Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, January 18, 1902, Page 6

0-00-00-0-:00-0-000-0 SCCSCCS CCRC CEC CC CTS Rickerby’s Folly By TOM oe GALLON a O0-0-0-0-0-0-0000-0-0 0-0-0:0-0-:0000000-0 CHAPTER X. (Continued.) Anthony Taggett sat all the rest of the day, and far into the evening, turn- img over certain thoughts in his mind. Chat mind was, as has been shown, an imaginative and speculative one; and &t saw pessibilities in matters that or- éinzry man would have dismissed as commonplace. Above all things, he saw, tm this curious suggestion of ghostly presences in the house, possi- bilities too great to be thought of light- iy; three or four times that evening, while he sat deep in thought, he changed the whole plan of that habeas 0 @ul first act of his—secing ghostly ef: and other fects, limelight, gauzes, <hings which should meke for illusion. In ail probability, he nad no distinct @elief in the matter; he merely regard- ali he had heard as mere sugges- to be used for his owa purposes. ht drew on, and the lights gradu- out in the house; but still . Paggett sat brooding over the last shted half-inch of candle in the can- k and planning surprising effects. rs. Faggett had long since gone to ed, and the last outside business which appeaied to Mr. Taggett's waking senres, W the chiming of a clock comewhere outside, giving forth the four of 3. Mr. gett woke from his species of half-doze and started to his @eet. The thought that had come to fim in that dreadful silence of the place had sent a sort of cold chill down his spine; but he did not think of that. Km the cause ef art and realism he was brave. “If I could see for myself what the place looks like,” he muttered. “The fights streaming in from moon and stars outside through the windows; the night wind rustling through broken windows and rotten shutters, the rats uttling behind the wainscot, the fur- ure taking on dim.shapes in the senri-darkness. I will! I will!” Mr. ‘Taggett clapped himself on the breast. “Then let the critics howl—let them I shall be able to say: “This is rave; me effort of the mere imagination! All ¢his have I seen—and_ felt—and heard!’ ” Now, Mr. Taggett felt bound in all things he did to act the part, whatever {t might be, to the life. In eating the most simple meal he set about it with a ourish as though he presided at a state banquet; poured out table beer with the air of one filling golden gob- tets with rich wines; and spread his fegs and his elbows to the best advant- age. The mere putting on of his clothes was a business which he per- formed with an indescribable air; and he went to bed in the attitude of a man whe expected to be roused from slum- ‘ber thirty seconds later with the lime- light full on him, the dagger of a hired assassin at his throat, and a battle all ever the stage in prospect. Thus, on ¢his oceasion, knowing that he had, in a sense, to play the ghost, he determined ¢o play it in conventional form. There was an old press in the corner ef the room—a press which had about ft a suggestion of household linen. He went to it and cautiously pulled it open. “There he found some carefully-folded sheets; taking out on2 of them, he shook it out to its full leagth, and then drew it about him. He put it on, in the fashion of those extraordinary cloaks, of no known shape, are some- times worn on the stage; with one end thrown over his left shoulder and a Wong tail trailing behind. Thus equip- ped, he felt that he could meet any re- spectable ghost that happened to be ebout, and look it in the face without shame or confusion. Lastly, as a precautionary measure, and in order that he might glide along “in that silent fashion, most in favor with the ghostly fraternity, he slipped off his shoes, and stood in his stocking feet. “Now am I reajy. I have a thought that I shall see such things this night @s few men have ever seen. But I care mot; I go forth in the sacred cause of ‘art; and I know that thjs will bear ood fruit in the future. I am studying @¢ first hand.” Mr. Anthony Taggett crept down etairs, stopping, with a quaking heart, ‘whenever a board creaked or whenever the stumbled against any article of fur- miture in the darkness. But all was e@till as the grave. At last he gained the lower floor, and was making for the door which gave on to the garden with mreater confidence, when he became aware of a light bobbing along slowly towards him. In an agony of dread, ‘he drew back flat against the wall, with @ fervent prayer on his lips that what- ever was coming might pass him by ‘and not see him. But it was not to be; the light came on, and behind it he saw the figure of ‘the woman called Jemima, whom he had seen about the house before. Mr. ageett fully anticiapted a scream, a drapping of the light, a rousing of the fhouse; he braced himself to be