Fame And Fortune Weekly (no. 1051) (1925 11 20)
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No. 1051 \ oo ns ORLD 2-452. Me ln. ae i Ae Ay c bing the man?” : and glan im in'a startled way.
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‘FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY oF treet, New York, N. ¥. the Post-Office at New York, N. No, 1051 _ A WIZARD Tesued werela Cube eon price, $4.00 per year! Canada, $4.50; Foreign, $5.00. Harry EB. Wolff, Went 28d En NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 20, 1925 y Publisher, inc., 16¢ tered as Second-Class Matter, October 4, 1911, at " Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Price 8 Cents. FOR LUCK OR, GETTING AHEAD IN THE WORLD. By A SELF-MADE MAN |. ' CHAPTER I.—In Which Fred Sparks Under- es takes a Desperate Mission. “Can you get this message through to Boston tonight ?” ee Fred Sparks looked up from a game of solitaire he was playing to while away the time and saw @ portly, well-dressed man, a stranger in the vil- lage’ of Edgecomb, standing outside the counter of his little den which bore the sign of the Western Union Telegraplt Co. _ “Ym afraid not, sir. The railroad bridge has ob carried away by the breaking of a boom above the village, and the wires are down.” - The gentleman looked both annoyed and wor- ried by this news. ; “Can’t’ you send the message by way of River- dale?” That’s on this side of the river and about fifteen miles below.” “No, sir. There is no wire from here to River- dale. This is only a branch, line and goes no further.” ; ~~ “Jt is..a-matter of great importance to me to - get this message to Boston before the Stock Ex- change opens tomorrow morning. Can you ride ae horse?” ; ps OY ogy sly as _ “P]] hire a horse from the stable and give you $25 for yourself if you'll take the message down to Riverdale and have’ it sent from there.” . “From what I’ve heard the road to Riversdale 4s so flooded that it is impassable. At any rate iM =e le ty _ known to pg. It was only a light wooden affair, anyway.” “Couldn’t you take a boat, row across the river e and send a message from some place on the __ other side? Ill make it worth your while. _ The stranger pulled out a well-filled pocket- hook and started to open it. eter “The nearest office on the other side is at eenville, six miles’ away. The river is so swift and high, not to speak of the logs one would e apt to meet, that any one would be risking his to cross it in a boat,” replied Fred. 00k here, boy; can’t I make it an object for to run.the risk? Here is $100. Come across he street to the hotel. I will oe money in » and place it in ‘ herds 6% M iS e ersta. have been destroyed early this morn- hn the bridge across the Snake River branch is e if by any means you can send this despatch to my partner in State Street, so that he will re- ceive it before ten o’clock tomorrow morning, the money iS yours.” The offer was a munificent one to Fred Sparks, who was only receivine a very small salary as the village operator. More than that, $100 was badly needed by his mother just then to meet a payment on the instalment mortgage which rested on the little farm owned by her two miles — outside of Edgecomb. The temptation to make that money and thus relieve his mother’s anx- jety was irresistible. Besides, Fred was a plucky boy, and dared attempt what many a man would refuse to undertake. ~ “Til take your offer, sir, and do the best T can,” he said, sweeping the pack of cards into the drawer of the table on which stood the tele- graphic instrument which had been silent ever since the railroad bridge had been partly de- stroyed by the onslaught of the liberated giants of the forest after the boom gaye way. \ The gentleman handed him the telegram, and paid the tariff on it from Edgecomb to Boston, after Fred read it and counted the words. Jt was addressed to a well-known stock broker in Bos- ton, and related to the purchase of a certain ~ stock. Fred enclosed it in one of the Western Union envelopes and put it in his pocket, then he glanced at the clock. It was just five. Locking up the little office he accompanied the gentleman across the\muddy street to the hotel. Mr. Murray was behind the desk in the office. Phe gentle-- man, whose name Fred now found out was Wood- hull, told the landlord of the arrangement he had ’ made with the young telegraph operator, enclesed the $100°in an envelope and handed it to Mr. Murray to place in his safe. f 5 “Here is a five-dollar bill, my lad, to pay for the boat, and to meet any other expense you | “Tf you. may be put to,” said the gentleman. get across the river all right, bring back with you @ paper signed by the operator at Greenville showing the’ hour you turned my message over to him. } title you to the $100.” That will be evidence sufficient to en- — ‘ .
