6
«i§!§;
The Mystery
OF
Carney-Croft
By
JOSEPH BROWN COOKE
(Copyright. IW7. by Btory-Tress Corporation.)
CHAPTER XXlV.—Continued.
I puzzled long and deeply over these
words, for they brought a new and
hitherto unsuspected person into the
case. Whom did the widow mean by
"she?" It could not have been Miss
Weston, who was too ill to leave her
bed, and, after considerable thought,
I was forced to believe, as the only
possible explanation, that the pronoun
referred to one of the servants in the
house. This, to my mind, added ma
terially to the gravity of the affair, for
if unknown members of the domestic
staff were concerned in the matter
there was no telling how far the con
spiracy might reach nor to what pur
pose it was carried on.
I had become so accustomed to mys
terious happenings of this sort, and
my head was so filled with visions of
Miss Carney, and with the words 1
was now determined to say to her,
that no impression could have been
made on my mind by anything short
of a most startling phenomenon.
As I have said, the message was
evidently intended for Jenks and was
from the widow, who, it seemed equal
ly clear, either was or had been in the
subterranean passage holding con
verse with its loathsome inhabitants.
From my window I could see that
there were no lights in her cottage,
and I was on the point of venturing
forth again and, from a safe distance,
watching the pit until she emerged
and started for home, when a realiza
tion of my physical exhaustion took
hold of me and I adopted the wiser
plan of remaining in my room.
The night was far from restful, and
at the first glimpse of daylight I
dressed and returned to the manhole.
There was a light fall of snow on the
ground and I was not surprised to see
that someone had climbed out of the
shaft and gone across the lawn toward
the Bruce house, but the lid of the
manhole was securely fastened down
as before.
In my efforts to raise it, or at least
to assure myself that it was locked, I
found, at the sides, two openings in
the grating larger than the others and,
slipping my revolver easily back and
forth through one of these, I was no
longer at a loss to understand how it
had appeared so mysteriously the
night before.
It was quite evident that it had been
passed up through the opening and
turned until it lay flat on the grating,
the person below doubtless mistaking
me for Jenks and misconstruing my
efforts to raise the lid into a signal
the stage driver that he had ar
rived and was awaiting orders. That
1 did not understand this simple
maneuver from the first and appre
ciate the situation at a glance was
because of my highly excited nervous
state and my subsequent encounter
with Jenks himself.
On my returq to the house I found
the following telegram which had just
arrived:
"Wire received. Will not await let
ter. Sure to arrive on time.
"CARNEY."
This message was dated New York
and, apparently, had been transmitted
thence from the cable over the local
wire to Carney-Croft. It must have
been in response to my dispatch of
the previous day and served to set
my mind at rest as to the where
abouts and purposes of John Carney,
which had been troubling me in an in
definite way for some time past.
The only thing now left for me to do
seemed to be to remain virtually pas
sive until he arrived, keeping a sharp
watch on things, but taking no posi
tive steps in his absence unless un
foreseen circumstances arose to call
for immediate action. My chief desire
was to see Miss Carney and make
clear to her my feelings, but this
seemed to be out of the question, as
she remained consantly with Miss
Weston and no longer came to any
meals or showed herself about the
house.
The country was fast taking on the
mantle of white under which it was to
sleep for so many long weeks, and it
was with a comfortable shiver that I
entered the library, just before lunch
eon, and strode up to the Are to warm
my hands and toast my shins and
back successively.
I found Miss Weston's physician
similarly engaged and asked him so
licitously concerning his patient.
His face clouded and I even thought
I saw a tear in the corner of his eye,
for, like all doctors with the right kind
of stuff in tbom, familiarity with hu
man suffering had only warmed his
heart and softened his nature.
"I had hoped," he continued, "that
young Carney's return would have a
good effect on her, but when we told
her of the message that came this
morning she only drew the sheets over
her face and broke down completely.
There is something more to this, Mr.
Ware, than the mere absence o! her
sweetheart, but what it is I cannot
oven imagine."
"Then you kaov nothing of the mys
tery of Carney-Croft?" I asked cau
tiously, closing the door and speaking
in a lown tone.
