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A MIDNIGHT TRAGEDY; i? OR? i it din tf Hi Bute's Dies. ?BY?< \V. F. MOTT. i 7^ CHAPTER XII?Continued. After concealing the photograph, the j eight or wtucn naci maae sucn a luaratfu i ; Impression upon the detective and his companion, Marion and Judith Kredge left the kitchen, but in a few moments i the watchers at the window heard foot- < steps within the house, and as they < seemed to be approaching the rear door, they drew back into an angle of the building where the darkness was complete. 1 I Marion and Judith Kredge came out through the rear door, gained an alley < In the rear of the narrow yard at the i back of the building, and thence walked | to the next street, while Paxton and Btanmore closely followed them. i A suspicion he would scarcely have j dared to formulate into words was gaiD- ( ing ground in the detective's mind as he shadowed the women. I They had not proceeded more than a i couple of blocks when Paxton discovered | that some one was stealthily dogging t the footsteps of Stanmore and himself, i If he was playing the shadow, he was in turn being shadowed. Scarcely had the detective Imparted t his discovery to his companion, when the f man whom he had detected following t him, darted by, and himself and Stan- t jnore both recognized Levi Kredge by his peculiar limp. _ ? "Kredge!" exclaimed Paxton in a t whisper. "He has discovered that we c are following his sister and the cashier's ? daughter," he added in a tone of disap- j pointment. Paxton apprehended that it was Devi > , Xredge's purpose to warn Marion and his e sister that they were followed. r Such proved to be the fact. ^ Overtaking Marion and Judith, Levi Kredge paused and spoke to them In a fc low tone for a moment, and then hurried on again., The two women glanced backward, E nd then crossed the street, and making c s detour they returned to the house a whence they had come, without going i anywhere in particular. g After Marion and her companion re- t ntc-red the house, Paxton and Stanmore A-L-J it. lukin v fr it WJIIL'U LilC UU11UUJ? UUU1 UiU L 'were all extinguished, aDd they were sure that the inmates had retired for the e night. r Alter this they withdrew and Stanmore returned to his hotel, while Pax- fc ton, prompted by an impulse of the mo- g ment, lingered in the neighborhood. E Presently he saw a limping form ap- ii pear from a side street, and, recognizing a Levi Kredg.*, he followed until he saw him enter the office of Pratt & Weeks by t the private way. e The janitor had given a peculiar rap- n and though it was now long after bu6i- d !?ess hours and no light was to be seen e In Pratt & "Weeks' ofEce, he had been o promptly admitted. t "Ah! He was expected. The rascal Is about to have a private interview with k confederates, I suppose. I should like ;to be an unseen witness of this meeting, h Let me see, when I was making the 6 Blanchard investigation a year ago, I s had occasion to make several calls on Messi s. Pratt & Weeks. Once or twice t] ilwas admitted by the private entrance, i ,Now I recollect that thu street door ti opens upon a narrow em^ry beyond ft which is the door of the brokers' private p office. I'll take the risk." i6 Having thus communed with his own n thoughts the detective crept to the door [j ,o! the office by which Levi Kredge had n Just entered, and producing a pick-lock a he deftly opened the door. fci 'Fortunately there was no bolt on the K -inside or I would have been baffled," ho 1 muttered. S Without making even the faintest t,( Bound which might have betrayed hi? 9i presenco, he gainod the entry upon whicb a the street door opened, closed the dooi al "behind him and crossed the narrow hall tl to the door of the private office be- p yond it. 1 There he listened and heard the voices ti ;of Pratt, Weeks and Levi Kredge. 