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diff --git a/old/67422-0.txt b/old/67422-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 54e9f68..0000000 --- a/old/67422-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3294 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Black Cat (Vol. I, No. 1, October -1895), by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Black Cat (Vol. I, No. 1, October 1895) - -Author: Various - -Release Date: February 16, 2022 [eBook #67422] - -Language: English - -Produced by: hekula03, Brian Wilsden and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was - produced from images made available by the HathiTrust - Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BLACK CAT (VOL. I, NO. 1, -OCTOBER 1895) *** - -Transcriber's Note: Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold -text by =equal signs=. - - - - - The Black Cat (Vol. I, No. 1) - - October - 1895 - - [Illustration] - - Contents - - In Gold Time. - Roberta Littlehale. - - The Unturned Trump. - Barnes MacGreggor. - - The Secret of the White Castle. - Julia Magruder. - - Miss Wood,—Stenographer. - Granville Sharpe. - - Her Hoodoo. - Harold Kinsabby. - - In a Tiger Trap. - Charles Edward Barns. - - The Red-Hot Dollar. - H. D. Umbstaetter. - - 5 - CENTS - - THE SHORTSTORY PUBLISHING CO. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON, MASS. - - Copyright, 1895 by The Shortstory Publishing Co. - - - - -[Illustration: WILLIAMS' SHAVING STICK. - - "_It's just like cream, isn't it puss?_"] - - Williams' Shaving Soaps - have been famous for 50 years. - - Sold by dealers everywhere. - - THE J. B. WILLIAMS CO., - Glastonbury, Conn. - London, 64 Great Russel St., W. C. - - Copyright, 1895, by The J. B. Williams Co. - - - - - The Black Cat (Vol. I, No. 1) - - A Monthly Magazine of Original Short Stories. - - No. 1. OCTOBER, 1895. 5 cents a copy. - 50 cents a year. - - Entered at the Post-Office at Boston, Mass., as second-class matter. - - - - - CONTENTS - Title Author Page - In Gold Time. ROBERTA LITTLEHALE. 1 - The Unturned Trump. BARNES MACGREGGOR. 6 - The Secret of the White Castle. JULIA MAGRUDER. 11 - Miss Wood,—Stenographer. GRANVILLE SHARPE. 17 - Her Hoodoo. HAROLD KINSABBY. 29 - In a Tiger Trap. CHARLES EDWARD BARNS. 36 - The Red-Hot Dollar. H. D. UMBSTAETTER. 42 - Advertisements. 50 - - - - -In Gold Time. - -BY ROBERTA LITTLEHALE. - - -He was straight, and grizzled, and keen of eye. He had worked, and -fought, and gambled his way through the lawlessness and passion of the -State's early life into the decency and uprightness of a successful -contractor. - -His name was Bill Bowen. - -As a civil engineer, I came more or less in contact with him, and -rejoiced in the largeness of his mental mold, as well as in the -business sense of security he let me enjoy. - -One summer's night we took a drive to a distant town on the San Joaquin -River. We were to look at stone for bridge building, and the blistering -heat of the day made us willing to lose our sleep for the more -comfortable traveling by starlight. - -The horses jogged lazily through the coarse, thick dust on the river's -levee, and the insects from the grain fields and the frogs from the -sloughs had things wholly to themselves until Bill suddenly interrupted. - -"Mrs. Chase is pretty enough yet to understand why she sent two fellows -to the devil, isn't she?" - -"What are you talking about?" I answered. - -"Oh," said Bill, pulling himself up, "I forgot you didn't struggle with -the rest of us through those groggy days." - -I knew Bill well enough to let him relapse just so many minutes; then -I said: "Judge Chase's wife is lovelier at sixty than most girls at -sixteen, but I hadn't an idea she figured so romantically in the early -days as to send anybody overboard." - -"H'm," replied Bill reflectively. - -The horses traveled on without attention, and I waited in patience. - -"You know what it was like," he began at last. "Men with guns from all -over the Union and gold the heaven we sweated for. Prayers, and court, -and the gambling tables all running under one roof, and nary a woman's -face showing up in the mass to give us courage. To be sure, there were -vixenish ribs o' Satan who robbed, and killed, and drank with the worst -of us; but until '51 we'd never the woman for reverence. Then, by -degrees, the lawyers and a stray merchant or two aired their families, -but things wasn't dizzy till pretty Grace Blanchard got out with her -father. - -"Understand, she carried herself as she'd ought to; but, understand, -there was men among us as was born and bred to live with blood. The -mass of us had to take out our satisfaction in looking at her; but for -two the favor in old Blanchard's eyes was easy reading, and it wasn't -long seeing the course the straw took. - -"Ned Emory was a long, lean, blond fellow, with a blamed fine face and -a way that made friends of the toughest. They said he looked a swell -when he called at the Blanchards', but I never saw him but like the -rest of us,—red-shirted and overalled, and an angle to his pistols -that made him a joy. - -"George Stokes—'Shorty,' we called him—was a man with an answer that -ripped like a knife and a head that made success of everything, because -it could work crooked as well as straight. He'd been on the bench, but -he'd located a vein at Mariposa, and was overseeing up there in '52. -Naturally, he lost opportunities, not being right on the spot, and the -danger began. - -"The Blanchard house was swelled larger than most of the cabins, and -had two long windows that opened onto a porch. Things might never have -been so bad but for those two lidless eyes in front. - -"One fatal night Shorty Stokes rode into the settlement,—but I'm -getting ahead of affairs." - -Bill tossed his cigar into the tules, and hurried the horses into -effort as the interest of his reminiscence swept him on. - -"The girl carried herself after the fashion of high steppers, and -neither fellow could swear where he stood. It was laughter and spirit -for both of them, they said, and nip and tuck for the yielding. The -pace was the sort that exhausts men, and Shorty's brain for lawyering -cooked up a scheme for his rescue. He was for their going together some -night before her, and, after a formal marriage proposal, each argue his -claim and fitness for ten minutes by the clock, their honor at stake to -stand by her decision. - -"It got about afterwards that Emory wouldn't consent till he saw the -devil to pay in Shorty's earnestness, and they swore with their fists -in each other's to carry the thing through to the finish. The date and -hour were arranged for the following Sunday night at eight, and they -drank to it with gall in the cup. - -"When the evening came the clock had already struck eight when Stokes -reached the Blanchard house. - -"The lights from the room fell over the porch, and from the shadow of -the steps he saw the something that in all the world he couldn't bear -to see,—Emory crossing the room to take Grace Blanchard in his arms; -Emory with passion paling his face and Grace Blanchard in the beauty of -a disturbing humility. - -"He cursed as he watched them cling to each other, and he cursed his -way back to the saloons and his Mariposa mining. - -"The next day he turned up again in the settlement, with liquor enough -aboard to put a wheel in his head, and, after a losing fling at the -tables, he started to find Emory. - -"After a little ineffectual riding, he leaped from the back of his -vicious-eyed piebald at the corner that bulged thickest with saloons, -and stood close to the stirrup with his hand on his hip. Some one who -noticed him said his face had the steely intensity of a razor edge. - -"Then out of the crowd, unconscious, with the music of love in his -heart, swung Ned Emory. His hat was pushed back on his fair hair, and -he was whistling the overflow out of his veins. - -"In one instant a bullet rang through the air, followed by another. -Emory fell in his own blood, and a horseman was riding off wildly and -safe through the shower of bullets that rained around him. Every -man with a cayuse tore in pursuit, but they only brought back eight -half-dead horses. Stokes had staked relay beasts at different points -along the road, and was then safe in the chaparral cañons toward the -north. - -"The gambling dens choked up with the crowds; gold-dust was heaped on -gold-dust for the reward of the cowardly hound. Murders weren't rare -then, but there was only one Ned Emory, remember. - -"Four of us wouldn't drop the search. We let the blood-money men get -out of the way, and then we worked as we'd toil for only our own. - -"There was scarcely no scent to follow, for Stokes had bribed the -greasers who furnished his horses; but we forced our way along on -nothing. Day and night we rode with our eyes open, sometimes bullying -and sometimes begging. It began to seem hopeless. The days were running -into summer again. - -"One afternoon, toward twilight, we rested on the crest of a mountain -where the path took a sudden turn away from a two-hundred-foot -precipice. - -"We were torn with the snapping branches of the greasewood, and full -of extremest dirt and disgust. Suddenly we heard the rustle of a step -on the fallen leaves. Under a live oak, not thirty yards away, on the -very edge of the cliff, stood Shorty Stokes. He had not heard us, and -he stood looking at the moon which hung a sickle in the hot sky. The -evening star was showing. - -"The four of us were like stones. He could have got to Guinea before -motion'd have come to us. Then, simultaneously with our steps forward, -he turned and looked into our faces. - -"It was a moment to test the nerve of any man. He stood it as we were -used to seeing him face all things. - -"'I suppose I'm the man you're after,' he said. - -"He said it with the dignity of a parson. - -"In a second he had thrown down his pistols. He unsheathed his knives -and dropped them to the ground. - -"'Take me,' he said. - -"Four of us looked into the unflinching clearness of his eyes. As we -hesitated, he spoke again. - -"'Listen. It is not in excuse that I speak, nor in weakening. It is to -tell you that those among you who are men will follow my steps under -like circumstances. - -"'Emory gave me his hand and his oath, in the manner of his frankness, -to stand by an arranged agreement. - -"'We were to meet at eight o'clock on that Sunday night. A—a -beautifully good woman was to decide on our argument which man she -would marry. In riding to meet my engagement I happened on an accident. -Within half a mile of the settlement, close onto time, my piebald went -back on his haunches and the groan of a man came up from the roadside. -I found an overloaded miner, hurt in the leg, and the hope in my own -heart aroused my sympathy. I mounted the man on my beast and headed him -back toward camp. - -"'Walk as I never walked, I reached the meeting place three minutes -late. Ah—God—out in the darkness I saw Emory taking advantage of the -delay. - -"'None of you is so much a cur as to let the life run in a man who, -under his honor, couldn't yield a rival three minutes' grace. - -"'But, with the camp against me and Emory the friend of the sorriest, I -couldn't face the music when the justice was done. - -"'It is not mercy I ask. It is life hereafter. Come.' - -"With a common impulse we started forward, only to halt in a frozen -horror as Stokes' bronco threw up his head in alarm to watch with us -the backward somersaulting of his master's body over the precipice. - -"Though there was but one verdict, even Chase said as we rode down over -the mountain that night, 'Emory might have given Shorty a few minutes' -grace.'" - -[Illustration] - - - - -The Unturned Trump. - -BY BARNES MACGREGGOR. - - -The ferry-boat, "Rappahannock," had an experience in the winter of 1873 -that will never be forgotten by any of her passengers. - -During one of her regular trips between New York and Brooklyn this boat -suddenly quitted her respectable, though somewhat monotonous, career, -and became a common tramp, without port or destination. - -The day awoke in fog such as the oldest inhabitant had never seen. The -East River was blocked with ice and soon became a shrieking bedlam of -groping and bewildering craft, whose pilots could scarcely see their -hands before their faces. - -At half past nine the "Rappahannock" left Brooklyn, well laden with -passengers, and started on her customary trip almost directly across -the river—a very short and unusually easy voyage. Before even reaching -the middle of the stream, however, the ice and fog had thrown her -completely out of her course. Back and forth, up and down stream, the -pilot vainly groped, amid the shrieking whistles, ringing of fog bells, -and loud crash of ice boulders, until, in the confused clangor, he had -entirely lost his bearings. - -When, after long and perilous battling with ice jams and many -hair-breadth escapes from collisions, he suddenly sighted the landing -place on the New York side, he found it occupied by a sister boat, -which had been driven there to avoid destruction. He backed out, only -to be lost again, and for three hours this boat, now become a mere -tramp, wandered aimlessly up and down the East River with its load of -excited passengers, whose emotions ranged anywhere between the rage -and impatience of the belated Wall Street speculator, to whom the -delay might mean a loss of fifty thousand dollars, to the hysteria of -a nervous little woman who had left her baby alone at home, and who -begged the other helpless passengers for the love of heaven to help her -set her feet once more on land. - -Between these two extremes of impatience and excitement was a small -proportion of passengers who remained calm, even endeavoring to while -away the time by exchanging pleasantries and making wagers as to the -time of their deliverance. Among these was a group of men in the cabin -who, after having read and re-read the morning papers, were casting -about for some other method of killing time. One suggested a game of -cards. - -"Cards!" laughed one of his companions in misery. "Who'd carry cards on -a ferry-boat? Who, outside of a lunatic asylum, would start on a ten -minutes' voyage provided with games to pass away the time?" - -"Here is a euchre deck which is at your service." - -The speaker, evidently a globe-trotter, drew from under the bench -a traveling-bag, so much worn and embellished by tags, labels, and -hieroglyphics that it resembled some old veteran just returned from the -wars and still covered with surgeons' plasters. From this he produced a -pack of cards and tendered it to the man who had suggested a game. - -"Certainly, if you will join us; but what shall we do for a table?" - -"Here is a camp-stool," said the man of the world. And in a moment four -men were sitting around it, cutting for deal, which chanced to fall to -the stranger. - -The cards were distributed rapidly, and the dealer was about to turn -the trump when a loud shriek pierced the air and a woman opposite -suddenly sank fainting to the floor. - -The tension among the passengers had become so great that a panic -seemed imminent. - -"Don't be alarmed, gentlemen; it is nothing serious," said the dealer -calmly. "The lady simply caught sight of her own frightened face in the -mirror, and the shock caused her to faint. It reminds me of a thrilling -experience an American traveler had while bumping through Syria. But, -pardon me, the game!" - -Once more he made a movement to turn the trump, when one of the party -exclaimed:— - -"There can't be a better time or place than this for telling a -thrilling experience." - -"Yes," said another; "do give us some other kind of bumping than we are -having here. Let's have the story before we begin the game." - -The stranger leaned back, passed his cigar case, and, having lighted a -weed himself, began:— - -"It is an unwritten law among the wild Bedouins east of the Red Sea -that if an infidel traveler is attended on his