6 , |g|gj§li THE MYSTERY OF MIRANDY. Sence Mlrandy heerd that aclin' wuz Kit tin' all the rage. An' got a book, an' whirled right into studyin' fer the stage— Sence they told her she "had talents," an' orter let 'em roll, Thur's been no balm in Gilt-ad fer this here suff'rin soul! When I'm slei pin' like the just sleep as sound as any post. She wakes me lip to tell me she's Colonel Hamlet's ghost! The children g>> to screamln'— the lights atr burnin' blue; The watch-dog hears the racket, an' sere nades us, too! She quits the dinner table, an' closin' of her eyes, Walks roun,' a-feelin' of her way, an' utterin' mournful sighs! "Lan" sakes! What's allln' of her?"— The folks air seared ter death! She says: "I'm walkin' in my sleep—like the Lady In 'Macbeth! 1 " Last Meetin Day the parson wuz glvin' us his best About the Lan' o' Canaan what' the weary'd be at rest. When she roused that congregation from a peaceful, heavenly snore, Ey bulletin' out them aetin' words—like thunder—"Sleep no more'" Lr>rd knows what's comiti' to her! I never seen the like' They ain't 110 tellln', in this worl', whar lightnin's goin' to strike! The home-folks all unsettled—the neigh bors in a rage, An' all because Mlrandy is studyin' fer the stage! —F. L. Stanton, in Atlanta Constitution. GAMBLING! P WITH FATE By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK Author of "Th" Oold Ol<'»tiorii: A Story of the • Dan," "Ms I'rlend the Knorny," "Rogers **" Bulla," Etc., Kto. (Copyright, J'JU.I, by William Wallace Cook) CHAPTER Xl ll.—Continued. Hardly were they in their chairs when a white-aproned waiter came up ior their order. "Nothing," said Darrel, shortly. "Whisky," said Lenyard, with almost savage impatience. The waiter went away. "Now," he resumed, surveying Darrel with supreme distrust, "you can goon. The quicker you're through and the quicker I leave you the better I'll like it." "Mrs. Gorton and Miss Avery," said Darrel, plunging at once into the mat ter, "came to me in Anaconda a month ago with a letter from an eastern man asking my aid in an important mat ter." He paused. The waiter came up, set down the whisky and water and Len yard flung him his pay. The waiter left. With a quick move ment Darrel leaned over, caught up the whisky and swallowed it at a gulp. A muttered exclamation escaped the young man's lips and he started an grily to rise. "Sit down!" ordered Darrel, looking squarely into the young man's eyes. Lenyard returned the look defiantly, but sank mutely back into his chair. "I'm the one who needs the whisky, not you," resumed Darrel, calmly. "Mrs. Gorton and her niece are look ing for Miss Avery's father, who left New York five years ago. Mr. Avery has not been heard from, in any way, for more than a year. The latest in formation secured by Miss Avery places her father in Sandy Bar; it came to her indirectly—" This bit of news had a strange ef fect on Lenyard. He whitened and a gasp escaped his lips. "Then there's no doubt," he mut tered, huskily, "absolutely no doubt." Darrel's glittering eyes riveted them selves on the youth's face. "No doubt of what?" he asked, in a compelling voice. "Why," answered Lenyard, slowly, "there was a man killed in this camp of Sandy Bar a month ago and there were letters in his pocket—letters and other things that went to prove that he was other than he seemed." "Who did he seem to be and who was he in reality?" "He seemed to be a gambler named Jack Sturgis. Now, front what you tell me, I know that the other proof was conclusive. His real name was Ezra Avery." "Ah!" muttered Darrel, resting his face moodily on his hand. "God help me!" whispered the pal lid Lenyard. "I had never seen Avery and did not know him as Sturgis. Right, here in this room he all but ruined me. As a result of a game I had with him I might have lost my life, hut as it chanced Avery lost his. Oh, Elise, Elise!" CHAPTER XIV. DARREL CONTINUES HIS TALK WITH LENYARD. The young man was shaken to the depths of his being. A swift sym pathy surged into the look Darrel fas tened on him. "I recall the occurrence," said Dar rel, hiding his own feelings under an •assurted coldness of voice and man ner. "Sturgis was shot by a scoundrel named Darrel." Lenyard straightened his lithe form 'in a moment. ■"Darrel was rto scoundrel," he re