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mm 'i'"iriTiTr"'f'^''r'''"" n.ni.i.iiTnTTiT.r.T.tii.t^iii.i.iii.i.i,! The Price Of Liberty OR, A MIDNIGHT CALL CHAFTEK I.â€" Cont. "Dvorything. 1 am trylr>g to save there. Somebody will say 'Como,' and you will follow. Good-night." Steel would huve said mope, but him He laid hi.s cigar-cast! on the wrlting- you from ruin. Fortune has played , .1, , . • ,„ v,»ii . ^A you into my handn. I am perfectly *!'^*f *-' °' ^'^ f" ***" *"^^ iware that if you were not on the it*'«.t .^l"* «"-«>>«'-•'• had rung off verge of .social e.xtinction you would , ,, ,. , . • .^ • » refuse my request. It is in your J'^'''«. ff>P<^ !'-\''T^°^^'^""l !"l° hands to decide. You know that i^""!, 'S^.'^^'-'V sf >«"«! himsell that ho Beckstein, your creditor, is ab.soluto- i*'*'' ^"« latch-key. and put on^ a dark ly merciless. He will get hia money lo'^'ercoat back and more besides. This is his business. To-morrow you will be an outcast â€" (or the time, at any rate. Your local creditors will be insolent to you; people will pity you or blame you, as their disposition lies. On the other hand, you have to say the word and you are saved. You can go and see the lirighton repre- sentatives of Becksiuin'g lawyers, . and pay them in pa|)cr of the Bank of lOiigland." "If I was a.ssured of your bona- fides," Steel murmured. A queer little laugh, a laugh of triumph, came over the wire.-;. "I have unticipat(!d that question. Have you Greenwich time about you?" Steel responded th;it he hnd. It was live-und-twenty minutes past twelve. He had quite cease:! to 1 wonder at any questions put to him | now. It was all so like one of his brilliant little e.xtravaganza.s. I "You can hang up your leceiver for | five minutes," the voice said. "Pre- j cisely at half-jjast twelve you go and look on your front doorstej). Then come back and tell me what I you ha\e found. You need not fear I that I shall go away." | Slrael hung up the receiver, feeling that he needed a Utile rest. His cigarette was actually scorching his thumb and lorelingei', l)iit ho was heedless of the fact. He flicked up the dining-i-oom lights again and rapidly made himself a sparklet soda, which he added to a small W'hiskey. He looked almost lovingly at the gleaming Cellini tankard, at the pools of light on the fair daoii- ask. Was it j)o.':'siblo that ho was not going to lose all this, after all? The ainorish clock droned the half-hour. David gulped down his whisky and crept shakily to the front door with I a feeling (jn him that ho was doing | something steathily. The bolts an<l I chain rattled under his trembling ' "^ ang.-M-s. Outside, the whole worhl seemed to he sleeiiing. riuirT the wide canopy of stars soiai' black ob- ject pick.Ml out with shinitig points lay on the white marble bn'ndth of the top step. ,V gun-melul case set in tiny diamonds. The novelist fastened the front door and .staggered to the study. A pretty, artistic thing such as David had fully iiueaded to purchase for himself. He had seen one exactly like it in a jeweller's window in North Street. He hurl jioinlc-d it out to his n:other. Why, it wa.'J the very one! .No ilr>ubt whatever about it. David had had the case in his hands and h.ad rehictantly declined the ptirchase. He press<Ml the sprin;i, and the ca.'^e lay opiMi liifori! him. Inside were papers, soit, cracMiiitr pafiiu-s; the Case was cMiinmed with tliein. Tliey were white niul dean, niid twentv-live of them ill nil. Twenty-live H;iiik of England miles for Xui each â€" JC^SO! David fought the ilreiuny feeling off and took down thi' telephone n?