j THE MISSING FREIGHT. « # *~ S *L BY HAROLD NAEMANSSON. 5 Rodney Graham was well thought of Jn Crescent ville. His father. Nelson Graham, had run th" general store there for many years, and was rated in "Dunn'*'' as "G. S. M.!!-.** which cabalisti- letters established the Gra hai'. credit on a solid foundation throughout the United States, so that ■whenever a salesman happened to stop at Crcsoentville. he always made a .tail at Nelson Graham's. Crescentville. Illinois, was a flourish ing city of over 2000 inhabitants, and, of course, things were just rushing. The city contained two manufactur ing plants, a brewery, a First Nation al Bank of Crescentville. an Electric Eight and I'ower Company, and a rail road depot. Also, various stores and pnall industries according to its needs. The railroad was a loop of tin* R. It. & C. S.. tiie main line ten miles from Crescentville. Nelson lira ham. as the proprietor of /he general store, was quite an in fluential citizen, and it was under stood that his son, Itodney. was in a position to pick the profession of his choice. The law. medicine, art, music, poetry, stenography. bookkeeping, were all within his reach; he consid ered them all from different points of view i very differently from most peo ylei and then deliberately chose the profession of stoking a freight engine. The masses of Crescentville resented his choice. They were surprised and displeased. They discussed it over tea tables, drug counters and saloon bars, and decided that Itodney. though smart, was born without ambition. For this reason they voted against Nelson Graham when he rait for may or, and defeated him, which shows how the sins ol' the sous are visited upon their fathers. Itodney Graham was peculiar In many ways. lie came home to Cres centville once a week, and in his con versation frequently cursed the freight engine. Instead of having a consuming affection for it —as all well regulated stokers are supposed to ha ve— he shamefully abused and (metaphor ically) despitefully used it. lie said the hollers were bad—the brakes were no good—the engineer was crazy— and that were it not for his untiring zeal and sleepless watchfulness, fast frieght Number Forty-Six of ill l great B. It. & C. S. It. I!, would be con tinually jumping off tiie track and having to be lifted on again at great expense of life and money, lie said that all stokers were excused from pur gatory: but notwithstanding all the things he said lie stuck to bis job, and when Ills father solicited the votes of his fellow citizens for the honorable position of alderman. Ills fellow citi zens elected some one else. In addition to running the Crescent ville general store. Nelson Graham was interested in the First National Bank of Crescent ville. lie had always leposited his receipts there, and as they had grown in volume he had in vested what lie could spare and was low vice-president of the bank. It was in the fall of the year that the fre > silver agitation burst forth in all its virulence. The Democratic party would surely win the elections, and the value of the dollar would be i ut 'li half The farmers all around Cres centville wanted their money b >fore the dollar depreciated. The Crescent ville bank had money loaned out to i number of neighboring manufacto ries on easy terms, and til's money could not be called in. I'liercfore the Crescentville bank wiis in difficulties, ■mil the farmers came up and besieged It. If the bank suspended. Nelson Gra ham would go with it. If the bank pulled through, Neison Gratia in would pull through. The hunk wanted <smi to meet the demands upon it. hut no one knew where to get the money In time. These were the circumstances when Rodney Graham departed from Cres centville one afternoon, to stok» fast freight Number Forty-Six, which lie would Join at St. I .mi's, stoking it ti Chicago and back. The station agent was on the platform at Crescentville, mid saw Rodney Graham get Into the eab of the train which left Crescent ville for St. I.ouls at a quarter b'fol'e six. The frieght agent at Maltooin saw Rodney Graham In the cab of Number Forty Six when it stopped for water. It left Maitouiia on time passed Kalakoka outline. Rut it did not reach Dalabeke. It was signalled ti Dalab'ke. and I lie operator there wait ed tor it, been use after It had gone It was his Intent ion lo get his slipper. Number Forty Six was 1." in In lit ■ lat •; 'in minutes late; !.