Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Feb. 2, 1908, edition 1 / Page 20
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CHARLOTTE DAILY OBSERVER, FEBRUARY 2 1903. THE By There was nothing unusual In the appearance of the room a it met my vliw on tht dark January night. Nothing that could mark it as having Just been the wne of a tragedy as dark, as mysterious, as any that could befall the sons of man. . The walls, aii I remember them. were of a dark, sullen green, which ' seamed to depress the spirit with their cold, hard glare. The furniture was all dark, heavy, substantial, as' bent ting the atudy of a man of wealth. There were only a few prlnta upon the walls, mostly sketches; evidently they ha 4 been there for many years. "Th"oniy thing which struck my fancy as being unusual wan the shape of the room, which was almost that of an octagon with the corners a little rounded. The trembling butler upon th. threshold behind me pointed to the oorner. "Tour pardon, sir, but It was over there that w found him." and he motioned to a targe leather-bottomed chair, which stood at the ex treme end of the room. I moved over.-slowly towards the rhalr. my mind vaguely endeavoring to adjust Itself lo the changed condi tion of affairs. J. Only a few minutes before, as I was comfortably seated in my club, enjoy ing a good cigar and wondering how J should spend the evening. I had ben startled by a "phone, message from the butler of my old friend,. Carlton, "asking that I come at once to his mas ter's house. I had taken a cab immediately for the old gloomy house on tha suburbs, where Carlton had lived In solitude since the death of his wife, some ten . years before. I thought of him as my cab pawnd through the lighted street of the city brilliant, talented, a man who would have shone In any position In society, he yet chose to bury himself, attend ed ty one old servant, his butler Tlm mons, In that gray old mansion, where his ancestors had? lived since the first settlement of the city, some two hun-: dred years ago. ' I was one of the favored few who were admitted through its old portals. Why. I know not, unless It was for the reason that I had known him better probably than any other person, in those golden days of young manhood, when he led his class at college. I had never ceased to drop in upon him In his solitary existence, and to remonstrate, with him upon hi man ner of life. "Give It up man!" I cried, only the last time that I had seen him. "Give It up and mingle again with your friends. It will help you to drive away those gray thoughts from your mind. Hang It! A man lives but once. Why not get all out of exist ence that It holds for you?" II smiled at me that same, sad amile hi eyes upon the glowing coals; and as he opened his lips to answer me the firelight flickered up, and threw into strong relief his face, and with almost a caress fell upon that high, white forehead. I shall change my way of living .soon, old friend very soon but not here. A month ," and he smlld at me again. A smile calm, serene, high, but how little of mirth In It changed the conversation at once, putting down his manner to his low spirit, and thought no more of the matter. But when Tlmmons met me at the door to-night, and In a few brief words Informed me that he had found his master dcd In the study. a few minutes ago, tho whole scene flashed aero my mind with lightning like rapidity. And now I stood in the study, where .the butler had taken me, my eyes fix ed upon the chair In which Carlton so lately had sat from which he had o suddenly departed. "Tour master?" I said, slowly. "He Is In the sitting room, sir." Tlmmons snawered. and his voice rs afrit as he endeavored to steady It. "You see, when 1 found him I. car ried him In there, thinking It would be better, sir. Would you like to look t him?" and he half turned around to the door. "No." I replied, '"not yet Tlmmons. But what was the trouble with him?" "It was this way. sir," he snswerel. "You see I whs In tha other room, a fixing Mr. Carlton's tea. when I heard a little noise sounded like one who had been sitting quietly, and had been startled by something. I turned around and stepped to the floor. Mr. Carlton was sluing In that big chair over there, his head raised, looking straight in front or him. his eyes fixed on the panel opposite. His eyes look ed like they were fixed in his head set, sir, and he seemed to be trying to ret up from the chair. As I starteJ to run across tho room to him, he cried out In a loud voice only a few words, sir," and he halted and looked tip at me as If ashamed to go on. and yet wanting to tell something which seemed to b upon hi mind. yes." I said. "C,t on he cried out what, Tlmmons?" "You would laugh at me. sir." he answered." shifting uneasily from one foot to the other, and dropping his eyes to study the pattern ofthr car pet at his feet "For heaven's sake man."- I . rrld. jmpaiienuy. -is in. ' trsndving words? Hoeak out without any more foolishness. What did your master cry out?" - "He cried out Jurt three words, sir," t three word, sir," d slowly, his face the butler answere. turning to an ashy pallor, and raising his eyes he met mine resolutely. "Only three words, air. but In such a voice , as I pray God I may never hear again. nd those words were, "The old j man!'"' j To ssy that I was surprised at the words of the butler would be to feebly! express my emotion, for a moment I doubted my own ears. That the fratter-of-fact Tlmmons should prat tle any such nonsense- as this was be yond my comprehension, and my first thought wag that he was flrufck; but one look tit his face was sufficient to dlpel that thought from my mind. Clearly hi mind could not be rixht; grief for the lews of his master had affected 'sis brain. "But wht old man. Tlmmons ?" I. inquired. "What old man did your ir.awter have reference to? Pull your self together, anj think, man." "How should I know, sir?" he an swered In an injured tone of voice. 