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^ CLOSE QUARTERS ; OR, THE HOUSK IN THE RUH BARBETTE =^ J CHAl'TF.H II. -(Cont'd) "Did y<air lirothor call there as usual un Monday afttTiiooii !'' said Brett. "Yes; !;o came straiglit here from Albert CJate, and had tea with uncle and myself. He sat in the very chair and in the very poBitiou you now occupy. I can remember him snying : 'liy Juve I the hens egg' - that is «''i.it ho used to call the big diamond â€" 'is turning out in fine Ktyle.' He even discussed t)ie possibility of bringing us to we the collection when it was finished and before it leit this country.' "l>id your brother say why the dianKiuls were brought to this Country in the first insla:ice T' "Yes; the Sultan aii.d his advis- ers bcemed to think liie work "[ cutting them could be performed more iiafely aiid expeditiously here than anywhere else. Kven the Turk has a high regard for the manner in which law and order are main- tained in Britain. Yet the scfiuel l»as shown thai the tlL-iiniinds and their guardians were perhaijs in greater danger bere than they would have been in Constanti- nople.'' "Was" that the only reason?" said Brett, who had apparently made up his mind with the refer- eneo t-o the pattern of the carjict and was now gazing into the bright tire which daiiced merrily in the grate, for the day though fine was chilly. The girl wrinkled her brow<: in thought before she answered: "1 think 1 do remember Jack saying that he believe<l there was som',- State business mixed up in tlic af- fair, but I am ((uite sure he did not kiiow the exact fiicts himself." "Can you recollect any of the special jirecautions taken to i)r<i- tect the gems { Your brotlier rtay have mentioned some details in conversation, you know." "Oh. I think I know all about them. In the first instance, the house at AlU-rt (i.ite had previous- ly beeji tenant* d by a ricli lianker, and it was well dcfentled by all or- dinary n)eans agai)ist the attacks of ordinary burglars. But, in addi- tion to thi*^, l)cforc the diamonds left the safe at the Bajik of Kng- land, the building was practically torn to pieces inside by workmen acting under the direction of the Conmiissioner of Police. It wat absolutely impossible for any one to enter e.\cej)t through the front door, unless they flew out of the secunU story window. .Servants and workmen, like everybody else, had to \ise this diKjr alone, as the windows and doors in the basement IduI all been brieked up. Inside the entrance hail there were always twelve jjiiliccmen, and an inspector in <harge. "Kvery t)ne who left the liou:>e was searched by the inspe(t<ir on duly, and Jack used to s;iy that he was very gla<l he invariably in- sisted uiK)ii this examinatiii!!, al- th<Migh the iKilicc were at first dis- incline<l to nieet his wishes in the matter, he being, so to speak, their •lirect superior for the time. Be- neath the entrance hall were rooni-i occupied by several Turkish and other servants. Meheinct Ali him- Kclf, in the presdice of his secre- taries, used to open the door lead- ing to the suite of apartmc'its in which the diamond cutters worked and two of the Turkisli gentlemen would remain th« r<- all clay until the men left in the evening. The Knvoy and both secr.'laries used to meet Jack when he visited the Iilaee, and for the last three weeks le had nothing to do Vnit see the diamonds, coujt them, diiiik an cxci'llcnt cup of cdffce, and smoke a wtjnderful cigaretl-e, m.ade of Rome s|MM'ial Turkish tobacco, cul- tivated and prepared only for the Imperial housclmUI." "Ah!" sighed Brelt, with a note of almost unconscious envy in his voice. He knew exactly what that ixiffee and those cigarettes woul'.l be like. "I beg your pardon," he went on, jierceiving that Miss Tal Lot did not un<lerstan<l his excla- mation. "\Vill y<iu tell me us near- ly as you can the occurrences of Monday eveniuK I" "They were simple enough," said the Jjirl. "My brother dined nt home. We h.a<l one or t\»o (!u<'stR, and were nil in the tlra» ing rmim »h<jut 10. li). when a not<' eiine for liini from Meheniet Ali. I kiinw ex- actly what was in it. J looked -.ver (lis shoulder whilst lu^ re.ul il. The words were : 'I wish to see y<iu to- night on important busiiuss. Come. If possible, at <j'iee.' I have to tell you that it was in French, biit this is CM ex.i"( ii»inslat!on." "Your brother was f|uite sure that it was from Meheiuet .Mi hini- â- elf ' â-  said Brutt. "Quit<' sure," was the rejilv. "He knew his handwriting well, h.-iv- 'ng had several ooaimu.iicatio.'is "Did your brother leave the house immediately (â- ' asked Brett. "That instant. He went down- stairs, i>ut on his overcoat ajid hat, and got into a cab with t!ic messen- ger who brought the note." "Do you know who this messen- ger was .' ' "One of t.'ie policemen on duty in the Iiouse itself." A slight pause ensued, and Brett was abotit to take his departure, having no further riuestions to ask at the moment, wlien some one was heard hasiily ascending the stairs, talking to a companion as he ad- vanced. "This is ray uncle,'' exclaimed Miss Talbot, rising to go to the door. Before she could reach it an elderly gentleman entered, bear- ing upon him all tl'.ose distinguished tokens that stamj) a man as a re- tired major general. He exclaim- ed impetuouslyâ€" "I have brought a gentleman from Scotland Yar<l, my dear." Then he caught siglit of Brett. "Who is this!" Iklith was about to explain, when another man entered â€" a strongly- built, bullet-headed man, with keen eyes and firm mouth, and a curious suggestion in his appear- ance of having combined pugilism with process-serving as a profes- sional means of existence. His face extended into a smile when his eyes fell upon the barrister. ".\h, Mr. Brett,' he cried. "Xow we have somethiiig to do that is tip to yotir mark. You are on the spot first, as usual, but this time I can honestly say that I am glad to see you." .Sir Hubert Fitzjames glanced in astonishment from his niece to the barrister. He could fiiitl iiothing Ix'tter to say than â€" "This, my dear, is Mr. \Viiiter, of Scotland" Yard." CHAPTKR III. Brett jironiplly cleared the situa- ti<ui by explaining to Sir Hubert, in a few words, the reason for his unex|K'cted prese>ice, and wlu-n the Major-tJener.il learnt the name of the d'sti'iguished pers<jnage who had sent Lord Fairlioline to the b.ar- ristcr lie expressed a ready ac<|ui- escence in the desire to utilize I is srvices. Nor was the effect of sueh a notable introduction lost on Air. Winter, whose earlier knowlcil,<e of the barrister's remarkmle achievements i;i unravelliig the tangle skein of criminal investiga- tion was now suppleme iie^l by a certain amount of awe for a man who commanded the .•onlideni e '.f! Jiis Miije-ty's (jov<'rnment. "Well." said .Sir rl roort lit/.- 1 James, with the brisk ai'itnan' m of ^ pri. lei^ that the movements of| ^ the missing man should b« minute- ff ly traced from the very <wmence- ment." Mr. Winter looked •omewhat con- fused, but EditJi Talbot broke inâ€" "I think, unclo dear, it would bo -w*!! to defer to Mr. Brett's judgment." "Do you really believe," she said, turning to the barrister, "that you will soon be able to find my bro- ther .'" "I am quite sure of it," he re- jilicd, and t!ie conviction in his | LETTERS OF A SON IN THE MAKING TO HIS DAD. ^= By REX McEVOY A New Head In 30 Minutes Ezchanfvthat achmf. throbbing, sufftilnr. muddled bead for « clear, coot, comtcriMbie one by uUnt a NA-DRU-CO Headache Wafer 25c. a box at your rfru^.^jus' or by mail from Ketioaal Urns >Lnd Chemical Cu. of Canada, Umitod, Montreal. 28 -^ [Mr. McEvoy will write for this papor a sjrics of letlers from the west. They will detective, whilst it carried a mes- sage of hope to the others. Even Sir Hubert, for sonic reason which he could not explain, suddenly ox- ))erienced a strong sense of confi- dence in this reserved, distinguish- cd-Kxiking ma:i. He Rtepped for- ward eagerly and held out his hand, saying â€" "Then we will not detain you, Mr. Brett. .Vet as you think fit in all things, but d^ let us have all possible information at the earli- est moment." Brett and Mr. Winter quitted the house ; they hailed a hansom and drove rapidly towards .Mberl Gate. "Do you know," said tlie man from ,Sc(.tlaiid Yard, breaking in on his compa.iion's reverie, "wlieu- ever I happen to meet you, Mr. Brett, ill the course of an inquiry, I always start by being very angry with you." "Why I" There was an amused twinkle in Brett's eyes, which might have w.arned the other of a possible pitfall. "Because you treat me as if I were a precocious youth. You Hsten to my theories with a sort of pity- ing indulgence, yet 1 have the re- putation of being one of the best men in Scotland Yard, or I should not have been p.ut on this job. And I am older than you, too." â- 'I may surely pity you," said Brett, "even if I dont iiidulg.- ytn; too ni'.i'.'h." "There you go again," snapped the detective. "Now, wiiat is there silly about my theory of the crime, I should like to know/'" "You shall know, and !.>efore you are much older. Bear with me for a little while, I beg you. Y'ou may be right, and I may be quite wrong, but 1 think th-,.'re is much benealli the surface in the investigations we are now pursuing. My advice to you is to drop all preconceived theories, to note every circum- stance, however remote it m.ay ap pear in its bearing ui)on events, and in any ease not to act precipi- tately. Whatever you do don't ar- rest anvltody." "But." said the other, somewhat mollified by Brett's earnestness, "half a dozen people may be ar- rested at any moment," "Pray tell mc how )" "Descriptions of the stolen dia mondsandof the suspected i)er:;onr. are in every police office in (ireat Britain and in most t'oiitinental centres by this time. Passengers by all steanier« aro most carefully scr\itinized. Every j>awnbrokcr and diamond merchant in the , , , ,, , countrv is on the lookout, and, gen- one accustomed to utter commanis i n ' i â-  . ;. , ;n v„ aa it erallv speaking, it will be odd it tone astonished t!ie profe8sio;ial appear ffOni tima to tilUB un tie- the above headinjj, and will .give a picture of the groat Canadian west from the standpoint of a young Ontario man going out there to make his way. 'J'liese let- ters slioiild bo (nil of inte.ejt for every Ontario fatber.J .Scotland Vaid detective evidently wished his <listinguished collcmne to take the lead. Xo sooner did Brett jierceive this than he ro;ie, bowed politely to Miss Talbot and her uncle, and saidâ€" â- â- The first thing to rjo is to trace the whereabouts of Mr. TaU)ot and this shotild be a cjiiiparalively easy task. The otlier feattires of this •strange occurrence impress me as highly complex, but it is far too early a utage in the investigation to permit any definite opinion being ex|<rcsscd at this inoini'iit.'' Kvery one seemed to be surpris ed by Brett's attitude. "Where are you going to, sir?'' aske<l Mr. Winter. "That tU'ponds Largely u!)on you," â- was tlic smiling reply. "If you come with me we will go direct to .Albert (Jnte, but if you decide to prosecute furtlier inquiries hero, I will await your arriv.il at mv flat." "That is as much as iiayiag tliat there are no facts worth in(]uiring into to he learnt here/" "Kxactly so. Miss Talbot lias told ni(! all that is material to our purpose. Her brother was unex- pectedly sent for after dinner on Monday night, and left the. house hurriedly, without afforditig a.iy cine to his siihse(|uent pro((>ed>nga beyond that contained in a brief note fvui to him by .Meheniet Ali I'ashn. In<lec<l, il w;is impossible for him to afford any explanation, as he himself was (piite unprep;ire<l for the Nuininons. Meanwhile, every moment lost in the enileavor to fol low up liis movements is i)recious lime waste*!." The barrister's mnnner, no less t'lan his words, impressed Mr. Winter so greatly tliat he to<j rose fr' m the seat which he had occu- pietl, witli the inti'itlion of condtict iiig a long arnl careful examination of each member of tho Innisehold. "Then 1 will come with you nt o'ice," iie said. "Oh," cried the Major-General, "I un<I'Prstood you to say as %c came liere that there were manv Calsrary, Aug. 27th. 1911 My Dear Dad:â€" Sinco I wrote you from Winnipeg I have left the prairies bobiud me. To- day, iibout forty-five miles before reach- ing Calgary. I had my first sight of the Roi-ky Mountains. They lay low alone the W'ebtern horizon, like cloud:*. The only way you could tell they were not clouds wae because they did not change their ebape. On the prairies I saw In- dians, looking very civilised with their Dain wagtr^ns, cowboys, and mounted policemen, but I must tell everything in it() turn. Before I go any further, I want to ask you to be bure to send me the newspaper from home. I feel just like Bill Dodson. whom I met in Winnipeg. He was telling me that whenever he got a parfr from home, it was just like meet- ing an old friend, because it told him all about the folks he knew. His father gave him a subseriptioa for a year as a Christmas present, and he said he couldn t have had anything that would have pliased him more. If I decide to stay out here, and anybody at home should want to give me something for Christmas, they might think about this, Don t wait till Christmas to seed mc the taper, though, pleaie, .Say. Dad, if you saw tho threshing machines that were round the railroad sidings at Winnipeg waiting to be ship- ped to the prairies you wouldut wonder that people in the west buom their coun- try. These machines, loaded on flat cars, or standing like batteries of gung wait- ing to be shipped, reminded me of the South African war pictures of shipping guns and ammunition to the -front. There is just as much hustle here. At the sta- tion, all along the line, are more ma- rhines waiting to be unloaded, and empty box cars are being collected on the sid- ing-, to move the crop out. Everybody says that it is to be a bumper crop this year, and bigger than ever before. What you can see from the train certainly looks good. They have got cuttiug well under way now. Its funny the way the towns out west advertise. You frequently come to towns where sign boards have been erected at the stations telling of the advantages the towns have to olTer settlers. Back at Port Arthur they had an attractive little one-Ktory brick building, what is called a kiosk, which is a bureau of in- formation. At Fort William there was a big sign: â- Fort William the Pube of the Dominion: the bulk of East and West tialllc passes through this town.' There is another big sign there, but there is so much crowded on it, and the print waH so small that 1 could not read it from the train. Indian Head is another place that advertises in this way. Ou one Hide of the track is the sign: "In- dian Head. Saskatchewan s Beauty Spot. Hood land *20 to $50 per aero.'' Across the track on the other side is a sign which reads. 'Dominion Oovernmcnt forcht nursery. 460 acres, one mile fri>m town: Distributed iinnually, 3,000,000 trees free to selllcrs. Visitors can inspect at any timc.'^ You would think that If these towns wanted to advertise they would do it in Ontario p.ipers. Of course, thousands of people read the signs by the railroad track, but by the time they see them they have tickets to their des- tination and are not likely to stop off, ' Out from Winnipeg the country is as ' flat as a lable, and the horizon is as straight as the edge of a ruler. It sur- ! prised nie to And out that between Winiii- ! peg and Portage La I'rairio. which is | litty-six miles nest, there is a rise cf ' 100 feet. Portage has a population of ' 7,000, and is cinitc a town, and one of ; Maniti>b<ts prineii>al grain markets There are elevators there, of course, and prosperous e„us!n off by the train; from there west for a long way there -Ye micht like tae leave me a bob { „ro elevators at all the stations. There ol- tvvo tae drink ye a safe jour.iey, | „ill bo two or three elevators at each Wttllie. ^ stulion. belonfting to different companies. Wullio (feigning regretl-Man, I To a new-comer from Onlario these elc- canna. A' niv snare sliullin's I gie â-  valors so many of them, are strange, and tae mv ailld inilher," they ar«». all tW: more noticeable because Donald That's strange, 1?ecause the country is so flat and there arc no yer mitlier told me ye never gie )icr i,ig trees. Th« elevators can be seen for nything. miles. by engines on tho big farms. Out on tho I prairies I saw great big (jalvaniiied iron , tank.<. which I thought must be for hold- ! ing gasoline for running the plowing en- I gincs, but a man on the train said that these were portable granaries into which the grain is put as it is threshed, until it can be taken in to the elevators. My, the prairies are lonely. You can look from the train window and get a wide sweep for miles and miles, and per- haps there will only bo one houoo in the whole landscape. And there aro no fences to show that anybody has made their home there. The rail fence:!, such as 'we have about tho old place, you never see out here; wood is too scarce. Why, the only place about which there was a fence in some of the towns was tho lumber- yard, and this was sure to be protected With a high fence. Wood is so valuable that tbey say people lock their kindling in safes before going to bed. By bye for the present. . Your loving son, Jlil that must be inslantlv .ocye<i, 'we , t i » a ;.,» .u^ â-  ), 1,1 >i somebody does not drop into the will now proceed to biisine,.?." For a ni<iinent no one spoke. Ti'e net before manv hours liave pass- ed." "Tt will, indeed," murmured Brett ; "and no doubt the somebody in question will experience a cer- tain amount of inconvenience be- fore he proves to you that he ha<l nothing whatever to do with the matter. Xow, don't answer me. Winter, btit ponder seriously over this <|uestion : Do yuu really think that the intelligence wliich planned and successfully carried through an operation of such magnitude will be trajipetl by plain clothes Constables watching the ga;igw.iys of steamships, or by any pawn- broker who has ever lent lialf the value of a pledue 1" .Mmost inifirttiently the barrister waived the subject out of the han- som, and the <letective had sp.'ise enough to leave him .alone during the few rem'iining minutes Itefore the vehicle pulled up near the Al- bert (jate nvmsioM. (To be continued,) *, SCOTCH LOGIC, Donald (who is seeing his more THE TREVSII!Y. Mark 12: tl-tt. j The Building was admired by all Who in their fathers footsteps trod : It wa:i the house they loved to call The Temple of the Living God. But on that day they little knew That He who owned the house was there : Of Him they did not seek a view : To Him they breathed no word of prayer. Against the treasury sat He Who is of heaven and earth Iho King : His all-discerning eyo cotild see All those who came their gifts to bring. And He â- who.'-e hand the .eil v.p- Hfts That He may hidden things un- fold Perceived amongst their varied gifts The worthless dross and purest gold. AVliile some brought gifts with boastful air. As if they gloried in their rights, A widow, with a silent prayer. Brought all ehe hadâ€" two single toites. Then to His own said Christ the Lord, "Their gifts which seem so great are small ; Thev gave what they could well af- ford ; But this poor widow gave her all." Beside the treasury to-day There sits the Lord of earth and heaven ; To those who do His word obey The riches of His grace is given. He honors those who for His sake Tnto each urgent â- ?all attend: He knows the s.acrifiee those make Who seek His kingdom to extend. May love enrich the gifts we give And cleanse our gold from sordid dross : The I'fe of service ni.ay we live. .â- \iid alwavs glorv in the cross. â-  T. WATSON, lona .Station, Ont., 1911. WHEN BIUTANMA 111 I.ED. .Vn Kpisiule on Itoard a Steamer Bound for South Africa. A fancy-dress ball in celebration of "crossing the line," given ou boartf a steamer bound for South .\friea, is described by Lady Klizabcth But- ler in her bwk, "I'rom Sketch- Book and Diary.' On this occasion the passengers of thc' second-class cabin were invited to join those of the first on the gaily decorated promciia<le-<leck. Before quotiiiK <lireclly front her diary thc account of the ' catastroph,^," the author in- serts some wortis of explanation. Here I must interpellate the state- ment of certain facts which wiil en- able you more fully to sympathize with me in the catastrophe that closes this mid-ocean episode. You must know that white serv* ants were impossible to find at the Cape, and one must bring all one'i staff out with one, '"for better, for worse," it may be for three, four, five years. If any turn out badly, it is true you may send them home, but â€" who is to replace them ? I could not persuade my cook at Dover Castle to undertake this ex- patriation, her courage failing her at the last moment, and I had to find an untried substitue. She was a Dane with the blood of genera-' |tions of bellicose vikings coursing ! through her veins, and from afar I ' had watched her daily on the other deck â- eith apprehensions. "The ball is over and I feel de- cidedly limp. I thought 1 was go- ing to have a pleasant evening. I was sitting with Lady and all the others who were not masquerading, enjoying the sight of the figures in all kinds of extempore costumes ap- pearing on thc deck from below and mustering prior to setting to, the band playing a spirited waltz, when there slowly emerged from the saloon stairway, as if rising from the waves she rules â€" Britannia ! "First a high brass helmet with scarlet crest, then a trident hel<l in the other, and the folds of th^ union jack draping her commanding form. She stepped on deck. " 'I say, Eaid a voice, 'this is thf success of the evening. Who it iti'' " 'Who is itr you heard on ever J side â-  " 'Who is itr asked Lady » turning to me. " 'My cook,' I faintly answered, "The last speaker knew her South Africa, and all the possibilities ol the future might have spoken in my face, to judge by the cnoking laugh* ter that caused her precipitat« withdrawal. Each time she venture ed back within sight of my smileless face, the fit seized her again. "Later on I saw Britannia danct ing in a small set of Lancers, haoti in hand with the Marchioness. Shall I ever get her barncssed now â- !' .- ' "I went back to liang over tha bulwarks and lose myself among the stars." FOLND RIGHT PATH. After a False Start. 'In 1800 I began to drink coffee^ "At that time 1 v.- as healthy and enjoyed life. At first I noticed no bad effects from the indulgence, but in course of time found that various troubles were coming upon me. â- 'Palpitation of the heart t-ook unto itself sick and nervous head- aches, kidney troubles followed and eventually my stomach became so deranged that even a light meal caused me serious distress. "Our jihysician's prescriptions failed to help me and then I dosed myself with patent medicines till I was thoroughly disgusted and hope- le|s. "Finally I began to-suspect that coffee was the cause of my troubles. I experimented by leaving it off, except for one small cup at break- fast. This helped some, but did not altogether relieve my distress. It satisfied me, however, that 1 was on the right track. "So I gave up coffee altogether and began to use Postsra. In ten days I found myself greatly improv- ed, my nerves steady, ray head clear, my kidneys working bcttei and better, my heart's action rap- idly improving, my appetite im- proved and the ability to eat a hearty meal without euhsetiuent suffering restored to me. jXnd this condition remains. "Leaving off coffee and using Postuiu did this, with no help from drugs as 1 abandonecl the use of medicines when I began to use the food drink.'' Xanie given by Pcs- tum Co., Battle Creek, Mich. "There's a reason," and it is ex- plained in the little book, "The Koad to Wellville," in pkgs. Ever riad tho above letter? A new one â- ippsars from time to time. They are genuine, true, and full of human Interest. At Brandon 1 laid eyes on the first Northwest Mounted policeman 1 ever saw. They wear red coats, just like those of the (lrag<»on8 we saw in Toronto, and cow-boy hals, tt is said that the red coats were made part of tho uniform of the police by Sir John Uacdonald becaiipe â-  •" him during th« progress of q„«Rtions which reriuinx? immedi ,,ue of *''*^^»'" »t© jiuiuiry lu thin liouite, ou the' sucked f Wullie-Weel, If I di'ina .gie my auld milher oiiything, what sort o' chance Jae ye think you've got? Perhaps there is nothing grander in this World (li.'Ui a newly promot- ed foreman, and Hichard, whose appointment wa.l but one day old, , tho Indians among whom the police had fully appreci.ited his position, .A ! their most difBcult work always looked lady happening to visit the works j on thc soldiers of the Queen as their apiiroached him. "And who might be in charge of tliis department '." she asked, "I am, mum," said Bichard, proudly. "Really f she said in surpri'^e, which Uich.ird took IS homage to his position, "Yes," he said, nnirmg out his chest, "and I'll prove it. Kellv," addressing the workers, "you're THE PRESERV8SN3G TEST roil NEAHl.V 60 VEAIIS friends. A red-coat would be truitcd where anyone else would meet only dia- truNt and suspicion. The most proniin. ent building, from tho Braudou station. Is a seed wnrehouie, and this Is another indication of the character of tho West. And the fact Ihrt they go In for Rfrt. culture wholesale is shown 1^ tho nuver. tisements to bo seen olfuring -"plowing •usiucs' fur gale. The plowing U dot.u EXTRA GRANULATED SUGAR has stood the searching test of proiserving time. This is only possible because of irs consistent high quality. FROM 101 R UROCKR. The Canada Svgar RoHnlng Co., Limited, Montreal Establislied in UiJ-l by John Re<lpath. y