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Exeter Advocate, 1904-12-15, Page 2l5 Thc Price of Liberty OR, A MIDNIGHT CALL . T7r7'ti S•,,, 0.4.100 ,,,„,,,,, ,,,, ,,,,,,till , , ,ry„ , , ,�,I, , , ,t,,,tlll,l ,t,P, , t ,ttil'7 r-rr r ttt,,,, t yj CHATTER XXXI. Thee e were more sides to the mys- tery than David Steel imagined. It had seemed to him that be had pret- ty well, all the threads in his hands, out he would have been astonished to know how much more Fla earey 13e11 and Enid Hensop could have told him, Thee seamed to Bell that there eras one very important thing to be dronebefore he proceeded any farther. He was interested in the mystery as he was interested in anything where crime and Dunning played a part - But he was still more intent upon clearing his good name; besides, this would give him a wider field of ac- tion. In the light of recent discoveries it had become imperative that ho should once more be on good terms with Lord Littimer, Once this was accomplished, Bell saw his way to the clearing up of the whole compli- cation. It was a great advantage to know who his enemy was; it was a. still greater advantage to 'discover that the hero of the cigarcase and the victim of the outrage in Steel's conservatory was the graceless scamp. Van Sneck, the picture dealer, who had originally sold "The Crimson Blind" to Lord. Littimer. It was all falling out beautifully. Not only had Van Sneck turned up in the nick of time, but he was not in a position to do any further mis- chief. It suited Bell exactly that Van Sneck shouldbe hors de combat for the moment. The first thing to be done was to see Lord Littimer without delay. Bell had no idea of humbly soliciting an interview. Re proceeded to a tele- graph office the fust thing the fol- lowing morning and wired Littimer to the effect that he must see him on important business. He had an hour or two at his disposal, so he took a cab as far as Downend Ter- race. He found Steel slug -hunting in the conservatory, the atmosphere of which was blue with cigarette smoke. "So you are not working this morning?" he asked. "1 -Tow the dickens can I work?" David exclaimed, irritably. "Not - that I haven't been trying. I might just as well take a long holiday till this mystery is cleared up for the good I am, Whatis the next move?" "My next move is to go to Litti- mer and convince him that he has done me a great wrong. I am bound to have Littimer's ear once more." "You are going to show, him the spare Rembrandt, eh?" That's it. I flatter myself I shall astonish him. I've sent a telegram to say I'm coming to -day, after which I shall proceed to storm. the citadel. I feel all the safer because nobody knows I have the engraving.' "My dear chap, somebody knows you have the picture." "Impossible!" Bell exclaimed. "On- ly yourself and Enid Henson' can possibly be aware that--" "All the same, I am speaking the truth," David said. "Last night when you went into 'the hospital you gave me the print to take :are of. At the same time I noticed a rough- looking man presumedly asleep on the seat in the road facing the hos- pital. Afterwards when I looked round he had disappeared. At the time I thought nothing of it. When. I carie in here I placed the precious roll of paper on my wtiting-table under the window yonder. The win- dow is a small one, as you can see, and was opened about a foot at the top. I sat here with the light down and the room faintly illuminated by the lightin the conservatory. After a little time I saw a hand and arm groping for something on the table, and I'm quite sure the hand and arm were groping for your Rembrandt. The fellow muttered something that I failed to understand, and I made a grab for him and got him. Then the other hand mado a dash for my head with an ugly piece of gas -pip- ing, and I had to let go." rou "And you saw no more of the fel- low?" "No; I didn't expect to. I couldn't see his face, but there .wno one leecu- rarity ho had, thee I ,night tell you for. aFpuri future guidance. H,,e had a thumb smashed as flat as the head of a snake, with one tiny pink nail in the middle of it. So, if you meet a man like that on your Journey to- day, look to yourself, On the whole, you see that our enemies are a lit- tle more awake than you give them credit fora" Bell nodded thoughtfully. The in- formation was of the greatest possi- ble value to him. Ip told him quite plainly that Reginald Henson knew exactly what had happened. Under ordinary circumstances by this time Henson would bo on his way to Lit - timer Castle, there to checkmate the man he had so deeply injured, But fortunately Henson was laid' by, the heels, or so Bell imagined. "I am really obliged to you," Bell said. "Your information is likely to be of the greatest ,possible ser- vice to ane. I'm sorry you can't work." "Don't worry about me,". David said, grimly. "I'm gaining a 'vast quantity of experience that will be of the greatest value to me later on. Besides, I can go and compare notes with Miss Ruth Gates whilst you are away. She is soothing." "So I should imagine," Bell said, drily. "No, I must be ofii. I'll let you know what happens at Littimer Castle. Good luck to you here." And Bell bustled oft Re was pleased to find a recent telegram of acceptance from Littimer awaiting him, and before five o'clock he was in the train for London. It•was only after he left London that he began to crawl along. Thanks to slow local lines and a badly fitting cross service it was nearly eleven o'clock before he reached Moreton Station. It did not matter much, because Lit - timer had said that a carriage should meet him. However, there was no conveyance of any kind outside the station, One sleepy porter had already departed, and the other one, who took Bell's ticket and was obviously waiting to lock •up, deposed that a carriage from the castle had come' to the sta- tion, but that some clerical gentle- man had come along and counter- manded it. Whereupon the dog -cart had departed. "Very strange," Bell muttered. "What sort of a parson was it?" "I only just saw his face," the porter yawned. "Dressed in black, with a white tie and a straw hat. Walked in a slouching kind of way with his hands down; new curate from St. Albans, perhaps. Looked like a chap as could take care of himself in a row." "Thanks," Bell said, ;curtly. "I'll manage the walk; it's only two miles. G owl -'night." Bell's face was grim and set as he stepped out into the road. He knew fairly well what this meant. It was pretty evident that his arch -enemy knew his movements perfectly well, and that a vigorous attempt was be- ing made to prevent him reaching the castle. He calledback to the porter. "How long since the carriage went?" he asked. A voice from the darkness said "Ten minutes," and Bell trudged on with the knowledge that one.. of his enemies at least was close' at hand, That Reginald Henson was at the castle he had not the remotest idea. Nor did he fear personal : violence.. Despite his figure, he was a man of enormous strength and courage. But he had not long to wait. Somebody was coming down the lonely road towards him, somebody in clerical attire. The stranger stop- ped and politely, if a little huskily, inquired if he was on the right way to Moreton Station, Bell respoded as politely that he was, and asked to know the time. Nat that he car- ed anything about the time; what he really wanted was to see the stran- h in Action On the Digestive and Excretory Systems. r5 Chase's Kidney -Liver Pills Are Lastingly Beneficial-lienioving the Cerise of Disease. The symptoms of dyspepsia, bilious- ness, liver complaint,kidney disease and rheumatism point to the pre- sence of poisonous matter in tlio System. The first thing "Dr,. Chase's Sidney Liver Pills do Is to thoroughly cleanse the system of this waste mat- ter by causing free action of the kid- neys, liver and bowels. Tiiis result is not brought about iet a harsli and irritating way, hut is naturally and thoroughly accomplish- ed. Tlic flow of bile from the liver aids digestion and ensures continued regu- lar action of the bowele; tile free ac- tion of the kiclrieys removes the urie acid, which would otherwise cause rheumatism or stone in the bladder, Digestion, aesimilatiori and the re- moval of waste matter are carried out Without pain or discomfort, and there is no foothold for contagions or other disease, h yr.a.e There is no Other frrc�i,irrarl.iIrora- so‘sinp; ices txniriu;r aril-crs;ra.lt;rd :.tc� tion, and none which can possibly reach such complicated diseases as Dr. Chase's Kidney -Liver Pills. 112r. C. F. Imme1, shoemaker, West - ere Hill, St. Catharines, Ont.,' states; "I have used Dr, Chase's Kidney - Liver Pills regularly for some time and consider that they aro unsurpass ed for torpid liver, defective 'circula- tion, indigestion, Headache and eon- stipation, as these were my troubles; I used many remedies; but got no relief until I tried 'Dr, Chase's Kid - hey -Liver Pills, and a few boxes of this preparation have entirely cured me. I am not In the habitof en- dorsing any 'rneclicinc, but in this case I cannot speak too highly in praise of Dr. Chase's Pills for Whitt they liave donee for xne.". . Dr. Chase's Kidney—Liver fills, one pill a dose, 25 cents a box, at all detr!ID'S. oi' reftnet eon, Bates Co,. 'Toronto. The portreti.t er:nd signature Of lrr. .A W, Ctqse, the famous re- t',.!;:t Iraetl: author, nye on every box get's hands: The little ruse wall: sue- oossful.; in the dins light Bell could see a flattened, hideous thumb, with the pink parody of a:,n'ail upon it. ' `Thanks, very much," he said, ex isply. "Keep straight on "• He half turned an the stranger swung x outid. The latter darted at l3ell,, but he came too late, Bell's fist shot out and caught Kim fairly on the forehead. Then the stick. Bell's loft Mend ,name down with orushitig force on the prostrate mans skull. So utterly -dazed and sur- prised was he, that he lay on the ground far a moment, panting heav- ily. eav- il "You eaurdei us ruffian," Bell. gasped. "You escaped eonv'ict fnan Honest man's clothes. Get up! So you are the fellow—" Ho paused suddenly, uudesirous ' of letting the rascal see that he knew too much. The other man rolled over suddenly live a cat and made a dash for a gap in the hedge. He was. gone like a flash. Pursuit would be useless, for pace was not Bell's strong point. And he was not fear- ful of being attacked again. "Henson seems to be pretty well served," he muttered, grimly. Meanwhile, the man with the. thumb was flying over the fields in the direction of Littimer.Ho made his way across eouxltry to the cliffs with the assured air of one who knows every inch aof the ground, He had failed in the first part of his instructions, and there Was no time to be lost if he was to carry out the second part successfully. - He struck the cliffs at length a mile or so away, and proceeded to scramble along them till he lay hid- den just under the terraces. at Litti- mer Castle. He knew that he was in time for this part of• the pro- gramme, despite the fact that his head ached considerably from the force and vigor of Bell's assault. He lay there, panting and breathing heavily, waiting for the signal to come. Meanwhile, Bell was jogging along placidly and with no fear in his heart at all. He did not need any- body to tell him what was the ob- ject of his late antagonist's attack. He knew perfectly well that if the ruffian had got the better of him he would never have seen the Rem- brandt again. Henson's hounds were on the track; but it would , go hard if they pulled the quarry down just as the sanctuary was in sight. Presently Bell could see tile' lights of the castle, By the lodge gates stood a dog- cart; in the flare of the lamps Bell recognised the features of the driver, a very old servant of Littimer's. Bell took in the situation at a glance. "Is this the way you come for me, Lund?" he asked. "I'm very sorry, •sir," Lund re- plied. "But a clergyman near the station said you had gone another way, so I turned back. And when I got here I couldn't make top nor tail of the story. Blest if I wasn't a bit nervous that it might have„ been some plan to rob you. And I was going to drive slowly along ,to. the station again when you turned up.', "Oh, thorn's nothing wrong," said Bell, cheerfully. "And I don't look as if I'd come to any harm. Anybody staying at the ,castle, Lund?" "Only Mr. Reginald Henson, sir," Lund said, disparagingly. Bell started, .but his emotion was lost in the darkness. It came as a great surprise to him to find that the enemy was actually in the field.. And how apprehensive of dan- ger he must 'be to come so far with his health in so shattered a condi- tion. Bell smiled., to himself as he pictured Henson's face on seeing him once once more under that roof. "How long has Mr. Henson been here?" he asked. "Only came yesterday, sir. Shall I drive you up to the house? And if you wouldn't mind saying nothing to his lordship about my mistake, sir---" •"Make your mind easy onthat score,": Bell said, drily. "His lord- ship shall know : nothing whatever about it: • On the whole, I had bet- ter drive up to the house. ' How fam- iliar it all looks, to be sure." A minute later and Bell stood within the walls of the castle: MAPPER XXXIi:. Chris crossed the corridor like one who walks in a dream. She .had not enough energy left to be astonished even. Her mind travelled quickly over the events of the past hour, and: she began to see the way clear. But how had somebody or other manag- ed to remove the picture? Chris ex- amined the spot on the wall where the Rembrandt had been with the eye of a detective. That part of the mystery was ex- plained in a moment. A sharp cut- ting instrument, prohaly a pair of steel pliers with a lever attachment, had been applied to the head of the four stays, and the flat heads had been pinched off as clean as if they, had been string. After that it was merely necessary to remove the frame and a child could have done the rest. "How clever I am," Chris told herself, bitterly, "I'm like the as- tute people who put Chubb lecke on Russia leather jewel -cases that anybody .cold rip open with a six- penny penknife. And in my conceit 1 deemed the Rembrandt to he ab- solutely safe, Now what --what is the game?" It was much easier to ask the question than to answer it, But there were some facts suilieientiy ob- vious to Chris. In the first .place she knew that Reginald Henson was at the bottom of the whole thing; she knew that he had traded on the fact that she had taken a fancy to the terrace as an after-dinner lounge, indeed, she had told him so earlier in. the day, He had traded on the knowledge that he could prove an alibi if any suspicions attached to him, The feet that he was in dan- ger owing to a slip oh the edge of the cliff was all nonsence. ITe had not been in any clangor at all; he had Seen. Chris there, and lte,, had mado all that parade with an eye to .the , future. As a Matter of course, he was down there settling matters with his accomplice of the maimed thumb, who had chosen the cliff way of getting foto the castlo as the swiftest aitd the surest from detection. , Yes, it was pretty obvio'tis that the man with the thumb had stolen the print, and that by this time he was far away with, his possession. While Chris was helping Henson ` the latter's accomplice had slipped into thecastle and effected the burglary.. Chris, flicked out the light in the alcove as a servant Dame along, It was not policy for any ofthe domes- tics to be too wise. Chris forced a smile to her face as the maid came along "Alton," she asked, "are there many owls about here?" "Never- a one as I know, miss," the maid ,responded, confidently. "I've been here for eleven years, and I never heard of such a thing. Clif- ford, the head keeper, couldn't sleep at nights if he thought as there was sucli •a thing on the estate. I -lave you heard one, miss?" was evidently mistaken," Chris said, "Of course you would know best," So theS. cry of the owl had been a signal of success. Chris sat in the gloom there resolved te see, the comedy played through. The events of the night were not over yet, "I'd give something to know what has taken place in the dining -room," Chris murmured. She tens going to know before long. The lights were being extinguished all over the house. Henson came up to bed heavily, as one -who is ut- terly worn .Dirt, At the same time he looked perfectly satisfied with him- self, Re might have been a vigilant officer who had settled all his' plans and was going to seek a well-earned rest before the enemy came on to his destruction. ' In sooth Henson was utterly worn. out. He had tax- ed his strength to the uttermost, but. he was free to rest now. Meanwhile, the conference in the dining -room proceeded, Lord Litti- mer had received his guest with fri- gid politeness, to which Bell had re- sponded with an equally cold cour- tesy. Littimer . laid his cigar aside and. looked Bell steadily in the face. "I have granted. your request against my better judgment," he said. "I am not sanguine that the least possible goad can come of it. But I have quite grown out Of all my allusions; I have seen the im- possible proved too often. Will you take anything?" "I hope to do so presently," Bell said, pointedly; "but not yet. In the first instance I have to prove to you that I have not stolen your Rembrandt." "Indeed? I should like to i know how you propose to do that." "I shall prove it at once. You were under the impression that you pos- sessed the only copy of the `Crimson Blind,' in existence. When you lost yours and a copy of the picture was found in my possession, you were perfectly justified in believing that I was the thief-" • "I did 'take that extreme view of the matter," Littimer said, drily. "Under the 'circumstances I should have done the same thing. But you were absolutely wrong, because there were two copies of the picture. Yours was stolen by an enemy of mine who had the most urgent reasons for 'dis- crediting me in your eyes, and the other was concealed amongst my be- longings. It was no loss to the thief, because subsequently the, stolen one -my ownone being restored to you -could have been exposed and disposed of as a new find. Your print is in the house?" "It hangs in the gallery at the present moment." s, "Very goad. Then, my lord, what do yett say to this?" Bell took the roll of paper from his pocket and . gravely flattened it out on the table before him, so that the full rays of tho electric light should fall upon it. Littimer was a fine study of open-mouthed surprise. He could' only stand there gaping, touching the stained paper with his Gingers and .breathing heavily. "Here is a facsimile: of your treas- ure," Bell went on. ".Were is the same thing. You are a goad_ juedge on these matters, and I venture to say you will call it genuine. ' There is nothing of forgery about the en- graving.'' n-graving '' "Good heavens, no," Littimer snapped: "Any cool could see that." "Which you will admit is a very great point in my favor," Bell said, gravely. "I begin, to think that I have done you a great injustice,'?: Littizner ad- mitted; "but, under the circum- stances, 1 don't see hoW I could have done anything else. Look at that picture, It is exactly the same as mine. There is exactly the same discoloration in the margin in ex- actly the eamo place." "Probably they lay flat on the top of one another for scores of years." "Possibly. I can't see the slight- est difference in the smallest partieu••• lar. Even now I cannot rid myself of the feeling that I am the victim of some kind of plot or -!elusion.. The house is quiet now and there is no- body about. Before I 'believe the evidence of my senses -and I have had cause to doubt them more than once -I should like to compare this print with 'thine. Will you follow me to the gallery if you haven't -dor - gotten the way?" Littimer took up the treasure from the table gingerly. E•Xe was pleased and at the same time disappointed; pleasedto find that he had been mis- taken all these years, sorry in the knowledge that his, picture was uni- que no longer. Ile said nothing un- til the alcove was reached and Chris drew back in: the shadow to let the others pass. "Note to settle the gtiestion for; all time," Littimer said,. "Will you he so good as to turn on the els tric light? You will find the switch in the angle of the wail on your right, And when we have settled the affair and I have apologized to ,you in due •form, you shall command my ser- vices and my plisse to right the wrong. If it coats 'rno 210,000 the man who has done this thing shall. auffcr., Please to put up the light, Bo11„".r MAKING CONVERTS by LEAPS AND. BOUNDS Ceylon Natural Green tea by its absolute purity and delicious fla- vor is displacing Japan tea just as "SALADA" black is displac- ing all other black teas. Sealed lead packets only. 25e and 40c per Ih.. By all grocers. PORIC PRODUCTION. Our experiments extended Over a period of two years, writes Prof. A. M. Soule, of the Tennessee Experi- mental Station. The :first test was made with 24 hogs divided into eight groups of three each, and continued for 60 days. A duplicate experi- meat was mado in. 19Q3, and contin- ued for 77 days. The repetition of the experiment was deemed advisable to eliminate the influence of individ- uality as much as possible by secur- ing a record from a larger number' of animals. These trials were under- taken largely for . studying the va- lue of cora meal alone and of corn meal when fed in combination with varying amounts of skim -milk for pork production. Fiva of the hogs used in the first experiment were Chester White grades bred on on the university farm; the remainder were purchased and were said to be Chester White and Berkshire cross. The 32 hogs used in tho experiment of 1903 were pur- chased in an adjoining country. These were grade Berkshires. but they were inferior in. quality to those used in the previous experiment, as is evident from the smaller and less uniform gains made. Tho hogs were confined in pens and fed twice a day. The rations fed per animal are shown, together with the .Initial and final weights and the total pounds of gain in the .following table Hogs fed in the ratio of one pound grain to three, six, nine and 12 pounds skimmilk made the largest gains on from nine to 12 pounds skimnxilk. Tho consumption of skimmilk reduced the consumption of concentrates considerably, though the cost of a pound of gain was low- est with a consumption of one pound grain to three pounds skimmilk, This Chris listened breathlessly: She was not quite certain what she was about to see. She could hear Bell fumbling for the light, she heard the click of the switch, and then she saw'the brilliant belt' of flame flood- ing the alcove. Littimer paused and glanced at Bell, the latter looked round the alcove as if seeking for something. "I cannot see the picture here,” be said. "I( I have made -a mis- take—" Littimer stood looking at the speaker -with, eyes like blazing stars. Just for a moment or two he was speechless with indignation. "You charlatan, he said, hoarse- ly. "You barefaced trickster." • Bell started back. His mute ques- tion stung Littimer to the quick. . "You wanted ` to be cleared," the latter said. "You wanted to befool me again. You come here in some infernally cunning fashion; you steal my picture from the frame and have the matchless audacityto pass it off for a second one. Man alive, if it were earlier I would have yon flog- ged from the house like the ungrate- ful dog that you'are," Chris" checked down the cry that. rose to her lips. 'She saw,. as in a flash of lightning, the brilliancy' and simplicity and cunning of Henson's latest and most masterly scheme• cTo bo Continued.) A Srabbor. n COM or Bronchia yields more readily to Scott's Emulsion of cod-liver oil than to anything you can take. When you awake in the night choked up and cough- ing hard, take a dose of the Emulsion, and you will get immediate relief when no medicine h i e lei c9ugh d ne will help you. It has a soothing gand healing effect upon the throat and bronchial tubes. Most' peoplp .eo le know e Scots ;moIsIOD as a great body builder, but it is equally good to allay in- flammation and cure colds and violent coughing. g. Send for Tree Senate, SCOTT k IIOWPIh,Clemnists, Toronto, Oat, shows that animals will often cone surae larger quantities of food than they can digest and assimilate with PRE GREATEST ECONOMY, e The largest gain per head per day was made by Groups 3 and 4, 1.4 pounds, followed closely bt Groups 1 and 6, with a gain of 1.35 pounds. The other groups all gained i.a pouacls with the exception of the lot fed corn" meal and water. The largest gains were: made by the groups receiving corn meal and wheat meal, mixed in the ratio of 2 to 1, with skimmilk. The value of skimmilk as an ad- junct in hog feeding is shown by the fact that Group 4 consumed 4.1 pounds corn meal for one pound. gain, whereas" Croups 6, 7 and 8 consumed only 1.6 pounds concen- trates with approximately 12 pounds skimnulk per pound of gain• In oth- er words, 12 pounds skimmilk saved 2e pounds corn meal, The experiment indicates., that a bushel of dorn produced 13.6 pounds pork, which at 6 cents would give it a feeding value of 81 cents a bushel; at 5 cents, 68 cents a bush- el; and at 7 cents, a feeding value of 95 cents. A farmer often • sells his,corn at 40 to 50 cents, when fat hogs would br'ng him 5 to 7 cents per pound, under the ' mistaken idea that he cannot afford to feed it. Corn has been purchased at 80 cents a bushel and fed at a profit at the station. The manure from animals consti- tutes a part of the legitimate profits from any feeding experiment, as it takes the place of purchased com- mercial fertilizers. When 75 pact of the fertilizer value of the food- stuffs consumed was credited to the animal, the average cost of a pound of •gain for all groups was 3.7 cents; when no allowance was made for the manure, 5 cents... These experiments clearly demonstrate the importance of skimmilk as an adjunct food for hogs, The best ratio is one pound grain to three to eight pounds skim milk. You Help It? THE HUSPITAL FOR fr or SICK CHILDREN For it Cares for Every Sick Child in Ontario whose Parents Cannot Afford to Pay For -Treatment. or or or The Hospital for Sick Children, College street, Toronto, appeals to the fathers and mothers of Ontario for funds to maintain the thousand sick children that it nurses within its walls every year. The Hospital is not a local institution- but Provincial. Titi sick child from ani place in Ontario wht can't afford to pal has the same privi• leges as the child living in Toronto and is -treated free. The Hospital had. last year iuits beds andante 761 patients, 267 of these were y from 196 places out, side of Toronto. The cost is 98 cents per patient per day, -' and there were 129 sick little ones a. day 'c00D DAT,'DODTOIi.' in the Hospital. Since its founda- tion the Hospital has treated 10,371 children - about 7,600of these were unable to pay and re' were treated free. Every dollar may be the translator of :: your kind thoughts into the' Hospital kind deeds. Everybody's dol. Int may be th o friend in Need to DAssAG5, Somebody's child. Let the money of the strong be mercy to the weak, The Hospital pays out dive deeds of health and happiness to suffer- ing childhood on every dollar that is paid by the friends of little children. If you know of any sick child in your neighborhood who is sick or crip" pled or has club, feeC 'send rho' par- ent's name,' to the Hospital. "555'9 SNxrrXNO" p See the exampld of what can bo done for club-foob children, There were 14 like oases last year and hun• dreds in 28 years. ,n1ron1l Aram !'lease send contributions to 3. nose Robertson, Chairman, or to Douglas David' n, See. -'.Crean„ of The TXosuital•for Sickj Children, College Street, 7.`oronbo.