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diff --git a/old/68955-0.txt b/old/68955-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e97f8ea..0000000 --- a/old/68955-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3032 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Black Cat, Vol. I, No. 6, March -1896, 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. 6, March 1896 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: September 10, 2022 [eBook #68955] - -Language: English - -Produced by: hekula03 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. 6, -MARCH 1896 *** - - - - - - - The Black Cat - - March 1896. - - =Eleanor Stevens’ Will=, Isabel Scott Stone - =To Let=, Alice Turner Curtis - =Of Course—Of Course Not=, Harry M. Peck - =The Marchburn Mystery=, A. Maurice Low - =Their Colonial Villa=, Charles Barnard - - THE SHORTSTORY PUBLISHING CO. 144 HIGH ST., BOSTON MASS. - - No. 6. Copyright, 1895 by The Shortstory Publishing Co. - - - - -ADVERTISEMENTS - - -Eager to get It—=SOZODONT=—Pure and Fragrant. Economy to Use It. - -This popular dentifrice is always delightful and effective. Used every -day, the powder twice a week, it insures better teeth, firmer gums and -sweeter breath. SOZODONT is known the world over, having stood the -test of half a century as the standard dentifrice of America. Sold by -druggists everywhere. Sample Free by mail if you mention this magazine. - - Address, HALL & RUCKEL, Proprietors, 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 - - * * * * * - -Free Magic Lantern Book - -All about lanterns, stereopticons and views, for Public -Exhibitions—Schools—Home amusement and for everybody How to make -money—265 page illustrated catalogue free.—Send to McALLISTER, 49 NASSAU -STREET, NEW YORK. - - - - - The Black Cat - - A Monthly Magazine of Original Short Stories. - - No. 6. MARCH, 1896. 5 cents a copy, - 50 cents a year. - - Entered at the Post-Office at Boston, Mass., as second-class matter. - - =IMPORTANT.=—The entire contents of this magazine are covered - by copyright and publishers everywhere are cautioned against - reproducing any of the stories, either wholly or in part. - - Copyright, 1895, by the Shortstory Publishing Company. All rights - reserved. - - - - -Eleanor Stevens’ Will. - -BY ISABEL SCOTT STONE. - - -When the following notice appeared in the columns of the daily -newspapers, society experienced an absolutely new sensation. People who -hadn’t known the late Eleanor Stevens immediately began to inquire into -the history of the woman whose name was coupled with so singular an -announcement. And people who had known Eleanor Stevens forthwith revived -long lists of her curious fads and fancies, concluding always with the -declaration: “Well, it’s just what you might expect from Eleanor Stevens.” - - PERSONAL. The rejected suitors of the late Miss Eleanor Stevens - may hear something to their advantage by communicating with - Willard Pratt, Counsellor at Law, International Trust Building. - -Now, Eleanor Stevens had been by no means either the crotchety old maid -or the rattle-brained young one that these remarks might imply. On -the contrary, she had been a rarely charming and gifted young woman, -well born, well bred, the heiress to an enormous fortune, in fact, the -possessor of beauty, brains, and money, sufficient to equip half a dozen -so-called society belles. But in spite of these endowments, or, perhaps, -because of them, Eleanor Stevens had been an eccentric, and with every -year since her début her eccentricity had become more marked. At times, -for example, she would dance and golf, pour at teas, and talk small -talk to eligible young men with a persistency and success that made -her for the time the sun of society’s solar system. Then, suddenly, -and with no excuse whatever, she would withdraw into herself, refuse -all invitations, and spend a month or more in studying Buddhism or in -inquiring into the condition of the poor in great cities. As to her -suitors, the most remarkable reports had existed concerning Miss Stevens’ -treatment of those gentlemen. It had been said by some that each in turn -underwent a period of suspense hung, like Mahomet’s coffin, between -earth and heaven, at the end of which time he was always lowered to the -former element by Miss Stevens’ unqualified refusal. Certain malicious -rivals had even claimed that at times these proposals were so numerous -that Miss Stevens used printed forms of rejection,—like those sent by -publishers with unavailable manuscript,—with space left blank for the -name and date. There were others who had declared that her drawing-room -was always as crowded with suitors as a fashionable doctor’s waiting-room -with patients. Occasionally, it had occurred to an exceptionally -keen-witted person to connect the girl’s periods of self-exile with -her reputed refusal of some specially manly lover. But each of these -reports was, after all, founded only on surmise. For it was cited as -a crowning instance of Miss Stevens’ eccentricity that she had looked -upon the subject of love and marriage with an old-fashioned romanticism, -and that while she had never found her special ideal, she yet believed -too thoroughly in the honor of her would-be lovers ever to betray their -confidence. In the end, society had concluded to accept the girl’s -vagaries as simply “Eleanor Stevens’ way.” And this formula had been made -to cover a multitude of oddities, ranging from the wearing of high crowns -when low ones were the fashion, to Miss Stevens’ sudden and mysterious -departure for Europe exactly two days after she had taken apartments for -the summer with a party of friends at a watering-place hotel. Indeed, -when, six months after her abrupt departure, the notice came of the young -heiress’ sudden death—unattended except by her maid and companion—in -some obscure village in the Black Forest, even her friends could find no -phrase that so well expressed their shocked surprise as: “Well, that was -just like Eleanor Stevens. She couldn’t even die like other people.” - -And now, following upon the news of her strange death, had appeared this -still stranger notice. - -Eleanor Stevens’ rejected suitors! Who were they? Would they present -themselves according to directions? What were the advantages they would -gain by so doing? - -To the last of these questions the public had not long to wait for an -answer. Three days after the extraordinary “personal” had made its -appearance, the announcement was made that Eleanor Stevens had left a -will, and that this will had been probated. Before this news was twelve -hours old, the sensation caused by the advertisement was completely -overshadowed by that produced by the following clause with which it was -discovered the will ended: - -“To each one of my rejected suitors I give and bequeath twenty-five -thousand dollars, to be paid subject to certain sealed conditions, -exactly one year from my death, in the library of my residence in -Beechwood Street, Philadelphia.” - -Decidedly, society had never found a more tantalizing subject for gossip -than was furnished by this mysterious will. The latest scandal, the -approaching wedding at St. Peter’s, and the forthcoming private ball -all faded into nothingness beside this all-absorbing sensation. In the -newspapers long accounts of the dead woman’s life and character, of -her house and gowns, ways of wearing her hair, and such light-throwing -investigations were published daily. A popular preacher referred to the -subject veiledly in his Sunday night sermon. Men who had never seen -Eleanor Stevens quizzed one another about the wide swath they would -cut when they claimed the money due them under her will. While every -masculine being, from an office boy to a gray-haired clergyman, that rode -up in the elevator in the International Trust Building, where Willard -Pratt had his office, was regarded as a possible applicant, bent on -further informing himself concerning the curious legacy’s conditions. -One man only knew the facts in the case, and that was Eleanor Stevens’ -lawyer, Willard Pratt; but from him neither hints, nor bribes, nor open -question could drag a syllable. As for Mr. Pratt’s office boy, he reaped -a harvest of retainers for worthless tips on the “approaching race.” - -In the end, people decided that the legacy had some connection with the -late Miss Stevens’ romantic ideas concerning her rejected suitors; and -accepted, grudgingly, the necessity of awaiting the slow coming and going -of three hundred and sixty-five days before they could find out who those -suitors had been. - -Meantime, Willard Pratt, counsellor-at-law, was deriving from the -administration of Miss Stevens’ will the keenest enjoyment of his -long and varied legal career. Being a shrewd reader of character, -and possessed of a large fund of humor, he had vastly enjoyed being -interviewed by the claimants or the claimants’ friends, and, though they -had got nothing out of him, he had, on the other hand, got a great deal -out of them. As one after another left him the keen jurist invariably -chuckled to himself: - -“Smart girl to refuse him. He was after the money, that’s plain. But what -in the name of all that’s holy made her give him twenty-five thousand -now?” - -But his enjoyment reached its culminating point when, just one week -before the day appointed for the settlement of the will, society was -again startled by this notice in the daily papers: - - TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN. - - The rejected suitors of Miss Eleanor Stevens are requested to - meet at her late residence on Beechwood Street, Philadelphia, - on Monday, the 21st inst., at ten o’clock A. M., with reference - to the legacies due them under her will. WILLARD PRATT, - _Executor_. - -“I think that will reawaken popular interest,” said the old lawyer dryly. - -And so it did. Seven days later, when the hour appointed for the -reception of Miss Stevens’ rejected suitors drew near, the street in -the vicinity of her late residence was lined with an eager multitude of -men and women. From behind the curtains of every window within a block, -unseen spectators awaited the morning’s developments; while people who -would not acknowledge their curiosity by joining the crowd of confessed -sight-seers made convenient errands which took them through Beechwood -Street at the time appointed for the “show.” The only drawback to the -anticipated enjoyment was the fear that, after all, the suitors might at -the last moment fail to appear. - -But no such catastrophe occurred. It is true that as the hour drew near -in which they were to stand confessed as members of Miss Eleanor’s “army -of martyrs” several of the intended claimants had found themselves -weakening in their resolve. Those, for instance, who had justified their -claim solely on the ground of an admiration felt but never expressed, -felt their courage oozing as the ordeal approached. Others, who were -burning incense at new shrines, seriously considered renouncing a claim -that would decidedly complicate their present prospects. Still others, -who were now happily married, hesitated at opening the old wound and -endangering their domestic bliss, even for twenty-five thousand dollars; -while hardly one but felt some qualms at the thought of openly profiting -by an experience that most men hide in the deepest recesses of the heart. - -It was a question whether pride or profit would win the day. In the end, -however, the almighty dollar had proved its right to that title. - -When Mr. Pratt entered the library of Miss Stevens’ late residence, at -ten o’clock on this eventful morning, he found the room crowded with a -body of men clad in mourning garb and solemnly waiting in various stages -of uneasiness for the approach of the long-expected moment. - -As the lawyer silently took his seat behind a baize-covered table, the -troubled faces grew visibly more troubled; and as he produced sundry -important-looking documents and laid them on the table, each countenance -was stamped with mingled emotions, eager expectancy in many cases being -linked with shame and avarice. - -“Gentlemen,” began the old lawyer, “I must trouble each of you to give -me in writing a concise statement of the time, place, and circumstances -attending your several offers and rejections, in order that I may have -documentary proof that you are entitled to the legacies left you by the -terms of Miss Stevens’ will. - -“Documentary proof!” At those unexpected words the emotion that marked -the faces of the strange assembly changed to unmistakable concern. Was -this some disagreeable joke? No, the old lawyer waited with unmoved face -for the fulfilment of his demand. There was a momentary hesitation. Then, -filing up in due order, the applicants, one by one, seated themselves at -the table before the old attorney and wrote the account demanded. - -As the last statement was signed, the portières of the library were -suddenly drawn back, and a tall, heavily veiled figure advanced slowly -into the middle of the room. Then, as she raised her hand and drew back -the thick gauze that masked her face, a cry of terror echoed through the -house. - -The woman was Eleanor Stevens! - -“Wait,” she commanded. “Don’t be alarmed; I am no ghost. The Miss Stevens -who died a year ago in the Black Forest was not the Miss Stevens whose -loss you are so deeply mourning. - -“By a stupid blunder of the peasants with whom I was staying, an -exchange of names occurred between myself and an invalid girl whom I had -befriended; so that when she died, her death certificate was issued under -the name of Eleanor Stevens. - -“Some weeks earlier I had been influenced by daily contact with one whose -life was fading rapidly away to draw up my will in legal form and to send -it home to my lawyer. - -“When I left so suddenly for Europe a year and a half ago it was because -of a conversation overheard between several of my seeming admirers which -changed all my ideas of manly chivalry in affairs of the heart, and which -drove me abroad, as I supposed, forever. - -“It was that blundering exchange of names that has given me the -opportunity of meeting you under these interesting circumstances. - -“Now, gentlemen, my will, in which you have shown so deep an interest, -stipulates that each of my rejected suitors shall receive twenty-five -thousand dollars after my death. That bequest will be carried out to the -letter when I am really dead. - -“In the meantime I would gladly read your documentary proofs; but, as I -have never in all my life rejected but two suitors, and as one of these -died six months ago and the other is not here to-day, I shall be obliged -to refer you to my lawyer.” - -And with a sweeping courtesy Miss Stevens withdrew from the room. - - - - -“To Let.” - -BY ALICE TURNER CURTIS. - - -On