6
The Mystery
OF
Carney-Croft
By
JOSEPH BROWN COOKE
(Copyright, 1907, bj Story-Press Corporation.)
CHAPTER XlV.—Continued.
"Under an awning, back of a venti
lator, making voilent love to Miss Car
ney of Carney-Croft!" gurgled Miss
Weston in a tone of waggish softness.
How are we to address you in the
future, my dear: 'The Rev. Mrs. Simp
kins,' or 'Mrs. Rev. Simpkins,' or
what, pray?"
"Wasn't he awful, Nan!" cried Miss
Carney, laughing heartily. "And did
you hear him saying good-by to the
steward as we were coming into the
dock?"
Turning to me she explained. "The
chief steward was quite deaf and the
reverend gentleman grasped him fer
vently by the hand and, rolling his eyea
to heaven, said earnestly: 'Good-by,
steward, good-by! 1 hope we may
meet again; if not on earth perhaps
in the home above!' 'Eh! eh!' cried
the steward, putting his fiand to his
ear. 'Wot line are ye goin' by?'
"How sailors do dislike to have cler
gymen on shipboard!" said Mrs. Ran
dolph, in a conventionally apologetical
tone as if, in her character of chape
rone, she must be properly shocked at
the levity of Miss Carney's narrative;
but our merriment was too real to be
subdued by a look, and at length she
gave up entirely and laughed as heart
ily as the rest at the cleverly told lit
tle anecdote.
"There must be some reason for it,"
said Miss Weston with a chuckle, and
(hen she added roguishly: "The cap
tain said we were lucky to get home
at all with such a 'delegation of dom
inies' on board to enrage the ele
ments and drive the officers to sui
cide!"
By this time the customs inspector
had finished with the hand luggage and
Miss Carney, foMowed by the others,
made her way to the end of the pier
to the carriage I had provided for
their use, leaving her maid to look
after the trunks and heavier pieces of
baggage.
"You must come, too," she insisted,
as I was about to close the door of the
brougham. "You know, Martha was
born and brought up in New York and
she can attend to the trunks and find
her way to the hotel tvithout the
slightest difficulty. Besides," she con
tinued, as I obediently took the vacant
place opposite her, "I want to see
you, and talk to you, and hear some
good 'United States' spoken again."
Her eyes fairly sparkled and her
expression of vivacity made her face
radiant.
"There are so many things I want to
ask," she went on, "that I don't know
where to begin, except that you must
tell me the very earliest minute that
we can start for home."
"Any minute you wish," I replied,
laughing. "The place is ready and
waiting for its mistress."
• "Why, how did you ever manage to
do it all so soon?" she exclaimed in
unfeigned delight. Then, turning to
Mrs. Randolph, she continued: "Mr.
Ware is one of the most wonderful men
in the world! He must be descended
from the genii of old, for I can hardly
express a wish to him before it is ful
filled. How did you do it, Mr. Ware?"
"It wasn't a very difficult task, Miss
Carney," 1 replied, with becoming mod
esty. "You see, being on the spot, as
I was, I could direct the work to so
much better advantage, and —"
"Why! were you there yourself?"
she exclaimed in amazement; and
then, turning her face away, a faint
flush, scarcely visible at first, crept
slowly up from her cheeks until it
was lost under the little ringlets of
soft brown hair that nestled about her
ears and forehead.
My heart seemed to rise in my
throat for an instant, and then began
to beat so violently that its throbblngs
became somewhat audible as I said,
somewhat sheepishly:
"Yes, 1 was there all the time. I
went expecting to stay only a day or
80, but there were so many things to
be attended to that I stayed on and
let the time goto my vacation."
"It couldn't have been much of a
vacation," she exclaimed, regaining
her composure in an instant, "and I
don't intend that you shall be treated
so shabbily. Mrs. Randolph, won't
you please ask Mr. Ware to visit us at
Carney-Croft for a fortnight after we
got settled? If he makes any excuses
I will order him to come in his profes
sional capacity. You see, you can't
escape us if ycu would," she laughed,
and the matter was settled.
When we reached the hotel Miss
Carney insisted on my ramaining to
luncheon, explaining that she wished
to talk over some business matters
with me in the afternoon.
