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L &WtAtmtiiliillAtW!tiitoiyv The Web of Destiny By J. U. GlESY and J. B. SMITH Copyright.-The Frank A. Munsey Co. In tho midst of the diversion Stalcos rose nnd excusing himself approached another tnhlo well back beside tho cigar-case, where ho spoke to a couplo of men. After a moment ho canto back nnd In quite nudiblo tonos re Quested that wo como over and meet his friends. It was well played and I'm sure ono not informed of its truo purpose would have been completely deceived. Wo roso after a bit of urging and ac companied him half across tho room to tho placo where tho other two sat. In'.roductions followed. Wo learned that tho larger of tho two men who were both dark was called Paulos, and the smaller Hermo Btyplo. At their Invitation wo at down. A waiter slid up nnd after a friendly byplay Stakos ordered tho drinks, nnd we wore alone. Not until then did Reich speak. "These aro my friends of whom I told you," ho explained in n low voice. "They want to know about tho girl." "Mr. Dual an Mr. Glace, tho de tective, nn' Mr. Sheldon, qulto so," said Paulos. "Thoso wore tho names you gave us. Very welli There i3 not such a very largo quantity to toll. Perhaps Mr. Reich have tell you what we air?" "We're wise," muttered Sheldon. Dual and I nodded. For no appar ent reason Hermostyple saw fit to duck his head also. "Well then," continued Paulos, "the ozzer dny it was teeped off to my very good fren' Hermostyple an' me, zat zeie was a girl In a room in a house down in thees parts. Zat have happen before, have it not Her monstyplc?" C Again the little man nodded. "Ze ono who was inform us of thees, say zat they think perhaps thees girl waB wat you call detain agains her will, an' was not zere of her own accord. Zen it waj to us to investigate In w'at you call offeeclal capacity, was it not?" "It was," rumbled Sheldon. "Did you?" Paulos opened his brown eyes in surprise, then shrugged his shoulders in Ucpvecatlon. "But " he began and paused onco more as our waiter returned with our order. "But of course," he resumed, lifted his glass of beer and sunk his mustache in tho foam, "Hermostyple nnd I acted at once. What did we do? What should we do? We go to thees placo, an' we deman to seo thees girl, an' wo ask her the ques tion 'Have you experience?' to which she say, 'Oh, yes.' "Then what could we do? Wis her nozzing. She say she is of tho ' age, she haf no people. Is she doin' , anything wrong? We may know but can we prove it? Eh, Hermostyple, my fren'?" Hermostyple answered by a nod, and went on consuming beer. "You asked her if she'd had ex perience. What'Jo mean?" said Col onel Mac. "Eet is contradistinction from per sons who have been persuaded or led away from home by false representa tions," explained Paulos. "As one would say, 'do you come of your own free will?'" j "An' she told you yes? She wouldn't do it. I don't believe you." j Sheldon's voice threatened to rise to nn unwise pitch. "Sash!" hissed Reich laying a hand on tho colonel's arm. "Maybe she had to. Maybe they scared her Into saying what they told her. Colonel, ' they're devils. They've killed girls who wouldn't do what they told them, ; haven't they, Mr. Paulos?" "Indeed, yes," declared the Greek. , Kermostyple nodded. ' Colonel Sheldon's gray eyes hard- ' ened. "All right," he muttered. "I ain't very wise to this game I reckon, i but I got a hunch that that leetle gal wouldn't 'a' been afraldto cash in if that was th' only way to slip this bunch. Go ahead. I won't butt in any more. I reckon I kin think to myself. What did you do then?" "We investigate, sair," replied Paulos, coldly. "We try to fin' out where she come from, nn wo fin she came from the south. Then wo decide tn see her again, because there has lppn ton much trouble here of lately nn' when we go to reo her yesterdny we find she is gone." "Gone where?" I asked, "We do not kfov. V'o fl: iw man who luns I ho Uiur.c. Vo .