New Britain Herald Newspaper, October 28, 1920, Page 14

A jite foot—keep him not a day; o feet—send him far away; thite feet—sell him to a friend, feet—keep him to the end. K old rhyme came to Lols as she stood looking at the horse which Emra Cole had just to her. Emra Cole was sup- know a great deal about Mve when Lois sent him to fetch & horse that would be kind and able she had faith that search until he found one. did you get him? asked him oft Jake Todd,” answered led the horse away while Lois After him proudly. She had a horsoe before. She about the creatures. For D weeks before she had always O ‘s decision to quit office ing bouse for a lone house acres of land in the country arrived at very suddenly. She C BARTON was the “most popular girl in Mill- ville. Bveryone acknowl- fact. “It's no wonder,” sald rather enviously it must to Ada Cabot, as they the street together. “It's herself—it's her mother— ‘hospitable and entertaining. there's a skating party, or party or a Red Cross meet- Barton's sure to say: ‘Now folks, all come back to our it's over and we'll have & o' tea. And then she al- the crowd up to their " place for week-ends. Why, way the boys can repay the is by ‘squiring Nancy You never hear or see any- her father. Her mother’s the she goes now,” exclaimed ly, “with Phil Desmond in . 1 guess he likes her ), but he could never také in the style she's been his clerk’'s salary, I don't ng'll come of it—not for anyway. But Nancy Bar- Inly a lucky girl,” and she at the trim little car that + "We'll Homeward had developed nerves. All her life Lois had had a great horror of nerves; she had seen the passes they brought people to. What did Jife amount to when one’s flesh was threaded with a million quivering wires that convert- ol every sound, thought, or sight into misery? The old doctor had spoken kindly but very plainly when he sald: “There are two ways open to you. You can either dope your nerves with bro- mide or its ilk, or you can take a rest. I, of course, advise the rest— absolute rest. There's a cure in rest. In the other there's only a palliative. “I'll take the rest,” Lois replied with- out hesitation, Lols took two days in which to be- come acquainted with her steed. It required some courage for her to ap- proach this high-hipped creature. Levi, the boy who did the “circular work,” as Lois called it, had straight- way fallen in love with Whitefoot. “He’s just like a hoss pa uster hev,” Levi confided. “My, you could do any- thin’ with that hoss! 'Cept o' course for one Iittle peculiarity. He'd kick was fast disappearing up the road. “I really hardly have a chance to get acquainted with some of my friends,” said Nancy to herself, when Phil Desmond had brought the little car to her door and gone back to his desk at the bank. “Mother always manages to have such a crowd around the house all the time or else I'm just coming home to get ready to go some- where else. Now Phil Desmond—but there, I know I'm an ungrateful wretch—mother just does all this to make things pleasant for me, and this is how I appreciate It.” “I almost hate to go,” she told her mother when she was all ready, “especially since Beth and the twins are coming tomorrow. I'd just love to see those darling babies.” “Well, dear,” sald Mrs. Barton, try and keep them till you come back, and if we can’t, why you can arrange to pay Beth and John a little visit later on.” Beth was Nancy’s older sister, who . had married John Orth about five years before, and insisted on living in a very tiny house in a very unfash- jonable suburb because, as she very frankly put it, “we can’t afford to be fashionable. John's only a salaried Runaway you clean tbrough the side of the barn if you fooled around his fetlocks. The only blacksmith ever dare shoe him was old Tom Wells. Mcbby you've heerd of Tom? Gosh! He was the qQueerest feller. John Wells! Lois recalied the lank, towheaded lad who had hung so per- sistently around Aunt Matty's when- ever she was there. She had often wondered what had become of him. Fhe memory of his shy attempts to court her lingered with her sweet and pure as the fragrance of Aunt Matty's lavender scented linen. Life had not presented Lois with any other lover, Romance had fled before the click of her typewriter, the scratch