CHAPTER 1. ’ l '4’â€? an instant on the threshold of this story. You will call it perhaps im-redible, impossible. Be it soâ€"how- (-vel it is; true. Twenty years ago its principal incidents were wonderineg chronicled in every paper throughout the length and breadth of the land. in- credible ii. soundsâ€"true ii. is. It is but one more proof of the veracity of that hackneyed axiom - “truth is stranger than fiction." A raw and gusty March day was closing in a rower and gustier twi- light. One lurid bar of blood-red streaked the black sky! where the sun had set wrathfully; all else was murky, troubled darkness. A wailing wind moaned through the gaunt trees, and sent the March dust whirling in blind- ing clouds before it. In the omin- ous sky, in the groaning blast, the coming storm heralded its EP- proach. . The 5 p.m. train'from London ca-me thundering into the dull little station of Farml‘mgham. The lamps flared in the numberless drauglits, and the lit- tle wayside station looked.- so unutter- ably dismal and desolate in the eerie gleaming. Half a. dozen stragglers lounged about, . pOCkets, hats drawn far over their eyes, waiting to see the passengers matlle [figure stood before him, dimly . friend. Mn Glastone ou lne ' , sky. A 5011118 - “158.1361.†alight. There was but one. man, with a light overcoat thrown across his arm, aprang off, and walk- l stretched. ed into the station. "All right!" shouted the guard. And, with a demoniac shriek, the train was lost in the blackening evenâ€" ing. The half~dozen stragglers ; hat for over his eyes, and sallied out iiuto the gusty darkness. . . _ 'i here were no street lamps in primi- tive h‘ramlingham and the lighted windows were so obscured by tossuig trees, that they illuminated his path. but little. The path was strange to him, too; but he plunged carelessly for- ward with an easy, trust in luck and himself, that was characteristic of the Iman, humming the fag end of an old ballad. BOSEBERY'S CAREER. Accident of High Birth [he (“ruse 0min Failure In Political Life. The earliest forecast of the career of the Earl of Rosebery was made by a shrewd Scotchman. who heard him de- _ . . u";- a speech at a luncheon after a same pair of muSiciaus. and on. my military review. He was a. lad of four- “ iSh'le the man good-morning. the wo- teen. but he spoke so well that this Diff“ “SIMON went 011- “Oi-91131118 8-11)" keen observer declared that the vol- t "18 [0 me-‘ Several other times I unteers had been listening to one of met him either going or returning. and Englandsa future prime ministers. I was struck with their powers of en- durance in dragging such a heavy load PI ll-lllll ll. A day or two after. as I was plodding along the road. I was passed by the hands deep in their: 1 outstretched arms turned 3 Twenty years passed and he was still referred to by his friends as a man with a great future in public life. al- though he had done little to justify . . expectation, His first speech in the delectable, happy Village. 1‘ hope Issie ' . . n _ will keep tryst; one doesn’t mind break- Emma 0f Lords“ “hen he “35 “lenty ing one’s shins fan the girl of one‘s 4 four. was a feeble one; and while he heart? but if the girl doesn’t come presided three years afterward over a thinknThis ought to be the BPOt’ I Social Science Congress and subse- He was out on. the verge of a bleak Que!th “'35 Chosen the rector 0f two marsh, just discernible and no more, Scotch universities. he had made no Polland willows waved and cracked, marked progress in political life' Yet and a low cluin -cif fume-bushes dot- , . ltezi it-black speljrters, this bad March those who met him frequent-1y were “0h, hang it!†as he stumbled over an obstruction. “Miss Hardenbrook would lock the door; and keep the key, too, if she dreamed George Wildair was within a score of miles of this night. _ , . . [impressed with his force of character "£1113 15 the Spot; fwd; thlfl 15 ththand exceptional ability. and were in hour,†Mr. George \Vildair muttered. the habit of speaking of him as a fu- ture prime minister. He had not been idle. but had made , to himself; "and a1 more desolate spot! land a more dismal hour my adored . lsabel couldn’t have chosen, it she had lastly Lissa-missturrets: . good of wealth leisure. me Send her soon, or I Shun be found had traveled much and had thought . here toâ€"morrow morning, frozen as deeply on many subjects. \Vhen he ob- . stiff as Lot’s wife," tained his first Official position in 1881 l A step sounded on‘ the roadâ€"baked as Under-Secretary of the Home Of- hard as iron with black frostâ€"a quick . fice. he went ahead rapidly. light woman’s step. in five years he was Secretary for An instant. later, ands. slender fe-‘Fcreign Affairs, and his intimate had pointed to against the gloomy nightih'un as I THE FUTURE LEADER. He started forward, his arms out- E 0f the Liberal party and his own sucâ€" cessor. He had already been a leader "George!" of the Imperial Federation League. and A hysterical cry of delight, and the: lie subsequent-1y took an active part were empty no }111 the organization of the first Lonâ€" longer." 