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0......O0.0..... .....‘ 0.00.0o.».«.n.«.n.o0.99.9o.».«.u.«.u.u 0......“ 0:0, 9’. 3 of V 0:. .0 '9 o o o 0 5.00.9... 9.0 9.0 v.0 O '9. O .0 O .0 newest-ems O. 9:”:«zuznzo 6:00:9o:oo:c¢:w:oo:»:oc:»:o . . I. From the very moment that Jones’ boarding house opened its doors to the Bensons, and extended to them its unrivalled nosoitality, I Was seized by a premonition of imâ€" pending evil. I took a violent dislike to Benson from the moment I was introduced to him. ‘ I shall never forget our first meet- ing. It was just prior to our en- tering the diningâ€"room. Benson ac- knowledged the introduction with a sinister glare and an unintelligible muinble that fairly sent the cold chills creeping up and dOWn my back. How utterly differentâ€"of What suâ€" perior clay was Alice Benson. It seemed impossible to realize that they were man and wife. Surely love could not have impelled her union With this man. . She was beautiful to a shade of loveliness that words fail to justify. She appeared of such a gentle and Winning disposition, a. woman cap- able of so much affection, of loving and being loved, that almost uncon- sciously I found myself idly debating whether she would not be happierâ€"- as another man’s wife. At times I detected a look in her eyes that I did not fancy. I A Wild, haunted look of dread seemed ‘to find expression in their depths, as though she lived in constant fear of something. Perhaps this modern Bluebeard of a husband illâ€"treated her. Heaven ! I was beginning to hate the man though I hardly knew him. “I am more than pleased to meet you,” she said, simply, with a depth of feeling that sent a pleasureable thrill tingling through every vein. “I feel sure we shall be friendsâ€"the best of friends.” Perhaps I echoed the sentiment with a little more fervor than the occasion demanded, but I expressed myself in all sincerity. As I seated myself, a feeling of contempt swept over me against the man to‘ whom she had linked her destiny. During the course of the meal, Benson maintained a rigid silence. His wife entered gaily into the gen- eral conversation, but refused to discuss her own affairs. Occasionalâ€" ly she would look intently at her look O O .0 husband, and that troubled crept into her eyes. ‘ A number of times during that halfâ€"hour I found myself stealing an apprehensive glance at the silent man acrOSS the table. Twice I caught his lips moving, as though he had some- thing on his mind and could not help repeating it. After finishing their meal the Ben- sons left the room. A few moments later we heard the street door close behind them. That evening they did not return to supper. Having no engagement that necessitated my leaving the house, I retired to my room shortly afterwards. My lady nicotine wooed my mind to strange conceptions. Slowly the shifting cloud of smoke surrounding me assumed the form of a woman’s face. The radiant, smiling features of Alice Benson floated before me. Dazzled, bewildered, I leaned towards it. The vision faded. Again the smoke SWirled and shifted. Again a form slowly evolved itself. Horrible phantasy ! A serpent’s ,head of hideous proportions hung suspended ! I shuddered and closed my eyes. When I. opened them all was gene. How long. I sat there I do not know. I was aroused by hearing someone mounting the stairs, and by the sound of subdued talking concluded it Was the Bensons going to their room. They had been asâ€" signed the apartment adjoining mine. I Upon entering my room I had unâ€" intentionally left my door slightly ajar. The couple halted as they came opposite the opening, and I could easily distinguish their voices. “John, to-night is your last chance. There must be no mistake.” I found myself listening intently for Benson’s answer. His wife’s Words savoured of mystery. “Have no fear that I shall fail," answered Benson firmly. “I will des- patch Freeman in such a manner that no one will ever suspect it of being the work of an amateur. The role of killing a man is new to me, Alice, but I’d murder a dozen if it made you any the happier." _ I gripped the arms of the chair in a frenzied grasp of horror. “I know it, John,” murmured the woman softly. “You're the best hus- band in all the world, andâ€"andâ€"I love you for it. But you are sure you will not weaken at the crucial moment ? It's a terrible thing to face such an ordeal." “Tush ! My little woman, you are nervous. A Benson lose his nerve ! Absurd ! Freeman will be here shortly.” . For a moment the horrible realiza- tion of what I had overheard fairly stupified me. My first .