one of the streets leading from the park in the center of a town near -Boston is a very attractive modern house with a history. It was built for -the occupancy of a Mr. and Mrs. Leslie, whose mysterious deaths mark the -beginning of this story. - -The facts here recorded are just as I heard them. Indeed I was a resident -of the town during the period in which these strange occurrences took -place, and had a personal acquaintance with the people mentioned. - -The Leslies had been married a year, were apparently happy, and were well -and favorably known in the town. One morning a neighbor noticed that -lights were burning in the Leslie house. He ran up the steps and rang the -bell. There was no response, and after a few hours the neighbors decided -that something was wrong inside, and that an entrance must be made at -once. The front door was accordingly forced open, and as the men went -in they could see into the room beyond the hall, the sitting-room. Mr. -Leslie was sitting with a paper across his knees, apparently asleep, and -on a couch near by lay his wife. - -It took but a few moments to ascertain that both had been dead for some -hours. Their faces were peaceful and composed; there were no signs of -disturbance in the house. - -Every possible inquiry was made. No trace of poison or of foul play -could be found. Numberless theories were advanced, and the wonder and -excitement over the tragic death of the young couple grew daily. - -After some months their relatives removed the furnishings, and “To Let” -appeared in the cottage windows. The house was immediately taken by a man -from Boston, whose family consisted, beside himself, of his wife and two -little girls. None of this family had heard the story of the Leslies, -nor did they hear it until they had been in the cottage for some weeks. - -One night, after they had occupied the dwelling for over a week, the man -of the family was awakened by a sudden scream. His wife awoke at the same -moment, and exclaimed: “One of the children must have the nightmare,” but -just then the two little girls rushed into the room, exclaiming, “What’s -the matter, mother? What are you screaming about?” Almost before they had -finished speaking two more screams in quick succession rang through the -house. The place was carefully searched, but no cause for the disturbance -could be found. - -The next night at about the same hour like sounds were heard. After -that Mr. Weston made inquiries of the neighbors. None of them had been -disturbed. One suggested that possibly a cat was shut up somewhere in -the house and had made the noises heard, but a careful search of the -entire premises failed to discover any such commonplace solution of the -mysterious sounds. - -A week passed without any recurrence of the midnight sounds, when one -night Mrs. Weston awoke from a most terrible dream. She dreamed that she -was lying upon the couch in the sitting-room. In front of her stood a -young man who held a pillow in his hands. “I shall stifle you,” he said -clearly; “it’s no use to struggle.” Mrs. Weston dreamed that she tried -to scream; that once, twice, three times she endeavored to rise from the -couch to push away the pillow, but could not. - -From this dream she awoke suddenly, and, as she lay endeavoring to -overcome its impression, a gasping shriek, quickly followed by two more, -awakened her husband, and again sent the little girls flying in terror to -their mother’s room. - -This time Mrs. Weston held herself responsible for the terrible screams. -“I’ve had a dreadful dream, and I suppose I screamed without knowing it,” -she said. She had hardly finished this explanation when again came the -screams, the last dying away in a stifled moan. - -The family was by this time thoroughly terrified. They had heard the -story of the Leslies, and without waiting for further experiences in the -house they moved at once. - -Their story got about the town, with the result that the house was -vacant for a year. Then a family, consisting of an elderly couple, Mr. -and Mrs. Walters, and their son, a young man about twenty-five, moved in. -The remainder of the story was told me by this son, and I will give it in -his own words as nearly as possible: - -“I wasn’t afraid of any haunted house. My father was deaf, so it -would take a reasonably loud scream to wake him, and my mother was a -sensible woman. The house just suited us. We got nicely settled in a few -weeks, and my elder brother and his wife came out from Boston to make -us a visit. The first night they were there I stayed in town for the -theater. The train I came out in left a few minutes after eleven, and I -reached the house at about a quarter before twelve. I was nearly ready -for bed when a shriek like that of a person struggling for his life -sounded through the house. I hurried into the hall, and as I did so my -brother opened his door. Before either of us could speak a second and -a third scream followed. By this time even father’s deaf ears had been -penetrated, and we all sat up talking the matter over far into the night -before we felt like sleep. - -“In the end we decided not to mention the occurrence. We thought of -several possible explanations of the noise. The next morning we made a -careful examination of the house and surroundings. We made inquiries as -to late trains, thinking we might have mistaken the shriek of an engine -for a human voice; but all our conjectures led to nothing. We could find -no satisfactory reason for the disturbance. - -“I made inquiries about the Leslies, and found that many people believed -that Leslie had stifled his wife, and then taken some subtle poison which -left no trace; but there was no evidence to support this theory; no sign -of poison had been found, no cause could be given for such an act, and -nothing could explain the midnight screams. A week passed quietly, when -one night my brother awakened our mother, telling her that his wife was -ill. She had awakened from a bad dream almost suffocated, and my mother -worked over her for some time before she was restored. She refused to -tell her dream, but we were well assured that it was a repetition of Mrs. -Weston’s. The next morning my brother and his wife went to their home. - -“I had one more experience in that house which I shall never forget. My -father was to be out one night until midnight at the meeting of a society -of which he was a member, and my mother and I decided to wait up for him. - -“About eleven o’clock mother lay down on the couch and went to sleep. The -room was brightly lighted, and I sat near the couch reading. - -“Just as I heard my father come in I was startled by a sudden moan from -my mother. I turned quickly toward the couch, and as I did so I saw -plainly that the sofa pillow lay upon her face. I snatched it away, and -awakened her with some little difficulty. - -“Meantime my father had come into the room, and as he entered a scream, -terrible in its nearness and intensity, rang out, thrilling us all with a -sickening shock. We left the next day.” - -This finished his story. No explanation of these happenings has ever been -given. The Leslies’ death remains a mystery, and to explain the Presence -that occupied this cottage after their death would be to account for a -side of life which we barely touch and cannot comprehend. - -The house is still to let. - -[Illustration] - - - - -Of Course—Of Course Not. - -BY HARRY M. PECK. - - -They sat, side by side, on a big hearth-rug, gazing into the glowing -coals. The one was a young man, of perhaps twenty-eight, and the other -an old dog, of perhaps ten. That’s not a criticism on the poverty of the -English language. It simply shows how much more a dog can “get out,” or -perhaps “put into,” ten years than a man. - -They sat there, anyway. Young or old. Young and old. And they gazed into -the coals. And the young one blew great clouds of smoke out of a fragrant -briarwood at the old one. But the old one did not mind. He was acclimated. - -It was in the cozy bachelor apartments of Neil Richards. Neil was a -fellow who had succeeded, by dint of presumable study, money, and late -nights, in getting through college in a commendable manner, seven years -before. Since that time he had been engaged in the financial business. -Not exactly as a legitimate broker; nor as a negotiator of loans; nor -again as a pawnbroker; but in that pleasanter line which on a business -letter-head—if he had owned such a thing—would have been expressed -something like this: “Neil Richards, Income Spender, Pleasant Street, -Easyville.” Anyway, he had been traveling, intermittently, to improve -himself, as the phrase goes, since the day he calmly, and with the most -approved senioric gravity, tucked a sheepskin under his arm and discarded -his cap and gown. - -But, after his latest peripatetic streak, he was back again, at last, in -New York, in his old rooms, in his favorite seat on the hearth-rug, with -his dog beside him, and—in love. The fellows at the club had said for -several weeks past, as Richards would excuse himself, get up, and go out -about nine o’clock evenings: “Funny about Neil, isn’t it? He leaves us -every night at nine o’clock, and goes home, and they say he sits down and -talks to that old dog, General, of his till midnight. Guess he must be -in love.” - -And the fellows were right. Neil was hopelessly, fearfully, and miserably -in love. Her name was Dorcas—Dorcas Howland; not a particularly pretty -name, nor a particularly pretty girl; but a girl with such a wealth of -sweetness, tact, common sense, and intelligence that more would have made -her a curiosity. Neil had seen her at what is known as a large affair one -evening, two months ago; was presented, murmured his platitudes, had a -waltz, and immediately put her on a pedestal. He had seen her a few times -since, once driving, when he received a bow that kept him absent-minded -for a week; and on a few other occasions at the house of a friend, where -he had passed some of the shortest quarter hours of his existence—talking -to her. And that was as far as he had gone. It isn’t exactly strange, -then, is it, that when a man almost deifies a girl he has known only two -months he should like to sit down on a hearth-rug and talk to an old dog -he has known for ten years? A club, and cocktails, and gossip, and late -hours are no solace at all, under such circumstances. - -But we left them on the hearth-rug, gazing into the coals. “You see, -General, it’s like this: I’m in love—desperately in love—and Miss Howland -doesn’t care a rap for me. Probably thinks I am just like all the rest -of them, looking for her money, when I’m really not. You understand, -General, that I’m not.” - -The General blinked sympathetically, and looked hard at the coals. Neil -threw an arm affectionately around the dog. “You see, I like to tell -you these things, old boy, because you never say anything about them.” -There was silence for a few moments, while Richards meditatively pulled -away at his pipe and the dog pensively thought of his puppyhood and its -loves. “She’s so sweet and dainty,” at last continued Neil. “How she -would brighten up a home for us, wouldn’t she, General?” The dog turned -his head, and, looking at his master, reached one great paw over and laid -it on Richards’s knee. “Shake, is it, old man? Well, here goes. I thought -you felt as I did. Now, General, you and I must scheme how to get her.” -The dog thumped his tail appreciatively on the rug, and they both went to -work staring at the coals again. - -And so they sat on,—Neil solemnly meditative, the General silently -sympathetic. It was a good hour later, when Neil’s pipe had burned -out, and the dog’s head had drowsily fallen against his shoulder, that -Richards heard the elevator bell ring, and a moment after the upward -rush of the car. Then, as the elevator stopped at his landing, he heard -the voice of old Barker, the janitor, saying, “Yes, sir; Mr. Richards is -always in nights now, sir. I am sure you will find him still up. Door -to the right, sir; and do be careful, sir, not to go to the left, as -them’s Miss Stevens’s apartments, sir, and no one is allowed to disturb -her, sir, till I takes her up her cup of tea, and the saucer of milk for -the gray cat, sir, at half after—” but the remainder of the old man’s -loquacity was muffled by the sound of voices. - -“Some of the boys, come to drag me out on one of their infernal midnight -romps, I suppose,” said Richards to himself, with a discontented sigh. -“They did that only three nights ago. Why can’t they let a poor devil -smoke his pipe in peace?” Then, as footsteps approached the door, he -arose and surveyed himself in a long mirror at the end of the room. He -did not look very presentable, he admitted. His hair was mussed, his -clothes were full of tobacco ashes, and he hadn’t, when he sat down, -even taken the trouble to don a lounging jacket; hence was in his -shirt-sleeves. “But who cares?” remarked Richards to himself. “If these -stupid night hawks will come here at such an hour, they will have to take -things as they find them. Suppose they will have something to drink, -however.” As he turned to the cabinet set in the side of the room, with -his back to the door, and reached for decanters and glasses, a knock -sounded, and a cheery voice shouted, “O Neil, I say, Neil, I’m coming in.” - -“Come in, you infernal rounder, if you must,” was the reply. “Bring them -all in; you are never alone. You and your gang are, without exception, -the most unexcelled set of thoughtless, reveling peace-disturbers I know -of. You fellows have been at this thing for ten years,” continued Neil; -“you know you have, Bob” (still busy with the decanters). “Don’t you -ever intend letting up? Why don’t you fellows say something? This is no -monologue.” - -By this time Richards had succeeded in extricating the troublesome -decanters from the mass of bottles and glasses, and, turning around, -faced the door. To his amazement, instead of the crowd of merry faces he -had expected to see peering in at him, he saw only two. One was that of -Bob Cutting, his chum, and the other—was that—of Miss Dorcas Howland! -The door was wide open. She stood a little in front. Cutting was in the -doorway. The gleam from the dying coals and the ruddy reflection from a -lamp with a big red shade over in the corner brought out every detail of -her face and figure. - -And Neil stood, with a decanter in each hand, coatless, and mussed, and -speechless. The silence did not last long, however. Miss Howland smiled, -bowed sweetly to Neil, and stepped into the room. “Good-evening, Mr. -Richards,” she said, and held out her hand. Neil managed, in a dazed sort -of a way, to set down the decanter that was in his right hand without -breaking it, and accepted the proffered hand. Bob Cutting looked on and -smiled. “Too astounded to speak, Mr. Richards,” remarked the young woman. -“Well, an explanation certainly is due you. Then you may not think me so -utterly indiscreet as appearances would seem to warrant. Mr. Cutting, -will you kindly try to put matters straight, and, at the same time, -assure Mr. Richards that we are his guests? His accent, as I recollect -it, is a pleasing one. For ‘this is no monologue,’ you know,” and she -smiled pleasantly at Neil. - -“Yes,” broke in Cutting, as Miss Howland paused, “you see, Neil, it’s -like this. It does look funny, I admit; but I was walking home with -Dorcas—er—Miss Howland, from some working girls’ club she engineers, and -we were chatting about picturesque bachelor apartments, or, rather, I was -describing some of them to her that I know the best, and I struck yours. -I think I must have grown very eloquent in my description, for Miss -Howland insisted that she must see these famous apartments, of which, -by the way, all the girls have heard. Knowing it would be all right, as -far as you were concerned, I proposed we come over to-night and make you -a call, though”—as he looked ruefully around the room—“I really didn’t -think she’d come.” - -Neil, during the recital, had quite recovered himself, and privately -decided that if a man and a girl were willing to take the social risk -he surely could meet them half way. So he calmly placed the other -decanter on a table, and, turning to them, remarked, “I am very glad to -see you. This is a little bit out of the ordinary, but the unexpected -is quite often the pleasantest. Won’t you sit down, Miss Howland? I am -extremely sorry that your visit to my den couldn’t have been made under -more favorable circumstances; at one of my little teas, for instance. -Under other than the present circumstances I should feel that an apology -was due you for my personal appearance. I am quite aware that I have no -coat on, that my hair is mussed, and that I have a general and virulent -attack of the malady bachelor-at-homeness. However, I shan’t apologize.” -And then the democratic Neil pulled up two big armchairs, and, having -seen his guests cosily seated before the replenished fire, calmly and -coatlessly resumed his place on the hearth-rug beside the General. Miss -Howland looked surprised, but said nothing. Then she reached over and -patted the silky head of the dog. He took the caress in a dignified sort -of way, but nestled closer, if possible, to Richards. “What a handsome -fellow,” she softly said; “and how much he thinks of his master,” she -added to herself. - -The three chatted away together about bachelor dens, people, and other -generalities for some time, when suddenly Miss Howland rose and, turning -to Cutting, said: “I wonder if you’d mind granting me one more favor. I -wish to have a little talk with Mr. Richards—alone.” She paused a moment. -“I know it’s unconventional, but the rest of this is, also, and I know -you won’t take it amiss, will you?” - -“Not at all,” Cutting answered. “Suppose I manipulate the ivories while -you have your talk. Don’t feel that it must be abbreviated on my account; -but when you get through, why, do as they do in the plays, ring for me, -and, like the footman, I’ll appear. Is it feasible?” - -“Quite so, thank you,” answered the girl; “it’s so good of you.” And, -with a pipe in one hand and a tobacco jar in the other, Bob vanished -through the portières; and a moment later the click of billiard balls -announced that he had found occupation. - -The girl turned to Richards. He had risen with Cutting and had now -donned a Japanese smoking-jacket, in which, somehow, he felt better -equipped for his strange tête-à-tête. As his eyes sought hers she looked -him frankly in the face, and simply asked: “Mr. Richards, what do you -think of me?” Richards was silent for a moment, and then, with his eyes -on the dog at his feet, said: “Shall I tell you frankly?” - -“Yes, please do,” answered the girl. - -He looked up. “I think you have lots of courage, are a bit injudicious, -and, of course, did not come here without reasons.” - -She smiled. “You are frank, but don’t you think it rude to assume the -role of inquisitor in your first remark?” - -“But you asked me, didn’t you?” he gently replied. - -“Yes, I suppose so,” she said. - -She stood absently looking down at shaggy General sleeping peacefully -on the hearth-rug. Richards watched her a minute, and then, stepping -forward, said softly, “Please sit down, Miss Howland, and then you can -tell me as much as you wish.” - -A grateful look flashed into her face, as she took the big chair he -offered her, and sank into it a little wearily. Leaning back, she -scrutinized the well-cut, thoughtful face of the man. He had taken his -place beside the dog again, and as he sat staring at the coals in the -flickering firelight he seemed even handsomer than ever. - -She looked at him a moment, and, without moving, said: “Mr. Richards, -I’ve come here to-night on a queer mission. I wish advice. I wish to -tell you something about myself, and then I want you to advise me as to -what you think I ought to do. I have come to you under circumstances -peculiar, to say the least, for these reasons: First, because what I have -seen of you has led me to think you honest, frank, and sincere; second, -because your friends assure me I am right. This has led me to believe -you will be willing to overlook what might be construed as unwomanly, -and, in addition, will be willing to help me in trouble. Am I right?” she -hesitatingly asked. - -“Yes, Miss Howland, you are,” he replied; “people who know anything about -you could not misinterpret your actions. Don’t think circumstances affect -me; but just tell me plainly what I can do for you.” - -“I thought you would take it so,” she said in a tone of relief. “And -now I’ll tell you what I wish to, and pray don’t regard it as a girl’s -whim,—as a peculiar girl’s whim,—but simply try to assume the role of a -willing listener and an impartial adviser. You see,” she continued, “I -have no one to go to. I am alone in the world. My parents are both dead, -and I live with an elderly aunt, who is as good to me as any one could -be, but with whom I have absolutely nothing in common.” - -The girl smiled thoughtfully. “She likes her tea and cat, her Goldsmith -and Thackeray, early hours, and to be left alone. I am different. She is -sixty-eight, and that’s the reason, I presume. Besides, she was never -married. And now, Mr. Richards, I have come to the place where I hardly -know what to say. It’s about my marrying. A funny thing to consult you -about, isn’t it? You see, ever since I was a child it has been taken -for granted that when I grew up I should marry a certain individual. My -parents both seemed to consider it a settled matter, my aunt the same; -and I suppose, as a child, I followed the general example. That man was -Bob Cutting. We played together as children, living in adjacent houses, -and virtually grew up together. I remember we used to have mock marriage -ceremonies, at which he and I always figured as the principals, with some -other youngster as the clergyman, and we always looked forward to the -time when as ‘grown ups’ our marriage might be made ‘real.’ So matters -drifted along. The children’s play stopped a good many years ago; but Bob -has kept coming to see me just the same. - -“And now—well, he wishes to carry out in earnest what was begun in play. -A few nights ago he asked me to be his wife.” - -The girl leaned forward, and absently smoothed the General’s head, as he -lay there watching the coals. Presently she said:— - -“Mr. Richards, then, and not till then, did I find I did not love him. -But,” she added, “I did not tell him so. I said only: ‘We’ve been friends -since we were children. Come to me next Sunday night, and I will give you -my answer.’” - -For a moment she sat without speaking; then she concluded: “Mr. Richards, -you are Bob Cutting’s dearest friend. He hasn’t but one friend like you. -No man has; no man can have; no man wishes more. I come to you and ask -you, who know him so well, what shall I do? Shall I tell him Sunday night -that I’ll marry him, or shall I say ‘no’? Is it selfish in a girl placed -as I am to think of her own future, or ought I to give it up to him? He -has been good to me; so good to me; I like him, but I do not love him.” - -And then she leaned wearily back in her chair, and fixed her eyes on -Richards. He did not look up. He did not seem to realize her presence. -She watched him, and he watched the red embers glow, crumble, and fade -into ashes. The dog whined in his sleep. Then, finally, Richards raised -his head, and quietly said:— - -“Miss Howland, I think it would be very wrong for you to marry Bob. As -you say, I know him well. He is a fellow with such a wealth of love -for those he cares for that if he finds it is not reciprocated he is -miserable. Think what a lifetime of it would mean to him. And now, you -see, in what I’ve said so far I’ve considered only Bob. I think you also -ought to consider yourself. Two lives are involved; and why should they -both be ruined? You are both young. If I were you I should tell Bob, -in the kindest possible way, that I did not love him. He will grieve -at first, but I think when he finds out you were not for him he will -see that it’s for the best, and afterward will thank you. And, as for -yourself, Miss Howland, when you’ve done this, you can say, ‘I’ve done -my duty; I’ve done right.’ And some day”—the man hesitated—“and some day -perhaps some other good man will come along, and ask you to marry him, -and perhaps you’ll find you care a great deal for him; and the past, with -its Bob, and its trouble,” and again he hesitated, “and its visit to -Richards and the General will be a ghostly vision, which happiness and -sunshine will soon wipe away.” - -At this point he was interrupted suddenly by the General, who, as though -scenting some vague trouble, started up with a sleepy “Wuff!” - -The sound relieved the tension of the situation. Both laughed, and Miss -Howland, rising, reached out her hand to Richards, who now stood facing -her. “Thank you,” she said cordially. “You’ve been very good. You’ll -return my visit some time, won’t you? And now, suppose we ‘ring the -bell’ for Bob,” nodding towards an Oriental gong that hung suspended near -the mantel. - -Richards took her hand and, holding it a moment, said quietly: “I -thank you; I will come. But, before you go, I want to ask you just one -question. Don’t answer it unless you wish to. You told me that you don’t -love Bob; is it—is it because there’s some one else?” - -They say that a man’s life, and hopes, and ambitions can be snuffed out -by a woman’s reply. And they also say that a man’s future can be made all -sunshine and promise if hope can only enter in. And that sometimes comes -from a woman’s reply, also. - -She waited a moment, and then replied firmly: - -“No; there’s no one else.” - -A moment later Cutting joined them in response to Richards’ summons. -As he stood before the fire, pulling on his gloves, he looked at each -good-humoredly, and said: “I’m awfully glad that you have become -better acquainted; but I hope you haven’t been engaged in the pleasing -occupation of damning a mutual friend. I see you’ve made friends with -General, also, Miss Howland,” he concluded. For the dog stood beside the -girl, watching and waiting for a caress. - -“Yes,” she replied; “General and I are the best of friends,” and she -leaned over and softly patted the handsome head. “And General’s master -and I are going to be, too, are we not, Mr. Richards?” - -“Yes, we are going to be—that is, I hope so,” Richards said slowly. - -The next moment the door closed, and she was gone. And Richards picked up -a pipe, and lit it, and, turning to the dog, thoughtfully remarked: - -“And so endeth the first lesson.” - - * * * * * - -Of course it’s obvious. Love does not need to be diagramed. And, of -course, a year later, when the big brownstone had its awning, and its -carpeted steps, and its music, and its flowers, all was quite as it -should be. And of course their friends heard the Mendelssohn march, and -threw rice, and wished them joy. And Bob Cutting was best man? Of course -not. And did the Mother Grundies shrug their white shoulders, and say: -“What a beautiful bride! but I wonder how she could have done it; they -say she was engaged to another?” Of course they did. And that is love, -and about the way it generally turns out. Of course. - -[Illustration] - - - - -The Marchburn Mystery. - -BY A. MAURICE LOW. - - -As Walter Brixton, chief of United States secret service agents in New -York City, stepped off the Washington Limited in the Jersey City depot, -the newsboys were calling, “Extra, extra, all about the murder; extra!” -Brixton bought a paper. As he settled himself in the “L” car he read, -under flaming head-lines, the following account, written in the short, -paragraphic style which usually denotes that “copy” has been prepared in -a newspaper office in a rush: - -“Shortly after six o’clock this evening, Bridget Martin, one of the -cleaners employed in the Empire Building, discovered the dead body of -Lawrence Marchburn in his private office. - -“The screams of the frightened woman brought to her assistance the -janitor and some of the tenants, although nearly all of them had left the -building for the day. - -“A hasty examination showed that Mr. Marchburn had been shot. - -“When found he was sitting at his desk, his head dropped forward and -resting on his left arm, his hand clutching the receiver of the telephone -with the death grip. This would seem to indicate that Mr. Marchburn had -been shot in the very act of using the telephone, which was affixed to -his desk. The body was still warm, but life was quite extinct. - -“The murder must have been committed within an hour of the time of -discovery. - -“A small wound just above the heart indicated that death had probably -been instantaneous. - -“The police were immediately notified, and an officer appeared upon the -scene. He questioned the janitor and his assistants, but learned nothing -additional to the above facts. A search was made for the pistol, but it -could not be found, which proves conclusively that it is a case of murder -and not suicide. - -“None of the persons had heard the sound of a pistol shot, but the woman, -Martin, said she heard shortly after five o’clock what sounded like the -violent slamming of a door. At that time she was on the seventh floor, -and paid no attention to the noise. Mr. Marchburn’s office was on the -eleventh floor. - -“At this time the police have not the slightest clue on which to proceed. -At the central telephone station no one remembers having been asked to -connect 1611 Courtland, which was Marchburn’s number. As no record is -kept of