torted hotly. "He was a gambler. How could he he that and not be everything else that a man could lay tongue to?" "You shall say nothing against Dar rel to me," cried the young man."l owe him my life and my honor—he be .Crltftded me at u time when it re- quired courage and skill anil ho suf fered dishonor and lost liis own life because of it. Do you hear me?" Len \ard's voice rose excitedly. "I will nut hear a breath against him." , "Very well," said Darrel, In a paci ficatory tone. "Please lower your \oice —you are attracting attention lis way. Circumstances all point to the fact that Nate Darrel Killed Slurgis, as you must know." "Circumstances!" sneered Lenyard. "All I can say is that circumstances lie, and I shall prove them a lie and —" He broke oft sharply, the old distrust in the look he flashed at Darrel. "I have heard, too." persisted Dar rel, "that Darrel and Murgatroyd had a murderous feud, based upon some of their rascally practices, no doubt." "I have looked into that," returned Lenyard with an obvious desire to parry every thrust at Darrel's reputa tion. "The rascally practices were all on Murgatroyd's part. Darrel, as I happen to know, acted like an honor able gentleman." "You surprise me!" "It is the truth, whether you are surprised at it or not. Murgatroyd, under a false name, had laid his plaus to marry a young woman in Denver. The young woman was of good family and her father was one of the wealth iest mining men in Colorado. Murga troyd had his eye on the money and his schemes would have succeeded but for Nate Darrel." "Darrel meddled in the matter, I suppose?" "Murgatroyd took him into the plot and Darrel went with it to the girl's father." "An informer, eh?" "Who would not have been an in former under such circumstances? Murgatroyd was given 24 hours to get out of Denver and has never dared to go back there since. It was then he swore to shoot Darrel on sighl, and he'd be equal to it—if he could." "Strange that, the woman in the case should have been taken with Murga troyd, in the first place. Don't you think so? These gambling gentry usually show what they are." "Murgatroyd has a way with wom en. and with men, too, that's hard to understand. He's a success at gam bling as well as at other lines of busi ness. all through some infernal power which he wields over his dupes. He's a thoroughbred villain, if there ever was one. Now that I have set you right concerning Dafrel I'd like to know if you have finished your talk with me?" "I haven't yet touched upon the mat ter that spurred me onto seek an in- THERE WAS AN OVERTURNING OF CHAIRS AS Till-: MEN HURLED THEMSELVES AT EACH OTHER. terview. There is a misunderstanding between you and Elise Avery, is there not?" "That is none of your affair, Mr. Mc- Cloud," was the sharp and threaten ing answer. "You defend this gambler, Darrel, for interfering in a love affair and now you question my right to trench upon a subject of the same kind." "It is not the same kind and you are not Darrel." The young man got up. "Is that all?" It would not have been all had not Darrel's ga/.e encountered a familiar figure just entering the door. A tall, square-shouldered man with slce black eyes and overhanging brows. "That will be all for now, Mr. Len yard," said Darrel. He did not deign the youth another glance, but watched the tall man with cat-like intensity. "You may be done with me, Mr. Mc- Cloud," said Lenyard, leaning across the table, "but I'm not done with you." With this enigmatical remark Len yard walked away. The tall man peered around the room, caught sight of Darrel and advanced upon him with slow deliberation. Darrel's hand dropped beside him into his coat pocket. One, two, three, four—Darrel counted the tall man's steps as he crossed the room. Presently he was at the table, looking down at the man in the chair. "You will come with me, McCloud," said the tall man, at last. His black eyes seemed to burn as they looked into Darrel's. "You will come with me." "Very well, Mr. Murgatroyd." Murgatroyd turned slowly and walked away, Nate Darrel following him. CHAPTER XV. D/ L'S FIGHT WITH MURGA TROYD. Darrel was a man of quick v, it. Following the cards whets a man's fac ulties and makes them keen and alert. In a second his mind had explored the depths of Murgatroyd's singular