1
THE SCRANTON TRIBUNE" SATURDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 7, 1896.
10
THE SIX DUMB-BELLS
OF CASTLE SCHRECKENSTROHM.
BY DATID SKAATS FOSTER. .
fliithor of "Crisis in Oldendorf
Crrjri;l)t. lit, by tha Bacheller Syndicate!
PART I.
T!nw lUte lmmnn nut tire was the
lmture of that fox who. having through
Kmi misfortune lost his tail, tried to
icrsuau nil his brother foxes to the
Hiune curtailment! The reason of my
making this philosophic reflection will
appear as the present story is ilevelop
til. This is not a study of character, an
uiuilysis of motives, an autopsy of
iU'-us. It is simply a narrative, a string
ing together of incidents, ot rapid
ihunijes and of swift happenings, in
the order in which they occurred.
Furthermore, every word, every lota
..f what I have here set down, is the
truth, the hare and naked truth, borne
..f these incidents may appear, to the
prosaic and humdrum reader, as some
what startling;, us beincr improbable,
and inclining toward the supernatural.
.SturtlUm nnd fantastic they may be.
improbable they limy seem, but I hold
that thev are in every sense strict
ly possible, and-that they follow exactly
and in every particular the Immutable
laws of nature.
It came about In this manner: I was
traveling in Oennany Ivo r three
months ago, and, in an 'evil hour, ii
f ame into my head to K a hundred
miles or thereabouts out of toy way. to
make a call on an old collese friend
of mine., whom 1 had not Keen in sev
eral years. That man was Jack Jenkins.
In some romantic' way he hud become
acquainted with nnd married a German
Kill of noble birth, u certain Frank-in
Hilda von Waldeek. It was this insane
idea ot renewing an old friendship, and
this particular idea always is Insane,
which submerged me in the Sea of
troubles from which I bmvly escaped
with life nnd honor.
Jenkins was. the I'nited States con
sul ut Oldendorf, the residence town of
the petty principality of Andel
SHrwiuixlIurs. It wan nt Oldendorf
ihat Jack met nnd married his wife.
After the wedding, tho fair but obsti
nate Hilda dec-lined to lnve the place
of her birth, and lay friend made the
best of it. secured his appointment as
consul and settled down in this sleepy
old tlerinan city.
Well. 1 arrived at oldendorf after a
roundabout and tedious journey, and.
Jack, who expected me. was at the
station and pave me Avhat seemed a
hearty welcome. For a few' minutes I
thought him the same frank, roiiK'h-nd-ready,
jovial chap w hom I had ul
wr.yB known: but I soon bean to no
tice something of a t-hniiK" In him.
Then seemed, at times, to be a sort of
restraint in his manner: there was. it
struck me, often a ihIsp note in his
discourse. He was more subdued nnd
he seemed to have uroun ten years
older than he should have grown in the
space of time since I had seen him last.
I is talk, like the letters he had writ
ten me, was ull of Hilda. It was Hilda
ibis unci Hilda that; there was never a
creature like her, and J must p
t ruiiihtwiiy with htm nnd sec? her.
Now, 1 was not particularly Interested
in Hilda, excepting as 1 naturally
would be in sojnolhing whic h belonged
in a friend of mine. My benedict ac
quaintances have often bored me by
letailini; the perfections of their wives,
nnd I suppose 1 have shown that I was
bored and have been considered very
unsympathetic nnd brutish; but what
is a fellow to do, when he knows that
these dotards, like the ancient mariner,
H'eak from compulsion, unci that sev-
u-eiKhts ot what they say is false
hood or only ImiiKlnnry? I came there
in see him, to talk with him about, the
old times, ten years before, when we
bunked together, and I did not care a
fif! about Hilda; but of course I couldn't
ti ll him so, and therefore he had his
way and ilraKHed me off at once to his
house to meet his wife.
I shall say very Utile of Fran Hilda
nli Waldeek Jenkins, for the reason
that she figures quite sllsrhtly In my
tale. She was tall nnd not half bad
hiukiiiK. and 1 could easily see how a
niiin of my friend's yielding; and en
thusiastic limine intent imagine her
to be an unnel. 1 say imagine, because,
of course, you know, she wasn't: none
of them are, and some of them are quite
I tie reverse.
so much for her nnpearance. As to
her clmracti'C. well, 1 will only say that
:u;irce ten minutes had c laused e'er I
fc It the most hearty commiseration for
.ledin Jenkins. The fact was Ihat he
was comletely under petticoat rule.
He pave no opinion, made no assertion
without meunwhilw ulancing toward
her for sinus of her uproval. The fact
was. as 1 soon saw, that the man
bre athed only because he thought that
ii was her pleasure for him to do so.