of her fountain pen. One afternoon Lols told Levi to hitch Whitefoot to the old buckboard and bring him to the door. She had got track of some Wyandotte setting eggs over the phone and was going after them. Before she had gone a mile she dis- covered that Whitefoot knew every step of the way if she did not. Shelet Miss Nancy Gives Instructions man—and now with Billy and Bab to plan for—"” and she shrugged her shoulders expressively. “But she seems mighty contented, just the same,” was Nancy’s opinion, the last time she had seen Beth and her twins. “I'd like just that sort of life—even to having tw—" but there Nancy had flushed guliltily and looked about to see if any one perchance could have overheard her unspoknn thought. So Nancy was packed off amid boxes and bundles filled with finery, and the week of her visit she was gay- er than ever getting her friend safely married off. And then she came home, devoutly wishing that she need not accept an- other invitation for a month, and all of a sudden she found that she had no home. For her father had the measles— and the house was quarantined. It was quite the most spectacular thing Cheating the Electric Chair E man's eyes were riveted up- on Tucker like a snake's up- on a bird! The stranger was & Hindu. He was clean th a rather broad, flat nose, underlip. at & small table in an out of corner of Hill's restaurant, cker suddenly felt a steady tare. Turning, and looking to he saw the dusky Orfental— individual with black pom- *, and deep, black eyes all the depth, mystery and them of an African jungle or ] felt confused and embar- His head whirled, and he put to his forehead as a sharp d it like a sword. Still, he refrain from returning the the Hindu. He felt his occult power. llstvely, the Hindu took a card his pocket, wrote something on as a cold, dark night in No- mber. A man crept slowly, thily up to the plazza of the 's in Asbury Court. An are Latayette street revealed his to Dr. Btiles and his guest, who were enjoying a so- in the Stiles home next about 12 o'clock. Asbury as always quiet, but never b than at this hour of night. It from the main street, and not highway, there being but f a dozen residences within on. er who that fellow is,” Dr marked, looking out of the , having heard faint footsteps. y cannot be Fitzgerald—he is town and told me he wouldn't until late tomorrow!"” or, you are the most benevo- turally altruistic soul in this Morrison, light- ‘Why, you make y’'s troubles your own, and to death by your patients, and I don't ses how you've ever penny! You're too lion-heart- chap, for your own peace of the men heard a window it with a fountain pen, and then arose and walked toward Tucker. He wasa striking figure, tall and eerect, and wore & black suit, high straight collar and black tie. He looked prosperous and professional. Passing Tucker's table he placed a card at his elbow, and smiled broadly, showing his peal white teeth, and lmmedhu'ly strode out of the restaurant, Tucker looked at the card. It read: “Doctor T. Sen, Physisian and Meta- physician, 10 Oakwood Place.” And the Hindu had written in ink, “Call at my office tonight at 7:30. I must see you else calamity and horror will fol- low you!” The man pondered the card as he turned it over in his hand. At first he was inclined to treat it all as a Joke but that afternoon the Hindu's face haunted him and he felt strange and unnatural. At 7:30 o'clock that night George Tucker ascended the steps leading to the office and home of T. Sen. It was open loudly in the house next door— the Fitzgerald residence. Then, they heard a woman's screams upon the midnight air. “Help! Help!” she cried. “He is killing me!"” The two men were on their feet in- stantly. The doctor ran into his den and procured his .38 and loaded it. come on, Morrison!” he exclaimed. “It's up to us! There's a burglar in there, and he's killing Mrs. Fitzgerald! Just the thing I feared when I saw that fellow in the driveway! Come! we must get him!” “Why not call the police!” suggested Morrison. “Nothing doing!"” said the doctor de- cidedly. “It isn't necessary. Two strong men like us in the neighbor- hood, and armed, and still we must call the police! Bah! Come on, Mor- 1ison, let ues do our duty!” Together they rushed out of the house, across