6
The Mystery
-OF
Carney-Croft
By
JOSEPH BROWN COOKE
•£!oi»fyright, I'JO7, by Story-I'ross Corporation.)
CHAPTER XIII.
Quiet Is Restored.
"Now then," said MacArdel, the next
morning, as we were comfortably seat
ed in the library, "this mystery is
clearing itself up more rapidly than
I expected. Have you got those two
notes with you? I mean the one you
found on your bed the other morning
and the one that slipped out of your
.pocket last night?"
I handed them to him and we
spread them out on the table and ex
amined them closely. The first was
written in a cramped labored hand
which was obviously disguised, while
She more recent one had evidently
&een dashed off hurriedly and with
I > ateempt at masking the chriog
raphy of its author. In both in
stances, however, the English style of
writing was so clearly exemplified
and there were so many letters having
points in common, that it did not re
quire the skill of an expert to per
ceive that the two notes were the
work of the same individual.
"You see," exclaimed MacArdel, "I
was right, only 1 got the cart before
the horse. I told you that after we
had discovered how the first note was
placed on your bed we would have lit
tle or no difficulty in tracing its au
thorship. As matters have turned out,
"however, we know the author but we
•don't know how she got. the paper
into your room. Nevertheless you
cught to be satisfied for you remem
ber you said that you cared very little
how the letter reached you if you
could only find out who wrote it."
"1 am not so sure that we know who
wrote it even now," I returned, gloom
ily. "The goings-on in this house are
altogether too bewildering to suit my
taste."
"Why, it must have been the
woman!" cried MacArdel, with empha
sis. Who else could have done it, man?
You'll admit that both were written by
the same hand, and I hardly think
you'll deny that she was responsible
for the one we found last night. If
she wrote one she must have written
the other, too."
"Perhaps she didn't write either"
I muttered insistently.
"Oh, rubbish, Ware!" exclaimed
MacArdel, impatiently. "What's the
use of looking for more mystery when
the whole thing is as good as ex
plained! There she was, locked up
In that little room across the hall. She
couldn't get out, except through the
window, and there was only one, which
opened on (he veranda right beside
my chair. P.ut she could look out and
aee ail that was going on, and when
we had our little tussle with Jenks,
she took it all in from start to finish.
"Now, the widow's no fool, Ware,
and as soon as she realized that she
and Jenks were completely in our pow
er she wrote this note at the desk in
the corner of the room and kept it
In her hand until the opportunity came
to slip it into your pocket. She wrote
hurriedly for she did not know when
she would be interrupted and so she
had no time to disguise her hand as
she did before. She's English the
writing's English and I'll warrant the
l>aper in the desk is the same as this
she used."
We crossed the hall to the little re
ception room, and, as MacArdel had
suggested, we found the desk open and
some stationery strewn about which
exactly matched the paper I held in
my hand. Moreover, on the floor near
by was a lead pencil which, apparent
ly, had been thrown down carelessly
so that it rolled off the desk to the
place where we discovered it.
The note was in pencil, and, un
doubtedly, had been written with this
pencil or with one of the same quality
•of lead.
There seemed to be no room for
further argument as to the identity of
<tbe author of these remarkable com
munications, but, while the facts con
•cerning the second were sufficiently
plain, much mystery still surrounded
•the first.
"Hang if. all, Mac!" I exclaimed, I'll
have to admit that the widow wrote
the notes in spite of myself, but how
on earth did she know of my feelings
toward Miss Carney? And, what's
more, how did she get that letter on
my bed ?"
"Guessed at it, as far as your first
nueation is concerned," replied Mac-
Ardel, cheerfully. "Just used her com
mon sense as to the fitness of the
match, and took the chance. That's
all there is to it, Ware."
"Even so," I returned, "and I'm
hardly willing to admit that your ex
planation is correct, how did the note
get on the bed?"
"Easiest thing in the world," laughed
MacArdel. "You were in and out of
your room after you made up the bed
for the night, weren't you?"
"Why, certainly!" I rejoined. "I
fixed it up . first and then came down
and locked up the house. I must have
heen out of the room for 15 or 20
'o'miics after the bed was made."