journey by one of the -faithful he is safe from the attacks of Mohammedan robbers. As long -as the 'Frank,' as all foreigners are called, is under the protection -of the Star and Crescent, the rascal's hand is stayed, and as they -meet, the villain, who would otherwise show no quarter, salutes with -the grave suavity of a courtier. But let that same traveler become -separated from the Arab guard that he has bribed to give him safe -conduct through his own bandit-infested country, and he becomes -legitimate prey. He will be plundered and perhaps killed, or, worse, -if the robber thinks that cruelty will extort any secrets of hidden -spoil, tortured or held for ransom, with each day's delay losing a few -fingers, which are forwarded to the captive's friends to signify that -the rascals mean business. - -"The party in which this American was traveling had been entering Syria -from the south, and were progressed some twelve days from the sacred -base of old Sinai. At a place called Bir-es-Sheba, on the regular -caravan route to and from Mecca from the north, they heard of some -interesting archeological treasures just unearthed some two days' -journey to the east, and, having made the detour, the party snugly -encamped by the side of a beautiful stream under the shadow of the -Tubal chain of mountains. - -"The treasures were vastly exaggerated, as is the custom with -everything oriental, and they soon determined to turn back to the -caravan route and 'bump' on up into Syria—'bumping' being the familiar -term for camel riding, and a very expressive word at that. But on -the afternoon of the first resting-day some one suggested a jaunt to -a famous old well, where it was said were some very ancient tumuli. -But, knowing the Bedouins to be conscientious liars, and sick of this -unrewarded chase for phantom treasures, the American begged to be left -behind in charge of two tents, which were pitched side by side on the -bank of the stream. - -"This was at last agreed upon, the whole party except himself going -off on their three days' trip, leaving their comrade stretched at full -length on a rug, his _narghili_, or water pipe, lighted for company. - -"This oriental atmosphere, gentlemen, is a powerful drug. Do what you -will to fight against it, its subtle charm holds you captive. The man -succumbed to its influences and went fast asleep. - -"Out of this sweet, trance-like repose he suddenly bounded into the -horrible consciousness of a torturing pain in one of his hands, as -though some wild beast was crunching the bones. But, as he writhed -to his knees to grapple with the foe, he saw instead three swarthy, -evil-faced Bedouins bending over him with ghoulish glee. One had just -cut off, with a hideous dirk-knife, the first three fingers of his -left hand. In an instant it flashed upon him that these were to be -sent to his friends with a demand for ransom. He was correct in this -supposition, for no sooner had the bleeding hand been rudely bandaged -than two of his captors set out upon this mission, leaving him in care -of the third, who was heavily armed. - -"No one knew better than the prisoner how impossible such a ransom -would be. His fellow-travelers had brought as little money into Syria -as would meet their actual necessities while there. He therefore began -to cast desperately about in his mind for a loophole of escape before -the fellows should return with these unsatisfactory tidings, which -would result, no doubt, in further mutilations. - -"As his gaze swept the tent for something suggesting a plan for -deliverance, he saw it had been gutted of everything except two -articles,—his light silk coat, which hung upon the partition between -the two tents, and the tourist's shaving mirror which it concealed. -The coat had been overlooked because it was as grimy as the tent wall -itself. - -"In moments like this one grasps at straws. As it is said a drowning -person reviews his past experiences perfectly in a brief moment, so to -this man, facing desperate odds, came a desperate suggestion. - -"He called loudly on a supposed protector in the adjoining tent to come -to the 'window,' and prove to his captor that he was under protection -of a Moslem. As he spoke he slowly drew the coat from before the mirror -in front of which the sheik was standing. - -"No words can express the unutterable consternation pictured upon -that blazing face, livid with fright and wonder, as for the first -time it saw its own awful reflection, not knowing it was its own. One -instant he stood stock-still, fascinated, horrified, overwhelmed; then -collapsed, just as that lady did but a moment ago, and the American -quickly possessed himself of his captor's arms and was master of the -situation. - -"And now, gentlemen," concluded the story teller, "we will have our -game." - -As he spoke he again reached forward to turn the trump. There was a -quickly drawn breath of horror from those who observed him, for the -first three fingers of his left hand were missing. - -Before he could turn the card, a savage lurch of the boat, accompanied -by the creaking of timbers, announced the arrival of the Rappahannock -at her New York slip—and the trump was never turned. - -[Illustration] - - - - -The Secret of the White Castle. - -BY JULIA MAGRUDER. - - -When I became the occupant of the Chateau Blanc, in the neighborhood of -Fontainebleau, I found that my wish for a place of complete seclusion -was likely to be realized to the full. I was not in a state of mind for -society, and I had deliberately given myself three months in which to -fight out a certain battle with myself, for which I needed solitude and -reflection. - -When the old woman who acted as keeper and caretaker of the place -took me through it, on a tour of inspection, there were three things -which, in spite of my preoccupation with my own affairs, struck me very -forcibly. The first was the forlorn remnants of the body of a white -swan, which must once have been a creature of splendid size and shape. -My informant told me that this swan had been a great pet of the former -owner of the chateau, until some accident had killed it; after which -it had been stuffed and fastened in its place upon the surface of the -little lake under his window. There it was still—what remained of -it—a mass of weather-beaten and dirty feathers. - -Another thing that compelled my strong attention was a certain picture -which hung in the bedroom of the late owner, and which I was informed -was his own portrait, painted by himself. This room, by the way, was -sinister and mysterious in its effect beyond any I had ever entered. -One reason for this was the fact that all the furniture, which was -elaborately carved and which must once have been of beautiful polish -and color, had been ruthlessly covered with a coat of black paint,—the -bed, the table, chairs, wardrobe, chests of drawers, and even the great -leather easy-chair which was placed just under the picture, facing the -opposite wall. - -It was a wretched piece of work, that picture, representing a man -dressed in some sort of court dress of the last century, and it would -have seemed ineffectual and amateurish to the last degree but for the -truly marvelous expression of the eyes, which were fixed on a certain -spot in the wall opposite with an earnestness and intensity which made -me feel that there was some hidden significance in this look. The man -not only looked at the spot himself, but he compelled me to do the -same, and forced me, by the insistent command of his eyes, to look -again and again. - -And yet there was nothing to see. The wall was perfectly bare in that -place and covered with a meaningless sort of wallpaper, which gave me -no encouragement whatever. - -Another thing that I noticed specially, with a feeling of being -imperiously directed to do so, was a large rusty key that hung on the -wall directly under the picture. When I inquired of the old woman what -this key belonged to she answered that she had never known, but that -it had been hung there by the late proprietor and had been undisturbed -since his death. That event had occurred a great many years ago, and -it was owing to the provisions of the will left by him that no one -had ever occupied the house in the interval. The prescribed time had -only just expired, and I was the first person to rent the chateau, the -revenue from which was to go to a nephew, who lived abroad. - -The somberness of the black chamber suited my frame of mind, and I -decided on taking it for my room. Besides this, the picture, the key, -and the white swan all interested me, and, as it was the first time -that an outside interest had made any headway against the melancholy -of my own thoughts, these objects, far from cheerful as they were in -themselves, afforded a grateful diversion. - -So continually did I wonder why the picture looked always and could -compel me to look at that one spot, and why the key had been hung in -that place and had kept its position so many years undisturbed, as -if some ghostly guardian watched over it, and why, ever and always, -the old white swan compelled me, as if by some irresistible power, to -connect it with these other things, that I kept myself awake at night, -weaving all sorts of stories concerning these objects, and spent half -my days in looking from the picture to the wall, and back again to the -key, and then out of the window at the battered effigy of a noble bird -beneath it, until the confusion of mind thus produced seemed likely to -drive me crazy. - -I expended all the ingenuity of which I was master in questioning the -old woman, who had lived here in the time of the former owner, but the -satisfaction of my curiosity in that direction was rather meager. - -She told me that her former master had had a wife whom he adored, fair -as an angel, and gifted with a divinely beautiful voice, such as none -had ever heard, before or since. This young wife had been snatched -from him by a sudden and frightful death. The fever which seized her -had been so contagious, the woman said, that every one had fled the -premises, except one woman servant and the master himself. These, with -the help of the doctor, had nursed the young wife through her brief -illness until its end. - -My informant had heard it said that the circumstances of her death were -very peculiar,—that, in her delirium, on the very last night of her -illness, those who had ventured to linger about the premises had heard -her singing more gloriously than ever in her life; that it had reminded -them of the great white swan, which but the night before had sung its -last sweet song on the lake, in the moonlight, and had been found dead -in the morning. - -The woman who had remained to help the master in his last sad -ministrations to his dying and dead wife had gone away the day after -the funeral, and had never been heard of since. - -That funeral, in the quaint old church but a few paces from the house, -had been, from the woman's account, a melancholy affair enough. -Scarcely any one dared to come to it, so malignant had been this -fever, and it was feared that the few men who were willing to act as -pall-bearers would not be equal to the task; but the poor lady had -always been slight and fairy-like in figure, and so wasted was she -from this consuming fever that the bearers declared that her weight -was scarcely more than that of an empty coffin. The woman further said -that, as the small funeral cortege was leaving the church, it had -surprised every one to see the husband, who was directly behind the -coffin, pause abruptly under a statue of the Virgin, and single out, -from the great bunch of white ribbons which hung there, the long strip -which his young wife had placed there on the day of her marriage to -him, less than a year before. It was an old custom connected with this -church. Every girl ever married there had conformed to it, and some of -the ribbons were yellow with time and almost dropping to pieces. The -longest and freshest bit of all had been put there by the beautiful and -beloved young creature now lying dead in the flower of her youth and -loveliness. - -No one ever knew, the woman went on to say, how the master spent his -days after the funeral was over. He had forbidden every servant to -return, and turned a deaf ear to the rings and knocks of visitors. -Months had passed, and no one held speech with him. They knew he was -alive, because people who had looked through the palings had seen him -walking in the garden, and one person reported having seen him carry -from the house the stuffed body of the great swan and fasten it in its -place on the lake, where it could be plainly seen from his window. He -must have embalmed or stuffed it himself, the old woman said, for he -was known to have remarkable knowledge and skill in such strange arts, -and had once had a great room filled with birds and beasts, which he -had preserved by methods studied in foreign lands. - -As was inevitable, after hearing all this, my interest in the picture, -and swan, and the key deepened sensibly. There was certainly a spell of -the supernatural about these things for me. I had only to stand near -the spot on which the eyes of the picture were fastened to experience -the strangest, the most overwhelmingly significant sensations I had -ever known. The spot was haunted by a _presence_ for me, and as often -as I stood there I would feel my heart throb and cease throbbing, my -breath pant and cease panting, my very flesh turn cold and moist with -consciousness and apprehension. I tried to account for all this on -natural grounds, but I found it was quite impossible to do so. - -One day—it was the 19th of August—a hot, sultry, close, indescribably -gloomy day, when the heavy clouds that lowered seemed only to darken -the whole earth without giving forth one drop of moisture, the old -woman came to my room and chanced to mention that it was the time of -the death of the young mistress of the Chateau Blanc. She had died, it -appeared, just at midnight between the 19th and 20th of August. After -giving me this information, she said good-evening and left me to the -reflections which it aroused. - -I can scarcely call them reflections. They took the form, rather, of -a sort of compulsion that was laid upon me to obey a certain force by -which I felt myself suddenly dominated. - -It was the picture that did it; this was certain, for, as often as -I faltered, one look into that insistent, commanding, coercing face -compelled me to go on. In obedience to its bidding, I did as follows:— - -I went to an old desk in the room, and took from it some simple -carpenters' tools, with which I deliberately cut through, first, the -wall-papering, and then a thin boarding, which covered all the space -between a door and window opposite the picture. When this was done I -saw—I cannot say whether most to my satisfaction or my horror, that I -stood opposite a door,—a regular, ordinary door, with panels, hinges, -and, more than all, a keyhole. I glanced at the picture. It seemed to -me that the canvas positively lived with expression. - -The eyes commanded me to get the rusty key. I got it, fitted it in -the lock, in which it turned with difficulty, and then, with my heart -almost choking me with its throbs, my knees shaking under me, my body -covered with a cold sweat, and my tongue dry in my mouth, I opened the -door. - -As it creaked on its rusty hinges, I saw, by the light of the candle -which I held in my hand, a mass of cobwebs, heavily weighted with the -dust of years, and, through these, a woman's figure. - -It was clad—for I obeyed the eyes, which commanded me to examine it, -though my heart was cold with terror—in what I made out to be a white -silk gown, above which was the face, withered and awfully livid, as -I had heard the faces of embalmed corpses appear years after death. -Still, it was recognizable as a real human face, and was surrounded -by masses of yellow hair, which, even through the dust and cobwebs, -gleamed with the