"The mystery of Carney-Croft!" he
exclaimed in bewildered surprise and
then his face relaxed and he smiled
pleasantly as he said: "Oh! you mean
the ghost stories that were told about
here after Mr. Carney died?"
"Well," I returned, "ghosts or some
thing of the sort were really se«*h
about the place, were they not?"
His smile broadened as he replied:
"Oh, yes, some of the boys did rig
themselves up in sheets and play
spook for a time, until I took a hand
in it myself and drove them out. I
was going to send you word about it,
but I found it was only a lot of boyish
pranks, and that they hadn't done any
harm beyond -getting into the old tun
nel by the river, and, of course, that
didn't amount to anything."
"The old tunnel!" I exclaimed in
well-feigned surprise. "Is there a tun
nel by the river?"
"You never heard of It, of course,"
he went on,"and I fancy nearly every
one has forgotten it by this time.
When Mr. Carney began to build here
he located his house some 200 yards
farther down the hill toward the wa
ter. He had a plan of running a little
tunnel from the cellar to the river so
that ashes and other refuse from the
house could be taken out that way and
not clutter up the lawns or be seen
from the windows.
"Just as this work was partially
completed the old dam, some two
miles up the stream, was demolished
and a new one built about a mile be
low. This raised the water level un
til the far end of his tunnel was com
pletely submerged and so he gave up
the scheme entirely and began a new
cellar quite a distance back from the
first. The partly finished tunnel and
the excavation for the original cellar
were covered over and had practically
been forgotten by everybody except the
boys, who used to dive down and swim
into the hole iu the summer.
"Then, as I say, they got the Idea of
playing ghost and would run down the
hill in the moonlight with nothing on
but a sheet or a piece of old fish net
"We Cannot Hope to Save Her."
which waved out far out behind them.
When they got to the edge of the bank
they would emit some sort of a ghost
ly yell and dive down out of "sight.
Finally, when all the young girls in
the neighborhood began to get hys
terics, I discovered what was going on
and put a stop to it by giving two or
three of the ringleaders a sound
thrashing and installing a family of
beavers in the tunnel who vigorously
attacked all future intruders."
' The doctor laughed heartily as he
finished his little tale and concluded
by saying:
"There have been occasional rumors
of ghost since then, I know, but I
fancy that is the biggest mystery Car
ney-Croft ever had."
"Doctor," I returned seriously, "there
is a far greater mystery than that go
ing on here this very minute. That
tunnel is again occupied, by whom I
do not know, but the man or men who
are down there are in league with that
Bruce woman who lives in the new
cottage, and with Jenks, the stage
driver. Moreover, these people are
connected in some inexplicable way
witl Miss Weston, and the Bruce
woman, who seems to be the head .and
front of the whole thing, has written
letters to Miss Weston, and even to
me, most of which contain vague ref
erences to Miss Carney and threats
that—"
"The Bruce woman written to you!"
exclaimed the doctor. "Why, my dear
sir, it is impossible! I have known
the woman for a dozen years and she
cannot read a word or write a letter!"
At that moment he was summoned
hurriedly to Miss Weston's room and
I was handed a telegram from Mac-
Ardel which read:
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1907
"Keep away from (hat hole and (lo
nothing till you get my letter. Your
life may de£e~d on it. Wira if you
wish me to come."
The messenger was waiting and,
with no thought of the letter to which
he referred, but only to hasten the
time when some one would be with
me to whom I could talk, 1 replied
with the single word, "Come."
CHAPTER XXV.
A Drive In the Storm.
A moment later the doctor returned
hurriedly to the library for his medi
cine case aud said:
"I wish wo could get consultation
here in the country," he continued,
measuring out some powders with a
crftical air and depositing them on
bits of paper which he had cut for the
purpose. "Most of the deaths in this
part of the world are from accident or
old age, and a man with a large city
practice and extensive hospital expe
rience might possibly suggest some
means of prolonging her life for a
time. We cannot hope to save her,
but I wish we could keep her till Car
ney comes."