the thousands of daily calls, the telephone office can throw -no light on the murder. There is no known motive for the crime, as Mr. -Marchburn was not supposed to have an enemy, and was highly respected in -business and social circles. The inquest to-morrow is expected to throw -some light upon the awful crime. - -“Mr. Marchburn was president of the International Bank Note and Engraving -Company, whose offices are on the eleventh story of the Empire Building, -their factory being in New Jersey. - -“He came to New York about five years ago from the West, and started the -Bank Note Company, which has been remarkably successful. He was a member -of the Central League, the Cosmopolitan, and the Hudson Bay Clubs. - -“Deceased was a director in the Seventeenth National Bank and other -financial institutions, and was a member of the Jackson Avenue -Presbyterian Church. He leaves a daughter, his only child, and, his wife -having died several years ago, the sole heir to his vast wealth, which is -estimated at millions.” - -Like all detectives, Brixton was interested in any story of crime; but -just now a case of his own engrossed the larger part of his attention. -For some months past the country had been flooded with counterfeit notes, -and, although the entire secret service force and the police of all the -leading cities had been hunting the counterfeiters, they had made little -progress. The bills were so nearly perfect, they so closely copied the -genuine article, both as to the work of the engraver and the paper upon -which they were printed, that only an expert was able to discriminate -between them. People began to be thoroughly alarmed. Many got rid of -their paper money as quickly as possible, and exchanged it for gold and -silver so as to avoid risk. The newspapers denounced the Secretary of the -Treasury for not being able to capture the criminals. - -The newspapers next morning contained long accounts of the murder of Mr. -Marchburn; but they were able to add little to the reports printed in the -extras of the evening before. The murder of a wealthy business man in -practically broad daylight, in a building on one of the most frequented -streets of the city, caused a tremendous sensation, and in business -circles the tragedy was more eagerly discussed than the course of the -market. The coroner’s inquest brought out these facts: - -Mr. Marchburn had spent the day at the factory, and returned to his -office about five o’clock. The clerks had not expected him back that -evening, and some of them had left. To his chief clerk he said he had -stopped in on his way up town to fetch some papers which he wanted to -look over at his house, and that while in the office he would write some -personal letters. No one need wait for him, as he would latch the outer -door after him. Then Mr. Marchburn threw open his desk, the chief clerk -wished him good-evening, and in a few minutes, except for the president, -the offices appeared to be vacant. - -It was explained to the jury that the company occupied five rooms, all of -which opened into the main corridor. Mr. Marchburn’s private room was at -the extreme end of the suite. The company employed seven clerks, two of -them girls. One of the girls and Mr. Marchburn’s private secretary had -left before the return of that gentleman, and the other clerks testified -that no stranger was in any of the rooms when they left. The last persons -to leave were John Rogers, the chief clerk, and the cashier, William -Harding. Rogers swore that while he was waiting for Harding to close the -safe Mr. Marchburn came into the general office from his room, and asked -if a certain account had been paid. Both men were positive that nobody -could have been secreted in the rooms at that time, and at the close -of the short conversation Mr. Marchburn again said “Good-night,” and -returned to his room. Rogers put down the spring latch and tried the door -from the outside. It was safely locked. They walked across the hall to -the elevator, and while waiting for the car met the janitor, who inquired -if the offices were empty. Rogers told him that Mr. Marchburn was in his -room and would be busy for a short time. - -The janitor told a straight enough story. After leaving Rogers and -Harding he had worked on the other side of the building, and then went -to the first floor. He was on the third story at the time when Bridget -Martin’s screams alarmed him, and he hastily ran to the elevator and -told the conductor to take him upstairs. At that time he did not know -whence the outcry proceeded, but as the elevator went rushing up some one -shouted that Mr. Marchburn had been hurt. When he reached the eleventh -story and entered the company’s rooms he found the Martin woman and -three or four other persons, tenants of the building. His evidence as to -the finding of the body was merely corroborative of that of the other -witnesses. - -There are four elevators in the Empire Building. The conductor of No. 4 -elevator, Richard Wright, testified as follows: “I have been employed -only two days at the Empire Building. It is the rule to close down two -of the elevators at half past five; at six o’clock the third is closed, -and the other half an hour later. I am ‘late man’ this week. Just as six -o’clock was striking and elevator No. 3 was making its last downward -trip, the annunciator in my car dropped for the tenth story. I ran my car -up and took in a young man. I do not remember to have seen him before. He -stepped into the car, and as I pulled the rope to go down I noticed that -he had a handkerchief wrapped round his right hand and he was holding it -with his left, as though it hurt him. I said to him: ‘Have you hurt your -hand?’ He replied: ‘Yes, I squeezed it in the door.’ - -“I looked at his hand again and noticed that there was blood upon the -handkerchief, and I said: ‘It’s bleeding.’ The young fellow looked -dreadfully scared, and I thought he was going to drop, but he said -something I couldn’t hear, and as soon as the car stopped he walked away -quickly.” - -This testimony produced a profound sensation, and every eye was turned -upon Wright. - -“Why did you not mention this circumstance to the police last night?” -asked the coroner. - -Wright shifted about uneasily and said: “When I heard the screams -upstairs and was told that Mr. Marchburn had been murdered I was scared -half out of my life and clean forgot all about it until I got home. It -was then too late to tell any one, and I thought I would wait until I -came here.” - -“Can you describe this man?” asked a juror. - -“He was a young fellow; I should think about twenty-four. I didn’t notice -his face particularly, except when I told him his hand was bloody, and -then I saw how white he looked. I never should have thought much of it if -it hadn’t been for the murder.” - -“How was he dressed?” - -“He had on a brown overcoat; but I don’t remember anything else.” - -That was all the light Wright could throw upon the affair. Coroner and -jurymen plied him with questions; but he could tell them nothing. He did -not know the color of the man’s eyes, whether he wore a beard, what kind -of hat he wore; in fact, he could furnish nothing which would serve as an -identification. He thought he might know the man if he were to see him -again; but he was not absolutely sure as to that. There was no reason to -think that Wright was not telling the truth, and it was almost impossible -that he could have committed the murder, but the jury, in rendering their -verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons unknown, censured -Wright for having remained silent for more than twelve hours, and the -coroner privately suggested to the police that they keep an eye upon -Wright. - -As soon as the verdict had been rendered, Detective Sergeants Johnson -and Richardson, who had been detailed by Superintendent of Police Walton -to attend the inquest, reported to him for further instructions. They -briefly repeated the testimony and especially the startling evidence of -Wright. When they had finished the chief said: - -“What do you make of it?” - -“The man in the brown overcoat is the murderer,” said Johnson. - -“The man in the brown overcoat had nothing to do with it; but Wright -knows a great deal more than he has told,” was Richardson’s analysis. - -Walton looked out of the window a couple of minutes without speaking. -“The person who committed the murder,” he said, as if he were talking to -himself more than to his listeners, and without looking at either, “was -expected to call at the office that evening by Marchburn, who came back -about the time the clerks were preparing to leave, on purpose to keep his -appointment. All the doors were locked. Either the visitor must have had -a duplicate key, or else Marchburn left one of the doors open, or they -had a private signal. Any one of a dozen persons might have been able to -open the door with a duplicate key; but I don’t see anything to point in -that direction. Marchburn would hardly be likely to leave the door open -for his expected visitor, so it is evident the doors were kept locked, -and when the prearranged signal was given Marchburn opened the door to -his murderer. Who was the murderer and what was the motive? It was not -money, because no valuables were taken, and the clerks say that neither -papers nor anything else were disturbed. The murder was either the result -of a sudden burst of passion, or else it was premeditated, and something -forced the murderer to do then what had long been contemplated. There was -a very strong motive. Find the motive and you find the—” - -“The murderer,” interrupted Richardson. - -“The murderess,” continued the chief as calmly as if he had not heard the -interruption. - -“A woman?” cried his listeners simultaneously. - -“Certainly, a woman; it is a woman’s crime. From the time when Rogers -and Harding left until the discovery of the body was a scant hour. To -avoid all possible risks of interruption, Marchburn did not arrange the -interview until after five, so that between that hour and six he was -shot. At six he was dead, and the doctor testified he must have been -dead between fifteen and thirty minutes when he was called in. So that -fixes the time of the shooting between half past five and six. Marchburn -expected a woman to call upon him that night, because he would not have -made such careful preparations for secrecy if his visitor had been a -man. He did not want his clerks to see his caller. The time between her -calling and the shooting was too short for them to have quarreled; but it -was long enough for her to have made her demand and to have been refused -by Marchburn. Then she shot him.” - -“But the young man in the brown overcoat?” asked Johnson. - -“If the coroner had the slightest sense,” sneered the chief, “he would -have asked Wright if the ‘young man’ looked as if ‘he’ were disguised, -and Wright’s answer would have shown whether he is merely a thick-skulled -idiot or whether he has a hand in this affair. But I’m glad the question -was not asked, as the woman will think her disguise has shielded her. But -Wright has given himself away by his answers. He says ‘the young man’ had -a handkerchief wrapped around his right hand, and was holding it with his -left, as if it hurt him. Isn’t that a woman’s attitude? A man would have -shoved his hand in his pocket and held it there—at any rate, until he was -in the street, where no one would have noticed it or paid any attention -to him. But the woman doesn’t know how to use her pockets; her hand hurts -her, and she holds it out in full view, instead of hiding it, as a man -would have done. I’ll stake my reputation that the young man in the brown -overcoat is a woman, and that the woman is the murderer of Mr. Marchburn.” - -The superintendent rapidly outlined his plans. “I want you,” he said -to Richardson, “to look up Marchburn’s past record in the West. Look -for the woman there, or for the chapter in his life in which the woman -figures. It’s there, although it may be difficult to find. Johnson, you -look up his record from the time he came to New York to the day of his -death. See if there is any woman entanglement here. Keep your eye upon -Wright. I can’t quite size that man up. Look for the brown overcoat. Now, -Richardson, you’d better start right in, and wire me just as soon as you -strike anything.” - -In a few moments Johnson went back. “There is one thing I don’t -understand,” he said. “Why did the woman get in the elevator at the tenth -instead of the eleventh story?” - -“Easy enough to explain, and another indication that we are dealing with -a woman and not a man. When she left the office her natural impulse was -to walk down the stairs, to avoid meeting any one, instead of courting -observation, as a man would have done under the circumstances. She -walked down one flight; she heard the cleaners moving about and dreaded -meeting them, and rang for the elevator as being less dangerous. Remember -we are dealing with a woman of no ordinary caliber,—one who is not a -seasoned criminal, and who thinks quickly.” - -From Johnson’s report next morning the superintendent learned that -Marchburn had moved to New York from the West five years before his -murder; that his only child, Lucille, was twenty years old; that father -and daughter were very much attached to one another. Marchburn’s tastes -were all domestic; he seldom stayed out late at night, unless in company -with his daughter; he was a regular church attendant, and contributed -liberally to its support and to charities. His business was extremely -profitable, his fortune being considered very large. - -Walton read the report through and felt annoyed. It was not what he -wanted. He felt that he was right in charging a woman with the crime; but -how was he to find a woman who left no traces behind her? Besides, the -papers were growing impatient, clamoring for an arrest, and indulging -in satirical flings at the impotence of the police. Suddenly an idea -occurred to him. “I ought to have thought of that before,” he said to -himself. “Rogers or Harding might know,” and the superintendent, once -more the cold, impassive man of affairs, walked quietly out of his office. - -Superintendent Walton went briskly down town, thinking deeply as he -walked, and yet noticing everything that went on around him. As he turned -the corner of Silver Lane his eye fell upon a portly, well-groomed man -who was walking in front of him. Walton was noted for never forgetting a -man or woman he had once known, and there was something about this man -which seemed familiar. Quickening his pace a little, the detective pushed -ahead until he came opposite a money-changer’s window, and appeared to be -intently gazing at the piles of gold and silver; but out of the corner of -one of his eyes he was carefully