'There was no one in the room ex cept Mr. Carlton end myself. It's not right There's something wrong, sir, a Kure as my name U John Tlmmons. Tnty two. year have I lived with Mr. t'arlton. and I tell yon I never saw any such going onr as this night "Tou had better lie down. Tim mona." I ssid. "Perhaps " "Not In this notue, sir;" he Inter- GREEN William .T. Wilsom , Anther, off For the Lore of Lady MargreU rupted, his voice rising to a high fal setto. "Not after what I have seen." "What have you seen?" I asked, "For God's sake! Tlmmons, if you have seen anything unusual, out with It without any mora questions, and have an end to all this parleying." "Well, sir, as I crossed the door way every light In the room went out, and It was as dark as Egypt. I stumbled over chairs and furniture-, a trying to get to Mr. Carlton,' and It seemed to me that I felt of every square Inch of the flood. It was as cold as blasts, and none of the furniture that I run against was ours' I'd swear to that." "Well?" I Imqulred as he 'halted. "Go on Tlmmons, what else?" "Nothing el, sir, except tha soms thing itemed to swoop down all of a sudden over me, and knocked me down flatT When t came to myself, I was llng on the floor near the table, with lights on full blast, and Mr. Carlton fitting oer yonder in the chair stone aead. I got up and phoned yer right away, sir." Hera is a piece of paper that I found by the chair- sir, he wm a writing when Ilrst heard the noise," and taking from his coat pocket a piece of paper, he handed It to me. At what moment there came a loud ring at the front door. " Tis only the doctor, sir," said Tlmmons In answer to my Inquiring look. "I called him up as soon as I got you, sir. And though Its little good he can do now. I had better go down, and let him In," and he bolted through the door, as though glad to - get out of the room. Drawing up one of tho heavy c?halrs by the table, I spread out the piece of paper upon It. It was a piece of ordinary not pa per, which looked 'a though It had been crumpled up before being writ ten upon. The letters were all large ami Irregular very different , from Carlton's ordinary, hand and with out any regard to lines or punctua tions; the date was that of to-night. HERE IS THE DOCUMENT. "I have always scoffed at the sup ernatural, as being imaginary and Im possible, but since tho death' of my wife In this very room, ten years ago, I have become firmly convinced that there are other worlds beyond this dull sphere on which we move and have our being; and that there are tither laws of which we do not dream, which control our Jives and actions. I am convinced too, that there Is another existence, separated from this by only a thin veil, and that there are those, who move about us to guide and 'direct our dally lives, of whom we do not dream. (. Upon her right arm, Just above the elbow, there was Imprinted the green marks of five fingers. Frm that lit tle clue I have worked for ten long years, until to-night I have my whole theory almost completed. Only one little link remain unsolved and I will discover that within the hour. The theory, which U perhaps the greatest discovery ever given to man, and whlch will place my name high among the great benefactors of the hnman race, reveal nature's greatest fecrot the connection of this life with that of those other spirit lives which move around us. For fear. that some unforseen acci dent might befall me before the great secret Is made public, I am putting It upon paper, so that It may not be lost. The green hand, the Imprint of which was upon my wife's arm is t " A blot 41 long scrawl here the pen had dropped from the hand of tho welter; "Death" had scaled hi Hp forever. Was It that nature, angry that one of the sftcrets which she had guard ed so long was at last to be snatched from her unwilling breast, had still ed his hand Jut As he was about to betray her? Or was Carlton after nil Insane? I wa inclined to the latter belief. Folding up the paper, I put It very carefully In my Inside pocket, end tak ing up my gloves and hut from the table, walked slowly . out of the room and down the stairs. At the foot I halted; someone was talking In a loud tone of voice. The speaker seemed to be In the sitting room, the door of which was half open. A sudden thought struck me, and turning I punned the door open and enteod the room. , Tlmmons was standing by the bed. a towel over his arm, and near him a stout, red faced man, whom from his air and general appearance I had no trouble In Identifying as a doc tor ' He was speaking as I entered. "Ye, r,o doubt no doubt these heart fall lire ore becoming more, and more frequent every day. Due to our mod" of living without a doubt." And 'hear ing my footstep behind him, he turn rn around towards me. I spoke to him. and moving ne-arer the befl raised the sheet which covered Cailton. Ills face was quite calm and peaceful. No fear or illntruxt was there, only the treat "calm of u "deep' peace. Death had srmtothed out all the Ifhe of care-and unrest, and left only upon