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£x', *•; . m:-, • iS if- P'V' !>^ • b j. ,-v THE MeHENRY PLAINDfiALER, McHENRY, ILI/ » $ <i »•••»•»••• *•••••• ••• • ••••••<>•• »#••> >6 • •6+04 •••••••• •• 6 •••••••••• •••44 * »»• &:• .-/H* m THE LONE WOLF TT n By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE (Copyright by Lonlo, Joseph V»nee.) SYNOPSIS. At Troyo.ve. a ParU» Inn. the youth Marcel Troron, afterwards to be Known M Michael Lanyard, la caught stealing by Burke, an expert thief, who takes the fcoy with hinj to America and makes of htm a finished cracksman. After stealing the Omber tewels and the Huysman war plans In LoriJon Lanyard returns to Troyon's for the first time in many yeara because he thinks Roddy, a Scotland Yard man. Is on his trail. On arrival hr» finds Roddy already Installed as a guest. CHAPTER II--Continued. However impulsively, he hadn't Bought Troyon's without definite in­ tent, to wit, to gain some clue, how­ ever slender, to the mystery of that wretched child, Marcel. But now it appeared he had procrastinated fa tally--time and change had left little other than the shell of the Troyon's he remembered. Papa Troyon was gone; madame no longer occupied the desk of the caisse; inquiries, so dis­ creetly worded as to be uncompro­ mising, elicited from the maitre d'ho- tel the information that the house had been "under new management these eighteen months; the old proprietor was dead, and his widow had sold out lock, stock and barrel, and retired to the country, it was not known ex­ actly where. And with the new ad­ ministration had come fresh decora­ tions and furnishings and a complete change of personnel--not even one of the old waiters remained. " 'AJ1 are gone, the old, familiar faces,'" Lanyard quoted in vindictive melancholy--"damn 'em!" Happily it was demonstrated that the cuisine was being maintained on Its erstwhile plane of excellence--one •till had that comfort! Other impressions, less intimate, proved puzzling, disconcerting and paradoxically reassuring. I Lanyard commanded a fair view of Roddy across the waist of the room. The detective had ordered a meal that matched his aspect well, both of true British simplicity. He was a square- set man with a square jaw. cold blue eyes, a fat nose, a thin-lipped trap of a mouth, a face as red as rare beef­ steak. > His dinner comprised a cut from the Joint, boiled potatoes, brussels sprouts, a bit of cheese, a bottle of Bass. He ate slowly, chewing with the doggedness of a strong character hampered by a weak digestion, and all the while kept his eyes fixed to an Issue of the Paris edition of the Lon­ don Daily Mail with an effect of con­ centration quite too convincing. Now one doesn't read the Paris edi­ tion of the London Daily Mail with in­ tense excitement- Humanly speaking. It can't be done. Where, then, was the object of this so sedulously dissembled interest? Lanyard wasn't slow to solve this riddle to his satisfaction--in so far, that is, as it was satisfactory to feel yet more certain that Roddy's quarry was another than himself. Despite the lateness of the hour, which had by now turned ten o'clock, the restaurant had still a dozen tables or so in the service of guests pleas­ antly engaged in lengthening out an agreeable evening with dessert, coffee, liqueurs and cigarettes. The majority of these were in couples, but at a table one removed from Roddy's sat a party of three; and Lanyard noticed, or fancied, that the man from Scotland Yard turned his newspaper only dur­ ing lulls in the conversation in this quarter. Of the three, one would pass for an American of position and wealth--» man of something more than sixty years, with an execrable accent, a racking cough, and a thin, patrician cast of countenance clouded darkly by the expression of a soul in torment, furrowed, seamed, twisted--a mask of mortal anguish. And once. wb<*n he looked up and casually ericouutered Lanyard's gaze, the adventurer was shocked to find himself staring into eyes that were as the eyes of a dead man--eyes of a gray so light that at a little distance the color of the iris blended indistinguishably with their whites, leaving visible only the round, black points of pupils abnormally dis­ tended and staring, blank, fixed, pas sionless, beneath lashless lids. i For the instant they seemed to ex­ plore Lanyard's