THE ALAMANCE GLEANER
VO]j - * * GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 1915 * ' ' NO. 50
llie Million Dollar Mysl^
By HAROLD MAC GRATH
Illustrated from Semes in the Photo Drama of the
t Sam* Name tty the Thanhoujer Film Company
(Copyright, 1814, bjr Bvold JtaoGraUo""""""""™"™"™™" , ™™ —^
CHAPTER VIII.
The Wiles of a Woman.
After the affair of the auto bandits—
three of whom were killed—a lull fol
lowed. If you're a sailor you know
what kind of a lull I mean—blue-black
clouds down the southwest horizon,
the water crinkly, the booms wabbling.
Suddenly a series of "accldenta" began
to happen to Norton. At first be did
not give the matter much thought.
The safe which fell almost at his feet
and crashed through the sidewalk
merely Induced him to believe he was'
lucky. At another time an automo
bile came furiously around a corner
while he was crossing the street, and
only amaxlng agility saved him from
bodily hurt. The car was out of sight
'» when he thought to recall the number.
Then came the Jolt In the subway.
Only a desperate grab by one ot the
guards saved him from being crushed
to death. Even then he thought noth
ing. But when a new box of cigarettes
arrived end he tried one and found It
strangely perfumed, and, upon further
analysis, found It to contain a Java
nese narcotic, a slow but sure death,
he became wide awake enough. They
wen after him. He began to walk
carefully, to keep In public places as
often as he possibly could.
He was not really afraid of death,
but he did abhor the thought of Its
coming up from behind. Except for'
the cigarettes they were all "acci
dents;" he could not have proved any
thing betore a Jury of his intimate
friends.
He never entered an elevator with- ■
out scrupulous care. He never passed j
under coverings over the sidewalks
where construction was going on. |
Still, careful as he was, death con
fronted him once more. It was his i
habit to have his coffee and rolls — |
he rarely ate anything more for his ,
breakfast—sot down outside his door
every morning. The coffee, being in a
silver thermos bottle, kept Its heat for
Norton Put His Arms Around Her.
hoars. When he took the sbfoper out
and poured forth a cup It looked oddly
black, discolored. It is quite probable
that had there been no ser.es of "ao
cldents" he would have drunk a cup—
and died in mortal agony. It con
tained bichloride of mercury.
Very quietly he set about to make
Inquiries. This was really becoming
serious. In the kitchens downstairs
nothing could be learned. The maid
had set the thermos bottle before the
door at 10:30. Norton had opened the
door at 1:30 —three hours after. The
outlook was not the cheerfuleet He
knew perfectly well why all these
- things "happened;" he had Interfered
with the plans of the K&undrslf *hp
PROFESSIONAL OARDB
JOHN J. HENDERSON
AHencyai-Uw
C BAH AM, N. C
atllec «ver Wan—l S«sli e* *!■■—««
; a. cook.,
Mtsissy-st- Law,
. »HAvi, ...... N «
'Jffloe Patterson Building
FldOr
i. WILL N. LOW, Jk.
. . DENTIST . . .
•■nam . ■ Nafta Caralla*
I. K . MOV* BPIMMN
ij
•H t . ON*. t. KLIUUI U»«i
iM» * IA)NO>
-'Timym ntul  kroiiwUiia L
ORAHAM *■ "
JOH N H. VERNON
literacy aa* Ceaaseler-et-Law
•*oNl£M—4Mce UJ Residence W1
BUKLIMMTON, N O
Dr. J. J. Barefoot
office oveh dsdlky's stub*
Leave at Alamance Phar
macy 'Pbooe 07 Residence "Phone
382 Office Hour* 2-4 p. to. and by
Appointment.
6ft* -> . -j. i ... .*>v ■
 .
were mailing every possluVe
kidnap Florence Hargreave.
One afternoon he paid Floretace a
visit. Of course he told her nothing.
They bad become secretly engaged
the day after he had rescued her from
' the auto bandits. They were secretly
[ engaged because Florence wanted it
' so. For once Jones suspected noth
■ Ing. Why should he? He had trou-1
' bles enough. As a matter of fact, :
Norton was afraid of him In the same ,
sense as a boy is afraid of a police
: man.
But on thiß day, when the time '
' came, he accosted the butler and drew
' him into the pantry.
"Jones, they are after me now."
"You? Explain."
Norton briefly recounted the delib
erate attempts against his life.
