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?Mfa flcT? g.t.i ? . . - ^~ fjg I ^^^^ I] The Gu I Of Mo: \?\ M & & By SI ? ?vi I y fe i t. |g? [COXTI?UKD.] HI B CHAPTEE XVIII. STRANGE AND COMPLICATED. Ernie Ne?el dreamed that he waa great general and that he was up? on the eve of an engagement He gained a view of the commander of tlie opposing army, and he saw that it was the Duke of Tula. Yet the ? dnke had an enormous hump upon his back, and instead of tbe usual ^uniform he wore the garb of a priest This was very strange--at least so ran Rune's thoughts in the . ?ream. Soon the engagement com- j -zmenced, and the loud mouthed ar? tillery opened its thunder. The din was deafening and strange, and Eu? lie shouted in vain to bis aids, for the roar of cannon drank up his words direct from his Hps. Louder and more loud grew the crash, and finally Eurie started for the charge, ffis horse was shot under him, and, with a quick leap, he reached his feet . "Eurie, Eurie, my master!" Slowly the youth opened his eyes, ind Paul stood by him in his night? clothes. He gazed about n?m and lound that he had leaped from his bed and now stood shivering upon :the, floor. "Don't you hear that racket at the door?", asked Paul. "What ?" Ha ? There is some one knocking," Eurie uttered as he nea rd the sound. *'And have you not heard it be? fore ?" ?So? "Why did you leap up thus FV "I was dreaming/' "I thought 'twas the noise below. Why, they've been making a perfect thunder of noise down there. Shall I go-down?" ? "Yes, go, Paul, and I will dress as soon as possible. What time is kr* "lt must be near daybreak." And thus speaking Paul turned ?and went to his own room, where he threw on an cuter garment, ard <Jteth?n lie went down. At thc dcor he j -found a siov.t man wrapped* up in ' furs, while close by stood a sledge with two horses attached to it. In the east the golden tints of morn were already visible. o' * >f "A gunmaker named Neve! lives here, does he not?" asked the appli? cant after having first made some passing remark on the trouble he ?ad had in starting some one up. Paul feared that there might be something out of the way, but he 4are? not tell a falsehood where it could not possibly be of any use, so he answered in the affirmative. ""Then let me see him as speedily as "possible." <:He is preparing to come down, sir. if von will walk in, vou mav see him ven- soon." The stranger followed the boy in? to the kitchen, where it was quite warm, the fire in the furnace hav? ing been burning all night, lire * long Eurie came down,- and the vis? itor started up. "How!" uttered the gunmaker, starting forward and extending his ^Efbd. "Demetrius?" "Aye, my friend," the Greek re? plied, with a smile. "I am an early visitor, eb ?" ""I should say so. But early or late you are welcome." "Thank you. But we must not -spend much time herc now. My --sledge is here at vour door, and I wish you to accompany mc." "But wherefore is this?" asked -tile youth in surprise. "What has ha? "ned now?" * . .1 tell you. Last night Olga, the duke, came to see the emperor. J had just been giving his majesty some exercise at the sword, so I sFsxs present at the interview. The -?tikc wished for power to airest you, and in explanation of the request Jbe stated that von were at the head mi ?f a band of robbers here in the city and that you had already committed several robberies. I needn't tell you ?ii he said, but he made you out to Ise a most unmitigated villain, and -+*i\h this the emperor granted his request. Olga wished for power to execute you at once, but Peter would '3iot go so far as that. He gave the power of arrest, but ordered the dake to bring you before him." Eurie stood for a few moments like one confounded. "Then he must carry me to the emperor," he said at length. "Ah," returned Demetrius, with a dubious shake of the head, "be not too sure of that. I saw a look upon iss face when he turned away that meant more than he dared to speak. .Assure as fate, he never means that jon shall see the emperor. ? know it-? saw it in his evil eve." scow fLVAN?S COBB, Jr. ?????? -? e . ... . . jg} Q*o "But will he dare disobey the or? der ?" ? "Yes, for he hopes to escape by falsehood. How easy, for him to swear that he had to kill you to take you!" "I see? I see!"