6
The Mystery
OF
Carney-Croft
By
JOSEPH BROWN COOKE
'Copyright, lUU7, by Htury l'r«ss Corporation.)
CHAPTER XXV.—Continued.
"You'd better not try to bring three
people back through the drifts," said
the doctor, who had just come in for
a bite and a cup of coffee. "You can't
drive two horses to advantage in this
weather, and if you insist upon going
why don't you take my mare and cut
ter and go alone? She's been in the
stable all day and she knows every
inch of the road, so if you just give
her her head she'll bring you through
all right. You'd better take my storm
coat and gloves, too, for you'll find the
wind pretty cold after you've been in
it a bit."
Although I had but two miles or
thereabouts to travel from the house
to the railway station I made an early
start and had the horse at the door
before ten o'clock. The doctor came
down to see me off and gave me a few
parting words of advice.
As I opened the door it was almost
blown out of my hand by the force of
the wind and great sheets of snow and
sleet came sailing in, under the prote
cochei-e and half way down the hall.
I bundled myself up in the doctor's
great fur coat and surrounded myself
with his rugs and then, bowing my
head to the fury of the gale, I did as
I had been told, and let the mare
take her own gait and pick her own
way to the train.
The train was 40 minutes late and,
after putting my horse in the stable
and blanketing her comfortably in ac
cordance with the doctor's instruc
tions, I returned to the station and
paced restlessly up and down the wait
ing room, now an«! then peering anx
iously through the frost-coated win
dows in a childlike way, as if my eyes
could penetrate the blackness of the
night and see for miles down the
track.
Finally, as the time for its arrival
drew near, one of the station men,
with that intuition so frequently ob
served and so incomprehensible to the
average individual, suddenly picked
up a lantern and strode out on the
platform. The heavy rumble of the
oncoming locomotive and the faint
squeal of its whistle struck my ears
at the same instant and, looking out, I
saw its single bleary eye gleaming
dimly in the distance as it plowed on
through the whirling sleet.
I was about togo out on the plat
form myself when the station master
called me to the telephone and the
doctor at Carney-Croft said hurriedly:
"I suppose the train is late but get
MacArdel here as soon as you can if
you want him to see her alive. It
won't be many hours now and it may
bo——"
There was a snap and a buzzing
found for an instant and I knew that
the wire was down.
In another moment MacArdel was
by my sitle, and as soon as we could
get the lantern lighted and the mare
cut of the stable we started on our
wild drive to Carney-Croft.
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Entrance of Chico.
I lashed the panting beast until
great welts stood out on her sides and
her hide was lathered with foam, while
we dashed along in the blinding storm
and finally galloped through the gate
way and up the winding road toward
the bouse. The snow was drifting
heavily and MacArdel leaned over the
side of the sleigh and held the lantern
close to the ground so that I could see
such little traces of the road as re
mained or we would have been ditched
a dozen times in our mad race to the
dying girl.
Suddenly, as we neared the house,
and at a place where the drifts were
deeper and the exhausted horse strug
gled heavily in her effort to make her
way on, a man sprang out of the sleet
and, grasping the animal by the head,
threw her backward with almost su
perhuman strength and brought us to
a standstill.
"What do you mean!" I shouted,
raising the whip high over my head.
"Let us goon or I'll brain yon!"
"Don't strike, Mr. Ware!" he gasped,
"it's Bobbs, sir! You remember
Bobbs!"
"Let us pass, Bobbs!" I exclaimed,
angrily, losing my astonishment in my
anxiety to reach the house. "I'll see
you again, Bobbs! It's the doctor,
here, for Miss Weston!"
"I know, sir," he panted, "and it's
the doctor I want! She's gone, sir,
and I'm afraid he's going, too. Come
with me, for God's sake!"
'Do you mean she's dead, Bobbs?"
I cried, as a great lump rose in my
throat.
"Yes, oh, yes!" he almost screamed.
"The doctor can't do her no good!
She died some half hour ago, and he's
dying, too, I tell you! Have you no
heart, sir? Oh, bring the doctor to
him, in God's name!"
"Can we drive?" I asked, suddenly,
realizing the fellow's meaning and ap
preciating the uselessness of our go
ing onto the house.
"No," he replied, "but It's only a
step, sir. I'll show you the way. Oh,
1 thought yon would never come, sir!"
We sprang out and, giving Bobbs
the lantern, followed him through the
snow to the side of the house on
which Miss Weston's windows opened.