"Ton, see, I'm not liar enotigh to
say that I'm not worried. I am, dev
ilishly worried. I'm not worth any
ransom. I'm in the way, and they
seem determined to put me out of it"
"To any other man I would say
travel. But to you I say iwhen you
leave your rooms don't go where you
flrst thought you would—that is, some
usual haunt. They'll be everywhere,
near your restaurants, your clubs, your
office. You're a methodical young
man; become erratic. Keep away
from here for at least three days, but
always call me up by telephone some
time during the day. Never under any
circumstance, unless 1 send for you,
come here at night. Only one man
now watches the house during the
day, but Ave are prowling around af
ter dark. They might have lnstruo
! tlons to shoot yon on sight I can't
i spare you just at present, Mr. Nor
| ton. You've been a godsend; and if
It seems that sometimes I did not
I trust you fully It was because I did
not care to drag you in too deep."
I Deep? Norton thought of Florence
' and smiled inwardly. Could anybody
) be in deeper than be was? Once it
was on the tip of his tongue to con
fess his love for Florence, but the
gravity of Jones' countenance waa an
obstacle to such move; it-did not in
vlte it
To be sure, Jones had no real au
thority to say what Florence should or
Bhould not do with her heart Still,
from all points of view; it was better
to keep the affair under the rose till
there came a more propitious hour in
which to make the disclosure.
Love, in the midst of all these
alarms! Sharp, desperate rogues on
one side, millions on the other, and
yet love could' enter the scene se
renely, like an actor who had missed
his cue and came on too soon.
Oddly enough, there was no real
love-making such aa you often read
about. A pressure of the hand, a !
glance from the eye, there was seldom !
anything more. Only once —that mem- j
orable day on the river road —had he j
kissed her. No word of love had been
spoken on either vide. In that wild
moment all conventionalities had dla
appeared like smoke In the wind.
There bad been neither past nor fu
ture, only the present in which they
knew that they loved. With her he
was happy, for he had no time to plan
ovtr the future. Away from her he
saw the inevitable barriers providing
against the marriage between a poor
young man and a very rich young
woman. A man who has any respect
for himself wants always to be on
equal terms with his wife. It's the
way thla peculiar organisation called
society haa written down its rulea.
Doubtless a relic of the stone an,
when Ab went out with hi* club to
seek a wife and drag her by the hair
to his den, there to car* for her and
to guard her with hia life's blood. It
is one of the few primitive sensationa
that remain to ua, thla wanting the fe
male dependent upon the male. Per
haps this accounts for man's lack of
interest on the suffragette question.
Only Susan suspactod the true state
of affairs, being a woman. Having
had no real romance herself, aha de
lighted in having a second-hand one,
aa you might aay. She intercepted
many a glance and pretended not to
see the atoien hand pressures. Th*
wedding waa already fall drawn la her
mind's eye. Theee two young people
should be married at Susan Far low's
when the rose* were climbing up th*
aid** of the hee*e and Ua young rob
ina were boldly trying their tmxf
wings, it struck her ae rather etrange,
but ahe could not conjure np (at this 1
wedding) more titan two men bealde*
the alnteter, lb* bridegroom, and th*
butter.
By forsaking hi* accuatomed haunts,
under th* advice of Jen**, th* hidden
warfare c*as*d temporarily. Yon cant
very well kill a man when yoa dent
know wher* to find him. H* ate his
breakfasts haphazardly, aow h*r*,
BOW thar*. He rec*iv*d aso*t of his
aeaignmante by telepbon* and wrote
hia storta* and articles la hi* dab, in
th* writing rooms Of hotels, and in
variably dispatched them to the office
by messenger Th* managing *dlter
waat*d to knew what all thla meant;
but Norton declined to ten him.
It irked him to be for**d to rear
range his daily Ufa—hie batrtta. It
was a revolution against his ease, tor
he loved eeee whan he wee net at
work. He had the sensation of having
been suddenly robbed of his boose, of
having been cast out into the strseU.
And on top of all this he had to a*
and fall in love!
There was no longer a shadow op
poelte the apartment* of the Prteceas
Perlgoff. Braine came and went night
ly without discovering any one. TMi
rather worried him./it gave him the
im Dress lon thai shadow had brand
» - -v « _ _ *
I out what he naa oeen aeeking and no I
longer needed to watch the coming
and going of either himself .or the j
, Countess Perlgoff.
"Olga, It looka aa if we were at th*
end of our rope," he aaid dlscouragedly.
"We have failed in ail attempts so far.
The devil watches over that-girl."
"Or Qod," replied the counteaa
gloomily. "In nearly every Instance
their success baa been due to chance.
Somehow I'm convinced that we be
gan wrong. We should have let Hap
greavo escape quietly, followed him,
and made him fast when the right op- j
portunity came. After a month or ao
his vigilance would have relaxed; he
would have arrived at the belief that
he had eluded us."
"Indeed 1" ironically. "He waan't
vigilant all these years In which ha
did elude us. How about the child he
never aought but guarded? Vigilance!
