6
The Mystery
OF
Carney-Croft
By
JOSEPH BROWN COOKE
<Copyright, IDU7. by Story-Press Corporation.)
CHAPTER XVlll.—Continued.
"How would it do to get your
brother's own opinion and see how
he feels?" I suggested. "Either you
or I, or even both of us, might write
him and put the matter clearly before
him. If there is any good left
in hipi—you will pardon me, Miss
Carney, I hope, for I spoke very
thoughtlessly—but he ought to come
to his senses and decide for him
self."
She looked up into my face, her
eyes wet with tears, but with a wan
smile that was evidently conjured up
for the moment, and said, gently:
"You need not ask my forgiveness,
Mr. Ware, for you always think and
speak for the best, and my own feel
ings toward Jack are the same as
yours. I have never mentioned his
name to you before for I could not
*>ear to think of those awful days he
fipcnt here after my father's death,
and I am so glad that poor Annie did
not see him then as I did. He knew
that he was not fit for her to see
and I must say that he showed him
self to me only enough to enable us
to arrange our business affairs. He
seemed to understand the degrada
tion of his position, and although I
have never written to him in all
these years, my heart warms to him
now and I want to overlook it,
but I cannot, oh I cannot, Mr. Ware."
"Would you like me to write to him
myself?" I asked. "I could hardly ex
plain matters in a telegram, and while
I never know exactly where he is I
have reason to believe that he is in
the neighborhood of London or Paris.
A letter to his bankers would reach
him within a week or ten days and
he could be here in a little more than
a fortnight."
"You know best," she murmured,
resting her head on her hand and wip
ing her eyes slowly. "You know
best and must act according to your
own judgment. It seems to me that
we ought to send for him, if only
for Annie's sake, but I leave it all
to you."
Her feelings overwhelmed her
again, but as soon as she could calm
herself, she went on: "Perhaps I have
been wrong myself in not trying to
help him and make him see the posi
tion in which he has placed himself,
but when he was here I could not
bring myself to do it."
I remembered Miss Weston's impas
sioned statement that no one connect
ed with the mysterious happenings at
Carney-Croft hud done any wrong or
was in any way responsible for the
present inexplicable condition of
things, and, while I could not see how
John Carney could have any possible
Connection with the affair I grasped
the frail straw offered by this sug
gestion and, in my anxiety to calm
Miss Carney, I made the most of it
that I could.
"I know nothing of your brother's
life while he was away," I began,
"and, while, of course, I do not count
him blameless, I can assure you
that you have nothing to regret on
your part. You know things of
this kiud begin slowly and insidious
ly and —"
"Oh, no!" she interrupted, vehe
mently, "it was a cowardly. way to
act, at best, and, as I first under
stood it, it was worse than cowardly.
You can imagine my feelings when
I thought it was all for a mere lover's
quarrel and then—then, when I knew
the whole story, I could not bring
myself to view it in a much better
light, although, of course, my sympa
thies all went out to him. It was
not the act of such a man as I had
always thought Jack to be. I had
looked up to him and respected him
all my life and it almost broke my
heart —it almost broke my heart.
You wouldn't do such a thing, Mr.
Ware, I know, and even if you try
to hide your real opinion of him, I
understand too well what it is—
and he is my brother —my only
brother!"
She sobbed convulsively for some
minutes, while I stood like a fool by
her side, keeping down, as best I could,
the words that were uppermost in my
heart and then, suddenly, she arose
and said, abruptly:
"I have kept you too long, I fear,
but this was troubling me so that I
simply had to tell it to some one.
I think you had better write to my
brother at once and R will have to
rest with him whether he comes or
not. Good night."
I followed her with my eyes as she
entered the house and walked slowly
up the stairs.
CHAPTER XIX.
A Trail Discovered.
Another sleepless night followed,
"but long before the morning broke I
. had formed an opinion of myself and
my conduct that was in no way flatter
ing to either. To be sure, I had been
sincere in every thought and act, and
when, at times, I had felt and be-
tleved that Miss Carney loved me, I
toad soon argued myself into an oppo
site way of thinking on the ground,
as I have said before, that her feel
ings toward me were influenced and
magnified by her present anxiety and
distress. Now, however, after consid
ering the matter through the long
hours of the night until my brain
fairly reeled and 1 was sick at heart
at the thought of my brutal behavior,
I was at last able to see things in a
right light.