Almust. Immediately after the tlrst
words of greeting, after the tlrst or
dinary unci necessary remarks and
questions, my bachelor position ias
assaulted by my treacherous friend;
and hi this he was ably seconded by his
wife. He would have it that I must
marry at once, and he cited their own
bealilic condition as nn unanswerable
and irresistible argument. Would that
he could have seen the irony of it!
Not content with extractiiiK a prom
ise from me to the effect that 1 would
think the matter over, they descended
to the details and produced from their
recollections the names of divers nnd
numerous German beauties, any one of
whom would be a proper Incumbrance
tor me. The whole assortment, proper
ly arranged and labeled, was to be
shown me upon the following after
noon. "Not if a train leaves Oldendorf to
morrow morning," said I, to myself.
After tea I gladly accepted Jack's In
vitation to go down to the market place
and' sec a balloon ascension.
"You will not be long, love?" Bald
Frau Hilda, In a caressinj? tone, but
with a peculiar glance in her eyes.
"Only an hour, dearest," answered
Jenkins, and with that we went out.
After Raving the house Jack feemecl
to resume something of his old hearty
Planner, nnd I began to think that I
would be able to take some comfort
with him. We threaded a labyrinth of
nuiroiv, ancient and crooked streets,
and nt length emerged upon the mar
ket place, which was almost filled with
the people ot the town, anxious, like
ourselves, to see the balloon go up.
It was about seven o'clock of an Au
gust evening. The air was balmy and
tii dusk was beginning to settle down.
1 thought It strange, at first, that any
one should make an ascension at this
hour, but it was not strange at all, for
the balloonist was In the employ of the
military authorities, and he purposed
to make some experiments) with electric,
searchlight or some other kind of light,
or burn some kind of tire, the result of
which might be found useful in the
military operations of the empire.
When w arrived they had about
finished inflating the balloon, which was
swaying back and forth above the heads
of the people, in about the center of
the square. We gradually pushed our
way through the crowd until we came
quite near to it, and I saw that It was
rather small and capable of hearing
aloft but one person. After a delay of
lifteen or twenty minutes tho aeronaut
appeared and signified hi? readiness to
make the ascension; but he did not go
1. The balloon went up without wait
ing for him.
It was a laughable accident, hut I did
nut wonder at It. I must rather have
been, surprised if it had iiot.hnppeued.
They had idled a number of bags of
sand In the wicker car of the balloon to
keep it down while they were Inflating
it. and, besides this, they had tethered
it to a neighboring post with rather
small-sized rope or thick cord. These
niveau t inns thev sutmosed to be per
fectly adequate, and they perhaps would
have been under o'rdlnary circum
stances, but when the balloon was fully
Inflated and the aeronaut had removed
several of the sand bags preparatory to
getting Into the car there came along
a smart gust of wind, the great siik
dome bobbed suddenly to one side, tne
rope which tethered the car broke line
a piece of string nnd the machine was
out of reach before anyone had pres
ence of mind enough to seize It.
For some reason or other, probably
because it was weighted too heavily, it
rose only to nn elevation of about a
hundred feet; then It floated away over
the heads of the populace, first this way
nnd then that way, ns .different puffs
of wind took It; uid the crowd scur
ried' along in its wake, with their chins
In the air and their mouths open, and a
great many ran up into the buildings
and got out on the roofs, with the fool
ish Idea that they might capture it.
Then It grew darker, and it was im
possible any longer to distinguish the
balloon from the clouds, and Jack and I,
who had followed the rabble; hither and
I STL'FFKD THi: SHF.F.T INTO MY
JiAHS.
thither in their erratic, chase, gave the
thing tip nnd turned our steps home
wa rd.
Now. for the first time, we thought
ot looking at our watches, and Jenkins
found to his dismay that It was hall
past nine o'clock. For two hours he had
been parted from his angel, as he per
sisted in calling her: whereas he had
promised to return in an hour. 1 gave
the matter naturally no concern, but
with my companion It was different.
He fairly led inu on a run to his house.
On the way he seemed to be distrait und
preoccupied, he answered my remarks
nt random, nnd it was very evident that
there was a weight of goodly dimen
sions upon his mind. "Why," thought
I, "will a man, who is born to the nobil
ity of freedom, voluntarily, yes, long
ingly, make a slave of himself to a crea
tine in petticoats, so that he trembles
at the anticipation of her displeasure?"
lien we arrived at the house, Frau
Jenkins received us calmly and with a
qiFpiclousiy gentle tone. With me she
was coldly, but studiously polite and I,
noticing that her manner had still
further depressed my unhappy friend.
took leave of tho couple with nil haste
possible, and retirinif to my chamber,
threw off my clothes and crawled Into
bed, for I had had a trying day of it,
and proposed to get a good night's rest.
