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fía -i. vera-:.:
...tóto;' ;. . ' .-i
FRANCIS PERHT ELLIOTT
If mí
MWW jf Br eoess-mjwiu. cowrr -
CHAPTER I.
A Prawnt from China.
It tu tn Drat thing I saw that
alfM a I swung Into- my chambers.
J"aot la, tor the moment. It waa th
only thin- I aaw. Somehow, lta aplaah
o( yellow i there under tha shaded lamp
temed to catch mj a; and hold It
I aorawad my' flan tight and ex
amined tha thing with Interest Noth
ing remarkable; Juat a tiny, oblong
gockata, bearing curloua foreign
1 markings, lta wrapper . plainly . a
draaaed to ma, but'.
"By Jora I From China I" I Jacu-
iaUd. '
, Somebody In far-off China sending
ma a present, with duties and charge
Arapald erldently.
"Anybody I know Is China, Jen
kinir I asked. And to help him out,
I added: "Fact ta, aoma ohap'a aant
ma a package, you know."
"Name on box, air, perhaps." Bald
Jt offhand, jút like that no trouble
of thinking, dash It all narar Ten
blinked. Juat lnatlnot, by Joral
' And there It waa, nicely printed In
tha corner with a pen:
Roland Maatermann, Government
Home, Hong Kong, China.
I read It aloud can't read anything.
you know, unleaa I read It aloud and
a i
looked at Jenklna Inquiringly. But
' ha oama right up to tha acratch; Juat
aeamed to get It from tomewhere
right out of tha wall over my head
"Beg pardon, air; but think It'a that
London gentleman entertained you
t tha Carlton when you wera oyer
tha other aide."
Maatermann ! By Jove, ao It waa
' I began to remember blm now, ba-
eauae I remembered hla dinner, aer
an! of them, Is fact, during tha three
yaara I had lived over there, acquir
ing tha Engllah accent manner, you
know and all that aort ot thing!
Maatermann oh, yea, I had him,
now I Jolly rum old boy, but enter
talnlng and clever long hair, pink
wart on jaw I And, by Jove, I had
promised him promised him what
tha deuce waa It I had promlaed hlmT
Let ma eea: ha waa aomethlng or
other In the foreign office; yea, I had
that and tremendously Interested In
mummies and psychical Investigation
and rum aort of things Ilka that, and-
"By Jove!" I ejaculated, aa It came
to me. "And for that reason he want-
ad them to send him out to China.
"Beg pardon, sir," put In Jenklna,
"but think you had a letter with a
Chlneae postmark ,last week."
He looked around at my Uttla writ
ing-desk, and coughed slightly behind
bis band.
"Waa Just a-wonderlng, air, It it
might not be among those you haven't
opened there ara several piles. It 1
might look, sir "
I nodded. Fact Is, I allow Jenklna
much privilege, owing to long aervlca.
Than, you know oh, daeh It, he'a so
original ao refreshing and that aort
of thing so surprising. Just aa In
. this case, ha thinks of ao many devil
ishly Ingenious, out-of-the-way aort of
things!
It waa Jenkins' idea that I find out
what waa In tha box by Just opening
tha dashed thing while he looked for
tha letter.
Clever that, eh? Well, rather!
So I .unsheathed my little pocket
manicura knife, cut the . strlnga and
iremoved the wrapper. Inside waa
Juat a little, straw-covered box with a
telescope cover and Inside tha box,
wrapped In tlsaue, waa a tight roll of
bright red silk.
That waa all not another thing but
this Uttla silk roll. It was a wad as
thick aa three Angers and perhaps
twice aa. long, tied with a bit of com
mon string, ending In a loose bow-
knot.
I pinched tha roil gloomily.
"It lt'a a red silk muffler, Jenkins,
catch ma wearing It, that's all!" 1
burst out Indignantly. "Rotten bad
torm. It you ask me. I'd look Ilka as
' out-and-out bounder!"
Than I had a horrible thought:
"Or or tha Salvation Army, daah
It!"
Her Jenklna thrust a latter at me.
