6
F HEARTS!
AND
MASKS
By
HAROLD NacGRATH J
Author of"The Man on the Box."etc.
With Drawings by Harrison Fisher
r
(Copyright, 1906, by BobbtuMerrUl Co.)
CHAPTER ll.—Continued.
I drew out my wallet. I had ar
rived in town too late togo to the
bank, and I was carrying an uncom
fortably large sunt in gold-bills. As
I opened the wallet to extract a small
bill, I saw the stranger eying me
quietly. Well, well, the dullest being
brightens at the sight of money and
•Its representatives. I drew out a
Small bill and handed it to the pro
prietor. He took it, together with
the mask, and sidled over to the cash
register. The bell gave forth a muf
fled sound, not unlike that of a fire
'bell in a snowstorm. As he was
in the act of wrapping up my pur
chase, I observed the silent custom
er's approach. When he reached my
side, he stooped and picked up some
thing from the floor. With a bow,
he presented it to me.
"I saw it drop from your pocket,"
ho said: and then when he saw what
it was, his jaw fell, and he sent me
a hot, penetrating glance.
"The ten of hearts!" he exclaimed,
in amazement.
I laughed easily.
"The ten of hearts!" he repeated.
"Yes; four hearts on one side and
four on the other, and two in the
middle, which make ten in all," —
raillery in my tones. What the deuce
was the matter with everybody to
night? "Marvelous card, isn't it?"
"Very strange!" he murmured, pull
ing at his lips.
"And in what way is it strange?" I
asked, rather curious to learn the
cause of his agitation.
"There are several reasons," —brief-
ly.
"Ah!"
"I have seen a man's hand pinned
to that card; therefore it is grew
isome."
"Some card sharper?"
He nodded. "Then again, I lost a
small fortune because of that card," —
diffidently.
"Poker?"
■"Yes. Why will a man try to fill a
groyal flush? The man next to me
•drew the ten or hearts, the very card
I needed. The sight of it always un
serves me. I beg your pardon."
"Oh, that's all right," said 1. won
'dering how many more lies he hid up
Ibis sleeve.
'• * "And there's still another reason. I
saw a man put six bullets into the
two central spots, and an hour later
•the seventh bullet snuffed the candle
of a friend of mine. I am from the
west."
"I can sympathize with you," I re
turned. "After all that trouble, the
p'ght of the card must have given you
shock."
v Then I stowed away the fatal card
•and took up my bundle and change. 1
ihave in my own time tried to fill royal
lllushes, and the disappointment still
lingers with a bitter taste.
"The element of chance is the most
fascinating thing there is," the
stranger from the west volunteered.
"So it is," I recalled', suddenly re
calling that I was soon to put my trust
in the hands of that very fickle god
dess.
He nodded and returned to his revol
vers, while I went out of the shop,
hailed a cab, and drove up town to
my apartments in Riverside. It was
eight, o'clock by my watch. I leaned
back against the cushions, ruminating.
There seemed to be something going
on that night; the ten of hearts was
acquiring a mystifying, not to say sin
ister aspect. First it had c.larmed the
girl iti Mouquin's, and now this
stranger in the curio-shop. I was con
fident that the latter had lied in re
gard to his explanations. The card
had startled him, but his reasons were
altogether of transparent thinness. A
man never likes to confess that he is
unlucky at cards; there is a certain
pride in lying about the enormous
stakes you have won and the wonder
ful draws you have made. I frowned.
It was not possible for me to figure
out what his interest in the card was.
It he was a westerner, his buying a
pistol in a pawnshop was at once dis
robed of its mystery; but the incon
sistent elegance of his evening clothes
doubled my suspicions. Bah! What
was the use of troubling myself with
this stranger's affairs? He would never
cross my path again.
'u reasonable time the cab drew up
in front of my apartments. 1 dressed,
donned my Capuoiiin's robe and took
a look at myself in the pier glass.
Then I unwrapped the package and
put on the mask. The whole made a
capital outfit and I was vastlyi pleased
with tnySeif. This was going- to bo
such an adventure as one reads about
in the ancient numbers of Black
wood's I slipped the robe and mask
into my suitcase and lighted my pipe.