the nol.lt features ' , V a ni.i- Jentic calm. Halting the sleeve from hU night arm. I bent, down to iook at . mere fiparly imprinted upon th whit fi,.h." a little above the elbow, wer white i i rnn. m iiii ir hi lti vtr i iir riiHFw, arir ,hB five fingers of- a hand. The wriere the fingers seemed to hHV, touched were of a peculiar color tlt grn. resembling very closely ,h waMj( ,he jreen room, a I rnlwd myself up. Tlmmons t,ent OVvr the- bed beld me, Us head .m. touching mine. "I could have fWOm to )ri nB )n a w. husky tone, his voice trembling with excitement," for those same marks were upon the arm or Mrs. Carlton." The doctor stepped up to Ui" bed. and raising tha arm. looked at the Imprint "Those marks have lenon the arm for some time," h said clear Ing bis throat. "It Is evidently where some on caught Mr. Carlton violently by the arm some days "ago, and the Impression made by the fingers are Juet beginning to die out." "Hut the kj me marks were on Mr. Carlton's am. t-to. sir." Tlmmons crle.1, "and she died In that same cussed green room, sir. In the same wfiy. How do you account for that, doctor?" - "I don't account for It." answered th dx-tor with a half yawn, and dropping Carlton's arm, be replaced th sheet fser the body. "Unless some one riught Mrs. Carlton by the arm too, tn ths same way. It Is a mere cotrn-ldenee." -And turning bis back, he be run to draw nn his gloves prepara tory to taking hi departure. There was nothing I could . do; so telling Tlmmons that If he needed me to phone back at my home, and pro mising him to be back on the next night to as tit tn getting Carlton's af fairs In shape for tha arrival or hi relr, a distant cousin who lived across the continent, I sallied out into the night. All day long the thing kept coming back to me. Was there really any thing In what Carlton had written, and in the green hand, or was it af ter all monstrous hallucination only a creation of his restless brain? There Is nothing like the common place to erase from ths mind the me mory of the unreal or fanciful, and busied all day long with by accus tomed labors, by night fall I had con vinced myself that the whole-thing was a myth, green hand and all. It was In this frame of mind that I rang the bell that night at the gloomy old door of Carlton's home. Only x moment I had to wait before the door swung open, and Tlmmons ainm n nnn Ih (KmiIiaM T tHnltrht he looked relieved to see' m-though4 In answer .to my Inquiry as to whether anything un usual had taken place during the day, he assured me In a very matter of fact voice that everything had been a.- usual, and that beyond the fact that a few people had called, nothing had happened to break Its monotony. He showed me upstair to the green room, and giving me the evening pa per, busied himself In arraying the books "upon the table, It was probably some, whimsical break (or viewed In the light of sub sequent events was It something more?,) which prompted me to take my seat In the great leather chair In the corner. I Temembered afterwards looking at my watch It was lust ten o clock. TlmmonV having arranged the books to his taste, and having Inspect ed them from several points of view, seemed to be satisfied with his wor!t and retired to get the papers which he wanted m to look over for him. I was resting comfortably In the leather chair, my fet crossed, a fresh cigar In my mouth, the smoke curling contentedly up above my head. Turning over the paper In my hanJ I selected a good place and began to read. I have no Idea how long I read for the warm room and big chair were so pleasant after the raw air outside, that I muHt have dropped into a light doze. I awoke with a start, and half rail ing myself from the chair, I gathered up the paper In my hand. Then a strange an uncanny thli happened. Slowly, deliberately, ev' ery light In the room went out, and I was left In total darkness. Tha thing would not have frighten ed me so badly, had it not been for the fact that I was well, acquainted with Carltonls home, and with his hobbles, and one of them was to have only one switch in his house, by which all the lights were turned on or ex tlnguishcd. With a half exclamation I started to my feet, and as I did so. something soft, damp, and yet heavy,- with weight like that of nothing I had ever felt before, seemed to come from somewhere out of the darkness which enveloped me, and fell upon my shoul ders. I dropped back limply Into the chair. Dimly, vaguely I felt that I was to become a spectator at some scene not of this earth, and my spirit staggered as all of tho familiar everyday props were at one fell blow stricken from it, leaving It naked and unprotected as when it first .came Into this world. Slowly the great drops of cold emmmy perspiration gathered upon my forehead, and one by one rolled down my face. I tried to move so that I could wipe them away with my hand, but It was as though I had been raKt in marble, not a muscle could I move. Twice 1 moistened my lips to speak, but no sound came forth. Fear had congealed my tongue. ' As I sat there I became conscious of the cold, damp air of the room. You have no doubt breathed the rank, unhealthy air in old vaults which are seldom opened, that cold, foul-smell Ing air which If once experienced you csn never forget; such was that of the room. And now from somewhere, I know not how or where, there came a faint. llm light, which seemed to resemble that of the moon more than any oth er; only much fainter, much less dls tant.