"He doesn't know she's gone yet,"
said Bobbs, as he trudged along, light
ing our way as best he could, "nut he
knows it must be soon, and he's been
waiting out here in the storm for over
six hours."
We came to a tree, partly sheltered
by some shrubbery around It, and
there, leaning against its trunk was
poor John Carney, tottering feebly for
support and gazing fixedly at the win
dow behind which lay the body of his
loved one.
"It's Mr. Carney, sir," explained
Hobbs, choking down a sob. "You
might not know him, sir, he's changed
so in the year and it's a long bit since
you saw him last."
MacArdel made no move togo near
him and we stood there, I in expecta
tion and MacArdel with an air of pro
fessional scrutiny. Carney spoke, but
without turning his head."
"I know you, Ware," he said slowly
and painfully, raising his voice feebly
to make It heard above the fury of the
storm. "You have been good to Flor
ence and so to me—and —l thank you.
I can't say more than that, Ware, but
my thanks are heartfelt."
He paused and seemed to choke for
an instant before he resumed:
"You must pardon me, Ware, for all
the trouble I've made you and for the
worry that Florenoe has had to suffer,
but I was too sure of myself when I
thought I could frighten you away
with the ghosts that Hobbs and I man
ufactured and the letters that I had
him write you. No one knew we were
here but Hobbs' good mother, and
» i
Leaning Against Its Trunk Was Poor John Carney.
she's been more than a mother to me,
Ware. You must never let her want
for anything as long as she lives. She
and Bobbs must be well provided for
when I'm gone. Ware."
He stopped again and gasped heav
ily for breath, but soon he recovered
himself and went on, though more
feebly and with greater effort than be
fore:
"I know I was foolish to do this,
Ware, but at first I fancied I could
stay here and keep out of sight of the
authorities and then, when I needed
exercise, we thought of the ghosts as
a means of keeping people away and
giving me more freedom."
He had not taken his eyes from the
window in all this time and the snow
was falling so heavily that we were
covered thickly with its soft, fleecy
mantle.
Again he began to speak while we
stood as men entranced, but his voice
was even weaker than before and it
was with difficulty that we could make
out all that he said.
"I'll be gone soon, Ware, and you
must keep it all from the people and
have me buried at once. You know
there would be a panic if they knew,
and yet there would be no danger in
this climate. It's only when you live
right in the midst of it. Ware, and
have it on all sides of you all the time,
as I did in Hawaii, trying to help
those poor souls in their sufferings.
"There's no danger, Ware, to any
one ahd yet, if they'd found me I'd
have been penned up somewhere like
a wild beast, and I couldn't bear it.
I know I was foolish over it, and that
I probably could have bought my free
dom in a way, but once we got settled
here I wanted to stay in peace. You
know we never bothered you with the
ghosts after Florence came back, and
I had Bobbs send you that one last
note in a faint hope that you would
go away again.
"Bobbs wrote to Annie for me, too,
telling her to talk with Mrs. Bruce and
try and persuade you togo, but she
only begged to see me and insisted on
keeping as near to mo as she could.
Of course, 1 could not see her, Ware,
but she used to write me every day
and leave the letters on the window
sill for Chico to get after dark. I
wasn't able to answer them, Ware, for
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1907.
I am perfectly helpless now, you
know,"and he changed his position
enough to show us two arms swathed
in bandages, "but God only knows
what a comfort they were to me, and
Bobbs or his mother got a word to
her from me whenever they could."
He was panting noisily from the ef
fort of his long exertion, and Bobbs
made a deprecatory gesture as if ho
would have him stop, but Carney mo
tioned him away and began once more
in faint, disjointed words:
"I mustn't stop now, Bobbs. I have
more to say and my time is growing
short."
He leaned heavily against the tree
for support and paused as if summon
ing to his aid all his energy and all his
courage, and then gasped on:
"Be good to Florence when she
comes to you, Ware, and —God's—
blessing—on you—both."
Suddenly, and with a muffled sob,
he lunged forward and raised his poor
distorted arms toward the window,
which his gaze had never left for an
instant. One of the nurses appeared
and raised the sash to the top, letting
the bitter wintry air rush in and fill
the death chamber.
"It's the end," moaned Carney, in a
scarcely audible tone. "It's the end,
and yet the beginning, too. Oh! my
God, be kind—be good to me now. I
cannot wait —my Annie —I—am—com-
ing I Ware by her side
Ware by her side Ware
don't forget. I cannot
harm her now I Annie
my precious Our Father
who art Amen my Annie."
