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; '.fi;;, n/v. *$q ,r,, ̂ •X- - V - -. i'.-: V ;Xk4^-^>: tt -H' *i£ THE McHEXBY PLAiyPEALER, McHENRY, HXj v'-V/> " 'N ""r m I^V W'«'.'. uttfhM fr';# - ;•& ll il I k ' & • t ' " ^;T'. iv a'upynsiu, V SYNOPSIS. --4-- At Troyon's, a F^arls Inn, the youth Marcel Trovjn. afterwards to be known a* Michael Lanyard, is caught stealing by Burke, an expert thief, who takes the boy with him to America and makes of him a finished cracksman. After stealing the Omber jewels and the Huysman war plans In London Lanyard returns to Troyon's for the first time in many years because he thinks Roddy, a Scotland Yard man. Is on his trail. On arrival he finds Roddy already installed a guest. At dinner a conversation between Comte de Morblhan. M. Bannon and Mile. Ban- non about the Lone Wolf, a celebrated cracksman who works alone, puzzles and alarms him as to whether his identity is only puessed or known. To satisfy him­ self that Roddy is not watching him, lanyard dresses and goes out. leaving Roddy apparently asleep and snoring In the next room, then comes back stealth­ ily, to find in his room Mile. Bannon, who explains her presence by Baying that she was sleep-walking. In his apartment near the Trocadero he finds written on the back of a twenty-pound note, part of his con­ cealed emergency hoard, an invitation from The Pack to the Lone Wolf to Join them. Lanyard attempts to dispose of the Omber Jewels, but finds that The Pack has forbidden the buyers to deal with him. CHAPTER VII--Continued. To the driver of the first taxicab he net he said: "l'Abbaye;" then, shut­ ting himself within the conveyance, be surrendered to the most morose re­ flections. Nothing of his mood was, however, apparent in his manner on alighting. He bore a countenance of amiable in­ souciance through the portals of this festal institution, whose proudest boast -and, incidentally, sole claim to uniquenesd is that it never opens its doors before midnight nor closes them before dawn. He had moved about with such celer­ ity since entering his flat on the Rue Roget that it was even now only two o'clock, an hour at which revelry might be expected to have reached its apo­ gee in this, the qoidisant smartest place in Paris. A less sophisticated adventurer might have been flattered by the cor­ diality of his reception at the hands ol the maitre d 'hotel. . "Ah-h, M. Lanyar'! But it Is long since we have been so favored. How­ ever, I have kept your table for you." "Have you, indeed?" "Could it be otherwise, after receipt of your honored order ?" "No," said Lanyard coolly, "I pre- sume not, if you value your peace of mind." "Monsieur is alone?"--this with an accent of disappointment. "Temporarily, perhaps." / "But this way, if you please." in the wake of the functionary Lan­ yard traversed that frowsy anteroom, where doubtful wasters are herded on suspicion in company with the corps of automatic bacchanalians and figu­ rantes, to the main restaurant, the in­ ner sanctum toward which the naive soul of the travel-bitten Anglo-Saxon aspires so ardently. It was not a large room; irregularly pentagonal in shape, lined with wall- seats behind a close-set rank of tables; better lighted than most Parisian res­ taurants, that is to say, less glaring­ ly; ill-ventilated; the open space in the middle of the floor devoted to a handful of haggard young professional dancers, their stunted bodies more or less costumed in brilliant colors, foot­ ing it with all the vivacity to be ex­ pected of five francs per night per head; the tables occupied by parties Anglo-Saxon and French in the pro­ portion of five to one, served by a company of bored aifed apathetic wait­ ers; a string orchestra ragging inces­ santly; a vicious buck-nigger on a dais shining with self-complacency while he vamped and shouted: "Waitin' foh th' Robuht EL Lee." Lanyard permitted himself to be penned in a corner behind a table, tcAd the waiter to bring him champagne-- not because he wanted it, but because It was etiquette--suppressed a. yawn, lighted a cigarette, and reviewed the assemblage with a languid but shrewd glance. He sipped his wine sparingly, with­ out relish, considering the single sub­ sidiary fact which did Impress him with some wonder--that he was being left severely