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V‘vvvrvvvaVVVVVVVVV.I angry». » . ;. . .. -,«.,.. n, «vow. ma- .3 .. u THE MYSTEBIUUS KEY OR, PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE. “I. w of the revelation to which she was about to listen, for it seemed to her that if her suspicions proved to be correct it would be sadder than death to have Allison restored to Gerald in such a condition as this. What a living trouble it would be to always have to look into those blank, though still beautiful eyes, and never receive one responsive glance of recognition! To watch the loved face, to hear the ‘sweet, familiar voice, and yet feel that the dear one was forever lost, and as surely lost as if she had been ly- ing at rest in her unknown grave, as they had believed her to be! Lady Bromley felt weak and ill in view of this terrible picture of the future, and yet she knew that there would be a certain satisfac- tion in having the harrowing and longâ€"perplexing mystery of Alli- son’s strange disappearance solved. “Yes,” her companion respond-l ed to her remark, “but before I relate her story, will you kindly tell me if you know anything about the girl? You appear so agitated you inspire me with hope.” “I have never seen her before,” said Lady Bromley, her sad eyes wistfully searching the sick girl’s face. “I only know that she strongly resembles a young lady â€"I have seen a fine picturel of henâ€"who left her home in Newl York last July and has never been intended to insert in the papers. heard from since. She was the beâ€"I tiothed Wife of a dear young friend (f mine, who has been heartbroken most for her. over her loss, and yet Iâ€"â€"I almostl dread to have my suspicions that your unfortunate charge is the same person proved true.” The gentleman sighed heavily as ,‘she concluded. for he could wellied the next mornlng, which so rc- understand and appreciate her feel- ing. - “My name, madam, is Lyman,” he observed, after a moment, “and entire thirtieth day of last July “Ah, yes, that was the very day,” interposed Lady Bromley with a gasp. “I was a passenger on the New York and New Haven express, bound from that city,” Mr. Lyman resumed. was this beautiful girl, in whom I on account of her singularly deli- catc bcauty, and because she ap- peared to be» so excessively weary, sleeping throughout almost the en- tire journey. occiirrcd, as soon afterward as I recovered from the shock of it, my. first thought was for my lovely neighbor, and I began to look around for her. I finally found her lying among the debris, apparentâ€" woiind upon l'li'l‘ head. which seem- ed sufficient to cause death. I cared for her as well as I Could under the circumstances, and then searched for the handâ€"bag which I had ob- served in the section with her, with the hope that its contents would re- veal her identity and thus enable me to restore her body to her friends. I found the bag, but in a sadly demolished condition, and, although I gathered up all the ar- ticles that were scattered near it, there was nothing among them which gave me anv clue to her name or her home. Th-“rc was a few toi- let articles in it. “A vinaigrette Ah! Was it anything like this?" eagerly inter- rupted Lady li'rmirli-y, as she sud- denly plunng her hand into her pocket and dug": forth a beautiful little toy of that description. The man started as his glance fell . upon it. “It was the exact duplicate of that, madam,” he said. “Oh, then there is not the slight" (-st doubt of her identity.” said her lja-dyship, with pale lips. “Both your ' story and the vinaigerette piove it. for last Christmas Mr. Gerald Winchester. the young lady‘s fun-cc, gave me this, remark- in«T as he did so that he had once .Ci . . . given his betrothed one'exactly like it. Yes, this poor child must be Allison. Poor, poor child!” As she ceased speaking, she leanâ€" ed forward to look into the face of the lovely girl, in the chair. The invalid seemed to be attracted to her, and, fooking up into her eyes. 2 1.3:. _., ’ CHAPTER XII.â€"(Cont’d) She felt almost heart-sick in view “In the scat opposite me I became at once deeply interested sun‘ng from the ShOCk ‘thh I had When the accident‘ lv dead, for when I suceed-ed in . cxtricating her thch was a terrible \east none that Seemed to pomb to “sue handker_ storing her to her K...L - chiefs, a gold \'l"l.‘.‘ gi'ctteâ€"~â€"” tlon' l smiled with pleasure, revealing two rows of perfect, milk-white teeth as she did so. Every nerve in the woman’s body seemed to be pierced with needles at that look, and with a feeling akin to despair she murmured brokenly: “Oh, the pity of it! the pity of it!” “Ali!” observed Mr. Lyman, “what you have told me inspires me with the hope that she may yet be restored to her friends. There were several who were killed in that accident,” he resumed, “and their bodies were placed in a bagâ€" gage-car; but I could not allow her to be taken there. I secured a stateroom in one of the parlor-cars and kept guard over her during the few remaining miles of that sorrow- ful journey. Just as we were rollâ€" ing into the station, however, I thought I detected slight signs of life in my charge. I placed my hand over her heart; there was warmth and the faintest perceptible pulsa- tion there. ‘She shall never be taken away