Miss Carney had given mo every
evidence of her regard that she
could give and still preserve her dig
ninty and womanliness. She had
doubtless realized the difficulties of
my position, and she had taken into
account that her brother's absence
served as an added reason for niy
silence, and so she had met me more
than half way and yet I had remained
silent.
She had even permitted me to kiss
her hand, and then, on the first occa
sion that offered, she had given me
an opportunity to say the words that
I owed to her if she would preserve
her self-respect and not consider that
1 had trifled with her in a most
cruel and unmanly way. And still
I had remained silent, in an egotis
tical belief that my attitude was chiv
alrous and commendable when, in
fact, it was only Quixotic and brutal
ly unkind.
Now, she could only think that I
did not love her, for surely she could
not conceive that a sane man would
have acted the part I did on the ver
anda unless he regarded her almost
with indifference.
1 rose and paced the floor until my
head throbbed, hating myself and try
ing to smother my emotions until the
morning came and I could goto her
and beg her forgiveness.
As the day began to dawn a cold
gray light spread itself over the fields,
I stood Spell-Bound with Fear.
showing the hoar-frost on the grass
and bringing clearly into view many
distant objects which stood out sharp
ly in the qrisp autumn air.
I glanced from my window and saw
what appeared to be two people walk
ing slowly down the hillside in the
direction of the Bruce cottage. A
hasty scrutiny through my field
glasses confirmed my suspicion and
it seemed that one figure, that of a
man, carried au implement like a
spade or shovel, while the other was
evidently a woman of about the wid
ow's size and general appearance.
I dressed rapidly, and, slipping out
of the house, made, my way as quick
ly as I could to the point where I
had seen them passing, feeling sure
that I would have no difficulty in
following their trail through the frost
covered grass.
It was all I had expected, and I
walked rapidly up the hill, retracing
the path they had made, and, occa
sionally leaving the trail where it
led too directly through the open, and
slinking along in the shadow of the
hedges until I could again take it up
with safety.
About half way up the incline I
turned and looked down toward the
Bruce cottage, from the chimney of
which a black column of smoke was
pouring and whose windows were
brightly lighted as if something of
importance was going on within.
As I looked, and I had taken the
precaution to bring my binoculars
with me, a man emerged from the
house and I had no difficulty in mak
ing him out to bo Jenks, the stage
driver. He was followed in a mo
ment by Mrs. Bruce and the two
stood for some time in earnest con
versation, after which the man strode
rapidly down the road and the woman
reentered the house.
It had seemed to me that the widow
and Jenks were quarreling, for, dur
ing their talk, he had gesticulated
violently and shown every evidence of
extreme earnestness, if not of actual
anger: but they must have come to
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THUR&DAY, AUGUST i, 1907.
some sort of an agqennent at last,
for he waved his hand pleasantly as
he left her and she returned his sal
utation by throwing him a kisa as
coyly as a schoolgirl.
The first tiling the woman did after
entering the house was to extinguish
the lights, 110 longer necessary, as the
rays of the sun began to touch the hill
tops, and I was just lowering my glass
when I caught a fleeting glimpse of
another man, darting around the cor
ner of the building and disappearing
behind the woodpile. I watched in vain
for him to show himself again, but
he did not, and finally, I turned and
followed the trail once more, mak
ing all possible haste, lest I should
lose it when the frost disappeared.
The foot prints led me up on the
hill and around to the side away
from the house and, at length, be
came lost in a grove of hemlocks un
der which there was 110 tell-tale frost.
For a time it seemed that my ef
forts were to prove of no avail, and
that 1 might as well return home,
but the more I thought of the mat
ter the more I was convinced that
these people had been out for no
good purpose, and that it was my
duty to learn, if possible, what mis
chief they had been contriving at
this early hour and where they had
been.
In fact, I suddenly realized that I
had not taken a proper interest in
tine mysterious happenings at Carney-
Croft and that while it had seemed
quite enough to bring them to a stand
still, as far as outward appearances
were concerned, they were, in reality,
of far too great importance to let
pass so easily.