It was not to be. for just then the
Jenkinses commenced to talk. That is
to say, the angel talked nnd thf victim,
once in three or four minutes, gave out
a faint and submissive monosyllabic.
ineir cnamoer was evidently next to
mine; the partitions were not over and
above thick, nnd I could Very well dis
tinguish t lie tones, the manner and the
inilections, without the words them
selves reaching me. Her voice was low,
it was plaintive, but at the same t mo
Insistent, nnd It was monotonous: and,
ever and anon, came that one protest
ing, uctensive nnd melancholy word
from John Jenkins. At ten o'clock I
turned over toward the wall, and
stuffed the sheet into my ears, nnd still
i nep.ru it.
Their door was opened nnd closed,
and in that moment 1 heard the words:
"Six months ago, you would not have
forgotten. If I could have believed
mother" the rest of the sentence be
ing lost by the shutting of the door. I
arose ami paced the tloor in vexation,
for the dull and wearing murmur of
the voice gave no signs of abating.
More than n tight else I fear a talk
ing woman, nnd in my misery, I yet
gave thanks Unit I was not tethered to
one.
At eleven T flung myself upon the
bed. nnd fell asleep and dozed awhile,
nnd then the voices stopped, and I sud
denly uwoke, as one does on a stenm
ship when the crew slops revolving. T
felt a sense of blessed comfort, but it
was only for a moment. Sr'he wns ap
parently hut renting. Once more that
stream of words commenced to flow.
Hhe was off again. I noticed mnv that
there came no response from the cul
prit. That meek and deprecating
punctuation hnd censed entirely. Was
he dead? The supposition was most
plausible.
At twelve there was no change, nnd
I arose nnd dressed myself completely
nnd opened the French window and
looked out into the night. In Olden-
vi.a
Ay 11,7
mi
WW
it. I
'"i.l
I UFA OH ED DOWN TO CUT THEM
BOTH.
dorf. some of the best and most aristo
cratic people lived in anartinents over
the shops, and my friend's apartments
were so situated. My room was In the
third story, and the French window,
w hich I had opened, led out. upon a flat
roof, which was inclosed on three
sides by brick 'walls, and the fourth
side of which faced upon a street. I had
noticed this roof and this area when I
was In my chamber before tea. They
seemed different to me now. There was
something there which I had not seen
then. The area now was almost filled
with something vast and globular and
vague and vascllating. I stepped out
upon the roof nnd advanced toward
this monster, which, as I approached,
took the appearance of a great yellow
rubber ball, twelve feet and more in
diameter; and It suddenly flashed upon
me that I had found the runaway bal
loon. - I did not wonder at It, nor was I
surprised. It was the most natural
thing In the world. The roof was
guarded on the street side by nn Iron
fence or railing curiously wrought with
lenves and spikes, and the balloon
drifting that way, the cordage of the
lower part had become entangled in
Vja.a ,J0k
mummmm
11,7 J l 1 "his1-:. .TT-1 - i-T
this iron work, so that the aerial ship
was safely housed and concealed be
tween these three walls.
Mv first feeling was one of propri
etorship. It was clearly mine by all
the laws regarding salvage and treas
ure trove. It struck me, somehow, that
the tirst thing to do was to entangle
the rigging where it had caught and to
got the thing ship shape. When It was
wrecked, so to sneak, unon the railing.
several of the ninny cords which held
the car had become unfastened or un
hooked from the rincr or hoon above.
and the car had tilted over, and had
umrcd Its contents eicht bags ot
sancl upon the roof. I righted the
wicker car and disentangled several nt
the cords by which it should have hung,
and refastened them to the hoop nt the
bottom of the balloon then, as It was a
warm night, and I was somewhat
heated by the exertion. I took off my
coat, and because it was the handiest
place, threw It into the car. Very soon
there remained but two of the cords to
disengage from the ironwork. The
straining of the balloon made it so clilll
cult that I threw one leg over the edge
of the car and bore my weight upon it.
so as to slacken the cords. Kvcn then
1 could not get them t. So 1 took
out my knife and reached down nnd
cut them both with one stroke. The
balloon was now free. I knew It, be
cause In one second. If lifted me about
fifty feet above the top of the build
ing. PART II.
This was not what I w ished or in
tended. It was also not what I ex
pected; but I did not wonder at it, nor
was I at all surprised. I should have
known that if the balloon could carry
eight twenty-five pound bags of sand,
or two hundred pounds altogether, that
there would be no ditllculty about its
getting away with me, who weighed
something less than a hundred and seventy-live.
