The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, January 01, 1902, Image 2
HnmH Florence V>
Ij^^Aufhor of-"The Mouse
fl? I Copyright, 1895, Iry I
W CHAPTER XVIII.
E Continued.
was about eight o'clock that night
fn they learned that a schooner had
Ke ashore in the bay itself, within
mile of the inn. She had lost her
lering-gear in the storm, and the
Ice of the wind had driven her upon
le sands at the edge of the marsh. It
as high tide when the disaster hapbied,
but it was thought that the
I Hup was in no danger of breaking up,
Hid that her crew would all be got off
safety as the tide went down. The
Ce-boat from Courtstairs was already
Bi its way to the wrecked vessel when
Hie news came to the inn.
I Through the snow, which the wind
lew straight into their faces, Nell
Ind half a dozen of her neighbors
Inade their way across the marsh, the
pfcn carrying ropes and lanterns and
Itho women restoratives for the halffrozen
crew. It was a long and
weary mile. The ground was hard
with frost, the snowdrifts were already
getting deep; the flares set burning
from time to time by the crew of
the wrecked ship flickered uncannily
In the darkness whenever the snow
ceased for a short time.
But the journey was not a fruitless
fnl -' o/infn narc
r|OHll out. J. lit; liitfli Ul LUC DCUlm CI o
Kp themselves for the most part, and all
j|V used to the sea, succeeded, up to their
waists iu water, in launching a boat
Hi and bringing the crew safely to land.
W The men were so benumbed by the
U cold that they had to be helped along
J as they limped and stumbled over the
snow to the inn. There, however, they
were soon restored through the kind*
ly offices of a host of willing hands.
Every creature in the neighborhood
had heard, by this time, of the unusual
event of a ship wrecked m their
own bay. and it was through quite,a
r large crowd that the sailors made
their way into the little Blue Lion.
Even Mrs. Lansdowne, the wife of
the most prominent country gentleman
of the neighborhood, had heard
of the new excitement, and had driven
over, having picked up the colonel and
./ Miss Bostal on her way. On hearing
that there was little hope of saving
i the schooner, and that in any case the
^ sailors would lose their kit, Mrs. Lansl
downe put into George Claris's hands,
for the benefit of the men, a sum of
money which at once became the starting
point of a collection, to which most
of the crowd contributed something.
- Even the colonel, whose poverty was
Droverbial. irave a shillinir. although
^ his" daughter watched his hand with
>- anxious eyes as he volunteered the
m^L coin. Altogether between live and six
pounds was collected; and < George
Claris tied the money up in a canvas
bag. and locked it up in the till be.
hind the bar. There were whispers in
the crowd that George Claris's house
wrs not the safest place in the world
<' to keep money in. but even the wliis3^.'
I perers had no doubt of the honesty of
- ? Claris himself, while many were even
Y~': 1 K^d of the opportunity of showing
*' * .'5- tbeir confidence in a man who had uu
r '>*? . doubtedly beeu for some time under
U-.-*" a cloud.
It was Nell, however, who watched
this proceeding with the deepest auxV.;f
" iety. Her agitation was so evident,
as she stood just within the doorway
whiehl^d from the bar to the back of
r, the inn, staring at her uncle, that one
or two of the crowd looked at each
other significantly. Suddenly the girl
took a few rapid steps forward and
touched the innkeeper's arm.
tv "Uncle," sakl she, in a low voice,
:p ' "Uncle George, wouldn't it be better
to seud the money into Stroan by?"
She glanced at the men who were
^ crowding in. and noticed one of the
tradesmen of the town, "bv Mr. Para
I mor?"
I* *r Her uncle frowned, and Mr. ParaI
* mor shook liis head, with the kindly
intention of showing George Claris
that his friends were on his side.
"? 1 "No, no, Miss Claris, leave it where
it is, where it'll be ready to hand,"
^ said he.
As Nell drew back, without a word,
9^^^. -- but with a curious look of constraint
Mm and trouble on her face, a little tigure
"\v: appeared at the door, and in her prim
tones Miss Bostal, whom no emergency
could induce to step over the threshbold
of an inn, called to her:
' "Nell, Nell, come out here, and speak
to me."
Nell looked at her, hesitated, and
was on the point of disappearing into
the interior of the house, when Metr.
'. > who was passing towards the bar-parB?
Jor, with a tray full of hot drinks, offi^
oiously dragged her forward with one
Eaf strong hand, while she carefully balg?
anced the glasses on the tray with the
m ,' f
HU . J|^^^B^^Hieodora, don't you
loud
HnB9w^^BMffi|m3^SHfl3^KaAtelthat
:rt- oF-TH.e
i&PaipE ;
Tati |,
S^^'"'t:miu||i''ll'W' 1
/ardent '
on ihc Aarstu" etc- ,
tobert Bonner's Sons. 1
was hardly sufficient protection against j
the falling snow. 1
"You had better get Into the car- i
rlage, Miss Theodora," suggested Nell, i
coldly, ignoring the lady's question. j
"But I want an answer first, my j
dear. Never mind the snow. I only
shiver because I am not used to the ]
night air. You know I never go out
after sundown, and not often before." (
But Nell would give her no answer.
And Miss Theodora, when she was at i
last constrained to get into the car- ]
rlage then, regretted to Mrs. Lnns- 1
downe that London had spoiled her
dear little girl. i
It was now past closing time at the j
inn, and George Claris, with great dif- j
ficulty, was clearing his house of its
crowd of customers. Those three of i
the sailors who liad suffered most ]
from cold and exposure were to spend ]
the night under his roof, while the ]
rest were taken to Stroan by newfound
friends who offered them hospi- <
tality. George Claris locked up his l
house, having already sent his niece ]
and Meg to bed; and, thoroughly tried <
out, went up to his own room. 1
He had had a very hard day, and he <
had finished up with an extra glass of
rum and water. The consequence was
that he fell off to s'leep as soon as he i
sat down on the edge of his bed to '
take his boots off, and did not wake (
up until some hours later, when he sat (
up suddenly, and remembered, at the :
moment of waking, that he had for- !
gotten to take the money, both his <
own takings, and the collection for
the sailors, out of the till in the bar. ]
Opening the door of his room softly, (
in nrrlof nn+ tr> rTistlirh tllf> slpptlprs. he '
went down stairs. ]
It was half past five on the following
morning when the nearest neigh- i
bors were startled by a loud knocking
at their door, followed by the abrupt i
inrush of Meg, the inn servant, in a i
state of frantic excitement.
"Oh, come, some of ye; do come!
There's been awful doings in our i
house!" she cried, scarcely articulate i
between her fright and want of
breath. "There's somebody hiding in ]
the bar, and I can't get him out; and i
Mr. Claris is nowhere to be found;
and Miss Nell's fainted when I told i
her; and, oh, dear, do come!" ]
The woman whom she was address- i
ing was at first too much alarmed to ]
come; but two men, who were not far i
off. hearing the commotion, offered to
go back with Meg, and in a few inin- i
utes the whole party were at the inn. ]
There was somebody behind the bar,
certainly?somebody down on the <
lloor. The men stood hesitating at the j
door. The sounds which came to their
ears from behind the bar were more
like the gruutings and growlings of a |
beast than the voice of a man.
"It's not a man you've got there. 1
It's an animal," said one of the men.
And shouldering the pitchfork he
was carying, he made a dasn into the 1
building.
But as he entered, a wild figure
sprang up from behind the bar and
faced the intruder, glaring and raging.
It seized one of the earthenware
jugs which stood on a shelf against 1
the wall, and brandishing it above i
his head, gave forth an unearthly j
howl.
vviiU JS ill >\ iiui is it: ouvauieu
Meg. ' i
"Stand back! stand back!" roared the
creature, stamping and whirling its 1
arms about. "Stand back! I won't be
robbed! I'H serve you ms I've served ]
it?as I've served the devil! the devil! '
the devil!" 1
And with more stamping, more i
shouting, the creature hurled the jug, 1
aiming at the head of the intruder.
Lt was dashed into a thousand pieces
against the door, which shook and rat- >
tied under the 'blow. '
"Why, it's?it's George Claris himself!"
faltered the second man, who
kept outside, too much alarmed to
go beyond the door.
"Master?" cried Meg, indignantly.
' Whv hp rlmi't rirink' Hp'r ns ?nlipv
a man as there is in the place!"
She was sobbing, and trembling, and
clinging to the iuan.
"He ain't drunk," replied the man
shortly. "He's gone mad, my girl.
Look at his eyes."
And as the girl looked fearfully
through the window at her unhappy
master, she could not doubt the truth
of the man's words.
At eleven o'clock on the previous
night George Claris had been as sane
as any in the country. At six o'clock
in the morning he was a raving madman.
CHAPTER XIX.
Tt wnc limit n mnntli nftar thf> chin
wreck which brought such strange
consequences to the Blue l-ion and Its
inmates that Clifford King, much
against his will, found himself, for the
first time that winter, at a dance. He
. detested dancing, never accepted an
jL^itation to a ball if he could help it,
ffl^tneyer turned up if he found himBglllgtaA^led
to accept.
HHSB9ffi^Kntertainmcnt was an exHHBffiQj^^Lbeing
given in honor of
BWMs98^^of Otto Conybeare's
the mines laid for
BlHElB&^H^^Messful.
however,
pretty one
liiwself
s?-S/?%.~f&*^"v\Vff^>T^- 'J
jy~ ' j^v.
had had no opportunity of getting
hold of Otto, or of apy one who could
tell him who she was., Otto came
straight toward him.
"I want to introduce you to Miss
Lansdowne," said he.
Lansdowne! The name was quite
unfamiliar to Clifford. But as soon
is he was introduced the puzzle cp.me
lo pieces.
"I wanted so much to know you,
Mr. King," said the girl, who was
jleasant, unaffected and amiable-looking.
"I can see you don't know me,
ind yet I know you very well."
"That Is not quite fair," said Clifford.
"I do remember your face perfectly
well; it is your name only
ivhlch is unfamiliar to me. I am certain
I have never spoken to you in
ny life; you may be sure I should
lot have forgotten if I had."
"I live near Stroam," said Miss
Lansdowne.
fMiffnrrt started, and his face cloud
?d.
"I have often seen you aDout there,"
svent on the girl, "and I know intimately
more than one of your friends
there."
"I ha^e no friends there now," said
Clifford, with a sudden change to
grave bitterness in his voice and manner.
"Well, you had friends there at one
time, I think. Miss Bostal and her
Father, the Colonel, would, I am sure,
be rather hurt to know that you no
longer reckoned them as your friends."
"The Bostals! Oh, yes," answered
Clifford, indifferently. "I know them,
but Miss Bostal would hardly reckon
tne as a friend. I lost my place in her
?steem, if I ever had any, by walking
from Courtstairs to Stroam on a .Sun
lay in a tourist's suit"
Miss Lansdowne smiled.
"Slie is an odd little creature," she
said, "but she has a very good heart.
To hear her deplore the disappearance
sf a young girl whom she was fond
3f and kind to," and Miss Lansdowne
looked steadily away from Clifford as
5he spoke, "no one could doubt the
ilepth of her feelings."
Clifford was silent for a few moments.
Then he glanced at the face |
ot the girl beside him, saw that it in- |
nted confidence, and guessed that her
last words had been carefully chosen, i
"You mean that Miss Claris has dis- j
appeared?"
' aes. iou nuu ueuiu auuui n, x j
suppose?" she asked, with a pretense 1
of indifference.
"Of course."
"And that nobody knows more than
this?that she and her uncle have gone
iway?"
Clifford answered, with scarcely a
pretense on his side of concealing the '
emotion he felt:
"I went down to the place myself,
saw the house shut up. deserted, and
found that nobody could tell me more
than this?that George Claris had gone '
mad, and that he was 111 an asylum;
and that his niece had gone away at
the same time. If you can tell me
anything more, I shall be very grateful
to you."
"I doif't know any more than you do. 1
One can only guess?or repeat tho
guesses of others."
"Well, let me hear the guesses."
"They say?people think?that the
girl has been shut up, too."
"In an asylum?" asked Clifford,
laardly able to control his voice.
"Yes."
"I don't believe it!" said he, hoarse- 1
ly.
"Well, Isn't it better than believing
-anything else?"
"Believing?that she is a thief, a?" 1
Clifford could not go on.
"Do you know what happened on 1
that morning when George Claris was '
found mad?" asked Miss Lansdowne,
abruptly.
"The woman at the nearest cottage
told me the story," he answered,
shortly.
jliiu sue it'ii you? miss musuunuc
hesitated?"that Miss Claris fainted
when they told her what had hap- i
pened to her uncle, and that they
found under her pillow?a canvas bag i
containing the money collected for
some shipwrecked sailors the night hefore?"
Clifford's face changed. i
"No." said he at once, in the tone of
a man -who has made up his mind on i
some weighty point, "they did not
tell me that."
"It is true, though. After that, who 1
could doubt the girl's guilt?"
"I could," said Clifford, quietly.
"And one other person?Miss Bostal.
And you are both equally unreasonable."
To he Continued.
How About the Merry Maskers?
iiow orten ao we near me urj, ma
only tlie Latin races who possess the
true spirit of the masquerade." With
it goes the kindred complaint, "AngloSaxons
are too cold to enter into the
true spirit of the masquerade."