the lawn, and onto the Fitzgerald veranda. They tried the front door, but it was locked. Again they heard the woman's screams and pleadings for help. They heard something fall heavily to the floor, which even shook the house. “My God! He has killed her!” exclaim- ed the doctor. “Mrs, Fitzgerald has fallen! We must get in there in- an old gray brick dwelling and it stood out alome, separated from other buildings. Hardly had he touched the doorbell when T. Sen opened the door and bade his visitor enter. Tucker found himself in a room with subdued light, big, fortable chairs, medicine cases against the wall, and bookcases filled with ponderous volumes, and on one side a large black curtain which seemed to be hiding something behind its thick folds. “Sit down, dear sir,” commanded the Hindu, smiling, and he pointed to an arm chair. He gazed steadily into Tucker's eyes, while he brought up an- ather chair directly in front of his visitor, and sat down. He lit a cigar- ette, and he sat there for fully three or four minutes saying nothing but simply gazing steadily at Tucker. “My dear sir,” the Hindu finally re- sumed, “I have summoned you here to do me a very great favor, to save the large com- By Phil Moore him go as Le pleased, while she gazed at the sky, the flowering fields, the pin cushion hills of dark greea velvet bristling with pins in the shape of rocks. In this way she passed the signpost that led to the eggs, or rather White- foot passed it for her. He seemed to have a well defined idea in his head, and suddenly he began to trot hope- fully, eagerly. When at last Lois be- gan to miss the signpost, which she had been told to look out for she was a good mile beyond it. Country dis- tances were as X to her. She judged that the post might arrive in view any moment. Anyway, Whitefoot seemed to know what he was about. She could trust him, After a much longer time had passed it occurred to her to glance at her wrist watch. It was 4:30. Half past four! Why, she had been on the road since 3! It couldn’t take all that time to get to the Brownes'. Especially as Whitefoot was racking briskly. She decided to pull him up and get her bearings, and gathered up the reins that Amos Barton had done in his very meck and uneventful life. But to go home was of course out of the question for Nancy. John Orth met her at the train and told her so,, at the same time handing her no less than a dozen invitations from her va- rious friends to come and stay with them during her father’s illness. “Beth and the twins barely got off in time,” he explained, “and your mother and a nurse are there to take care of him.” Nancy stood on the station platform for a moment, undecided. Just then Phil Desmond rode by on his way back from lunch. Orth hailed him and the little roadster turned its gray nose in their direction. In a moment Nancy’s mind was made up. “John, I'm going home with you,” she sald quickly. “I'm gojng to stay with Beth and the twins—and help keep house.” “That’s right,” said John Orth, LW W W W . for that purpose. But whitefoot re- fused to rein in. In fact, the harder she pulled on the lines the faster he went. She jerked and whoaed; White- foot racked faster. Lois braced her feet to keep in the sagging buckboard. A horrible thought flashed upon her. Whitefoot was running away! She would be killed or shattered. Heavens! ‘What should she do? Scream for help with no one to hear? There was not a house in sight. Yes, there was one— beyond the covered bridge! And Whitefoot was unmistakably making for it. Through the bridge they clat- tered, up the hill, with the breeching loose. Lois was white now. She hung to the lines more from desperation than from any will to stay the flying horse. They turned a corner on two wheels, then suddenly Whitefoot paused before a little porch where a man in shirt sleeves sat reading a pa- per. He had evidently just dropped down for an instant, for a “cow’s breakfast” hat lay beside him, and a hoe leaned against the railing. He looked up, saw the horse and woman Orth, heartily, for he was very fond of his pretty sister-in-law, “that’ll be fine,” and he turned to greet Desmond with a hearty grip, for the two had been in college together and were great friends. “I'm just carrying Nancy off to my