Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1904 — Page 6

The Secret Dispatch

? CHAPTER XV. The manner and voice of Basil Mlerowltz were singularly soft and winning, yet he was bold and resolute; and though a young man, he had all the free and easy bearing of a courtly soldier, blended with something of the calm severity of a priest—a manner that was very impressive.

. The Polish and Cossack blood that mingled in the veins of Apollo L’sakoff gave a freer and bolder, perhaps a wilder, bearing and style of language; his nose was aquiline, and expressed tiercenow of disposition; yet his features otherwise were essentially delicate and noble, and his eyes were strangely beautiful in color and variety of expression. [He was a grandson of Hetman Mazeppa ,—that Pole whose story is so well known, and who after being bound naked on a wild and maddened horse, was carried by his steed through woods and '.wastes, and herds of Wolves and bears, into the heart of the Ukarine, where he lived to become the prince and leader of those wild Cossacks who dwell upon the banks of the Dnieper. Sleeping in a cavern, among rough soldiers, on a bed of dried leaves and moss, had not improved either the costume or the appearance of Natalie Mierowna. With pain and sorrow —almost with agony—Charlie Balgonie could perceive how her once rich dress of yellow silk, with its trimmings of narrow ermine, was faded and soiled—even tattered and worn; her laces and her soft hair alike disheveled nnd uncared for; and that al-

ready had a limited and haggard expression been imparted to her beautiful •yes and soft, pale, delicate face. Anger •nd pride alone remained; but both were for a time subdued by the sudden presence of Balgonie and the love she was compelled to repress, outwardly at least, when before so many eyes. Katlnka, the Sturdy Polish attendant, who loved Natalie dearly, alone seemed unimpaired by the hardships of a forest life. “Concerning the secret dispatch of the woman,, Catharine Christianowna, to the Governor of Schlusselburg.” said —Usakoff. resuming the subject of conversation, “you, Carl, are perhaps aware of Its contents?” “Yes,” replied Balgonie, and then paused.

“Say on, my. friend,” said Usakoff. “We can hear anything now.” “They were to the effect that a scheme had been formed to free the Unknown Person in Schlusselburg and that he was not to be permitted to fall alive into the hands of any one wire came to seek him.” - “Savage orders, which there can be no mistaking.”

“Orders which Bernikoff is quite capable of fulfilling,” added Mierowitz in a sad, stern voice, while their listening followers burst into low and whispered but fierce imprecations against the Empress. “Bernikoff is a man without one human sympathy,” said Basil. “And no marvel is it!” exclaimed Usakoff, while the Strange light already described gleamed in his dark gray eyes. “His mother, like a true Tartar woman, is said to have anointed her breast daily with blood, as she suckled him, even as Dion tells us the mother of Caligula did, that her child might in manhood be merciless.” _ “Carl,”, said Basil, taking the hand •f Balgon+o, "Nfftalie lias told me all.” “And you forgive me?” said Balgonie earnestly.

“I do —but on this condition —that if you do not join us you will at least not actively oppose our scheme.” “I scarcely know what it is.” “Know this, then." replied the other emphatically, yet softly, "that on its success depends the success of your love, for if it fails, then all our lives are lost!” “You say that you love my cousin, Natalie?” said young L’sakoff in a somewhat loftier tone. < “With all my heart—with nil my soul, I do!” replied Balgonie, pressing a hand •f Natalie between his own. “Yet, Carl, if you valued generosity •nd loved piety—if yon loved glory and honor as a soldier should, you would risk the loss even of her—yea, give her up If necessary—and join us!" “What would either life or glory be after such a sacrifice? Ah. my friend, you never loved as I do!” replied Charlie, with some irritation of manner. “Perhaps. But 1 have always thought how grandly terrible a figure was made by Mohammed the Great when, on a stage before his discontented army, he struck off the.head of a favorite sultana to convince his soldiers that he preferred glory to love."

“Cousin, cousin!” said Natalie, who felt all the peril and delicacy of her lover’s position. "You talk thus to-day, when last night you shed tears —yes, bitter tears —for the loss yf your sister. We were all taken prisoners together, Carl —my poor father, Mariolizza, and I. Bound with cords —see the marks are on me still,” she added, showing her white wrists, while her dark eyes filled with a dusky fire —"we were conveyed in a covered wagon toward St. Petersburg, on the way to which it broke down in a wood near I’aulovsk, not far from the •uter walls of the imperial gardens. There in the confusion I was enabled to •scape by the aid of the gypsy girl Olga, who, -hoping some such chance might •ccnr, had followed us afoot from Lougn; •nd through her further knowledge and •saistance I was enabled to join my brother Basil hero.”

“My dear old father —mid my soft nnd tender Mariollska —a blow niUHt Im: rapidly struck if we would nave them from greater horrors than those they now endure!" exclaimed Basil. "Tlic other die lias been cast now, nnd if I cannot save liietn and our legitimate Emperor, we ean at least all perish together." "Dangers menace you closely; the roads around the fortress are petroled, •nd gunboats watch the shores of the lake. A coiu of Ivan found in a tea “ ’Twas I, Carl, who dropped it there!” •■claimed Basil. “Well, and this coin?" "Has aroused all the suspicions of Bernlkoff, and be knows that you and

By JAMES GRANT

your cousin have deserted from your posts in Livonia.” “Then,” replied Basil Mierowitz, with growing sternness, ‘‘we have not an hour to lose. Who informed him?” “Lieut. Gen. Weymarn, by a special messenger, while I was loitering at Longa.” “So, so! We must be prompt in action. I have cruised thrice round Schlusselburg disguised as a fisherman, and know all the approaches.” “Basil, Usakoff, I implore you by all you hold dear on earth and sacred in heaven to pause while there is yet time—to abandon your wild scheme, and make your peace, if possible, with the Empress.” “You are right to add ‘if 'pC>sßll>le.“Tny friend/’ replied the other calmly but bitterly. ‘‘Already compromised by desertioi;, my father and betrothed wife chained in a fortress by the Neva, what terms would Catharine offer us? Carl Ivanovitch,” he added, with a lofty smile, “I do not press you to join us, or seek to lure you into the dangers of an enterprise the enthusiasm of which yon cannot share. I do not seek even to turn your presence as a trusted staff officer in Schlusselburg to account, though it might further our objects, and be the means, perhaps, by strategy, of saving many a valuable life. Still loss do I desire to turn to account your intimacy with the young Emperor Ivan, though I envy you the great privilege. Even in the love I bear my sister, I leave you unquestioned and free.” "I thank you, Basil,” said Balgonie, sadly, and with a heightened color, caused by irrepressible annoyance at the last remark of Mierowitz. “But we have all sworn before the altar to devote our lives to the matter in hand; so retreat is impossible—advice and entreaty alike unavailing. The blow once struck, we shall be joined by the Cossacks of the Ukarine and the iDon, among whom we have many impatient adherents, and by all who hold of the Houses of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel. of ‘Hoktein Gottorp.- and of aHwho hate Anhalt Zerbst; all Russia will soon follow, from the shores of the Black Sea to those of the White —from Revel to the Utal Mountains. We have not forgotten the reign of Elizabeth; how many noses were slit, how many foreheads were branded, how many ears cropped, and tongues shortened, and how manyeyes were darkened forever during the time of tyranny; how many backs flayed by the knout; how many nobles banished to Siberia or drowned in prison vaults by the swollen waters of the Neva. Pure nationality is dying now; but we must revive Russia—not as it is ruled by a woman, but Holy Russia of Peter the Great —strong, invincible, and the terror alike of the Eastern and WesUfn world. Let us save our country from those who oppress it, and replace upon its throne the grand duke, the Czar —the Emperor Ivan; for the right given by God and by inheritance can never be destroyed!” “Without cannon, you can not mean to assault h place so strong as Schlusselburg, fortified as it has been by all the skill of Todleben?” said Balgonie, after a pause. “Atjk me not what we mean to do, Carl; for your own sake, my dear friend, the less you know of us, and of our plans, the better. We shall come upon you when you least expect us, and in that hour take no heed of what you see or hear. Mix yourself up with it as little as you can; if we fail, we perish in our failure; if we triumph, and Ivan is replaced upon his throne, be assured that Basil Mierowitz will not forget the lovet of his sister—the comrade of many a brave and happy day with the Regiment of Smolensko. Now adieu—and come hither no more, lest your steps be watched.”

