North Carolina Newspapers

THE SEMI-WEEKLY ROBESONIAN. 7 THE LASH OF CIRCUMSTANCE By HARRY IRVING GREENE I Author at C 'YOSONDE OF THE WILDERNESS" IHitrisuei y Hhm G. Keraar Sppjrlgbt in f W. Q. OhmprMa l tb. Wltfd SMIi CHAPTER rV. It is now necessary tbat I take ne tep backward In ray relation of this lysterlous occurrence. I mat go Sack to some time before tbe commie loo of tbe burglary and th entry of LeDuc upon the seen, In order that jrou may hare all the facta presented to yon aa tbey were to that detee fthre when he took hold of ttie ease. (Harlot mad this sew start I think I Ean- proceed ehjooologjoally to the cod f the case. detalllnc events In the feeder to 'Which they happened. I M bgsrlauhii a trw months before at perk i Cte tbj b mm. vvftr a span. liufRsjauBiij easty and blindly I fell In love h a woman whose beauty was so ggressire that no mortal man could fnore It, while to attempt to describe t woukl fce afmest to .insult It. I atxm twenty (rve tfcen add she possibly few years alder. My ao- alntanee with her began throucbi :h Irrepressible .Brooe. I had dropped into the -blue room aC fthe Imperial for a bottle of ale as4 , cigar after the theater, when I ran (into my cousin's arras. He beamed non me. srrap-Ktl my hand with the grip of a "wrfM??)er. Now, you have to exercise a little discretion before agreeing to tr.ool Uruce's frleuds, and I glanced round furtively. Yoli cin never tel! whether the next minute you will be isbaking hands with the Chinese am bassador or the latest popular pugil ist, bo as the latter gentleman would express it, I sparred a moment for iwind. "To whom V I Inquired. He nodded jtoward a near-by table at which sat (two women and a man. "To Dick Edwards but 1 guess you know him already and tbe two a dles. But especially to Mrs. Dace. If you want good company, you need inot go any further, for you won't find any better anywhere." I aeked him 'whom the especial Mrs. Dace might Ibe, and he laughed with what I (thought was a faint undercurrent of .signlncaoM beneath It. "OhJ kavent time to tell. Widow of somebody who died somehow, i which Is enough to know H at once. Main thing la she is as beautiful as a hour! and gracious as an empress, but wise, my boy, wise, wise. Also -apparently is a person of some means, amount of means represented by X, meaning unknown quantity; source of means problem In higher mathe matics very difficult of solution. But remember this:' II you begin to feel sentimental when you look at her, re member that life is only a joke and bd opat ar brows wondarfa&y arched, her eye royal Mae and bordered by long lashes that screened them aj ferns shade dee forest pools. Sb was wonderful. Fascinated by h beaaty for a moment I sat silently ee she calmly surveyed me, one perfect hand UOy toying with a ana'l gold purse that lay upon the table. Th far down hi the sea depths at ber bin yes I saw faint amusement gathering and I drew myself together with a start. Edwards was explaining: To see, we had arranged for theater party and there were to be four of us. Thn at the last h Mrs. Dace's escort became slightly in disposed and she came down n and met Miss Lyddon and myself, W are now about to have something to cat, and possibly a wee bit to drink. I happened to see your cousin B and hailed him to Join us. but it seems he baa an excuse. Thn be providentially happened to spy yon and impressed you into his place to complete tbe party. So everybody fti happy once more." while I am .no suck gabbier as Bruce, T think I can hold my own In any fairly well regulated converati I rose to the occealon. Tbe wine oiled tr.y tongue and Mrs. Dace's little ap plauding laughs and nods of approval spurred my wit. Edwards seemed -content to remain comparatively quiet; Miss Lyddon was too indolent to care to do other than be f 4 Per tained: Mrs. Dace was a sympathetic listener, and without effort I held tho floor. I had ad considerably, and the pigeon onto of my memory were well stocked with the aphorisms of the BSges. Through the simple effort of recollection I became philosopher, th?ologiin, poet To the soft patter of their applause 1 even soared to original heights. In the parlance of the stare, I made a hit. In fact when one o'olock some and with it the in tfmatkm from Mre. Dace that she must depart. It was only after a little sigh that reached my ears alone, end a flash from her wonderful eyo that quickly hid themselves behind the screenSr.s lrtfcbep as I lookfd d;'op into I want to introduce you."HeJ my