place, Phil,” he explained. “You know there’s a ‘measles man’ up at her house, so she can't go home. You must come out with me for dinner some night, and see Beth and the twins—and—ahm—" with a twinkle in his eye, “we’ll make Nancy get the dinner. Eh, Nan?” Nancy noded delightedly and echoed her brother-in-law’s invitation. “May I come again Sunday, Nancy?” asked Phil Desmond as he was taking his leave one evening. “Yes, dojcome, said the girl. “It's Mary’'s day out and I'll get that sup- per that I promised you that day at the station,” and she waved to him gayly as he rode away. By Parke Whitney life of a dear friend of mine who is now in Logansworth prison and is convicted to die in the electric chair one week !.rom today. He is a fellow countryman of mine, and has been falsely convicted of murder!” The hideous, snakelike eyes snapped fire, and Tucker saw something of the tiger or the hyena in the Oriental’s dark countenance. “My frfend and fellow countryman shall not die—he must not die!” Sen rose to his feet, and bent over the arms of Tucker's chair, and glowered at him. “Sir, he shall not die! I have worked out a formula, a very wonderful formula—it is phys- ical, it is occult—and I believe that it will cheat the electric chair of its vic- tim!” Dr. Sen then took a small bottle out of his pocket, (it was dark red or blood color) and produced a small dropper from a nearby drawer. “Two drops of this magic fluid,” the man hissed, “taken on a man's tongue will make him impervious to the strongest currents of electricity! That is, he will seemingly die, but when he is lifted out of the chair dead, he will soon re- turn to life! He will live in his astral body while he sits in the electric chair, but, ah, no soul will leave its human habitation so long—so long— as it is bound to the physical by the thin thread of the magic silk hidden in this fluld which binds it to the body! I have interested the prison physician in this wonderful formula of mine, and he agrees to take the man’s body into his office after the execution, and keep it there until his lifé returns. Then he will give him his liberty! Dear sir, I am sure of the efficacy of my formula—it is modern science and ancient dexterously combined—Iit can not fail! Sir, I have chosen you to be the subject of my experiment to demonstrate the power of this form- ula. There is no danger sir! It is mathematically scientific! is demonstrable!” It The Midnight Call stantly somehow! in!” Meanwhile Morrison had tried the windows off from the porch, and had managed finally to find one that he could open. Throwing it up wide, the men crawled in stealthily. They felt around for the electric switch but were unable to locate it, and neither of them had a searchlight or a match. They managed to make their way in- to the front hall. They saw a dim light burning at the head of the stairs. They rushed up, two stairs at a time. Reaching the upper hall they heard groans issuing from a bedroom. They found the room and opened the door. Hardly had the doctor stepped inside —it was totally dark—when he was savagely attacked by an unknown man. The fellow grabbed the doctor by the neck and threw him heavily to the floor. In another minute there was a mad melee and the doctor and Mor- rison were engaged in a desperate fight with a midnight marauder in the We must break darkness of a mneighbor’s home! Thrown to the floor, the doctor was soon on his feet, and all of them were now on the floor, now clenching, now side-stepping, now hitting out straight from the shoulder! “Doctor, why don’'t you shoot!” Morrison managed once to gasp. “Didn't bring my gun!” he answered. “Left it on the table!” At about his time Morrison man- aged to land a solar plexus blow on the burglar, or whatever he was, and he fell heavily to the floor. “I've got him!"” said Morrison. “The scoundrel is laid out all right!” “But where is the woman?’ asked Dr. Stiles. Hardly bad he spoken these words when a white form slowly emerged from out of the wall as it were, but in reality from a closet where she had been roughly thrown by the intruder. “What arz you doing!” the woman exclaimed, crying and wringing her bhands. “You have killed my husband?! You have killed my Jim!” “Your husband!” gasped the two men in astonishment. “Yes—yes—my husband!” she re- peated; and she attacked them with the ferocity of a wild cat! She tore and scratched, . and it was no small task to subdue the crazed woman. When she was finally brought under control, Morrison found the electric light switch and turned it on. Mr. Fitzgerald was rising to his feet from the floor, and he was a SOIrTy spec- tacle, his hair desheveled, his collar and tie torn away, and his shirt ripped in four places! The doctor and Mr. Morrison didn’t lock much better. The woman preseated the appearance of a witch or an insane creature, wearing a dainty dressing gown which was terribly torn and soiled. Seeing her husband trying weakly to stand on his feet, she rushed to him and put her arms affectionately about his neck. “Dear! Dear!” she exclaim- “Are you hurt?” 45 and got to his feet. “Help me out!” Lois gasped. He did so beautifully. She sank up- on the steps and covered her face with her hands. “Why, look here,” said the man gently. “What's the matter?” “He ran away with me,” Lois said. “After I'd been told I could trust him. He ran away—" “What! Buster?” The man patted the horse’s damp back. “My dear lady,” he said, “Buster never ran away inhis life. I guess I know. Don’t I, Buster? I raised him from a colt.” Lois looked up. -The scare was get- ting out of her face. She had begun to recognize the kind, brown face un- der the tawny hair, which she remem- bered as tow. “But I got him from Jake Todd—that is, Emra Cole got him for me.” “Yes, yes, I know,” John Wells smiled. “I let Jake have him.” “What for?” demanded Lois. She was growing pink and fresher to see than the wilted rose in her blouse. “Because, my dear Lois,” John said, sitting down beside her and comfort- ably speaking her name, “because, like most horses, Buster has one little pe- culiarity. I don’t know where he picked up the notion, but I could never break him of it. If you want him to stop you have to loosen up on the bit.” “Oh!” said Lois. Sunday came and it was a merry quartet that sat down to the evening meal in the Orth household. Nancy waited on the table, and Phil Desmond contrived to take hold of her hand ev- ery time she passed anything to him; but Nancy, demure, but with eyes shining, feigned never to notice. Then she taught the two men to wipe the dishes, although John Orth declared that he had *“served his ap- prenticeship lang ago, so he and Beth would retire so that Phil might have a few private lessons.” “I think you .should have a clean towel,” she said to Phil when she found herself alone with him. “You ought to know that much yourself,” trying to be severe tc cover her embarrassment. And she shook out a fresh towel with unnecessary force and held it out to him. / Phil Desmond took the towel and the two little hands that < held it, and clasped them firmly in his. “Nancy,” Tucker trembled with fear, ‘but he could not speak nor could he stand up. “Here,” continued the Hindu, “is $500 —you Occidentals, you Aperica.us. must have money!” and he took a large pocketbook from his pocket, and counted the money on a nearby table. “This is yours—yours—after the exe- cution—that is, the experiment!™ Rising to his feet, the man strode over to the heavy, black curtain and threw it back. It revealed a large chair—an electric chair, which the Hindu had placed here for this strange experiment. “Stand up!” the Hindu commanded, his eyes snapping. “Stand up! Ap- proach the chair!” Tucker did as he was told, as weak as a child, and seat- ed himself in the death chair. Then the doctor put the dropper in the bot- tle, took two drops of the medicine into it, and then made his victim open his mouth and take the mysterious concoction upon his tongue. It acted instantly. His head ached as though it would burst, and everything in the room turned black. Gradually he lost consciousness. Sen strapped his victim in, and then, grinning diabolically, turned on the current. Tucker cried out with the pain, and subjectively he felt his flesh burn! “One thing more. All roads for Bus- ter lead straight back here to his old home. It takes considerable persua- sion to turn his head in any other di- rection. But you’ll be able to get along with him as soon as you understand him a little better. I was glad when I heard you had bought him, for