brightness of gold. The hands held something in their -shrunken fingers,—a white ribbon, with the date of her marriage and -death upon it, her husband's name and her own, and these words, which, -under the compelling eyes of the picture, I laboriously studied out:— - -"I have been able to keep you near me, even in death. I have never been -separated from you, or from what was you to me once. But when death -shall come to me you will have no power over my body, and they will -take me from you. That I am unable to help. I think only of this: you -cannot suffer for it, since you have so long ceased to be, and by that -time my suffering also will be over. I shall put my spirit into the -eyes of my picture, which will watch over you still." - -I looked from the paper to the picture. It seemed dull and -inexpressive,—mere canvas and paint. The power of the eyes was gone. -Their spell over me was broken. - -Suddenly I felt within me a long-absent yearning for human -companionship,—for life and love. I had come to this place impelled -by a morbid and unhealthy desire for solitude, and my experiences here -had made me more morbid and unhealthy still. They had culminated now -in this awful revelation of disappointment and death, which threw into -brilliant contrast the bright possibilities which still remained to me, -and I resolved to go back into the world and do my best to deserve and -win these. - -[Illustration] - - - - -Miss Wood,—Stenographer. - -BY GRANVILLE SHARPE. - - -It was Detective Gilbert who told the story to a group of boarders -seated on the piazza of one of the quaint old Rhinelander houses. These -dwellings, though situated on West Eleventh Street, in the very heart -of New York, present an almost rural spectacle, with their green lawns, -wide piazzas, and vine-covered balconies. - -"It was one day about two years ago," said Mr. Gilbert, "that I -received a card on which was engraved the name, 'Miss Julia Wood.' The -name was a familiar one. When my wife was living Miss Wood had been an -intimate friend of hers and a frequent visitor to our house. Since then -I had lost trace of the girl, and knew only that, owing to her father's -death and the straitened circumstances of herself and her sister, she -had taken up the study of stenography and typewriting, with the idea of -earning her living. So when she rose to meet me in the reception-room -I was startled by her changed appearance and the haggard, anxious -expression of her face." - -"'Mr. Gilbert, I am in great trouble,' she exclaimed, as I shook hands -with her, and then, without further preliminaries, she stated her case. - -"'You know, Mr. Gilbert, that for over a year I have been studying -stenography and typewriting, and you can understand that lately I have -been very anxious to find a place. At first, I supposed that this would -not be difficult, but I soon discovered that my lack of practical -experience stood in the way of my getting anything at all. In fact, it -was not until this week that even a temporary opening presented itself.' - -"Here Miss Wood paused for a moment, as if to summon all her strength, -and then continued:— - -"'About eleven o'clock yesterday morning, my teacher, Mr. Lacombe, -came to the door of the practice room, where I was at work, and, -calling me to one side, said:— - -"'"Miss Wood, didn't you tell me that you understood the deaf and dumb -alphabet?" - -"'"Perfectly," I answered. - -"'As you know, Mr. Gilbert, my little sister Helen is deaf and dumb, -and that is why I understand the sign-language almost as well as I do -spoken English. - -"'"I thought so," said Mr. Lacombe, "and am glad, for your sake, that -you do, for I've just had an application from a lady who wants a deaf -and dumb stenographer." - -"'"But I am not deaf and dumb," I protested. - -"'"No, but you understand the sign-language, and that is the main -point. You see, this woman wants some notes taken from a deaf and dumb -relative, who uses, of course, the deaf and dumb alphabet, and she -thinks, I suppose, that a person who understands the sign-language -must be a deaf mute, also. She says that this relative of hers is ill; -possibly hasn't long to live. So no doubt you're wanted for some sort -of an _ante mortem_ examination; one, maybe, that's connected with -some family scandal or secret that they don't want to leak out. Just a -matter for discretion, that's all. - -"'"Of course I don't want to urge you into this against your will," -he added, "but I know how much you want a position and a chance for -practical experience. Besides, this engagement is only for a week, -perhaps even less, and the salary is fifty dollars and all expenses -paid. The main question is whether you care to be deaf and dumb for -that time." - -"'For just a moment I hesitated. Certainly the conditions were very -queer. Still, there was the money,—how much fifty dollars would mean -for my poor little sister! There was the experience, and there was, -yes—I must confess it—there was the charm of adventure. You know you -always said that I was of an adventurous disposition, and that spirit -has grown since I have been thrown upon my own resources, and have made -up my mind that I must make my own way in the world, as if I were a -man. As for acting the part of a deaf mute, that seemed a simple matter -to me, who know so well the habits of the deaf and dumb, through -constant association with poor little Helen. - -"'Money, experience, and adventure! The combination was too much for my -prudence. In less time than it would take to buy a handkerchief I had -accepted the position. Forty-five minutes after the time that I walked -into Mr. Lacombe's office I sat on a Southern-bound train, rushing -towards a place I'd never heard of before, the companion of a woman who -was an utter stranger to me, and bound on an errand of which I knew -practically nothing. - -"'You see, in the rush of preparation I'd no chance for reconsidering -my decision. Indeed, when I was led into Mr. Lacombe's inner office and -introduced to my prospective employer, Mrs. Westinghouse, by means, -of course, of pencil, and paper, and gestures, I hardly noticed in my -excitement what manner of woman she was. I had enough to think of in -keeping to the character I had assumed and in preparing in half an -hour's time for a week's journey; for almost the first demand made by -the strange woman was that I should go with her upon the noon train. -The invalid had no doubt only a few days left to live, she explained, -and every minute was precious. - -"'Upon reading my pencilled explanation that I must go home to say -good-by to my sister and get a few articles for my trip, she thrust a -ten-dollar bill into my hand, telling me to use that to buy whatever I -needed. Mr. Lacombe, she signified, could explain matters to my sister, -and with that she hurried me down the stairs and into a cab waiting -below. In this I was whirled away, first to a big department store and -then to the railroad station, arriving just in time for the noon train, -so it wasn't until I was seated in the local express and had actually -started that I had a chance to review the situation and to examine my -companion.' - -"'What sort of a woman was she?' I interrupted. - -"'Oh, she appeared perfectly respectable, and tried to make herself -agreeable by keeping me busy answering questions on my pad, but -something in her cold gray eyes, or, perhaps, in her high metallic -voice, chilled my ardor. For the first time I realized my position. -Here I was about to enter into the lives of unknown people, under an -assumed character, and one that might involve me in matters of a -secret, perhaps a dangerous nature. By this time, however, it was too -late for me to retreat. All that I could do was to vow, as I did with -all my heart, that no matter what I learned while with these people I -would make no use of it. - -"'Upon leaving the train, after a ride of about two hours and a half, -I found myself in Rockwood, a desolate little way station in the -most dreary section I had ever seen. The only sign of life was a top -carriage, drawn by a pair of lean horses and driven by the son of my -companion, a man about thirty years of age. He had handsome features, -but, somehow, his bloodshot eyes and dissipated look impressed me even -more unfavorably than had his mother's appearance. I was directed to -take the back seat, and Mrs. Westinghouse sat in front beside her son. - -"'As we drove off the young man put a question at once which I did not -hear, but his mother in her usual voice assured him that I was a deaf -mute and had been secured at a large salary for that reason. Then they -proceeded with their conversation without restriction, but the road was -so stony and our speed so great that I caught only a little of it. What -I heard did not serve to make me feel any easier. They spoke of some -person, who appeared to be a relative, with the most dreadful epithets, -and appeared to be planning some way to bring him to terms, should he -prove obstinate after they arrived with the stenographer. Before we had -gone a mile I was not only sick of my bargain, but ready to jump from -the carriage to escape it. - -"'The aspect of the country, also, was enough to make the most -hilarious person feel melancholy. It was rocky, sterile, and almost -uninhabited. The few farmhouses we passed were, all save one, -untenanted and falling to pieces. The fields were covered with a thick -growth of bayberry bushes or stunted firs. - -"'The house was, as nearly as I can judge, about three miles from the -station. It had once been a fine mansion, but showed signs of neglect -and age. The paint was worn off in patches; the floor of the piazza was -rotten. The inside of the house, however, was fairly comfortable, the -furniture being extremely old-fashioned and quaint. - -"'I could hardly touch a mouthful of supper, and soon excused myself -from the table. Wandering around the piazza which skirted the house, -I came upon a rear view of the premises. Here I had another surprise, -for, detached from the main house and several yards away, stood a long, -low brick building with a huge chimney, like a smoke-stack, proceeding -from it. Its windows were close against the roof, and probably about -twelve feet from the ground, while the only entrance seemed to be by -way of a rough bridge extending from a curious door on a line with -these windows to a window in the second story of the dwelling-house. - -"'While I stood gazing at this remarkable building I noticed that Mrs. -Westinghouse had followed me. I could no longer restrain my curiosity, -but pointed to the mysterious building and raised my eyebrows. With an -impatient gesture, as though she resented my inquisitiveness, the lady -caught up my writing-pad and scribbled: "It is my brother's laboratory; -he is a metallurgist. We wish you to come and take a dictation from -him." - -"'Then, leading me upstairs, she unlocked a door and ushered me into a -large apartment, in which, at that moment, I saw only one object,—a -man stretched upon a couch. The coverings, thrown away from the neck -and face, revealed both to be shockingly emaciated; the eyes were wild -and staring, the lips drawn away from the teeth, which were white and -even. But there was strength even in that dying despair—at the first -glance I saw that. There was a look of dogged endurance in every line -and feature. - -"'"Now, Alfred," wrote Mrs. Westinghouse upon my pad and signifying -to me that this was my introduction, "here is Miss Wood, a deaf and -dumb stenographer we have brought from New York, so there's no longer -any reason for your keeping your precious secret. She understands the -signs, and can put your words on paper as fast as you can give them -to her." Then, passing the pad to the invalid, she turned to her son. -"Victor, love," she said, "the writing paper, pencils, and a little -table for Miss Wood." - -"'"Here they are," said the young man, rolling the table towards me -with an ingratiating leer. - -"'I glanced at the invalid. He gave no sign of having read his -relative's communication, but lay quite still and breathed softly in -gasps. I should not have been surprised to have seen him drawing his -last breath at any moment. - -"'The woman stood looking at him appealingly until she caught his -eye; then she covered her face with her handkerchief, pretending to -be overcome by emotion. A moment later she turned aside to Victor and -hissed, "Oh, is it too late? If I only knew some torture that would -wring from him that secret which would bring us millions." - -"'Then, controlling herself, she went on more calmly: "Sit down, Miss -Wood, and take the dictation." - -"'I saw Victor looking at me and had the presence of mind to remain -perfectly quiet, without noticing what she said, for, indeed, I had -now begun to feel that I was among desperate people, and that it would -be best for my well-being to carry out my role as I had begun it. -Apparently satisfied that I was as unfortunate as I claimed to be, she -signified by motions that I was to seat myself and write as soon as her -brother should dictate. - -"'I did so, but while Victor had been occupied in arranging my utensils -and Mrs. Westinghouse was absorbed in her pretended emotions the man -on the bed had turned his eyes and looked straight into mine. The -effect was tremendous. I felt calmed. There was almost an understanding -between us. At least, there was sympathy. - -"'As I seated myself and caught up my pencil, he raised his white hands -and began to sign to me:— - -"'"Show no fright at whatever I say. Pretend to take notes, or you will -betray yourself." - -"'Acting on his suggestion, I began tracing disjointed sentences upon -the paper. - -"'Then, after allowing me a few moments to recover from the effects of -this startling communication, he went on:— - -"'"This is no place for you. These people are desperate characters, and -if they suspected what I am saying might injure you." - -"'Again a pause, during which I shaded my face with one hand and -scrawled senseless marks over the paper with the other. Beneath my -lowered lids I could see that two pair of eyes, one bloodshot and the -other steely gray, were watching me from a shadowy recess on the other -side of the bed. I realized that the slightest expression of my real -feelings might prove fatal. I set my teeth hard. My old adventurous -spirit returned. As mechanically as though I were taking a school -dictation, I followed the movements of the trembling white hand and -traced those meaningless marks. - -"'Apparently, mother and son were satisfied with their scrutiny, for -they soon retired to the other end of the long room. As they went, I -heard her murmur to Victor:— - -"'"Come; the old miser won't forget his own flesh and blood. At any -rate, that girl shall stay in the house until her notes are written out -in plain English and the experiments made. I gave that foolish teacher -of hers a wrong address." - -"'At this she turned on me suddenly, and nothing on earth could have -prevented my face revealing the fright that was on me. I could hide my -terror only by sneezing violently into my handkerchief. - -"'As soon as they had withdrawn to the farther end of the room the -invalid hastened to communicate as rapidly as possible the state of -affairs in this strange household. The woman, Mrs. Westinghouse, was, -so he said, his sister-in-law, the widow of his only brother, and -Victor was, of course, his nephew. On the death of his brother, the man -who now lay dying had invited the widow and her son, then a handsome -lad, to make their home with him, and, indeed, had treated Victor as -his adopted son and probable heir. About three years ago, however, -Victor, who had acted as his uncle's assistant in the laboratory, had -repaid his generosity by attempting to steal from him the secret which -he had spent years in perfecting. Failing in this, he had forged his -benefactor's name for a sum amounting to a large share of his fortune, -and had applied the