North Carolina Newspapers

ecr eiarv oTriVolous Affairs COmiOHT 1911 SOBBSrMCKKlU COMPANY u 8YNOP3IS. o Codman and her alstar Ixiulle are left orphan. Their! t Thelrl property has been wept awav hv tha riaath nf their fa hr and they are compelled to cant about - aume meana to earn a living, juou , a anawera an advertisement of an Inva lid who wants a companion. She decllnea the poaltlon. Loulle advertlnea for a po Itlon aa companion, and Mra. Haiard replies. She offers Loulle a poaltlon aa her "secretary of frivolous affairs." Her chief work Is to steer Mrs. Hasard's son and daughter in the right matrimonial path. Ioulie talks baseball to Hap Has ard and 'also gains tha confidence of Lau ra Haiard. The Duo de Trouvllle Is be lieved to be interested In Laura Mrs. Hazard gives a big reception and Loulle meets many people high in the social world. Natalie Agassis, to whom Hap has been paying attention, loses an em erald bracelet during the reception. Bha declares thera la not another Ilka It In tha world.- It develops that Natalie has lost several plecea of jewelry under sim ilar circumstances! Hap takes. Loulle to . the baseball game. He telle her ha ta not engaged to Natalia and' lias bean cured of bis Infatuation. Tha acene ... changes to the Haiard country place, where many notables have been Invited for tha summer. Loulle and Laura visit the farm of Wlnthrop Abbott, an author. In whom Laura takea considerable Inter- eat. Duo da Trouvllle arrlvea at the Hai ard place. Loulle hears Wlnthrop's mo tor boat out late at night. Next morning the papera announce the robbery of lev eral nearbv homea. Natalie accuses Lou He of ataallna- her rubv Dendant. Mrs, Haiard assures Loulle of ner confidence In her. Hin declares hla love for Loulla, She reciprocates, but will not admit it as she fears what Mrs. Hazard will Bay: loulle Is excused from dinner on account of a headache. Bha la bombarded with nnti from Han tmnlnrtne her to aea him. Wlnthrop la arrested In the presence of Map and Loulle, charged with robbing General Schuyler's home and shooting the nneral. A box of tewela Is found in Win throp's safe, among them an emerald bracelet exactly like the one loat by Na . tall. Natalia anoloaiaea to Loulle for ac melng her of theft. Loulla Is awakened at mldnleht and finds Hap In her room. Next morning Hap explains that he was In pursuit of a myaterlous woman he had seen In tha corridor and who eluded him by passing through Loulle's room. Na talie Identifies the emerald bracelet found In Wlnthrop's safe as her own. Loulle's sister. Jo, arrives for a week's stay. John Crowalnahleld pays marked attention to .To. Loulla watchea all n Eht with Natalia, She sees Wlnthrop croaa the fawn In tha early morning, shadowed by Thomas, a footman. Loulle hears a noise In the gal lery and goes to Investigate. She slips Into the card room and stumbles over bag. She starts to carry it to her room an la atirnrlaed hv aomeone in the hall and falls downstair. She breaka her arm. The bag belongs to John. Loulle again finds herself under suspicion. Lou lle overhears Hap tell his mother that he Intends to marry Loulla even If she Is a thief, which he doean't believe. Loulla declares that aha will not marry him, but Mrs. Hazard saye Hap can have her If he inii her .Detective Adams la found hound and a-aa-red. Jo Is missing. Tha detective says she was carried , off by three meiv.v ' . .w.. . . .. CHAPTER XXIV. Continued, At the end of an hour we knew that Jo's abductors had crossed the wire fence to the pasture, a mile down the shore, for a piece of the . dark blue dressing-gown that was missing from her wardrobe was found on the wire where, evidently, It had caught. A little farther on, one of her slippers ; was found. But there all trace of the thieves and Jo ended, We telephoned for Wlnthrop and he came immediately. He knew more about , that part, of the country In a minute than any of the rest of us In a year. But noontime brought nothing more, and afternoon still nothing. Then the police were noti fied and that brought also newspaper men and photographers. The police ana the newspapers seemed the end of our desperate hoping. Doctor Graham came and barricaded me In my sitting-room when the re- porters began to arrive, with Celle as sentinel. He said it would not do for me to see them; that I would be ill. ; Then the attempted Jewel robbery , leaked out reporters Just scent such things embellished with my having heard suspicions. noises, dramatically rushing : out and saving the Jewels, and plunging . down the steps and breaking my arm as a fitting climax. An artist sketched one of the maids and added a broken arm, as they couldn't snap me; and the newspapers that afternoon oame out with extras that sizzled. 