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l'V3OTSi
SYNQPSOIS OF PRECEDING ARTICLE.
The shades of Washington, Jefferson and Ad
ams visit late at night the library room of
Smith, an author, and find him in conversation
with his friend Brown. Smith mistakes them for
masqueraders, demands an explanation, and the
three disappear before his eyes after promising
to return on the following evening. They do BO,
and explain that they have revisited the scenes
of their former activities for the purpose of re
ceiving information and imparting certain mes
sages. It is ar-anged that they shall meet on
specified evenings ii^ Smith's room. The follow
ing is a continuation of the first conference, hav
ing declared that the people are powerless to
govern at the present time.
I
WAS incensed at Jefferson's at
tack on our national institutions
and my cherished opinions, and I
determined to defend them.
"You surely will not deny that
we have made wonderful material prog
ress under our form of government?"
I challenged him.
"When did this abnormal love for
flattery arise?" responded Jefferson.
My observation convinces me that
the first question, asked of a visitor to
this country is his opinion of it. and
unless he indulges in fulsome praise he
may expect a cold reception. You have
worked yourself into a mood where you
look on the candid critic as an eneny,
and if one of your citizens dares exer
cise that privilege you suspect him of
treason."
"What do you think of our country,
Mr. Jefferson'?" was the impudent
question asked by Brown, but Jefferson
did not resent it in the least.
"Your progress is disappointing con
sidering your unrivale advantages,"
was the
unhesitatingd reply. I at
tempted to say something, but was too
astounded to frame a sentence.
"You have been favored more than
any nation in history, and you ask
credit for it," Jefferson continued.
There was bequeathed to you an area
of fertile land of an extent beyond the
scope of human conception a tract con
taining stupendous natural resources,
unsurpassed navigable highways,
blessed with a diversity of climate, and
crowned with the advantage of absolute
Immunity from molestation by other na
tions. These are things to be thank
ful fornot to boast of. You point to
that which nature gavo you, and cry to
all the world: 'Behold us'' You crave
flattery like little children, and like
them, pout when criticised."
"We have a right to be proud!" I
declared with some warmth. "When
the constitution was adopted we were
a struggling nation numbering less than
four millions. We had no arts, sciences,
CHAPTER V.Continued.
But as the day wore to evening, and
the evening to night, the sensation of
being hunted vexed his nerves. He
found himself prolonging his solitary
dinner for the sake of the company of
the butler and footman who waited
upon him, and afterwards he abstained
from the moonlit stroll on the terrace
to which he felt tempted. It was not
till the mansion had been barred and
bolted for the night that he ceased to
fumble frequently for the revolver
which he had carried all day.
Before retiring he inquired of
Manson if the constable had traced the
maltreaters of Jennings, and ho was
not surprised to learn that there had
been no discoveries. Mr. Clinton Zeig
ler was not a man to employ agents in
capable of baffling a village police
man.
The room which Beaumanoir occupied
was the great state' bedchamber that
had been used by his predecessors from
time immemoriala gaunt apartment
with a cavernous fireplace and heavily
curtained mullioned windows. He
did not like the room, but had con
sented to sleep there on seeing that
the old retainers would be scandalized
by his sleeping anywhere but in the
"Duke's Boom."
After locking the door and seeing to
the window fastenings, he took the ad
ditional precaution of examining the
chimney. Bending his head clear of
the massive mantelpiece, he looked up
and saw that at the end of the broad
shaft quite a large circle of star-lit
sky was visible, while a cold blast
struck downwards of sufficient volume
to purify the air of the room.
He lay awake for some time, but
he must have been slumbering fitfully
for over an hour when he felt himself
gradually awakeningnot from any
sudden start, but from a growing sense
of strange oppression in his lungs. As
his senses returned the choking sensa
tion increased, and finally he lay wide
awake, wondering what was the matter.
Every minute it became harder to
breathe the stifling air, and at last he
flung the bedclothes off in the hope of
relief, and in doing so saw something
so unaccountable that his reeling senses
were stricken with amazement rather
than fear.
There was a fire in the gTato. Glow
ing steadily in the recess of .the ancient
fireplace a great red ball burned, with
out flicker and'without flame, but lurid
with the unwavering light that comes
from fuel fused to intense heat.
Even without the terrible oppres
sion at his chest there would have been
a weird horror in this mysterious fire
introduced into his room at dead of
nightinto a room with locked door
and fastened windows. But what did
this ghastly struggle for breath por
tend?
"Charcoal! Ziegler'" were the two
words that buzzed in response thru his
fast-clouding brain.
CHAPTER VI.
The General Is Curious.
On the following afternoon at tea
time four ladies were seated in the
pleasant drawingroom of 140 Grosvenor
Gardens, the residence of General Sad
grove, late of the Indian Staff Corps.
Mrs. Sadgrove, a fair, plump, elderly
dame, needs no special description, and
two of the other teadrmkersMrs.
Senator Sherman, as she preferred to
be called, and her daughter Leonie
we have met before.
The fourth occupant of the rooma
girl dressed in deep mourningwas
Sybil Hanbury, who had come to- dis-
cuss her engaement to Alec Forsyth
with her motherly old friend, Alec's
aunt by marriage, Mrs, Sadgrove. Ow
ing,to the recent deaths in her family
the engagement was not to be publiclv
announced at present but Sybil had
no secrets from the Sadgroves, who had
known her from a baby, long before she
had been taken up, on the death of her
parents, by her grandfather, the late
Duke of Beaumanoir.
Miss Hanbury owed her attractive
ness to her essentially English .type,
not of beautyshe would have dis
dained to lay claim to thatbut of
fresh, healthy coloring, a suspicion of
tomboyishness, and a lithe, supple fig
ure that stood her in good stead in the
hunting and hockey fields. A trifle
slangy on occasion/ she was a good
hater and a staunch friend, with a tem
peras she had warned Alec already
that would need a lot of humoring if
thev were.not,to have "ructions,"
machinery, literature, railroads or
steamshipswe have developed all
these under our form of government."
When your constitution was formed
England had not more than five mill
ions of people," smiled Jefferson, "and
without the advantage of your form of
government and despite its insignificant
territory it now numbers more than
forty millions. When your government
was formed the world had not heard of
Japan. Without copying a line from
your constitution Japan within the span
of one generation has progressed from
barbarism to the forefront of civiliza
tion. Do you claim for your country
pre-eminence in art, science and litera
ture? Has the rest of the world stood
still while we have produced all of the
artists, scientists and writers? Surely
you do not assert this, Mr. Smith. We
did not invent the steam engine. We
did not givo to the world its first rail
road or its first steamship)7our fool
ish schoolbooks to the contrary not
withstanding.
We have improved on and perfected
these great inventions," I declared.
"In machinery and the applied arts we
lead the world."
"Your railroads kill and maim more
persons in a year than those of all other
nations in a decade," said Jefferson.
"With a few exceptions the great
steamships which enter your harbors
were designed and constructed abroad.
Those of you who can afford it wear im
ported clothes, drink imported wines,
walk on imported rugs, gaze on im
ported paintings, wear imported iew
elry, ride in imported automobiles, while
the daughters of vour rich import their
husbands. Why do you do these things
if vou have attained to such perfec-
tion?"
"Smith's patriotism is not disturbed
over little deficiencies like those you
have mentioned," grinned Brown. "He
firmly believes that were it not for our
peculiar form of government we long
since should have relapsed into sav
agery. He would rather talk about the
constitution.
I was too angry to reply to Brown's
sarcasm. I have no patience with any
one who intimates that our institutions
are much short of perfection but did not
wish to offend my distinguished guest
by accusing him of a lack of patriotism.
"The greatest achievement of your
constitution is that it has perpetuated
you as one nation," observed Washing
ton. "These are no longer 'United
States' under the constitution you have
become a "United State.'
"Not under the constitution, but de-
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JL A JLA-a^/ 1 K* ^^J lH 1 l*/ ffl 9k l/^C_|-* \m** ^\^jT
I 've got the makings of a terma-'
gant. my dear boy, but it will be all
right if you rule mo with a velvet
glove," she had remarked within five
.minutes of their first kiss.
In fact, Miss Sybil Hanbury was a
bit of a hoyden but a very capable lit
tle hoyden for all that, and absolutely
fearless.
The two girls had naturally paired
off together, and the subject of their
talk was, equally naturally, the new
dukeAlec's friend, Sybil's cousin, and
Leonie 's chantee acquaintance on the St.
Paul.
Sybil, after listening to Leonie'a
rather halting description of the
fellow passenger whom she had
known as ''Mr. Hanbury," owned
fiankly that she had never heard any
good of her cousin, but she hastened
to add:
"He's given my prejudice a nastv
knock, tho, in behaving so well to my
young man. Gave him a billet as pri
vate sec. that enabled Alec toyou
know. A man can't be much of a
wiong 'un who'll stick to old pals
when they have no claim on him."
Leonie tried not to show surprise at
the vernacular.
"He seemed very kind and consid
erate. I don't think he can ever have
done anything dishonorable," she re
plied.
"Nobody ever accused him of
that," Sybil assented. "It was only
that he was extravagant, and that my
grandfather got tired of paying his
debts. You see, he wasn't the next
heir, andwell, perhaps they were a
little hard on him. I'm quite prepared
to like him now."
The conversation was interrupted by
the entrance of a servant, who an
nounced:
"Mrs. Talmage Eglinton."
A fellow countrvwoman of yours.
I wonder if you know her?" "Sybil
whispered, as a radiant vision in pale
pink under a large "picture" hat
sailed in, and was greeted with somQ
what frigid politeness by Mrs. Sad
grove.
"No I am not acquainted with
either the name or the lady," Leonie
replied, struck with a strange antip
athy to the bold eyes that seemed to
be mastering overv detail the room,
herself included. Indeed, Mrs. Talmage
Eglinton stared so markedly both at
Leonie and her mother that Mrs. Sad
giove thought they must have met,
and promptly introduced them as
Airencan friends staying in the same
house. The introduction was not a
success, for the Shermans knew every
one worth knowing in American so
ciety, and the fact that they had never
so much as heard of Mrs. Talmage Eg
linton argued her outside the pale.
The elegant vision received her
snubbing with cool unconcern, and af
ter a few generalities turned again to
her hostess and engaged in the trifling
chatter of a "duty" call, making one
or two unsuccessful attempts to in
clude Sybil, to whom she had not been
introduced, in the conversation.
"That woman is a brute," Sybil
said ot Leonie under her breath. "I'll
tell you about her when she's gone."
The door opened, and there entered
an iron-gray man of 60, whose dom
ing might almost have been the
cause ot expediting the departure of
Mrs. Talmage Eglinton, so quickly did
she rise and oegin her good-byes.
"No, really I can't stay, dear MTS.
Sadgrove. even to have the pleasure of
a chat with the general." she prattled.
I have half a dozen other calls to pay,
and you have beguiled me into staying
too long already. Good-bye. Good-Dye,
general? Pray don't trouble to como
down." And with a half-impudent bow
of exaggerated respect to the Sher
mans, sfie swept out, with the master
of the liouse in attendance.
General Sadgrove returned at once to
the drawing-room after escorting the
visitor to her carriage. He was a man
who bore his years easily singularly
slow and scant of speech, but alert of
eye and almost jaunty in the erectness
of his bearing. He had gained his C. B.
for prominent services in the suppres
sion of Thuggee and Dacoity-, and his
name is still held in wholesome dread
by the criminals of India, whose meth
od is violence. It had once been said
of him by a high official: "Jem Sad
grove doesn't have to worry about find
ing clues. He makes them for himself,
and they always yield a true scent.
He's got the nose of a fox-terrier and
the patience and speed of a grey
hound."
But that was long ago, stnd it might
spite it," warmly declared Jefferson.
"The constitution conferred the right
of secession and recognized slavery, but
the people were wiser than the consti
tution, and by the sword rendered a de
cision which forever destroyed the infal
libility of that document. But we will
not discuss that. To all intents an'd
purposes the constitution is paramount.
Your national, state and local laws are
supposed to conform to it, your political
parties subscribe allegiance to its doc
trines, and it is your governmental bi
ble. Do I overstate its scope and in1
fiuence?"
"You could not overstate it," I de
clared. "We do not allow anyone to
criticize it."
"Nonsense, young man!" severely
interrupted Samuel Adams. "The
right to criticize the constitution
amend it or even overthrow it is dis
tinctly affirmed in' that document.''
I hastened to explain that I had
stated my point too broadly, and that
our reverence for it was on account of
its founders.
"It is probable that we know more
of its founders than you do," remarked
Jeefferson. The belief of the Ameri
can people in their innate perfection ex
tends to the canonizing of their ances
tors. You have exalted them to the
rank of demigods, and have taught
vourselves that their work was inspired.
From worshiping them it was natural
that vou came to worship their consti
tution, and to ascribe all of your fail
ures to an inability to interpret their
superhuman wisdom. Let us consider
them as men' and not as gods. Put
aside your bombastic national pride and
look the facts in the face. Your
honest majorities are helpless to pass
and enforce good laws or to defeat Dad
ones. In no country in the world does
wealth wield a greater influence in gov
ernment. Shall we charge these condi
tions to vour Constitution and if not,
at what door shall we lay them? Why
do your people publicly tolerate abuses
at which they privately complain?"
"The people cut no figure what-
ever," declared Brown, who could re
main silent no longer. "If an over
whelming manority of them desire the
passage of a certain law, they some
times succeed, after years of education
and agitation, in getting a bill thru
a legislature, or even congress. If it
is not vetoed, the chances are that some
court will declare it unconstitutional,
and that's the end of it. The people
have tried again and again, and now
ties of retirement as the ushering out
of dainty visitors from his wife's tea
table his faculties had become blunted.
Nor in the law-abiding precincts of Bel
gravia could there be scope for the old
time energy. Yet Mrs. sSadgrove, who
knew the signs and portents of her
husband's face, looked twice at him
with just a shade of anxiety as she
asked whether he would take some tea.
"Thanks," he said, and taking his
cup he went and stood on the rug be
fore the empty hearth. He stirred his
tea slowly, with his eyes wandering
from one to the other of the four wom
en in the room.
"You good people seem singularly
calm, considering that you must just
have been listening to a very exciting
story," he remarked.
"Indeed, no," replied Sybil, taking
upon herself to answer. "The lady to
whom you have just been doing
the polite bored us intensely. Leonie
says that for all the dash she's
cutting in London^ she's an incognita
so far as America is concerned."
The general continued to stir hjis
tea impassively.
"Did she not inform you, in the
course of her small talk," he inquired
presently, "that on her way here her
carriage had knocked a man down and
gone near to killing him?"
The question evoked a chorus of in
terested negatives.
"Neither did she say anything to
me about it," said the general gravely.
Then how did you become aware
of the accident?" Mrs. Sadgrove ven
tured to ask.
"Saw it," returned the general. "It
happened in Buckingham Palace road.
I was passing' at the time on my way
home from the club. Her coachman
drove right over the felldw as he was
crossing the roadway at the corner.
He was knocked down, and it was the
merest shave that he wasn't trampled
by the horses and crushed by the
wheels. As it'was, he escaped with a
bit of a shaking and a dusty coat. At
any rate, he got up and walked into
the nearest barber'sfor a wash and
brush-up, I suppose.
Further questioned, the general, in
his jerky way, informed his fair au
dience that he was sure that it was
Mrs. Talmage Eglinton's jobbed lan
dau that had wrought the mischief and
that she herself was in it at the time.
It was the same vehicle which he had
found at his own door on reaching
home ten minutes ago, and to which he
had just conducted her.
"Funny that she should be so secre
tive about it," said Mrs. Sadgrove, re
flectively. "It's the sort of thing that
most women, coming fresh from the
scene, would have been full ofespe
cially as it must have been the coach
man's fault and not her own."
"Exactly," was the general's curt
comment.
"She's aa creature," Sybil Han
bury exclaimed viciously. "Thank
Soodness I don't know her but I've
eard all about her from Alec. The
poor boy can't abide her she makes
eyes at him so unblushingly."
"Then we can appreciate your sen
timents about her," remarked the gen
eral with the flicker of a smile. "How
did we come to know this lady?" he
added to his wife.
Mrs. Sadgrove explained that she
had been asked as a favor to call on
Mrs. Talmage Eglinton, by a mutual
acquaintance, a certain Lady Rose
ville, but had regretted it ever since.
Their intercourse had, however, been
of the slightest, being confined to the
interchange of a couple of formal vis
its, and to an invitation by Mrs. Sad
grove to a musical "at home,'' at
which Mrs. Talmage Eglinton had en
deavored to embark on a flirtation with
Alec Forsyth.
"She's a rich widow, I believe and
I don't think she would ever have
been heard of if the Rosevilles hadn't
taken her up," Mrs. Sadgrove con
cluded.
The series of grunts with which the
general received this information had
hardly ceased when again the footman
appeared in the doorway and an
nounced, with all due importance:
"His grace the duke of Beauma
noir.
The occupants of the drawing-room
were all accustomed to the "usages of
polite society," either in Britannic or
transatlantic form but it was impos
sible for them to repress a flutter of
excitement as the visitor entered, his
original "cavalry swing" marred
but not wholly obliterated by his limp.
Leonie tried hard not to plush, and
Mrs. Sherman interlaced* her
SHADES OF THE^FATHERS
Thomas Jefferson and Samuel Adams Are Astonished at the Ignorance of the American People Concerning Their Own Government
By FREDERICK UPHAM ADAMS, Author of "John Burt" and "The Kidnapped Millionaires"-Copyright, 1905, by McClure, Phillips & Co.
they are tired. What's the use! The
corporations have got us just where
they want us, and 3^'m one of the few
kickers left with energy enough to
talk about it. Those who make laws
for the market know that the people
have no corruption fund wit\ which to
Purchase
nHIHIIHHMMIlMIHIIUIMlMtHMlUHIHU
A
fingers nervously. Sybil Hanbury
stared hard at the cousin whose stately
town house she was occupying, and
who had waved a magic wand over her
lover's prospects. Mrs. Sadgrove was
the graceful and interested hostess,
and the generalwell, the general was
sui prised for once into a' start which
was only invisible because nobody was
looking at him.
Beaumanoir's manner was perfectly
easy and self-possessed, but there was
a harassed look in hia eye which did
not entirely fade as he responded to
his welcome. But it was not that
which had caused the general to start.
The duke was the man whom he Had
seen knocked down by Mrs. Talmage
Eglinton's carriage, to the imminent
peril of his life.
The "wash and brush-up" had been
effectual as regards the ducal gar
ments, but they could not hide the
black silk sling in which he carried
his left arm. It was General Sad
grove's way to allow events to shape
themselves, and saying nothing of the
scene he had witnessed as he welcomed
the distinguished visitor, he waited for
the duke to refer to his mishap him
self.
But no. The victim of the accident
was apparently as much inclined to'
reticence as had been the fair cause of
it. It was Mrs. Sherman who uncon
sciously provoked the mendacious
statement which stimulated the gen
eial's curiosity.
"I'm afraid that your grace has hurt
your hand," said the senator's wife,
pointing to a broad strip of diachylon
plaster that ran from the duke's wrist
to the ball of his thumb.
"Yes, II grazed it rather badly
against the wheel in getting out of a
cab." Beaumanoir replied with a mo
mentary loss of his self-possession. The
discomposure passed at once, and only
the observer on the hearth-rug noticed
it. The same shrewd observer presently
perceived that the visitor was definite
ly leading the conversation to the sub
ject of the arrival in England of Sen
ator Sherman and, more than that,
that he was waxing a shade more in
quisitive than good breeding allowed
as to the nature of the senatorial jour
ney.
"Ah! he's coming on political busi
ness, I think you told me?" the duke
remarked in a'half-tone of interroga
tion on Leonie saying that her father,
according to advices received that
morning, was to sail in two days' time
on the Campania, and would be due at
Liverpool early in the following week.
"Well, it's political business in a
wav," Mrs. Sherman struck in. "My
husband is coming over in charge of a
large amount of government securities,
which are to be deposited at the Bank
of England against a shipment of Eng
lish gold to the United States."
"He's got the opening he wanted.
Now, what on earth is he going to do
with it?" said the general to himself
as he watched keenly.
"Rather a dangerous ^mission, I
should say," was the duke's comment
on the information imparted to him.
"Dangerous! How can that be?"
Leonie exclaimed, wondering. "United
States treasury bonds are not explo
sive.
"No, but the world is full of sharps,
Miss Sherman, and some of them might
fancy having a shy for such a haul,"
said Beaumanoir, with a trace more of
earnestness than tho occasion seemed to
require. "If I had a relative starting
on such an errand, I should be inclined
to cable him toahto look out for
himself," he added in direct appeal to
Mrs. Sherman.
But the good lady laughed the sug
gestion to scorn, alleging playfully that
"it would be as much as her place was
worth'' to tackle the senator that way.
It would be a hint that he wasn't able
to take care of himself or of his charge
and would be resented accordingly.
The duke abandoned the isuojeet, Vmt
the general noted the disappointment
in the tired eyes.
"His grace knows something. Let's
seehe was on his beam-ends when he
was unearthed in New York," the old
hunter of thugs and dacoits muttered
under his gray mustache.
Beaumanoir made no long stay after
his ineffectual effort to sound a warn
ing note. There had been no oppor
tunity for individual talk but in say^
ing his adieus he had two words with
Sybil, who had'been observing her
cousin quite as intently as, and a good
deal, more openly than, the general.
"I'm going to look Alec up now, at
his diggings in John street," he BaiA
Defective Page v~
said. "My father willed them to me
with other books, and I have not had
time to read them."
I cannot understand the reason for
the dense ignorance of the American'
fion,
their wares. The People!
hey're down and out! I'd rather be
backed by the influence of one corpo
ration lawyer than that of all the peo
ple in New York state."
"Do you imagine, Mr. Smith," asked
Jefferson, "that the founders of the
constitution contemplated any such
state of affairs as has been pictur
esquely described by our friend
Brown?"
"Certainly they did not," I warmly
asserted. "They gave to us the ma
chinery for a republic, one in which
the majority should rule, and the ills
from which we suffer are due to our
lack of interest in public affairs and
not to defects in our system."
"Do you think that it was the in
tention of the formers of the constitu
tion that the majority of the people
should rule?" asked Jefferson.
There can be no question about
it," I declared. "Their only object
was to give to the world an example
of a true democracy."
"You hold that they had faith in
the wisdom of the majority, and de
sired to establish a system by which
it could be given expression, do you
not, Mr. Smith?" he asked, looking
at me closely.
"You have stated my views exactly,
Mr. Jefferson," I replied.
"Such is the popular estimate of
their purport and the result of their
labors, is it not?"
"It is."
"They had no such motive," Jeffer
son said impressively, and then turned
to Washington and Adams. "No bet-J
ter evidence is needed," he said, "of
the inaccuracy and worthlessness of
what is called history. I presume we
misjudge the ancient Greeks and Ro
mans in the same way.''
I was too astounded to make reply.
Had one of my friends-Brown, for in
stancemade such an assertion I should
have lashed him as a traitor and an in
rate, but I could make no answer to
his illustrious shade. Jefferson
opened* one of my bookcases, took out
two volumes and opened one of them.
I recognized Madison''s "Journal of the
Constitutional Convention.''
"Have you read these, Mr. Smith?"
he asked.
I must confess that I have not," I
ieople on the subject of their constitu
when books like this are extant,"
said Jefferson, opening the first volume.
"Here is the record of the convention
which formed our constitution. It was
kept by- Madison, who was a member,
and after his death was published by
the authorization and at the expense of
the national government. It is one of
the most thrilling narratives in the
world, its veracity is unquestioned, and
yet it is so unknown that historians
compile alleged records without consult
ing it. In place of the Btern facts you
teach your children falsehoods. To read
your books one would think demacrocy
reached its highest development in the
conclave which gave birth to the consti
tution, and that it has deteriorated only
because successive generations have not
followed their .teachings. The contra
your books one would think democracy
was one with which they were not
sympathy, and it has developed not be
cause or the inspiration of the consti
tution, but in defiance of it. You of
today are democrats, self-taught they
were aristocrats by instinct and envir
onment.
Jefferson brought the book down on
the table with considerable emphasis.
I recall the scene at that moment with
much vividness. Already I had ceased
to marvel at the wo'nder of their pres
sence. I did not understand it I did
not care to comprehend it.
"Many of the men in that conven
tion were aristocrats," said Washing
ton, "but you misunderstand Mr. Jef
ferson if you imagine he is attempting
to impugn their devotion to what they
deemed the best interests of the coun
try, as it the
existed.liveHeinwas
of
aristocracy,n and we a day
when the lines which separated the
classes were widely drawn."
"How about the declaration of in
dependence?" I exclaimed. "Did it
not assert that all men are created free
and equal?"
"You will not find any reaffirmation
of that theory in your constitutionv"
said Samuel Adams. "We did not
Construe the declaration as you pre
tend to. When Mr. Jefferson penned
it he owned a large number of slaves."
"We did not consider slaves as men
in thoso days," smiled Jefferson, "but
classed them as property and treated
them as such in constitution. That
thev
"Probably I shall ask him to put me
up tonight."
"It's a shame that you should have
to do so," Sybil blurted in her boyish
fashion. "You've been awfully good
to us. I ought to have cleared out of
Beaumanoir house at once, and I'll
'git' as soon as ever I can make other
arrangements.''
I beg you'll do nothing of the
kind," Beaumanoir made genial an
swer. "Alec is about the only friend
I have, andand I need a friend,
Cousin Sybil. It has been a pleasure to
serve him and youif it can bewailed
serving you,'' he added with a thought
ful gravity that puzzled the girl.
She shook hands with a warmth that
bespoke the death of old prejudices,
and General Sadgrove, who had hardly
exchanged two words with his visitor,
accompanied him to the hall door.
"Are you walking, duke? Or shall
I whistle a cab?" he asked.
Beaumanoir looked up the street and
down the street, and gave a queer little
shrug.
"It won't make any difference
whether I walk or drive," he said.
"Goodby, general."
Having gazed the limping figure out
of sight, the general went back into the
bouse and made for his private dena
cozy apartment crammed with eastern
spoils. There he leisurely selected a
cigar and seated himself in a big sad
dle-bag chair.
"There is something brewing,'] he
growled gently. I perceive a vibra
tion in the moral atmosphere which
quite recalls old days. I^wonder what
it means?"
CHAPTER VII.
The Men on the Stairs.
The roomstwo in numberoccupied
by Alec Forsyth in John street, Adel
phi, were in a house let off in bachelor
chambers, with the exception of the
ground floor, which was used as an of
fice by a firm of wholesale winemer
chants. The young Scotsman's limited
income had precluded a more aristocrat
ic locality and, at any rate, John street
offered the advantage of being within a
few minutes' walk of his daily work ifl
Downing street.
In the daytime, when the teflants
were out at their various avocations,
the upper part of the dingy old build
ing was deserted, save by the house
keeper in the attics while the counting
house abutting on the street was all
life and bustle. At night the conditions
were reversed, the winemerchant's
premises being locked up and silent,
and the rooms above occupied.
On the evening of that Monday on
which the Duke of Beaumanoir called
on the Shermans at the residence of
General Sadgrove, Alec was busy in' his
sittingroom, tearing up papers and pre
paring generally for his departure to
Prior's Tarrant on the morrow. It was
past eight, and he had just lit the gas,
when the door suddenly opened and
Beaumanoir came in.
"Why, Charleyhang it! Duke, I
mean*I thought you were in the coun-
try!" Alec exclaimed, more astonished
by his friend's actions than by his ap
pearance there.
For, after slipping quietly in, Beau
manoir had turned sharp round and
loosed the catch of the springloek. Not
satisfied with that, he also shot home
the two old-fashionedjbolts with which
the doro was fitted, top and bottom, and
then flung himself into a'n' easy chair,
mopping his brow with his handker
chief.
I don't think I was spotted, but it's
best to be on the safe side," he mut
tered. Then aloud: I came to ask
you to give me a shakedown tonight, old
chap, on a sofa or anything only I
don't know if it's fair to you my prox
imity carries a pretty considerable risk.
But I've beenrather worried, and I
seem to want company."
Forsyth rose and laid an affectionate
hand on the duke's shoulder.
"Now, look here," he said, firmly.
"I'm going to forget that you're my
employer at a generous salary, and re
member only that I'm your friend.
What does all this mean? You've been
hurt somehow, too. Just make a clean
breast of it, and let's see what can be
done."
Beaumanoir shook his head sadly.
I can't make a clean breast of it,"
he began then pulled tip short and
went on. "At least, I can't tell yon
causes, but 111 tell you effects. My
life has been attempted twice certain
ly, possibly three times, since noon yes
terday."
was as far as we had traveled on the
road democracy."
i1
"Yof recognize the political equal
ity of your free inhabitants," I in
sisted.
"We did not," said Adams. "In
most states one could not vote unless
he was an owner of land. Merchants,
bankers, tenant farmers, laborers and.
others without landed property had no
political rights in many communities."
"In practice no man of wealth was
barred, explained Jefferson, "since
it was an easy matter for him to ac
quire sufficient land to entitle him to
a vote. The farmers constituted the
poor class. They were in the vast ma
jority, and against them were arrayed
the owners of the great slave planta
tions, the wealthy land speculators, the
bankers, merchants, brokers and ship
persthe incipient property-owning
class of the nation. They were in the
minority, but they looked down on the
small farmers, whom they disdainfully
classed as 'the people.' The latt*er
were ignorant, but they did most of
the fighting. They had escaped from
a monarchy only to fall into the clutch
es of the money lenders, and in at
tempting to find relief they* took meas
ures which were all-powerful in shap
ing the constitution which now gov
erns you."
"What did they do?" asked Brown.
"They enraged the wealthy minor
ity by voting for issues of paper
money," said Jefferson. "The mer
chants and bankers refused to accept
it. You have no conception of the bit
terness which existed between the poor
majority and the rich minority over
this issue. There were riots and. blood
shed in several states. Under the lead
ership of Shay the revolt of the people
of Massachusetts assumed the propor
tions of a revolution. Courthouses
were burned, legal processes resisted,
and anarchy prevailed."
''The insistence of the despised ma
jority in voting for paper money," re
marked Samuel Adams, "had all to do
with the spirit of the constitution. It
is idle to discuss whether they were
right or wrong. The fact is that the
call for a constitutional convention did
not come from the people, and when the
delegates were selected care was taken
to see that the adherents of "paper
money had no representation. The ab
solute failure of paper money, and the
violence which had attended the cam-
Jeadinginmen
taign its behalf, had convinced the
of the nation that the peo
ple as a whole were incapable of self
government. Thi is a undisputed and
MYSTERthe" STORY BsYn HEADOM N HILL
(COPYRIGHT, 1903, BY A. WESSELS CO.)
"How?" said Alec with Scotch
brevity.
A lame gardener was set upon at
Prior's Tarrant, and released on his
assailants finding that they had mis
taken him for me. And at night they
got on the roof and tried to suffocate
me by letting a brazier of charcoal
down into the grate and plugging the
chimney. Luckily I awoke, and man
aged to crawl out of the room in
time.''
"But surely you raised an alarm and
caught the fellows? They couldn't get
off the roof and escape so quickly as
that," exclaimed Alec, half incredul
ous.
Again the duke shook his head.
I raised no alarm, and they did get
away, after pulling up the brazier and
leaving no trace," he replied. "There
are reasons, Alec, why I could not have
appeared against them had they been
caughtthe same reasons why I can't
cenfide more fully in you."
"You must have done something
very badmurder at least," said For
syth, gravely.
"On the contrary, I have done noth
ing at all," Beaumanoir retorted. "It
is for not doing something that I am
being persecuted.''
"Well, what about the third at
tempt?"
"It happened this afternoon, as I
was on my way to your uncle's. A
carriage knocked me down and very
nearly crumpled me. But that may have
been an accident."
"Did you- take stock of the driver
and the people in the carriage?"
Beaumanoir was obliged to admit
that he had not. In his disheveled
state he had been only anxious to be
cleaned down and have his wrist at
tended to, and it was not till after the
carriage had driven rapidly away that
he had connected tho incident with
the other attempts.
Forsyth said nothing for the mo
ment, "but fetched some cigarets from
the mantelpiece and it was not until
they had smoked in silence for awhile
that he blurted out suddenly:
"This can't be allowed to go on. It
makes everything impossible. Have
you any reason to think that the people
who are pursuing you will do so inde
finitelyuntil they have settled you?"
Beaumanoir considered before reply
ing, as tho the point had not occurred
to him before.
"No," he said, with a nervous laugh.
"Things have crowded so in the last
few hours that I haven't thought much
about any sort of future. I cannot be
sure, but I believe if I could pull thru
till the end of next weeksay, for an
other fortnightthat the danger would
pass."
Forsyth sat and ruminated, blowing
blue smokerings and then, after two
or three minutes of silence, a faint
noise sounded in' the room. The duke,
whose nerves were tuned to concert
pitch, heard it first, and turned a pair
of wideopen eyes on the door. Forsyth's
gaze followed, and they both saw the
handle of the door move. The door
itself, being locked and doublebolted,
of course refused to yield to the gentle
pressure from without.
Forsyth laid his finger to his lips for
silence, and motioned Beaumanoir to
retire into the bedroom, which com
municated bv means of folding doors
with the sittingroom. When the duke
had noiselessly disappeared, Forsyth
stole to the outer door, and having first
quietly drawn the bolts he quickly un
locked it and flung it open, to be eon
fronted by an undersized little man,
who shrank back from his threatening
attitude.
"Who the deuce are youand what
do you want, disturbing me at this
time of night?" Forsyth demanded
fiercely.
"'These are Mr. Crofton's chambers,
ain't they, sir?" bleated the intruder.
"No they are not. There's no one
of that name in the house that I know
of," replied Forsyth, partially mollified
by his mild manner, and wholly
so when the little man proceeded
to apologize for his mistake, ex
plaining that he was from a chemist's
in the Strand with some medicine for
the gentleman, but that he must have
come to the wrong house.
Holding up a bottle as evidence of
his bona fides, he retreated downstairs,
excusing himself to the last but
before going he had managed
to snatch a comprehensive glance
round the room. Forsyth waited
on the landing until bis steps died sway,
and then went back into his room, bar
ring the door as before.
S6
t'
.e
A
logical fact, but your historians pay no
attention to it, yet it is impossible "to
understand the motives which actuated
the constitutional convention without
taking this fear and hatred of the ma*
jority into account."
"As Mr. Adams says, it is all-import
ant that you have a clear understanding
of the relations which then existed be
tween the people and the members of
the constitutional convention," ex
plained Jefferson. Let me see if I can
make it clear to you. In recent years
you had a political campaign waged be
tween those who believed in the free
coinage of silver and those who ad
hered to a single gold standard. Now
suppose that in that election the fol
lowers of free silver, income tax, gov
ernment ownership of railroads and
other radical issues had won by over
whelming majorities. Suppose that the
merchants and bankers had refused to
accept silver, and that as a consequence
$he country was in a state of disorder,
intense hatred existing between the two
factions. In this crisis, suppose that a
number of your influential citizens as
sembled and decided to issue a call for
a convention to remodel the constitu
tion, and that delegates were chosert
not by popular votebut from lawyers
for the great corporations, from presi
dents of your leading banks, high offi
cials of your railroad combines, mines,
steamship companies and other interests,
with a few college presidents, clergymen
and newspaper editors. What would b*e
their natural attitude toward a people
whose brutal popular majorities had
menaced ^ot only their personal inter
ests, but, as they firmly and honestly
believed, imperiled the prosperity of the
nation, rich and poor alike?"
"They wouldn't do a thing to themt
exclaimed Brown.
I construe your remarks as satirical
Mr. Brown," smiled Jefferson. I
shall attempt to prove to you and to
Mr. Smith that the drafters of our con
stitution felt that they had just reason
to fear and distrust the people that
they deemed them incapable of wisely
exercising a dominating influence in
government that they aimed to con
struct a document which would make
property paramount to the will of a ma
jority, and that many of the ills from
which you suffer can be traced directly
to the constitution which governs you.'*
"You cannot do it!" I declared.
"You shall be the judge," said the
shade of the statesman.
NoteIn the following Instalment The Shades
begin an investigation into the secret history
of the formation of the constitution of the United
States.
111111111 ilMiimiiii
It's all right," he said, going to the
folding doors. "Only some chap who
had mistaken the address."
"Not much mistake there," replied
the duke, outwardly calm, but gone very
white. I caught a peep of him. He's
a johnny" who shadowed me over from
America, and never left me till just be
fore I met you at the Cecil. He called
himserf Marker, andand he's in this
business, Alec."
"He didn't look very formidable.,
Why, you could lick the thread-paper
little skimp with one hand," said For
syth, beginning to wonder if his friend's
mind were unhinged. It was not like
the once gay hussar Charley Hanbury
intrepid horseman,, champion boxer
and good all-round athleteto furft a
miserable wisp such as that!
"He is only the spy, I expectsent
to find out if I was here," replied
Beaumanoir, passing a weary hand over1
his eyes.
Moved by a sudden impulse, Forlyth,
went into the bedroom, shutting the
door behind him so as to be in the dark.
The window commanded a view of the
street, and the blind had not been
drawn. Loking down, he saw a man
sauntering on the opposite pavement,
who presently* coming under the rays
of a street-lamp was revealed as Marker.
Forsyth waited until the spy turned
and slowly retraced his steps, and then,
went back into the sittingroom.
"You have convinced me that there
is something in all this," no said.
"That fellow is mouching about out-
side."
"I'll go. I can't subject yon to this
sort of thing," said Beaumanoir, reach
ing for the new^hat which hs^had pur
chased after his "accident."
But Forsyth pushed him back into
his chair.
A duke isn't necessarily a fool," ho
said, roughly. "What you want most
is a good sleep, and you shall have it
here in these rooms. Mr. Marker can't
know that vou are here, or he wouldn't
have come to the door with that
bogus yarn. Also, he is evidently
not satisfied that you are' not
here, or he would have.gone away.
It remains to .throw dust in his
eyes and fool him a bit. Lord! how I
wish my uncle, General Sadgrove, was
with us!"
"He seemed to me a trifle dull," re
marked the duke, inconsequently.
Forsyth made allowances, and did
not answer.
"See here," he said, after a mi
ute's reflection. "This is the plan tQ
throw the spy off the scent. It's 9
o'clockjust the hour when it would
be quiet natural for a bachelor to go to
his club. I will stroll round to North
umberland avenue, and drop into th
Constitutional for tan hour. In tho
meanwhile, do you stay here and lie low
behind locked doors, and with gas
turned down. That rascal will almost
certainly retire to his employers baf
fled, for he would not think that I
should go out and leave you alone."
"That sounds promising," Beau
manoir assented. "But dont stay a
moment longer than the hour, Alee. I
don't think I could stand it."
Forsyth reassured him, and having
slipped into evening clothes and donned
a light overcoat, he issued his final in
structions. It was beginning to be nat
ural to him now to take the lead, after
that glimpse of the lurking figure in
the light of the street-lamp. Beau
manoir was to locksand bolt himself in.'
and only open on hearing the password'
"Ra!t.
These matters arranged, Forsyth de
parted, and, after waiting until he heard
the bolts shot, vwent down into tho
street, where tho spy was still in evi
dence, prowling on the other side. Ht
made no attempt to follow Forsyth, who,
affecting not to notice him, walked rap
idly the short' distance to his club.
There he remained in the smokihferoom
with what patience he could muster for,
the full hour, determined not to return
till time enough had elapsed for Marker
to come to the desired conclusion and
act upon it.
To Be Continued Next Saturday.
An attempt was made last year by
Llano de Pougy and several other Parisian
beauties to revive the fashion of claret
baths which prevailed in Mme. de Pom
padour's day, but they had to gfve It up
on account of the scarcity of claret. Now.
however, the Wgr perfumery manufactur
ers nave announced for the new year se*t
eral toilet preparations for the bath which
are sold in charmingly carved cedar kega
and are composes mainly of red wine.