proceeds to the payment of gambling debts. Since -then, Mr. Westinghouse, though allowing Victor to go free, had refused -to see either him or his mother, and it was only now, when he was -on his death-bed, that they returned, uninvited, with the hope of -extracting from the sick man the only wealth remaining to him,—his -recent discovery. - -"'At this point the invalid stopped abruptly, and looked once more deep -into my eyes. Then, with a sigh that seemed one of satisfaction, he -continued:— - -"'"They think, because they hold me as prisoner here upon my death-bed, -have deprived me of society, and spirited away my faithful man-servant, -the only person who understood my sign-language, that they can force my -secret from me. But your face tells me that I can trust you, that you -are not their accomplice." - -"'"Indeed I am not," I signed hastily. "I came here ignorant of what -I was to do, and now they say that I must stay until the notes are -written out and the experiment is made. If it fails it is likely to go -hard with both of us." - -"'The invalid received my communication quietly, without asking how -I gained my knowledge. Then, after asking and receiving answers to -several questions in regard to my history, he nodded as if satisfied, -and signed me to take down with extreme accuracy what he should give -me. He then dictated by means of the sign alphabet what seemed like a -technical article, many words of which he was obliged to spell for me, -and including the finest weights and measures relating to metallurgy. -After he had completed it he asked me to read it to him by signs, so -that he could be sure that it was correct. When I had done so he looked -up, smiled faintly to see that mother and son had left the room, and -beckoned me to him. He took my hands, clasped them in his, and then -signed: "Swear that you will never permit that paper to fall into the -hands of Mrs. Westinghouse or her son." - -"'In my fright I took the oath. - -"'"Guard it well," he signified, "for it is a fortune beyond your -dreams. Now sit down and take a bogus paper, which you must give to -Mrs. Westinghouse. But first conceal this paper in your dress." - -"'I did so. He then dictated another paper, different in every way from -the first as to its methods; and then motioned that I must write out -the second paper as soon as possible, give it to Mrs. Westinghouse, and -then effect my escape before the fraud was discovered. - -"'As I looked at him doubtingly, he added: "Trust me. I will provide -the way." - -"'"But you?" I said. - -"'He tried to laugh. "I shan't live twenty-four hours," he said. - -"'I asked if they were to blame. He shrugged his shoulders. "Her son's -treachery robbed me of health and fortune. And now in their fiendish -greed to inherit the secret they have locked me in this room and tried -to wring it from me by their soft words and wheedling caresses. But -they shall not succeed. They shall never know this." - -"'As he spoke he drew from under his pillow a small blade in a sheath. -It was a bright brownish yellow; the edge was sharp as a razor. He -handed it to me, signifying that I was to keep it. - -"'Hardly had I sheathed the strange weapon and concealed it in the -folds of my bodice when the door opened and the woman again entered. I -showed her the pages that I had taken and pencilled a note, saying that -the formula was complete, but that it would take at least half a day to -write it out, as it contained many unfamiliar terms which I should need -to refer to a dictionary. For just a moment the woman scanned my face -and that of the invalid with that strange air of suspicion that never -wholly deserted her. - -"'Apparently, what she saw satisfied her, for she signified her -pleasure that I had succeeded in gaining the information in so short -a time, and added that, as it was now past midnight, I might leave -the rest of my work for the next day. Upon this, she led me to a room -opening out of her own, indicating that she thought I might feel less -lonely if I were near her. Later, I heard the key turn softly in the -lock on the outside of the door leading from my room into the hall, -and—well, you can imagine that I got very little sleep that night. - -"'Early the next morning the woman unlocked my door, and, after I -had eaten a hasty breakfast, led me to a library well equipped with -reference books, where, so she wrote, I was to finish my work. - -"'Then she left me, locking me in once more. - -"'I had reached about the middle of the false formula when the -door opened and the woman entered in great haste. From her hurried -movements and the anxious expression of her face I judged that some new -complication had arisen. I was right. Snatching up my pad, the woman -wrote, "He is sinking fast. The experiment must begin at once. How much -of the formula remains?" - -"'I wrote: "Over one half." - -"'"Never mind," she wrote in return. "Victor can begin with what you -have. Give me the papers. You may finish the rest in my brother's room -and bring it to us in the laboratory." - -"'As we entered the invalid's room, I tried to exchange a look with the -sick man, but the woman drew me away to a large French window at the -end farthest from the bed, and, opening the sashes, which swung inward, -motioned me to look out. To my surprise, I saw that the bridge that I -had noticed the night before as connecting the house and laboratory -was approached from this window. It was a rough affair, resembling -those used on shipboard, and consisted of a wide plank guarded only by -two ropes stretched one on either side of the plank, about three feet -above it, as a sort of guard rail. On the laboratory side the bridge -terminated at what seemed to be a heavy door, made of one solid piece -of timber and provided one third of the way from the top with two small -windows, or, rather, panes of glass, about eight inches square. Behind -each there was a heavy iron bar. - -"'Hastily signifying that I must cross the bridge in order to bring -her the remainder of the formula, the woman sent Victor ahead and then -turned to follow. Before going she intimated to me that while I wrote -I was to remain beside this window where I could see any sign from the -workers in the laboratory and be seen by them. - -"'For the next two hours nothing was to be heard in the room save the -scratching of my pen over the paper and the labored breathing of the -dying man. He seemed to be sinking rapidly, but whenever he caught -my glance would smile reassuringly, as though to say: "Do not be -afraid. All will come right." As the hands of the clock on the mantel -approached the hour of eleven, however, he appeared to grow suddenly -stronger; a faint color tinged his cheeks, and he half rose in bed, -as though awaiting some new developments. On the stroke of eleven he -turned to me and signed: "It is time to go." - -"'"But there are still a few pages to write out," I answered. - -"'"It's all right," he rejoined. "It is enough. Only go—go at once. It -is your way of escape." - -"'For a moment I hesitated. The words sounded senseless; sick men, I -reasoned, had strange fancies. But the glance of his eyes was sane; it -was more,—it was convincing. - -"'Without another word, I gathered up my papers and started across -the bridge. It swayed, but only slightly. There was not the slightest -danger of an accident. And yet in my passage across that bridge I -trembled violently. When finally I reached the strangely guarded door I -had barely strength enough to knock upon the heavy timbers. There was -no reply. Evidently they were absorbed in their experiment, I thought, -and knocked again. Still no reply, though this time I seemed to hear a -faint movement within. I tried to peer through the tiny window-panes -in the door. They were somewhat above the level of my face and partly -obscured by the iron bars. So I raised myself on tiptoe and, shading my -eyes with my hands, looked in. - -"'For a moment I could see nothing. Then, as I became accustomed to the -gloom, I made out a few objects near by,—a charcoal stove, a table -holding a pair of scales, pincers, blowpipe, a graduating glass, and -other apparatus with which I was unfamiliar. At the farther end of -the table sat a motionless female figure, the head thrown back, one -hand clutching a crumpled sheet of paper, while the other hung limply -at her side. Directly opposite a man sat, also motionless, his bowed -head resting on the edge of the table. As I looked, I fancied the hand -holding the paper twitched slightly. - -"'I shifted my position. A faint light fell upon the face of the woman. -It was that of Mrs. Westinghouse, but white and rigid, with sightless, -staring eyes. - -"'"They are dead!" I cried, as I rushed back into the room of the dying -man. Then, recollecting myself, I succeeded in repeating my words with -fingers that trembled so that I could hardly give the signs. - -"'For a moment he seemed unmoved; then, with a ghastly smile, he -signalled:— - -"'"This is your time to escape." - -"'"But you—" - -"'"Never mind me. All I care for is to keep my secret from them. -Remember your vow—and now go—go—and God bless you." - -"'I grasped his hand, then rushed from the room. I snatched my hat and -coat in the hall below, and ran out of the house and down the road, -never stopping until I reached the station. There I took the next train -and reached the city only half an hour ago.'" - -Here Mr. Gilbert began to light a cigar, as though his story were -finished. - -"But what became of the dying man—of the mother and son—the little -stenographer?" - -"Oh, yes, to be sure," said the detective; "you wish to know the -sequel. Well, I went up there that day with two or three men and -found everything as she'd described it. The mother and son had simply -been evidently stupefied by drugs purposely introduced into the false -formula, and soon recovered their senses, but the uncle had breathed -his last. Mrs. Westinghouse had been smart enough to get a physician, -who was there when we arrived, and who, honestly enough, I suppose, -ascribed his death to natural causes. We could do nothing from lack of -evidence." - -"But the secret,—the mysterious formula?" - -"Ah, that is the saddest part of the whole affair. Half crazed by her -horrible experience in this house, and recalling her vow to make no use -of any information gained while there, Miss Wood had no sooner escaped -than she tore the true formula into pieces and threw it away. Had she -kept it, it would undoubtedly have brought her an enormous fortune, for -an expert metallurgist who examined the strange dagger given to her by -the dying man pronounced it to be an example of a priceless art,—that -of tempering copper to the consistency of steel,—a process understood -by the ancients, but lost now these thousands of years." - -[Illustration] - - - - -Her Hoodoo. - -BY HAROLD KINSABBY. - - -It was because the doctor insisted that my system needed ozone that I -went to Colorado on a hunting trip. It was there that I met her, and it -was there, by the way, that I became convinced that when a man with a -lame lung undertakes to hunt ozone in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains -he ought to provide himself with a guide. I went alone, and that's why -I got lost. - -For two days I had tramped, half starved, toward the rising sun, with -the hope of reaching some cattle ranch near Denver. On the morning of -the third day, as I was trudging through a thick undergrowth, I was -suddenly startled by a woman's voice:— - -"You didn't happen to spy a little speckled heifer back yonder, did -you, stranger?" - -It is said that upon the approach of a human being the first impulse of -a man who has been lost in the woods is that biblically ascribed to the -wicked, namely, "to flee when no man pursueth." But at this time I was -too far gone with hunger and weariness to flee from anything. - -I simply leaned against a tree trunk and awaited the appearance of the -voice's owner. She came riding a bronco across the crest of a hillock. -She was slight and wiry, and she wore her huge sombrero and man's -canvas shooting-coat with an air that at first suggested the cowboy. A -later glimpse of feminine drapery, however, proclaimed her something -infinitely more interesting,—a real Rocky Mountain cow-girl in all her -glory. - -"No," I answered weakly to her repeated question as to the heifer's -whereabouts. "No, I've seen neither hoof nor hide of your heifer, which -is lucky for you, as I should probably have eaten it if I had." - -"You do look hungry," said the strange horsewoman; and as she spoke -the bold lines of her aquiline face relaxed into an expression of -womanly solicitude. - -"Here, take this," she added in a business-like tone, producing from a -bag that lay, meal sack fashion, across her saddle, a can of pressed -beef and a square foot or so of corn bread. "No," as I tried to speak, -"never mind explanations. Have some lunch with me and talk afterwards; -that is, if you ain't afraid to eat with a cow-girl. - -"You see," she continued, when we were comfortably seated on a -moss-grown log that served as a whole set of dining-room furniture, "I -know myself what it is to get lost and nearly starve to death. 'Having -experienced misfortune myself, I know how to pity others.'" - -I choked over a morsel of corn bread and stared at my companion -with ill-bred astonishment. A cow-girl who quoted Virgil, even in a -translation, was something not dreamed of in my philosophy. - -"Yes, I don't wonder that you look surprised," said my hostess -good-naturedly. "I suppose I don't look as though I was up in the -classics, but the fact is I'm a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan University, -and I've studied Latin, Shakespeare, geometry, and all the rest. - -"Yes," musingly, "once I expected to pursue a literary career. Indeed, -my professors all told me that I might become the George Eliot or Mrs. -Browning of America. But that speckled heifer I was asking you about -just now knocked all my plans into a cocked hat." - -"How was that?" I asked. - -"Well, it was like this," said the cow-girl college graduate, as she -pushed aside her corn bread, untasted, and, planting her elbows upon -her knee, propped her chin upon her palms, man fashion. "In the spring -of 1885, several years after I had graduated, my father died, and -mother and I came to Colorado and bought a ranch at Plum Creek, some -twenty-three miles south of Denver. You see, my father had been an -invalid, and ever since I can remember we'd been chasing round from -pillar to post, trying to find a climate that agreed with him; so this -was really what you might call the first chance I had to go to work in -earnest. It was a lovely quiet spot, an ideal place, I thought, for -communing with nature and pursuing a literary career. But it was not so -to be. Like—what's his name with a tender heel?" - -"Achilles?" I suggested. - -"Yes, like Achilles, I had one weak spot that was going to be my ruin. -I was crazy about pets. Why, if it hadn't been for that weak spot I -might be wearing literary laurel instead of lassoing cattle—but this -is neither here nor there. What I was going to say was that before I'd -been settled on that ranch three days some men came our way driving a -herd of Texas cattle to Denver, and, as a late snowstorm came up just -then, they decided to camp on good feed in the hills in front of my -ranch. That afternoon they came over to our house to buy bread, and -while they were there they mentioned to me that they had a nice cow -that had just calved, and offered if I would buy the cow to throw in -the calf, as they were just going to kill it. Well, here was where -my weak spot came in. No sooner did I hear about those animals than -nothing would do but that I should have them for pets. Besides, the cow -was offered mighty cheap, only eighteen dollars, while I'd been going -without milk rather than pay the fifty or seventy-five dollars asked -for a milch cow; so now I thought was my chance