HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Signal, 1910-3-17, Page 71'.
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+Hit lOGNGODER1PH (NTA It10
1 REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
THE PRUDE'TIA
For the Benefit of its Policyholders Over Eight and Three=
Quarter Million Policies 4n- Force .. at. the Present Time
Total Payments to Policyholders since Organization, plus Amount Held at
Interest to their Credit, Over
Additional Payments to PolicyholdPrs andlother „olders Concessions
onofs not t stiputlIaindthe
in
original Contracts, Made Volun y
past 20 years, have cost D ver
*Anil 17, 1910 1
360 Million Dollars
13 Million Dollars.
Extra Life Insurance Voluntarilx added to Industrial Policies in Force, over
24 Million Dollars
200 Million Dollars,
Assets, Over., ....._..... - , 1�2 Million
Dollars
. ,.......
Liabilities, Over -
11Y1illion Dollars
Surplus (Including Capital Stock of $2,000,000), Over
r
11
II
li
r,............_....1
Ordinary and
Industrial Policies.
Ages 1 to 70.
Both sexes.
Amounts up to
L,$100,000.J JOHN F. DRYDEN, President.
BRANCH OFFICE IN GODERICH=- J. J. • ' ' ., Bedford Bldg.
•1111•11.=11\
Thie Prudential. New Monthly Income Policy is one of nth
IT PROVIDES A\ GUAR=AN'EU MONTHLY
THE
PRUDENTIAL
most popular forms of Life insuranceever, issued ,
I
COME TO YOURSELF OR FAMILY
THE PRUDI3\NTIAL.
INSURANCE OF.AMERICA
Incorporated as a Stock Company by the Sta tell a to you.
HOME OFFICE, NEWARK, N. J. L�_
AGENTS====P. Habkirk, H. Kirby, J. T. Darwin
J
Prudential Ants are now sae-
vassing In this vicinitl. They
have a most vital story to tell of ,
how Life Insurance has saved the \
home, protected the widow and
educated the children Let them
THE PORT OF
MISSING MEN
By MEREDITH NICHOLSOJV.
AMS of "Tbe Ieses,sf a Thousand Candles"
COPYRIGHT. 1907. BY THE 1101111S-MLanlit COMPANY
• t
"1 not quite ready. sir." reported Or -
ear. touching his hat. 'There Is uotb-
Ing here lent the station. The fettle -
meat is (,- rther on our wny."
"Then liet us be off," said Armitage.
Oscar ledtthe ttiay 1Jy: lll•11c alone %t
narrow rend that clan'•\ close: to the
base of n great plan covetctt hill. T11'
owning was sharp and the horses
•tepp+•l smartly. the._treatti0f their
the beautiful gray -blare of the' Virginia
hills delighted Arntitu,e's eyes. The
region was very wild. Here and there
from some mountaiueer'.l cabin
a light
penciling of smoke stole bl
They . once passed a Awl driving a,
yoke of eteere. After several mlleit the'
mad. that had hung Midway of the
rtniglt Bill, :lipped down sharply, and
they come out --e
`
broader valley. \--
a here there were
tilled fame and
a little settle-
nent with a
Ji cl1mlth 11101)
oil. a country
store: . Mtofiice
and Inst ceiatltn-
ed. The, More
-
pet" st !n
the door sti
trig a cob pi1
Seeing Oscar. he
went inside and
Ieroughtout someint.
letters atxl.new1- brae
papers. a eh he
delivered to dm in valence.
"9'hie la Lamar un. a n
sal. Ua.'ar
0->eirot
1JI
e.1
a post nleee, so that storekeeper with
the red nose and- stnnll yellow eyes
keeps it In r brown jug in the back
room. ..l
"To be sure," laughed Armitage. ,
hope 11 is a good article." *-
"It is vile;" replied Oscan Hillis
brother makes it up in tbe hills, and
tt'1s ai; strong as wood lye."
- "Moonshine!. I have beard of it 1We
bunt have some for -rainy days.•
It was n nee: world to John Armi-
tage, and his heart was as light as the
morning ultras he followed Oscar along
like ynuldy mountain road. Ile. vi as fu
Wirginin, and sotnewbere. on this soil,
perhaps in lame valley ince the one•
tyroigtt vyhieh he rode. Shirley Clai-
borne had gazed upon blue distances,
with ridge ,rising against ridge. and
dark pine coverts' slopes like these be
sn•.v for the first time. Ile had let•4shis
affairs In -\Washington In n :tarry Nod-
:Ili...but he fused the new day' with a"
l nnyant spirit and did not trouble him-
self to look very far•ahend. Ile bad a
erlinl'^ busliwas before him. ills ca-
1-ireranw-Acii-re reaasUring on that,.
1.,r,t( The tart that tie was Ina sense
tmublo him in the
least. iii• heal 110 intention,° a ow—ini
iotas t-hanven0C1 assassins to kill him
er „f lsetpg locked up in a Washington
jell ns the false Baron von Kissel. It
tip :Omitted that lie was'nnt John Ar-
mitace it would he dlienit to prove
Ih:il.lt• was anybody: else—n fast touch -
human testimony which
Jules
nr-
t'1 teact probably knew perfectly'
well.
„Millie whole, tie was satisfied that
he had-Tollowed tbe wisest course thus
far. The hmad panorama of the morn-
ing 41111s cbtatuunicated to his spirit a
growing elation. Ile began singing in
l.erthau a ballad that recited the sor-
rows of a pale maiden prisoner in a
dark tower on.the Rhine, whence ber
true knight rescued her after many
and fearsome adventures. On the last
.(S Lj1e-ceaaed abruptly, and an ex-
clamation of wonderhroke Itrim him. I
They had been riding along a narrow
trail that afforded, as Oscar said, s
ort vitt in -rocs a long timbered ridge l
lay between them and Armltage's
y The path was rougb and
d the iow hanging Pine boughs
send the Oscar dlamountal and thrall/opt-mac pas&
precision. giving equal value to all
words. It is n vast hotel where the
ri h spend much money. That place at
the foot of the h11is—do you see? -1t 1s
ame with
there they 'play a foolish g
1 sticks and little balls''—
, "Gen- Fs It sibter
l• '•There is DO doubt of It, sir. I have
seen the fools thyself—men and worn-
! en. The place Weaned Storm valley."
.Armitage -slapped his thigh sharply.
so that hies horse started.
I"Yes; yon ore probably right, Oscar.
i have heard of the place. And those
t lie beyond there In the val-
ley belong to gentlemen of taste and
leisure who drink the waters and ride
Itrirses and play the foolish game you
describe with little white bans."
"d could not tell It better." responded
Oscar, who had dismounted, like a
gond trooper, to rest his horse.
"And our place—is it below there?"
demanded Armitage.
"It is not, sir. it lies to the west
Rut n man may come here when be is
lonesome and look at the people and
the. gentlemen's houses. •At night It is
a ',leaser° to see the lights, and eotne-
tlmes, when the wind is right, there is
music of bntnalt: •-
••Poor Oscar!" laughed Armitage.
IIis mood bad not often in his life
been ts hlt:h,
1fe found Oscar, WW1 two horses,
Ind.
wolf:
\nostrils showing white on 1110 nIr. '1
far roar and whistle of the train ca
Nock more and more faintly, and wl
lt'�tad quite ceased Armitage sighed.
Pushed his soft felt hat from his face
noel tled himself more firmly in bit
saddlst, The keen sir was no Stimulat-
ing ns wise, and he put his horse to
the gnliop and rode ahead to shake up
his blond.
"It Is good," said the stolid cavalry-
man as Armitage wheeled again into
line with him.
"Yee it is goo' ." repeated ArmltngP.
A psora descended upon him that he
hind not known In many days. The
light grew es the sun rose higher, biaz- lieutenant In his roar ma t
Mg upon them like a brazen target tit,' pay nccountle. One unlit alt ett' k the Maldive deity?" Oscar
sainted, sUading bridle 1• valley o[ V1r�hln nm
through deep clefts In the mountains.im
"'st�ee •woe hand. was Beet some of them mould not aur -
p the world—yrs. At the
The morning mists retnisbed before. there"- ai jerked tthe Pts hood to whisky
efo poke ° sir,"wltbsn kind of *afro will And it milder to wRBI•• r tMde�p; but they marched here and
them
to farther rklges and peals, a0tl veli Is against the Ina' to sell a•hlaky a1)
'he
me
ten
"There must Ids sow
tie," saki etrdlnRag•'.„• sevcrnl 1011,4
Oscar handed hintof the
velopee--they late tbe pante -
U 0nx Lonn and Trust mpany. whose
office in Sew York was Pts permanent
rend n
nddress, and he opened AOiItmA that
nnmlirr of letters and cables tents'
hall been forwarded. Their or he
evidently gave Pin lntlsfaction,
%tin:tied cheerfully as lie thrust them
Into his pocket. ,•,,1r11.
