You needn't be so free with your
gun,” the highwayman growled. “I’m

ready todo what you say, now you've
got the drop on me,” and he began to
unbuckle his belt, evidently for the pur-
pose of getting the money, when Jim
Somers leaped like a cat upon Buck, as
he sbouted to his partner:

“Give that boy one as you promised!
I'll take care of this fellow! Don’t let
the kid get away from you!”

re (10 BE CONTINUED.)
a

Puzzle Corner.

Dinan tase

 

{Original contributions solicited. Please do notsend
puzzles coutaining obsolete words. Address “* Puz-
ue ere Goop News, P O. Box 2734, New York

A

 

>

 

No. 1.—DIAMOND.

. A consonant,

. A weight.

. A book.

. Used in fishing.
A consonant,

or Co BO

CHIP.
No. 2.—CHARADE,
First I am alittle fellow
That’s sometimes very snappish.
Second I am the end of anything;
And whole [ am to diminish.
HOKEY POKEY;

No. 8.—HEPTAGON.

1. Lower in degree.

2. To give strength or power.

3. A channel.

4, Dispossession,

6. Leasing.

6. A tavern.

7. A king of Bashan,
8

. A letter.
Cc. Y¥. Nick.

No, 4.—CROSS-WoORD. ENIGMA.
In cage, not in pen.
In vault, not in den.
In bean, not in seed.
In plant, not in weed.
Tn teach, not in study.
In fresh, not in ruddy.
If down these lines you'll take a glance,
You'll find a city in southern France.
PIGOTT,
No. 5.—PENTAGON.
1. A letter.
2. A pronoun.
8. A number.
4. A period of time,
5. Before.
GA, Be

No. 6.—NUMERICAL ENIGMA.
IT am composed of eleven letters.
My 6, 7, 8, 3is a grain.
My 10, 9, 2, 1 is part of a grate.
My 4, 7, 5,11 is a large town.
Whole I am a power.
HouM Boe.
No. 7.—HALF-SQUARE.
1. Rapine.
2. In bed.
3. To provoke.
4. A boy’s nickname.
5. A consonant,
sd DICK GOLDEN.

No. 8.—LOGOGRIPH.
Whole I am used in the army and navy.
Delete one letter, I am military force.
Again delete one letter and transpose, I am
part of a ship.
Change head, [am abird. —
Change head, T am part of ourselves.
Change head and reverse, I am an herb,
C. M. COCKBILL.
No. 9.—ACROSTIC,
Foundation Words.
My primals, that are written below,
Show the name of a flower you all must know,
Oross Words.
My first upon every house is seen.
For my next a river is what you mean,
Yn iy third a mineral please find.
My last is 4 name, jf you do not mind.
MES R. THOMPSON,

 

Auswers to Puzzles in No. 190 Good News.

No. 1,
L

7

s
TY
Ss

Deon

Me tM
i be Po bo

No. 2— :

United States.
No, 3—

Name, amen.

No. 4—

No. 5— :
Limoges.

No. 6—

. Grant.

Tyler.

. Adams,

Cleveland.

Garfield.

Arthur.

Polk.

. Madison.

. Jackson.

. Hayes.

DO 1 ory go BO

rr

No. 7—

&

t
ica}?

a}

a> tie
Behe
A> &
g>
AAP
Had
RaQ

No. 8—
Mustard.
No. 9—
Boar, Oar.
No. 10—
SMALL
MELEE

a

PUZZLE SOLVERS.
Dick Golden, Emma Lee, K. Ritic, and Jane
Davis.

Our Mail bag.

{Questions on subjects ef general interest only are
dealt with in the ‘Mail Bag.” Medical or lezal
questions not auswered. Good NEwWs goes to press
two weeks in advance of date of publication, and there-
fore answers cannot appear until two-or three weeks
after we receive them. Communications intended for
this column should be addressed Goop News ‘Mail
Bag,” P. O. Box 2734, New York City.)

 

 

 

 

So
Anxious, Roxbury, Mass.—Printing-ink differs
from writing-ink in being thicker and more like a
paint. It has to be made with great care. It is
usually made of lampblack mixed with boiled lin-
seed oiJ and turpentine. ‘ :

A. W. B., Denver, Col.—Thanks for your compli
ments. We think you will see still greater im-
provements in GOOD NEWS shortly, as we have sev-
eral surprises in store for our readers.