It was a merry quartette that as
sembled around the table in the din
ing-room of Miss Carney's apartments,
and my memory naturally carried me
hack to my first luncheon with her,
over three years before. The anxious,
tearful expression of the past had
given way to a countenance beaming
with vivacity, health and peace with
all the world, aud her soft, ruddy com
pfextrm, brightened by the voyage
across the Atlantic, enhanced, if such
a thins were possible, the glorious
beauty of her face.
We chattered in a delightfully un
conventional way until luncheon was
over and then Mrs. Randolph tactfully
left us to ourselves to discuss business
matters in the sitting-room, while Miss
Weston, who was the very antithesis of
Miss Carney by reason of her ill
health and frail constitution, retired
for her usual afternoon nap.
The moment we were alone Miss
Carney's levity and frivolity left her,
and, motioning me to a seat by her
side, she plunged at once into the con
sideration of a mass of details con
cerning Carney-Croft and its affairs.
Suddenly she surprised me by asking
pointedly:
"Why did you remain at Carney-
Croft longer than you had firs.t in
tended? Was it solely to superintend
the opening of the house or was it for
gome other reason?"
This question, put to me so ingen
uously, could be answered only with
the utmost frankness, and I said earn
estly: "There was another reason,
Miss Carney, and an important one."
Then I told her the whole story, as
far as its practical features were con
cerned, but avoided, t as much as pos
sible, the recital of any unnecessary
details.
"So you think this will all be stop
ped, now that you know who the ring
leaders are?" she asked, anxiously.
"I am sure that it will," I replied,
more positively than my true feelings
warranted. "There has been no more
of it since we learned who wrote the
notes and it looks as if Jenks and this
Druce woman were going to keep the
affair entirely to themselves. Besides,
thr new house the widow has is much
better than the old one, and she has
considerably more land than before.
She ought to be perfectly satisfied
"There Are So Many Things I Want to Ask."
with her present situation and stop
her performances, if only for her own
sake."
"But about their getting in and out
of the house whenever they want to?"
queried Miss Carney. "Don't you think
it is rather dangerous to have any
such mysteriously hidden entrance en
tirely unknown to us? Might they not
get in again, while we are there, and
take things or do something of that
sort?"
"Oh, no!" I replied, reassuringly
"You may be certain they won't do
that. If they had wanted to steal
they'd have done it long ago, when
they had the place to themselves. I
think they had a key that opened one
of the doors, and I've had new locks
put all over the house. They couldn't
get in now if they tried."
"What was said in the notes?" asked
Miss Carney. "I wish you had saved
them. I should have enjoyed seeing
them, I know."
"Oh, nothing of any consequence," I
replied, hastily. "Just a few words
warning me not to allow you to return
and expressed in regulation penny
dreadful style. The whole thing was
crudely and awkwardly done and I am
sure we have heard the last of it."
"I hope we have," she rejoined,
earnestly. "I am very, fond of Carney-
Croft, aud, while I don't believe in
ghosts, and shouldn't fear them if I
did, 1 cannot say that 1 fancy the idea
or having human prowlars about the
place. I know that we can get rid of
them sooner or later, but I trust they
won't cause us any annoyance at all."
"I said what I could to reassure her,
and, as I was going away, she offered
her hand and held mine while she said
softly:
"You have been very thoughtful of
my Interests and happiness, Mr.
Ware, and I appreciate it more than I
can tell you."
The pressure of her fingers tighten
ed for an instant and made the blood
course through my veins until my
whole body tingled and my breath
seeiucd to catch in my throat, i mum
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 1907.
bled a commonplace reply, and pulled
myself together with an effort in or
der to avoid making my exit like a
boy in his 'teens.
Before I reached my office, however,
I had convinced myself that Miss Car
ney's behavior was due only to her
.simple, unaffected, generosity or dis
position, coupled with her delight at
returning home, and that I was no
more than a conceited ass in attach
ing any other significance to it.
CHAPTER XV.
A New Victim.
"Good morning, Mr. Ware!" ex
claimed Miss Carney, as I made a
somewhat tardy appearance at the
breakfast table not long after my ar
raival at Carney-Croft in acceptance
of Mrs. Randolph's invitation. "What
report has the bold Nirnrod to-day?
Are wo to have game for dinner to
morrow, sir?"