''You kerp in 1nireh with the
do you. tvecar? It 1s commendable."
"1 taken 1C;ushington paper. It re
neves the tyonobrtiv., -nt�1 1 cni1 and
where the reginten1A are moving of
whether my' old captain 14 y elteallp lily
the hospital end what haPl'.ptn
houses 1ha
said, nud, leading their horses, they're- Keyed a long time and kept their lest
flag, and 10 the place was called the
traced
yenta
their steps for severalhhundred
yards along the ridge, then mounted Port of Missing Men.They built patch
et a wall over there beyond the Patch
and proceeded slowly down again until
on
cedars and camped. I
they came to a mm►ntatn road. Pres- And few died,
their graves
by a high wire fence followed at
their right, where the descent was
sharply arrested. and they came to a J
barred wooden gate, and beside it a
small cabin, evidently deafened for a '
lodge.
"This Is the place, sir," and Oscar
dismounted and threw open the gate.
The road within followed the rough
contour of the hilitlde that still turned
downward until It broadened tato a
wooded plateau. The nutter of wtngs
in the underbrush, the scamper of
squirrels, the nand lope of a fox, kept
the eve busy. A deer broke out of a
haul ,thicket. 'stared at the horsemen I
In wide eyed amazement. then pliniged i
into the wood and disappeared.
"There are deer and o 1 roofed biulgalmc. be1
plenty," remarked Oscar. "Your house, was about
Ile turned toward Armitage and add sir," and Oscar be
el with lowered voice:
"It is different from'our old bills and
forests—yes? but lealetimes I have
been homesick."
"Bet. this is pot tp bad, Oscar, and
Mame day you shall go bear
"Isere." said the soldier, al they
swung -out of the wood and Into the
open, "is what they call the Port of
Missing Men."
Thera was a broad park -like area
that tended downward almost imper-
ceptibly to a deep defile. They dis-
mounted and walked to the edge and
looked down the steep aides. A little
creek flowed out of the wood and emp-
tied itself with a silvery rnah into the
Culp, eanght Its breath below and be-
came n creek again. A slight gripper, -
!Ion bridge filing across the defile had
once afforded a short cat to Storm
Springs. tint It was now 1n disrepair.
,..;, 'at either end seas floated "No
Thoro0ghfare." Ana fiat a stepped
upon the hoose planking and felt the
frail thing vibrate under his weight.
"It Is a bad place," remit
u the hrtdge creaked and swung, and
Armitage laughed and jumped hack to
solid ground.
The surface of 11tis harbor of the•
bills was rough.with outcropping rock
to some great strew of nntnre the
trees bad been destroyed utterly,, and
only a scant growth of weeds and wiled
Rowers remained. The place suggest-
ed n battleground for the winds, where
they might meet and etrngitle in *lid
eombet, or, more prdctlenlly, It was
n large enough for the evolutions of a
h be squadron of cavalry.
enr.
"It le n pnssessi0n worthy of the tp low In the lovely valley. and he dray I "Wb7 the name?" asked .\rm fuse.
blest ;awls!" rrpllsal Armitage• „Thera off Ills Int and stared down upon what "rbere were gray soldiers of many
Is a white building with colonnades
was glortfled and enchanted ground. battles —.yes yes — who fought the long
there. is It the -louse o[ e'I,et w go," he said td presently. ' fight against the blue soldiers In the
1 tatter the amswar
i
f foxes a great They came upon a
are there by the 1
cedars. Yes; 1
they had brave
hearts," and Os-
car lifted his
bat as though
he were saluting
the lost legion.
They turned
again to the road
and went for-
ward at n gal-
lop, untli, half a
mile from the
gate, they came
upon d clearing
and a low, red
r'oofe•t bung a -
red low.
"Undoubtedly! There Is a saying
that fools build houses and wise then
live In them. You sec where that
leaves us, Oscar. Let ns be cheerful""
Ile tried tpe shower and changed his
raiment, while Oscar prepared coffee
and laid a cloth on the long table It•
fore the fire. When Armitage appeared
coffee steamed In the tin pot in which
it had been made. Bacon, eggs and
toast were further offered.
