The daily Alaskan., 1913-12-10
BELGIAN CUCUMBERS
 By M. QUAD Copyright, 1913, by Associated Lit
 erary Press.


 other and asked:
 How is old Vernon county" And the answer would be:
 "Old Vernon county is all right-you betw
 Fifty men saw x. M. Davis, as he came to be known, when the bus drove up to the inn at Clifton with him as the only passenger. He was middle aged man, and he had the face of a true American patriot, He had come to give Vernon county such chance to get rich as had never been held out to her before Years ago his grand father had died and had been buried in that county, and it was consecrated ground to him. That is why he had come to It instead of any other county. Mir. Davis had come to Clifton direct from Europe. He had gone over there to study the agriculture of the country at his own expense. He had returned with what might be called a great find. The Belgiuns were almost secretly growing specimen of cucumber that was bound to reyolutiOnize the world.
 It was amazingly prolific.
 One acre of ground would grow 5,OOO cucumbers, each three feet long and weighing five pounds.
 It was like eating oranges. It was a breakfast food in itself. It left be- hind it an exhilurution not known to any other vegetable in the world.
 This cucumber was certain to take the place of grains of all sort in year or two more and would dlsplace the potato and the turuip entirely.
 NIr Davis did more than talk and exhibit seeds. lie put $50 cash in bank as a prize to the person raising the most Belgian cucumbers the next spring or summer. It was November then. Between November and April Mir, Davis sold over S3,OOO worth Of seeds and received bis money for them. When he went away he went boldly, and he left the prize money In the bank. By so doing be escaped all sus- picion.
 Now came a mystery. In Clifton
 lived a widow named Lee. She had been there only two years. and the people knew little about her. She was nearly six feet tall, rugged and strong and she neighbored with none. She went to Mir. Davis for some seeds. but refused to pay the price. She offered only a penny apiece and when turned down made use of some very strong | language.
 April was forward month in Yer non county. and the cucumber vines were beginning to run by the middle of May. One night some one pulled up and stacked the vines in ten diff ferent gardens, They found tracks of Q mans boots, but nothing further. l The next night more gardens suffered. Just who to suspect was a puzzler' but of course it was a case of jealousy and spite. Every man who had any vines set a watch on them.
 Deacon Tracy was the first one to report a clew. He had half an acre of vines and was sitting up to watch for the vandal when a man came sud denly upon him and knocked him senseless. When be recovered his wits his vines had been destroyed Tracks 1 left by a mans boots-that was all. | Of course there were excitement and indignation. A reward of S was offered for the arrest of the marRuder, and owners of vines as yet untroubled hired watchmen. Then the man of night betook himself out among the farmers. He raided far and wide. He destroyed nothing but the cucum- Der vines, but he did not spare @ hill of them that be could get at Be was chased by men and dogs; he was shot at; traps were set for him in twenty different places, yet no one earned dat reward.
 At Farmer JohnsOn's place ho and | his son were hidden in the smoke house when the unknown appeared. He had scarcely pulled a vine when | they were upon him. Both were strong men. but tue struggle was over In minute. The unknown knocked them both silly and got away with their hats and pieces of their shirts as sosrvopirs. It was figured that he had got sure g scare, however that he would noy apfsa again He returned next night yEsS no one was watch | ing and attaCke,1 the vines.
 The excitmenI wSs now at fevel heat. and the whole county was ask | ing what should be Gone, when the marauder came to bis end 4 widow named Jones had twenty hills of vines she was watching. She mad an old army carbine. and a neighbor had loaded 1t for her. She was watching from a window, and as the man of night appeared and began his work she fired at him. He dropped, but struggled up and ran.
 A hundred men turned out and searched the streets and alleys and the country around, but they did not find the wounded man. They had given up the quest when word went round that no one had seen the Widow Lee for three days. The locked doors of