The only trouble was that
I did not think of this fact until I had
cut those last two cords nnd ail at
once found myself flouting over the
house tops, with one arm and one leg
thrown over the edge of the car and
with both hands tightly gripping tho
rim of it.
It only arose to an elevation of -seventy-live
or eighty feet from the
ground: from which fact, 1 argued,
that some of the gas had escaped, oth
erwise, toe weight being less, it would
have been more buoyant and gone
higher.
The wind hnd now changed, and the
balloon jogged nlong at a pretty lively
rate, in n direction which would soon
bring it over the market place, from
whic h it had originally started. I now
thought I should be more comfortable
if I could get into the car, and I made
the effort to do so, but It was a ticklish
operation, as I hud to squeeze in be
tween the cords which held it. He
sides this, the car itself tilted over so
abominably every time I tri"d to get
into It, that I soon save up the idea
and decided to ride it out as 1 was.
Kcing resigned to this situation, I
now began to feel more at my ease, and
really to find some pleasure in this, to
me. novel mode of traveling. There
was a full moon that night; but there
were many clouds floating across the
heavens, so that sometimes the streets
below me were lighted up, and nt oth
er times were shrouded in darkness. I
haloned at two or three belated pedes
trians who were passing beneath me,
nnd noticing their astonishment and
dismay at being thus hailed from the
clouds above their heads, I took pains
to accost others in the same manner.
Two old ladies who were plodding
homeward by the light of a lantern
which one of them carried were so
startled by this diabolical summons
from the upper uir that they dropped
the lirht nnd took to their heels ns If
they were competing ill the olympinn
races.
In about five minutes I had passed
beyond the town in a southerly direc
tion, and in four or five minutes more I
began to float above a dense black for
est which seemed limitless in extent.
I hnd henrd of a great forest therea
bout, containing many square miles, a
forest which was tho domain of a
strange and fierce old German noble,
the tlrnf von Schreckenstrohm. This
wus undoubtedly It. It hnd descended
to him directly from an ancestor who
lived In the Thirteenth century; a feu
elnl baron, who bore the sobriquet of
"the wild boar of Schreckenstrohm."
I r.KIIKT.D TIIM CALMLY SITTING
.IN THIS CAR OF THK IIALLOON.
It was also said that the present Graf
von Schreckenstrohm had inherited not
only the forest and the great feudal
castle which stood upon an island in
the midst of the Schreckenstrohm, but
also the peculiarities which gave to his
ancestor that playful nickname.
I was thinking about these matters
as I sailed along, at the rate of about
twelve miles an hour, over the tops of
the fir trees and pines. I was ulso
thinking about Jack and his wife, and
wondering what they would suppose
of my. sudden and unceremonious de
parture. I also wondered whether Mrs.
Jenkins was still talklnz, nnd the
thought of thnt made me quite con
tented with the peculiar situation in
which I found myself, though I was
getting tired anil felt very lame from
sticking to the same position, and hav
ing to hold on so tightly; and would
willingly have got off at some way sta
tion and rested until the next balloon
came along.
After I had passed over the tops of
the forest for a mile or so, I became
conscious of the sound of a roaring
river, which increased in volume ns I
proceeded. Then there seemed to be a
break in the woods, and I saw beneath
me the puttering while fonm of a mad
and mighty torrent. At the same time,
there rose before me. from a rockv
island In the midst of the Mood, a great,
half-ruined, medieval castle, with
round towers and turrets, with keep
and barbacans and parapets galore.
Gray and stern and speeue-like it loom
ed up before me. and it seemed as though
I was nnout directly over it.
The direction which I was now tak
ing would bring me immediately above
a wide embrasured paraoet. which
stretched between two towers. At its
present altitude, the balloon would
clear it but a few feet. I at once
decided that this was the way station
I was looking for. and that I would
alight there. When I was within fiftv
feet of it. I beheld a man in his shirt
sleeves, standing behind the parapet
uuu nnuniiif, im- afii ocii. roine per
sons might have been astonished at
this, but I did not wonder at it in the
least. There was no reason why he
should not be standing on the roof of
this castle at midnight In warm weath
er, If he wished.
As the balloon came up to him, he
sprang up ana caught hold of the car.
At the same moment. 1 dropped like a
cat, upon an tours, upon the roof.
When I arose and turned to accost him
I beheld him coolly siting in the car
of the balloon, wntch was already nam.
Ing over the battlements at the further
side of the castle. I ran across the stone
platform to the edge, and ciPed out to
him that he had my coat, ijiii that he
must come back. He waved his hands
to me Wiln, exaggerated politeness.