-uttered Rurie. "Then come with me.". "Did the emperor send you?" "No; but I take the responsibili? ty. I will take you to him myself. Be sure the duke's hirelings will be here before long. Trust to me, and all shall be well." Ruric pondered a few moments, and he saw that his friend wa< right. "Let me go and see my mother/' he said? "and then ? will go with you." "But make haste," urged the Greek, "for the duke's men may be here soon, and I do not wish them to see you. And tell your mother toinform whoever may call that she knows not where you are gone, but that vou wiil be back bv night." The youili nodded assent and* then went into his mother's room, where he explained to her what had happened and what he was about to do. "And how long must these things be?" the mother uttered, gazing ea? gerly upon her son.. "Xot long," returned Ruric. "I may do much toward settling tb.?. matter today. But fear not, for 1 am now safe and shall be until I see you .again." The widow promised all that her son asked and soon 'became assured that all was well, but Paul was left with the duty of attending to those who might come for Ruric, though they might see the widow if they persisted. The boy promised to tell align?t asked for his master that he was gone away on business and would not return till evening. The mother came out before Eu? rie was ready to start, and her ex? amination of the Greek's counte? nance seemed to be satisfactory, for the anxious look left her face, and she looked upon the visitor kindly. As Ruric entered the sledge the dawn of day was plainly announced in the east and the stars were paling in the sky. The Greek did not take the direct road to the Kremlin, but struck off lo the westward and sq entered by thc Neglina. An hour later a party of five men drove up to the gunmakers cot. They were'dark, villainous looking men, and murder was plainly stamp? ed upon their faces. They entered thc dwelling, but they found not their prey. They stormed and swore, but to no purpose, and when they were convinced that the gunmaker was not there they went away. / An hour later still another par? ty drove up to the same cot. It consisted of two men in a double sledge, one of whom was Vladimir, ilie monk. The fat, mystic man en? tered thc cot. and there he remained for some time. When he came out, the widow and Paul accompanied him, and they all got into the sledge and drove off together. What did it mean? ******* It was noon. The proud duke was once more alone in his private room, and lie was pacing uneasily to and fro. There was a cloud upon his brow and trouble in his soul. His lips were (irmly set and his hands clinched. Ever and anon he mut? tered to himself, aricVwhen he did so his hands would work nervously and emphatically. He looked often at his watch, and often he stopped near the door and hearkened. At length came that troll known shuffling, uncertain, ca.: e tread. He threw open his door, and the dark priest glided in. "Ha. Savotano, Tve waited for you," the duke uttered, sinking into a chair, for his nervous walking had made him weary. "Now tell me the work is done. Oh, for God's sake, don't tell me again of failure!" "Alas, my lord" "Hold, Savotano! By the host of hosts, you are not going to tell me of failure!" "Not really a failure, my lord/* the priest returned nervorsly, "but our men did not find the gunmaker at home. Ile had gone when we got there, and no one knew where." "No one knew? Did not his mother know ?" "No. She said he did not tell her where he was going. He only left word that lie was going on business and should not return till evening." "By heavens, I think he has fled!" "No, my lord, I do not think so. I think he must have had business." "But what time were you there?" "Shortly after sunrise!"" "And lie gone then?" "Aye! He h*d been gone an hour." "It looks suspicious. But the m must be there this evening, shall not escape me now." "'"here is no fear of that, i lord. I will see that he is app: hended as soon as he returns." "Right. Savotano, right! And n< to the other matter. I am to married this afternoon!" "Ah! So soon?" "Yes; I waste no more tin What is the use?" "None, my lord-none at all." "Then you must remain, for t ; ceremony shall be performed as soi as possible." "And does the countess know ! your determination?" j "Yes. She knew it ere she retir last night. I told her she shou not escape again till she could car my name with her. By the rna; sir, she sealed her own doom! B ha, ha ! The Duke of Tula will ha his coffers filled again. Money mu come somehow, and how else so ea fly as this?" "Sure enough," returned tl priest, with that old, coarse, wie ?d smile; sure enough, my lord how ?" "In no way. l?o. FD put the se upon thal budget and stamp it mine! So here you remain until am married. Today-until that ce emony is performed i am not sui But tomorrow they cannot harm m Oh. she shall be mine, Savotam Today she is my wife, tonight si shares my bed, and tomorrow a heaven and earth and hell combine cannot undo the work.* I have wai ed long enough. I have worked an schemed and have puzzled my brai to one great purpose, and yet eac step 1 had marked out has faile me. DamonofT lives, the gunmakc lives, the black monk lives-but too, live! Ha! I live, Savotam and now the work shall be done as : might have been done at first had been so disposed !" The duke had arisen to his fee while speaking thus, and his mar ner had been frantic and excit?e As he ceased speaking he sank int his chair and gazed the priest in th face. He was all iron now. Ever nerve and muscle was set, and fierce determination was in his sou ******* There is one more scene- in th ducal palace, and it goes on at th very time while the duke and hi tool were together. Vladimir, the monk, was in thi chamber of the countess.- and tin fair oceujjant and her maid wer< there with him. "A nd you are sure he means ic make you his wife today,*'' said tht monk in continuation of a conver? sation whioh had been going on io: some moments; "that he Trill hav< thc ceremony performed whethej you consent or not ?" "Yes, sir." the connies? murmur; ed. She gazed into the strange man's face a few moments after she had: spoken, and then, startins quickly up, she threw herself upci: her knees before him. "Oh," she cried, with her elaspec1 hands raised toward him, "can you not help me in this bitter moment i Do not say so. Oh. I know you have some strange power, and you maj help me. You cannot know the misery 1 suffer. Oh, earth has nc pangs more cruel! In all the lona catalogue of woes there is nothing more bitter* Sir"-and the maiden raised both hands toward haaven as she thus continued-"sooner than be that man's wife I would with my own hand let my lifeblood out were not the act a sin against my God! But you may help me." "Alas, lady, I cannot assure you now." "Oh, say not so! You can Itel]) me flee from here; YOU can find some hiding place - some place where my days can be spent in safe? ty from this great evil." "But how can I help YOU awav, lady?" "Because you know some secret entrance to the palace. You know some secret passage, else you would not be here now." "True," the monk replied in a per}) lex ed tone, "I do know such a way, for by that way I ea m e. and by that way shall I return, but I can? not convey you away 'hus. I am s?Vry 1 hat" Tlie monk stopped here, for at that moment a heavy footfall sound? ed without. He had started up from his seat when the door opened and the stout duke entered. The count? ess uttered one low, quick cry and sank down. She would have sunk to the floor had not Zenobie caught her and bore her to the couch. The monk stood erect, with his anns folded across his breast, but his right hand was hidden within the bosom of his robe. Thc duke started back like one thunderstruck, and it was some moments ere he could gain the power ol' speech. He turtled first pale as death, and then the blood mounted, hotly, fiercely to his brow. "By the Ii\ ing God," he gasped in j a hissing, frantic tone, "how came i ye here ?" "To learn of your wickedness, ? Duke of Tula," calmly responded Vladimir. "Ha! Do you beard me in my j very palace, dog? But you have ven i tureci here once too often. As sure I as there is life in me. you go not j hence alive!" j uHold, Olga!'* spoke the mont, and so strange and powerful was the j tone that, though the duke hud turned toward the door, vet lie stOD ped. "This lady tells me you mean to aalce her your wife. Is it so ?" "Out., accursed monk! Who gave thee right to question me?" "By my soul, proud duke, you shall know that anon. But listen. If you force this lady to that thing, you do it ut your peril! You had better seek the fabled potion of the gods and drink and be a dog than do that thing!" "Hold a moment, monk!" cried the duke, now nearly blind with pas? sion.* "You go not hence alive! What, ho, there! Without, I say! Zenobie, pull that bellcord-quick! Back, monk! You pass not here alive! What, ho! Without, there !" "Beware, Olga!" spoke the monk as calmly as before, at the same time drawing a heavy pistol from his bosom and cocking it. "I would shoot you as I would a dog! Offer me one motion of impediment to my passage, and vou die on the in? stant!" Instinctively the duke moved to one side. There was something in the look and tone of the strange man that he dared not cope with then. The monk passed out, but as soon as he was gone the duke sprang to the bellcord and pulled it till he broke it. In a few moments more the servants came rushing in. "'Out, dogs," the madman shout? ed, "and stop that monk from leav? ing the palace! Kill him on the spot where you find him if he dares to offer