0] ; The detective's nerves thrilled with Ql i expectation as he thought that now per- ft] haps he was destined to make 6ome im- j portant discovery. ti He could distinctly hear all that was tl said by the men upon whom he was spy- & !lng- ti Pratt spoke first. ti "Kredge, your warning about the jt marked money came just in time. If the w jmoney stolen from Garrison's safe had & j been traced to us wo would have been u xmueu, ue tsuiu. j( "And our reputations forever lost," added Weeks. ^ The other laughed unpleasantly. "That we have kept up. Nothing like v e reputation. Our dupes have always q borne the ignominy and blame, while we 6 have reaprd the harvest resulting from the success of our shrewd schemes. But you promised to report to-night as a to whether your suspicion that you j [were being watched had been verified or otherwise," said Pratt, turning to f, Xredge. J "There is no longer a doubt: I am v surely tieing wateiieu oy aeiecuves, but I am rid of them for to-night, "answered u Kredge. ? "Are we suspected, I wonder?" said t "Weeks. t "I can hardly think so, but if the secret8 of the night of John Oakburn's murder are ever searc hed out, I tremble j, lor the consequences. But tell us, t Kredge, have you learned what has be- t oome of Garnar?" asktd Pratt. (J "I have learned nothing at>out his ^ whereabouts. He has vanished. He it was who exchanged overcoats with j, Stuart Harland," answered Kredge. "He wanted a disguise, poor devil. I t( Infer he has left this part of the coun- Q try. and we have nothing to hear from him." said Weeks. P "Now, about the division of the mon- ^ ?y. I have not received my share yet," a ILredge remarked. a "You shall have it; but our mutual e*fety demands that we should keep it a In trust for you. Don't forgot, my inan, if any of that marked money was _ ifoutd in your possession you would be accused of John Oakburn's murder," a said Pratt. "That's so?the money will be safest , with you," assented Kredgo. ' "Is not this crippled scoundrel himself the assasslo^" reflected the detective. 0 "Before the night is over the marked jponey will {ill be bidden where no dg; r< tectlve will ever tlnd It. 1 oniy wfsTi wtf had the one thousand of the marked money we gave Garnar back again. He may use some of it. The money may be traced to him, and to save himself there is no telling what he might do," continued Pratt. "Well, open the safe and get the marked money out. Before hiding it we will test the preparation which I procured from an old German chemist today, as I promised I would. The compound is recommended to remove ink marks. If we can remove the marks on the money, all well and good," said Weeks, and he placed a large 6tone jar Dr bottle on the table. Pratt went, to a safe in the room, opened it ana took out tne money wnich had the banker's private mark on it. Noiselessly Paxton opened the door at which he was listening a hair'e breadth, and peered into the room. He saw the three men standing about a table upon which the package of marked money had been placed. Pratt and Kredge stood with their backs turned to the door, but Weeks faced it. He was intent on trying to remove the mark from one of the notes. Paxton comprehended that he had a n-onderful chance to secure the marked money if he dared take a terrible risk. Like a shadow he glided into the room, intending to snatch the package of marked money and escape with it. He lad almost reached the table when Pratt wheeled like a flash and saw him. The next instant he was struggling desperately with the three villains, whose jvil faces were darkened by the shadow >f deadly thoughts. CHAPTER xnr. Paxton fully realized that his situation was one of deadly peril. "This man is a spyl Ha must not escape us!" cried Pratt, as his confederates hurled themselves upon the detective. The latter exerted all his surprising ?trength in making a determined struggle to liberate himself from the clutches >f his foes. In the encounter the table was overturned, and the bottle which Weeks had said contained a compound for removng ink stains was dashed down upon ;he floor at the feet of the struggling nen. , An explosion followed. The great stone bottle burst into a , ;housand fragments, and a sheet of lame flashed upward into the faces of ie combatants,who involuntarily leaped ( iway in every direction. Weekslearned afterwards that through , i mistake on the part of an assistant 01 he old chemist of whom he had purihased the compound, he had been given in explosive mixture instead of the com- 1 >ound for removing ink marks. Paxton was released