davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-07

''Then you believe that you've at last
gained the key to the mystery?'.l said,
eagerly drinking in his words. Ill r: a<s
'It seems as though I have. Yet my
informa ton is so very vague and shadowy
that can really form no decisive opin-
ion. 1t is this mysterious death of Mrs.
Courtenay that has utterly upset all my
theories. Tell me plainly, Ralph what
causes you to suspect foul play? This is
not time for prevarication. We must, be
open and straightforward to each other.
Tell me the absolute truth =
= Should I tell him frankly Of the amaz-
ing discovery L had made?,"1 feared to
do so, lest he should laugh me to scorn.
The actual existence of Courtenay seemed
too incredible. And yet as he was work
ing to solve the problem, just as I was,
there seemed every reason why we should
be aware Of each others discoveries. We
had both pursued Independent inquiries
into the Seven Secrets until that mo-
ment and it was now high time we com
pared results. - .stE - ..f
well. Jevons,'' L exclaimed, hesitat-
ingly at last Il have during the week
elucidated one fact-a> fact so strange
that when I tell you I know you will de-
clare that L was dreaming. I myself can
not account for it in the least. But that
I was wItness of it and that it is the truth
The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-07
CHAPTER XIV.
Forms BeWildering Enigma.

'Found drowned was the verdict OF the
twelve respectable villagers who formed
the coroner's jury to inquire into the
tragic death Of young Mrs. Courtenay. 1t
was the only conclusion that could be ar
rived at in the circumstances there being
no marks Of violence, and no evidence
to show how the unfortunate lady got into
the Meme. 49,. .-..., ..-~r s
Z Amber Jevons, who had seen a brief
account Of the affair in the papers, ar
rived hurriedly In time to attend the in
quest; therefore 1t was not until the in
quiry was over that we were enabled to
chat. His appearance had changed dur
Ing the weeks Of his absence; his face
seemed thinner and wore a worried, anxi-
GUS expression. ...
l.sweil, Ralph, old fellow, this turns out
to be curious business. doesn't it?"
he exclaimed when, after leaving the pub
lie room Of the Golden Ball, wherein the
through the long struggling village Of
honely cHetages with matched roofs, and
out upon the white, level highroad
Yes admitted. 'It's more than
curious. Frankly, have distinct sus-
picion that Mary was murdered.
'"rhats exactly my own opinion ne
exclaimed quickly "Theres been foul
play somewhere OF that I'm certain"
( "And do you agree with me, further,
that it is the outcome of the tragedy at
Kew?" q f4.E q II
Most certainly" he said. "That both
husband and wife should be murdered
only few months after one another points
to motives of revenge. You'll remember
how nervous old Courtenay was He went
in constant fear Of his life, it was said.
That fact proves conclusivey that he was
aware Of some secret enemy"
II Eyes. Now that you speak Of It,
recouect 1t quite we'll" remarked, add
ing. But where, In the name of fortune,
have you been keeping yourself during al
these weeks Of silence?
.Ive been travelling" he responded
rather vaguely. "I've been going about
la, lot. -
t5 "And keeping watch on Ethelwynn dur
ling part Of the time I laughed.
'.she told you, eh?'' he exclaimed, rather
apprehensively. ST didn't know that sh'
lever recognized me. But women are al
ways much sharper than men. Still, In
sorry that she recognized me.
s.There's no harm done--proyldlng yo'
have made some discovery regarding tn
seven secrets that compose the mystery,
said.
Seven secretsl'' he repeated thought
fully. and then was silent a few moment
rs though counting to himself the varlou
points that required elucidation Yes
he said at last, you're right, Ralph, ther
i8 are seven of them-seven Of the mos
extra ordianry secrets that have ever bee
presented to mortal being as part OF on
.s and the same my stery. y s9 u
He die not, Of course, enumeratet thel
The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-07

