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v boned at last fk thrilling christmas storx by jack frost iciithel r fifth costisuid the period of which this story treat iu in the ancient manor oi chelsea wioa old bonis which qaeeoleiizabeth had once honoured by her pretence ala i or all human grandeur i the place which onoe had afforded shelter to a queen and member of her court was now in a itate of neglect and decay and some of thoae who had at one time inhabited it were sleeping in the old ivy clad church hard by the rickety gate in the broken pailinga admitted to the yard a square flagged space with a broken waterbat in one cor ner under an oldfashioned leaden gargoyle there was also a grindstone and some odd bits of timber lying about- near the pump which was nearly grcwn up with nettles and rye grass oa cpenlrg the panelled door yen found yourself in a great entrance- hall whence a broad staircase with large balustrades somewhat rickety and oat of perpendicular wound np btsidealong muluoned window halfway up to the floor above it was a ghostlylooking place in all con science and when as on a certain night the stormfiend was abroad and his allies 1 he wind and rain dashod against the win dows their rattling making gruesome music and shook the old house to its very base one would have been forgiven for imagining that a troop of demons were disporting themselves init jack skinner and his wife were the inhabi tants of the home at this time the cunning pair never had the remotest intention of going far away from so good a paymaster as mr dene so instead of proceeding across the atlan tic they had doubled back upon him to chelsea and having paid half a years rent in advance became the tenants of the occe lordly house the owner being only too glad to get someone to livo in it to require re ferences as to character and respectability the worthy oonple eleoted to live up in the attic consisting of one long apartment off which a small storeroom led although the clock in the brick turret of the old church had struck twelve midnight skinner and his precious martha bad not gone to bed he was smoking a long clay and sitting in an essy chair with a steaming brew of s hot rem punch before him while she solaced herself with fourale with a quartern of gin in it and took bugh pinches of snuff from time to limr what are you going to do with tho swag jack she asked caioyon sell it toeome one or pawn some of it youre a pretty woman of business you arebe sld sneeringly whyj wl be spotted in a jiff the bobbies aro on the scent yet matey lot sleeping dogs lie weve plenty of money for the prosent and know how to get more when we want it holloa what was that starting up he listened while marthas rubicund visage bccime suddenly pale someone was knocking loudly at the street door and continued to do so for several min- utea police i gasped martha better put 4 theligho xa put a brave face on it and go tbwrijweve hid the swag away too artful for anyone to bad it in a hurry he n joined taking up the vawpand hurrying out- 4 dont leave me in tue dark jack she moaned dont be ifeerdj no ghost wants the like of you matey he laughed and as for the old gentleman hes been after us many a day without catching us the heavy tread of his descending foot steps aroused the eohoes of the old house and produced hollow sounds which wore as muoh like groans ss anything could well be flaolng the lamp where the wind could not reach it be swung back the great door and peering out called gruffly holloa i i whats np this aint a public bouse im a cabman and was driving a gent to putney the horse shied at a flash oi light ning and npset tho oab the gent is hurt hes tip- top swell and would comedown hand some if youd take him in and send for a doctor said the driver of the illfated vehicle where ia he skinner asked i propped him just inside the gate was the eager answer give me a hand with h iro like a good fellow where money was to be made skinner was always on the job to use one of his own exprcssivo phrases and in a very short time the irjured man was carried upstairs and placed in the room in the attic ho bones broken said the cabman after a hasty inspection he has only falnt- eld a drop of brandy might bring him to martha i alius keep it in the house ye a doctor many a time patient recovered consciousness potent spirit and was soon able oneir aci convene wero explained to him he some money ani his ad- to call on him net morn- had stated was true ho was looking at charles fourteenth dake of brittany and myrtles uncle skinner nodded as he reseated himself and said with a rapacious smile wo ought to make this a paying job matey two paymaster jack she assented bat how can wo let bim know what we know l her wrinkled face contracting into a pozzed ezpreaslcn thats alicker aint it he said musingly martha eat silent for a while putting on her considering cap as she si for wards averred and said at last ive got it myns photograph the one you prigged that night im goiap to get him a bio of breakfast presently he can pay well a oup of tea and bacoo and eggs thank goodness i ive got a clean table cloth and when ive made all tidy ill put her picture on the table right afore him if he knows her hbll be sure to talk matey youre clever youll be landlady of a tiptop pub yet marz my words he said with an approving nod martha was as good as her word and pro- pared an appetising breakfast for their titled guest though ignorant of his exalted station as yet audi halt an hour after breakfast they awoke him you can have a wash and tidy yourself up a bit sir said skicecr deferently theres water soap and otoun towels and ill give you a brush presently youre a good fellow and i wont forget you said theduke who was only too pleased to get rid of the marks of the previous nights accident he had halfpartaken of breakfast when his eyes fell on myrtles photo and an eager look leaped into his sinister face as he said thao fsce seems familiar to me whoso is it not your daughters surely martha and jack exchanged significant glances behind his back and the smiled exultantly as she answered well sir she was liko a daughter to us for years we brought her np from a babby and then her father took her away from us whats her name the asked myrtle dane sir a lady called about horaf teribe was taken away from us 1 did she leave her address my good ccssaurfhuti we lost it she never callod ivod at rock head thou sir not manhad gone he unexpected skinner whether ha might re e storm had subiidsd sir take a lie down on tho perfectly hew and otaan and me i will give you a oaii when the clears ouro welcome sir i a dog oat such a night as taking of hot brandyandwater n bklnneta suggestion and f security and the grateful ia was soon sleeping sound- go matey remarked ed tone hes got heaps meddle with jack ar mark an his t s all matey eagerly moles like so afeerdof theyre en 1 kstonlsh- hero are the denes now he asked with assumed carelessness he began to perceive that be had shown too eager an interest in the affair little dreaming that he was being led on artfully w know sir and yet we dont know replied martha significantly you have been asked not to let their ad dress be knowr i suppose eh v thaia it sir put in jack resolved to haveafinger in the pie were poor people and oant afford to offend rich folks im not suro that the young lady is known co me the duke remarked in a tone of mdi ffsronce but still i should like to ascertain if a surmise of mine in correct they live in loudon cf course and he fixed his ker dark eyes on skinneij face its bardly fair sir after what weve tod you to ak than ere question martha interposed bcffily of course it anybody made it worth our while we might let thenrknow provided they didnt split on us i understand how much would you re quite my good woman j he asked with an assumed smiloas he saw another exemplifica tion of his favorite provarb a golden key will unlock any door mr done gives us a pension of two pounds a week sir besides hextras h a hard man and wouldno pay us a penny if he knew wbd spilt on him isnt that so jaok 1 right to a tick matey was the quick assenting reply come to this address this evening my good fellow he said pencilling it on a card we can talk matters over there v ou will find me a liberal paymaster for work well done nowseo whether you oan get ce a cab heres three pounds for the trouble you have been at on my aooounb its the finest nights work weve ever had remarked skinner when their guest bad departed theres more business iu it than you think matey i oouldsee the devil in his oyes and no mistake poor folk must make a living remarked martha sententlously yes matey a man must live honestly if he oan or else tother way he assented and men the subject dropped for the pair were tired and wantod rest the duke put up at a wollkcown hotel in putney under an assumed name as may be conceived and resolved not to appear in his english heme until he had accomplished a certain projeot which it need hardly be stated had a connection with myrtle and her fattier there he was visited by skinner who after a long conference went away apparent ly well satisfied for there was a smile on his illfavoured countenance meanwhile the inmates of fairlawn house remained ignorant of the new danger that threatened them although mr dene was a expectation of some fresh attempt on tho part ef his old eoemy to molest hi peace and happiness if net his life mis beoky was behaving with great forbearance simply because she felt amured that before very loog she would have gained her point and become mrs dene ska knew him to bo excessively wealthy a mlulenairo in fact and though he was under a oenviots ban yet even that might be lessened in time and his innocence proved besides he had net broken the law of england in itself greatly in hit favour it ever the troth oezed out although she had had to earn her living from girlhood almost yet she was not with out soroo mean of her own for being of a frugal torn she managed to savo money bat aha always rebelled secretly against nor dependent petition and when she saw this opportunity of emancipating herself otaodit with avidity what myrtle opinion was of th recant interview she letudnot gather for that imm yeaag lady weald set be drawn out hough ah aiada sovsral attempts t da a card of lavlistita had bos issued for as atasr brilliant gathering at fairlawn hsu to cd im gorgtauaaets th forum myrtle in view of threatening eventuali ties meant in sporting phrase to die garce and it was to please her that tho invites were sent our erie peyton was progressing well towards complete cunvaletcenoe and heped to bo able to be present on tho occasion in question a dead calm precedes a storm and such a calm now reigns at fairlawn house when lo an incident happened to throw its in mates onoe more into a state of alarm miss becky pride was mlulng her bed bad not been lain in and neither a letter not any intimation bad been left behind her to explain her sudden disappearance myrtle and her father had been out till a late hour the preceding night and on returning concluded that mist pride had re tired for they saw nothing of her quo of the servants en bring questioned remembered seeing her about an hour before dusk going down towards the gate leading to tho river and then a maid deposed to hearing a scream just as it began to get dark but put it down to a bit of larking on tho part of some river excursionists a thing of not un- frequent occurrence tho boat which was usually moored near the gate was misting and in the shallow water was found a book- an english trn- alatioa of victor hugos les miserable which proved to belong to the missing woman tor thero were marginal notes in pentfl in her handwriting all this only heightened the mystery and grave fears were entertained that as in myrtles cue the boat had broken away from the moorings and floating to mid stream had capsized this supposition was further strengthen ed whon on searching her wardrobe all hor dresses but the afternoon robe she was wear ing were found intact the distrlot inspector cf police on being commuuioated with atonce gave his opinion that foul play had been at work you see iir he remrkod to mr dene the rascals who committed the last burg lary and outrage herobavldg got off so easily resolved to try their hand at it again and most likely were seen at their work by the missing lady who by the way was rendered insensible before if you remember this ingenious theory was not openly dis credited by dene who was positive skinner had no hand in the affair because he bd started him off for america i know yon will use every effort mr urqahart tu bring this dastardly outrage to light he said in a tone of anxiety if a handsome reward will aid your labours i will willingly pay it pardon mo sir but do you happen to know whether she was on bad terms with any one in the house the inspector asked i mean with the servants 1 not to my knowledge in fact i think i am right whun i tell you that i am sura she had not made a single enemy she was singularly inoffensive and gentle in her manner towards every one her inferiors moro espeolajly thats a good point cleared np for in all these matters that of murder especially we always look for a motive said the inspeotor do you happen to know whether missjprido was in the habit of using tho boat on theso summer evenings i think not my daughter was very fond of doing so though depend upon it well find this out sir olevn as they think themselves re marked urquhart the pitcher that goes to the well too often gots broken at last good day sir the moment 1 have got any reliable clue i will let you know the inspector question about tho boat gave mr denp an uneasj4f eeling perhaps sifter allyhe outrage was aim ed at myrtle and fell oh poor miss pride in mistake i trust no ssrious harm has be fallen her if people only knew what pass ed at our interview suspicion of this daring crime might fall on me he had searched in his study for her in valo for he was quite sure she had by some means discovered the secret door loading into the billiard room the more he ri fleeted upon the matter the greater became bis fars that miss pride bad suffered vicariously for myrtle and the firm er grew his resolve to unravel the mystery that night bertram dene was up rather ate writing important letters when a loud knocking and ringing at the front door brought him there quickly beg pardon sir said a policeman but we found this person in the grounds he re fuses to give any acoonnt of himself if you will afford me a few minutes in private sir said the stranger in french i oan convince vou that i am innocent of any thing wrong policemen i think he moant no harm mr deno said leave him with me and continue to watch i command your vigll- onco highly shall one of us wait bero sir to see him clear off tho grounds asked tho tracer he looks an ugly custonor just the sort of fellow whod knife you 1 thanks no mr dene said with a good- humoured tceptiosl laugb i think i oan take care of myself in this oase good night he took the stranger into the billiard room where the gas was left burning to be in readinaes for tho police should they re quire it a a kind of temporary lock- op in the event of their capture of any suspicions character one look at the stranger confirmed the pelloemaas description of him as an ugly customer he squinted horribly bad red hair a long lantern jwed faoe and a large mouth fall of wolfish sooth jast the sort f a man one would give a wide berth to at any hoar by day r night in a lonely spot you had a motive in coming here f done said sharply la french what la your basinet with m i you know pitrrie verlon monsieur i oorao from him i arrived late and on getting into the ground waa arretted by the gent- dartnee the fellow said readily i only received a letter from htm today ajd in lthe said netmng of teading a met trusted to skill id wrestling for an advantage no one in the house suspected that a life and death struggle was going on at this mid night hoar or that while they lay sleeping calmly in their bed murder might be com mitted at any moment one person however was on the alert myrtle who had bsen aroused from her first sleep in which the enjoyed a delicious dream of being in a flowery bower with her lover by the ringing and knocking she got np pat on a dressinggown and sought for her father in he room where the had left him writing bat he was not there to the descended the stairs which led to the entrance ball where the listened and de tecting a peculiar noise proceeding from the billiardroom turned the handle there the taw a sight which for the moment almost frsz her blood with horror her father had up to a certain point gained an advantage over his opponent by throwing him heavily but the ruffian bit him so severely on the aim that for the instant the pain of the wound tendered him helpless that instant waa enough to turn tho tables he got dene underneath him and snatching up tho dagger was prepar ing to stab him when arousing from her torpor myrtle seized a heavy billiard cneand strengthened by loverender- ed desperate by fear struck a blow for her fathers life with the butt cad which she brought down swiftly and auroly on the rtffians unprotected head with a horrible execration ottered in french he rolled off his victim and lay on the floor senseless myrtle my darling you have saved my life he gasped as he rose and leant against the billiard table for support water water qnlok i pouring some into a tumbler from a carafe she held the glass to his lips and he drank with fearful avidity ohpapa i you are hurt she cried seeing blood stains on tho sleeve of his brown alpaca coat only a bite child ho said with a re assuring smile this ruifun wsb sent here to murder me by your uncle my implacable foe i must search the scoundrel he may have compromising papers on him after securing bim with myrtles help he turned out his pockets but found noth ing the police were eventually called in the prisoner given into their custody and oon- veyed to tho station on a stretcher the follow pieserved the came dogged ob- stinaoy when brought before the magistrate refused to give his name or afford the slight est information about himself mr dene and bis daughter gave evidence before a crowded court and her bravery in saving her fathers life met with unstinted applause which the magistrate did not care to check in tho end it resulted in the frenchman being remanded for further inquiries but be managed to escape although mr dene had triumphed over many misfortunes he had a relentless enemy on his track still many polite refusals were received to the invitations and on the evening of the day on which tho magisterial investigation took place mr peyton oame over to fairlawn honse his face palo with suppressed pas sion myrtle my darling he said on soeing her you told me you had an enemy and here is the proof of it i wish i knew the fellow who wrote it id horsewhip him dear erie mvrtle said sweetly to what do you refer 1 two anonymous letters and rumours whioh have gotjinto circulation that your father is on escaped oonviot he replied indignantly well suppose that were so dear hugh what would ou do 1 she asked paling as she put the momentous question to nor lover would you renounce me no a thousand times no my darling 1 was his loyal protest your father might have been betrayed but guilty of crime never her father entered at this junoturo look ing pala with tutpressed auger and excite ment papa said myrtle joyously i stands one of your stannohest ohaipiobs your most loyal friends tlsf you arn very kind erie i know to what you refer scandal has been rife the world knows that i am an eboaped con vict you would not wod my daughter now aye tomorrow this very minute erie said passionately oh sir do give your consent no i i would be taking a mean advan tage of you erie you have a father to onsult a mother who may not look upon my innooence as assured eries reply was out short by the entrance of i ollceinspeotor urquhart who said sir miss prides body has been found her body 1 gasped myrtle yes miss it appears that she was being abducted in the boat and straggled with hor captors the boat npset and both were drewnded the bodies were piokod np near battersea both firmly gripping each other has her assailant been identified bertram dene asked brokenly yes sir it a fellow named jaok skin- nr weve had an eye on him for some months past if we oan apprehend his wife we may learn mere aboui this unhappy affair it need hardly be stated that the party at fairlawn hsuse did not ooms b a few days after this tad newt bertram dene took his daughter abroad accompanied only by molly sprigglns timely encootazeinent in the struggles of life the need of eaour- agement and assistance come to all a timely word or an outstretched hand us often helped an earnest worker over a deugi of discouragement in which ha would hava sank irrevocably without it we hear a great deal of the rivalries of artists bat very little at the unselfish disinterested way in wmch they strive to help each other unrecorded though they may be auoh deed are written in imperishable characters in the hearts o those who have been helped moitia and holman hunt with their brilliant talents and inspired brushes worked on nnsacoeaafolly year after year returning to the academy at each exhibi tion with their caret ally considered pictures they sought ia vain to overcome prejudice and to win a kindly word from the critics under desperate discouragements in great poverty and need they toiled on and on until they both regretfully began to talk of abandoning art lest they should starve then a sudden encouragement oame to millue he sold a picture and hastening to hunt said you must not give op you have before yon a great future if you need money share mine the sympathy between the two men was so perfect ttut hunt accepted the timely help in the spirit in which it was ffered and for a whole year lived upon muiaiss purse the longdeferred success oame at last it was as sudden as it was complete with in one woek hunt sold every picture he had painted during those long years of unre quited toil and received commissions enough to occupy him for several years more literally he went to bed one night in poverty and discouragement and waken ed to find that he had beoomo famous and that tho way to protperity was wide open before him but for mlllaiss timely assistance hunt would never have enriched the world with the finding in the temple and the light of the world some of turners unselfish efforts to help others were truly heroic on one occasion when turner was on the banging committee a painter by the name of bird sent a picture to tho academy it had great merit but no place for it could b found turner pleaded hard for its admission but the committee refused turner sat down and looked at the picture for a long time and- becoming more and more convinced of its merit insisted that it must be accepted he was still overruled the thing was impossible tnrner said no more but going into the aoademy silently and alone took down one of his own pictures sent it out of the room and hung birds in its place the picture received the recogntion it deserved and i another struggling artist was saved from despair at another exhibition in the year 1s26 turners great pioture of cologne was to be exhibited it was hnng between two por traits by sir thomas lawrence the sky of turners pfoturo was exceedingly bright an had a most injurious effeot upon the color of the two portraits lawrenoe naturally felt mortified and complained ope aly as he hd good cause for doing of the position it fl pictures on the morning of the opening of th exhibition at the private view a friend turneis who had neon the cologne in its splendor led a group of expectant criti np to the pioture he started baofc in aiernation the golden eky badch f a dun oolor and all its glorious tin disappeared ha ran np to turner i h4vo yen ijeen doing toyourploturo oh muttered turnervln8 tono so as not to be heard by otlr liwrence was so unhappy i its black it will all wash off after tion i he had actually passed a blaok in wateroolor6ver t and spoiled bio picture for should hurt lawrenoe piatures recelvlogahe ap their due tbe3tln ev word of jivj saw bim loos an nnk never know him let sorrowful remonstrance gatiod a blameful other so bb omtlnrbd ngr what have yon tor nut thlar hissed the fellow drawing a for midable dagmr and aiming a blow at dsnea onpreteotoa breatt bat he sprang nimbly aside and the next moment had oleaed with the assassin btth wtr powerful roes bat dana had the advantage of tbowt and sinew braced till they were cke iron in the labour raises ef siberia net a ward escaped richer eombetant a tsar f tsght th ana lor dear ufa the ether far liberty ia fuw has dropped ta half ee bsjag thrathcd ay ms aspomas aad balk saw baronm at oxford oa one memorable occasion seme firemid thirty year age mr- phlnea 3 bar- nam undertook to deliver a lecture at oxford bagland befer an intelligent audience competed ohufly ef nadergrada- tt therabjetwmhabag and the students were so nsruly that mr baronm shared the fate of many ether attainr1 at oxford and was unable to obtain a beat log at length there wa a rail and the speaker sabtog the epportnnltyshonted oust then yoa dont want to hear anything about humbug 1 we dont i waa tho im mediate reply mr barnamftssed tteaduy atmsaudtenoe for a minute and then re marked well i have got your meaey and there i a hambug about that i peace with heoeur wa iberasnen proolairatd by the tsdeats aad mr baronm wa allowed to deliver hi taotore witbeal farther jbtoinp- tlas nw york xribaaa democracy in qei despite til oppressive an leguibtie t1 the german impe ment the social democratic pa many oontlnues to gain ground recent saxon oleotions they polle as many vo- s as they polled six yea and won to ew representatives provincial parliament they now havj seve men in the ssxon landtag among whom are such t xtremsts as bebel and liebnecht this fact is all t le more significant because in saxony tie majority of the workmen who are gemrjly supposed to build the rank and file y the social democracy are excluded from voting by a property quali fication nor is a saxon citfzsn eligible to a seat in the landtag unless he pays state taxes of at least thirty marks annually tho proof furnished by the saxon eleotloni that prince bismarcks severe repressive meas ures have entirely failed to crush the sxiallstio maloontents and that hit con dilatory measures like the worklngment intoranoe toheme have in no way appeased them ha caused the gorman dailies to plunge again into the perennial discussion of the causes f social dbontent in gar- many the vostitche zjtang a repro- aentative dally of liberal tendencies says government and parties alike should find in this movement of voter a reason for thsujrhtfnl introspection oar previous policy far fron winning over the workmen poshes them more and more into the social dtmeoratlo oamp despite all social political saw should the present law against the socialists be oontlnued and iha present tariff policy be retained the sooisl democ racy wonld eventually assume proportions which woald enable it to drive the wedge of destruction into all the old parties v ontbesarsoida saan jebntfng hah i did yoa hear da parson tay dat whotbber had stole his pumpkins woald go aar da bad place f jim wbttr heah i leah i aint 1 1 didst tttal ptffla but cabbages gladl