very soul with a look of remote and impersonal curiosity; then they fell away, and when next ' the adventurer looked the man had turned to attend to some observation of one of his companions with a smile that fairly transfigured his face, the smile of a charming child. On his right sa t a gir l who might be his daughter, for not only was she. too, obviously American, but she was far too young to be the other's wife. A demure, old-fashioned type, well poised but unassumii 3, fetchlngly gowned, and with sufficient individu­ ality of taste, but not conspicuously; a girl with soft, brown hair and soft, brown eyes; pretty, not extravagantly so when her face was in repose, but with a slow smile that made her scarcely less than beautiful--in nil, Lanyard thought, the kind of woman who is predestined to comfort man kind, whose strongest instinct is the maternal She took little part in the con* er- satlon. seldom interrupted what 1fas I practically a duologue between her pu tative father and the third member of the little party. This last was one whom Lanyard was sure he knew, though he could see no more than the back of M. le Comte Remy de Morbihan. And he wondered with a thrill of amusement if it were possible that Roddy was on the trail of that tre­ mendous buck. If so, it would be a chase worth following--a diversion rendered the more exquisite to Lan­ yard by the spice of novelty, since for once he would figure as a dispassion­ ate bystander. The name of Comte Remy de Mor­ bihan. although unrecorded in the Al- manach de Gotha, was one to conjure with in the Paris of his day and gen­ eration. He claimed the distinction of being at once the ugliest, one of the wealthiest and the most liked man in France. ^ As to his looks, good or bad, they were said to prove infallibly fatal with women, while not a few men. perhaps for that reason, did their possessor the honor to imitate them. The revues burlesqued him; Sem caricatured him; Forain counterfeited him exten­ sively in that inimitable series of Mon­ day morning cartoons for Le Figaro-- one said "De Morbihan" lnstinctivelv at sight of that stocky figure, short and broad, topped by a chubby, moon­ like mask with waxed mustache, worn anish eyes, and never-failing grin. A creature of proverbial good na­ ture and exhaustless vitality, his ex­ traordinary popularity was due to the equally extraordinary extravagance with which he supported that latest Gallic fad, "le sport." The Parisian Rugby team was his pampered pro­ tege; he was an active member of the tennis club, maintained not only a flock of automobiles but a famous rac­ ing stable, rode to hounds, was a good field gun, patronized aviation and motor-boat racing, risked as many maximums during the Monte Carlo season as the Grand Duke Michael himself, and was always ready to whet rapiers or burn a little harmless pow­ der of an early morning in the Pare aux Princes. But there were some ugly whispers In circulation about the sources of his fabulous wealth. Lanyard, for one. wouldn't have thought him the proper- est company or the best PariBian cice­ rone for an ailing American gentle­ man blessed with independent means and an attractive daughter. Paris, on the other hand--Paris who forgive^ everything to him who con­ tributes to her amusement--adored Comte Remy de Morbihan. But perhaps Lanyard was preju­ diced by his partiality for Americans, a sentiment the outgrowth of those several years he had spent with Bourke in New York. He even fancied that between his spirit and theirs ex­ isted some subtle bond of sympathy. For all he knew, he might himself be American. CHAPTER III. A Point of Interrogation. For some time Lanyard strained to catch something of the conversa­ tion that seemed to prove so interest­ ing to Roddy, but without success, thanks to the hum of voices that filled the room. In time, however, the gath­ ering began to thin out, until at length there remained only this party of three, Lanyard enjoying a most de­ lectable salad and Roddy puffing a ci­ gar (with such evidence of enjoyment that Lanyard suspected him of the sin of smuggling) ahd slowly empty­ ing another bottle of Bass. Under these conditions the talk be­ tween De Morbihan and the Ameri­ cans became public property. The first remark overheard by Lan yard came from the elderly American, following a pause and a consultation