He never was anything else all these
seventeen years. The truth Is, suo
cess haa developed a coarseness In our
methods. And now it Is too late for
■ finesse. We have tried every device
we can think of; and there they are—
the girl free, Norton unharmed, and
! the father as secure in his retreat as
| though he wore an Invisible cloak. My
! head aches. I have ceased to be in-
J ventlve."
"The two are in love with each oth
er." 1 ■ -
"Are you sure of thift?"
"I have my eyes. But I begin to
wonder."
"About what?"
"Whether or not Jones suspects me
and la giving me rope to hang myself
i with. Not once have the police been
called in and told what has really hap
pened. They are totally at sea. And
what haa become of the man over the
way?" H
"By the Lord Harry!" exclaimed
Braine, clapping his hands. "I believe
I've solved that. We shot a man com
ing out of Hargreave's. Since then
there's been no one acros? the way.
One and the same man I"
"But that knowledge doesn't get us
anywhere."
"No. You say they are In love?"
"Secretly. I don't believe the butler
haa an* Inkling of it. It Is possible,
however, that Susan. has caught tlft
trend of affairs. But, being rather
romantic, she will in no wise Inter
fere."
Braine smoked in silence. Pres
ently a smile twisted his lips.
"You have thought of something?"
she asked.
"You might try it," he said. "They
have accepted your friendship;
whether with ulterior purpose remains
to be learned. She has been to your
apartments two or three times to tea
and always got home safely."
"No," she said determinedly. "Noth
ing ahall happen here. I will not
take the risk." I
"Wait till I'm through. Break up
the romance In sue' a way that the
girl will bar Norton fron the bouse.
That'e what we've been aiming at; to
get rid of that meddling reporter.
We've tried poisons. Try your kind."
"What do you mean?"
"Lies."
"Ah! I understand. You want me
to win him away from her. It cannot
be done."
"Pshaw! You have a bag full of
tricks. You can easily manage to put
! him into an equivocal position out of
i which he cannot possibly squirm so i
j far as the girl Is concerned. A little
melodrama, arranged for the benefit
I of Florence. Fall into Norton's arms
' at the right moment, or something
like that"
"I suppose I could. But if I failed ,
"You're too damnably clever to fail
in your own particular work. Some
thing has got to be done to keep those
two apart. I've often thought of raid
ing the house boldly and carrying off
the whole family, Susan and all. But
a wholesale affair like that would be
too noisy. Think it over, Olga; we
have gone too far to back down now.
There's always Russia; and while I'm
the boss over here they never cease
to? watch me. They'll make me an
awer for a failure like thla."
She eyed him speculatively. "You
have money."
"O, the money doesn't matter. It'* '
the game. It's the game of playing
faat and loose with society, of pilfer
lng with it with one hand and making ■
it kow-tow with the other. It'a the
eport of the thing. What waa your
thought?"
' "We could go away together, to
South America."
i "And tire of each other within a
month," be retorted shrewdly. "No;
we are in the same boat W* could
'not Uv* but for thla never ending ex
citement. And, more than that, we
never could g*t far «nough away from
the long arm of the First Ten. Well
have to stick it out bare. Can't you
seer
"Yes, I can see."
But In her heart she knew that ahe
would have lived in a but with this
man till the end of her days. She
abhorred the life, though aha never,
by the siigheat word, let him become
aware of it There waa alwaya that
abiding fear that at the flrst sign of
weakness be would desert her. And
•be waa wis* In har deductions.
Brains waa loyal to her becauae aba
held hia interaat. Once that failed,
he would be off and away.
{ The next afternoon the counteaa,
{having matured her plana agalnat the I
.happiness of tb»x young girt who 1
'trusted her. drew up before th* Har
'greave place and alighted. Har wel- j
come was the aame aa aver, and thi* I
strengthened her confidence
| The counteaa waa alwaya geetlca-
I la ting. Her band* fluttered to empha
sis* h*r words. And th* beautiful
.diamond solitaire caught th* glri'a
eye. Sh* seized the hand. Having an
affair of her own. It waa natural that
ah* should be Interested In that of
her friend.
' 1 never saw that ring before." '
"A gift of yeeterday." The conn
tee* aasumed a shy air which would
have deceived St Anthony. She
twisted the ring on her linger.
"fon met" cried Florence. Ton
are engaged?"
I "Mercy, no!"
/ Tshejlcb?"
1 1 "No. Money should not matter when
i your heart is involved."
1 1 As this thought waa in fccord with
I 'her own, Florence nodded her head
> aagely.
"It la nothing .gerious. Just a fancy.
I shall never marry again. Men are
gay decefrera; they alwaya have been
i
.1
it U
'(H9ni
i i
i ■
1 A tittle Melodrama Arranged for the
Benefit of Florence.