"Well," h« continued, "wliat more
do you want? The woman, or one of
her accomplices, evidently has a way
of getting in and out of the houses, at
pleasure, anil while you were fussing
around downstairs the note was tuck
ed tinder a fold of the counterpane
with the idea that you would find it
when you turned In. As a matter of
fact you didn't find it till morning, but
you probably slept as well, for all
that."
•'How about the cigar case?" I ask
ed with a grin.
"Oh, bother the cigar case!" ex
claimed MacArdel. "That was only an
incident in this whole plot to scare
people away from here. It looks queer,
I know, but so did the other things,
for a time. We'll find out how it was
worked, sooner or later, and, even if
we don't. 1 can't see that it makes any
great difference. We know the lead
ers in this business and we've got them
pretty well subdued. All you have to
do is togo ahead and open up the
place. There won't be any more non
sense when they realize that you don't
care a snap of your finger for them
or their doings. Just get your serv
ants here all at the same time. Have
the house cleared and aired from top
to bottom and keep lights burning in
the halls all night. Fill the stable
with horses as you told me you in
tended to do, and see that all the
servants' cottages on the place are oc
cupied.
"You won't have any trouble. Ware,
if you will only take the precaution to
have all these people come at the
same time, and transform the place
into one of bustling activity within a
few hours. All you have to do to
stamp out this ghost business is to
overwhelm it entirely, and there won't
be any more of it, I promise you, as
soon as the place is running full
blast."
MacArdel's idea seemed to be the
most practical one that presented it
self, and within a few days, the house
was filled with workmen and their
II Ml #
Jg|jj
? ' '
"How Did the Note Get on the Bed?"
helpers, while the retinue of carefully
chosen servants was imported frorr
town, and gave to the establishment
an air of permanent occupancy. As
many men from the village as could
be persuaded to work on the place at
all were assigned to the roads and
lawns, and every effort was made to
beautify and render attractive the en
tire estate.
I had no hesitancy in authorizing
the lavish expenditures which were
necessitated by such wholesale rehab
ilitation of the property, for not only
was I assured that anything I might
do would meet with the full approval
of Miss Carney, but, from my position
as her trustee, I knew that the in
come of the estate would warrant the
steps I was taking toward its improve
ment.
There were no further uncanny man
ifestations or mysterious happenings
of any kind, and Jenks and the widow
continued to follow their usual voca
tions as if nothing out of the ordinary
had occurred, so that we were forced
to believe that they were living up to
the spirit as well as to the letter of
their oath.
MacArdel who had remained with
me as my guest and companion while
this work was in progress, did not half
like this submissive behavior on the
part of Jenks and the Hruce woman
and his suspicions were greatly in
creased when i ordered the widow out
of her cottage to make room for the
golf links that Miss Carney wanted
laid out.
"Keep an eye on her, Ware," said
MacArdel, when I told him how
promptly and willingly she had acqui
esced in my wishes, and with what
seeming gratitude she had accepted the
new quarters in which I had installed
her." Watch her carefully, old man,"he
continued. "She'll be up to some devil
try yet, you may be sure. Neither she
nor Jenks has breathed a word, even
to you or me, about that business the
other night, but they haven't forgotten
it by any means, and we'll hear from
thom when we least expect to. unless
CAMERON COUNTV PRESS, THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1907.
we keep a sharp lookout. I almost
Wish they had cut up a row over it
at the beginning, rather than have
them goon like this. They are nurs
ing their rancor all this while and
some day they will try to get their re
venge."
A telegram announcing the sailing of
Miss Carney and Miss Weston spurred
us onto greater efforts and, when at
last we were ready to leave for town
that I might meet the travelers at
the pier, we were both satisfied that
our labor had not been in vain.
Carney-Croft looked iike its old-time
self in its happiest days. The lawns
had been cut and sodded, the roads
and paths graded and repaired, thf
shrubs and hedges trimmed, and the
flower beds filled with rare and well
chosen plants.
Within (he house had been cleaned
and renovated from garret to cellar
and the corps of servants from house
keeper down to kitchen maid, were re
liable, capable, and of thoroughly at
tested respectability, while the stable,
with its new horses and trustworthy
men, was nowise behind in point, of
complete reorganization and equip
ment.
"You've done a great bit of work
in the last few weeks," said MacArdel,
as we were speeding toward town In
the fast express.
"Well," I replied, "my heart was in
it, Mac. That accounts for it, I sup
pose."