- Uy Its light I could detect objects very vaguely. Hut one thing I saw at once, the room was not the same. The shape of the green room, as I have said, was that of an octagon with the corner slightly round. Th room In which I now sat was square i ne ngni peemcii to form almost a circle, within which, a my eyes be came accustomed to It. I could dis cern objects very well; the rit of the room was In a deep shadow, within which I nat, The- tliKif of the -room' was of dark oak. highly polished; the furniture of some bygone a gf. Ifcould faintly de tect the glimmer of the red chlnti with whicli It was upholstered. And now from somewhere ou). of the gloom in the other end of the room, there seemed to totter out an old man. He was fire vied In the costume of two hundred! years ago. and a deep ruffle of lace hung at his throat. But It was his face which caught and arreBted my attention. Such a face I have never seen on mortal man. It ua not the great hawk nose, nor the coarse, sullen mouth, with Its great teeth like that of a vulture about to devour Its prey, nor the deep set eye which keemed to burn on through me, that attracted my attention; but It was the black, demonlstlc expres sion which sat upon hi face. Huch a look as this I have often pictured to mysclr the devil must wear, when he sees slip through his fingers tne soul of some mortal, whom he has watched and gloated over as his own for yes rs. ' The old man appeared to move ever the floor slowly very slowly, leaning heavily upon his cane, and though I could distinctly see htm raise the stick nd then bring It down upon the floor. I could har no sound. Painfully, wearily, he tottered over to the table, and seating himself at a chair by It, seemed to wait for some one; for I could see him raise his head, and chuckle In a sort of hellish glee, w him marts my blood run cold. And now from the other side of the room there moved out another ap parition, seemingly a much yonngr man, dressed In the same garb as the first, with the powdered wig. and nif ties, and great gold knee-buckles. I had no difficulty 1n recognizing him. I had seen hU picture often, for It hung over the mantel In this very green room. It 'was tho first Carlton who came over to thia coun try, and bought the land upon which the house was built. . He came forward swiftly towards the centre of the room, apparently not weing the crouching figure by the ta ble until he was almost near enough to have touched him. when he sud-; denly seemed to perceive the old man. Drawing back, he appeared to hesi- tate for a moment, and then seeming to gather courage he came forward and touched the old man upon the arm. ' The other looked up at him, that same hellish expression upon his face. He moved his Hps, but I heard noth ing Carlton raUed his hands and seem ed to expostulate with the other man but he was Immovable, for he shook his head and seemed to grit his teeth. They appeared to be debating some momentous question, for I could see that both seemed excited. anflmuch agitated. . . Suddenly the old man bent down, and reaching one shadowy hand un derneath the table, drew up a big sack filled with some heavy substance, for It was all that-he could do to lift it to the table. - - ." Carlton, or rather his shade, teamed over the. sack and seizing a corner, poured out upon the table a stream of golden coins. The pale light seem to. flan?? and flas!1 upo" hf m' a they lay plied upon the polUhed wood In one great shining heap. The old man pushed forward, and throwing out one arm, thrust the oth er back from where he stood, gloating o'er the gold. Carlton caught up the old man a cane from where It lay upon the table with both hands, and throwing It far back over hia shoulder, he held It poised an Instant. As he did so, the old -man sprang forward, and caught with his hand, Carlton's right arm, a little above the elbow. j At the sight of that long, lean hand, i he fingers with their long nails curl ed like the talons of a hawk, the weird, snarling face, with Itg hellish look of rage, the foam flying from the open mouth, there flashed across my half-paralyzed mind the full slg r.lflcance of those green finger prints upon the right arm of both Carlton and his wife With a great effort Carlton wrench ed himself loose, and thrusting the old man back, over, and across the table, he brought the stick down once. twice over the other's head, And even as he did so, with one mighty effort, which seemed to ul most wrench my neck from my shoul ders, I found my voice, and with all the strength which re-malned In me. I gave one long, agonizing scream. I had a dim recollection of shouts, lights and the tramp of feet, and with that this world and all that It con tained faded from my view. My first Impression was that of some pungent, penetrating odor, and opening my eyes, with thut same dls Interested feeling with which you view the pranks of some urchin upon the street, I looked around me. It was Tlmmons, old Tlmmons, who was bending over me, a spoonful of some dark-colored liquid fluid In his hand. "Where am I, Tlmmons?" I In quired feebly. "What am I doing in this place?" "You are In a private ward In St. John's Hospital, sir," that worthy sub ject replied, after dexterously Insert ing the spoon in my mouth and pour ing the contents down my ' throat, without any regard for my personal Inclinations. "You were brought here that night when we found you, more dead than alive. In the green room, sir." Hav ing Imparted th! Information, he pro ceeded to extract a handkerchief