Balgonie pressed the hands of his two friends, Whom he viewed as fated and foredoomed men; he kissed Natalie with a tenderness that was at once sorrowful and despairing, for he trembled in his heart lest he should never see her more; and, in another moment or so, like one in a bewildering dream, he had descended the rope ladder and was traversing the forest—the Wood of the Honey Tree — forgetful or oblivious of whether he was watched or not. He foresaw but woe and ruin now; and proceeded slowly back to Schlusselburg, with his mind a prey to doubt, anxiety and dread of what might be th* sequel to the impending catastrophe. He felt assured of one thing only—that a deed, bold, reckless and desperate, would be the result of his friends’ desertion, from Livonia, their political rancor, and personal desire for vengeance on the Empress and her favorites. In that deed, and its tod probable failure, he foresaw the destruction of hi* love, and he felt .bitterly that rather than have known and lost Natalie, it would have been better had fate drowned him when the Palatine ship was burned, or shot him when warring in Silesia!

On returning to Schlusselburg. Balgonie found the governor, Colonel Bernikoff, in a very bad humor indeed. The Grand Chancellor had recently sent him a prisoner, with a note to the effect that he wrote verses, and was otherwise a dangerous fellow —to keep him for a week or two, and then get rid of him. He had thrice sent to the chancellor, to learn under what name the man was to be buried, for the fellow was dead now —so much had the damp atmosphere of the lower vaults disagreed with his poetical temperament, but no answer had been returned, which was very annoying. So Bernikoff. whose patiiyice was neVer very extensive, was furious; but he strove to sooth his rutiled feelings by several enormous piucheH of the sharp snuff of Boresovski. from the box which had been found in the fob of the later Peter III.; and by beating with his cane tlie Cossack, Jagouski. “No tidings yet, Carl Ivanovitch, of those traitors?" said “the Captain Vlasfief, and my 'faithful friend, Tchekin, with forty picked Cossacks, and a cltver guide "

CHAPTER XVL

“Nicholas Paulovitch, I presumed “The same,” continued Bernikoff. with a fierce grimace on his lips and a crufl leer in his eyes, “the same, sir—and what then?” "Nothing, excellency. Well, these and the' forty Cossacks "Are scouring, all the roads between this arid St. Petersburg on one flank, and bet ween this and North Ladoga on the. other; so the cursed Asiatics caqnot escape me.” “Who will betray them to you?” asked Balgonie, making a terrible effort to appear calm and unconcerned, as he played with his sword knot and the tassels of his sash. "Who?” exclaimed Colonel Bernikoff, grinding his teeth. "Their own friends — their own dear comrades —adherents, which you will. Russia is full of people, yea of many nations. The Empress can reckon her faithful slaves by millions; yet, when a Russian hath his hat on his head, its rim contains the only friend on whom he can rely.” “This is a severe libel on your country, surely; excellency.” “'Tis truth though; so Basil Mierowitz, Usakoff and the rest are all doomed men. No one was ever lost on a straight road; thus the soldier who diverges from the straight line of duty must speedily find himself face to face with degrada"ffou“ and death. Punishment to those traitors will be swift and sure! So, I only fear that the Grand Chancellor will never give me the pleasure of having them under my judicious care at Schlusselburg. We have certain old vaults, built below the tide mark by Ivan the Terrible, for some of those people of Novgorod who leagued with the King of Poland. They are always full of fog; and I am-curious to know how long an able-bodied prisoner might live there, or rather how long he would be in dying.” Charlie gladly sought the solitude afforded by the stockades and outworks of the fortress on the side toward the Lake of Ladoga. There, as 1 elsewhere, was, of course, a chain of sentinels; but they did not interrupt his lonely communing with himself. By Tils interest in Natalie, by his deep love for her, and more than all. perhaps, by liis recent visit and Interview, he already felt himself “art and part” with the rash adherents of Ivan. If one of those deserted the cause in which they had embarked, then would their lurking place be at once discovered, and the story of his recent visit be revealed. He dreaded lest Bernikoff and others suspected his friendly interest in the family of Mierowitz, and that more might yet be learned of it; thus he would have experienced neither shock nor stirprise, had he, at any hour, in that land of treachery and espionage, seen either Captain Vlasfief, Lieutenant Tschekin, or any other'officer of the fortress, advancing toward him. saber, in hand, with an armed party, to demand his sword, to make him a prisoner. “If I love Natalie,” ho would say to himself at times, “why should I shrink from sharing all that .she suffers now — all she may yet enduro? Yet it would be. wiser to watch well for her sak'e, and seek to save, or bear her away; but how —axid where to?” was the next bewildering thought. This was, indeed, a miserable mood of mind in which to pass the nights and days of inactivity—of suspense and anxiety in which none could share in that strong, guarded and somewhat lonely fortress, which was washed on one side by the Neva and on the other by the Lake of Ladoga, the very ripples of whose waves sounded hatefully ip the ears of Balgonie. “Oh.” thought he, “to be with Natalie on the side of a green and breezy Scottish mountain —to be with her there in peace °nd security, far, far from this land of suspicion and ferocious despotism, of state intrigues and savage punishments, where every second man is the spy and the betrayer of his fellow.” Home he might never see more; and now he found himself vaguely speculating on the probable comforts and public sentiment afforded by Siberia, and those growing cities of the sorrowing and the banished—Tobolsk and Irkutsk —on the banks of the Lower Angara. (To be

How He Worked and What He Made.

A professor who was easily irritated conducted the clinic of nervous diseases at a medical college, Chicago. Remarking about the Influence of occupation upon nervous conditions, he illustrated by a patient, an awkward Swede, requesting him to be brief and accurate In his replies, as troth teacher and students were tired out and time limited. “Now, sir, what do you do?” he commenced. “Aw am not vera well." “No! I say, what do you do?” “Oh, yas. Aw verk.” “Yes, I know; but what kind of work ?” “Oh, eet ees hard verk." “Yes, but do you shovel, drive a car, work at a machine, or do ” “Oh, yas. Aw verk at a masheen.’ “Ah! What kind of a machine?” “Oh, eet ees a big masheen.” Ry this time the class was grinning broadly, which caused the professor to be angry, and he said: “Now, look here, sir; I want no jnore of this. You answer the questions 1 ask you or go home. What do you makWron this machine?” “OX now Aw understan’ you’. Yo’ vant to know vat Aw mak on the masheen. Aw mak seventeen cents an hour."—Philadelphia Public Ledger.

No Love Lost.

Judge (sternly)—Didn’t I tell you last week I never wanted to see you here ngain? Prisoner —Oh, yer honor, I hates the sight o' you wusser'n you hates the sight o' me. —Detroit Free Press. 7

Taking Time by the Forelock.

“Will you send a telegram to your ‘old man’ if you fail iu your examination to-morrow?” “Of course; I have it already in my pocket"—FUegende Blaetter.

Point of View.

Site—The society women of Boston are going to start a magazine. He —That’s a good idea. Of course, they have plenty of powder for the purpose.

WINTER WHEAT SHOWS A GAIN.

Weather Bureau Crop Report Notea Improvement in Condition. The crop report issued by the weather bitreau says; From tire upper Mississippi valley to the middle Atlantic coast the season is generally reported backward, although the average temperature for the month in those districts wa.s-.gen.-crally in excess of the. normal. In the Southern States the month has been mild and favorable for farming operations. The northern portion of the central Gulf States, however, the central vaHey s and the great or part of - the lake region suffered from excessive rains and western Texas and the southern plateau region from drought. From northern Wisconsin westward to the Rocky Mountains. the ground is still frozen deeply anil no farm work has been done. On the Pacific coast the month has been cold and wet. Over the western portion of the winter wheat belt the reports indicate an improvement in the condition of winter wheat, and in some of the’more easterly sections a slight improvement is nlso indicated. In Indiana the crop has been badly washed on high lands and much injured by floods on low lands, but where not thus damaged it is healthy nnd growing. In Nebraska ami Kansas the crop *KuffeieiTlTOm drough t.

Good progress has been made at oat seeding in the southern districts, with the exception of western Texas, where it has been too dry, and the general outlook for this crop is promising. Seeding Is in progress ns far north as southern Missouri and Kansas. In the Gulf States much corn has been planted and good stands are reported. Some planting has been done in the southern portions of Kansas and Missouri. Seefibnwummarics were received from the following Middle States: Illinois —Excessive rainfall in southern districts, lowlands Inundated; wheat shows decided improvement, nnd in northern and central districts is uniformly promising, while In southern districts plant begins to shove nearly average development; rye in thrifty Stage; season backward: soil too wet for plowing; much corn spoiling In cribs and reliable seed will be scarce; peach buds generally killed, but other fruits unscathed; stock in good condition. Indiana—Rainfall excessive; rolling and hill land badly washed; streams flooded and severely damaged fall-sown crops on bottoms, otherwise weather not unfavorable'; where not washed or flooded wheat, although small and in many fields thin or spotted, is healthy nnd growing; rye and clover are in fair condition and Improving. Ohio—Season backward; ground very wet; some damage by floods: early sown wheat better than late sown, but all very poor; some damage by freezing; peaches, plums nnd berries damaged in places; pears and apples In good condition. Michigan—Winter wheat and rye tops somewhat brown, tint roots are apparently healthy: both crops seem to have wintered well; considerable frost still in ground and Held work not begun. Wisconsin Fields generally free from snow, but ground frozen except in few localities in extreme southern counties; winter wheat, rye and clover generally wintered in good condition. Minnesota—Monthly temperature somewhat below normal; minimum below freezing daily and below zero once early in month; maximum above freezing on many days; not much snow on ground after 23d, but ground still wet and no;work done In soil. lowa —Moderate temperature; less than usual precipitation and severe storms; soli generally not In good condition for field work; but little seeding done, ami that on dry uplands; fall wheat and rye show considerable winter killing. North Dakota —Ground deeply frozen and covered with snow; no farm work possible. South Dakota —Because of cold, frosty ground and considerable high wind, little seeding or preparatory field work has been done; soli, as a role, favorably moist; condition of winter grain considered favorable except in few localities. Nebraska—Dry, windy month: winter wheat starting and in good condition, except in extreme western portion of wheat belt, where it has been damaged somewhat by dry weather: preparation of ground for seeding begun and some oats and spring wheat sown. Kansas—Wheat, in good condition in south half of east portion, but much damaged in northwest portion; oats sown In south nnd coining up; sowing progressing in central and northern counties; much corn ground plowed in south and some planted.

PREDICTIONS SAVE MILLIONS.

River and Flood Service, Whose Head Is Dr. Frankcnfeld. Witli the menace of the spring floods upon them, hundreds of thousands of people living in the territories likely to be affected, are now watching anxiously for warnings from the river and flood service of the United States weather bureau. They recall, with feelings of apprehension, the appalling floods of last year, when the Ohio, the Kansas, the upper nnd lower Mississippi, the lower Missouri and their tributiA-ies swept away in mighty rushes $40,000,000 worth of property. They recall how the -vast plains of southwestern Arkansas, northwestern Louisiana and the great tract of country through which the Mississippi pusses were covered for 9,000 square miles with a mighty body of turbulent water carrying all before it. Yet despite all the losses, millions of dollars in property nnd thousands of lives were saved by the timely warnings of the weather bureau, whose river and flood service is directed by Dr. H. C. Ftr.nkcnfeld. There are 375 places of observation from which reports nre sent to him, and upon the information submitted he bases his predictions. The amount of rainfall and the extent of the watershed, together with the capacity of the streams to carry off the flood water arc the factors entering into the prophecy. As soon as it appears that a flood is imminent in any particular district the forecaster in charge immediately issues warnings to all Who are interested, gives the stage of water expected, and the time for its arrival in various„places. Warnings nre also distributed by telephones and telegraph.

Cigar Caused Baltimore Fire.

The General Loss Committee which is adjusting the losses incurred in the great Baltimore fire says the fire was caused by someone dropping n lighted cigar or cigarette through a broken deadlight in the sidewalk.

Foreign Born Criminals.

According to statistics collected by Chicago officials in twelve of the principal cities of the United States, foreignbo ru residents constitute 26.1 per cent of the urban population, and they furnish 29.3 per cent of the prisoners arrested for all causes. In view of the fact that ninny foreigners offend against the law through ignorance, the common assumption that there are more criminals among the foreign-born than among the nativeborn population is difficult of proofs Old papers for sale at thia office.

THE WEEKLY HISTORIAN

One Hundred Years Ago. The execution of Due d’Enghien took place in Paris. The navy yard and marine barrack* nt Washington were established. Russia issued an imperial edict allowing land owners to grant freedom to their tenants, that the serfs might raise money to pay their debts. A great change was taking place in men’s dress, trousers taking the place of breeches and long stockings. At the request of the American min-

ister Napoleon Bonaparte sent a minister to Tripoli requesting the bey to liberate the officers and crew of the frigate Philadelphia. Congress passed a bill for the division of Ixmisiana territory into the southern district of Orleans and the northern district of Louisiana.T'he Governor of Cuba prohibited French privateers from carrying American products into any part of the island. Gen. Dessalines, Governor of Hayti, admitted massacre of whites on that island. Seventy-five Years Ago. The journey from New York to Boston was made in twenty-one hours by stage. Workmen on the Pennsylvania canal who struck for higher wages and committed acts of violence were captured by officers and the leaders put in jail. Stephenson's “Rocket,” the first modern locomotive, was traveling on a regular schedule at the rate of from twentyfive to thirty-five miles an hour. Prominent merchants of New York agreed to spend a few minutes every day at the coffee houses to give strangers a chance to transact business with less trouble. Manufacturers of bedticking, japanned ware and rope began successful operations at Wheeling, W. Va. The "arcade,” just completed at Providence, R. 1., was said to be the most costly and elegant building of its kiud in the United States. The extensive salt water ponds of Key West were examined with a view of using them for the manufacture of salt. Achille Murat, son of the late King of Naples, was a candidate for a seat in the Florida Legislature. Fifty Years Ago. Advices from Hongkong announced the defeat of the Chinese imperial army by rebels. England opened the Crimean war by declaring hostilities against Russia. The Duke of Parma was stabbed at Turin by an unknown assassin. The Spanish authorities surrenctbred the brig Black Warrior to Capt. Bullock on his paying $6,000 under protest. The English Baltic fleet sailed through Wingo sound to Kiel. Slavery was abolished in the republic of Venezuela. The Emperor of France announced that Russia had placed herself in the attitude of declaring war against France. The Orange Free State was forming a government. Forty Years Ago.

Gen. U. S. Grant, the new commander in chief of the United States army, started for the front with his staff. A bill was introduced in the House at Washington for the construction of a ship canal from the Mississippi river to Lake Michigan. A French war fleet was reported at the mouth of the Rio Grande river, preparatory to making a demonstration against the United States. Congressman Owen Lovejoy of Illinois died in Brooklyn, N. Y. Secretary of the Navy Welles advertised for negro seamen to join the United States navy, because of the scarcity of white sailors. A. bill appropriating $200,000 for a United States navy yard at Cairo. 1,11., was introduced in the House at Washington. Fraqk Blair nnd Gen. McClurg, in the House of Representatives at Washington, created excitement by denouncing each other ns liars and scoundrels. Civil War existed in Edgar and Coles counties, Illinois, a body of armed-Con-federate sympathizers being encamped near Charleston, with Union soldiers whom tjiey had taken prisoners. Thirty Years Ago. The French Parliament decided to determine by vote whether that country should be a republic or a monarchy in the future. The first interstate commerce bill passed the House at Washington, the result l,<»ing termed a “granger” triumph. John G. Whittier, Gen. Banks and Charles Francis Adams were among the candidates voted on to succeed Charles F. Sumner as United States Senator from Massachusetts.

New York “business men” held a mass meeting at Cooper Union to discuss the national finances, William Curlen Bryant presiding and Edward Atkinson of Boston delivering a speech against Ben Butler. A boom was started in the New York stock market on rumors that >25,000,% 000 would be added to the national currency, and that the free banking bill would be passed by Congress. ■ The British government proposed te the United States to establish special “tracks" for vessels crossing the Atlantic.

Fair Warning.

At one time Horace Greeley lived in n pleasant estate on the Hudson river. It was approached by a narrow lana from the street, says a writer in tha Springfield Republican, and was four miles out from the city hall on the Harlem road. The ground from the house on one Side sloped down to the river; on tha other was a garden which bore Irbit, accessible to boys. On Sunday, their day of freedom as well as Mr. Greeley’s, the boys sought the orchard. Mr. Greeley never saw or heard them. But Mrs. Greeley always saw them, and from her place on the piazza she would call to Mr. Greeley to put on his hat and "deal with them.” Mr. Greeley would never have disturbed them, but he always complied with his wife’s wish —in liis own time mid way. As he slowly reached for his hat, he shouted: “I'm coming after you. boys!" Of course not many captures were tu a de. i

In the Spring.