1 But out of that episode Mr. Samuel Dick, of the Evening Columbian, con rhetd a. very nlausible story of Jo's ' disappearance. She had heard .. a noise. Just al had; she had Investi gated, which accounted for her having on as much as she had; she had per haps recognized, the .thieves, which made it necessary for them to carry her away until they had made good their escape. They had left the de tective behind because he had not learned who they were. Mr. Dick con jectured that we would find Jo alive, because if the thieves had intended to kill her they would not have taken the trouble to carry her off. The big question, of course, If we accepted this 'theory, was: Whom had sne recognized? And that was a chance to display. Mr. pick's ability as a re porter. He wrote a lot and said noth ing, but ended with a clever allusion to the emerald bracelet and Wlnthrop. The story breathed hope in every line, but it did not find Jo; and that's all I wanted to find her! , ' The thieves had gone away empty banded, ''Plainly they had come back for the jewels, not knowing, of course, the Jewels had been conveyed to town and locked in good strong boxes 1t various banks, i But Jo knew it, Ani she did not follow In the hope of getting back anything. Just where) or how they had made her prisoner I Illustrations tiy V.L.EARNE5 we could only 'conjecture. After all, I couldn't see that it made any dif ference where, for our only Idea was to get her back, to know she had not been harmed, but the police and the reporters gave a great deal of thought and space to this matter. I told John of , the pistol when he came once dur lng the afternoon to say there was nothing new, but he only groaned. She had not defended herself. When the dinner-gong sounded, Lone Oak, tor once, was demoralized, John had not comer back; Hap was disheveled and tired and refused to dress. He dined on coffee and sand wiches which Mrs. Hazard directed Burrows, to serve in the smoking- room to anybody who wanted to eat I was in my room, dry-eyed and hope less, 'with Laura consoling me; and poor, dear Mrs. ' Hazard was trying to be everywhere and see everybody, while an immaculate, muchly-starched nurse from town only got in every body's way and added to the con fusion. No one would let her nurse. Natalie constituted herself hostess. l don t think anybody gave a thought tQ His Grace or cared how he amused himself. He came upon the terrace once during the afternoon, and a photographer snapped him, not for any particular . reason, but Just because he was a duke and was lying around loose. It was an awkward situation for a house-party. The din. ner must have been a hideous affair, The women were left alone after din ner, for all the men, except His Grace, changed to rough clothes and went to see what could be done to help. Not that they had any partic ular hope, but they chafed at being idle in such a crisis. The billiard- room was deserted, the card-room dark, and one by one lanterns began to flit in the direction of the ninth hole, where Jo's slipper had been found. ' It was quite dark when John came, and besides the horror of its being dark, there was no news. He knocked softly, came in, spread out his hands helplessly. He was tired and dusty, and his clothes were torn where evi dently he had struggled through gaps In wire fences. When I met his clear gray eyes and the look jn them , I moaned. Then he gave tway, too, 'and sat down, burying his face in his hands. I knew the truth; he loved her! He had waited' a long time to love, then had tumbled in pell-mell, and the woman was Jo. I obeyed an impulse and put my hand on his bowed head. "We'll find her," I whispered brok enly. Yes, we'll find her!" he repeated grimly. "One of the newspapers suggests that perhaps she was abducted and Is being held for ransom. In that case there's a chance " He came to his feet with an excla mation and eagerly scanned the paper I gave him. . If they are holding her if only they will demand ' a ranaon," he said hoarsely. "Great God! ; If only they will!" . "You .think they have killed her?" I cried. . . - . "No, no!" he denied. "She's alive She must be alive. Why, she's got to live, live!" It was an awful thing to see him Just Because He Wat a Duke and Was . Lying Around Loose. go to pieces, and he had gone com pletely. The effort, he' made to con trol himself made it, all the' more pitiful. His lips were white; he could not hold the paper steady, and when he spoke his words, try as he did to keep them from being so, were tragic. I didn't know what had happened be tween him and Jo the evening be fore, but I knew what was going to happen If she ever came hack alive; and no