But what is "the true spirit of the
masquerade?" I have sought for it
vainly. I have even failed to find it
in full elllorescence among the Latins.
In Latin countries the carnival is declining.
Where it still prevails among
them it seems to be kept up for commercial
reasons. Where it has been
imported into Anglo-Saxon countries,
it blends with our civilization about
as fitly a? (loos a wane nour-sucis
patch on a miner's blue overalls.
Was the carnival always such a
merry, merry time' Were there no
thiu-legged men in '.he days of doublet
and bose? Were there aforetime
no ladies afilieted with fatty degeneration
of the ankles? Did nobody get
drunk? I Were there no fights? Did
the men who &>t slugged by merry
maskers hit back? Or did they turn
the other cheek? 'Was there any lockup?
Did the lock-up get full? And
how ft bout the Tjnerry maskers??Argonaiit.
rnlilrnf* a Rcnifi of Humor.
If you are fortunate enough to have
even the germ of a sense of humor,
cherish that carefully. It is the very
salt and savor of life. Learn to smile
fercr the foibles of your friends, loving
none the less, but more, because
little weaknesses. Do not
HH^>Ie <00 seriously, and. above
yourself too seriously.
MH^^an atom in an incompreafte:
all. Why find
BflBj^^^M^^brlef moment witlL
side^^tfl
A Cartoonist's
/fljl
fW '. A^n
DOOOOCOOCCOOOOCCOOOOOCOOCO
| Wonderful Brain Work. |
3 Mail Clerks' Memories Heavily Taxed q
SOOOGOOQOOOOOOOOODOCOOOOGO
?ILLIONSof people are complaining
nowadays of being
taxed financially, but an
array of men in tlie employ
of Uncle Sam are burdened with a
mental practice unheard of, ns regards
extent, in any other country of
the world.
Things that a railway postal clerk
must remember have increased in such
volume that one would think every cell
of Ills Drain wouiu oe nuea wua me
name of a postoffice or railway connection.
and the wonder is that the clerk's
mind does not falter under the pressure.
Despite these facts cases of insanity
among this class of public servants
are rare.
One Chicago postal clerk maintained
for several years a record of 21,000
cards (which take the place of letters
In examinations) with an average per
cent, of correct distribution of a fraction
over ninety-nine per cent. He
knew how to reach that many offices
In several States by the shortest,
quickest route, and he knew the correct
location of each office in its State.
A clerk on the New York and Chicago
Railway postoffice must know the
correct location of every postoffice in
a group of States made up of Illinois,
Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota,
South Dakota and Nebraska. In these
seven States there are 12,317 post
offices. Not only is the clerk required
to be "up" on the general scheme,
which means the correct location of
the postoffices* in each State, but he
must know how to reach the whole
12,000 postoffices from one or more
Btations.
A clerk running between Chicago
and Minneapolis underwent no fewer
than seveniy-eigbth examinations in
fifteen years, learning 13,300 offices in
fifteen different sections of the United
States. In some of these examinations
he was required to make a Chicago
city distribution, which means
that while running over the country at.
the rate of a mile a minute he must
distribute letters to the carriers of the
Chicago delivery. He must keep not
only where every public building and
leading mercantile house is located,
but also how to divide the numbers on
a particular street, so that he can "tie
out" his letters to the correct carrier,
according to the route of the latter.
This same clerk made thirteen examinations
in ten months, with an average
correct distribution of 99.88 per cent.
In twenty examinations he came out
of nine of them with a clear 100 per
cent. eacb.
Think of such a task, taking into
consideration the puzzling similarity
rrr ffil
pi
?Ss3?
' BAILWA^POS^"L -C^EBE
T . ^
^ i
of names that are used to designate
postofflces. Then, too, must he considered
the fact that there are hundreds
of cases where In each Slate is a /postoffice
of the same name. For instance,
in the States foamed above thedj are
Hamiltofc, six
fourJHierab,
flHH
Idea of ijefj
;CROp "WipF
NICKEL IN m'i
riE SLOT
r a "vzwLurioUjk
TIME YOU J^Sgji
ANT IT,
ABOUT THE SIZE OFfr.
four Smithyilles, four Spartas i<J five
JefEersons and so on. In sfae instances
there is a postofflcebf the
same name in each of the sevefstates.
As one may imagine, this oi? tends
to confuse the average mind, t
Periodically the clerks are 'iamined
at railway mail headquarter,' packs
of cards, each card bearing ae name
of a postoffice, are; furnisheca candidate
for examination. He t^es a position
in front of a case f pigeon
holes labeled with the name 0f different
railway postoffices throghout the
country. He "throws" the .ards, distributing
them to proper xutes, just
as he would packages i: a postal
car. After he finishes th examiner
goes over the cards and cbi;ges up the
errors' the clerk has mad' and gives
him his percentage of corrct distribution.
The clerk is also (jamined on
general and "standpoint' station
schemes at different timef
It is asserted at railwiy mail service
headquarters that tht-e are clerks
who have reached the canity of their
minds in the matter of remembering
names. They now remember so many
that it would be absolueiy impossible
to learn another State or part of a
State. It would seem tJat 0f the millions
of cells ill their b^in machinery
none are left to fill, aj having been
taken up in the prosecition of the exacting
duties imposed by their occupation.?Chicago
Reeoifl.Herald.
Principle of Magic Squ?rM Made Plan.
Magic squares of numbers in
which the figures adcLj ^ perpendicular,
horizontal or dia3onai rows make
the same sum are fr>und in books of
puzzles, but the principie on which
they are based is ne>er given.
There is a principle and it is applicable
without limit, ^rom one square
17 1 8 15
J
23 5 <7 14 16
i
4 6 ^3 20 22
ro 12 jig 21 3
II 18 las a 9
to any odd Hunger of squares indefi
nitely; For illustration' twenty-flv<
squares are sivAn, and tlie sum of eacl
of its rows of ifigures perpendicularlj
horizontally orIjjag0nally is sixty-fiv<
Now for t>J vuie. Always writ
your numbe/Bconsecutively, diagor
ally, upwar?e?0 the rjgfct> if tha
direction cyou outside of th
:S C! JDEIPg^^^^ATION.
BquWes, then /go to the opposite end
theBow at which you stand. It j.
re{* a squaJ^ that ijt occupledrGr t
u^JjWr rightliand corner, then drop
one
?Fro the New YorkTrlbuhe^^HHj
lrcalates Warm Air.
Most ptple put away their elec^BK
fans in thfall, thinking they will ifln
110 furthe use for them untilfl^B
warm we.her arrives in the spflRKE
but we slw here a simple arnflHHj
ment whic makes it possible toj^BSH
ize the eleVic fau for blowing
well as coi air. It is the invtiSBHj
of Edwin lPortor, and can
to heat rot]3 and offices vffijJ&BKm
there is a gcjet handy. It al^flgH
the air in emulation about tlii9H9fl
instead of a>wing it to remijv^H^B
and dead allay. In this ap[P^^SB
the frame oiruard which suS^^HBB
the blades of te fan is of holl^'^DB|
ing, and is ejected with a f5
by a rubber ^e. The framfljflEgH
perforated at tervals the gagflBnO
nited as it flcj from the
the resultant It being driven^^^HH
the room by ? action of
heater especially attachmei^MHH
GAB HEATER THE FAN. EH
thermo-electric fan. Ichrunssold^H
< with the aid of the i generating it^H
own current for rot^ the fan, buH|
I tho frnme can be re-e tHl
any electric fan wi\jUt
Hlstoiic Place ol,rtiiIp.
It has been ascertainthat the firsfl|
Protestant church erec west of
Mississippi River is stHmd^ nea^B
Jackson, Cape Girardegounty, Mo^H
being used now as a ba,rn. jt wo^fl
built of logs, in 1806, a Baptit^H
congregation, and wasgg kD0W|Mp
ONCE A. CHURCH, NOW A v^flRj
* as Bethel Church, having tionH
e years the distinction of being]O^^B
- bouse of Protestant worshipst^^J
the river. Rev. David Cireen.w^^*
of Virginia, was its pastor
death, in 1809. The Louisia
Times suggests that the bu&tiS^M
moved to St. Louis and madia
j of the Louisiana Purchase Exnstf^B
Street Aid In Accident*.
The municipal authorities of^B
are experimenting with a unique sV
equipment for rendering promptH
10 the injured. It is described as iS
like a letter box pillar, and con^B
- a folding stretcher, a few medi>^H
r bandages, etc. in oruer iu gci u>
R- objects it is necessary to brea^H
K glass, as when "calling" a fire ei^H
jj In ibis way the key of the cas^H
Jf access to a telephone inside com^H
?j eating the ambulance service a^H
g taincd. This would obviate at^H
$ the necessity of hunting up
S? phone and a policeman, in
2 I give aid to a case of accidej^^H
{ now necessary. ^mSB
f ' A Power In Town
.>; A newspaper whose
I flow with ads. of busine^^^^Bl
I more influence in attracti^^^pHj
i. to, and building up, a
of than any other agency