- Overhed the dear old mater was sleeping peacefull.v. Ho rlo8t><i the front door cuJ-efiilly be- hii>d him and strode resolutely into the darkness. Walked slowly and hf»<itatingl} along the cycle bell drummed Impatiently ahead of hiui. "A hint to me." Havld muttered. "Stupid that 1 should have forgot- ten the directions to read the num- ber over the fanlight. Also It is logical to suppose that I am foing to find light.s at, No. 218. All right m.v friend; no need to swear at me with that bell of yours." Ho (luickcned his puco again and finally stopped before one of the big houses where lights were gleaming from the hall and dinaing-room win- dows. Thoy wore electric lights byv their great power, and, save for the^ hall and dining-room, the rest 0/ the house lay in utter darkness. The cycle bell let olT an appr^jviiig stacca- to from behind the blankety fog as Steel pulled up. There was nothing abnormal about â- H-l-M-fr-t-i^ M l i 'I I till i III' A Girrs ? i Caprice 7"l-I> M ' t ~I~H-W-M-l-{ t" t "l"f"f'l"f- CJIAI'TKKK XVI.â€" Concl. Meanwhile Diana and her husband. CHAPTEU II. David walktfd swiftly along, his mind in a perfect whirl. Now that once he had started he was eager to see the adventure through. It was strange, but stranger things had happened. More than one correspon- dent with queer personal experiences had taught him that. Nor was Steel in the least afraid. He was horri- bly frightened of disgrace or humili- nlioii, but ph.ysicol courage he had in I Pcaranres. tho house, nothing that struck the uilD' adventurer's eye beyond the e.xti;'.or- dinary vividness of the crim.son blind. The two side-windows of the big boy were evidently shuttered, but the large centre Kleamed like a fiood of scarlet overlaid with a silken sheep. Far across the pavemont the ruby track struck into the heart of the fog. "Vivid notp," Steol murmured. "I shall remember that impression." He was destined never to forget it, but it was only one note in the gamut of adventure now. With a firm step he walked up tho marble night and turned the handle. It felt dirty and rusty to Uie touch. Evi- dently the .servants were meglectful, or they were employed by people who had .small regard for outward in the morning-room, are discussing the late turn of affairs with great spirit. It is the most fortunate thing that could have happened for Hilary, anyway," says Jim. "Yes. I alwa.vB felt â€" I always knew her engagement with him would come to nothing." "So did I," with disgust. "And after all it was a most confounded main once more face to face and' clone. "Who'd have thought ?" Eays DIanai solemnly. "lUit, after all, I'm sure thej- will be happy! Hilary is such a darling, and he â€" seems so delightful, so kind; frank, I call him!" "Frank! Nonsense. Uiana, It isn't five minutes ago since you called him Fred!" At this they both give way to sub- dued but uncontrollable laughter. It was such a relief, ('l-he End.) ap- in the study a higli degree. And was he not go- ing to save his home and his good name? David had not the least doubt on the latter ncore. Of course he would ilo nothing wrong, neither would he keep the money. This he preferred to regard us a loan â€" a loan to be paid off before long. .\t any rate. money or no money he would have been sorry to have abandoned the adventure now. His spirits rose as he walked along a great weight had fallen from his shoulders. He smiled a of his mother peacefully home. What would his mother think if she knew? Hut, then, no- body was to know. That had been e.xprossl.v settled in the bond. Save for an occasional policeman tho streets were deserted. It was a little cpld and raw for the time of year, and a fog like a pink blan- ket was creeping in from the sea. Down in the Sleine the big arc- lights glenined here and there like nebiiluus blue globes; it was hardly possible to .see across the road. In the half shadow behind Steel tho statue of the First Gentleman in I'^urope glowed gigantic, ghost-like in the lui.st. It was niarvelloUHly still there, so cigar- still that David could hear the tinkle i •'i'l.'TPr jars the pebbles on the beach. Ho stood back by the gate of the gar- Jens H.itching the piny of the leaf silhouetti's on the pavement, quaint patterns of fantastic designs thrown u|i ill high relief by the arc-light above. P'roni the dark foggy throat of .St. .Tames'fc Street cauie the tin- kle of a cj'cio bell. On so still a night the noise seemed bizarre and out of place. Then the cycle loomed in sight; the rider, iiuitHed