action and had evolved a startling CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, JUNE g, 1904. conclusion. McCloud was known to be a stranger in that part of the coun try, yet he had had Murgatroyd's re volver and Murgatroyd, in calling Dar rel by the assumed name, showed that he was acquainted with the easterner. The conjecture which swept over Darrel with the force of supreme con viction was this: Murgatroyd was the man whose uncanny powers had worked the great ill to Junius Mc- Cloud. So Darrel followed in the track of his enemy. A crisis was at hand and their differences were soon to be set tled. Not once did Murgatroyd turn and look back, so sure was he of his mas tery over McCloud. At any time dur ing that brief walk from Hawkbill's to the office of the gambler Darrel could have drawn that ebony-handled revolver anil pressed the trigger with fatal effect. But such tactics were foreign to Dar ni's nature. He would meet his ene my face to lace, with no advantage on either side. Before turning into the hall at Kaliper's place Darrel brushed past, a group of men, their heads together in earnest discussion. One was the bur ly marshal, another was Roy Lenyard, a third was the sallow-faced clerk whom Darrel had met in Murgatroyd's office and the fourth was a heavy-set, w«ll-dressed man with a small leather case under one arm. At a sharp word from Lenyard the quartette broke apart and directed their attention at Darrel. Murgatroyd, apparently, took no notice of his clerk, nor of his three companions, but passed into the building and up the stairs to his darkened rooms. Darrel stumbled after him, reaching the landing as Murgatroyd unlocked the door, pulled it open and stepped back, an ominous figure in the gloom of the upper hall. "Go in," said he, curtly. Darrel went in and Murgatroyd fol lowed, locking the door after him and putting the key in his pocket. The darkness was relieved by light reflect ed through the front windows from the street, and in the semi-gloom Darrel stood, silent, watchful, waiting. "There's a chair in the corner," Murgatroyd went on; "sit down." The command was mutely obeyed. Murgatroyd then lighted a lamp, drew the shades at the windows and took a chair, fixing his dark gaze on Darrel. A year had passed since these two men had last parted in Denver. Be fore that they had known each other well. Darrel, in returning Murga troyd's look, searched for some sign of lurking recognition, but found none. The silence lengthened and Darrel swept his glance about the room. The clerk's desk, with its litter of papers, the brickwork and door of the vault which served Murgatroyd in lieu of a bank, a tall mineral cabinet against the wall, its topmost shelf supporting a large block of "Galena" ore, heavy and sparkling, maps of the mining dis trict, a letter press—these passed in slow review before the owner of the premises saw fit to speak. "I got your letter, McCloud, but I doubted whether you would be fool enough to come here—here, of all places in the world." Darrel swerved his eyes to the speaker's face, but hesitated to trust his voice. "Letter?" he murmured, at last. "You must have been in one ot your spells when you wrote it,"was the sneering comment. Murgatroyd took a folded sheet from his pocket, opened and read: "'1 shall be in Sandy Bar to-night. You may look for me, for I shall surely come.' " With a jeering laugh the letter was returned to the pocket. "And here you are," added Murgatroyd. "Allow me to tell you, McCloud, that you're a crazy fool." The letter was a surprise to L'arrel and ho stirred restlessly. "I don't know what wild notion brought you here," went on Murga troyd, "but I do know that you're go ing to pike out of camp as quick as a horse can carry you. Luck has fa vored you so far, but you're so irre sponsible you're likely to spoil every thing. A few words from you about Nate Darrel and the game will be a losing proposition for both of us. That blow-up on the War Eagle trail was the best thing that ever happened —for us. If you yield to any of your mad eccentricities now there's 110 tell ing what harm you may do " This touched at a vital point of the Sturgis matter. Darrel longed to learn more, but knew he could not question without arousing suspicion. He made no answer. "What