Then I shook my fist at him, and he
laughed immoderately and shouted
back just as he wus disappearing that
I might use his.
I wus not surprised that the man had
gone off In the balloon. There was
nothing to wonder at, for he might
have his own peculiar and sufficient
reasons for doing so. At the same
tune, however, I did not go to the
length of supposing that he had climbed
up on the top of the castle with the
express purpose of watching for bnl
loons, and with tho idea of taking tho
first one that came along.
1 noticed a doorway opening upon
the platform, from one of the great
round towers before mentioned. The
door was ajar, and I thought that It
was probably by this means that the
man had come uot unon the rof. I went
to this doorway and looked In. At fhst.
it was as dark as Krebus, but my eyes
becoming accustomed to it, I perceived
I LOOKED DOWN A LONG PAS
SAGEWAY. that there was a faint light coming up
from somewhere below. I could ulso
make out the outlines of a spiral stair
case leading to those lower regions. Not
being of the mind to remain where I
was all night, I groped my way down
these stairs, the light growing brighter
as I proceeded, until, after descending
ns it struck me, about thirty feet, I
came to another open doorway, through
which I entered a great square bed
chamber, furnished and decorated In
the style of some age long passed away.
The bed was a large four-posted, cano
pied affair, draped with heavy silken
curtains. The tiled chimney place was
big enough to roast an ox, nnd the
walls were covl-redj with stamped
leather nnd with dingy tapestries,
which flapped nnd undulated In u
ghostly manner, with the current of
air that came clown the stairwuy. t'p
on a massive tublo of black oak. In the
center of the room, stood a silver can
delabrum, with four wax candles,
three of which were burnins. A half
unpacked portmanteau lay open upon
a chair: several masculine garments
were scattered about the apartment,
nnd these, together, with a strong olor
ot tobacco, showed that the chamber
had been lately occupied. From this,
to the conclusion thnt its tenant had
been the man who hnd gone off in the
balloon, was a logical step. A brown
velvet coat was -among the garments
already spoken of. This was undoubt
edly the cont he had bade me use In
the place of mine. I tried It on and
found that it fitted me very well, which
was not surprising as the man appeared
to be about my size. I should ment'on
the fact, also, thnt I gathered from the
short acquaintance I hnd with him that
he was about my age.
There was only one thing that I now
wanted, nnd that was sleep. I wanted
it badly and I wanted a great deal of
it. So without more ndo I flung myself
upon the feathers of the great four
poster, and almost Immediately fell In
to a sound nnd dreamless slumber.
When I awoke, the sun was shining
brightly through a nnrrow, deeply em
brasured window, high up on the wall
opposite mo. 1 looked at my watch and
found that It lacked but a few minutes
of ten o'clock. I arose and dressed
hastily. I could hear the surging of
the Schreckenstrohm, ns It swept past
the castle, but no sounds of life from
the building smote upon my ear. This
struck me as rather singular, und made
me more anxious to reconnolter the
premises. With the well-appointed
paraphernalia of my predecessor I made
a careful toilet; for the reason that I
had become a guest of the castle under
what might be considered somewhat
peculiar circumstances, and I wished
to create ns faorable an Impression as
possible, upon my first appearance.
When 1 had finished, I summoned to
my aid what small stock of effrontery
I was possessed of, nnd entering the
stulrcnse of the tower and descending
to the story beneath, I passed into an
apartment directly under the one I had
.occupied. This room was light and
airy, nnd from the view which I got
from the windows, I now judged that
1 wns upon the ground floor. This
chnmber seemed to be devoted to im
plements and trophies of the chase. Sev
eral pairs of antlers, some of them enor
mous In size, were posted above the
doorways; the head of a wild boar, with
glistening tusks, was mounted above a
cabinet in the further corner, and upon
one of the walls was displayed an as
sortment of muskets, bell-mouthed pis
tols and blunderbusses nnd hunting
pikes and blades, so ancient and curious
thnt It would make a collector burst
with envy to look nt It.
Without lingering to Inspect them, I
opened a door opposite to the one I had
entered nnd found myself In what np
peared to be a refectory of the castle.
The walls were covered with landscape
paintings, as It seemed to me from a
cursory glance, by the best German
artists of the Seventeenth century; but
that which most pleased my fancy was
a breakfast table In the center of the
room, spread with linen of snowy
whiteness, get with a profusion of sil
ver, nnd host of all. furnished with n
collation, smoking hot, and evidently
prepared for one person.