pre- pared for anything. But instead of that, Jemima stopped, ecalmiy, in front of him, and slowly waved the candle about, to take him in from afl points of view; murmured, as s¢ to herself, “That there Taggett man!” calmly took a corner of the @heet between her finger and thumb, and remarked, in the same tone, “And sone of the ‘ouse’s best sheets!” With ‘that, she dropped the corner of the Gheet and went bobbing along again, “Wandisturbed, to bed. “A mest singular female,” muttered ‘Mr. Taggett, looking after her. “I won- «der what she’d do if the house caught 7 He softly drew back the bolts of the ‘ig outer door and felt the cold night «wind blowing upon him. He had no suspicion that there was any special way into that uninhabited second fhouse; he had determined to get out {into the garden and endeavor to find a way into the place from there. It was pitch dark, and he had to find his way giong against the wall of the house, trusting merely to luck to guide him. He was groping about near what he believed to be a doorway, when the door itself was sharply opened from within; stumbling back hastily into the shadows, he saw a flood of light pour out—light which evidently came from a lantern, for it was shut off im- mediately. Then he heard the sound of feet, and two men came out of the doorway, beating something between them. He could see, dimly, that one man was very tall and the other very short. They laid what they carried softly on the ground, and the taller one closed the door; then Anthony Taggett heard brief whispers between them. “Where—where will you bury him?” asked the little man. “Over there,” whispered the other, stretching out a shadowy arm, to indi- cate the place he meant; ‘there, behind those bushes, near the wall. Come— bring him along.” Mr. Taggett had bad enough: with a sort of suppressed shriek, he turned to run; got himself twisted up in some extraordinary fashion, in the tail of the sheet, and pitched forward, heavily, into the arms of the tall man, who caught him and held him in a grip like a vice, CHAPTER XI. The Burial in the Garden. Constitutionally, Mr. Anthony Tag- gett was not a brave man; whatever bravado he put on for the profession he put on with the clothes which were a part of the bravado, and shed it, as he shed them, when the curtain fell. So that, at the moment when he was caught in that strong grip and entan- gled in that disastrous sheet—he felt himself helpless and at the mercy of an apparentliy desperate man—he capitu- lated rapidly and completely. He fell upon his knees and sputtered out a prayer that he might be mercifully dealt with. After what seemed a very eternity of time he was jerked to his feet and found himself facing the strong rays of the lantern, which had been picked up and turned on again. Then he heard an exclamation of astonishment, and the light was turned off swiftly; yet still the tall man kept that grip upon his arm. And still the body lay almost at his feet. “You.don't know me, Mr. Anthony Taggett?” said a voice which seemed familiar to him—‘at least, you won't know me at present. But you see that I know you.” “Y—yes—I—I—see you do,” said Mr. Taggett, nervously. “Let me assure you at once that I had—had no desire to--to intrude-in any way upon you— or upon the other excellent gentleman I can dimly see at your elbow. We— all have our little—our little private businesses— to attend to”—he glanced at that dim shape on the ground—“and I would not for the world interfere—in any such matters.” “Unfortunately, Mr. Taggett,” said the voice again, “you have interfered; or rather you have blundered upon a matter which, for obvious reasons, we wanted to keep to ourselves. Mr. Tag- gett, there is a dead man lying at your feet—(don’t jump like that, man!j—and we are about to bury him. I’ m afraid that we must press you into the service. You were ever a man with a taste for realism, Mr. Taggett; you'll have it, with a vengeance, to-night!” “Gentlemen,” said the unhappy act- or, “if you will permit me to return to the house and to take my place by the side of the sleeping Mrs. Taggett, I swear to you that I will be asleep in as short a space of time as is compatible with my over-wrought nerves; and that I will forg2t everything that I have seen or heard to-night. Gentle- men, I am a peaceful citizen; and what- ever may be my desires in the way of realism on the stage, I can assure you that I have had more than enough of it to-night. Gentlemen, I would dissem- ble!” The tall man laughed grimly, and seemed to take a tighter hold of An- thony Taggett’s arm. “Presently, Mr. Taggett,” he said, “you shall look on my face; you shall hear strange things; shall have old lies refuted—shall look upon a man you never thought to see again. Meanwhile, I pledge you my word that if you will be silent, and will help me if necessary you shall not re- gret it, and you will not be doing any- thing which should be against the con- science of a good man.” Mr. Taggett kad suddenly begun to tremble very much; he stretched out one hand, and, in a shaking whisper, exclaimed: “Give me that lantern— guick!” 