Rensselaer Journal, Volume 12, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1903 — THE MYSTERY OF COUNT LANDRINOF. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE MYSTERY OF COUNT LANDRINOF.

“Shave said on many occasions,” Mb: Bryan confides to the New York Sussing Telegram, “that I am not and'will not again be a candidate for 3>e Nomination.” It is to be hoped that toe gentleman’s powers as a prophet are-improving.

The president’s “meager salary” is worrying some people. Nevertheless aniaot withstanding,despite the prevalence of prosperity, it is altogether unlikely that we shall have to resort to the want columns of the daily newsjpapesa in order to get a suitable man to take the job. "

MfafSOß Sam Jones, of Toledo, who ito private life is an iron founder, has been placed on the unfair list by the Central Labor Union of his home town. The golden rulers seem to act • good deal like the people they denounce when the chance to do so eeaaes*along and there is no campaign E» progress.

TKB miners have agreed to accept a 12 j per cent increase in wages-tor the coming year. The date •f.thieotem of news is February, 1903 —it is*not a left over piece of informatioß< inherited from the last Demo®ra*kj- administration, when wages were to soar and prices drop, according te< reports current in our Demoeratic eontemporaries during the campaign* ®f 1893.

DEmtocratic members of congress arose 1 in their seats during the debate on thv several anti-trust measures passed by congress, solemnly declared toav the pending bills were entirely ineffective so far as restraining the toasts is concerned, and then—voted fortoemt Presumably because these etutesmen had convinced themselves •f the truth of what they were saying abewt the bills being harmless.

AY all means, as was suggested at a Banquet of the unreorganized at Oolainbus, 0., held by the irony of fate Lincoln’s birthday, let the Demoeratie ticket in 1904 be Hearst and Sewtz. No better way could be suggested of driving all the decency in toe United States into one political party. Lentz by word of mouth on toe'floor of congress, from which he was summarily jerked by an outraged constituency at the last election, Hearst through the columns of his daily yellows, achieved their notoriety chiefly a* reckless and venomous defamers ©f William McKinley. The American people would like one chance to- tell these hucksters of political earrfon what they think of them, and-to spread that verdict on the records es the nation for all time to eome. Let that opportunity be given while the memory of William McKinley is still fresh in the hearts of his countrymen-. By all means let it be Hearst and'Lentz—the American people wiH do the rest

BY FRED WHISHAW

CHAPTER XXL CASH FOR THE STUDENT’S SECRET. Coming out of the room and into the passage I met Percy, who was looking for me. “Good heavens, Boris, what’s the matter?” he said. “Have you seen a ghost?” “Come along here, Percy,” I said, dragging him with me, “where’s Borofsky ?’ ’ “In your study, smoking. Why?” “Man alive,” I murmured, “I’ve caught a " big fish I In half an hour I may know all about father. Of course I may be disappointed, but I hope to!” “You are raving, Boris. What’s up. old man?” said Percy. I had said nothing before dinner about my successful pursuit of the student and of my brilliant flight of genius in having brought him along home with me, “for inquiries.” Indeed I had pretended that I had failed to shadow him home, being unwilling to tell my news until I should have interviewed my rascal after his meal “No, ” I whispered, “I am not raving, it is true, I’ve caught some one who swears—of course he’s a liar, they all are, but this time, for certain reasons, I think he is telling the truthwell, he swears that he knows all about the mystery of father’s disappearance, and will sell me the secret for 5,000 rubles.”

“That’s £500,” interrupted Percy. “Good heavens, man, why do you delay ? What’s a half a thou to your mother? The secret is dirt cheap, considering what the secret is, and how much its possession by you may mean to both your parental” “The brute wants a check down before he tells me anything,” I said. “Am I justified in giving it him?” “Oh, hang it! Is he so very big? He’s a Russian, isn’t he?” Percy laughed. “What do you mean?” I asked, in some surprise. “He isn’t big at all, but exceedingly littleu As for being a Russian, of cotsnse he’s that Why do you ask?” “Why, man, don’t you see that even if you give him the check and you then find that he has bluffed you all you have to do is to pinch his neck till he disgorges again, and then kick him until bedtime or your nex;t engagement You don’t risk anything, unless he has a revolver. You’ll have to look out for that, of course.” “Oh, if he has a revolver it will be so soaked that it won’t go off!” I laughed, and I told Percy—only stipulating that he would not alarm mother by telling her of my escape—all about the student’s ducking and my own. “Great scissors!” he exclaimed. “You’re a nice one to intrust with a delicate piece of shadowing. You shadowed him with a vengeance. It seems to me you chased the rascal at full sprint pretty well all through this end of the town and into an ice hole!” Which words of Percy’s pretty accurately described what I did do. Then I begged Percy to watch the door of my prisoner’s room and the passage while I went down to consult with Borofsky and to fetch my checkbook and writing materials. I think I never saw any man quite so overpowered as Borofsky when I detailed the whole of the student episode, beginning with the chase and ending with the little rascal’s statement of terms.

“Five thousand rubles? Nonsense, my good sir! We’ll have this secret for nothing!** exclaimed Borofsky. “We have the fellow in the hollow of our hands. Don’t you see he is in terror of his life from Andre ? For heaven’s sake, my good man, since Providence has put this trump card in your hand, play it to the best advantage! If you’ll excuse my saying so, you don’t deserve your good luck today. That chase was the crudest thing in shadowing I ever heard of and ought to have ended in ntter failure, and now you wish to pay 5,000 rubles for a secret (if he really has one) which we can easily extract for nothing. It is ridiculous!” Poor Borofsky was a little put out, it seemed, that all the luck had gone my way and not his. It was rather hard upon him. But there was only one course open to me. “I have promised the fellow his five thousand,” I said. “He wanted ten thousand, but I beat him down the other five thousand by threatening him with Andre. I dare say we could squeeze the information out of him by frightening him, as you say, but it’s just as well to have his good will. We shall be more likely to learn the truth.” “Oh, don’t flatter yourself,” laughed Borofsky scornfully. “He will tell you what he chooses—no more and no less, and the more we frighten him the more he would feel inclined to divulge.” “He shall have the money,” I persisted, “because I have promised it!" “Very good,” said Borofsky, shrugging his shoulders, “if you prefer it so. It is your money you are throwing into the gutter, not mine. It would not be your fault if T were to go straight to Andre now and tell him we had caught this little rascal and knew all his secrets’ “Borofsky 1” I interrupted him. “You shall do nothing of the kind. When I have performed my engagement with the student we will consult

again, but meanwhile you shall not breathe a word of all this to Andre. You are a very good detective, BoYofsky, but you require to be more of an English gentleman in some matters. You don’t understand the meaning of the words ‘noblesse oblige.* 7 ” Borcfsky flushed, but replied with assumed indifference; “Not being one of the noblesse, I may be forgiven!” he laughed. “But go your ways, spend money how you like. It does not matter to me. Only don’t let this rascal go until we have verified his information. Meanwhile I shall not tell Andre, since you desire secrecy.” “I insist on secrecy!” I said. “Etcuse me, Borofsky, but I will have my way in this. However, I shall take your advice about retaining my prisoner for awhile. That is a good idea, and I thank you for it.” Then I returned to my prisoner. I wrote out the check and handed it to him; further, I made out, at his dictation, the form of guarantee he required that, in so far as I and my household were concerned, the secret of his presence in this house and of his connection with certain affairs presently to be mentioned in private conversation should never be revealed. Then came the crucial moment. “Now, my friend, ” I said, doing my best to maintain a decent display of calmness and dignity, though, as a matter of fact, my knees shook and my hands as well, and my tongue was dry, and my heart and pulses were all a-throb with the tension of the moment —“now, my friend, I have performed my share of the agreement. The time has come for you to perform yours!” “Good!” said the student. “I see that I am dealing with an honorable man, and you shall see that you are in the same position. My story may be rather a long one. A bottle of that very delicious wine which was served to me with my meal would assist both reciter and listener. Shall I ring the bell ?” Another five minutes of agonizing suspense.

The little wretch waited for the wine. I could have kicked him, without mercy, into a pulp. Then he poured out a glassful for himself and another for me, drank half of his own, sighed, finished his glass, replenished it, set it down at his elbow, settled himself in his chair and said: * i “You are anxious to get to business, I see. Well, I will put you out of yofir misery in one word. I know where your father is, and, for all I know to the contrary, he is alive and well.” ‘ ‘Thank God 1 ” I ejaculated. “Where is he? Tell me! Can I get at him?” “Hush!” he said. “You go too fast! It is a good story, and I shall enjoy telling it from the beginning.” [to be continued.)

It is stated by an admiring Washington correspondent that the speech of the Hon. Francis M. Griffith on the trust question was punctuated with laughter. There is no reason in the world, in view of the record of Democratic leadership during the period when it had absolute power to put on the statute books any anti-trust legislation it pleased, why a Democratic speech "against” trusts would not be the subject of innocent and unrestrained merriment.

Senator Tillman is still making speeches in the North whenever opportunity is offered, but some of his auditors are inclined to get a bit personal. While he was declaiming in New York the other night about the necessity of keeping "the niggers” in subjection in order that human life may not be cheapened in the South, one of his hearers made inquiry about the senator’s nephew, who recently murdered an unarmed-and unoffending editor who had the presumption to express his opinions. It would appear that if Senator Tillman desires to bull the price of human life in his state, his efforts might well begin a little nearer home.