from his pocket, and again to polish the bottom of the spoon with It, squinting very Impartially at It with first one eye and then the other, to pee that It was clean, which delicate operation he performed with great gravity and deliberation. "But how long have I been here, Tlmmons?" I cried Impatiently, "and what did you find in the green room?". "If you won't fret yourself, sir," he replied, casting a look around th room, "and that dad dratted doctor, begging your pardon, eMr, don't come In .before I finish, 1 11 tell yoj all that I know about the business "You see It was this way, sir," he continued, seating himself upon the foot of the be.l, and keeping one eye warily upon the door. "I had gone down stairs, sir, to get Mr. Carlton's papers for you to look over. I had In some way misplaced them that I wanted, so I had to rake the whole bloomln' lot and "(ook over them. I never had uch a Job In my life sir. and It was twelve o'clock when I round he right ones. I had Just got up tor go up stairs with them, when I neara a yen, such as r hal never heard before. It made mv blood run old, sir. and no inlake," and Tlm mons rubbed his hanls nneatliy at the thought. - "I passed right up. s'r, and Just is 1 started up stairs, two at a. time. I kheard a knock at the door, atl turn ing arounj I run down and opened it 'Twa three or four men who -were passing when they heard the t.otse. aid making sure some one was a be-ii-g murdered, they tome right i'j. "Well all together, sir, we make for that blasted green room, a stumblln' and fallln' all over each other In our hurry. I was firft to get there, sir, od throwing open tha dor, I !otked In. 'The room wjs all lit up ilka day. and yo,u were a lying back In the big leather chair, like dead. You never sain out inree worns, sir, when we picked you up. and they were: The old man!' "Well?" I asked Inquiringly. B9 he halted: "Go on., Simmons. "Nothing else, sir, I believe." the butler said, "except that Mr. 'Allen, that's Mr. Carlton's cousin who get the property, had the walls of the) green room torn away, the next flay when he got there, and I told h!m about the thing.'.' , "What did you find?" I cried, somewhat excited. I confess, for I was very weak from my long selgs. "We 'find a large, square , room with a dark oak floor, and a whole lot of old furniture covered with red cllnta. air," he replied. "The green room was built Inslds the big room, sir." "I wish you could have smelt the air. sir. when the carpenters broke the wall down smelt like some old vault, that had not been opened la a hun dred years. On the table was an old stick, with some dark s rains upon It. and over In the corner was a sack full of old gold money made Irt.ICOO and something.- sir." and at the thojght of his find, the fare of the worthy Tlmmons become wreathed with smtlra ! Mr." Allen give me one half of the money,, sir," he continued, with a air of great satisfaction. , "He said he thought t was entitled to It by original discovery." -And having de livered himself of this mighty thought.' he betook himself over to the wlnjow to gaze down aftha crowd upon the street. I lay uon the bed, slleat'.y gen dering the maater over In my m.nd. For what purpose had mturi willed that I should witness that, strange scene, the like of which no mortal man ever saw before tnd Hved to re late. . . . Was It that It was for some great all-wise scheme, beyond our llt.le minds? Was Carlton right when he wrote that there are other worlds other existences around us. Invisible to our eyes, and of which we do , not dream the clue to which will aom 6i.y be discovered' by some great scientist? And If so, was it that I was to be a potent factor In the unveiling of the secret? "Who knows? , I can Interpret my experience In no other light, and so I wait for what I know not Perhaps old "Time," that great revealor pf so many of na ture's mighty secrets, will m his own good time roll away the stone from the door. As It Is. I trust that I have close! forever that chapter In my life which la connected with the) rreen room. (THE END.) Chill's Saltpetre BcdsT Washlngtn Herald. Anlbal Crux, Minister from Chill to the United States, said that reports mat tne immense beds of saltpetre found In that country will be exhaust ed in a few years, are erroneous. "Those beds will not last merely a hundred years or two hundred, but will be helping to make Chill wealthy a thousand years from now. Chill is the only country In the world In which such deposits of saltpetre are found. They are for the most part owned by Germans and Englishmen. The Ger mans are tho moat heavily Interested, with the English next. Most of the saltpetre Is exported to Hamburg, while some of.lt goes to Liverpool. The Chilian government derives a large amount of revenue from this ex port trade, as a duty of about two shillings a ton is exacted on all that Is sent out. The revenue amount to $80,000,000 or $90,000,000 each year." Little Winie Thomson. Washington Star. "The late Lord Kelvin." said a Harvard scientist, "had a wonder fully original mind from his child hood. "As a little boy. as little Willie Thomson, they tell a quaint story about him In Glasgow. "It seems that once he suffered horribly a week with toothache. Finally he had the tooth pulled. After It was drawn he rose from the chair, held out his little hand to thj surgeon,' and sald:- " 'Give It to me. "The surgeon, with an accommo dating smile, wrapped the tooth in paper and extended it to the lad. " 'But what are you going to