E. J. L., New York.—We would not advise yen to
give up the work you are at just now. There are
so many men idle that it would be difficult to get
in elsewhere.

F. L., New York.--We know of nothing that will
remove tattoo marks effectually. Some claim that
to work milk into the marks will do it; but we
doubt this.

W., Cincinnati, Ohio.—Your sketches are fair,
but we cannot make use of them, for the reason
that we are overstocked with such matter.

W. E. B.. New Brighton, Pa.—d. It would be hard
for an enlisted man to obtain a commission except-
ing in times of war. 2. Wait a year or two.

A, M., Butte, Mont.—1. A detective story such as |

you mention is on the way. 2. He is a noted United
States Secret Service officer. 3. Yes.

W. M. B., Washington, D. C.—Thanks for your
compliments. Wemay publish another serial by
your favorite author ere long.

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the coming thing, and it might pay you very well
to take it up.

Missing Money, New York.—The story is based
on facts which occurred in an Eastern State some
years ago. é

Fred Le B., Jewell City, Conn.—l. Apply at any
first-class bookstore. 2. Read “Zig-Zag, the Boy
Conjurer.” ,

G. C., Boston, Mass.—You can learn civil e6n-
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you wish.

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W. McS., Minneapolis, Minn.—Write to the Sec-
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S. M., Stringtown, Ind.—We shall not publish the
story yqu mention in GOOD NEWs.

Camera Bob, Brooklyn, N. Y.—A story of New
York city life is on the way.

M.I., Sterling Station, Ga—We could not use
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A. W.B., Baltimore, Md.—1. Yes. 2. Next sum-
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J. W. G., New York,—Your story is unavailable.

[Several communications left over to be answered
next week. } oaeg a : y

7

 

T icklets.

BY CHARLES W. FOSTER

The Genuine Article.

Little Miss Freckles—‘'! don’t b’lieve that’s a
ree’lar French cook your folks has got.”
Little Miss Mugg—‘‘You don’t, eh?

my bref.”
A Great Difference.
Teacher—‘How many feet are there in a
perch ?”’
Boy—‘‘Do you mean the oue I caught or the
one that got away ?”’

She Enjoyed It.
Cultured Visitor—“‘And did» you enjoy the
Columbian Exposition, my dear ?”’
Little Dear—‘“‘Yes, indeed. Why, they gave
chewing gum away for nothing.”

A Boy’s Idea.
Little Girl—‘‘Why is those
bicycles called safeties ?”’
Little Boy—*' ’Cause w’en you're goin’ so fast
you can’tstop, youcan bend down an’ dodge
under a horse’s legs without gettin’ hurt.”

Smell

little wheel

The Average Eclipse.
Teacher—‘What can you tell me about
eclipses ?”’
Bright Boy—‘‘They is generally somewhere

else.”

Rather Awkwardly Put.
Lady—‘“‘I wish a piece of toilet soap.”
Boy—‘‘Scented.”’

Lady—*Well, I don’t know. The last I got
here was so scented that the whole room
smelled as if Iwas continually washing my-
self.”

Boy—‘“Well, ma’am, htre’s some unscented,
that will make the room smell as if you never
washed yourself.”

Evolution of Foot-ball.

Father—‘How did your foot-ball game result
to-day ?’

Boy—“The Bungtowners beat us.”

“You have always beaten them
haveén’t you ?”

“Yes, but to-day they had a trained billy-goat
in their teain.”’

Familiar with Figures.
Stranger—‘You are a native of this town, I

presume?”

Boy (in cigar store)—“No, I’m from Penn-
sylvania.”

“Ah! A great manufacturing State.”

“Yes, sir. Pennsylvania produces more Ha-
Vala Cigars than any other State in the Union.”

before,

_4A Drummer.

Little Boy—‘‘Who was that man who’s been
talkin’ to you so long %”

Country Merchant—*He’s a drummer.”

“What sort of drums does he drum on ?”

“Kar drums.’

He Found No Hard Times.

Bustler—“ Helio, Hustler! “How you knock-
in’ ’em ?*

Hustler—‘“‘Making hand
Can't half fill orders.”

“You don’t say! What you selling?’

“T am agent fora gate which can’t be lifted
off the hinges, and I’ve got two college towns
in my district.” :

= One-Sided Enjoyment.

Jack—“While I was out hunting, I ran right
into a den of rattlesnakes.”

George—Not much fun in that.”

Jack—“No, not for me; but the snakes had
a rattling good time.”

An Active Mind.

Fond Mother—‘My boy has a very active
mind, don’t you think 2” '

Teacher—“Assuredly. I wish you-could hear
the dear little fellow talk when he gets caught
at something, and tries to make me believe
that he didn’t do it.’”’

It Was,

Aunty—“So you have had your first meal at
your new boarding place. Was it a course
dinner?” —

Little Girl—‘‘Awfully.”

money. over fist.

 

 

 

Valued Indorsement

of Scott's
Emulsion
is contain-
ed in let-
ters from
the medi-
cal profess <<
sion speaking of its gratify:
ing results in their practice

Scott's Emulsion

of cod-liver oil with Hype.
phosphites can be adminis
tered when plain oilis out of
the question. It is almost
as palatable as milk—easiei
to digest than milk.

Prepared by Scott & Bowne, N. Y. All druggisté.

 

 

 

 
 

 

3056

CroOl

NEWS.

 

BUT THEY DIDN'T.

 

Three men-of-war ships, Dutch, French,
and English, while anchored in. port,
were contending with each other for the
best display of seamanship, so the cap-
tain of each vessel determined to send
aloft an. active sailor to perform some
deed of grace and daring. ‘he Dutch cap-
tain sent a Dutchman, the Freneh a
Frenchman, and the English an Irish-
man. The Dutchman stood on the top of.
the mainmast with his arm extended.
The Frenchman then went aloft and ex-
tended both arins.

Now, the Irishman thought 1f he could |

stand on the top of the mainmast with a
leg and arm extended he would be de-
clared the most daring sailor. Nimbly he
climbed aloft until he reached the high-

est point; thence he carefully halanced |

himself upon both feet, extending his
right hand with a graceful motion. Then
he threw out his left leg until in a line
with his right arm. In doing this he
ingloriously lost his balance and

fell |

from the masthead, crashing through the |

rigging toward the deck. |

The ropes against which his body came
in contact broke his fall, and his velocity
was not too great to prevent his grasp-
ing a rope attached to the mainyard, To.

this he hung for two seconds, then
dropped lightly to the deck, landing
safely on his feet. Folding his arms

triumphantly, he glanced toward the
rival ships and joyously exclaimed:

“There, ye frog-ating and ye sausage-
stuffed furriners, bate that if ye can.”

—_—___~+- 0 ___—_—.
A HOLIDAY. *

Some amusing stories are going about |
in army circles. A member of a military |
band-recently went to the surgeon with a |
long face and plaintive story about & sore
throat, and he was treated with a consid-
eration which was as marked as it was
gratifying.

“Sore throat, eh?” said the surgeon,
pleasantly. “Let me see. Oh, that’s not
so bad, A slight irritation, nothing more.
You’ll be. all right in a day or two. I
think you had better take no chances
of renewing the trouble by using your
throat, though, so I will recommend that
you be excused from active duty for two
weeks,”

 

Armed with the surgeon’s certificate
the bandsman obtained his two weeks
relief from active duty. The two weeks
had just come toan end when he met |}
the surgeon on the parade-grounds. The}
bandsman saluted. The surgeon recog- |
nized the face and stopped. |

“How’s the throat?” he said,
antly, :

“It’s quite well, sir,” was the reply.

“That’s good,” said the surgeon. “You
can get back to your duty now without
fear. By the way, what instrument do
you handle in the band?”

' “The small drum, sir,” said the musi-
cian.

pleas- ;

> 6
A TRADE SECRET.

One evening, being perplexed at seeing
the Italian image-sellers continually
hawkiny their trays of statuettes on
their heads through the streets without
a human creature ever appearing to buy
“any, areporter asked one of them if he
had exercised his vocation long. -

“Thirty years,” replied the nan.

“And did you ever chance to sell one
of your figures?”

“Never, sir.”

“My good man,” said the reporter, “do
me the favor of telling me why you have
been thus walking about for the last
thirty years with that load upon your
heat. ‘Is it in obedience to a vow you
have made?” —

“No, sir; certainly not. It is to get my
living.”

“But you say you never sell anything!”

“T never sell anything, it is true,” re-
turned the man; “but there are so many
clumsy people in the world that a day
seldom passes without some one running
against me and upsetting my tray. My
figures are broken and acrowd collects
and makes the person pay for them:”

——_—___ >_>
HOW APPEARANCS DECEIVE.

A portly citizen left a cable car between
showers yesterday but was hardly on the

pavement before he began yelling and,

beckoning at the car.

“It’s against orders to stop except at |

- crossings,” observed a passenger, as the
conductor reached up to the bell-rope.
“Yes, but he has probably forgotten
_ something.”
- “Well, let him get it when the car
comes back. I have no patience with for-
etful men.” 3
“T shall stop.”
“It’s a shame to do it.”
The car was stopped, and the man came
running and puffing to call out:

 

“Left my silk umbrella behind.”
~ “Yes; and here it is. I was keeping it

 

command silence.

Kinkiieth Viatgaias
A POUND OF ff
TOBACCO E
fAT THE ToP OF
THs HILL.

  
 

Boe

ee

RETA

even if he hez ter grind it eout fer himself,”

ACED INDUST

- Jostan Orpstyte—‘ Yeou see, gran’pop likes hez cider so much he hez ter hey

 
 

 

   

RY.

it,

 

 

 

 

 

for you!” replied the individual who had
opposed a stop.

“Thanks. Youare an nonest man, If
there were more men like you this would
be a better world to live in. Have a
cigar.”

——--+>-¢
A PUZZIANG QUESTION.

“Yonder she comes,” said a tal), lank
man who was Sitting on a trunk in the
shade of a station building.

“Yonder comes who?” asked a fat,
prone looking man who sat near
lim.

“The train,” replied the lank man.

“Why do you say ‘Yonder she comes?’
asked the other.

“Well, that’s the customary way of
speaking of atrain, isn’t it? And cus-|
tom is what fixes things. Evérybody |
says ‘yonder she comes’ in speaking of a
train’s approach,”

“Well, I ‘insist you should have. said |
“Yonder he comes,’” said the fat man.

“Oh, pshaw! nobody ever says ‘he’ in
speaking of a train,” returned the lean
man,

“Well, V’ll agree to leave it to the
station-agent, and see if it wouldn’t
have been better for you to have said
“Yonder he comes,’” added the fat man.

Both agreed to it, and when. they had
found the station-agent, the fat many
asked:

“What is the sex of the train just
drawing near to the station?” ;

“Tt’s a mail train,” answered he..

And the lean man went out and bought
a good cigar for the fat man.

—_————_--- > «> —_—
AN ACTOR'S WIT.

 

An actor, now famous, made his_ first
appearance on the stage in a provincial
city where theater-goers were accustomed
to make their disapproval felt when an
entertainer did not succeed in pleasing
them, e

He was young and nervous, and failed
dismally in the part he was’ endeavoring
to present, and soon found himselt the
target for an assortment of objectionable
bric-a-brac. g

When the uproar was at its highest-one
of his disgusted auditors flung a Cabbage:
head at him. As it fell on the stage the
actor: picked it up and stepped forward
to the foot-lights. He raised his hand to
When his tormentors
paused to hear what he had_ to say, he
exclaimed, pointing to the cabbage-head:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I expected . to
please you with my acting, but I confess
I did not expect that any one in the audi-
ence would lose his head over it.”

He was allowed to proceed without
further molestation,

ag aR a a ee Eee
TOO MUCH FOR HIM.

“Little Tommy didn’t disobey mamma
and go swimming, did he?” :
“No, mamma; Jimmy Brown and three
of the boys went’ in, but L remembered
what you said, and didn’t disobey you.”
“And Tommy never tells lies, does he?”
“No, mamma; I wouldn’t tell a lie for
all the world.”
“Then, how does

Tommy happen to
haye on Jimmy Brown's shirt

77

 

_ That conundrum was too much for
Tommy. He had to give it up.