‘impulse was ’ to rush after the plotters and conâ€" front them with my knowledge of their dastardly intentions. A mo- ment's deliberationproved its futil- it". This creature, whom I had placed upon the highest pedestal of en- nobling Womanhood was only fit to to surprise me. was the woman’s voice. ed'to and her tones betrayed some excite-' ment. the part of someone, sounding two bodies . tact, followed by a fall and a half- smothered groan. a halfâ€"stifled screamâ€"then the silence of death. like been murdered almost before my very eyes, and I had not so much as rais- ed a hand gruesome failure I had made of it ! had completely staggered me, ing with such abruptness, yet I was fired by the fierce determination that the Bensons should not triumph their awful deed. Their scheme had been successfully planned and execut- ed, bu-t their escape would not be so easily assured. To catch them redâ€" handed Would prove convicting eviâ€" dence. few streets away. To reach it was only the matter of minutes. the street in for the station forgot that I had, on my smoking- and breathless, duty. By spector at the sergeant's desk. Inâ€" spector Little was a man of action. with fright. rank with the lowest of degraded criminals. Her beauty was merely a mask, the smile on her lips the sir- en’s bait to lure men to destruction. Her husband's face bore the infal- lible stamp of crimeâ€"fixed and un- changeableâ€"but she, this irresistible goddess of infamy, was far worse than he. The unutterable suspense that'- I endured for the next half-hour can well be imagined. The slightest noise on the lower floor I interpretâ€" ed as the arrival of Freeman. When the door-bell finally rang, the deep, continuous peal stabbed me to the heart like a point of steel. I heard Benson leave his room and go to the héad of the stairs. A ino- ment later he greeted someone efâ€" fusively. My blood was at fever heat to warn Freeman of his danger, but a hasty demonstration on my part would avail nothing beyond placing me in an awkward position. Thetwo passed through the hall and entered Benson’s room. I heard the metallic click of a key in the lock as the door closed behind them. II. Leaving my room I crept softly to Benson’s door and listened. It was impossible for anyone in the room He would first have to unbolt the door. This would onâ€" able me to retreat. The first sound that reached me She appear- be speaking to the visitor, Finally, Benson broke in with a question, and the discussion that followed was spoken in lower tones. Strain as I would I could not hear it. Occasionally I caught a word or two, but they came at such disconâ€" nected intervals as to give me clue as to the conversation. no I was,»about to abandon my posiâ€" tion in disgust, when Benson’s voice rang through the room with _ blood- curdling emphasis. “Then die, you fool i” There was a quick movement upon like coming in sudden conâ€" Tlie woman gave The horrible truth flashed upon me a thunderbolt. Freeman had to save him. What a The blow had been struck with so little warning, and with such deadly effect, that it gave me no chance to interfere. of Freeman com~ Though the murder in The police-station lay but a I was down the stairs and out in a moment, sprinting like a madman. I jacket, and was hatless. People stopped and stared. I flew on un~ heedingly. I reached my destination distressed but nerved to my chance I found the in- Scarcely three minutes elapsed from the moment of my arrival until we Weredashing down the street. Mrs. Jones met us at the door. The sight of the officer was the first intimation she received that thing unusual was transpiring. She some- gasped and nearly sank to the floor A hasty explanation on my part only served to make matters worse. She followed us up the stairs, sobbing softly. Inspector Little halted at the head of the stairs, while I silently point- ed out the door. He then walked to the door and knocked boldly. There was no re- sponse save a sudden commotion within. Little smiled grimly. No doubt the Bensons were making a hasty effort to conceal their crime. Little did they imagine that justice was already stalking at their heels. Mr. Little was an officer, and knew his duty. Pressing his shoulder against the panel he surged for- ward. There was a sound of splin- tering wood, and the door flew inâ€" ward with a shattered lock. I took in the room at a glance. A perspiring individual in the corner stared at us in incredulous amazeâ€" ment. Mrs. Benson seemed on the verge of fainting. She clung to her husband’s arm in white-faced terror. Benson stood and glared, fully half a minute, crimson with unspeakable rage. Finally he found his voice. “How dare you break into room like this ?" I felt a strange sensation of weak- ness creeping into my bones. Could that man in the corner be Freemanâ€" and alive ? Could I have made a mistake ? My-ilesh fairly creeped. "I knocked,” began Little half apologetically, "and receivedâ€"" “Knocked ‘2" snarled Benson sav- agely. “We heard you and thought it. was some fool Crying to be funny. This'house is full of fools." - He ended by glaring at me. . “Your arrival completed the list," I retorted. my He would have sprung at me, but. the inspector stepped between