"Not so much as the report of a
gun," I replied, as I dropped into my
seat. "I only flushed one bird and he
flew straight Into foliage so dense that
I couldn't get a ghost of a sight on
him—"
"We don't mind, so long as we don't
get a sight of a ghost some dark
night, do we, Nan?" laughed Miss
Carney. "Besides. I've ordered some
partridges from town and we won't be
disappointed in our dinner, either!
You should be very grateful to me for
saving the day for you, sir!"
"You might save my reputation, too,
if you would only remark casually, as
the game is served, that I have been
out shooting every morning since I
came," I suggested with a smile. "I
believe you are to have guests to
morrow."
"Yes," she returned with provoking
gravity, "but it's to be the rector and
his wife. I would do a great deal for
you, as you know, but in such highly
moral company you are asking too
much!"
"Speaking of ghosts, Mr. Ware,"
said Miss Weston, whose assumption
of interest and good spirits was scarce
ly in keeping with her wanly glistening
eyes and Ihe pale, emaciated, hectic ex
pression of her face, "you seem to have
these Carney-Croft wraiths most de
cidedly under your control. You have
laid them, in a word, haven't you?"
"There certainly have been no un
canny doings since wa've been here,"
cried Miss Carney in a bantering tone.
"I don't really believe that Mr. Ware
ever laid a ghost in his life, my dear.
He has just been trying to tease us all
the time!"
"I think Dr. MacArdel had more to
do with it than I," I replied gravely.
"He engineered the whole campaign
against them and is entitled to all the
credit of putting an end to their per
formances."
"Did you say that a woman was the
leading spirit in all this niysterious af
fair?" asked Miss Weston, with inter
est.
"Yes," I returne# "and a most mild
mannered woman, too. You never
would imagine that she could be cap
able of originating such a startling
plot. It really was quite exciting while
it lasted."
"I wonder if I saw her the other
day," continued Miss Weston. "Was it
the gentle-faced, motherly old soul
who lives in the new house over by
the orchard?"
"The very one," I replied, laughing.
"And this same motherly old soul, as
you call her, can be as self-contained
and tragic as you please when occasion
requires. She ought to be 011 the stage,
I assure you."
"Why, what did she do that was so
tragic?" they exclaimed in a breath,
and Miss Carney continued, reproving
ly: "You couldn't have told us the
whole story, I'm sure. Please give us
the tragic part of it at once, Mr.
Ware."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
MAKING TILE CEMENT.
It Is Easy Work When the Knack Mai
Been Learned.
It is surprising how fast one may
make tile when once the knack is
learned. Make a half dozen little
troughs two feet long inside and three
Inches deep if you are to make a
three-inch tile, and four Inches deep
for four-inch tile. These are quickly
nailed together and are begun like No.
Forms for Making Cement TMe.
1 in the illustrations, and completed
to look like No. 3. No. 2 shows a
trough or mold that has a half inch
of cement and sand laid over its in
side and the tin form in place ready
to cover with the same material.
After the six are filled, the first
one may be set hard enough to turn
out on some straw to fill again, says
Farm and Home. But the tin lining
must not be withdrawn until it i 3
hard.v One needs a large number of
the tins, which can be made out of
second-hand tin roof or any tin or
stovepipe. They must be Just two
feet long so they will fit into the
| troughs.
To make them rapidly, "select a
sound pole and saw off six feet of it
where it is three inches thick. Then
nail legs to one end and at a point
two and one-half feet from the other
end. This leaves a horse that has a
horn projecting on which the tin may
be readily malleted. Shave the horse
flat on top between the legs, to work
on. First cut the sheet two feet
long and putting the edges together,
mallet it together through the middle
lengthwise. Then spring it open on
the horn and round it over so it will
lap well at the top. It must not be
riveted because it is to be sprung to
take it out when the tile is hard. The
| tin is shown completed at No. 4 and
, the horse at No. 5.
The new tile must dry and season
slowly so it will not check. To ac
complish this sprinkle ocasionally
with water. I prefer tile that is tri
angular in shape inside as it runs a
deep current of water when laid edge
down and is less likely to clog and fill.
If used in soil that works Into the tile
a little form may be cast to place over
each joint or flat stones may be used.
CORN ROOT APHIS.
Treatment Which Will Secure Protec
tion Against the Pest.