to close a good bargain -and get two nice pets, beside. Yes, sir, I even planned while the men -were gone after those animals how I would domesticate them in a few -days." - -"And it took longer?" I asked. - -"Domesticate! I might as well have tried to domesticate an active -volcano—but I mustn't anticipate. - -"My first impression of my pet cow wasn't exactly encouraging. I had -imagined her ambling serenely up to the house, mild-eyed and gentle, -with the little calflet trotting at her side. Instead, she was dragged -upon the scene by four men who had spent at least an hour in catching -her and bringing her to me. The calf, meantime, after an equally -exciting chase had been led up and tied to a large plum bush. - -"However, I wasn't one to let a little thing like that phase me. I was -determined to make friends with that cow; so when, about two hundred -yards from the house, the men threw her and took off the rope I -advanced with that idea. But I wasn't half so anxious to make friends -as the cow was. As soon as she set eyes on me—and if ever an animal -had the evil eye, that cow did—she made a bee line for yours truly. - -"'Look out,' shouted the men. But I was already footing it pretty -lively towards the thicket where the calf was tied, the cow after me, -snorting like a steam engine almost in my ear. The next thing that -I knew I had slipped and fallen on the ice in the north side of the -bushes with the cow on top. I believe that I tried to grab the creature -by her horns, with a wild hope that I might hold her down until the men -came to the rescue. - -"I might as well have tried to hold down a hurricane. As she rose so -did I, and was on my feet twenty yards away before she could see where -she was at. Just as she rushed from the bush and lunged after me, I saw -a rope swing through the air, and the next thing that devil-possessed -cow knew she was tied to a clump of thicket and left to meditate upon -the evil of her ways." - -"What did the men say to this?" I asked. - -"Of course they made out that they were awfully surprised at the cow's -antics, fearfully scared at my close call, and all that; but I saw them -grinning and chuckling as if they were ready to burst as they rode off, -and I felt dead sure they'd planned to have a double funeral, cow and -calf both, if they hadn't found a tender-foot to unload them on. - -"However, I never was one to give in that I was beaten by anything, -first off, especially by a cow. Besides, that idea of having two nice -pets had got a great hold on me. I made up my mind that if kindness -could reclaim that erring cow she should be coddled like an infant. -So next morning, bright and early, I started for the plum bush where -she and the calf were tied, determined to make peace. Fortunately, two -gentlemen, who had heard of the episode of the day before, rode over -to see me that morning and joined me on my peace-making expedition. No -sooner did the cow see me within thirty feet of her than she gave a -fearful surge; the rope that she was tied with—worn thin by rubbing -against the tree all night—gave way, and the cow made for me as though -fifty devils had taken possession of her and were urging her on. - -"I tell you I didn't stop to think about the power of kindness on the -brute creation. I simply yelled, 'Murder,' and made for a sand gulch -near by as though a band of wild Indians were on my trail. As I reached -the gulch and dropped ten feet or so down the steep bank, digging my -heels into the loose sand to stop myself, that acrobatic cow sailed -straight over my head and lit about twenty yards below. At first I -thought that she was dead, but no such luck. In a moment she got up, -looking foolish and dazed, but very much alive, and began shaking her -head and pawing fiercely, when the two gentlemen reached down and -lifted me out, as much as to say, 'This is what I'll do when I get hold -of you.'" - -"Which she didn't, I hope," I put in. - -"No, indeed; you can be precious sure that I took particular care that -she didn't have another chance to get hold of me or to get back into -the yard again. For an hour or so after she had hoisted herself out -of the gulch she stood outside the fence that separated the yard from -the field, shaking her head and pawing whenever she saw any of us at -the doors or windows. At last, towards evening, she trotted off with a -zigzag wabble down the bank towards the creek among the willows, and -there she lay in ambush, you might say, so that for a week after we -didn't dare to go down to make a garden or do anything else, for fear -of having that cow descend like a wolf on the fold." - -"And after that week?" I inquired. - -"Well, finally she grew bolder, and ventured on the mesa near the -railroad track, where she made war on the section hands, and I was -warned that I must take her out of the field or they would shoot her. -So to prevent her from demoralizing the entire neighborhood I had -her killed and used her for beef. And tough eating she was," said my -hostess, laughing; "but in any case she was better dead than alive, for -there wasn't room for that cow and me in the same country." - -"But you've been telling me about the cow. What about the heifer? I -thought that you said that she was the cause—" - -"Oh, yes. The heifer was the calf. Now, whether the cow disowned the -calf, or the calf the cow, I never found out. Anyway, the day that -the cow disappeared into the bottom land that little calf trotted up -to the house and tearfully begged to be loved. Well, you might have -thought I'd had enough of pets for one while, but, no; the helplessness -of that poor little calf so went to my heart that for weeks I rode nine -miles every day for milk, and fed it to that little creature with my -own hands." - -"A sort of foster-mother," I suggested. - -"Yes, I was a mother to that little orphan calf. But, if you'll -believe me, it was a case of 'how sharper than a serpent's tooth is an -ungrateful child,' or however that goes. Yes, sir, that calf followed -in the evil course of its mother, only if anything it was worse, sort -of like Agrippina and her son, Nero, only this was a daughter. - -"You see, the cow was perfectly open about her evil deeds, but the -calf was underhanded. After trotting around me, looking as innocent -as though butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, she'd all of a sudden -disappear, and come back after a few days with an ear torn and the skin -raked off her side; and pretty soon I'd hear that she'd been attacking -horses or fighting other cows. - -"One day she chased an unlucky workman out onto the railroad bridge -and kept him there until a train came along and the engineer slackened -enough to take him on and carry him to Plum Station. Another time -she got after a tramp that was camping on the bottom land among the -willows, and forced him to take refuge in the forks of a crooked tree, -where he roosted until one of us went down and called off Miss Bossie. -In fact, the only return that calf ever made for all my loving care was -to scare away tramps. If I could have kept her around the house just -for that purpose she would have been one of the best investments I ever -made. - -"But as years went by that calf became more and more abandoned to evil. -She would wander farther and farther from home, until now I spend half -my nights worrying about her and more than half the day following her -up and taking her home with me." - -"I should think you'd get rid of the creature," I interrupted. - -"Kill her? Yes, I suppose that would be the most sensible thing to do, -but you know how it is about always loving the prodigal son the most. -Yes, sir; wherever that animal goes it takes my heart with it, and, -though it's nigh onto eleven years old, I never can think of it as -anything but a pet calf." - -"And so it was bringing up that heifer that interfered with your -literary career?" - -"Interfered? Well, I should say so! Back at the start I did publish -some poems in the local papers, and I read one or two essays at the -Zion Church literaries. But people wouldn't believe they were original. -No woman, they said, who spent her time chasing wild cows over the -country could write odes to spring and essays on Shakespeare. - -"My literary career was killed, blighted in the bud. And, as my income -was small and I had to do something to make out a living, I've just -turned my hand to anything that came along. - -"Instead of gaining fame as the American George Eliot, I've been called -Colorado Cow-girl and Bronco Buster. Instead of wielding the pen, I've -driven a four-horse stage, branded cattle, broken saddle horses, sung -in a church choir, run a blacksmith's shop, kept school, given music -lessons, run a hotel, taught painting, carried mail, roughed it on -horseback all the way from Colorado to Oregon, and taken a hand in -pretty much everything else, except shoveling wind off the roof. But -there"—breaking off suddenly—"you aren't interested in all this. What -you want now is rest and shelter. - -"Take my outfit and make tracks for Wilkins ranch. Just give the pony -his head and he'll land you all right. - -"It's over that way," rising and gesturing toward the southeast. - -I tried to protest against this plan, but the Colorado cow-girl was -already several yards away. - -"That's all right; meet you later at the ranch," she cried, turning for -a moment before she plunged into the thicket. "But first," she added, -with almost maternal solicitude, "I think I'll just look around and see -if I can't find that little speckled heifer." - - - - -In a Tiger Trap. - -BY CHARLES EDWARD BARNS. - - -The royal Malay tiger is no gentleman. If he were, the following would -never have been told. - -Punda-Tsang was an innkeeper. He was sole proprietor of the -Ballawari-Dâk, which is a very big name for a very small native -hotel about sixty miles north of Penang, and on the high road to the -hunting-steppes of the Bukit, or hill-country. The quaint little -hospice clung to the mountain side like a swallow's nest, high over the -jungle-bedded Sungei, whose foaming, crashing torrents came down from -the upper mountains like an endless charge of white cavalry to the sea. -Punda was a good sort of a Malay, which means a bad sort of anything -else. That is, he would plunder only on the securest principles, and -never quarrel with a bigger man nor a better armed one than he. In this -he differed from other Malays, who would plunder and knife upon no -principle or provocation whatever, if they thought there was a ten-anna -piece in the job. - -But a deeper reading of this prosperous boniface of the jungles -revealed the fact that he was capable of love,—yes, even a tender, -human affection; and that little Iali, his five-year-old daughter, was -the object of a worship in his heart even more fervent than that which -he bestowed upon the five home-made clay gods before which, in a dark -corner of the Dâk, he burned a vast deal of ill-smelling punk. The -second year of Tsang's married life had hardly begun when his beautiful -wife was bitten by a yellow viper while gathering healing herbs down -in the valley. When they found the poor creature she was dying—with a -little new-born babe in her arms. This calamity the bereaved husband -regarded as a direct visitation of the clay gods in the corner; only -the day before he had robbed a Kling hunter of his rifle, leaving -the poor fellow to make his way unarmed down to the sea, where he ran -upon a pair of half-starved _kukangs_, a vicious species of Malay -chimpanzee, in fleeing from which he fell over the cliff and was dashed -to pieces. And Punda-Tsang always felt that that yellow viper was sent -direct from the land of the judging gods to avenge the blood of the -poor Kling hunter. But there was one thing that mitigated the harshness -of this vengeance,—the presence of the little child, whom he tenderly -cherished, and whom he had called Iali, which is to say "forgiven." -But even were not the little creature a messenger of forgiveness to -the penitent savage heart, she was more than worthy his worship and -love,—this child of the tropic forest, restless and agile as a young -panther, with lustrous black eyes and a wild, wayward nature, much -spoiled by the wayfarers and fawned upon by the coolies that swarmed -about the compound. - -One day two British naval officers stopped at the Dâk on their way -down from a hunt in the hill country. We were seated under the palms -before the bungalow after tiffin, smoking cheroots, while I listened to -their exploits with interest. Suddenly four native Malays approached, -wheeling a live tiger in a clumsy wooden cage, and halted before the -Dâk. They were going to dispose of him to a naturalist down on the -coast, who had a method of killing and stuffing animals by which the -marvelous luster of their skins was preserved. The forest king was -certainly a magnificent specimen. If you have never seen a live tiger -fresh from the jungles, take my word for it, the ordinary caged tiger -at the Zoo is as much like the former as canned strawberries are like -the fresh, lustrous fruit of June. The Englishmen evidently thought so, -too, as they concluded to buy him, and swear that they had captured -him, and then to present the beast to the London Zoo. They bought the -animal for forty Mexican dollars, sent the natives back rejoicing, and -started down towards the coast, while Punda-Tsang, not contented with -exacting fifty per cent commission from the poor fellows for using his -Dâk for a tiger mart, committed the meanest act of his life. He slyly -sawed one of the cage bars nearly through in four places. Then he went -to work planning to waylay the tiger on his way back to his haunts -after he should break loose, which he knew would happen before the -Englishmen could get many miles down the valley. He quietly pursued his -planning until late that night, when he heard upon good authority that -the tiger had broken jail and nearly killed one of his owners. Then he -prepared to put his plans into action. - -Here we reach the illustration of the first-mentioned fact, of -which Tsang was ready to take advantage: that the Malay tiger is no -gentleman. He knew that the beast will never walk up leisurely and -take his bite like a smooth and oily clubman at a free lunch, but that -the very instant that he smells blood he will drop flat, and, even if -the feast is a mile away, will begin a slow, creeping journey towards -it, wasting hours, perhaps, and working up a terrific hunger in the -meantime. When he has approached within twenty feet of the prize, -quivering with desire and terrible with greed, he will leap into the -air like a cannon ball and plunge down upon his victim. Punda-Tsang -knew all this; so he dug a pit down the valley, constructed a network -of branches over it, and laid the quarter of a bullock upon it. Then -he waited for the tiger to scent the blood and make his slow, crawling -journey, knowing that when he made the grand twenty-foot leap he -would go crashing through the network into the pit below. Then Tsang -planned he would starve the beast, let down a cage baited with more -fresh meat, and, sliding the bars from above, haul the captured tiger -out and sell him over again. All of this might have happened, but it -didn't. Events somewhat stranger and more terrible for Punda-Tsang -interfered, doubtless as another direct visitation of the vengeance of -the little clay gods in the bungalow corner, half concealed in clouds -of punk-smoke. - -As little Iali was the innkeeper's constant solace and companion, she -went with him to the pit-digging, her father explaining to her the -manner of capturing the "four-footed jungle-god," which facts, instead -of frightening the child, only helped to increase the stock of her -play gods and demons which she molded deftly from the red clay of -the ravine. With the appearance of the new moon, that mascot of the -Orientals, the pit was baited. For two days nothing was heard of the -tiger, and Punda-Tsang