"You have done excellently well, Os -
Car. Go get your own breakfast." Ar-
mitage dropped a lump of sugar into
bis coffee cup and surveyed the room.
A -large map of Virginia and a series
of hunting prints hung on the untinted
walls, and there were racks for guns,
and a work bench nt one end of that
room where guns might be token apart
and cleaned. A few novelii several
three-year-old magazines and a variety
of pipes remained on the shelf above
the fireplace. The Image offered possl-
b11ittes of meager comfort, and that
all. Armitage rentem tee
what the agent through whom be had
made the purchase had said—that t
place had proved too isolated for eveu
a hunting preserve and that its only
value was In the timber. Ile was satis-
fied with Ids bargain and would not
set up aTntTxr Mtn 'ter awhile: Ile _.
lighten a cigar and settled himself In
an easy chair before the tire, glad of,
the luxury of peace and quiet after his
circuitous journew and the tumult or
doubt and question that had shaken
him.
Ile ellt the wrapper of the Washing-
ton newspaper that Oscar had brought
from the mountain postomee and scan-
ned the headlines. Ile read with care
ti dispatch from London that purported
to reflect the sentiment of the conti-
nental capitals toward Charles Louis.
the new emperor-ktng of Anstria-llun-
gary, and the paper dropped upon his
knees, and he stared into the fire. Then
he picked up a paper of earlier date
and rend all the foreign dispatches and
the news of Washington. Be wit-,
about to toss the paper aside when his
eyes felt upon n boMlty headlined arti-
cle that euriae hie heart to throb dense-
ly. it melted the sudden reappear-
nnee of the trsndnient Baron von Kis
W in Washington and descried to de
tail the baron's escapades at Par oar
bor and his later career in California
and elsewhere. Then followed a atom.
veiled in careful phrases, but based. so
the article recited, upon Information
furnished by a gentleman of extensive
acgnalntance on both sides of the At-
lantic, that Baron von Kissel, under a
new pseudonym and with even more
daring effrontery, had within a fort-
night sought to intreoeb himself in the
most exclusive circles of Washingtn0
Armitage's cigar slipped from hl• rin-
gers and tell apical the brick hearth es
he read:
ITo 1,e rontt,nml.l
anti hen underbrott_
ditttculttea of ascent. Straining
roti to the
n new Volley,
wA% dIsclosed to long and beautiful
vistas. the reins upon the
.\nnitatta` dt'rlppPd
net of his panting horse. ,
"1f Is n fine volley—yea?" asked tIs-
On Ills flight northward from Wash-
ington and southward down the Atlan-
tic capes. the thought that Shirley Clst-
Creme and her family must now believe
him en ignoble scoundrel had wrought
misgivings and pain in his heart, tont
t l nit he would- soon he near her—
ven now she might he ,ornew ere
swung1.
himself down at
the steps ',Cita broad veranda. He led
the horses away to a barn beyond the
house, while Armitage . surveyed the
landscape. ,The bungalow stood on a
rough knoll 1tnd was so placed as to
afford a splendid few oT.a w1TeF T9
gion. Armitage traversed tbe long ver-
anda, studying the landscape and de-
lighting in the far stretching pine cov-
ered barricade of hills. Ile was arous-
ed by Oscar, who appeared carrying
the snit cases.
"There shall be breakfast," said the
man.
Ile threw open the doors, and they
entered a Wide, bare hall, with a fire-
place. into width Oscar dropped a
match.
"All one door—plenty of sleeping
reams, str—a place to eat here—a kitch•
en beyond—a fair barracks for a com-
mon soldier; that is nil."
"It 1a enough. Throw these balls
into the nearest bedroom, 1C there is
no choice, and camp will be estate
Hatted."
'This 1s yours. The baggage that
came by express 1s there. A wagon
goes with the place, and I brought the
things up yesterday. There is a show-
er bath beyond the renr veranda. 'Phe
mountain water is off the ice, but—
yon will require hot water for shaving
—is it not so?"
"You oppress me with iuxuries, ()s-
ear. Wind up the clock. and nothtng
Will he wanting."
Oscar unatraped the trunks and then
stood at attention In the door. Ile bad
expected Armitage to condemn the
place in hitter language, but the Pro-
prietor of the abandoned bunting pre-
serve was in excellent spirits and
whistled blithely as he drew out Ills
t "Tim pine Wass beet by tasks." ie -