dressmaking nonsense . and false pride were going to have any thing to do with It when- a man waits for nearly forty "years to fall in love, a tornado and that's the most strenuous thing I can think of J couldn't stop htm. He folded the paper add tut it down gently. "If the damned scoundrels are after ransom," be said, "they will take care of her, It's growing cold" he shlv: ered, but the breeze that came in waq hot and sultry "and she has only one shoe. Loulle, does she know how to use that revolver?" "She can plug a dime at fifty yards," I replied, remembering that somebody at the club once said be would like to see her plug a dime at fifty yards. . "Then why didn't she shoot?" he demanded suddenly. "It's an awful thing to shoot a man, now, isn't It?" I demanded in turn. "Even it he is a thief?" "Great Lord. ' no, when she's in danger; It's self-defense." "Well, that's the way I'd feel about It, and that's the way she would, too, Perhaps when she realized there was danger It was too late." He was exasperated with me. He couldn't see that a woman's mind works differently from a man's. He came close to me after a moment, drew me Into his arms and placed very brotherly kiss upon my fore head. . ... "Women," be said softly, "women are angels." The worst continued tt happen Just at that particular instant Hap banged on the door and, without wait ing, suddenly . opened it. It was an awfully awkward situation. There was John with me in his arms John, who never looked twice at a woman in his life and I practically engaged to Hap, and Hap looking as if some thing had exploded Just under his nose. I know I went red, and I'm sure I would have done something foolish If John's beautiful self-posses sion had not saved us. He continued to hold me in his arms. "Women," he remarked over my shoulder to Hap, "women are angels Hap blinked. ."You bet they are!" he said. But he was trying to readjust himself. I went to him. "Don't you see it's Jo, you goose, not me," I whispered. "Get him drink; he needs 1t." "Scotch or rye, John?" Hap asked from pure force of habit." . "Neither," John replied. . "Scotch," I said firmly. "Make It a long one" I think that's the way to say it, and I illustrated as the men do "and'-and put a cherry In it CHAPTER XXV. The Man at the Bridge. It's a strange thing that the first definite clue we had to Jo after the slipper and the torn piece of her dressing-gown, came from Charlie Ayer. There had been no demand for ransom on the following morning and we were In despair. Mr. Partridge arrived, but he could only bring me consolation. A rumor that some strange men had been ' seen at the railroad station came' to naught, and finally Charlie had taken the run about and gone away, no one knew where and had not bothered. He came back late that afternoon, grimy, with two men In the car, one a milk man, the other a stable boy, and held up to the shocked gaze of everybody present Jo's other slipper. While the detectives John had had sent down from town, and the local police, were following up clues that led nowhere, Charlie had stumbled upon one that seemed to be good, through pure unadultered chance, and a puncture.' He had started -to town, I don't think he himself knew why, and he got the puncture on a stretch of roadway that didn't , boast a tree for a mile. It's a thirsty job fixing a puncture, more so when the sun Isn't particular Just how hot It shines, and it's the first time the shoe has been off and has rusted on the rim. When Charlie finally threw the pump and the Jack Into the tonneau the only thing in sight was a milk wagon. Now, I don't think Charlie ever took a drink of milk in his life, but milk is better than nothing and Charlie hailed 'the? wagon. .While he was drinking the milk, the milkman began reading a morning paper. Charlie gazed at the back page,- know ing that on the front page, Just under the milkman's eyes, , was a story, capped by a two-column head, to the effect that Miss Codman r was still missing. He asked a perfectly silly question, witn startling results: "You don t happen to have- seen a young woman, in a dark-blue dressing- gown, looking lost, strayed or stolen?" No, sir," the milkman answered, "but Bill, the stable boy where we keep the wagons" he Jerked his head toward the interior or tie ; wagon 'says he thinks he knows about this here young woman who was stolen from Lone Oak. Are you a-Iooklng fo her?" "Yes," admitted Charlie, "I'm a looking for her." ' The milkman whistled, then held up two fingers ana dexterously . ex pectorated between thera. .. "Well, Bill says he thinks he picked up them three men and the young woman on this here very road about four o'clock in the morning, and drove 'em