watching for the man whom he hoped would -soon pass. The superintendent looked up and saw a well-preserved man of -about sixty, with florid complexion and carefully trimmed whiskers. He -looked like any one of hundreds of prosperous business men. Still trying -to fit the face to a name, Walton followed the man into Wall Street, -and as he passed the sub-treasury he saw Brixton coming down the steps. -The sight of the government agent was like a flash in the dark, and the -object he was groping for was instantly made plain. The superintendent -determined to take desperate chances. “By gad,” he muttered, “I’ll risk -it. If he’s the man his voice will give him away.” Quickening his walk, -he stepped up to the man, and, tapping him on the shoulder, said very -quietly: - -“I want you, John Marsh.” - -With perfect composure he began, “Excuse me, sir, I do not know you—” but -in the first three words his deep voice broke into a theatrical falsetto. - -Walton smiled triumphantly. “Perhaps not; but I know you, Marsh,” he -said, with his hand still on the man’s arm. - -“This is the second time you have called me by that name. My name is not -Marsh. Pardon me if I say good-morning,” said the other in perfectly -modulated tones, and made a movement as if to continue on his way. - -But Walton was not to be shaken off so lightly. “Wait a minute,” he said, -and his voice was as pleasant and his manner as polite as that of the man -whom he was addressing. “Perhaps when I tell you that I am Superintendent -of Police Walton, who was chief of the detective bureau when we last met, -you may remember me.” - -“My dear sir, this is incomprehensible. I never had the pleasure of -meeting you before, and, as I have to attend a very important meeting of -the directors of my bank I must beg to be excused. If you really are the -chief of police, I think, instead of wasting your time with reputable -business men, you could better afford to devote a little of your leisure -to finding the murderer of my dear old friend, Lawrence Marchburn.” - -“You were acquainted with Mr. Marchburn?” - -“Sir, I decline to submit to this impertinence any longer. If you attempt -to stop me further I shall call an officer.” - -“I think not,” said Walton, with a smile. “You are going with me to -headquarters, or I will accompany you to your bank; which do you prefer?” - -“In two minutes I could show you what a fool you are making of yourself; -but I prefer to teach you a lesson. I submit to this indignity in the -interest of good government.” - -“All right, Marsh; I see you are the same old Chesterfield,—just as -smooth as ever. You’ve no objection if we ride, I suppose?” and Walton -hailed a passing cab. As they jogged up town both men remained silent. -Turning a corner, the cab gave a sudden lurch, the superintendent’s hand -in some mysterious manner caught in his prisoner’s whiskers, and they -came away from his face. The two men looked one another squarely in the -eye. Marsh was the first to speak. “You’re a nervy one, superintendent,” -he said. “What do you want me for? I’m living straight.” - -“I’m glad to hear it, but I want to have a quiet little talk with you; -besides, I heard you were dead.” - -Marsh smiled. The loss of his whiskers showed him to be a man of about -forty, with a firm jaw, a keen blue eye, and a high forehead. “I wish -to God I was dead,” he said. “When a man tries to live straight he gets -snagged and is disgraced.” - -The cab drew up at the big building on Mulberry Street, and the -superintendent, pushing his prisoner before him, led the way to his -private room. “Now, Marsh, you say you have been living straight. Prove -it and I’ll release you.” - -The man eyed his captor sullenly. “Not till I’ve seen a lawyer,” he said. - -Walton touched an electric button. “Lock this man up,” he said to the -officer who appeared. As Marsh was led away the chief pushed another -button. “Bring me,” he said to the messenger, “Convictions, letter M, -’84.” - -Hastily turning the pages, Walton read: “Marsh, John, alias Gentleman -John, generally known as Chesterfield, because of his manners and -politeness, born at Sodaville, Mich. All round crook; specialty, -counterfeiting United States notes. One of the most dangerous men in his -line. Convicted of counterfeiting and sentenced to Albany for five years -in 1870; sent to Jackson, Mich., for three years for forgery in 1878; -last conviction, Joliet, counterfeiting, 1884, five years. See page 756.” -Turning to the page indicated, Walton read: “Escaped from Joliet and -committed suicide.” - -“So he didn’t commit suicide,” mused the chief. “Well, I always had my -doubts about it. I have an idea he had a hand in this counterfeiting -business, and if that’s so it’s a pretty good morning’s work—almost as -good as finding the Marchburn woman. I had better let Brixton know about -this; it may give him a pointer.” - -A clerk brought in a telegram and handed it to the superintendent. Walton -read: - - “SODAVILLE, MICH., Jan. 24.—Can you mail me at once portrait of - Chesterfield Marsh, escaped Joliet, and committed suicide about - 1884? - - “RICHARDSON.” - -“By Jove,” said the superintendent, “that’s curious. I wonder what he’s -struck now. Well, I guess I’ll hang onto Chesterfield for a few days, -anyway.” Then he telephoned to Brixton, who was now working night and day -on the counterfeit money case, which divided public attention with the -Marchburn mystery. To the police these cases had proved two of the most -remarkable criminal problems they had ever been called upon to solve. -Congress had added to the excitement by adopting the recommendation of -the Secretary of the Treasury and offering a reward of fifty thousand -dollars for the arrest and conviction of the counterfeiters. - -Brixton came in dejectedly in answer to the summons. To Walton, who was -an old friend, he admitted that he was beaten. - -“Brace up, old man,” said Walton; “I’ve got something good for you,” and -he at once told him of the arrest of Marsh and Richardson’s telegram. - -A gleam of excitement blazed from the secret service man’s eyes. He -jumped from his chair and paced the room a couple of times before he -could control himself; then, leaning over his friend’s desk, he talked -rapidly. “By jove, Walton, you’ve got our man. There is only one man -in the country who could have done the job, and that’s Marsh. I have -thought about him a dozen times since I’ve been at work on the case, but -always supposed him to be dead. What a confounded idiot I am not to have -investigated that suicide story; yet I never had reason to doubt it.” - -Both men felt certain that they were at last hot on the right trail, and -that Marsh was still engaged in his old business of counterfeiting. While -discussing the next move to be made Brixton suddenly said: “What does -Richardson’s telegram mean?” - -The words produced a peculiar effect upon Walton, which was reflected in -Brixton’s face. Both men scrutinized each other for a brief space of time -without speaking. It was as if they were grappling with the same thought, -and yet both were afraid to frame in words what was passing through their -minds. It was Walton who at last broke the silence and in a nervous sort -of way said:— - -“That is absurd.” - -“What is?” - -“What you are thinking about.” - -It was curious that neither man had openly expressed his thoughts, and -yet each knew what was in the other’s mind just as well as if the words -had been uttered. - -“I don’t know about that. Of course it looks ridiculous to commence with, -but not any more so than that West Virginia case.” - -“I don’t remember that,” said Walton. - -“It was one of my most interesting jobs. For months we had been trying -to break up a gang of counterfeiters working in West Virginia, and had -failed, just as in the present instance. The thing looked pretty bad, -and the merchants of the State were so worked up about the ‘queer’ that -a bill was introduced in the legislature authorizing the governor to -employ private detectives, as the government secret service men had shown -their incompetence. Before the bill was acted upon we arrested some of -the gang, and on the day when the bill came up for action we obtained -conclusive evidence that the member of the legislature who introduced -the bill was the brains of the gang. I went to the capitol and listened -to this man’s speech in support of his measure, and after the bill had -passed I arrested him and found in his pockets some of the money made by -his gang. I sent him over the road.” - -“You think, then,” said Walton, “that Marchburn had some connection with -the counterfeiting gang.” - -“I do.” - -“Did Marsh murder Marchburn?” - -“I don’t know about that. I rather think not, because Chesterfield, from -what we know about him, is a coward and not the man to kill; but he -probably knows who did. There’s a connection between the murder and the -counterfeiting, and when we pull the right string both knots will come -untied.” - -Walton told his associate of his theory as to the murderer being a woman. - -Brixton doubted it. “But it’s of no consequence,” he said. “Whoever fired -the shot was a member of the gang; Marchburn knew him and expected him to -call that evening. When we land our man we shall have the murderer and -the counterfeiter as well.” - -How was Marsh to be made to confess? Numerous plans were discussed and -rejected. Finally Brixton made this suggestion: “Make Chesterfield -understand that he is suspected of the murder and that you have the dots -on him. You’ll have to sweat him and put him through the third degree. -Don’t say a word about the counterfeiting. When he’s charged with the -murder, and things begin to look black, he will squeal to save his neck. -He’ll give his pals away dead sure and tell all he knows about the -counterfeiting. I believe the scheme will work.” - -Walton agreed with him and proceeded without delay in putting his -prisoner through the sweating process. Early in the morning he had read -the papers in his cell, and a detective who secretly watched him noticed -that he devoured every line printed about the Marchburn murder. Later, -the superintendent had him brought to his office and there subjected -him to a rigorous cross-examination, and no man knew better than he how -to worm the truth out of a criminal. But in Marsh he found more than a -match. He either dodged every question or else declined to answer, and -neither threats nor promises elicited anything of importance. For more -than an hour the man submitted to being worried by his inquisitor, when -at last he said: - -“Chief, what are you trying to make against me?” - -Walton had not taxed him with the murder, as he hoped his prisoner would -make some incautious admission which would tell him what he wanted to -find out. But Marsh’s question seemed to have made the time ripe for the -great stroke. Looking him steadily in the eye, the chief said: “For the -murder of Lawrence Marchburn.” - -The prisoner gave a short, nervous laugh. “You’re clean off,” he said. “I -didn’t murder him and I had nothing to do with it; but I know the man who -did.” - -Walton had counted upon his declaration producing a confession, or at -least some signs of weakness, but this answer astounded him. - -The man never flinched. “It’s God’s truth. I can tell you who committed -the murder,” he repeated. - -“Very well; who did it?” - -But Marsh was too old a bird to be caught with chaff. “What do I get if I -tell?” he asked. - -“I think they would like to have you back in Joliet,” the chief answered, -“and that means five years to commence with. If you give me the name of -the man, and it is proven that you had nothing to do with the murder, I -will see that you are not troubled.” - -Marsh appeared to be thinking deeply. “Shall I have to appear as a -witness?” he asked. - -“Not unless it is necessary; I won’t put you on the stand if I can make -the case without you.” - -“Will you release me as soon as you are satisfied you have the right man?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then arrest Frank Richald, who was Mr. Marchburn’s stenographer. He’s -your man.” - -“How do you know?” - -“I won’t tell; but see if I am not right.” - -Walton ordered Marsh back to his cell, somewhat puzzled by the result of -the interview. He did not believe all that Marsh had told him; but the -mention of Richald’s name indicated that he was getting down to the man’s -confederates. There was only one thing to do. The superintendent ordered -Johnson to arrest Richald. He took his arrest quietly. Brought before -Walton, he said, without waiting to be questioned: “I am innocent; but -circumstances are against me.” - -With a quick, sudden movement, Walton seized hold of the corner of the -skirt of Richald’s brown overcoat and intently examined a dark spot on -the front. “Marchburn’s blood,” he said tersely. - -“I know it,” was all the prisoner said. - -“Why did you murder him?” asked Walton. - -“I did not murder him,” he said firmly. “When I reached the office on -the night of the murder Mr. Marchburn was lying dead on his desk. I was -stunned and horrified. I know now I should have given the alarm; but -there were so many strange things in connection with my being there at -that hour that I foolishly imagined my safety lay in flight. Some of Mr. -Marchburn’s blood was on my hand, and I bound my handkerchief around it -to escape observation. To avoid meeting any one I started to walk down -the stairs; then I was afraid the janitor might see me and think it -strange I was walking, so I called the elevator on the floor below our -office and rode down.” - -“What brought you back to the office that evening?” Walton asked. - -“That I cannot tell you.” - -Walton ordered the young man to a cell. - -Next day the papers told of the arrest. They also added something about -the man who stood charged with the crime. Richald was the son of a once -former wealthy New York merchant, whom every one respected. At his death -it was found that his estate was badly involved, and all that was left -to his widow and his two children was a small estate. On the interest of -this Mrs. Richald lived, her son contributing generously of his wages to -her support. Two years before the murder Frank had secured a position -with the Bank Note Company as Mr. Marchburn’s stenographer. - -Walton now bent all his energies to securing a fuller confession from -his prisoner, to ascertaining what had become of the pistol, and the -motive for the crime. His best men were set to work raking over nearly -every hour of Richald’s past life. Meanwhile, at the earnest request -of Brixton, Walton had decided to hold onto Marsh. Walton was pretty -well convinced that, while Marsh did not commit the murder, he had some -connection with it, and was not going to let that elusive individual get -out of his clutches