to himself; something which doesn't often fall to the lot of the unattached male at l'AbbaJe. Evi­ dently an order had been issued with respect to him. Ordinarily he would have been grateful, tonight he was merely irritated; it rendered him con­ spicuous. The fixed round of delirious diver- - tlssement unfolded--as per schedule. • Spanish dancing girl was given a clear floor for her specialty--which consisted in singing several verses un­ derstood by nobody--and emphasized her vivacity by making frantic dashes at and rumpling the hair of several variously surprised, indignant and flat­ tered male guests--among these Lan­ yard, who submitted with resignation. sAnd then, just when he was on the pifUnt of consigning the Pack to the devil for Inflicting upon him such cruel and inhuman punishment, the Spanish girl picked her way through the mob Louis Jostpii Vance.) of dancers who had now invaded the floor and paused beside his table. "You're not angry, mon coco?" she pleaded with 6 provocative smile. Smilingly Lanyard returned a nega­ tive. "Then I may sit down with you and drink a glass of your wine?" "Can't you see I've been saving the bottle for you?" The woman plumped herself prompt­ ly into the chair opposite the adven­ turer. He filled her a glass. "But you are not happy tonight?" she demanded, staring over the brim as she sipped. "I am thoughtful," he said. "And what does that mean?" "I am saddened to contemplate the infirmities of my countrymen, these Americans who can't rest in Paris un­ til they find some place as deadly as any Broadway boasts, these English who adore beautiful Paris solely be­ cause here they may continue to get drunk publicly after half past twelve!" "Ah, then it's you are bored, is it not?" said the girl, gingerly stroking her faded, painted cheek. "It is true; I am bored." "Then why not go where you are wanted?" She drained her glass at a gulp and Jumped up, swirling her skirts. "Your cab is waiting, monsieur --and perhaps you may find it more amusing with that Pack!" Flinging herself into the arms of an­ other dancing girl, she swung away, grinning impishly at Lanyard over her partner's shoulder. CHAPTER VIII. The High Hand. Evidently his first move toward de­ parture was signaled, for as he passed out through l'Abbaye's doors the car­ riage porter darted forward and. sa­ luted. """T "M. Lanyar'?", "Yes." "Monsieur's car is waiting." "Indeed!" Lanyard surveyed briefly a handsome black limousine that, at pause beside the curb, was champing its bit in the most spirited fashion. Then he smiled appreciatively. "All the same, I thank you for the compli­ ment," he added, and forthwith tipped the porter. But before entrusting himself to this gratuitous conveyance he put himself to the trouble of inspecting the chauf­ feur, who proved to be a capable-look­ ing mechanic togged out in rich black livery which, though relieved by a vast amount of silk braiding, was, like the car in his charge, guiltless of any sort of insignia. "I presume you know where 1 want to go, my man?" The chaufTeur touched his cap: "But naturally, monsieur." ^ - "Then take me there the quickest way." Nodding acknowledgment of the por­ ter's parting salute. Lanyard sank gratefully back upon uncommonly lux­ urious upholstery. The fatigue of the last thirty-six hours was beginning to tell on him, though his youth was still so vital, so Instinct with strength and vigor that he could, if need be, go as long again without sleep. None the less he was glad of this opportunity to snatch a few moments' rest by way of preparation against the occult culmination of this adventure. No telling what might ensue of this violation of all those principles which had hitherto insured his welfare! Of a sudden, ending a ride much shorter than he would have liked, the limousine swerved in toward a curb. Bending forward, Lanyard unlatched the door and, glancing through the window, uttered a grunt of profound disgust. If this were the best that Pack could do-- He had hoped for something a trifle more romantic from men with wit and imagination enough to plot the earlier phases of this adventure. The car was pulling up in front of an Institution which he knew well, far too well, indeed, for his own good. None the less he consented to get out. "Sure you've come