3 “What do you want with the lan- tern?” asked the voice again. “I want to see your face,’ whispered Mr. Taggett, trembling, yet still in a bolder voice. “I know your voice now; I am shaken all to pie-es—but, alive or dead, Gilbert Rickerby, I know you! Give me the lantern!” ‘ “Let him have it” said the voice again, apparently speaking to the little man, who had been silent all this time. Then the light was turned on with a click, and Mr. Taggett stretched out his hand for it, seized it, and tremblingly turned the light upon the figure of the tall man. “Keep it down, keep it down!” whis- pered thé man. “Do you want torouse the house, and bring them out-upon us in the midst of this business? That's it’’—as the light fell upon his face. Do you know me now?” “My Laertes!” exclaimed Mr. Tag- gett, with emotion. ‘To look again up- on the face of one who has been, in more prosperous times, my chief walk- ing gent! To see the man who has held Medora Taggett in his arms on occa- sion what time she scorned the offer of his love! But, my friend, how come you to revisit thus the glimpses of the moon, to stalk at night—” “Taggett—you are the same old Tag- gett I remember so well; and you are, unconsciously, raising your voice, There is no gallery here, Taggett; this is a matter of silence, with all lights down.” He caught hold of the lantern, as he spoke, and shut off the light. “Yes, there’s no doubt about it that I am alive in spite of al that anyone may say to the contrary. But I am in hiding here, and to-night I have to per- form the gruesome task of burying 4 murdered man.” “You—you are not rehearsing any- thing, are you, Rickerby?” asked Tag- gett, as a gleam of hope shot into his mina. “No, This is solid, sober earnest, un- fortunately. The man we are to bury to-night was killed'in mistake for me, and hidden in that empty house. This gvod friend of mine, Mr. Reeks, knows all about it, and is helping me.” Mr. George Reeks was seen in the semi- darkness, to bow, in acknowledgment of the introduction; he appeared, at the same time, to shiver, violently. “There is no time to explain matters now,” went on Gilbert. ‘We must get this thing done. Tell me, as quickly as possible, what you're doing here, and waht mad prank you were playing in that sheet when you stumbled into my arms.” “My dear young friend,” began An- theny Taggeétt, lowering his voice to suit the occasion—‘‘I had heard a great deal about the haunting of this house.” “Haunted, indeed—poor, unhappy, old place!” exclaimed Gilbert, glancing round at the dark windows, ‘What is to be the eid of it all, I wonder; what other fate awaits you? Black murder and midnight turial, and men flying from the place with terror-stricken faces to die violent deaths! Forgive me, Taggett,” he broke off, and glanced round at the two men. ‘ “I have seen such things in this place as few men} see anywhere. But, no matter how you come, I am glad to see you; I have need.of all my friends about me now, if I ever had need of them in my life. Now, tell me, how did you come here, and who is with you?” Mr. Taggett, as briefly as possible, and not without much dramatic ges- ture and much waving of a white- sheeted arm towards the night-sky, gave a full and particular account of all that had happened to him since he set out to walk from Bristol; of the meeting on the road with Ursula Sew- ell; the toming to the house; even the meeting that day with the strange son of old Cornelius Veevers. This last piece of news appeared to puzzle Gil- bert Rickerby mcre than anything else. ‘Old Veevers’ son!” he exclaimed. “There must surely be some mistake. I was always led to believe that Jemi- ma’s child di2d when it was a mere baby. You're quite euré he said he was @ son?” “Absolutely certain,” replied Taggett. “The woman you call Jeminma appeared to recognize him, and spoke with de- light of the way in which he had grown.” After puzzling over the matter a mo- ment or two in silence, Gilbert Ricker- by appeared to cast the thing out of his mind; turning about, in a. business-like fashion, he stooped over the body and spoke sharply to Mr. Reeks: “Come, we have no time to lose," he said. “I’m sorry to drag you into this business, Mr. Reeks, Lut you know how I am situated, and what I have to do.” “I was thinking,” said Mr. Reeks, hesitatingly, “that your good friend, Mr. Taggett, might care to take my place. So far as I can see in this light, there is more of an official look about him, and he is, besides, a much bigger man.” “My dear sir,” sald Anthony Taggett, hastily, “I