3don County Council. When Mr. Gladâ€" “Dear ‘Georgeudearest George, how ‘ stone retired from public life the Earl good it is to see you. again," 5139 cries of llosebery became prime minister. in the same hysterical- way. "Ohl the A5 a man 0f the fUture 118 had excitr last two months have. seemed like an : ed much enthusiasm. As a man of the their twelve eyes upon. the tall young ; eternity, never to see 'ou, never to ' present he has failed to make a repu- man with an overcoatâ€"a stranger to , hear from you! them, a stranger in Farmingham. handsome and gentlemanly fellow, with I dark, bright eyes, a. black mustache; and a magnificent ring blazing on his , ungloved left hand. It. flashed like; a great eye of- fire as he stood un- 5 dcr one of the gas jets and lit a3 cigar. ‘ , “Nasty night, sir," suggested the; station-master, rather impressed by' the superb stranger. it hot and heavy inglh before morn- The stranger nodded carelessly, blew leaves her night or! day... a fragrant cloud of smoke in the face I of the nearest straggler, walked to the door, and looked long and earnestly! down the road. 'l‘he dull little villageâ€"dull at its best and brightest,--was unspeakably forlorn and forsaken this black and] dismal March evening. Not even stray dog wandered through its one long, straggling street. Everybody was that up behind those lighted windows in square, white dwellings, with the‘ inevitable Venetian lilinds-liouses as much alike as peas in a. pod. The stranger shrugged his shoul- ders significantly. ‘ “A gay and festive place. this Earmâ€" : linghain of yours, my friend. Existâ€" must be a once dragged out here priceless boon. 'l‘liere'sa hotel, 1 sup- pose?“ ' " Five of 'exn," replied the sta- tion master, triuiuphantl . " The Crown, the Farmers, the l'heat’sheaf, theâ€"â€"-" "That will do. Which is the. bestl" l "Well, the Crown islthe dearest and | the neatestâ€"and a pretty fair hotel. l There it stands, sir, with them benches in front of it." ' "Thanks; I‘ll try it. . aouts does Miss llardenbrook live?“ "Bliss Hardenbrooki‘ Well, you can‘t see Miss liardenbrook's from here; it's pretty high. t‘otlier 8nd.0f the village. Be you; a friend of Illiss Hardenbi‘ook‘s ‘i' with a curious Itare . 'l'lic your; man laughedâ€"a peculiar, short laugi,â€"â€"ae he flun away his cigar. and invested himsel in his over- coat. “i don't know about that. if I'm not, however, it's Miss Harden- rook‘s fault. I‘m not at all proud. ‘ d evening to you." He strode away. The watched him out of sight. "Not prouvl. ain't you?" Said the sta- tion master. “maybe not, but you‘re rctiv considerable cheeky. What's be h Miss llardciibrook, I wonder?" She never has no visitors." "One of her handsome uiece's beans. I expect." suggested one. "Miss iiiirdenl-rmk‘s very poorly to- day," another remarked. . expected to live the week out. Miss fsmbel will drop into a goini thing, when the old girl goes off the hooks. She‘ll be the richest and handsomest gal in Lancashire." _ "And this young chap. ‘Tlth .ihe black mustache and diamond ring, comes down beforehand to make sure of his game. A fortune-hunter. or a embler. most likely. They all look ike thatâ€" black inustaclies. dia- mond rings. tall hats, and lots of check." . The young man. thus unflatteringly discussed. rescued the hotel meantime, secured his room. ordered lureupper. and ate it “iii! an appetite. His which related to six as he came from the bio. it was quite dark nmvâ€" moonless and ski-less: a black. bitter night. "Pleasant this," the young man mut- teredâ€""an in sk above, an inky earth below. .l'y Jeannirl will hard- ly venture out in this March tornado ; but. like a true knight. i must brave the element: and he at the place of t . rye butth up his coat, drew his stragglers " \Ve shall have r tyrdom \V here- i l "She ain't r And Iiss brook has been so cross and so sus- ' His tenure of office was short. and his ,picious; and Ellen Rossiterl has watch- 3 Party met With a Crushing