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l l , ("N V“ if" i». .i . w-.....¢.,....:_ ~ ~ .. Vesta-cc; swmwa ,\ y .. . , W. m» .MW2.~»~., I, .. . useless as ,. _‘.\ x ’0 . »â€"â€"â€"-â€"â€"-I-â€"-â€"â€"<.‘â€"..._.,- .. -.. :1 ‘,""‘ x." w"'~"‘.l ., A ~ omega, «.5 "t;{warn-a,.:-»V«.,.<~_ g » ‘v ' 'wqfiaan ‘wwwsv. K. «A. o him P" ‘Or. A Mysterious. Affair. "Your father?" I asked. S‘Wbat of "He is gone.” "Gone!" “Yes. he is gone; and so is Corporal Rufus Smith. We shall never set eyes upon them again." "But where have they gone?" I cried. “This is unworthy of you, Mordauut. .What right have We to sit here. allowing our private feelings to overcome us. while there is a possibility of succoring y0ur CHAPTER XIV.--(Cont’d.). father? Up, man! Let us follow him. Tell me only what direction he took.” “It's no use." young Heatherstonc an- swered. burying his face in his hands. "Don't reproach me, West. for you dont know all the circumstances. What can we do to reserve the tromsndousnnd unknownlaws which are acting against us? The blow has long been hanging over us, and now it has fallen. God help us " “In heaven's name tellâ€"4 me what has happened!" said I excitedly. "We must not yield to despair." “We can do nothing until daybreak," “We‘ shall then endeavor It is hope- he answered. to obtain some trace of them. less at present." “And how about Gabriel and Mrs. I asked. "Can we not Hoatherstone?” bring them .down from the Hall at once? Your poor sister must be distracted with terror.” “She knows nothing of it," Mordaunt answered. “She sleeps at the other side of thelhouse. and has not seen or heard anything. As to my poor mother, stI has expected some such event for so long a time that it has not come upon. her as a surprise. She is. of course, overwhelmed with‘grief, but would, I think. prefer to be'lcft to herself for the present. Her firmness and composure should be a les- son to me: but I am constitutionally ex- citable, and this catastrophe coming after our long period of suspense deprived me of my very reason for a time." “If we can do nothing until morning,". I said, “you have time to tell us all that has occurred.” “I shall do so,” he answered, rising and holding his shaking hands to the 11ml “You know already that wo have had; reason for some time~for many years, in » factâ€"~to fear.that a. terrible retribution was hanging over my father’s head for a certain action of his early life. In this action he was associated with the man knowu as Corporal Rufus Smith; so that the fact of the latter finding his way to my father was a warning to us that the time had come, and that this 5th of would be the day of its atonement. I told you of our fears in my letter: and if I am not mistaken, my father also had ~some conversation withryou, West, upon the subject. When I saw yesterday morning that he had hunted out the Old uniform which he has always retained since he wore it in the Afghan war, I was sure that the end was at hand. and that our forebodings would be realized. “He appeared to be more composed in ' the afternoon than I have seen him for years, and spoke freely of his life in In- dia and of the incidents of his youth. About nine o’clook he requested us to go to our own rooms, and locked us in there â€"a. precaution which be frequently took when the dark fit was upon him. It was always his endeavor. poor soul. to keep us clear of the curse which had fallen upon his own unfortunate bead. Before parting from us he tenderly embraced my mother and Gabriel, and he afterward followed me to my room, where he clasped my hand affectionately and gave into my charge a small packet addressed to your- 59 “To me?" I interrupt/rd. "To you. 'I shall fulfill my commission whenever I have told you my story. I conjured him to allow me to sit up with him and to share any danger which might arise; but he implored me with irresist- ible earnestness not to add to his troubles by thwarting his arrangements. Seeing that I was really distressing him by my pertinacity, I at last allowed him to close the door and to turn the key upon the outside. I shall always reproach myself for my want of firmness. But what can you do when your own father refuses your assistance or co-operation? You cannot force yourself upon him." ‘ l “I am sure that you did all you could .do." my sister said. i "I meant to. dear Esther, but, God help‘ me, it was hard to tell what was righti He left me, and I heard his footsteps die away down the long corridor. It was then about ten o’clock, or a little after. For a time I paced up and down the room, and “then carrying the lamp to the head of my bed. I lay upon it without undress-‘ ing, reading ‘St. Thomas a Kempis,’ and praying from my heart that the night might pass safely over us. I had at last: fallen into 11 troubled sleep when I was‘ness lasts,” suddenly aroused by a loud. sonorous sound ringing .in my ears. I sat up be- wildered, but all was silent again. The lamp was burning low, and my watch showed me that it was going on to mid- night. I blundered to my feet, and was striking a match with the intention of lighting the candles, when the sharp, vehement cry broke out again so loud and so clear that it might have been in the very room with me. My chamber is .In the front of the house, while those of. my mother and sister are. at the back. sol that I am the only one who commands a: view of the avenue. Rushing to1 the window I drew the blind aside and1 looked out. You know that the gravel drive opens up so as to form a broad stretch immediately in front of the house.‘ Just in the center of this clear space- there stood three men looking up 'at the, house. The moon shone full upon them, glistening on their upturned eyeballs, and by its light I could see that they were swanky-faced and black-haired. of a type that l was familiar with among the Sikhs and Afreedees. were thin, teuauces. Two of them. with eager, aesthetic coun-' while the third was king-like I l l l l ! :I-‘or '. ' Everybody. } THE PERFECTSHOE _ FOR SUMMER SPORTS , 7' ASK YOUR DEALER. l I Octoberâ€"the anniversary of the misdeelehauk heave“ that Gabriel is “1639' I 1 aimlessly over the moor in the darkness .would be to waste the strength which and majestic, with a noble figure and flowing beard." -"Ram Singhl” I ejaculated. “What, you know them." Mordaunt in great surprise. met them?" exclaimed “You have . "I know of them. They are Buddhist; ' priests." I answered; “but go on." “They stood in line," he "sweeping their arms upward and down-l ward, while their lips moved as if rev posting some prayer or.lncantatlon. Sud- denly they ceased to gesticulate, and broke out for the third time into the wild, woird, piercing cry which had rous- ed me from my slumber. Never shall I forget that shrill, dreadful summons, swelling and reverberating through the silent night with an intensity of sound which is still ringing in my ears. As. it died slowly away there was a raspmg and creaking as of keys and bolts, fol- lowed by the clang of an opening door and the clatter of hurrying feet. From my window I saw my father_and Cor- poral Rufus Smith rush frantically out of the house, hatless and unkempt, like men who are obeying a. sudden and over- powering impulse. The three strangers laid no hands upon them, but the whole five swept swiftly away down the avenue and vanished among the trees. I am positive that no force was used, or con- .straint of any visible kind, and yet I am as sure that my poor father and his companion were helpless prisoners as if I had seen them dragged away in man- acles. All this took little time in the acting. From the first summons which disturbed my sleep to the last shadowy glimpse which I had of them between the tree trunks could hardly have occupied more than five minutes of actual time. So sudden was it, and so strange. that when the drama was over and they were gone I could have believed that it was all some terrible nightmare. some delu- sion, had I not felt that the impresrion was too real, too vivid, to be imputed to fancy. I threw my whole weight against .my bedroom door in the hope of forcing the lock. It stood firm for a while, but I flung myself upon it again and again, until something snapped and I found my- self in the passage. My first thought was for my mother. I rushed to her room and turned the key in her door. The mo- ment that I did so she stepped out into tho corridor in her dressing-gown, and help up a warning finger. _ i “‘No noise.’ she said. 'Gabriel IS asleep. They have been called away?’ “ ‘They have,’ I answered. ""God‘s will be done!’ she cried. poor father will be happier in the neat world than he has ever been in this. ‘Yo or gave her chloral in her cocoa.’ “ ‘What am I to do?’ I said distracted- ly. ‘there have they gone? How can I help him? We cannot let him go from us like this, or leave these men to _do what they will with him. Shall} ride into Wigtown and arouse the police?” “ ‘Anything rather than that.’ my mother said earnestly. ‘He has begged me again and again to avoid it. My- son. we shall never set eyes upon your father again. You may marvel at my dry eyes; but if you knew as I know the peace which death would bring him, you could not find it in your heart to mourn for him. All pursuit is, I feel, vain; and yet some pursuit there must be. Let it be as private as possible. We cannot serve him better than by consulting his wishes}. " 'But every minute is precious,’ I cried. ‘Even now he may be calling upon us to rescue him from‘the clutches of those dark-skinned fiends.’ The thought so mad- dened me that I rushed out of the house and down to the highroad, but once there I had no indication in which direction to turn. The whole wide moor lay before me, without a. sign of movement upon its broad expanse. I listened. but not a sound broke the perfect stillness of the night. It was then, my dear friends, as I stood. not knowing in which direction to turn. that the horror and responsibility broke full upon me. I felt that I was combat- ing against forces of which I knew noth- ing. All was strange and dark and ter- rible. The thought of you. and of the help which I might look for from your advice and assistance, was a beacon of hope to me. At Branksome, at least, I should receive sympathy, and, above all. directions as to what I should do; for my mind is in such a whirl that I cannot trust my own judgment. My mother was content to be alone. my sister asleep, and no prospect of being able to do anything until daybreak. Under those circumstan- ces what more natural than that I should fly to you as fast as any feet would carry me? You have a clear head, Jack; speak out. man, and tell me what I should do. Esther, what should I do?" He turned from one to the other of us with out- eyes. “You can do nothing while the dark- I answered. “We mustn'e- port the matter to the Wigtown palms: but we need not send our message to them until we are actually starting upon the search, so as to comply with the law and yet have a private investigation, as your mother wishes. John Fullarton, over the hill, has a lurcher dog which is as good as a bloodhound. If we set him on the general’s trail he will run him down if he had to follow him to John 0' Groats." "It is terrible to wait calmly here while he may need our assistance." “I fear our assistance could under anv circumstances do him little good. There are forces at work here which are be- yond human intervention. Besides. there is no alternative. We have; apparently. no possible clue as to the direction which they have taken, ‘and- forms to wander maybe more profitablylused in the morn~ ing. It will be daylight by five o'clock. In an "hour or so we can walk over the hill together and get Fullarton's dog." "Another hour!" Mordaunt. groaned, "every minute Seems an age." “Lie down on the sofa again and rest- yourself." said I. "You cannot serve your father better than by laying up all the strength .,you can, for we may have a weary trudgovbsforc us. But you men- tioned 5. packet which the. general had intended for me," - " f'It is here," he answered, drawing a small.'llnt parcel from his pocket andl handing it over to me: "you will find, no doubt. that it will explain all which has been so mysterious." ._. The packet was sealed at either endl with black wax, .be’aring the' impress oil the flying griffin, which I knew to b0 the, general's crest." It- was further secured by a band of‘broad tape which I cut with my- pocket knife. Across the outside was} written, in bold handwriting: "J. Father- gill West. Esq.." and underneath. "To be handod to that gentleman in‘ the event of the disappearance or decease of Major- General J. B. Heatherstone; \’.C.. 0.3., late of the Indianhrmy." So at last I was to know the dark secret which and l continued, . ‘ stretched hands and eager, questioning‘memu 1m, her do so. Sold In sealed lead packets onlyâ€"never In bulk. In this way you are alfnrays gua- ranteed a. delight- ful Tea with all Its freshness, strength and flavour per- fectly preserved. 073 BLACK, MIXED & GREEN. cast a shadow over our; lives. Here in my hands I held the solution of it. With eager fingers‘I broke the seals and un- did the wrapper. A note and a small bundle of discolored paper lay within. I drew the lamp over to me and opened the former. It was dated from the pre- ceding aftcrnoon, and ran in this way: My dear, Westâ€"I should have satisfied your very natural curiosity on the sub- ject which we have had occasion to talk of more than once, but I refrained for your own sake. I know by sad experi- ence how unsettling and unnerving it is to be forever waiting for a catastrophe which you are convinced must befall, and which you can neither avert nor arc-color. ate. Though it affects mo specially, as being the person most concerned, I am still conscious that the natural sympathy which I have obscrvcd in you, and your regard for Gabriel's father, would both combine to render you unhappy if you knew the hopelessness and yet the vague- ness of the