atuf luim|)- . d over the front wlieel, might have been a man or a woman. As tho The door opened noiselesslcssly. and Steel closed it behind him. A MoorLsh lantern ca.st a brilliant flood of light ujion a crimson carpet, a chair, and an empty oak umbrella stand. Beyond this there was no atom of furniture in the hall. It was impossible to .see beyond the dininR- rooni door, for a heavy reci velvet curtain was drawn acro.ss. David's first impr(!ssion was the ania/.ing stillness of the place. It gave him a queer fi?i'ling that a murder had ,.,. ,...,, t'cen committed there, and that ho thought U'^'oi'.vbody had fied. leaving the corpse leeplng at|'Johind. As David coughed away the lump in his throat the cough sound- ed strangely hollow. Ho passed into the dining-room and looked eagerly about him. The room was handsomely furnished, if a little conventional â€" a big mahogany table in tho centre, rows of mahogany- chairs uphol.'.tcred in morocco, line modern prints, most of them artist.s' proofs, on tht! walls. A big marble clock, flanked by a pnir of vases, stood on tho mantelshelf. There were a large number of blue vases oti the sideboard. The rod distemper had faded to a pale pink in placers. "Tottenham Court Hoad." Steel smiled to himself. "Modern, solid., expensive, but decidedly inartistic. c.\clist fl.ished by .something while j fi'-''^- fourteen guineas a pair, worth about as many pence. Money- ed peaple, solid and resiwctablc. of the middle clas.s. What brings them pla.ving" at m,\_Kteiy like this?" The room was most brilliantly- lighted both from overhead and from the walls. On the shining de.sert of the dining-talile lay u small, flat [larcel addressed to David Stifl, Esq. The noviOist tore off the cover and disclosed a heafi of cracklin{{ white papers beneath. Rapidly ho fluttered the crisp sheets over â€" .sev- en t.v Bank of l-'ni;land notes for lulO and gleaming droppe/i into the road and the single word "Come" seomod to cut like n knife tlirough the fog. That was all; the rider had looked iieilher to the right nor to the left, hut the word was distinctly uttered. .\t the same instant an arm dropped It was the baUmee of the loan, the IH'ice paid for Steel's presence. All he had to do now was to place tho money In his pocket and walfc ont of the house. .\ few steps and ho Would he free with nobod.v to .su.v him nay. It was a temptation, but and a long linger pointed to the i^t gleaming whiter sciuare in the road. It Was like an instantaneous photo- graphâ€"a Hash, and the figure had vanished in the fog. "This grows interesting," Steol imillered. "Evidently my .shadowy '^'•â- '^''â- '"- i friend has dropped a book of rules in "Are you there?" he whisper(?d, as 1 the loa^l for nie. Tlie plot thick- if fo<iiful of listeners. -'I â€" I have ons." 1 It was only a< plain w-hito card that la.v ill llie road. .V few lines wero found your p.ircel.' "Containing tho notes. So far so good. Y('s, you are right, it is the same ci.gar-ca.se you admired so much In Lockhart's the other day. WoU, we have given you an instance of our bona-lldMi. Hut £250 is of no use to you at prestont. B(H;k.Mt«in's people would not accept it on ac- countâ€"they can make far morfl mon- typod on the back of it. Tho words niight have been curt, but they were to tho point : â€" "<Jo along the .sea front and turn into Brunswick Square. Walk along the light side of the squnro until you I roach No. 218. You will read tho number ovei' tho fanlight. Ov>en tho ey by "selling you up." an the poetic I ''""r and it will yield to you; there phrase goes. It is in your hands to procure the other LTTtO hnfore you sleep. You can take it aa a gift, or, if you ore too proud for that, you may regard it as n loati. In which cane you can beatow the money on such charities as ruinmend them- selves to you s no occasion to knock. The first door insi<le tho hall lends to the dining-room. Walk Into there and wait. Drop this card dowo the gut- ter just opposite you." David road tho directions once or twice carefully. Ho made a mental Now arc you going I note of 21 H. After thot he droppad to place youraelf entirely in hands?" Steel hesHaUvl no longer, the circuuiNtunMs few men would, as ke had a dflflnllr ftssurnnce that there was nothing dishonorable to be done. A little courage, a little dan)t*r, per- haipe, and he could hold up his head before the world; he could rettirn to bJR (totfk te>-inorrnw with the pasnlon flowers over hib huad «nd the scent grove.