6 The Mystery OF Carney-Croft By JOSEPH BROWN COOKE (Copyright. 1907, by Story-i'ress Corporation.) CHAPTER XXll.—Continued. An iron ladder, very much rusted and weather worn, but apparently per fectly strong and secure, was attached to one side of this shaft, and, after waiting for a few minutes until my eyes had become accustomed to the blackness of the hole, I could see that it was about 12 feet deep and opened into the arched roof of a tunnel of some kind, the floor of which, as well as the sides and top, was constructed of massive masonry. At times the most level-headed and eveTily balanced man is tempted to do some foolhardy thing, and, while I make no claim to any unusual de gree of personal bravery, and have not a dare-devil trait in my disposi tion, I was suddenly seized with an irresistible desire to descend into this forbidding looking pit and investigate it for myself, then and there. My revolver was fully loaded and I also carried a small pocket-lamp which had been given me some time before and which I had found useful on sev eral occasions; less strenuous, how ever, than the one at hand. With these thoughts in my mind and, it must be confessed, with many misgivings which I strove to keep down and ignore, I propped open the lid of the manhole and descended boldly into the underground passage, holding my revolver firmly in my hand and ready to light my little lamp as soon as I reached the bottom of the ladder. Once in the tunnel I stepped to one side in the direction of the river, where I could not be seen by anyone looking in from above, and tried to accommodate my eyes to the darkness of the place and avoid, if possible, the use of my lamp. After a time I found that I could eee fairly well and that I was in a long, narrow tunnel of brick and stone, about six feet wide and seven in height, which sloped gradually down to the river, where it ended in the (flight of stone steps that I had seen and which were entirely under the Isurface of the water. There was a 'damp, noisome odor to the place and I soon recognized in it the same graveyard smell that I now knew so iwell and dreaded so much. I had, however, expected something of this sort, and nerving myself to al most anything that might be disclosed in my search, I proceeded cautiously and stealthily along toward the steps, 'thinking I would explore that part of the tunnel first, before going in the other direction. I saw nothing of interest until I got near the water, where I found a heavy, iwarm coat neatly folded and, on it, a '•whisky flask with the cork loosened, awaiting their owner and in dicating clearly that he purposed re turning by the route he had taken when he left. Leaving these as they lay, I re traced my steps and passed once more lunder the open shaft and on up the jgentle slope of the passage-way, hold ling my pistol well in front of me and wondering at what moment some ghastly sight would meet my gaze and account for the constantly increasing fetidness of the place. I had not lighted my lamp, for the faint glimmer' that filtered in tisj*»ugh the river "water and the illumination from the 'shaft enabled me to see with reason able distinctness. As I proceeded up the tunnel, how ever, objects began to grow dimmer and dimmer and 1 was on the point of striking a light when I heard a sudden icrash and saw, to my horror, that the lid of the manhole had fallen shut rwith a bang, leaving me in total dark ness. Before I could ignite my lamp or even collect my thoughts, there was a rush of foul air from the upper end of the tunnel and then some heavy, lum bering creature brushed past me, breathing iato my face a hot breath of unspeakable suggestiveness and wheezing and mumbling like a fretful lion just after a generous meal. 1 shrank close to the wall of my prison, for such it now was, not know ing what to do or which way to turn, when, to my great relief, the beast, or whatever it was, shuffled awkwardly past me again, still making horrid gut tural sounds and breathing deeply as before. A rat, or some similar little animal, Bcuttled over my feet at the same mo ment, stopping long enough to bite my ankle sharply, but I made no sound and held rny breath until the more formidable creature was well beyond me and left me a free course to the river. As soon as I felt that the coast was clear and that I could not be over taken, I sped down the inoline toward the steps and plunged headlong into the water, which glimmered faintly green before me. Striking out under the surface, I swam as far away from the entrance as I could, and, coming to the top at last, I made for