us. “We are laboring under some de- lusion, gentlemen,” advised Little. “Perhaps it would be wiser to get down to more logical reasoning. I was notified that a crime had been committed here. I am willing to adâ€" init that there must be some mis- take." “Perhaps the occupants of this room can explain the suspicious sounds that I heard scarcely half an hour ago," I said testily. “No doubt the gentleman can ex- plain," interposed Inspector Little. Benson looked at his wife and laughed, guf‘fawed like a fool. She smiled back at him* in her pretty Winsome way. The man in the cor- ner grinned like a Cheshire cat. I saw nothing funny. Benson turned to Little with mock politeness. “We were rehearsing l" he anâ€" nounced with cutting emphasis. “Mr. Freeman, my Wife, and I," continued Benson, ignoring my efâ€" fort to speak, “are members of the Royal Greys Dramatic Company. Mrs. Benson stars as the leading lady, with Freeman in the corres- ponding role. I play heavy. During the course of the second act in ‘Her Crime,’ I am required to kill the hero. I consequently stab Mr. Free- man, otherwise James Tressis, in the back after delivering myself of the melodramatic utterance preâ€" viously mentioned. Not being very proficient in our respective parts, We decided on a private rehearsal as a final test, as the company takes to the road toâ€"morrow. I hope our realism will not impress our au- diences as vividly as it has on this occasion.” The weakness in my bones was rapidly nearing downright collapse. I groaned inwardly as I gazed after the retreating form of Inspector Litâ€" tle. He had apologized for his in- trusion, and was leaving. I turned to Benson. "Mr. Benson,” I began, “I wish to explain." (lGo !" I went. 40 fieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeg About the ....House e9 accesses HOUSEHOLD ACCOUNTS. It is the exception rather than the rule for the housekeeper country to keep a small daily ledger for the petty accounts of the houseâ€" hold. The very best encyclopedias published on household matters fail to take any note of the home ledger, although many of them contain elaborate essays written by dis- tinguished lawyers on all matters of law pertaining to the household. It is just this laxity in keeping acâ€" counts which keeps many larders de- pleted and purses poor. It is a simâ€" ple matter to keep a domestic ledger. The rules of single entry bookkeepâ€" ing will suflice. A simple form is as follows, the two pages of the ac- count book facing each other being here represented. Mary A Smith in account with cash : 1888. Dr. Aug. 1, to cash in hand ............ $10.00 Aug. 5, to J. Smith ............... 25.00 Carried over... . . . . . . . . . . . . $35.00 1888. Cr. Aug. 1, 12 yds. calico ...... ...$ 1.20 Aug. 20, 20 lbs. sugar... ...... 1.4.0 Aug. 11-, bbl. flour ................ 6.25 Aug. 4-, servant’s hire ............ 10.00 Carried over... ...... ....... $18.85 At the end of each of these twin pages the credit side is subtracted from the debit side and the remaindâ€" er should correspond with the amount of money remaining in hand. This is a form in which all items of receipt and expenditure with which a busy housekeeper may be charged at any hour of the day can be enâ€" tered. It will be found to be of value in the matter of dates, for how often do otherwise methodical women look back hopelessly into the recesses of a treacherous memory to recall just when she bought her last barrel of flour or her last package of sugar, and it may, moreover, in some instances serve/to recall to the financial head of the house when the last installment actually was paid, and show the many ways in which it was expended. It is also the only Way of systeinatizing the expenditure of the home finances, and there are few women who are either so poor. that they do not need an account book or so rich that they may afâ€" ford to spend money without sys- temâ€"that is, Without setting aside in proper proportions the money for the different purposes for which they spend it. BENZOIN’S USES. “I could not keep house Without benzoin," a friend said to me one day. I.happened in just as she Was applying something from a bottle with a wooden toothpick to- an aching tooth, writes Helen M. Rich- ardson. , - “This is a. compound tincture of benzoin which may be procured at any druggist's," she continued. “It forms a coating over the sensitive nerve of anaching tooth, which ex- cludes the air and very soon allays the pain. "For cuts and bruises, and the cracks Which so often appear on the in this v fingers in cold weather, it is the best thing I have ever used. To be sure, it stains the fingers, but the discoloration soon wears off. The same as with an aching tooth, it forms a glazing over the wound, and at the same time allays the sore- ness. “For .toilet purposes, the plain tincture of benzoin is a delightful adâ€" dition to the bath. This, also, I have prepared