Miss Weston's connection with the
affair gave a new aspect to it, of
course, and while I was bound by my
word to respect her secret there was
nothing in my promise to her to pre
vent me from using every legitimate
means to find out all that I could
on my own account and make use of
such knowledge as I might ac
quire in any way that would best
serve my purposes without reacting
on her.
I wandered about, more or less aim
lessly, in the grove until, as I was on
the point of leaving in chagrin, I again
discovered the tracks in the frost lead
ing across a little open space from an
other and denser grove near by. I
plunged at once into this and had no
trouble in directing my steps through
the underbrush, which was broken
and bent in many places and showed
plainly the course taken by the man
and woman but a short time be
fore.
After going on in this way for some
little distance I suddenly found my
self in a small clearing under the
branches of the overtowering trees,
and saw, to my horror, an oblong
space of newly turned earth which
bore every resemblance In size and
general appearance to a grave.
For several minutes I stood spell
bound with fear and dread and then,
summoning up all my courage and
with a cold sweat standing out on
my body, I began to dig down in the
soft brown earth, using a stick that
was lying near by, and even my
hands, to remove the stones and
larger clumps of soil.
About a foot below the surface I
came upon a bundle wrapped in cloths
of the same kind la every way as
those found by MacArdal and myself
on the night when we first saw the
ghosts and Bhot at Jenks.
I could bear no more for the mo
ment, and quaking visibly. I rose
from the ground and leaned against
a tree for support. Then, for the
first time, I saw that there were many
other little mounds surrounding the
one I had opened and —but I had
reached the limit of my endurance,
and, with pallid face, I dashed mad
ly down the hill toward Carney-
Croft
(TO BB CONTINUED.*
Her Pointed Retort.
When the old lady put her head out
of the window and inquired of the
young railway porter what the train
was stopping for the young man
thought he would have a little fun at
the old lady's expense.
"Engine was out late last night,
ma'am,' he remarked with a smila,
"so she's got a thirst on her this
morning; they're giving 'or a drop o'
wine."
"Ah! It's water," said the old lady.
"If you'll wait a minutte, ma'am,'
he grinned, "I'll Inquire whether
they're givin' her port wine."
"Never mind,' came the answer,
"don't you trouble, young man. I
thought perhaps by the way we've
been getting along she was run on
sloe gin!'—London Tit-Bits.
LIFE INSURANCE ACTIVITY.
The New York Life's Business Nearly
Up to the Legal Limit.
The New York Life Insurance Com
pany announces that its new paid
business during the half year just end
ed was over seventy million dollars.
As the new law allows no life com
pany to write over one hundred and
fifty millions per year, it would ap
pear that this company is working
nearly up to the limit. The New
York Life gained such headway be
fore the law was passed and suffered
so little, comparatively, from the Arm
strong investigation, that the question
with its management has been how to
keep business down to the limit, rath
er than how to reach it. No other
company is writing nearly as much
as the law allows. The New York
Life has evidently become a pre
ferred company.
The company's payments to policy
holders during the six months end
ing June 30 were $21,360,761. It is
interesting to note that this amount
was almost equally divided between
payments under policies maturing by
death and payments made to living
policy holders. Thus, while death
claims were $11,180,626, the amount
paid for matured endowments, annu
ities, trust fund installments, for pur
chased policies and for dividends was
$10,480,135. Modern life insurance, as
practiced by the best companies, em
braces a wide field, and covers many
contingencies. It is money saved for
the aged, as well as money provided
for the families of those who die pre
maturely.
Modesty of True Greatness.
Abou Ben Adhem had just found
out that his name led all the rest.
"Still," he observed, with a modesty
as rare as it was charming, "the sea
son is young yet. I've made a few
lucky hits, it's true, but just as likely
as not I shall be at the bottom of the
percentage column In batting before
the season ends." Smilingly accept
ing the bouquet of cut flowers sent to
him by an admirer in the grandstand,
he steepped up to the plate, struck
out, dodged a lemon thrown at him
by a disgusted bleacherite, and went
and took his seat on the bench.
Bobby's Viewpoint.