The idiotic grin with which here
ceived this remark caused me to blush
like a schoolboy, and I turned away
from him to the window and watched
the ever changing panorama that
glided past as we rushed on toward
the city.
CHAPTER XIV.
Return of the Wanderers.
Miss Carney came down the gang
plank followed closely by Miss West
on, and greeted me in a way that was
plainly sincere.
"Oh! I am so glad to bo homfc
again!" she exclaimed joyously, and
her face lighted up with pleasure
as she glanced about at the crowd
of expectant people that choked up
the pier.
"So is Annie, too!" she laughed, lay
ing a hand on Miss Weston's arm and
patting it playfully. "She was dread
fully ill all the way across and scarce
ly left her room until we reached
Quarantine this morning. I don't know
what seasickness is, myself, and I
simply lived on deck. Why, how do
you do, Mrs. Randolph! lam so glad
to see you!"
Mrs. Randolph, who proved to be
Miss Weston's aunt, kissed both young
women affectionately and then 1 was
introduced indue form.
"Mrs. Randolph is to be our chap
eron," Miss Carney explained, "and is
going to Carney-Croft with us as soon
as the place is ready. I was wishing
this morning that you knew her, for I
was sure she would be here and you
could have been company for each oth
er while you were waiting for the ship
to come up. We used to say, when we
lived here, that there seemed to be a
fate that kept you two people from
meeting one another."
"You had a pleasant trip, I hope?"
I asked, solicitously, after expressing
my regret that 1 had missed the
pleasure of Mrs. Randolph's acquaint
ance.
"Delightful, every minute of it!" she
rejoined. "If it hadn't been for An
nie's seasickness and —"
"And the parson's!" interrupted her
friend, with a laugh.
"Yes, the parson's,'- continued Miss
Carney, flushing faintly as a smile flit
ted across her face. "They were going
to some kind of a convention and they
were everywhere; In the forecastle,
praying with the sailors; in the smok
ing room casting horrified glances at
less sanctified passengers wjio ven
tured to drink or piay; at the table
before the places were fairly laid;
and —"
(TO BE CONTINUED.'
ji JftM J Ulglffn The Kind You Have Always Bought, and which has been
in use for over 30 years, has homo the signatnre of
So, ' j: • • - - and has been made under his per-
H|!l : : ER CE , NT (- Sonal supervision since its infancy.
™siti '-eUcMZ Allow no one to deceive you in this.
\c£ « Slrailaijflg(heFoodantfßegufa All Counterfeits, Imitations and " Just-as-good" are but
§fSxQ§:: ° Ute otoraaois anißowelaof Experiments that trifle with and endanger the health of
Infants and Children—Experience against Experiment*
lis Promotes DigpslionJCheerfii Whdt IS CASTOR IA
\ a c" ncssandßest.Containsneither _ , „
£0 Opium .Morphine norMiueraL Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Pare-
It li;! NOT NARCOTIC. goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is Pleasant. It
■ contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotia
S I fitcipe of old DcSiMUtUiiunA substance. Its age is its guarantee. It destroys Wonus
fhnfJctn Smd- and allays Feverishness. It cures Diarrhoea and "Wind
fl. jfoffiuk- j Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation
ffgj! jtaatSnd * I and Flatulency. It assimilates the Food, regulates the
KfljJjSg' mSakSxb* ( Stomach and Bowels, giving healthy and natural sleep.
fcE<|)||^' llil(^reu ' a Paaacear—The Mother's Friend.
Hi GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAYS
Hi!. Hon,SourStoraadi.Dlarrhoea ■ wi 1 12,
EmiHti Worms Convulsionsiewrish Bears the Signature of
Kjffigjjf ness and Loss OF SLEEP. nHfir**
Hnj r Facsimile Signature of/l \f
K__gg._ '
Tie Kind You Have Always Bought
mm | n Use For Over 30 Years
Exact Copy of Wrapper. TMI CCNT*UH COM»NV. TT BUMIV STRCCT. MEW VO»H eirr.
Australia to Have Own Navy.
It is stated officially in London that
the government has acceded to the
wish of Australia to rescind her an
nual contribution of $1,000,000 to- j
ward a naval squadron for Austral- j
asia. The commonwealth will main
tain its own navy.
His Usual Nightly Stunt.