about two miles. He ain't sure; he don't remember nothing about the dressing-gown, for it was dark and he didn't see It, but he said this morning that it did seem to him as it it must have been them." A greenback changed hands, and the result was that the milkman agreed to take Charlie to the stable and Introduce him to) Bill. Bill's story was that he had driven a couple, who had missed the last train up, to a stable that boasted an auto mobile, and there he had turned back toward home. It was late then, or rather, early somewhere ", between half-past three and tow. At a point I which be did not exactly remember, three men accosted him and asked If they might ride with him. He didn consider this unusual, because It had happened , to him before. The men were supporting a young woman be tween them. Bill. concluded she had had too much. He was. paid in ad vance, a bill which, in the light of smoky kerosene stable lamp later, turr.cd out to be ten dollars, but that, too, had happened to Bill before when h. had given a lift to a "souse." They rode what Bill Judged to be at out two miles, and got out at a path fcvlUently leading to a house, Just be fore coming to a small bridge. He remembered the bridge distinctly They had called "good-night" to him One of them, he thought, spoke In German. He had ceased to think of the Incident until he saw the row the newspapers had kicked up about young woman having been, presuma bly, abducted from a place in that vicinity on that very morning. He had hesitated about Informing the police, because he didn't want to get mixed up 'bout nothing when he wasn't sure 'bout nothing, and didn' know nobody; and he couldn't be spared from the stable to go to court 'bout nothing. But when he had been promised full pay for any time lost and a guarantee of his Job from the owner of the stable, he consented to accompany Charlie to Lone Oak, If the milkman would go also, and place himself and his information at the disposal whoever wanted It. He gave Charlie a slipper which he had found In the carriage. It was Jo's. The terrace became a newspaper office, and at the rustic tables where we usually had tea In the late after noon reporters were frantically writ- tart. The photographers snapped Bill and the milkman every time they looked "up. It was quite a procession that went down the driveway to take Bill the spot near the small bridge where the men and their victim had alighted Wlnthrop said he knew the path and A ' Passing Automobile Party . Had Found an Unconscious Man Beside the Road. the. bridge it was perhaps four miles or more below Lone Oak and if Jo's abductors had left the carriage there he was certain It was not to follow the path. He knew It led to a little house and a celery farm, owned by an old German couple named Hingel muller, simple, honest folk who cer tainly had no hand in an abduction or in concealing any one who- had. But everybody went, Just the same, and rather eagerly wnen it was re membered that Bill said he thought one of the men spoke In German.' . The little old couple were aston lshed at the intrusion, but answered questions straightforwardly, and be cause Wlnthrop, who knew them well, requested- It, allowed a search of their house and premises. Absolutely no trace of any person was found. The detectives and more to the point the newspaper men were finally con vinced that the Hlngelmullers knew nothing." If It had not been for the slipper, it is probable Bill's story would have been entirely discredited. The bridge spanned a' small brook that ran through the Hlngelmullers' celery farm on one side of the road, coming through an estate on the other belonging to a family who had been abroad for three years. This estate was vacant. The house was some distance from the stream, and stood on a knoll that gave a view of the ocean, It was surrounded by weeds and overgrowth. The detectives decided to inspect this house. A careful search, how ever, "proved conclusively that no one had been near the place. The house was securely shuttered, its shutters and porches thick with dust. There was no Indication anywhere of the weeds having been trampled. It was reasonably certain that : the house neither was nor had been occupied for some time. But the police took the responsibility of tearing off a shut ter ' and searching. Inside was the same , coating of dust, no footprints tnywhere, no signs of anything hav ing been disturbed. The search ; from that time on seemed to stand still. BUI and the milkman were sent back to the stable handsomely rewarded, but the story came to naught, Just as everything else had. We were no nearer finding Jo than we had been the morning of her disappearance. John still expected a