davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-09

girl, friend Max, and I'll wager that
in three months you will be as eager
to draw your death warrant as any
Of us.
Rudolph Won NoCelsheimer waited
until the figure of his young compan-
ion had disappeared among the trees
which fringe the Anlago, and then.
after filling his pipe, rose to his feet
and strolled slowly toward his lodging
near the Carls Thor. His mind was
actively at work and a hcndish eXul-
tation stole over him as he congratu-
lated himself on the good days work
he had done THE life of Max is
IN my hands" he muttered; "and
something more besides. With his
disappearance I can appear on the
stage as a suitor for the hand of Elsie
CatherloW, the wealthy American
beauty. In rank I am as good as he
is for Nogelsheimer can show as
many quarterings as a Kirschofen. and
as Tor money, that poor, weak fool has
hardly relative in the world and do
| not hold his will, making me his sole
heir Never mind who wrote the sig
nature; when the boy is once i'm the
grave there will be no one to dIsputc
it. And now to make all sure, where
is that sinking French hound. | Won
dcr?"
As If the thought had coniured up
the person he wished to see, "A man
stepped brisllly beneath the shadow
cast by one Of the tall houses and
stood before him, He was a smart lit
tie mana perfect type Of the gay,
careless Frcnchman Of the south. a
man who in the artlcss gayoty of his
disposition might be supposed to wear
his heart upOn his sleeve, but a cum
nlng twinkle at times shOuc i'm his
eye, which showed that IL would he
dangerous to trust 70 the guiIalessncas
Of the Gaul, lie was dressed i'm gar
monts of what had been once a fash
lonablie cut hut which were now woe
tullN shabby and grease spotted.
Nevertheless, his air of self-possessiOn
did not desert him for a moment, as
gracefully he removed his battered hat
and exclaimed in passablc German:
'Good-day Herr Won Nogelsheimer I
am punCtual, you see"
kudolph made no reply but enter
ing the house and beCkoning 10 the
other to follow him, led the way into
large, barely furnished room on The
second floor The place was rcdolcnl
with the smell of spirits and tobacco.
and the shabby furniture was burned
In many places with the hot aalps
from pipes and cigars. There was a
pile Of books i'm corner, the dust upon
the covers Of which showed how sell
dom they had hocn opcned Of late. an
unmade bed stood by the side OF the
stove, and a couple NJ duclliug sahrCs.
with few hlghlS Questionable photo
graphs. formed the adornmonts of the
wall Rudolph drew a chair up to
the table, which stood i'm the center Of
the room, ana motioncd TO his COM
panion to 10 the same.
"Well, NJ, Duval," said he, address,
ing his visitor, Il gather from what
you told me that things have gone
badly with pou and that you are on
the lookout for a job"
MY system both at Hamburg and
Baden Baden turned out badly, and /
left both places in disgust" replied
the Frenchman
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-09

Let US put our cards down on the
table" replied Rudolph; there is no
use in trying to deceive each other. |
did hear of a certain Eticnne Duval.
who was expelled from both places l
have named for cheating at the tables"
Ma fol-" replied Duval, negligently,
/ "a man must act with little nnesse
to get ahead of those bloated capital
lists, the prOpmetOrs of the Kursual-
but cards on the table, Herr Rudolph,
as you said at the commencement. You
want me to do something a little out
of the way or you would not have
asked me to call upon YOU"
II have fed and clothed you for the
last fortnight" said Rudolph.
'Pestc!" broke in the Frenchman:
"sauer-kraut, thin wine and sausage
for the food, ana as for clothes" with
glance Of ludicrous disfavOr at the
sleeve Of his coat, "the less we say
about them the better"
Il have position to offer you" con-
tinued Rudolph, withOu needing the
others remarks. would you like to
become a member of suicide club?"
1T does not seem very tempting
OFFER" remarked Duval, making a wry
face. what are my duties--to carry
out the deed on to acquaint the authori-
ties Of the sad event. and, most i'm
portant point of all-what is the pay?"
There are five members Of the So
ciety," answered Rudolph, "who have
each putin a thousand thalers. whicn
becom" the property Of the club at their
dccoaso; drawings as to which menu
bor shall kill himself take place every
three months. Your share shall be this
money"
BAH" answered the Frcnchman;
Fifteen months is too long to wait in
order to realize; besides, suppose 7
draw the unlucky number, where shall
l be?"
1t Is on that very matter that
want your assistance" said Rudolph.
"Hou can manipulate the rards?"
The Frenchman smiled.
'te est mon mctieT monsieur" re-
Piled he, 1T is how l get my living"
Il believe that person skilled in
the art pursued Rudolph, "cau COM
pei another To draw any card he likes
without his being aware that he Is not
using his own will.
Forcing "A card, We call it," returned
Duval Yes, that is one Of the early
rudinouts Of the profe Ssiou."
Then YOU could control the draw
ing if you had the management Of ite D.
asked Rudolph.
The Frenchman glanced around hin.
and his keen eyes fell ON a dusty pack
of cards which lay upon the stove. He
took them up, gave them an almost
impcrccptiblc twist and then extended
them i'm q fanliko shape to Rudolph,
saying quietly: Lee MS tax" the liug
Of spades ds the harbrugrr of death.
Choose one, monsieur
Itudolph did so, and ON turning uu
the card saw it was the one named
by Duval
Wonderful" cried ne. Are YOU
certain of the trick"
For sole reply the Frenchman re-
placed the card, shuhlcd the pack and
presented it TO Rudolph, with the same
result.
"That Is what I want, and now for
the terms" exclaimed the student.
Duyal smiled.
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-09

