Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, February 10, 1900, Page 6

Sena at meneame, a a The Arnewood Mystery BY MAURICE H. HERVEY. Author of “Dead Man’s Court,’ ‘‘Somerville’s Crime,” “Dartmoor,’”” “‘Maravin’s Money,’’ etc., etc. wholly believe the’ newsman’s state- ment that he could find Tom “eny time.” Still, he probably had a clue to his whereabouts, and would follow it up all the better for a little active co- operation on my part. So T went, and lucky for me it was that I did so. CHAPTER XV. (Continued.) “Such is my own opinion, also,” I re- joined, “and I am very glad to have it 60 authoritatively indorsed. I triist to have two of the culprits under lock and key within less than a week, pro- viding I am not detained through the inquest.” “That will ma evidence you r nly depend upon the ny give,” he remarkea, meaning in his tone. aid the better fn this particu You may be gure that neither coroner nor jw CHAPTER XVI. Sam Nobbs Visits a Show. The Crown and Scepter, despite its be arxious to prolong the inquir pretentious sign, proved to be a very ing core mT smaltaffair, indeed, in the way of pub- say as little as possible. Many thank: lic houses—a mere beer-shop, in fact. O'Brien, for your timely advice. But, as I was not visiting it for pur- ibsequent events fally confirmed | po: of refreshment, that mattered ut the old lawyer's forecast, so far, least, as I was concerned. evi- dence was as terse and brief as I could make it. I was an inquiry agent, em- ployed by deceased to probe the mys- nething; indeed, it augured well as in- dicating a healthy preference, on the part of my emissary, for beer over rum. He had established himself, per- | tery of his cousin's violent death. I} }, in Ti : ae otod was explaining to him the results of haps, ‘so honor of my canoe advent, my inquiries so far, when he suddenly | /@ a little den labelled “Private Bar,” fell back in his chair and expired. | and there I found him in full enjoy- Was the nature of my statements such as to cause unusual excitement? Yes; the more so as deceased took a Vi strong personal interest in the matter, Had i formed any opinion as to the death? Knowing deceased ment of a pipe and a pint of mild-and- Four-ale, be it understood, is dig., even in beer-house private ¢ause of le s was his greeting. ‘They’re off to-mor- to have a weak heart, and judging | row. We'll just be in nice time for a from the suddenness of his demi 1 | it rts now.” a on ibuted it to heart disease. was heckled a little as to the im- prudence of unduly exciting a person 60 afflicted; but there my share in the matter ende absolved from furthe tendanee, subject to re- eall ata d. notic very clear introduc- This was not tion, but the Crown and Sceptre was ely a suitable spot for explana- tions, and so I bade him finish his beer and com me outside, “Have we far to go?” I inquired. s “Nigh upon two miles, sir,” w: The medical evidence w: however, | reply. “Away up the Hampstead by no means so easily disposed of. | R . beyond the Canal. But we've Two doctors who had previously at-} time enough to walk it—withont you'd tended deceased, expressed no st-] rather drive?’ he added, suggestively. prise at the suddenness of the death. “No, Ud rather walk.” I rejoined, ‘a Dr. Redwood, on the other hand, insist- | part of the way, at all events. T can ed that death had been accelerated by | hear what you have to say better. means of some drug having.a specific } Now, tell your story in your own action upon the heart. The coroner ion, but cut it as short as you sided with him; and the inquiry was . adjourned for ten days to admit of an exact s of the remains, y the matter stood two days after my departure for London and upon the eve of the meeting ar- ranged between James Blogg and the stranger at the old house in Rodney Avenue. Of the stranger I had neither heard nor seen anything more. He had not again called at the Shellborne Ho- tel, finding his mission probably frus- trated by Captain Arnewood’s death. ip Blake had taken the de- ve with ¢ cteristic tly to my surprise, he y changed his hostile atti- me, and had even gone ring a sort of half- vious incivility. He st to avoid attend- ch he described as but, nevertheless, r, he had * he assented, “more ‘specially as ther it deal to tell arter all. Well, y’ se, I kept on the prowl around Clerkenwell, with a bit of. King’s Cross and the Euson Road thrown in, but nary sight could I get of my man until I spotted him on Christmas eve, near Gower Street Station, It was nearly dark, with a bit of fog besides, and I couldn’t feel quite sure of him until I overtook bim in the Hampstead Road. Even then, theugh I knowed I wasn’t mistaken in the