"I have telegraphed my friend Mac-
Ardel to come and help me solve the
mystery of the place," I ventured cau
tiously, not wishing to hurt his pro
fessional pride. "You know he was
with me here last summer and we had
a number of very peculiar experiences
then, so he knows a good deal about
it already, and 1 thought we could
work together to advantage. Perhaps
ho could be of service to you at the
same time."
"The very man!" exclaimed the doc
tor. "I know him well by reputation.
When will he arrive?"
"If my wire Is delivered promptly he
can get here on the midnight train," I
replied. "I know he will start at once,
for I sent for him at his own sugges
tion, in response to a letter from me
telling him of the tunnel affair, and I
think he has some very definite the
ories on the subject.
"Just the thing!" cried the doctor,
picking up the powders and hurrying
toward the door. "Let me know the
minute he sets foot in the house. I
shall be here all night."
As he left the room I strove to col
lect my scattered thoughts and deter
mine the present aspect of the situa
tion. If the widow could not write,
who, in heaven's name, did send the
notes? It did not appear probable that
the doctor was wrong in what he had
said, and, moreover, the statement
served to explain the merriment of
Jenks when I had accused her directly
of being the author of the letters.
Still, she had assumed all responsi
bility for them, which was tantamount
to writing them as far as their prac
tical features were concerned, and I
finally decided that if they were not
her own work* they must have been
written at her dictation, which really
amounted to the same thing.
I spent the afternoon in the library,
hoping that I might see Miss Carney
and at least offer her my sympathy in
her present trouble, even if I said no
more at this time, but she did not
come down stairs during the entire
day, and at dinner she sent me word
by Mrs. Randolph that Dr. MacArdel
would be very welcome, not only be
cause 1 had asked him to come, but for
himself as well, and in the hope that
ho might be of benefit to Miss Weston.
The storm had increased steadily all
day but, in spite of its fury and the
drifts that were piling up and block
ing the roads at every point, I an
nounced my determination togo with
the sleigh to meet MacArdel.
(TO 13K CONTINUED.)
A Splendid Prospect.
"Do you see any great future for
Panama?"
"Certainly. Look at the great ex
cursion resort it has already become."
—Washington Star.
FULLY UP WITH THE TIMES.
Oklahoma City Surprised Narrow-
Minded New Yorker.
Oklahoma amazes an easterner. The
wide, asphalted streets, the plate glass
fronts of department stores, the clean
sidewalks, the well-dressed, unhurried
shoppers, the finish, the metropolitan
air you find in Oklahoma City, for ex
ample, seem marvels to find in a ter
ritory only 17 years old. But do not
say so.
A New Yorker who went there on
business complained that fate was
thrusting him into a wilderness, and
his Oklahoma associates could not re
assure him. Hut Coming down to
breakfast the first morning, at his
hotel in Oklahoma City, he stared
around in wonder as he entered the
dining-room.
"This,"he exclaimed, "this is Okla
homa!! Why, do you know?" confl
dentially, "I even found a porcelain
bathtub in my room."
"Well," said an Oklahoman, drily,
"don't you have those in New York?"
BABY TORTURED BY ITCHING.
Rash Covered Face and Feet—Would
Cry Until Tired Out—Speedy
Cure by Cuticura.
"My baby was about nine months
old when she had rash on her face and
feet. Her feet seemed to irritate her
most, especially nights. They would
cause her to be broken in her rest, and
sometimes she would cry until she was
tired out. I had heard of so many
cures by the Cuticura Remedies that
I thought I would give them a trial.
The improvement was noticeable in a
few hours, and before I had used one
box of the Cuticura Ointment her feet
were well and have never troubled her
since. I also used it to remove what
is known as 'cradle cap' from her
head, and it worked like a charm, as it
cleansed and healed the scalp at the
same time. Mrs. Hattie Currier,
Thomaston, Me., June 9, 1906."
The Manchester canal was built at
a cost of $75,000,000 to reduce freight
rates for a distance of 35 miles, and,
while it did not prove a good inter
est bearing investment on such a
large expenditure, its indirect and
yiore permanent benefits are said to
have warranted it.