*i minutes I,lie: one hour lale clearly It must have met With some accident since it left Kill.! fcoka. I'lie Dalabeke atfi lit < I >TnI: in i. I .Chicago that fast freight Number Forty-Six had met with an ac. id nt and was delayed. Then be Arranged Villi some one to wab h the depot. Went home and took a hasty uioutlnul, e illei ted two or three people and a doctor and Marled up tin- track to ward Kalakoka. a dlMaine or about live utiles. Ibe do -tei s report of j In. adv MituPc Is as follows: - "After Hxcert.i iilnif at the ib poi that eo iraln of any I,lad had pass ,1 * Walked along liie Irn. ks to Kalakoka, peeling lo disinter the wreck it fist freight Numb r Forty Sl* at any tuoio*ul To our ureal surprise, how «*•,cr «e saw mi sign* of the Iriln ■ uyn lure, on tti iuiiiit of which Dim fclu* i:ild (lilt Toiupklus (the Kala kokii ugeut) must have been mistaken in signalling the train to I>alabeke. "On arriving at Knliikoka we fountl the station deserted. We then went to Tompkins' bouse and found him in bed. On rousing him, he stated that fast freight Number Forty-Six most certainly passed through Kalakoka on time, and distinctly insinuated that, if Diukius didn't see it pass through Dalabeke, Dimkins must have Been the worse for something—perhaps liquor. "Mr. Dimkins hotly resented this imputation, and the two men were lighting before we had an opportunity to interfere. The Kalakoka police man unfortunately happened to be near, and rushing up, began clubbing us all. under the Impression, 1 suppose, that we were an organization of b.indits about to make a raid on the village. After an extended period of general misunderstanding, altercation and per sonal injury, the tumult was stilled, and we all returned to the depot. Here Dimkins wired St. I .oil is, only to be in formed that fast freight Number Forty-Six had left that city on time and that nothing unusual had tran spired. "As nothing could he made of it we started back along the tracks to Dala beke, where we arrived without inci dent of any kind. Part of the railroad ran through a wood which was fenced off by posts and barbed wire. The rest of the way the railroad ran through open prairie. "It was ridiculous to suppose that a fast freight train could have utterly disappeared between Kalakoka and Dalabeke and the only probable hy pothesis seemed to l»e that Tompkins was mistaken in some way in suppos ing that the train had passed Kala koka." Thus ends the doctor's narrative. The next morning it became evident that fast freight Number Forty-Six lind in some way disappeared. Chica go, however, took it as a joke. The newspaper reporters went down to see Tompkins, who had seen the miss ing train pass Kalakoka. They plagued and exasperated him to such an extent that he resigned his position in disgust. A Chicago paper printed a funny article in regard to Tompkins, entitled. "The Freight That Didn't Ma terialize." The Federal Express com pany's representative called on the president of the B. It. & C. S. It.it. and was Informed that freight Num ber Forty-Six had not yet left St. r.ouis. The Federal Express com pany's representative expressed his satisfaction and inquired when fast freight Number Forty-Six had not vet left St. I.oiils. The Federal Express company's representative expressed his satisfaction and inquired when fast freight Number Forty-Six would leave St. Louis, because she had ».imm> in currency aboard, and tli • Federal Express company was anx ious. The president of the R. It. & C. S. It. IJ. answered that the s,~>o,tNin was all right, and that the disquieting rumors were nonsense. Then he wired St. I.ouls that fast freight Num ber Forty-Six must be found at once. St. I.ouls replied that they would im mediately put on a tracer, and there after maintained silence. At Crescentville, Iliionls, there were sensational doings. The bank had just managed to hold its own for the day by the method of taking an unpre cedentedly long time over doing every thing. When the hour for closing came there were certainly over -'*• ex cited clients of the bank waiting their turn to withdraw their money, and these people camped ill the street for the night. making all kinds of treats, and vowing all kinds of vengeance against everybody connected with the hank if they should not be paid promptly the next morning. The otli eers and employes of the bank stayed inside and did not venture out. About t o'clock in the morning nn extraordinary tiling occurred. A posse of men rode Into Crescent vllle, well armed and wearing masks. They rode straight to the bank, were ad mitted after a short parley, and did not come out again. I'm at nine in the morning the bank opened its doors, and (lie run began anew with treat desperation. De positor after depositor was paid off un til scarcely any were left, anil the i>eo pie stood around and talked about It. There seemed to be no end to the bank's resources, and at hint a large and Inllueiitlal customer exclaimed "The bank Is all rlulit and we arc a pack of fools. I am going to de- I Mis it my cash agalii!" There was u murmur of approval, an<! then everybody itegun to laugh. Right after the influential man fol lowed II lolig lllle of people i|o*i|-,ng tore deposit (lie money tlicy had only ju»t withdrawn Such a day of busi ness tin- • 'resceiitvllle bank never had before, and It Is not at all likely ever to have again. An enthusiastic meet but was held at the Masonic lulll that evening, at which It was unanimous |v n solved to nominate Nelson lira It.tin as licit mayor of Crescent vllle. lii the meantime, the It It \ c. s. II It pel pie Wile still hunting for fast frclgli; Number forty si* I'liey hunt' I for >1 in Hie train yard In and about Si I. uis Single car* had been lost In those yards in gn at profusion and never found again. but when a whole train could get lost like this It m ;is evident thai there must Is* care* leanness ►ounwlniv. During the search a reporter dUcovercd engine Vuiuls'r Forty .Hi '*n In a neglected looking roundliou .» and promptly wired the news to Chicago where th» information was considered as quite important, although in what exact re lation 110 official could say. It was quite possible, Number Forty-Seven having been found, that Number Forty-Six might not be far off, unless it had accidentally plunged into the Mississippi, or strayed to Kansas City by means of a misplaced switch. Dimkins of Dalabeke had accepted the explanation that the train could not have left St. Louis, and that Tompkins and others must have been mistaken. On the second night after the train was lost, Dimkins was quiet ly playing his usual game of checkers in the depot with a friend. Dimkins was in a terrible position where one wrong move would lose him the game, and he was intently studying the ab sorbing problem, when his friend said— "What's that?" Dimkins paused on the brink of de struction and looked up aghast. lie put his hand to li!s ear and—there was 110 doubt about it—he heard the slow putting of an engine coining to ward Dalabeke. I) inkins says li<? shall never forget the sensation. "It's Forty-Six's schedule," said Dimkins, deliberately, "but it ain't Forty-Six." Therefore, speaking very slowly, "therefore, it must be Forty- Six's Ghost!" Even as he spoke, the puffing of the engine grew nearer and nearer, and slower and slower, until at last it ceased entirely. "She's gone!" whispered Dimkins In horror-stricken tones. Then the sound of a yell came from somewhere. Dimkins got up and crept carefully along to the window, while his friend watched intently, as though lie expect ed the ghost of fast freight Number Forty-Six to jump suddenly through the window at any moment. Then— "Ilailo!" said Dimkins. "Come here, Tom!" "What fur?" demanded Tom, very doubtfully. "It's Forty-Six!" said Dimkins. "Iler light's a-burnin'!" "Oh! her light's a-burnin'!" repeats Tom, dogged and immovable. But out flew Dimkins, racing at top speed down the track toward the train. When he reached it there was no engineer, stoker, brakesman, nor any kind of living soul to be seen. But there was a fearful racket going 011 in the third box car. "What's the matter there?" shouted Dimkins, from what he considered a safe distance. "Break open the car and let us out!" responded a number of voices. "(Jet a rail and knock the—lock off!" "It's us!" shouted another voice, which Dimkins recognized at once as the voice of Iloduey Graham, stoker. So Dimkins followed