demand for ransom, so did Mr. Partridge, who broke two pairs of glasses the morn ing he came, rubbing them. I had ceased to hope. I nursed my broken arm and cried every time I looked and I looked often at Jo's long, slim gowns hanging on their pegs. Just now r k Happened the newspapers hadn't dfscovered Jo's Connection with Mmo. Gautler, Robes et Man teaux. r do not know, ; It's a tact that all the stories referred to her as Mrs. Hazard's guest,: the beautiful Miss Codman. Perhaps it made a bet ter story r ; " - ...5 s, 0 -, t 5 ; We dragged through , Sunday. , Win throp had taken the reporters into his home, for there was no such thing as a hotel near us. We discovered that Sam Dick was an '07, and Sun day evening Mrs. Hazard brought him in to see me she's soft-hearted about reporters anyhow. He told me he wouldn't print anything I said if didn't wish it, but he simply had to be able to tell hla city editor that he bad seen me; that he would like to take a message to the other boys, told him I'd stand for what he chose to tell them. He's a dandy chap. Monday morning Mrs. Hazard au thorized me newspaper men to say that twenty-five thousand dollars would be paid for Jo returned alive, I didn't have to be told who had offered to pay it. Monday noon something happened that we could not see had any bearing on Jo s disappearance, but which took the newspaper men and photographers to tne rustic bridge on the run passing automobile party had found an unconscious man beside the road Just at the rustic bridge. He had been shot in the throat. How he came there no one knew. He could not speak and no one could Identify him. Afterward a trail of blood was found leading Into the woods along tne stream, but before It had been followed many things had happened. The wounded man was taken toDr, Graham's, where It was not thought he could live, as he was terribly ex hausted from loss of blood, and he evidently bad dragged himself from the place where he had been shot, to tne road for assistance. While we were digesting this new horror, John, who was pacing up and down Mrs. Hazard s sitting room, sud denly gave a short, sharp cry, and the next instant he was tearing madly tearing madly is exactly what he was doing down the steps and across the lawn. Coming from the direction of the beach, stumbling, waary, ex- naustea, was Jo! , (TO BE CONTINUED.) THOUGHT 'HE GAVE THE SIGN But Old Gentleman Naturally Was In- dignant at Mistake of Drug Clerk. A well-dressed old man walked into a corner drug store the other day, mopped his brow with a handkerchief and took a seat at the soda fountain The clerk faced him expectantly. I am' very thirsty." he remarked as he drummed on the counter. "I don't know what I want Well, I believe I will take a phosphate," he concluded, still drumming on the marble with his fingers. The clerk smiled, picked up a stein and went to the rear of the store. He came back, set It in front of the old man . and rang up 15 cents out of the half dollar which was given him. The old man, without looking in tne stein, thirstily raised it to his lips and took a long draught. Then he quickly set the stein down, sput tered a moment and then exploded between his coughs. . What do you mean? I never took a drop of liquor, sir, in my life. But I know it, sir, the rotten stuff, when I smell it Til not stand for it, sir. I called for a cherry phosphate. What do you mean, sir, by giving me whisky?" And the old man stopped for breath as he glared at the amazed clerk. "Well, I I eiv-I guess I made a mistake. I thought you wanted It for medicine," stammered the clerk. Sir, I am a teetotaler. I wouldn't touch the stuff for love nor money." And the old man marched out Indig nantly. 1 , "Well, for the love of Mike!" ex claimed the clerk to a man at the counter who had been served a stein In the same way, but who made no kick. "That old duffer came in here and certainly gave me the correct high sign. And he drank nearly half of It, too." The clerk laughed .as he looked into the stein. Kansas City Journal. Care of Your Umbrella. A soft silk wears the best In an um brella. A ; steel frame Is lighter to carry and admits or a closer roll. When carrying your umbrella on the street not in use, keep it furled; if hanging in your Closet keep its case on. In fact, It presents a very neat appearance if the case Is on when it canted. To furl, grasp the stick in the right hand, shake out the folds, wrap them closely around the stick, beginning at the ' lower end, and smooth as they are wrapped around the stick, then fasten with the silk band on the silk cover. When coming in with a wet um brella, wipe off the handle and fer rule, and furl the silk sections. If the silk gets a spot on It, remove it with silk cloth, warm water and soap, Clean a gold or silver handle in warm soapsuds, rub up a wooden han dle with a very slightly oily cloth. Up In Chemistry. 'Thomas," said the professor to a pupil in the Junior class in chemistry, mention an oxide." "Leather," replied Thomas. -"What Is leather an oxide of r asked the professor. An ox'lde of beef," answered tte bright youngster. What Happened. II went to ask her dear old dad To let hla daughter marry him; He got home later, but ha had . An ambulanca to aarry him. "CASCARETS" FOR "LIVLy OILS' No "sick headache, biliousness' bad taste or constipation by morning. A Get a 10-cent box. Are you keeping your bowels, liver, and stomach clean, pure and fresh , with CaBcarets, or merely forcing a passageway every few days with Salts, Cathartic Pills, Castor Oil or Purgative Waters? Stop having a bowel waeh-day. Let Cascarets thoroughly cleanse and reg ulate the stomach, remove the Borl and fermenting food and four gases, take the excess bile from the liver and carry out of the system all the constipated waste matter and poisons In the bowels. A Cascaret to-night will make you feel great by morning. They work while you sleep never gripe, sicken or cause any inconvenience, and cost only 10 cents a box from your store. Miyions of men and women take a Cascaret now and then and never have Headache, Biliousness, Coated Tongue, Indigestion, Sour Stomach or Constipation. Adv. Most Any Time. The scene is set. A country road, trees, sky, summer homes, a lake In the distance. A steam railway line crosses the road at right angles. Enter, up the road, an automobile, well loaded and running at high speed. Enter at the far right an express train. Both automobile and train are rush ing toward the crossing. Owner of automobile to chauffeur: "Can you make It?" The chauffeur, speeding up: "Sure I can make it!" He doesn't. Cleveland Plain Dealer. HAIR CAME OUT IN BUNCHES Route No. 3, Box 20A, Broken Ar row, Okla. "My trouble began with an itching bf the scalp of my head. My scalp at first became covered with flakes of dandruff which caused me to scratch and this caused a breaking out here and there on the scalp. It became so irritated until I could not rest at night and my hair would come out, in bunches and became short and rough. "Rvervthlnir I used would cause it to grow worse and it continued that way for about three or tout years. While reading the paper I saw the advertisement of Cuticura Soap and Ointment and sent for a sample. It proved so good that I decided to get some more. -1 used them as directed and In two weeks I saw a good ef fect. Now my hair Is longer and looks better than I have ever known It to be. I give all the credit of my cure of scalp trouble to the Cuticura Soap and Ointment." (Signed) Mrs. Ella Sheffield, Nov. 30, 1912. Cuticura Soap and Ointment sold throughout the world. Sample of each tree, with 32-p. Skin Book. Address post card "Cuticura, Dept. L, Boston." Adv. ' 8adri3r Still. Discussing a recent political scan dal, In which an official was accused of dishonesty, Richard Harding Da vis, lunching with a number of theat rical stars at a fashionable roof gar den In New York, sold, with a sigh: "He is a man I would have thought incapable of baseness. It is sad to think that every man has his price." 'Yes," said a comedian, "but a sad der fact still is that half the time he can't get it." THINK OF THE MILLIONS - that have been relieved in the past 75 years by Weight's Indian Vegetable Pills and decide whether they are not worth a trial. They regulate the bowels, stimulate the liver and purify the blood. Adv. Their First Tiff. I'm sorry I ever married you!" shrieked the bride, on the occasion of their first quarrel. You ought to be!" retorted the groom, really angry and bitter for the first time. "You beat some nice girl out of a good husband." Important to Mothers Examine carefully every bottle of CASTORIA, a safe and sure remedy for infants and children, and Bee that it Bears the Signature of I In Use For Over 30 Yean. Children Cry for Fletcher's Castoria ' Easily Seen. "Have the Jinxes a family skele ton?" "Yes, and she's wearing one of these silhouette gowns, . too." Liverpool Mercury. .- - Against a Stone Wall. "My poor man, you are the picture of dejection," sympathetically declar ed the prison visitor. "And a framed picture, at that," added the convict Buffalo Express.. , The world production of tin last year was 114,196 tons, as compared with 166.S2S tons the year before. For the treatment of eolda, lore throat, etc., Dean's Mentholated Cough Drops give sure relief 5o at all good Druggiata. Politeness opens man? doors, but they are usually Belt-closing. V