the shore and dashed onto my room for whisky and dry clothing. CHAPTER XXIII. Another Escape. It was still early in the evening and such was my anxiety to solve this problem without unnecessary delay that, in spite of my experiences of the day, I resolved to return again to the manhole and see how it happened to have fallen shut and if anything new could be learned from a superficial in spection of the place after dark. 1 stopped long enough in the hall way to dispatch a servant to the rail way station with my letter to Mac- Ardel so that it would catch the late mail and then, leaving word that I was going out for a short stroll, I put on a heavy coat and left the house. There was an icy chill in the air that betokened snow in the near fu ture, and I had heard one of the na tives say the day before that we would have a storm and a "gol dummed big one, too," before the end of the week. As I started down the path to the river I could not doubt the accuracy of the fellow's prophecy, and I drew my coat collar well about my neck and shivered fitfully as the rigorous blasts of the coming winter reached through my garments and chilled my very bones. A sudden drop in temperature, fol lowed by heavy snow, in the early autumn was not uncommon in this cli mate, as I knew full well, and it was usually a serious matter to the farm ers, whose fall crops were ruined and many of whose cattle perished; but this year was destined to see such a storm as had not been equaled in many a decade. The wind howled and whistled through the trees and over the hill tops and then, when a lull would come, it was emphasized by the dull, heavy moaning of the pines and hemlocks far away in the distance beyond the river. At times I even thought I could feel occasional flakes of snow striking me in the face as I strode on over the turf on my way to tbe tunnel en trance, but I could not be sure, and it might have been only the dust and Descended Into the Underground Passage. other small bits of matter that were picked up in the gale and whirled viciously through the air. When I reached the manhole I was not at all surprised to find that some one had been there before me and again covered it with leaves and bits of grass but, as I tried to raise it once more, never doubting that I could make my escape across the lawn if 1 were detected in this, my astonish ment was profound at discovering that it was securely fastened down from below. While I was kneeling down on the ground and tugging at the lid to make sure that it was locked, 1 thought I heard a step behind me and turned my head quickly to see if anyone was ap proaching. It was, however, apparent ly nothing more than the snapping of a branch due to the fury of the wind, and I again turned to the manhole, hoping vaguely that, even if I could not open it, I might perhaps hear some conversation through the grating that would serve as a sort of a clew to the grewsome doings beneath. As I laid my hand on the iron work again it touched a cold, heavy object which had certainly not been there a moment before, and, picking it up and holding it between me and the sky, I saw, to my amazement, that it was my own revolver, to the handle of which was tied a bit of folded paper. For an instant my heart seemed to stop and I remained rigid on my knees with my arms upraised as I had held out my pistol for inspection, fearing to move through very terror of my ovi shadow. My breath caught in my throat and then came in short, heavy gasps, while the wind alternately moaned and roared about me and oc casional thick damp snowflakes lightly touched my ashen face. There certainly had been' no sound CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THORSDAV, AUGUST 22, 1907 or motion In front of me where I found the pistol, and I had convinced myself that the crackling I had heard at my back, and which was some dis tance away at best, had been due to nothing more than the wind. At length, and with trembling fin gers, I removed the paper from the stock of the weapon and stuffed it into my pocket, so that I could examine it later, and was about to rise nervously to my feet, when 1 again heard a slight disturbance in the shrubbery to one side of me and saw a man approach ing stealthily and apparently on all fours. With no thought of the consequences and in an actual frenzy of terror, I raised the pistol and fired at him point blank, but the cartridge failed to ex plode or else the chambers were empty, and, with a frantic shriek, I sprang to my feet and threw myself headlong upon him. He seemed entirely unprepared for this attack, but he