As we sprang to support him the
light of the lantern flashed across his
cruelly disfigured face and MacArdel
muttered in my ear:
"Leprosy—poor devil, just as I
thought, but what he said was true,
Ware. There's no danger to anyone
here."
We lowered him gently to the
ground and the rapidly drifting snow
received him in its soft enbrace and
covered him over like a shroud.
Some hours later, when the house
was quiet for the night and MacArdel
had retired to his room, I called Bobbs
into the dimly lighted library and said:
"It's late, I know, Bobbs, and we
are all worn out in mind and body, hut
I want you to tell me the rest of this
story before you go."
There's little to tell now, sir," said
Bobbs, bravely keeping back his tears.
"We lived either in my mother's house
or in the old cellar with the tunnel
that leads to the river. Mrs. Bruce is
my mother, sir, and my name is Rob
ert Bruce, but in the old country they
used to call me "Bobs,' sir, after Lord
Roberts, you know.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
PROUD OF HIS NEW NOSE.
Original, Frozen Off, Is Replaced by
One of Vulcanite.
Philadelphia.—Greatly altered in ap
pearance, but for the better, David
Dodson, of Barnesboro, Pa., walked
out of the dental hall of the Universi
ty of Pennsylvania, proud wearer of a
substitute for his nose that was frozen
off in a blizzard several years ago.
Last year Dodson prevailed on Dean
C. H. Frazier, of the medical depart
ment, to attempt to graft a finger of
his right hand 011 his face to form the
nose. When the operation was about
to prove successful, Dodson, crazed by
pain, pulled the finger out of its place
and made the operation a failure.
The new nose is made of flesh-col
ored vulcanite, with block-tin tubes,
and is held on the face by means of
a pair of bow spectacles and a heavy
false mustache.
The case was handled by Philip
Kurtz, a senior of the dental depart
ment, under the direction of Dr. A.
De Witt Gritman.
Doing It Up.
"This bill is too high," said the cus
tomer. "Too high?" ejaculated the
laundryman. "That's what I said; too
high." But, man, do you know how
long it takes to do up a shirt?" "Why,
about four washings."
SUMMER SHELTER FOR HOGS.
If You Have Not Provided One Do So
Now.
Hogs must have shelter while on
pasture, in many localities trees offer
suitable protection from the sun, mak
ing artificial shade unnecessary.
Where there are 110 trees, it would be
well to plant them, but in the mean
time the hogs must be shielded from
the hot sun.
One plan is to take the farrowing
pens to the pasture field and put up
in suitable supports high enough to
Shelter for Hogs.
allow the hogs to move about under
them. If set out a distance from the
fence there is always sure to be shade.
Besides furnishing a place for the
hogs togo during the hottest part of
the day and also affording protection
from cold rains in the early fall the
pens are up off of the ground making
decay less rapid. Another convenient
shelter is shown by Farm and Home
built in a corner of the pasture. This
can be made as long as necessary to
suit the requirements. The back of
the shed can be boarded up or not to
suit the plans of the owner. Where
the hogs are left out late in the fall,
however, the back and one side should
be temporarily boarded up to give pro
tection on chilly nights or during cold
driving rains.
CARE OF MARE AND FOAL.
A Little Extra Trouble Will Prove
Profitable.
Colts are valuable nowadays. A good
one will sell at weaning time for about
as much as a matured horse three or
four years ago. Mr. W. L. Houser
gave some sensible advice about the
mare and foal in his talk before Wis
consin farmers. He says it is well to
keep pretty close watch of the mare at
foaling time. You may save the colt
by a little help. After it comes it
may need a little asistance to get the
first milk from the mother, not usu
ally, but sometimes that is the case,
and you can well afford to give
the help. Thoroughly disinfect the
navel cord, and do it frequently until
It is healed. The greatest loss among
young colts is due to the so-called
navel disease which results in dull
ness, swollen joints and frequently
death.
Feed the mare liberally while she
ia raising the colt. Oats and bran
and pasture are the best feed. The
colt will learn to eat some oats and
bran at £>n early age if you will give
him a chance, and will do well as a
result. If you must work the mare,
keep the colt in the barn during the
day, letting it to the mother three or
four times during thet day, if possible.