"I must not listen to you, Mr. Pen- ■
nyaline," protested the blushing girl, j
with eyes downcast. "You are only '
trifling and—and, besides, it is get- j
ting late."
"Please hear me out. Miss Helen,"
pleaded the infatuated young report- j
er; "I'll cut it down to 250 words."—
Roseleaf.
How's This?
We offer One Hundred Dollars Reward for any
sase of Catarrh that cannot be cured by Hall's
Catarrh Cure.
t F.J. CHENEY A CO., Toledo, O.
WE, the undersigned, have known F. J. Cheney
for the last 15 yearn, and believe him perfectly lion*
arable In all t>ualne«B transactions and financially
sble to carry out any obligation# made by hit* firm.
WALDINO, KINNAN A MARVIN*,
Wholesale Druggists. Toledo. O.
nail's Catarrh Cure Is taken Internally, acting
ilrectly upon the blood and mucous surfaces ot the
•ystem. Testimonials tienr free. Trice 75 cents per
bottle. Sold iiy all Druggists.
Take Hall's Family Pills for constipation.
Cheapens and Improves Coal.
Consul General W. R. Holloway, of
Halifax, says that the Canadian com- j
mercial agent at Manchester, England, j
reports an invention at that place for !
depriving soft coal of its most objec
tionable feature by abstracting the
oils said to produce smoke, and call
ing the resulting article "coalite,"
which is something like coke in ap
pearance and which can be furnished
at one-third the present cost of coal.
Five acres of land near Manchester
have been purchased, and large works
will be erected for its production.—
United States Consul Reports.
The Human Shield.
The advent of Decoration day caus
ed Admiral Dewey, at a recent dinner,
to praise the bravery of the American
troops during the civil war.
"Both sides alike were brave," he
said. "North and south, soldiers and
sailors. And the bravery of the raw
recruit was a thing to be seen to be
believed.
"There used to be circulated,
though, a good story about a Connecti
cut recruit. Thi3 young man, aftefr he
had gotten initiated, fought heroical
ly; but in his first engagement he was
very nervous.
"A chum of his was In the line
ahead of him, and when the bullets
began to fly, the chum began to dogde
"Thereupon the recruit shouted ex
citedly:
" 'Hey, Jim, don't duck. I'm be
hind ye.""
AN OLD EDITOR
Found S2OOO Worth of Food.
The editor of a paper out in Ol'la.,
said: "Yes, it is true when I got hold
of Grape-Nuts food, it was worth
more than a S2OOO doctor bill to me,
for it made me a well man. I have
gained 25 pounds in weight, my
strength has returned tenfold, my
brain power has been given back to
me, and that is an absolute essential,
for I am an editor and have been for
35 years.
"My pen shall always be ready to
speak a good word for this powerful
nutritive food. I had of course often
read the advertisements regarding
Grape-Nuts, but never thought to ap
ply the food to my own use, until, in
my extremity and sickness the thought
came to me that it might fit my case.
The statements in regard to the food
are absolutely correct, as I have proven
in my own case. One very fortunate
thing about the food is that while it is
the most scientifically made and high
ly nourishing, concentrated food I have
ever known, it has so delicious a taste
that it wins and holds friends."
"There's a Reason." Read "The Road
to Wellville," in pkgs.
Corporations Oust Miners.
The Klondike proper—that ia, that
portion of the Yukon territory in the
vicinity of Dawson—aa far as the in
dividual miner ia concerned, is on a
rapid decline owing to the immense
area of ground being acquired by
dredging companies. One company
alone lias purchased nearly all the
placer ground on the three principal
creeks, namely: Bonanza, Eldorado
and Hunker, and has bonded consid
erably more on Dominion and other
creeks for various reasons. Where
formerly hundreds of miners were
working for wages or working their
own ground, thus creating a demand
for provisions, clothing, machinery,
hardware, etc., and the transportation
from Dawson to the different mining
operations, now dredges are either op
erating or in course of construction. —
Consular Reports.
The World's Dairy the Parent of Con
sumption.
This is the argument put forward by
scientists to-day, and is causing no lit
tle alarm, because practically all the
leading men who have made the sub
ject a careful study and test are united
on the statement and agree that a
great per cent, of all cattle in the U. S.
have Bovine Tuberculosis. In Den
mark 50% of all Cattle are infected.
Recently The Mutual Mercantile Co.,
Cleveland, 0., have issued a free book
let showing how it is wrong to kill so
many thousands of our Dairy Cows
when a few cents worth of Rasawa
purchased at any Drug Store will posi
tively prevent Tuberculosis. The claim
is made that it is a germicide and ren
ders the cow immune. Ask your dealer
or the above company for a free book.
Our Queer Sense of Humor.
"Americans have a strange sense of
humor, don't you know," began the
Englishman. "The othah day, for ex
ample, I went into a restaurant with
a friend and he awsked for sinkahs. I
was surprised to see them bring him
three biscuit of some sort or othah.
Again at anothah time I dined with
him at a table d'hote cafe. He said
to the waiter, 'Bring us a couple of
bottles of pink ink.' What the waiter
brought him, don't you know, was two
bottles of red wine.
"Really, it is very strange, the
American sense of humor. You catch
onto my meaning?"—N. Y. Press.
The Same Species.
"Did you ship that load of ele
phants' ears to the florist on the sub
urban express?"
"No; I thought it would be more in
order to send them on the trunk line."
Improved Farms Within 50
Miles of St. Paul. Cheap and desirable for
homes. 50% profit for investment. Write
us. Evans Real Estate Co., St. Paul, Minn.
Some men try to convince you that
they are good by boasting of how bad
they used to be.
Krause's Cold Cure.
For cold in head, throat, chest or back.
Best remedy for La Grippe. Druggists, 25c.
Moat men like to be jollied and are
willing to pay for it.
6AWYIKS
AJR excelsior brand
Oiled
Clothing and Slickers
Make you comfortable in uncomfortable
I weather. Our Excelsior Crack-Proof Brand
Police Coat i 9 a great favorite,
one of our special t ies j
for general use. Dealers \l
everywhere carry the \\ JL
"Sawyer" Coats and .
Slickers—if not with \
yours, write for catalog v\ \\
and prices. \o^j^Jjj|r|
H. M. SAWYER & SON, 1
East Cambridflo, Mast. ! \
| SICK HEADACHE
: _ ; —Positively cared by
HADTrDC these Little Pills. |
vM l\ Ik l\o They also relieve Dls>
! |HH| |VV| tress trom Dyspepsia, In-
KHP |TTLE digestion and Too Hearty
I I\i r D Eating. A perfect rem*
Eg I W fall edytorDizziness,Nausea.
1 9 PILLS. Drowsiness, Baa Taste
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I 1 TORPID LIVER. They
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SMALL PILL SMALL DOSE. SHALL PRICE
pin-Fcpcl Genuine Must Bear
1 ■ittle Fac-Simile Signature
I**—REFUSE SUBSTITUTES.
FARMS THAT GROW
"NO. I HARD" WHEAT
ntHMfamrl (Sixty-three Pounds to
SvlUffy Bushel). Are situ
»l liN ated ill the Canadian
*f' ! iVV kPA West where Honie-
J steads of 160 acres can
- ifl yVI be obtained free by
3| every settler willing
and able to comply
(ygjj ■■ '■ tin- Homestead
Regulations. During
the present year a large portion of
New Wheat Growing Territory
HAS BEEN MADE ACCESSIBLE TO MAR
KETS BY THE RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION
that has been pushed forward so vigorously by
the three great railway companies.
Fo»* literature and particulars address SUPER*
INTENDENT OF IMMIGRATION, Ottawa,
Canada, or the following authorized Canadian
Government Agent :
H. M. WILLIAMS, Law Building, Toledo, Ohio.
Mention this paper.
fPiii
CATARRH Ps|g
Ely's Cream Balm ft* : ;Mm
is quickly absorbed. >"?* fflft.
Gives Rel'el at Once. 60c. B*T8«-r<-<
Ely Bros., Mi Warren St.. N. T.
AGENTS WANTED
Canvassers, here is a great proposition: We
have just patented a new household necessity
never before heard of. Every housekeeper
must and will have one as soon as she sees it.
Sells for $2.00. Write for particulars, and
secure territory at once. Address,
SCOTT & RISEDORPH, Kinderhooli, N. Y.
DEFIANCE STARCH-ir;^
—other atarchna only 12 ounces—same price and
"DEFIANCE" IS SUPERIOR QUALITY.
"."oTcoycs'lLM Thompson's Eye W? 112