half "without pang secretly phTlo- "I Hope Yea Will Not Forget Me." nugb at yourself; but when It cornea to wine, remember that life is 4 mighty serious proposition and stay sober. Come an now." In another moment he was Introducing me. "Mrs. Dace and Miss Lyddon Mr. Halliday. CousLi of mine through no fault of his, but nevertheless highly recommended by me. I believe you have met him, Dick, and will confirm me. Sorry I have to go, but be will fill, my place and round oat your party. Good night all," and be waa gone. I took my chair with a quick mental Inventory at my new acquaintances. Miss Lyddon waa talL waapy and good looking In an Indolent blond way; Edwards waa a prosperous looking man of about thirty-five; Mrs. Daee positively startling, from a purely physical standpoint bar beauty waa gorgeous. But so wonderfully com plex was it that It could no more be analysed by one glance than ean a painted masterpiece. While Its gen eral effect waa to cause a gaap of de light at first sight, when you looked again you saw that Its perfection waa the result of the exquisite blending of many tints Into an incomparable who!e. Never had I seen a mouth so bewitching. Hps so rich or smile so dazzling. Her hair was cJiaAgefuLaa wophizeti by the knowledge that the gods won't allow us to be in their detit, and when mnn wines and dines with woriian he must pay for It with the glistening jewels of his brow. We prepared to depart. Edwards paved the way for me. "Mrs. Daee lives at the Arcadia, which le not mere than a mile from your house. You can take her there, step back in your carriage and be home ten minutes later. Miss Lyddon and I go in another direction, and leave you to your pleasant homeward ride. Of course we must all meet again. It will require another evening to talk this one over." We bade them good night, and hail ing a carriage, I assisted my compan ion into it. The rather long ride homeward still lingers in my mind as a pleasant dream. The gentle sway ing of the carriage as the rubber tires rolled noiselessly over the boulevard lulled us into half confidences. She told me quite a few things about her self. Her husband, an Englishman, bad been in some diplomatic service in the orient, had died a year before, and she bad sow come back to her birthplace on matters of business. Unreservedly, she seemed to accept me as a thorough man of the world, and even did me tbe flattery to repeat some of my witticisms of the evening an-' laugh over them for a moment the second time. When I say that I was charmed I think I have ex pressed it. In front of the formidable entrance to the building where she resided I assisted her to alight, and she thrust out her fingers which I took eagerly. The physical contact thrilled me from head to toe and the enchantment of her smile enthralled me. "You have entertained me delightfully. I feel flattered to have met you," she mar mured. "And since you are a busy man by day, I hope you will call and see me some evening when you can think of nothing else to do. You can reach me over the phone at almost any time. I hope you will not forget me.- That anyone once seeing her could ever forget her I Nothing could be more ridiculous than the thought. I lightly laughed the idea to scorn aa I bent over her hand. "Mrs. Dace, the old Roman general reported to his emperor, T came, I saw, I conquered.' To you I must report somewhat differ ently. T came, I saw, I am con quered.' I win pay yon my tributes very soon. Until then life will be a necessity instead of a pleasure." She tripped up the entrance steps and from -their top sent me a flutter of her handkerchief and a flashing smile that made my blood leap as she vanished behind the heavy door. Back into the carriage I climbed and went home in an exhilaration of spir its that the wine did not account for. The seine had been cast and was be ing held wide to receive. Unsuspi ciously the fish wiggled on. The next day I happened to see Bruce. In the course of our ooBversa tkm I casually asked him what he knew of my companion of the night before, and be oegan digging bis fin gers Into his bead as though trying to scratch out an answer. Presently it came: "Let see. I don't know that I can tell you very much you know I never paid any particular attention to her," he began in a quizzical glance at me. "Still, if you win agree to keep it a family secret, I might re member a few things. Promise, hon est Injun?" "Honest Injun." "Well, then, here goes. Matie Mad den was born in this town