so long as there was a possibility of proving it. -Brixton, on his side, was certain that Marsh was in some way implicated -in the counterfeiting, and proposed to keep his eye upon him until he -could charge him with the crime or bring it home to some one else. The -capture of Marsh seemed like a lucky find. - -On the morning of the second day after Richald’s appearance in court -a carriage drew up in front of the police headquarters, from which a -stately looking elderly gentleman and a tall young woman alighted. The -gentleman asked to see the superintendent. Walton did not need to look at -the card to know his caller, Phineas Yarrow, one of the noted lawyers of -the city. - -The woman was dressed all in black, and was so slight that she seemed -unusually tall when standing alone. She remained closely veiled. - -“This young lady is a friend of Mr. Richald’s,” said the lawyer. “She is -very anxious to speak with the prisoner. I am willing to vouch for all -she says or does.” - -Walton shot a keen glance at the girl. “This is rather unusual,” he said; -“but I will accede to your request, provided, of course, the interview -takes place in my presence.” - -Shortly afterward Richald entered the room, and as he caught sight of the -girl he trembled and appeared dazed. For a moment she hesitated, then, -with a cry which touched the hearts of the older men, she rapidly crossed -the room, threw her arms about the young man’s neck, and kissed him -passionately. - -Whether they were sweetheart and lover, husband and wife, or brother and -sister, Walton had no means for knowing; but that the girl played an -important part in the case he felt certain. Hurriedly writing a line, he -handed it to an officer, and from that time Frank Richald’s visitor was -under the shadow of the law. - -For several minutes the prisoner and his visitor conversed in anxious -whispers; then, going to the lawyer, the young woman said: “After you -have shown me to the carriage Mr. Richald has something important to say -to you. He will tell you everything.” - -“Now tell me all,” said the lawyer, seating himself by the side of -Richald. In eager whispers he told his story. When he had finished the -old lawyer paced up and down the room, showing that he was laboring under -intense excitement. Stopping suddenly, he said: “You must repeat this to -the superintendent, here and now.” - -Without hesitating, Richald in a firm voice commenced his recital—Yarrow -an excited listener, and the superintendent coolly indifferent; but -Richald had spoken for only a few moments when Walton’s studied -indifference gave way and he was soon closely following every word. When -the young man had finished the superintendent leaned across his desk, -and, clasping his hand, said, “I believe you.” - -“But there is no time to be lost,” he continued. Pushing several of the -electric buttons on his desk, he gave his orders to the officers who -appeared. Then, turning, he said, “Mr. Yarrow, will you come back at six -o’clock this evening? And, Mr. Richald, I shall still have to subject you -to my hospitality.” - -That evening the lawyer once more entered the superintendent’s room. He -found Walton and Richald busily engaged in conversation, and with them -was Brixton. “Now we will get to business,” said the superintendent, -seating himself at his desk. - -Into this company Marsh was called. “In the first place,” said the -superintendent, “it may be well to explain that Lawrence Marchburn and -the prisoner were brothers.” Turning to Marsh, he said, “Now tell us your -story.” - -“You know all about me, superintendent,” the man commenced, and his eyes -were fixed upon Walton, as if he alone were present, “and that I have -always been a counterfeiter and a crook. I went crooked very young. My -father was a man of considerable means, and my brother Lawrence, who -was always of a jealous and grasping disposition, worked upon him so -that he refused to have anything to do with me. When he died he left all -his money to Lawrence and cut me off without a penny. When I escaped -from Joliet I determined to make a last appeal to my brother for help. -I reached his house late one night and he received me in his library. -At first he told me never to enter his house again, but during our -conversation he changed his mind, and after he had given me food he said: - -“‘Jack, they tell me you are one of the cleverest counterfeiters in the -country.’ - -“I answered that I believed I had that unenviable reputation. - -“‘Then here’s a scheme. I’m in a pretty tight hole. I have lost a good -deal of money lately in speculation, and I have used some belonging to -an estate. I am going to start a factory to make counterfeits. I shall -have an office in New York and a factory in New Jersey, where we can work -undisturbed and everything will look straight. I have money enough to -start the factory and buy all the machinery. After a year we can retire -with two fortunes and become respectable. If you have any scruples of -conscience I’ll pay your fare back to Joliet.’ - -“Of course I consented. There was nothing else I could do. - -“I fell in love with and married the daughter of my landlady, and when -the baby came she was the happiest woman in the world, and I—” Marsh -passed his hand across his face and there was a catch in his voice which -showed the struggle he was making to remain calm. - -“Well, I was determined to quit the whole business and live straight. I -told this to Lawrence, and that I wanted my share of the money he was -keeping for me. We had a dispute, but settled it by my agreeing to remain -another six months. - -“Just before the time was up he went to my wife and told her I was an -escaped convict, but that he was trying to get things fixed so I need -not fear arrest. He warned her not to allow me to go away, as that -would be dangerous. She told me all. Then I resolved to end the matter -at once. When he next came to the factory he told me that Richald, his -stenographer, had discovered what we were doing, and would give the snap -away. He said something must be done to close Richald’s mouth until he -could close up the factory and clear out. He pretended to be fully as -frightened as I was, and I was badly scared, for I did not at last want -to be lagged. So I agreed to do whatever he thought best. - -“He sent for me to come to New York. It had been arranged that I should -go to his office, knock three times on the door, and if the clerks were -all gone my brother would open it. After he had done so, he said, in the -most cold-blooded way, that Richald would be there in a quarter of an -hour; that we must get him to go to the factory, and on the way there, in -a lonely spot, shoot him. He would make it appear that Richald had stolen -some bonds, and when his body was found it would look like suicide. I -told him that, whatever had been my past life, _I_ would not commit -murder. He cursed me for a coward, and said he would have me sent back to -jail. I defied and left him.” - -“Now,” said the superintendent, turning to Richald, “will you tell your -story?” - -“Two years ago,” began Richald, who was trembling with excitement, caused -by Marsh’s recital, “I was engaged as stenographer by Mr. Marchburn, and -shortly after became engaged to his daughter, the young lady who was -here to-day. A few months ago we were secretly married, and about that -time I accidentally overheard a conversation between Mr. Marchburn and -his brother, which put me in possession of the colossal plot to swindle -the government. I was in doubt as to my duty in the matter, but finally -concluded to tell Mr. Marchburn what I knew. He declared that Marsh was -the real head of the conspiracy, but, owing to circumstances, he had -been unable to extricate himself from his clutches; he would, however, -close up the factory as soon as possible. On the day of the murder Mr. -Marchburn made an appointment for me at his office. Before leaving -for New Jersey he handed me a package which he said contained several -thousand dollars in negotiable securities, which he intended to have -taken to his bank, but had forgotten to do so, and requested that I bring -it back to the office later. - -“I was a few minutes late in keeping my appointment, and when I entered -Mr. Marchburn’s room I found him dead. It flashed across my mind that -I might be accused of the murder; that it would be difficult for me -to account for the securities, and in explaining my presence in the -office I should have to reveal the conspiracy, which, for the sake of -Mr. Marchburn’s daughter, I was reluctant to do. Yielding to a sudden -impulse, I left the office, without raising an alarm. And—” - -Just then an electric bell rang and the superintendent put his ear to -a tube that hung above his chair. As he listened his face flushed. He -looked up and, with an accent of conviction that caused Marsh to move -uneasily in his chair, exclaimed: “Gentlemen, at last the missing link is -at hand!” - -The next moment the door was thrown open and an officer ushered in -a middle-aged man with a traveling-bag in his hand. Stooping over -the superintendent’s chair, the officer engaged him in a whispered -conversation. As he proceeded, a look of triumph shone in the -superintendent’s eyes. Swinging around suddenly in his chair toward -Marsh, he asked abruptly: “Marsh, did you ever see this man before?” For -several moments the prisoner, with eager curiosity, eyed the new-comer -from head to foot. Then, turning to the superintendent, he said, with -attempted composure, but with that tell-tale falsetto break in his voice, -“No, I never saw him—” - -“That’s the man!” cried the stranger, advancing and pointing excitedly to -the prisoner. “I could tell his voice among a million.” Then, turning to -Walton, he continued breathlessly, “Mr. Superintendent, on the evening -of the murder I was in my insurance office in Temple Court. I had just -been called to the bedside of my sick wife in Florida and rang up the -sleeping-car office in Jersey City to engage a berth. I couldn’t get -the connection, as the wires were crossed. I rang again and again, but, -instead of getting a reply from the central office, I heard a violent -quarrel going on between two men. One of them threatened to call the -police, and the other shouted, ‘If you do that I’ll shoot you.’ Indeed, -I did hear what sounded like the muffled report of a pistol. At that -moment I was connected by the central office, and thought no more of the -matter until I was seated in the cars an hour later. Then, in recalling -the affair, it occurred to me that possibly I had overheard a scrap of -a theatrical rehearsal, because the voice of the man who threatened to -shoot had a stagy sort of falsetto break in it. And it wasn’t until I was -overtaken three days ago by New York papers containing full accounts of -the Marchburn murder that I knew that I held the clue to the mystery. An -hour later I was on the way to New York and came directly here from the -train. - -“Gentlemen,” said the stranger, pausing impressively and pointing to the -cowering figure of the prisoner, “that is the man whose voice I heard -over the telephone. I heard him speak. I heard him threaten. I heard him -rush across the floor. I heard him fire the fatal shot. It was he who -murdered Lawrence Marchburn!” - -Four months later the jury gave the same verdict. - -[Illustration] - - - - -Their Colonial Villa. - -BY CHARLES BARNARD. - -The right to dramatize is reserved by the author. - - -“It is very inconvenient to be obliged to live in one place all the time. -If we had two houses, we could spend part of the time in one and part of -the time in the other.” - -Young Mrs. Arburton was one of those fortunate brides who are able to set -up housekeeping immediately on the return from the wedding journey. Young -Mr. Arburton thought it best to build or buy a small house and to furnish -and occupy it as soon as possible. - -“Of course, my love, I see how important it is that the house should be -close down by the river bank near your office, so that you can come home -to lunch, and I do so enjoy seeing the steamboats pass on the river.” - -“Good idea. I must be handy to business.” - -“And at the same time, you must see, John, that I’ve always lived at the -court end of the town, on the bluff overlooking the river and near the -shops and the homes of the best people. That’s why I think it would be so -nice if we could have two houses, one down by the river near your office, -and one in town, on the Heights and near the churches and all the nice -people. We could live every other week in each house.” - -They were staying at her mother’s on the Heights, pending the purchase or -erection of the new house. Mrs. Arburton had advanced this happy thought -of having two homes at the breakfast table. The idea pleased her mother -greatly, and she remarked to her son-in-law that, in her opinion, it was -an excellent arrangement. She would gladly live in the uptown house and -take care of it while they were spending the week in the other house down -by the river. - -“My love, we must do it. We never need move anything, for you could keep -a suit of clothes in each house. I’m sure I shall never be happy to live -down on the riverside. There’s really nobody living there, and still I -never, never can be happy if you are not able to come home to lunch.” - -Young Mr. Arburton quite agreed with his wife and her mother. It would be -very desirable to live on the bluff, two hundred feet above the river, -and very desirable to live immediately below, down by the boat landing -and near the office. It would be very convenient to live in two places at -the same time. How to do it was the problem. - -Immediately after breakfast young Mr. Arburton started off to business. -To reach the lower level of the city, where his office and his great -lumber yards stood close by the river, and almost immediately under the -lofty bluff on which the new or upper town was built, he was obliged to -take a trolley car that slid swiftly down a long iron viaduct or inclined -plane. There had been at one time, before the days of the trolley, a -more direct, but much slower method of reaching the lower town. This was -a sort of huge hoist or elevator, upon which the horse-cars were slowly -dragged up and down by means of a cable. At present, this route was -seldom used, as it was, in the opinion of the general public, altogether -too dilatory transit. - -Business was quiet that day, and Mr. Arburton had ample opportunity to -consider the problem of keeping house in two places at the same time. He -felt sure he must gratify his wife’s natural desire to live in town, and -he was equally sure he must reside in the immediate neighborhood of his -yard and its great interests. It was very like the ancient question as to -what would happen if