1 and always will be. Perhaps I'm a bit
' wicked; but I rather like to-prove my
' | theory that all men are weak. If I
had a daughter I'd rather have her be
I an old man's darling than a young
1 j man's drudge. I distrust every man I
know. I came to ask you and Susan
1 to go to the opera with me tonight
1 You will come to my apartments flrst
■ You will come?"
i , "To be sure we will!"
> i "Simple little fool!" thought the
Russian on the way home. "She shall
i see."
| "I believe the countess Is engaged
to be married," said Florence to
> Jones.
,■■ | "Indeed, miss?"
| "Yes. I couldn't get anything defi
nite out of her, but she had a beauti
ful ring on her finger. She wants
i|Susan and me to go to the opera with
her tonight. Will that be all right?"
' | Jones gazed abstractedly at the rug.
Whenever a problem bothered him he
; seemed to find the so'utlon in the deli
cate patterns of the Persian rugs. Fi
nally he nodded. "I see no reason
'why you rhould not go. Only, watch
out."
| "Jones, (here Is one thing that will
make me brave and happy. Will you
! I
tell me If you are In direct commu
nication with my father?"
! "Yes, Miss Florence," he answered
promptly. "But do not breathe this
to a single soul, neither Susan nor
Norton."
"I promise that But sh! hasten
the day when he can come to me
without fear."
| "That Is my wish also."
1 "You need not call me miss. Why
should you?" i
"It might not be wise to have any
1 one hear me call you thus familiarly," \
he objected gravely.
| "Please yourself about that. Now I
must telephone Jim." ,
| "Jim?" the butler murmured.
He caught the word which was not
Intended for his ears. But for once
Jones had been startled oitt of him
' self.
j "Is It wrong for me to call Mr. Nor
' ton Jim?" she asked with a bit' of
) banter.
j "'lt Is not considered quite the prop- j
er thing, Miss Florence, to call a
young man by his flrst name unless
you are engaged to marry him, or
grew up with him from childhood."
"Well, supposing I were engaged to
him?" haughtily.
"That would be a very grave affair.
What have you to prove that he may
not wish to marry you for your
money?"
I "Why, Jones, yon know that I
j haven't a penny In the world I can
1 call my own! Tfiere Is nothing to
j prove, except your word, that I am
Stanley Hargreave's daughter."
i "No, there la nothing to prove that
you are his daughter. But haan't It
l ever occurred to you that there mlgbt
be a purpose back of this? Mlgbt It
not be of Inestimable value that your
| father's enemies should be le'* In
■ doubt? Might It not be a meana of
holding them on the leash? There is
1 prdof, ample proof, my child; and
when the time cornea these will be
i shown you. But meantime put all
thought of marrying Mr. Norton out
of your mind."
| "That I refuse to do," quietly. "I
am at leaat mlstreea of my heart;
and no one ahall dictate to ma whom
I ahall or ahall not marry. I love Mr.
Norton and he love* ma, knowing that
I may not b* an belreaa after all. And
some day I ahall marry him."
j Jones bowed. This seemed to ap
pear final to him, and nothing more
waa to be aald.
Norton did not return to hia rooms
till seven. He found tbe telephone
call and also a note in a handwriting
unfamiliar. He tore off tbe envelope
and found the contenta to be from the
Counteaa Perlgoff.
"Call at eight tonlgh, "he read. "I
have an Important news story for you.
Tell no one, aa I cannot be Involved
In tbe case. Cordially, Olga, Countess
Perlgoff."
Humph! Norton twiddled th* note
| In his Angers and at leogth rolled It
Into a ball and threw It Into the waste
baaket. He, too, made a mistake; be
should have kept tbat note. He
draflsed. dined, and hurried off to tbe
apartmenta of th* countew.
He arrived ten minutes before Flor
ence and Suaan.
And Jon** did some rapid telephon
ing
I "How long, hoW long!" th* butler
murmured. How long woe Id this
strange combat last? Tbe strain waa
terribl*. Ha alept but little during
the nights, for bis ears were alwaya
waiting for sounds. He hsd cast
the cheat Into tbe sea, and It would
take a dozen expert dlvera to locate
It . And now, atop of all these wor
i rlea. th* child mnst fall In lova with
I.• ' I
the flrst comeri u was neartbreaa
lng. Norton, so far aa he had learned,
waa cool and brave, honest and reli
able In a pinch; but aa the husband
of Stanley Hargreave'a daughter, that
was altogether a different matter. And
he must devise some means of putting
a stop to It, but —'
But he was saved that trouble. '
Mongoose and cobra, tbat was the
game being played; the cunning of
the one against the deadly venom of
the other. If he forced matters he
would only lay himself open to the
strike of the snake. He must have
patience. Gradually they were break
ing the organization, lopping off a
branch here and there, but the peace
of the future depended upon getting
a grip on the spine of the cobra him
self.