defeat in 8d me as a cat watches a' mouse. Oh!" i the general elections off-1895. As the clinging to him with something be_lleader of a divided and discouraged tween a laugh and a, sob, "0119 may . minority he soon lost heart and retir- eveï¬bug' gold too dear, George," ed from public life. _ _ “ 1y ear little Issiel My precious, .Eiis failure to justify the hopes of his little ill-used darling, So you are-friends was not due to any lack of enduring daily martyrdom fer my‘brilliunt gifts. As an orator he is sake. ’l‘izne doesn’t improve miss 3 without a. rival in England. Mr.Cham- Hardcnbrook’s temper I suppose; but, f berlain is a betier debater, but is not as it doesn’t improve: her healthelth- ‘ more fluent as a. speaker. and lacks. er. there is reason; to hope your mar- 3 his melodious voice. and resources of will soon end. How is humor- she'i†‘ 0n the platform he is an almost ideal “Very, very ill, and liable to die at speaker, combining with dignity of any moment. Ellen RosSiter, hardly bearing and earnestness of manner. a sparkling wit: and felicity of expres- "Ellen Rossiter is the toad-satin , 81011 which delight an audience. tuftâ€"hunting old maid cousin lyou toFdi His career proves that it is a misfor- me of, who hopes to supplant you in ; tune. at least for an English Liberal. Miss Hardenbrcok’s will?†:to be born 9. Peer. He has sat in the "And who will supplant me, George", House of Lorth since he was twenty- the girl said, solemnly, "as surely as one. If he could have fought his way Aunt Hardenl~1-m},â€" finds out, you are. E to the front .in the Commons he would here, and that we hav’e' met." . lhave had the political training in the 'jBut she must not find it out,".\lr. l mana ement of party affairs, which Wildair said. in a rather startled tone; l woqu have fitted him for leadership. “and she must not know we have met.| As a man of the future he was a. It would be a terrible thing for us, ' dreamer interesting himself in ‘many Isabel, if you lost your aunt’s for- things. As prime minister and leadâ€" vtuue.“ ' ler he lacked definite purpose and com- ’l‘he girl looked up at him earnest-amanding authority. His public career 1y. But in the darkness the expres-lhas been blighted by the accident of sum his face worel could not‘ be seen. i high birth. . “You would not love me less, - George?" I "You foolish child. As if any loss GROWING OLD. if“) gflï¬l.l°“°r “orld could make me Most women have a, horror of grow- “Thon why would it’s loss be ter- 111:1; OM- It Certamll' is not the 91635" rible? I should like to be rich George, antest thing to contemplate. but it is E: 111% lulxiliziogï¬lyl. t0 tilg‘elss Sglieljmgé inevitable. [But that is no reason why 'iavea ‘a leieauiu an in l. , .- . . in life around me, but I could give i “a “33 $10M“ not be kept Off ‘18 long an up, and go' forth to beg My with l as possilxe. Let that wornâ€"out expres- with you, iiiy beloved, wit out one : slon. "I am getting obd." be consigned pang. Njclithing in this wide earth could i to the past, and keep young. Just be- lg’VEI-ézgfggg.me but the loss 0! your cause a few gray hairs have made their Mr. \l'ilduir laughed and kissed her. appear-awe. do not give up all forms But the laugh sounded cynical, and of active amusement. put on oldâ€"fash- the, kiss was I.not izt all }time Irap- ionad dbmeï¬p dress the hair “mint-om- a proceel mg mig l lave ingw or don ugly oolorï¬ Old alga do“ "A very pretty speech my dear, and! not need to he forced on. rather keep a very flatterng ion'e. .But there is? it. at bay. 3' homely. om adage “luck is as true {But we are being continualllvremindâ€" as truth itself to my mind, 'When pov- . , ,' ,, .0“ “W comes in at' the door, love flies 8‘1 that “'3. are “0 “98Ԡbouilfav 3 out of the window.’ The going forth say. Certainly our friends notice the to beggary sounds nice and senti- gray hairs and wrinkles and wish to mum“ in theory; "u" “Zhen it Camelspare us. through kindness. much of to practice, I should quietly steal a an, active work which wound ward off razor and out my throat. The story the wrmmm and mm color in the face. of hing Cophetua and the Beggar Th.) young- {aglks lcake the walks in the Maid. am told by Mr. Tenn son. Is a . fresh, bracing air while their elders sit very charming story, indee ; and if I beg,“ the fire in big afï¬x-chairs. They were a kingCOphetua and Miss ilar- are sud to wax-e me dear old mother denhi‘onk disinherited you. I. should l a}, fume,- any “Imamâ€. maps, The take my darkâ€"eyed beggar. maul, and “xiifolkg must have