the least resistance! Kill him! TOM have my orders, and I am alone responsible!" Thus speaking, the duke rushed from the apartment to start up more of his household. First to the gate of the court he went. But the monk was not there, nor had he been there. Then he rushed to the postern, but that was locked, and the snow was untrodden before it. He returned to the hall, and one by one the servants came back from the search. No monk could be found ! At first Olga was tempted to be? lieve that his servants deceived him. But he quickly set that thought aside, for he could see by their coun? tenances that they were as much astonished as he. The search was renewed, but the strange man was not to bc found! There was some wonder and sonic uneasiness. [TO BE CONTINUED.] VERY LENGTHY SHAVES. Razor Travels 3Iany Miles Over tbe Average Man'* Face. The ?istauce a man shaves in an av? erage lifetime, or the distance his ru v.QV travels over his face, will be a sur? prise to mose people. From a multi? tude of examples an average measure? ment around tue chin from eur to ear is found to be twelve and one-half inches. From where the beard starts on the throat to the chin and thence tG the edge of the upper lip is four and one-half inches. You must reckon that it is necessary to give two strokes of the razor to each inch or fraction o? an inch in order to cover all the sur? face and go over etch section of the face twice in order to secure a clean surface. So. multiplying the number of strokes by the number of limes the ra? zor is passed over the entire face, you get the figure 4. and lour times the two above mentioned measurements gives you the figures GO aud 18 respec? tively, which, added together, produce GS. Therefore the average man, wheth? er dark or fair, shaves 04 inches every twenty-four hours. With these figures we arrive at the result that every man i wearing only a mustache shaves 2,0?S' feet 4 inches per year. Taking, then, the average life at seventy years and that the fair man starts shaving at eighteen and the dark niau a year ear? lier, or at seventeen, we have the fol? lowing result: That a fair man. if be lives till he is seventy, will shave in the course of his life 20 miles G50 yards 4 inches. The ?ark mau. if he lives till he is seventy, will shave in the course of hi* life 20 miles U>4U yards 1 foot S inches. -Kansas City Independent. A Good Place to Avoid. In the northern Shan slates, on the border of Burma, ther?? is a tribe called the Wild Was. These people propitiate with human skulis the demons whom they worship. Outside every village in their country there are ina ny posts, all in one line, deckel with human skulls:. A niche ls cut In the back of each post, with a lexine on wkich the skull can rest and grin through a hole in front of lt. Every vii la se has a dozen and gome as many :is :? hundred ot these head pnsis. Fresh sku?s ?re in special request at harvest i::ue and are pur? chased fer large S?M?^. those o?* distin? guished visitor* U?iit?-particularly de ?ired. Tbe Te*?*brr*? I'nuH. Teacher-Why. Freddy, how did yov- j get those black and blue welts ou your j arm? Scholar-Them's your fault, teacher. ! Teacher-My fault? What do yoi? | m "an? Scholar (sobbing reminiscently j - i Why. you told me it was a poor rule J that didn't work both ways. So when i I went home 1 took pa's new two foot j rule thal doubles up on a hinge and \ bent it back till it worked both ways, and then na said I'd broken the joints, j and he went and got his razor strop. STORY OF M OYSTER TOLD BY HIMSELF ABOUT HIMSELF AND HIS TRIBE. Thc Trial? and Tribulations of the Sncculent Bivalve From the Time of Planting? Until His Appearance on the Fishmonger's Counter. There were about 900,000 of us when, as tiny flakes of spawn-or "spat," as the oyster spawn is called-we floated out into the water one day on "the flats." At first we were white and apparent? ly lifeless. Then we turned gray and finally black. At this stage we became visibly alive. For severai days we floated, the sport of waves and tides. Some of my brothers were camed out to s* ? and so vanished; others were swallowed by fish. At last we all be? gan instinctively to Bink toward the bottom. Then began again terrible destruc? tion. Many fell on mud-the most fa? tal thing a young oyster can do. These perished at once. Others attached themselves to plants and weeds which grow at the bottom of the sea. They lived for a time-so long at least as the plant remained alive. Then, when the plant died, they perished as well. Fortunately for myself, I drifted on to a bit of "cuiten"-that is to say, one of the old shells which the dredgers and