Lowndes, Mo., April 4th. —'Mrs. H. C. Harty, of this place, says:— “For years I was in very bad health. Every spring I would get so low that I was unable to do my own work. I seemed to be worse in the spring than any other time of the year. I was very weak and miserable and had much pain in my back and head. I saw Dodd’s Kidney Pills advertised last spring and began treatment of them and they have certainly done me more good than anything I have ever used. _ “I was all right last spring and felt better than I have for over ten years. I am fifty years of age and am stronger to-day than I have been for many

years, and I give Dodd's Kidney Pills credit for the wonderful improvement.” The statement of Mrs. Harty is only one of a great many where Dodd's Kidney Pills have proven themselves to be the very best spring medicine. They are unsurpassed as a tonic and are the only medicine used in thousands of families.

10,000 Plants for 16c.

This is, a remarkable offer the John A. Salzer Seed Co., La Crosse, Wis., makes. They will send yon their big plant and seed'catalogue, together with enough seed to grow 1,000 fine, solid Cabbages, 2,000 delicious Carrots, 2,000 blanching, nutty Celery, 2,000 rich, buttery Lettuce, 1,000 splendid Onions, 1,000 rare, luscious Radishes, 1.000 gloriously brilliant Flowers. This great offer is made in order to induce you to try their warranted seeds—for when you once plant them y’qu will grow no others, and ALL FOR BUT 16c POSTAGE, providing you will return this notice, and if you will send them 20c in postage, they will add to the above a package of tire famous Berliner Cauliflower. (C. N. U.)

A Young Collaborator.

Mr. Barrie is said to be indebted to a little boy for one much applauded line in bls play of “Little Mary.” The play deals satirically with the vice of gluttony, and this is the first time In tbo author's literary career that ho has not relied solely upon his own talent.

He has a favorite companion nnd friend, little Tommy Davis. One day Mr. Barrie brought the boy some sweets, and asked, as he presented them: “If I gave you these and told you, If you ate them, you would be sick in the morning, what would you say?” “I’d say I'd be sick to-night.” Mr. Barrie was delighted with the answer, fitting, as it did, so completely his conception of a gluttonous appetite. “Let me use that for my new piay,” he said to the boy, “and as part author, you shall receive a royalty of a halfpenny of every performance given.”

The little author of course accorded permission, and a contract was drawn up and duly signed and sealed. The London newspaper which tells this story says that Mr. Barrie has scrupulously adhered to his bargain. The play is extremely popular, and little Tommy bids fair to amass a small fortune—-a small fortune, be it remarked. -

EMPTY NOW.

How One Woman Quit Medicine. “While a coffee user my stomach troubled me for years,” says a lady of Columbus, Ohio, "and I had to take medicine all the time. I had what I thought was the best stomach medicine I could get, had to keep getting It tilled all the time at 40 cents a bottle. I did not kno77 what the cause of my trouble was. .but just dragged along from day C )y suffering and taking medicine all the time. “About six months ago 1 quit tea and coffee and began drinking Postura, and I have not had my prescription filled since, which Is a great surprise to me, for it proves that coffee was the cause of all my trouble, although I never suspected It. « “When my friends ask me 'how I feel since I have been taking Postum I say, ‘To tell the truth I don’t feel at all only that I get hungry and eat everything I want and lots of It nnd it never hurts me, and I am happy and well and contented all the time.’ “I could not get my family to drink Tostum for a while until 1 mixed it in a little coffee and kept on reducing the amount of coffee until I got it all Poituin. Now they all like It and they never belch it up like coffee.

“We all know that Postum is a sunshine maker. I fipd it helps one greatly, for we do not have to think of aches and pains all the time ami can use our minds for other things." Name given by Postum Co., Battle Cryek, Mich. The one who has to bother with coffee aches and pains is badly handicapped in the race for fame and fortune. Postum is a wonderdffi rebuilder. There’s a reason. Look in each pkg. for th 9 famous little book, “The Road to Well villa.”