-* swe^l to hia iiostTila. And the mnt<>r rould drewiu happily, for there Would he no Hndncss or sorrow In the inornlni^. "I will do exaoily what you tell mo," he .<tuid. ".Spoken like n nmn." the voice cried. "Nohody will km>w you have led the house â€" you can be honu- In • n hour. You will not lie misscil. t'otne. lime Ih geltJng nhort nnil 1 hn\f my risks im well as others. On at onc<. to Old Sloitie Stniul on the path close under the sIiimIow of the statue o( Qxoriic IV. ojid wait my the card down tho drnin-trap neareot at hand. A little way ahead of him Vndor j he heard the cycle beil trilling as If In ap|>roval of his action. But T)av- td had made up his mind to observe uvery rule of the gamp. Reaidos, he might Ik- rigidly watched. The spirit of adventure was grow- ing upon Steol now. He was no longer holding the solid remilt before his eyes He was ready to b«h) the thing throtigh for Its own finku. And as he hurried up North Street, along Wes- tern Koud. and (inally down Fronton Street, he could linar the purring tinkle of tho cycle IxUl before him. But not once lUd he catch sight of the shailowy rider. All the »amn his hoart was heating a lit tin faster as he turned into Brunswick Square. All the hou.ws Were in pitch.v darkness, as they na- turally would bi' at oup o'clock in the mornii.g. no ii wi,s <mly with great difhiully that Slot-I -ov'ild make I fought it down. He slipped the precious notes into his pocket and buttoned his coat tightly over them. Ho hatl no fear for the com- ing day now. ".'Vnd yet," he murmiiretl, "what of tho price I shuU have to pay for this?" (To 1)0 Continuetl.) PUOFFJ5SOU AND THK WAITKK. In Berlin tho waiters in beer-gar- dens are very sly in six-uring tips. When n guest pays his bill nrd the waiter has to give change, the latter returns all tho change correctly ex- cept ten pfennigs. The waiter searches industriously in all his pock- ets and displays ostentatiously all his money. but he has no ten-pfen- nig piece. As a general thing the do(jarting guest becomes im,pationt , and, tirt^ of waiting for the small amount tells the waiter to keep thi; change. A celebrated professor who was a fiequent visitor to tho beer-gardens |j>ear8 dis.-.utistted with had his curiosity excited to find out 1 stoops and kissos her cheek "You see, Hilary is not the sort of girl to mnrry without love." "I think any girl who could do it " "Oh, .Jim, hut I really think you rather advis«<d her to do it at first." "Not I. It was .vou who advised her. In my opinion the girl who could bring herself to marry a man simply for money's sake ought to get tho sack " "My dear Jim! how dreadfully vul- gar! That is what the servants say- when â€" well â€" w-hen one gives them warning â€" the sack, you know!" ".\iid the bowstring, 1 was about to .add, when" â€" with dignit.v â€" "I was interrupted. Ueally, Diana, the liead of the hous(! ought sometimes to be shown the consideration that "Oh. bother!" says Diana, most irreverently. "Ij<.t us talk about Hilary. Do \oii know. .lim, I am even now rather sorry that she won't marry Mr. Ker." "Of course. She would be twice as well off then as she is at present. Women are never satisfied." ".-\nd this friini you!" says Diana, tragically. "Hut look here, Jim. 1 really think only for Mrs. Dyson- Moore she might have married him." "You think she liked him then?" "Well, I don't know. But that w-oman S|)oiled it all. however it was. She kept him away from Hilary to-day. There is no doubt about that. And at the Mclntyres' dance you must have noticed how she flirted with him." "She'd tlirt with a broomstick." "N'obody would mind a broom- stick. The thing is that Hilary ob- jected to her flirting w-ith Mr. Ker." "I think the question is whether Ker objected!" "Nonsense. I'm sure â€" I'm positive that Fred is all he ought to be!" "Then the sooner we l)uy him a pe- destral at the Jiublic oxpenso, an<i l>lace him on it, the sooner wo shall be doing a public duty. All he ought to be! Diann! how many times have you told me I was nothing I ought to be! And that familiar appella- tion. Fred! I object to it." "Oh, Jim, dearest. I wish you would be serious, it onl.y for five minutes. Somehow. I had sot my heart an this nuirriace: and now. heoause of this odious Mrs. Dyson- Moore, it is nil over. She has made some mischief " "She's sure to be in it where mis- chief is brewing," soys Cliflord, with iconviction. "Anyway, it is all over 'now, and I. for one. am perfectly jcerttiin Hilary wouldn't have' looked at him. (Jirls are such fools!" "Well." sighing, "perhaps so. She certainlv treated him very cupalie:- l.v." "Don't make yourself miserable over it, Di. From all I saw I think tliey hated t>uch other." "Yes, yes. I .-.uppose so." "Thev'd have led a most awful life!" "It would have killed darling Hilary!" "Or Ker! Man â€" brute as he is â€" has been known to die (U' ill-tn>atiuent . To my thinking, the.v are both well out of it !" "Yci; it w<)iild never have done." At this moment tiie door is push- ed slowl.v ol>oii. and Hilary's charm- ing head aiqioars. .Viu i her head is looking in over hers. It is Ker's. Mr. and Mrs. Clifford grow paraly- zed . "DI â€" may we come i ?" liilary's voice is shy â€" her fnu- is one soft, sweet blush. "1 â€" we," with a charm- ing glance behind, "want to tell you â€"that " "That we are going to be mar^ riod." says Ker. in the frankest, clearest way. "Oh," says I>iana, a lit lie faintl)- â€" then .she conquers her weakness, and suddenly finds herself etnbraeing Hil- ary with extreme warmth. "I am glad." say* she. giving her hands to Ker, who, however, ap- them, as he â- And IMPETUO'US PEOFLE. ' Many of the Greatest Things Havet j Been Done by Them. I Impetuous people arc sometimes ' wrong, but impetuous people are not always wrong. This is a truism,, twt unless a truism be repeated oc-| casionally it ceases to be identified, and is looked on by the casual read- 1 er as a daring flight of fancy. Really, it does not matter how riuickly one runs, if one will but make sure that the right turning is .selected. It is the man who rushes away without sparing a moment to look up at the signposts who loses i his way, and has to return slow-ly.' j with an apologetic look upon hisi ! face; he it is who gives to impetu- osity a bad name, and causes folk to look upon it as a defective trait. Most of the great things have been done by impetuous people while the overcautions have been making up what they term their minds. There^ are some who never can perform this task for thera.selveB. They can take no action without asking advice of every person they meet. The overcautions are in a never- ending state of astonishment at the fact that disaster so seldom occurs. When it does happen, they are able to say, with gloomy content, that they had foreseen it all along. Impetuosity has cut some of the most ditlicult knots the while cau- tious folks were hurting their fingers in futile attempts to unravel them. MORE METHOD WANTEa). "If there is one thing a woman wants," said Mr. Mumbles, as he finished his c6flee, "it is method." Mrs. Mumbles smiled meekly. "Yes." re[)eated Mr. Mumbles, "method ie what is necessary. A woman never knows what she has done with a thing for certain, but only has a vague idea. If you ask her ipr h'jr purse, she tells you it is either in the left-hand top drawer or else in her black skirt pocket, w-hich is hanging up either behind the bath- room door or over a chair in the bedroom, and By Jove! it is time I was off. Get my boots, Jlaud. dear. That's right. Now run up and get my umbrella. You will find it in the bedroom. What! Can't- find it? Thatâ€" Oh, I remember. I left it to Se ro-covered. Confourwl