about thirty years ago of poor but dishonest parents. But she was j beauty, even as a girl, and people forgave her par' entage on that account Pie eloped out of school with a more or less ac count Englishman named Dace, who afterwards got Into the service of his government over In India or some oth er outlandish place on the bark of the map. He died with bis boots on." "How was he killed?'' I Inquired. Bruce grew a trifle more serious. "Well, now, that is something I am no authority upon. I can only repeat Sir I Wish You Will Tell Me Frankly and Do II" to you in confidence what I have heard and read. But the report has it that It happened in a disagreement with a Russian nobleman over her one of those cheerful little affairs that sometimes occur out that way, you know; referee and seconds to the front; wine and jealousy in the back ground; moon in the distance you understand. Anyway it made a rip ping good story for the Journals. Next thing I heard of her she was back here. I hope you are not going to make a fool of yourself over her." His general tone had slightly Irri tated me, but the last remark positive ly nettled. "No; I think one in the slipped the thrust aside in his usual smooth way, laughing. . "I guess that's right. Come to think of it, I never did know you to make a fool of yourself over anything That does seem to be my specialty, doesn't it? But while I give you credit for having a better balanced head than I have. 111 tell you what I do in certain cases. When I get up against a proposition like cocaine in wine, ox a woman like Mrs. Dace, run ior tne lence. They are too blamed seductive to fool with and I don't take any chances with them. She has got tbe beauty and graces of all the mythological goddesses com bined, but that does not count for everything. If I remember rightly. those mythological goddesses were a pretty, bad lot." with the Instinctive desire that Clare had possessed to fly to his de fense, I now felt myself surging to Mrs. Daces. But I held myself in leash. "Even assuming for the sake of argument that I should desire to make a fool of myself over her, what ppssible object could she have in en couraging me to such Idiocy?" I aEked. He puckered up his mouth and thrust his hands deep in his pockets. "Well, now, that Is one of the funny things about women. Of course we don't know much about them, but we do know this: We know that the onlv reason they care for us Is because they can't get anything better. If the gods came to earth, the only thing left for man to do would be to cast him self like swine into the sea. And therein is where we differ from wom ankind. Man doesn't "want angels: plain mortal woman provided she is not too plain, of course is good enough for him. But Inasmuch as she can't achieve the gods, on this earth at least, she turns to man as the next best substitute. Now you are a strap ping young fellow, good looking and all that, and such men have always interested women from the beginning. But remember, there are women and women. Take Clare, for instance. She Is beautiful, too, and keeps her self looking as attractive as possible in order to make people like her. Yet she is as harmless as a butter fly. Some others aren't. You ought to know something of the species be fore you pick up a thing Just because it is gaudy. You might get stung." Absolutely without Information con cerning her beyond what fixuee him self had confided in me, half angry at myself that I should take the trouble to answer him, I nevertheless yielded to my impulse to defend her. With considerable emphasis I told him that I should refnse to believe any in sinuations against her until I bad pos itive knowledge of their truth. He listened silently, growing suddenly sober at my warmth, and when I had finished addressed me with a mollify ing pat upon the back. "Whew! I didn't think you were going to get so warmed up over a lit tle thing like that But you may be sure I have no desire to disparage your lady. I told you to start with that I knew almost nothing about her except by hearsay, and you know as well aa I do what that sort of evi dence is worth. They won't listen to ft in law. She may be pure gold far all I know; but I was Just warning you to keep your guard up until you have feinted her out But now m ten you something which I do know to be a fact If you expect to hold a princess, you havejgot to be a prince of good fellows yourself and go out and buy her a new castle every few days. Furthermore, in this case, you are