have no desire to step in and take your duties from you. My cos- tume is, I admit, somewhat ridiculous; but I feel that I shall grace this occa- sion more as a spectator, and, by hov- ering about, to prevent surprise, than by taking any actual active part in it.” “Very ‘well, sir,” replied Mr. Reeks, resignedly. He stooped and picked up one end of the burden; together he and Gilbert Rickerby lifted it and began to bear it away towards an angle of the high wall, where a clump of bushes was planted thickly. Mr. Taggett, who had got hold of the lantern again, fol- lowed slowly, tucking up one end of the sheet over his arm, and plowing his way among the weeds and the dead leaves of many past years. Just as they reached the clump of bushes the three of them stopped dead: there had come, from the other side of the double house, ‘a violent ringing of a pell—the bell which was attached to the outer gate. As if by common con- sent, they laid their burden down, in the shadow of the bushes, and dropped silently down on the ground themselves. “For heaven’s sake, Taggett, take off that ridiculous sheet,” whispered Gil- bert, impatiently. “It will draw atten- tio to us, for certain, if you go flutter- ing about in that fashion! Take it off, man!” “J have already explained to you, Mr. Rickerby,” 2ame the whispered re- ply, “that I merely donned it for pur- poses of my art. As it is likely to com- promise you, ani as it is, moreover, ecnfoundedly in the way of my legs, I obey with pleasure.” He slipped out of the garment as he spoke, and thrust it behind him. After cuite a long time, during which the ringing of the bell was once or twice renewed, the three men, crouch- ing down in the darkness, heard the sounds of the drawing of bolts and the creaking of a door; saw a light go dancing across the darkness in the dis- tance. Then a man’s growling tones and the shrill voice of a female in re- ply. “Don’t tell me, old Guy Fawkes!’ ex- claimed an angry voice. “I tell you the man came here hours ago—and I have seen nothing of him since. I don’t leave this place until I have him, alive or dead!” Mr. Reeks seemed to sink lower to- wards the ground, and groaned softly. “I thought I knew that voice,” he mur- mured, “I know it, too,” said.Gilbert, with a laugh. “She appears to be fond of you, Mr. Reeks.” “Sir, she adores me!” was the whis- pered reply. “I only hope. she'll go away; she's the sort of woman who would stop here all night, and pull the house down, if she thought they were detaining me. You don’t know nae Lily. ‘ “T’'m afraid I’ve let you in for a lot | of trouble,” said Gilbert, penitently, “How will you explain matters to “Heaven knows!” exclaimed — rey Reeks, with another groan. “What does it matter? Whatever I tell her she’s not- Ukely to believe; if I told her one-half of what has happened to me to-night, she’d say I was raving mad. I really, think, gentlemen,” he added, “‘that you had better put me quietly out of my misery and bury me with the other man!” In a few minutes however, the voice of the lady at the gate had died down to a more reasonable tone; she was even heard to express an apology for having disturbed anyone at such a late hour. They heard Cornelius shut the gate; saw his lantern bobbing about in the darkness as he went grumbling back to the house; heard him talk to someone, who callenged him from a window above, and explain who /the visitor had been and what was wanted; heard the house door bang—and then silence. They got up from the ground and set about their ghastly work. The light of the lantern was turned on again, and it was set upon the ground, so that the rays would fall upon the lower part of the wall and attract no attention. Gilbert pulled out an old, rusty spade from the shelter of the bushes, where it had evidently been placed in readi- ness for the work; and, with vigorous strokes, began to turn the hard earth. ‘Then can.e another interruption—and this time a more startling one than the first. Out from that dark house, from which they had carried the body, came a figure straight towards them; in its hand it carried another lantern, which threw broader beams of light™ahbout its path than their own feeble, glimmer- ing ray could have done. . Terrified, they drew together, and stopped the work, and waited its coming. “Keep steady, and stand clear of my arm,” whispered Gilbert, straightening his back and grasping the spade. “If this is old Cornelius, or that villain, his master, Heaven have mercy on them!” They stood, in absolute silence, await- ing the coming of the figure. But when it got to within a few yards of where they stood, and Gilbert Rickerby had already raised the spade in his hands to strike, they saw by the light of the lantern, that this was no man come to spy upon them, no creature to be dealt with by