lob-sided figure and shuffing walk of the man, I v well-nigh choked when I seed his You know, sir, as well as I do, that wotever might be said about Tom Webb's boozin’, no ene could ever mistake him for an idi- ot. Well, the e of the man I'd been follerin’ was just that of a mad ‘un. Not a glimmer of sense nor under- standin’ in the fishy eyes, and a set Right ’ are, had enti tude tow the length ¢ apology for his p fiad dove utny ing the inques “a bit of a bo called upo: quite fra re for s¢ grin, that had no larf in it, on the halt ri © interview with deceased as open, dribbling mouth. It was ‘Tom pre f a check, which the | Webb, right enough, but more like a latte hi This S bleomin’ caricatoor, such as T sells in cour wise admission, because the | the ‘alfpenny comics, than the genuine nd had |} article. eounte bore his name bat 1 o the hands of the law offi- “‘TTello. mate! says T, slappin‘ him eer Incidentally, it hed also sup-;on the shoulder, friendly-like, ‘what cheer?’ ( Tom looked at me. and, for half a minute I thought he knew me. But he didn’t. He only grinned and mum- bled somethin’ about the fog gettin’ worse. Then, secing as how he disap- peared the night ef the great fog last month, this seemed a good line to fol- plied the only diverting incident in the dreary inquiry. He had. he informed the coroner, cashed the check in ques- tion almost immediately, or, at all events, before news of Captain Arne- wvood’s demise had reached the Na- dional Bank; and this instance of smartness had half-amused the jury. {To me, of course, the incident had con- | ler. veyed a deeper meaning. In conjunc- “'Yes, it’s coming on a bit thicker, | tion wi the disappearance of the | mate.’ L tells bim, ‘but ‘twon't be any- stranger, it seemed to intimate some | thing like wot we had five weeks ago. | A reg’lar bad ‘un that we “The grin died away, and with a queer, jibberin moan, he slunk off as st as he could. Of course, I follered connection between the latter, Mr. Philip Blake, James Blogg and the two dead Arnewoods. Such, then, was the position upon Dec. 26th, the evening of the fateful meeting which, if I played my cards aright, and with ordinary luck, seemed destined to solve the mystery of Luke Arnewood's death. But I had yet to decide upon a plan of action. With Billy as guide, it would, doubtless, be easy enough to effect an entrance into the house, either before or after the arrival of the confederates. I had to take into account, however, that 1 should have two men to deal with, both probably armed and sure to offer a desperate resistance to capture. That I bad no legal right to seize them, no matter how compromising their inte view, was a detail I intended to ignore; but I could not ignore the fact that 1 avould be helpless single-handed. To whom could I apply for help? Once more the name of Inspector raill suggested itself. I had but to gee him and the difficulty would be at an end. But again I revolted at the fdea of seeing the fruits of my labors earried off by Scotland Yard. As a very last resource. I might have to fall back upon Traill; but T vowed it should only be when all other means hould fail me. I might hire the services of a couple of prize-fighters or bull but even they would perhaps draw ek when they realized that burglarious entry ot @ house formed part of the job, and any hesiation on the part of my as- gistants might ruin all my plans. While I was puzzling over thi ~ward detail, I stumbled across a dirt Jooking letter addressed to me, which I had somehow overlooked. It was from the little newsvendor, and ran as follows: *“Honord Sir:—Hoping this will reech you in time as I have fimportant news to tell you. Its nbowt Tom and I can find him ery tims but not after tomor- row. Honord Sir, hoping to see you at athe Crown and Sceptre, Barrow Sireet, Clerkenwell, any time between 6 and tonight thursday. If i dont see you { will pay my respex tomorrow, Your servant to command, --“Sam_ Nobbs.” st as we got past the canal bridge, he stopped short and rounded | on me. ‘Who are you? he asked, jerk- | in’ out the words e. ‘Why are you a-dogging my steps? “Well, I'm your old Nobbs,’ says I, quietly. ‘And I'm a- dogging your footstep: s you calls it, to find out where you’re goin’ to, Tom Webb.” “The names ‘ad just the same effect on him as when I fust spoke to ‘im. He seemed to know ‘em for an instant, and then to forget ’em again. “‘you can if you like, of course,’ says he. ‘and your friends, too, There's no half-pri though, except nine on Saturday nights.’ “All right, mate,’ says I. ‘no bloom- | in’ ’alf-price for me. Front seat and no favor’s my motto.’ Of course, I hadn't the least idea what he was driy- in’ at, ‘cept that it seemed to be about a show of some sort he was goin’ to. But when you've one of the cranky sort to deal with, ’tain’'t ro manner of use tryin’ to make ‘im speak out plain. You've just got to ’umour ‘im and wait. “Well. sir, Tom seemed satisfied with my reply, and we walked on together to a piece of buildin’-ground that wasn't yet sold, and was let now and then to caravans and = small cireus- folk. There was a tent rigged up, and I soon guessed this was the show Tom "k- | and me was to patronize; but I was a bit took back when I heard that Tom belonged to the show himself. It took some time to get at the bottom of all that he told me: but in the end, I Je ont that he was employed as taker, and to look after the s generally. It seemed 4 | pit ggerin’, just at first, to find a poor, barmy cove like Tom with a job like this; but when you come to think of it, it figures out all right. Tom is a. first-rate scholar, and a dab at fig- ures, fit. mebbe, to keep the books of a bank. He’s as honest as a sheep-dog, as anyone can tell. Also a bit barmy. Well. ain’t a barmy scholar better nor pal, Sam | you. sir, but he’s as strong a wide-awake whong ‘un? Anyhow, that’s how the boss of the show ’pears 3 at once decided upon visiting the Crown ard Sceptre, though I did not to have worked it out, and I don’t see as he was very far wrong. “J had to wait more than an hour be- fore the show opened, and Tom left me, when the lights began to be lit, to look after his tickets and passes. T asked him to have a drink at a pub across the read, but he rounded on me like an angry dawg. He said pubs. was all cellar-flaps to perdition. It struck me as funny to hear. Tom Webb say 2 thing like that, until I remem- bered he was barmy and didn’t know no better. However, we had some cof- fee at a stall, and he swallowed it as though he was used to it. Ain’t it aw- ful, sir, wot a change madness can bring about in a man?” T could scarcely restrain a laugh at the little newsvendor’s quaint appeal, He was himself a sober fellow enough, who looked forward to his glass, at proper intervals, with relish. But, like thousands of his fellows, he had a profound contempt for the rigid teeto- taler, and I deemed it no business of mine to discuss the point. “T have heard of worse than a change from rum to coffee.” T replied. “But go on with your yarn.” “Well, sir, not caring much about coffee. myself, at a time when I usual. ly has a ‘alf-pint, I went across to the pub, and there, as I expected, [ eame across some of the show-people. Thinks I to myself, ‘Sam Nobbs, you're a bloomin’ ’tec, for the present, that’s wot you are, an’ you've got to go one or two better nor Sherlock Holmes, on this ‘ere cecasion, And I went ‘em, too, sir, for all I was worth. “I precious soon spotted the boss of the show, a fat, good-natured looking chap, as was standing drinks to areg’- lar crowd of ’em. All his own people, though; and I found out as ‘ow he al- ways @id it, afore openin’, if business was anyways brisk. A rum-looking lot thew was, too, mostly wrapped up in rugs or great-coats for to hide the fleshlings they showed in. And that jolly, sir, it did one good to listen to ‘em. Of course, as it was my game to get in with ’em, I watehed my chance, and asked the clown to have a drink. “Right you are! says he. ‘Make it a pint, and my pal here will go halyes, eh, Dicky? Dieky’s our Strong Man, you know.’ “At first I thought he was joking. be- cause the blanket-covered cove beside him was barely five feet high, and I ughed. So did the little "un. “Wot” this hold? he asked, holding up a quart pewter. A quart,’ si I “ ‘Bet you a bob it won't,’ says he. “Done, says I, wondering where the bob caine in. “He linked his two hands around the pewter, and, a moment later, handed a flattened-out piece of metal to the bar- men, “You've got to get a quart into that, Jimmy! he cried, shaking with laugh- ter, “Wot are yer givin’ us? said the barman, pretendin’ to be out of the ‘know. ‘How did this happen? “Can't say for sartin’, answers the little Strong Man, ‘but I rather think the—Stout Lady sat on it by mistake? “Put-up job, sir? Well, I suppose it was, and had been worked on lots of other besides me, But I didn’t see it in that way at the time, and I larfed fit to kill myself. After all, it only cost me the price of the beer, for eith- er the Strong Man or the publican stood the racket of the pewter. The Stout Lady chipped in for a three of gin cold, though, before the boss teok ‘em all across the road to give the show. I went with them, and might easily have seen the performance free, if I'd wanted to. The boss invited me, and the Strong Man threatened to take me under his arm, But thar warn’t no Sherlock Holmes about that, and so t pays my bob to Tom Webb and sails into my front seat. ‘long ‘with all the *Amsted Road toffs. I wished I had on my spotted red tie and fancy ves- kit, but, still, I reckon I held my own pretty middlin’. They ain't no class down that way. “I kept on tellin’ myself I warn’t there to see the show, only, but for all that. I couldn’t help enjoying some of the truns. However, as you'll see ’em for yourself presently, there ain't no cecasion for me to tell you about ‘em —except just ene thing. That little Strong rly Fetched me, per- haps, ‘cos I ain't built that way my- self, He's only a little ‘un, as I’ve told eart- Ss a great horse. And, wot's more, he pal of Tom Webb's.” “Indeed? That redoubles my inter- est in him “Well, it's so, Mr. Weston. After the show was ever, he waited ever so long for Tom (who was delayed somehow by his accounts). and they went oft home together. From what I heard from some of the others, I think the Strong Man has a crippled brother, who is also a bit dotty, and that’s why he and Tom are such pals.” “Did you have any further conversa- tion with Tom himself?” “Very little, sir, I couldn't get sight of him until just before he went off with the Strong Man, who gave me a pretty broad hint not to foller ’em home. JT wanted to, but someinow T didn’t care about risking a row witha chap who juggles with hundred- weights and breaks horse shoes in his fingers. So, with just a few words to Tom, that I theught might jog his dead-and-gone memory to life again if he thought them over, I wished "em good-night, and promised to bring a pal or two to see the show some other night. “‘You'll have to hurry up, then,’ says the Strong Man. ‘We're off in three day’s’ time.” From which [ reck- on to-night'’s about the last time they'll show in Hampstead Road. I don’t krow as I’ve anything more to tell you, sir.” 3 “Very good, Sam,” I. remarked. “‘} think you've done your work smartly and well. All you've got to do now is to contrive some sort of introduction for me to your Strong Man, and leaye me to manage the rest. Remain with me until I give you a hint to go. but, as soon as I do, clear out at once. Do you understand ? “I’m fly. sir,” was the reply. “I’m glad to make the rurnin’, and drop out when we gets into the straight, leavin’ you to finish alone—Right you are sir! CHAPTER XVII. The Strong Man at Home. Following his previous plan, the lit- tle newsvendor took me first of all into the public house, where, however, on this. occasion, only four or five of the show people were assembled. One I at once identified as the Strong Man, frcm his quaint build, while another proved to be the “boss” himself. They both greeted Sam cheerfully, and re- ceived me affably as a prospective patron of the entertainment. Nor bad they any hesitation in accepting an in- vitation to join us in liquid refresh- ment, and we soon became quite friendly. I kept the conversation chiefly upon the topics most likely to interest them until I, so to speak, forced the card I wished upon the owner of the show. “Excuse me, sir,” he said, “but are you in the ‘pro’ your- self?” “No, not in the ‘pro,’ but I am a pro- fessional man for all that,” I made an- swer. “I am very fond of not over- pretentious entertainments, such as I understanr yours to be, as a relaxation from my serious work. But I am mak- ing a specialty of cases of mental de- rangement, or madness, as it is com- monly termed. That is, perhaps, why I do so greatly enjoy a little amuse- ment in my leisure time.” Sam looked at me approvingly, in order, doubtless, to let me see he thor- oughly appreciated the motive of this mis-statement. The other two ex- changed glances which seemed to indi- cate that the bait had taken. “Strange thing is madness, sir,” re marked the Strong Man, reflectively. “Very strange,” I assented, assuming an impressive, persuasive manner, “A fall, a blew, or even a@ nervous shock, and the strongest brain may become a wreck. Fortunately, the sub- ject is much better understood now than it used to be, and we are learn- ing to distinguish between downright insanity and merely temporary mental aberration.” I was aiming all this heavy talk at the Strong Man, of course, and the re- sult surpassed my expectations. he seized me by the hand, vowed it alike an honor and a pleasure to meet a professor of my distinction, and begged, me almost plaintively to see him after the conclusion of the per- formance. 