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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Times, 1909-09-09, Page 7Tutt'; WINGrJiA111 TIMES, SEPTEMBER 9 19U • THE MYSTERY BD STEWART EDWARD WHITE And SAMUEL HOPKINS ADAMS COPYRIGHT. 1907, BY MCCLURE. PHILLIPS & CO. 0 CHAPTER XXVI. VER the we rdroom of the Wol- verine had fallen a silence. It held after Slade had finished. Captain I arkinson, stiff and •erect in his chair, staring fixedly at a spot two feet abovi the reporter's head, seemed to weigh as a judge weighs the facts so picturesquely set forth. Dr. ,Trendon, his stu •dy frame half in •shadow, had slouched far down into himself. Only the regard of his keen ,eyes fixed upon Slide's face unwaver- ingly and a bit anxiously showed that he was thinking of the narrator as well :is of the narrative. The others had ::en completely under the spell of 1 • :ale. They sat as children in a thee.':. absorbed, forgetful of the ,won s: round them, wrapped in a more ;vivi.! clement. At the close they stir- red and blinked, half dazed by the ab- rupt fall of the curtain. Slade had told his story with fire, .with something of passion even. Now he felt the sharp i efiex. He muttered uncertainly beneath his breath and glanced from one to another of the cir- cled faces. "That's all," he said unsteadily. There passed through the group a :stir and a murmur. Some one broke into sharp coughing. Chairs, shoved back, grated on the floor. "Well, of all the extraordinary"— be- gan a voice ruminatingly and broke off short as if abashed at its own infrac- tion of the silence.. "That's all," repeated Slade, a note of insistence in his voice. "'(Vhy don't you say something? Confound you, why don't you say something?" His speech rose husky and cracked. "Don't you believe it?" "Hold on!" said the surgeon quietly. "No need to get excited." "Oh, well," muttered the reporter, ;with a sudden lapse, "possibly you think I'm romancing. It doesn:t mat- ter. I don't suppose I'd believe it my- iself in your place." "But we're heading for the island," 'suggested Forsythe. "That's so," cried Slade. "Well, that's all right- Believe or disbelieve =as much as you like. Only get Percy Darrow off that island. Then we'll lave his version. There are a few things I want to find out about, my - :self." "There are several that promise to be fairly interesting," said Forsythe un- der his breath. Slade turned to the captain. "Have you any questions to put to me, sir?" he asked formally. "Just one moment," interrupted Trendon. "Boy, a pony of brandy for Mr. Slade." The reporter drank the liquor and again turned to Captain Parkinson. "Only about our men." said the com- .xnanding officer after a little thought. ,Slade shook his head. •"I'm sorry I can't help you there. sir." "Dr. Trendon said that you knew 'nothing about Edwards." "Edwards?" repeated Slade inquir- ingly. Ills mind, still absorbed ,in the events which he had been relating, groped backward. Trendon came to his aid. "Barnett asked you about him, you remember. The Dangers, of Summer. Many dangerous and distressing dis- eases prevail in summer and fall, and as they occur suddenly, often terminate fatally before aid can be had. Complaints, such as Diarrhoea, Dy- sentery, Colic, Cramps, Cholera, Morus, Cholera Infantum, Summer Complaints, etc., are quickly cured. This wonderful '♦ ++$ bowel complaint DR. FOWLER'S remedy has been EXT. OF WILD on the market for STRAWBERRY 64 years and it has been used in thousands of homes throughout the country during this time. You do not experiment when you buy an old and tried remedy like this. Ask your druggist for Dr. Fowler's, and insist on gettingwhat you ask for. Do not take some substitute which .the unprin- sipled druggist says is "just as rood." These cheap imitation are dangerous to your health. Mrs. Jeff Flaherty, Belfountain, Ont., writes: --"In the month of September, last, my youngest child. took Summer Complaint and the doctor had very little hopes for her. My neighbor told me to get Dr. Fowler's Extract of Wild Straw- berry, so that night I sent nay daughter to get it, and when she came home I gave the baby one dose, and in half an hour there was a change for the better, and after the third dose she watt eom. pletely cured. We feel it is far and be- gond any other remedy for Summer Complaint and besides it saves paying a ne to use it. doctor. live o advise I yr . O. Pont accept a substitute for