The theater was brilliant with col
ored lights and overflowing with a
gay commencement throng. The
stage was crowded with a class of 200
boys and their teachers. Among the
graduates was John, the big brother
of little Bobby, who was surveying
the scene with bulging eyes. He
snuggled up to his father and in a
stage whisper asked:
"Papa, isn't it nice that so many
people came to John's commence
ment?"
Not Comfortable.
"I'm going off into the mountains
tliis summer and get close to the
heart of nature," said the dreamy girl.
"I once went off into the mountains
to get close to the heart of nature,"
said the matter-of-fact man."l sought
the woods and lay down close to her
throbbing bosom. But I found she was
full of red bugs and other penetrating
Insects. So T arose and gloomily
sought the artificial city."
MEAT OR CEREALS.
A Question of Interest to All Care
ful Persons.
Arguments on food are interesting.
Many persons adopt a vegetarian diet
on the ground that they do not like to
feel that life has been taken to feed
them, nor do they fancy the thought
of eating dead meat.
On the other hand, too great con
sumption of partly cooked, starchy
oat£ and wheat or white bread, pastry,
etc., produces serious bowel troubles,
because the bowel digestive organs
(where starch is digested), are over
taxed and the food ferments, produc
ing gas, and microbes generate in the
decayed food, frequently bringing on
peritonitis and appendicitis.
Starchy food Is absolutely essential
to the human body. Its best form is
shown in the food "Grape-Nuts," where
the starch is changed into a form of
sugar during the process of its manu
facture. In this way, the required
food is presented to the system in a
pre-digested form and is Immediately
made into blood and tissue, without
taxing the digestive organs.
A remarkable result In nourishment
is obtained; the person using Grape-
Nuts gains quickly in physical and
mental strength. Why in mental?
Hecause the food contains delicate
particles of Phosphate of Potash ob
tained from the grains, and this unites
with the albumen of all food and the
combination is what nature uses to re
build worn out cells In the brain.
This is a scientific fact that can fce
easily proven by ten day's use ol
Grape-Nuts. "There's a Reason."
Head, "The Road to Wellvllle," in
L'kga.
HANDY WAGON TOOL BOX.
Keep the Implements Handy Which
May Be Needed for Breakdown.
At this season of the year the
farmers are getting busy in the fields
and where a breakdown occurs, espe
cially 'if the farms are large, a great
deal of time is lost ingoing for re
pairs. There are always apt to be un
foreseen accidents which are more or
less costly, and a simple device of this
sort may prove helpful to many of our
readers. Those who are working on
the roads or are doing any amount of
hauling, as well as farmers working
in the Held, should provide themselves
with a set of tools which would come
The Wagon Tool Box.
Into play in case of an accident. By
experience we have found that acci
dents generally happen in the worst
possible place, where it is difficult to
help ourselves. Sometimes the losing
of a nut or bolt may be the means of
(browing out a half day's work, ren
dering it impossible to continue until
the damage has been repaired. While
a great many of our farmers may
think it is unnecessary and that it is
always best to have everything snug
and shipshape before going to the field
or setting out on a journey, accidents
will happen, no matter how much
care is taken.
A wagon box such as Is described
here, says The Farmer, will frequent
ly come into use and be the means of
saving a considerable outlay that
would otherwise be necessary for re
pairs. This box can be made about 18
inches long and 16 inches wide and
five or six inches deep. It should be
provided with several compartments
for nuts and bolts of various sizes. It
is large enough to contain such things
as an extra hame strap, wrench, some
staples, bolts, nuts, screws, screw
driver, hammer, cold chisel, wood
chisel, punch, pincers, hoofknife, cop
per rivets, some open links, hatchet, a
few wrought nails and such other
things as experience may prove to be
convenient to have. The shape of the
box is shown in the illustration. The
middle of the top is nailed fast, while
on each side is a hinged lid, fastened
with a hasp and staple for a lock, if
necessary. This box can be suspended
from the guide pole directly beneath
the center of the wagon box by two
strong leather straps with buckles.
Such a box would not be in the way
and would be easily accessible if any
thing was wanted.
SCIENCE AND FARMING.
The Wisdom of Making Nature Fight
i the Insect Foes.
Scientists are now realizing that the
abundance of insect pests which the
farmer of to-day has to battle with is
due largely, if not entirely, to the up
setting of nature's laws.
Before man placed the woods and
prairies under cultivation, excessive
increase of any insect species was
perhaps unknown, or, at most, very
rare.
Nature has always provided forces
which operate against each other, as
it were, and with insects, as with
other creatures, a balance between the
numbers of different species has been
maintained.
Modern methods of farming have
often decreased the natural enemies
of injurious insects, says Coleman's
Rural World, and in other cases have
afforded conditions favoring the rapid
multiplication of insects not formerly
present in dangerous numbers.
The practical entomologist of to
day, while not discounting the value
of poisons and sprays as implements
of war against the six-footed host,
recognizes that really satisfactory
control is to be brought about by a
partial or total restoration of the con
ditions under which nature formerly
prevented the different species from
becoming too numerous. The ento
mologist accordingly studies parasitic
enemies and diseases which destroy
the injurious insects, and oftentimes
he is enabled to encourage the para
sites to such* an extent that they
largely or entirely control the injuri
ous forms.
The Middle Man.
A New York report says that a
great butter trust has been formed,
backed by a capital of $30,000,000.
The projectors declare that they are
going to eliminate the middle man in
the selling of butter, and that they
propose to get control of practically
all the butter made in the country.
This butter is all to be reworked to
a single grade. It will probably prove
to be but one mode of the many fruit
less attempts to get rid of that very
necessary worker, the middleman. Un
der the present financial arrange
ments for doing business, the middle
man is a necessity.
The Berry Bushes.
Don't let the berry bushes grow all
over the garden. Confine them to
rows and chop off the head of evcrj
plant that comes up out ol place.
A FRANK STATEMENT.
From a Prominent Fraternal Man ol
Rolla, Missouri.
Justice of the Peace A. M. Light, of
Rolla, Mo., Major, Uniformed Hank,
t Knights of Pythias,
Third HaLtalion,
Second Regiment,
Missouri Brigade,
Bays: "I ai:i pleased
to endorse ilie usa
of Doan's Kidney
Pills, a medicine
of great merit. Hav
ing had personal ex
v\perience with many
kidney medicines, I am In a position
to know whereof I speak, and am
pleased tc add my endorsement and
to recommend their use."
Sold by all dealers. 50 cents a box.
Foster-Mllburn Co., Buffalo, N. Y.
His Finger Imprints.
Of Count Julius Andrassy, whos®
monument was recently unveiled at
Buda-Pesth, the Neue Presse gives
the following incident: Count Andras
sy had a habit of smoothing with his
hand his richly oiled hair. One day
an important document had passed
.he Austrian council of ministers, in
the contents of which Count Andras
sy was interested. Shortly afterward
the Austrian president of the minis
try said to one of the ministers:
"Count Andrassy has read the latest
document." "How do you know?" "I
find on It the imprint of Count Ad
drassy's fingers," responded the presV
dent with a laugh.
Unkind Advice,
Two Irishmen were eating theif
lunch, when one asked the other:
"Pat, an'what be you thinking about?"
Pat replied: "Shure, Mike, I was a
thinklng how I would be getting me {
clothes over me wings when I would
get to heaven."
"You %voukl better be thinking how
you would be getting your hat over
your horns when you get to the other
place," answered Mike. —Ally Sloper.
Quite the Contrary.
"Borus, I haven't had time yet to
read that last novel of yours. How
did it end —happily?"
"No, Naggus; it ended tragically.
The total sales were 17 copies."
SAvraRS
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ASCHOaISp
leges of Liberal
Arts. Normal. Preparatory. K»K»nuerlng % Law. Com
merce, Music. Finj» Arts, Oratory, Prtarroaey, V.B,
Military Dop't. Students from HI statos. 37 successful
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OHIO NOHTHERN UNIVERSITY. - Ada. Ohio.
ECZEMA, PIMPLES AND SORES
of every ilesrrlptton vanish as by magic under the map.
vrloun neaMng Influence of Ktlm lloi Nulve. For ever*
jay ucctilonts auch as burns. cuts, etc.. It has no e«jual.
-ou«i for a box today. By mall Sse.
11 A HXT ( U.i fcewburgh, •
Thompson's Eye Water