a body, moving with perfectly irresistible momentum, -were to meet a perfectly immovable body. - -He returned home that night quite radiant. He had solved the question. - -“It is all right, my love. It can be done.” - -“Oh! I felt sure you would see that my idea was admirable. Which house -shall you build first—the one on the Heights or the house down by the -river?” - -“Both can be built at the same time.” - -“Well, dear, of course, you see the house up here in this fashionable -quarter must lie much larger and nicer than the house down by those -horrid lumber yards. I shan’t mind if the lower house is a plain little -box. No one will ever call there, and any simple, inexpensive, wooden -cottage will answer. Besides, while we are staying down there I shall not -receive at all, and I shall have my cards marked with our uptown address.” - -“Very well,” remarked Mr. Arburton; “I’ll see the architect. I dare say -it can be fixed.” - -Mrs. Arburton and her mother were delighted, and when Mr. Arburton -suggested that he wished the new house— - -“You mean the new houses, dear.” - -“We’ll waive that—it’s only a detail—our future domiciles are to be a -surprise.” - -“How lovely in you, dear. You mean you intend to build and furnish them -complete without letting me see them?” - -“That’s about the idea. Leave it all to me.” - -“Then, my love, mother and I will visit Aunt Sarah in New York for a -month.” - -Mr. Arburton was hardly prepared for this. To lose his young wife for two -months was not a wholly pleasant prospect. However, he expressed himself -as resigned; for he would be very busy building and furnishing the new -house. - -“You mean our new houses, dear. I declare it is an inspiration. We can -spend every other week in society and have the other week to rest in -peace and be by ourselves, quite out of the world.” - -The next day young Mrs. Arburton and her mother started for New York, -and young Mr. Arburton went to the office of the defunct horse railroad -company to see about a house lot, it being reported that they had real -estate to sell—cheap. - -Thirty-two days later young Mrs. Arburton and her mother returned. It was -dark when they arrived, and of course they went at once to their former -home. Naturally the return of the young wife had a most happy effect upon -the young husband. He was lively, was merry, and seemed to be immensely -amused over the prospect of moving at once into the new house. - -“Is it all done?” cried both ladies, “and so soon?” - -“Oh, it don’t take long to knock up a house in these days. We can move in -to-night. Everything is ready for you.” - -“Which house shall we live in first?” - -“Take your choice.” - -“Then I’ll spend the first week in the uptown house.” - -“All right. I thought so. As soon as you have had supper we’ll go over -there.” - -“Is it far from here?” - -“No. Only a short walk. I thought you might like to be near your mother.” - -“My love, you are an angel!” - -This remark clearly indicated an unstable frame of mind, and further -reports of the conversation may be cheerfully omitted. - -About nine o’clock the young couple started, satchels in hand, to take -possession of their new home on the Heights. Mrs. Arburton was charmed. -It was just what she wanted, a pretty two-story colonial villa at the end -of a broad avenue, and close to the edge of the bluff overlooking the -river. The parlor was small, but exquisite, the dining-room cozy, the -kitchen perfection. - -“Oh, and the view from the chamber window! Isn’t it grand? Why, the -house must be on the very edge of the bluff. My love, you have made me -perfectly happy. It is such a pretty house, and right in the very best -neighborhood.” - -The next morning, immediately after breakfast, Mr. Arburton remarked that -he would come home to lunch. - -“Oh, no, dear. I wouldn’t think of it. It’s too far to come way up here -just for lunch. I’ll put up a little basket for you.” - -“It will not take me two minutes to run over here from the office. I’ll -come home at noon.” - -This he said as they stood at the kitchen door. - -“What on earth are you talking about—” - -She would have said more, but just at that moment her husband opened -the back door and stepped out into the dusty road that led to his -lumber yard. Mrs. Arburton stood by the door, looking up and down the -commonplace road, at the towering piles of lumber across the way, at the -tall stacks of a passing steamboat, just visible over the lumber heaps. - -She kissed her husband in a mechanical way, and then closed the door -and went to her chamber and sat down by the window. Clearly this was -the lower town. There had been some mistake. She finished her morning -household duties and dressed to go out. Leaving the house by the most -convenient way, she crossed the street, and, turning back, looked at -the house. It was a plain, three-story wooden house, and in every way -suitable for such a commonplace business neighborhood. - -“I must have been dreaming about that colonial villa. I’ll go and call on -mother.” - -She took the trolley car up the great incline to the upper town and went -to her mother’s house. The moment she arrived her mother began to ask -about the new house. - -“Oh, it’s just a plain, three-story, wooden affair down by the lumber -yard.” - -“I thought you were to occupy the uptown house first.” - -“Yes, I thought so, too; but we stayed last night in the lower town.” - -Promptly at noon, just as the big whistle roared its hoarse summons to -rest, Mrs. Arburton returned to her humble dwelling in the lower town. -Lunch was served at once, and then her husband returned to business, -leaving his wife alone in the new house. She explored it thoroughly, -and felt sure that the parlor and dining-room were the same as she had -dreamed about the night before. At six o’clock Mr. Arburton returned to -dinner, and after that he proposed that they make a few calls on friends -in the upper town. - -“Oh, no, not to-night. It’s too far and we shall be so late getting back -again.” - -“Nonsense, my dear. Put on your things and I’ll be ready in two minutes.” - -Five minutes later young Mrs. Arburton appeared arrayed in her best. - -“I suppose the nearest way is to go out the back door.” - -“What’s the use of a front door if we do not use it?” said her husband. -So saying, he opened the front door and led her out into the brilliantly -lighted avenue in the upper town. - -Mrs. Arburton was perplexed. She took her husband’s arm and walked on for -a few steps in silence. Then she stopped and looked back at the house. It -was the colonial villa of her dream. Was it a dream? She wanted to ask -questions, but wisely said nothing. The young couple spent the evening -in calling, and then returned to their home. - -Early the next morning Mrs. Arburton drew up the curtains of her room and -looked out. There, far below, were the river and the lower town. It was -not a dream. - -Then for a week nothing in particular happened. Mrs. Arburton was -entirely happy in her charming colonial villa. Her mother called and -admired everything. - -“I suppose next week you will bury yourselves in the lower town. Of -course your other house cannot be equal to this lovely place.” - -“I don’t know, I’m sure. I haven’t seen it yet.” - -“Why, my child, you told me it was a plain three-story affair. You said -you stayed there that first night.” - -“Did I? I must have been dreaming.” - -The next morning young Mrs. Arburton began to wonder if her mind had -given way. She was awakened by the hoarse boom of the lumber yard -whistle. She drew up her curtain and pulled it down, again quickly. The -street was full of teams. She pinched her arm. She looked at the mantel -clock. No; she was awake. Being a wise woman, she said nothing, and after -breakfast she bade her husband good-by at the back door. - -“I’ll run over to lunch, dear.” - -“Very well, Mr. Arburton.” - -He looked at her with a peculiar smile. - -“What’s the matter, love? Are you offended?” - -“Oh, dear, no! I’m a little—a little confused, that’s all. I’ll go and -call on mother. I’ll feel better—for a walk.” - -“Yes, do. Take the trolley back to town.” - -She did, and the moment she reached the broad avenues of the upper city -she left the car and stood irresolute on the sidewalk. - -“I wish I had been more observing. Let me see. There was a row of trees -on each side, and the houses were all of Milwaukee brick.” - -She wandered up and down several streets and avenues looking for the -colonial villa. - -“It was so stupid in me not to know the street and number of our own -house. If I knew that I could ask a policeman. I declare, I was never so -turned round in my life. This looks like the neighborhood—and yet—” - -She gave it up in despair and took the trolley back to her home in the -lower town. Then for several days nothing happened. Mrs. Arburton tried -to be happy and failed miserably. Her husband, of course, observed it, -and said at the dinner table: - -“My love, I fear you do not enjoy being down here among these lumber -yards and shops. After dinner we’ll go up town.” - -She was delighted. When she reached the Heights she would ask him to take -her to the other house. Immediately after dinner she went to her room to -put on her hat. When she came down again she found her husband calmly -reading in the drawing-room. - -“I thought we were going to the Heights, dear.” - -He looked up in some surprise, and, instead of replying, asked if she -wished to go out. - -“Yes. I do. I—I want to go to mother’s.” - -“Certainly, my love. I’ll go with you.” - -A moment later he was ready, and calmly opened the front door and led her -out into the broad, familiar avenue in the upper town. - -She stood bewildered on the stoop, and looked at the street, at the -lemon-colored houses opposite, and at the colonial villa behind her. - -“What are you waiting for, dear?” - -“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering where we live.” - -“Why, how absent you are, dear. This is our uptown house.” - -It was all right. The other house was the dream. They spent a pleasant -evening with her mother, and then they returned home. It was indeed all -right, and just as it should be. She had certainly eaten something that -was not best for her, or she would not have dreamed three times about -the house by the river. Under the assurance of a stable residence in one -place Mrs. Arburton’s spirits rose, and her health visibly improved. She -resolved never to mention her absurd dream about the other house. She -felt sure that it had never been built—and yet! Oh! she would not think -about it any more. She would enjoy the happy present in her lovely -colonial villa in the fashionable quarter of the town. - -Mr. Arburton never came home to lunch now. He started off very early -every morning, and was always late to dinner. It was not in young Mrs. -Arburton’s nature to ignore this long. - -“My love,” she said one stormy night when he came home tired, cold, and -hungry, “My love, if the other house is finished we might go there and -stay till this stormy weather is over. I miss you dreadfully at lunch, -and it’s such a pity to let you travel so far in the rain.” - -“All right, my dear. It would be better to go back again.” - -“Back again!” Then it was not a dream. - -The next morning young Mrs. Arburton was convinced that her mind was -entirely unhinged. She did not dare to mention it to her husband. She -went about her morning duties mechanically. They were in the lower town -house. She knew the smell of the lumber yards only too well. - -The thing was unbearable. She would settle the matter or perish in the -attempt. The moment her husband had gone to his office she put on her -things, took the trolley, and went up to the Heights. She found the -avenue without the slightest difficulty. The colonial villa had totally -disappeared. She asked a policeman if he had seen a white villa in the -neighborhood. The man grinned broadly and said he guessed it was off duty. - -She turned away indignant. What did the insolent creature mean? Nothing -was to be gained by waiting there, and she took the trolley back home. On -reaching the lower town she lost her way for the first time in her life. -She wandered past several lumber yards, looking for that three-story -house, and could not find it. Once she felt sure she had reached the -spot—the house was not there. Thoroughly alarmed at what she regarded as -her serious mental condition, she went at once to her husband’s office. - -“Mr. Arburton is here?” - -“No, ma’am. He started to go up to the Heights on business, and said he -should stay to lunch at his house.” - -That explained everything. The house by the lumber yards was simply a -fancy of her disordered brain. She would go at once to their villa-home -on the Heights. On arriving there she was not able to find it. Now -thoroughly alarmed, she decided to go to her mother’s. Both her homes had -disappeared, perhaps forever. She put her hand to her fevered brow. It -was icy cold. She trembled as if chilled with terror. - -“To think that beautiful home was all a wild fancy—to think I’ve lost -that dear, homely, lovely, hideous house by the lumber yards. I fairly -loved it. I’ll never stir out of it again—not even to find that colonial -villa. And my husband, too,—he may be a fancy—a mere phantom—” - -She looked at her wedding ring. - -“No. I suppose he is real—” - -She stood silent and tearful, looking off over the vast prospect spread -out below her. The avenue ended at the very edge of the bluff and gave a -magnificent view over the river and valley below—the very view she had -dreamed she saw from that chamber window— - -Suddenly a picturesque chimney appeared above the edge of the bluff. -Then two pretty finials of wrought iron. Then a red roof appeared. Was -she dreaming—or—? A number of people on the sidewalk stopped to view the -remarkable spectacle. She heard a policeman remark aloud: - -“The quare house is going on duty agin.” - -The colonial villa stood before her. The front door opened and her -husband appeared. - -“Lunch is ready, love. Come in as soon as you can, as I want to move back -to the lower town.” - -“My dear! Am I crazy—?” - -“Guess not. Where have you been all this time?” - -“But, love!” she cried, “is my mind unbalanced?” - -“Guess not. You seem reasonable.” - -“Is this our uptown house?” - -“Certainly, dear. Do come in to lunch.” - -“Then where is—the other house?” - -“Right here. Do come into the house, dear. The elevator boy is in a hurry -to move her back again, as he can’t go to dinner till we are safe at the -bottom of the hill.” - -Young Mrs. Arburton entered her uptown house and closed the door. When -in the privacy of her colonial dining-room she kissed her husband with -enthusiasm. - -“My love! It is distinctly great. How does it work?” - -“Touch the button in the kitchen once, and the elevator boy will move her -up. Touch twice and he will let her down again. You see, dear, I found it -was not convenient to live in two houses at the same time, so I bought -the old horse-car elevator and put a house in the car.” - -“But, my love—the colonial villa and the cheap three-story frame house.” - -“Oh! That’s all right. The front is early colonial, the back is recent -American, as befits the two landings on the elevator.” - -“How perfectly lovely. When I don’t want to be at home to the people on -the Heights I live below, and when I’m tired of the lumber yard people -I’ll live at the top.” - -“Yes. And when we don’t want to see anybody, we can stop her half way. -Come. Let’s have lunch while she slides down.