Dr./towlee's, The original and only Fowler's Bxtraot of Wild Strawberry is manufactured Only by The T. Milburn Co., Limited, Toronto, Ont., ,Pride 35 'cents. It was when you recovered conscious- ness. Our ensign. Took over charge of the Laughing Lass." "Oh, of course. I was a little dazed, I fancy." "We put Mr. Edwards aboard when we first picked up the deserted schoon- er," explained the captain. "Pardon me," said the other. "My head doesn't seem to work quite right yet. Just a moment, please." He sat silent, with closed eyes. "You say you picked up the Laughing Lass. When 2" he asked presently. "Four—five—six days ago, the first time." "Then you put out the fire?" The circle closed in on Slade, with an unconscious hitching forward of chairs. He had fixed his eyes on the captain. His mouth worked. Obvi- ously he was under a tensity of en- deavor in keeping his faculties set to the problem. The surgeon watched him, frowning. "There was no fire," said the cap- ' tain. Slade leaped in his chair. "No fire! But I saw her, I tell you. When I went overboard she was one living flame!" "You landed in the small boat. Knocked you senseless," said Trendon. "Concussion of the brain.. Idea of flame might have been a retroactive hallucination." "Retroactive rot!" cried the other. "I beg your pardon, Dr. Trendon, but if you'd seen her as I saw her— Bar- nett!" He turned in appeal to his old ac- quaintance. "There was no fire, Slade," replied the executive officer gently. "No sign of fire that we could find, except that the starboard rail was blistered" "Oh, that was from the volcano," • said Slade. "That was nothing." "It was all there was," returned Bar- nett. "Just let me run this thing over," said the free lance slowly. "You found the schooner. She wasn't afire. She didn't even seem to have been afire. You put a crew aboard under your en sign, Edwards. Storm separated you from her. You picked her up again deserted. Is that right?" "Day before yesterday morning." "Then," cried the other excitedly, "the fire was smoldering , all the time. It broke out, and your men took to the water." "Impossible," said Barnett. "Fiddlesticks!" said the more down- right surgeon. "I hardly think Mr. Edwards would be driven overboard by a fire which did not even scorch his chip." suggest- ed the captain mildly. "It drove our lot overboard," insist- ed nsisted Slade.. "Do you think we were a pack of cowards? I tell you, when that hellish thing broke loose you had to go. It wasn't fear. It wasn't pain. It was—what's the use? You can't ex- plain a thing like that." "We certainly saw the glow the night Bill Edwards was—disappear- ed," mused Forsythe. "And again night before last," said the captain. "What's that?" cried Slade. "Where is the Laughing Lass ? Isn't she in tow?" "In tow?" said Forsythe. "No, in- deed. We hadn't adequate facilities for towing her. Didn't you tell him, Mr. Barnett?" "Where is she, then?" Slade fired the question at them like a cross exam- iner. "Why, we shipped another crew un- der Ives and McGuire that noon: • We were parted again and haven't seen them since." "Gori forgive youl" said the reporter. After the warnings you'd had too! It was—it was"— "My "My orders, Mr. Slade," said Captain Parkinson, with quiet dignity. "Of course, sir. I beg your pardon," returned the other. "But you say you Saw the light again?" "The first night they were out," said Barnett in a low voice. "Then your second clew is withyour first crew," said Slade shakily. "And they're with Thrackles and Pulz and Solomon and many another black hearted scoundrel and brave seaman. Down there!" He pointed underfoot. Captain Park- inson rose and went to his cabin. Slade rose. too, but his knees were unsteady. He tottered, and but for the swift' aids of Barnett's arm would have fallen. "Overdone," said Dr. Trendon, with some irritation, "Cost you something In strength. Foolish performance. Turn in uow." Slade tried to protest, but the surgeon would not hear of it and marehed.him incontinently to his berth. Returning, Trendon reported. with growls of dis- content, that his patient was in a fever. "Couldn't exeset anything else," he fumed. "Pack of human interrogation points hounding him all over the place." "Whfit do you think of his story?" asked Forsythe. The grizzled surgeon drew out a el - e'er, lighted it, took three deliberate urn. turned 1examined' ' ned it about, eramin puffs. ash end with concentration, and re- plied; "Matt's telling a straight story." "You think it's all true?" cried For - lythe, "Humph!" grunted the other. "Ile thinks it's all true." An orderly appeared and kuocked at the captain's cabin. "Beg pardon, sir," they heard him say. "Mr. Carter would like to know how close in to run, Volcano's acting up pretty bad, sir." Captain Parkinson went on deck, fol- lowed by the rest. CHAPTER NXVII. EELING the way forward, the cruiser was soon caught in a maze of Cross currents. Hither .�...,r and 'thither she was borne, a creature bereft of volition. Order fol- lowed order like the rattle of quick fire and was obeyed with something more than the Wolverine's customary smart- ness. From the bridge Captain Parkin- son himself directed his ship. His face was placid, his bearing steady and con- fident. This in itself was sufficient earnest that the cruiser was in ticklish case, for it was an axiom of the men who sailed under Parkinson that the calmer that nervous roan grew the more cause was there for nervousness on the part of others. The approach was from the south, but suspicious aspects of the water had feuded the cruiser out and around, until now she stood prow on to a bold headland at the northwest corner of the island. Above this headland lay a dark pall of vapor. In the shifting breeze it swayed sluggishly, heavily, as if riding at anchor like a logy ship of the air. Only once did it show any !narked movement. "It's spreading out toward us," said Barnett to his fellow officers, gathered aft. "Time to move, then," grunted Tren- don. T' a others looked at him inquiringly. "..bout as healthful as prussic acid, those volcanic gases," explained the surgeon. The ship, edged on and inward. Pres- ently the singsong of the leadsman sounded in measured distinctness through the silence. Then a sudden ac- tivity and bustle forward, the rattle of chains, and the Wolverine was at an- chor. The captain came down from the bridge. "What do you think, Dr. Trendon?" he asked. More explicit inquiry was not nec- essary. The surgeon understood what was in his superior's mind. "Never can tell about volcanoes, sir," he said. "Of course," agreed the captain. "But—well, do you recognize any of the symptoms?" "Want me to diagnose a case of earthquake, sir?" grinned Trendon. "She might go off today or she might behave herself for a century." "Well, it's all chance," said the other cheerfully. "The man might be alive. At any rate we must do our best on that theory. • What do you make of that cloud on the peak?" "Poisonous vapors, I suppose. Thought we'd have a chance to make sure just now. Seemed to be coming right for us. Wind's shifted it since." "There couldn't be anything alive up there?" "Not so much as a bug," replied the doctor positively. "Yet I thought when the vapor lifted a bit that I saw something moving." "When was that, sir?" "Ten or fifteen minutes back." "We'll see soon enough, sir," put in ;Forsythe. "The wind is driving it down to the south'ard Sullenly, reluctantly, the forbidding •r'pass moved across the headland. All glasses were bent upon it. Without taking his binocular from his eyes Trendon began to ruminate aloud. "If he could have got to the beach. No vapor there. Signal, though. Per- haps he hadn't time. And I'd hate to risk good men on that caldron. Just as much risk here perhaps. Only it seems"— "There it is!' cried Forsythe. "Look! The highest point!" Dull gray wisps of murk, the after - guard of the gaseous cloud, were twist- ing and spiraling in a witch dance across the landscape, and, seen by snatches and glimpses through it. something flapped darkly in the breeze. Suddenly the veil parted and fled.' A. flag stood forth in the sharp gust, rigid and appalling. It was black. "The Jolly Roger, by God! They've come back!" exclaimed Forsythe. "And set up the sign of their shop," added Barnett. "If they stuck to their flag—goodby," observed Trendon grimly, "Dr. Trendon," said Captain Parkin - 6 Yrs. a Victim of itching Piles In dreadful agony day end night— DR. CHASE'S OINTMENT brought relief and cure. Mr. G. W. Cornell, who is with the Shaw Milling. 't Catharines, nt. r writes: "In justice to suffering human- ity I write to toll you of the world of good I obtained from the use of Dr. Chase's Ointment. For about six years I was the victim: of letting and protruding !riles, and was in dreadful agony day and night. Il,oetors were unable to help me, and I could get nothing to relieve the suffering. I was about as miserable a creature as was to be found on the face of the earth. "One day my druggist advised in. to try Dr. Chase's Ointment, which I did, and obtained relief from the (first box, and complete enre with the aeon& My trouble was caused by heavy lift- ing, and I consider that Dr. Chase 'd Ointment would be cheap at fifty dol- laofrs the good it did l.r me." There is no q uestleit that Dr. Chase's Ointment is the most satisfac- tory treatment for itehing, bleeding and protruding piles that was ever discover- ed. 60 ets. a box, ell dealers, or 1idinan- son, Bates & Co., 'Toronto. Given Up To Die No. too George St., Sorel, Quebec. "I suffered front womb disease for seven years, with dreadful pains over the front of the body, over the back and down the legs. I had indigestion and chronic constipation and the constipation was so bad that I went sometimes for ten to fifteen days without any action of the bowels. I was ill in bed for one whole year. At one time I was so low that everyone thought I was going to die, and the last Rites of the Church were administered to me. I was treated by six different doctors without any benefit, MADAME JOSEPH LIRETTE Then I got a sample of "Fruit-a-tives," but I had no faith in then at all, and I would not have taken them only my husband begged so hard for me to try thein. As soon as I began to take "Fruit-a-tives" I grew better, the bloating was relieved, the sleeplessness was cured, my stomach acted, and the bowels were moved, but above all the fearful womb pains were made easier. I have taken eighteen boxes in all and I am now perfectly well again." (Signed) Mammak JOSEPH LIRET"TE, 5oc. box -6 for $2.5o—or trial box 25c. —at dealers or from Fruit -a -fives Limited, Ottawa. son, "you will arm yourself and go with me in the gig to make a landing." "Yes, sir," responded the surgeon. "Mr. Barnett." "Yes, sir." "Should 'we be overtaken by the va- por while on the highland and be un- able to get back to the beach, you are to send no rescuing party up there un- til the air has cleared." "But, sir, may we not"— "Do you understand?" "Yes, sir." "In case of an attack you will at once send in another boat with a how- itzer." , "Yes, sir." "Dr. Trendon, will you see Mr. Slade and inquire of him the best point for landing?" Trendon hesitated. "I suppose it would hardly do to take him with us?" pursued the command- ing officer. "If he is roused now, even for a mo- ment, I won't answer for the conse- quences, sir," said the surgeon bluntly. "Surely you can have him point out a landing place," said the captain. "On your responsibilIty," returned the other obstinately. "He's under opiate now." "Be it so," said Captain Parkinson after a time. Going in, they saw no sign of life along the shore. Even the birds had deserted it. For the time the volcano seemed to have pretermitted its ac- tivity. Now and again there was a spurtle of smoke from the cone, fol- lowed by subterranean growlings, but, on the whole, the conditions were reas- suring. "Penny -pop -pinwheel of a volcano, anyhow," remarked Trendon disparag- ingly. "Real man size eruption would have wiped the whole thing off the map first whack." As they drew in it became apparent that they must scale the cliff from the boat. Farther to the south opened out a wide cove that suggested easy beach- ing. but over It hung a cloud of steam. ••Lava pouring down," said Trendon. Fortunately at the point where the cliff looked easiest the seas ran low. !lopes had been brought. After some dainty tnuneuveriug two of the sailors gained foothold and slung the ropes se that the remainder of the disembarka- tion was simple.. Nor was the ascent of the cliff a harsh task. Half an hour after the landing the exploring party stood on the summit of the hill, where the black flag waved over a scene of utter desolation. The vegetation was withered to pallid rags; even the tiniest weedling in the rock crevices had been poisoned by the devastating blast In the midst of that deathly scene the flag seemed instinct with a sinister liveliness. Whoever had set it there had accurately chosen the highest available point oft that side of the is- land, the spot of all others where It would make g ood itssignall to the e e of any chance Parer upon those ship- less seas. For the staff a ten foot sap- ling, finely polished, served. A mound of rock slabs supported it firmly. upon the cloth itself was no 'design. It was of a dull black, the hue of soot. Cap- tain Parkinson, standing a few yards off, viewed it with disfavor. "Furl that flag," he ordered. Congdon, the cockswain of the gig, stepped forward and began to work at the fastenings. Presently he turned a grinning face to the captain, whiff, was scanning the landscape through his glass. "$eggin' your pardon, sir," he ?said. "Well, what is it?" demanded Cap- tain Parkinson. "geggin' your pardon, sir, that ain't, rightly no flag. 