alone can save him from the death
that hangs over his head"
why do you make such a communi-
cation to me?' demanded Elsie. You
should go to the police"
"MademOiselle." said Duval, laying
his hand upon his heart with "A bow,
lit is always more pleasant to deal
with the fair; besides, if l saved Ba-
ron MaXs life, the police would not
give me what | require"
And what do you require?" asked
Elsie.
Money" exclaimed Duval. raising
his head and kissing the tips of his
fingers. Money. the tinkling little
gold darlngs, which make life so en-
iOyablc and without which the world
is a bowling Wilderness"
Elsie looked at him i'm some con-
tempt And so you want money for
saving a. fellow-crcature's life?" said
she. you had better come to my ia
ther; he takes charge of business trans
actions"
1T was what | was about to pro-
pose, mademoisello," said Etienne Du-
val You are stopping at the Hotel
de Russo ! will do myself the honor
Of calling upon NJ. le General this
evening. | have to be cautious, for
those who have an interest i'm Herr
Ton KirsChCfens death would not
hesitate to put me out of the way If
they suspected that ! was working
against them. At : this evening. then,
Etienno Duval will present himself to
your honored father He again
bowed and Elsie hurried away to seek
her father, her heart filed with anx-
iety regarding the danger which was
hanging over her lovers head.
NJ Duval was punctual to his ap-
pOintment, and. as during the inter
VI he had again seen Rudolph Won
NOgelsheimcr, he was able to lay bare
the plot i'm all its details. Both Elsie
and her father were shocked at the
cold-booded conspiracy, and he gem
eral at once declared that he should
give notice to the police as to the eX-
lstencc Of such an infamous club as
the Society Of sudden Death.
Pardon me, NJ. le General" said
Duval, but such a course at present
would only produce a scandal Later
on. let Herr Rudolph settle accounts
with the police but I can save the
baron without the intervention of tho
Law. and now forgive me for turning n
the sordid side Of the question, but |
am a poor man, suffering undo" the
pressure Of undCservcd misrortuno, and
How Rudolph has offered me 2ooj)
marks if | do as he desires"
An cxccrallc villain" exclaimed
the general hOtly.
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-09

Il am not the man to run my head
blindly into a trap" said he. You
want to get rid of a certain person in
your club; you must tell me his name
and your reason for desiring to do So"
You insolent dog" growled Rudolph
gliding his hand with a threatening
gesture toward a heavily loaded cane
which stood by the side of the chair.
How dare you question mel"
But Duvals eye, wary as that of a
hawk, had noted every meneuver of
his host, and, drawing a small re-
volver from his pocket he said: "Fie,
Herr Won VOgelshcmer Such Ian
guage should not be used by one gem
tlcman to another. Answer my Ques-
tion, or permit me to take my leave"
Rudolph hestaIod, but at last. seeing
the futility of further silence. he said;
Max Won Kirschofen is the man to
he got rid Of and when he is out of the
way | can marry Miss Catherlow---'
What, the heiress Of General Cath
erlow, the wealthy Americi1l cX-
claimed Duval. THAT is prize in
deed, and worth at the lowest 10000
marks"
you shall have them" said Ru-
dolph, "but you must wait"
81 must have something i'm hand"
persisted Dual; Il could not join even
a suicides club in this attire"
"Money is scarce at present" replied
Rudolph. but | can find yOI--50J
marks"
1T is little enough" said the French
man, discontontcdly. But | suppose
! must make it do. and now let me
hear what you really want"
\ long conversation followed, and
then the Frenchman, with the 500
marks safely rcposing by the side of
the revolver, left the gloomy old house
by the Carls Thor and made his way
to secondhand clothes shop in one
Of the back streets
Elsie CatherlOw was returning to her
hotel from some purchases she had
been making in the Haupt strassc,
when a dapper little gentleman came
mp to her and, removing his hat with
an exaggerated flourish said: "Mdlle.
Caiherlow," IN English girl might
have been terrified at being 50 sudden
Transatlantic maiden was cast in 4
sl'tutU llplu, ana so Elsie SIMPLY
looked the stranger I'm the face and
asked him what he wanted.
81 have come to speak to you, ma
demoisellc, respecting the Baron Won
kirschoien," ne said.
y pink flush oyursprcad the girls
pr,.,. ..dtutes as she replied. rather
haughiiy: 81 DO not understand you
sir"
"Parblcu," returned the Trrnchn1au,
.pr 10 was Etrunr DuvaI "tnd {
think I mako myself pr.ty plain. !
have 10 speak to YOU regarding the
man YOU love-"
sir, this rs usolcuco," ~rtortcd Jhe
girl Indignantly and WIS proceeding
| ON her way when sho was rroatnd hv
the words "Nadomoisoll", what
hoev To cay concerning the harprs ury
which ne is in imminent danger of los
ing"
what do you meano" exclaimed
Elsie.
That I hold Baron Nay's life in the
| hollow Of my hand, and that l and
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-09
SiIis0I6UiljiGil0lOA,iljis0la

Germany, with all it's hard headed
business qualities, has ever been the
home Of various forms of dreamy ymysti-
cism, sometimes of a harmless charaC-
ter, but occasionally so morbid as to
lead to the perpetration of sanguinary
tragedies which break upon the shud-
dering world with startling abruptness.
From the days when the terrible Vehm-
geriCht, with its midnight meetings
and its secret executions by the cord
or steel. curbed the license Of the rob
Der mobiles, a fondness for secret socie-
ties has even been found in the Teuton
mind. and whether for political or So
cial purposes, clubs and societies have
usually been kept hidden from those
who We're not entitled to participate
in their mysteries. The quaint old
university town Of Heidelberg, with
its crowd of students from all parts
of the German empire, has ever been
celebrated for these strange societies,
the doings of which are carefully hid
den from the outer world, and it is
with one of these gloomy associations
that the present narrative deals.
Upon bright summer evening, two
young men were seated upon a bench
beneath the trees in the Analge, dis
cussing a subject which seemed to in
torost them greatly. Both Of them
were evidently students, their peculiar
caps, their braided schakfroSs, and
china pipes. with coats-Of-arms burned
into the clay, showed this. The one
was slight and delicate looking, with
soft, blue eyes and a rather weak
mouth; he was listening to what his
companion was saying, and marking
the dust at his feet with strange signs
with the point of his stick. The other
student was fully 80 years Of age, dark
and handsome, with a pair OF dark
eyes, in which a lurid fire burned; he
spoke rapidly and emphasized each
word by CrunChing the gravel beneath
he heel Of his jack boot From the
,Olor of his cap he was evidently a
8avarian and his language and mode
Of expression was that Of a highly
educated man.
And so, lieber Max" said he, ad-
sresslng his younger companion, "you
ire not sufficiently tired Of this empty
world to care about joining the So
siety have just formed"
The world is very fair, Rudolph"
answered Max, with a faint shudder,
and II seems terrible thing TO bind
oneself to quit it at a moments no.
tice."
"A moments notice." retorted Ru-
dolph, with a cynical laugh. "Why,
iieber freund, you will have a whole
month 70 prepare for the leap. Think
of it. whole month! Why It is an
eternity to the strong soul which
wishes TO be freed from the trammels
pf the body"
"Have you, then, nothing 10 live
for?" Max asked, raising his eyes and
hxlng them upon the speakers face.
I Rudolph laughed again. II have
lived my onfs,"e answered be, 'and
rrqYded as MUCH into my 30 years as
Inany a man Of 6O and now am cray-
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-09