fate which threatens me. I feared to disturb your mind, and I was therefore silent, though at some cost so myself, for my isolation has been not the least of the troubles which have weighed me down. Many signs, however, and chief among them the presence of the Buddhists upon the coast as described by you tins morning, have convinced me that the weary waiting is at last over. and that the hour of retribution is at hand. Why I should have been allowed to live nearly forty years after my offence, is more than I can understand, but it is possible that those who had command over my fate know that such a life is the greatest of all penalties to me. Never for an hour, night or day, have they suffered me to forget that they have marked me down as their victim. .l‘heir accurscd astral bell has been ringing my knell for two score years, reminding me over that there is no spot upon earth where I can hope to be in safety. Oh, the peace. the blessed peace of dissolution! Come what may on the other side of the tomb, I shall at least be quit of that thrice terrible sound. There is no need for me to enter into the wretched business again. or to detail at any length the events of the 5th of Octoberbladl, and the various circum- stances which lcd up to the death of Ghoolab’ Shah, the arch adept‘. I have torn a sheaf of leaves from my old jour- nal, in which you? will find a bald account of the matter, and an independent nar- rative was furnished by Sir Edward Elliott, of the Artillery, to the Star of India some years agoâ€"in which, however, the names were suppressed. I have rea- son to believe that many- people, even among those who knew India well, thought that Sir Edward was romancing, and that he had evolved his incidents from his imagination. The few faded leaves which I send you will show you that this is not the case, and that our men of science must recognize powers and laws which can and have been used by man, but. which are unknown to European civ- ilization. I do not wish to.whine or to whimper, but I cannot help feeling that I have had hard measure dealt me'iu this world. I would not, God knows, take the life of any man, far less an aged one, in cold blood. My temper and nature, however, were always fiery and headstrong, and in action when my blood is up I have no knowledge of what I am about. Neither the corporal nor I would have laid a finger upon Ghoolab Shah had we not seen that the tribesmcn were rallying be- hind him. Well, well; it is an old story now, and there is no profit in discussing it. May no other poor fellow ever have the same evil fortune! I have written a short supplement to the statements contained in my journal for your information and that of any one else who may chance to be interested in the matter. And now. adieu! Be a good husband to Gabriel; and if your sister be brave enough to marry into such a devil-ridden family as ours by all _ I have left enough to keep my poor Wife in comfort. When she rejoins me I should wish it to ho equally divided between the children. If 'you hear that I am gone, do not pity, but congratulate Your unfortunate friend. John Borthior Heatherstono. I threw aside the letter and picked up the roll of blue foolscnp which contained the solution of the mystery. It was all ragged and frayed at the inner edge, with traces of gum and thread still ad- hering to it, to show that it had been torn out of a strongly bound volume, The ink with which it had been written had faded somewhat; but across the head of the first page was inscribed in bold, clear characters, evidently of later date than the rest, “Journal of Lieutenant J. B. Heatherstone in the Thull Valley dur- ing the autumn of 1841," and then under- neath. “This extract contains some ac- count of the events of the first. week of October of that year, including the skirm- ish of the Terada ravine and the death of the man Glioolab Shah." I have the narrative lying before me now, copy it verbatim. the question at issue, I can only say that I thought it better to publish what is irrelevant than by cutting and clipping to lay the whole statement open to the i l :I l ROYAL BEDS. 3! . Many Crowned Hands Are Not Par- ticular About Their Quarters. Not all the heads that wear a crown pillow them on softest dmvn when they remove their crowns and go to bed at night. Indeed, many a king prefers a bed of soldierly hard- ness to the luxury that he might command. The Kaiser, for in- stance, likes a camp bed, and the rulers of Austria and Italy ordi- narily sleep, in small iron beds. The King of the Belgians swings lliimself up in a. hammock at night. v I ! l One might suppose that King George of England, who was for so many