made no sound and strove manfully to defend himself as I grappled at his throat and we rolled over and over down the velvety lawn to the river. I was considerably hampered by my overcoat and having no desire togo into the water with him, I relaxed my efforts somewhat, when, with almost superhuman strength and emitting a cry that indicated a degree of terror equal to my own, he tore himself from my grasp and sped away in the direc tion of the turnpike. Feeling, now, that I was his master, I dashed madly after him, pulling off my coat as Iran, and I was gaining slowly upon him in spite of the re doubled efforts that he made, when, on the sharp incline that led down to the road, he stumbled and fell and I was upon him again in a moment. My victory was short lived, however, for as he struggled fiercely to free himself from my grasp and I, with equal fury, strove to choke or beat him into a state of submission, we again rolled over and over in the grass until, as luck would have it, my leg caught in a strand of the barbed wire fence that enclosed the property at this out-of-the-way point, and once more he succeeded in freeing himself and tore down the road in the direc tion of the village. My clothing was torn and mud stained, my hands and face were bruised and bleeding, I ached in every limb and was well nigh exhausted with the furious and protracted encounter, and I was hatless and coatless into the bargain, but I at least had one cause for congratulation. In my second wrestle with my hith erto unknown assailant I had been able to get a sufficiently good view of his face to identify him positively and, in spite of the remarkable protesta tions of ignorance concerning the Car ney-Croft mystery which I had heard him make to the widow only the night before, and which I was now forced to believe were but part of a little com edy gotten up for my special delecta tion, my lusty antagonist was no other than the long-suffering Jenke. CHAPTER XXIV. The Doctor Explains It. When I returned to the house my first thought was to read the note which I had found tied to the pistol and, as I had expected, it was in the Bruce woman's hand and was evident ly intended for Jenks, whom I had de tected as he was coming to get it. It was brief and to the point and read: "Try and return this pistol to Mr. Ware's room. Be cautious. Get her to manage It. Do as she says." (TO BE CONTINUED.) Complain of Beavers. There is a movement in Maine to permit an open season for killing beavers, because of the damuge to standing timber caused by the little animals. Lumbermen lay all sorts of depredations at the door of the dam builders. A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. How a Veteran Was Saved the Ampu tation of a Limb. B. Frank Dorcmus, veteran, ot Roosevelt Ave., Indianapolis, Ind., says:"l had been t showing symptoms of kidney trouble from the time I was mus tered out of the army, but in all my life I never suffered as in 1597. Headaches, diz ziness and sleepless ness, first, and then dropsy. I was weak and helpless, having run down from 180 to 125 pounds. I was having terrible pain in the kid neys, and the secretions passed almost involuntarily. My left leg swelled un til it was 34 inches around, and the doctor tapped it night and morning until I could no longer stand It, and then he advised amputation. I refused, and began using Doan's Kidney Pills. The swelling subsided gradually, the urine became natural and all my pains and aches disappeared. I have been well now for nine years since using Doan's Kidney Pills." For sale by all dealers. 50 cents a box. Foster-Milburn Co.. Buffalo, N. Y. HIS FOOT ON THE TREADMILL. Mr. Joacker Tells of One Sentenced to Hard»Labor for Life. Said Mr. Joacker, who was reading the paper: "Another poor wretch has Been given a life sentence at hard la bor." Said Mrs. Joacker, who was em broidering blue roses: "Probably he deserves it. What is he guilty of." "Fraud and no visible means of sup port. He obtained clothes and a fine turnout with no money and nothing collectible. He seems to be larger and stronger than most of that class, yet It is plain that he has never done a tap of work, though he has managed to live well, so far. But the poor fellow takes his sentence hard and cries piteously, protesting his innocence." "The wretch! He must have dealt with perfect fools!" "No, his victim Is our own friend, Jack Smith." "That clever lawyer! Do read to me all about it!" " 'Born to Mr. and Mrs. John Smith, a 12-pound boy.' " —The Bohemian. SETTING THE BRIDE AT EASE. "Widder's" Sympathy Went Out to Fellow Passenger. A couple