to the right ad­ dress ?"»he asked the chauffeur. Two Angers touching the vizor of his cap: "But certainly, monsieur!" "Oh, all right!" Lanyard grumbled resignedly, and tossing a five-franc piece, addressed himself to the en­ trance of an outwardly commonplace and respectable hotel particulier situ­ ate in the Rue Chaptal between the impasse of the Grand Gulgnol and the Rue Pigalle. Now the neophyte needs the intro­ duction of a trusted sponsor before he can win admission to the clubhouse in the Rue Chaptal of the exclusive Cir­ cle of Friends of Humanity; but Lan­ yard's knock secured him prompt and unquestioned entrance. The unfor­ tunate fact Is he was a member in tbe best of standing, for this society of pseudo-altruistic aims was nothing more nor less than one of these sev­ eral private gaiUDling clubs of Pans which the French government to!-, erates more or less openly, despite adequate restrictive legislation; and gambling was Lanyard's ruling pas­ sion--a legacy from Bourke together with the rest of his professional equip­ ment. In the esteem of Paris Count Remy de Morblhan himself was scarcely a more light-hearted plunger than M. lanyard. Naturally, with this reputation, he was always free of the handsome sa­ lons wherein the Friends of Humanity devoted themselves to roulette, auc­ tion bridge, baccarat, and chemin de j fer--and of this freedom he now pro- ! ceeded to avail himself, with his hat just a shade aslant on his head, his han^s in his pockets, a suspicion of a smile on his lips, and a glint of the devil in his eyes--in all an expression accurately reflecting the latest phase of his humor, which had become large­ ly one of contemptuous toleration, thanks to what he chose to consider an exhibition of insipid stupidity on the part of the Pack. Nor was this humor in any way modified when, in due coprse, he con­ firmed anticipation by discovering M. le Comte Remy de Morblhan lounging beside one of the roulette tables, watching the play and now and then risking a maximum or two on his own account. A flash of animation crossed the un­ lovely mask of the count when he saw Lanyard approaching, and he greeted the adventurer with a gay little flirt of his pudgy, dark hand. "Ah, my friend!" he cried. "It Is you, then, who have changed your mind! But this is delightful!" "Then you really wanted to see me tonight?" Lanyard inquired innocently. "Always--always, my dear Lan­ yard !" the count declared, jumping up. "But come," he insisted, "1 have a word for your private ear, If these gentlemen will excuse us." "Do!" Lanyard addressed in confi­ dential tone those he knew at the table before turning away to the tug of the count's hand on his arm--"I think he means to pay up twenty pounds he owes me!" Some derisive laughter greeted this sally. "I mean that, however," Lanyard in­ formed the other cheerfully, as they moved away to a corner where con­ versation without an audience was possible--"you ruined that Bank of England note, you know." "Cheap at the price!" the count protested, producing his bill-fold. "Five hundred francs for an introduction to monsieur, the Lone Wolf!" "Are you joking?" Lanyard asked blankly, and with a magnificent ges­ ture abolished the proffered banknote. "Joking? I! But surely you don't mean to deny--" "My friend," Lanyard Interrupted, "before we assert or deny anything, let us gather the rest of the players round the table and deal from a sealed deck. Meantime, let us rest on the under­ standing that I have found, at one end. a message scrawled on a banknote hidden in a secret place, at the other end. yourself, M. le Comte. Between and beyond these points exists a mys­ tery, of which one anticipates eluci­ dation." "You shall have It," De Morblhan promised. "But first we must go to find those others who await us." "Not so fast!" Lanyard interposed. "What am I to understand? That you the interview, -yDH must forgive me for reminding you that the morning wanes apace. I shall be going home in another hour." ' De Morblhan shrugged. "Out of my great affection for you," he purred venomously, "I will do my possible. But I can promise nothing." "I have every confidence in powers of moral suasion* Lanyard assured hita cheerfully* J'Aii revolr I" And with this, not at all 111 pleased with himself, he strutted