The trick was simple. The count
ess had news; trust her for that. She
exhibited a cablegram, dated at Gib
raltar, in which the British authori
ties stated definitely that no such a
person as William Orts, aviator, had !
arrived at Gibraltar. And then, as he j
rose, rose also and gently preclp- I
Itated herself Into his arms, Just at
the moment Fldrence appeared In the '
doorway.
Very simple, Indeed. When a worn- >
an falls toward a man there Is noth
. Ing for him to do but extend hiß arms j
to prevent her from falling. Outward- j
ly, however, to the eye which saw :
only the picture and comprehended
not the cause, It had all the hallmarks
of an affectionate embrace.
Florence stood perfectly still for a
moment, then turned away.
"I beg your pardon," said the count
ess, "but a sudden fainting spell seize
me. My heart Is a bit weak." ' «-
"Don't mention It," replied tbe gal
lant Norton. He was as Innocent as
a babe as to what had really taken
place.
Florence went back home. 8h«
wrote a brief note to Norton and In
closed the ring which she had secret
ly worn attached to a little chain
around her neck.
When Norton came the next day
she refused to see him. It was all
over. She never wished to see blm
again.
"He says there haa bfen some cruel
mistake," said Jones.
"I saw him with the countess In his
arms. I do not see any cruel mis
take in that. 1 snw him. Tell him so.
And add that I never wish to see him
again."
Then she ran swiftly to her room,
where she broke down and srled bit
terly and would not be comfarted by
Sußan.
| "In heaven's name, what has hap
pened?" demanded the frantic lover,
"what has happened?"
I The comedy of the whole affair lay
In the fact that nolther of the two
suspected the countess, who consoled
them both.
(To he Continued.)
(600,000 For Inland Waterwsy.
Washington.*—A $600,000 appropria
tion for the inland waterway from
| Norfolk to Beaufort Inlet, N. C., »1,-
500,0b0 for contlning improvements
on the Hudson River, to connect with
■ the new state barge canal, were
among the Important projects In the
river and harbor bill approved by the
j House. Other appropriations approv
ed Include: James River, Virginia,
| $100,000; Palinlco River, N. C„ |35,-
S00; New River and Waterways to
Beaufort, N. C., $37,300; Cape Fear
River above Wilmington, N. C., $173,-
000; Cape Fear River below Wllmlng
-1 ton, $205,000; Wlnyah Bay, South
Carolina, $50,000; Waccamaw River,
N. C., and S. C., $55,00.
J J. W. Murray Killed on Yacht
J. W. Murray president of the Pied
mont Trust Company of Burlington,
Mrs. W. E Porch, wife of the man
ager of Ye Old Colony Inn at Beau
fort, and O. P. Dodson of Norfolk.
Va., are known to have been killed or
drowned when the gasoline tanks of
the yacht Julia exploded recently near
Longshore River at a point about 20
miles form Englehard, Hyde County,
and the vessel sank before any assist
ance could reach her or Its occupants.
Mrs. J. W. Murry, who was on board
the vessel with her husband, succeed
ed in swimming to shore, two miles
distant.
Kocaingnkm county has 13.828
school children between the sges of
« and 20 and 56 9 per cent of them
attend school.
State Senator John S. F/flrd of
Stanley County, has made glad the
congregation of the Raleigh Luth-.
eran Cburcb since his arrival there
for the Legislature, by giving to tbe
Church SIOO with which to buy a
reading desk,
j Ashevlile citizens are msktng an
aggreasive effort In behalf of a train- 
Ing school for tbe western part of the i
state.
"Ten thousand members" Is the I
slogan which the corn club men are '
adopting aa th* New Year's slogan
for the work In North Carolina. TTils '
paat year there wer* between 6.000
and 7,000 members In tb* State.
The Baptists at Klnston will soon
complete a modern $50(000 church
building.
Mecklenburg county Is just com
pleting a $75,000 jail built of brick
and concrete and fireproof
John A. Campbell haa purchased
400 acres of virgin timber land near
Ashevlile and will develop a big ap
ple orchard.
| Twelve of the Buncomb County
schools have formed a county-wide de
bating union with a view to selecting
Candidates to participate In the contest
conducted at Chapel Hill each year un
der th* auspices of the University of
North Carolina.
Concord will begin In a few days
to extend her white way for eeveral
blocka.
frank Wood of Dunn raised 134
bales of cotton on 134 acres of land ,
at a coat of Ave cent* per pound.
Raleigh haa not d*cld*d on a port
master yet. '
Oaatonla vital atatlatlca registrar re. |
ports twice a* many births aa deaths
for the year ltl4.
Bones at the Albatross are be
ing used to a very great extent
of late as mouthpieces of pipes In
stead of amber.
Bill HUH BILL
PASSED BT HOUSE
$101,000,000 ARMY APPROPRIA
TION BILL PABBED HAS FEW
CHANGES.