As a means of replying to very
many requests received for full and
precise directions for the treatment
of seed corn as a protection against
injury by the corn root aphis, the Illi
nois state entomologist, Dr. S. A.
Forbes, has prepared the following
careful directions. The quantities
mentioned are sufficient to treat the
seed corn necessary to plant about 45
acres. If a larger or smaller acreage
is to be planted, each can easily figure
the necessary amount for himself.
1. Mix one pint of pure oil of lemon
with one gallon of denatured alcohol
or wood alcohol.
2. Put one bushel of seed corn into
a tub or half a barrel, or similar vessel
large enough to allow vigorous stir
ring of the corn.
3. Measure out one and a half pints
of the mixture of oil of lemon and alco
hol.
4. Slowly sprinkle this mixture on
the corn, at the same time stirring the
latter vigorously with a stout paddle
or stick. Do not let the oil collect at
the bottom of the vessel for lack of
stirring and thorough mixing. Stir
vigorously until the oil is well distrib
uted. It should not take five minutes
to prepare a bushel of seed.
5. Put Ihe corn thus prepared into
a grain sack and it is ready to take to
the field for planting. Keep this sack
in the shade.
6. Do not prepare more than can be
planted in a half a day, unless it is
convenient to return to the crib at
noon.
Certified Milk,
Certified milk is as clean as it is
possible to make it, it is free from
objectionable bacteria in quantities
sufficient to do any harm and it is
of uniform quality. To produce certi
fied milk the animals must be healthy
nnd clean, the premises must bo clean,
the utensils must be sterilized and
every one who works with the milk
must have clean hands &.n<l clean
clothes. All this costs extra money,
and the product must bring a higher
price to make it pay.
FAILED IN SMALL THINGB.
Congressman Evidently Was No Hero
to His Wife.
There Is a certain congressman
who. whatever authority he may hold
In the councils of state, is of compara
tively minor Importance In his own
household. Indeed, it has been un
kindly intimated that his wife is "the
whole thing" in their establishment.
Representative and Mrs. Blank
had been to Baltimore one afternoon.
When they left the train at Washing
ton, on their return, Mrs. Blank dis
covered that her umbrella, which'had
been intrusted to the care of her hus
band, was missing.
"Where's my umbiella?" she de
manded.
"I'll} afraid I've forgotten it, my
dear," meekly answered the congress
man. "Tt must still be in the train."
"In the train!" snorted the lady.
"And to think that the affairs of the
nation are intrusted to a man who
doesn't know enough to take care of a
woman's umbrella!" —Success Maga-
Blne.
PURIFIED LIFE INSURANCE.
Benefits from New Law, Which Re
mains Substantially Unchanged.
Through the influence of Gov.
Hughes, the New York Legislature de
cided to make no radical changes In
the new Insurance law. It was pointed
out by Gov. Hughes that the New York
law has already accomplished wide
spread reforms, with proportionate
benefits to policyholders, and that it
should be given a thorough trial be
fore any amendments were seriously
considered. It is estimated that the
cost of the mismanagement of the past
did not average more than 20 cents to
each policyholder, while the benefits
to present and future policyholders
will amount to many times more and
be cumulative besides. The speed
craze of the bis companies afcd the ex
cessive cost of securing new business
was the most extravagant evil of the
old managements. Under the new
regime the cost of new business has
already been greatly reduced, along
with other economies.
The showing made by the Equitable
Life Assurance Society in its report
for 190G was a strong argument
against meddling with the new law.
In the Equitable alone there was a
saving of over $2,000,000 in expenses,
besides an increase in the income
from the Society's assets amounting
to as much more. The ratios of the
Equitable's total expenses to its total
income was 19.42% in 1904, 17.38% in
1905, and only 14.48% In 1906. The
dividends paid to Equitable policy
holders in 1906 amounted to $7,289,734,
which was an Increase of more than
9% over 1905.
While the Equitable made a better
showing than any other big company,
all reported radical economies and un
der such conditions the Legislature
wisely decided to leave the law sub
stantially as it stands.
Forgetting Something.
When the train that conveyed Pres
ident Roosevelt through Virginia on
his last trip south stopped at Char
lottesville, a negro approached the
president's car and passed aboard a
big basketful of fine fruit, to which
was attached the card of a prominent
grower.