extra warinth,easy make her my queen as promptly and “hairs, and mum not use their limbs romantically as he did. But. you see. and muï¬ï¬‚kfl as long as they could. is being only a briefiess barrister, just share v way whim]; invites the a able to earn the bread and salt of proud; 0 the enemy better! It is all daily life. and nothing more. beggar very well to allow the young all the maids are not practicable. So my pret- amusement thoym." find, but. itis {oily ty,lssie. if we are to be blest for life to retire from it. entirely and pru-eed before our hair turns gray, you must ; to grow old. Few things keel) one become heiress of Miss‘ Hardenhrook’s l y so long as association with youth =thousands.“ and e. . 2 "Then It is Miss Hardenbrook’s Then. too. it is not vanity to seect fortune you marry, not lsabel becoming clothes. even if a woman is VQDCO?" lpast fort . There are pretty things She spoke in a cold, constrained lemitablo or all ages. and that little valve. drawing herself free from Maine. "Fine feathers make fine birds." encircling arms." 1 is very true. Do not eel-low ay hairs “Nonsense, lssie." he said impatientâ€" to make a “bark number" 0 you. but if- "You know- better! than that. l‘m , Iotk anxieiy, care and worry away from not a very sentimental young inan,]k}wp young. k8?!) to the front and and i tell you the plain. truth. I lovezsicht. ‘ inti dearlyâ€"J \tvould marry you witth . . __ on a penny o-morrowâ€"ii' I run d, . . . ,.. . Hut 1 can't: and if the \‘cnus Celes-l Rl 5"";‘5’ RAPID ('Ro“ ‘H‘ tits} “1‘; $000818 ï¬ll"! aï¬lzafth. tam“ Russia has the most rapidly increas- oei- .ouic rs. irarou o;-,, (‘ . - band. I should have to flunk ‘begin, population of any country in the .....s .. . ‘ 1 world. The growi'h during the last i‘lllli“.fé*li%ï¬l.f€‘lffé£2l" rallies. . been a man I... nds f m Ulyum s pith her. go,“ 1 random annually. guailly, sebel. an: don’t be xiii- mental; \liss Hardenbrook will die shortly. and if she wasn't an uncou- scimmble old spider she would have 'l‘iilZ REINDEER‘S WARM COAT. The skin of the reindeer is so imper- died long ago : and When your six vious iu the cold that any one cloth- months‘ mourning has explrfll: “‘9'†9.1 in .mle a dress. with the addition he married. and "6 balmy tonâ€? 0i 2i blankri of the same material. may “ML†bear the intensest rigors of an Arc- (To Be Continued.) tic winter’s night. Harden- ‘ talion as a. statmeman of the first rank. 1 «:unwngn. Sonn- wure mixin their 'wc 9' in tube. stirring the mix are with ï¬l'rfll pica-s of Wood, and some were roing off with their cargo complete. all those miles and up the long hills on the way. One morning. coming from the fields with some cowslips, I came upon them outside alarge substantial old house. The man was grinding away.and the wo- man was going in at the garden gale. I was in the act of lighting my short. ,0utty pipe. when the man asked me for a match, though he didn‘t light up then. as not looking business-like. I suppose. Setting down my basket. I tried to have a little talk with him; but his English was so bad that Ibould- not: make out much of what he said. While I was at this game the woman returned, and did not seem pleased to gsee us together. She looked sulkily at lme under her black brows. and gave . an impatient stamp with her foot upon the road, making one think what a handsome Spitfire she was in her gay costume. Not wishing to be blown up Shy her. Ishouldered my basket and lILlOi’ed away, leaving her ruling her !companion soundly. I could not im- agine what made her take such a dis- like to me, as i had always been civil. For some time after this the district was not visited by burglars, and l was beginning to think of being recalled roni my ivcarisonie duty. when one imorning before slzartingl was sent for tp the office and instructed to go to Ilendon in private clothes, as a house there had been broken into on the pre- vious night. On arriving. 1 found it to be the house in front of which I had given the organ-grinder the match and had aroused his wife's anger. A large gar- ! den, shut in witlh a high wail. separat- ed it from the road. while inx the rear the grounds sloped down to the river Brent. 