by the frightened villains at the instant of the explosion, is they leaped away to escape the flying uissile and the sheet of flame from the ' preck of the bottle. It was as though a supreme power { tad decreed that the detective should iscape. , The table had fallen on the marked i Qoney, and to pause to attempt to seure it then would have been suicidal, ,s Paxton well knew, and with one , ound he shot through the office door, - * 1 l J 3 ' ;aineu too passage uejouu auu icuuuou he street in safety. Paxton did not remain in the neigh>orhood a moment. Of course the men from whom he had iscaped did not pursue him, for they core than suspected his true character. The detective regretted the result of lis venture, but he congratulated himelf that his disguise had not been renoved, and that consequently his ientity was unknown to the brokers .nd Levi Kredge. "As it has resulted, perhaps the beter course would have been to have nade no attempt to secure the marked noney, for now Pratt & Weeks are oubly on their guard. But at all vents my venture has not been withut a valuable result. I have learned bat the name of the supposed assassin -the man who carried the skeloton eys?is 'Garnar,' " reflected Paxton. From the discoveries of the night he ad formed certain theories, and he ought to account for various circumtances which required explanation. u XI -.1. ?10w comes it mill mo pnuujgj tipjj ui lie suspected man is in the hands of Iarion Oakburn, and why does she reasure it? I put the objection of my riend Stanmore aside, and I will supose that the original of the photograph i secretly her lover. She is either igorant that he is suspected of her ither's murder or she believes he is inocent. So far, so good. Now for the leaning of the scene I witnessed bewecn Marion Oakburn and Judith [redge. "Marion present, enter Judith Kredge. he tells Marion something, and the girl aeomes excited. 'lnereiore ttie news le hears statles her. Then she reads note which she receives from Judith; ad is still more surprised. After this ie picture of the supposed assassin is roduced, and Marion shows it to Judith, infer, therefore, that the communicaon made by Judith related to the riginal of the photograph. Perhaps theote was from Garnar. Then Marion ad Judith Kredge leave the house.his looks as though the communicaon Marion received called her to meet ie writer. I follow the two women, am iscovered by Levi Kredge, who warnsl lem of the fact. They thereupon re-j irn to the house. From tho last movej is clear that they wished to conceal! here they were going, and they would: ot care to keep this movement a secret1 nless there was some powerful motive i >r doing so." Thus Paxton reviewed the events of i ae evening and drew his deduction. e "Perhaps Mr. Stanmore would not ad- 8 ise It, but I shall look after Marion >akburn and see what comes of it," he aid, mentally. He had repaired to his horn* lmmeditely after his escape from the office of 'ratt & Weeks. Meanwhile, Stanmore, after parting rom the detective, confessed to himself bat he was deeply troubled by the deelopmente of the night. Gaining his own apartment at the otel, ho seated himself and remained uried in profound meditation for a long ime, while the expression of his feaurcs revealed that his thoughts were nr from pleasant. Stanmore was aroused from the reverie nto which he had fallen by a knock at he door, and he admitted Mr. Marks, of he firm of Marks & 13ock, accommoation loan brokers, of whom mention as been made. The two men exchanged cordial greet ags, and became seated. r A confidential conversation relating j o business subjects ensued, in the course t t' which Mr. Marks said: v "Yes, Pratt &, Weeks have fallen upon , vil times. Dupes have been wary, "he pigeons flee at sight of the hawks, nd luck in the stock market has taken ^ strong turn against the cunning swiii- i lers. They have met with many losses ] nd they now owe a considerable sum." "Good! Excellent! Wo shall accom- ] lish our purpose, Marks." "It is but a question of time, sir," j nswered the other. y Mr. Marks remained with Stanmore ut a short time, and he had scarcely ' eparted when Mr. Judson, of the firm 1 f Judson, Kirk & Co., brokers, called. J In the most friendly way Stanmore ^ aceived the representative of this weik. known Wall street firm, and after a few remarks he placed a slip of paper before Stanmore on which was written: n "Indebtedness of Pratt <i Weeks to Judson, Kirk & Co., on account of trans- ^ actions in railroad and mining stock to j( date. $43,000." y Stanmore read the memorandum with g evident satisfaction. "The end is ssrely coming. Itetribu- p tion hovers over the heads of the scoun- y drels, and Its shadow is growing darker ^ day by day," he said. ' 0 "Yes, the tables are turning. A secret tj foe has foiled all their schemes of late. Assuredly the day of his triumph and ? the downfall of the swindlers cannot be 0 far distant," answered Mr. Judson. Some further remarks were ex- n changed, and, while Stanmore and his guest were still conversing, Mr. Benja- tj man, of the firm of Abraham Benjaman ^ & Son, money lenders, entered. 0< The latter seemed to be well ac- p quainted with Mr. Judson, and, judging a from his manner, an old friend of Mr. Stanmore. e: Abraham Benjaman was a type of tbe pi better class of Hebrew business men. re In his method of speech there was h nothing like the dialect peculiar to the lower classes of his race. Mr. Benja- a: man was an American Hebrew, who had been educated in this country. t* "Well, Stanmore, my boy," said the a shrewd old fellow, as he 6hook hands, hi "I havo come to mafce the report of the hi week. We have lent our friends, Pratt <fc Weeks, six thousand dollars at twen- fr ty-five per oehfc. for sixty days. That Ir makes twenty thousand dollars they a have had from us." "Very good. They will be after more K money before long, I think," said Stan- s1 more. "If so, let them have it," he added. ts The three gentlemen engaged in an animated discussion on business topics ai for some time, but ju6t before Messrs. bi Judson and Benjaman withdrew, the conversation reverted to Pratt & Weeks, ci "While they drew their chairB close to- si gether, and their voices were lowered to e! a confidential tone, they talked earnestly ai for a few moments, and Stanmore said: b< "You both know that the money stolen from the safe of Jason Garrison on the P; night of John Oakburn's murder was vc marked in a peculiar way." "Yes, yes," assented both Mr. Judson and the other. "Very well, I have reason to suppose that the stolen money is in the hands of Pratt <fe Weeks." ^ Stanmore's two friends evinced their ca surprise. "Moreover," the former continued, "I si believe these scoundrels will attempt to exchange the marked money for such k?r*b? nn+Ao av 1 arra 1 fonrlor na fhar m UUVVD Wl VW"W4 VV4J%?W? ?w Ui san use without danger, when they are Iriven to desperate expedient to raise money." pi "So Pratt A Weeks have the stolen th noney," said Benjaman,in a tone of sur- tv prise. b? "It is a secret, but I have proved your Bt levotion td my interest, and so I trust pou fully," answered Stanmorer. m "Bravo! We shaii catch the weasels m ret!" said the old Hebrew, rubbing his it lands. in "Yes; you have managed so that I should not be in the least surprised If a ;hey attempted to exchange the marked noney with you, Mr. Benjaman. If they K should broach the subject communicate m vith me at once. Do not absolutely re- ia use to make the deal. Tell them you m want to oonsider the matter," continued w stanmore. bi "Once they Rive the marked money to ne they are in our power," said iienja-> m nan. b< "Yes. Thi boar of justice will have ome. But we are counting on an un- m jertainty," Stanmore answered. "They will be driven to make nee of pi ;he stolen money. Never fear, I have jiven them a false idea of my character st tor a purpose, and they will come to me ~ o a nnanrimnlanQ A Q IVlATYl- at 1/lJU.Un.lUg UO UO uuovi VMW>. VJL selves." re "We will hope so. The life of an in- ti; locent man may depend upon the con- h( 'ession to be wiung from them as to ht low they came by the marked money," said Stanmoro, thinking of Stuart Har- th and. w Later, when Stanmore found himself h< ilone, he said in Bolf communion: p: "Pratt & Weeks are walking into the to jitfall I have dug for them. The weak, nexperienced young man whom they ?nticed to his ruin, and at whose