'To this request, after some affected consideration, I assented, and we all adjourned to the tents. I weuld not hear of any free list, but, as I did not wish to run any r premature recognition by Tom W ebb, I made Sam take the tickets. “You may clear as soon as you like when the show is over,” I told him, slipping a sovereign into his ready hand. “See me in the morning.” “Right y’ are, sir!’ he replied, with a broad grin. “You've got the inner run- ning, sir, and no mistake!” A bread, clumsy compliment enough to my strategy, but it pleased me. It seemed to me that yet another veil was about to be removed from the great mystery. Th turns” of the little show were, naturally not of a very interesting de- scription, and I am afraid that even the Strong Man's feats, which so in- terested Sam, were not beyond suspi- cion as to exact avoirdupois. The en- tertainment had, at least, the merit of brevity. Within an hour it was over, Sam forthwith disappeared, and I awaited the Strong Man. He did not keep me waiting long, but explained that a dear friend of his, whom he par- ticularly wished me to see, would be delayed perhaps a quarter of an hour. Would I do him the very great favor of accepting a glass of wine pending his friend’s arrival? Of course, I as- sented, and he led me back to the inev- itable pub, but this time into a more select “saloon-bar.” Despite my pro- tests, he insisted upon ordering cham- pagne and sixpenny cigars; and when a man of this class does this, it either means that he is going to a: ‘a. yor or that he wishes to show off. I lit the proffered cigar, took a sip of the wine, and waited for him to break the ice. “See here, professor,” he began, ie! want you to understand from the start that I can't pay any very heavy fee for your advice, but so far as five pounds go, you're welcome to them if you'll only make it plain to me what ug ought to do.” “Go on,” I saod, quietly. “Well, sir, I've a friend living with me that I’ve got to be. very fond of. Some months ago he met with a bad accident. It nearly cost him his life, but I nursed him through. somehow. I'ni afraid he'll be a bit soft to the end of his life, but that ain’t the worst of it. Although he’s fairly sensible in most things—not exactly ‘all there,’ but still understanding most of what's going on—he remembers nothing of his past life before the accident came about him, not even his own name.” “That is a by no means uncommon result of severe injury to the brain,” I remarked; “and, more often than not, the injured person imagines himself to be somebody else. But, pardon me, are you referring to the friend for whom we are waiting?” “No,” he replied, a little awkwardly, “though, oddly enough, he’s a bit cra- uy, too. A poor, harmless creature, whom I found, more than a month ago. half dead from cold and hunger, on Mitcham Common. I took him home with me, my friend took a fancy to him, and he stayed on with us. He is a first-rate scholar, and the boss finds him A1 at figures and looking af- ter the takings, though he laughed at me at first for giving the poor chap food and shelter. I'd like to know, sir, what the Almighty gave me the strength of two ordinary men for, ex- cept to help those who can’t help themselves?” ‘There was not the faintest trace of cant about the little giant. Every word he spoke rang clear and true, and I began to conceive a great re- spect for him. “Quite right!” I assented, warmly. «and is the mental state of the second protege as clouded as that of the oth oy er? (To Be Continued.) Crocodiles for the Thames. ‘That much maligned reptile, the croc odile, is, in fact, a friend of man, al- though he tries—generally with success —to hide a sentiment of which perhaps he is ashamed as a weakness. He is an active sanitarian, his special line being the purification of rivers’ and Jakes. With such a certificate of char- acter before them, perhaps some of our river conservancies may be stim- ulated to secure the s ervices of a few vigorous crocodiles. With these in our rivers and a sufficient supply of ecls in our reservoirs and cisterns the difficult problem of water purification might be finally solyed.—British Medi- cal Journal. ‘ MINNESOTA ITEMS Vire in Minneapolis over $100,000. Contractors of Bemidji complain of a searcity of brick. ross earnings taxes this year will approximate $1,500,000, Princeton boasts of one of the best of any small town in the state. Minnesota members in congress work against the shipping subsidy bill. The farmers around Mabel will build a co-operative creamery in the spring. ‘ The Illinois Central has inaugurated its through passenger service to St. Paul and Minneapolis. It is shown that last year over a million pounds of oleomargarizne was shipped into Minnesota. At a special school election at Mabel. $12,000 in bounds were voted for the purpose of building a new school house. An action has been begun at Manka- to to test the validity of