began to fear that he had gone back to the hills -by another route. - -On the afternoon of the third day I sat on the cliff's edge, watching -the mists rise from the roaring river bottom, a phenomenon which -always accompanies the closing day. Suddenly there was a great -shuffling of sandals about the compound, and I knew something -extraordinary was taking place. I turned quickly; the big form of -Punda-Tsang, the innkeeper, burst upon me suddenly, his flat face as -pallid as a demon's, ferocious, but with the ferocity of nameless fear. - -"Iali!" cried he hoarsely. "Have you seen Iali?" - -"No!" I replied, almost in a whisper. He did not wait, but sped towards -the so-called bullock-sheds, which were really caves cut in the -solid rock beyond the Dâk. I had become attached to the child, whose -marvelous beauty had charmed, and whose weird ways mystified me. But I -had never been alone with her, knowing that any accident happening to -Iali while in my keeping would result seriously for me—perhaps cost -me my life. The coolies were flying hither and thither, making the -air ring with their loud wails. Such agitation on the part of these -vagabonds roused me to a realization of the child's danger. Suddenly -I turned my eyes and thoughts in the direction of the ravine where -the tiger trap lay. I recalled vividly the child's interest in the -"jungle-god" who was to be captured in the deep pit; and, knowing the -little creature's absolute fearlessness, thought that, acting upon some -childish impulse, she might have strayed down the narrow path to the -pit. Meanwhile the wailing about me increased. - -I dropped over the ledge, soon reaching the pathway by a short route. -As I penetrated the jungle, now suffused with mist in the ruby glow of -the expiring day, I realized with what risks to myself I was entering -this dangerous spot, all unarmed. I was still debating whether or not -to return for a weapon of defense, when, as I leaped over a soft spot -in the red clay, I saw two footprints that shot terror into my heart; -one was that of a mammoth tiger, the other belonged to a little child. -I dropped down beside them. No. There was no mistaking them, so clear -and fresh were both. I rose to my feet, my head whirling, my ears -half-deafened by the noise of the jungle insects and the increasing -roar of that river beyond. Then I crept forward, scarcely daring to -breathe, my heart beating faster and faster with apprehension. - -The distance to that tiger pit seemed to be doubled, and the time that -elapsed before reaching it everlasting. The crackling of the leaves -and twigs on the moss beneath my feet added to my trepidations. Almost -before I realized it I had reached the big trap, and then halted short, -thrilled by the sound of something human. I looked up. Through the -deepening mists and intervening boughs I saw the little child-figure -of Iali creeping out upon the withered branches over the pit. For the -instant I had no power to move, nor dared I speak, lest, overcome with -sudden fright, the frail little one might lose her foothold. Suddenly -a new horror disclosed itself. What were those two glaring, cold, -yet fiery points just beyond the pit, burning their way through the -shadows? My God! It was the tiger. He was lying flat on the ground, -couchant, paws extended, quivering, ready for the fatal spring. - -In moments like these one's reasoning powers become super-human. I saw -that in all probability either Iali or I was to be sacrificed, which -one depended merely upon the caprice of the wild beast. I had heard -that the calm, steady, fearless stare of a human is more terrifying to -wild animals than guns that kill. On the instant I resolved to practise -it; it was my only expedient. So I stared at those two coldly bright -and glowing points of light like a madman, without a quiver, without a -doubt. - -Suddenly I saw the little figure waver on the dead branches over the -mouth of the pit, and then—oh, horrors! with a weak cry poor little -Iali had lost her foothold and slipped slowly through the yielding -boughs into the cave beneath. For a moment all was silent. Then I -heard her childish prattle. The soft sand had broken Iali's fall and -saved her life, while I was brought face to face with the most awful -problem of my life. For what seemed hours, I stood like a pillar of -stone, the sweat pouring down my neck, my tongue hot and parched. One -show of fear would, I knew, be fatal. The "jungle-gods" are keen, like -demons, measuring strength with man. How long could I keep up this -maddening strain?—how long force upon the king-beast this illusion of -my superior will? - -Suddenly, as I stood like one in a trance, facing this growing problem, -I was conscious of a stir in the reeds and underbrush at my right -hand. Though the sound caused me to tremble, I dared not take my eyes -from the crouching monster beyond. The next instant, a strange, huge -shape crept stealthily out of the underwood, and advanced into the -clearing toward the pit,—a ponderous black monster with the body of a -beast, but lifting through the grass the head and shoulders of a human -colossus. It was a mammoth orang-outang! - -The tiger crouched lower. He seemed to be as nonplussed, as stunned by -the intrusion of this huge interloper as I was. In motionless silence, -he transferred his burning gaze to the mammoth monster. - -Advancing to the very edge of the pit, the huge ape slipped, but he -recovered. Sly beast! He saw that the branches were only a blind. -Then he walked around the edge of the trap, and knelt down like a -human being, slowly, deliberately reaching out his long hairy arm till -his giant hand clutched that bullock bone. Oh, what joy that calm, -providential deed brought to my heart! Then, to my intense relief, -the orang slowly dragged the great mass of flesh off the network of -branches upon the solid ground. - -For a moment longer the gleam of those two terrible eyes, now like -peepholes into hell, followed the unsuspecting pilferer. Then came a -rustle, a strange shriek like sudden thunder, a bound, and a roar, and -the "jungle-god" had sprung into the air, and came down like a flashing -avalanche full upon the broad body of the kneeling orang. A single -paw struck the mammoth ape in the small of the back, and never shall -I forget the sound of that blow which broke the bones of the orang's -spine like a cannon ball. With an almost human groan, the rescuer of -my life and hers I came to save gave up the booty, together with his -own life. Then the tiger, with a final flash of eyes full into my own, -snatched up the carcass of the bullock in his flaming jaws, and slid -off into the thick of the jungle. - -I have often wondered since how things would have turned out if that -tiger _had_ been a gentleman. - - - - -The Red-Hot Dollar. - -BY H. D. UMBSTAETTER. - - -It lacked three minutes of five by the big clock in the tower when the -east-bound Chicago express rumbled into the station at Buffalo. The -train had not yet come to a standstill when a hatless man jumped from -the platform of the rear sleeping-car and ran across the tracks into -the depot restaurant. A few minutes later he reappeared, carrying a cup -of coffee in one hand and a small paper bag in the other. - -With these he hurriedly made his way back to the car through a -straggling procession of drowsy tourists, who were taking advantage -of the train's five minutes' stop to breathe the crisp morning air. -The last of these had already resumed his seat when the man without a -hat again appeared at the lunch counter, returned the borrowed dishes, -and ordered coffee for himself. He had just picked up the cup and was -raising it to his lips when the conductor's "All aboard" rang through -the station. - -Leaving the coffee untouched, he thrust a five-dollar bill at the -attendant, grabbed his change, and started in pursuit of the moving -train. He had almost reached it when an unlucky stumble sent the -coins in his hand rolling in all directions along the floor. Quickly -recovering himself and paying no heed to his loss, he redoubled his -efforts, and, though losing ground at every step, kept up the hopeless -chase to the end of the station. There he stopped, panting for breath. -The slip had proved fatal. He had missed the train! - -As he stood staring wildly through the clouds of dust that rose from -the track, a young woman, evidently deeply agitated, suddenly appeared -in the doorway of the vanishing car. Upon seeing him, she made frantic -attempts to leap from the platform, when she was seized by a man and -pulled back into the car. When the door had closed upon the two -the bareheaded man in the station faced about and philosophically -muttered:— - -"It's fate!" - -Then, after pausing a few moments, as if to collect his thoughts, -he slowly retraced his steps to the scene of his mishap and began -calmly searching for his lost change. Circling closely about, his eyes -scanning the floor, he succeeded in recovering first one and then -another of the missing coins, until finally, after repeated rounds, he -lacked only one dollar of the whole amount. At this point he paused, -clinked the recovered coins in his hand, looked at his watch, and then -started on a final round. As this failed to reveal the missing piece, -he gave up the search, transferred the contents of his hands to his -trousers' pocket, and started in the direction of the telegraph office. - -He had proceeded perhaps twenty paces when it occurred to him to turn -about and cast one more look along the floor. As he did so his eye -fell upon a shining object lodged in an opening between the rail and -planked floor, a few feet from where he stood. He stooped to examine -it, and, seeing that it was the missing coin, reached for it, but -found the opening too narrow to admit his fingers. He tried to recover -the piece with his pocket-knife, and, failing in this attempt, took -his lead-pencil, with which, after repeated attempts, he succeeded in -tossing it upon the floor. - -With an air of subdued satisfaction, he walked away, and was about to -convey the coin to his pocket when a sudden impulse led him to examine -it. Holding it up before his eyes, he stopped, scrutinized every -detail, and as he turned it over and over the puzzled look on his face -changed to one of rigid astonishment. For fully a minute he stood as if -transfixed; then, rousing himself and looking anxiously about as if to -see if any one had observed him, he hurried to the cashier's desk in -the restaurant, and, producing the bright silver dollar, asked the girl -if she happened to remember from whom she received it. - -She didn't remember, but would exchange it for another, she said, if -he wished. Politely declining the offer and apologizing for having -troubled her, he said that, as the coin he held in his hand was -separating a loving wife from her husband, he wished very much to find -some trace of its former owner. The girl looked up, thought for a -moment, then, pulling out the cash drawer, and examining its contents, -said she might have received it from the conductor of the Lake Shore -express which had left for Cleveland at 3.15. She now recalled that -when she came on duty at midnight there was no silver dollar among -the change in the cash drawer, and that the only one she remembered -receiving was from Sleeping-Car Conductor Parkins. - -The man thanked her and hastened to the telegraph office, where he sent -this message:— - - -"CONDUCTOR, EAST BOUND CHICAGO EXPRESS, - UTICA, N. Y. - - "Please ask lady in section seven of sleeping-car Catawba to -await her husband at Delavan House, Albany. - - "A. J. HOBART." - - -After requesting the operator to kindly rush the despatch, he proceeded -to the ticket office, procured a seat in the 5.45 fast mail for -Cleveland, and, with his hand clutching the coin in his pocket and his -eyes fixed upon the floor, meditatively paced up and down the platform, -waiting for the train to arrive. - -As he did so he was disconcerted to find himself the object of -wide-spread curiosity; even the newsboys with the morning papers -favored him with an inquiring stare as they passed. Wondering what was -amiss, he suddenly put his hand to his head, which furnished an instant -explanation. He was hatless. - -Looking at the big clock, he saw that it lacked ten minutes of train -time, and, hastily crossing over to the farther track, he disappeared -through the west end of the station. - -Among the passengers who boarded the 5.45 fast mail for Cleveland when -it thundered into the station, ten minutes later, was the bareheaded -gentleman of a few minutes ago, now wearing a stylish derby. Once in -the train, he settled himself in his seat with a sigh of relief and -satisfaction. Not until then did the really remarkable character of the -situation dawn upon him. On the very day which he had hailed as one of -the happiest of his life he was traveling at the rate of about sixty -miles an hour away from the girl he loved devotedly and to whom he had -been married just seventeen hours. A queer opening of his honeymoon! In -his anxiety to get a cup of coffee for his wife, he had lost his hat, -then lost his change, and, lastly, lost the train. - -Why did he not follow his bride at once? What mysterious spell had come -upon this seventeen-hour bridegroom that he should fly from her as -swiftly as the fast express could carry him? His hand held the solution -of the problem—simple, yet unexplainable—a silver dollar! It held -the secret he must unravel before he could return to her; it was not -then that he loved her less, but that this bit of precious metal had -suddenly developed an occult power that had turned their paths, for the -present, in opposite directions. - -At the first stopping place he sent another message, which read as -follows:— - - -"MRS. A. J. HOBART, Delavan House, Albany, N. Y. - - "Cannot possibly reach Albany before to-morrow morning. - - "ANSEL." - - -With his brain filled with excited thoughts, the young man entered -the sleeping-car office at Cleveland four hours later and asked for -Conductor Parkins. He was told that this official would not be on duty -before night, though possibly he might be at his home on St. Clair -Street. - -To the address given him the indefatigable young man repaired at once, -and found the genial gentleman for whom he sought breakfasting with his -family. He kindly gave audience at once to his visitor. - -"This coin, which you gave the cashier of the restaurant in Buffalo," -said the latter, revealing it in the palm of his hand; "can you tell me -from whom you received it?" - -Parkins remembered receiving cash from but two passengers the night -before, one a traveling man who got off in Cleveland, and the other a -woman whose destination was Erie. The stranger might ascertain their -names by consulting the car diagram at the ticket office. "You seem -interested in the coin," he added, smiling. - -"I am, for a good reason," laughed the young man in reply. "It is -separating a man from his wife." And with these engimatical words he -made his adieu, with thanks, hastened to the ticket office, and an hour -later was scouring the city for one Richard Spears. - -The register of the Stillman House contained the freshly written name -of "Richard Spears, Providence, R. I.," but that gentleman, when -found in his room showing samples of hardware to a prospective buyer, -regretted that he could not throw any light on the particular dollar -his visitor held up to his gaze, and remembered distinctly that he had -given the conductor a two-dollar bill in payment for his berth. He came -from a section, he said, where people took no stock in silver dollars. - -It was three o'clock in the afternoon when a man got off the train -at Erie and inquired of the cabmen and depot master regarding a lady -who had arrived on the early train from Buffalo. An hour later he was -driving along a country road some miles south of the town inquiring for -the Wickliffe farm. - -As he finally drove