do with it. Willie?' he asked. " 'I'm going to take It home. was tha reply, and cram sugar In It and see it ache.' " Ills Warnlne. San Francisco Chronicle. "I was all round downtown that first r.lght of the fire." said Thornweh Mullally. "and I hung about Kearny and California till it got mighty hot. I retreated a block up the hill to watch the flames coming on and on. The police had warned me back. Then I happened to look up and the flaming building lighted up the whole front of old St. Mary's Church, and I read that Inscription that's still there, 'Son, observe the hour and flee from evil.' "I did." TO THE IXFLVEXSPA GEKM. London World. Bv the shivering fit which chill us, Ky the feverish heats which grill us, Uy the pain acute which flW us. Hv the acnes which maul and mill us, Uy the quacks who draught and pill us, Ily the hydropaths who swill us, Ity the allopaths who bill us Hy the nervous fears which kill us. Tell us, tell us. wee Bacillus, What, and why, and whence you are! Pay. are yon a germ atomic? 1 Have you uses eoonomicr Are you truly miasmatic? " Are you solid or lymphatic? Frankly, I your cause svmotlc? Are you native or exotic? When your business Is transacted Is your stay to be protracted! And do you Intend, Bacillus, . To return axaln and kill us? Do make answer. If you please! Tell tis briefly, tiny mystery. What's your source and what s your his tory , . Clear the clouds of obfuacatlon That surround our Incubation! Furnish, without more obstruction. Your belated Introduction? It us know your why anil wherefore. What It is you're In the air for. And meanwhile. O wee Bacillus. Since with morbid dread you nil us, prithee, take your leave at once! A MYSTERY SOLVED. Carlyle Smith, In carper's Weekly. "What Is the navy sailing for?" quoth I tn f'anl. UlnkS. . '1 do not know", tne Sea Dog said, "but this Is what I thinks: "Bob Kvans wants to teach ths Japs the game of Tlddledywlnka." I put the question next unto our doughty "I don't know," said. he. "and if I did I wouldn't tell.' " I thought he muttered something else that bade me go to thunder. t The Fecretar" next I sought, "t. Mr. "Why s the navy sallinsr TeatT" He straightway mads reply: "Because it Isn't sailing Hast 'and shooK my band good-oye. I went to Loeb. 'J William Loeb, pray cj you tell to me . Just why the navy's going M est to ths pacific sea. ' . "Whv is the navy solnar West? ho told you so?" said he. At Isst I asked the President. "Please tell me why you risk The naw milling round the Horn?" H answered sham end brisk: "Because the sailinx ia so bad from Omaha to Frisk." A HINT. Detroit Krei Pre a. I love little clilldiN-n, So vhsimlng sn.l sweet; T'.ielr eyt'S itvdiir.sr eunliaht. The i.iuttd of ihrtr leet. I'm foml of th y-ounKHtcrs. Ui.t still, foi ail that li s no slsn that I want trm Jo sit n my hat. t I'll foertle tlx babies And fcni n my koee Tl-e r-ev-lipped .-hlldren, Whoever they l.itt mil, thr.iyh I livs All t; r-sli-ti-. euie I d.in'l want th"lr 3njeMr)a'kt Left cn my suit. Mv Heart hi a plavsronnd Vherv chililmn nur run; I want all the tl'i;-r T" revel In fun. E-it tlio'JKh :ny brt beats Tor Mib iturdv oun cliati I rton't wnt nn Ink well .Spil'trd Into my lap. ?A Morfk. Garolma: Woman . ; v. , .' ' -Views WellDear Nan, This is to tell you about the boly land. . Perhaps my views will some' what tiiockyou. "I think It U a most unholy, vilely dirty country. Since I have seen it as it really Is I have not been able to sing Jerusalem the Gold en, or Oh Mother Dear Jerusalem. The real- Jerusalem is, but- I will come to that presently. Out ' first landing was at the little town of Caf fia, in Gallilee. There was nothing of special Interest here except a few fine views, particularly that of Mount Carmel. The drive to the latter lies through a very picturesque country, On the streets were the usual oriental sights of buying and selling, cooking, smoking and gambling. Many of the orientals smoke the Narghlee, thus rendering the nicotine harmless. , We finally landed at Joppa. a very poor harbor, and yet one of the oldest in the world. Jonah came here, and Hi ram, king of. Tyre brought the cedars of Lebanon to this port. Here lived Dorcas and Simon, the tanner. The home of the latter was Just outside the present city, but has been moved. for the convenience of tdurists, to one of the principal streets' ' Tha sea Is almost always a little rough iu this harbor, and lauding I sometimes Impossible for days. The sturdy Jaffa boatmen are Justly cele brated, and right merrily do they dety the waves with their small boats. In I the market was a throng of Idlers. In deed most of the orientals seem Idle, It maybe because there Is nothing to do. The tomb of Dorcas Is hewn In solid rock, and half, a dozen people can stand Inside. We drove from the landing to the railroad station at the peril of our lives. Tha horses went in a mad gallop, the drivers yelling at the tops of their voices, and turning corners In a way that made you dizzy. We Jolted along in the funny little cars to liydda, where Peter healed Aenas. It lies In the Plain of Sharon, once not ed tor Its beauty and fertility. It still has fine gardens, grain fields, meadows and such oranges as I never saw be fore, delicious In flavor, and beauti ful in size and color. - Grove after grove we passed, many trees .breaking under their weight of fruit In every spot and corner, even between the very atones the lilies of the field were blooming. These are not at ail like our lilies, but resemble a small scar let poppy. I noticed many other love ly wild flowers. We were here long enough to gather quantities of them. We passed Ramlah, the ancient Ar amathea of the New Testament. Hsre Is an old tower of the Crusaders 120 feet high. Samuel here Judged Is rael. Further along w came to Jo rah. the birthplace of Samson. Nearlng Jerusalem we saw the Mon astery of Mar Elyaa. the sight of the Juniper tree where Elijah was refresh ed by an angel. I never understood why he sat under a Juniper, so sticky and full of prickles. 