oil to an ad­ joining table, whe^i a high-strung ses­ sion of chemin de fer was In process, possessed himself of a vacant chair, and in two minutes was so engrossed in the game that the Pack was quite forgotten. In fifteen minutes he had won thrico as many thousands of francs. Twenty minutes or half an hour later a hand on his shoulder broke the grasp of his besetting passion. "Our table is made up, my friend," De Morbihan announced with his inex­ tinguishable grin. "We're waiting for you." "Quite at your service." Settling his sc6re, and finding him­ self considerably better off than he had imagined, he resigned his place gracefully and suffered the count to link arms and drag him away up the main staircase to the second story, where smaller rooms were set apart for parties who preferred to gamble privately. De Morbihan rapped, turned the knob, and stood aside, bowing politely. my m •m ifev • is* > , Emblem of South Africa? The springbok, which has been 'adopted for the device of the South Af­ rican contingent for Europe, was so p*med by the first Dutch settlers from ft habit of suddenly leaping in the air, •lid is the characteristic antelope of the Union It occurs ulmost every Where, from tbe Cape to Rhodesia. Prodigious herds of springbok some- - times travel through the country in jflisnse masses that sweep away (locks them entangled lions. These curious migrations are inspired by an instinct which .tells the hungry herds where rain has lately rallen and caused a new growth of grass. His 8aintly Employers. Deacon Jones--"Have you driven for good people?** Chauffeur--"Regu­ lar saints! They wuz so afraid to die that I never t.ould drive over ten miles «f sboep or goats, and even carry with 1 an hour, •trt~- -Judge. All Three Men Wore Visors of Black Velvet. wish me to accompany you to the-- ah--den of the Pack?" "Where else?"De Morblhan grinned. "Impossible." "What do you propose, then?" De Morbihan inquired, worrying his mus­ tache. "What better place for the proposed conference than here?' "But not here, monsieur!" "Why not? Everybody comes here-- It will cause no gossip. I am here-- I have come half way; your friends must do as much on their part." "It is not possible." "Then tender them my regrets." "Would you give us away?" "Never that--one makes gifts to one's friends only. But my interest in yours is depreciating so rapidly that, should you delay much longer, It will be on sale for the sum of two sous." "Qh--damn!" the count complained peevishly. "With all the pleasure in-life. But now," Lanyard went on, rising to end Royalty Fond of 8trong Drink. "Cobblers and tinkers are your true ale drinkers," yet "Merry joe downe," so called "for its slides downe mer­ rily," has not lacked for royal patron­ age. Queen Elizabeth pronounced aie •Jin excellent wash" and "likes it so strong." Lord Burleigh writes: "There is no man able to Jrtnk it." And Catherine--the worst and the wisest-- had no small partiality for tbe brew of Uurton, which even in her day was Imported la great quantities into Rus- fit t! 4 CHAPTER IX. War Declared. With a nod acknowledging the cour­ tesy, Lanyard consented to precede him and entered a room of Intimate proportions, furnished chiefly with a green-covered card table and five easy chairs, of which three were occupied --two by men in evening dress, the third by one in a well-tailored lounge suit of dark gray. All three men wore vizors of black velvet. Lanyard looked from one to the other and chuckled quietly. De Morbihan cleared his throat an­ grily and with an aggrieved air launched into introductions. "Messieurs, I have the honor to pre­ sent to your our confrere, M. Lanyard, best known as 'the Lone Wolf.' M. Lanyard--the council of our associa­ tion, known to you as 'the Pack.'" The three rose and bowed ceremoni­ ously. Lanyard returned a cool, good- natured nod. Then he laughed again and more openly: "A pack of knaves!" "Monsieur doubtless feels at ease?" one retorted acidly. "In your company, Popinot? But hardly!" Lanyard returned In light contempt. The fellow thus indicated, a burly rogue of a Frenchman in rusty and baggy evening clothes, started and flushed hotly beneath his mask^ but the mafPnext him dropped a restrain­ ing hand upon his arm, and Popinot turned, shrugged, and sank back into