#
AVIATION WAS DEFEATED
Artillery Appropriation It Greatly In
creased—Some Funds For All
•ranchaa.
Washington.—After two daya of de-
I bate on the general staff of the natlon
i el defense the house passed without
j a roll call the army appropriation
bill, carryln&^llOl,000,000.
I Advooates Jof Immediate strengthen
j Ing of the military establishment
I fought to the last for additional ap
; proprlatlons, but their efforts met with
j no encouragement from either Demo
! cratlc or Republican leaders.. The
! last foil call on a motion by Repre
senatlve Gardner of Massachusetts to
recommit the bill with Instructions to
report back an amendment carrying
$1,000,000 for aviation was defeated
263 to 34.
An amendment offered by Represen
tative Deltr*ck of Massachusetts and
adopted practically without opposition
would prohibit use of stop watches
and other "speeding up" devices In
connection with so-called scientific
management systems In arsenals and
shlpß. Representatles of union labor
have been fighting for this prohibi
tion for several years.
The bouse also adopted an amend
ment by Representative Tavenner of
Illlonls to require that all munitions
of war provided for In the bill shall
be manufactured In government
plants.
The I4JI which carles funds for all
branches of the army during the
coming fiscal year, Inclndea $300,000
for purchase of 25 aeroplanes, and $60,-
000 for an armored motor-car. Theae
Items and efforta to add to them,
furnished tezte for long discissions
on use of the aeroplanes and armored
motorcars in the European war. The
appropriation for field artillery mate
rial was Increased from $25,000 to
1170,000.
Representative Guernsey of Maine
urged a stronger coast
lng that If Great Britain should go to
war with the United States over ques
tions arising from the European war
"her plan would be to seize the city
of Portland, set Maine off Into Can
ada overnight and make property and
life there worth no more than In Bel
glum today." «
FOREIGN TRADE IMPROVEMENT.
Salsa of Foodstuffs, Clothing, etc.,
" Have Bean Unusually Large.
Washington.—Marked Improvement
In the foreign trade of the United
States Is reflected In latest reports
to the department of commerce, and
official summary of which, says In
part:
"Bales of foodstuffs and certain
lines of manufactures have been un
usually larger In November, the latest
period for which detailed Information
ta at hand. In that month exports
aggregrated 1206,000,000, or double the
total for August laat, when, by reason
of the outbreak of war, our foreign
trade fell to the lowest level reached
In many years In December there
was further Improvement, the month's
exports being valued at U46.000.000,
compared with $233,000,000 In Decem
ber 1913 and within four million of
| the high retard established "In Decem
ber 1912.
"An analysis of the trade flgurea
published In the rtimmary of foreign
commorce shows that while American
cotton, mineral oils, naval stores, lum
ber and Agricultural Implements are
) In leas demand abroad than In former
I yea.a there Is a greater demand In
foreign countries for our foodstuffs,
meats, sugar, clothing and other man
ufactures especially In Europe.
Summer Practice Crulea.
Annapolis, Md.—The summer prac
tice cruise of the midshipmen will be
through the Panama canal, and up tbe
Pacific coast to San Francisco, ac
cording to announcemenL
Alabama Votea Dry Ovar Veto.
Montgomery Ala.—Alabama wlh
become a prohibition state July 1 un
der two related meaaurea which be
came law wlhout executive approval.
Within a few hours after Governor
Henderson had vetoed tbe bills and
had asked tbe legislature to aubmlt
tbe prohibition queatlon to the voters
1 at a special election, both bouses vot
ed down his proposal and repassed the
bills by overwhelming majorities. The
vote In tbe house on repassage waa
'7s to 21. In the aenate It waa 24 to 10.
Weat Virginia Debt t12.000.000.
Washington —West Virginia's share
of the debt outstanding against Vir
ginia when the states separated In
' I*6l was fixed In a special master's
f report to tbe supreme court at more
1 then $12,000,000. The report, present
ed by Special Master Shades E Little
field after a long aeries of hearlnga
Is expected to be made the order of
the ourt The court held In 1911 that
Weet Vlrglnla must pay $7,100.4)00 of
the principal of the debt, $21,000,000.
Participation In Virginia's- assets In
I*6l were not decided.
The proposed international naval
rendezvous at Hampton Roads haa
been abandoned for the cruise of
the Atlantic fleet apd visiting for
eign war craft In San Prancisco in
celebration of the Panama canal
opening. Instead the ships will
proceed directly to Cristobal at th«
eaatern entrance to th) canal, to
be paased through at atated inter
vals. Congress will have to assent
to the change.
There are 200 hotels in Japan for
foreigners, with room for 5,000 per
sona. i
.
