6 LITTLE MISS SNOW, SPINSTER. J-iltle Miss Snow Is on the trot From cud to end of tin- village street. Whenever you open the blind you meet ili r sunny face and her smile so awcel, 1 wonder If she Is here to stay, To visit the sick and poor alway'.' A leaded bag dangles down beside Tin trim little iigure trotting along. J wonder il' it's unwise or wrong, Tu ask did she ever hear lover's song?, l'crhups—but then it was lons ago; i*'ur now she is just our little Miss Snow. 11 \ try door is open to her. She with her step so short and quick, She with her shoes that cllckety-cliek Along Ihi ■ walk for the poor and sick. She with her way so soft and mild. Soothing the grown folk and the child. L'nder her little gray cloak is hid A heart that's tender and good anil true; t'nder tile peak of her hood of blue A pair of clear eyes look out at you. nd sh.' smiles when passing, when ever you find Iter face when you look beyond tin} blind. 'The tap of her lingers is soft and low When sin- comes to the door where sick folks are. She never brings bother, or fret, or jar— .Nothing to hurt and nothing lo mar- Only quiet, comfort, release From brooding pain—and her medi cine's peace. Many a day and many a year Out of the shadow she comes to delight, Out of her cot that and white, Out of her gate in the dead of Out of her garden of roses to bring A smile to drive away sorrow and sting. 1/ittie Miss Snow, our spinster sweet. Tender and good and true—and great! Open her door and wide her gate, Kver on hand, early or lat" You scatter sunshine wherever you KO, Dear little spinster, little Miss Snow! —Horace Seymour Keller, In X. i. Sun. Vsfftxf ?k'f 'OA! 7 Xyf) OaT?X'J& SA!T 1 t S By COULSON KERNAHAN jj 2 Author ot "Captain Shannon," "A Book oi fi Jj Strange Sins," "A Dead Man's Diary." Etc. R Copyright, 1599, bv Herbert S. Stone & Co. CHAPTER XXII I.— Co N'T is L*K JJ. When it was all over, there was a fV-adly silence for half a minute, and then we knew that tlie game was up. "Did you hear that, Stocker?' sail a voice in the room below. "Did you bear that? And if so, what d'ye make oi it?" Stocker's mumbled reply was not ] audible, so we were not enlightened respecting his views. "Quite so," went on the voice. "It didn't sound human, did it? And if I'd beard it at night, I should have said that this house was haunted, that's ■what 1 should have said. But being ip the daytime, it can't be that. What** that you say? Very likely a bird that's trot a nest in the roof? Don't tell pie. Birds don't make noises like that. No, ii isn't a wild animal that Mr. Hall's brought home from his travels either, unless it's an animal by the name of Hubboek. and he's wild enough from all showing. Only I don't call him an tmimal. I call him a murdering, sav age brute. Anyhow, I'm going to see what's under that roof, if I break my r:eck doing «it. There's a ladder lean ing against one of"the fruit trees in th< orchard, and if we stick it up on to}> of tlie portico, we ought to lie able lo teach the roof. Anyhow, we'll havi a try, so come along." Councillor Number Six, the Silent Councillor, Hall and myself must, I suppose, while this was going on.liavo been looking t lie reproaches which we dare not speik, for as soon as the po licemen were out of hearing, Hubboek said snappishly— "lt's quite incompatible that you s-liould all look askance at. me as if I was infected with African leprosy. 1 was in no way cognizant of com mitting mischief." "Quite so, Hubboek," assented Num ber Two; "you couldn't help sneezing, my good man, any more than you can liclp getting tlie African leprosy, which I trust you never will. The only mercy i> you didn't yawn, for yawning, like llie African leprosy, is catching, and sneezing isn't. Hut the question we've now to consider is, 'What's to b" done?' " "I think," said the appeased Hub boek more deferentially, "if the coun cil doesn't think the course too igno n inious, that it would be advisable to •ensconce ourselves under the table. If tiie policemen climb up on the roof and extract a tile to look in, they can't see HP there, and they may conclude that the room is uninhabited." "By extracting a tile, our friend doesn't mean annexing somebody else's hat, explained Number Two good h'imoredly; "all the same, I think he's right. They couldn't see us under tho table, and if they come to the conclu sion that 1 lie room's empty, they may decide to sheer off altogether, or to leave one on guard here, while the other goes 011 to Tarborough to re port progress to the superintendent. The situation is not very serious at tho worst, for it would be the easiest thing HI the world for us to overpower the two bobbies, and either silence them altogether or leave them here gagged •and tied up. while we make off. 1 don't know that the former course v.ouldn'l be the kindest, for the room might never be discovered, and unless they could manage to make themselves beard, they'd stand a good chance 01' le in tlie roof large enough to admit his body, he bade fjtocker come up and hold onto the end which was hitched to the chim ney stack, while he lowered himself into the room. Curiosity getting the better of dis cretion, I very guardedly inclined my j head outward an inch or two beyond the projecting rim of the table, and | twisting my neck round, looked up. | The sergeant, hanging onto the