blows. Instead, the bowed fig- ure of an old woman, who came, quite calmly, up to them, and, after a glance at the body, while they stood in stupe- faction, looking at her, said, quietly, in a sort of gentle murmur: “You don't seem to ‘ave a good, light ‘ere, Master Gilbert. Don’t you mind me; if you stands a-staring like that you won't never git done afore day- light.” Still they stared at her; and at last Gilbert asked, in a low voice of won- ger: “But do you know, Jemima, what we're doing? Do you know that this man—" “Don’t talk—con't talk!” she replied, with an impatient gesture of ner hand. “There's many things 1 krow and see, and yet say nothing about. But, oh— the time is comin’—the time is comin’ fast!” She raised her eyes to the dark sky above her, and seemed to whisper the words to herself. Without further words, Gilbert went to work at a great rate, and soon cleared out a space deep enough to cerve for a grave. Reverently. they laid the burden in; and then, before replacing the earth, Gilbert Rickerby knelt and made shift to say some sort of prayer over the man whe had served him faithfully and who had met his death in his service. “Oh, God,” he whispered, “let it be that what I say, humbly and sorrowful- ly, over this poor clay to-night, may reach high Heaven and find favor. There is no service like that this poor fellow gave—which gives all, even life itself, and seeks for nothing in return. Grant that he may rest as lightly here as he might in any place where Thy children sleep. And, oh, God!”—he started to his feet and savagely clenched his hands—‘‘give me the pow- er and the strength to track down the man who did this thing—give me the power—give me the—” He broke down utterly there and cov- ered his face with his hands and sobbed aloud. After a few moments he recov- ered himself, and set to work to oblit- erate all traces of the burial, as much as possible, distributing the earth among the roots of the bushes and making the general surface of the ground as level as he could. That done, he thrust the spade into its former hiding place, then stood up and ad- dressed the three who watched him: “Remember,” he said, “that I swear you all to secrecy about this thing until I can speak of it myself. Mr. Reeks, here, knows why I have nidden the body of my poor servant like this. It is for the sake of a young and innocent girl; and for her suxe, I remain now in this accursed place, instead of leaving the shadow of it forever behind me, as I wish to do. Mr. Taggett, the time may come when I may have need of your help—and I krow you will not fail me. For the vresent, Mr. Reeks is go- ing to help me; he has promised to take charge of this young lady for a lit- tle time, until I can take charge of her myself, Taggett, you were ever a good actor—" “Sir,” replied Anthony Taggett, with emotion, and with a hand on his breast, “you are one of the few who have deigned to say so.” “And you will, I am sure, play a good part here. Dissemble, my friend, as much as possible; whether your stay in thisahouse be long or short, keep a watchful eye on Nugent Leathwood, and say nothing of the events of to- night.” “Trust me, Mr. Rickerby,” replied Taggett. “I will twine my way about his heart and find out from him all that is to be found out. In this, fortunately for myself, Providence is again good to me; I see a great part, in that drama which has yet to be written—the part of a man—a very sleuth hound of sleuth hounds, who remorselessly tracks down his victim, who woes his secret from him, and at last, in the final act, practically, falls upon him and rends lways—mind you—in a gentle-. manly fashion. I think he will prob- ably smoke a cigarette.” It was at this moment that Jemima, who had been standing quietly, listen- ing, did an extraordinary thing. She dropped down upon the ground, so as to obscure the light of the two lantern: after fumbling for a moment, both were out, and the three ccenspirators drew, instinctively, closer together and lookéd at the old woman, who had risen again : is it?” asked Gilbert, in the ‘mere Preath of a a whisper, _ . “Someone is dodging about among the trees across there,” she answered, in the same cautious tone, with a nod of the head in the direction she meant tc indicate. “I thought I seed ’im just now—but I wasn't sure. My eyes is pretty good; I think it’s someone in a long, gray coat.” / “Yes, I see him,” said Gilbert, be- tween his teeth. “How long do you think he has been there?” “Nothing ain’t moved there this ever so long,” whispered the old woman. “I thought it was the lighter shadder between two of «he trees; it must 'ave bin there nearly all the time.” “Good Heavens!