Pittston Gazette

              s •  I ESTABLISHED 1850. » VOL. A LIII. NO. :IH. I Oldest Newspaper in the Wyoming Vi lley. IT1TSTON, LUZERNE CO,, PA., FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1893. A Weekly Local and Family Journal. J 91. SO PER A VM M I IX ADVANCE tho great e'rimsi their death. m petals Muttering to manner of meeting her tiere two weeks "Because i c noose to usk you. Won t interrupt me. North, with your impertinent questions! I disapprove of this whole business, sir—totally disapprove or it. ana .Mrs. Jttaynara is wen aware of the fact. Yet she disregards my ad vice and goes directly counter to my express wishes, simply because, forsooth, you counsel such a course! Your conduct is reprehensible. North, reprehensible to the last degree, and I have a right to complain of it. I tell you, North, you and Mrs. Ma.vnard are bent upon robbery—downright, deliberate robbery, sir—and it's time there was a check put upon your proceedings." "I wish, for his sake, that 1 could say as much for him," she said, slowly, affecting to be absorbed in her idle twirling of the dainty hand-screen that she held before her eyes, but in reality watching anxiously the play of expression in Miss Hilary s changeful face. "But he betrayed today, when off his guard for a moment, a degree of interest in you which, under all the circumstances of your recent meeting here, seemed to me very singular, to say the least; and when I commented upon this fact he attempted to explain it by saying that you were old friends. It seems strange, does it not, that he should have resorted to a declaration that is so easily oroven to be mistaken?' whatever—Mr. JNortn snouiu now give you nothing but a stranger's greeting. Remember, he had sufficient occasion for resentment, bevJg innocent of that of which you believed him to be guilty, and perhaps wholly unconscious of the supposed fault for which you condemned him unheard." ago MONTANA MUSINGS. i ne way people roiiow a smeiter arounu is very singular to me. I know a man quite well also who has made a comfortable fortune by owning a portable woolen factory, with which he lias been enabled to establish over IS towns, which are now occupied as happy homes by the antimere and the prairie dog. "O'Reilly?" North smiled a little, with his eyesllxed in sharp but baffled scrutiny upon her coldly unresponsive "My manner of meeting' her—" North abruptly checked the indignant disclaimer. adding, desperately: "There has been a misunderstanding, Mrs. Miiynard. which I cannot explain now. but in a few days more I shall be at liberty to speak. In the meantime .-will you not pity rather than condemn?'' miw WHERE WEALTH AND POVERTY GROW Yes, through him. J could takt SIDE BY SIDE. hiin into court tot I.-if, with two or thr.-i who art* equally within YUitiug Some llepresentative Towns In a !R9H without tin' reach anil by his sworn testimony iiid of any dwumentarv Liblish Annie Du- "Oh, I know!" interrupted Miss Hilary, with a sharp accent of pain, that sounded like impatience, in her voice. "There is no defense for my course: I was hasty, irrational, unjust, and ] deserve to suffer all the consequences. It isn't that—it is the evidence of his fickleness; his treachery, his deliberate double-dealing—oh, don't you understand me, Mrs. Maynard? Believe me, it was no jealous curiosity on my part, but I could not help seeing—" Great Stale — Surprising Mr. Burbank Returning to the oyster and dressing room at Billings, we got some kerosene and pieces of board and built a fire in the range, warmed our feet in the oven and made hot coffee, which we (lrank between acts. Once I surprised Mr. Burbank with hot waffles and genuine maple sirup on his return from the pulpit. It was a pleasure to see him eat them. But the odor of cooking got out int* the audience, and we had to quit. It was homelike while it lasted, for while the blast howled outside, to rub the waffle iron with a pork rind and hear it sizzle, and then to slap a big iron spoonful of the batter I had made myself into the red hot waffle iron, was joy—joy that reimbursed us for the naughty treatment of the cork headed man who ran the opera house at Bozeman and who had been excused from his job on the railroad, also from other places, promising never to do so again. \vh A!ver, C It was an involuntary appeal wrung from him by the fear that before lit could have an opportunity to plead his cause before Myra some maligTi fate might interpose and separate them again. If he regarded Mrs. Maynard as the impersonation of that fate his heart, must have failed him, for marble could not have been more oold and pitiless as she turned away from him with With Hot Waftiea—An Incident Illim- pojit's idetit thbroughl that no trating the Kriucatioiial System. •A\C?RT?rt com i nor conspiracy ;igainst her •throw it; but for her it for the corrobora- [Copyright, 1SH3, by Edgar W. Nye.] could possibly t»er This brings us to Montana, having passed Spokane, the great city of eastern Washington, a city with a water power which would jerk a million spindles if it had the factory built, for the sheep grow rank here with an undergrowth of lambs that enjoy life to its fullest extent. A lamb boru in one of these vast green valleys, with the world before him and with no remorse or real estate on his hands, has a gesture of the tail as he jumps stiff legged in the bunch grass that would indicate a pure, sweet joy—one that the world can neither give nor take away. ve testimony that those documents Dnt.iiti. There will surely be but a longer ilolay." "Robbery?" North repeated the word with calm surprise, while he stood with folded arms, looking steadily and haughtily at the major. "Of whom, may 1 ask, sir?" "Of whom?" retorted angrily. "Of that orphan whose fortune you are trying to steal. Annie Dupont, sir—that's whom!" fow h )urs [CONTUTUKD. ] shallow dupe that you take me to be! I1-' was unconscious of the warmth 111 CHAPTEB XVI. Prince Henry—Wtiat pagan may that be? "Well, upon my life, what mad, raving maniac is this?" thought North, blankly: then, rallying from his amazement he said, calmly: his words and manner until h awaktiu-d to the fact by the col prised inquiry fn Mrs. Maynurd was the \\ C D "1 understand you, my dear Myra," said Mrs. Maynard, calmly, &s the distressed girl paused here, at a loss for words to continue. "You rightly divined that Mr. North was my avowed suitor: but, happily for me, not yet accepted!"you deserve condemnation ly do not require pity. Vour re a confession. Mr. D It is no doubt delightful, and a thing to be greatly desired and -zealously •triven for, to stand well with our fellow-men; nevertheless, there is such a thing as an oppressive and embarrassing popularity. - King Heury XV denly lifted i "1 beg j our pardon, sir, you are under an entire misapprehension. I have no motive or desire to hoodwink you. and so far as my transactions have any connection with yourself they are open to Your inspection. And now, sir," he twin ,d. sternly, checking the torrent ol abusive words that he plainly perceived "You are singularly enthusiastic, Mr. North." she said, slowly, holding her he left him then, in order to receive Drih while North, with momentary discoaifitnn, fC ■ 11 htmmM flushing ;i little under its cold uceusa- .tt-aai! y some one who had just entered ti' drawing-room; and North, revivir.tr i "I am happy to assure you, Maj. Maynard, that nothing could be further from our intentions than what you suggest. If it should ever be my good fortune to discover that young lady 1 should do everything in v t power to place her in possession oi her legal rights." if from the effects of a sudden h o "I have no right to complain of that," interposed Miss Hilary, her pretty head lifted, her eyes bright with girlish pride. "It is not strange that he should admire you, love you. as his every glance and tone and action revealed that he did; why, he seemed scarcely conscious of my existence, so wholly absorbed was he in you! And to me the strangest part of it all was that he betrayed no recollection of the past, no resentment toward me, no conscious-- ness that we had ever met before. This pained me, but I accepted it as only what I ought to expect, and I resolved to go away as soon as I could find any reasonable pretext for cutting short my visit here, and henceforth bury out of sight that dead past in which he bore a part. Itwasonly when he looked at me as he did to-day, as a lover might, you kaow, that I saw the depth of his duplicity; and I think now that I hate him for being so false to us both!" It is not, indeed, the universal privilege to learn this fact by personal experience; but Allan North was fated to make the agreeable discovery. He awakened the next morning to the knowledge that he was, at least for the present time, the most popular man in X ; and he was forced to submit uniling to the enthusiastic hero-worship that the fickle public* is always »o ready to lavish upon its favorites. tion Vitu leave ine no possible inference but that your most ardciit wish is to establish this identity. May I ask if your sudden irifm-est in this hitherto unknown heiress is purely professional?"'cold water, found his wits sufficiently to resolve upon an immediate departure. | -O ». v lie had succeeded, after waning" a iV w moments for the opportunity, in making his adieus to Mrs. M aynarri. and had reached the drawing-room door when Williams confronted him with a message."Oh, you would, eh? Place her in possession of her legal rights, would you?" sneered the major. "That's a likely story! Why are you trying so hard to find her, then, and keeping so very quiet about it, if you intend any good to her? Fair words don't cheat me, North. I know very well that you've a scheme in your heads to steal every dollar of that fortune from her. But I'll thwart you yet, North—Heavens and earth, I'll thwart you, if I have to bring disgrace upon the family name to do it!" Bozeman is a thriving town of from 3,000 to 8,000, according to whom you ask. It is in the center of an agricultural district where as high as 154} bushels of wheat grow per acre. Think of that, ye farmers who toil and coax the land to produce 12. This wheat is also much heavier than eastern wheat. So also is the bread made from it in some cases. J f lie did not. at that moment, fathom the suspicion ia uer mind, but he vaguely caught its superficial significance. A curious little smile crossed his face, then a perfect inscrutability veiled its whole expression. Mrs. Maynard. observing him with sharp intentness, felt all the shock of a sudden and unexpected repulse. She had knocked at a door that lu'd instantly been double-barred and locked against her. "Maj. Maynard's compliments."' he said, bowing low, "snd will Mr. North please come up to the major's study for a few moments?" Had his mind been free from any personal anxieties and carcs he might have found this an interesting experience; but there were many matters vitally affecting himself, whose importance so far overshadowed the political issue with which he had become temporarily identified, that its intrusion upon his thoughts and attention seemed like an impertinence.only to be endured as philosophically as possible for policy's sake. T♦ flotVtoil unnn V/--»»•♦ V»mivwl incfoni. niai/ mtic iuu»i uut dpptdi iu uis manner the slightest hesitancy about complying with this request, and he therefore assented at once; but he was iu no enviable state of mind as he followed Williams up the broad staircase. Oddly enough he had never calculated upon the probability of his being compelled to meet Ma}. Maynard, and he had not prepared his mind for such an emergency, lie had no time now to do more than to rally his self-possession and nerve himself to meet the unexpected in whatever shape it might present itself to him. falling back upon a measivably clear conscience as a sustaining factor. At Anaconda the day we were there a schoolboy 12 years old was reprimanded by the teacher, a man from Ohio. The boy did not reply till the teacher advanced toward him in a half threatening manner, when the boy advanced also, drew a large navy revolver and exclaimed calmly, aiming the weapon at the teacher's head: •tw m INTERRUPTION, SAVE THK TINK- LING MEI.ODIKH. As for that. Mrs. Marnard North Miss Hilary was now pale as ashes, and in the soft shining of her eyes, as they were still fixed upon the coals, there was a suggestion of repressed tears. But she spoke in a firm, calm manner, after a little Bilence, and with scarcely a perceptible unsteadiness in her voice. rejoined, after a moment's pause, his manner light and jesting, "so long as "Are you insane, Maj. Maynard?" cried North, white with the indignation that he could no longer control. il.e lawyer is also a man, it is not ajwavs uossible to disassociate his nervmal and professional feelings. If they don't antagonize each other, they generally become merged, you know." • "Your malice explains your bringing this preposterous accusation against me; but one would think that the very commonest instinct of chivalry would forbid you speaking thus of your wife!" IT WAS A PLEASURE TO SEE HIM EAT THEM. The unexpected demand upon him for a formal public address and the necessity of meeting this emergency had for the time driven his own affairs from his mind; but no sooner was the crisis safely than his thoughts turned mortf than ever to the Again there was a little so controlled that no hint would have been given a casual observer of the tragical emotions that were contending in the hearts of these two women. It was Mrs. Maynard that spoke next, in a cold, hard, relentless tone: When I passed through Spokane three years ago, the city was doing business in tents. Business is still intense, but not so much so. "Man, you know not what you do. Think seriously of this or you will rue it. Advance one step farther, and you are a dead man." "It is quite true, Mrs, Maynard, that we were once friends—and more than friends. If I had dreamed that it would result in my meeting Mr. North, I should never have come to you at all. No, I mean if I could have foreseen that our meeting would be what it was, for I confess that I had expected something very different if Fate should once more throw us together! But it is far better to have all illusions swept away than to waste one's time in useless dreaming; is it not, ma chere?" "Especially whore a young' ami beantiful heiress is concerned TlUi WHEEL CHAIR WAS BKOt'GUT TO I fjUggested For one moment the major w as silenced; catching his breath quickly he looked up at North, with a dazed wonder that presently gave place to boisterous and contemptuous merriment. "Three years ago,"-* said a Spokane merchant, "I did business in a tent and sold more goods than I do now in a handsome brick and stone building." The teacher thought it over a moment, and then stepping out of the window without opening it he went down town and got an officer. Both desks and pupils are now examined every morning before prayers, and while opening the day's exercises with prayer the teacher only closes one eye. SUDDEN HAIDT. ' "Why do you think that Annie Du pont merits that description. Mrs. May .lard?" demanded North, teasingly. Mr*. Maynard, with quiet bitterness. HVsibilitirs rud h9pes and fears which tie last 'v° davylmd developed. That one mow '1, wfien he stood before the Heps of tbaClement house and caught the fleeting vision of one who, if she 'in very truth the proud and to itnrtinent, "1 beg leave to end thi? colloquy. You have a claim upon mj forbearance: otherwise I should requin you to apologize for the language ir w hich you have just indulged. Goot1 morning, sir." The major's c"stuC!y"—so-called, although there was nothing1 in the appointments of that luxurious den or in the occupations daily pursued within its four walls to warrant such a designatio—was situated near the first landing of the winding stairway. "We both have great cause to congratulate ourselves, my dear Myra. on having discovered Mr. Norths true character before it was within his power to wreck the life-long happiness of either. I hesitate to tell you the truth that has recently forced itself upon iny belief." Spokane (pronounced spofccin) is the great railroad center of that part of the country. A map made recently shows the city to be the center of half a dozen short roads besides the transcontinental lines. "Were we speaking of Annie Dupont?" returned Mrs. Maynard, with a frigidly polite stare. "Your question Implies a degree of self-consciousness, Mr. North Ifut pray excuse me; I cannot leave my friends any longer. I have been absent from the drawing-room too long already. Understand me distinctly, Mr. North," she added, facing him proudly for an instant with a brilliant color in her cheeks and a defiant light in her dark brown eyes. "I am sincerely glad to hear of Annie Pupont's good fortune, aud I congratulate you with all my heart on having been the disinterested means of bringing about this happy result!" "My wife?" he repeated, almost choking over the words. "Heavens and earth, sir, do you intend this for a ghastly attempt at a joke? My wife? Hang me if I don't believe that you are drunk, after all! How dare you refer in this way to my brother's widow?" 'Tis education steers the tutor's mind. Just as the gun is bent the tute's inclined. beautiful Myra who had once reigned royally in his heart and who now lived in his bitterest memory, was so strangely like her that the sight of her face had thrilled him with sudden passion—that one moment, full of keen pain, of eager, mad hope, he had lived over and over again, solacing himself thus until the moment should come when he could .change this suspense to certainty. It will readily be understood that th» effect of this encounter was pot tran quilizing. and there were superficia traces of annoyance in North's face ant1 manner when, a few moments later, ht entered Mrs. Mavnard's drawing-room. As North entered he perceived a gentleman in a richly embroidered dressing-gown, lying at full length in a reclining chair. In his first North recognized in this person the irascible invalid whom he had within tho past hour encountered on the street. She is a pretty city surrounded by an enormous scope of lands which are now offered for sale. She has a minimum of 32,000 horsepower. It is estimated to cost less at $10 per horsepower delivered free on board the cars than coal at $3 per ton. We were greatly shocked to hear of this incident, for it occurred just at the time when we are generally visiting the public schools, and we might easily have been shot by accident, for we are not in favor of compulsory education and would not have taken sides in the matter. "My dear Myra!" It was the sweetest and most delicate sympathy that was mingled with the surprise in this lowbreathed exclamation. If a man who has been pushing forward into an unknown country, believing himself to be on firm ground, should suddenly find that he was sinking in quicksand, we might perhaps imagine his sensations on making this discovery, yet find it difficult to describe them. To those whose imaginations are equal to pictur ing the details of such an experience we leave the task of divining Allan North's state of mind when he found the solid ground of his own conjectures thus suddenly giving way beneath his feet. Ainid all the chaos of his thoughts these threCj words: "My brother's widow," stood out distinctly, pointing tlje events of the past few days with a significance that he had never before suspected: 'The color died quickly from Miss Hilary's face again; there was a vague alarm expressed in her trembling tones as she responded hurriedly: He had not inquired if Mrs. Maynarc were disengaged, rather indolently taking it for granted that she would be and he was very much annoyed to tine that lady occupied with morning visitors. Mrs. Maynard was one of t'uC few ladies in X who found it expe dient to hold morning receptions; anc1 this happened to beher "day." "Oh. I am forcing a disagreeable confidence upon you!" cried Miss Hilary, with a sudden little laugh of self-disdain. "I forgot how uninteresting such things are to a third person. Pray forgive me, Mrs. Maynard." "Oh, let aie know the worst. Mrs. Maynard! What is he? What has he done?" This speedy identification of his assailant affected North somewhat as an earthquake shock might have done; but, concealing his feelings as well as possible, he advanced with the greeting; ■ It grinds wheat at a quarter of a cent per barrel, produces electric light at onetenth of