The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-01

between Palmer and Ridgeway's sister, but Palmer who had gone in for engi neering after leaving the university, had been sent to various outlandish places in the world to build bridges. lay out rail roads, establish water power plants and the like only got to New York once in year or two. Ridgeway, in the goodness of luis heart, would have done anything within reason for his old friend and had offered to back him in any enterprise he wished to promote, but Palmer never wanted lis assistance Probably he was too proud.
 And now came this absurd cablegram to buy cloves. What could it mean?
 Jenkins arrived at this juncture with the bacon the eggs, the rolls and the coffee and MT. Ridgeway turned to him.
 By the way, Jenkins, do you know anything about cloves?" Mir Ridgeway
 inquired
 T beg your pardon Jenkins replied, astonished at the question.
 T say do you know anything about cloves?r repeated the young man.
 They're very good" the waiter an swered, presuming to smile at Mir Ridge ways joke. They're very good in a hot drink, I've been told
 "Where do you buy them?''
 "Why. sir" Jenkins responded "at the grocery. sir I should think"
 When MT. Ridgeway turned to his bacon and eggs Jenkins was too well trained waiter to ask questions or endeavor to carry the conversation further. He watched the young clubman, however, and wondered what could be in the cable gram that made him frown so much and what connection cloves could have with so rich youth.
 Life had been so even and placid for Mr. Rdgeway and he had so few things to decide for himself that this enigma of Buy Cloves" assumed the proportions of a real worry. For a moment he enter tained the notion that Palmer was at- tempting to play some joke, but he dis missed the idea. Palmer was not the joking kind and, besides, it was not All Fools day.
 Unable to make head or tail of the matter, Ridgeway determined to dismiss the subject from his mind. But it is one thing to determine and another to do All that day the cablegram and it's curt order, Buy cloves kept recurring to him. That night at dinner, while charm ing girl was telling most interesting story to him, he did not look at her at all or did not hear a word she said. And when she finished he astonished her by inquiring if she could give any informa- ton to him about cloves.
 The young lady did not know whether to be angry or amused, but, being char itable, she decided that Mir. Ridgeway had been drinking.
 Usually MT. Ridgeway slept soundly, but that night he was strangely restless. He dreamed of cloves. once he was awak- ened with the idea that the house was made of cloves and the whole structure was collapsing and he was being buried under an avalanche of cloves. When he was fully awake and realized that he had a nightmare he damned Palmer and his cablegram.
 In the morning he teephoned from his bachelor apartment to his sister and told her of the cablegram and how it ob- sessed him. She was deeply interested Mystery delights women. Ridgeway got q lot of information from his sister. She was sure the cablegram was of the ut most importance, but in what connection she could not explain. What was plain to Ridgeway, however, was that Miss Mildred was far better informed regard ing Palmer's affairs than he had any conception of. Palmer was building a railroad for the Sultan of Zanibar, she explained. Zanibar was an island off the
 
 out some of the little locomotives for merly used on the elevated railroad of New York and was going to use them as the Sultan's toy railroad It was very hot country and very rich. and Billy was going to make a lot of money. The Sul- tan was a remarkable man and had a harem with nearly 100 inmates, but other wise was quite civilized. because he had a photograph, bicycle and now was going to have a railroad. Miss Mildred had so much confidence in anything Billy recommended that she would buy cloves herself if she knew what to do with them. She begged her brother to do exactly as Billy recommended She would trust Billy In anything.
 Ridgeway got one clear idea out of all his sister said. Zanzibar was very hot country. The heat had affected Palmer. That explained everything.
 But it did not When MT. Ridgeway got to the University club and again ordered a-breakfast of bacon and eggs he naturally thought of the cablegram. and the obsession of the day before took hold of him. He could think of