Germany has 3,000 miles of canal,
carefully maintained, besides 7,000
miles of other waterway. * France,
with an area less than we would con
sider a large state, has 3,000 miles of
canal; and in the northern part,
where the canals are most numerous,
the railways are more prosperous.
England, Germany, France, Holland
and Belgium are all contemplating
further extension and improvement of
their canal systems.—Century Maga
zine.
Late Already.
Five minutes after the tardy gong
had struck, the principal of the school
was walking through the lower hall
when he saw a pudgy little fellow
scampering toward the first grade
room as fast as his fat legs could
carry him. "See here, young man, I
want to talk to you," called the prin
cipal to the late comer. "I hain't got
time to talk to you; I'm late already,"
replied the breathless beginner as the
door of hia classroom closed. —The
Circle.
Punishment by Inches.
A Bergen (Genesee county) justice
of the peace has adopted an original
scheme for the dispensation of justice.
Henry Meyer, 27 years old and seven
feet two inches tall, was a prisoner in
his court for stealing four bags of
oats. He was sentenced to 90 days in
jail, one day for each inch of stature
and one for each bag.—Nunda (N. Y.)
News.
Yes, Yes.
"I suppose," said Mrs. Tartleigh,
"when you die you expect to meet all
your husbands?"
"You are very rude," retorted Mrs.
Muchwedde. "When I die I expect to
gc to heaven." —Young's Magazine.
WHAT'S THE USE?
To Pour in Coffee When It Acts as a
Vicious Enemy.
Fasters have gone without food for
many days at a time but no one can go
without sleep. "For a long time I have
not been sleeping well, often lying
awake for two OT three hours during
the night but now I sleep sound every
night and wake up refreshed and vig
orous," says a Calif, woman.
"Do you know why? It's because I
used to drink coffee but I finally cut it
out and began using Postum. Twice
since then I have drank coffee and
both times I passed a sleepless night,
and so I am doubly convinced coffee
caused the trouble and Postum re
moved It.
( "My brother was in the habit of
drinking coffee three times a day. He
was troubled with sour stomach and I
would often notice him getting soda
from the can to relieve the distress in
his stomach; lately hardly a day
passed without a dose of soda for re
lief.
"Finally he tried a cup of Postum
and liked it so well he gave up coffee
and since then has been drinking
Postum in its place and says he has
not once been troubled with sour stom
ach."
Even after this lady's experience
with coffee her brother did not suspect
for a time that coffee was causing his
sour stomach, but easily proved it.
Coffee Is not suspected in thousands
of cases just like this but it's easily
proved. A ten day's trial works won
ders. "There's a Reason."
IkOa.l the famous little book, "The
Road to VrUlUilo," ill pkss.
Hill 111 • A, ' COJ I«L 3 PEU CENT.
lis! wi simila i Uic Foori and Rcgula
lingua- Stomachs andßovelsof
gS 5, Promotes DigeslionJCheerful
ill Ness and Resi.Containsncitlicr
i|j Opium.Morphine nor Mineral,
NOT NARCOTIC.
ikctptoroidDc&mmmim
Nffiffl ' /hn/Jttn Seed" .
jPpn >ii jilx.Senna * 1
HOM JhM/e Satis- I
jWlflS AiuseSeed * I
K# pttLr.
JJajJ I futiurjrem Fiimr. '
Sk •
® Aperfcrl Remedy forConsfipa-j
!$-.« < (ion, Sour Stomach, Diarrhoea
?-£n » Worms,Convulsions.Feverish
riess and Loss OF SLEEP.
Facsimile Signature of
|IIH| : NEW YORK.
. Exact Copy of Wrapper.
He Was Not to Blame.
Little Bartholomew's mother over
heard him swearing like a mule
driver, says the Cleveland Leader. He
displayed a fluency that overwhelmed
her. She took him to task, explaining
the wickedness of profanity as well
as its vulgarity. She asked him where
he had learned all those dreadful
words. Bartholomew announced that
Cavert, one of his playmates, had
taught him. Cavert's mother was
straightway informed and Cavert was
brought to book. He vigorously de
nied having instructed Bartholomew,
and neither threats nor tears could
make his confess. At last he burst
out: "I didn't tell Bartholomew any
cuss words. Why should I know how
to cuss any better than he does?