oyster men so carefully scatter all over the sea floor of an oyster bed. 1 settled with my deep shell uppermost and my flat or right shell nearer the ground. At the time I did not know why I did this. 1 have since realized that it was because in that position I should be more easily able to eject the sand and grit which a rough sea some? times stirs up in shallow water. I at? tached myself firmly to my anchorage of "cuiten" and felt mygelf at last fair? ly started in life. Soon I noticed that every single mor? sel of shell or stone around me was tenanted by tiny oysters, all lying in the same position as myself and all firmly anchored. There I lay, unmoving, for nearly a year. Food, in the shape of tiny ani? ma Icuhe. which an oyster loves best, was pl ntiful. When the water was thick with it. we all opened our shells wide, and, making currents in the wa? ter by means of the tiny hairs which fringe our gills and which men call our beards, we washed the dainties into our mouths. Our choicest delicacies were the minute green algae, which give to full grown oysters that greenish tinge that is the mark of the aristo? cratic native. When I first anchored myself, I was but the twentieth of an inch in diame? ter-so small, indeed, that a microscope would have been necessary *to examine me. At that stage my shell was per? fectly transparent. At the end of ten .months i had in- ! creased in diameter to fully the size of a dime and become what is called '.brood:' During all this time I had been learn- J ing many things. I found out that it was necessary to close my shell tight when dangers of various kinds threat? ened, when the tide was low or, in win? ter, when frost was severe. You may perhaps imagine that an oyrter is a creature o? such low organism that it cannot see or feel much of what is go? ing on round about it. But you are wrong. The mantle, fringe of an oyster is very sensitive. If you watched us from a boat in calm water, you would see that the mere'shadow of the beat crossing an oyster bed will cause those of us upon whom it falls to close our shells immediately. It was necessary to be most careful. Dangers were many and terrible. Sea ft urchins prowled among us and de? voured many. But of all our foes the worst is the five fingered starfish. One of my sisters, anchored not a yard away, fell a victim to this terror of the oyster beds, lt clutched her with its long fingers. She closed her shell. But the creature was not to be shak? en off. Hour after hour it clung there uutil on the second day after its first grip she, poor thing, opened her shell to get a mouthful of food. At once the ' starfish injected into her a fluid which stupefied her sc tbat she could not close again. Then the monster turned itself inside out, shot itself into the open shell and devoured her. Then, one day a year after I had floated as "spat.*' came a startling change in my existence. Something huge and heavy came out of the shad? ow of a boat above and approached, rasping and grating alqng the bottom. It was a great triangular dredge of wrought iron. At the bottom was a flat bar with a blunt edge, known to the dredgers as the "bit." As the "bit" approached it scraped the bottom of the sea clean, and next instant I. too, found myself lifted and dropped into the net, together with hundreds like myself and a miscel? laneous collection of small soles and Other things. One of the men sorted over the catch and. having selected il) the oysters and spat, "shaded" the rest back into the sea through a porthole I. in comnany with enormous quan? tities of ot**r brood, was put into a "wash"-a measure holding five and :i quarter gallons-and relaid. Here life was* less eventful and food most plen? tiful. To fatten well an oyster must have a certain amount of fresh water. In this*snug retreat I passed from brood to half ware and from half ware to ware, or full grown oyster. But I still went on growing and developing, until one day the dredge swept me np again, and I was raised once more into the upper air and rapidly brought in. I was then dropped ip** a large bag and suspended iu :i tank ?>f frosh sea w.-iicr. which is constantly, renewed. Then- I await my final fate, which will. I fear, he a fishmong -r's counter. New York News. Ten men have fallet] defects :i: morals where otu- !n> ':. <: from ce frets in intellect. Wann NOT IN THE BIBLE. Quotations Popularly Attributed to the Good Book. "There arc a number of sentences Eot in the Bible which everybody thinks are there," said a clergyman. "Tho chief of these sentences is. 