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

ThcPricc of Liberty OR, A MIDNIGHT CALU CHAPTEat XULX.â€" (Oontlnucd.) But Chris wuB in no way caat lown. Sha had carefully planned tut her line ot action, and the more ha thought over It the more sure tt sucMM she felt. A (cw boura more pid â€" but she didn't care to dwell loo doaely on that. It waa after luncheon that ChrU's • ppportunity oame. Lord Llttimer |tnd Grace Rawlins had gone uD to juspoct aomethioK aapeciall^ beautiful In the way of a watertall, leaving Chris and RawUns alone. The lat- ter wa« talking brilliantly over his "Is Liord Littimar any relation o( irours?" ha asked. 'Weil, yes," Chris admitted. "I hope he will be a nearer relation bo- lore lOBg." "Oh, you mean to say â€" may I ven- ture to congratulate " "It Isn't quite that," Chris laughr •d, with a little rising in uolur. "I am not thinking of JLord Uttimer, but of his son. Yes, 1 see you raise your AyabrowB â€" prortjably you are aware of the story, as moHt people are. And you are wondering why I am on such friendly terms with Ix>rd Llttimar under the circum- stances. And I am wondering why you should call yourself John Smith. The listener coolly flioknd the ash from his cigarette. His face was Ilka a maak. "John Smith is a good name," ho aaid. "Can you suggest a better?" "If you ask me to do so I can. I should dall myself John Rawlins," There was just the gho.it of it smile on Rawlin's lips. "There is a man of that name," he said, slowly, "who attained con- st'ilerable notoriety in the States. People said that he was the derniore cri of refined rascality. He was sup- posed to be without feel lug of any kind; his vilktinle« wure the theme of adrairation amongvt nnanciul magnates. There were brokers who Slouiily thanked Providence bcca'i.sc :awllns had. never thought uf goiug on the StoOk Exchange, where ho could have robbed and plundered with impunity. And this Rawltns al- ways baffles the police. If he hafllen them a little longer they won't be able to touch him at all. At |iro- sciit, donplte his outward show, he has hardly a dollar to call his own. But he is on to a great coup now, and, strange to say, an honeM, one. Tio you know the man, Mir.s Ia-cV" Chris met the speaker's oyeB llrm- ly- "I mot him lost night for the Orst time." she said. "In that case you can hardly l>c said tu know him," RawlinH mur- mured. "If you drive him into a corner ho will do desperate Ihing.s. If you tried that game on with him you would regret It for the rest of your life. CJood heavcnn, you are like a child playing about amidst a lot of iiuituardod machinery. Why do you do It?" "Thut I will tell you proflcntly. Mr. Hawlins, you have a daughter." Tile hard look died out uf the lis- tener's eyes. "Whom I love betU'r than my life" he Bald. "Tliere are two John Uaw- llns'sâ€" the one you know; and, well, the olher one. I should be sorry to fihow you the other one." "For the sake of your daughter I don't want to see the other oni>." "Th»m why do you pit yourself agaln.'it mo like this?" "i don't think you are displaying yoiu* usual lucidity," Chriu said, coolly. Her heart was boating fo-st, but .she did not show it. ".Iu.st rev fleet for a moment. I have fo.Mnd you out. t know pretty well what you are, I need not have told you anything of lliia. I need have done no more than gone to tho police and told them where to find you. But I don't want to do that; I hate to do it a(t(T what 1 saw last night. You httVd your child, and she loves .you. Could I unma.sk you Wefore hor eyes?" "You would kill her," Rawlins said, a little un.stoadily; "and you Would kill rao, I verily bollerc. That child la all tho world to roe. I com- mitted my first theft so that she could have the change the doctors declared to be absolutely ncc&iaary. I Intended to repay the money â€" tho old, old story. And I waa found out by my employer and dlHcharged. Thank goodness, my wifo was dead. Since then I havo preyed on Hocioty. But I neod not go Into that sordid Btory. You are not going to betray me?" "1 .said before that I ahuuld do nothing of the kind." "Thon why do yoi'i l«t ma know that you have discovered my Identi- ty?" "Because I want you to help me. I fancy jrou respect my s<w Mr. Itaw- llna?"' "Call me Bmlth, ploaJie. I have always re«pectod your sex. All the kindness and sympathy of my life have bean from women. And I can lay my hand on my heart i\nd de- clare thai I irevor yet wronged one of thera in thought or d<Hxl. Tho man who la cruel to women In no .^IMn." "And yet your friend Reginald Hon.son U that aort." Rawllna smiled again. Ho began to understand a little of what waa passing in Chris's mind. "Would you mind going a little more Into details?" he suggested. "So HoriBon is that sort. Well, I didn't know, or he had never had my assistance In his little scheme. Oh, of course, I have known him for years as a scoundrel. So he op- praNse.1 women." "Ho has done so for a long time; he is blighting my life and the life of my â- jtstiw and another. And It seems to mo that I have that rascal under my thumb at last. You can- not save him â€" you can do no more than place ob.staclea in my way; but oven tho»e I should overcome. And you admit thBt. T am likely to be dangerous to you," "You can kill my daughter. I am in your power to that extent." "An if I should," Chris said. "It is only Reginald Honson whom I want to strike, t want you to an- swer a few questions; to tell me why you went to Walen's and induced them to proc'ire a certain cigar-case for you, and why you subsequently went to Lockhart's at Brighton and bought a precisely similar one." Rawlin.s luolicd in surprise at tho speaker. A tinge of admiration was on hi.s face. Tiiore waa a keenness and ttu.lacity after his own heart. "Co on," ho said, slowly. "Tell me everything o|>enly and freely, and when you have done so 1 will give you all the information that lies in my power." CHAFl'lOR L. "Ho Reginald Honson bullies wo- men," Rawlins said, after a long pause. 'I'hero wm a queer smile on his face; he appeared perfectly at his ea.se. He did not look in the least like a desperate criminal whom Chris could have driven out of the country by one word to the police, in his perffCtly-litting grey suit he seemed more like a lord of ancient acres than anything el.so. "It is not a nice thing to bully women." "Koginald Henson finds it quite a congenial ocQ<ip<fiton,".^.'hris said, bitterly. '-â- â€¢â€¢ Uuwllns pulled thoughtfully at his cigurulto. "1 aiu to a certain extent in your power," he said. "You have dis- covered uiy identity at a time when I Could aucrilico thousands for it not to he known that I am in Kngland. How you have disco vorod me mat- ters a.s little as Kow a card-player gots the ace of trumps. And I lUu- derstatid thut tlw price of your sil- ence is the lietruyal of Henson?" '"nuit i.s aljoul what It couics to," .said Chris. 'In the parlance of the lower typo of rascal, I am to 'round on my pal?" "If you like to l)ut it in that way, Mr. Smith." "1 never did such a thing in my life bef€)re. And, at the same time, T don't mind admitting that I was never so sorely tried. At the present munient I am on the verge ot a large fortune, and I am making my gi'and coup honestly. Would you deem it exaggeration on my part if I said that I was excoirdingly glad of the fact?" "Mr. Smith," Chris .said, earnest- ly, "I have .seen how fond you are of your daugliter." '"I'hat is an exceedingly clever re- mark of yours, young lady," Raw- lins sniilcd. "You know that you have found the soft spot in my na- ture, and you are going to hammer on it till you redui:c nie to submis- sion. I am not a religious man, but my one prayer Is that Crace shall never find me out. When my coup Comes off I am goiug to .settle in I'^nglaiul and become intensely re- spectable." "With Reginahl Henson for your secretary, I suppose?" "No, I am going to drop tho post. Rut to return to our nul)Joot. Are you asking me to betray Henson to the police?" "Nothing of the kind," Chris criod, ha.stlly. "I â€" I would do auyllUng to avoid a family scandnl. All T want Is a controlling power over the num. "Tho man who l)ulllps women?" "Tho same. Vor seven years lie has wrecked tho lives of live of usâ€" three women. He has parted hus- band and wifo, he has driven the man I love Into oxllo. And the poor wifo is gradrially going hopelessly mad under his cruelties. And he blackmails us, he oxtortn largo siims of money from us. It you knew what wo havo sufTered at the hands of the rascal I" Rawlins nodded In sympathy. "I did not Imagine that," he said. "Of course, I have known for years that Henson was pretty bad. You may amlle, but I have never had any sympathy with his methods and hypocritical ways, perhaps l>ecau.so I never did anything of the kind my- self. Nobody can say that T over robhoil anybody who wns poor or (lefenrole.ss or <noU*y My heavens, I nm a inor* Vonfrst man tUan hun- dreds of London and New York cap- italists. It is the hard rogues amongst us who have always been my mark. Bit to injure and wound women and children!" "Which means that you are going to help me?" Chris asked, ([uietly. "As far as I can, certainly. Es- pecially as you are going to lot llenson down easily. Now please a.sk mo any questions that you liU." "This is very good of you," said Chri3. "In the first place, did you ever hear Mr. Henson 8i>eak of his relations or friends?" '•Nobody beyond Lord Uttimer. Vou .see, Henson und I were extreme- ly usefid to one another once or twice, but he never trusted me, and I never trusted him. I never cared for his methods." "Did you go to Brighton lately on purpor* to help him?" "Certainly not. I had business in Hrighton for some considerable time, and my daughter waa with me. When she went away to stay with friends for a short time I moved to the Metropole." "Then why did you go to Walen's in Brighton and ask them to show you some gun-metal rigar-cascs like the one in Lockhart's window?" "Himi'.'y bt'Cftu,^ TTfV.cion .ivfed me to. Ho came to mt* jusL brfore I went to the Metropole and told me bo had a big thing on. He didn't give me the least idea what It was, nor did I ask him. He suggested the tdsa oS the cigar case, and aaid that I need not go near Walen's again, and I didn't, I assure you I had no curio.sity on the matter. In any case a little thing like that couldn't hurt me. Some days later Henson came to me again and askod me to go to Lockhart's and purchase the cigar- case I hail previously seen. He wanted me to get the case so that t coutd not be traced. Again 1 agreed. 1 was leaving the Metropole the next day, so tho matter was easy. 1 called and purchased the cigar-case on approval, 1 forwarded dollar-notes in payment from the Metropole, and the next day I left." "And you did all that without a single question?" "I did. It was only a little con- sideration for an old confederate." "And suppose that confederate had played you ial.se?" Two tiny points of Qamo danced in Rawlins's eyes. "Henson would never have dared," ho said. "My mind was quite easy on that score." "1 understand," Chris murmured. "And you kept the cigar-caaa?" "Yes, I rather liked it. And I could afford a luxury of that kind just then." "Thon why did you dispose of it to Rutter's in Moreton Weils'? And why MoreloD Wells?" Rawlins laughod as he lighted a Iresh cigarette. "1 came to Moreton Wells knowing that Henson was at Littimcr Cas- tle," he explained. "1 went there to borrow £200 from tlenr.on. Unfor- tunately I found liiui in great neod of money. Somebody who luid pro- mised him a large sum of money had disappointed lilm." i;hris smiled. She had heard all about Lady Littimer's adventure with the ring, and her stubborn re- tu-sal to give Henson any further sup- plies. "I'lesently I can toll you who dis- appointed Henson," she said. "But fancy you being short of " "Of ready money; I frequently am. One of your great nullionaires told me lately that he was frequently hard up for a thousand pounds cash. 1 have frequently bt>cu hard up for Ave pounds. Hence the tact that I sold the cigar-Oa.so at Moreton Wells." "Well, the ground is clear ho far," said Chris. "Do you know Van Sncck?" "l know Van Sneck very well," Rawlins said, without hesitation. "A wouderfully clever man." "And a great scoundrel, 1 pre- sumo '.> ' ' â- Well, on tho whole, 1 should say not. Weak, rather than wickod. Van Sneck has been a tool and creature of llenson's for ye>ai-9. If he could only keoi> away from the drink ho miglit make a fortimo. But what has Van Sneck got to do with it?" "A great deal," Chris said, drily. "And now, please, follow carefully what I am K'>*"8; '" say. .V little time ago wo poor, persecuted women put our hiKxds together to get free from Reginald Henson. Wo agreed to ask Mr. David Steel, tho well- Itnown novelist, to show us a wa.v of escape. Unhappily for ,'l«, Henson got to know of it." Rawlins was really interested at last. "Pardon me," he said, eagerly, "if I ask a (juestion or two before you proceed. Is Mr. Onvid Steel tho guntlemnn who found a mnn half munlered in his house in Urlghtnn?" "The .same. But don't you know who the injured mnn was?" "You don't mean to say it was Van .Sneck?" Rawlins (Jriod. Chris nodded ginvely. Rawlins lool^i 1 like a man who was groping about in a .sudden dazzle of blinding light. "I begin to understand," he mut- tered, '"nie scoundrel!" ".\fter that I will resume," Chris snld. "You must understand that Mr. Steel was n stranger to us. Wo hit upon the idea of Interviewing him anonymously, so to apeak, and we were going to give him a gim- melal clgar-cnse moimti>d In dia- monds .A friend of mine piirchnsKd that clgaivn.se at Lockhart's. Mind you, Reginald llenson knew all about this. The same day Henson'n tool. Van Sm-ck, pureha-sed a sindlar c.<\so from Walen'sâ€" a ca.sa really procured for Jour approval â€" and later on In tho day the case pasr;ed from Van Sneck to Henson, who dexterously changL>d the cases." "Complex," Rawlins muttered. "Hut I begin to see what is coming. "Tho cases wore changed, and tho one from Walen's in due course be- came Mr. Steel's. Now note where Henson 's diabolical cunning comes in. The same night Van Sni>ck is found half murdered in Mr. Steel's house, and in his pocket Is the re- ceipt for the very cigar-case that Mr. Steel claimed as his own pro- perty." "Very awkward for Steel," Raw- lins said, thoughtfully. "Of course it was. And why was it done? So that we should bo forc- ed to come forward and exonerate Mr. Steel from blame. We should have had to have told the whole story, and then Henson would have learnt what steps we were taking to get rid of hlra." Rawlins was quiet for some time. Admiration for the scheme was up- permost in his mind, but there Was another thought that caused him to glance curiously at Chris. "And that is all you know?'-" he asked. "Not quite," Ohria replied. "I know that en tho day of tho at- leir.pted uiurdf-r Van Sneck quarelled with Reginald Henson, whom he said had treated him badly. Van Sneck had in isomo wa.V found out that Reginald Henson meant mischief to Mr. Steel. Also he couldn't get the mone.v he wanted. Probably he had purchased that cigar-case at Walen's and Henson could not repay him for the purchase ol it. Then he went off and wrote to Mr. Steel, asking the latter to see him, as he had threat- oned Henson he would do." ".(Vh!" Rawlin.i oxclairaeri, sudden- ly. "Are you sure of this?" (To be Continued.) 0000000000000000000004 YOUNQ FOLKS CN>000»0<K>00000000<K>OOd COOKIN' THINGS, When my mother's cookin' things Youjjet I never Wait To put away my ball er gun â€" I drop 'em where they are an' run Fer fear I'll be too late. The most exciting kind u' game I'> toy, er storyf)ook. I let 'em go, an' never mind. The very minute that I find My mother's goiu' to cook. When my mother's cookin' things, P'r'aps it's pies to hake, Er doughnuts bobbin' np an' down In hoilln' grease till they are brown, I'.r p'r'aps it's .lohhnny cake. Whatever kind of tiling it is, 1 always like to hook Tho biggest piece of dough I can An' bake it in a patty-pan. Whoa me an' mother cook. â€" Burges .lolmson. TlllO I'lNDLNt^. OK rlMOLKlON. "I am sm-e this io the most dread- ful birthday any little girl ever had!" suiil Mildred, as she and Aunt Judith .stood l)efore the stove in a dingy little station far away in British Cohunbia. ' The train had been three hours i late. It was 1)081 eleven, and pour- [ ing in torrents. ' "Can you get us a carriage?" ask- ed -\uut Judith of tho sleepy-looking station-master. "Not ttv-night, ma'am." "How far is It to the village?" "Nearly three miles, ma'am." "Throe miles from the village, rain, \riivd and Egyptian darknesn! Not a very pleasant prospect for a walk!" laughed ,\unt Judith. "O auntv, what over in the world shall «c do?" cried Mildred. * "Stay heiv all night, I suppose," said .Aunt .ludith, who had travelled all over Kurope and Asia, and was never daunted by any ordinaiy diffi- culty. "Ves, ma'am," said the station- master, "that's just what you'll | have to tlo. H is not very comfor- taihle here, but at any rate there will be a roof over your honil, and that's a great thing on a night like this." There were two rickety settees in the room. '.\unt Judith made a nest of r.hawls upon one of them for Mil- dred, and settle<l herself upon the other. Soon the sovith-bound train steamed noisily in, but left no pas- sengers; and when it had gone, the station-master took his hat and coat and the lontern and went out, saying he would return nt six in the morn- ing. "O aunty," cried Mildred, "ho has left us in the dark!" ' rhe light from the stove is enough. Wo .shall sleep all the Ix't tor." said Aunt Judith. "Hut, O aunty, he has locked the door! Ho has locked us In?" cried Mildred, in dismay. "No matter," laughed Aunt .Jud- ith. "He will unlock us bright and early to-morrow morning." How tho wind howled! How the rain dashed against the windows! One window had a broken pane, and they could hoar the wtxtej- dripping, dripping, down tho wall to the floor. "What a dreadful birthday!" sighod Mildred. .lust then sSiP heard a noise at the broken window and raised h**r.selt on her ell>ow to listen. What could It be? Was it a tramp'' Was it a hnrijlar? Was It n l>ear? Again came the noise. First a scratching, then a scrambling, and then something small and whit* t>ounded into the room, and jumped up on Mildred, whining and Hcklng her hands. Mildred s)>rang up with a sovam M delight. "Oh, you darling, darling thing! Oh, you swoet, dear w^oe bit of a doggy! O Aunt Judith, did you ever, ever see such a cunning little doggy?" They carried him to the stove and examined him by the faint light at the dying coals. *• "\ very valuable silver Yorkshire,''- said .Aunt .Judith. "See his tiny black nose and his Utile pink tongue," said Mil- dre<l. "and just feel how soft and siiky he is. And oh, do look at his lovely .silver collar aitd his blue ribbon!" "I'erhaps wo shall find his owner's name upon the collar," said .Aunt â- Judith. "Keep still, you mite, and let me see." But the collar bore orsly tho on* word, "Timolcen." Mildred was dancing with joy. "O Timoleen, darling, you must have Come to be my birthday present!" said she. She fed him with bits of chicken and cake from their lun*-baskct, and then cuddled down in the shawls again with him clasped tightly In her arms. "What a perfectly boautitui birthday!" said she. When tho station-master returned in the morning he said that the Yorkshire mu.st havo belonged to some one on the south-bound train, and that probably inquiries would be made for him. "But O my darling Timoleen! I could never, never let hin» go!" cried Mildred. "Are you going to be round hers long?" asked tho station-master. "About a month," said Aunt .Tu- dlth. "Well, then, nvissy, you had bettar take the little dog along with you, and you can leave mo your address in case any one Inquires for him," said the station-master. But no message ever came from the Yorkshire's owner, and whea Mildred went back to Boston Httis Timoleen went, too. + â-  A CONSIDERATE JUDGE, Rarely does a Judge show hesltaooy in the court-room, or a disposition to change his mind wht<n ho has once ptibliely expressed It; but an ac- count of a refi"c8hing exception 1» furndshed by Sir Honry Hawkbis, Lord Brampton, the eminent KngUah Justice, la a recent book of r«mlnl»- ceiices Baron Martin, whose native leni- ency and senso of fun often placed him at thi; mercy of the .v«iy ipen h» Whs trying, was once about to sen- tence an old offender, charged with a petty theft. "Look," said the baron, with an assumption of severity, "I hardly know what to do, but you can take six months." "I can't take that, my lord; It's too much." said the prisoner, r»- Bpecti'uUy hut firmly. "I can't tak* it Your lorrtship sees I didn't steal very much, after all." The baron Indulged in one of his low. chuckling laughs before reply- ing. "VVell, that's vera true; ye didn't steal much, " ho said. "Well, then, ye ciii tak" four month*. Will that dt>â€" four months?" "N'a.\. my lord, but I can't take that, neither," said the witness, pa- tiently. "Then tak' three." "That's nearer tho mark, niy lord." "the prisoner said, approving- ly. "But I'd rather you made It two. If you will 1)0 so kind." "Vera well, then, tak' two.' said the judge, with the air of one who is pleased to have done tho right thluf,- at last "And, mind, don't come osain: if you do I'll givo y»â€" well, it all depends!" 4 TKRRIBI^ TP;MPTATI0N. An eminent Koglish surg^'on, whoso bruaqueness with grown-ups recalls that of th • famous Aberoethy, la quite another person when childron are his patients. Then he Is as ami- able at. an engel or a b<g St. Bern- aril dog. A short time ago, according to .St. James's Budgat. this g«itl? giant got up out of a warm bod at throe o'clock of a bitter moru'lnK to attend a tln,v boy In piteous plight irom diphtheria. He performed tho opora- tion of truchet>tO!ny and saved the child s life Time went on and his general con- dition improviyl. but there was one disquieting symptom. He refused to use his voice. When he was ques- tioned he nodded or shook hds head, but would not spi>ak. Tinallv tho surgeon found a way. One morning he talki«d at his .stubborn little par tlont "I'm so'ny he can't speak to mo. nuia;>," the surgeon said, "beoauso I'm going up to I.K>ndon to-raorrow, and ,<»ha'n't k-now wfanthor to bring him a horse or a gun." There was a brief silence. The aur- Koon and nuisn waited breathlessly. Ihen a tiny flngw stole up to a woundrvd throat, ami the ghost of a baby !)oy's voice said: "I'leaw, doctor, bwing me a llcVla gun!" NOHOD^- WANTS THKM. You can find lots of p««ople willing to share your joys, but you 0ann<^ even give away your sorrows as souvenirs.