Short Stops.

A FACTORY chimney, forty-eight feet high,
composed of paper. has just been erected at
Breslau. Itis said to be absolutely five-proof, |

STEPHEN LANGTON, Archbishop of Canter
bury, first divided the Bible into chapters and
verses, this about the close of the twelfth cen-
tury.

Wr onght not to look back unless it is to de-
rive useful lessons from past errors, and for
the purpose of profiting by dear-bought experi-
ence.

Morubr—‘Childven, have you said your
prayers?” Tilly—*Yes, mamma.” “You were
very quick about it.” “I prayed one half and
Daisy the other.” :

IRATE FATHER—“YoOu have never bronght
eredit upon your family.” Reprobate Son—
“Yes; the family had always a pretty tough
time to get credit.”

INDIAN school work is encouraging as com-
pared with former years. Last year there was
a decided increase in the number of pupils at-
tending these schools,

A LADY reader wants to know if we believe
in cures by “laying on of hands.” We do, ma-
dame, we do, most fervently. Buta slipper, or
pine shingle is. better. ;

“WELL, 'm not going torunany such risk, my
dear.” “That's just like you, Joln!- Ever
since yon got your life insured you've been
awfully afraid-you'd get killed.” ;

Tne little village of Mystic, Conn., claims to
have more rocking stones than any other town
of its size in the country. Five perfect ones
are ntunbered within its borders.

Tit bayonet was invented by the French in
1640, was given to all the Austrian infantry in
1680, to the Prussians in 1690; the - French

adopted it in 1703, the Russians in 1721.
“WHAT are you moving for, when you said the],

house suited you so well?" ©The girl next
door has played ‘After the Ball’ for three
months, and banust have a change of air.” ;

“T HAVE often heard this spoken of as Jight
literature,” he remarked, as he read his gas bill
through for the second time, “but it-alyays
comes right home to @ man, just the sate,”

THE great tunnel of Niagara FaltS is ae feet;
wide, 21 feet high, and 8.265 feet long. "Phe ter-
tific rush of water through this tunnel will be.
used to develop electric euergy to ritnmachin-
ery fifty miles distant. ’ fa

“War will you do when you are grown up,
Toto?” “ft will be a soldiew’ “But you will
run the risk of being killed.” “By whom ?”
“By the enemy.’ Toto (after a4 moment’s re-
flection)—“‘Then Tll be the enemy.”

LADY SHOPPER (to callow clerk. in furniture
store)—“What has become of those magnifi-
cent sideboards you had last week?’ Clerk—
“Madame, you flatter me; Leawteven raise a
mustache. You must haye seen the other clerk
last week.”

Muaains—“How is it you didn’t get to your
grandmothers: funeral?’ Buggins—* Because
so many of my grandmothers died during the
base-ball season that I couldn’t make my em-
ployer believe I had any left when I asked him
to get off.”

BURGLAR (rousing the sleeping head of the
family)—“Don’t move or [ll shoot! What's
your money hid?” Head of the Family (struck
by a bright thonglit)—"‘It’s in the pocket of my
wife's dress.” Burglar—“That’s all right. Ill
just take the dress. Thanks.”

Miss ELDERBODY—‘'The nan cast a sweet
look at me as he passed, If was presumptu-
ous, T admit; what could I do?” Unele
George—"Do? Why the next time anybody
casts a sweet look at you, Jane, for heaven’s
sake retain it, if it is a possible thing.”

Tar TAILOR—“‘Surely you don’t mean that
you want, this coat made with agreat hump of
wadding inthe back? Why, yowll look like a
hunehback!” The Customer—“Hush! U’m a
member of the Young Men’s Bicycle Society,
and I’m a candidate for the presidency of it,”

 

 

 

 

 

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oe $ 2 0 WILL BE PAID

; To ANY MAN or WOMAN,

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HERE ARE THE 4 BRAIN-BURNISHERS:

  
  
  
   

 

 

_ What many poli-
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orators and others
would like to be.

—'

eReeceehl]
efheTy

eRees

elfen

me

 

 

Desirable for all wo-
men, and especially
for those vith plain
or unattractive faces,

 

 

That for which women
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