'That's what you might rightly call a garment, sir. It's an undershirt, beggin' your pardon." "Black undershirt's a new ono to o me," muttered Trendon, "No, sir; it ain't rightly black, Look." Wrenching the object from its fas- tenings, he flapped it violently. A cloud of sooty dust, beaten out, spread about his face. With a strangled cry the sailor cast the shirt front him and rolled in agony upon the ground. "You fool!" cried Trendon. "Stand back, all of you." Opening his medicine case, he bent over the racked sufferer. Presently the man sat up, pale and abashed. "That's how poisonous volcanic gas is," said the surgeon to his command- ing officer. "Only inhaled remnants of the dust too." "An 111 outlook for the man we're seeking," the captain mused. "Dead if he's anywhere on this high- land," declared Trendon. "Let's look at his flagpole." Ile examined the staff. "Came from the beach," he pronounced. "Water worn. H'm! Maybe he ain't so dead either." "I don't quite follow you, Dr. Tren- don." "Why, I guess our man has figured this thing all out, Brought this pole up from the beach to plant it here. Why? tiecause this was the best ob- servation point. No good as a perma- nent residence, though. Planted the flag and went back." "Why didn't we see him on the beach, then?" "Did you notice a cave around to the north? Good refuge in case of fumes." "It's worth trying," said the captain, putting up his glass. "Hold on, sir! What's this? Here's something. Look here." Trendon pointed to a small bit of wood rather neatly carved to the shape of an indicatory finger and lashed to the staff at the height of a man's face. The others clustered. around. "011, the devil!" cried Trendon. "It must have got twisted. It's pointing straight down." "Strange performance," said the cap- tain. "However, since it points that way, heave aside those rocks, men." The first slab lifted brought to light a corner of cardboard. This on closer examination proved to be the cover of a book. The rocks rolled right and left, and as the flagstaff, deprived of its support, tottered and fell the trove was dragged forth and handed to the captain. While the ground jarred with occasional tremors and the mountain puffed forth its vaporous threats he and the surgeon, seated on a rock, gave themselves with complete absorption to the reading. 0 CHAPTETI. XXVIII. TJTWARDLY the book accorded ill with. its surroundings. In that place of desolation and death it typified the petty neat- ness of office processes. Properly placed it should hate been found on a desk, with pens, rulers and other parapher- nalia forming exact angles or parallels to it. It was a quarto, bound in mar- bled paper, with black leather over the hinges. No external label suggest- ed its ownership or uses, but through one corner, blackened and formidable in its contrast to the peaceful purposes of the volume, a hole had been bored. The agency of perforation was obvious. A. bullet had made it. "Seen something of life, I reckon," said Trendon as the captain turned the volume about slowly in his hands. "And of death," returned Captain Parkinson solemnly. "Do you know, Trendon, I almost dread to open this?" "Pshawl" returned the other. "What is it to us?" He threw the cover back. Neatly let- tered on the inside, in the fine and slightly angular writing characteristic of the Teutonic scholar, was the leg- end, "Karl Augustus Schermerhorn, 14091/ Spruce street, Philadelphia, Pa." The opposite page was blank. Cap- tain Parkinson turned half a dozen leaves. "German!" he cried in a note of dis- appointment. "Can you read German script?" "After a fashion," replied the other. "Let's see. Es wonnte sechs—und— dreissig unterjacke," he said. "Why, blast it, was the man running a haber- dashery? What have three dozen un- dershirts to do with this?" "A memorandum for outfitting prob- ably," suggested the captain. "Try here." "Chemical formulae," said Trendon. "Pages of 'em. The devil! Can't make a thing of it." "Well, here's something in English" "Good," said the other. "By combin- Ing the hypersulphate of iridium with the fumes arising from oxide of copper heated to 1000 C. and combining with picric acid in the proportions described in formula x 18, a reaction, the nature of which I have not fully determined, follows. This must be performed with extreme caro owing to the unstable na- ture of the benzene compounds." "Picric acid? Benzene compounds? Those are high explosives," said Cap- tain Parkinson. "Weshould have Bar- nett go over this." "Here's a name under the formula— Dr. A. Mardenter, Ann Arbor, Mich. That explains its being in English. rohably copied from a letter" "This must have been one of the ex- periments in the valley that Slade told us of," said the captain thoughtfully. "Why, see here," he cried, with some- thing like exultation, "that's what Dr. Schermerhorn was doing here. Tie has the clew to some explosive so terrific that he goes far out of the world to experiment rvitlt its manufacture. For companions he chooses a gang of cut- throats that the world would never n wren. n 'miss in ,ease anything thi wentS some Wel of the fin- ished product that started the erup- tion even. leo you seer" "Don't explain enough," grunted Trendon. "Deserted ship, 1:3111y Ed - 'a The Kind Tont Have Always Bought, and which has been in use for over 30 -'ears, has borne the signature of ae,,--and has been made under Iris per.. sonal supervision since its infancy. Allow no one to deceive you in this, All Counterfeits, Imitations and "Just -as -good" are but Experiments that trifle with and endanger the health of Infants and Children—Experience against Experiment. What is CASTORIA► Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor 011, Parc.. goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is Pleasant. It contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotic substance., Its age is its guarantee. It destroys Worms and allays Feverishness. It cures Diarrhoea and Wind Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation and Flatulency. It assimilates the Food, regulates the Stomach and Bowels, giving healthy and natural sleep., The Children's Panacea—The Mother's Friend, cEliumE CASTORIA ALWAYS Bears the Signature of she Kirni You Have Always Bought In Use For Over 30 Years. THE CENTAUR CUM PANT, TT MURRAY STREET, NEW YORK CITY. wards, mysterious lights, Slade and his story—any explosives in those? Good enough far as it goes. Don't go far enough." "It certainly leaves gaps," admitted the other. He turned over a few more pages. "Formulae, formulae, formulae. Chat's thi^? Here are some marginal aunotatious." "Uubehasslich," read Trendon. "Let's see, that means 'highly unsatisfactory,' or words to that effect. Hi! Here's where the old man loses his temper. Listen! *May the devil take Carroll :Incl Crum for careless'—h'm—well, 'pig Jogs: Now, where do Carroll and Crum come in?" -'They're a firm of analytical chem• fists in Washington," said the captain: "When I was on the ordnance board? I used to get their circulars." "Fits in. What? More English? Worse than the German this is." ^ The writing, beginning evenly enough at the top of a page, ran along for a line or two, then fell, sprawling in huge, ragged characters the full length. Trendon stumbled among them indig nantly. " `June 1, 1904," he read. `It is done., Triumph (German word.) Eureka. Es fist gefullt. From the (can't make out that word) of the inspiration—God lika (To be Continued), cog !,) This Week's Redvctioiis AT THE OLD RELIABLE HARDWARE STORE ,Axle Grease, regular 10e at 5e per box. Hay Forks, regular 60e at 50e. Turnip Hoes, regular 50c at 40e. ANIONIMNIMINIANNOSOIA Get our Prices on Cement. Scythes best quality, regular $1.15 at 00e. Scythes, regular 75c for 65e, Snaths, regular 75c at 65c. Novemenenes See us for your Wire Fencing of all kinds. iMMAIIIAMINCIPMMINAI Pure Manilla Hay Fork Rope, reg. 14e and 15e lb. at 13e. Ice Cream Freezers, regular ‘82,O0 and $2.50 at $1,50. Lawn Hose. regular 10c at 8c per foot. How About your Binder Twine and Binder Whip. Bug Finish at 10 lbs. for 25c. Pure Paris Green at 25e per lb. Keep your Kitchen Kohl --and get one of our COAL OIL OR GASOLINE STOVES Asammomommimmoionmersomoo White Lead and Oil. Paints and Varnishes. Yon will find us in tho old stand. 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