'l‘lie thieves had got. into one of the bedrooms by means of a ladder. from a neighbouring stzu'kyard; and they had carried off a large booty, prin~ cipally jewels. The robbery was not discovered till a late hour, when one of the maids going up to light the gas in the room, found the door locked on the inside. She at once gave the alarm; but the thieves had evidently taken their departure some time be- fpre. for no trace of them could be discovered. though a strict search was made all .round. l examined the place .and found the job had been done in a thoroughly†workman-like manner. and was on the point of leaving with} my report. when my eye caught the gleam of something Bright under the Window-curtain. LtOOping down, I picked up a‘ large foreign-looking earring. which 1 immeâ€" diately recognised as one of those worn by the lialian woman with the piano- 'l‘lhis put me at once on the Scent. and explained why my lwo friends so haunle'l the district. But the thing was to pounce upon them i fore they had any suspicion of be- i g wanted, otherwise, there was litâ€" the chance of recovering the jewels, 5?? i made up my mind at it could i no other than tli ' wh had stolen the diamonds from gampstead. i did not. mention my find to the gentleman (if the house. its one cannot be loo cautious in these matters. Knowing the. italians would be by their drgan. this time on _ round eturned lo town, and after a. consultaiion with my superior. determined to drop upon my pair the next morning before they began bllSl- ness. '1. don’t know. sir, if you are ac- ‘uainli-d with the ltallan quarter near 'ï¬atlon imrden. it's a queer place. (lickeful of those black-haired icemen. piffei'ari bagpipers. organ-grinders, and artisls' models. The names on the shows are all foreign; the streets are crowded from morning till night. and the brighl dresses of the women are in great. contrast to the dingy houses. “'hen i made my way there early the following morning. accompanied by linoHu-r officer. also in plain clothes. most of the inhabitants were already stirring. busy ill‘ï¬parlllg‘fOl' the day's n reaching the house where my ('ouâ€" pie lodged. we were confronted in llll: loorwiiy by a stout dirty-looking ital- ian who was the landlordâ€"the padrone, think they call him. We stated as )ur business that we wished to speak 0 Carlo Andrealolti. The fat man ookr-d at us suspiciously. as though 1guessing; something was wrong; but. coming not to wish lo be unvivil. lie zapped at the door of the ouc-k parlor. ind getting no answer. he tried the iandle. but found the room locked. so old as Carlo must. be out already on is round. Leaving another Officer 10 watch the neighbourhood. we started on our search. hOping to overtake the nuslcians. Finding by inquiry of constables on {be mad. that they were before us on heir usual route. towards Hampetearl. we hailed a vial). Illld presengly ]via)†our uarr ' gn aong wit lieu- or- qan tiarc’ï¬gh entleh Town. \Ve atop- ied the - . and getting out. are ped p to the Italian, whom 1 tap on he aloulder. bringing him to amend- atili. The woman at first appeared in- clined to runâ€: but on second thought-e. she remained quiet, putting on an air of injured innocence. We had no greai difficulty in getting them to EIWIICP station, Where 1 charged Ihein With be- ing concerned in the burgh ry M ï¬el- don two nights before. The W who took it much more coolly than her husband. said we should all rue the insult upon her. speaking in very db cent English. i noticed that she ware: another pair of earrin s. which were‘, much plainer and sum ler than those, I had always before seen her with. AF, (or the two were disposed of for the lime. the piano-organ was wheeled into the siiiiion yard and locked up in ii shed. Gatling a search-\varriiiit, my friend and I went to the lodgin 3 near lint- ton Garden. The lllll‘lnl‘f all firsi de- murrcd about leiihig us go into the room; but on showing our authority. he made no further bother. As the par- lour was locked. we htid to force open the door. The room inio which we broke was a large, old-fashioned apart- ment. very dirty, the ceiling black with age. There was liille in il. beside a deal table. decidedly in wan! of scrub- bing. a rcuplc of broken chairs. and in one corner of thegfloor a mattress and ii blanket or two. “'9 locked engerm ly into a cuboard. but found onlye few cups and basins. some macaroni In, a dish. and a. rusty old lamp. 