CONGRESSMAN M
PLEASEDWITH ARMY
GENERAL DEBATE ON $101,000,000
ARMY APPROPRIATION BILL
I* COMPLETED.
GARDNER WANTS INCREASE
Inaleta That the Country I* Hop*la**ly
Unable to Put Up Fight of Any
Con**qu*no*.
Washington—After an all-day dis
cussion of national defence the house
completed general debate on the
$101,000,000 arqpy appropriation bill
Reading of the meaaure for amend
ment has begun with both majority
and minority leaders urging that
action on tbls and other appropriation
bllla be expedited to avoid a special
session of congress.
The feature of the debate was a
speech by Representative Hay of
Virginia, chairman of tbe military
committee, deprecating war talk and
declaring It waa not necessary to add
a single man to the standing army.
The pending bill makea no provision
for addl tolns to tbe army, but meas
uers before the senate military com
mittee with the approval of tbe ad
ministration, would Increase th*
army by about 25,000 man.
Repreaeotatle Gardner, of Maaeat
chusetta, and Kahn of California vlg
oroualy Insisted that tbe country**
present defenses were inadequate
though they agreed with Mr. Hay that
there waa no immediate prospect of
the United Stat** being involved in
war.
"How people can claim," aaid Mr.
Hay, "that theae great nations now at
war, which are exhausting themselves
financially and physically, aa soon aa
the war Is over, are going to turn
around and attack the strongest na
tion on earth la beyond my compre
hension. The United States Is going
on now to man tain peace with -all
the world. That la the policy of thla
country, not only of the administra
tion but of the entire citizenry.
"Nobody wants war. We are not
going to do anything to bring about
war. All thla talk of our not being
prepared for war and of condltlona
have arisen in Europe which makea
It necesaary for us to go Into large
military expenditures is absurd 1
am utterly oposed to a large stand
ing army, to adding a single man to
tbe present standing army. l *,
WILL KEEP UP FIQHT.
•hip Purchaaf Bill May Prolong See.
alon of Congress, taya Leadsra.
Washington. Republican Senators
determined at a conference to flgbt
the government ship purchaae bill with
all reaourcea et their command, con
tinuing the opposition until Mareh 4
If necessary or even In an extra ses
sion, should one be called.
Immediately, after the conference
the Republicans began action. Sena
tor Bmoot moved that the senate ad
journ. That waa defeated. Demo
cratic members, most of whom had
been absent while Senator Weeka
concluded a apeech agalnat the ablp
bill, hurrying In on a quorum call.
Senators Lodge and Root served no
tice tbat they would speak on th*
bill.
Senator Townaend then moved to
take up tb* volunteer officers retire
ment bill, and tbe war claims bill.
Both motions were defeated.
"We are not conducting a fllblus
ter," said Senator Burton, who con
cluded a three-day apeech against tbe
bill. "Surely no one thlnka I was
filibustering. I have not even ex
hausted my material."
Population 100,000,000
Washington—Tbe population of
Continental United Statea will paae
the hundred million mark within th*
next three montba according to two
estimates made public by the govern
ment bureau*. eOograpber C. D.
Sloane estimated that the population
would be 100,000,05# at 4 p. m.. April
2. Government Actuary J. 8. McCor
of the treasury department calcullp
ed that It would be 100,014.000 on Feb
ruary 1.
Gutierrez Still Clalma Preeldency.
Washington—Gen. Eulallo Gutier
rez, elected provialonal prealdent of
Mexico by tbe convention at Aguaa
Callentes. haa not abandoned his
claim to that office with his depart
ure from Mexico City. In a procla
mation Issued from Pachucah. Guti
errez asserting tbat he la the legally ,
choaen executive, charges tbat tbe
convention,, which reassembled at
Mexico City was under military coer 1
clon. He formally declared Villa, Za- ,
pate and other generasl deposed from
their commands. a
Speculation la Cauee.
Washington—The Department of
Justice Inveetlgating at Preeldent
Wilson's direction the recent rise
In wheat and flour prices, aaked the
agriculture and commerce depart
ments for all available Information
relating to production, export and im
port In the last two years. It became
known that the effort to discover If
there I* any pool operating in the
wheat market win center In Chicago
and Mlaaeapolla. The Department re
ceived a resolution adopted In CIA,
cago recently.
Emergency currency amomting
to $126,039,000 waa outstanding Jan
uary ®. ssys Comptroller Wllliama.
Since tbe first of that currency was
taken out ahortly after the wars
outbreak, $251,4ti«00 has been re
tired. Of the outstanding amount I
Texas has the most, $16,349.0000;
New York ha* »IMT7OOO. In the.
South there is outstanding $53,200.-
000, in the middle States |S7,T4Tr
000.
India in IMI2 sent to the United
Statea 162 etudents and China sent
m.
i -
. 3
FIGHTING IN WEST
GROWING FIERCER
HEAVY ENGAGEMENTS IN THB
ARQONNE, AROUND VERDUN
AND ALBACE.