have you done with that re volver?" Darrel took the ebony-handled weapon from his pocket. "Give it to me," said Murgatroyd, starting up and snatching it roughly. "Didn't you have one of your own? You played hell using this that night." Fiercely Murgatroyd pulled down the cylinder and examined the cartridges. "One empty shell," he muttered, frowning blackly; "slugs in the other five shells and the slugs marked." He stamped his foot in a fury. "How In the devil's name did those marks come there? Did you do it, you?" He hurled the question at Darrel, who re ceived it silently. "But you couldn't have done that, you'd have had no ob ject in doing it. It must have been Darrel, when he sat in that office, there, writing his note that afternoon I was away in the hills. Much good that evidence will do Darrel now." A steel letter opener—either a repli ca of the one Darrel Lad used in the inner office when he marked the bul lets, or else the same—lay on the clerk's desk near the lighted lamp. It was sharp and might prove of use in an emergency. Darrel leaned one arm on the desk close to the instrument and bowed his head on his lifted hand. In disarming himself by yielding up the weapon he believed he had effect ively disarmed any doubts of Mur gatroyd's. present or to come. He was eager to know more of thin man's rela tions with McCloud. "I'll put this revolver in the vault for now," said Murgatroyd, "and when I have seen yon safe out of town I'll put six fresh cartridges in the cylin der." Then, while he worked at the knob of the combination, he dropped the weapon into his pocket. In a few mo ments he pulled open the vault door, made as though lie would step inside but halted and whirled around to see what his companion was doing. Darrel had not changed his position and still had his elbow on the desk an.J his chin in his hand. A spar kling gem on Darrel's finger drew Mur gatroyd's eyes and brought an ex clamation to his lips. The circlet was a coiled serpent with diamond head —a ring Darrel had worn for years. Murgatroyd had seen it often and knew it well. Recognition came with a rush. Mur gatroyd's hand dropped to the pocket that held the revolver and Darrel's leaped to the letter-opener, and thero was an overturning of chairs as the men hurled themselves at each other. A lurid oath broke from Murgatroyd but was strangled under the gripping white fingers of his adversary. The revolver was not drawn nor the let ter-opener used; from the first shock of contact necessity threw them back on their bare hands. Neither spoke. Each felt that this was to be their final battle and the sharp, hard breath came from their lips as they clinched and fought. Then followed a terrible halt'-minute. Murgatroyd was like a wolf, remember ing only the injury suffered at the hands of one whom he had believed to be his friend. Darrel was calmer, but none the less determined. Chairs were tipped over, the desk and lamp barely escaped, and then, in a frenzy of brute force, they felt against the mineral cabinet, dropping to the floor with the cabinet, on top of them. Darrel was no match for his antag onist in such rough work and he wa; underneath. A feeling flashed through him that he had failed, and that the victory would be Murgatroyd's, but the block of galena, tipping with the cabi net, struck the stronger man on the back of the head and crashed to the floor. Murgatroyd's fingers relaxed; with a stifled groan he straightened out and lay like one dead. Excited and breath less, Darrel drew himself out from un der the cabinet and rose to his feet. Murgatroyd was at. his mercy and what should he do with him? As he debated the question he heard a quick tread of feet in the hall below. Acting 011 a quick impulse, he flew to the vault, pulled open the inner doors, dragged the unconscious Murga troyd inside and had closed him in and turned off the combination when the marshal burst open the hall door and flung into the room, followed by the thick-set man. Darrel. leaning against the wall, eyed the newcomers calmly. (To Be Continued.] n. l.rr.d It est iI u t i<> vu A pig belonging to a widow named Murphy mysteriously vanished one night, and Pat Hennessy, a ne'er-do well, was suspected of having had something to do with its disappear ance. He denied all knowledge of