in his mind. as 1 had done, for he was
not aware Of all the facts. The seven
secrets, as they presented themselves TO
me, were: First, the identity Of the secret
assassin of Henry Courtenay; second, the
secret manner in which that extraordinary
wound had been caused; third, the secret
Of Ethelwynn,, held by Sir Bernard; fourth,
the secret motive of EthelWynn In remain
ing under the roof Of the man who had
discarded her in favor Of her sister; h1th,
the secret of Courtenay's reappearance
after burial: sixth, the secret of the das-
tardly attempt on my life by those ruff
fans of Lisson Grove, and, seventh, the
secret of Mary Courtenays death. Each
and every one of the problems was inscru-
table. Others, of which I was unaware,
had probably occurred to my friend: 10
him, just as to me, the secrets were seven.
Nov, be frank with me, Amber L
said. after a long pause. You've gained
knowledge Of some of them, haven't your
By his manner saw that he was in
possession of information of no ordinary
character. ,~: -
He paused, and slowly twisted his small
dark moustache. at last admitting: Ez
Eyes, Ralph, I have 1N ,E..t-. 4.
"What have you discovered7" cried
in fierce eagerness Tell me the result
of your inquiries regarding Ethelwynn. It
| is her connection with the affair which oc-r
cupies my chief thoughts. .
For the present, my dear Fellow, we
must leave her entirely out of it, my
friend said, quietly. ITO tell you the
truth, after announcing my intention TO
give up the affair as mystery impene-.
| trable set to work and slowly formed a
theory. Then drew up a deliberate plan
of campaign, which carried out in it's
entirety
..And the result?"
tits result he laughed well,
when I'd spent several anxious weeks in
making the most careful inquiries found
to my chagrin, that was upon an entirely
d wrong scent, and that the personsI sus-
pected Of being the assassin at Kew was
i innocent. There was no help for 1t but
to begin all over again. and did SO. MY
q Inquiries then led me in an entirely oppo-
site direction. / followed my new and
somewhat startling theory and found TO
my satisfaction that i had at length
; struck the right trail. Through whole
fortnight I worked on, night and day,
often snatching a, few hours Of sleep III
a railway carriages, and sometimes watch
!, ing through the whole night-for Wi1en
: one pursues inquiries alone it Is frequently
imperative to keep a watchful vigil Ie
Bath to Hereford, to Edinburgh, to Birn-
!. Iinghan1. to Newcastle, and also toAsevera.
q places far distant in the south Of Eng
. land, travelled in rapid succession, unit
! at last I found clue, but one so ex.
{ traordinary that at first could not give i
& credence. Ten days have passed, am
o | even now refuse to believe that such I
Il thing could be. xrn absolutely bewild
a / cred by
The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-07

the police What of him. Has he con-
tinued his activity"
81 believe so. He has, I understand, dis
covered a clue.
.What has he found?" demanded the
old man, bending forward in eagerness
across the table. He had been devoted
to his friend Courtenay, and was con-
stantly inquiring of me whether the police
had met with any success.
'.At present he will tell me nothing,n
replied.
Sir Bernard gave vent to an exclama-
ton Of dissatisfaction, observing that he
hoped Jevons' efforts would meet with
success, as it was scandalous that
double tragedy OF that character could
occur In a civilized community without
the truth being revealed and the assas-
sin arrested.
.There's no doubt that the tragedy was
a double one," I observed. although the
jury have returned a verdict Of found
drowned In poor Mrs. Courtenay's case.
the facts, even as far as at present known.
point undoubtedly to murder"
ITO murdert' he cried. Then is it be-
Ieved that she's been wilfully drowned?"
"That is the local surmise.'
''Why?" he asked with an eager look
upon his countenance. for he took the
most intense interest in every feature Of
the affair.
.sWelL because It is rumored that she
had been seen late one night walking
along the river bank near tho spot where
she was found, accompanied by strange
man.
"A strange man. he echoed. his inter
est increased. did any one see him
sufficiently close to recognize him %
II believe not answered, hesistat-
ing at that moment to tell him all knew.
..The local police are making active In
quiries, I believe"
r "I wonder who it could have been?"
Sir Bernard exclaimed, refiectively Mrs.
Courtenay was always 50 devoted to poor
Henry that the story Of the stranger ap-
pears to me very like some invention OF
the villagers. Whenever a tragedy occurs
in g. rural district all kinds of absuiS
canards are started. Probably that's one
of them. It is only natural for the rustic
mind to connect all over with a pretty
young widow"
Exactly. But have certain reasons
for believing the clandestine meeting to
have taken place, I said.
What causes you to give credence to
the story?''
STATEMENTS made to me- replied.
vaguely. '.And further, all the evidence
points to murder"
.'Then why did the jury return an open
| verdict?"
TT was the best thing they could do
| in the circumstances. as it leaves the po-
lice with q free hand
| ss-.'BuL VINO COulu QOSS1uly AdNS ally
motive for the poor little woman's s death?''
| he asked with puzzled. rather
| anxious, expression upon his gray brow.
...The lover may have wished to get rid
Of her. suggested.
| .You speak rather ungenerously, Boyd"
| he protested Remember, we don't know
| for certain that there was a lover In tho
case, and we should surely accept the
runors Of country yokels with consid-
erable hesitation. =
| IT make no direct accusation said.
| ..I merely give as my opinion that she
was murdered by the man she Was evi-
dently in the habit Of meeting. That's ali. !.
| seWell II that is SO. then hope thA
police will be successful in making an
| arrest" declared the old man. Poor lit
1 tie woman! When is the funeral?"
.The day after Tomorrow
.I must send a wreath. How sad it
The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-07

OF man whose whole thought and en-
ergy were centered upon one object. 3,
''Ralph,'' he said at last, what time is
the next train to London?'', =, &
1.-Two thirty, think. It goes up ex-
press from Peterborough. Why?''
: IT must go at once to town. There's
work for me there-delicate work. What
you've told me places new phase upon
the affair." he said, In strange anxious
Tone : ~. s....'E s. ;'f s1@Ss g.,
'Does it strengthen your olue?'' I asked.
ITO q certain degree-yes. 1t makes
clear one point which was hitherto mys-
terry" <.~.. .s-".-
"And also makes it plain that poor Mrs.
Courtenay met with foul p1ay?" I sug-
gested. F% W
''Ah! For the moment this latest de-
velopment Of the affair is quite beyond the
question. We must hark back to that
night at Richmond Road. must go at
once to London" he added, glancing at
his watch 'Will you come with me?''
| "Most willingly. Perhaps I can help
your" .. + IN. j.. 13. sls.
| a"Perhaps. We Will see.'' ~.
| SO we turned and retraced our steps to
the house Of mourning, whore, having
pleaded urgent consulta tions with patients
I took leave OF Ethelwynn. We were
alone, and bent and kissed her lips
The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-07
2 CHAPTER XVI.
Amber Jevons Is Busy.

SNIHblSt oSvOuo % te~SSS's#-"' .,
The sleepy eyed tea-blender Of Mark
Lane remained plunged in deep reyerie
during the greater part Of the journey to
town. and on arrival at Kings Cross de-
clined to allow me to accompany him.
This disappointed me. I was eager to
pursue the clue, but no amount Of persua-
sion would induce him to alter his deci-
sion. -
SAT present must continue alone, old
fellow he answered kindly. 'It IS best.
Later on may want your help
"The facts I've told you are of impor-
tance, seppose?"
"Of the greatest Importance he re-
sponded. IT begin to see light through
the veil. But If what suspect is cor
rect, the affair viii be found absolutely
astounding
''Of that I'm certain said. When
will you come in and spend an hour?"
AS soon as ever can spare time" he
answered. ITO morrow or next day, per-
haps At present have very difficult
task before me. Good-by, for the pres
ent.'' And hailing hanson he jumped
in and drove away, being careful not to
give the address to the driver while with
In my hearing. Amber Jevons had been
born with the instincts Of a detective. The
| keenness Of his intellect was perfectly
| marvellous
On leaving him drove to Harley street,
tients, and In rather an Ill temper, having
been worried unusually by some smart
woman who had been to consult him and
had been pouring into his ear all her do
mestic woes.
81 do wish such women would go and
consult somebody else,' he growled. after
| he had been explaining her case to me.
Same symptoms as all of them. Nerves
owing to indigestion, late hours and an
artificial life. Wants me to order her to
i Carlsbad or somewhere abroad-so that
| she can be rid Of her husband for month
| or so. can see the reason plain enough.
She's got some little game to play
i Faugh!" cried the old man. tsSuch women
only fill me with disgust
went on to tell him OF the verdict upon
the death OF Mrs. Courtenay, and his man
ner instantly changed to one Of sympathy.
4 Poor Henry he exclaimed. Poor lit
tile woman! wonder that nothing has
i transpired to give the police clue. To
/ my mind, Boyd, there was some mysteri-
i GUS element in Courtenay's life that he
Il entirly hid from his friends. In later
lyears he lived in constant dread Of as
4 sassinat tion.' z
Yes that has always struck me as
4 strange.'aI remarked.
4 Has nothing yet been discovered? ??
laskad my chief. Didn't the police follow
y that man servant Short %
Il Yes. but to no purpose. They proved
Ito their own satisfaction that he was
8 Innocent
And your friend iJevons, the tea. dealer
iviho makes It g kind Of hobby to assist
-
The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-07

in order to show her that my love and
confident had not one whit abated. Her
countenance frightened, and with a sud-
den joy she flung her arms, round my
Ralph! You will forgive-you will forgive
me, won't your - .-t. ~. s.-,. - :
'I love you, dearest was all that
could reply; and it was the honest truth
direct from heart overburdened by mys-
terry and suspicion. r as<-, -
Then with a last kiss turned and left
her, driving with Amber Jevons to catch
the London train. Z! r.: =. -, IL.
Amador ledger., 1903-02-13
The F;rst Skaters.