directions, got a rail, broke the box car. anil found the entire train crew laying on' the floor of the car, bound hand and foot. Whether it was sheer bewilderment that caused it. or whither the subtle and pervasive odor of the box car was responsible. Dimkins says lie doesn't know, lint lie says that altogether lie felt so dazed that he hadn't the slight est recollection the next morning of file explanations that were hurled at him by the imprisoned men as to the cause of their extraordinary condi tion. Fast freight Number Forty-Six puffed out of Dalabeke station eu route to Chicago shortly afterward*, and was rcs|>ectfully signalled, and notified. and switched, and o. k.'d through by operators. The train dis patcher. thinking lie must have made a mistake, altered his schedule and •aid nothing. The next morning the Federal Ex press company received their J.'IM.IHHI. and they said nothing. But a day or two afterwards the treueral manager of the It. It. \ C. S. It, It. fished a memorandum out of some forsaken pigeon-hole and said "By the way. what lias become of tJils freight Number Forty-Six?" The clerk looked up the records fltul found that it was at St. Lou's. "Where ought it to be?" demanded the general manager. The clerk looked up more recordsand reported that St. Louis was where freight Numlier Forty Six ought to be. So the general manager tore up his memorandum. Critical persons may talk about the train's way bill ami other railroad red tape that Is supposed to keep track of trains present or missing. In re gard to this we have nothing to stiu (jest, except that if one studies the records of some |iollticiiius there will ap|M-nr many a hiatus irrtxnlaiiy tilled In. Wo look askance. 1 k<* aood Samaritans, and pass by on the other side. Dimkins *at in the depot, playing checkers with his friend, one night, when fast freight Numb 1 forty Six came thundering by Said Illtnkiiis "That's no ghost!" Said Tom "Queer go, that!" "You may say that!" responded Dimkins. "I've heard of ghouls' walks In m.v time," continued Tom. "but. you kllow, that was 1 lie ill's! time I ever saw one." ".Vii"' uiiiriutiivd Dimkins, resting Ills tinner oil a che« Ner. "Hlglit over Itehlu I llle (wind In Kit- Jah linker's woo l " said Tom, "w'sf of tin tracks, old Walker keep* a shooting box, and there's a lot of rails there and a switch " Diuikllis nodded inquiring!.! "The mark of them rails Is 011 the grass ylt!" concluded Tom. "Oh, it's rank!" "So It is!" iiMSolited Dimkins "| seen 'cut myself" \Na*crley Maya Mine. I THE REALM OF FASHION. | fgsgjgsssssssss New York City.—No style of bodice Is more generally becoulug than the bolero in its many forms. The excel lent May Mauton design here illus- LADIES* WAIST WITH BOLERO. trated is adapted to many materials, but is never more effective than, as shown, in black taffeta with applique of I'ersian embroidery. The model from which the drawiug was made is worn with a skirt of figured black silk and over a waist made of ready tucked tuousscline in cream white. The lin ing is white satin, but the revers are faced with black panne, which adds greatly to the effect. The liigli stock, which matches the waist, is finished with an applique of heavy cream lace. Pastel tinted taffetas are admirable and exceedingly attractive for garden party and informal evening wear, but the latest hint from Paris tells of taf feta enriched by embroidery into which gold and silver threads are in troduced. The waist beneath may be of any contrasting material, but is most effective in such diaphanous filmy stuffs as chiffou, mousseliue and Liberty gauze. To cut this bolero for n lady of me dium size three yards of material twenty-one iuehes wide, or one ami three-eighths yards tlfty inches wide, with one and three-quarter yards of tucking eighteen iuehes wide for the waist, ami one and a half yards of liu log. will be required. lilcat Costume For School. The comfortable, serviceable blouse suit is always in demand. It makes the ideal costume for school wear anil for the hours of play. liurlug the warm months it has been popular made from khaki cloth, liiicu and dm k, but as cool weather approaches *erge aud light-weight Hauiiel will tie in demand. The smart May Maiitou hwigu Illustrated In the large drawing is suited to all the materials men tioned, bill the model is made from illicit iu two shades of red, the trim ming being the darker and bamled with while braid. The skirt Is full ami straight, gath fled and Joined to a lifted waist that is quite separate frotu the blouse. The waist is in two pieces, and closes at the centre back. The tilting is accom plished by means of single darts and antler arm seaiuv, but the darts can ne omitted when the Itgurc makes it Icslrahlc. The plastron Is faced onto the titled waist, and llic collar i»ewc<l fast in the neck. The blouse is sepal* lie mill lilted Willi shoulder lllltl till ler arm seams mil*. The sailor collar is seamed to tin neck, and the blouse lo», s at the centre front, the fulness n the waist being arranged In gathers. The sleeves are title seamed, gatii •red at shoulders and wrists hiiil arc iuished w 111l deep wristbands or cuffs. With the goMit Is woru a regulation tailor hat. To cut this suit for a girl of sight rears of age three aud a half yards of material thirty-two inches wide, or two and a quarter yards forty-four inches wide, with one-half yard of lin ing, will lie required. Autumn Fabrics Not Mew. So far autumn fabrics are not dls. tlnctly new. Cashmere will number among the leading materials. Both plain and embroidered cashmeres will be worn. Cloths will be as milch in favor as usual, and the light w.iglit variety flic favorite. Silk canvas will be used extensively for simple frocks, especially in the autumn. Silks will be gorgeous. The Louis XV.and Louis XVI. brocades in beautiful tones and designs interwoven with silver and gold will reign supreme. The soft, becoming pannes will be in favor, as will also the liberty satiu. The summer of lace will be closely followed by a winter of lace. In fact, lace will be so much in demand that it will be impossible to get certain de sirable qualities. Italny-Day Wanlixble Petticoats. Ready-made washable petticoats fot rainy day wear are shown at the re markable prices of fifty-nine and sixty-nine cents. The material of which they are made is grass cloth, lawn, or seersucker, and they are trimmed with corded flounces or nar row rufiies of the same. The skirts are made adjustable to any size by drawstrings at the waist. Terminal*) at the Waist 1.1 ne. The majority ot' the best corset cov ers terminate at the waist line, and their fronts are in surplice form. The lilgh-necked or half-corset cover is 110 longer used by the best-dressed women. The Favorite Garniture. Black Chantilly appliques are the favorite garniture oil filmy white cos tumes. Skirt Willi Inverted Pleat in Bark. Skirts continue to be snug fitting aliout the hips, but are cut to flare at the feet and to allow all possible free dom. The smart May Mantou model shown is equally adapted to the heavy Uncus, duck* ami piques of warin wi'ftlbci' wear, ami to tlx' woolen stuffs that will I>«• In demand lujfore many weeks. As illustrated the material la veiling in chart reuse green ami cau i»e worn as part of the costume or with odd waists us occasion demauds. It is cut ill three pieces, the shapely front gore, ami the two circular isir tlous. The inverted pleats at the foot of the front gore actually extend to the seam only, hut as the seam U stitched down tint tlie effect is that of the Ml itched pleat without the bur den of Its weight. The fulness at tint hack is also arranged in an inverted pleat, so carrying out the symmetry of the design. The skirt can be niado long for ludoor use, or short. to clear the ground, for the street, as preferrcil. To cut this skirt for a lady of me dium sine seven yards oi material I.AIHRH' THMKK Micr SKIMi thirty two 'iielie* wide, four and one half yard forty four Incite* wide. or four ;tu*l oue quarter yard* Utty luchva « Ide, Will Ie retiuilvd. CroHted n Sen Industry. About the middle of this century It was the universal custom to face the whito keys of pianos and organs with ivory, and to make the black ones oi ebony. Long ago ivory became too ex pensive for any but the finest key boards. calluloid taking its plaoo. Now ebony also has advanced in price, so that a substitute for it Is in demand. Dogwood has been found to serve tlu purpose excellently, and it can b« stained a line black and oiled and pol ished until it quite equals ebony both in durability and appearance. The industry of cutting and marketing dog wood, once a valuable tree, for this purpose, is already giving employment tn o rniislileralile number of nennlo She rig Is Prominent. Prince Hhcng, the director of to:e graphs of the Chinese empire, hfs played a somewhat conspicuous part tn the communications by cable oo tween Pekin and the powers. He is said to be one of the mo3t capable, intelligent and broadminded men 0? China. He has had charge not only of the telegraphs, but of the railways also. He is the head of the Imperial bank, a position akin to the secretary ship of the treasury. Klondike Nugget Worth •13,000. The biggest nugget yet found in the Klondike was picked up on Gold h!ll recently. It weighed seventy-seven ounces and was valued at Jl^. ooft All goods are alike to Putnam Fadeless Dyes, as they oolor all fibers at one boil ing. Sold by nil druggists. Miniature Indian corn grows in Bra zil. The ears are about the size of a Utile linger, and the grains are as small as mustard seed. ■low's Till* ? WeoiTcrOne Hundred Dollar< Reward for any one of Catarrh that cannot bo cured by Hall's Catarrh Cure. F. J. Ciienev & Co.. IVops., Toledo, O. We, the undersigned, have known F. J. Che ney (or the la«t 1.5 years, and believe him per fectly lionorwble in all business transaction* and financially able to curry out any obliga tion m 'de by their firm. West & Tuu ax. Wholesale Diuggisfs, Toledo, Oh o. Wai.dino, Ivinnan & Marvis, Wholesale Druggists, Toledo, Ohio. Hall's Catarrh ('me is taken internally, act ing dirnctly upon the blood and mucous sur laces of the system. Pi le, "sc.per bottle. Sold by all Druggist*. Testimonials free. Hall's Family Pills are the best. The ruins of n building that contained l/iOO rooms has been discovered iu New- Mexico. Travel South. The Southern Railway Is the great artery of travel lu the South, operating from New York four magnificent trains dally, giving the most perfect dining and sleeping car ser vice to all the prominent cities of the South and Southwest. Florida, Mexico and the Pa cific Coast, with steamship connection at Tamps for Cuba and Xew Orleans tor South American torts. Port Llinon, Costa Rica Republic. Colombia. BUieHelds. Nicaragua, and ports of Ouateinala. and on British and Spanish Honduras Coast. The Company has In New York City two office". In addition lo the offices of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The lowntnwn ticket offlee Is 271 Broadway, ami fieneral Kastern Passenger Agency is llH.i Hroadway, con er 28th St. Alex. S. Thweatt, Eastern Pass. Agent. At either office full In formation can be had regarding routes, rates »nd sleeping cars and literature on the re sorts of the South obtained. It is estimated that Parisians Bpend fl'Jrt, 1 000,000 every year on confetti. To Cure a Cold In On* Day. Take Laxative Hromo Quimini Tablets. All li URglnU refund the la-iney If it falls to curs. E. W. Giioyi'3 signature Is on eacb box. 25c. From the way some men are puffed ti|> one would think they had swallowed .■east cakes for breakfast. Happiness cannot bo bought, but one of ho great hindrances to Its attainment can je removed by Adams' l'epsln Tutti Frutti. The hardest thing for a woman to de cide is something vi 110 importance what jver. ( ani sure Piso's Cure for C onsumption saved liv life three years ago.— *IHS. IHM. Hon. nixs, Maple St , Norwich, N*. Y.. V'eb. 17. It*' . There is a great deal of human natuiv n the wug of a tail. Mrs. Wlnstow'sSootiiing :syrnp forohlldri ti rethlng, softens the gums, reduceHlntianiini.- .ion, allays pain, cures wind eolie, '-'.v.a bolt N. Self-conceit is a seat that every man iliould be encouraged to sit on. Women Think About This In addressing Mrs. Pinkham you are oom munloatlng with A Woma A woman whose expe rience In treating female Ills Is greater than that of any living person, male or female. She has fifty thousand suoh testimonial letters as wo are oonstantly pub lishing showing that Lydta C. Pinkham's Vegetable Oompound lo dally re newing hundreds of suf fering women• Every woman knows some woman Mrs. Pink ham has restored to health. Mrs. Pinkham makes no stntemonts she oannot prove. Her ad viae Is . Lvdt*K t'lnktem free. Y.i 1 . i.vna, vu*«
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers