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ftps- sifew a r f t ivsf prt v 4 i i i 1 l -v- s i y ibw- the acton free pre is ruaa nierraismosrg hole paye hrimbbrlman y blephoneforyou miss duncan it rj elizabeth glanced p in- sur- hgrf priae it was rarely that anyone cimued v t the office only when ahfl bwd harveyj voice sharjrvwith rvs- cltemerit was her interest aroused usten to ime carefully her brothei i jpegan without any preliminaries get that option upon the west place h you r caiijftad it and put it in a safe deposit v- tox if anything should happen that i could not gethome before the first raise the money in some way to pay the initial jmi- amount mentioned dont forget rgv1but harvey if v i havent time for another word the r js1 tfaln leaves to twj nuriutes be a good iij r y rl sat for a moment staring dazedly ahead of her the receiver still in- her band the west place hvvey cptiori the words seemed to swirl through her consciousness senselessly it was not until she rubbed her forehead nergetlcaily for a moment with tense flngers that she could remember iyei harvey had secured an option on west place jusp before their father died the strip of land along the river jbpttoimaimijrunnh w rocky hills beyond bad originally a part of their own place but had sold in a time of stress tbii boy jjpd planned to repurchase it with the ukmey that came from the sale of tlm- ir on land where he was cutting the trees on shares but a dishonest partner had cheated him out of the greater por tion of his part and the fathers death bad followed maktog dt fiecessary for two young people to abandon the unproductive ranch and go into town to work harvey had secured an excellent position travelling while bess found a place to mr gregorys office she had cmpletely forgotten the option lanythlng wrong asked mr gregory watchlng her keenly as she resumed her seat v i think not answered the girl delibr erately putting the puzzle from her mind and taking up her pad to resume the interrupted dictation her pencil moved smoothly and rapidly over the paper the apartment in which the two young people lived was but a few blocks from the office and elizabeth always return- ed there for her lunch to-day- asshe ixr- ibslty arid something in the formation and character of those same low lulls attracted his interest well the long and short of it is that oil has been secretly discovered that explains the sudden value of the forgotten option by all means you must go at once and see if you can find it and put it to a place of safetya furthermore if lyour brother does not appear- to take up the option before the flrst i will gladly advance the money euzabethv drew a long ireath x hardly expected that thank you i will make up this afternoon by working afer hours 4 inbnsensel you have already given a great many hours of your time to my interests i have not forgotten the work you took home night after night when ellis was ill ishould not have ques tioned you when you asked or the time off except thatljlcoiilri nevyou were desk to pieces with an axi once their suspicions were aroused suddenly elizabeth felt the old house shudder the stranger was trying to force the door t was stout and would hold for a few moments the secret of the house but it was also old and eventual ly would yleid tjnder cover of the racket the girl sped across the front room unlocked the door and was out through fchesront gate keeping shrubs and- trees between her and the man as long as possible thenrwith the bag grasped in her hand she commenced the ascent tit the path which would bring her out into clear sight ati might have gone well had she not turned her ankle at the top of the first hill- instinctively she glanced oyer her shoulder and her worst fears wore real ized her pursuer had discovered her presence and was plunging up the hill to hot pursuit elizabeth limped along as rapidly as she could but the result of a race so unequal was inevitable the man gained upon- her rapidly ently satisfied disappeared down the trail while elizabeth clung to the edge of the lock hd held her breath her eyes upon the wrist watch held- before her she heard the olaaging of the car bell and almost immediately the whist ling hole commenced- to moan andgroan again suddenly out of the dejpibhslsh the air as before bringing with it the rather rowdy looking hat and the flut tering paper the two objects fell at elizabeths feet v the glri torythe lining of her coai and inserted thepaper carefully with in thn she pulled thebattered hat down- oveb her head when i saw you going straight up i knew what to do she chuckled w leltjtoherbag oriherkey shewas- surprised to see the door open slowly before jier why how strangel she ii cried ilockedl i didntrknow i ever left if un- as she stepped inside a swift breeze met her canning a bit of paper into bar face automatically her fingers t jgrasped it why that is a receipt out i- of the cash box she said she glanced around the room was- ths scene of ut- whether her suspicions7realywere true or not accordingly when the next stop was- made elizabeth got up and stood at the rionr watching the- man- outof the- l rf vt most confusion the rugs were pulled aside chairs were overturned the cushions of the sofa had been tumbled upon the floor and one or two bad their covers torn while the contents of the cash box were scattered far arid wide the place has been robbed i cried jeusibeth peering out of the window leading to the fire escape no one was to be seen methodically she commenc- rd to pick up the litter and set the room to rights a little packet of bills of small denominations that had been to -tfte- tin box jay among cue scattered jjjppera elizabeth picked them up to sitonishment strange they didnt take these she thought the girl imrrled into the bedroom s tad she expected found the scene cepeated here an inspection of the upper drawer where she kept her few pieces of really good jewellery however revealed to her that nothing had been buaabeth sat down upon the edge of the bed breathlessly the option i aha thought in a flash some one is looking for that option 1 but why her forehead knotted into hries of perplex where was the option why she t t m ami learn if po fiumssjculi he said you havent much sense- as longasthe paper fedestroyea it is just the same as if i had it to my possession luther miller will be just as pleased with it gone into the centre of the earthras with it u his pos- sesslon of course he would never have given it if he had known about the oil it really belonged to us anyway elizabeth replied tur miller took ad vantage of us in time of trouble and urged my brother to pay for the option then that really was the option a look of crafty suspicion had been dawn- tag oh his face swiftlyhe snatched her bag examined it and then appar- worrled and distressed- and i hoped you would confide in me nianjc you elizabeth retimed warm glow to her heart mr gregory accompanied his secre tary to the street i would take you in my car have an important business conference at twothirty x hope- every tning comes out well oh i am quite sure it wlll theres my car now neither of them noticed a burly look ing individual who was leaning against the corner of the building and who swiftly followed elizabeth stepping onto the same car after she was seated however the girl noticed a man regard ing her secretively at another time she might not have paid any attention to him but now she was tlygling with excitement and every sense was alert deliberately she arose and moved into the next car presently she saw man get up stroll to the door of the car where she was seated glance about him idly and evidently finding no seats unoccupied return to the other car he seated himself however in a place where he would have a clear view of the aisle she noticed evidently the man was shadowing her she thought and then attempted to dismiss the matter arid at tribute her ready suspicion to nervous ness and excitement she determined to corner of her eye when several other passengers alighted she wjas among them the stranger too plunged out of the last door to the ground the other pas sengers stood to a group so that it was possible with a swift movement to regain the steps at almost the exact momehtr that the car started elizabeth had the satisfaction of seeing the man who had not noticed her movement quickly enough left behind perhaps it was only coincidence she told herself but i am glad i tried that little ruse when she finally reached her destin ation the glrr arose and left trie car to make her way up the old familiar path at her left the whistling hole mourned dolefully intermittently shoot- mg currents of air toward the cloudless just why she left the maritpathtind ran toward the whistling hole elizabeth did not stop to analyze perhaps she cherished a wild hope of throwing the man off the trail perhaps she sought the old familiar spot unconsciously at any rate ja few moments found her at the brink of the mysterious place she glanced back soon the man plunged into sight he grinned triumphantly just toss down that paper you took if rom the old house he said when he stood directly below her itwill save me going up after it and you some trouble i dont want to have to hurt you but i have instructions to get hold of that paper and i intend to do it elizabeth glanced frantically around no one was to sight during the tourist season many persons made pilgrimages to the- whistling hole but today the vicinity was deserted she searched for same weapon something with which to defend liefself but there was nothing but the round edges of the hole sud denly the whistling and moaning began and she had the satisfaction of seeing the man start the girl drew back as a current of air shot upwards catching at her hat and tearing it from her head hurling it into the air and keeping it there the man laughed again and commenced to climb the slope that separated them elizabeth snatched the folded paper from her bag and held it when the strangers face appeared on a levl with her feet she suddenly tosse the docu ment away from her into the spouting air current her pursuer started in surprise as the paper lifted the edges fluttering he sprang up made several ineffectual efforts to seize it and then peered down into the hole as the current suddenly subsided taking headgear and paper along with it well thats gone you recognized as a leading specific for the destruction of worms mother graves worm lsxtenninator has proved a boon to suffering children everywhere it seldom fails how io teu when muskmelons abe ripe had not even thought of it for months in iact she had forgotten its vercr exis tence until harvey had called up about it she was quite sure she had never seen it since she and her brother came jrijto town then it must still be out at the ranch i hastily swallowing a glass of milk and sandwich the girl hurried back to the office mr gregory she sahl i ahould like to have the afternoon off if poaattiev her employer raised his brows isnt this rather short notice he asked r briefly elizabeth explained while the xrian tapped softly upon the desk blotter irith his glasses lets see what you gfcau west place just where is it located when elizabeth explained the location 5 was rewarded by the stiffing of mr y gregorys figure and the sudden light 1- of 3 interest dawning in his eyes lets ivjatevv lie observed that is out toward tnbse queer low hills i believe theres v a natural curiosity of some kind there if tht i have heard of that attracts tour- istp during the summer y whistling hole interrupted ilvrasabeth sridttenvy that is between ji place and the car line we played i as children but it was not until coining of the automobile tourist r it won fame as a curiosity but i nothing o do with the present mr gregor finished for her perhaps it has more than yon sky she resisted the impulse to abandon the path and run up and throw sticks down into the yardiwide opening as she had often done in childhood and quick ened her way on the path her breath caught a little as elizabeth came out upon the slope above the dear lybeloved old house the crimson ramblers at the front were a riot of red and the yellow rose at the kitchen window was weighted with golden bloom the old house was left partially furnish ed worthless articles which the second hand man would have seamed for the most part here and there however was a relic of real value which the brother a s decline to pari wlui yet found too cumbersome to the tiny flat such was the old walnut desk in whose secret drawer elizabeth found the neglected paper as she was placing it in her bag a shadow fell through the uncurtained window and disappeared be hind the desk a footstep on the porch followed and than the trying of the door through which she had entered fortunately it was secured by a spring lock- elizabeth kept her place to the shadow until the intruder had left the porch and after again peering to at the window had gone around to the back by tiptoeing over and peeping through the crack to the halfclosed door she was able to get a view of the man as he stared in at the kitchen wmdow was the same one she thought she had eluded on the car he must have caught a lift to an automobile thought the girl and i thought myself so clever in eluding him i well he wont get the option if i can help it the question was could she helplt the man niust either have succeeded in shadowing her after all or else he already knew of her destination in either case now that he was here- he would be sure to search the house there was no place where she could secrets the document she dared not trust it to the secret drawer again for it was just possible that a search had already been made o all of the obvious places the production of muskmelons is a specialized business understood by the best experienced gardeners this crop is as atule a profitable one to grow particularly if it can be marketed early but to these days when melons are im- ported from the more southern regions the edge js as a rule off the market for the so called early local crop despite the difference to quality to favor of the local product the difficulty of interpreting tbe signs of maturity in muskmelons that are es sential to keeping quality where the melonsare to be shipped long distances often results in melons of inferior quality being offered for sale by dealers the proper stage of maturity may be deter mined to a fair degree by the appearance of the netting green melons have shal low smooth netting while mature melons have rough corky netting where melons are being grown for local market the degree of maturity may be judged by the peduncleor stem for such a market the fruits may be re- moved at the halfslip stage or when a line or break between the melon and peduncle or stem is showing and leaves thje melon to part only when the fruits are harvested at this stage they aire not fully mature but are developed to the points where they will keep well and have very fair quality sweetness and flavor the fullslip stage is byfar the best time to harvest the melons for local market that is when the peducle or stem comes away easily and free from- the fruits leaving a large scar at this stage the melons will possess the highest sugar content and have the best flavor and quality in passing a partly matured melon when harvested andlbtot for several tfays will develop the ustiat wulnot developthe sugary- hlghquallty that the melon will that has been fully matured on the vines tow i lay me down to sleep dorothy attending the episcopal church for the first time was surprised to see the people about her kneel sud denly turning to her mother she asked what they were going to do hush darling whispered mother they are going to say their prayers what with all their clothes on said dorothy slats diary bt boss parquhab friday pa is lookfa for a new raddlo set he dussent like these here sets 1- witch you plug in an the current he likes the ole fash ioned battery sets beoua yoii dont half to iissen to it wile you are have- ing them recharg ed he says saterday pa go into more truble at the noose paper shop witch he wlrks at today he printed a peace about the boss of the noose paper was a going to spend afew mons in the open and he eft off he letter o offtie wffd open sunday ant emmy was verry very xclted las nlte she sed she cuddent sleep on acct of these was a oupple cats kep houling all nite but it was all rite we found put i wa oney a fello a playing the saxafone wile he was calling on the girl witch lives nex dore to us munday pa went and bought his self a ole fashioned nite shurt today he say he dlsslded to cut out pajanunas on acct it was to afenunlnuthe says teusdaywell the forth of july was not very successfull here in town oney 1 kid got a finger shot off and 2 houses burnt down but whut can you expeck when they oney alow the store keepers to sell far wirks 2 days before the forth of july ma wanted pa to go to ottomo- beel races but he 6edhe went last yr and set there all day and never saw even 1 man get kllld wensday the new kid- witch moved to the house a crost the at with his muther says his father is a very em- portant man becuz the govement wants him very very bad and wood give a reward of 6 thousand if ennyone can preduce him to the govement he says his father has made a lot of munnyand the goveriient is jellus mebby thirsday jakes pa is out of wirk so jakkes unkel sed for him to send him out there doing the depreshun but yesterday they got a tellegram and his uriiel sed i am sending jake back you mite send the- depreshun to ated of jake word perfect at a- staging competition the local baritone sang the village blacksmith and was confident of being placed first on the result being declared- hie was dis appointed to find he was only second and asked for an explanation- a well said the adjudicator you made a bad blunder instead of singing each morning sees some task begun each evening sees it close you sang each evening sees some task begun each morning sees it dose that was rightenough protested the singer ryont you know he was on the night shift cheaper macoregor had just arrived in america after a weary journey across the atlantic as he walked off the ship he -saw- a man to a drying outfit climbing up front the harbor to the deck of a nearby boat ittnlmon he exclaimed jl wish id known about hat sooner id have walked across myself the mikbor betrays wife do you know i have a very small mouth in the glass it doesnt look large enough to hold my tongue husband it isnt douglas egyptian liniment always quick always certain- tpps bleeding instantly cauterizes wounds and pre vents- bloodpoisoning splendid for muscular rheumatism points on raising hogs the superintendent of therddmlrilon experimental station 7 windermere b c presents a bit of homely logic to connection with the raising of hogs to a report recently issuedv in which he says expensi blllllltag tuxiggiary for the successful rearing of pigs the main points to bear in mind are that the animals should be protected from the storms to winter and the sun in the summer time the bedding quarters should be 1 dry at all times and well bedded with straw in winter at the station a straw shed has given good results and is preferred by the- pigs to the uptodate piggery single ply cabins if well bedded are quite satisfactory its lovely honeys- how much do you want all her neighbors wonder how ed bakers wife gets such good prices for her honey but mrs bakers secret is simple she sells low evening rales on station-to-sta- tion colli begin 700 pm siili lower night rates at 830 pm by long distance telephone its lovely honey this summer heretepkorierifo thetiotel in town yes ill deliver by the erid of the week long distance is quick easy to use and profitable bear the goodyear name and guarantee are outselling every other tire in their class are made with supertwist cord proof against inner friction heat have a thick roadgripping tread which lasts for the hfe ocle tire have the traction pattern in the ce of th tread vliw ft ir b sell for 20 less than standard tires have no superior except one goody ears all weather tread are m mileage records everywhere ask your local dealer jj t wous geologist was among anyone so antfous to secure the option ks ov vtot tiio -tw- 1 would be verm likely o hack the old sfev ttff r