contracts be- tween boards of county commissioners and taxpayer ¥ Omaha train No. 3 Mankato. The ho the driver, George I seriously injured. Richard Wenright, a brakeman on the Mankato & Well neh of the Milwaukee road, was run oyer by cars while switching at Wells. Mrs. P. Montgomcry, almost 100 years old, died at Winona recently. She could remember the closing of the War of 1812, and had been a widow for fifty-five years. i John Storien, twenty years old, liv- ing in the town of Gordon, while hand- ling a shot gun, accidentally discharged it, the entire charge entering his neck and head. He lived twenty-four hours. The commissioners of Itasca county have been cited to‘apvear in St. Paul, some time in February, and show cause why they should not be ousted for malfeasance in office. John Ryan and Frank Rock of Brain- erd, were arraigned in the municipal court charged with robbery in the first degree. committed upon the person of caused a loss of struck a team at killed, and f Mankato, Ernest Babcock, aged teen. They were held to the grand ju; Jcseph Schmidt. had his right leg. several ribs and a shoulder fractured from the kick of a horse at New Ulm. His son, in trying to rescue him from the vicious brute, had his head cut open. Their deaths are expected. Benjamin Waterhcuse was accident- ally killed at Verndale by the bursting of a big fly wheel. A fragment struck the unfortunate man between the eyes, tearing off the entire upper half of the skull. Supt. Manuel, of the Wells. high school, has notified the board of edu cation that he will not be a candidate for re-election the coming year. This makes vacancies for superintendents in each of the three high schools of the county. The judge at Duluth has sentenced Joseph Smith, convicted of grand lar- ceny in the second degree, to two years In Stillwater prison. Smith prejudiced his case by pretending to be crazy Arnold Manthy,. convicted of grang larceny in the second degree, was sen- tenced to one year and three months A railroad survey is being made from Wells south of the Iowa line, crossing the new Northwestern line from Ma- son City to Blue Earth, at or near Briceland. The objective points north and south are not made public, nor the ad company ths back of the survey, which is paid for by Wells par- ties. Orlando T. Chapman, forty years of age ard single, committed suicide at Mankato by cutting his throat from ear to ear. Tle lived with his widowed and aged mother and has been in ill- health for two years past. No inquest was held. as it was a clear case of self-destruction. Four brothers and a sister survive him. The beds of two former beautiful sheets of water, Minnesoia lake and Rush lake, are about to be divided up by the owners of land adjoining. Beth lakes were in the vicinity of Mankato, but were shallow prairie lakes, and they either naturally dried up or were’ drained away by the cultivation of the soil around them. The question whether trees can be cut on a public highway without the consent of abutting property owners, is to be determined in the courts at Winona. W. E. Hamilton has secured the arrest of Fred Fick and Charles Tait, on a warrant charging them with cutting down fifty trees along the public highway in Pleasant Valley. The men claim to have secured permis sion from the roadmaster. Eva M. Salzbrun has been granted a divorce from her husband, Henry Salz- brun, a cigarmaker at Sleepy Eye, and was given $200 alimony and $100 attor- ney’s fees, the defendant also being as- sessed the costs. The parties were brought together by an advertisement in a marriage paper,. and Salzbrun made a trip to West Virginia to marry the fair plaintiff. Two weeks of wed- ded bliss was all they could stand, and divorce proceedings were instituted. William Webber, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Webber, living about eight miles east of St. Peter, was found shot through the heart in a meadow on his father’s farm. He went to the meadow to fix up a hay- ‘stack which the wind had damaged: He took a gun with him for the pur- pose of shooting rabbits. Not coming home in the evening, the family be came alarmed, instituted search, when he »was found as above. Death Ip. posed to have been accidental. He was about thirty years ol. The annual meeting cf the Fort Ridgely National Park and Monument association will be held at New Ulm Feb. 10. Among those who will be in attendance are Judge C. E. Fiandrau and Senator Timothy Sheehan, and the meeting will! no doubt be one of the largest in the history of the associ- ation. An effort will be made to in- duce the government to purchase 900 acres of land contiguous to the state | cemetery already located at the fort, and