imjotent threat they sneered and laugh?d, when he discovered how he had been luped by their devilish duplicity and :unning, has been forgotten by those H jrigands of Wall street. But the hour s coming when the threats he uttered s-hen they drove him into exile, a dis- th rraced and ruined man, shall be made j n 5??d. Then Stanmore's thoughts reverted to ** ,he mystery of John Oakburn's murder, be "I cainot doubt that Marion Oakburn til las some knowlodge of the man whose w >hotograph I saw in her possession. Can ev t be that those wretches, Pratt & ar kVecks, have thrown the toils about that m nnocont girl in such a way as to impli:at? her in the terrible crime?" he said. *? But to return to Pratt <fc Weeks' "J >iHce a moment subsequent to Paston's ki rscape. til The rascally brokers were enraged at w. he accident which had enabled the de active to make his escape. The* secured the aoors. and after leaping maledictions upon the head of he detective, Pratt said: "It seems that fortune is dead against is in every move of late. Every epecuation fails, and we are becoming deety involved in debt. We owe Marks <fe Jock, Judson, Kirk <fc Co., and Benjauan, the old Jew money lender." "Yes," assented Weeks. "But if our nvestment in 'C. and N. W. railroad tock' turns out as we hope, we are / aved." # * "But If the market goes the wrong ray, you know as well as I do we are uined unless the marked money can bo nade to save us," answered Pratt. ? "Perhaps we may arrango that. Old w Jenjaman is an unscrupulous fellow, he 've sounded him. If the worst comes, w re may bo able to get him to lake the g(> narked money at a discount, and iet us . iavo the gold for it," suggested Weeks. ln Littlo did they suspect the fact, but 111 he conspii-ators seemed destined to of lav into Stanmore's hands. bu an CHAPTER xiv. tri Tho plottors feared the consequences *f the discovery made by the spy who tad escaped them. "I wonder how much of our con versat 41. ~ 1. -.1 ?? H* 1 lull tuu ACiiuu iifu.;u, oaiu >* t'Chd piw ;ntly. "Enough to condemn us, no doubt, if Sift 10 could prove what he heard. Fortuinlely for us, ho did not secure tho iioney, which was undoubtedly hie pur- | iose. Now we will conceal it and defy iim if he seeks to expose us. Our oaths vould go as far as his in a court of law, f it should come to that," replied Pratt. Ho was the leading spirit of tho lira. "That infernal money has done us no ;o:>d yet, but on the other hand it has jrought us trouble," 6aid Weeks <;**eruously. be Thus they continued to converse until ?( lievi Kredgo left them. 3 When he had gone they secreted the P3 larked money and then took their departure from the office for the night. The following day Paxton's agent, dio had resumed his task of shadowing pc tevi Kredge, reported to his principal es 'hnf. t.hA -innHnr had obtained lnn.v? fnr a 1/. ay's absence mid that be had purchased j fe ticket for Newburg, N. Y. "He will leavo by the first tra7n in the lorning," said the detective agent. "And bo will I," said Paxton. "I'll A ike the little trip with Levi. The >urney may have no meaning for us, and et it may, on the other hand, bo of reat importance." A In accordance with his determination, axton, well disguised as a foppish oung man, and carrying a small travelig bag containing the material for anther disguise, left the city on the same -ain with Levi Kredge. When their destination was reached, lOvi Kredge proceeded directly to the r% fflce of the real estate agent.. v. Paxton entered the same office a molent after Kredge. m While a clerk gave Paxton hie atten- p on the latter saw a gentleman whom gt e presumed to be the proprietor of the p Gflce usher Kredge into an interior and fj rlvate compartment of the ostablishtent. ? The door was closed and in the pres- 11 ace of the clerk it was impossible to ai lay the listener at it, but still Paxton a; leant to know what business Kredge n ad with the real estate agent. ai He invented an excuso for his presence ad retired. 8j There was a third-rate hotel opposite, . > which Paxton crossed, and engaging . front room, from the wit dow of which 1:1 b could watch the broker's office, he R( ostily made a change in his disguise. fit In a few minutes Paxton descended tl om his room as a feeble old man wear- tl ig an old-fashioned shawl and carrying cane. Ci Paxton reached the hotel office as b redge, whom he had seen crossing the ^ xeet before he left his room, entered. Kredge entered the restaurant at- C? iched to the hotel and ordered dinner, bi Paxton was at the dining-room door, v< id, hearing Kredge give his order, h? ^ ild to himself : fr "He is safe for half an hour here," and ossing the street he made his way owly up the stairs leading to the real' ^ " " ? - - - ? - PT state office, wliich he entered wheezing id seemingly almost out of breath, as jcame the character he had assumed. fij Glancing about the broker's office, cc as ton said, in a cracked, old man's tl >ice: "I've missed him! He ain't here!" "Who are you looking for?" asked the erk. "My son, Levi," answered Paxton. At this, the gentleman whom the dective supposed to be the proprietor mie out of an interior office. "Then you are Mr. Kredge, I proline?" said he. "Yes, sir." "Well, your son left here but a moent ago." "Did he fix the business up?" "No. He did not positively agree to irehase the property. He offered ten ousand dollars cash, but our price is reive. Your son will find the place a irgain at that figure, I assure you," iid the agent. "I don't know. It's a good deal of oney?a good deal of money. Well, I ust find Levi. Good-day, gentlemen, 's a good deal of money," said Paxton, his quavering voice. He was amazed, astonished. Here was discovery that perplexed him. It was clearly evident that Levi redge was in good faith contemplating aking a purchase of ten thousand dolrs' worth of real estate, and yet the an had not been worth a dollar in the orld prior to the murder of John Oakjrn. But he had reoeived none of the arked money?the proceeds of the robiry of Jason Garrison's safe. The mystery was, whence came the ? oney he had offered fo* the real estate? fii Mentally, Paxton searched for an ex- *a anation of this affair. He in review went over the circum- . ances of the case in debate. Suddenly he thought of one point up- te 1 which he had not. dwelt much. He bi imembered that the savings of a life- Hi me, which Marion Oakburn thought in ;r father kept in his little private safe, re id not been found. pj In an instant Paxton formulated a leory which seemed like the truth, or ,, hich was at least an explanation as to : >w the troacherous rascal might have ocured the ?]0,000 which ha assumed til have. . ar [to be continued. | fo ex in A GALLANT DOG. e Assists the Cut In Removing Her >? Family. i A well-known Philadelphia man tells e following story of a dog and a cat ho are members of his household. The 70 grew up together and have always ;en the greatest of chums. A short ne ago the cat presented the family ith a number of kittens, and the dog inced the liveliest Interest in the new rivals. Several days ago, after the anner peculiar to cats, the mother ok it into her head to move her fan- ; 7. One by one she tenderly carried the ttens to their new home, thtf dog trotig by her side, his eyes wide open ith wonder. Finally the last kitten A 8TRANGE-LOOKIXG TRIO. m< -no/-?/l \Tna tnnlr If In ?II il& I CilLUCU. 4U10. JL uo.y www. ?v -1- mouth and was about to start off itli it when Mr. Dog was suddenly tul ized with the idea that he was lack- thi g in gallantry. Carefully noting the mr anner in which the ??at carried hef Hai rspring, he seized the mother by the he ick of the neck in the same manner, ^ id the strange-looking trio made the *n1 ip to the new Quarters in safety. ftD tin in Don't Kick the Cat. nis Don't kick the cat, to show your spite ? 3 cause your neighbor got ahead of !??! hi by advertising, but rather take 7* it tern from his example . 18 1 T.aitirjip thfin T-iflr'u. I J A principal feature of the Paris Ex- 1 tsition of 10(H) will be the largest tel- ^o; cope in the world. It is to be 200 feet CU1 n?, and to have an objective of four ftUl et diameter. ..... t ^. mo MAKING "BIKES." SHORT TRIP THROUGH A BICYCLE FACTORY. Bicycle Has Four Principal Parts ?IIow Wei slit Is Saved? Some of the Machinery Used. JUST where to start in telling how a wheel is made is a difficult thing, says the Chicago Times-Herald. In the lalsing they start in a dozen laces or more nt once. In a eneral way there are four different arts to a bicycle?the wheels, the ame which acts as the connecting lpport for all, the running gear and le steering apparatus. Carrying the ualysis farther, the wheels are made p of spoke?, hubs, rims, tires, spoke I ipples, ball valves, cups and cones, ad the washers that go with them, he frame is composed of the diamond iape set of tubes thnt join the wheels >gether. the head through which runs le steering tube, the rcur fork, the sat post and the crank hanger. The ;eering tube, the fork sides around ie front wheel, the fork crown and le balls, cup and cones on which the .eering tubes turn. The running sar takes in the pedals and crank hich operate on the sprocket wheels, ie chain which connects them and irries the driving power and the ball sarings on which these things revive. The saddle is also a necessity hich properly belongs with the ame. These are the minute parts of the heel, and each separate piece, wheth bifj or little, requires separate indling many times over before it ally enters into the make-up of a >mplete wheel. Each piece passes irongh numerous hands before it is / DROP PRESS AT WORK CUT lished, each person who handles it king it a little nearer completion. In making the rims for wheels,, for stancc, the workman finds his marial in a sheet of 6teel four feet oad, perhaps, and twenty feet long, e puts it into a cutter that rips it to proper widths and then cuts it to quidte lengths. From there each ece is sent through a machine that inds it into circular form and on rough others that turn up the edges to concave shape to hold the rubber :e. When that is done the two ends e brazed together, holes are drilled r the spokes and the rim is complete cept for the nickeling and polishg. The ppoke, spoke nipples, hub ,d washers are all handled separately. With the new method of making the MACHINE FOR TRTTN'G UP RIMS. imes comes the greatest redaction in e weight of wheels. Instead of ua6mull burs of solid stee], as forjrly, light, hollow steel tubing is iployed. This lessens the weight thont sacrificing the strength, for a be of steel is said to be stronger in a solid of the same weight. In iking the joints, too, there is a great ring of weight. Instead of the old avy castings and reinforcements, e joints are now brazed, one piece io the other, which add? strength d decreases the weight, in place of D heavy castings used, for instance, the fork crown, a vital part of the ichine, drop lorgings are now em>yed to the increase of strength d safety and the decrease also of ight. In making the running gear the 2atest cure is exercised, both in rkmanship and the selection of mil ittl. Each piece is handled a dozen aes, made with the utmost precision, ited for every possible strain, and t put into a wheel without every asrance that it will be able to perform function properly. special mainery is used for most of it, and the 3t of skilled workmen are employed, there is but one part about a wheel it requires particular treutment it tho running gear, and it gets it. A. great deal of tho machinery used automatic, and can by operated by ys and girls. The making of oil ps, for instance, and the man* nuts c d rivets used in a wheel is dono by t ^chines then bite off picce6 of oteel, | i vr. tarn them about a few times on automatic iathtfi, and then throw them /?. j WW i GIBLS EMPLOYED ABOUT LIGHTER TASKS. out finished ami complete. Sprocket wheels are made ir this way. First they are cat in circular form from a plate of steel by a heavy drop hammer, then strung together in lots of a dozen or more in a machine whose teeth eat oat spaces in the rims and make the notches, one row at a time, on which the propelling chain turns. Saddles are first cat oat of bit sides of leather, soaked and put throngh a lot of forms, till they are pressed into the proper shape. Most . of the work is done by girls. Putting the spokes in hub and wheel is a puzzling job, which has been well learned by a lot Ifl ; ?? if| 1 Am > mmi i ifiin.i II TING COLD SHEET STEEL. of boys, and they do it as well as men. Putting tires in the rims is simply a trick, too, but they tell you at the factory they will give anyone a wheel _ who can pull an inflated tire away 0 from the rim. The enameling, nick- j; eling and polishing of the different parts are done by the same processes j always used in finishing the same sort r of material in the same way. p Thfl assembly-room is the place where all the parts come and are put a together. Each part is there tested ^ again for every kind of strain it will n have to bear. It isn't possible to see the making of any particular wheel in one day, and you can't get "one while you wait," as you could get silk handkerhhiefs at the World's Fair. It is interesting to see the process, however, and one who has the opportunity should embrace it. Electricity as a Haircutter. Two striking proofs of the eagerness (f of the public to avail itself of anyelec-f , trical improvement were recently af-1 forded. An electrical journal pub* lished an article on a comb which when passed through the hair would * i* ot-nl oin?n it of gq mo incffinf. by means of the contact of a platinum wire stretched across it, to which current could be admitted on pressure of a button at the other end of the comb. As a direct result of this article the manufacturers of the device received 372 letters and eighty-four postals, li and their gross sales in a little over i month were nearly $4000. In regard h to a device for generating electricity direct from coal, which was described g in another journal, the ?inventor had e 800 letters.?New York Times. J GREIT NOVELIST . ' BJORNSTJERIfE^ One of the prime movers of the agita >n for the separation of Norway from lovelist, Bjornstjerne Bjornson. With hi ncessantly to bring about the independs ^ j A Fauions Old Store. The famous old "Blue Store1* in ,'j *oxbury, Mass., will soon be torn, lown. Daring Colonial times General', JVarren, it is said, occupied one floor, >f the old building as a dwelling. fVhen undergoing repairs a number of rearB ago, one of the salesmen, Martin, ?. Curley, found among tho rafters an.' >ld military coat with f?old buttons,j ind one of the old residents claimed hen that it was General Warren's {', ioat.?New York World. ? A Japanese Methodist Church. ; | The first Japanese church in America; las been dedicated in San Francisco.' its oufside is of birch, plaster and vood-carving. Its congregation con-f lists of 300 Japanese Methodists, with i few Japanese girls of various sizes in :harge of Miss Hewitt as chaperon. ?* Inside there is a Btrip of Japanese natting in the aisle and chairs take ,he place of regular seats. The pulpit' ias a gay red carpet, and there is a' ed curtain between the choir and the *indience. There are Japanese vases >f doll bine pottery with a stork delign fall of flowers. The audience oom is plastered in the natural color, ind the ceiling is finished with rafters hat show. The windows have dia- % nonds panes and are unstained, ex- ^ :ept one, which is a memorial to Dr. Dtis Gibson, the first pastor of the < " '1 ? BE2SBB ^ [^j FIRST JAPANESE"cHTIRCH IN AMERICA. ' Vjfi ihnreh. The orrran is sometimes a ionple of Dotes ahead or behind, bat hat makes no difference with the fer- 'or of the singing. The charch its is in the upper story. Below are the chapel, school-room and 0 ifficeB, with the dormitories of the aission in the rear. The mission boys ' lave intelligent, well-bred faces. A Dog With a Wooden Leg. .'i is a wonderful dog, or, rather. f) he has a wonderful leg, whioh atracted much attention when she was SHE HAS A BROOMSTICK LEG. n view at the aquarium dog show in' jondon. It was made for her by her owner, Idward Moselv, of Regent street, ather more than a year ago, and is. robably, says the London Skeich, he llrsfc instance of anything beyond broomstick or pin leg, so to speak, ieing made for one of the lower ani- , lals. . Practical. Farmer Jones?"What hev yer J? irned at. college, eon?" Son?"Why, dad ! I can throw the ammer further than any one there." Farmer Jones?"Thet's good. I uens yer'll hev no trouble in gittin' r job xn'er blackimith's shop then."? ndge. I AND AGITATOR. : | it ' I ft ^ ^ ^ ^ BJORNSfl)N. tion now being eo fiercely carried Sweden\iB the great Scandinavian is pen and ^his voice he is laboring uoe of tho Iiorwegians, .,