'l‘hough We examined the place thoroughly. we could find nothing else but. dirt; so. terribly disappointed. we at last gave up the search On going out of the room. we were met in the passage by a crowd of ital- ians. who had evidently been looking through the keyhole during our hunt. They made way for us to pass. but kept up a chorus of what seemed to me uncompliinenlury remarks. \Vhen we got into the street i felt rather at a loss how to proceed. for‘ I had only the earring and my euspiâ€"' cions to go upon. and was quite at‘ sea as to the whereabouts of the jew- els. Taking leave of my companion. as he had another engagement-.1 walked moodily and out of spirits to the police station where my liaiiuns were lock- ed up All at once it. struck me that I might as well have a look at the piano-urng so, getting the key of the shed from“ the im-ypector in charge. I. proceeded to- examinc it. It was an ordinaryâ€"look- in instrument on a low truck. with? a iox near the handles. 'l‘liis coniaiue nothing of consequence. so i took of the waterproof cover and carefully iii- spected the case. but could find noth-. ing unusual about iii. l was shaking my head over my want of sucoass. when I happened to notice that the green baize which covered the back was rath- er loose. and that some of the tacks which fastened it to the frame were missing. Something impelled me to look behind it; so. taking hold of. one corner of the baize, i gave it a smart pull, and it came away easily from the wood- work for a foot or more from the bot- tom, exposing a deal panel. I rapped this with my knuckles, on. which it gave out a hollow sound; so. going on my knees. to gel. more readin at it. fpuli-- ed out a knife and commenced prising at the panel. At that moment the in- spector came into the shed, and seeing me busy. asked if i had found an thin . I succeeded at length in wrench ng o ‘f the piece of wood. on which i. was workâ€" ing, and. disulosed a lace between it and the real back of tie organ. Wheel- ing the instrument to the light in the door-way. the inspector and [looked inquisitively into the cavity, and dis- covered a small parcel wrapped in a handkerchief. \Vith trembling hands, I unfolded this. and also a. piece of. cot- ton-wool inside. and. disclosed a number: of brooches, rings, and bracelets, ovidr' ently of great value. and a diamond necklace, which I knew from descrip- tion to be the one stolen from Hamp- stead. This lucky find did the business gor the llaiians. who were committed or trial at the next sessions. \Vhen the, day came and the case began. it was astonishing to note the difference in the bearing of the two prisoners. The. woman looked defiantly about her, while her husband appeared quite crushed. At the close of the mleech for the prosecution he broke down al- to ether. and then and there made a. fix 1 confession. throwing all lhe blame on his wife. He said they had commit- ted the robberies with which they were charged. but that he acted completely under his wife’s direction. as she plan- nail the affairs, and was foremost in carrying them out. They had arrang- ed. as soon as the last business had blown over. to dispose of the jewelry. abroad. and afterwards to settle down quietly in Jlaly. Of course the con- fession made it no lighter for the man and both the prisoners were sentence to a long term of [Mina] servitude. ‘ l cami- in for a good «le‘ail of praise for my share in the matter. and. what was much butter for me, got promot. ed. Though, as a member of the force. 1 was not entitled to claim the reward offered for the recovery. of the dire monds. .yel. Lilli-is Somers was so delight ed to get them back, that she inedi me a handsome yrrescnt. liver sinci tlivn. I’ve had a liking for piano-err guns. (The End.) â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"-â€"â€".-â€"â€"â€"â€"-â€" SQUl-IAKI‘ID ONCE TOO OFTEN. Maccabe. the ventriloquiet, was a great. practical joker. Several years ago he was on board a river steamboat. and. having made friends wilh the en- gineer. was allowed the freedom. of the engine room. Presently a certain part of the Ulla chinei‘y be an to crank. The engineer oiled it lint went about his duties. [if the course of a few minutes the creek- ing was heard again, and the engineer rushed over. oil can in hand, to lubri- cate the same «Tank. Again he resumed his post. but it was only a few minutes before the urn. old crank was creaking louder than ev- er. Great Jupiter! he yelled, the thing's bewitched. More oil was wiiiiinistereti. but the engineer began to smell a rat. Pretty soon th ecrunk squeaked again, when all log n behind Mam-aha he squirted tulips pin of oil down the joker'e back. There said he. i guess that crank won‘t squeak any more. REV i‘fiiSE ACTION. Hello, old fallow. I'm glad to hear that you wife is well. Didn't the doc- tors tell her she couldn't remverf Yes.. and if they‘d told her that {he must†get well she would have fooled them just as hadl . i saved her by ielling them her ' sition.