recently married had just entered the train that was to bear them to the mountains on their honey moon, when they became aware of the close scrutiny of them by a female pas senger, who had evidently "spotted" a bride and groom. The young wife, on opening her handbag, let fall some rice on the floor, and the woman smiled. The other passengers regard ed the couple with Interest. Seeing that the bride was every moment be coming more flushed and uncomfort able by reason of their scrutiny, the woman in the goodness of her heart, leaned across the carriage. "Never mind, my dear!" she said. "I'm a widder now, but by this time next week I'll be in the same fix my .self!" In Extremis. The yacht was heavily becalmed. There were but ten bottles of cham pagne in the lockers. Their last signal of distress had been sent up, without bringing any response. "Gentlemen," exclaimed the commo dore, in a quavering voice, "I can no longer conceal the hideous truth from you. Sobriety stares us in the face!" It was a wildly various scene which ensued. Some blasphemed, some prayed, some, in an access of frenzied wantonness, sang songs, while some sat stoically by, awaiting their fate with at least an outward calm. —Puck. High=Priced Meat may be a Blessing If it gives one the chance to know the tremendous value of a complete change of diet. Try this for breakfast: A Little Fruit A. dish of Grape-JWutsand Cream -A Soft- "Boiled E.gg ■Some JVice, Crisp Toast Cup of Well-made Postum Food Coffta That's all, and you feel comfortable and well-fed until lunch. THEN REPEAT, And at night have a liberal meat and vegetable dinner, with a Grape-Nuts pudding for dessert. Such a diet will make a change in your health and strength worth trial. "There's a Reason." Read "The Roail to Wellvllle," In pkge. FINALLY ROUSED UP UNCLE. How a Crowd of Villagers Stirred the Sage of the Cracker Barrel. * There was the usual crowd of vil lagers sitting on the postoffice stepa waiting for the mail to be distrib uted, and among them was Uncle John. He had joined the sitters with out saying a word, and at the eud of fifteen minutes one of the men winked at the crowd and said: "Well, Uncle John, have you heard about the big earthquake in Vermont, with 10,000 people killed?" Uncle John looked at him in a weary way and .shook his head. And the cyclone in Connecticut yes terday and 500 houses blowndown?" continued the man. Uncle John yawned and was not the least interested. "The Ohio river rose 200 feet of a sudden the other day and carried the city of Cincinnati down stream. Tens of thousands of people lost their lives. Any of your relatives down there. Uncle John?" The old man slowly shook his head and reached down to pick up a sliver and pick his teeth with it. "And the whole state of Pennsyl vania is caving in," said the Joker, "and by to-morrow there will be a great lake where 5,000,000 or 6,000,000 people have lived." Uncle John took the news without a word. In fact, he yawned and Btretched over it. "By thunder, but there goes a rat nnder that pile of lumber across the street," exclaimed the joker as he rose up. "Say, you fellers " But he got no further. Uncle John was across the street and had a club In his hand, and. within the next tea minutes he had done a half day's work tearing down the pile to get at the rat. He had been aroused at last. —Kansas City Journal. TWO WAYS OF LOOKING AT IT. Wife's Sneering Comment Met with Sharp Answer. Gelett Burgess at the recent dinner of the American Booksellers' associa tion of New York said: "I once knew a San Franciscan who married a girl for her money. She was not a pretty girl, and as time passed and love cooled, she developed a rather tart tongue. "One day her husband bought with his quarter's allowance a 20-horse power automobile. He took the car home gayly and brought his wife out to the front door to look at it She gave one sneering glance, and then aald: " 'lt's very fine, but if it hadn't been for my money, It wouldn't be here.' " 'Well, Mamie,' said the husband, quickly, 'if it hadn't been for your money you wouldn't be here your •elf.'" USED BY THE DOCTORS. Ninety Per Cent of the Drugs Pre scribed Are Patent Medicines. Despite the opposition of physicians, especially of those whose experience has been neither far reaching nor profitable, to "patent" medicines, nine ty per cent of all drugs that physi cians use are put up and compounded by manufacturing concerns, —are, in fact, "patent" medicines just as truly as if they were advertised in the newspapers. The average doctor knows little or nothing of pharmacy and is, there fore, glad