a cent per hour for 16-candle light and supplies 35 miles of car line with power at $2 per car per day. As it happened, I was taking a buggy ride ■with Mr. Tighe toward the lower works of the smelting industry. I had never visited a smelter, especially after driving through a snowstorm. A brief description of the works may save hundreds of people from having to visit them, for I will make it so graphic that you will always remember it and can make anybody believe that you have been through all the degrees. Ln the meantime, speculation was rife. If it were really she, his Myra, by what strange fatality did they meet here in X ? And why should she be with Mrs. Maynard? By what curious freak of fortune were these two women, whose interests had become so closely interwoven with his own, though he had never before suspected their mutual connection, thus thrown together? "It would be nothing," continued Mrs. Maynard, bitterly, "for him to vacillate between two fancies—to alternate and hesitate in his choice between yourself and me—■" "Not forcing, my dear Miss Hilary," protested Mrs. Maynard, reaching up quickly and clasping the fair hand that hung listlessly at Myra's side. "Did not I invite your confidence? But indeed, I- have no wish to intrude upon any experience that iB sorrowful or sacred; do not misunderstand the feeling that prompted me to introduce this subject.."North confusedly murmured his thanks and turned to follow her to the drawing-room. lie felt amused, annoyed. aud on the whole rather disappointed An this interview. It had developed absolutely nothing to his practical a lvantage, while it had suggested a whole train of baffling speculations; and to crown all, he had a harassing suspicion that in this passage-at-arms with Mrs. Maynard he hail not figured so creditably as he could have desi-*d. 15ut he had no opportunity to }ndu.„ . his slight chagrin ri this account, for the instant he reentered the drawingroom lw received a shock that drove all these less important matters from his mind for the time. "{iood morning, Maj. Maynard. I believe this is1 the second time to-day that I have had this honor." Her death rate is 11 3-10 per 1,000, the 3-10 being a Chinaman who was killed by request. When we compare this with the death rate of New York, which is 24.58, we ask ourselves, Why will people remain in New York so much as they do? The reply to over COO- postal cards sent out by me in New York among people who move in the best society and out again is that they prefer to do so. ' North felt extremely awkward on discovering that he had intruded a purely business call upon a social hour; but before he could excuse himself and withdraw—indeed before he was able to de cide whether or not this would be' hibetter course—he was seized upon, tig uratively, by the entire drawing-room and retreat was impossible. Finding that he was intimately acquainti-d with everyone present, he entered with measurable agreeabieness into the currenl of small talk, inwardly hoping that hone of his friends would notice the circumstance that neither when he first addressed them, noj in his subscouenl conversation, did he call any of them A silent, sneering scrutiny was at first his only answer, and North was beginning to feel seriously annoyed, when at last the major, motioning toward a chair which North declined, began in a mocking wa$-: "Oh, dear Mrs. Maynard!" came in tones of whispered protest from the white-faced listener. "It would be nothing," repeated Mrs. Maynard in the same hard, bitter tone, "that his conscience would reproach him for, or that society would seriously condemn; therefore, this phase of his conduct does not materially surprise me. But 1 am surprised to find that this man, who is habitually so watchful of his own interests, so careful of his own safety, so jealous of his own comfort and happiness, should allow his interest in any matter to carry him to the length of becoming a criminal in the eyes of the law." Of course his reflections on this point were mere fruitless conjecture; nevertheless they possessed a great fascination for him. and even his satisfaction at Uaving solved the mystery so long enveloping Annie Dupont was quite eclipsed iby this far deeper personal feeling. "Oh, you're not 'preoccupied' now, eh? You recognize me, do you, Mr. North? Heavens and earth, sir! U's a wonder that you didn't come in pretending that you had never seen me befo*-e. Du you »/ten get drunk, North?** Withdrawing her hand quietly after a moment,'Miss Hilary drew alow hassock forward into the glowing firelight and seated herself near the chair in which Mrs. Maynard was reclining. For a moment she remained silent, with her gaze once more dreamily intent upon the fire, where a fairy castle, glowing from the very heart of the white coals, reared its fantastic towers; then she began slowly, in a voice In which a little effort was betrayed: Before he could collect himself sufficiently to realize either the startling fact that he had fust learned or the magnitude of his own blunder, the ma:jor returnod to the attack. — This brings us to the solution of the problem—viz. that more people at the present time prefer to live in New York with a death rate of 24.38 per 1,000 than in Spokane at 11 per 1,000. - He did not, however, lose sight of the necessity for caution; and for the present be realized that his professional interest must be paramount. The flower ■success, which he hoped to pluck, was Mill just a little beyond his reach and surrounded by the nettle uncertainty; until this prize was secured he rnnst close his eyes to all other allurements even though his only chance, or hope orehappiness lay within them. It was therefore solely in pursuance of his professional duties—or so he assured himself with great emphasis— that be went on the morning following bis signal success at the opera house to call on Mr*. Maynanl, before proceeding to Evansburg on his second and probably decisive visit, und give her *ome hint of the turns that affairs were taking. "Never, sir!" returned North indig- "Now I want to know, North, if you intend to keep on with your search for that girl, or if you'll agree to give it up Spokane has three transcontinental roads—viz, the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific and the Union Pacific. The general public does not generally know this, but I was there recently and saw them. Spokane shows the greatest growth of any city in the United States from 1880 to 1890, according to the census report. nantly "Never! Oh, very likely—very likely, indeed! Then I have no explanation of your extraordinary behavior this morning: none whatever. Now, North, 1 am going to ask you a few plain questions, and I expect you to answer them. Do you hear me, North?" —eh?" bv name. a i ine iurtner enn 01 tne long arawing-room, talking to a garrulous old dowager in eye-glasses, who had evidently captured her upon her first ap- The tone and words acted upon North as a sudden restorative. He spoke decisively and sharply in reply: "A criminal!" He seized an opportunity to speak a few word* to Mrs. Maynard In private, during the course of his call. Miss Hilary's white lips repeated the words breathlessly; then for a brief space refused to speak again. At last she asked tremulously: "1 must refer you once more to Mr*. Maynard. As her lawyer 1 can have no discussion whatever with you on these points. It is dishonorable for you to question me with a view to eliciting1 information which she sees fit to withhold from you." "It seems strange for me to speak so freely of this affair, and yet. after all, there are sufficient reasons why I should confide the story to you. Since we have been thrown together under your roof, and especially since Mr. North has chosen suddenly to depart from the cold formality of a perfect stranger, with which he first met me here two weeks ago, and assume the attitude of an old friend—to which privilege he has forfeited every claim!—it is only right that you should know the little that there is to tell concerning my past aeqaintance with him." The conversation, lmd turned upon a wonderful cactus which the gardener had just induced'to bloom for the first time. Everyone had seen it, except North; and with the same exception everyone was going into raptures about it. "Certainly. Mnj. Maynard." returned North, with a delicate sarcasm in his emphasis, " I hear you." For the majorS voice had been anything but "soft and low." "What crime has he committed?" "Oh, a very gentlemanly one, Indeed," returned Mrs. Maynard with quiet sarcasm. "It is nothing worse, my dear Myra, than forgery. I have already told you briefly of the recent will contest in which I had so great an interest at stake; I did not tell you, as I feel In duty bound to do now, that I suspected who It was that forged that will. Hy his own tacit admission I know that it was Mr. North!" This is a good feature, yet all cities and countries have their great features. A man in Wyoming raised 800 bushels of potatoes to the acre, and another here in Montana raised 1,200, They were to have gone to the World's fair, but Major Handy reported the potato exhibit as now complete and asked for more art. Side pork and potatoes, he said, were being fully represented, while sculpture and tapestry were shy. We rode on pleasantly through the driving snow, and when I got to the door I had a lapful of the coldest, whitest snow one could well imagine. It drifted in behind my spectacles also and banked one ear full. As we came back I filled the other. TAKINQ A BCGQY RIDE WITH MR. TIGHE. I '•Well,'- pursued that gentleman, imperiously, ''are you going to answer mef "Oh. dishonorable, eh? Heavens and earth, do you tell me that I am dishonorable?" roared the major, while his eyes sparkled with delight at having at last so tangible a grievance to seiau upon. "Did you come up here to Insult North immediately became enthusiastic on the subject, for the cactus was in the conservatory, beyond the reach of the sharpest eyes or ears in the drawing-room."That will depend altogether upon the nature of your questions," said North, looking him steadily in the eye. Smelting is the art of extracting all kinds of metals by means of crushing and broiling the ores. This ore contains copper and $6 worth of silver per ton. As silver is so low, it is not taken out of the copper. Owing to the low price of silver we hitched the horse and went up first to the revolving furnaces, as I may say, into which the pulverized and washed ore is poured. The copper runs out in a fiery brook such as The Standard man will fish in when time hangs heavy on his hands in his eternal home, probably."Mrs. Maynard," he exclaimed, turning to that lady with an air of mock appeal, "my happiness depends upon my seeing that cactus! Will you favor me to this extent?" "It is perhaps unnecessary for me to say that 1 shall use my own discretion in the matter." me, sir?" His walk thither was enlivened by a •furious incident, which, however, he might soon have forgotten but for its speedy and embarrassing sequel. "Neither to insult you nor to be insulted by you," returned North, coolly. "If your language has been courteous to me mine has certainly been respectful to 3-ou." "I shall be glad to know all, my dear Myra," interpolated Mrs. Maynard. softly. ' It may serve as a guide to my own future course." The calmness was all gone from voice and manner before these last words were fairly uttered. A woman with less pride would have broken down completely; Mrs. Maynard sat with compressed lips and tightly interlaced Each of us is proud of our own country. Even my own state, North Carolina, has its specialty. "Oh, you will, eh? Use your own discretion, sir? Heavens and earth. I'll not stand this!" roared the major, perfectly furious at North's hauteur. Our good health and miraculous mountain dew are what we boast of. Thousands of j)eople are constantly risking their lives by not living in North Carolina.He bad just entered upon the quiet rista of Delaplaine street, absorbed in his own interesting reflections, when his attention was idly directed toward * gentleman' in an invalid's chair •which an attentive valC-t was slowly pushing along the pavement. The thin, shrunken figure in ita rich attire, sparkling with diamonds and resplendent in fine linen, attracted per) taps rather more than a casual attention from North, whose mind was impressed by the painful contrast between the abject wretchedness of the invalid's face and the pomp and splendor of his outward circumstances. Helpless and suffering, he was evidently not one whom the severe discipline of physical Affliction had softened and refined; it was but too obvious that here .was a mind as warped and diseased as its frail tenement. The expression of his face betrayed a harsh, selfish nature exaggerated almost to a grotesque degree by years of self-indulgence. He appeared to be constantly on the alert to discover something that he might construe into a grievance. The querulous glance of his restless eyes, the sneering curl of bis thin lips undf r a fierce iron-gray mustache, forestalled all words, and were a sufticient warning to persons of acute penetration not to give him the provocation for which he was evidently watching to give way to violent and aggressive wrath With some laughing rejoinder she led the way to the conservatory, which opened fro«n the drawing-room, and a moment later they stood alone in the warm, moist, perfujne-laden place, with great banks of tropical plants, wide-spreading palms and stately eannas casting a delicate green twilight around them and a soft, dreamy silence pervading tlw? fragrant glooin. "1 met Mr. North," continued Miss "Von may leave the room. North!' exclaimed the major, ringing furiously for his valet; and North waited for no further dismissal. Bowing with ironical deference he withdrew from the room, hastened downstairs and left the Hilary, musingly, "in the White mountains, four years ago. We were guests at the same hotel, and through the introduction of a common friend we were made acquainted. From the hour of his introduction he became one of our select party, and wherever we went, whatever we did, he was sure to be with us—with me," she added? in a lower tone, while the fire-light flashed more redly for an instant over her pale cheeks, "for he devoted himself to me from the first. He charmed mamma by his constant and delicate attentions to her, and when, after a six weeks' acquaintance, he asked for my hand in marriage, he readily won her consent. He had told us little about himself or his family, but mamma understood from some New York friends that his antecedents were irreproachable, and she never thought of questioning the worth of his personal character. "You'll find, sir, that your best discretion will be to treat me with proper respect, Now, I've kept myself posted about this case. Oh, you needn't ask me what case! You know perfectly well I allude to that forged will. It's a very mysterious affair, North, very mysterious, and I have my own suspicions about it. Now I want to know in plain terms, without any cowardly evasions. Montana is a great st$te, noted for its wealth and poverty. As it grows, however, it is harder to buy. Even the legislature has advanced its rates, and a United States senator probably comes higher than most any other furniture found in Washington. TALKING TO A GARRULOUS OI.D DOWAGER, pearance in the room, stood a young lady—yes, the very same whom he had seen with Mrs. Maynard in the car- house, This copper is cooled in large gobs called mats. As he closed the gate behind him he cast a glance of mingled relief and yearning at the stately brown-stone mansion. In a flash the recollection of his first speculative survey of the place, seaacely one short week ago, returned to him. The grinding or pulverizing and washing of the ore to make it ready for smelting would take too long to describe, but ft is marvelous how much machinery has taken the place of men, for thsre did not seem to be more than an ordinary thrashing crew operating the largest smelter in the world. 'North duly examined the cactus and expressed the proper dfgvea of admiration; then turning quickly to M*s. Maynard. white his manner changed from the superficial suavity that he had adopted for the a portentous gravity, he said, in a low tone: nage. Great Falls looks like a very prosperous town with wonderful resources. If you desire to buy a lot for future use in a growing town, Great Falls offers a good location. She was tall and slight, with a proud, delicate face, whose exquisite fairness was accentuated by the soft clinging •rape of a rich mourning dress. She was beautiful enough to make a sensation in any social assembly, yet so icily cold that all words of admiration would freeze upon the most ardent lips. There were many who, observing her in different moods, fancied that beneath this ice throbbed a warm heart that had suffered as only the heart of a proud, loving woman can; but of this the serene brow and lips gave no sign. "How little I dreafhied then of what would result from this visit to X !" he exclaimed, mentally, as he turned and walked rapidly down the street. "Before I cross that threshold again I shall have all the proofs of Annie Dupont's identity in my possession; and then—then, Myra darling, you shall listen while I plead my own cause before you!" The clnnook wind is found in great abundance in Montana. It comes from the warm and spicy Japanese current and loves to woo a band of cattle up a canyon and freeze them to death. We met one of these simooms at Billings. It came with a wild whoop from the Indian ocean and swept away the man who had given his flannels to the poor. "Mrs. Maynard, I have something of great importance to tell you. You will be surprised — perhaps disagreeably. Shall I speak now, or wait until some other time?" She was tearing the petals from a great crimson-hearted rose, and she did not look up; but the slight tremor of the languid white fingers betrayed to him the nervous agitation against which her pride and will were contending with only partial success. P. S.—Owing to the low price of silver this letter is briefer than usual. I trust that something will be done by congress before I get home, or I cannot go on and complete my will. B. N. lmnqeaiateiy aitet out cugageuiein we were separated. Business called him home to New York, and mamma and 1 returned to Boston. Then fell upon me the first bitter sorrow of my life. I cannot tell you the story that was brought to me—the cruel, cruel story that forbade me ever to think of him again! I tried to believe it was false, but so fair aa aspect of truth did it wear that I was forced to give It credence. Overwhelmed with grief, anger and humiliation on discovering that I had been deceived, I acted foolishly and hastily, ixiy one thought being to sever the bond that had so suddenly grown hateful to me. 1 sent the engagement ring back to him with the simple request to be released from a promise which I was no longer able to fulfill. Mamma was ill at the time—too ill for me to tell her then of this trouble; and that very day her physician had ordered a sea voyage for her, as the only means of prolonging her life. Our arrangements were hurriedly made, and in two days more we were on the ocean, bound for the south of France. This may have been the reason that no word from Mr. North ever reached me; at all events, I received no answer to my message, and could only infer from his silencj that uiy release was granted unconditionally. We exhibited in a pleasant church and dressed in the little room where the oyster is prepared for the festival. The air was intensely cold. The range was there. We heard that a good many cattle had died on the range, and so we were afraid of it. It has been a hard winter on trail cattle and the editor of a local pjiper in Anaconda. He writes that with liiin times were never so scarce nor money matters so blue as at present. The exchange of groceries for good feel ing ui: J little suits of clothing for little words of kindness is less active than at any time since he entered the journalistic field. The grass grows very short in the journalistic field this season, and running a dynamite paper with silver a« low as it is often tempts him to return to his old job as overseer of Snowshed No. 9. Nor th stood transfixed for a moment as if oblivious of the presence of others, unconscious of the emotions that his face was betraying. All doubt was gone from his mind. Even if he could have questioned the direct evidence of his own eyes, he received convincing proof in the cold recognition that her proud glance expressed as it reste-d upon him for an instant. It was not such a glance as a perfect stranger, however indifferent toward him she might feel, would bestow; under all its hauteur a flash of passion lay—scorn, contempt, unforgiving resentment, which told of the pre-existence of some kindlier sentiment. In answer to the look that she met from his eyes a scornful little smile flitted over her lips, and, bowing very slightly in recognition of "his presence, she deliberately turned away to avoid any further notice of him, and continued the conversation which had suffered no break in consequence of this little by-play. CHAPTER XVII. "a criminal!" Player King—• * * 'Tis not strange that e'en our love should With our fortune change. For 'tis a question left us yet to prove, fingers, holding herself under a rigid control. She did not look at the girl who was sitting so silently on the hassock at her side; but she was vitally conscious of all the grief and amazement that Myra Hilary's face so plainly revealed. Encouraging. "You may speak now, Mr. North-" Then, wearily: "Why should you wait? it is no wbrse atone time than another." Whether love lead fortune, or else fortune love "True, Mrs, Maynard; and certainty, however unwelcome it may be, is always more easily borne tkau suspense. In one word, then—Annie Dupont has been discovered." —Hamlet. In Mrs. Maynard's drawing-room a soft glow from the sea-coal fire in the orate was fillincr the early twilight with sparkling ruddy tints. Seated in • IcSw easy chair just within the glow, during the leisure hour before dinner, Mrs. Maynard was musing bitterly, with no interruption save the tinkling melodies that Miss Hilary's idle finger* were sweeping from the glistening white keys of the piano-forte. But soon the player rose from the instrument, and, coming toward the nreplace, sn« stood revealed in the fitful red light, a slender, queenly figure in her softlyclinging black gown. AS NOKTH EN'XEKKD. The fairy castle in the grate suddenly fell into sparkling ruins, sending out a (lash of brilliant flame that illuminated the twilighted drawing-rooui for a moment with the glow of a strong, red light. Then l»y degrees the illumination subsided into fitful gleams, playing with weird effect of light and shadow over the dim roo»i, and giving" a transient glow of color to the. two white faces that were turned silently toward the tire. It seemed hours to Myra Hilary, in the blank wretchedness that kept her own lips dumb, before Mrs, Maynard spoke again; but it was in reality only moments, a space easily filled by the slow striking of the great clock in the hall and the tardy response of the drawing-room clock, whose silvery chime fell tiukliug upon the silence. As if waiting only for this interruption to cease, Mrs. Maynard resumed as soon as the last stroke died North was passing this gentleman •with the speculative but courteous glance of a perfect stranger, when to his utter amazement he was accosted in the most peremptory manner. what share you atjd IJps. Maynard hare had in this business. It looks bad for you, North; don't deny it, now. Are you mixed up in that forgery?" The soft color in her cheeks died out qniekly in the surprise that she felt at this announcement, and for an instant her eyes lifted themselves to his with a half incredulous inquiry. The wheel chair was brought to a sudden halt, while a petulant voice uttered the startling challenge: Even eyes less shrewd and unfriendly might have seen the gradual whitening of North's face, though he held every muscle in such iron control that its expression did not materially alter. It might have been anger alone that sent the color from the lips that were compressed like marble for a moment beneath the sweeping dark mustache."lou did not expect this, Mr. North?" she questioned, quietly, a curious reserve in her manaer which uiadu him vaguely conscious of having lost ground with her since their last interview. The intimation was too subtle and slight for him to be able to seize upon it and definitely assign a cause; but, had not his affairs been shaping themselves so satisfactorily within the last few days, it would have occasioned him infinite "North, you jackanapes! What do Jron mean, sir? Do yon intend to insult me?" North was electrified. What had he done? Who was this interesting invalid?And yet he savs: "Heaven has blessed mo with this wonderful gift of writing for the papers. Why should I conceal it? Some of my best things are written," he says, "after I have gone home. They are done in the quiet hours of the night —by the foreman of our paper." "Some one, evidently, whom I ought to know," he thought, "and whom it will be awkward and unfortunate to offend. What can I do to pacify him?" Mrs. Maynard quickly roused hersell from her reverie on Miss Hilary's ap proach and addressed her with a slight nervous tremor in the voice that she vainly strove to keep in its usual sweet, He (nonchalantly)—Ah, how I envy Dodson! He has such a soft thing of it. So quickly had the mutual recognition taken place that only one person in tlio drawing-room besides the two most intimately concerned- had taken cognizance of the fact. Mrs. Maynard had spoken twice to North and he had not heard her; but when, suddenly recalled tb his surroundings, and th*D fact that he must behave sanely while he was under the scrutiny of so many curious eyes, he turned toward her with an effort to resume his usual manner and expression", she was saying In a low, satirical tone: "You don't answer me, North!" cried She major.exultingly,after a brief interval of silence. "You stand convicted without one .word to say for yourself. Oh, 1 told you so'. Heavens and earth, sir, you don't fool me!'1 She (regretting his presence)—I would not be envious. You'll always have a soft thing as long as you keep your head.—Harvard Lampoon. uneasiness. The editor is a kindly man and speaks well of those \vlio come to Anaconda if they subscribe for the paper, but often he changes his estimate of them if they do not and says they are no good. This keeps him busy and worn down mentally, for a great many do not subscribe. The children of his brain die young and have to be buried at once. The devil always airs the room or burns a rag after the editor has lieen using it for thinking purposes. Then, lifting his hat as he turned back to the gentleman, North said, with an apologetic air: ''Expect it?" he repeated, with a short expressive laugh. "No more than Annie Dupont herself! I can scarcely use a stronger comparison. It's the strangest case, Mrs. Maynard. one of those that prove the statement that truth is stranger than fiction. I have not yet been able to lay my hands on the documents which will prove her identity, and establish her legal claims as Mrs. Dunkirk's niece and heir; but that these documents exist I have proof as clear as the noon-day, and I confident expect within the next twelve hours to have those papers securely in my possession." ow, even tone "My dear Miss Hilary, if you will permit me, I should like to speak to you about Mr. North. Is it quite true that he is an old friend of yours? You know, my dear child, you are in a certain sense under my social gitardianship. and I feci responsible for your— for anything afTmating your happiness." "My dear sir, I beg your pardon. J was preoccupied, and did not recognize you at all." "Did you expect me to answer such an accusation as that?' 'demanded North, haughtily. "We remained in France until poor mamma's death last Rummer; then I returned to Boston, at the request of tiladministrators, to remain there until the estate could be settled. In the meantime I had learned the truth in regard to the rumor that had caused me to break the engagement, the fatality that had linked his name falsely and unjustly to the story of another man's wrong-doing. I was thankful for his vindication, even though I might never look up/Dn his face again; and this I scarcely expected to do. 1 saw nothing of him. heard nothing of him, until, on the very first day of ray visit here, we met as strangers." a wav He Understood. In the brilliantly lighted parlor they tat. [to bb continued ] "No, I didn't expect it, North. I thought you would try to evade the charge, and so you did. But it will all coine out yet, North, depend upon it; your iniquities will be exposed, sir. And now it appears that you and Mrs. Maynard are putting your heads together and trying to find that girl—that Annie Dupont. Isn't this so, NortJi?" He and she. Alone. This statement, although offered with charming frankness and suavity, was quite thrown away upon the deeply offended gentleman. "Three davs ou that job; hard work too!" Hard. She reclined at ease in an elegant satin covered sofa chair, while he sat nervously on the extreme edge of a chair of severer pattern and listened, to the Convulsive thump, thuuip, with which his agitated heart seemed to lie jumping up and down on his eardrums. The proud girlish face changed color slightly during this address, and the red lips were firmly compressed for an instant as if to control a sudden quiver of pain; but the eyes remained dreamily fixed upon the glowing fire and there was no indication of emotion in the low voice that presently answered: "Three on a little job like that?" "Yes, three; two in trying to get to work, and the o'li-r on the job."— Jjifo. "Oh. don't tell me!" he cried with an- gry emphasie, looking- at North with his shrunken sallow face suffused with a purple flush, and his small black eyes flashing resentful fire. "Your wonderful harangue last night turned your head, I presume. Preoccupied, were you? Didn't see me, eh? Heavens and "You seem to take a strange interest in M iss Hilary this morning, Mr. North. May 1 suggest that your manner is a little—just a little, perhaps—noticeable?"Many people go to Anaconda thinking that the great mine is there, but it is not. It is elsewhere. The smelter is at Anaconda and is so j»erfected that very few men aiDo needed to run it. New Version of Caesar* "Can't you answer me now, Mist Marie?" he pleaded. "Pardon me, this is Mrs. Maynard's own affair. Whatever she is pleased to communicate to you, Maj. Maynard. you are at liberty to know. You are I have heard a Hew version of Cseear'B "Veni, vidi, rici," says Nathan Haskell Dole. "Mr. Shackelford," she replied, aftei a pause, "do you think you ought to ask a young woman to be your wife who doesn't even know vour name?" Absently breaking off a bit of pale blue heliotrope that was reaching out temptingly toward him over the mass of fragrant blossoms, he put it carelessly in his buttonhole as he spoke these last words. North flushed deeply; he had not yet regained his self-possession, as his hurriedly uttered words proved. earth, sir, that's false! It was a pieca "Pray, do not include Mr. North amonir anv of the possibilities affecting my happiness. Mrs. Maynard. His existence even is a matter of indifference When Paderewski first played with the Boston Symphony orchestra he made a great sensation at the rehearsal. A compatriot of the chrysanthemum pianist, who has an imperfect knowledge of English, but prides himself on that, leaped to his feet and shouted: Anaconda was a simulation. The owners of the big mine at Butte suddenly thought one day that they could make a town by putting up a smelter 011 a ranch which cost them $1,500. Then each one of them located ISO acres besides. This laid out in lots brought over if 1.0o0,000. making a profit of 700 per cent, I am .told. By removing this smelter to another ranch elsewhere I think another million might be realized. of deliberate impertinence, North, and you know it. You're carrying a high hand just now, young man; oh, yes, a "I have seen Miss Hilary before, Mrs Maynard. We are quite old friend*,' he said. subject." uoi at noeriy lo question me on ia» "My name!" he exclaimed. "Surely 1 have signed it often enough in my notes and letters to von!" "Answer my question. North!" roared the major, In great wrath. "Are you doing this, or not?" The resolute voice died away here in something very like a sob. There was silence for a few moments; then Mrs. Maynard said, quietly, though with evident emotion." Jo me.'' very high hand, but we'll see how long it will continue! My patience will not last forever. Heavens and earth, "Does this proof come through the man who called here a few days ago?" inquired Mrs. Maynard with the samo reserve and in a speculative tone. Her fingers were still busy with their work of destruction.' her *v»s i/ilv watohQd The mockery in Mrs, Maynard's smile instantly changed to something else not quite translatable, but suggesting utter disbelief in his statement. Mrs. Maynard was too thoroughly a woman not to understand the exaggeration in this statement. Bhe immediately decided that she would be justified in renewing the attack upon the same line. "You have always signed it Harry D. Shackelford. That is not your full name. What does the D. stand for?" . "I distinctly decline to answer." "And I insist that you shall answer! I have a right to know." "Then why do you not ask Mrs. May- "He came, he saw, he inquired!" there'll be the mischief to pay one of ."It is natural, perhaps, that after the manner of your dismissal—sudden, peremptory and without any explanation He could not understand the amuse ment of his hearers as he sat down.— Book News. "You have guessed it, Miss Spangler," he said, rising to go. "It stands for Dennis!"—Chicago Tribune. these days! You don't hoodwink me so «eaOjr alter all Mr. North; I'm not th$ "Indeed!" she said, coldly would have suspected this from yoyr No one