years a sailor, would follow this example, but he and Queen Mary like to sleep in such quarters » as the popular mind associates. with kings and queens. King Alfonso has similar tastes. The Czar of all the Russiash strange to say, slccps In a small plain room. So does the hope. The Mikado of Japan sleeps, hko his subjects, on a rug, with bamboo sticks for a pillow. MOst sovereigns do not trouble to turn the key in their doors, depending upon the sentrics that pace back and forth before their apartments ' to protect them. ispeed steel the new -r MARIGOLD FORBES, eldest daughter of Lady Angela. Forbes: She is a. niece of the Duchess of Suth- erland and Countess of Warwick. .33 HIGH SPEED STEEL I’ATENTED New Process Depends on the Intro- duction of Cobalt. .Gre-at interest has been aroused in Sheffield, England, in a. method of producing a superior high speed steel by the introduction of cobalt. The process has been patented throughout the world by a Con-tin- ental firm, but there are indications that the Sheffield m.nufa.oturers will fight for the privilege of makâ€" ing the new steel themselves with- out having to pay royalties under a foreign 'paten-t. High speed steel is used in the making of tools required for boring and cutting the hardest materials at a. rapid rate. Such tools are largely used in armament manufac- ture. The new material is said to mark a. great advance on the best qualities of steel at present obtain- able for making these implement-s. A, few years ago the discovery of high speed steel itself brought about a. revolution in stool making. The American inventor sought a monopoly by means of patents. The case was taken to the courts and the American lost. It is under- stood that high speed steel contain- ing cobalt had been produced in Sheffield but that its possibilities were not realized. A Sheffield manufacturer says that tested against some of the foremost Sheffield brands of high produce has shown an extraordinary superior- | and I evening, waiter? If it contains some . . ‘ matter which'bas no direct bearing uponl-me the fiSh and no“ 3’0“ gl‘ve me charge of having bcen tampered with. l (To be continued.) 6a. no (,‘ompcusniion. Sheâ€"-“I envy Miss Playne. ity. ._..____._Lx‘ Perturbed Dinerâ€"â€"“What on earth is the matter with you this First you give the soup.” Waiter (confidentially) â€"-“'Well, to tell you the truth. sir, it was ’igh time you ’ad that fish.” What’s become of the, old-fashâ€" ioncd gentle rain storm that just watered the flowers Without trying to beat them to death? You know the sort we mean. The kind she She always insisted on you carrying the plays so well that one forgets how fern out to get the benefit of. she looks.” Heâ€"“But you look so well that. one fofgefs how you play.” I “We are somewhat musical, and .4! now the family next door is hav- ing the daughter take singing lesâ€" sons”; “Emulation, eh‘l” “Looks more like revenge.” _â€"â€"-â€".aâ€"â€"r WANTE" ical Process. More workers chemicals and supply you with prices paid romptly by the wee cllers sell 1. e goods on contract and the Brices we pa KOMMERGIAL ART W RKS, l l terns furnished. 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In an address do- livered before the Royal Society 0 Medicine Dr. Muthu said that the I-Iindu' civilization was the most ancient in the world, and that their medicine was as old as their civili- zation. They excelled, he said, in matcria medics. and chemistry; they were the first among the ancients to practice the dissection of the huâ€" man body and to employ mineral and mercury internally. They unâ€"1 derstood the germ theory, the elf-3 culation of the blood and inocula- tion for smallpox. Their successful treatment of snake bites astonished Alexander the. Great, and their, surgery was bold and skilful, "t'or'1 not only did they set broken bones? but they trcphincd the skull, gavel anaesthetic-s in serious operations,‘ and even amputated limbs. After the death of Buddha, when! surgery began to decline and medi-l cine flourished: more, houses and hospitals were estab-I lished in India which were provide-(ll with medicines and instruments andl attended by physicians who re-l liev-ed the sick and suffering, but‘ long before Buddha. there worel medical schools and colleges. Arabl medicine, which was founded on! Hindu medicine, taught Europeanl physicians as late as the sevenâ€"l teenth century, and Western peoplel owed a great debt to India in this- direction. - L ' 5‘ He Had Ono Good Quality. John and James had a slight dif-v ference of opinion, in consequence of which they began to call each other ugly names. 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