to depend on the very medi cines, which in public he condemns, Just as he is obliged in many cases to depend on the diagnosis of the pa tient himself, even while publicly de crying what he calls "self-diagnosis." How rapid has been the growth of the professional use of "patent" or "pro prietary" medicines is shown in an article written for the Jourr.al of American Medical Association for September 29, 1906, by A. Jacobl, M. D., LL. D. He relates that 50,000 pre scriptions, compounded in several drug stores were carefully examined. From 1850 to 1870 no prescription was found for "patent" or "proprietary" medicines. In 1874 but one prescrip tion In 1,500 called for ready-to-use remedies. Between 1575 and 1880 the number calling for "patent" or "pro prietary" medicines equalled two per cent of the total. This increased to 5 per cent in the period between ISSO and 1890. In 1895 it was 12 per cent, in IS9S it was 15 per cent, and in 1902- 1903 was from 20 to 25 per cent. Dr. Jacob! says that in a large store he was assured that 70 per cent of the prescriptions were for "patent" or "proprietary" medicines, and this probably is approximately the correct proportion at the present time. From this it would seem that if the "patent" and "proprietary" medicines are good enough for physicians to prescribe in seven cases out of ten they are good enough for family use in cases of necessity and where the symptoms are well known and as under stood by the people as by the doc tors. Always the Politeness. A Germantown woman was not long ago watching a workman as he put up new window fixtures in her house. "Don't you think that you have placed those fixtures too high?" asked she, having reference to the curtain rolls last putin place. The workman, a stolid German, made no reply, but continued to adjust the fixtures. "Didn't you hear my question?" de manded the lady of the house. "How dare you be so rude?" Whereupon the German gulped convulsively, and then replied in the gentlest of voices: "I hai my mouth full of schrews, und I could not spheak till I svallow some!" —Harper's Weekly HEALTH NOTES FOR AUGUST. August is the month of internal catarrh. The mucous mem branes, especially of the bowels, are very liable to congestion, causing summer complaint, and catarrh of the bowels and other Internal organs. Pe-ru-na is an excellent remedy for all these conditions. Painting for No one will question the superior appearance of well-painted property. The question that the property-owner asks is: "Is the appearance worth the cost? " Poor paint is for temporary appear ance only. Paint made from Ture Linseed Oil and Pure White Lead is for lasting appearance and for protection. It saves repairs and replacements cost ing many times the paint investment. The Dutch Boy trade mark is found only on kegs containing Pure White Lead made by the Old Dutch SEND FOR 112 =?§» ] BOOK V J "A Talk on Paint." give* valuable in for- y&r subject All trad parked in upon requott. J9u7 bears thio mark. NATIONAL LEAD COMPANY in whichever of the follow ing cities is neansf you. New York, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chi<TiKO, Bt. Lonls, Philadel phia [John T. Lewis A Uroa. Co.J, i'ittaburgh [National Load & Oil CJo.l SIOK HEADACHE CAKTEI&F""™ 1 graqg They also relieve Dia fifcfeS SXTiLSF tress from Dyspepsia, In- Wf g I s|r n digestionantltt'ooHearty ■rjj S tjj E* B* Eating. A perfect rem- Sf?. n | ■ edy for Diiziuess, Nau ■ fl sea, Drowsiness, Had Taftte in the Mouth, Coat s'c<* Tongue, Pain in the teJLd.t-ayggaOM | Side, TOUPID LIVER. They regulate the Bowels. Purely Vegetable. SMALL PILL. SMALL DOSE. SMALL PRICE. PAQTEa?I Genuine Must Bear mh Fac-Simile Signature ™SITTLE _ H PILLs! REFUSE SUBSTITUTES. HIOjK'S CAPUDINE B B C 3) T™ It removes the cause, B. m (■« |F» soothes the nerves and a J relieves the aches and COLBS m GRIPPE S3 headaches and neuraleia also. No bad effects. 10c, 25c and 50c bottles. (I.IQI ID.) r»ni OlOAnn Is the greatest mining Suite I»ULI>nAUO i„ (l,e Union. Hut do you know, Colorado farmtrs will produce doltarn while her mines produce cents? We sell land lliut never fails lo return big interest on the Investment; land that will double In value soon. Colorado is booming. Buy now before prices go up, ns they are bound to do. Write for our descriptive litera ture. Local and Eastern references If desired. C. J. JOHNSTON, L. K. MI'LFORD, r. Farm Dept. Colorado Denver, Colo. DEFIANCE STARCH— "eT. c "j: —other itarche» only 12 ouncofl—aatr o price and "DEFIANCE" 18 6UP€RIOR QUALITY*
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers