The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

through good and ill ok olive brandons s by nora laugher chapter vscescded bv sorrows where when tko jcd would be cruel da they go lac e trture where planc thcius cot pain like a jewel ah not in the flesh not there the racks of earth and the rods are weak as foam on the sands in the heart is the prey for the gods who crucify hearts no hands i that christmas diy when the church bells ere ringing merrily across the snow i was cfweyed to the gaol a montreal soon after my arrival i was searched aid to my horror and dismay an indian clasp set with diamonds of immense value was found concealed in the inner lining of my pocket book and which i recounizjd as be longing to my uncle brandon again and again i protested that i couid not imagine how it came into my possession which only met with a derisive smile how did the indian clasp become secreted in my possession alas how helpless i was to unravel the diabolical mystery the justice room was crowded the morn ing of my examination for my position as a canadian artist and being so well known when a boy in montreal excited an extraor dinary and paiuful interest i felt calm arid collected at first but later on i was com pletely dumbfounded when i saw the de tective lay down an opal ring which he stated had also been found in my possession secreted in my small valise and which i instantly recognised as a ring my uncle fre quently wore there stood gervase lerhue his thin cadaverous face turned towards me his hands folded plaoidly being sworn upon his oath he testified as to the loud quarrel be tween his master and myself and declared the indian clasp and the opal ring to have been the property of his late master mr marma- dnke brandon a smothered groan indicat ing the sorrow and indignation he felt escaped from jack irvine he with clifford fair fax had keenly watched the production of the stolen property and breathlessly 11 1 oned to lerhues damnable evidence against me i knew full well whatever came they would not believe me guilty ah appearances were however againstme whatever i said had no power to move the bench the magistrates agreed that suffi cient evidence had been adduced against me to fully warrant them in committing me for trial with the vile brand of murder upon me i was removed to the cell the bitter black months that i an inno cent man suffered in the gaol at montraal dragged along drearily not hopelessly however for gladys would come as fre quently as she could to cheer me generally accompanied by her mother or sister who for the time had taken up their abode at montreal my greatest grief was to see the sorrowful look creeping into gladys beauti ful face the mournful ocrshadowing of those dear eyes which never met mine save with the same unflinching gaze of unutter able trust and love i know now that when everything seemed against me if i had not had gladys to think of i must have gone mad tack irvine spent his time alternately with the detectives in montreal and with my lawyer mr haymes in toronto again and again revisiting my landlidy mrs gibson mr haymes was a clever clear sighted man who never let the grass grow under his feet and he was working his hardest in my behalf john irvine had offered ten thousand dollars reward for the capture of the guilty person or persona but no notice whatever had been taken of it although the detectives and police officers were doing their utmost yet in my heart i knew they all believed me guilty i felt that not one man outside my own friends except one of the warders a man named brown who often spoke kindly to me but what believed me to bo the perpetrator of that dastardly and cruel deed sometimes for hours i would console my self that surely in this land of justice they could not bring me in guilty irvine anc fairfax did not suppose for one moment that they would do so they knew me to be innocent but alas to others the strong proof of my guilt seem ed too overwhelming co admib of dispute otten in my solitude it was most pleasant to me to recall as i last saw it the glori ous scenery around fergus and to im agine once more the majestic rushing of the waters in the beautiful ravine below elora often did i think of the dear old irvineside homestead and recall some of the golden hours spent there there was something particularly refreshing and grateful in these recollections for thoughts and associations were thus called forth elevating and tran- quilising in their character which god knows i sorely needed at other times in the night most of all some devil would rise up in my heart filling it full of evil and in those hours of darkness i felt hardly answerable for what i did at such times i would walk round and round my prison room far more resembling some frantic caged wild beast than a sane hu man being i would listen to the clock slowly striking the dragging hours until thoroughly wearied with pacing up and down i would fall down upon my mattraes and sleep the merciful sleep of forgetful- ness it was generally in the dead of night that this kind of feelings camo over me at first being accustomed to an active life i could not get sufficiently tired to sleep at all in the morning i would listen to the numerous bells calling people to matins and prayer i could hear too the twitter ing of sparrows above my casoment through which tho palo sunshine would sometimes catt little rays upon the floor i could hear too tho distant sound of tho slelghbclls along the road sometimes and oh how eagerly i listened the merry happy langh of the governors little children mingling with tho load bark of their pet dog he was a collie i 1 had seen him once ono day 1 heard them calling him what sounded to my ears like rhino the name of gladys dog ah i what fcelinge did that name bring to mo the remembrance of one lovely winter evening oh god how long ago it seemed when the very wintry wind was laden with love and happiness and i felt then that i would give all i posessod in the world yea i would even barter heaven itself for but one hours freedom to be out in the bright keen air with gladys instead of being immured in that livuur prison sepulchre generally during the day time i felt cheer ful and would read or write for hours for i could not believe nay i wonld not believe that i should have to remain there muh longer angus holroyd with true friendship spent his biief holiday at montreal endeavour ing to cheer me as much as possible fair- fax too took up his abode at the windsor and almost every day would send me a plentiful supply of newspapers and litera ture the twentieth of march the day of the trial came at last i must piss over the i crowded court the sea of faces looking so pitiably at me i must not stay to give the damnable evidence of gervase lerhue rendered with a saiutlike hypocritical ex pression of his cadaverous features nor the corresponding evidence of his deaf old wife annette poor mrs gibson afraid she should say anything co harm me maintained an almost obstinate silence they could get little from her except that upon a certain date an old gentleman purporting to have journeyed from montreal called at her house on ja vis street toronto and that she believed he stole mr oliver brandons pistol to shoot himself with the idea of suicide was not entertained by the medical witnesses and mrs gibsons evidence was treated with every sign of un belief as though it was merely concocted to procure my release clifford fairfaxs face grew very grave and soon i missed hin from the court hour by hour as the day wore on i felt t there was no chance for me the very fact i of the pistol being mine and the indian clasp and opal ring beio found in my pos session damned mo utterly jack irvines massive figure towered nigh above the others i saw that he could hardly control himself as gervase lerhue gave his lying evidence and i god alone unows what i endured but it was for gladys sake that i to outward appearance sat as calm as any ordinary speotator could have my counsellor pleaded long and earnestly for me as few can plead but never was guilt brought home to an innocent man so clearly and conclusively the jury after retiring about twenty minutes which seemed to me like as miny hours found me guitv of wilful murder as if in a dream 1 neard the judge speak heard women sob convulsively and heard men whisper words of compassion one last thought of gladys then a rush ing as of water come to my ears and a film passed before my eyes jack irvine regardless of police interference sprang to wards me and i remember no more i suppose that i had fainted for i found myself lying upon my mattrass in the cell where irvine and the warder had carried me the man more tenderhearted than most warders was quite touched by the look on poor jacks and facebent down and whispered to me you mmt try and keep up your spirits sir dont give way like this about half an hour afterwards i was still lying in the same position in a kind of leth argy too weak or too miserable to move when i heard voices outside the door which i immediately recognised as the gaolers and clifford fairfaxs ic wont do at all doctor fairfax i have strict orders now not to admit any one to see the prisoner without an order from the governor sutton said fairfax severely itou forget yourself i am a medical man and i have an order from th6 governor to see mr brandon who is sick professionally come open the door and let me in the gaoler knew that the young army doctor was a friend of the governors and moreover believing whathe said finally threw open the door but net without some little grumoling oh never fear sutton its all right i shall be here about half an hour now dont alarm yourself the governor is aware i am going to stay so long suttons fsce brightened for he knew the governor was engaged in entertaining friends at his house then while you are here doctor fair fax ill just run off and speak to my wife i havent had time to speak to her all day dr fairax is all right i guess he mut tered to himself as he locked the heavy cell door behind clifford chapter vi duice domum what more felicity can fill a crea- turo than to enjoy delight with liberty as the gaoler locked the massive door be hind fairfax he quickly crossed the cell to me whispering be quick jump up bran don i am como to get you out of this infer nal hole i what do you want fairfax i asked mechanically no 1 i am innocent noth- upod earth would induce me to fly like a criminal brandon dont for heavens sake talk like a fool hurry up man think said ho giving ma a hard shako think you are condemned to death to be hangedliko a cur for a crime you know nothing of think of little gladys it would kill her for gods sake and here be a man there is no time to lose in foolish arguments then you still believe in my innocence clifford i faltered how can yon ask such a thing you know that i do and r have come to prove it said ho hastily taking some packages from his pockets but what i broke down altogether as i saw what ho had brought with him a pair of scissors a razor some soap and a tin can of hot water with whioh ho commenced croppinfrloff my beard and shaving my face clearly leaving but the moustache like his own then and not until then did it dawn upon me what the noble fellow was going to do stop fairfax for heavens siko desist i cannot i will not let you do it dont bother me or ill cut your throat i said he rapidly going on shaving my face but the risk would be fearful for you clifford no i cannot let you nonsense you will have to now we have got so far and we must hurry up too said he quir kly stripping off my outer gar ments and donning tuem bimsilf there is no risk i tell you i am not quite such a born son of a gun as to submit to be hanged instead of you they will find out the mistako in the morning when you will be out of their reach bat i am thinking of your regiment hang the regiment said he half laugh ing dont fear i shall escape all right now brandon said he seeing that i was breaking down again for gladys take you must do this unless you wish to break her heart it is her keen wit you have to thank not me for she herself suggested this way of escape for you you have no alternative it is either escape now or death like a dog god bless her and you you are a noble fellow fairfax 1 said grasping his hand dont stay for thanks said he hurried ly takug from his vest pocket a smsjl phial and pouring a few drops of dark liquid into his hand which he rubbed well over my face neck and hands staining them the complexion of his own then put ting on a false brown beard he had in readiness he in the dim light resembled oliver brandon in no small degree now go said he warmly shaking my hind then hastily stuffing the tin can and scraps of hair into my pockets for i hear the jaoler coming i must throw myself face downwards upon the bed for he will most likely have a lamp with him what ever you do brandon dont run you will find jack waiting for you in a sleigh not very far from the west corner of the jaol he flung himself down upon the hard mattrass oh little did i think that i should never again clasp the kind hand never again look into the true and noble face of clifford fairfax time is up dr fairfax i guess i will get blimed for letting you stay so long said the jioler hurrying me out of the cell and across the prison yard i remembered fairfaxs advice not to run but i walked fast over the still snow- covered ground and found jack irvine awaiting me in a sleigh on the road jump up brandon said he excitedly great scott i ferjed it was clifford come back you are as alike as two peas hur ry up i must drive like the very devil or we shall miss the train and all will be lost it was dusk but not dark jick drove at a tsrrifie speed the horses fairly flew over the snow we were only just in time to board the train for new york what an eternity seemed that journey to both of us we hastened to one of the largest hotels on broadway where jack unpacked a small valise he had brought with him containing a complete disguise for me consisting of a suit of clothes for an elderly gentleman a grey wig beard and moustache and huge pair of foreignlooking spectacles i array ed myself with them standing up a veri table crabby looking professorlike old man irvine after giving a few inartistics pulls and touches burst out laughing well upon my word oliver gladys hersolf would not know you from abra ham but who the douce shall you call yourself and where shall you go i guess i had better make for angus holroyds on west 21st street he will ad vise me what to do i scarcely imagine it will be safe for me to be at large irvine left me as i ranp the bell of hol royds studio the door was opened to mo by his sister uillicent a fair gentle girl and an artist herself of no mean ability may i see mr homroyv i asked in a crabbed shaky voice my brothers name is holroyd sir not homroyd she explained will you walk into the studio yes i hope he wont keep me wait ing long i said disagreeably as she left tho room when alone i fell back in the old familiararm chair and laughed immoder ately to think that millie holroyd did not recognise me i wish to look at some paintings mr homroyd i asked as angus entered the studio now what do you ask for this little watercolor canadian is it not yes i it is tho rosedale ravine near toronto but unfortunately it is not for sale any thing else that you see i shall be de lighted to sell you no this alone takes me now what do ou say to 500 for it i knew nothing would tempt him to part with it for it was not his own workbutfrom the pencil of a beautiful toronto girl whom he hoped to make his wife i guess nothing upon earth would tempt me to part with that little sketch sir i am very sorry to disappoint you well look here say 1000 for it nothing you could offer me would in duce me to part with it sir said he coldly thon young man said i severely peer ing at him through my glasses i guess you new yorkers must have more money than sense and throwing off my hat wig and spectacles i burst into a fit of laughter at angus holroyds astonishment and de light holroyd threw up bis little black velvet cap overturned a venus and a niobo off their pedostals embraced me like a french man or a schoolboy overturning almost everything in the studio in his joy at my escape until his sibter fearinp ho was deal ing with a lunatic by the commotion we oc casioned burst into the room it was arranged that for the present i should live in a small room at the top of the houso lighted by a skylight in the centre of the roof and having no entrance oxcept through tho studio which entrance angus cleverly barrod by a large picture iu a few days time we learnt of clifford fairfaxs escape ho had heavily bribed one of the french warders thereby escaping to egypt where his regiment was thon station ed nino long weary months waslaprisoner in thelittloattioroom novergoing out never see ing any one bu t holroyd and his sister only hearing tidings f gladys or jack through tho personal column of the daily papers let ters were out of the question for detectives were continually on the alert and large rewards were offered for my apprehension i can never forget the kindness of milli- cent and angus holroyd who tended me un- coasinely often i was capricious and un thankful growing weary of my imprison ment hot summer days passed drearily on and winter came round again the glistening snow lay thickly upon my attic roof how i longei for a sight of gladys and the dear old irvineside homestead i was oeginninz to wish for death rather than this banish ment perhaps a whole lifetime of cruel im prisonment and wrong it was the day before christmas eve never in my whole life did i feel so despond- ing and wrethed the daily paper had brought me the sad news of clifford fair faxs death upon the battle plain cruely shot down by the enemy whilst ministering to the dying around him ah 1 egyptian sod never ye covered a braver nobler heart thin that of clifford fairfax no human being ever felt more wretched than i that morning at midday holroyd came to my room- i read in his face that all was hopeless he had no need to tell me that the human blood hounds were upon the right track at last and my capture might be at any moment left alone my very senses seemed to grow dull and numbed awakening afterwards to a frenzy almost bordering upon madness i heard loud voices then footsteps as cending the stairs to my room my brain seemed upon fire 1 felt that i was rapidly losing my reason they shall never take me alive t groaned in my madness and oh coward tht i was i sprang acrioss the room and snatched up a rtz it lying upon the bureau one more second all would have been over but the raz r was dashed from my hand not however by the detectives whom in imagination i already beheld but by jack irvine armed with a proclamation just is sued by the governor general for the im mediate pirdon of oliver brandon gervase ferhue was dying and had con fessed to the murder of his old master had made a deposition to the effect that he him self disguised like hismaster had journeyed from montreal to toronto from where he had taken my pistol with which he devilishly planned to lay a fearful crime upon me further confessing to having hidden the indian clasp in the lining of my pocket book and to having placed the opal ring in be tween the leathern cover of my valise while i lay asleep at my uncles house at mont real the happy christmas bells were ringing their joytul blessing of peace on earth from many church tower as jack and i that evening drove from guelph through beautiful romantic elora to irvineside the tamaracs and maple trees stood boldly out in the britrht moonlight as we neared home the dear old irvineside homestead after my long and wretched absenca looked most divinely lovely to me in it peaceful winter snowdress the icicles hung in lengthy fringes from the quaintly oarved and gabled porch where gladys regardless of the cold north wind was waiting to welcome me as i clasped her close close to my happy throb bing heart i asked my darling you believ ed and trusted in me always but suppose you had thought me guilty of that awful deed you would have left me then my gladys and as she nestled in my arms she whis pered oliver my dearest i have never doubted you for one moment to do so would have broken my heart for i should still have loved you the same through good and ill the end tie uhiaese emperors weddiag the greatest event in cnina for the last sixteen years will be tho marriage of the young emperor kwang sus who is just 17 years of age marriages and fuuerats are the prime extravagances of the chinese race arm kwang sus marriage day will be a ban ner one for all china prince and coolie alike at the least calculation the wedding will cott 15000000 which is a few million less than tue original plan owing to the very low exchequer of tae chinese government this year ac high noon on the coming new years d jy which will be about feb- urary 25 the young emperor will be array ed in the finest of silk and a purgatory col lar and will be anxiously awaiting the arri val of the royal cortege and the princess king sing she will be conveyed from her piliceinayellowthe royal color jaeisa chair her pretty features being concealed under yellow satin sacque fastened at the waist along the line of the bridal prosession the houses and stores will be closad and if a chinaman ventured upon the street his life will be in peril on the arrival at the pilace the ceremony will be performed the royal family and high officers being iht only witnesses after the ceremonies kwaog sa will marry four other wives and besides these will take 75 concubines to his palace his first o- called by the chinese his prin cipal wife is on the same par with his other consorts save that she has the precedence in the family but it does not follow that her son will be the next emperor the emperor is supposed to study the character of all his sons and the one whom he deems the most able will be the next ruler wanted an injunction did i understand you to say you wanted a warrant rsrous dits what i wants jedge against dr weldon did you say why he is one of tho most reputable men in cur town kyant help dat jedge hes bolished my famly dey wuz all sick with immerta- tion er de lungs an nary one on em died wid it long az he lef em erlone but de minit he come in jedge an gan to bed em down wid nauzyums and de like o dat dey done keel ober an shovel off dcir motal kile jedge ef yer wont gimme a warnt gimme a junction perhibitin dat doctor fom bom- bardin me wid any medercines an de like er dat yonkers gazette tea and coffee- tea is a nerve stimulant pure and simple acting like alcohol in this respect without any value that the latter may possess as a retarderof waste it has a special influ ence upon those nerve centres that supply will power exalting their sensibility beyond normal activity and may even produce hysterical symptoms if carried far enough its activa principle theine is an exceeding ly powerful drug chiefly employed by nerve specialists as a pain destroyer pos sessing the singular quality of working to ward the snrface that is to say when a does is administered bypodermically for sciatica for example the narcotic influence proceeds outward from the point of inject ion instead of inward towards the centres as does that of morphia atropia etc tea is totally devoid of nutritive value and the habit of drinking it to excess which so many american women indulge in partic ularly in tho country is to be deplored as a cause of our american nervousness coffee on the contrary is a nerve food like other concentrated foods of its class it operates as a stimulant also but upon a different set of nerves from tea taken strong in tho morning it often produces dizziness and that peculiar visual symptom of over stimulus that is muscce volitantes danoing flies but this is an improper way to take ic and rightly used it is perhaps the most valuable liquid addition to the morning meal it should be niado as strong as possible at first in a drip bag and a tabicsp junlul or two of the liquid added slowly to a largo cupful of equal parts of hot milk and cream in whioh havo been previously dissolved two or three lumps of sugar its active principle caffeine differs in all physiological respects from theine while it is chemically very closely allied and its limited consumption as compared with tea makes it impotent for harm the book which helped him have you any special work that you would class among the books that have helped you was asked a milwaukee man yes i have an no mistake replied he what is it continued the interroga tor the family almanac replied the mil- wakeean and th n he earnestly added i got track of a patent medioine in it that cured me of kidney complaint chicago globe the mother of invention they were debating some arrangements for the approaching nuptials when in the course of tho conversation he made use of the remark that the necessity of action was apparent thats so george she replied and did it ever occur to you that necessity is always apparent no nellie it did not by what mode of reasoning did you arrive at that conclu sion because it is the mother of invention was the huppy retort bread a luxury lady bread no i cant give you any breadbecause the price of flour is too high but you are welcome to a leg of a nice spring chicken and a cup of chocolate tramp thanks madam i havo had too much chicken lately and i am dying for a piece of bread blighted ambition billy hollo jimmy why dont you oome out an play wid the fellers jimmy i dassont billy what for jimmy you know that book we was rcadin out in de barn well i run o way and was goin to be de scourge o de plains but before i got to the souf side pop ketched me billy aw come on out jimmy i dassent pop took my pants and hid em a disappointing pish story the fish commissioner after much per suasion consented to tell something of what he knew about fish i was fishing up the mississippi river sometime sgo said he when there occur red a most remarkable event i caught a small catfish about twenty inches long and running a strong cord t hrough his gill threw him into the water tying one end of the cord to a hickory sapling now you gentlemen have often heard of a large fish coining up and swallowing a smaller one i have heard of it many a time but confess that i had my doubts for fish are pretty shrewd you know well i saw a number of large fish jumping close to the place where i had tied my catfish but ill pledge you my word that i did not think well when i went to draw up my fish what do you suppose i found a monster 1 some one yelled oh no 1 drew in the flsh i had thrown out no other fish had swallow ed the fish commissioner looked up and saw the members of the bass and bull head association silently filing put of the room a bedeeming feature- dismal dude tfe has no charms for me i sometimes cli i wish i were dead miss blunt well there is one comfort about suicide it usually strikes the right person why he hated kissing young wife poutingly to her husband you dont seem to be very fond of kiss- ing husband what makes you think so love wife weve been man ied almost two weeks and youve only kissed me once in all that time j husband well the fact is lovey i may as well tell you i was once professor in a school that taught actresses how to kiss on the stage and you see my stomach lias sort o turned against kissing ever since v ife coldly youre excusable died too soon insurance superintendent well did you succeed in persuading mr samson to insure his life agent sadly no i talked to him for six hours but before i got in all my argu ments he died easy payments an irishman entered a store where furni ture was sold on tho easy payment plan and how much is thim chairs and that bedstead he asked designating tho arti cles he desired thirty dollars how will it be on the aisy payment plan ten dollars down and ten dollars a week till the amount is paid up the divil and all i do yon call ten dol lars down and tin dollars a wake and aisy eayment plan when i havent but seventy- ve clnts in me pocket bedad and i dont get but six dollars a week for me wurruk annyhow and the disgusted man abandoned the easy payment plan and went his way