"A small advance would be very ac-
ceptablg" murmured NJ Duval, in
whining accents. II am very poor and
am living among strangers"
mot cent" returned the general,
sternly. IF you want money, get an
advance from your brother rogue"
The first meeting of the Society of
Sudden Death took place in the rooms
of Rudolph Won Vogelsheimer, which
had been appropriately decorated for
the occasion. Sable draperies covered
the walls and table, upon which were
placed a skull and cross bones; pistols.
razOrs, cords and walls labeled poison
formed a grisy trophy in front of the
presidents chair. All the members
were present, and it was easy to see
why some of them were tired of life.
Franz was getting rapidly blind
from saber cut received at duel in
the Angels Meadow, the fighting
ground of the students. Hermann was
suffering from an incurable injury in
nicted upon him by the sweetheart of
Il young girl whom he had grossly in
suited, while Johann had long been
given over by the doctors, owing to
cold he had caught while endeavoring
to swim the Neclar on a frosty night,
while in an advanced state of intoXi-
cation. Max Won Klrschofen was. with
the exception of the president and the
new member, NJ. Duval. the only one
who seemed i'm good health.
But if Max was in the enjoyment of
bodily health, his mind was very far
from easy. He bitterly regretted his
folly at having been led into joining
the society, and wondered whether FL
sic had noticed the deep depression
which had recently closed over him.
He was much puzzled, too, by letter
in an unknown handwriting, which
had been slipped under his door that
morning, containing the words:
BE of good cheer; your life is safe.
Agree to whatever is proposed, You
are in good hands
AN UNKNOWN FRIEND"
The solemnity of the surroundings
was rather marred by the smoke which
curled from the pipes of all the mem
bcrs, and the glass tankards Of foam
ing beer which stood upon the table.
Let me congratulate you, my
friends" said he, upon the opening
of the Society Of Sudden Death. We
have met here today to enjoy our
selves, not To put aside the thought OF
the grlsly phantom, as the ignorant
can him, for we look upon him as d
welcome dcliverer from the ills of life,
hut To while away the time until he
shall bc with us, with song, joke and
good liquor and unless any member
has anything to propose, let us pro-
coed To do So
stay" exclaimed Johann, rising to
his foct - have something to say.
Why should we wait three weary
months for the coming of the welcome
gu7s,-why should not one imprisoned
hi,a be set free M the vory first meet
ing, Oh? President 7 propose that the
| lot ro east tonight" .-
Rudolph was delighted ~ this unex-
| noctcd proposal whllh tcll i'm so we'll
with L.a schemes. "|re vote of thl
suyiCty must be taken" said he, "bl
The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-09

IContinucd on Page
Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-08-18
AT THE ORPiiEIu.

The bill presented at ii :. Or.
pheum last night~as a very good
one, the fun makers, Post and Ma.
rion, carry ing off the palm for ex.
cellence of performance. B,ggs
and lakewood in their meloiram.
attic sketch, "a Winters Night"
as well as Miss Leslie aud Lyn.
wood in their specialties wee
very good. One or two criticism ms
should be made in reference to
Ethel Dixon and Al Hazard.
Miss Dixon is quite favorite
with the patrons of the Orpheum
but she certainly proved disap
pointment last night. Her bow
cry songs were very good but
The man that broke the bank at
Monte Carlo" and the Coster
song should not have been at
tempted with such evident lack of
preparation. AL Hazard should
confine himself to his automatoue.
The general run of people hav.
no desire to hear such trash as
that the performer seemed called
upon to give toward the end OF
his part last night. The Orpheu N
is giving very creditable perform.
apces and very evident mistakes
OF the kind shoul1 ba rorraota1
Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-08-18
R. ROBERTS will

IT R. ROBERTS will
make his first ap'
pearance in the Opera
House tomorrow night.
Mr.. Roberts is admitted
to-day to be the most YER
satile actor Australia has
yet seen. He is in Aus
tralia what Beerbohm
free is in England. He
Is equally at home in
light comedy and legiti-
mate drama.
Mr.. Roberts is what
the stage calls a young
man, and his many
friends In Australia are
looking forward with
interest to his reception in
America and England.
II may well be predicted
that his tour with the
Maggie Moore Company
will be highly successful.
This is the first all.Aus-
tralian company that has
left its native shores.
Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-08-18
-Established 1855
BISHOP SC &C.
BANKERS.
-Established 1853

Transact a General Banking
and Exchange Business.
Commercial and Travellers
Letters of Credit issued, avail
able in all the principal cities
# the world.
Interest allowed after July
L, 1898, on fixed deposits 8
months 3 per cent, 6 months
81 per cent, II months 4
per cent.
Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-08-18

All The old officers were ienoml-
mated to serve for the next six
months. The election will take
place next month TIE lit is ns
follows: George II Hudhy, presi
dent; George l. Desba, vicA-presi.
dent; L Fl Sherwood, secretary;
James l. Holt, fnGGc'aI secretary;
Charles l. Wilcox, treasurer, and
~ Z Cummins. marshal.
Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-08-18
SAVINGS DEPARTMENT

Ordinary and Term Deposits received
and Interest allowed In accordance with
rules and conditions printed In Pass
books, copies Of which may bc had upon
application.
Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-08-18
The Last Car.

The last cara of the King street
line going to Waikiki and Palama
pass the Anchor Saloon. The
cleverest mixologists in the city
are there always to put you up
anything you may desire. Drop
in and take drop before you take
the car. The celebrated Seattle
beer is to he bad here on draughi
A full line of liquors including the
famous A. A. Jesse Moore Whisky
etc., always on hand. Received
per Warrimoo, Rainier Book Bee,
on draught. The Anchor Saloon
Is here to please it's patrons.
Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-08-18
BISHOP Il 90.


...........:...... Savings Deposits viii be
received and interest allowed by this
Bank at four and one-half per cent,
per annum. The terms, rules and
regulations Of the Hawaiian Postal Saw
ings Bank have been adopted as far az
II Is practicable to apply the m, and the
Cash Reserve Of $50, 900 as required un.
der the Postal Act will be maintained.
Printed copies Of the Rules and Reg.
ulations may be obtained on application,
BISHOP IL co,
Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-08-18
TIE Yokohama Specie Bank
Paid UP CaPital..............Yen 100000
Reserve Fund .......".".""..Yen 100000
HEAD OFFICE. YOKOHAMA.

BRANCHES AND AGENCIES.
Kobe, London, Lyons, New York,
Ban Francisco, Shanghai,
Bombay, Hong Kong.
Toxic Nagasaki
The Bank buys and receives for collec-
ton Bills of Exchange, issues Drafts and
Letters Of Credit on the above Branches
and Agencies, and transacts a general
banking business.
INTEREST ALLOWED
On Fixed Deposit for IA months, per cent D. a.
On Fixed Deposit for months. ~
On Fixed Deposit for mos.
INTEREST ALLOWED
By the Head Office. at Yokohama, on Current De.
post. 2-Io sen per day
On Fixed Deposit for "a months, 81 per cent D. a.
New Republic Building, Ill King ST., Honolulu
Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-08-18

Not the least beautiful of
wonders nature has lavished
upon Hawaii is the variety of
fishes in the surrounding
waters. Some of them gro
tesque in form and others
most marvelously colored,
KING BROS, have a fine
collection of water colors.
Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-17
SOLDIERS COMING FROM HAVANA.
Eight Cavalry Troops and One Infan-
trS Reriment soon 80 Lenve.

Eight Cavalry Troops and One Infan-
try Regiment Soon 80 Leave.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 16.-General Brooke,
at Havana, has telegraphed to the War de-
partment that he has arranged to send the
following troops of that station to the
United States
Troops A, b, C and d, Eighth cavalry a
total OF 1858 enlisted men. with Major Stan
ton and Lieutenants Donaldson, Dixon
Williams and Lott, to Fort Riley, Kan, by
way of New York; Captain Sayre to join
the squadron at Fort Riley. Troops E. F,
G and II OF the Tenth cavalry, numbering
400 enlisted men, with 300 horses, and Cap
tains Hunt, Ayres and Carlton and Lieuten-
ants Whitehead and Whiteside to Galveston
for distribution along the Mexican frontier.
1t is expected that the Fifteenth infantry
will leave Cuba about December 30. That
regiment will go to New York and be dis
tributed between Governors island and
Plattsburg
Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-17
PEOPLE IN PERSIA STARVING
Minister Bowen Requests Contribu-
tioDs from the United
states.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16.--United States
Minister Bowen in Persia informs the State
department that great distress prevails in
Persia in consequence Of the high price OF
bread. He says the situation is growing
worse every day and that the prospects are
that the poor will be face to face with star
walton during the entire winter. American
missionaries cannot obtain bread enough for
their servants or for the school and hospitals
under their care. Minister Bowen asks that
the situation be made known to the Ameri-
can people with the suggestion that con-
tributons Of money be sent by draft on the
Imperial Bank of Persia at Teheran, made
payable to the order OF Rev Louis f. Essel-
styn, senior American missionary, who will
use It for the relief of the suffering poor
Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-17
Forr Winter Tours.

On January 10. February IA and March I
the Wabash will run excursions via New
York and the steamer Ponce to Porto Rico.
Also on February 13 thirty day tour of Old
Mexico. For rates, which include all ex-
penses, and further information call ON or
write q. N. CLAYTON,
Room sos Karbach block, Omaha, Neb.