up to the house which was his destination he was -conscious of a strange excitement. This, he realized, was probably -his only remaining chance to trace the coin by whose mysterious power -he had been drawn into this wild chase with the hope of identifying -its former owner. He took a hasty note of the general features of the -place. It had a comfortable, well-to-do look; a two-story house, white, -with green blinds. Most of these were closed, as is customary with -country houses, but the windows at the right of the big front door, -opening on a small porch, were shaded only by white curtains. There was -a sound of voices within as he stepped up to the door and rapped. - -Mrs. Wickliffe, a pleasant-faced little woman, sat surrounded by -three children and a neighbor's wife, to whom she was displaying some -purchases. As one of the children opened the door, admitting the -stranger into this animated scene, she was standing before a mirror -trying on a new bonnet, which was eliciting extravagant praises from -the neighbor. - -After listening to his story, Mrs. Wickliffe said that her memory was -so treacherous that she really couldn't say for certain whether or not -she gave the conductor the shining dollar, but that if she did she -must have received it from her son in Germantown, Pa., from a visit -to whose house she had just returned, and who before her departure had -exchanged some money for her. She added that, as she took no interest -in coin collecting, a dollar was simply a dollar to her and that she -thought a woman was very foolish to take up with a fad which might ruin -her happiness. - -Her unknown caller thought so, too, admired her taste in millinery, -took the address of her son, and, clutching the fatal coin more firmly -than ever, drove back to Erie, where he boarded the New York night -express. - -To the young man who still clutched the silver dollar sleep was -impossible. A multitude of exciting fancies crossed his brain. The -developments he hoped to bring about, the curious solution of the -problem, its effect upon his future, and the future of one so dear to -him,—all this murdered sleep for him as effectually as did the crime -on Lady Macbeth's soul. It drove him into the smoking-car, where he -sank into a seat and planned and conjectured between puffs of Havana -smoke until the train reached Albany. So completely absorbed had he -become in the solution of this knotty problem in which his accident -of the morning had involved him, and so convinced was he that the -information must be for the time kept a secret, that he actually began -to dread what was clearly inevitable,—the explanation he must shortly -make to his wife. - -His inclination was to tell her all. His duty to others forbade this. -After pondering over the matter, he decided to explain that he had a -happy surprise in store for her, one that had an important bearing on -their future, and which unfortunately necessitated a change in their -plans for a honeymoon in Europe. - -This, on reaching the Delavan House, he expressed to a very pretty and -very anxious little woman who was awaiting him, together with a good -many other things not necessary to this story. And, instead of the -steamer for Europe, the reunited pair took a train for Philadelphia. -Early the next day the young man presented himself at the office of Dr. -James Wickliffe, at Germantown, who smilingly admitted having given -the shining dollar to his mother two days before. He had received the -coin from a patient, a letter-carrier named John Lennon, and remembered -it because of the following strange story, related to him by Lennon -himself. - -A few days before, the carrier was engaged in delivering mail from door -to door along Vine Street, Philadelphia, when a zigzag trip across the -street and back again brought him to the narrow stairway of a dingy -brick house, in front of which hung an enormous brass key bearing the -word "Locksmith." Here he paused to draw a little parcel from his -bundle. As he did so he heard something fall with a metallic clink upon -the stone pavement. He looked and saw that it was a silver dollar, -which rolled toward the gutter and came to a stop close by the curb. -Hastening to pick it up, he instantly dropped it with a cry of pain. - -_The coin was almost red hot!_ - -The letter-carrier stood nursing his hand and thinking for two or three -minutes. Silver dollars do not commonly drop out of the sky. But that -this one should thus fall like a meteorite in a condition too heated -for handling was certainly more than surprising—it was astounding! The -man looked up at the dingy brick house and examined it attentively, -noting that the ground floor was occupied as a green grocery and that -all of the windows were shut save one in the third story. - -Then he kicked the mysterious coin into a puddle, fished it out again -with his fingers, and put it into his trousers' pocket. He was about to -investigate further, when some small boys called his attention to the -fact that it was the first day of April, whereupon he proceeded on his -way. He gave no further thought to the matter until that night, when -he found that his thumb and forefinger had been so badly burned as to -require treatment. - -The next morning he called upon the doctor, who dressed the painful -hand and received the mysterious coin in payment for his services. - -That night, behind locked doors in one of the officers' rooms of the -United States Mint in Chestnut Street, two men were engaged in a long -whispered conference. The wife of one of the men, as she sat in her -room in the Continental Hotel, anxiously waiting for her husband, was -beginning to wonder whether, after all, marriage was a failure! - -Two days later, in speaking of the seizure of over forty thousand bogus -silver dollars and the clever capture of three of the most dangerous -counterfeiters that ever attacked the currency of the United States, -the _Daily News_ said:— - -"The most remarkable part of the whole story is that one of the coins, -fresh from the machine of one of the counterfeiters, fell out of a -third-story window near which he was working, was picked up while -almost red hot by a letter-carrier, and passed as genuine through -various hands until it reached Buffalo, where, by the merest accident, -it came into the possession of Mr. Ansel Hobart of the Secret Service. -That gentleman noticed an imperfection at one point of its rim, and -succeeded in tracing the coin to the headquarters of the gang on Vine -Street in this city, where, under the cloak of a locksmith shop and -green grocery business, six hundred of the spurious coins were turned -out daily. So admirably were these counterfeits executed as to defy -scrutiny save by experts of the Government. The coins were not cast -in molds after the ordinary fashion, but were struck with a die, and -plated so thickly with silver as to withstand tests by acids. The -defect which led to the discovery was found only in the one coin -already spoken of, and it is supposed that it was this defect that -caused the piece to spring from the finishing machine and fall out of -the window." - -And the New York newspapers of three days later contained the -intelligence that the White Star steamer "Majestic," which sailed for -Liverpool that day, had among her passengers Mr. and Mrs. Ansel J. -Hobart, of Chicago, Illinois. - -[Illustration] - - - - -Advertisements. - -[Illustration] - - "I cannot speak too enthusiastically of what my dressmaker has done for - the last two seasons. All the former annoyance of heavy sleeves (which - are also very hot in warm weather) has been done away with, and it is - such pleasure to me to use no special care of the skirt when either - riding or boating as I am sure every fold will instantly disappear the - moment I walk." - - "What different materials do you use to accomplish this?" - - "Why, really the same, only you know the AMERICAN HAIR CLOTH CO.—I - believe that is the name—make one grade of linings so thin as not - to be objectionable to the thinest white material even, and then the - heavier grades which are just as suitable for winter use as for summer, - and all their styles in either gray, black or white." - - "How much does this really add to the weight of the skirt without any - lining?" - - "My dressmaker says that an entire skirt if it were made up as a - separate skirt of seven yards would weigh but 12 ounces, and if one - should use their 170/3 it is almost as light as air itself." - - "Why, these figures are new to me; what do they mean?" - - "I took pains to investigate that, and their =10/4=, =10/5= and =98/3= - is the style usually used for skirts and can be had in either gray or - black, though of course they make heavier grades, principally used by - tailors." - - "Either the =84/3=, =146/3=, =170/3=, =184/4= or =200/4=, is all right - for thin sleeves, so that if the dealer has not all these styles he - ought to have one surely." - - "I am very glad for this information, for I confess that while I have - been forced to follow the fashion. It has been at great discomfort, - especially in the hot weather, with what I have had used for linings; - and I had really no knowledge of these different grades, or in fact - that HAIR CLOTH CRINOLINE was really the perfect thing to be used for - both skirts and sleeves." - - -[Illustration] - - Hair Cloth Crinoline - - Ask your Dealer for Ours - - =It Lasts Forever= - - We do not sell at Retail - - -[Illustration] - - American Hair Cloth Company, - PAWTUCKET, R.I. - CHARLES E. PERVEAR, Agent - - -[Illustration] - - =If you are thinking= about advertising in any newspaper, magazine, or - program =anywhere=, send to - - DODD'S Advertising & Checking AGENCY - =265 Washington St., — Boston.= - -_=We write and illustrate advertisements for our clients.=_ - - RELIABLE DEALING. - CAREFUL SERVICE. - LOW ESTIMATES. - - -[Illustration] - - =If you are thinking= about advertising in any newspaper, magazine, or - program =anywhere=, send to - - DODD'S Advertising & Checking AGENCY - =265 Washington St., — Boston.= - -_=We write and illustrate advertisements for our clients.=_ - - RELIABLE DEALING. - CAREFUL SERVICE. - LOW ESTIMATES. - - - - -[Illustration] - - SEARCH LIGHT - - =Is what it is named.= - - It is =not= a signal to show that a bicycle is coming, - but an =aid=, recognized by such riders as R. P. Searle, - who says:— - - GENTLEMEN: I have just finished my second record-breaking trip - from Chicago to New York. I used your lamp on all my night runs, - sometimes running at a speed of fifteen miles per hour in the dark. I - was only able to make this fast time by the splendid light which I was - enabled to obtain with the use of your lamp. I used your lamp because - I considered it the best in the world to-day, and it has far exceeded - my expectations. Yours very truly, - - _R. P. Searle_ - - Points of Superiority over every other Lantern Made: - - =Central draft—burns ten hours.= - =Burns kerosene oil unmixed.= - =Flame absolutely adjustable (by set screw).= - =Filled and lighted from outside.= - - _Saves Doctors' Bills_, barked shins, soiled clothing, and =makes - riding= when there is the most leisure =a pleasure=. - - =Don't be insulted= by having a cheap Lantern offered you which may - possess possibly one characteristic, =but insist= _on having_ the - =Search Light=, which will be delivered free, if your dealer won't - supply you, for the price, =$5.00=. Circulars free. Address - - BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO., - Bridgeport, Conn., or 19 Murray Street, New York. - - - - - =The Stomach was made for a purpose—a food wholly digested was not - what the Almighty intended—= - - =No Child Can Live= - - =upon these thin, slippery Foods, but must have something to satisfy - the stomach in order to give development and growth.= - - =Ridge's Food= has all the requirements; but =it does need boiling=, - and care =after= boiling, and a Mother that is not ready to take this - care is a very queer Mother. We have never known, in our =30 years - of experience=, of a single case of indigestion, loss of sleep, skin - disease, or scurvy while faithfully using =Ridge's Food=. - - The stomach requires action—it is so constructed that from the very - first it is made for action. With the youngest infant the quantity of - nourishment from the natural food (the mother's milk) is much less, - because the stomach is incapable of taking care of as much as it can - later, but at the same time action is going on, and nature does its - work as the child grows, so it can take stronger food; therefore, the - special directions which have been the result of experience so adapt - themselves to the age of the child as to fulfill those requirements. - - Little babies cannot be successfully fed daily by pouring hot water on - something that makes food. =It must be properly cooked=, and properly - prepared especially for the babies' delicate stomachs, if you wish to - save them. - - It has been said by some that children could not assimilate starch, - yet we believe it is a proper carbon to have in food. The only carbon - in many foods is sugar. Scurvy is not uncommonly a result of the - continued use of food not sufficiently nutritious. The disfiguring - eczema seen on the face and scalp is a result from the same cause. - - =Ridge's Food= is so prepared that only the normal action of the - stomach is required to produce healthful growth and development, and - the result has been good digestion, sound, healthy bodies, good teeth, - strong, straight limbs, and a well-formed brain; the child becomes a - model of healthful strength and childish beauty when fed on =Ridge's - Food=, properly prepared—and its long continuance does not produce - Scurvy and skin disease in its many forms. Do not take our word for - it, but please make the test yourself. =It has stood the test for 30 - years=, and abundant testimonials are at hand to prove our assertions. - _Sample free to any physician or mother._ - - =Ridge's Food, - Used for 30 Years, - Still Unexcelled.= - - WOOLRICH & CO., Sole Mfrs., - Palmer, Mass. - - - - -[Illustration] - - GOFF'S BRAND IS THE BEST MADE - - "For Dress - Binding it is - Unequaled." - - This is the opinion of experienced Dressmakers who have tried so-called - substitutes during the past thirty years. - - RED SPOOL, five yards, mailed for 8 cts., stamps, or BLACK SPOOL, - 3¼ yards, 5 cts., if you cannot find the proper shade at the stores. - - D. GOFF & SONS, Pawtucket, R.I. - - -[Illustration] - - The BRIDGEPORT - "New" Rochester - has these advantages over any other - LAMP - manufactured to-day. - - Better combustion; Larger perforations; No crawling of oil; Chimney - springs riveted (not soldered); Patent filler float (cannot run over in - tilling). - - =As a test, send= - - =$1.20= for this Nickel or Gilt =SEWING LAMP=, - - mailed, postpaid (without glassware), or complete, $1.75; which will - give the points of - - OUR SEVENTY OTHER STYLES. - - =Bridgeport Brass Co.=, - BRIDGEPORT, CONN. - 19 Murray Street, - New York. - - - - -[Illustration] - - Society everywhere refreshes itself with - "Sparkling Londonderry Lithia." - - Copyright, 1805, by Londonderry Lithia Spring Water Co., Nashua, N. H. - - - - -[Illustration] - - _Londonderry - Lithia Water._ - - How many people realize the necessity of drinking large quantities of - water in order to keep in absolutely good health? When it is remembered - that nearly two thirds of the substance, by weight, of the human body - is in the form of water, included in the composition of the various - tissues, the importance of using water in liberal quantities internally - becomes at once apparent. The most eminent physiologists have computed - that, in order to supply the losses by excretions and evaporation - taking place in the human body, it is necessary to drink from a half - to one gallon of water daily. This, too, in addition to the water - contained in the beverages, such as tea, coffee, etc., which are in - common use. It is an uncontested and fundamental truth of hygiene that - water supplied for drinking purposes must be of the very best quality - and perfectly pure and free from the slightest trace of organic matter. - The desire for water of this kind among intelligent people is seen in - the large number of natural waters now offered for sale. It is known, - too, that in the treatment of many common forms of disease natural - mineral waters are one of the most important factors. - - Of all of these waters, none are equal to the Londonderry Lithia Water. - The array of reliable medical testimony in its favor is overwhelming - and shows that all good livers should use this water liberally from - time to time. Londonderry stands decidedly ahead of all the lithia - waters, a fact that has been proven by actual investigation and - experience. - - LONDONDERRY LITHIA SPRING WATER CO., - NASHUA, N. H. - - - - - _Two Great Books._ - - 2045 Pages!! 