"Perhaps this may explain It, air," ha
uggeated.
Sura enough. It waa from Hong
Kong, and from that chap, Maater
fcoann. Out there on special mission
tor hla government, ha said. I don't
know what It waa sever did know,
'In fact, for I aklpped down to this
paragraph, which I read aloud:
"Every putt ot thoae rara cigars you
ant m has but reminded ma that my
idabt to you la still unpaid."
I road thus far; then I read It again.
But I could make nothing ot It
"Cigars cigars r' I exclaimed, put-
aOed.
Than I forgot tha latter aa I stared
at Jenkins.
"And what'a tha matter with your
II demanded.
For I had caught him with hla hand
Itwar hla mouth, obviously trying to
Lañar a chuckle. Ha so bared. in-
stantly, but aeamed ambarraasrd for
a reply. .,
"Oh, I aay, you know!" I urged him.
Ha started to apeak, then pulled P-
His breath want out In a aort of sigh.
And he Juat stood there looking at
me, and looking kind ot acarad.
Factl Perfectly Irreproachable serv
io for Br ears; and now here, daah
It, showing' emotion and that aort ot
thing, Juat. like well. Ilk people, by
Joval Oad, I don't mind aaylng I waa
devilish put outl I acrewed my. glaaa
rather Severely and ha made another
go:-''. ' - . i.
"I hopa, Mr. Llghtnut, air, youll try
to pardon na, air, but I Wall, la
deed, air, the mistake wasn't nine;
It waa the dealer fault, yon know,
air."
"Oh!"
Jenklna cleared hla throat with aa
effort, hla eye rolling at m apologet
ically. ! Whan he si,ok them waa a
tremble in hi uttarano, and It waa
rather husky:
"Why, air," ha began tn a l ton.'
"you told me to have your dealer ship
this gentleman, tola Mr. Maatermann,
a dosen boxea ot Paloma perfecto
your favorite brand, you know, sir
ninety dollars the hundred."
He pausad, hla fingers rae ting trem
blingly on the edge ot the tabLa,,
"An error, air, ot tha shipping clerk.
He"
With a murmured apology, Jenklna
paused to wtp hla forehead. I aaw
that the perspiration had gathered Is
great drops. Than be aeemil to
gather himself for a reaolul iffort,
hla yea fixing themselve upe m
with the most extraordinary rprea-
(ion kind ot half-frightened, half-dee-
perat glare that aort of thing, don't
you know. I began to feel dovillsh
unoomfortabl and edged away.
And be mad another plunga: "They
sent him"
And, daah m If ha didn't stack
again! It Just looked Ilk he couldn't
get paat But I encouraged him Juat
like you have to do a horse, you know
and this time he got over:
"They sent him a dosen box of
Hlckey'a Pride,' air, instead 1"
Ha spoke In a low, choking rolo
and looked me full In the eye the
kind of look you get when a chap's
boxing with yon, you know that aort
ot thing.
CHAPTER II.
An Omlnoua Discovery.
I waa pusiled.
"Hlckey'a Pride r" I rej sated
thoughtfully. "I don't aeem to recall
that one. Do I smoke It often r
Jenkins seemed to gasp.
"Too? Certainly not, air! Never!
Navtr taw a
And, by Jot, he turned palal Any
how, h looked devillth queer as ha
put hla hand down on th tabl and
bent to whlapar:
"Mr. Llghtnut air And th way
ha dropped hla voloa and turned hla
bead to pear aronnd Into th ooruara
waa Juat creepy! That' what creepy!
This, with tha glow tram th grn
lampshade on hla pal faoa aa ha
Waned across th tabl oh, It waa
aomthing ghastly awful, yon know!
K got on my nerve, and I ootid tl
the hair slowly rising on each side ot
my part Ha bent olote, whispering
behind hla hand, and I knew he had
been eating radishes for dinner:
"It'a what'a known. In the trade, air,
aa a twofer.'" '
"A twoferl'" I repeated, puisied..
"Two tor Ave,. air." Jenkins spoke
faintly. - "I'm suae f I'm' ashamed t
mention to a perfect gen'' 1 -
"By Jove. I know!" I lifted my
Anger suddenly. , "I know now the
kind you mean big, tat, greasy-looking
one the aort, Vanderdacker and
-Colonel Boylston smoke over at the
olub." I shook my head.- "Too Jolly
thick and heavy tor me. Bo they're
twp tot a "V ht Oh, I 'two
feral' By Jovat-i. r' -
A brand saw one, this rlpperl
I mad up my mind to spring It on the
fellow first chance that la. It 1
could remember the Jolly thing. I
Just, looked .at Jenklna' solemn faoa
and laughed. ' ...
"Oh, I aay, Jenkins hang the ex
pense, you know!" I remonstrated In
some disgust For tila London ohap
had given m no and of a good Urn,
yon know; and-lt'a such devilish bad
form rotten, I aay haggling about
xpns'whn you want to mak
coma-back and do the handsome. I
waa Jolly glad tha mistake had hap
pened. .
Juat her I remembered the letter
and went at it again, for I waa keen
to And out if possible. It It waa a muf
fler under tha string. So I Axd toy
glaaa and read ont
"Realising what these cigars ara, I
have given them, from tima to tima,
to friends ot mine and others. Real
ly, I don't think I ever had such un
selfish, unalloyed pleasure from any
thing in my lit. Gave on to a bua
driver out Barra Court way chap
who had nevar been known to apeak
to man, woman or child In ysara, and,
attar he lighted It well, my wordl
He opened up and grew ao bally
loquacious I bad to get oft.
"Had been trying to get Jorglns, my
chief, to send me out her again to
China, but he waa aver finding some
cold, beastly evasion. But when your
package cam to th ofDco, tha flret
thing I did after I had tried th cigars
waa to hand tha old Iceberg a box
with my oompUmenta,
"Five minutes after, ha cam back,
completely thawed out. Fact la, never
saw him ao warm toward any one.
Asked ma If tha other boxea wera to
be given away outside. Said no; that
his waa the only box I could apar:
waa going to keep 'em all there at the
office and amoka 'em myself. Never
aaw a man ao moved o worked up
ovar Uttla thing. Next day b sent
m out here to China. ' -
Man Moved.
"And ao I have been looking about
sino I have baa out bare, trying to
And aomethlng aa rare, nnlqu and
full ot surprise for your Irlanda aa
your cigars bar bs tor mln.
han found it
Ton know what a curiously npsld
down ptopl th Chines ar. Exam
ple, they begin dinner with desert
and end with soup; they drink hot
acid beverage in summer Instead ot
load one; they writ from right to
left, vertically, whll w writ tram
left to write, horlsontaUy;.they mourn
to- white Instead of black, and they
ara awfully honest" and nay their
debU."
"But there I on other, point of dif
ference still queerer: ' they wekrtpv
Jamas all day, while wa wear them
only at night"
Here I yawned. Always hate that
heavy, historical, Instructive stuff, you
know. , If yon have to hear It, gives
yofl headache,iunleaa you can slip off
totaiepi nrst. : :
-So I reached th latter np to Jen
kins. . , . . 'V
"Juat run over th rest of it your
self, and see If he eaye anything about
hla present" I said, settling comfort
ably. Clever Idea of mln, don't you
tblnkf." ,. -
,And I waa Just dropping my head
to hav a snug little nap Juat a little
forty, you know whan, daah me, If
I didn't have another Ideal Awfully
annoying, tima like that '
, Mind la so devillth alert daah ttl
Always doing things Ilka that; can't
seem to get over It you know. And
this ripping Idea that bobbed up now
and got me all roused np waa nothing
mor or Uta than to untie the string
myself and ee what the thing waa.
Be?
"I believe, air," Bald Jenkins, look
Ing np, "th gentleman haa sent you-
h'm has aant you"
"By Jove, a suit of pajamas I" I ex
claimed, holding them up.
It waa neck and neck, but I beat
Jenklna to It attar all!
"Gentleman aaya, air," continued
Jenkins, studying tha letter, "that his
present of a pair ot pajamaa may
aeem aurprlslng, but you won't know
how aurprlslng until you hav worn
them." , . .
"Jolly likely," I admitted, feeling
the silk. By Jove, It waa th finest,
yat thinnest stuff I aver saw, soft aa
rose leavea and aa dlmy light aa
spider's web. Not bad, that, for a
comparison, eh? Caught the Idea
from a vase ot full-blown roses that
wera beginning to abed their pétala
there on th tabl. And on on ot
the blossoms waa Uttla brown
spider. Catch tha idear Suggested
spider's web, you know.
"They're rather red, sir," Jenklna
commented dubloualy.
Red? Well, I should aay! Myl
How Jolly red they were! We spread
them under th light,- and the .red
aeemed to flow all over the table and
tall from the edge. Why, they were
aa red aa . .
I tried to think of aomethlng they
wera aa red aa, but somehow 1
couldn't fetch the idea. X thought ot
red Ink and blood and Areworks, but
they didn't aeem to be up to them at
all. And a. big, velvety petal that
dropped from' one ot the 'crimson
roses Just seemed 'brown - beside
them.
I waa wondering whether the little
spider waa curloua about the Jolly red
color there below him. And Just then
Jenkins' hand went out and awept at,
the Uttla thread. The spider dropped
and shot Into a fold of the pajamaa.
"I aay! - Look out!". I exclaimed aa
Jenkins made, another clutch. "Don't
mash the beast on the silk; you'll ruin
it the silk, I mean!" ,..
"There It goes, -sir!" said Jenkins
eagerly. "Over by 'your, hand."
' "No; by Jove;, he's gone Into a leg
of the pajamaa! Here, shake him
out gently now!" i
Jenklna lifted the garment gingerly
and lightly shook It ' But nothing
came forth. ., ,:
"Why don't you look In tha leg" 1
said, "and see it you can see It?"
Jenkins peered down , one of the
silken tubes and forthwith dropped It
with a yell. He Jumped back,
"Look out, air," he cried excitedly;
"don't touch 'em! There's a tarantula
In there big aa a sand crab, and it's
alive."
I backed nervously from the crum
pled crimson pila on the floor.
Crimson?
Of course, I knew It was crimson;
it must be the shadow ot tba table
there that made the things so dark
black, In fact But my mind waa on
the tarantula; and I waa thinking that
It must hav been wrapped with the
pajamas. Yet I could not understand
how this could b. considering how
tightly th thing bad been rolled. '
Anyhow, It wa there; and Jenkins
pointed excitedly.
"Look, sir! You can aa It moving
under th silk!"
By Jove, ao yon could I And the
thing aeemed nearly aa big aa a rat
It waa making for th and ot th leg.
I climbed upon a chair.
"Oet a olub," I exclaimed, "and
amaah the thing aa It com out!"
Jenkins rushed out and returned
with a brasil.
"Careful now," 1 warned tram th
chair. "Don't go and hit tha dashed
thing before K gets out and mak a
devU ot a mea on th silk I Thar It
la It'a out! No, no not yet! Walt
untU It get lta whole body out! Ther
now; he's drawing out bla last beast
ly leg. Now now let drive!" -to
bi corrnNuim
A AVI s O
The Road
H A vanished thirst -
ji refreshed one; the
way is via a glass or
Ideally delicious pure
sparkling as frost.
: . p,.-Our new booklet, telling
' ICC of Coca-Cola vindication
at Chattanooga,
Demand
as made by
THE COCA-COLA CO.
ATLANTA, OA.
REAL MISTRESS OF HOUSE
In Olden Days, Among Other Accom
llshments, Woman Was Required
to Be Expert Carver..
in the matter of 'old time etiquette
at the table one recalls the part
played by the lady of the household.
In the eighteenth century she was rale
tress of the ceremonies she carved
and sbe dealt the while her lord mere
ly "pushed" the bottle. '
She waa alao the menu, for If .she
'gave & dinner of several courses It
waa her duty to announce to 'the
guests, seated expectantly, what was
due to appear at table. A dinner of
one course and she remarked .that
"they saw their dinner."