of his watch. "Quarter to eleven," he announced. "Plenty of time," said De Morbihan cheerfully. "That is," he amended, "if mademoiselle isn't bored." The girl's reply, something which was accompanied by a pretty inclina­ tion of her head toward the French­ man, was lost in the other's accents. He had a strong and sonorous voice, in strange contrast with his ravaged appearance and distressing cough. "Don't let that hurry you," he ad­ vised cheerfully. "Lucia's accustomed to keeping late hours with me; and whoever heard of a young and pretty woman being bored on the third day of her first visit to Paris?" He pronounced the name with the soft "c" of "the Italian tongue, as though it were spelled "Luchia." "To be sure." laughed the French man; "one suspects it will be long be­ fore mademoiselle loses Interest in the Rue de la Paix." "You may well, when such beautiful things come from it," said the girl. "See what we found there today."* She slipped a ring from her hand and passed it to De Morbihan. There followed silence for an in­ stant, then an exclamation from the Frenchman: "But it is superb! Accept, made­ moiselle, my compliments. It Is wor­ thy even of you." She flushed prettily as she nodded smiling acknowledgment. "Ah. you Americans!" De Morbihan sighed. "You fill us with envy--you have the souls of poets and the wealth of princes!" "But we must come to Paris to find beautiful things for our womenfolk!" "Take care, though, lest you go too far, M. Bannon." "How so--too far?" ' "Yoti might attract the attention of the Lone Wolf. They say he's on the prowl once more." The American laughed a trace con­ temptuously. Lanyard's fingers tight­ ened on his knife and fork; otherwise he made no sign. A sidelong glance into a mirror at his elbow showed Roddy still absorbed in the Daily Mail. The girl bent forward with a look of eager interest. "The Lone Wolf? Who is that?" "You don't know him in America, mademoiselle?" "No-p." "The Lone Wolf, my dear Lucia," the valetudinarian explained in dry and humorous accents, "is Jhe sobri­ quet fastened by some imaginative French reporter upon a celebrated criminal who seems to have made him­ self something of a pest over here these last few, years. Nobody knows anything definite about him, apparent­ ly, but he operates in a most individ­ ual way and keeps the police busy try­ ing to guess where he'll strike next." The girl breathed an incredulous ex­ clamation. "But I assure you!" De Morbihan protested. "The rogue has had a won­ derfully successful career, thanks to his dispensing with confederates and confining his depredations to Jewels and similar valuables--portable and easy to convert Into cash. Yet," he added, nodding sagely, "one is not afraid to predict that his race is al­ most run." "You don't tell me!" the older man exclaimed. "Have they picked up the scent--at last?" "The man is known," De Morbihan affirmed. By now the conversation had caught the in ;8t of several loitering wait­ ers, uo were listening open-mouth ed; and even Roddy seemed a bit startled, and for once forgot to make business with his newspaper, but his wondering stare was exclusively for De Morbihan. Lanyard put down knife and fork, swallowed a final mouthful of Haut Brion, and lighted a cigarette with the hand of a man who knew not the meaning of nerves. "Garcon!" he called quietly, and or­ dered coffee and cigars, with a liqueur ta follow. "Known!" the American exclaimed. "They've caught him, eh?" "I didn't say that," De Morbihan laughed; "but the mystery is no more --in certain quarters." "Who is he, then?" "That--monsieur will pardon me-- I'm not yet free to state. Indeed. I may be Indiscreet in Baying as much as I do. Yet, among friends--" His shrug suggested that, as far as he was concerned, waiters were not human and the other guests of the establishment non-existent. "But," the American protested, "per­ haps you can tell us how they got on his track?" "It was not difficult," said De Mor­ bihan; "indeed, quite simple. This JOURNALISTS OF THE BIBLE I ••vlor Master of Art of Publicity, Is the Assertion Made by Dean of University. ChriBt was a master of the art of ad •ertising, John proved himself a great editor and there Is no better reporter than Luke, according to Walter Wil­ liams, dean of the school of journalism Of the University of Missouri, who *d- Ijmesed a Sunday school convention In St. Louis, says a St. Louis (Mo.) dis­ patch to the New York Herald. "Even Christ's last words were not for silence, but for Christian publicity," said Mr. Williams. "Whenever a church has kept the good news of the gospel to itself it has died. When it has given this news out it has con­ quered. "When Kitchener Granted 1,000.000 "The Lone Wolf? Who Is That?" tone of depreciation is becoming, for it was my part to suggest the solu­ tion to my friend, the chief of the surete He had been annoyed and dis­ tressed. and was even talking of re­ signing because of his inability to cope with this gentleman, the Lone Wolf. And since he is my friend. 1, too, was distressed on bis behalf, and badgered toy poor wits until they chanced upon the idea which led us to the light." men he advertised in the newspapers. When the church wants 1.00U.U00 strong men to aid its cause it rings a bell for five minutes on Sunday. "Luke, with bis vivid phrases, wrote the greatest report in the world--the story of Christ," said Mr. Williams "John proved himself the best editor, for he freely used the blue pencil, stat­ ing. 'If I wished, 1 could 611 many volumes.' "Even the devil advertises." said Mr. Williams, "his specialty being white lights." 'You won t tell us?" the girl prq?- tested, with a little moue of disap­ pointment as the Frenchman paused provokingly. "Perhaps I should not And yet-- why not? As I say, it was elementary reasoning--a mere matter of logical deduction and elimination. One made up one's mind the L'One Wolf must be a certain type of man; the rest was simply sifting France for the man to fit the theory and then watching him until he gave himself away." "You're not going to stop there?" the American demanded in an ag­ grieved tone. "No? 1 must continue? Very well: I confess to some little pride. It was a.feat. He is cunning, that one!" De Morbihan* paused and shifted sidewise in his chair, grinning like a mischievous child. By this maneuver, thanks to the ar­ rangement of mirrors lining the walls, he commanded an Indirect view of Lanyard, a fact of which the latter was not unaware, though his expres­ sion remained unchanged as he sat-- with a corner of his eye reserved for Roddy--speculating whether De Mor­ bihan were telling the truth or only boasting for his own glorification. "Do go on--please!" the girl begged prettily. "1 can deny you nothing, mademoi­ selle. Well, then! From what little was known of this mysterious crea­ ture, one readily Inferred he must be a bachelor, with no close friends. That is clear, I trust?" "Too deep for me, my friend," the elderly man confessed. "Impenetrable reticence," the count expounded -- and enjoying himself hugely--"isn't possible in the human relations. Sooner or later one is doomed to share one's secrets, how­ ever reluctantly, even unconsciously, with a wife, a mistress, a. child, or with some trusted friend. And a se­ cret between two is--a prolific breeder of platitudes! Grafted this line of reasoning, the Lone Wolf is of neces­ sity not only unmarried, but practi cally friendless. Other attributes of his will obviously comprise "youth, courage, Imagination, a rather high or­ der of intelligence, and a social posi­ tion--let us say, rather, an ostensible business--enabling him to travel at will hither and yon without exciting comment. So far, good! "My friend, the chief of the surete. forthwith commissioned his agents to seek such a one, and by this means several fine fish were enmeshed in the net of suspicion, carefully scrutinized, and one by one let go--all except one, the veritable man. Him they sedulous­ ly watched, shadowing him across Eu­ rope and back again. He was in Ber­ lin at the time of the famous Rhein hart robbery, though he compassed that coup without detection; he was in Vienna when the British embassy there was looted, but escaped by a clever ruse and managed to dispose of his plunder before the agents of'the surete could lay hands on Jiim*-~*e- cently he has been in Lbndon, and there he made love to and ran away with the diamonds of a certain lady of some eminence. You have heard of Mme. Omber, eh?" Now by Roddy's expression it was plain that, if Mme. Omber's name wasn't strange in his hearing, at least he found this news about her most surprising. He was staring openly, with a slackened jaw and stupefaction in his blank, blue eyes. Lanyard gently pinched the small end of a cigar, dipped it into his deml tasse, and lighted it with not so much as a suspicion of tremor. His brain, however, was working rapidly in the effort to determine whether De Mor­ bihan meant this for a warning or was simply narrating an amusing yarn founded on advance information and amplified by an ingenious Imagina­ tion. For by now the news of the Omber affair must have thrilled many a continental telegraph wire. "Mme. Omber--of course!" the American agreed thorughtfully. "Ev­ eryone has heard of her wonderful diamonds. The real marvel is that the Lone Wjplf neglected so Bhlnlng a mark as long as he did." "But truly so, monsieur!" "And they caught him at it. eh?" "Not precisely; but he left a clue-- and London as well--with such haste as would seem to Indicate he knew his cunning hand had for once slipped." "Then they'll nab him soon?" "Ah, monsieur, one must say no more!" De Morbihan protested. "Rest assured that the chief of the surete has laid his plans--his web is spun, and so artfully that I think our un sociable outlaw will soon be making friends In the prisofa of the Sante. But now we must adjourn. One is sorry. It has been so very pleasant." A waiter conjured the bill from some recess of his waistcoat and served it on a clean plate to the Amer­ ican. Another ran bawling for the cloakroom attendant. Roddy glued his gaze afresh to the Daily Mail. The party rose. Lanyard noticed that the American signed the bill instead of settling It with cash. Indicating that he resided at Troyon's as well as dined there. And the adventurer found time to re- GET BtST MILK IN WINTER Recent Investigations Serve to Show That Former Popular Impressions Have Been Wrong. It haB always been believed that milk, butter and other dairy products are at their best In the spring and summer, when the cows have the best pastures. But recent investigations conducted by the Massachusetts state board of health fall to bear out this <*ideapread popular belief. They lndi- flect what (t was odd for flrach a one to seek that particular establishment in preference to the palatial modern hostelries of the Rive Droite--before De Morbihan, ostensibly for the first time espying Lanyard, plunged across the room with both hands outstretched and a cry of Joyous surprise not really Justified by their rather slight ac­ quaintanceship. "Ah! Ah!" he clamored vivacious­ ly. "It is M. Lanyard, who knows all about paintings! But this 'is delight­ ful--4. grand pleasure! You must •kn%% my friends. But come!" And seizing Lanyard's hands, when that one somewhat reluctantly rose in response to this surprisingly overexu berant greeting, he dragged him willy- nilly from behind hiB table. "And you are American, too. Cer­ tainly you must know one another. Mile. Bannbn--with your permission-- my friend, M. Lanyard. And M. Ban­ non--an old, dear friend, with whom you will share a passion for the beau ties of art." The hand of the American, when Lanyard clapped It, was cold, as cold as ice; and as their eyes met that aboroin&ble cough laid hold of the man, a* it were by the nape of his neck, and shook him viciously. Before it bad finished with blm his sensitively colored face was purple and he was gasping, breathless--and infuriated. "M. Banncn," De Morbihan ex­ plained disconnectedly--"It 1s most C- Rosa In Response to This Greeting. distressing--I tell him he should not stop In Paris, at this season." "It is nothing!" the American Inter­ posed brusquely between paroxysms. "But our winter climate, monsieur-- it is not fit for those in the prime of health--" "It is I who am unfit!" Bannon snapped, pressing a handkerchief to his lips--"unfit to live!" he amended venomously. Lanyard murmured a conventional expression of sympathy. Through it all he was conscious of the regard of the girl. Her soft, brown eyes met hiB candidly, with a look cool in its composure, straightforward in its in­ quiry, neither bold nor mock-demur'). And if they were the flrBt to fall. It jpas with an effect of curiosity sated without trace of discomfiture. And somehow the adventurer felt himself measured, classified, filed away. Between amusement and pique he continued to stare, while the elderly American recovered his breath and De Morbihan jabbered on with unfail­ ing vivacity; and he thought that this closer scrutiny discovered in her face contours suggesting maturity of thought beyond her apparent years-- which were somewhat less than the sum of his own--and with this the suggestion of an elusive, provoking quality of wistful languor, a hint of patient melancholy. "We are off for a glimpse of Monf- martre," De Morbihan was explain­ ing--"M. Bannon and I. He has not seen Paris in twenty years, he tells me. Well, it will be amusing to show him what changes have taken place in all that time. One regrets made­ moiselle is too fatigued to accompany us. But you, my friend--now If you would consent to make our third, it would be most amiable of you." "I'm sorry," Lanyard excused him­ self; "but, as you see, I am only Just in from the railroad, a long and tire­ some Journey. You are very good, but I--" "Good?" De Morbihan exclaimed with violence. "I? On the contrary. I am a very selfish man; 1 seek but to afford myself the pleasure of your company. You lead such a busy life, my friend, romping about Europe, here one day, God knows where the next, that one must make one's best of your spare moments. You will join us, surely?" "Really I cannot tonight. Another time, perhaps, if you will excuse me." "But it Is always the way!" De Mor­ bihan explained to his friends with a vast show of mock indignation. " 'An­ other time, perhaps'--his invariable response! 1 tell you, not two men In all Paris have any real acquaintance with this gentleman whom all Paris knows! His reserve is proverbial-- •as distant as Lanyard.* we say on the boulevards!" And turning again to the adventur­ er, meeting his cold stare with the De Morbihan grin of quenchless effron­ tery: "As you will, my friend!" h^grant- cate, on the contrary, that under cur­ rent conditions the milk obtained In summer is If anything, somewhat In ferior In quality to that obtained In the winter when the c6ws are shut up in stables. At a temperature of 50 degrees the bacteria in milk will increase in fifty hours from three to thirty times the initial number, while at 70 degrees they will mpltlply 40.000 times This \$ why milk should be kept cold ' Milk will not sour for several days If packed in ice. ed. "*But should yoe change jtrnr mind--well, you'll have no trouble finding us. A«k any place along the conventional route. We see tar too little of each other, monsieur--and I am most anxious to hare a little chat with you." "It will be an honor." Lanyard re­ turned formally. In his heart he was pondering sev­ eral most excruciating methods of murdering the man. What did he mean? How much did be know? If he knew anything, he must mean 111. for assuredly he could not be ignorant of Roddy's business pr that every other word he uttered was riveting suspicion of Identity with the Lone Wolf or that Roddy was listening with all his ears and staring into the bar­ gain! ' Decidedly something must be done to silence this animal. De Morbihan, should it turn out he really did know something! It was only after profound reflec­ tion over his liqueur--while Roddy de­ voured his Daily Mail and washed it down with a third bottle of Bass--that Lanyard summoned the maitre d'hote! and asked for a room. It would never do to fix the doubts of the detective by going elsewhere that night. But. fortunately. Lanyard knew that warren which was Troyon's as no one else knew it; Roddy would find it hard to detain him should events seem to advise an early de­ parture. N GMMU REPORTS CHAPTER IV. f A ' Stratagem. When the maitre d'hotel had shown him all over the establishment--inno­ cently enough, en route, furnishing him with a complete list of his other guests and their rooms, memoranda readily registered by a retentive mem­ ory--Lanyard chose the bedchamber next that occupied by Roddy, in the second story. The consideration influencing this selection was, of course, that so situ­ ated he would be in a position not only to keep an eye on the man from Scot­ land Yard, but also to determine whether or not Roddy were disposed to keep an eye on him. In those days Lanyard's faith In himself" was a beautiful thing. He could not have enjoyed the immunity ascribed to the Lone Wolf so long as he had without gaining a power of sturdy self-confidence in addition to a certain degree of temperate con­ tempt for the spies of the law and all their ways. Reviewing the Bcene In the restau­ rant, Lanyard felt measurably war­ ranted in assuming not only that Rod­ dy was interested in De Morbihan, but that the Frenchman was well aware of that interest. And he resented sin­ cerely his inability to feel as confident that the count, with his gossip about the Lone Wolf, had been merely seek­ ing to divert Roddy's interest to pu- tatively larger game. It was juBt pos­ sible that De Morbihan's Identification of Lanyard with that mysterious per­ sonage, at least by innuendo, had been uhlntentional. But somehow Lanyard didn't believe it had. However, one would surely learn something Illuminating before very long. The business of a sleuth is to sleuth, and Sooner or later Roddy must surely make some move to Indi­ cate the quarter wherein his real in­ terest lay. Just at present, reasoning from noises audible through the bolted door that communicated with the adjoining bedchamber, the business of a sleuth seemed to comprise going to bed. Lanyard, shaving and dressing, could distinctly hear a tuneless voice con­ tentedly humming "Sally in Our Al­ ley," a rendition punctuated by one heavy thump, and then another, and then by a heartfelt sigh of relief--as Roddy kicked ofT his boots--and fol­ lowed by the tapping of a pipe against grate-bars, the complaint of a window being lowered for ventilation, the click of an electric-light switch, and the creaking of bed springs. Finally, and before Lanyard had fin­ ished dressing, the man from Scotland Yard began placidly to snore. Of course, he might well be bluffing, for Lanyard had taken pains to let Roddy know that they were room neighbors by announcing his selection in loud tones close to the communicat­ ing door. But this was a question which the adventurer meant to have answered before he went out. It was hard upon twelve o'clock when the mirror on the dressing table assured him that he was at length In the habit and apparel of a gentleman of elegant nocturnal leisure. But if he approved the figure he cut, it Was mainly because clothes interested him and he reckoned his own impeccable. Of their tenant he was feeling just then a bit less su^e than he had half an hour since; his regard was lower* ing and mistrustful. He was, In short, suffering reaction from the high spirits engendered by his cross-channel exploits, his success­ ful getaway, and the unusual circum­ stances attendant upon his return to this memory-haunted mausoleum of an unhappy childhood. He even shivered a trifle, as if under premonition of mis­ fortune. With one last look round to make certain there was nothing In bis room's calculated disorder to Incrimi­ nate him were it to be searched in his absence. Lanyard enveloped himself in a long, full-skirted coat, clapped on an opera hat, and went out, noisily locking the door. He might as well have left It wide; but iLshould do no harm to pretend he didn't know the bedchamber keys at Troyon's were in­ terchangeable--identically the same keys, in fact, that had been in service in the time of Marcel the wretched, CTO 6E CONTINUED.) Figures Quickly Gathered. In the last census the enumeration of tbe population in cities and towns lasted 15 days In the rural districts the population and agricultural enu­ merations combined were completed in about thirty days. Wherein the Difficulty. "Yes. sir. one hours uninterrupted reading each evening would make you--"' "Uninterrupted? Where de you think my wife apends her evo> nings?"--Mew York Times. 115 Bushels In Its Issue of February 24th, hur the Wadena (Minn.) Pioneer Journal has the followingv letter from West­ ern Canada written by Walter Gloedea. who is renewing his subscription to his home paper: "The times we are having up here are very good in spite of the war. I have had very good crops this fall and we are having very good markets for it all. Wheat went from 30 to 60 bu. to the acre, oats from 50 to 100 bu. to the acre. I had an 18-acre field of oats which yielded me 115 bu. per acre by machine measure, so I think is a pretty prosperous country. I have purchased another quarter sec­ tion, which makes me now the owner of three-quarters of a section of land. The weather was very nice this fall up to Christmas, then we had quite severe weather, but at the present time it is very nice again." "I lived many years in Alberta; filed a homestead in the Edmonton district; own