rope, ! had just got clear of the hole in (lie j roof, and was preparing to lower him j self down hand-over-hand. Through the opening ovwr his head, the red and bovine face of Stocker was star ing. He was watching the sergeant's progress with eager interest, but the movement of my withdrawing head apparently attracting his attention, he craned through the aperture, and J catching sighl of me, pointed down i with an excited yell to where 1 was lying. Whether the shout so startled the : sergeant as to cause him to lose his ; hold, or whether what happened was j caused by the letting go by Stocker !of the end of the rope which was i hitched around the chimney stack, I ! cannot say. All 1 know is that the j unfortunate serseant fell with a crash, | pulling down with him one of the lamps that lighted the table. This lamp, though of oriental and ancient nianuiacture, hail been prostituted by Hall to so base a use as the burning of paraflln: and as artificial light was a necessary, even during ilie day-time, in our prophet's chamber, the lamp was unfortunately burning at the time. As it fell it struck tho edge of the table ami cannoned--a terrible tongue of fire —against the wall, which, as the reader knows, was draped, lenl CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, • THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 1904 wise, from floor to ceßlng with some Indian fabrics. The room, being di rectly under the roof, was always hot, and this fabric bad evidently become as dry and inflammable as tinder. CHAPTER XXIV. "FIKJS!" There was, as I have twice already mentioned, a strong wind blowing out side, and this doubtless played no lit tle part in bringing about what fol lowed. 1 remember that as the lamp fell, a licking tongue of fire ran—like a monkey running up a rope—along tlio drapery, and that before I had time to get out from under the table, almost before the gaping face of Stoeker had disappeared from the hole overhead, the entire roof was one sheet of flame. I learnt afterwards from Number Two that lie had the house retiled before be and Hubbock had set. about con structing the secret chamber. The in telligent British workman to whom the task was entrusted hail made a heavy additional charge in the bill for what lie called "weather-proofing" the roof, by a method of his own inventing, ui)on which lie greatly plumed himself. 111 the matter of keeping rain out. this system of weather-proofing gave Hail every satisfaction, lint, viewed from another standpoint, it caused him con siderable uneasiness, for lie had re cently discovered that the material used for wadding the interstices oe tween the tiles, was a kind of skein oaktrfn, which, being saturated with tar, was highly inflammable. Like every wise man, Number Two had a horror of fire, and he at once decided to substitute an asbestos preparation for the oakum. The asbestos had been procured, and the work of substitution commenced, when the unexpected ad vent of the conspirators, and tlitir in stallment. a! Heath cottage, put a stop to a work which the fates had de creed should never be finished, for within three minutes from the falling of the lamp, the upper part of Heath cottage was a royal roaring furnace. "Warm work, that!" gasped Number Two, breathlessly, when lie, Hubbock, the silent councillor, Number Six, and myself—coughing and choking and not all unsinged—found ourselves out side. "Warm for the bobbies, too, poor devils The man on the roof was in the thick of the lire, and must be a cinder by now. I think the other chap hurt himself when lie fell; anyhow, he hasn't got out, and never will now. We'd better be off, and by separate ways. The neighbors will be here ift 110 time. But we must settle some place of meeting first. Where shall it. lie. and when? To-morrow morning at 12, by the bookstall at St. Pancras station. I'll secure a carriage to our selves by the Southend train, and we can talk things over going down. No one will notice us there, and if they do, they'll only think we are going to a bean-feast party. So we are, for we're going to give some of them 'beans' before we've done with them — aren't we? Now I'm oil', and you'd 'letter do the same." As tiie other four struck across the field I made for the high road. I had snatched up my hat when leaving the cottage, and as there was nothing if my dress to attract attention, and I hat! 110 reason to believe that I was known personally to, or wanted by, the police,l thought my safest plan would be togo boldly ahead. After I had walked n mile or so, I met a black-bearded man dressed as if for bicycling and wearing a cloth cap. "Can you tell me." lie said, politely, "which is tiie shortest way to a house called Heath cottage, in the occupation of a Mr. Hall?" "No," I replied, "I can't." "Then you are a stranger in this neighborhood ?" he asked. "I'm a stranger to you," I said, curt ly, resenting his inquisitiveness. "I see. Then when you said just now that you couldn't tell mo my way to Heath cottage, you meant that you didn't want to?" "11' you like," i answered. "Take it either way. It's none of your busi ness." "Oh. yes, it is," was his off-hand re ply. "1 happen to be a police officer, you see, and i shall have to trouble you to return with me as far as Tar borough." Then he burst into a laugh. "Don't upset yourself, Number Seven. I only wanted to satisfy myself that tiie dis guise was ail right, and it certainly seems to be so, since yen didn't recog nize your chief and late host." "Yt.