for me at the drugâ€" gist's, and a few drops added to the water imparts an agreeable odor, and is very refreshing. It is also said to prevent wrinkles. “This, you see, is quite different in appearance from the compound tincture," she said, holding another bottle up to view. “It is milky looking, While the other is of a dark brown color. A few drops of the plain in a pint of Water gives a milky dock and imparts a delightful vanilla-like fragrance. The bottle should be well shaken before using.” “How is your tooth ‘2” I asked, as she ceased speaking. “The pain has entirely she replied. I assured her that I should stop at a ‘druggist’s on my Way home, and lay in a supply ofbenzoin. “Be sure that you have the bottles labeled, so as to avoid mistake in using. Remember the plain tincture is for toilet purposes, and the comâ€" pound tincture for cuts, bruises, etc,” she called out to me as I was going down the steps. left it,” DOMESTIC RECIPES. Hamburg Steakâ€"Buy two pounds of lean beef from the round and have your butcher chop it fine. If you like onion with it, mix two teaâ€" spoonfuls of minced onion with the meat and season with salt and pep- per. Forin into small cakes or balls and fry with a little butter or clarified dripping. Make a sauce while the meat is cooking by putâ€" ting together a tablespoonful each of browned flour and butter ; when they bubble pour on them, a half pintâ€"one cupfulâ€"of beef stock if you have it, water if you have not. Stir to a smooth brown sauce and season to taste. Turn over the meat which you have arranged upon a platter. To Spice a Becf’s Tongueâ€"Wash and trim the tongue, rub it wit-h a mixture of half a pint of sugar, half a teaspoonful of saltpetre, a table- spoonful each of ground cloves and allspice, with a' teaspoonful of black pepper. Place in a strong brine and let it remain two weeks. When wanted, take out of pickle, wash and wipe dry, roll in a. thin paste of flour and water, put in a dripping pan and put into the oven to bake. Baste with butter and water. When done remove the paste, skin, and let stand till perfectly cold before slicing. Oatmeal Crispsâ€"Mix oatmeal and ,boiling water to a stiff dough, knead it a little. using wheat flour to prevent from crumbling, mold it, and cut into small thin cakes. Bake twenty or thirty minutes in a hot oven. If made very thin and kept in a cool', dry place, these remain good for several days. Baldwin Puddingâ€"Put a layer of buttered bread crumbs in a pudding dish, then aâ€"layer of sliced .apple with chopped almonds, lemon juice and a few gratings of nutmeg. Al- ternate crumbs, apples and seasonâ€" ing until the dish is full, having the top layer of crumbs. Bake in a moderate oven three-quarters of an hour. Serve with whipped cream sweetened and flavored. This pud- ding is a sort of Brown Betty fa- miliar to many cooks. SOME DONT’S. Don’t keep custards in the cellar in an open vessel. They are liable to become poisonous. Don't pour .boiling water over china packed in a pan. It will crack by the sudden contraction and ex- pansion. Don’t moist-en your food with the idea of saving your teeth. It spoils the teeth, and you will soon lose them. Don’t use steel knives for cutting fish, oysters, sweetbreads or brains. The steel blackens and gives an un- pleasant flavor. ‘Dou’t. scrub your refrigerator With Warm water. When necessary sponge it out quickly with .two ounces of formaldehyde in two parts of cold water. . , ' Don't put tablecloths and napkins that are fruitâ€"stained into hot soap- suds ; it sets or fixes the stains. Re- move v the stains first with dilute oxalic acid, washing quickly in clear water. Don't salt or pepper your food before tasting it, and even then do so very :unostentatiouslyâ€"it is a criticism on the cook. Never put ice in your Wineâ€"it is a criticism on the taste of the host. The small plate at the left is for bread as Well as butter. Individual butter plates of small size are out of fashion. ‘ ‘ .Don't sprinkle salt for the celery on the cloth or on your plate. Dip the celery in the small salt-cellar in front of you. ,If there are shakers -on the table instead of cellars, put some on the bread plate. Don’t, bite ofi_ celeryâ€"break off a small mouthful as you wish it. Don’t butter bread and then break it off or bite it. Breakofi a small mouthful as wished for and butter that. Butter is not served at din- ner on some tables. Don’t ask for it if you don‘t see it. v .-~...>._.. u.“ ., ..~_ ..»