1t is very doubtful which race first
skated, for traces have been found
among prehistoric remains all over
northern Europe indicating that the
art was practiced by primitive peoples.
The Eskimo of the farthest north are
also found to be in possession of run
ners carved from whalebone.
Skating is mentioned by Danish
historian about 1874, and Fitzstephen
in his History of London" says that
in the twelfth century young men
fastened the leg bones of animals un-
der their feet by means of thongs in
order to slide along the ice. This
statement is confirmed by the pair of
bone skates of the period now in the
British museum. 1t is likely. however
that these early Londoners got the
idea from Holland, probably via Lin
colnshire, where skates have been
used ON the frozen fens from very re-
mote times.
Amador ledger., 1903-02-13
cARDUU
zxzuzrzraeszzzzzzzze vs-uG16D
A Text That stumped HIM.

81 once heard a minister who boasted
from his pulpit that he was able to
preach from any text In the Bible off
hand without thought or other prepa-
ration, and as test of his talent In ex-
tempOraneous speaking he invited his
congregation the next Sunday morning
to hand In any texts they would like
him to preach from, when he would
show them what he was able to do"
relates the Chicago Record Herald. "Tn
order that he might not be suspected Of
surreptitious preparation the passages
of Scripture were to be written upon
slips of paper, sealed up in envelopes
and placed upon the pulpit immediate
ly before the opening of the service.
The next Sunday morning the pastor
came bounding In, pride and confidence
cleaning In his eyes, and found num-
Der of scaled envelopes lying upon the
big Bible. After the preliminary serv-
ice he called attention to them and said
he would preach from the text con-
tained in the envelope that lay on the
top Of the pile. The remainder he
would reserve for future Sabbaths.
Tearing 1t open, he unfolded a slip Of
paper and read the words once ad-
dressed to the prophet Balaam, Am I
not thine ASST"
Amador ledger., 1903-02-13
When Tissot was Satisfied.

An interesting story is told of
Jacques Tissot. the great French paint
er. While In England he painted a
beautiful religious picture and, meet
ing cOuntrywoman, asked her opin-
ion of his work ITS chef Tnuvre," !"
she replied. giving Il remarkably just
and detailed appreciation of the va
riOus merits of the painting.
"Are you satisfied?" asked a friend.
Tissot answered in the negative. He
entirely repainted his picture. working
night and day.
When finished, he sent again for his
fair critic. who pronounced it admira-
BILE and remained silently admiring it
with smiling criticism.
Are you satisfied?' asked the friend
again when the lady had departed.
NO" replied the artist, and he set to
work for the third time.
When the Parisienne saw the new
painting, she gazed at 1t for some mo-
ments with evident emotion and then
without word sank softly to her
knees and began to pray.
"Are you satisfied now?' whispered
the friend, and Tissot said "Yes."
Amador ledger., 1903-02-13
A Complicated Case.

A country squire is often called
upon to settle questions which tar
br;h his knowledge and his ingenuity
One such matter was presented to
S.. Prescott of Banbury.
Square said a solemn faced man.
stopping the lawyer one day as he was
lea i 6 the pustoflice, there's u point
1 want you should SETTLE and whatever
you say I'll abide by it. whether you
Think as l expect you will or not"
We'll, let's hear what it is" said
Squire Prescott good naturedly.
IFS just like this" said the man.
stepping closer and speaking in a low
er tone. Iien Rogers wants to trade
farms with me, but we can't quite
agree on terms. His cow pasture is
better than mine, but I've got twice as
many bliIeberry bushes as he has; his
corn Is all started, and mine isn't, but
I've got screens to five windows and
two doors; there's less stones in his
meadow land than there Is In mine, but
there's more bog.
"Now, won't tell you which is which
but one of us thinks Hens collie dog
had ought to be throwed into the bar
ter, and the other one thinks that my
heifer would just about even up. Now
what should you say was the fail
thing Companion.
Amador ledger., 1903-02-13
sympathefio Inks.

