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\ “it” I. ' +mu+o+ns+mn+om+rt+mn+xz+u+om+mm+mmom CHAPTER V.â€"{Continucd). “But there has been a terrible crime â€"a double crime committed." I protest- ed. “Sn cly the police should know?" “No; all knowledge must be kept from them,” she answered decisively. “1 wish you to understand me perfectly from the outset. I have sought you here in order to rescue you from this place, because you have. unwittinglyr fallen the. victhu of a most dastardly .plot. You are blind. drieuceless. help- Itss. therefore all who have not hearts of stone must have compassion: upon you. Yet if I rescue you, and allow you to go forth again into the world you may, if you make a statement to the police, he the means of bringing iqon me a catastrophe, dire and conr :plcte." Every word of hers showed that guilt was upon her, Had I not heard the swish'of her skirts as she, crept from the room after striking down that un- known man so swiftly and silently that he died without a word? “And if I promise to remain mate?" I queried, feeling annoyed that she should thus impose upon me such a ha rasslng condition. “If you promise,” she said. “I will ac- c-cpt it only on one further condition." “And what’s that?" “One which I know you will have Some hesitation in accepting; yet. like the .firs, it is absolutely imperative." Her voice showed traces of extreme anxiety, and the slim hand upon. my arm trembled. . . She. was young, I knew. but was she beautiful? I felt instinctively that she was. and conjured up within myself a 'vision of a refined face, perfect in its ‘tragic beauty, like that of Van Dyck's Madonna that I had seen in the Pitli ‘I‘alaco at Florence in those well-rein- nembered days when I looked upon the *world. and it had given me such plea- .sure. , “Your words are very puzzling." I .said gravely. “Tell me what it. is that - _you would have me do." “It. is not difficult,” she answered, "“yet the curious character of my re- »quest will, I feel, cause you to hold back with a natural caution. It will mound strange; nevertheless. here, be- fore I put the suggestion. before you, I 'zng} you my word of honor, asa wo- man who fears her God, that no undue mdvantage shall be taken of yom‘ prom- '.~isr.." V " “Well, explain what you mean." “the condition impose upon you in :returu for my assistan ‘.” she s:aid,~in deepest earnestness, “is that you shall promise to render assistance to a per- .son who will ever remain unkn0wn to you. Any requests made to you will the by letter bearing the signature A-\"l:1-I., and these instructions you must promise to obey without. seeking to discover either motive or Mas-on. The latter can never be made plain to you, therefore do not puzzle yourself unnec- essarily over them, for it will be. all to ‘no purpose. The secretâ€"for secret there is. of oourse~will be so well guarded itha-t it can'never be exposed, therefore if you conent to thus rendering me a personal assistance in return for your life. it will be necessary to act blindly and carry out to the letter whatever in- structions you receive. no matter how :‘rmarkable or how illogiuil they may seem. Do you agree?" “\Vell." I said hesitatii‘igly. “your re- qizeSt is indeed a. most extraordinary one. If I promise, what safeguard have I for my own interests?" “Sometimes you may. of course. be compelled to act against your own in- clinations." she admitted. “I. however, can only assure you that if you make this promise I will constitute myself your protectress, and at the same time give you solemn assurance that no re quest contain-ed in the letters of which I have spoken will be of such a char- acter as to cause you to commit. any offenm against the law." "then it is you yourself who will be my anonymous correspmulcnf1’" I ob- servi‘d quickly. “All, no!" she answered. “That is. (I CUlii‘:(‘. the natural conclusion: but I may as well at once assure you that :such will not be the case.” Then she added. “I merely ask you to accept or decline. If the former. I will ever be at your \ ‘rvlce. although We must never meet again offer today; if the latter. hen I will wish you adieu. and the terrible fat-c your unknown enemies have prepared for you must be allowed to take effect.” “flat I should be drowned!" l exclaim- ed in alarm. "‘Surely you will not. abandon inc!" “.\ol if you will consent to ally your- .self with me." , “l-‘or evil?" I suggested very dubious- .ously. “.\'o. for good," she answered, ~ ‘[ .rtquire your silence. and I tlesire that, you should render assistance to one -wlui is solely in need of a friend." “Fuianlzial aid?" W fi+fi+fi+fi+§4fi+§+fi+fi+fi+firf +33E+35m+32€+£€+£€+3§ +33E+£i+3$€+33 l “No, finance has nothing to do with it. Th) unknown person has money. and to spare. It is a devoted personal assistance. and obedience that is requir- ed." “But how can one be devoted to a person one, has neither seen nor known?" I queried, for her words had increased the misery. more remarkable than any I had hith- erto heard of. ' The shrewd suspicion. grew upon me that this cu'ious effort to secure my silei'ic-o was because of her own guilt; that she intended to bind me to a com- pact in her own nefarious interests. “1 am quite well aware of the strange- ness of the conditions I am imposing :pon you, but they are necessary.” “And if f-ac-cept them will the mys- tery of to-nlght ever be explained?" I inquired. eager to learn the truth. “Of'that I. know not,” she answered vaguely. “Your silence is required to preserve the secret." “But tell me," I said quickly, “how many persons were there present in that house beside yourself?" “No, no!" she ejaculated in a tone, of horror. "Make no further.inquiry. Try and forget allâ€"everythingâ€"-as I shall try and forget. You cannot know-~- you will never knowâ€"therefore it is utterly useless to seek to learn the truth.” “And may I not. even know your identity?" i inquired, pytting forth my hand until it rested upon her well- formed shoulder. “May- 1 not touch your face. so as to give me an ii‘nprcs- sion of your personal am)earauce‘."’ She laughed at what, of course, must have seemed to her a rather amusing request. “Give ‘me permission to do this," I urged. “If there is to be mutual trust between us it is only fair that 1 should know whether you are. young or old.‘ She l’iesitatod. 'I felt her hand tremb- 'lmg. 1“ lememler, I cannot see you," I went on. “fly touch I can convey to my mind an impression of the contour of your features, and thus know with whom I am dealing. “Very well." she said at last. have my permission." ’l‘hen eagerly, with both my hands, touched her face. while she stood rig- id and motionless as a statue. I could feel by the contraction of the muscles that this action of mine amused her, and that she was laughing. Her skin was soft as velvet. her lash- es long, her features regular and finely cut. like those of some, old cameo. Her hair was dressed plainly. and she had about her shoulders a large cape of rich furâ€"sable I believed it to be. There was no doubt she was young, perhaps not more than twenty-one or so. and certainly she was very handsome of countenance, and dressed with an ele- gance quite unusual. IIer mouth was small, her chin point.- ed, and her cheeks with a firm Contour which spoke of health and happiness. I carefully passed my hands back- wards and forwards. obtaining a fresh mental impression with each movement, she laughed (Lift-right. ' Of a sudden, however. she sprang aside quickly. and left me grasping at air. “All!” she cried, wildly horrified at a sudden discovery. “There is blood upon your handsâ€"his blood!" “I had forgotten." I apologized quickâ€" Iv. “Forgive me; I cannot see. and was not aware that my hands were un- Clean." “It‘s too terrible," she. gasped hoarse- y. “You'have placed those stained hands upon my face. as though to taunt me." ‘ “\\'ith what?" I inquired. breathlesst interested. flut- she. did not reply. She only held her breath, while her heart beat. quick- ly. and by her silence I felt convinced that. by her involuntary ejaculation she had nearly betrayed herself. The sole question which occupied my thoughts at that moment was whether she 'was not the. actual assassin. I for- got my own critical position. I recol- lecli-d not the, remarkable advei‘itures that had befullr-n me that. night. I thought not of the ghastly fate prepared for me by my unknown enemies. All my thoughts were concentrated upon the one problemâ€"the innocence or guilt of that unseen. soft-spoken woman beâ€" fore. Inn. “And now." she said at lasiâ€"â€"“now that you' have satisfied yourself of my l'lt‘t‘SOUili appeal-alter. are you prrj‘iared to accept the conditions?" “I unites-s to having some hesitation in doing So." I answered. quite frankly. “That is not at all surprising. int [he very fact of your own defenceless- tics; should cause you to ally yourself with one who has shown hersi‘lf to be vour protecfrrss. and seeks to remain your friend." “What motive can you possibly have Y.‘ “You for 'thus endeavor-fag to ally yourself ..'_ -i:â€"~m.~...--.....WWMM_,_ mm .. . I-ler request was with me?" I inquired, without. attempt- ing to disguise my suspicion. “A secret one." “For your own ends, of course?" “Not exactly. It is to our mutual in- terests. By my own action in taking you in when you were knocked down by the cab I have plcaced your life in serious jeopardy; therefore. it is only just that I should now seek to rescue you. Yet if I do so. without first obtain- log your promise of silence and of as- sistance. I may, for aught I know, bring an overwhelming catastrophe upon my- self." “You assure. me. upon year honor as a woman. that no harm shall befall me if I carry out the instructions in, tho-so mysterious letters?" “If you obey without seeking to elu- cidate their mystery, or the identity of their sender, no harm shall come to you," she answered solemnly. “And regarding the silence which you seek to impose upon me? May I not. explain my adventures to my friend. in order to account. for the. blood upon my clothes and the injury to my head?“ “Only if you find it actually necessary. leeoliect. however, that no statement whatever must be made to the police. You must give an undertaking never to divulge. to them one single word of what occurred last night." There was a dead silence. broken only . by tho lapping of the water. which had already risen and had flooded the cham- ber to the depth of about two inches. for. being a kind of cellar and below high-valor mark. the Thames flood en- tered by a hole near the’fioor too small to permit the escape of a man, and would rise unlit itreached the roof. “Come.” she urged at last. “Give me your undertaking, and let us at once get away from this horrible place." I remained silent. Anxious to escape and save my life. I nevertheless enter- tained deep suspicions of her. because of her anxiety that i should give no information to the police. She had drawn back in horror at the sight of the blood of the murdered man! Had she not by her hesitation admitted her own guilt‘.’ “You don't trust me." she observed. with an. air of bitter reproach. “No,” I answered, very bluntly; “I do not." “You are at least plain and outspok- en." she responded. “llut as our inter- ests are mutual. I surely n'iay presume to advise you to accept fherondifions. Life is better than death, even though one may be blind." “And you hold back from me the chance to escape from this slow but in- evitable fate unless I conform to your wishes?" “I (1‘).” . “Such action as yours cannot inspire confidence." I “I anrimpelled by circun'isfanccs lie- y-ond my own control," she answered, with a. momentary touch of sadness. “If you knew tho truth you certainly would not hesitate." “Will you not tell me. your name?" “No. It is uselij-ss." “At least, you can so far confide. in me as to tell me your Christian name." I said. “lidna.” “And you refuse your surname?" “I do so under compulsion." The water had by this time risen rap- idly. .\fy legs had become benumbed, for it now reached nearly to my knees. “Why do you longer hesitate?" she went on. “(live me. your word that you will render the assistance I require, and we will at once escape. Let us lose no time. All this.seems strange to you. I know: but. some day. when you learn the real reason. you will thank me ra- ther than think ill of my present ac- lions." lit-r determination was. I saw plainly, the .ziuiconm of some terror which held her firth-red. and I knew that. in order l.-‘ save myself. I must. give her l‘lc pronusc slat- liud so persistci'itly desired ti extract from me. ’f‘herefore, with sudden determimation. prompted more by the natural instinct of St‘it-lll't'SOi‘Vlltt0“ than by any des‘rc to assist her, I gave her my band of secrecy. ' Again she sighed deeply. as though released of Some oppressive weight by my words. 'i'lien our ban is Named in mutual trust. and without further word she led me to the opposit: side of the noisome cellar into which my ruemies bad cast me. “You shall never regret this full“;- ien." she assured me in a strained voice, trembling with emotion--"n-_e-'cr, never!" And with a sudden movement she ‘aised my hand and touchel it lightly with her dry. fevered lips. (III.\l"l‘l')ll V]. This imj'uilsivo action. of hers was as though she were. deeply indebted to me I stood motionless in wonderment. But only for an instant. She left my side for a moment, and from the sound that escaped her lips appeared to be struggling to open some means of egress from the place. “llemain where you are. she said, “and I will return to you in a moment. The way out is rather difficult. and I shall be compelled to assist. you.” Iler voice sounded above me. as though she had somehow climbed- to the roof of the place. I heard the drawing of a belt and that clung of iron, then she climbed down again to where l anxiously awaited her. ' The river flood had risen alarmingly, and was still entering rap. idly. “tioinc. let me guide you." she said, p The place was a veritable death-trap,' soothed my brow. sisted me into the cab. sit-s. Probably more trouble is caused of all kinds of germâ€"life. taking my arm and leading me to the wall. “Lift your foot, so!" and taking my foot, she placed it in a kind of nar- row step in the. rough stone wall, at the same time placing,r my hand UPON a piece of iron that seemed to be .a large nail driven into the masonry. “Now climb very carefully," she went on. “You will find the other footholds if you seek them." Without hesitation, I raised myself from the ground slowly. with infinite care commenced to scale thewall. While she remained below. wading almost. up to her waist in water. “’i‘ake 'are that you don‘t strike your head." she. cried warnineg. “Above you is a small hole just large enough for you to get through. Be very carcâ€" ful. and take your time." The one hand at liberty I stretched above. my head. and found, as she do scribed, 21 sruarc hole. in the roof of the place. and, grasping the stone, I eventually managed to escape through it, finding myself at last standing upon a boarded floor. ' I feared to move. not knowing what pitfalls might be there. but I heard the voice of my rescuer far below, asking if I were all right, and to her replied in the affirmative. A few moments later she was again at my side. and by the clang of iron i knew that the ziperturo of that fatal place was closed again. - I inquired of her where we. were, but she only ioplied~ “I've already explained to you that to seek to elucidate the mystery of these adventures of. yours is entirely useless. We have, promised to each other mutual faith. That is, in itself, sufficient." 'l‘hen, taking my arm. shc hurriedly led me across the room. 'up some steps. and along two long passages that. ran at right angles to each other, until at length we. emerged into the street. Where we were I had not the slight- est idea. I only knew that we were ii-esido the riveitbank. for upon my ears there felt the shrill whistle of a steam-tug. and I could distinguish the sound of various factories- and the run- ning of steam-cranes. With her arm linked in mine, and needless of the water dripping from her skirts.-this unseen woman to whom I had promised absolute obedience and assistance with a view to myself fath. iOllllllp,‘ the mystery. led me forward through a number of narrow turnings. until by the. bustle about me I knew that we. must have reached a main road. I heard the approaching jingle of a cablinbell, and the vehicle, at her de- mand, pulled up at the kerb. “We must now part,” she said. in a low. earnest voice. “Remember that in this remarkable affair our interests are absolutely identical. Any order that you receive you will obey without seeking to discover the why or where- "ud above all, silence to the police."- "I have pron‘iised,” I answered, for want of something other to say. “And whatever may occur in the. fu- ture, recollect that 1am still your pi“- tectress, as I have been today. I have forced you to your promise, but for that I ask your forgiveness. because it it essential. ifâ€"â€"â€"" and she paused. “If what?" I inquired, with quick in- forest. ::If the mystery is ever to be sovlveil, lAreyou. too, seeking the. truth?" "Yes." she responded. “But we. must not talk here. The condition of our clothes is attracting attention." “I shall think always of the Ill_\-’S|0“l- ous Edna who refuses all information.' I laughed. , “And I. too. shall not easily forget youâ€"and all. I owe, to you. Farewell." [Icr soft hand grasped mine for an instant. that same cool hand that '“itlti Afterwards she as- (To be Continued.) BAD FLAVORS IN CHEESE. ' A common cause of bad flavors in cheese is contamination of dairy uten- l’y unclean utensils than in any other vay, as milk and .its products is a. most favorable medium for the. development Vessels of all kinds that come in contact with milk at once become infected with bacteria. 'lhey become lodged in the cracks and crevices and seams of cans. pails. dip- pens. and strainers. if these. utensils are. not thoroughly cleansed and scald- ei immediately after being used. they will soon beenme filthy and foul-smel- ling. writes U. J. Kuneman. livery thing coming in contact with milk should be thoroughly washed with hot water after being rinsed out first with lukewarm water. Some washing preparations should be employed and a brush instead of a rag should be used. 'I‘hen they should be sculded and put out in the sun and pure air and left there. until required again. Ol:l or rusty cans or pails should not be used at all as many of the worst flavors Come from this. source, 'on account of not being able to cleanse them proper. ly. Another source of trouble the re» turning of whey in the cans. many of the whey tanks are never cleansed nor are they ever ensiptied fronronc end of tho scnsun to the other. "f'kmsrquently there is a f’llii sim-ilii'ig mass which is only aggravated by the addition of a WM” fresh lot every day to help to swell and add to the number of undesirable bac- teria already present. This filthy, re *1 - 'ing stuff is put into the cans and taken back by the. patrons in a great many cases as l have seen for myself, it is left in the cans until they are wanted again, then they are emptied- and rinsed cut with cold ‘waier, and the fresh, warm milk put In. This in its turn becomes contaminated. After all this. some [people will expect the makers to accept such milk and make good cheese from it. If they do not they get the blame for it. Again. zpcrhapS, certain bacteria are. present only in one or a few patrons' milk. These are .not destroyed by the. temperature employed in the ordinary process of making. After being mixed with the whole lot of whey in the tank they become distributed through the milk of all the patrons. supplying the factory. If these cans are not thorâ€" oughly washed at once it will spread among all the patrons and in this way at; the milk will become contaminated through the medium of the. whey. The test way to overcome this difllculty is to thoroughly wash the tank at least three times a week and by scalding the whey. There are several advant~ ages to be gained by so doing, viz; It will increase the value of the whey for feed; there will be a saving in cans as they will last longer; they 'will be easier to clean as the acid content is much less; the. fat will not come to the surface, but will be held in suspen- sion. The cans besides being easier to clean will smell much sweeter. Again, the less and those flavors which "appear to grow in sour whey will be prevented from spreading among the other pat- rons. It will take very little more fuel to heat. the. whey to about 100 degrees and the increased value would more than repay for the extra expense. The patrons would be well repayedi even if they had to pay the maker for the difference which should amount to not more than $1.00 each. There is one way at our disposal as regards the improvement of milk deliv- ered to the factories. That is by pay- ing for it by the fat system, or fat and casein- system. By this system them ,is greater encouragement for a. patron to deliver his. milk in a better condi- tion. for he knews by so doing he is going to get what it is worth, it pays him for the extra care. ' EARLY surname. To many it may appear unsteasonabio. to write about sheep shearing. white chilly winds are blowing and heaps of snow are yet in sight, but there are generally some balmy days in April, when the rams, the last- year's lambs, if in good condition, and ewes that are not due to lamb till on-in May, may. be safely sham, and will be the better for it. Nearly all the most. successful breeders of sheep now make it a. rule to shear at least a part. of- the flock in March or April. Some of the advant~ ages are that sheep .that. are in good flesh thrive better in the warm days of spring relieved of their winter coats. while the new wool grows rapidly, enâ€" suring a heavier fleece for next year. ’f‘icks and lice, if present, are more read; fly got rid of, and the work is done at a time when other farm work is not pressing. The objection may be. raised that the difference in the market price of washâ€" ed and unwashed wool is so great that there may be a considerable loss from shearing unwashed. _ it may be said that if the, difference is not more than one third there is little if any loss, as the greater weight or the unwashed nearly makes up for the. difference. in price. buyers. as a rule. take, an unfair ad- vantage in making the discount grcatn er than one-third, though the thrifty floekmaker will not hesitate. on that ac- count to shear early and unwashed. knowing from experience that. the omn- fori and thrift of his sheep. and the increased growth of new blood, will more, than make up for 'thetapparcnt less in the sale oi.,ihe fleece, and his flock will make a much better showing with their fuller fleeces in the fall when sales are principally made. There to always. some risk to the health of the men and the. sheep in river washing. and some risk of loss from the sheep being cast on their backs in the warm tormenting ticks. treatment. dipping in spring and. fall, there should be. practically no ticks. While. we strongly .advocate early shear. ditfon. we would just. as strongly ad- vise against shearing thin young sheep or breeding ewes early in April, unless they are either blanketed or kept in a warm placr for a week or two after, but those in good roni'fiitL-vn will not suffer it kept within closed doors and frre from drafts for ‘3 or 3 days. \Ve have si-en sheep shorn in January in Ontario. and'wiih no ill effect. but of n-g‘inrse, they were kept for a while in wam basement. stables after being <iripj‘a-d of their fleeces. As a rule. where the sheep are kept. in gold cou- ‘liiiiin' the entire flock may to sham lefore going to grass. '1 utilizrd for the nllrpose of shearing. ‘1|’.(] the flock. lambs: and all. dipped for . the destruction of iii-ks on a day when the land is to.) wet for seeding irilf‘l'ih lions. or other wirk on the farm. â€"â€"__*-â€"â€"â€"â€"â€" - (Lott doctors know linltcr when illev ~v}."il an improvement in their patients. Some women w.iul:l slop ifI'l'lli‘dii‘I' when they have someihii‘ig on the sti’rve cooking. '. h m .‘h ,.-.\'~J-,A.Hm‘ fur‘_-,agr‘u;;%q.,-,v..g '.<1"§v<4'.,‘<,_ .. A _.~ ' m. -.., -. .. "-.(’~ ., ‘ _ ' ._ I. _, ,A , , , ‘ __ chances. of contaminatingth cans are ' In answer to this.- And we claim that , spring day: while reaching to bite at, though with proper ing of young sheep in really good con- , .\ rainy duy may ~‘ “was; massive" , _ I . ,5 V I A