-.,", ) ho Save Wheat ' Eat more Corn, Rye and Rice bread in July. Allied victory de pends Urge y upon the shipment of food from this country. i ,ay, sho goes to Seattle. That Is nil." "Thoy moved her, that's nil," said Reich dully. "Thoy know wo'd fol low and thoy wouldn't tako chances. Wo woro Just too late. If only you'd let mo como up when I ' wanted to, Sheldon. I'd have met theBO men nnd Identified the girl and we'd have grabbed them before they got action. Oh, God what a moss! I'm sick Blck, I tell you, I" ho paused ab ruptly nnd turned his faco away. "How are you suro this girl was Lilly, anyhow?" Colonel Mac's tones wero strangely throaty. "I showed them her picture the one in my watch," choked Homer. "Oh, it was her all right. This is what happens from waiting. And I won't wait any longer. I'm going to Seattle." Behind us a girl laughed shrilly. Aside from the cashier she was tho only woman in the room. Sho had come in while we were talking to gether, with n young fellow of a hand some though dissipated appearance, and taken a seat at a table to tho side nnd back of ours. She was young and pretty In a way. Now sho lay half across the tablo laughing into tho faco of tho man. As Homer pushed back his chair sho glanced at us and laughed again loudly. , Colonel Mac reached out and pulled the boy back to his chair. "Steady, boy," he cautioned. "Maybo I was at fault in the first place. It begins to look like I was, but this ain't no time to cry about that. I told you I'd see you through an' I will. I reckon I think a little of Lilly myself. We'll go back to the hotel an' talk this over in a minute. You sit down." Throughout his words I had no ticed Soml Dual. Ho had not spoken once since he acknowledged the intro duction to Paulos and Hermostyple, hut now I saw that he wis listening , intently to the talk at the table next to ours. The half maudlin girl had followed her laughter with a stream of rapid speech directed to her companion, and , i i 1 .. .! tnougn it was nit an unimeiugiDie jargon to me, I became imbued with the belief that Semi understood. Reich sank back into his chair and gioomeu siraiguc ueiure mm. 1 1 glanced at Stakos, who lifted his eye-1 brows in mute interrogation. I nod ded and he arose. We made our adieus and after thanking the two Greeks for their in formation, led Homer from the place. The boy seemed completely beyond self-control and staggered aa he walked beside Colonel Mac. His ac tions had attracted considerable atten tion again toward our party and I was glad to get him outside. Evpn there, however, ho refused to listen to anything either Sheldon or 1 could say, and at our rooms he slump ed Into a chair and burst into bitter Bpeech. "There Isn't any use of you fel lows talkin'. I suppose Mister Dual will say everything is running along nicely, but I say the" thing's been hash ed from the start. I won't listen to anything except takin' the first train to Seattlo to-moirow. There's ono in the morning, and now I'm going to bed." "I reckon you'd better, son," agreed Sheldon. "An' I reckon we're all goln' with you in th' morning'. It ain't much of a steer but it's all we got. Come in an I'll put you to bed. I ain't feelin' very chipper myself. May. ho I'll turn in with you." "Do," said Dual, "but first I want to nik Mr. Reich a question. Do you Mr. Reich, perhaps know anything of a woman known as Greek Annie?" "I do not," replied Homer, frown ing. "What's she got to do with the thing?" "That Is to find out," Semi re pponded. "The reason I ask is that she was mentioned by a girl who sat at a table behind ours this evening. She Bald that Greek Annie had left town yesterday morning, with a girl." "Left town with a girl?" Reich sat up in his chair and leaned for ward. "You heard hor Bay that? Why then you understand Greek." "Oh, yes." paid Semi Dual. "But a girl?" Reich besan and fnl tercd, and then went on with a rush. "Sheldon, maybo sho took Lilly to Seattle." "But how could Bhe?" queried S-Idon sorely puzzled,. "How could she cet her to go? My, Lord, sho couldh't hnndcuff her nnd tako her. Why couldn't tho girl mnko n hollo nnd git help? It gits by mo." "You (jdon't undorstnnd," said Reich almost fiercely. "That's tho troublc. You don't understand. They wouldn't tnko hor by force. f "This woman, say, would protond to bo sorry for her and bo helping hor to escapo; then Bho'd got hor to go with her quiet, nnd tho next thing sho know sho'd find thoy'd betrayed hor ngain. Oh, thoy work it a dozen wnys,' Sholdon. I can't tell you how it wns done. I'm sick. Let's go to bed." Dual, who hnd seated himself at n tnblo nnd drawn somo Bheots of pnper before