'We finally har the wdris, "All out for Jerusalem." and leaving the cars we drive through clouds of gray dust to our respective hotels. My abiding place was In the Franciscan Monastery of Notre Dame, said to be the bent hotel in Jerusalem. I cannot imagine what the worst could be like, for I found this absolutely comfortless. Tho building is built of marble. The halls, floors, 1 stairways all of marble, and cold as the pro verbial charity. No way of heatjng, except an occasional brazier of char coal. ' Two of our party, not realizing the danger, were nearly killed by the deadly fumes. I was In the room of St. Sebastian, and It it takes such ac commodations to make a saint I will rever be one. The furniture consult ed of small Iron bed, linen sheets, and scant covering, a tiny pitcher and ba sin, one plain chair, a little table and a rug. Nothing else, not even a mir ror, and for light I had half a can iile. Cold! Well If I had not had my steamer rug I would not be alive to write ycu this letter. On the table we had goats milk, goat cheese, goal lutter and goat meat. I nearly starv ed and kept alive on mineral water, wine and oranges. Everything on the table tasted like goat. And now to give my Impressions of the city. My illusions were promptly dispelled be fore the stern realities. The awful poverty and degredation were appall ing, liven the common decencies are not observed. The streets of Jerusa lem are liko filthy sewers. They were actually worse' than those of Constantinople and. Smyrna, Hordes of diseased beggars Importun ing constantly for alms, nearly naked children falling in the dtist. and kiss ing my feet as they Implored for mon ey, and other scenes of wretchedness and squalor were sickening. The mountains are truly "round about Jerusalem," but while highly pic turesque they are rery. barren ' and stony, having only a scant growth of small trees and shrubs from which In numerable flocks of goats derive a living. These flocks are tended by wild Bedouins whose homes are In tiny tents, or quite frequently In caves dug In a bank, or under a cleft of rock. The Mosque ot Omar, built up on the site of Solomon's Temple, Is oen of the most magnificent buildings ever saw. it la undoubtedly the fin est In Asia, stnd by some is considered the most b-a.utlful building In the worVd. It Is octagonal in shape, and built with richly colored marbles and tiles, with a dome that is famous for , Its exquisite proportions. The tnoeales are like rare paintings, the rugs are woven In blendlngs beautiful beyond description, and the stained glass win dows, dating from 152, aro the love- i llest combination of colors. I was told that King Edward offered 8.000 pounds, for one of the smaller win dows. The offer was refused. In the centre of the building Is a huge rock. Here Abraham intended to sacrifice Isaac, and from this spot Mahomed made his last prayer before ascending to heaven. The rock at tempted to follow him, but was push ed back by the angel Gabriel, whose finger marks are still to be seen. The priest assured me that it Is but sus pended in the air. Into a part of this rock we saw nails, said to have been driven by Mahomed. .All have dis appeared but three, and when they fall through the end of the world will come. I asked the priest when this might be expected, and shrugging his shoulders, he said, "That Is as God wills." In a curiously carved cabinet are three hairs from -Mahomed's beard. Our tnfidel eyes were not al lowed to look upon these, and the faithful see them only once a year. Solomon and David must have been very devout, for we were shown the worn places made by their knees tn the solid rock. . Of course we had to put on sandals whenever we entered a mosque. Tltvse were usually about three size too large, and In my awk ward shuffling, mine frequently came off. A small boy always appeared to put them on for "Backheeh.' De siring to visit the mrisque a second time I went eUone.with Mrs, t In going through the Turkish quarters I Instinctively felt that all was not right The people looked at us so Sto&, qjff Europe queerly, and the soldiers Jabbered in solently ljito our faces. J wished my self back at the hotel. A. guide was sent for us, and ho told us that we had done a very rash thing, that it was exceedingly dangerous for foreign Women to go through the Turkish quarters without protection. After ward I spoke to a t$yrlan gentleman about It and 4e said, incredulously. "You and Mrs. C. did not actually go by ' yourselves to the Mosque of Omar?" and when i replied that we did. and asked why - we- should not he said, "Strangers have mysteriously . disap peared in Jerusalem, you might have been murdered, o worse. You do not understand Turkish soldiery." -Think of living In such a country I met an Englishman who had been J were tor seven years, and to my ques tion of why he remained he said, "Well, I think I am little crasy." I quite agreed with him. The church of the Holy Sepulcure is owned by different sects of Christians, Greeks.. Armenians. .Latins, Copts and Syrians, each regarding the other. as intrud ers. Turkish soldiers are constantly In the church to keep the peace, so fiercely do they quarrel over tie pos, sesBlon of the sacred' spots. Iso won der the Turk scornfully - remarks, "See how these Christiana love each other." v In this church I saw:- the grave of Adam, and unpretending stone marking the spot, I qould not -weep ovfcmy - departed . ancestor, however much I regard hi3 untimely dlscease. Mrs. Eve was not there. This I distinctly reoemed, or. in her day and time she was a very promi nent woman, a loader of society and fashion. It seemed favoritism to put Adam there, and not Eve. Most of he sacred places rare In connection with the death and pas sion of our Lord. The Stone of Unction, where His body was anointed for burial; the chapel of Parted Hsr memt, where the garments were gambled for; the place of His scourging, where He was crowned with thorns, etc. In the centre of the rotunda la the Holy Sepulchre. For fifteen centuries this has been regarded as the most sacred spot In tho world. As I stood near I saw an unending stream of pilgrims pros trating themselves in tears and klsa-inf,- the marble slab. Vast crowds of Russians were In the city, pre paratory for EaHter, Great must be the faith of these aged, tired men and women to 'bring them so far to receive a blessing. Many of them had only the clothes they wore, and were sadly In need of a change. In a room of this church there Is. a most Interesting collection of relics of the Crusaders. I felt It an honor to touch a cross worn by Godfrey of Boulogne, and to ' examine his sword and spur. The length of the former was so great that I think Godfrey must have been a glat. The site of Calvary is claimed by this church, but there are several others making the same claim Scholars accept that of Gordon as most au thentic. I attended the consecration of a bishop of the Greek church here on Sunday. It was a gorgeous cere monial, but the church was so crowded I nearly suffocated. An other place visited was Solomon's stables, a vast subterranean cham ber, supported by numberless pillars. This was used by the Crusaders an a stable, but not by Solomon. There is so much to prove and disprove that you can .believe what y'i choose. Our auldft gave me muc ich- " information concerning Solomo For instance. "Solomon had iflJ wies and 115 lady frlonda." Poor Solomon! From a neighboring hill we saw the, tombs of David. Abso- lent and Zacherlas. They arc Just like the pictures so familiar to all of us. The Pool of Siloam "ouia vou but see It you would never again sing "Bv Cool Slloam's Shady Rill." etc. There Is in the valley, a little bit, of green, stagnant water, and everywhere about It rubbish and de caying garbage. The view from the tower of David on the ancient wall Is very fine. The tower I now usd as Turkish barracks. ; These old walls with their queer gates are a study. Mahomed is to sit at the Damascus gate during the last Judg ment, and from5 this point to a near by hill there will be a sharp sword extended. All are to walk this perilous path, the faithful to heaven and others to fall into perdition. I am too tired for more now. Will finish Jerusalem in my next letter. Oh. for a drink of water from the North Carolina mountains. With love, dear Nr YouV wandering GIPSY. Asked the Fireman lp. Cleveland Leader. When the first fire company. In re sponse to an alarm, reached the long row of tenements, the fire captain at once Jumped from his engine and en deavored to locate the fire. When he had ineffectually hunted through three or four structures for It He descried ; an old woman sticking her head out of a window of the topmost floor, of an eight-story tenement, a little far ther up the street. ,"Any fire up -there?" he yelled, when he, had reached the pavement beneath hls building. Tin answer, the old woman motioned for him to come up. lAccordlngly. the captain, with his men lugging their heavy hose behind them, laboriously ascended the eight flights and burst Into tne room where the old woman was. "Where's the fire?" demanded the captain, when no. fire or smoke be came visible. ,. "Oh, there an't none here.. replied the old woman, flashing an ear trum pet "I asked y up 'cause I couldn't htip'ii word you said 'way down there." - Eighty Degrees of Frost. ' Dundee Advertiser. . . It is difficult for us to form any con ception of the degree of cold reprj sented by the 80 degrees of frost re corded from certain parts of Russia. Sir Leopold McClintock. tells how In one of the Arctic expeditions, a sailor was foolish enough to do some outr door work at precisely this tempera tare. His hands froze, end when h rushed Into the cabin and plun?-d one of them Into a basin of water to cola was the hand that the water was In-' stantly converted Into a block of lee. At 25 . degrees, Dr. Kane says, "the mustache and under Hp form pendu lous beads of dangling Ire. Tut ou' your tongue and It Instantly frecxrs to this Icy crusting. Your chin has a trick of freezing to your upper Jaw b. the' luting aid of your beard; my e ' have often been so glued as to sh . w that even a wink wsa unsafe." larnlng. Topeka Journal. Not only do the Populists "how courage In admitting that they do not expect to win at the election in this State next fall. They alej give proof of gaining In wlwlonf
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 2, 1908, edition 1
20
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