As I entered here, I wns pertain that
I saw a doctor close at the farther end
of the room. I stepped quickly to this
door and oficned it, and looked clown
a Ions passage way without seeing
anyone. Then I went along this pas
sage and entered several pantries and
offices, still without coming upon a
living thimr, ami I began to be per
plexed, for all thistimel had not heard
not a sound, save the dashing of the
torrent against the rocks outside, and
I was not accustomed to being waited
upon by ghosts. I now concluded that
the closing of the opposite door, as I
entered the room, was done by the
pressure of air. As I pushed one door
open the other one closed. That was
all there was of it, nnd it was a most
simple tiling.
I was not surprised when I found
the meal already prepared and waiting
for me. There was nothing to wonder
at. It had. without doubt, been got
ten ready for the man. When they
heard me moving about in my cham
ber, they supposed he was coming
down and hud placed it upon the table.
I had his coat upon my back, and it
seemed to me eminently logical that
his breakfast should adorn my stom
ach. With this philosophical reflec
tion, I snt clown and made short work
of the fruit and coffee rolls. And
though set before me In such a fan
tastic and ghostly way, very tangible
and satisfying and dcclieious I found
them.
After t had finished I lighted a cigar
and lounged about the room for ten
minutes or so, thinking surely that
some servant would come whom I
might Interrogate. But none appear
ed; neither did I hear the least sound
indicative of life in that part of the
building near met. I then went up in
my own apartment, as I had begun to
think it, and examined the belongings
of its late occupant. On looking at the
portmanteau I found that it bore upon
the outside the initials: "A. von D.,
Munich." At about this moment, also,
I discovered- in one of the pockets of
the coat which I wore a letter, the en
velope of which was postmarked Ol
dendorf and addressed to Herr August
von Dunkelheim at Munich. I had
now discovered without doubt the
name of the man who had stolen my
balloon, and by reading the letter I
felt morally certain that I could find
out a great mnny things about the
custle and its Inmates, always pro
viding that it had any. I. however, re
strained myself from taking the letter
from its envelope, reserving the right
to do so at some future time, should
occasion warrant it.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
SIIK DIDN'T I,lki: S.llOkK.
lint tho Young .Hun Did, and lie Won
His Point.
From the Mall and Express.
On a Third avenue car this morning
an Inoffensive young man sat on the
back sent nnd puffed at a cigar of the
Kl Cabbage brand. At Grand street a
little, wiry, nervous woman boarded
the car. She paid her fare in pennies
and then turned upon the young man.
"You are no gentleman." she sa'd.
'1 ain't a lady, either," said the young
man, cheerfully.
"I only wish your father was here,"
ejaculated the woman.
"Lucky for him he ain't," said tho
young man, "seeing it's leap year."
The passengers laughed and the con
ductor snickered. The woman was
angry. She began to abuse the con
ductor nnd threatend to report him.
"What have I done?" asked the con
ductor plaintively.
"Why don't you put that man off?"
wrathfully demanded the woman. "He's
smoking."
"He has the right to smoke," said the
conductor. "Head that sign." The
woman read, and then, with a very red
face, said: "Well, you have been inso
lent, anyway, and 1 shall report you
nnd have you discharged."
"You may make your complaint,
madam." said a fine looking old gentle
man, who had listened to the forego
ing, "but it will receive attention."
"Who are you?" snapped the woman.
"Merely one of the dimctors of this
road," said the old gentleman.
The woman blushed and left ijie car.
"Are you really a director of this
road?" nsked a reporter for the Mall
and Express. "Nit," chuckled the old
man.
LITTLE HOY HI, IE.
The little toy dog is covered with dust,
Hut sturdy nnd stanch he stands:
LAnd the little toy soldier Is red wlih rust,
Ann nis musKet moms in ins namis.
Time was when the little toy dog was
new.
And the soldier was passing fair,
And that was the time when our Little
Hoy Blue
Kissed them and put them there. .
"Now, don't you go till I come." he salJ,
"And don't you make any noise!"
So toddling off to his trundle-bed
He dreamt of the pretty toys.
And as he wns dreaming an ungel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue
Oil, the years are mnny, the years are
long.
But the little toy friends are true.
Aye, fa i tli ful to Little Boy Blue they
stand,
Kaeh in the same old. place.
Awaiting the touch of a. little hand,
The smile of a little face.
And they wonder, as waiting these long
years through,
In the duct of that little chair.
What has become of our Little Boy Blue
Since he kissed them and put tliem
there. Bugene Field.
A man cannot run
awav from Death.
If he would con
quer it ht must
stand aud fight
with . the weapon
ot common sense
and science. Thou
sands of men and
women try to cs
cane Death's most
I active agent, con-
I sumption, by running away. They flee
' from one climate to another, and from one
end of the world to the other, forgetting
their demon is within them and not to De
escaped from by a change of locality. Con
sumption has been pronounced incurable.