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -ADVERTISEMENTS - - -=Mrs. Jack Frost= doesn’t mind the cold, not a bit! - -Why _should_ she when her skirt and coat are lined with SPONGE CRÉPON -which makes her so stylish to look upon, and keeps her as warm as a -toast? She uses the “Red Selvedge” brand of Sponge Crépon with the famous -linen net interweaving that makes it so light that you wouldn’t know it -was there if it wasn’t for the beauty and comfort it gives. - -Copyright ap’d for. - -We’ll send our booklet, “France—the Mother of Fashions,” and free -samples, if you’ll write. - - Sponge Cloth Mfg. Co., P. O. Box 160, Lockport, N. Y., Makers. - Gilbert Mfg. Co., Dept. W., 514-516 Broadway, New York, Sole Agents. - -When writing please mention THE BLACK CAT. - - * * * * * - -AYER’S - -The blossom of beauty roots in the blood. - -The blemishes of beauty,—pimples, blotches, eruptions,—can be removed by -purifying the blood with - - AYER’S SARSAPARILLA. - -Curebook No. 1 tells about it. Free. J.C. Ayer Co., Lowell, Mass. - - * * * * * - -THE BOSTON HERALD. - -New England’s Greatest Newspaper. - -The New England advertising field is the best on this continent. - -In this great field The Boston Herald stands supreme. Its circulation, -character, and influence make it the ideal newspaper. - -Its Purchasing Power is Unequalled. - - * * * * * - -10 times out of 10 - -The New York Journal recently offered ten bicycles to the ten winners in -a guessing contest, leaving the choice of machine to each. - -ALL OF THEM CHOSE - -Columbia Bicycles - -_STANDARD OF THE WORLD_ - -Nine immediately, and one after he had looked at others. And the Journal -bought Ten Columbias. Paid $100 each for them. - -On even terms a Columbia will be chosen TEN times out of TEN - - POPE MANUFACTURING CO. HARTFORD, CONN. - -1896 Art Catalogue free from the Columbia agent; by mail for two 2-cent -stamps. - - * * * * * - -Consumption - -AND ITS CURE - -TO THE EDITOR:—I have an absolute remedy for Consumption. By its timely -use, thousands of hopeless cases have been already permanently cured. -So proof-positive am I of its power that I consider it my duty to _send -two bottles free_ to those of your readers who have Consumption, Throat, -Bronchial or Lung Trouble, if they will write me their express and -postoffice address. Sincerely, T. A. SLOCUM, M. C., 183 Pearl St., New -York. - -In writing please say you saw this in The Black Cat. - - * * * * * - -IF YOU’RE A PIPE SMOKER - -A TRIAL WILL CONVINCE THAT GOLDEN SCEPTRE IS PERFECTION - -SEND 10cts FOR SAMPLE PACKAGE—PRICES 1lb 1.30; ¼lb 40cts. POSTAGE PAID, -CATALOGUE FREE. SURBRUG, 159 FULTON ST., N.Y. CITY. - - * * * * * - -The Imperial Hair Regenerator - -NO MATTER HOW GRAY YOUR HAIR IS—OR BLEACHED—OR SPOILED BY DYES—MAKES IT -BEAUTIFUL, NATURAL, HEALTHY. - -=Restores= Gray Hair to its Original Color. - -=Regenerates= Bleached Hair. - -Gives it new life and vigor, and makes it any color desired. - -It is guaranteed by court tests absolutely harmless—and genuine. There -are many substitutes. Refuse to take them. - - No. 1.—Black. - No. 2.—Dark Brown. - No. 3.—Medium Brown. - No. 4.—Chestnut. - No. 5.—Light Chestnut. - No. 6.—Gold Blonde. - No. 7.—Ash Blonde. - -PRICE, $1.50 and $3.00. - -Send a sample of your hair, and we will restore its color free of charge. - - IMPERIAL CHEMICAL MFG. CO. - 292 Fifth Avenue, New York. - Between 30th and 31st Streets. Take Elevator. - - * * * * * - -_Guaranteed Circulation._ - -_On the proof-slip of every advertisement set in the Composing Room of -the_ - -Boston Post - -_appears this_ - -GUARANTEE: - -_This advertisement is accepted on the distinct guarantee that the -regular actual, bona fide sales of the Daily =Post= in Boston and -vicinity, =Each Morning=, are =greater= than those of the =Herald= and -=Globe combined=._ - -_FIRST IN MORNING SALES._ - -SLIP FROM THE - -_Boston Post._ - -December Circulation. - - _Daily Average_ =86,753= - _Sunday Average_ =96,160= - - * * * * * - -Puritana - -_It Cures from head to foot._ - -Trade-Mark. - -_It makes the Weak Strong._ - -Nature’s Cure - -Puritana cures disease by naturalizing and vitalizing the Power Producer -of the human system,—the stomach. - -PRIZE FORMULA OF Prof. Dixi Crosby, M.D., LL.D. DARTMOUTH COLLEGE - -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_. - -If you are a sufferer get of your druggist this great disease-conquering -discovery, (the price is $1 for the complete treatment, consisting of -one bottle of Puritana, one bottle of Puritana Pills, and one bottle -of Puritana Tablets), all enclosed in one package, or write to the -undersigned, and you will bless the day when you heard of Puritana. The -Puritana Compound Co., Concord, N. H. - - * * * * * - -RUB IT IN that.... - -The Orient - -(Built like this.) - -Is the FINEST Wheel of ’96. - -Branches: - - Chicago - Boston - Brooklyn - New York - Detroit - Omaha - Waltham - -Features: - - Big Balls - Big Hubs - Big Tubing - Pneumatic Saddles - Orient Fork - Adjustable Pedals - - The - Waltham Mfg. Co. - 241 Broadway, - New York, N. Y. - -Write for Cat. - - * * * * * - -IF YOU WANT THE BEST GARDEN - -in your neighborhood this season - -PLANT OUR FAMOUS - -SEEDS AND PLANTS - -all of which are described and illustrated in our beautiful and entirely -=New Catalogue for 1896=. A new feature this season is the =Free= -delivery of Seeds at Catalogue prices to any Post Office. This “=New -Catalogue=” we will mail on receipt of a 2-cent stamp, or to those who -will state where they saw this advertisement, the Catalogue will be -mailed =Free=! - - PETER HENDERSON & CO. - 35 & 37 Cortlandt St., New York. - - * * * * * - -“My Boy— - -LE 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.” - - * * * * * - -HAIR CLOTH - -“Survival of the Fittest.” - -_Send for Samples._ - -For Interlinings—Lasts Forever - - AMERICAN - HAIR CLOTH COMPANY - Pawtucket, R. I. - - * * * * * - -American People Read Standard Newspapers - -That’s why - -The Boston Daily Standard - -Has the LARGEST CIRCULATION of any REPUBLICAN NEWSPAPER in New England, a - -Fact - -THAT ANY NEWSDEALER WILL PROVE. - -Its CONSTANTLY INCREASING advertising patronage shows for itself how - -It Pays - -To interest STANDARD readers. If you are not one, WHY NOT? - -Send for sample copy. - - * * * * * - -ESSEX - -10c. Feeds 10 Plants 1 year. Ask your dealer for the _10c._ package. - -If he does not keep it send us 16c. in stamps, and we will send it by -return mail. - -Flower Food FOR House Plants AND Window Gardens - - Latest - Cheapest - Best - -Produces Healthy growth and Generous flowering. - - Russia Cement Co. - GLOUCESTER, MASS. - - * * * * * - -_Waverley_ BICYCLES. - -ARE THE CHOICE OF EXPERIENCED RIDERS, - -Those who have learned to know the difference between a wheel that -actually is high grade, and one that is simply claimed to be. Others may -be good, but the Waverley is the =Highest of all High Grades=. =REWARD= -of a new Waverley Scorcher is offered to each person who recovers a -stolen ’96 Waverley during 1896, payable upon presentation to us of -satisfactory proof of the facts and the sentence of the thief. This -reward is open to every one excepting the owner of the stolen wheel, but -is not payable to more than one person in any case. - - ART CATALOGUE FREE BY MAIL. INDIANA BICYCLE CO., INDIANAPOLIS, IND. - - * * * * * - -The Black Cat - -FOR - -April, 1896, - -Will contain the following - -Stories _THAT ARE_ Stories. - -All original, all copyrighted, all complete, all “captivating tales -cleverly told,” and - -ALL FOR 5 CENTS. - -=The Mystery of the Thirty Millions.=—By T. F. ANDERSON and H. D. -UMBSTAETTER. A startling recital of the unparalleled adventures of the -ocean steamer, _Oklahoma_, whose disappearance with 643 human souls and -thirty millions of gold, threw two continents into a fever of excitement. - -=The Man at Solitaria.=—By GEIK TURNER. A realistic account of how the -Man at Solitaria, single-handed and alone, ran the Great Western Railroad -System to suit himself. - -=The Compass of Fortune.=—By EUGENE SHADE BISBEE. The weirdly impressive -tale of a man guided by sightless eyes to an independent fortune. - -=A Surgical Love Cure.=—By JAMES BUCKHAM. An up-to-date remedy for the -love fever, and its unexpected results. - -=The Williamson Safe Mystery.=—By COL. F. S. HESSELTINE. In this absorbing -tale is presented for the first time, the solution of one of the most -daring and inexplicable series of burglaries ever conceived. - -=How Small the World.=—By E. H. MAYDE. A triangular love story in which, -by means of a common confidant, two young people who hate each other in -Massachusetts are brought to love each other in Colorado. - -The Black Cat is sold by Newsdealers. If yours hasn’t it, and won’t get -it for you, _get another newsdealer_. If you haven’t a dealer, send -us fifty cents and we will mail you for a whole year, The Black Cat, -postpaid. The Shortstory Publishing Co., Boston, Mass. - - * * * * * - -THE APEX OF Bicycle Perfection - -is represented in the Monarch. All the bicycle goodness that the -best bicycle makers know is incorporated in this king of wheels. No -chronometer could be made with more care, or with greater accuracy. -Every part of the Monarch is in perfect harmony with all other parts. -So perfect is the distribution of weight, so accurate the adjustment of -gear, that the Monarch will outspeed, outlast, outrival, any wheel on the -market to-day. - -Made in 4 models. =$80= and =$100=. For children and adults who want a -lower priced wheel the =Defiance= is made in 8 models, =$40=, =$50=, -=$60= and =$75=. Send for the Monarch book. - - MONARCH CYCLE MFG. CO., Lake, Halsted & Fulton Sts., CHICAGO. - 83 Reade St., New York. - - * * * * * - -A Roll of Braid - -is a little thing, but there is a place in the world where they make a -good many million rolls every year. It’s a small place—its biggest boast -being two capitals and the greatest braid factory on the earth. In fact, -to say “Rhode Island,” is to think “Goff’s Braids.” No matter what part -of the land you visit, there you find =Goff’s Dress Braids=. Face your -dress skirts with =GOFF’S BRAID=, which is the best made. Sample roll, -any shade, for four 2-cent stamps. - -D. GOFF & SONS, Pawtucket, R. I. - - * * * * * - -RIDGE’S FOOD FOR INFANTS AND INVALIDS - -THE MOST RELIABLE FOOD IN THE WORLD FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN - -SOLD BY DRUGGISTS - -THE BEST DIET FOR INVALIDS AND OLD PEOPLE - -FOUR SIZES .35 .65 1.25 1.75 - -_Woolrich & Co._ ON EVERY LABEL - - * * * * * - - Wheeling at night - With the “Search Light” - - —IS A PLEASURE. - -SEARCH LIGHT - -for ’96. - -The Flame Cannot Jar Out.—The new patent method of attaching the Lantern -to the wheel makes this an impossibility. - -Burns either Kerosene or Benzine, and the packed reservoir prevents the -spilling of oil. - -The Polished Reflectors are so protected that they cannot become -blackened or tarnished. - -A Combination of Lenses makes most intense and penetrating light. - -THE ONLY strictly First Class Bicycle Lantern on the market. - -_WE LEAD_, all others follow; compare all other Bicycle Lanterns with the -“Search Light,” and you will agree that _They Are All Behind_. - -Of all Cycle Dealers or delivered free for price, $5.00. - - Bridgeport Brass Company, BRIDGEPORT, CONN., - or, 19 Murray Street, N. Y. - - * * * * * - -The Traveler - -Is the Only Boston Member of the Associated Press.... - -It Publishes More News, More Pictures, More Stories, More Special -Features, More Advertisements, and has More Push, More Independence, and -More Growth than any other Boston One Cent Newspaper. - -A Modern Newspaper At a Modern Price. - -One Year’s Growth - - The Traveler’s Circulation Gain 139 Per Cent. - The Traveler’s Advertising Gain 145 Per Cent. - The Traveler’s Gain in Number of Advts. 363 Per Cent. - -Are You Reading It? - -Eight to Sixteen Pages. One Cent a Copy, Six Cents a Week, Twenty-five -Cents a Month, Three Dollars a Year. - - * * * * * - -CLIMBING METEOR. - -GREATEST OF ALL NEW ROSES. - -=CLIMBING METEOR=, now offered for the first time, is really a =Perpetual -Blooming Climbing General Jacqueminot=. Though a sport from that finest -of all Hybrid Teas, Meteor, it is much larger and of a deeper, richer -color, equalled only by the peerless Jacqueminot, and will produce -twenty blossoms to Jacqueminot’s one. It is a Rose which will make 10 to -15 feet of growth in a season and show a profusion of bloom every day. -Foliage strong, healthy and luxuriant. Buds exquisite: flowers large, -beautifully shaped, and of that rich, dark, velvety crimson color seen -only in the Jacqueminot. We do not hesitate to pronounce it the finest -Rose in existence for summer blooming, as it will make a large growth and -is loaded with its glorious blossoms from May until November. For winter -blooming it has no equal in beauty or profusion. Just the Rose to train -up in a conservatory or bay-window, where its exquisite blossoms will -show to wonderful advantage every day, summer or winter. Quite hardy, and -will produce more flowers than a dozen ordinary Roses. - -=PRICE=: Strong, well rooted, healthy plants, for abundant blooming at -once, =30c. each; four for $1.00; nine for $2.00.= By mail, postpaid, -guaranteed to arrive in good order. - -6 EXQUISITE NOVELTIES for 20c., postpaid, as follows: Cupid Dwarf Sweet -Pea, Scarlet Pansies, Weeping Palm, Margaret Carnation, Giant White -Scented Verbena, and Dwarf Flowering Canna. - -1 LITTLE GEM DWARF CALLA, grows only 8 inches high; perpetual bloomer; -most exquisite pot plant, postpaid, for 25c.; 3 for 50c. - -12 LOVELY NAMED GLADIOLUS for only 25c. postpaid; each bulb correctly -labeled, fine colors, white, pink, yellow, scarlet, blush, blotched, -striped. - -1 JAPANESE GOLDEN MAYBERRY, grows 6 to 8 feet high, hardy, branching -like a tree; bears great golden berries of luscious quality, which ripen -earlier than Strawberries. 25c.; 3 for 50c.; postpaid. - -_Or everything above offered, including Rose, for 75c., postpaid. 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