establish a national park, Samuel Wightman was severely urned by the explosion of a gzsoline ngine at New Richland. There Was Sorrow There. The colonel halted his horse in front of a Dakota dug out and uttered a vig- orous “Hello!” and after a minute a tow-headed girl of about sixteen years of age showed up and looked him over and said: “Now, then, what ye whoopin’ fur and who be ye?” “Can I get anything to eat here?” “Not a thing.” “Any water for my horse?” Our Increased Trade With China. England can no longer compete with us in the shipment of many products to China, This is merely natural. he best wins in everything. For a like reason, Hostetter’s Stomach Bitters has for fifty years acknowledged no superior, because there is nothing bet- ter to cure constipation, indigestion, dyspepsia and biliousness. Her Reason. “I often wonder why you don’t get married.” “Because I’m too fond of men’s soci- ety.”—Life. ‘Nature Abhors a Vacuum.’’ Nothing in the world. stands still. If you are well and strong day by day the blood supplies its tide of vigor. If you are dl, the blood is wrong and carries increas- ing quantities of diseased germs. You can- not change Nature, but you can aid her by Reeping the blood pure. Hoods Sarsapa- rilla does this as nothing else can. Be sure to get Hood's, because A Cinch. Mrs. Kelly (1 a. m.)—How could yea at droonk widout a cint in your pock- et? Mr. Kelly—Whoi, Rooney was talkin’ war, Casey was talkin’ politics and Ho- gan was talkin’ baby! All I had to do was to kape me mouth shut!—Puck.~ Rend the Advertisements. You will enjoy this publication much better if you will get into the habit of reading the advertisements; they will afford a most amusing study. nd will put you in the way of getting some ex- cellent bargains. Our advertisers are ee a they send what they adver- se. A Congenial Styl “T just heard of a good property fez Senator Billy Mason to buy.” “What is it?” “It's a country newspaper where they recently ran out of the ital U, and have to print United States like this—‘united States.’ ’—Cleveland Plain Dealer. _ TO CURE 4 COLD IN ONE DAY, Take Laxative Bromo Quinine Tablets. All druggists refund the money if it faiis to cure. “Sc. KE. W. Grove's signature on each box. A Bad Break. Nell—Mad at him? Why, he wro lovely poem to ber, Belle—Yes. But she never read it. When she saw the title of it she tore the whole thirg up in a fit of anger. You see, he called it “Lines on Mabel’s Face.”—Catholie Standard and ‘Times. a I believe my prompt use of Piso’s Cure peed quick cousumption.—Mrs. Lucy Wallace, Marquette, Kan, Dec. 12, The Old Trouble. “Alexander gave his wife a piano.” “Ah. so she would stay at home “Either that, or he would ha excuse to get away oftener.”—In apolis Journal. an A Terrible Example. Jimson—I hear France is going to use electric vans for the transporta- tion of troops. Weed—What of it? Jimson—They automobolize readily-New York Press. very Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup. For children teething, softens the gums, reduces fn- flammation, allays pain,cures wiadcollc. aca bottle. The student who takes up medicine finds it far more pleasing than taking it down. His satanical majesty is probably the Nick of time we hear so much about. THE NERVES OF WOMEN Lydia E, Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound Relieves the Suffering from Over- wrought Nerves. “Dear Mrs. PrnuamM:—I am so grateful for the benefit derived from the use of Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vege- table Compound tkat I wish you to publish this testimoniai that others may know the value of your medicine. ZL was sufferiug s-ch tortures from we nervous prostration that life wasa burden. I could not sleep at all and was too weak to walk across the floor without aid. The disease had @ reached a condition where my heart was affected by it, so that often I could not lie down at all without almost suffocating. I took Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vege- table Compound and it worked like magic. I feel that your medicine has been of inestimable benefit to me.”—Miss ApEL¥ WILL1AN- son, 196 N. Boulevard, Atlanta, Ga. Thin, Sallow and Nervous “Dear Mrs. PrInkHAM :—I was thin sallow and nervous. I had not had my menses for over a year and a half. Doctored with several physicians in town and one specialist, but did not getany better. I finally decided to try your medicine, and wrote to you, After I had taken three bottles of Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Com- pound and three of Blood Purifier, my menses returned, and I feel as well and strong as I ever did, and am gain- ing flesh.” —Miss Lena Gains, Visalia, Tulare Co., Cal.