—probably seen ev- ertyhing,” muttered Gilbert. “Mr. Tag- gett, will you make a circuit in that direction, towards the gate, so as to cut him off if he makes for, that? Mr. Reeks, stay here; I know he’s taller than you are—but you can catch him by the legs and throw him if he should come towards you. I'm going straight up to him.” Slowly, and in absolute silence, the three men started to do as arranged. Gilbert moved straight towards that gray shadow among the trees. The gray shadow saw the movement and started forward into the light, then turned and began to make for the gate ut a smart pace, Mr. Taggett doubling hard in the same direction. (To Be Continued.) Chumberlain Aided by His Wife. It is said that Mr. Joseph Chamber- lain goes over the contents of his speeches in the presence of his wife, and takes kindly to her criticisms and suggestions. This being the case, Mr. Chamberlain's best friends regard it as unfcrtunate that she does not induce him to forego the acrid and uncharita- ble ard cheap flings at opponents, with which he degrades) the tone of his pub- lic utterances. In one part of his Ed- inburgh speech, Mr. Chamberlain, con- sidering the manner of the recent dis- missal of Sir Redvers Buller from the army, laid himself open to attack. He admitted that the government had made many mistakes. He said to his audience: ‘“‘Why do you not recognize the good thiggs we have done? We have erred; we are the first to admit it. But we think, in the light of what we have accom@lished, we should be for- given and should be trusied further by the peorle.” If Mr. Chamberlain had urged a view similar to this when cer- tain members of his cabinet were dis- cussing the fate of Buller, the old gen- eral would probably still command.— London Correspondence Chicago Daily News. That Wonderful Woman. This is what the economical young woman did. She needed one of those pretty little jackets of silk, wadded and warm, to wear under a light out- side coat. She found just what she wished in one of the shops, but, alas! it cost six whole dollars! She had made up her mind to take it the first time che saw it, for it was the identical thing she needed, but she hesitated at the price, and decided to think it over. But this was the case in which the wo- man who hesitate3 is saved. “T could make you one of those with but very little trouble and for half the price,” exclaimed the young woman’s sister, hearing of the coat. That was too good an offer not to accept at once. “The materials were purchased, and al- most in less time than it would have taken to go to the shop and buy it, a pretty jacket was made, exactly as geod as any that could have been found in the best of shops, and it cost only $1.50. It was made of China silk, it will wear for a long time, and the girl feels that she has made a clear $4.50 —New York Times. What the Serious Youth Wanted. The editor glanced up. A grave- looking youth stood in the doorway. He wore.a broad-brimmed black hat and a white tie, in addition to some other things, and nodded with dignity as he caught the editor’s eye. The young man stepped forward, and the editor’s heart warmed to him. He thought that b-re, brightly contrasted with the frivolicy of most men of his age, stood the serious youth. Life was not all a playground for him. “What can I do for you, asked. The youth coughed to clear his throat. “Sir,” he said, “Mr. Editor, some of the girls down to cur place hey mislaid their rules for flirtin’ with th’ handker- chief, an’ they'd like to have you pub- lish 'em again.”—Cleyeland Plain Deal- er. sir?” he Taught King Edward VII. In the couse of an address delivered at Toronto by Prof. Goldwin Smith— professor emeritus of history at Cornell university—the fact was brought to light a few days ago that King Edward VII. had studied history under him. ‘The professor said: “As professor of history at Oxford I had one interesting and delightful stu- dent—our present king. While he was at Oxford I used to lecture him private- ly, and afterward had to go and exam- ine him, He never allowed me to see that he was bored, and the king who could be bored by a professor without showing that he was bored should his able to listen to a municipal eanrenay": New York ‘Times. She Knew Better. “But I can’t cast Binks for that part,” protested the manager of the amateur theatrical company, in answer to the request of the heroine. doesn’t know how to play the lover e doesn’t?” she exclaimed. ‘‘Well, that’s all you know about it. Why, he—” ‘Then she stopped and blushed. “J mean in public,” said the manager. ‘Thereupon she blushed some more.— Chicago Post. About 2 This A. M. Mrs Casey (1 a: m.)—And abaveler yez, beew dhrinkkin’? Mr. Casey—S-Shure, 1—hic—dunnaw! Mrs. Casey—Dunnaw, ye fool! And phwat did-ye call fer? Mr. Casey—Th’—hie—th’ same--Puck. Mr, Borem—I wonder it there's any truth in the old saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Miss Peppery (suppressing a yawn)— ‘Well, I believe I could like some people much more if they’d’only go away.