going to run up against a real dragon." I smiled. "Dragons always get the worst of It in the story books; fire, smoke and all," I returned with a touch of sar- Orlgln of the Bath Towel. A towel manufacturer found that Lais hfiiz,jKOTnsigh-.. ana mat ma towers 'wfB-i-unerni -k- vaot tangling of the threads. While adjusting the machine be used one of the damaged towels to dry his bands. He found it pleasingly absorbent, and from the idea to which that gave rise was born the bath towel and a for tune to the patentee. casss. But Bruce seemed very much ta earnest. "Weil, you won't find this one any fairy tale beast that you can chop up with a tin sword. He la an up-to-date, bigh-geared. ilit j horte power. mi!e-a-minute Juggernaut, and you had better keep out of bis wsy or you'll get smashed." "And the dragon is wto?" "Richard Mackay, boodler prince and political bos who was Indicted by tbe grand Jury In connection with that thirty-million dollar franchise grab from the city; and who by some means unknown to me escaped the cell that he ought to garnish." he shot over his shoulder as he turned away. "Thank you ever so much," I re torted , 'To Be Continued.) The Perfect Laxative for Elderly People Explanation of Colon of Leaves. In extremely moist atmosphere the color of the leaves are not usually very brifcL:, as In England. And in very dry climates the leaves dry up sud denly, and their skin, which is very thkk to prevent the escape of moist ure, is not sufficiently transparent to allow the color to bt sren beneath. In regions where 'he auMinm foliage Is most vivid we find that an average sea son produces the most exquisite colors. Neither a very dry nor a very wet sum mer v ill result in much brilliancy. Marriage Made Easy. Gretna Green, Scotland, became fa mous for its celebration of Irregular marriages. For many years the aver age number was five hundred. The ceremony consisted only of an admis sion, before witnesses, by the couple that they were husband and wife, this being sufficient to constitute a valid marriage. After this the officiating functionary (for many years a black smith), together with two witnesses, signed the marriage certificate. Age ha its attractions no less than youth in a more serene and quieter life. But it is this very life of rest without sufficient exercise that brings with it those disorders that arise from in activity. Chief of those are a thronie, persistent em s ipatieo. Most elderly people are troubled in this way, wiih accompany ins; symptoms of belching, drowsiness after eating, headaches and general lassitude. Fre quently there is difficulty of digesting even light food. Much mental trouble ensues, as it is hard to find a suitable remedy. First of all the advice may be given that elderly people should not use salts, cathartic pills or powders, waters or any of the more violent purgatives. Whst they need, women as well as men, is a mild laxative tonic, one that is pleasant to take and yet acts without griping. The remedy that fills all these re quirements, and bas in addition tonic properties that strengthen the stomach, liver an'l bowels, is Dr. Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin, which thousands of elderly peo ple use, to the exclusion of all other remedies. Trustworthy people like Mr. H W. Robinson, 100 W. Divine St. Co lumbia, S. C. and Mr. W. L. Shepard. SUttnville. Ga., say they Uke it at reg ular intervals and in that way not only maintain general good health, but that they have not in years felt as good as the do now. You will do well to always have a bottle of it in the house It is good for all the family. Anyone wishing to make a trial of this remedy before, buying it in the regular way of a druggist at fifty cents or one dollar a large bottle (family sizn) rti have a sample bottle sent to th" hon e freeof charge by simply so,dresin5f Dr. W. B. Caldwell, 406 Washington bt.. Monticello, 111 Your name and address on s postal card will do. To lonesome Women ! "In f M trioi to the BMctlnfl ? ' 'Tn. rn a rc4r Mhra ra 1 Not for Her. The verger of a large church, see ing an old woman In one of tbe seats reserved for some Important persons, beckoned her to come out. But just at that moment the organ started play ing. The old woman, never having been in a church containing an organ, startled blm and the congregation by calling: "Ha, man, get somebody younger; my dancing days are past.'' Women living on farms and in rural districts haven't time to seek and enjoy social pleasures. Distances