him, looked up nnd nodded. "Do," ho urged. "If wo nro to mnko an oarly Btnrt, rest Is tho best thing for you. I have somo work I want to finish, but you nnd Sheldon hnd better retire." He turned back ngain to his papers, yet, as he did so, swept mo with his eyes. "It it won't disturb you, I think I'll read n bit," I remarked, because in that fleeting glance it came to me that ho wanted my presence. ' "As you plenBe," ho assented with out looking up. "Good night," said Sheldon, and led Homer into their room, closing tho door. ' I sat down arid reviewed tho eve ning. Dual busied himself with tho papers before him. Once he rose, went to the phone, and ordered a pitcher of ice-water sent up. Not once did ho address me. I fussed with n paper and smoked sovernl cignrettes. For tho life of mo I couldn't see where tho drift of things was leading. Like Colonel Mac. I began to think that after nil Seattle might be tho one hest bet despite the fact that the informntion wo had gathered from Pauloi and Hermostyple had not im pressed mo as being sincere. I twisted and turned it, nnd out of it I gathered the one fact that Lilly Lawton had undoubtedly been held for a time in the so-called Greek town. I That was a fact I no longer doubted; nor did I doubt that she wns n victim 1 of the white-slave people. I I glanced at Dual where he sat bent slightly above the table. I wondered I why he had asked me with his eyes to remain up what possible use he might have of me. His great head and shoulders made a dark outline between me and the little reading lamp on the table, and recalled other times when I had watched him at work over his occult calculations, by which he peered into the' destinies of pouts. Still he worked on, and my thoughts flew away and took up the police wom an, Miss Foote. I felt a subtle inter est in her and her work. I wondered what slle, working alone, might have 1 rt -! nl 1-1 tn IrvVi nn,l I . .......1.1 learned this night, and if we would see or hear from her again. I wondered what it was about her that I rather sensed than felt, which fepoke to me of a mystery in her own person, and I wondered what had got Into Semi Dual. Like Reich, he impressed even me ns doing little. Never had I felt more In the dark in nil my workings with him. When he shot me that glance which had held me here on the excuse of reading I had ho- "d that at last we were to have one uf our old-time talks in which he would point out to me the leading of at least some of the threads. But an hour had passed and he had not spoken. I was half minded to speak to him myself when once more the telephone rang or rather clicked, for it was a mere tapping which reached my ear. My interest bounded on the Instant. Dual had risen and crossed to the phone, and even as -he did so I rea lized that he must have loosened the bolls to prevent their ringing at the time he had ordered the water which I had noticed he did not touch. It he had done that I knew he had had aome vital purpose. Even as I wondeted, Dual was speaking, had hung up the receiver, and turned to me. ' "Gordon," he addressed me. "I want you. Miss Foote is below-, and we are going down." I rose and followed him out of tho Buite and down the hall, whero ho jang for a cage. When It came we dropped swiftly, and I followed him out on the mezzanine floor. Lucile Foote was waiting for us In the now deserted space. She turned and led us to chairs well away from the cages, and began to speak. "I had to come, Mr. Dual, to keep my promise. I told you I had agents down there, and as it hnppcns you chose the cafo where the cashier is in our pay. I know what those two told you, and it's all a plant. They are even suspected of being white-slave agents themselves." "Of course. I understood that from the first," said Semi Dual. Sho smiled. "I believe you undeistand more than you say," she replied. "At the snfo time I wanted to tell you this. I also have some', reason to believe that tho girl was taken to Srn Francisco." See Us About That Printing Job Now We make a specialty of printing neat and attractive Sale Bills, Letter Heads, Bill Heads, Statements, Envelopes, Cards and Posters. Drop in at the newspaper office and let us quote you prices. "By Greek Annio?" Dual inquired. Miss Footo stnrted slightly. ""What do you know of her?" sho said quickly. 