— Recah Press. — FOUND AMERICANS BUYING LAND AT SASKATCHEWAN, WESTERN _ CANADA. : A Michigan Farmer Visits Saskatoon and 1s Well Pleased. Mr. S. K. Lent was a delegate sent from the farmers of Allegan County, Michigan, to Western Canada, to re- port on the prospects for successful settlement. His report is as follows: I went from Winnipeg to Edmonton, thence east one hundred miles by wagon. 1 found the country in that vicinity a rich, black loam, varying from 12 inches to 3 feet deep; the crops are simply something enormous; wheat and oats by actual measure- ment often standing five feet in height. I have been a farmer for forty years, and consider myself a fair judge of the yield of grain, and I saw witeat that would yield 50 bushels per acre, and oats that would yield 100 bushels per acre; not one alone, but a good many. As for root crops and garden truck, in no country have I ever seen their equal for all kinds except corn and tomatoes; the nights being too cool for these to ripen well. As a stock country it has no equal. East of Ed- monton, on the head waters of the Vermillion River, I saw hay meadows containing from 10 to 100 acres, the grass standing 4 feet high, and would often cut 3 to 4 tons to the acre. From Edmonton I passed through some fine locations, namely, Weta- skiwin, Lacombe and other points. From McLeod I went to Regina, thence to Prince Albert, 247 miles north of the main line. For the first fifty miles is fine farming country, but the next hundred miles is more of a stock country. Then at Saskatoon, Rosthern and Duck Lake I found some very fine farming country, so good that I found a party of Americans from Minnesota buying land for them- selves—one party buying 12 sections, and the other 20 sections of land for themselves, which they proposed to improve at once. I have traveled over ‘twenty- -three different States and Territoriés in our Union, and never in my life time have I ever seen such magnificent crops and especially as fine a stock country. New England Caution. Little Boston Boy—Mother, I toid Santa Claus that he needn’t trouble himself to make his tsual donations to ine this season. Motner—What do you mean, Epamin- ondas? Little Boston Boy—Mother, he has worn his old fur cverceat such a long period that I feel assured it must be infested with pernicious microbes.— Detroit Free Press. The Petition Was Granted. A pretty little anecdate is going the rounds of the Roman press. An old lady, the widow of an officer, who had for many years appealed to the Italian government for recognition of her hus- band’s services, but had never received an answer. <A bright idea came to her, and she wrote to “Her Royal Highness, the Princess Yolanda.” When the letter was handed to the king, he read it with a smile, and then bade his chamberlain take it to the princess and read it to her. The cham- berlain went to the baby and gravely read the lett2r aloud to her, and «then returred to the king. “Well,” said the king, “what did the princess say?” “Nothing, your majesty.” “Very well. Silence gives consent. See that the lady’s petition is attended to.”—New York Press. An Important Discovery. Detroit, Mich., Jan. 13.—A sensational statement is made by Mr. Benjamin Major, whose home is at the corner of Jane and Hurlbut Ave., this city. ‘Mr. Major says that he has found a remedy which will positively cure all Kidney and Bladder troubles. He suf- fered himself for a long time with these diseases in tne most painful form, and during his illness experimented with a great many medicines without getting any relief. Finally, he tried’ Dodd's Kidney Pills, and, to his great joy, was cured completely. The statement he makes seems to have ample confirmation in reports be~ ing published every day of wonderful cures by this remedy. France’s annual consumption of wheat, including seed wheat, is 346,236,- 600 bushels. CAPSICUM VASELINE (PUT UP IN COLLAPSIBLE TUBES ) A substitute for and superior to mustard or ‘ny other plaster, and will not blister the most delicate skin. The paln-allaying and curative Guaiities of this article are wonder- ‘It will stop the toothache at once, and relieve headache and sciatica. We recom- mend ig as the best and safest external Tories A trial will prove what we claim 0. to be invaluable usehold. Many people say “‘it isthe of your preparations.” Price 15 cents, at ali dvuggives or other dealers, or by a at amount tousin porge s tam send you @ tube by mail. No artic Should be accepted by the public unless the same carries our label, as otherwise it is not gen iH co., 17 State Street, NEW YORK CITY. r it, and it will be found in the WESTERN CANADA'S Wonderful Reser gabe | for 1901 now the talk of the Commercial Wor! 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