Rabelais compiled q curious list of
inks of q sympathetic nature, which
were largely in vogue in his days. In
his book entitled "Pantagruer' he
makes his readers acquainted with
Panurgue's exploits in trying to de-
cipher the invisible characters Of let
ter which q Partisan female had
written to Pantagruel. "He held it up
before a fire." says Rabelais, ito see
If 1t was written with spirits Of am
monia mixed with water. Then he
placed it in water to discover if the
writing had not been done with sirup
Of tithymal. When this would not
work, he held 1t over a candle, which
would have brought out the characters
had they been written with the juice
Of white onions. By rubbing a part of
1t with nut oil he tried to find whether
It had not been written with the sap
of fig tree. And If frog's blood had
been used IN the place Of ink the milk
from the breast Of a woman sucking
her f1rstborn daughter would have be-
trayed the secrets Of that letter."
Amador ledger., 1903-02-13
HindOO Women.

Hindoo women are very beautiful,
and, like most other women. they like
to set off their charms by the wearing
Of jewels. Those of the rich are often
exceedingly valuable, and any amount
of them are worn. A Hindoo lady
wears large nose ring, a number Of
rings in her ears, bangles galore on her
wrists and arms, anklets Of silver or
gold and ring on every toe. These Or
naments arc ~cry becoming to her dark
beauty, anL l@tU: lily they are q great
source of pleasure, but unfortunately
one which, together with the wearing
of colors, is denied to widows, whose
lot is q particularly hard one.
Anyhow a Hindoo woman has not q
particularly cheerful life. for as she
must never look upon the face of any
man but her husband 1t is spent entire
ly in her home, which, even If she be
rich, is not in the least pretty. The
rooms are small and dingy, have bare
walls, very little furniture, and their
only outlook is upon the interior court
yard, which is not made bright and
pretty, but is usually without a vestige
of tree or flower.
Amador ledger., 1903-02-13
The Flemish Fishv1fe.

She is a monstrous big creature, as
unrestrained in her physical growth as
she is in her expression of the smallest
or the largest emotion that stirs her.
Two of her walking side by side in
the narrow street with a broad ex-
panse of hips which leaves DO room
for anything else to squeeze past her.
Her back view is as imposing and not
unlike the mighty Flemish horse in
motion In front of one Her great
broad feet are comfortably bestowed In
wooden sabots that make a pleasing,
leisurely clatter as she moves majestic
ally along. Her massive chest Is
crossed by the knitted shawl she al
ways wears. The strings of her apron
have never yet succeeded in reaching
clear about her waist. Her face, broad,
red, lightly wrinkled, as quick to tight
Ell with anger as to broaden with
laughter, has never been shaded by a
hat nor schooled to conceal a thought
that moves her. Her hands are huge,
strong, quick. And her tonguei
Amador ledger., 1903-02-13
TeeyH~Me-Beayer,

The beaver is armed with two long
chiseIlike teeth in each Jaw. These
tee III are exceedingly powerful and are
to beaver what an ak is to a woods.
man. One such tooth taken from the
lower jaw of q medium sized skull
(they can be removed without diff.
Guilty, unlike the most of ours) is bent
into nearly semicircle and measures
five inches along its outer curve Only
one inch of this length projects from
the skull. The corresponding one from
the upper jaw Is bent into more than q
complete half circle and measures upon
its outer face four inches, of which
less than an inch protrudes from its
bone casing. In width each tooth is
five-eighths of an inch. Examination
of one of them reveals the secret Of
how a beaver can perform such feate
as chopping down q birch tree sixteen
inches in diameter, not to speak Of
softer woods, like the Eastwood, Of
much greater size.
The tooth is composed of two ma.
terials. Along the outer face or front
of the tooth is thin plate of exceed
ingly hard enamel. On the inner. form
ing IL" body Of the tooth, is q sub
stance caii,L dentine The dentine,
being softer, wears away with use.
The thin enamel remains comparative
ly unworn, so that the tooth assumes
the shape of keen chisel that never
grows dull. The tooth is hollow at the
base for half its length and is filled
with a nourishing substance which
keeps it constantly growing.
Amador ledger., 1903-02-13
Two of q Kind,

An old woman recently entered al
opticians shop and asked to look al
some spectacles. Choosing a pair, she
asked the price.
give shillings," was the answer.
"And how much are they without the
case2"
II could not sell them for less than
4s. 10d.," said the tradesman, who was
determined to get all he could.
"Do you take off twopence for the
caseT queried the woman.
'That is all. The case is worth nc
more than twopence." was the reply
"That is good newsp calculated the
old lady, with sigh of relief. TITS the
case for mine which l have lost"
So saying she laid down the two
pence and marched off with the coveted
case before the astonished shopkeepe1
had time to interfere.-London An.
SWerS.