In course of time the orchardist re
ceived a letter of acknowledgment
from the White House expressing the
president's appreciation of the gift,
and complimenting the donor upon hia
fruit. The recipient of the letter was,
of course, greatly pleased, and, feel
ing sure that his head gardener would
be much interested in the letter, he
read it to him. The darky who
served in the capacity mentioned lis
tened gravely, but his only comment
was:
"He doan' say nothln' 'bout sendin'
back de basket, do he?" —Success
Magazine.
Would Take What They Had.
A gentleman purchased at a post
ofllce a large quantity of stamped en
velopes, newspaper wrappers and oth
er postal requisities.
Finding them somewhat difficult to
carry, he asked one of the counter
clerks if he could supply him with a
small quantity of string.
"We are not permitted by the de
partment to supply string," was the
reply.
"Then give me a. bit of red tapo,"
was the sarcastic retort.
The string was supplied.
WENT TO TEA
And It Wound Her Bobbin.
Tea drinking frequently affects peo
ple as badly as coffee. A lady in Salis
bury, Mil., says that she was com
pelled to abandon the use of coffee a
good many years ago, because it
threatened to ruin her health and that
she went over to tea drinking, but
finally, she had dyspepsia so bad that
she had lost twenty-five pounds and
no food seemed to agree with her.
She further says: "As this time I
was induced to take up the famous
food drink, Postum, and was so much
pleased with the results that I have
never been without it since. I com
menced >o Improve at once, regained
my twenty-live pounds of flesh and
wont some beyond my usual weight.
"I know Postum to be good, pure,
and healthful, and there never was an
article, and never will be, I believe,
that does so surely take the place of
coffee, as Postum Food Coffee. The
beauty of it all is that it is satisfying
and wonderfully nourishing. I feel as
if I could not sing its praises too loud."
Read "The Road to Wellville," in pkgs.
"There's a Reason,"
HEALTH NOTES
'imUPTIOHS.
Spring Catarrh is a well de
fined Spring disease. The
usual symptom s are given
above. .4 Bottle of Pe-ru-na
taken in time will promptly
arrest the course of the disease
known as Spring Catarrh.
Paint BuyingW
Made Safe UlUm " k
White Lead and
Linseed Oil need ,
no argument, no V,.
advertising to jpiltpjh
maintain them
selves as the best v KIV 'x V
and most economic- V
al paint yet known to • \r
man. Thedifficulty has \ \\
been for the buyer to be \ |v.\\
always sure of the purity V%\\'
of the white lead and oil. V^|m\
We have registered the \fls»
trade mark of the Dutch Boy painter
to be the final proof of quality, gen
uineness and purity to paint buyers
everywhere. When this trade mark
appears on the keg, you can be sure
that the contents is Pure White
Lead made by the Old Dutch Process.
SEND FOR BOOK
"A Tnlk on Paint." Rives valnaMe informa
tion ua tho point subject. 1' reo upon ruuuost.
NATIONAL LEAD COMPANY
in whichever of th* follow
inj cities is nitorcat you :
New York, lioßtnn. Buffalo, Cleveland.
Clnclnnuti, Chicago, St. Lnui*. 1 hi!a
delphia f.lohn T. A Bron. Co. I itU
burgh [National l<ou«l Oil Co.]
/JLw s ' Food II
Products
Libby's Vienna
Sausage
unequalled for their delicious
taste. They are put up in most
convenient form for ready serv
ing, requiring' only a few min
utes preparation. They have a
fine flavor and freshness which
will please everyone.
An Appttbinu Dish. —Drop a tin ot
Libby's Vienna Sausage in boiliriffwater
until heated (about 15 minute-land
serve as taken (torn tlie till on a small
plate garnished witli lettuce leaves.
A.L j-our, Rroocr lor tlMo'K uad
upon cctlktiz l.lbbyV.
Llbby, McNeill A Llbby, Chieoflo
or
A Positive
cub*: for
CATARRH
Ely's Cream Bairn
is quickly absorbed. jft
Gives Relief at Once. 50c. / ' O-
Ely Bros.. 50 Wnrron St.. N. Y.
aurywui iy —wf *."miiwr
j mSCELLANEUtJS ELECTROTYPESI
I) In awnt variety for *ale «t the lowcft j>rl<'en by V
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