\
WATCH EVERY GERMAN MOVE
I
Rutslan and German Troops in Po
land Placed ao Either May Flank
Other If Viatula la Crossed.
London.—Although official descrlp
tlona of lighting In the west are brief,
there ia evidence that It la growing
fiercer at many points. The Germans
•re showing renewed activity in the
neighborhood of Ypres and heavy
bombardments of the Allies left wins
are almost Incessant.
It la from the center eastward, how
ever, that the battles are most bitter.
In the Argonne, around Verdun and
In Alsace heavy engagements con
tinue apparently without any decision
having been reached. But theae are
merely local affairs compared to what
la expected when the ground become*
more suitable for moving troops.
Along the Belgian coast every Ger
man move la the algnal for a renewed
bombardment by British ships while
the aviators of both forces are con
tinually dropping bombs behind UM
hostile lines.
Dunkirk haa been singled oat for
German air attacks, doubtless because
It la believed It la being used by the
British as a base of supplies from
England while. Ostend, Bruges and
Zeebrugge are recleving attention
from the Allies. There Is no cooSrm*-
tlon from official sources of the re
ported visit of Che Allies' airmen to
Essen and Dusseldorf early in the
week.
A remarkable situation has arisen
In Poland. Russian troops north of
the lower Vistula are now SO miles
further west than the Oermans In the
direction of Warsaw; so that a suc
cessful crossing of the Vistula would
make a flank attack by either army
possible. The Germans are keeping
careful guard over a possible passage
of the river above Plock, evidently
for this reason, bat the Russian aV
Jectlve appears to lie to the norta
rather than to the south. On the
whole, however, th« Austro-Germans,
for political reasons, must divert their
attention to the southeast, where the
Russians are pressing through tbo
mountains towards Transylvania.
According to Russian statements
strong Austrian forces alreedy have
been encountered and there Is a sug
gestion that the Russians are expected
to meet serious opposition before
long. The attacks in front of War
saw have grown leas frequent and
apparently are not being pushed with
the same determination as previously.
In the Carpathians the armies ars
snow-bound. 
OBREGON FOLLOWS CARKANZA.
Talis Gutierrez Hs Will Stick to His
Formsr Lesder.
Washington.—General Alvmro Abre
gon haa spurned overtures from Gen
eral Elualio Gutierrez to Joint an In
dependent movement against both
Carransa an the Vllla-Zapata coalition,
and will remain loyal to Carransa, ac
cording to an nnouncement by the
Carransa agency here.
The following telegram from Gen
eral Obregon, dated Puebta, was made
public by the agency.
"Deny all versions of the report thst
I have Joined Gutierrez. As always,
I have the honor to form a part of
the Constitutionalist army worthily
commanded by Venustlano Carransa.
Generals Gutierrez, Robles, Becarides,
Blanco, Chao, Zuazua and Sanchez
have Initiated a campaign against Vil
la and have Issued a manifesto disclos
ing his latest crimes. 1 do. not know
what flag they Intend to follow."
Fund For Survivors.
New York.—Madame Blavko Groo-
Rch, wife of the Under-Secretary for
Foreign Affairs in Serbia, reached
here to raise a fund for the restora
tion of families of Berblan farmers to
their homss devastated by the war.
Before her marriage she was Miss
Mabel Dun lap of Virginia.
Democrats Agree on Ship Bill.
I Washington.—Senate Democrats in
caucus reached final agreement on the
ship-purchase bill and adopted a reso
lution making It a party measure.
Three Democrats voted against K, but
later H wss made unanimous. No
; material amendments to the bill as
perfected In previous caucusss were
advsnced. The principal differences
l of opinion arose on Senator Hoke
( Smith's amendment to provide that
the government after restoration of
normal world condHloos should leeas
purchased ships to private concerns.
Belgians Dent Complain.
London.—"The Impression I take
away from Liege are of vfcnder that
a people can suffer so much In silence
and of admiration for the bravery
which enables them to do tt."
This statement was made by Dr.
P. H. Williams of New York, whom, at
the suggestion of the Rockefeller
Foundation, directed operations of ths
American Commission for Relief In
Belgium at Liege and Is now return
ing to America. "The people of Bel
gium never complain, but they never
laugh," he said.
George Taylor of Philadelphia, an
aeronaut, fell 3,040 feet and was in
stantly killed in Jacksonville, Fla.,
Sunday a week when the para
chute of his balloon failed to open
I while he was giving an exhibition.
Several persons witnessed the ac
cident. The body struck the earth
in a cemetery, where the body of
Frynye, another aeronaut was found
two years ago.
■ No man can be popular unless
he has learned to keep his troubles
tohimself.