I knew he'd take care of you.” [ “Why, how did you hear?” Lois des manded. “How could I help it?” John return~ ed. “BEverybody, every ’phone bas been busy with your arrival. I've been whetting up my courage to come’ and make you a call. However, sincq you've come to see me—or rather Buster brought you—" Lois arose. “Well, I'm going back now,” she said firmly. “Wait until you've had a glass of lemonade with me and look about my premises. Besides, Buster needs to rest a little. He’s getting too old for such flights. Come up here and have a chair. That green reed ome is the easiest. Now I'll call my sister. I've a fancy you are going to be great friends.” He stepped to the door and called “Lucy!” Simultaneously a boy had ap- peared and was leading Whitefoot téx ward the barn. The chair was very deep and aly. Lois leaned back and—waited. By Joella Johnson he said, “you know I love you, dear,” tilting her head until he compelled her eyes to meet his. “You've known that for a long time, little girl, but I hard- ly dared ask you before—you seemed 8o different in your own home. But I've wanted you so much, Nancy., won’t you, cook my dinners for me al- ways?”’ |\ e “Well,” said Nancy, blushing rosy. red under his gaze, “if you'll promise to wipe the dishes for me dwwl. 'uh haps I may consider it” And although he did not pmmhe I‘ 80 many words, somehow his M completely satisfied her. - “Do you know,” said Nancy some; hours later, when the four of them were “talking it over,” “I kmow it sounds like a dreadful thing to say, but since it has all turned out so well I think that Phil and I will always" owe a debt of gratitude to father fo_- for being ‘the measles man’ just at the, right time.” Theén—it seemed that bran- body had been cut asund ed! Tucker felt himself to be a embodied soul, or an etherial ality that was floating upon air wa: He found himself perching like “Raven” upon the top of a looking down upon his own strapped in the electric chair. He the Hindu bending over the dead smiling?! 'In & minute or so the doctor remo¥s, ed Tucker’s prostrate form from tbe chair and laid it upon a sofa. He Ht. a cigarette. He stood in the middle of the floor, walting, but excited. Tuok-‘& felt an irresistible impulse to hover, over the dead form. He seemed m's actually floating downward toward white, lifeless countenance! Suddenly Tuckers body twinged pain—he breathed—he gasped opened his eyes! Then he could fel the doctors hot breath on his He gasped, “Am I living? am I d ‘Where—who—" Doctor Sen sprang to his feet. walked gbout the room beating the air with his arms. “I cheated them!” he repeated over over. “I have created them! ch the electric chair! My friend, my fel- low countryman, shall live!” v By Elsie Endicott; 4 “No—no—I guess mnot,” he replied sheepishly, looking at the doctor and Morrison. “Doc,” he asked, “what on earth are you fellows coing in here?” “Why—er—will be blasted if I know!” “It’s 2l1 my fault, dear!” interrupt- ed Mrs. Fitzgerald. “It was my fault! When you came home you had been drinking, and we got inte’'a little fight—and—" “A fight!” gasped Doctor Stiles. “Just a little war of words, that was all!” said the woman. “But you cried for help! out—" “And even told the neighbors you were being killed!” interjected the practical Mr. Morrison with obvious sarcasm, thoroughly disgusted. “Oh, well, I guess I was a little ex- vited! You know Jim is dreadful— when he’s been drinking!™ explained Mrs. Fitzgerald. “I see!” sald Fitzgerald, rising to his feet. “My wife and I got into a You called little—er—altercation, and she hol:‘ lered for help, and brought in the! neighbors. Just like a woman!” 3 “Dear, I am 80 sorry!” exclaimed his wife, again putting her arms im- pulsively about his neck and km him. “Well, I'll be jiggered!” said Stiles, turning and walking out inf the hall, reaching for one end of hif collar which stuck straight out dué west! “Doctor,” observed Mr. Morrisots wisely, “I told you you were—er—tod benevolent, and this proves it!” ———— (5 | Doing Her Bit. Benevolent Old Lady (to petulsst young soldier who is tapping the curb- stone with his stick)—Excuse me, bat | may I lead you across the street? e “The fine, new house that promoter | has built himself is standing on & blutr.” i “So is he.”.