I like to wean my colts at about four
months of age. If they have been
taught to eat grain, they will make
the shift without any loss of flesh or
impairment of the growth. A little
cow's milk (skim milk is good) helps
amazingly to keep the colt going
along at this time. Feed liberally of
oats and bran, about all the colt will
eat, and keep him a-going in this way
until he is a year old, when he should
be thrifty and strong, weighing from
850 to 1,000 pounds. He will not be
much trouble to you after this time.
SHEEP AND HORSE NOTES.
Great big stallions and small mareg
should never be mated to breed.
While half blood horses may do well
enough to work, they should never be
u«ed for breeding purposes.
A flock of 50 breeding sheep is a
good size for the man conducting a
general system of farming.
Taking everything into considera
tion, the draft mare is the most profit
able one for the farmer to raise.
Your sheep may need their hoofs
trimmed if you didn't attend to this.
Do you notice any of them walking
lame?
The best place to mark sheep is on
the rump. Venetian red and linseed
oil will make a distinctive mark. Nev
er use tar.
Men who do not JlJte sheep should
not keep them, but at the present
prices wouldn't it pay to stretch a
point so as to take advantage of the
profits along with the other fellows?
Two Litters a Year,
It pays to raise two litters of
112 season, though few farmers do this.
The advantage lies in the double use
of the money invested in stock, build
ings and appliances. Often it re
quirs no greater expense for hiring
labor to raise two litters of pigs than
one. Many of our farmers, however,
are not well enough supplied with
equipments to dare risk the raising of
pigs in the winter. The greatest ob
stacle they find is the lack of a pro
tein feed in the fall and winter. Thits
problem should bo worked out on as
many farms an possible on account c!
the added profit
METHOD IN HIS SOLICITUDE.
Willie's Deep Interest In Playmate's
Health Explained.
This story la well In keeping with
the spirit of the age, says the New
York Tribune. A Bronx man tells it
about his little boy. The neighbor's
young hopeful was very 111, and Willie
and the other youngsters in the block
had been asked not lo make any noise
In the streets. The neighbor's bell
rang one day and she opened it to find
Willie standing bashfully on her front
steps.
"How Is he today?" he Inquired In
a shy whisper.
"He's better, thank you, dear, an(J
what a thoughtful child you are to
come and ask."
Willie stood a moment on one foot
and then burst forth again, "I'm orful
sorry Jimmy's sick."
The mother was profoundly touched.
She could find no further words to
say, but simply kissed him. Made still
bolder by the caress, Willie began to
back down the steps, repeating at in
tervals his sorrow for his playmate's
illness At the bottom step he halted
and looked ujx "If Jimmy should die,"
he asked, "kin I have his drum?"
FOR SELFISH ENDS.
The Efforts Being Made by the Ameri
can Medical Association.
The Political activity of the Ameri
can Medical Association has become
so pronounced as to causa comment
In political circles especially as the
the avowed purpose of the Doctors of
the "Regular" or Allopathic school, of
which the Association is chiefly com
posed, is to secure the passage of such
laws as will not only prevent the
sale of so-called "Patent" medicines,
but will restrict the practice of medi
cine and healing to the "schools" now
recognized. This in many states would
prevent the growing practice of Os
teopathy, and in nearly every state
would prevent the healers of the
Christian Science and mental science
belief from practicing those sciences
in which the faith of so many intelli
gent people is so firmly rooted.
The American Medical Association
has a "Committee on Legislation,' 1
and the committee has correspond
ents in practically every township
some 16,000 correspondents in all.
This committee at the last session of
the American Medical Association
held in June of this year expressed a
hope that a larger number of physi
cians than heretofore will offer them
selves as candidates for Congress at
the first opportunity. In its annual
report this Committee said: "To meet
the growing demands of the move
ment, however, particularly if the
work of active participation in State
legislation is a larger
clerical force must be employed."
This is almost the first time in the
history of the United States that any
organized class has frankly avowed
the purpose of capturing legislatures
and dominating legislation in their
own selfish interests.
The American Medical Association
has about 65,000 members of whom
27,000 are "fully constituted mem
bers" and the rest are members be
cause of their affiliation with state or
local societies. The Association owns
real estate in Chicago valued at slll,-
781.91 and its total assets are $291,-
567.89. Its liabilities, at the time of
the annual report which was made at
the June meeting, amounted to only
$21,906. The excess of assets over
liabilities is increasing at the rate of
about $30,000 a year, and the purpose
of the organization is to dominate
the field of medicine, and by crushing
all competitions by securing the pas
sage of prohibitive legislation, compev
all of the people of the United States
to pay a doctor's fee every time the
most simple remedy Is needed.