It is not. It is curable and without chancre
of climate if the proper remedy is resorted
to, in reasonable time.
oS tier cent, of all cases of consumption
are cured by Dr. Pierce'3 Golden Medical
Discovery. It goes to tne seat or tne trouu
le. It cures all disorders of the digestion.
It makes the appetite keen and the assimi
lation of the food perfect. It fills the blood
with life-giving elements. It is the great
blood-purifier, flesh-builder, and nerve-in-vigorator.
It acts directly on the lungs. It
not only cures consumption, but all other
wasting diseases clue to improper nourish
ment. All good druggist sell it.
" I have used one bottle of your Golden Med
ical Discovery ' and dm now r.n the second one,"
writes Amanda E. BlauUenship, of Templetou,
pver Co., Tenn. "I am pleaded to say that 1
h.ive received more benefit from it than from ell
the medicine I have taken from our home doctors
ill the last twelve,mnutlis."
Whoever would like a complete medical
library in compact form should send for Dr.
Pierce's Common Sense Medical Adviser.
This is a book of l.ooS pages, illustrated
with more than ,?oo drawings and colored
plates. Dr. Pierce is one of the best known
medical men in the United States. The
best of what he knows is " boiled down " in
this book. He talks to you iu plain En
glish of all the sickness you ever heard of.
Several chapters relate to'the physiology of
woman's reproductive organs. This book,
until recently, sold for $1.50. At this price
6So,ooo copies were sold. Now an enor
mous edition in paper covers is to be distrib
uted absolutely freb. Send 21 one-cent
stamps to the World's Dispensary Medical
Association, Buffalo, N. Y., to pay the cost
of mailing only. If a copy in fine French
cloth with embossed covers is desired, send
10 cents extra it cents in all.
GAIL BORDEN
EAGLE Brand!
-CONDENSED SOUL.
Has No Equal
SOLD EVERYWHERB .
fhlrliotrr'n rntlNh niaaond liraaf.
rENNYROYAL FILLS
Original and Only urnuuic
cafe, aUajfrt reliable. tD"i tik
1 ITHKglftJor 'T.nHfKm nqnn ia
Sktimn' Hra.ui in lied aud t,J.i nrmllic
Jrwutr. atod with bill" rlbt-wn. Take
Tmi hf-r. Ii. fi.ne iettuitroan fii&jftfM
ftxom and mitati-n.i. Ai Dnzci"!, er fM
' la Mtminl Tt rticu!an, vtirnlU tn1
"Relief for l.a.lir. t .VHrr. hr rtar
f .11 Bit. IIUIIIU OiinKHlii. nrnir j-uprr.
I b ul Lttal Drugjuu, Palladia
bene tinv ('RMulri a.r
am la A U knur, ivlthiuiri
neon ren len nil ccllonu I fdnY I
thebs and InttM'tlittta tail.
MEDICAL
LADIES' Quickest Relief.
Dr. King' Celebrated Cotton Root Pills,
nerer fail, absolutely reliable, safe and barm,
en. By mail II. OP; particular! free,
KINO REMEDY CO.,
8a William Street, New York City.
4 At JTVA
9
ft" J
mm
r 1
Tti3 Leading Dentist, Eight Years'
IIS mhZm
t rfQO ' '" I f
4C9 Spruce Stresc.
r:
vsssm
MADE: A.
Of-
There i no doubt thnt functionary nervous ailments, such as failure of brafti
power, hysteria, hypochondria aud prostration are on the increase. This is owing
to the terrible competition la tne struggle ror me ann position m mum-m uura.
There is no nerve medicine before the public today that equals Nux-Phospho. Sold
thrnuvhr.nt th. civilized rau-'d hv druirihta and dealers cencrallv. If vour drueuibt
says he do:s not knep it pi to an up-to-date
Tor Sale by Matthews Bros. .
& Koempcl, C LorcntZ.
WI:I
HAIR CHAINS FOR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS.
LADIES, yon can have a beautiful chain made out of
your own hair at
E. Id. HETZES, 330 LftCKAWASHA AVE., SCRANTON
Re member, we are the only oue? here who manufacture chains
from your own hair. Leave orders as early as possible.
KEEP COMFORTABLE
And You Will ba Hap?.
The way to keep j our home comforta
ble at this seas jo of the year
is to buy one of our
Gas or Qil Heaters
Just the thing for your tlinliu
room in tho morning, or your bath
room, und in fact uny place you
want u little heat without start
ing your furnace or boiler.
We have over 20 styles hIzcs of
gas heaters, und 10 or more of Oil
I! caters. Without question the
best assortment in the city.