'He tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.'' You would search the Bible pretty thoroughly before you would find that sentence in it. Where you would find, it would be in Sterne's 'Sentimental Journey.' "Sterne gets a good deal of praise for the origination of this sentence, but it was originated, as a matter of fact,, before he w-as born. In a collection of French proverbs published in 15?-1 we find, 'Dieu mesure le vent a la brebfr* t ndue.' That convicts Sterne of pla? giarism. "Tn the midst of life we are in death.' Everybody thinks that is in the Bible. It isn't, though. It is in the burial service. ** 'That he who runs may read.' This ls another sentence supposed, wrongly, to be Biblical. It is not Biblical, though the Bible has something very like it-namely, 'That he may nm that readeth.' '*'Prone to sin as the sparks fly up? ward.' The Bible nowhere contains those words. "'A nation shall be born in a day.' The nearest thing to that in the Good Book is, 'Shall a nation be born at. once?' " ChansriiiK a Snake Into a Hod. In a volume on the snakes of Egypi Hippolyte Boussac states that the in? cident referred to in the Scriptures of changing a snake into a rod is still practiced by the snake charmers. They touch the snake at a certain pjaee in the neck, wben it falls into a cataleptic condition and becomes straight and stiff. It is then restored to its former condition by taking its tail between the hands and firmly rolling. Brain Work and Longevity. In a lecture on longevity delivered before the Royal College of Physicians Sir Hermann Weber, himself an octo? genarian, gave official support to the doctrine that brain work does not kill, but rather the- reverse. A few of his instances were Sophocles, Plato, Galen. Cicero. Moltke, Bismarck, Mommsen and Gladstone, to whom we might add. Hobbes. Carlyle. Spencer and Kelvin. The facts are that brain work increases the supply of blood to the nerve cells and promotes their nutrition and health. Mosso. an Italian. laid a man on a delicately balanced table and showed that the head end sank when? ever the subject did a mental sum or any other brain work. The increased weight of his head was due to the life giving blood. The truth is that brain Work, as such, never killed anybody. London Chronicle. a Pence and Bones. A writer in a London newspaper says: "The ether doy I heard an Eng? lishman defending our system of coin? age on the ground that we are the only nation on earth who can say that the system is bone of our bone. For there are 240 bones in the body and 240 pence in the pound: there are 120 bones in the head and trunk and 120 tn the limbs and 120 pence in half a sover? eign; each limb contains 30 bones, and a half crown contains SO pence: in th." spinal column there are 24 boure and in a fiorin 24 pence, and as we have 12 ribs on each side, so we have 1& pence in every shilling. See how the proportions of the skeleton of our com? merce conform to nature's teaching. No wonder it is vigorous." The Candle Xut. The candle nut is ? native of the Pa? cific islands, and the name is derive?! from the fact that the kernels are so full of oil that when dried they are stuck on reeds and used as candles. The people of Hawaii, after having roasted these nuts and removed the shells, reduce the kernels to a paste, which is flavored with pepper and salt and is said to be a most appetizing dish. The husk of the nut and the gum which exudes from the tree have me? dicinal values, while the burned shell of the kuku i is used to make an indelible ink with whieh tattooing is done. CASTOR IA For Infants and Children. The Kind You Have Always Bought Signature of How to Make Money. Agents of either sex should today write Marsh Manufacturing Co?, 538 Late Street, Chicago, for cuts and particular* of their handsome ALUMINUM CARD CASE with your name engraved on it and filled with 100 Calling or Business Cards, liv? er j body orders them. Sample Case and 100 Cards, postpaid, 40c. This Case and 100 Cards retail at 75 cents. You have only to show sample to secure an ordet. Send 40c. at once for case and 100 card* before pome one get* ahead of yon. Sept 16-8m Aiircr.*? ?pndipg a s-ketrh 8t<? description o?.** lalcVJy ??-friuin our opinion Kee woethe? *. invention is proini???y putenuihle. Cofnmunifn tiot!?s?irtct?yC' :d<lettti .!. Handbook OKPaiera? e?.?iii free. *?M?*?rt jivr*"!! y f?.u- ?.iv-..ri'i:i patewf*. Psfet.t?. tauten tbrouch ilium & Co. rvce?w rptr.ful1 <>'??. ^ ?fhout charge, i;; f"* Scientific JfiErtcas. ; p.j?v??.?"n?ir i,.?n<*TOt<w1 w??k?r. T--t*; c*r v.-?>?.?l-io.i <>f i t- t?5?;ii?? ?.??? I'MU . ni??. -i ? ~.r ; i'>i*.r motittes \ 1. Sold I y all re* ;-?:e.v,? ? -. iii ?i?.;-'. O.T<? ?5. < " 3 T S*. - \Vhs?vlU{rt.>a, IX C