it! " Tr.v anil find me an old one, my dear." Mrs. Mumbles discovered an um- brella just as her devoted husband' reached tho hall door. "Oh. .vou might got my pipe. I left it on the mantelpiece last night.' Not there? Well, it must be on the i'ookca.se. Oh. no! Run upstairs' luicklv. or X shall miss the train. I lot it on tho dressing-table. That's; it. Thank you. W'here are my gloves? Don't know? Well, you oMirht to know. -Shall have to go v.iihout them. Nice thini: â€" ilisgrace- iid!" And tho methodical n'an hurried oft just in time to miss his train. what tho wallers did with the ton- pfennig pieces, so ho watr*hed them. He soon discovered that the waiter put all tho ten-plennig pieces* in the left-haml pticket of bin vest, whilo fhe rest of the money w«<nt Into his trousers pocket. When the profes- sor's turn came to pay for his beer, as uariiul the waiter couW not Hnd a ten-pfennig pioc« to complete tho change. "1 am afraid." said the waiter, go- ing furiou.'ily through his pocJcots. "that I havpii'l got n ten-pfennig pie*-*." â- '.Sunposo you feel in the left-hand pocket of your vest." re^iliiMl the pro- frs'^or, suggest ivel.v. The wnitei- «licl so. air;!, as he hnmlad out the re<|ulnite coin, ho whls-perod in~thc professor's oar, "T g\u>»K .you werw u waiter yourwlf once upon a timo; but keep Uie trick out a number hero and thkU«. As ho dark. I so is .lim. 'We always desire*! this Idelightful solution of l><eâ€" dlfRculty â€" 'and now. when there is 110 difficulty , jit Is all the more delightful. In fact. .Jim and I were just now say- ing " I She catches .Il«>'« e.v.--. and breaks (down ignominloualy. What had they just »)een sa^rlnn' I "Yes, it is a groat .-\u-prts«\ No ! wonder Diann Is over« holnuvl," says j.Iini. "She was ah' ut to say wo iwere Just dwelling 01 -on the " he jpniisea ominously, an Oiaim's knws grow w(»ak. "oB the ! appinose that ; would Ihi yotirs l( yor. uin 1e up your minds to spend your lives together." His tone is sweotnes.^ and light it- self. "Denr «»ld Jim!" says ITUnry, «f- fifCt ionotely . Sho has u«)t won that Diana is growing apoplectic Tre- s<'ntly «he carries away her n>'W (Mis- session with hor for n stroll through ,the garden, and Diana aad JUc re- A EtTCID EXPLANATION. An Engli.sh law journal attributes to an American judge down South' ithe following charge to a jury in ex- Iplanation of the ditierenco betwt>eni : a veixlict of murder and one of man- slaughter: â€" "tSentlemen." he statetl, with ad- mirabl.v lucidity, "murder is where a man is murderously killed. Tho killer in such a cn.se is a murxierer. Now, murder by poison is just as much murder as murder with a gun. pistol, or knife. It is the simple act of murdering that constitutes Q\ur- dor in tho e.ve of tho law. Don't let the idea i»f murder and manslaughter, confovmd you. Murder is one thing,! nianslaughter is quite another. Con- so<)Uently. if there has been murder, and it Is not, manslaughter, then if must be murdor. "Don't let this point escape .vou. Self-murder has nothing to do with this case. According to Blackstone and aM the best legal writers, one man cannot felo 4« ae upon an- other; end this is clearly nay opin- ion. Oentlomen. murder is murder. The murder of a brother is called' fratricide; the murder of a father l» called parricide, but that doa't enter into this case. As I have said be- fore, murder is emphatlcnily murder.. You will now corswler your Terdiot- gentlemen. and maiie up yo'ir mindst according to tho laW and the evi- dence, not forgetting tiio explanation I have given you" Daughterâ€" "Ma. I want you t/^ stop bossing It over pn. until after V irot married." Motherâ€" "Why, i| .'ihould like to tnow?" Daughter â€" ".lUBt as quick as I get a little bit intimate with a young man. he b«* gins to nsk if 1 take after you." "What did vou buy wiiM that mon-\ ey your uncle left you?" "1 bought: exnerlenre. " was the rueful reply. ".Spend it all for that?" "My dear sir. I never was much good nt bar- «Jxin.s. and the orilinary priced expar- iouce was what I uot." ~ . r-