During great moments like this, a
man gathers courage and confidence
from '■>. pipeful of tobacco. I dropped
Into comfortable Morris, touched the
pas loss, and fell Into a pleasant
dream. It was not necessary for me
to start for the Twenty-third street
ferry till nine; so I had something
like three-quarters of an hour to idle
away. . . . What beautiful hair
that Rirl had! It was like sunshine,
the silk of corn, the yield of the har
vest. And the marvelous abundance
of it! It was true that she was an
artist's model; it was equally true
that she had committed a mild impro
priety in addressing me as she had;
but, for all I could see, she was a girl
of delicate breeding, doubtless one of
the many whose family fortunes, or
misfortunes, forced them to earn a liv
ing. And it is no disgrace these days
to pose as an artist's model. The
classic oils, nowadays, call only for ex
quisite creations in gowns and hats;
mythology was exhausted by the old
masters. Home, Paris, London; pos
sibly a bohemian existence in these
cities accounted for her ease in strik
ing up a conversation, harmless
enough, with a total stranger. In
Paris and Rome it was all very well;
but it is a risky thing to do in unro
mantic New York and London. How
ever, her uncle had been with her;
a veritable fortress, had I overstepped
the bounds of politeness.
The smoke wavered and rolled
about me. I took out the ten of hearts
and studied it musingly. After all,
should I go? Would it be wise? I
confess I saw goblins' heads peering
from the spots, and old Poe stories re
turned to me. Pshaw! It was only a
frolic, no serious harm could possibly
come of it. I would certainly go, now
I had gone thus far. What fool idea
the girl was bent on I hadn't the least
idea; but 1 easily recognized the folly
upon which I was about to set sail.
Heigh-ho! What was a lonely young
bachelor to do? At the most, they
']
I
' ■ ' \y /
Took a Look at Myself in the Glass.
■could only ask me to vacate the prem
ises, should I he so unfortunate as to
he discovered. In that event, Teddy
Hamilton would come to my assist
ance. . . . She was really beau
tiful! And then I awoke to the alarm
ing fact that the girl in Mouquin's
was interesting me more than I liked
to confess.
Presently, through the haze of
smoke, I saw a patch of white paper
on the rug in front of the pier glass.
1 arose and picked it up.
NAME_ ffaicthorne
COSTUM* BL " E
TI M E jr .ro P M.
R ETC K N E D
ADDRESS " rst s7 f t l Street
FRIARD'S
I stared at the bit of pasteboard,
fascinated. How the deuce had this
got into my apartments? A Blue
Domino? Ha' I had it! Old Friard
had accident! done up the ticket
with my mask. A Lilue Domina; evi
dently I wasn't the only person who
was going to a masquerade. Without
doubt this fair domoiselle was about
to join the festivities of some shop
girl's masquerade, where money and
pedigree are inconsequent things, and
where everybody is either a "loidy" or
a "gent." Persons who went to my
kind of masquerade did not rent their
costumes; they laid out extravagant
sums to the fashionable modiste and
tailor, and had them made to order.
A Blue Domino: humph!
It was too late to take the ticket
back to Frtard's; so I determined to
mail it to him in the morning.
It was now high time for me to be
01 1 I got into my coat and took down
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1907
my opera hat. Outside the storm w*<
still active; but the snow had a prom
ising softness, and there were patches
of stars to be seen here and there in
the sky. By midnight there would
be a full moon I got to Jersey City
without mishap; and when I took my
seat in the smoker, I found I had ten
minutes to spare. I bought a news
paper and settled down to i.*«iad the
day's news. It was fully half an hour
between Jersey City and Blankshire;
in that time 1 could begin and ilnisb
the paper.
There never was a newspaper those
days that hadn't a war map in some
one of its columns; and when I had
digested the latest phases of the wai
in the far east. 1 quite naturally
turned to the sporting page to learn
what was going on among the other
professional fighters. (Have I men
tioned to you the fact that I was all
through the Spanish war, the mix-up
in China, and that I had resigned my
commission to acept the post of trav
eling salesman for a famous motor car
company? If I have not, pardon me.