with the dead,’ I said to myself, and, acting upon the im- pulse of the moment, I hailed a cab- inan the instant the train stopped, conveyed her with his assistance to his vehicle, and took her directly to my own home, where I resolved to spare no pains or expense to re- suscitate the injured girl, feeling quite confident that her parents or friends would fly to her immediate- ly upon seeing the notice which I I called my own family physician lo attend her, and he did his ut- The wound on the head, he said, was a serious one. A portion of the skull was doubt- less pressing upon the brain, which aceounted for her continued insen- sibility. An operation was performâ€" lieved the pressure that conscious- ness was partially restored, and upon asking her name the child murmured something that sounded like Alice, and so Alice she has been called ever since.” _ “Her name is Allison,” said Lady Bromley. “Yes, that is what your maid icalled her, and it is very like,” re- plied Mr. Lyman. “That ly attacked with a severe illness re- re-ceived and which proved much more serious than I realized, and for many weeks I was too ill to give even a thought to the girl whom I had rescued. When I recovered sufficiently to betray any interest in her, I was told that she was slowly convalescing, but, not havâ€" ing fully recovered her reason, was unable to give any account of her- self or of her home or friends. No inquiries had been made for her, at her as their object, and we have never been able to to her relatives. covered a fair degree of health un- til she ha-s become what you see her now. ' But the operation of which I. speak only partially restored her mental faculties, and, although she is a sweet and gentle being whom every member of my family loves most fondly, she is but a child in intellect. Our physician, however, has all the time held out to us the hope that when she would regain sufficient strength another opera- r-esult in re- normal condi- tion might possibly “Oh, that is a ray of hope!” breathed Lady Bromley eagerly. “If it only can be done, how grateful we all shall be, for Mr. Lyman, I am sure that this is the dear girl who has so long been mourned as dead. But how can I ever bear to send the tidings to one whose very life was bound up in hers? It would be worse than death for him to see her thus. It would be living over again the agony which very nearly deprived him of his own reason," and tears rolled thick and fast over the cheeks of the beautiful woman as she thought of the terrible shockl ' ’ "i > . . v "V _ _ . . v - - “hm” (“Ham would (“penance up .thcre is no one who really has any' of DTPlll-‘il‘H'w 1‘10 authority to decide such a matth on learning the sad story to whichl she had just listened. “I suppose you refer to the gen- tleman to whom you have said shel was betrothed,” said Mr. Lyman. “Yes.” this vicinity '2” “N0; his name. as I have already: same. day,” he continued, “I was sudden- gain any clue She gradually re- told you, is Gerald Winchester, and his home is in New York City.” Mr. Lyman appeared to become absorbed in'thought after this state- ment, and they walked along in Sl- lence for several “Of course, in view of what you have told me, and the probability that the young lady’s identity has been established beyond a doubt, I feel very delicate about acting independently in connection with her case any further. Still, I will say that ever since she has been under my care I have done by her exactly as I would have done my own daughter.” “I am sure of it,” said Lady Bromley heartily, and bestowing an appreciative look upon him. “I have employed the most skil- ful physicians and surgeons to take charge of her. I have spared no- thing which they could devise or suggest to benefit her or contribute to her comfort and ultimate recov- ery, and I had already arranged for the second operation, in accord- ance with their advice and desire. To-morrow will be the day which they had set for the trial of this vital experiment.” w... CHAPTER XIII. that there must still be some pres- sure upon a certain portion of the brain, and they are confident that if it can be removed, mental activity will be wholly restored. Of course, they cannot. be ,sure that the opera- tion will be successful but there is more than an even chance of it, and they claim that it would be culpable not to make the trial.” Lady Bromley looked very anxi- ous in view of her duty in connec- tion with the matter. Ought she to telegraph Gerald immediately what she had learned with reference to Allison? He, of course, was the most interested of any one, and it see-med to her that he should be consulted regarding this impending operation. On the other hand, she knew that it would be a terrible shock to him to see her in her present condition. She simply could not bear the thought of his meeting that blank, meaningless look in the eyes that had once been such a delight to him, or hearing the childish babble that fell from her cmiling lips. “Will this operation be attended by any danger to her life?” she inâ€" quired, after thinking the matter 3ver for a few moments. “Well, of course it- will be a du- plicate piece of work. There is al- ways a risk, you know, about such undertakings,” her companion gravely replied. “Still, the sur- geons encourage