~,.., _ .: A FEW Pniiiin nus! â€". UPON TIâ€"IE CEMENT INDUSTRY OF THIS COUNTRY. cal- People in the Rural District! Should Look Into This Matter. In view of the great number of cement companies being formed for which the public, mostly farmers and persons having small savings in the rural districts are being asked to provide the money. anything which throws light upon the subject will be'read with interest. We re- print from the. Pctcrborough Ex- aminer the following Much discussion is now going on in the press on the subject of the‘ threatened enormous overproduction of'ccinent in Canada. We notice in a recent issue of The Times a refer- ence of the opinion of Engineer Rush on the subject. A few facts relative to this will not, We Lrustfbe withâ€" out interest to your readers. In the year 1902 the consmnptfon of cement in Canada reached its highest; point, namely, 1,045,000 barrels. Of this 645,000 were made in Own ads. and 400,000. barrels imported. Prior to 1302 only three companies were engaged in this manufacture. In' the year 1902 no less than five additional companies get under way. Several of them, hQWever, did little more than get started and supplied only about 100,000 barrels. In the year 1903 we shall have. all the old factories in operation and with largely increased outputs, and also the five new companies above men. tioned. The output will then be for 1903,'1,660,000 barrels, that is to say over 600,000 barrels more than the total consumption of last year. In view of these facts you will per‘ ccive that the warnings contained in the Monetary Times and Mail and Empire as to the danger of overpro- duction were well timed and should be carefully heeded by the investing public. But when we tell you that in addition to the five new com- panics so started last year we have ten new companies now being that ed in the country which are to have, according to the promoters, a com- bined capacity of 10,200 barrels per day equal to an annual capacity of about 3,500,000 barrels, the utter folly of putting money into more cement enterprizes will be f‘nparent. Here is a list of the ten nefr' com- panies with their promised output : Barrels per day. The Manitoba Portland Ce- ment Co., of Winnipeg ......... 1,000 The Western- Canadian Port- land Cement Co... ............ 1,000 The St. Mary’s Portland Ce- mch-rt Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,000 The Colonial Portland Cement Co., Wiarton... ................. 1,000 The Raven Lake Portland Ceâ€" v ment Co .............................. 1,000 The Blue Lake Portland Cement Co., Brantford... . ........ 600 The Superior Portland Cement Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 The Kingston Portland Cement Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,000 The Belleville Portland Cement Co .................. ' ............ . ......... 2,000 The International Portland Ceâ€" ment 00., Hull... : . . . . . . . . 1,000 Making a daily product of.10,20(l It is clear then that whatever mo- ney is made in Canada out of the cement industry hereafter, will be made in promoting companies and not in operating them. It is alleged that gentlemen who two years ago floated the Durham Company cleaned up half a million of dollars out of the floatation on a capital of 1,000,- 000. The-same gentlemen are found promoting, in different parts of the country, several new companies or a scale still more ambitious than the Durham Company. For instance the Belleville Portland Cement Co. is to have a capital of two and a half millions of dollars and an output of two thousand barrels per day. Can they be putting any of their own money in them ? If the floatation of the Durham company could yield the promoters a half a million of dollars the thought of what there must be in store for the floaters of the Belle ville .Co. with a capital of two and a half millions, fairly.makcs ones mouth water. These promoters far surpass Engineer Rush, as dispensers of satisfaction. They gravely assure us that cement can be made in this country and profitably exported to the United ,States notwithstanding the American duty and notwith- standing the fact that nearly all cement machinery comes from the United States and is subject to heavy charges for freight and duty and that the coal for burning the cement is all imported from the United States and costs here double what it costs there and that the actual cost of burning cement alone 15 more than they pretend they can make cement for. But then,. let the promoters take courageâ€"a sucker is born ‘every min- ate and the fools are not nearly all dead yet. - In order to allay as far- as possible- his incessant dread of assassination the Sultan of Turkey never sleeps in the same chamber two nights run- ning. In the Royal palace at Cori- stantinople there are several bulletâ€" proof bedrooms, the positions of which are ' uhk‘noWn.to.:the public. Which of these apartments he will occupy the Sultan determines for himself each night only a few miii< utes before he retires to test. . 1.1... ~...-- Jump. “.5. .a; 3 _‘ , .- . i f.” w.» ‘w equ- â€"' 4 par 1.; .o.o,/v.. â€" cu 4 .r-‘.r~_.-,~ ,‘A’.«. www.- .~ - . . M. saw. . Ps9 . v.~â€"-'-oev-sm - if 1; ,a... AM",/.,v .0“ . < ~ .,~.__â€"\,_â€":;,-.~..Aq ’...~. ,< ., “ya . < u" an... U~._-‘4.“,"H r. ._4 ~ â€" \M .. . v. t /. l. i s “mm. .,.._-;" _M,~u- 134....