Hasn't his father got an automobile,
too?"
Not His Element.
"And if I give you money," said the
philanthropist, "will you promise to
go and take a bath?"
Redface Leary drew himself up to
his full height.
"A bath? And is it a mermaid you
take me for?" he cried bitterly.
Shake Into Your Shoes
Allen's Foot-Ease. It cures painful,swollen,
smarting, sweating feet. Makes neiv shoes
easy. Sold by all Druggists and Shoe Stores.
Don't accept any substitute. Sample FREE.
Address A. S. Olmsted, Le Roy, N. Y.
It is worth while to do even the
smallest kindness as we go along the
way. Nothing is lost. No dewdrop
perishes, but, sinking into the flower,
makes it sweeter. —Richer.
FITS, St. Vitus Dance and all Nervous
Diseases permanently cured by Dr. Kline's
Great Nerve Restorer. Send for Free $'2.00
trial bottle and treatise. Dr. R. H. Kline,
Ld.. 931 Arch St.. Philadelphia. Pa.
Prosperous Franco.
The wealth of France is estimated
at forty-two thousand millions.
Does Your Head Ache?
If so, get a box of pause's Headache
Capsules of your Druggist. 25e.
Norman Liehty Mfg. Co., Des Moines, la.
The good man will avoid the spot
of any sin.—Ben Jonson.
Mrs. Wlnilow's Soothing Syrnp.
For children teething, softens the gums, reduces to
flammatlou, allays pain, cures wind colic. 25c a bottle.
Let thy discontents be thy secrets.
—Franklin.
He Knows ()
the kind of I
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In all walks of life tli in any other make, Is because of tlieir MW
excellent stylo, easy-fitting, and superior wearing qualifies. dKf
The selection of the leat hen nml other materials for each part
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the most C"»mpleteorganization of supenn l endents, foremen ami w'B
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and show you how carefully W. 1.. Douglas shoes are made, vou rek
would then tin.l island why they hold their shape, fit letter. Fait Color yff usrd
wear longer and are of greater value than 11117 other make. Kytlnt ▼ exclustctlv.
Wjf $4 ft lit Frfflo and $5 Gold Bond Sitcac cannot be equalled at any price*
CAUTION ! The genuine have W. J Douglas name ami price stamped on bottom. Take
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direct to factory, Shoostteutoveiywhere by mail. Catalog free. W.l~Dou«U*. Bro. Ictra, Mas*,
For Infant 3 and Children.
The Kind You Hava
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Bears the v
Signature fXJi
" w
ft In
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\j For Over
Thirty Years
THC CINTAUH COMPANY. NCWVORR CfTV.
I CAWYERS
JLJI EXCELSIOR BRAND
Oiled
Clothing and Slickers
| One of the best sellers is our ExcelsioT
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Em C«M.iiecE »"■
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lifal REFUSE SUBSTITUTES.
SPOT CASH
FOR SOLDIERS' HOMESTEAD RIQHT6
All soldiers who served ninety days or mori
in thj| federal army or navy between 18C1-1863,
iffia who TBnde homestead entries for less than
100 acres on or before June 22, 1874, means thai
an additional right is due someone and that
it can be sold to me for spot cash, no matter
whether patent issued or not. If soldier is
dead, his heirs are entitled. The right descends
as follows: First, to the widow; and second,
to the legal heirs, or next of kin. Talk to old
soldiers, their widows, children, or next of kin,
about this class of additional rights. Get busy
right now and find some of your relatives who
made homestead entries in early days. It's easy
money. For further information address Com
rade \V. E. Moses, 80 California Building, Den
ver, Colo.
because it covers
and wears so long.
'Paint It onf U dries quickly.
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OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY. - Ada. Ohio.
DEFIANCE Cold Water Starch
makes laundry work a pleasure. 10 oz. pkg. 100.
Thompson's Eye Water
A. N. K.—C (1907—34) 2192.