his chair. "Upon my word!" Lanyard declared gracelessly--"it's as good as a play! Are you sure, M. le Comte, there's no mistake--that these gay masqueraders haven't lost their way to the stage of the Grand Guignol?" "Damn!" muttered the count. "Take care, my friend! You go too far!" "You really think so? But you amaze me! You, in reason, can't ex­ pect me to take you seriously, gentle­ men!" "If you don't it will prove serious business for you, my friend!" growled the one he had named Popinot. "You mein that? But you are mag­ nificent, all of you! We lack only the solitary illumination of a candle- end--a grinning skull--a cup of blood upon the table--to make the farce com­ plete! But as It is, messieurs, you must be rarely uncomfortable, and feeling as foolish as you look Into the bargain! Moreover, I'm not a child. Popinot, why not disburden your amiable features? And you, Mr. Wertheimer, I'm sure, will feel more at ease with an open countenance-- as the saying runs," he said, nodding to the man beside Popinot. "As for this gentleman," he concluded, eying the third, "I haven't the pleasure of his acquaintance." With a short laugh Wertheimer un­ masked, exposing a face of decidedly English type, fair and well modeled, betraying only the faintest traces of, Semitic cast to account for his sur­ name. And with this example Popinot snatched off his own black vizor and glared at Lanyard--in his shabby dress the incarnate essence of bourgeois outraged. But the third, he of the gray lounge suit, remained motion­ less; his eyes clashed with the adven­ turer's. He seemed a man little if at all Lan­ yard's senior, and built upon much the same lines. A close-clipped black mus­ tache ornamented his upper lip. His chin was square and strong with char­ acter. The cut of his clothing was conspicuously neither English nor con­ tinental. "I don't know you, sir," Lanyard continued slowly, puzzled to account for a feeling of familiarity with this person, whom he could have sworn he had never met before. "But you won't let your friends outdo you In civility, I trust?" "If you mean you want me to un mask, I won't," the other returned brusquely in fair French, if with a decided transatlantic intonation. "American, eh?" "Native born, if it interests you.* "Have I met you before?" "You have not." - "My dear count," Lanyard said, turn- Putting It Up to Father. After several unsuccessful attempts to draw her husband into conversa­ tion at the restaurant, the wife dis­ covered the cause of his abstraction to be a beautiful girl dressed in black and seated at a nearby table. "An attractive widow," observed the wife, coolly. 'Yes, Indeed, a very attractive wid­ ow," agreed the husband, enthusias­ tically. "Yes," sighed the wife. "1 wish 1 were one."---Ladles' Homo Journal. Ins to De Morblhan, "ao me the flavor to Introduce this gentleman." "Your dear count will do nothing of the sort, Mr. Lanyard. If you need a name to call me by. Smith's good enough." Tbe incisive force of his enunciation carried out. consistently the general habit of the man. Lanyard recognized a nature no more pliable than his own. Idle to give tlipe to bickering with this one. "It doesnt matter," he said shortly, and, drawing back a chair, sat down. "If it did, I should Insist--or else de­ cline the honor of receiving the ad­ dresses of this cosmopolitan commit­ tee. Truly, you flatter me. Here we have Mr. Wertheimer, representing the swell mobsmen across the chan­ nel; M. le Comte standing for the gratln of Paris--and vice versa; Pop! not, spokesman for our friends, the Apaches, and the well-known Mr. Goodenough Smith, ambassador of the guntnen of New York--apparently. A most auspicious occasion! But I pre­ sume I'm to understand you wait upon me mainly as representing the fine flower of the European underworld?" "You're to understand that I, for one, don't like your impudence," the stout Popinot snapped. "Sorry. But I have already indicat­ ed my Inability to take you seriously " "Why not?" the American demand­ ed ominously. "You'd be sore enough if we took you as a Joke, wouldn't you ?" "You misapprehend, Mr. -- ah -- Smith; It Is my first aim and wish that you do not take me in any manner, shape or form. It is you, remember, who requested this interview, and-- er--dressed your parts so strikingly!" "What are we to understand by that?" De Morbihan interposed. "This, messieurs -- If you must know." Lanyard dropped for the mo­ ment his tone of raillery and bent for­ ward, emphasizing his points by tap­ ping the table with a forefinger. "Through some oversight of mine, Or cleverness of yours--I can't say which, perhaps both--you have succeeded in penetrating my secret. What then? You become envious of my success. In short, 1' stand In your light--I'm always getting away with something you might have lifted If you'd only had wit enough to think of it first. As your American confrere, Mr. Mys­ terious Smith, would say, 1 'cramp your style.'" "You learned that on Broadway," the other commented shrewdly. "Possibly. To continue: So you get together afld bite your nails until you concoct a plan to frighten me into sharing profits with you. I've no doubt you're prepared to allow me to retain one-half the proceeds of my operations should I elect to ally myself to you?!' 'That's the-suggestion we were em­ powered to make," De Morbihan ad­ mitted. 'In other words> you need me. tou say to yourselves: 'We'll pretend to be the head of a criminal syndicate, such as the silly novelists are forever writing about, and we'll threaten to put him out of business unless he comes to our terms.' But you over­ look one Important fact: that you are not mentally equipped to get away with this amusing impersonation! What! Do you expect me to accept you as leading spirits of a gigantic criminal system--you, Popinot, who live by standing between the police and your murderous rats of Belle­ ville, or you, Wertheimer, sneak thief and blackmailer of timid women, or you, De Morblhan, because you eke out your income by showing a handful of second-story men where to seek plunder in the ho-ses of your friends?" He made a gesture of impatience and lounged back to await the answer to this indictment. His gaze, ranging the four, encountered but one face that was not darkly flushed with re­ sentment, and this was the Ameri­ can's. "Aren't you forgetting me?" this last suggested gently. 'On the contrary. I refuse to rec­ ognize you in this conference as long as you lack courage to show your face." "As you will, my friend," the Ameri­ can chuckled. "Make your profit out of that any way you like." Lanyard sat up again. "Well, I've stated your case. It amounts to simple, clumsy blackmail. I'm to split my earnings with you or you'll de­ nounce me to the police. That'B about it, isn't it?" * "Not of necessity," De Morbihan purred softly, twisting his mustache. "For my part," Popinot declared hotly. "1 engage that monsieur of the high hand here will either work with us or conduct no more operations in Paris." "Or in New York," the American amended. "England Is yet to be heard from," Lanyard suggested mockingly. To this Wertheimer replied, almost with diffidence: "If you ask me, I do^'t think you'd find it so Jolly pleasant over there If you mean to cut up nasty at this end." "Then what am I to infer? If you're afraid to lay an information against me--and it wouldn't be wise. I admit--you'll merely cause me to be assassinated, eh?" "Not of necessity," the cOunt mur­ mured In the same thoughtful tone and manner, as one with a trump In reserve. "There are so many ways of arrang­ ing these matters," Wertheimer* ven­ tured. "None the less. If I refuse, you de­ clare war?" "Something like that," the Ameri can admitted. "In that case--I am now able to state my position definitely." Lanyard got up and grinned provokingly down at tne group. "You can--all four of you--go plumb to 1" "My dear friend!" the couilt erled, shocked, "you forget--" "I forget nothing!" Lanyard cut In coldly, "and my decision is final. Con­ sider yourselves at liberty to go ahead and do your little worst! But don't forget that It is you who have been the aggressors. Already you've had the insolence to interfere with my ar­ rangements--you began offensive op­ erations before you declared war. So now, if you're hit beneath the belt you mustn't complain--you've asked for It!" "Now what do you mean by that?" the American drawled with an accent of irony. * "I leave you to figure it out for your­ selves. But T will say this: I oonfl- Have the Honor to BJd. Adieu to Messieurs." dently expect