1 1' bo CoiicinuiHi LAWYERS TOUCHED BY SMOOTH CLIENT Man in Overalls Tells Them Thrill. ing Story of Cruelly of "Stand- ui Oil Manager." BIG DAMAGES ARE WANTED Promises to Retain Attorneys In Four Suits, Borrows 50 Cents and Dl8appearo. New York Several more or less well known Brooklyn attorneys wero comparing notes at one of the down town clubs, during the luncheon hour, with about the some number of mom. bore of the profession practicing in Manhattan, over a clever game of "touch" that, seemingly, has been worked during tho week with lawyers only as victims. "How tho scheme was worked was outlined by one of tho attorneys who admitted "giving up" a 60-cent piece in the hope of coralllng four $10,000 damage suits against the Standard Oil Company of 26 Broadway, Manhattan. The attorney was sitting in his of fice when an undersized man, dressed in overalls, and with the roll and flavor of the sea about him, walked in. He Was about 50 years of age, and looked every bit what ho claimed to be a chief engineer of a steamship. "You see, sir, it's just this way, sir, I am looking for a lawyer to take my case, sir, and the cases of three of my mates. It's against tho Standard Oil Company, sir, which owns the steam- I ship Delaware." I "My name, sir, is William Francis ' Grant. I have been with tho Standard j Oil Company for seven years, sir. I am now shopping at the American Sea men's Mission in West street, sir. I signed articles for three years as chief engineer of the Delaware, sir. I was discharged from the hospital yester day, sir, but my mates are now in the Marine Hospital on Staten Island, sir. They are George Watson, second assistant engineer; James Welch, third assistant engineer, and William Kelly, fourth assistant engineer, sir. I had two ribs broken and my teeth knocked out. Watson lost his right hand, Welch had both legs and a rib broken, and Kelly lost his right leg at tho knee, it was an amputation, sir. "How did the accident happen," tho attorney asked, briefly. "You see, sir, our ship, the Delaware, was at tho dock at Point Breeze, Phil adelphia, where the Standard Oil Com pany has its docks, when the company manager, J. R. Smith, came aboard and directed me to lift up tho low pres sure cylinder cover, sir. I told him. sir, that we didn't have sufficient gear to lift up the cover, which weighs 950 pounds. He persisted in me doing so. I told him we were not going to do it until I had witnesses. I called two custom house officers; they were George Davis, a surveyor, and William Phillips, a searcher, who happened to be on the dock, and asked them to come aboard and take a look at the gear. As soon as Davis took a look at the gear he said: "That gear has been condemned; didn't you know that?' I said I didn't, as I had had no occasion to use it. In spite of this, sir, which Mr. Smith heard, he ordered me to rig tho gear. Well, sir, we pro ceeded to lift the cylinder head and had It about six feet above its placo when the tackle broke and tho cover fell over on Us side and broke through the platform on which Wat3on, Welch, Kelly and myself were working. We fell seventeen feet and were all knock ed senseless by the broken cover. ' "Well, sir, we were all taken to tho Marine Hospital in an ambulance, and were there until the other day, when the Delaware, on -. return trip, brought us to New York. Tho Delaware is now at Bayonne, but they took tho other three men to the hospital on stretchers. I was over to Staten Island to see them today. You see, sir, the company ha3 its agents trying to settle with us for $1,000 each, but we won't settle until we have seen a law yer. We think we ought to get a good deal more than that, sir." Visions of four perfectly good dam nse suits ngainst tho Standard OH Company had long before this mado the eagerly listening attorney's mouth water particularly as the smooth-talking Grant had casually illustrated how the accident had happened by use of the Inkwells and their covers on the desk beforo him, and expressed him self as quite willing to sign a retainer and get his friends to do tho samo when ho visited them on tho morrow. He readily signed it and pocketed blank retainers for his mates to sign. Then came tho "touch," but dono so crtictlcally ,that. It showed the master mind. "You see, Bfr, I shall tako an oarly boat tomorrow morning, about 7 o'clock, so I can got back hero about 11. You know, sir, that tho company still owes ua our wagon, nnd would you mind lotting mo havo a llttlo money, say 50 cents, to pay my way over to Staten Island nnd back? I'll bo back hero beforo noon, sure." Grant had tho money nnd wns gono before tho attorney brought himself to call up the United States Mnrlne Hos pltnl nt Tompkinsvllle, Staton Island, on tho telephone. "Watson? Welch?- Kelly?" repeated thfloltlclal at tho he pital, with a ques tfuh mark after each name. "Oh, do you mean tho men supposed to hnvo been hurt iri nn nccident on the Dela ware? No, wo have no men by that namo hero, but ove a dozen lawyers have been calling i for information about them In the last twenty-four hours." YES, FLOUR CAN EXPLODE. So Can Rice, Sugar and Starch In Form of Dust. Science has demonstrated that dust is tho cause of many fatal explosions and subsequent firoa which formerly were often attributed to spiteful or malicious human agencies. For example it has been found that when mixed with a certain amount of air under certain conditions of tem perature, such substances as flour, finely pulverized feugar, starch, rice dust, oatmeal and maize dust, though ordinarily perfectly harmless, may cause disastrous explosions. Other common substances which may explode or cause dangerous flres nro spice dust, cork dust in linoleum factories, soap powder, zinc powder and malt. VALVE INVENTED WHILE ILL. Brings Missouri Mechanic $175,000 as His First Royalties. R. H. Collins of Snrlngfleld, Mo., Inventor of a rotary valve, the rights on which he sold to a Detroit motor car manufacturing concern several months ago, is said to have just re ceived a check for $175,0 , repre senting his first royalties. Collins announced somo time ago that his contract called for a royalty of $6 for each valve used on an automo bile. Tho output of the concern to which he sold the rights is 300,000 cars a year, making his royalties $1, 800,000 annually. Collins resigned ns a mechanic for the Frisco railroad. He Invented tho valve during a period of illness that confined him to his home. The valve replaces the old pocket valve on au tomoblles. Sell American Bedsteads. The sale of American made brass and Iron bedsteads continues to at taln satisfactory proportions In the Shanghai district, writes Vice Consul Gustav J. Barrett, Shanghai. Theso types are now generally used by the foreign residents hero and are also finding favor with the more represen tative Chinese families. The small bed of light weight is understood to be the most satisfactory for use In China. American made beds competo successfully In price, quality and de sign with thoso of European manu facture. Around the Kitchen Common laundry starch wet with cold water will take out all traces of iodine Mains and will not Injure labuc or color. When dusting doughnuts with sugar place doughnuts and sugar In a paper bag, close (top with the hand and shake well. Tho lesult will be perfect and very little sugar will be used. The doughnuts will be covered evenly a dozen at a time. When baking pumpkin or custard pies take a long strip of cotton cloth, about an Inch wide, and bind it aiound the outside of crust when pie Is ready for the oven. The crust will keep its shape and will not be easily scorched. When baking beans put a pinch of ginger in them ind they will be much more easily digested. ;The ginger will never be detected. Use denatured alcohol on a soft iag for polishing minora or pictures. It makes the process much shorter than when boap and water aro used. Keep a small washboard from the 10-cent store In the bathroom cupboard to use when washing out a few small articles. When there is a baby in the home it is invaluable. Cars are often loaded, hut tho en gine Bticks to water and does all the work. It is easy to appreciate tho points of a Bermon when they jab the other fellow. A man has outlived his usefulness when ho Is no longer capaLle of giving advice. With a man an effect must havo Kb cause; with a woman it must havo Us be causa. DUCKS MINEi GOLD 'ON WESTERN RANCH H Owner Sprinkled Creek Bed With Grain to Encourage Their Activities. Beaver, Okla Thoro aro miner nnd miners, but did you over hoar of ordinary Indian Runner ducks in that rolo? No? Well, then, road on. Joseph Bryson, who lives on a big ranch on Ten Mile Creek, southwest of hero, driveB up in his automobllo qbout twlco n year to tho First Na tional Bank of LIbpral, Kan., and deposits a bag of gold dust. Also Mr. Bryson is constantly getting in biff shlpmonts of Indian Runner ducks for his ranch. These things cause somo of tho country folk to call Mr. Bryson "Gold Dust Joe," and his ranch tho "Gold Duck Ranch." For a long time no ono thought of coupling tho two tho ducks and tho gold dust, Bryson nlways said at tho bank that the gold dust camo from his claim in Arizona. Then, it is said, came the discovery that the gold dust camo from tho ranch on Ten Mile Creek, and that tho 'placer mining was being done by the thousands of ducks on the ranch. Some of tho "old timers" claim that soveral years ago Bryson bought a few pairs of ducks and placed them on his ranch for the eggs they might produce. Ho had no idea that they ono day would be laying golden eggs for him.' Ono day, say theso old settlers, ho killed a couplo of ducks for dinner. In dressing them ho was surprised to find a considerable quantity of gold dust in their craws and also lining the stomach and Intestines. He killed some more. In nearly every bird gold dust and fine nuggest ,weie found. As tho only possible explanation, they quote the fact that Ten Mllo Creek, ns other streams of tho section, rises in tho edge of New Mexico. It is well known that gold sands from Colorado and New Mexico havo been washed down tho streams and deposited in the sandy soil. The ducks, in wading about in the mud occasionally had dived down, taken up a bill full of mud, liberally sprinkled with gold dust, which stuck to their ciaws or lined tho walls of the stora ach and intestines. "And," says nn old farmer, "Bryson began a cstematie propagation of tho ducks, and enrour.lged them to eat plenty of mud. He sprinkled tho bed of the creek with grain nnd bugs to encourage the (lucks to get mouthfuls of the golden mud. Of course, he had to kill a good many ducks to get much gold, but tho ducks are easily propa gated, and ho shipped In many of them. "The ducks yielded enough gold to bank a substantial sum in gold dust every six mouths. As a by-product the feathers were sold to an Eastern concern. The carcasses were fed to swine in tho ranch and went far to ward fattening the hogs, with a ration of grain. The ducks gave the pork a flavor which made his hogs in demand." HOW WAR HITS MARTS. Increasing Cost of Capital .Due to Re- adjustments. Most financial economists have ascribed tho increasing cost of capi tal during the past half-score of years to readjustments rendered necessary by the burden of the Boer war, the Japanese-Russian conflict, and the growth of militarism all over Europe following these events. The move ment of Interest rates was automat ic. The Boer war increased England's public debt, and enlarged the require ments of all foreign governments. In addition to tho new loans floated, in volving more revenue to pay interest thereon, there was a notable increase in tax rates. Tho buying power of Income derived from investments was thereby reduced, because a larger pro portion of Income was taken from in dividual investors in the shape of higher taxes. Investment yield may be affected in two ways. The bor rower may be compelled to pay a higher fixed rate of Interest, or he may be compelled to sell his obliga tions at a discount, so that the cost on the nctual amount of the principal sum advanced is higher than the fixed rate. The effect of tho increased cost of new capital has been to depreciate tho market value of old Investments, bringing the yield on the latter up to tho parity of thet yield on newly Is sued securities. ' This readjustment In the yield on investments has been In progress for years and the effect has been world wide. Thus a promi nent American railroad which onco borrowed money on its bonds nt 3 per cent Interest this year had to pay 6 per cent on a consolidated bond issue. In the game of life a good deal de pends on a good deal. Evon a strait-laced man has been known to go crooked. A woman can hold her age better than any other seciet. t ' . "SX. ' " ;-& Ut J v fc -! it ife.ifa1Mit&al,Wifttm j-i.1 ,J ,.,.,-kstfU