119 WASHINGTON AVENUE.
DU POINT'S
DINING. BLASTING AND SPORTING
Vaaufnrturcd at the Wapwallotwn Mill
IjUzernv eoumy. Pa., und at WU
mlnglon, Delaware.
HENRY BELIN, Jr.
General Agent for the Wyoming District
II WYOMING AVEM'E. Scranton. P
Third National I'.ank Building:.
AGENCIES:
THOS. FORP, Plttston. Pa.
JOHN P. SMITH ft SON. Plrwoulh, Pa.
E. W. MULLIGAN, Vllks-Barr, Pa.
Agents for tho Ht'iiuno Chemical Com
Jiay'a Ulsh Exploaivea.
AYLESVVORTH'S
MEAT MARKET
The Finest in the City.
J I
! i
i
ii
:
!
i
' i
The latest improved furnish'
ings and apparatus lor keeping
meat, butter and eggs.
223 Wyoming Avenu.
P60TE a SHEAR CO.,
POWDER
Expartence, Now Located at '
if $ Will,mhamJ
( FOR HAVING PASSED 11
Wh THE BEST
EXAMINATIONS
JBlT
dru store or write to us.
Tho Nux
John 11,.1'hclps, N. M. tlckc, Lorciu
'A -T
MANSFIELD STATE NORilAL SCHOOL,
Intellectual anil practical training fop
teachers. Tlirte courses ot study beside
preparatory. Special attention Kiven to
preparation for coiltne. Students a!
ni.tted to best rolligifs on ecriifleate.
Thilty Rracluiitcs pursuing further studies
last year. Ureat oclvaiilu. for special
etuiMea In art ami n" ?!c. Model school of
thn hundred pup'.ls. Corps of sixteen
teachars. Beautiful grounds. Macn'flcent
bu'.ldlnirs. Larue grounds for athletics.
Elevator nnd Infirmary with aliendnnt
nuns. Flno gymnasium. Everything
furnished at nn average cost to normal
fturtc-pts of tut a yar. Fall term, Auir.
tt. Wl,;tr term, Dec. !. SprlnB term,
March IB. Ptiidenfs admitted to classes at
any tlm. For catalogue, containing full
Information, apply to
S. II. AL13RO. Principal.
.Mansfield Pa.f
Cnacatta ar thc Mishist Mebii AuTHesmia
SflfiTHOLINHALEB
astmhw CVTARRn
IMIALKK Will CUrO Ji. A
wonderful toon to Puffereri
kfromCI(la,flloroThroat.
Inflnenra. If acMtl,
or ISA" rrlt. Al"'i
imm filiate rrtiif. Anctttcitm
Hi pnrtrt. warl to nnm on flrft Inri'mtton of coitv
Continued X'ne l.ffcl FerniRpit Vnrm
I rif&cUnn tmarontPTl rnuancy ret untW. Pr Ire.
AO . Trial frrn nt TJruiutiiu. KftciAtered mall
60 cent. M. D. CCSUUi, Mfr., Tkm Hirer, Kick, D. . i
OTTsxsnc.A.i'r's
MCMTUfll Tb (mi-nut and safVit mnrd? f"f
HI till nUL a 3kin diaeaaWjTVw-nia.ltcta.Pa:!
Hhciim. o'd nre. Burn, rn. WandVrful rem
MfforPII.Ra. Price. 9 A eta. nt firm- pi I
ttur tf unit pre,nnl. AiMreMBsabTe. or l
For Mle by MATTHEWS BROS, an J
JOHN IL PHELPS. Scranton. Pa.
Complexion Presarved
OR. HEBRA'S
Villi & HRPAfVl
lUmorw PraeUei. Pimplea.
Liver MjIm, Buekheadt,
BunDuro aua un, ana re-
tores tho skin to iu crrip
nal freshness, producing a rSjj-i
Clear aud healthy eom-iViJ?
pletlon. Fnperiortoaiifaca
preparations and perfectly lwraOess. At all
crufcleta, or mailed lor 5tVu. Bead lor Circular,
VIOLA SKIN 80AP u mri; Ix-vmif m
AIS tTlf.lDg SMp, Ufl-qn..ttd ft 1M M1M, M Wltfcrvt ft
rlnl M 1k. Bumrf- Alotttr'.r tat rHritHj aKt
aud. A Irani . fVca 25 Cr.c.
G. C. BITTNER A, CO..Tcttoo. C
For Mle hr MATTHEWS BROS, and
JOHN H. PHELPS. Scrtftiton. P-
0
M Celebrated Fanal
Powder Bvtr fatL
Nit tli uf vbtfaauawaa
0fJ BED
on:
in