property in several parts of Al­ berta. I found it one of the best countries I ever One of the Best Countries I Ever Saw. saw; its banking system is better than that of the United »tates; one quarter section I owi^ with about $4 #00.00 worth of improvements, pays $18.00 a year taxes. All tax Is on the land; im­ plements and personals are not taxed. I was secretary-treasurer of Aspelund school district for two years. My du­ ties were to assess all the land In the district, collect the tax, expend It ($1,- 000.00 a year), hire a teacher, etc., for the sum of $25.00 a year. Some econ­ omy, eh! "All school and road taxes are ex­ pended in the districts where they are collected. There are no other taxes. Land titles are guaranteed by the gov­ ernment and air abstract costs fifty cents. Half of the population of Al­ berta are Americans or from Eastern Canada. (Sgd.) WILL TRUCKEN- MILLER." Advertisement -Had Nothing on Him'. An anemic elderly woman, who looked as if she might have as much maternal affection as an incubator, sized up a broad-shouldered cockney who was idly looking into a window on the Strand, and in a rasping voice said to him: "My good man, why aren't you in the trenches? Aren't you willing to do anything for your country?" Turning around slowly, he looked at her a second and replied contemptu­ ously: "Move on, you slacker! Where's your war baby!"--Exchange. Man j School Children An* Biddy. Children who are delicate, feverish and < will get immediate relief from Mother Gray's Sweet Powders for Children. They cleanse the stomach, act on the liver, and are recommended for complaining children. A pleasant Mined/ for worms. Used by mothers for 88 years. All Druggists, 25c. Sample FHEJS. Atf ireaa, Mother Gr»y Co., Le Roy, N. Y. Didnt Try Any Soft Soap. "Go!" said the girl. "I wash my hands cf you." "Before you do any hand-washing, better take off that ring I gave you," he retorted, frigidly.--Boston Tran­ script. TAKE SALTS TO FLUSH KIDNEYS IF BACK HURTS Says Too Much Meat Forms Uric Acid Which Clogs the Kidneys and Irritates the Bladder. Most folks forget that the kidneys, like the bowels, get sluggish and clog­ ged and need a flushing occasionally, else we have backache and dull misery in the kidney region, severe head­ aches, rheumatic twinges, torpid liver, acid stomach, sleeplessness and all sorts of bladder disorders. You simply muBt keep yourkidneya active and clean, and the moment you feel an ache or pain In the kidney region, get about four ounces of Jad Salts from any good drug Store here, take a tablespoonful in a glass of water before breakfast for a few days and your kidneys will then act fine.. This famous salts is made from the acid of grapes and lemon juice, com­ bined with lithia, and Is harmless to flush clogged kidneys and stimulate them to normal activity. It also neu­ tralizes the acids in the urine so it no longer irritates, thus ending blad­ der disorders. Jad Salts is harmless; inexpensive; makes a delightful effervescent lithia- water drink which everybody should take now and then to keep their kid­ neys clean, thus avoiding serious com­ plications. A well-known local druggist says he sells lots of Jad Salts to folks who be­ lieve in overcoming kidney trouble while it is only trouble.--Adv. Classifying Them. "The orator we heard last night had sound views." "Exactly so; mostly sound." Dr. Pierce's Pelleta are best for liver, bowels and stomach. One little Pellet for a laxative--three for a cathartic.--Adv. The average length of a generation Is 33 years. F R E C K L E S Now le thm Time to Get Rid or Thee* Usiy spot*. There's no longer the slightest need o\ feeling ashamed of your freckles, as the prescription othlne--double streiiRth--u guaranteed io remove these homely spots. Simply yet an ounce of othlne--dou»l* strength--from your druggist, and apply • little of It night and morning and yon should soon see that even the worst freckles have begun to disappear, while the lighter ones have vanished entirely. It la seldom that more than one ounce In needed to com­ pletely clear the sk^n and gain a beautiful elenr complexion. Be aura to ask for the double strength othlne. as this Is sold under guarantee •€ money; backj^lt (all* to ramove fracklea.-- Spend less time in apologizing ana more in Improving your conduct. Tf a man has mod rlea will always get sto-