You will now readily accept my reck
lessness of spirit as a matter of
course.) I turned over another page;
from this I learned that the fair sex
was going back to puff-sleeves again.
Many an old sleeve was going to be
turned upside down.
Fudge! The train was rattling
through the yards. Another page
crackled. Ha! Here was that un
known gentleman-thief again, up to
his old tricks. It is remarkable how
difficult it is to catch a thief who has
good looks and shrewd brains. I had
already written him down as a quasi
swell. For months the police had
been finding clues, but they had never
laid eyes on the rascal. The famous
Haggerty of the New York detective
force, —a man whom not a dozen New
York policemen knew by sight and nc
criminals save those behind liars,
earthly and eternal. —was now giving
his whole attention to the affair.
Some gaily dressed lady at a ball
would suddenly find she had lost some
valuable gems; and that would be the
end of the affair, for none ever re
covered her gems.
The gentleman-thief was still at
large, and had gathered to his ac
count a comfortable fortune; that is,
if he were not already rich and simply
a kleptomaniac. No doubt he owned
one of my racing cars, and was clear
of the delinquent lists at his clubs. I
dismissed all thought of him, threw
aside the paper, and mentally figured
out my commissions 011 sales during
the past month. It was a handsome
figure, large enough for two. This
pastime, too, soon failed to interest
me. I gazed out of the window and
watched the dark shapes as they sped
past.
I saw the girl's face from time to
time. What a fool I had been not to
ask her name! She could easily have
refused, and yet as easily have grant
ed the request. At any rate, I had
permitted the chance to slip out of
my reach, which was exceedingly
careless on my part. Perhaps they—
she and her uncle—frequently dined
at Mouquin's; I determined to haunt
the place and learn, it would be
easy enough to address her the next
time we met. Besides, she would be
curious to know all about the ten of
hearts and the desperate adventure
upon which 1 told her I was about to
embark. Many a fine friendship has
grown out of smaller things.
To bo Continued.
Carry Much Freight.
One of the largest lake steamships
can carry about as much freight as
four of the most powerful locomotives
can pull in four trains, on a level rail
road u£ the best constructioa>
AILING WOMEN.
Kfrsp the Kidneys Well and the Kid
neys Will Keep You Well.
Sick, suffering, languid women are
learning the true cause of bad backs
and how to cure
Davis, of Groesbeck,
aches hurt me so I
and sick headaches
were frequent and
the action of the
» kidneys was Irregu
lar. Soon after I began taking Doan's
Kidney Pills I passed several gravel
stones. I got well and the trouble has
not returned. My back is good and
strong and my general health better."
Sold by all dealers. 50 cents a box.
Foster-Mllburn Co.. Buffalo. N. Y.
Jews In Senate Chamber.
Simon Guggenheim will be the sixth
Jew to sit as a member in the United
States senate. The first Jew chosen to
that honor was David Yules, who rep
resented Florida from March, 1840, to
March, 1853. He was born in the West
Indies and his name was David Levy,
by which he was known when he was
elected as a member of the house of
representatives in 1841. The second
Jew in the senate was Judah P. Ben
jamin, who served from 1852 to 1857.
He also was born in the West Indies.
He represented Louisiana. Benjamin
F. Jonas was born in Kentucky and
represented Louisiana in the senate.
Joseph Simon was a senator from
Oregon from 1898 to 190:). Isidor Ray
ner was chosen as a senator from
Maryland in 1904.
CHINESE HAD FIRST ZOO.
Institution of Menageries Was Due to
Two Incentives.
The Chinese had the first zoo. Me
nageries are thought to owe their
origin partly to the cult of sacred
animals and partly to the ambition of
rulers to possess specimens of rare
and valuable creatures from foreign
lands or lavage beasts from their own.
In the simplest forms zoological gar
dens were one of the „arliest develop
ments of culture, and were familiar to
the Chinese, Indians, Greeks, Romans,
and pre-Spanish Mexicans in ancient
times. The oldest recorded menagerie
is Chinese, dating from 1150 B. C. The
den of lions kept by Darius, as de
scribed in the book of Daniel, is an ex
ample of one of those primitive me
nageries, while the cult of sacred
white horses by the ancient Greeks
and Romans and that of so-called
white elephants in Burma and Siam
are instances of a second type. A live
giraffe was received at the menagerie
of Schonbrunn as early as IS2B.
PROFSSOR HAD LAST LAUGH.
Final Erasure Neatly Turned Joke on
Students.
President Hadley, of Yale was talk
ing about his student days. "I remem
ber a stately and venerable professor,"
he said, "upon whom some sophomores
once tried to play a trick.
"The professor, one morning, being
unable to attend to his class on ac
count of a cold, wrote on the black
board :
" 'Dr. Dash, through indisposition, is
unable to attend to his classes to-day.'
"The students erased one letter in
this notice, making it read:
" 'Dr. Dash, through indisposition, is
unable to attend to his lasses to-day.'
"But it happened a few minutes later
that the professor returned for a box
he had forgotten. Amid a roar of
laughter he detected the change in his
notice, and, approaching the black
board calmly erased one letter in his
turn.
"Now the notice read:
" 'Dr. Dash, through indisposition, is
unable to attend to his asses to-day.'"
MAY BE COhKEE
That Causes all the Trouble.
When the house is afire, it's like a
body \vhen disease begins to show, it's
no time to talk but time to act—delay
is dangerous—remove the cause of the
trouble at once.
"For a number of years," says a
Kansas lady, "I felt sure that coffee
was hurting me, and yet, I was so fond
of it, I could not give it up. I paltered
with my appetite and of course yield
ed to the temptation to drink more.
At last I got so bad that I made up my
mind I must either quit the use of cof
fee or die.
"Everything I ate distressed me, and
I suffered severely almost all the time
with palpitation of the heart. I fre
quently woke tip in the night with the
feeling that I was almost gone,—my
heart seemed so smothered and weak
in its action that I feared it would stop
beating. My breath grew short and
the least exertion set me to panting. I
slept but little and suffered from rheu
matism.
"Two years ago I stopped using the
old kind of coffee and began to use
Postum Food Coffee, and from the
very first 1 began to improve. It
worked a miracle! Now I can eat any
thing and digest it without trouble. I
sleep like a baby, and my heart beats
full, strong and easily. My breathing
has become steady and normal, and
my rheumatism has left me. I feel
like another person, and it is all due
to quitting coffee and using Postum
Food Coffee, for I haven't used any
medicine and none would have done
any good as long as I kept drugging
with coffer" /Name given by Postum
Co., Battle Creek, Mich. "There's a
Reason." Read the little book, "The
Road to Wellville," in pkga. All
grocers.
"Soap Sense."
The difference in cost between a
poor toilet soap and a good toilet
soap such us Buchan's soap, is a cent
or two per week. The difference in
results, though, cannot be measured
in money. The cheap soap made from
impure fat and powerful alkali, irri
tates the skin and results in all kinds
of skin trouble. Buchan's Antisep
tic Soap, however, is not only abso
lutely pure and a fine cleanser, but it
contains Phenol Absolut, an ideal an
tiseptic protecting the user against
contamination. If your dealer does
not keep it send his name and ad
dress with 18 cents to Buchan's Soap
Corporation, New York, and they will
send you a full size cake.
United States' Banking Power.
The banking power of the United
States, capital, surplus and circula
tion, as revealed by Comptroller
Ridgely's 1906 report, is $16,462,470,-
465. All foreign countries combined
have a banking power of only $22,-
952,500,000, or only $6,490,029,535 more
than that of the United States alone.
In 16 years the United States has in
creased its banking power by 219 per
cent., against 102.6 per cent, increase
in that of all foreign countries com
bined.
Caution.
Imitations have been placed upon
the market so closely resembling All
cock's Plasters in general appearance
as to be well calculated to deceive. It
is, however, in general appearance
only that they compare with Allcock's,
for they are not only lacking in the
best elements which have made All
cock's so efficient, but are often harm
ful in their effects. Remember that
Allcock's are the original and only
genuine porous plasters—the best ex
ternal remedy known—and when pur
chasing plasters the only safe way is
to always insist upon having Allcock's.
