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* I. *. owsrs sons, Pnbii?ier?. } ? .^amilj Jifttspa j)t r: Jfor the |romotion of ihe |joItti?al, JSncial. JJgritttlitiral and Communal Jntuists of the |?jlf {T8ra?5o?A. ?ot c?i^A!M:* established 1855. YORKVILLE, 8. C., TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 19Q9. ISTO. 26." XAX AXA XAX AXA XAX AXA XAX ! Heron' 3 _ 3 By ETTA \ J I tlx AXA XAX AXA XAX AXA XAX ?TI A T>TT?t) "VTTTT VyiiAr x AU? V AA*. Hazel Speaks. My sleep was fitful and broken on this my first night at Wolfsden. I arose at an early hour. The servants were astir, but their betters still slumbered. Not a sound could I hear from Serbia's chamber; so I dressed noiselessly, and crept downstairs into the garden. Wolfsden was a grand, old-fashioned srabled house, painted dust brown, and wearing a mellow air of age. It stood on a magnificent green knoll overlooking the river. Immense chestnut trees bordered the walks and driveways. The place had long been unoccupied, and its gardens and shrubbery wore a look of riotous luxuriance. I found a smooth-shaven terrace on the southern side of the house, with palms and aloes, and garden-chairs ranged about, and there I sat down In solitude and silence. As yet the sun's disk was hardly visible above the tree-tops. The air reek ed with odors shaken from garden thickets. Birds sang In far-away hollows. A pale mist clung, ghost-like, to the shining brown loops of the river. The hush of dusky, dreamful night still brooded over everything. Suddenly I heard a murmur of voices and Colonel Rivers and Mrs. Van Wert appeared at the end of the terrace. The lady was dressed like a Louis XV. shepherdess. In a white gown, delicately embroidered in roses, and a wide straw hat, the brim fastened back with white birds. Her hands, in long Suede gloves, held an immense bunch of roses tied with white ribbon. "Oh!" she cried, at sight of me; "anabi-Iv riser!" Oolonei Rivers advanced with the air of a courtier. "I hope you have rested well, Miss Ferrers," he said, searching my face with kindly eyes. "You have not been disturbed or annoyed in any way?" . "Oh, no," I answered; "I always rise early." "You look absurdly charming, sitting here alone, like a creature of the dew and the dawn," said Mrs. Van Wert. "Now, with me early rising Is a part of roorimo nrescrlbed by my physician. Colonel Rivers Is kind enough to make it agreeable by attending me, every fine morning, through the gardens and shrubbery." She leaned and murmured ' behind her roses: "He is really the kindest, the most fascinating of men! Tou cannot think how good he is to everybody! We are compelled to love him, whether we wish to or not" And the gauze fichu on her bosom heaved to a deep sigh. Colonel Rivers did seem to get on well with the ladies! A moment later she turned her blue eyes on him pensively, and said: "Ah, colonel, is it not good to be fresh and unsophisticated, like this beautiful child?ready for all sorts ot new impressions, new delights? One may sneer at the bread-and-butter per iod, which that dreadful Byron pretended to scorn, but Is it not the only time in life When one is really happy?" "Do you wish me to tell you," he answered, gallantly, "that If seventeen is charming, flve-and-twenty Is Irresistible? Every year should be but a *kw weapon in the equipment of a lovely woman. Miss Ferrers has not learned her own powers yet. You know yours, and"? with a melting glance?"you must be generous, and use it mercifully!" Then he turned to me with a live"/ air. What do you think of Wolfsden, Miss Ferrers? Can you be content to pass the summer here?" I shook my head. "The summer is a long time, sir," I answered, inwardly determined to be at my bread winning before it should be over. He smiled, as though he discerned the thought. "You are now in the Den of the Wolf, Miss Ferrers," he said, playfully, "and you will find escape impossible. Pray look about you! Yonder," pointing with a delicate hand ablaze with a big diamond, "there, in the hollow, is Heron-croft?you can see Its stacks of chimneys rising through the trees. That is Francis Heron's family mansion, where he keeps bachelor's hall, and entertains his college classmate and evangelistic friend, Mr, Graham Vivian. "That superb Antlnous, who has renounced the world and Its vanities!" sighed Mrs. Van Wert. "Yes," said Rivers, with a shrug of the shoulders, "whatever the ladles may think of Mr. Vivian's preaching, they find the preacher himself exceedingly impressive. As you see. Miss Ferrers, my estates join Heron's. His mills are a mile or two further on, down the river, and"? Before he could finish the sentence, the man servant Martin, whom I had seen on the previous night, mounted the terrace, and approached us with a wrathful air. "Begging the ladies' pardon," he cried, "them Blackbirds have been at its again, sir! Last week 'twas the vegetable garden, now it's the hothouse, sir. The glass is smashed, and the grapes and nectarines are an gune? deuce take the scoundrels!" The colonel's bearded face darkened. "Martin, we must begin a nightwatch here?this is growing unbearable." "Do blackbirds eat grapes and nectarines?" I asked, in amazement. "What Mn wn/ti/\nei Viln rro tVinif m not Ko ' fi llltp 1 apaciuuo v*icj muoi uv. v|M* uncommon!" He laughed, but In a mirthless way. "Unfortunately, Miss Ferrers, these Blackbirds are not fowls of the air. The name Is applied In this vicinity to ^ Heron's mill-hands?a disreputable lot. up to all sorts of petty thieving. They have given me no end of trouble since I took possession of Wolfsden. If this mischief is not stopped soon. I must appeal to the law." "I'd be pleased to shoot a few of'em, sir. jus' for pastime!" growled Martin; * g SWIFE. I _ S V. PIERCE. * I AHA HAH AHA HAH AHA HAH AHA " 'sDeeiallv that black scoundrel. Joe | Bagley, that comes a-courtln' the girl Jael. I never see him but that I ache 'In all my bones to crack his ugly head!" Colonel Rivers gave a slight start. "Jael! Has she a lover among those vagabond Blackbirds?" "That she has, sir?a strapping one ?leader of the whole gang, as all Black River folks know! You'll find him sneaking tnrougn your snruuuery, any fine night, sir. A reg-lar Jail-bird ?that's what he is! He's been behind bars a dozen times in his life." "Ah! this grows serious. Jael he.s a pair of bright eyes; she is something of a coquette, I fancy?eh, Martin? Keep a sharp lookout for that Blackbird lover. Doubtless he courts the girl and steals my nectarines at the same time." "Just in my opinion, sir," muttered Martin, and he stalked off, swearing under his breath. Mrs. Van Wert looked at the colonel. "How very disagreeable for you!" she said. "Yes," he assented, "the Blackbirds have been the pest of this region for years. The respectable portion of the community stand in tacit fear of them, as they are supposed to be capable of all sorts of crimes on small provocation. I, at least, do not mean to be bulldozed by the scoundrels. Already they have poisoned a valuable watchdog which I brought to Wolfsden, ravaged my kitchen garden, and gobbled up the choicest of my early fruits." "Oh, dear!" gasped the pretty widow; , "whv rtriPR Mr. Heron allow such things?" "Of course. Heron cannot be held responsible for the misdeeds of his work people. I fancy he has his hands full to keep them in decent subjection at the mills. That young preacher Vivian has been trying of late to do some mission work amongst the rascals, but I fear he will And that he is casting pearls before swine." He turned to go. Mrs. Van Wert ran after him. "How dreadful!" she cried; "and i how fascinating! Does that handsome Vivian really preach to the Black- i birds? I must certainly hear him. Pray take me with you to the greenhouse, Colonel Rivers; I want to see what the dreadful creatures have , done." They yyent off together. JWhere had t I before heard of Heron's mill-people, and their evil deeds? The memory of my never-to-be-forgotten Interview with my grandfather flashed upon my mind. I arose and walked away from the terrace. I had no desire to Join Mrs. Van Wert and the colonel; so I turned in another direction, and followed a path leading?I knew not whither. i Presently I found myself in a strip of pine wood, carpeted with gummy cones and slippery brown needles, that sent up a pleasant odor as I tramped over i them. Before me was a low dividing wall of cemented stone, which seemea to forbid further progress in that direction. I was just turning to retrace my steps, when I heard a savage bark, and an immense Russian hound, in a rattling steel collar, dashed over the wall, and flew at me like a beast of piey. I gave an involuntary cry. "Cossack!" thundered a voice. "Come back Cossack!" and Francis Heron, with a riding whip in his hand, leaped the boundary, and seized the great brute by his collar, lashed him, until I, moved to pity, gasped: "Oh, don't Mr. Heron! He thought me a trespasser, most likely, or, perhaps, a Blackbird," and I tried to laugh. "If Colonel Rivers had this beast at Wolfsden I am sure his greenhouses could not be pillaged so easily." Heron stopped whipping the dog, and turned a flushed, irritated face upon me. "What! Have the rascals been pilfering from Rivers again?" "Yes," I answered, gravely; "they stole the grapes and nectarines last night?did not leave one, the servant says." He gnawed his lip. "The deuce!" he muttered. "Rivers must enter complaint against them. I shall be blamed for this offense, as I have been for others of an earlier date." "Oh. no!" I protested. "I distinctly heard Colonel Rivers say that you could not be held responsible for the sins of your mill-hands. He Is too kind and generous, Mr. Heron, to even think such a thing." Heron stood making sharp, short strokes among the pine-needles with his riding whip. His lean, sallow face looked sombre. He was not tall, but so compact and wiry, that he had an appearance of unusual vital force. "Don't believe it, Miss Ferrers!" he said, abruptly. "In his heart, if not openly, Rivers lays upon me the stigma of all the Blackbirds' misdeeds. There are circumstances under which it is wellnigh impossible for a man to be Just to his neighbor." 1 (lid not quite comprciienu mm. "Why, that is absurd, you know," I answered. "You employ these people in your mills?beyond doubt, you have nothing to do with them, of course." He smiled so pleasantly that his lean face became, for the moment, almost handsome. "It is very good of you. Miss Ferrers, to take that view of the matter; but I tell you, Rivers is not so generous. I have done my best to ferret out the perpetrators of these petty outrages, but in vain. Just powers! If they would but plunder me. I would rejoice; but the persistency with which they annoy Rivers is unbearable! They hold some grudge against him, I suppose, because he is a stranger at Black River. The scoundrels! I see that I must handle them without gloves. You are pale. Miss Ferrers. I fear that Cossack frightened you. Pray sit down on this low wall?it is the boundary line betwixt Wolfsden and my own prop erty. I hear that you are to be Ser- < gla's guest for the present." < I sat down, too absorbed in my own l thoughts to consider that a tete-tete < with Sergia's lover, at that hour and in ] that place, was hardly in good form. i "Mr. Heron," I 3aid, with all the dig- i nity I could muster, "you intimated ] just now that Colonel Rivers could not, ] or would not, be Just to you. Now, i my host seems to me a most kind and < honorable gentleman. Pardon me if I ; quite fail to catch your meaning." ] "You wish me to explain?" answered Heron, dryly. "Well, then, Colonel Riv- i era cannot regard me without preju- , dice, because he is in love with his ward, Miss Sergla Pole!" In my amazement I nearly tumbled off the wall. "With Sergia?your promised wife?" I cried. "Yes. Who can blame him? Not I!" Mr. Heron's equanimity was certainly admirable. "I say, Miss Ferrers, there Is something that I want to tell you. I dined with your grandfather, Judge Ferrers, two days ago." My heart gave a leap. "I hope you found him quite well," I said, gazing dejectedly down at Cossack, who was crouching among the Dlne-needles In penitent quiet. "Yes, but a little shaken by the loss of his sister. She died very suddenly. I suppose somebody had the decency to send you an account of her death?" I tried hard to keep my voice steady. "No?only a brief dispatch, i was ( not even allowed to attend the fun- ( eral." "Deuced shame!" cried Heron. "I . told the Judge as much!" "Oh, did you?" I queried, gratefully. "By my soul, you have been shame- , fully treated!" he stormed. "More than { once I have tried to speak for you, but he will not listen?he is like adamant; j nothing but death, I fear, can change j him." "And does he still want to make you ] his heir?" I asked, dubiously. The blood arose in his sallow face. ( "Yes. It Is not easy to change the mind of such a man when it is once made up. But"?with extraordinary energy?"In God's name, Miss Ferrers, { don't say that you think me capable of lending myself to any design that would rob you of your birthright?that would do you greater injustice than you have already suffered"? "Oh, no, no!" I interrupted. "I have not forgotten your attitude, Mr. Heron, in that one Interview which I had with my grandfather six years ago." He seized my hand, and carried It to his lips. "Thank you a thousand times," he said; then we both heard a faint cough, and saw in the path under the pines the maid Jael, standing In a waiting attitude, demure and respectful. Heron dropped my hand as though it had been hot shot.* ??* lf|na 99 oq 1/1 H yuu piCUSC, UllOO i'cugio, ooiu Jael, "Colonel Rivers sent me to find you. Breakfast Is waiting, and Miss Pole__ftaa. come downstairs, and ^asking for you." Heron lifted his hat. I went up the path with Jael, deeply mortified that Sergla's maid should have surprised me with my hand to the Hps of Sergla's lover. "Mr. Heron Is a friend of my kindred," I said, with my head held high. Jael bowed but did not answer. With a majestic stride she followed me up the walk over the brown pine-needles. There was something royal about the creature, servant though she was? something sphinx-like, too. I was Just stepping from the dewy shadow of the pines Into the open sunshine of the garden, when she called my name: "Miss Ferrers, If you please, I would like to ask you a question. Do you mean to stay long at Wolfsden?" "I cannot tell now, Jael?some weeks, perhaps," I answered. The girl's olive face grew tragic?she made an Imploring gesture. "For your life, don't tell Miss Pole what I'm about to say," she panted; "don't tell Mr. Francis Heron! I dare not speak. Miss Ferrers, till you promise." "I promise," said I, amazed at her strange look and manner. "Then listen!" Jael went on, In an impressive whisper. "Wolfsden is no place for you?you must not stay here, Miss Ferrers!?you cannot stay?In safety! Believe me, for I know of what I speak. There was that In Mr. Francis Heron's face Just now which , ought to have told you that you could j not stay: Sergia Pole's lover has no right to look at another woman with ( his heart In his eyes!" ( I felt the hot blood In my face. i "Jael, you are very Impertinent!" 1 We had both stopped on the verge , of the sunny garden. The girl hung i her head humbly. i "I don't mean to be that, miss?God forbid! But I have made up my mind j to serve you, and so I speak boldly. ( Leave Wolfsden?leave it at once! No ( matter where you go?any place is j safer than this. Evil is coming here, i miss, and if you wait for it, you will be ; destroyed! Men"?bitterly?"can afford to be bold: but when the odds are ; against a woman, it is better for her lu i uix 11 wiii uaugci iiiau iu oiauu auu brave it." I knew nothing about this girl?she was but a menial in the house; yet, as I looked up into her dark, intense face, I could not fail to see that she was terribly in earnest?that no trivial motive had led her to speak to me like this. "Jael," I said, trying to smile, "young as I am, I have encountered so much evil that it now wears a familiar aspect. In what shape is it coming to Wolfsden? Speak plainly. Are those dreadful Blackbirds plotting real harm against Colonel Rivers?" She gave a start of surprise, and looked at me with a narrow, oblique glance. "What do you know about the Blackbirds. Miss Ferrers?" she answered evasively. "I know that you have a lover among them, Jael?that he is the leader of the gang." She drew her breath hard. "Is that all? I am a Blackbird myself, miss! I was brought up in their Nest. My loving mother"?with a wicked smile?"consigned me to the mercy of thieves and mill-burners in my helpless babyhood. I became their foster daughter. You bid me speak plainly, Miss Ferrers. If I did that, it would cost me?what do you think? My life! But this much I will say? me week aero I was the willing slave >f the Blackbirds?I knew their secrets, , pig and little. I was ready to do their | work, wherever and whenever they | put It before me. But today everything Is changed. I hate them, one find all. I am no longer wax to be g molded by their hands. There, miss; ; [ have warned you. If you heed my ] words and leave Wolfsden, all may be ( well; If you remain, blame no one but ] yourself for the things that must sure- ( ly follow." y ( Before I could answer, she darted Into a side path, and vanished in the shrubbery. i I went on alone to the house. | i CHAPTER IX. Hazel Speaks. i Sir Grlftin Hopewood met me in the < irlve before the door, and doffed his , u~? -.i?h a ciniu nf niPfLsure in his I licit, niiu u Qiv >i va, r alonde face. He was very blonde, this , titled Englishman. His hair and beard were like flax, his lazy, laughing eyes is blue as the sea on a cloudless day. | "I have been looking for you every- where," he said, eagerly. "The whole ] lousehold is exercised over the depre- , lations of h?st night. Qad! it was only | i few day. ago that the rascals i scrawled on *" colonel's gate-post a ; lotlce to quu .'< :>>sden, and signed it ( King Blackbird. He ought to have ( :he entire gang before a magistrate!" ] "I quite agree with you"?I began, ; ihaentiv. AnH then I saw Sergia's das- . sling face and gold-crowned head in :he porch. i "How pale you look!" she said to me. Did Jael find you In the garden?" ] I nodded. i "Don't send that girl after me again, Sergla," I whispered. "I am?well, Just | i little afraid of her!" I I could not say more, for I reinen- ] jered the promise I had made Jael to < ceep silent. Sergla laughed. "It Is true that Jael Is rather 'or- i nidable to look at," she said; "tut, < generally speaking, I find her loclle ] snough." 1 * ? < xnen we weni m iv , Sir Griffin sat beside me at the meal, i :alked to me continually, and with no 1 ittempt to conceal his preference. ] This titled stranger was the first nan who had ever offered me the | jmallest attention. I felt myself grow- 1 ng bewildered under his admiring ] faze and the spell of his mellow voice. J [t was like a sudden burst of sunshine < >n a flower that had never before i mown warmth or brightness. Colonel Clivers smiled at me in a paternal way I icross the table. Mrs. Van Wert shook 1 ier pretty head playfully at Sir Grif- < In. Sergia watched us closely while ' ?he talked with the learned professor. [ turned, at last, to Miss Carbury, who i tat on my other hand, and said: i "I hope Punch has recovered from < :he effects of his bath In the ditch. \ "From your flippant tone, Miss Fer- < ere, I fear you do not love dogs," re- ' 3lied Miss Carbury, with gentle re- | sroach. i ?"They do not love me," I murmured, emembering the hound Cossack. i "Punch Is recovering," said Miss Car- < >ury, gravely, "thanks to that admira- 1 )le woman, Mrs. Steele, who attends lim like an angel. I think the colonel < s to be congratulated upon the pos- i tession of such a housekeeper. I quite I lote upon her! You cannot imagine 1 vhat a kind, obliging creature she Is." < Mrs. Steele is indeed an admirable jeraon," said Colonel Rivers. "I have tnown her for many years. Her husjand, a clergyman, to whom I was jreatly attached, died a year ago, 1 eavlng his widow In reduced circumitances. I felt that I had secured a :reasure when I induced her to come 1 ;o Wolfsden, to assist In making an 1 agreeable home for my ward." 1 I looked at Sergia. She returned my 1 fiance significantly. As soon as we 1 arose from the table she drew me Into 1 the colonel's library, which chanced to ae vacant. "You heard what my guardian said?" ' 3he began, in a troubled voice, "i mex Mrs. Steele on the stair this morning? [ examined her face critically as I promised to do. She is like Miss Dee. Strange that I never discovered the resemblance before!?but oh, very much plder, Hazel, dear! I went straight to my guardian, and requested him to jive me a few particulars concerning Mrs. Steele's past history. He told me the same story which you heard at the table. After that, I could not say another word. With my guardian to vouch for her, how can we distrust Mrs. Steele?" "We cannot, of course!" I answered, Seeply mortified, "I am quite ashamed >f myself, Sergia! What right have I to come, a guest, to this house, and 1 begin my visit by casting suspicion an the servants of my host? I am glad 1 that you forbore to tell Colonel Rivers anything more." ( "Without your consent, dearest Ha- 1 zel, I could not mention your sad past, sven to my guardian," replied Sergia, gravely. "Now, cheer up! Mrs. Steele must be Mrs. Steele, and no other, since Colonel Rivers has known her for years. One sometimes sees a queer resemblance betwixt utter strangers, you know." "Yes, yes!" I assented, convinced that ' [ had made a stupid blunder. "I fear I [ am a little morbid on these old, < dreadful subjects?" Sergla pressed my arm suddenly. "Hush!" she began, and the library l door opened, and Mrs. Steele herself entered, bearing in her hands a Dutch faience jar full of fresh roses. Both Sergla and I stood motionless ' and looked at her. She wore a bombazine gown and lawn apron. Her gray hair was arrang ed in little antique puffs beneath her cap, a style which seemed to change her whole face. Her glasses left me quite In doubt about the eyes behind them. As she put her roses down on the colonel's table, Sergia called her name, i "Mrs. Steele! did you ever hear of Mme. Deland's School for Young Ladies?" In vain I watched that narrow, chalklike face?it did not change a whit. "I fear I never did," answered Mrs. Steele, apologetically. "There are so many schools in these days, Miss Pole!" "Have you a sister, or any female relative, who Is, or has ever been, a teacher of drawing?" insisted Sergia. Mrs. Steele raised her eyebrows slightly over the rim of her glasses. "I have no sister," she answered, simply, "no relative. I am alone in the world." By a gesture Sergla signified that she had no more to say, and Mrs. Steele went out of the library, closing the door behind her. Sergla and I looked at each other. "She is old," I acknowledge, cheerfully?"a score of years older than Mme. Deland's drawing teacher?and her likeness to that person grows beautifully less in the light of day. I will never speak of the matter again, Serpie?beyond all question your Wolfsden housekeeper knows nothing of Miss Dee." "All the same," said Sergla, in a troubled voice, "that unlucky resemblance will be quite enough, I fear, to Bpoll your visit here." '1 will shut my eyes whenever I encounter Mrs. Steele," I answered. "And you know I cannot remain long at Wolfsden?not more than a week or two, at most. It is not best?I must po out into the world and find work." Sergla burst into indignant protest. "Work? Not for months and months to come, dear! If you love me, you will not talk of such a thing. What! leave Wolfsden, and wreck all my summer's happiness with your flight?? ieave Wolfsden, when Sir Grflln Hopewood has already bent the knee to pour beauty? There is not another ;irl living- who would not thrill with lelight at the prospect of bringing a real live lord to her feet! Where can rou be so happy?so free from danger ?as with me, your chosen friend?" Where, indeed? My heart throbbed, my cheeks burned. "Were Mrs. Steele the real Miss Dee in disguise, she could never harm pou in thiB house," went on Sergia; 'this is my kingdom, and you are safe in it, Hazel?always safe. I need you infinitely, and I shall not let you go? [ cannot. Say that you will stay, Jear." The resolution to leave Wolfsden, fvhich I had made that morning, meltsd like wax in a flame. Surely I had been foolish to listen to the girl Jael, who was, by her own admission, the Foster-daughter of the Blackbirds?the sweetheart of a thief. Was she not to be distrusted rather than believed? [ threw myself Into Sergia's arms. "I will say anything?do anything? to please you," I cried, and we embraced fervently. As I felt Sergia's kisses on my face, Sergia's exultant little laugh In my ear, I never dreamed?how could I??that I had set the leal to my own fate! An hour later, as Sergia was showing me about the great garden at Wolfsden, where cool shadows lingered sven at midday, Francis Heron and his "preaching friend" Joined us. We were resting in a green alley, strewn with fallen petals of mock-oringe. A dazzling gown of white In11a wool sheathed Sergia's perfect figure; an antique girdle of silver and 5namel clasped her waist. She wore a white hat and long, wrinkled white rloves. and carried a huge parasol of the same color, with a single garden iiy tied In Its shining ribbon. As she made room for Mr. Vivian on the garJen bench by her side he shook his (lead regretfully. 'T could not pass the gate of "WolfsJen," he said, "without stopping to make sure that you had not suffered from the shock of last night; but unfortunately I have an errand In another quarter of the town?I cannot stay." To be Continued SKILL IN CRIME. Notable Race Between the Burglar and the Inventor. Crime keeps pace with civilization, changes in the habits and customs of mankind lead to new offenses, while some good old stand-bys have become unpopular. First, some cautious person invented an Iron burglar-proof safe; immediately, declares a writer in Appleton's, the cracksman invented himself. This declared a war of wits between the safemaker and the safebreaker. The door to the original safe fitted in straight, like any ordinary Joor. They were so easy to open, by means of a Jimmy, that they did not furnish the burglar with common amusement. It was unsportsmanllk . The wedge-shaped door was somewhat more difficult, until the cracksmaa found a way to manage it. Then Mr. inventor devised a combination lock, and thought he had utterly outwitted the thief. But the no less ingenious thief bought him one, and mercilessly studied out its weakness. At first he did not attempt to break the loclt but devoted hlmsplf to hlowlnar it i?nc-n. This was child's play. He puttied up the crack all the way around the door, except a tiny hole at top and bottom. At the bottom hole he set a small shelf of very fine powder. To the op hole he attached a vacuum pump. By exhausting the air from the safe he created a strong current at the lower hole, which sucked in the powder. Then he fired the safe. That was all The safemaker met this advanced method by corrugating the door to his safe and fitting It with rubber, so as to make it air tight. The cracksman took another twist in his art, used acid, destroyed the rubber, and again blew open the safe. As safe doors were made harder and harder, so did Mr. Cracksman make his drills of finer and finer temper. But all of these methods were accompanied by more or less noise, and the cracksman dislikes notoriety. So he began to experiment with the combination lock and speedily found a means to open It. The cracksman took the little finger on his left hand and kept it bandaged for weeks so as to make it highly sensitive to the touch. Then he pared his nail down Into the very quick, laying the nerve centres bare. Thus without drills or powder he was able to open a safe by placing the sensitive end of his finger against the lock, while he slowly turned the combination. So keen and delicate had his sense of touch become that he could feel when each tumbler dropped into position. The safe would be opened, rifled and clos ed again, leaving no sign to show how the trick was turned. The cracksman was tickled mightily with the mystery and bewilderment he left behind him. The safemaker invented new safes, one after another, which could not be broken in the same old way; the highgrade cracksmen bought them, one after another, took them to his quiet workshop, studied every detail of their construction, and found new ways to break them. Neck to neck ran the armorplate of protection and the highpower guns of attack. *X1T4<ir>?<(KX?'CNM-C?r>?4 | Home Course I Mod S XV.?Breedin | By C. V. C Agricultural Division, X Copyright, 1908, by Ami The science of breeding is veryl ?* w??# ?kA?*A oro anrno nnlntn I UUllipilUllCU, UUb iU?l? ?iv WVCMV r? that should be understood and followed by every farmer. No matter how well stock may be fed and cared for, If they do not have the Inherited capacity to transform their feed economically Into milk or beef or power they will always be "scrubs." On the other hand, poor feeding1 and care may make a scrub out of an animal which has the inherited ability to develop into something much better. To attain the best results breeding, feeding and Intelligent care must go hand in hand. Pure bred stock not only have the ability to make much more profitable use of the food given them, but they also add greatly to the appearance of the place. A pasture dotted with well bred, uniform calves, colts or sheep marks the owner as a progressive farmer. There Is a great deal more pleas ure, too, in caring: for grood stocK tnan there is in vainly trying: to set unprofitable animals into market condition. ,.,-r^vM MM v?oeu^^y "* 7d*~ no. XXIX?THI WAY A PAT BEEP ANIMAL 18 CUT UP. iNoie the high prices of the back and loin. J The first thing to consider in starting with pure bred stock is what oaiA?f On not make a hasty UX CCU iW ?V1?W. ?-?. .... ? _ choice, for nothing will ruin your chances of success more certainly than frequent changes from one breed to another. Select your breed with care and then stick to It. All the leading breeds have good points, and the matter of selection Is more a question of Individual preference than anything else. In beginning with pure bred stock the best plan for the average farmer to follow is to purchase a pure bred male of the desired breed and proceed to grade up his herd. There are two principles of breeding that should be 1 nrnrlr Tho first Ikcpi III UI1I1U 4*1 lino ??w? *?>w ? I h the old law that "like produces like." In1 the main this Is w holds good, and, other things being equal, thp nffanrlng will resemble the parents. The second Is the law of "atavism," or the tendency of the offspring to take after some remote ancestor. This is where the value of the pure bred sire comes In. His ancestors for generations have been animals of the same type as himself, and hence there Is little chance of his progeny differing from this type to any serious extent. This long continued breeding along a certain line gives to the pure bred animal an abll" ~ ? ? ?" Wl? *tFna Via f fhi) I liy to repruuuvc mo ijr ^ ??. .... grade sire lacks. This ability is called prepotency. , Because of his great prepotency a pure bred bull when mated to grade cows has much more influence over the characters of his offspring than the mothers have. This is most strikingly shown when a polled bull is mated to horned cows. Nine out of every ten of the calves will usually be polled. It is the same with other char a. 1 -iinKIIUir fn nulnlrlv turn uuiensutn?uic auimj iw 4U.VL.J com into high priced beef or to use the feed for profitable milk and butter production. Of course, if the cows are pure bred also there is less chance of the calves resembling some inferior ancestor on their mother's side, and improvement will be more rapid and certain. The cost of an entire herd of pure breds is very great, however, and profits will come more surely by the grading up plan. After this has been carried on for a time, so that the farmer has some experience in breeding and caring for high class stock, a gradual start In pure bred females may be made by buying a cow and calf or a few yearling heifers. As the offspring of these increase the number of pure breds in the herd the grades can gradually be disposed of until an entire pure bred herd finally results. In the selection of a sire to begin grading up a herd it is important that he be of the type which it is desired to reproduce in the offspring. The most important things to look for in a beef bull are constitution, form, quality and thick fleshing. Of these constitution is probably the most important, as a bull that is strong in this point will have the ability to sire a large number of rugged, healthy calves. Constitution Is indicated by a deep, wide chest; large "barrel," giving plenty of room for the digestive organs; good sized nostrils and a large, clear eye. A point that must go with constitution if the best results are to be obtained is prepotency. Prepotency means the ability-of a sire to reproduce his good points in his offspring. It is indicated by a heavy crest and a masculine looking head. A bull that has a fine, feminine appearance head will not be at all certain of producing good calves, even though he is a good individual himself. Constitution and prepotency are of little account, however, unless the bull has the proper form. The back and hind quarters of a beef animal are the parts that produce the high priced meat. Great width all along the back, especially over the loin; good spring of rib, plenty of depth and short legs are points that should be looked for. Long legged bulls are usually narrow and rangy. The legs are of little value as meat, so the shorter they are the better^ Quality Is shown by fineness of hair, pliability of hide and not too much coarseness of shoulder, head and bone. An animal with good quality will furnish a better grade of meat, and there will be less waste in killing. Thickness of flesh is one of the most important points to look for. By this n I era Agriculture. j ig Live Stock. | IREGORY, J Iowa State College. 5 erlcan Press Association. ^ Is meant not fat, but the natural covering of lean meat Fat can be put on during the feeding 'period, but lean meat cannot. An animal that is thickly muscled at the beginning of the feeding period will furnish a carcass that will be well marbled with streaks of fat and lean, while another on the same feed will put most of his fat on in the form of tallow. These same points are the essential ones to look for in the selection of a ram or boar. Strong constitution, wide, deep, blocky form, fine quality and thick fleshing are just as important in these animals as In the bull. Of course It will be imDOSslble to And an animal that Is. perfect in all points. If the females In your herd are badly lacking In any particular be sure to select a male that Is especially strong there. On the other hand, a slight weakness on the part of the sire in a place where the females are especially strong may be overlooked. An animal that has any very serious faults, however, should not be considered for a moment. Dairy bulls lack the fleshing and compactness that characterize beef animals. Low setness and extra width of back are not so essential. Constitution, as shown by a deep chest, wide on the bottom and a roomy barrel, Is important. A clean head, smooth shoulder, fine limbs and pliable skin show the quality that is so necessary in a dairy animal. The most important point is prepotency. A strong chest, masculine head and large rudimentary teats are all indications of this. The best way to forecast a dairy bull's prepotency, however. Is to look ud the milk and butter producing records of his dam and granddams. A bull out of a high producing cow will almost certain beget heifers that will be high yielders. The most Important points to look no. XXX?A TYPICAL DRAFT HOBSR. for in draft horses, which are the moat profitable kind to ral8e on the farm, are power and endurance. Power is indicated by aize, compactneaa and heavy muscling, especially in the hind quarters. Endurance is shown by a strong constitution and fine quality, especially of limbs. Strict observance of these points in the selection of a sire of any kind will give you an animal that will In a few years bring about a great improvement in your herd. Pedigree should not be neglected, entirely in picking out a sire. Its chief value is in show Ing that the animal Is pure bred and that his ancestors were of the type which you wish to develop In your herd. To determine the latter point, however, requires a longer study of herd books than most farmers have time for. If you put the chief stress upon the Individuality of the animal and file the pedigree away in a drawer where It can be referred to when necessary you will not go far wrong. When you have found an animal of the desired type do not hesitate too long over the price. A hundred and fifty dollars may look like a big price to pay for a bull, but an increase of |2 a head in the value of the calf crop will pay for him In two or three years. In many cases you may be able to Join with two or three of your nearest neighbors in the purchase of a bull, thus not only saving money, but also obtaining a better animal than you would be able to secure otherwise. This applies with still more force to the purchase of a stallion. In many communities It Is Impossible to secure the services of a flrst-class horse of any breed. In such a case If fifteen or twenty farmers will agree upon a breed and subscribe $100 each a horse can be procured that will almost pay for himself In the increased value of his first crop of colts. To be Continued IN THE CONGO. Traveler Explains How the Troubles or missionaries nro?e. Consul General Wheatley, of the Congo Free State, who was seen at the New Wlllard by a Washington Herald reporter, spoke In regard to the reported request made of Secretary Bacon by a representative of the Southern Presbyterian church that an investigation be made into the circumstances of the trial of certain American missionaries In the Congo Free State for libel, in connection with their reports of the condition of the natives, and said: "The trouble seems to have arisen from the fact that certain Protestant missionaries In the Congo, who apparently have little sympathy with the language, laws or religion of the Belgians, have wanted to run the country according to their own ideas, and have used indiscreet language about Belgian officers who disagreed with them. "Acording to the accounts which we have from trustworthy sources in the Congo, Count Ferdinand de Grunne, who is a young man ol high reputation, and a member of one of the best families in Belgium,-found it his duty, for the maintenance of public order to compel certain natives who were loafing about the American Presbyterian mission at Luebo to return to the tribes to which they belonged? Just as the American government compels the Indians to stay on their reservations. For this action some of the American missionaries seem to have called him names, and brought charges for cruelty, and even cf slaveraldlng, against him. It seems that the Rev. Mr. Morrison, of the American Presbyterian mission, was the chief person with whom Count de Grunne had disputations. The Count de Grunne brought suit for libeL" 80UTH CAROLINA PRIZE CORN. Interesting Review of Recent Contests In Cherokee and York. That the lands of South Carolina are capable of producing large crops of corn was again demonstrated last season through the contests for the cash prizes offered in different counties, and in which many of the growers en gaged. The yield* made did not surpass the record* of the state?for South Carolina has produced the largest crops of corn grown in the entire country, and in 1889 one of its acres sent to market two hundred and fifty-live bushels of shelled corn?but uniformly the growers made good crops and the average yield was high. Cherokee and York, neighboring counties on the northern border of the state and In the section of country reached by the lines of the Southern railway, both had contests of this character, the Merchants and Planters ' Bank of Oalfney having tendered $60 in gold to the successful contestant in Cherokee county, while the Farmers' Union offered three prises amounting to $276 for the competition of the growers In York county. In the Chernl">? Kninito Annluta than war* uvan. teen entries, Mr. O. P. Hill winning first prise for the greatest yield of corn from one acre of upland by the growing of one hundred and twentyone bushels. Three of the other contestants also grew more than one hundred bushels to an acre, Mr. E. R. Cash being second with one hundred and sixteen bushels, Mr. M. B. Scruggs third with one hundred and twelve bushels, and Mr. T. C. Petty fourth, with one hundred and seven bushels. Tn nil thlrtAAn hnnrirM n.nd elrhtv-foiir bushels of corn were produced on the seventeen acres in the competition, the average yield being more than eightyone bushels. Mr. Hill, the successful contestant, grew his crop on a piece of gray upland with red clay subsoil on which be had made one hundred and seven bushels of corn in 1907. His profit on the crop, not Including the fodder and peas which were also grown on the acre, was 196. In Vnpk pftiintv there were rIt con testants, the number undoubtedly beIn? largely reduced owing to the announcement of the prize* being made after the farmers generally had prepared their land* for corn and many had finished planting. In spite of this disadvantage the average yield of the prize acres was sixty-nine bushels, Mr. C. H. Smith taking first place and $136 with a yield of eighty-eight 1 bushels. Including the stover, Mr. Smith figured a profit of $43.30 from his crop, while Mr. Land, who was awarded third prize, through a yield of more than sixty-six bushels, submitted a statement showing his prise acre to have netted $54.30. Both Cherokee and York counties will have prizes for the best crops of 1909. In common with other southern farm properties, lands In this section are selling' at much lower prices than In the north and west, offering to homeseekers fine opportunities of securing good properties at attractive figures.?Southern Field. ORIENTAL METHOD8. A Turkish Liberal Strangled and His Head 8ent to Abdul-Haipid. In a recent number of the American Magazine, N. C. Adossides wrote, from personal observations and private knowledge, a remarkable character sketch of the sultan of Turkey. Among other things he told a story of how the sultan is known to have taken human life with his own hands. The article was called in question by a Pittsburg critic. Here is a part of Mr. Adossldes's answer: "I ask you before going further, if you know the sultan personally. If you answer yes, then I shall hasten to reply that if his majesty haa enchanted and delighted you with his cunning, charming manner, you are not the only dupe of Abdul-Hamld, as hundreds of people that I could enumerate to you have been In the same manner deceived by this tricky, genial, Asiatic despot. The sultan's cruel and criminal policy is nothing new to the world. I shall even call it a history of the past which has been stigmatized by all fair people of humane feelings that love justice and freedom. "I should rather advise you to read the Rlue Rooks of the British forelan office published in 1905, 1906 and 1907, and also become familiar with the speeches by the great old Mr. Gladstone; in the house of commons as prime minister of Great Britain he had the courage to call Abdul-Hamid 'the greatest assassin of all assassins.' "Can you deny to me, sir, the Armenian massacres, or are you aware that 360,000 people have been annihilated by Abdul-Hamid and his odious, criminal camarilla? If you do not deny the Armenian massacres, how then, can you defend Abdul-Hamid, and be astonished for my saying that he has killed this young Clrcassan odalisque for a trilling incident which I have described In this article of mine and which was narrated to me by a Turkish ambassador now abroad at one of the European courts, who was on duty In the lobbies of the palace the night of the occurrence. "Besides, sir, you must not forget that not only the Armenians have suffered by this tyranny of political and racial suffocation. The Mohammedans also, the Turks themselves, have endured untold agonies or wmcn tne world knows little; but the time la coming when these things will become public for the benefit of all. "I advise you to read the memoirs of the g.eat Liberal Prime Minister Midhat Pasha, the father of the Ottoman constitution, a personal friend of my late father, with whom he had worked a great many years, and letters of whom are today in my possession. I advise you to read this book, because I want you to read the story told by his son as how his father, Midhat Pasha, was strangled and his head sent to Abdul-Hamid, In order that he would be certain that this great, liberal man, an obstacle to himself, had disappeared. "Before closing I must add that you are one of the very, very few defenders of Abdul-Hamid left on the surface of the earth. His greatest rascals, who have stolen and robbed him for thirty years, hate him. We have suffered too much In order not to be Irritated at the Idea that Abdul-Hamid could be defended."