you to decide to live and let live, and shall be sorry, as you'll certainly be sorry, If you force my hand." He opened the door, turned, and sa­ luted them with sarcastic punctilio. "I have the honor to bid adieu to messieurs, the council of--the Pack!" CHAPTER X. Disaster. Having fulfilled his purpose of mak­ ing himself acquainted with the indi­ viduals composing the opposition. Lanyard shut the door in their faces, thrust his hands in his pockets, and sauntered downstairs, chuckling, his nose in the air, on the tyest of terms with himself. True, the fat' was In the flre and well ablaze--he had to look to himself now and go warily in the shadow of their enmity. But it was something to have faced down those four, if he wasn't seriously impressed by any one of them. Popinot, perhaps, was the x most dangerous, a vindictive animal, and the creatures he controlled a murder­ ous lot--drug-ridden, drink-bedeviled, vicious little rats of Belleville, who'd knife a man for the price of an ab­ sinthe. But Popinot wouldn't move without leave from De Morblhan, and unless Lanyard's calculations were se­ riously miscast, De Morbihan would restrain both himself and his associ­ ates until thoroughly convinced Lan­ yard was impregnable against every form of suasion. Murder was something a bit out of De Morbihan's line--something which, at least, he could be counted on to hold In reserve. And by the time he was ready to employ It, Lanyard would be well beyond his reach. Wert­ heimer, too, would deprecate violence until all else had failed; his half-caste type was cowardly, and cowards kill only impulsively, before they've had time to weigh the consequences. There remained "Smith"--enigma; a man ap­ parently gifted with both intelligence and character. But if so, what the deuce was he doing in such company? Lanyard's place at the table of che­ min de fer had been filled by another, and, too Impatient to await a vacancy, he wandered on to the salon dedicated to roulette, tested his luck by staking a note of BOO francs on the black, won, and incontinently subsided into a chair and oblivion for the space of three-quarters of an hour. At the end of that period he found himself minus his heavy winnings at chemin de fer and the ten thousand francs of his reserve fund as well. By way of a lining to his pockets there remained precisely the sum which he had brought into Paris that same evening, less subsequent general expenses. The experience was no novelty in his history. He rose, less resentful than regretful that his 111 luck obliged him to quit Just when play was grow­ ing most interesting, and resignedly sought the cloakroom. And there be found De Morblhan-- again!--standing all garmented fo» the street, mouthing a huge cigar and wearing a look of impatient discon­ tent. "At last!" he cried in an aggrieved tone as Lanyard appeared. "You do take your time, my friend!" Lanyard smothered with a smile whatever emotion was his. "1 don't suppose you really meant to wait, for me," he parried, with double meaning, both to humor De Morbihan and hoodwink the attendant. ' (TO BK CONTINUED.) * Always Answer to Dreams For every possible dre.tm you will always And someone who knows the answer. Superstition seems ground­ ed into our composite natures. But if tbe subject should take hold of you aild if some omen should worry you there Is a simple way to shed yfcur distress ana turn all bad luck Inui good luck. This system Is recommended by the best of authorities and has never been to laiL To turn everything to your advantage and enjoy the fullness of the earth there is just one thing to do. It is quite simple, but it will off­ set any evil Influence that has been working against you. This bit of knowledge comes dowa from the ancients. Here ft Is: Wear a piece of coral around yon k and Vou can't go wrong. Those who suffer in silence usuidH have a lot to say about If lata*. III .L Thoe% of us who are accustomed to feel dull and heavy when we arise; splitting headache, stuffy from a coldi, foul tongue, nasty breath, acid stom­ ach, lame back, can, instead, both look and feel as fresh as a daisy always by washing the poisons and toxins from the body with phosphated hot water each morning. We should drink, before breakfast, a glass of real hot water with a tear spoonful