Then her powers of gentle persua
sion came into play. A guest when
he had stuffed sufficiently placed the
handles of his knife and fork Into his
plate, and the sight of a knife tn posi
tion was the signal for the costeas to
Inquire "If he would please to have
something more."
In the art of carving, of course,
the mistress of any country house
was a past mlstrets'. One recalta Lady.
Mary Montagu's flight after perfec
tion under the wing of a professional
carving master: "She took three les
sons a week, that she might be perfect
on her father's public day's; when. In,
order to perform her functions -without
Interruptions, she was forced ' to
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so beforehand."
BAQKACHE AND ACHINO JOINTS.
Together Tall of Weak orvDlsordered
Kidneys.. .'
Much pain rhat' masks 'as rheuma
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Rflndfl. ' '':- .I'! . !
John T.' Scant
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rvilii.. aava- "I was
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isiJJ so helpless, I had
to be fed. My back
ached acutely and
kidney secretions
broke my rest. . Nothing' helped un
til 1 used Doan's Kidney Pills and
they did me a world of good. I have
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"When Your Back Is Lame, Remenv
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Toster Mllburn Co., Buffalo, N. T.
Her Natural Protector.
"0, Clara, we had a dreadful acare
this morning, a burglar scare!" said
Mrs. Fink. "There was a frightful
noise about two o'clock, and I got up.
I turned on the light and looked down,
to aee a mana lega sticking out from
under the bed."
"Mercy, how dreadful! Th bur
glars?" "No, my dear, my husband's. He
had heard the noise, too." Youth's
Companion.
' The Real Cauee.
The temperance orator wag waxing
eloquent
"What," he demanded, "what causea
more misery than liquor?"
"Thlrat," responded a huaky yolce
from the rear ot the hall.
That irritable, nerroni condition due to a
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GtrfleM Tea.
Even a, love match may have lta
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1 M
to Comfort
'iboi: body and a
sure way the only
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ag purity crisp and"1
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for the asking.
the Genuino
Whenever
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Arrow thbk -
of Coca-Cola.
. 1
W
F20TH CENTURY
Corset
KTYLK 70
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Bonei coDttmctod vtta
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AT DEALERS S
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233 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK
The Wretchedness;'
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' Geriuuie must near Signature
. Live 6tock and Miscellaneous '
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HAMULI) SOM&KS, IWUcaaft Avt InnUrs, N.Í.
THE DELINEATOR
Everybody's Magazine uU AurarruRE
want local Rpmmtativ. Yon can aara
aaUrr avaiy moaUt. Writ to-dar tot
lb Matt MU Ca. hteká Dm M O
HAIR BALSA
asja
PromuaM a rarruiint srrawtii.
arm Tállate Btara Orajl
Hair to lta TcmUxfttl OoloaTl
n)T3ii air raiimfc
THINftWFKINCHKKMIDV.Hx.vt.rfxa.
THERAPION SSi! JJiS
OHf. AT 8H CKriS. ("I'MRB HlDNtT. BI.AllIHk DIStAsr,
FILU, riIRUSIC VLCEKS, "KIN ERITTIDXS-IITIUR KEX
Mil MlrM nln lot - FttKH, kmklM w DR. I.I fi.mO
kSU. 01M1UYKUT0CK UJq afaTaUD.LUJIUOM, Vsia,
Tour Eyebrowi Eyelaihei MusUche
Wrlia krUaj. Th usmi U. Suum V, caj, uk
PATENT5S
Wata E. rolfmaa.WBtMk ,
sjHii,i't, Dwjaiiiirvu. It 1KB
raw
Wanfaif An Intwlllirtnt mnna to iHI hlfh-frarta
naniCQ b1at.h.il(lptf-rali7;wrltfiul(if"rfrf3
anion Lar, a. I. Uaéwnm, w . bmmi ,,
A ir.IDTFIA.
I l"'Jir-""l
-I. .'."'i ' ' ' ' '
mm'-