Vernon County censor. [volume], November 23, 1910, Image 7

About Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955

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SYNOPSIS.
At % private view of the Chatworth
personal estate, to be sold at auction, the
Chatworth ring, known as the Crew Idol,
mysteriously disappears. Harry Creasy,
present, describes the ring to
nis fiancee. Flora Gilsey, and her chap
eron, Mrs Clara Britton, as being like a
heathen god, with a beautiful sapphire
lb the head. Flora meets Mr. Kerr,
an Englishman, at the club. In dis
cussing the disappearance of the ring, the
exploits of an English thief. Farrell
wand, are recalled. Flora has a fancy
that Harry and Kerr know something
about the mystery. Kerr tells Flora that
he has met Harry somewhere, but cannot
filaee him. $20,000 reward is offered for
he return of the ring. Harry admits to
flora that he dislikes Kerr. Harry takes
flora to a Chinese goldsmith's to buy an
engagement ring. An exquisite sapphtre
set in a hoop of brass, is selected. Harry
urges her not to wear it until it Is reset.
The possession of the ring seems to cast
a spell over Flora. She becomes uneasy
and apprehensive. Flora meets Kerr at a
box party. She is startled by the effect
on him when he gets a glimpse of the
sapphire. The possibility that the stone
Is part of the Crew Idol causes Flora
much anxiety.
CHAPTER X.—Continueo.
"Then isn't it for us to show them
'that we are more than usually civi
ized? X can’t run away from him like
a frightened little native.”
"Of course; but that is where I
come in; it’s what I’m for —to get rid
of such things for you.”
Clara had risen, and stood consid
ering a moment with that same sweet,
impersonal eye which Flora tound it
hardest to comprehend.
“What I mean,” she explicitly
stated, "is that if he should undertake
to carry out his preposterous sugges
tion, and call this afternoon, I am
quite ready, if you wish, to take him
off your hands.”
This last took Flora's breath away.
It had not occurred to her that Clara
had overheard. It shocked her, fright
ened her; and yet Clara's way of
stating the fact, as if it were the
most natural thing in the world, made
Flora feel that she herself was in the
wrong to feel this.
“You’re very kind,” she managed to
get out; and that seemed to leave her
committed to hand K°rr over, tied
hand and foot, when she wao?'t sure
at all she wanted to.
“Then shall I tell Mrs. Herrick that
you will consider the house?” said
Clara, already in the act of departure.
"She is to call to-day to go into it
with me more thoroughly. Thus far
we've only played about the edges.”
Her eyes strayed toward the dress
ing table as she passed it, and as she
reached the door she glanced over the
chiffonier. It was on the tip of Flora's
tongue to ask If she had mislaid some
thing, when Clara turned and smiled
her small, tight-curled smile, as if she
were offering it as a symbol of mutual
understanding. Curiously enough, it
checked Flora's query about the stray
ing glances, and made her wonder
that this was the first time in their
relation that she had thought Clara
sweet.
But there was another quality in
Clara she did not lose sight of. and
she waited for the closing of a door
further down the ball before she drew
the sapphire from under her pillow.
With the knocking at the door her
first act had been to thrust it there.
The feeling that it was going to be
hard to hide was still her strongest in
stinct about it; but the morning had
dissipated the element of the super
natural and the horrid that it had
shown her the night before. It seemed
to have a clearer and a simpler beau
ty; and the hope revived in her that
its beauty, after all, was the only re
markable thing about it.
Her conviction of the night before
had sunk to a shadowy hypothesis.
She knew nothing—nothing that would
Justify her in taking any step; and
her only chance of knowing more lay
in what she would get out of Kerr;
for that he knew more about her ring
than she, she was convinced. She was
afraid of him, yet, in spite of her fear,
she had no intention of handing him
over to Clara. For on reflection she
knew that Ciara's offer must have a
deeper motive than mere kindness,
and she had a most unreasonable feel
ing that It would not be safe.
Yet Clara would do a kindness if it
did not inconvenience her, and surely
this morning she had been kind. Still
Flora felt she didn’t want to reveal
anything until she was a little surer
of her own position. When she knew
better where she stood she would
know what she could confide to Clara.
Meanwhile, if there was any one to
whom she could turn now it would
surely be Harry.
Yet, If she did, what a lot of awk
•ward explanations! She could not re
turn the sapphire without giving a
reason, and what a thing to explain—
that she had not only worn it. but. in
a freak, shown it to the one of all
people he most objected to.
Nevertheless the most sensible thing
clearly was to go through with it and
confess to Harry. Then she must
communicate with him at once. No—
she would wait until after breakfast.
There was plenty of time Kerr would
not come until the afternoon. But
after breakfast, she wondered if it
wouldn't be as well to ring him up at
luncheon time? Then she would be
, re of finding him at the club.
Meanwhile she dared not let the
sapphire out of her grasp; and yet
she could not wear it on her hand.
She had thought of the pear-shaped
pouch of gold which it was her cus
tom to wear; but the slender length
of chain that linked ft to her neck was
too frail for such a precious weight
At last she had fastened it around her
neck on the strongest chain she
owned, and thus she carried it all the j
morning under her bodice with a :
quieter mind 'han had been hers on !
the first day she had worn it when
there had been nothing to explain her
nneasiness.
She wag alone at luncheon, and in
a dream. She glanced now and then j
at tae clock. Bhe rose only ten min
utes before the hour that Harry was 1
in the habit of leaving the club. She j
went upstairs slowly and stopped in
front cf the telephone. She touched
the receiver, drew her hand back and
turned sway. She shut the door of
her own rooms smartly after her.
But when at last Kerr’s card was
handed in to her it gave her a shock,
as if something which couldn't happen,
and yet which she had all along ex
pected, had come to pass.
In her instant of indecision Marrika
had got away from her. but she called
the girl back from the door and told
her to say to Mrs. Britton that Mr.
Kerr had called, but that Miss Gilsey
would see him herself.
She started with a rush. Half-way
down the stairs she stopped, horri
fied to find what her fingers were do
ing. They were closed around the lit
tle lump that the ring made in the
bosom of her gown, and she had not
known it. What if she had rushed in
to Kerr with this extraordinary mani
festation? What if. while she was
talking to him, her hand should con
tinue to creep up again and yet again
to that place, and close around the
jewel, and make it evident, even in
its hiding-place? The time had come
when she must even hide it from her
self. And yet, to creep back up the
stair when she made sure Kerr must
have heard her tumultuous downward
rush! It would never do to soundless
ly retreat. She must go back boldly,
as if she had forgotten nothing more
considerable than a pocket handker
chief.
Yet before she reached the top again
she found herself going tiptoe, as if
she were on an expedition so secret
that her own ears should not hear
her footsteps. But she went direct
and unhesitating. It had come to her
all in a flash where she would put the
sapphire. The little buttoned pocket
of her bath-robe. There it hung in
the bathroom on one unvarying peg.
the most immovable of all her gar
ments, safe from the excursions of
Marrika's needle or brushes, not to be
disturbed for hours to come.
She passed through her bedroom,
through her dressing-room into the
bathroom. The robe was hanging be
hind the door. It took her a moment
to draw out the ring and disentangle
its chain, and while she was doing
this she became aware of movings to
and fro in her bedroom. She drew
the door half opes, the better to con
ceal herself behind it, and at the
same time, through the widened crack
of the jamb, to keep an eye on the
dressing room, and hurried lest Mar
rika should surprise her. But never
theless she had barely slipped the
ring into the little pocket and re
fastened the flap, when Clara opened
the bedroom door and stood looking
into the dressing-room.
Her lifted veil made a fine mist
above the luster of her eyes. She
was perfect to the tips of her im
maculate white gloves, and she wore
the simple, sober look of a person
who thinks himself alone. Then '
wasn't Flora, Clara was looking for!
She was looking all around —over the
surface of every object in the room.
Presently she went up to the dress
ing-table. She laid her gloved hands
upon it, and looked at thp small ob
jects strewn over its top. She took a
step backward and opened the top
drawer. She reached into it, and deli
cately explored.
Flora could see the white gloves
going to and fro among her white
handkerchiefs, could see them find,
open and examine the contents of her
jewel-box. And the only thing that
kept her from shrieking out was the
feeling that this abominable thing
which was being enacted before her
eyes couldn't be a fact at all.
Clara took out an old pocket-book,
shiny with years, shook from it a
shower of receipts, newspaper clip
pings, verses. She let them lie. She
took out a long violet box wi’ h a per
fumer's seal upon it. It held bunch
of dried violets. She took out a
bonbonniere of gold filigree. It was
empty. A powder box, a glove box, a
froth of lace, a handful of Jewelers’
boxes, a jewel flung loose into the
drawer. This s*e pounced upon. It
was a brooch! She let it fall —turned
to the chiffonier; upended the two
vases of Venetian glass, lifted the
lids of jars and boxes, finally came to
the drawers. One by one she took them
out, turned the contents of each rap
idly over, and left them standing,
gaping white ruffles and lace upon the
floor.
Her eye fell upon the waste basket
She turned it upside down, and
stooped over the Utter. She gathered
it up in her white gloves and dropped
it back. Then, for the first time, she
glanced at the bathroom door; stood
looking at it, as if it had occurred to
her to look in the soap dish. Then
she turned again to the room, to the
dressing-table. She put back the
pasteboard jewelers’ boxes, the jew
eled pin. the laces, which she shook
out and folded daintily, the glove and
powder boxes, the gold bonbonniere,
the long violet box, the leather pocket
book—each deftly and unhesitatingly
in the place from which she had taken
it, and all the heaps of white hand
kerchiefs.
One by one she laid back in the
chiffonier drawers the garments, prop
erly and neatly folded, that she had so
hastily snatched out of them. She
slid back the last drawer into the chif
fonier, aDd rose from her knees,
lightly dusting off the front of her
gown; went to the closet door and
closed It. She stood before it a mo
ment with a face perplexed and
thoughtful, then turned alertly toward
the outer doer.
Flora stood as if she were afraid to
move, while Clara crossed her bed
room, stopped, went on and closed the
outer door behind her. And even
after that soft little concussion she
stood sl.il. burning, choking, strug
gling with the overwhelming force of
an affront whose import she did not
yet realize.
Why, she had thought that such
things couldn't happen! She had
thought that people's private belong
ings. like their persons, were inviol
able. In the shame of it she could no
more have faced Clara than If she
had surprised Clara naked.
She snatched the ring out of the
pocket of her gown and clutched it in
her hand. Was there no place in the
world where she could be sure c!
safety for this?
With trembling fingers she fastened
it again to the chain about her neck.
She thought of Kerr downstairs wait
ing for her. Well, she would rather
keep it with her. Then, at least, she
would know when it was taken from
her. Still In the fury of her outraged
faith, she passed through her violated
rooms, and slowly along the hall and
down the stairs.
CHAPTER XI.
The Mystery Takes Human Form.
He turned from the window where
he had presented a long, drooping,
patient back, and his warm, ironic
mirth —the same that had played with
her the first night—flashed out at
sight of her. But after a moment an
other expression mixed with it.
sharpened it, and fastened upon her
with an incredulous intentness.
She stood on the threshold, pale,
and brilliant still in her blaze of an
ger, equal, at last, to anything. Kerr,
as he signaled to her with every line
ament of his enlivened face, his inter
est, his defiance, his uncontrollability,
was not the man of her imaginary
conversations. He was not here to be
used and disposed of; but, as he came
toward her, the new admiration in his
face was bringing her reassurance
that neither was she. The thought
that her moment of bitter incredulity
had made her formidable gave her
courage even to smile, though she
grew hot at the first words he spoke.
“You should not be brave and then
run away, you know.”
She thought of her rush up the
stairs again. ”1 bad to go back to
' You Can’t Get It Away from Me, and I Shan’t Give It to You."
see Mrs. Britton.” (Oh, how she had
seen her!)
"Ah, I thought you only ran back to
hide in your doll's house."
She laughed. Such a picture of her!
“Well, at any rate, now I've come
out, what have you to say to me?”
“Now you’ve come out,” he repeat
ed, and looked at her this time with
full gravity, as if he realized finally
how far she'd come.
She had taken the chair in the light
of the eastern windows. She lay hack
in the cushions, her head a little bent,
her hands interlaced with a perfect
imitation of quietude.
He looked down upon her from his
height.
“You know what I've come for,” he
said, “but now I'm here, now that I
see you, I wonder if there's something
1 haven't reckoned on.” He looked at
her earnestly. "If you think I’ve taken
advantage of you—if you say so—l’ll
go away, and give you a chance to
think it over.”
It would have been so easy to have
nodded him out, but instead she half
put out her hand toward him. “No;
stay.”
He gave her a quick 100k —surprise
and approbation at her courage. He
dropped into a chair. “Then tell me
about it.”
Flora’s heart went quick and little.
She held herself very still, afraid in
her tense consciousness lest her
slightest movement might betray her.
She only moved her eyes to look up at
him questionlngly, suspending ac
knowledgment of what he meant until
he should further commit himself.
”1 mean the sapphire,” he said. He
waited.
"Yes,” she answered coolly. “I saw
that It interested you last night, but
1 couldnt think especially why. It’s
a beautiful stone.”
He laugied without a sound—shook
noiselessly for a minute. “Meaning
that a ge'.tleman shouldn't pounce
upon an: oeautiful stone be may hap
pen :<> see?” He got up and moved
about restlessly In the little space
between tbelr two chairs. “Quite so;
lay It to my being more than a gentie-
man; lay it to my being a crack
brained enthusiast. a confounded
beauty worshiper, a vicious curio deal
er, an ill-mannered ass! But”—and
he flashed around at her with a snap
of his nervous fingers—“where did
you get it?”
For the life of her she couldn't help
her wave of color, but through it all
the clung ta her festal smile. Sheer
nervousness made it easy.
“Well, suppose It was begged, bor
rowed. or —given to me? Suppose it
came from here or far away yonder?
What's that to do with its beauty?”
She gave him question for question.
"Did you ever see it before?”
He never left off looking at her,
looking at her with a hard inquiry, as
if she were some simple puzzle that
he unaccountably failed to solve.
“That's rather neat, the way you
dodge me.” he said, dodging in his
turn. “But I don't see it now. You're
not wearing it?”
She played indifference with what
a beating heart! “Oh, I only wear it
off and on.”
“Off and on!” His voice suddenly
rang at her. “Off and on! Why. my
good woman, it's Just two days you
could have worn it at all!”
She stood up—stood facing him. For
a moment she knew nothing except
that her horrible idea was a fact. She
had the eye of the Crew Idol, and this
man knew it! Yet the fact declared
gave her courage.
She watched him with Increasing
doubt. After saying so much, was he
going to say nothing more? She had
a feeling that she had not heard the
worst yet, and when he turned back
to her from the other end of the room
there was something so haggard, so
harassed, so fairly guilty about him
that if she had ever thought of tell
ing him the truth of how she came by
the ring she put it away from hei
now.
But beneath his distress she recog
nized a desperate earnestness. There
was something he wanted at any cost,
but he was going to be gentle with
her. She had felt before the poten
tiality of his gentleness, and she
doubted her power to resist it. She
fanned up all the flame of anger that
had swept her into the room. She re
minded herself that the greatest gen
tleness might only be a blind; that
there was nothing stronger than want
ing something very much, and that
the protection of the jewel was very
thin. But when he stood beside her
she realized he held a stronger
weapon against her than his gentle
ness, something apart from his inten
tion.
He was speaking, almost coaxingly,
as if to a child ”1 understand,” he
was saying. “I know all about it. It's
a mistake. But surely you don't ex
pect to keep It now. It will only be
an annoyance to you.”
She turned on him. "What could It
be to you?”
Kerr, planted before her, with his
head dropped, looked, looked, looked,
as If he gave silence leave to answer
for him what It would. It answered
with a hundred echoes ringing up to
her from long corridors of conjecture,
half-articulated words breathing of
how extraordinary the answer must
be that he did not dare to make.
"What will you take for it?" he said
at last.
She was silent. With a sick dis
trust it came to her that it was the
very worst thing h could have said
after that speaking silence.
She stepped away from him. "This
thing is not for sale.”
He stated at her with amazement;
then threw back bis head and laughed
as if something had amused him
above all tragedy
"You are an extraordinary crea
ture,” he said, "but really I must
have it. I can't explain the why of It;
only give the sapphire to me, and
you’ll never be sorry for having done
that for me. Whatever happens, you
may be sure I won't talk. Even if
the thing comes out, you shan't be j
mixed up in it,” He had come near j
her again, and the point of his long !
forefinger rested on her arm. She j
was motionless, overwhelmed with i
pure terror, with despair.
“Why not give it to me now,” he !
urged, “since, of course, you can’t j
keep it? I could have It now in spite]
of you.”
Everything in her sprang up in
antagonism to meet him. "I know
what you are,” she cried, “but you
shan't have it. You have no more
right to it than I. You can't get it
away from me, and I shan't give it to
you.”
He had grown suddenly paler; his
eyes were dancing, fastened upon her
breast. His long hands closed and
opened. She looked down, arrested
at the sight of her hand clenched just
where her breath was shortest, over
the sapphire's hiding-place.
He smiled. How easily she had be
trayed herself! But she abated not a
Jot of her defiance, challenging him,
now he knew its bidding-place, to
take the sapphire if he could. But he
did not move. And it came to her
then that she had been ridiculous to
think for an instant that this man
would take anything from her by
force. What she had to fear was his
will at work upon hers, his persuasion,
his ingenuity. She thought of the pur
ple irises, and how he hail drawn
them toward him in the crook of his
cane—and her dread was lest he
meant to overcome her with some
subtlety she could not combat.
The click of a moving latch brought
Ills eyes from hers to the door.
“Someone is coming in," he said In
a guarded voice. It warned her that
her face showed too much, but she
could not hope to recover her com
posure. She hardly wanted to. She
was ir a state to fancy that a secret
could be kept by main force; and she
turneu without abatement of her reck
less mood and took her hand from
where she had held It clenched upon
her breast and stretched it out to
Mrs. Herrick.
The lady had stood In the doorway
a moment —a long featured, whitish,
modeled face, draped in a dull green
veil, a tall figure whoso flowing skirts
of black melted away into the back
ground of the ball —before she came
forward and met her hostess' hand
with a clasp firm and ready.
“I'm so glad to find you here,” she
said. She looked directly into Flora's
eyes, into the very center of her agi
tation. She held her tremulous hand
as if neither of these manifestations
surprised her; as if - young woman
and a young man i lolloquy might
often be found in such a state of mind
Flora's first emotion was a guilty
relief that, after all, her face had not
betrayed Kerr. But she had no sooner
murmured his name to Mrs. Herrick, no
sooner bad that lady's gray eyes light
ed upon him, than they altered their
clear confidence. The situation as
reflected in Flora looked naive
enough, but there was nothing naive
atout Kerr. The very perfection of
his coolness, there In the face of her
burning agitation, was appalling.
Mrs. Herrick's face was taking on
an expression no less than wary.
What he was, Mrs. Herrick could not
dream. She could not even suspect
what Flora believed. But In the light
of her terrible discovery Flora dared
not have him suspected at all.
Now, if she had ever in her life,
she talked over the top of her feel
ings; and though at first to her ears
her voice rang out horribly alone,
presently Mrs. Herrick was helping
her, adding words to words. It was
the house they spoke of, the Ran Ma
teo house, the subject about which
Flora knew Mrs. Herrfrk had come
to talk; but to Flora It was no longer
a subject. It was a barrier, a shield.
In this emergency it was the only
subject large enough to fill the gnp,
and much as Flora had liked the Idea
of It, she had never built the house
so large, bo vivid, so wonderfully tow
ering to please her fancy as she was
doing now to covet Kerr. With ques-
Woman Lawyer Nothing New
Old Records Tell of Case Where One
Pleaded Before Court In An
cient Babylonia.
Among the most Interesting treas
ures of the British museum are the
clay tablets of ancient Babylonia
These tablets, resembling unglazed
tiles, throw quaint lights and shadows
on the manners and customs of long
ago. Usually the records arc frag
mentary, but are occasionally fairly
complete, as Is that of legal proceed
ing Instituted by a "woman of Bor
sippa,” which action Is of particular
interest as showing that a married
wo.aan's property law was In force as
early as 650 B C.
The proceedings to which the "doc
uments” refer were taken by a wom
an against her brother-in-law to re
gain possession of property left by
her husband. The evidctice showed
that a man of Babylon had married
the woman from Borslppa. and with
the money of her dowry he had
bought an estate. After a few years,
having no children of their own, they
adopted a son, and shortly afterward
the husband mortgaged the estate,
laiter he died. leaving the estate mort-
R"-ged, and his brother attempted to
claim the property.
The widow took the matter before
the court at Borslppa; but It was be
yond the Jurisdiction of this court and
wt.s referred to the high court at
Bauylon. Here the case was duly
heard, and the Judges rendered a de
cision to the effect that, as the proper
ty had been the husband's, the widow
could haire It upon paying off the
mortgage, and that the brother had
tions she led Mrs. Herrick on to spin
out the subject, to play it over with
lights and shades, to beat all around
it. And all the while she knew that
Kerr was watching her.
The lady's clear gray eyes traveled
between Flora's face and his. tinder
their steady light there was a strange
alertness, as if she sat there ready
enough to avert whatever threatened,
but anxious to draw her skirts aside
from it. distrusting the quality, hating
to have come in upon anything so du
bious. When the hall door opened
and c!osi and she listened as If for a de
liverer; und when Clara appeared be
tween the portieres she turned to her
and met her with a flash of reliei as
if here at last was a snfe quantity.
Clara was still wearing her hat. with
the veil pushed up in a little mist
above her eyes, and still had her
white gloves on. The sight of Mrs.
Herrick’s hand soliciting the clasp of
those gave Flora a curious sensation.
She looked from one face to an
other. and last at Kerr's. She shut
her eyes an instant. Here was a thief.
He was standing in her drawingroom
now. She had been talking with him.
She opened her eyes. The fact ac
knowledged had not altered the color
of daylight. It was strange *hat
things—furniture and walls and md
scape—should remain so stolidly the
same when such a thing had happened
to her! For she had not only spoken
with a thief, but she had shielded
him.
CHAPTER XII.
Disenchantment.
Then this was the end of all ro
mance? She must turn her back on
the charm, the power, the spell that
had been wrought around her, and,
horror-struck, pry into her own mind
to discover what lawless thing could
be In her to have drawn her to .such
a person, and to koep her, even now
that she knew the worst, unwilling to
relinquish the thought oi httn. Ills
depravity loomed to her enormous:
but was that all there was t< be said
of him’ Did his delicacy, his insight,
hts tempered fineness, count for noth
ing beside it?
She couldn't believe that this one
spot could make him rotten through
out. Her miud ran back into the past.
She could not recall a word, an ac
tion, or a glance of his that had
shown the color of decay. He had not
even been insincere with her. He had
come out with his convictions so flat
ly that when she thought of it his
nonchalance appalled her. He had
been the same then that he was now.
But the thing that was natural for
him was impossible for her, and she
had found it out-—that was all.
Yet the mere consideration of him
and his obsession as one thing was
intolerable. She curiously separated
his act from himself. She thought of
it, not as a part of him, but as some
thing that had invaded him—a dis
ease —something inimical to himself
and others, that mixed the thought of
him with terrors, and filled her way
with difficulties. Now it was no long
era question of how to meet him. but
of how she was not to. It was not his
strength she feared, bu her own
weakness where he was concerned.
Her tendency to shield him—she must
guard against that —and that disturb
ing influence be exercised over her,
too evidently without intention. Hut
he would be hard to avoid. This way
and that she looked for a way out of
her danger, yet all the while she was
conscious that there was but one plain
way of escape open to her. She
could give the sapphire back to Harry
within the 24 hours.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
ino claim. Eventually, the estate
i would be the property of the adopted
i son. It Ik expr- ssly stated, as though
a matter of some Interest, that the
I woman pleaded her own ease In the
: high court of Babylon without assfst
j atice.—The Sunday Magazine.
Hopeful Sign.
j That the war on tuberculosis pays
immediate dividends in human life
is proved by a report of Dr. Bosley,
health commissioner of Baltimore. In
: the monthly health bulletin for July
| It Is shown that the number of deaths
I from tuberculosis occurring ir the city
j was 92, as compared with 123 for the
! same month last y<ar. Dr. Bosley says
; that he attributes the decrease in the
number of deaths to the educational
I campaign that those Interested in the
i fight against the "white plague" are
| making. "The Interest of the public
haH been aroused," he declares, "and
i there Is a general tendency on the
i part of the people to heed the warn
ings and to observe the hygienic rules
being promulgated." In ten years, If
the present progress is kept up. Dr.
Bosley believes that tuberculosis will
be stamped out.
The Boy's Ignorance.
Son—-Pa. I don't want to wear those
old pants of yours; they're too big and
the kids give me the laugh.
Father—Nlver mind th’ kids. Ye'll
grow Into tbim pants.
Son—But why can't 1 wear my old
ones till I do grow Into yours T
Father—ls that tb' Iztlnt iv y'r Iddy
catlon! How S:ln ye ixpect t’ grow into
mine without wearln tbim? —Illustrat-
ed Sunday Magazine.
WISCONSIN
HAPPENINGS
Madison. Free distribution to
the farmers of Wisconsin of se
lected seed of the high quality to
bacco seed will bo longer be practised
by the college of agriculture of the
University of Wisconsin. For sev
eral years past the college has sent
the best grade of Connecticut Havana
tobacco seed to any farmer asking for
it. Now the department feels the Im
provement of the Wisconsin tobacco
crop bas been pushed to a point
where the farmers themselves will try
to keep the seed standard up to a high,
level.
Burlington.—While the through
Minneapolis passenger train on
the Soo line was running 40 miles
or more an hour, when a few miles
south of this city, the engineer, George)
D. Mack of Chicago, was stricken
with heart failure and fell over dead
on the Boor of the cab. He was fifty-'
two years old and one of the oldest en
gineers on the Soo line. His remains
were taken to Aurora, 111.
Janesville. Despite the vetoing
by the mayor of the council
ordinance providing for the employ
ment of the firm of tax ferrets, the
company has filed notification with
the city treasurer that they have be
gun work. It is probable that the coun
cil at its meeting will reconsider its
ordinance, as great opposition has de
veloped among business men to the
employment of the sleuths.
Madison. —It has been decided
by the Wisconsin union build
ing committee of the university td
make an effort to raise $250,000 this
year to erect anew union building.
The committee plans to ask the legis
lature for an appropriation and to so
licit subscriptions from Wisconsin
alumni. Walter A. Buchen. Madison,
is chairman of the committee.
Racine.—The annual meeting of
the German Baptist church in
Wisconsin is being held In this city
with over fifty ministers and laymen
In attendance. Rev. E. Miller of Che
boygan, Mich., delivered the opening
address. Addresses were delivered by
Rev. J. M. Hoefflln of Oshkosh, state
missionary, and F. W. C. Meyer of
Milwaukee.
Marinette. —Karl Williams, twen
ty-one years old, was sentenced
to a year In the state prison at Wau
pun after pleading guilty to the de
struction of electrical apparatus. A
special statute makes the destruction
of any electrical apparatus a criminal
offense. Williams, it is said, cut down
the wire to a city arc light.
Superior.—The speclul Investiga
tion committee of the Commercial,
club will nsk the street railway
company to lower its fares and to im
prove the service. The matter of ex-j
tension of lines also Is to be taken up.,
A four-eent fare with reduced rates
for workingmen and school children Ist
wanted.
Madison. The Wisconsin rate
commission handed down a de
cision requiring the Chicago, Mtlwau
kee & St. Paul road to provide betterl
passenger train service at New Hol
stein, In Calumet county, and to Im
prove their depot facilities at that vil
lage
Kan Claire.—Philip Howard of
Chetek. a young man In charge of a
potato car from Bloomer to Eau Claire,
hail an attack of epilepsy and fell on a
hot stove snd was badly burned. He
was alone In the car and helpless until
the train reached Eau Claire.
Madison—After being out 28
hours, a Jury In the circuit court,
trying a claim for |3,2G0 by the meat
packing firm of Vctte & Zunker, Chi'
cago, against Julius G. Krueger, Madi
son. its agent, disagreed and was dis
missed.
I,a Crosse.—Matt Ruesgen, convic
ted murderer of John H. Studler, was
sentenced by Judge Higbee to Impris
onment for life in the penitentiary.
lat Crosse. —Matt Ruesgen, who
shot and killed his foreman, John
11. Studler, on June 17, following a
dispute over wages, was found guilty
of murder In the first degree.
Madison. —Tho largest enrollment
of students In the history of the
University of Wisconsin Is shown
by the new directory, which record#
3,902 students In attendance In addi
tion to the 130 dairy students just en
tered, a total of over 4,000. This num
ber will be swelled by the short course
students In agriculture, who come
nearly 600 strong for 14 weeks begin
ning on December 1. The increase in
attendance thus far is 407, or over 11
per cent., the largest proportional gain
for a number of years past.
Marinette.- The coroner's Jury gave
a verdict that Motorman Frank
Huttriek was not guilty of com
tributory negligence In the street car
accident In which Fred Leltzke was
killed. Two women testified that they
heard Leltzke's team Tunning on the
pavement before the accident hap
pened. The motorman gays the team
was running when It dashed into view
In front of the car at the street Inter
section. It is believed that l-citzke’a
team was running away.
Port Washington. Louis Hoff
man. Cedarburg butcher, charged
with killing his son, Carl, twelve years
of age, was bound over to the March
term of municipal court to stand trial
for first degree murder. Hoffman plead
ed not guilty. Many persons in Ozau
kee county believe Hoffman Insane. He
la said to have been severely injured
in a runaway accident last September
and to have acted queerly at times
since.
Marinette. —A. E. Schwittay, the dis
barred district attorney of Marinette
county, ha# been elected to the office
of sheriff
Fond du Lac. —Sixty-two men,
employed in the roundhouse of
the Northwestern road ai North Fond
du lac, were laid off for an Indefinite
period The layoff was occasioned by
lack of business, according to a state
ment of one of the road officials. About
forty men are still employed. A ma
jority of the men laid off are machin
ists and machinists' helpers.
Marinette. —A charge of manslaugh
ter was lodged against Frank Oman,
said to be responsible for the death of
Rune Roaengren, a member of the
local fishers’ colony, who died from in
juries received in a brawl with Oman,