of limestone phosphate in it to flush from the stomach, liver, kidneys and ten yards of bowels the previous day's indigestible waste, sour bile and poisonous toxins; thus cleans* Ing, sweetening and purifying the en­ tire alimentary canal before putting more food Into the stomach. The action of limestone phosphate and hot water on an empty stomach is wonderfully invigorating, it cleaps out all the sour fermentations, gases, waste and acidity and gives one a splendid appetite for breakfast and It is said to be but a little while until, the roses begin to appear in the cheeks. A quarter pound of lime* stone phosphate will cost very little at your druggist or from the store, but is sufficient to make anyone who is bothered with biliousness, constipa­ tion, stomach trouble or rheumatism a real enthusiast on the subject of In­ ternal sanitation. Try It and you are assured that you will look better and feel better in every way shortly.^ Adv. Trying Position. "How does your congressman stand on preparedness?" "He doesn't stand at all." "No?" "In fact, the conflicting views of hie constituents keep him so busy side­ stepping that he hasn't had time to formulate an opinion of his own." Glass of Hot Water Before Breakfast « Splendid Habit " v ;c ;• 3, uices of the system eacf morning and wash away the poisonous, stagnant matter. PROSPERITY IN WESTERN CHI 900 Million Dollars in New Wealth Added in 1915. Canada as a whole has enjoyed won- derful prosperity in 1915, from the products of the farm, the orchard and the centres of industry. No country wrote a brighter page of history in agricultural and industrial develop­ ment during 1915 than Canada. Nearly a billion bushels of grain produced. Taxes In Western Canada average $24 and will not exceed $35 per quarter section, which Includes all taxes. No taxes on Improvements. When Western Canada was faced with her enormous harvest last fall the military authorities decided that soldiers in Canada could give the Em­ pire no better service for the time being than to assist la harvesting the crops. For that reason leave of ab­ sence was given to soldiers who wished to work in the harvest fields, and their labor was an Important fao- tor In harvesting the big crops success­ fully. The necessity for increasing the ag­ ricultural production is commanding even more attention in 1916, and it is now announced that soldiers In Can­ ada may obtain leave of absence from their military duties In the spring for a certain length of time to enable them to plant the seed for the crops In every Province of the Dominion. The fact that the Government rec­ ognizes the seeding and harvesting of Canada's crops as being of the first importance is perhaps the best evi­ dence that conscription or any in­ crease of taxes which would reduce the agricultural activity of Canada will never be considered by the author­ ities. Owing to the number who have en­ listed for overseas service it has been found necessary to secure farm labor in the United States. It is hoped that fifty thousand can be secured.--Advar* tlsement. Dampening Her Ardor. "Henry," said Mrs. Twobble, '1 teel that I ought to go abroad and nurse the wounded." "Forget it. my dear," answered Mr. Twobble, who is an eminently prac­ tical man. "You have'no Idea how many war nurses there are who never get their namtfs in the papers." •AVED MINISTER'S LIFE. Rev. W. H. Warner, Route 2, Myei» ville, Md., writes: My trouble was sciatica. My back was affected and took the form of lumbago. I also had neuralgia, cramps In mf* muscles, pressure or sharp ptfn on the top of my head, and nerv­ ous dizzy spells. I had other symp­ toms showing my Rev W. H. Warner kidneys were at fault, so I took Dodd's Kidney Pills. They were •he means of saving my life. On Feb. 16th, 1916,1 write to say that undoubtedly your medicine restored me to perfect health. Dodd's Kidney Pills, 50c per box at your dealer or Dodds Medicine Co* Buffalo, N. Y. Dodd's Dyspepsia Tab­ lets fqr indigestion have been protoi* 60c per box.--Adv. Admirable Combination. First Patriot--What this country needB Is more red blood! Second patriot--Yes, and more gray matter. Not Much. Bffli--is he a good loserT ' Jill--Well, he Just lost his job, but I cant say he feel* very coed about U. ,w:!: f e - • J ' - . - v v . •