are too great the work is too urgent. "of thescrpleasures. The Rural Telephone selves the problem. It enables women to talk with neigh bors and friends and keep aJive to the news of the day. Our free booklet tells how you can have a telephone in your home at small cost. Women living in the country should write for it. Address Farmers Line Department SOUTHERN BELL TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH COMPANY 192 south Pryor SL. Atlanta, Ga. One Member All Right. Little Edith, aged three, was sup posed to take her afternoon nap, a thing she dreaded very much. Her mother came into the room, but Edith pretended she was sleeping. Her mother could tell by the unsteadiness of ber eyes that she wasn't sleeping, and said: "Mamma knows you aren't sleeping." "Well, I Isn't sleeping, bu my eyes Is." Without the Letter "E." The following verse contains all the letters of the alphabet except the let ter "e." which Is the letter more fre quently used than any other: A jovial swain may rack bis brain, And tan bis fancy's might; To quiz is vain, for 'tis most plain. That whit I say is right. Move On Now! says a policeman to a street crowd, and whacks heads if it don't. "Move on now," says the big, harsh mineral pills to bowel congestion and suffering fol lows. Dr. King's New Life Pills don't bulldoze the bowels. They gently per suade them to right action, and health follows. 25c at all druggists. (5) Atlantic Coast Line The Standard Railroad of the South. Ramifies the "Nation's Garden Spot" Through the States of Virginia, North Carolina, South; Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. FOUR FAMOUS TRAINS "New York and Florida Special" (January to April) "Florida and West Indian Limited" "Palmetto Limited" "Coast Line Florida Mail" DINING CARS a la carte service All year round through car service from New York to both Port Tampa and Knights Key, connecting with steamships to and from Havana. For beautifully illustrated booklets and copy of the "Purple Folder," address: W. J. CRAIG, T. C WHITE, Passsenger Traffic Manager, General Passenger Agent, Wilmington, North Carolina. Our Big Four Clubbing Offer The Greatest Subscription Bargain Ever Offered. Reading for the Entire Family. FARMERS VOICE THE 1861 Bloomington, Illinois. Tdryd by ARTHUR J. BILL. hlvf farm oaoer Dl)b- t:?r.ed for the purpose of reporting, nrpreting and teach ng afrrteul turrtl truth for the benefit of all who .1st i hotter farms, bolter tl I t luicicmcu " , - homes, better schools, better cnurcft- ps pnd a better and more satisiying c untry i:fe. It is edited from tne ( eld. and U cioseiy assut ticu ti e Varmera, the Farmers' Institutes, the Agricultural Colleges, Experi ment Stations, aJid a l other organ zatlons devoted to country life pro gress, UJL"LI,IH'.'W aTC JOSEPH MISSOURI Chicago, ILinoi. Betted by IIKRRKTJT KACI .V. Gives more read x matter for ih Edited by JAMES M. IIIVTNK. Is an illuHtrated National Farm Magazine for progressive farmers in all agricultural commun'tiea. It is j money than any i.ioath y 1:1ns . . u -...! .hA..M i printed. In t you will linrt h autnoruy on irun luiiuic- .hu ojw". travel, sc en:, invent on art. i " be read by every farmer and Kr-1 ture 4rama. dener In America. If you expect to twfa, arr.,p,u of r, make a success of raising fruit it is to almost e ery f.r.i sucli necessary to have the best ideas tf c oklns. fa? hioiis n il -wn;-l thrse who have succeeded These w 11 dressing .home ! i.,l: n-,- '1 ... , . , ,1 etc Woman s wu'l-l s .surer be found In every Issue of The Fruit nM s , for n Grow year Three Magazines and The Semi-Weekly Observer for Sl.50, V. ; The Semi-Week y Observer, one . . muim, , . The Farmers- Voice, one year, (twice a month).. 60c The Charlotte Semi-Weekly Observer ' A Farm Paper as Well as a Newspaper. Formerly The Semi-Weekly Observer was merely a reprint of The Dally Observer. Nrw It la also FARM paper, but still carries all the news. -on-denaed and mad a continued story of world events rrom day to Oav This news la gathered from all parts of tbe wo Id and paid for by The Daily Ob server. The political news I an Impartial chronic s of tbe events of the week without regard to party or lactic The Woman" 'T'or il (mon'h'y) Do Not, Po-j'OIfl Vmi"- ' -ry. -1- at in a 00 I.! F!! 'n Ooupn. t'l p otit awl Mil t. ...1 Send The Semi- eek y Observer, The Fa: .n " Vn oa Th TWELVK M'N' ru 1 t. . - er. Th "o. m's World. To Potofflf.e . . . . State Amuunl I se l THE SEMI-WEEKLY OCSL., v Charlotte. N. C