it, and if she were my own child I should risk it. 1 should feel that I had no right to doom her to perpetual mental dark- .ness without making a desperate effort to give her back her enjoy- ment of life.” Lady Bromley still wavered in her mind as to what she ought to do. Gerald, she knew, was busy preparing for the approaching trial. He could ill afford the time to come t4 Boston to remain until this tcst should be consummated, ah she well knew he would do if he wai told of Allison’s existence, her con~ dition, and the contemplated mea sures of her restoration. I Then, too, he would be in perfect agony of suspense and anxiety until the ordeal was over, whileif it could be accomplished without his knowledge, and end well, his loved one would be restored to him in h ‘i‘ right mind, and he would never rea- lize the horror of her present con dition. But- that “if” was a seriaus conâ€" sideration. “Suppose the surgeonsldo not succeed?” she murmured tremu- lously, and with a shiver of dread. “Then she will probably remain as she is now as long as she lives,” said Mr. Lyman, with a sigh. “And have. you no fears that the experiment will prove fatal 2" “I have thought of every con- tingency,” he answered, smiling sadly. “Who does not, in deciding such grave questions? But I can inflammation is the. Worst feature to be feared, and since it did not attend the previous operation, I see no reason why it should follow this one.” “Then,” said her ladyship, With sudden determination, but looking very white, “I should advise no change in the plans that you have m made. The young lady is an orâ€"; phan; she has no relatives; at lcavtl except her betrothed, Mr. Winchesâ€" tcr. I feel almost a motherly re- minutes. At that terrible accident is sufficient. length he remarked: Slam” of your desire to do all l foresee no new complication. Acute ‘h‘ldSPar l - ‘- have made carried out c:.act-ly inl accordance with your own and thei surgeons’ wishes. I am sure the; tender care which you have thrown Â¥ around this dear girl cver singei that any parent could do for an own child.” “’Thank you, madam," heartily responded Mr. Lyman. Then he continued, with an a} ologctic smile : “And now will you kindly tell me. how I may ail-dress you in the fu-I ture?" “Excuse me, sir,’ said her lady- ship, flushing. “I have certainly been very remiss in not intiodiiC ) ing myself before. But my name is Bromley. I came out in such haste I have no cards with me.” Then she. went on, as she gazed wistfully toward Allison's fair, dcâ€" licate face. which was like some. exs quisitely tinted picture painted on ivory and framed in gold: “She is very beautiful, even though her niiud is so sadly dark- ened l” “She is. indem,” replied Alliâ€" son’s protector, as he bestowed an affectionate glance upon her. "We were very sorry to be obliged to cut her hair. which was a veritable ‘crown of glory’ to her, but it had cussion. It was at first shaveu close to her head. but has grown very rapidly during the last few weeks.” (To be continued.) >14 W WOW WOW i WWWMO% 0n the. Farm A STUDY IN SOIL FERTILITY. What is it that makes the greatl difference in soils? I find as I go over the country such a vast differ- ence in crop yield, in vegetation, in types of plants coming from the soil. I am told that nearly all of the material of plants comes from the air; why ,then, do plans behave so very differently in different soils? I not the great-est different in my own fields, and cannot account for it. writes Joseph E. Wing in Breeder’s Gazette. No one knows all about soils. A few things we definitely know. True, all plants partake largely of water and carbon, which comes from the air directly or in rain, but after all the life of the plant com-e from the phosphorus of the soil, the nitrogen of the soil, the lime of the soil all the other min- erals found in plants but first in importance are phosphorus, nitro- gen and lime. Now bacteria of the useful .sorts, those that make plant food and make it available. revel in soils filled with air, with moisture, but not wetness, fill-ed with carbonate of lime, filled with vegetable matter. Carbonate of lime is an essential part of the foundation of all fertile soils; without that sub- stance one finds acidity of soil which discourages useful bacteria and encourages harmful fungi. Carbonate of lime in the soil helps to make the dark colored vegetable mould that we term “humus.” With no carbonate of lime in the soil humus doe-s not tend to ac- cumulate. carbonate of lime makes phosphorus available, prevents its union with iron or talumium to make insoluble compounds. Thus it is seen that carbonate of lime in the soil is one of the bed rocks of soil fertility. Of iron, magnesium, sulphur and a few other chemical ingredient-s .' , - -. -.‘ ' 4‘ a “Tomwrrow p: breade her lady to be sacnficed to facilitate the op- ship in a startled tone. oration, and on account of the in- uYes_ The surgeons are. agreed {lamination resulting from the con- of plants, nearly all soils have a sum yearly sufficiency. In general we need only concern ourselves with the three constituents, limestone, phosphorus and organic matter which also supplies nitrogen. Po- tassium is found in abundant sup- ply in most clay soils made from decomposed ligncous rocks, such as granite. Nitrogen is ac- cumulated in soils through the aid of bacteria, often found on roots of l-cguininous plants. Clovers, if plowed under in sufficient quantity Phos- makes land rich in nitrogen. . scils phorous is bequeathed to through the decay of limestone or Stranded on the falling tide. other rocks, or is added to the soil ' the shape of fertilizer, as in ground bones. either from the stock yards or from the graveyard called the “phosphateheds." _ ' 1 Now lct us see what it is that makes one land rich and another. gafll'd for and interest in this yitiung . poor. The poor land is found nearly . man, who for some time has been ” I‘ H A h member of my faii’iily, and I hon- Is the geht-enian a rcsuleiit otiestly think that I am justified in Ilogqm}, undci'dra authorizing you, in his stead. to have the arrangements which you always to be very destitute of car~ .monarchs’ it 13 “film. “Him” Great, Catharine IL, and the reign- XII-Cd. lJflCkmS llmt‘ ing Czar. The portraits will be exâ€" bonale of lime. ..._._..«,,__._‘____. ‘-â€"~â€"-â€"-â€"â€"â€"q laz'je degree. Often it also lacks plumper-us. Thus plants of a high type, plants that help mankind, do not thrive on that land. Let it alone and it grows up to scrub pine trees or to some sort of plant or tree that can get along if it has only foothold and moisture, and more traces of plant food, some rather lowly organized plant that is content with little if it has ample supply of moisture and phanco to gather carbon by its leaves. Useful plants, plants for comfort of mankind, thrive in living soils. Livmg soils are soils rich in carâ€" bonate of lime, rich in phosphorus, fillcd with decaying vegetable matter, teeming with bacteria of a useful sort. Useful bacteria are found always in soils rich in humus and carbonate of lime. J;’hosphorus is closed to the foun- tainhead of all'life. Nearly all soils need more phosphorus than they have. Carbonate of lime in the soil makes better crops of clover and other legumes Living soils are filled with air, not drowned with water. Thus the foundation principles- of soil building are, first. let the water out and the air in by drain, next see to storing the soil with carbonate of lime. There are about 2,000 tons of soil in the top foot of an acre, about 1 per cent. of carâ€" bonate of lime is a_uscful working amount. Then fill the soil with vegetable matter, through manures, through grass and clover roots, applying phosphorus liberally, and if needed potassium also. Then plant good seed and till the surface and God will do the rest. The meaning of the fertility of the soil will be revealed to you. 7 >‘L_..__..__. NEAR AND FAR. Interesting Bits of Knowledge About ’Mest Everything. There are 750 golf link in Great Britain. was The 'Japs make a paper cloth that" washes like linen. Of British bird’s eggs a complete set is worth about £200. _The value of pictures in the Na- tional Gallery is about $6,250,000. A single orange tree will produce 20,000 oranges, and a lemon tree, 8,000 lemons. Three gas companies in London consume between them 4,000,000 tons of coal per annum. \Vhen a hen attains her third year her laying capacity is at its best. She will lay, on an average, from 300 to 500 eggs in her lifetime. The champion shorthorn bull, Duke of Hoole, which belonged to M. J. H. Maden, of Bacup, Eng- land, has been bought for $7,875 for exportation to the Argentine Republic. More matches are used in the United Kingdom than in any other one country in the world. It has been estimated that English people use an average of eight matches each person per day. . Cairo has the biggest University in the world. There are about 9,000 students and 200 professors. The chief subjects taught are Mo- hammedan law and matters conâ€" nected with the Koran. The shareholders of one of the leading gold-mining companies at Bendigo have just elected a lady, a Mrs. Holmes, to a vacant direc- torshipâ€"said to be the first instance of the kind on record. A Norwich, England, firm is com- , pleting 1,100 miles of wire netting for the Australian, Queensland, and Victorian Governments. The netting is rctailed by the Govern- ments to settlers, and'is used for keeping rabbits from the crops. The drink bill at most London hospitals is much less than it used to be. At Guy’s, for instance, the expended on alco~ holic liquors for the patients is at the rate of $2.25 a bad. In 1862 it was no less than $17.25. Dogs are well provided for on the Prussian State railways. The lat-est arrangement for the comfort of touring canines is hot-water pipes and spring mattresses. A bit of hard board with no spring in it is the ordinary man’s or woman’s portion. A huge conger eeel, which had left the river and made its way up a small stream threading the marsh- es near Boston (England), was _ Two men secured it just before the tide cam-c up the creek again. The congcr measured 5ft. 3in. in length, .‘23in. round, and weighed just 40lb. In connection with the tercenten- ary of the rule of the Romanoffs the Russian Post Oflice will issue a series of new postage stamps bcaiu ing the cffigies of variOiiszussian including Peter the the humus has 1101' Slltll’x’l‘cd 1” ‘lw ccutcd by some of the most famous thus bat-feral life is absent to 3' artists of the day. . - ~M....-.........,.m ..~._..._.wu