>.< took me by surprise," I said, feeling and looking rather foolish, "and gave nie a bit of a fright into the bargain. I recognize you now easily enough. But to meet you coming in this direction and in a disguise was enough to deceive any one. How on earth did you manage it in the time? You haven't been into the cottage again, surely?" "Easiest thing in the world, my dear fellow," he said, lightly. "My motto | is, 'Always be prepared for an emer j gency.' \\ hen you saw me last, some ; 20 minutes ago, 1 was wearing a pep ! per-and-salt coat and trousers. But my clothes are all made with two sides jlO them. There's nothing unusual I about this coat, is there, except that it j is buttoned close, as all my coafs are. | But. if you turn it inside out. it would I be pepper-and-salt again instead of blue serge. I always wear stockings instead of socks, and the arrangement iof my own by which I can change j trousers into knickerbockers is simple, and works so well, thai I think of pat . enting it one day. The beard and ihe cap I carry in my pocket, so I made a dressing-room of the first secluded place I came to, and here I am, very much at your service. "Now look here. Number Seven." he went on. changing his tone abruptly. 'I slipped across the fields to intercept vou because I want a word with you. This council is getting a ghastly farce. You and I and Hubbock can work to gether iiil bat lue other two are simply deadheads. Perhaps Its my fault. 1 begin to realize that I was mistaken in thinking I could handle the team as Number One did. That man was a positive genius. His organ izing power was marvelous. The six of us worked together under hint like oarsmen in a boat. There was no waste effort. He used the whole of us, and put out his men when he had any little scheme on, like a captain placing his team in the cricket field. Now everything's changed. One or two of us bring the brains and do the work, and the rest just look on, and take no risk nor pari in the business except sharing the profits. It's not like tin? same thing it used to be. You weren't a member of the syndicate in those days. Then it was a power in the world. Then tilings were planned and carried out on a big scale. Number One was a genius and worked the six of us, for what, we were worth, so that we were all like so many wheels in one big perfectly acting machine. Now we are just a gang of vulgar criminals, with nothing in common between us either in mind or methods except that we share the plunder alike. The syn dicate lias gone to pieces since the chief's death. I thought I could step into his shoes, and take it up and carry it 011 from the point he left it at; but I've found out my mistake by now, and 1 can see no good and a precious lot of danger in our hanging together any longer. "But I'm going to make just one more attempt, to carry a big scheme through, upon the lines the chief used togo upon, so that each member of the council bears his part. If it fails, I shall chuck it, and retire from the syndicate altogether. You and I and Hubbock could run the show better without the other two men than with them, and thrre'd be only three instead of five "to share the profits. I fancy you'll see your way to join us, and to throw those two fools over. That's all I have to say to you, and I'm going now. But think it over, and if you feel inclined to stand in with 11s, put a floVer« of some sort in your button hole to-morrow." f'X'o I)o Continued.] Her Heart IN Mimical. Prof. Ileitter of Vienna, recently astonished the medical society of that city by saying, that one of his pa tients had a musical heart. She is a woman, and ever since her fourth year she has suffered from, palpitations. While stil! very young she noticed that a harmonious and thrilling sound camo from her chest whenever she breathed, and a year or two later this music became so distinct that any one who was in the same room with her could hear it. As she grow older it became more shrill and closely resembled a hum in voice. At present this curious music consists of only two notes, which are described as being very sweet and clear. Prof, lieit ter and the other mem bers of the medical society are now studying this singular phenomenon, and the result of their investigations is awaited with interest by physicians throughout Europe.—Stray Stories. Knilcil in IlenliiiK Clot lien. Canon Marriott, of Bermuda, spent the latter part of the summer at hen ox, Mass. The canon is exceedingly fond of music, and his acquaintance with musicians is extensive. The canon told one day a story about Offenbach. "Offenbach," he said, "once had an unusually good valet. The man could shave, cook, tailor, market, doctor horses —do, in a word, a thousand things. Offenbach nevertheless dis charged him. " "Why,' his friends said, 'did you dismiss a servant so apt?' " 'Oh, because, said Offenbach, pet tishly, 'in beating my clothes outside my door he would never keep in time.' " —N. Y. Tribune. \ n o«itM]>okc*ii Priest. Monsignor O'Hea, the wealthy Ito ni an Catholic priest whose death at is reported from Australia, might have stepped out of the pages of Lever or Lover. He was a member of an Irish soldier family (an ancestor went into exile with the Stuarts and died a French general), and he himself was originally intended for the military profession. Once he was greatly dis pleased at the smallncss of tlie collec tion after a special charitable appeal. N' xt Sunday he soundly rated the con gregation for their failure to rise to the occasion and incidentally re marked: "I might have been a general in the British army to-day, instead of a preacher to a parcel of skinflints like you."—Westminster Gazette. A liitoi'fil Sclioliir. Prof. Ernest Huffcut, of the Cornell law school, told an amusing story not long ago of a freshman who was called from the way of knowledge before his year was out. The students had been answering questions in moot-court, and the sub ject under discussion was a cow which had been killed by a railway train. Each student was required to fill out a paper 011 the case. "This brilliant youth," said Prof. Huffcut. "wrote with all seriousness after 'Disposition of the Carcass': 'Mild and Gentle.' " —Youth's Compan ion. Ilotli (iol Pretty Hot. John Smith, an independent-minded farmer in Perthshire, was at work one day in his iield when the factor came to see him. They talked about the re newal of the lease, but, as often hap pens in such circumstances, they could not see eye to eye. They both got pretty hot. At. last th? factor went •away in a passion, saying: "I wish never to see your face again!" The farmer thought this v/as going rather far, but. putting bis hand to his mouth in trumpet form, he cried after him: "An' I dlnna want t' see yours till the last day, an' then pretty weel ower 1' tiie afternoj " —Scottish Americaa, • Might Have Been Worse. "John!" whispered Mm. Swackhammer, hoarsely. "John, wake up! In the base ment lioar them ■■they're they're work ing in the basement- —" "Wh-wh-what!" gasped Swaek. He dived under the pillow and clutched h..-> poek'etbook. "What is it?" "B b burglars!" chattered poor Mrs. Swaclihamnicr. "Don't you h«ar them I "Aw, rats!" said Swaek as he lay down | and prepared for sleep again. "You scared | me nearly ti> death. I thought it wm plumbers."—San Francisco Bulletin. A Wonderful Discovery. Rroadland. S. Dak.. March 28. Quite a Sensation has been created here by the i publication of the story of (J. W. Gray, | who after a special treatment for Citri c j months was prostrate and helpless and j given up to die with Blight's Disease. J Blight's Disease has always been consid ered ineuianle, but evidently from the story told by Mr. Gray, there is a remedy ; which will cure it, even in the most ad vanced stages. This is what he says: "I was helpless as a little babe. My j wife and 1 searched everything and read ! everything we could find about Blight's Disease, hoping that 1 would be able to j find a remedy. After many failures my wife insisted that 1 should try Dodd's j Kidney Bills. 1 praise God for the day ' when 1 decided to do so, for this remedy j met every phase of my case and in a short time I was able to get out of bed, ; and after a few weeks' treatment I was a strong, well man. Dodd's Kidney Pills 1 saved my life." A remedy that will cure Blight's Disease will cure any lesser Kidney Disease. ; Dodd's Kidney Bills are certainly the \ most wonderful discovery which modern j medical research has given to the world, j If a young man says one clever thing a girl is charitable enough t«> overlook the j WW other things he says.—Chicago Daily | News. ITCHING* ECZEMA Anil All Oilier IteliiiiK ami Scaly Eruptions Cured !>y C'nticurn— Complete Treatment SI,OO. The agonizing itching and burning of the I skiti, as in eczema; the frightful scaling, | as in psoriasis; the loss of hair and crust- j ing the scalp, as iu stalled head; the facial | disfigurement, as in pimples and ring- ! worm; the awful suffering of infants aiyl ; the anxiety of worn-out parents, as in milk c-ru.it, teter and salt rheum —all de mand a remedy of almost superhuman vir- j tues to successfully cope with them. That ! Cuticura Soap, Ointment and Pills arc j ouch stands proven beyond all doubt. No j statement is made regarding theni that is [ uot justified bv the strongest, evidence. What men want is not talent, but pur , pose; in other words, not the power to achieve, but the will to labor.—Buhver. l'-or S1 .i;r» Money Order the John \. Salzcr Seed t 0., of La Crosse, i \\ is., will mail postpaid 15 trees, consisting of Apricots, Apples, Crabs, Cherries, ' Plums, Peaches and Pears, just the thing for a city or country garden, including the great Bismark Apple, all hardy Wisconsin stock, and all these are sent you free ] upon receipt of $1.05. FOB IGc AMI THIS NOTICE sent to the .John A. Salzcr Seed Co., La Crosse, \\ i-., you get sufficient seed of I Celery, Carrot, Cabbage. Onion, Lettuce, Radish and Flower Seed- to furnish bush els of choice flowers and lots of vegetables I for a big family, together with.their great ! piutit and seed catalog. [K L. I A man ma\ tie perfectly square and ; move in the best circles." Philadelphia Record. $30.00 St. Louis to California $30.00 via The Iron Mountain Route. ! These tickets will be on sale daily during : March and April, when Pullman Tourist j Sleeping Cars will be operate ! dailv be- ! tween St. Louis, Los Angeles and Ran Fran cisco. 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