760 Illustrations!! - Handsomely Bound!! - - _Publisher's Price, $7.50 for both, or $3.75 each._ - - _Our Price, $2.00 for both, or $1.00 each._ - - Delivered to any part of the United States, express or postage prepaid. - - -The Story of Our Post Office. - -By MARSHALL CUSHING, Private Secretary to Postmaster-General Wanamaker. - -A complete story of our National Post Office Department, turned inside -out; crammed full of information and the most romantic, laughable, -tragic, and wonderful incidents on record. It includes descriptions -of mail transportation in this country and across the water; of the -manufacture of stamps and postal cards; of the methods and treasures -of the Dead Letter Office. It gives pictures and sketches of the chief -postmasters of the country, relates the government's encounters with -frauds, lotteries, and green goods men, and describes the work of women -in this department. The author is widely known as one of the raciest -and ablest writers in America. The position he has occupied with the -Postmaster-General of the United States for four years is the highest -commendation of his work. - - -The Story of Government. - -By HENRY AUSTIN. - -This work treats of Evolution and Government, as traced from animals -to savage tribes, upwards through the successive stages of barbarism -and civilization. By means of a wealth of anecdote and allusion it -introduces the reader into gypsy camps, Fenian and Nihilistic meetings, -criminal colonies, modern republics, and picturesque courts of bygone -centuries. It is a treasury of knowledge previously unpublished, taught -in no text-book, and unknown in universities; written so plainly and -picturesquely that a child will understand and a philosopher enjoy. -Its field is the world, and its audience humanity. Indorsed by Edward -Everett Hale, Vicar-General William Byrne, Gen. Douglas Frazar, Edward -Bellamy, and many others represented in the world of letters. One of -the foremost women of the day, Mary A. Livermore, says: "_The section -relating to modern women is admirable._" - -Either of the above superb books, handsomely bound, will be delivered -to any part of the United States, express or postage prepaid, for $1.00. - -_=Address Trade Company, 148 High Street, Boston, Mass.=_ - - - - - Illustrated - Story of - Under Dress - - 42 large pages of healthful art and comfort—Just send your address on - a postal to - - Jaros Hygienic Underwear Co., - 831 Broadway, New York. - - - Now is the Time - To select your - - =Camera= - - We have all styles and prices, from - - =$5 to $150.= - - Send for Descriptive Manuals of the "=WATERBURY=" and "=HENRY CLAY=" - Cameras. - - We are the oldest established - house in this business..... - - The Scovill & Adams Co. - of N.Y. - 423 Broome Street, New York. - - Send 35 cents for a copy of _The Photographic Times_, containing about - 100 handsome illustrations. - - -[Illustration] - - The Barta Press - - Printers of The Black Cat. - - Artistic, Original, and Unique Typography. - - Boston, Mass. - - - Can't Bend Pins - - You can stick Puritan Pins through everything. - - - - - _It cures from Head to Foot!_ - - Puritana - - Nature's Cure - - (_Prize Formula of Prof. Dixi Crosby, M.D., LL.D., over thirty years at - the head of Dartmouth Medical College._) - - Puritana cures disease by naturalizing and vitalizing the Power - Producer of the human system—_the stomach_. - -[Illustration] - - TRADE MARK REGISTERED. - - Puritana makes weary men and women strong and happy. - - It cures case after case, _from head to foot_, whether the suffering - is due to disordered _Blood, Liver, Stomach, Kidneys, Lungs, - Brain, Nerves_, or _Skin_. Its effects are marvelous. - - If you are a sufferer get this great disease-conquering discovery (the - price is $1 for the complete treatment, consisting of one bottle of - Puritana Compound, one bottle of Puritana Pills, and one bottle of - Puritana Tablets). If your druggist hasn't it and won't get it for - you, write to the undersigned, and you will bless the day when you - heard of Puritana. The Puritana Compound Co., Concord, N. H. - - - - - Fit and Misfit - - The Corset that fits costs no more than the Corset that doesn't. - - _Dr. Warner's Coraline Corsets_ - - are fitted to living models. - - -[Illustration] - - =HYACINTHS.= =TULIPS.= - - ELEGANT FLOWERING BULBS. - - _Sent by Mail, postpaid, at the following special prices._ - - =3= named =HYACINTHS=, different colors, fine, for =10c.= - =5= " =TULIPS=, lovely sorts, all different, " =10c.= - =4= " =NARCISSUS=, " " " " =10c.= - =3= =JAPAN LILIES=, " " " " =10c.= - =10= =CROCUS=, 5 sorts, named, - - - " =10c.= - =10= =FREESIAS=, fine mixed sorts, - - " =10c.= - =1= =BLACK CALLA=, new, from Palestine - " =10c.= - - or the whole =36 Bulbs=, postpaid, for =50 cents=. - - Our Catalogue, - - =ELEGANTLY ILLUSTRATED, of all kinds of Plants and Bulbs=, for Fall - Planting and Winter Blooming, also new Fruits, Shrubs, etc., is now - ready, and will be mailed =FREE= to all who apply. Choicest Hyacinths, - Tulips, Narcissus, and other Bulbs, at greatly reduced prices. Write - for it at once. Address - - JOHN LEWIS CHILDS, FLORAL PARK, N. Y. - - -[Illustration] - - _Every Description of Printing Plates made by us, by every process._ - - C. J. PETERS & SON, ... - - Finest Half-Tones a Specialty. - - Photo Engravers - Electrotypers - Wax Engravers - Typographers - - BOSTON, MASS. - - _Special Designs and Drawings made to order. - References in all parts of the United States._ - - - - -[Illustration] - -ANNOUNCEMENT. - -The Black Cat - -... FOR ... - -NOVEMBER, 1895, - -Will contain the following Original and Complete Stories: - -A Calaveras Hold-Up. By Roberta Littlehale. - - A vivid account of an actual California stage robbery, linked with a - touching love-story, told in the writer's graphic and individual style. - -From a Trolley Post. By Margaret Dodge. - - A comedy-drama of the city streets, in which a pocket edition of a - Texas cowboy and a hand-organ monkey are the chief actors. - -An Andenken. By Julia Magruder. - - An absorbing and unusual story of artist life, love, and adventure, - whose scene is laid in the Tyrolean Alps. - -The Man from Maine. By J. D. Ellsworth. - - Some picturesque facts showing that prohibition doesn't always - prohibit. - -A Wedding Tombstone. By Clarice Irene Clinghan. - - A curiously fascinating tale of New England village life, showing the - same unconventional charm as the author's prize story, "Six Months in - Hades," for which she received $1.000. - -The Other One. By A. H. Gibson. - - A gruesome but impressively interesting story of robbery, murder, - and terrible retribution, whose startling ending cannot possibly be - foreseen. - -Stateroom Six. By William Albert Lewis. - - A dramatic incident of Mississippi steamboat travel twenty years ago, - told just as it happened. - -Her Eyes, Your Honor! By M. D. Umbstaetter. - - A famous criminal court trial, a mysterious woman whose life hinges on - circumstantial evidence, and a legal trap resulting in an unparalleled - climax are the features of this stirring tale. - -THE BLACK CAT is issued monthly at five cents a copy. If your -newsdealer hasn't it, and won't get it for you, send fifty cents to the -undersigned, and it will be mailed to you, postpaid, for one year. - - The Shortstory Publishing Company, - 144 High Street, Boston, Mass. - -[Illustration] - - - - - T^{he} Hook That's Flat - - The Hook that shows isn't so good as the Hook that doesn't. There's no - show to the Singer Hook and Eye. Sold everywhere. - - Singer Safety Hook & Eye Co., - GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. - - -[Illustration] - - The Ink - used in printing - The Black Cat - is manufactured by - Geo. H. Morrill & Co., - Boston, Mass. - - - Williams' Shaving Soap - - _"It's just like cream."_ - - _Williams' Shaving Soaps have been famous for fifty years._ - - Sold by dealers everywhere. - - THE J. B. WILLIAMS CO., - GLASTONBURY, CONN. - London, 64 Great Russel St., W. C. - - - - -The Atlantic Monthly. - -=Important Announcements for the Fall of 1895.= - - -The publishers take pleasure in announcing an unusual amount of good -fiction. Early issues of the Atlantic will contain =The Apparition -of Gran'ther Hill=, by _Rowland E. Robinson_; =Pilgrim Station=, by -_Mary Hallock Foote_; =Athenaise, a Creole Story=, by _Kate Chopin_; -=The End of the Terror=, by _Robert Wilson_, a Southern writer. Aside -from these, there will be stories by Mrs. _Wiggin, Henry James, L. -Dougall, Ellen Mackubin_, and others. - -Conspicuous in the Fall issues will be papers of Travel. _Lafcadio -Hearn_ will contribute sketches and interpretations of the new Japan. -There will be further papers in Mr. Peabody's =An Architect's Vacation= -series, the forthcoming one being entitled =The Venetian Day=. A -delightful paper of Spanish travel by Mrs. _Miriam Coles Harris_ can -be promised, and _Alice Brown_ will write of a visit to the original -Cranford. _Bradford Torrey_ will publish further sketches of life and -nature in his Tennessee haunts. Other articles of special interest, -which can perhaps be classed under this head, will be =Reminiscences of -Eastern Travel= by Miss _Harriet Waters Preston_; and _Josiah Flynt_, -who has become an authority on the vagrant, will contribute one of his -entertaining studies of tramp life, =The Children of the Road=. - -The subject of =Education= will, as usual, receive attention. The -Atlantic was the first of the leading magazines to make the discussion -of important educational questions one of the features of its pages. -In early issues will be printed articles by President _Tucker_, of -Dartmouth, and Professor _J. H. Wright_, of Harvard. - -The usual departments and the exhaustive book-reviews will continue to -be features of each issue. - -35 cents a copy. $4.00 a year. - - Houghton, Mifflin & Company, - 4 Park St., Boston. 11 East 17th St., New York. - - - - -[Illustration] - - HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO.'S - - RECENT STORIES. - - - =The Story of Christine Rochefort.= - - By HELEN CHOATE PRINCE. _Third Edition._ $1.25. - - "Mrs. Prince, granddaughter of Rufus Choate, has written a novel - particularly strong in its well-knit style.... The personal touches, - scenes, and conversations are delightful."—_Chicago Times-Herald._ - - "The story throughout exhibits a sweetness and elevation of tone which - is in charming contrast to the generality of novels."—_Literary World._ - - "I like everything about it."—HORACE HOWARD FURNESS, LL. 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DAVIS. 16mo, $1.25. - - "A story of the old South by a writer who knows well how to - use the rich material afforded by that picturesque time and - people."—_Nashville Banner._ - - "An exciting story and a strong study of character."—_Portland - Transcript._ - - =Stories of the Foot-hills.= - - By MARGARET C. GRAHAM. 16mo, $1.25. - - "The glimpses of manners and social usages of the Western foot-hills - are, in our opinion, more irresistible than the weather-worn - peculiarities of New England that have been dragged through so much of - the storm and sun of modern fiction."—_New York Times._ - - =Philip and His Wife.= - - By MRS. 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It is delightful to have them - reanimated in such a vivid manner."—_Literary World._ - - =Cœur d'Alene.= - - By MARY HALLOCK FOOTE, author of "John Bodewin's Testimony," "The Led - Horse Claim," "In Exile," etc. 16mo, $1.25. - - "The movement of the story is rapid, the interest most intense, and - the event almost tragic; but the narrative is interspersed with many a - scene sparkling with humor and brilliant dialogue."—_Books, Denver._ - - - _Sold by all booksellers. Sent postpaid, by_ - - HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., Boston. - 11 East 17th Street, New York. - - - - - Mason & Hamlin - Co. - - _The Mason and Hamlin Pianos are the only pianos manufactured, - containing the patented Screw Stringer, by virtue of which they do - not require one quarter as much tuning as any other piano made: thus - reducing expense of keeping and inconvenience to a minimum._ - - _Full particulars and catalogues mailed free on application._ - - Mason & Hamlin Co. - BOSTON. NEW YORK. CHICAGO. - - -[Illustration] - - Lablache Face Powder - - The Queen of Toilet Powders. - - The purest and most perfect Face Powder that science and skill can - produce. Makes the skin soft and beautiful and removes Sun-burn, Tan, - Freckles, and all shiny appearance. Invisible on closest inspection. - Absolutely harmless. We invite chemical analysis and the closest - search for injurious ingredients. It is used and indorsed by the most - prominent society and professional ladies in Europe and America. Insist - upon having =Lablache Powder=, or risk the consequences produced by - cheap powders. =Flesh, White, Pink, and Cream Tints.= - - Price, 50c. per box. - - Of all druggists, or by mail. - - BEN. LEVY & CO., French Perfumers, - 34 WEST STREET, BOSTON, MASS., U. S. A. - - - BALZAC. - - Translated by KATHARINE PRESCOTT WORMELEY. - - =Duchesse De Langeais.= - =Pere Goriot.= - =The Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau.= - =Cousin Bette.= - =Eugenie Grandet.= - =The Magic Skin.= - =Bureaucracy.= - =Fame and Sorrow.= - =The Country Doctor.= - =Louis Lambert.= - =Cousin Pons.= - =The Two Brothers.= - =The Alkahest.= - =Modeste Mignon.= - =Seraphita.= - =Ursula.= - =A Start in Life.= - =The Marriage Contract.= - =Beatrix.= - =The Daughter of Eve.= - =Sons of the Soil.= - =The Lily of the Valley.= - =An Historical Mystery.= - =Albert Savarus.= - =Pierrette.= - =The Chouans.= - =Lost Illusions.= - =A Great Man of the Provinces in Paris.= - =The Brotherhood of Consolation.= - =The Village Rector.= - =Memoirs of Two Young Married Women.= - =Catherine d'Medici.= - =Lucien de Rubempre.= - =Ferragus.= - - Handsome 12mo volumes. - Uniform in size and style. - Half Russia, $1.50 each. - - - HONORE DE BALZAC. A Memoir. - - Compiled and written by KATHARINE PRESCOTT WORMELEY, translator of - Balzac's Works. With Portrait taken one hour after death by Eugene - Giraud. 12mo, half Russia, price $1.50. - - _Mailed, postage paid, on receipt of price by the Publishers._ - - ROBERTS BROTHERS, Boston, Mass. - - - - -[Illustration] - - "My Boy— - - L^E PAGE'S - LIQUID GLUE - - Will not mend broken - bones but I don't know - anything else it won't - mend—and mend it so - that 'twill stay mended - too." - -[Illustration] - - Ten-cent bottles for household use. - CANS with patent cover for Mechanics. - - - - -[Illustration] - - USE IT - EVERYDAY - IN THE - WEEK - & - THEN - REST - ON - SUNDAY. - - - S MONDAY - - A TUESDAY - - P WEDNESDAY - - O THURSDAY - - L FRIDAY - - I SATURDAY - - O SUNDAY - - * * * * * - -TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES. -1. Table of Contents created by the transcriber. -2. Retained anachronistic, non-standard spellings and typographical - errors as printed. -3. Lines 259 and 1161. 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