A man will remember the kiss he
failed to get long after the others are
forgotten.
MOTHERHOOD^^^W
The first requisite of a good (Qs>A <'•
mother is good health, and the ex- frCff I L
perienee of maternity should not be - ■* M
approached without careful physical tfe ■■
preparation, as a woman who is in .n, t \ 4 1
good physical condition transmits to l.Jf Wi'WSl
her children the blessings of a good ""V-J 9 Vr\ -W iK
constitution. [
Preparation for healthy mater- '""JT L Si
nity is accomplished by Lj'dia E. %. 4 *
Pinkham's Vegetable Compound. %>' '
which is made from native roots and /JJRI \JfV
herbs, more successfully than by any iffgoshL ' ¥ | s^'
other medicine because it gives tone V>>>* — ' I •
and strength to the entire feminine P "*■ o<?
organism, curing displacements, ul- MRS JAMF<i rwF<:TrD
ceration and inflammation, and the * UAIVJtb CHESTER
result is less suffering and more children healthy at birth. For more
than thirty years
Lydia E. Pinkham'sVegetable Compound
has been the standby of American mothers in preparing for childbirth.
NotewhatMrs. JaraesChester,of437 W. 35th St., New York says in this
letter:—Dear Mrs. Pinkham:-"I wish every expectant mother knew about
Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound. A neighbor who had learned
of its great value at this trying period of a woman's life urged me to try
it and I did so, and I cannot say enough in regard to the good it did me.
I recovered quickly and am in the best of health now."
Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound is certainly a successful
remedy for the peculiar weaknesses and ailments of women.
It has cured almost every form of Female Complaints, Dragging Sensa
tions, Weak Pack, Falling and Displacements, Inflammation, Ulcera
tions and Organic Diseases of Women and is invaluable in preparing for
Childbirth and during the Change of Life.
Mrs. Pinkham's Standing Invitation to Women
Women suffering from any form of female weakness are invited to
write Mrs. Pinkham, at Lynn, Mass, Her advice is free.
SICK HEADACHE
; —i Positively cmred by
f*AQTFD O these tittle Pills.
vMIl! L|\y They also relievo Dls
np tress from Dyspepsia, In
7&j&)h |T"IE digestion and Too Hearty
Hi I \J? K" E5 Eating. A perfect rem
-B=3 I®L H» edy for Dizziness, Nausea,
1 PILLS. J Drowsiness, Bad Taste
■fl {Si In the Moutli, Coated
> Tongue, Fain In tile Slilo,
SSSSSSL*™! 1 TORPID LIVER. They
regulato tho Bowels. Purely Vegetable.
SMALL PILL, SMALL DOSE. SMALL PRICE.
PADTPOCI Genuino Must Bear
UAnl Lno Fac-Simile Signature
|puP*.
I REFUSE SUBSTITUTES*
A P cu«L tive CATARRH
Ely's Gream Balm
Is quickly absorbed.
Gives Relief at Once, X ~r,.--' ■ j
heals and protects Bo* y*^|jS|
branii. It cures Civ
taiTh and drivosH^Ssr^S^^^^M
away a Cold ia tho "*y
Head quickly. lie-II Ay
stores tho Senses of • I bTbU
Taste and Smell. Full size 50cts., at Dru
gists or by mail; Trial Size 10 cts. by maiL
Ely Brothers, 50 Warren Street. New York.
•t-rrnrnrt: victor
"l! ■! i'ILL 'I c? r r Fl£ ld
FENCE,
High.
Made of HAHD SPK'Xa STICIiSL CRIMPKI> WIRE,
it IH ft fence that gives universal satisfaction. When
erected yroperir. wi! l remain tight. Send forcata
lOKUO free. OWIGGINS WIRE FEKCE COMPANY, Anderson. Ind.
|j
RF °' this paper d«-
lIL/i7l/ L/IlvJ siring to buy any
mmmmmt h I ng ad ve ri ised in
II Its columns should insist upon having
what they ask for, refusing all substi
tutes or imitations.