Patron Saint of Lawyers.
This story is told at the expense of
Francis 11. T. Maxwell, a well-known
lawyer. The members of the Taunton,
Mass., Bar association thought they
ought to have a patron saint, but after
much wrangling they could not hit up
on any particular saint.
Finally a committee, of which Mr.
Maxwell was a member, was appoint
ed to make a selection. They made
a trip to New York, and there visited
a gallery where most of the saints were
carved in marble. It was decided to
leave tha selection to Mr. Maxwell,
and after making the rounds he placed
his hand on one in a group of two.
"This one will do," he said. He had
his hand on the devil, whom St. Mi
chael was driving before him.
President Castro's Conceit.
Many stories have been told of
Clpriano Castro, president of Venezue
la, and of his monumental conceit.
During the Russo-Japanese war the
fall of Port Arthur was being ex
plained to him.
"Pshaw!" he exclaimed. "With 500
Venezuelans I could have taken it in
four days."
"With a thousand, in one day, your
excellency," said the diplomatic rep
resentative of a European power.
Castro was so pleased at what was
intended to be sarcasm that, it is said,
the diplomat succeeded next day in se
curing satisfaction of a claim that his
government had been vainly pressing
for years.
Horrible Example.
"My dear," said Mrs. Strongmind, "I
want you to accompany me to the
town hail to-morrow evening."
"What for?" queried the meek and
lowly other half of the combine.
"I am to lecture on the 'Dark Side
of Married Life.'" explained Mrs. S.,
"and I want you to sit on the plat
form and pose as one of the illustrcr
tlons."
MAN-A-LIN
j I^,
SfiAN-A-LIN Is An
Excellent Remedy
for Constipation
There are many ailments
directly dependent upon con
stipation, such as biliousness,
discolored and pimpled skin,
inactive liver, dyspepsia, over
worked kidneys and headache.
Remove constipation and
ail of these ailments dis
appear.
MAN-A-LIN can be relied upon II
to produce a gentle action of
the bowels, making pills and
drastic cathartics entirely un
necessary.
A dose or two of Man-a-lin
is advisable in slight febrile
attacks, la grippe, colds and
influenza.
THE MAN-A-LSN CO.,
COLUMBUS, OHIO. U. S. A.
| ... »1
Bobbin Boys' Wages.
John B. Lennon, treasurer of the
American Federation of Labor, deliv
ered recently an addre&i on strikes.
Turning to the amusing features of
the strike question, Mr. Lennon said:
"I remember a strike of bobbin
boys, a just strike, and one that suc
ceeded. These boys conducted their
fight well, even brilliantly. Thus the
day they turned out they posted in
the spinning room of their employers"
mill a great placard inscribed with
the words:
" 'The wages of sin is death, but the
wages of the bobbin boys is worse'"
Impudence of Hoi Polloi.
A noted English artist was standing
at the edge of the road, waiting for hia ,
horse, and he was dressed in hia
usual peculiar style—mustard-colored
[ riijing suit, yivid wgistcoat and bflght
recjßie. A man, who fiad eviSmtly
been reveling, happened to ttircti
round the corner of the street. He
stared at the famous artist for a min
ute in silence, then he touched liis-cap
and asked in a tone of doap commiser
ation, "Beg pardon, guv'nor, was yoa
in mournin' for anybody?"
A Different Loaf.
"Why," exclaimed little Johnny,
when he heard his father telling about
somebody who was looking after the
loaves and fishes, "that's just what
mamma says about Uncle Henry!"
"Says about Uncle Henry?" repeat
ed his father, in astonishment "What
do you mean?"
"Why, pa, don't you know," said
Johnny, "mamma says Uncle Henry
only loafs and fishes."
It's a
Good
Time now
to see what a good "staying"
breakfast can be made without
high-priced
Meat
TRY
A Little Fruit,
A Dish of Grape-Nuts and Cream,
A Soft-Boiled Egg,
Some Nice, Crisp Toast,
Cup of Postum Food Coffee.
That's all, and all very easy <•
tion and full to the 1
nourishment and streng*
REPEAT FOR LUNCHEC
PER,
and have a meat ar
dinner either at noon
as you prefer.
We predict for you a
physical and mental <
••There's a Rr
Read the "little health e!i>
Wellville,"