the pig, however, and as there was no evi dence against him he was allowed to go free; but at Mrs. Murphy's instiga* tion, the priest went to see him. "Pat," said the priest, "if you've no fear of the law in this world, at least give a thought to the hereafter. When you're before the judgment seat, what are you going to say about that pig?" "Shure, 1 dunno," replied Pat. "Will they be after askin' about th' pig in purgatory, yer riverince?" "They will," said the priest. "Will Mrs. Murphy be there, yer riv erince?" "Yes, Pat." "An' th' pig?" "Yes, Pat." "Shure, I'll wait an' give it to her thin, yer riverince." —Woman's Home Companion. IV th in 11 Poet's Wit. The following amusing story is told regarding the shah's relations with his poet laureate. On one occasion the shah read to him one of his own poems and asked for his opinion. "Even if 1 deserve your majesty's anger," said the candid poet, "1 must say that it is anything but poetry." The shah, feeling insulted, cried out to those who waited on him: "Take this ass to the stable." After a little while, becoming calmer, he tried the poet once more, this time with a fresh set of verses. When he had finished reading the poet started togo away. "Where are you going?" asked the shah." "To the stable, your majesty," was the reply of the poet. This time the shah enjoyed the joke and the poet was forgiven.—Chicago Journal. tine of Many. Stranger—That old man on the cor ner selling papers can sign a check for SIO,OOO any day this week. Eazyun—lf that's the case, why doesn't he quit selling papers? Simply because he couldn't get th« check cashed after he had signed it.— Cincinnati Enquirer. in the IlnyMtuck. "Miss Gotrox," began Mr. Skeem, "1 must confess that at last I've lost my heart, and you—" "My! That's too bad," she inter rupted. "It's so small you can neve/ hope to find it again. "--Piiiiadelphlu Prees. M———^—l—■———fcj— ■r—i————— ~f~"° Japattm e ~T ODprratums, 1534-i3n4 C The Present Campaign Follows Closely That Waged 7D m Against China Tea Years Ago, % i *r: J TUDENTS of military his , tory and geography are well aware t ' iat '' ,e sais:e roads in many countries have oftentimes heard the tramp of armies, and that the same places have not sel dom reechoed the clang of battle. To a large extent the Japanese plans and movements in the present war are an illustration of this, being a repetition of those which crowned their arms with victory in the operations against the Chinese in 1894. It is true that then the enemy approached from the west, whereas now his line of march is from the north; but inasmuch as in both wars the Japanese have had for their main purpose the occupation of Korea and southern Manchuria and the capture of Port Arthur, with a view further to the domination of CHINO-JAPAN ESE WAR F\ f\ F\ T NNRR T RR^IT/^^ H UIR IA \ V_/ eLIAOVANf/ 1 K,vtp~^ \/ V. *' * KA S |plNG •FP.V^p N ** HII LIFN rHts(.a!^ * rg ° ♦ToPCKIN \ & T ANT^NGgpW |J U P.NO-VANO CHART SHOWING JAPANESE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHINA IN lbS)4. China, it is not surprising, though it is noteworthy, that their movements have not differed very greatly. In June, 1894, Gen. Oshima, and in the following September Marshal Yama gata, landed at Chemulpo, and marched on Seoul, just as Gen. Kuro ki's troops did in February last. The Chinese were then in great strength in Korea, and were defeated near Asan, south of. Seoul, on July 29; but the whole course of the operations was to drive them west of the Yalu. They made a great stand at Pingyang, where they were defeated in a sanguinary ac tion by Gen. Nodzu on September 13, but after that they retreated to tha very same positions on the right bank of the Yalu from which the Russians, under Gen. Sassulitch, were drive.! with such great loss on May 1. The command of the sea was then, as it is now, the ruling factor in the KUSSO-JAPANFjaLWAR :■ J>J N £ Hl | RiA ■ I 9Q 4- • ftBJVIUKDEN \ XsJ ALi AO YANG <C ft > CHART SHOWING JAPANESE CAMPAIGN AGAINST RUSSIA, 1901, situation. The Chinese had not, in deed, realized what it implied, and the sinking of the Kowshing, with 1,000 men on board, and the crushing defeat inflicted by Admiral Ito on the Chi nese squadron under brave Admiral Ting (September 17) were the conse quences. In the present