9% WtiMR F. rujrmAH, Patent Attor
eft Ipi jhj 8 Vney. Washington. !>.<s. Advu-o
fl Ml I nil I %r ireo. Tenua low. Highest rel.
Thorrpcon's Eye *?ater
NERVOUS HEADACHES
Or. Williams' Pink Pills Will Cur*
Most Cases and Should Interest
Every Sufferer.
Nobody who has not endured th»
suffering caused by nervous head
ache can realize the awful agony of
its victims. Worst of all, the ordin
ary treatment cannot be relied upon
to euro nor even to give relief. Some
doctors 'will say that if a person ia
subject to these headaches there is
nothing that can be done to prevent
their recurrence.
Nervous headaches, as well as neu
ralgia, are caused by lack of nutrition
—'the nerves are starved. The only
way to feed the nerves is through the
blood and it is in this way that Dr.
Williams' Pink Pills have accom
plished so many remarkable cures.
Mrs. Addie Merrill, of 39 Union
Street, Auburn, Me., says:"For
years I suffered from nervous head
aches, which would come on me every
five or six weeks and continue for
several days. The pain was so severe
that I would be obliged togo to bed
for three or four days each time. It
was particularly intense over my right
eye. I tried medicines but got no re
lief. I had no appetite and when
the headache passed away I felt as if
1 haxi been sick for a month. My
blood was thin and I was pale, ,weak
and reduced in weight.
"I read about Dr. Williams' Pink
Pills in a paper and decided to try
them. I first noticed that they be
gan to give me an appetite and I
commenced to gain in weight and
color. My headaches stopped and
have not returned and I have never
felt so well as I do now."
Dr. Williams' Pink Pills are sold
by all druggists or sent, postpaid, on
receipt of price, 50 cents per box, six
boxes $2.50, by the Dr. Williams Medi.
cine Company, Schenectady, N. Y.
A. N. K.—C (1907—6) 2164.
Fertile Farming
LAMPS
Cheap
Easy Terms
In the Best Section
of the South
Unexcelled for General Farming.
Stock Raising, Berries, Fruit
and Vegetables.
Cantaloupes, Strawberries, Peaches,
Apples, Grapes, etc., give
handsome returns.
Cattle need but little winter feed.
HEALTHY CLIMATE.
GOOD WATER.
LONG GROWING SEASON.
Address G. A. PARK, Gen. Im. & Ind'l Act.
Louisville & Nashville
R. R. Co.
LOUISVILLE, KY.
THE CANADIAN WEST
IS THE BEST WEST
Tbe testimony Of tboo-
I builds <lu run: tbo past
year Is that the Canadian
#ll tlMylu jWeatistlie best W eet.
ira£i Year by year the agri-
w cultural returns have in
creased In volume and in
1n value, and still the Cana
» dian Government. offers
100 U(Ti-a I KKK to
L mn every bona flde settlwr.
Some of the Advantages
The phenomenal Increase in railway milcairo—
main lines and branches—has put altnoHtevery por
tion of the country within easy reach of entireties,
schools, markets, cheap fuel aud every modern
convenience.
The NINETY MILLION HI'SII EL W HKAT CROP
of this year means IW, 000. UUU to the farmers of
Western Canada, apart lrom the results of other
grains and cattle.
For advice and Information nddrens the SUPKH
INTKNI)KNTOI«' IMMIGRATION, Ottawa, Canada,
or any authorized Government Atfeni.
H. M. WILLIAMS, Low Building, Toledo, Ohio.
FffPAfl T AWTK Unexcelled lorgeneral farro
ytlutti Willi)* inff. "took, (ialrylnif, fruits, truck,
etc.; convenient to the very best iimrkctM and tianspor*
titlnn facllltl""- w '"»' neMTitomre for Ike*ami pub
lii-atlnmi. SI. V.KMiaril»,liainl an.l Imlu>.trlal Ai;<-nt,
Booth—•> Dv. *n l Mobile Ohio H. K . Washington, D.O.
C.J. We»(. A,.t .»«ChrUs!«*' I!UI_- «» i.outi.M®.