war the con ditions were different. The Russians, having lost all immediate hope of as serting supremacy at sea, could not move a man afloat. To transport troops from Dalny or Port Arthur to the mouth of the Yalu was impost bit-*. Not less impossible was it for them to risk an action, as the Chinese did at Pingyang, lest the Japanese should throw forces ashore in their rear. The only doubt is whether they were wise, in view of a like danger, in holding the line of the Yalu at all. The positions on the Yalu occupied by the Chinese in 1894 were the same as those held by the Russians on May I.and the Japanese tactics were pre cisely the same. A litle reading of re cent history should have taught Gen Ivuropatkin what to expect. It is par ticularly interesting to observe how the same causes have led to the same effect. If, in the following brief ac count of the battle of October 25, 1894, "lutssians" be read for "Chinese,," anil the details taken mutatis mutandis, the recent, events will be found de scribed: Gen. Sung had under his com mand about 20,000 Chinese, on thj heights about Kiuliencheng, with about 4.500 more under Gen. Ikotenga a little iighcr up the river. The Japanese had j reached Wiju. ana made a great dem ; onstratlon against Kiuliencheng, while i they prepared to overwhelm the Chi j nese left. Az la well known, the Aiho joins the Yalu i'rom the north,, and in the angle formed by the two rivers tho Chinese were posted on the prominent height of Husan. The Yalu was rapidly ; bridged—and :t was 200 yards wide— j and, early in the morning of October 25 the Chinese were driven from Hu ' san, making no very good defence, and j retired behind the Aiho, which the Japanese forded, and confirmed the success. Kiuliencheng had become un | tenable, and the Chinese, who had large numbers killed and wounded, fled | in confusion, losing heavily in the re i treat to Fengwangcheng. i The parallel between the actions of | 1894 and 1&04 is complete, and it i.s j difficult to understand how the Rus- | sians can have failed to anticipate what happened. As in the case of tho Chinese, if their left was turned ail else was lost, and nothing remained but for the troops further south to ex tricate themselves as best they could, j and retreat north to Fengwangcheng. The repeated attacks made by Ad ; miral Togo upon Port Arthur hava ! shown the great significance attached by the Japanese to the presence there ■of a Russian naval force in which, j there remained some spark of vitality. ' In 1894 the Chinese fleet had already \ been defeated, and, having no inten | tion of further trying conclusions with the Japanese, Admiral Ting had | dispatched his remaining ships to Wei j haiwei, where they were dealt with, later on. The operations of Marshal | Oyama, however, for the capture of Port Arthur may be taken to fore | shadow what is happening at the preii- ent time, though It would be unwise to attempt to forecast whether the pla- e will fall by storm, by the slow process of siege, or by famine. Oyama's troops were landed at the mouth of the Hua yuan river, near to Pitszewo, in the vi cinity of which place the Japane-e have landed recently. The movemenls of 1894 may be taken to indicate those of the present time. The earlier dis embarkation commenced on October 24 and Port Arthur was captured on No vember 21. The troops moved west through the peninsula, and on Novem ber 6 the walled town of Kinchou was captured near the narrowest part of the isthmus, and the occupation of Ta lienwan followed on the next day. It is not permissible to doubt that th-j Japanese are now engaged in like movements. From the first landing up to the evo of the attack, the assailants had been four weeks in making their prepara tions. Whether the same rapidity can characterize the present operations re mains to be seen. Port Arthur then was strong, but now it is far more for midable, and it is fair to assume that there will be a resolute defence. It ia possible, therefore, that the Japanese may think it wiser to await the tim«> when the place may fall without a blow. JOHN LEY LAND. A Truth. "A mar. who is in love with himself," remarked the Observer of Events anil Things, "has a fool for a fiance."— Yonkers Statesman. ,
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