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2 A WIZARD flood. Trains were delayed on all the railroasd by washouts; bridges were swept away; farms and villages inundated, and there had been dis- aster along the seacoast. Snake River, which flowed by Edgecomb, was swollen to a tremen- dous yolume. Ordinarily rapid at this point, the - water now swept by with great velocity. Early in the afternoon a boom above the village, con- taining thousands of logs, gave way, So enormous was the pressure, and the liberated logs came down like battering-rams against the piers of the railroad bridge which spanned the stream. The slender piers of masonry which supported the graceful steel structure could not resist the im- petuous assault. rf The two middle ones -gave way, forming a broad channel, through which the water and logs _ poured in a wild torrent. The telegraph wires over the river were carried away with the bridge, and for the time being Edgecomb was practically cut off from the outside world. Fred Sparks was * anew hand at the telegraph business, his ap- - pointment as the village operator dating back just one month. Fred had been raised on a farm in the neighborhood. He disliked. the work quite as much as did other boys of his age, but love for his widowed mother made him ever faithful in the performance of..his share of the labor of the small farm, in which he had long since lost faith as a means to fortune; for despite the in- dustry of himself and his brother John—and they did work hard—the farm only yielded the little family a poor living. John, the elder brother, '. modest and unambitious, accepted this lot in life as inevitable, and patiently trudged along the rough way. - But Fred was cast in a different mould. He was - twice as smart as his brother and chock full of ambition to get ahead in the world. He grew “more and more weary of his plodding existence and longed for an opportunity to cut loose from - the farm and seek his fortune in some other ‘pasture. His mother, however, could ill afford to lose his services, and so Fred hung on. When the opportunity to learn telegraphing was thrown his way he eagerly embraced it. He rode to the village every night to take a lesson from the Edgecomb operator and practice on a spare sounder. When his instructor, who had secured a better position, pronounced him capable of handling the business of the little office, his mother consented to his taking the job, for the money he would be able to turn in would more than pay the wages of a hired man to fill his lace oh the farm. So the Western Union Co. * red him on the recommendation of the retiring _ b operator. The change suited Fred to the queen’s taste, for he looked upon it as a stepping-stone to some- thing better. He had lots of time to himself, and (he utilized the bulk of it in adding to the knowl- - edge he had obtained at the district school, for, - fn his opinion, to be successful in any undertak- dng one must first possess an education. CHAPTER Il—In Which Fred Makes the --- Aequaintance of Two Strange Men. Fred was strong and sturdy, and perfectly at home in a boat on the river; but to cross that river un wos Pe Ta der the present circumstances was an let him in?” FOR LUCK entirely different proposition to undertaking the same feat when ofdinary. conditions prevailed. To reach Greenville in time to put the message through to Boston within the specified limit meant that he must dare the perils of a swollen current in the darkness and in the rain which had come on again. Furthermore he would have to make the trip alone, for he was satisfied that it would be useless to try and persuade any one in the village to accompany him across. Such an attempt would be considered foolhardy. Indeed, he was fully aware of the great risk he was fac-~ ing, but that $100 prize was before his eyes. If he could win it he knew how happy it would make his mother, and for that mother’s sake he was prepared to dare anything. There was a rubber coat,an old slouch hat and ~ a lineman’s lantern in the office. He donned the _ first two, and taking the lantern in his hand . started for the river side to hunt up a service- able boat. He consumed half an hour in looking one up and obtaining the reluctant permission of the owner to use it for the sum of one dollar. Mik sass he pushed out into the rapid water he could ~ not see the outlines of the further shore. The current was so strong that he did not attempt to — row straight across, but allowed the boat to drift - down stream. x ; A little below the village the river widened, and at this point, now that both banks were ~ more or less overflowed, the distance across was fully three-quarters of a mile. As the moments — passed and the opposite bank failed to appear, he began to grow somewhat alarmed. The rain — was now descending in torrents, and he occasion- ally shipped water. Suddenly a bend in the river _ brought a light into full view. It evidently came ~ from some house on the bank he was aiming for. He hailed its appearance with a thrill of joy. At last, completely tired out by his violent and ~ unusual exertions, Fred managed to effect a land- ing and tie his boat to a tree. Satisfied that he — must be at least a mile below the ruined railroad — bridge, and feeling loath to start upon his dreary — walk to Greenville across a soggy country, in his wet and exhausted condition, he decided to apply _ at the house for temporary shelter, hoping he — might find a fire before which to warm himself. | Accordingly he stepped up to the door of the — building, which was but a small one-story and — attic frame affair, and rapped loudly. Almost | instantly the light went out, but no one answered — _ his summons. : “IT guess they don’t want to receive callers,” he muttered. “It’s pretty tough on me if I have ~ to continue on in this shape. I may not strike ~ another house for some time.” : Pie ine Finally he knocked a third time, determined to ~ gain admission if he could, if only for a short spell. He was on the point of giving the thing up for a bad job when one of the two small win- — dows was cautiously opened and a rough voice _ inquired who was there. ees NSE oat “l’'m a boy from the other side of the river. . I’ve just rowed across. I’ve got a long walk be- fore me in the rain and I’d like to come inside and rest a while before going on.” ioe “Tt’s a kid,” said the voice to-some one behind him. “Says he’s just rowed across the river and wants to get under cover for a while. Shall we
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A WIZARD FOR LUCK _ Fred couldn’t catch what the other person said in:reply, but the man at the window closed it, atid presently the door was opened and hé was told to walk inside. The room was quite dark, and he could barely sée the outlines of the individual who had ad- mitted him. A match, however, was struck a few feet away, the light flamed up, and soon a. lamp standing on a table diffused a cheerful . glow around the only real room in the house. Fred then got a good view of the two persons who appeared to be the occupants of the house, : éy were hard-looking fellows, both of them, of about the average height and build. One wore a soft felt hat and the other a rough cap. “So yer jest: came across the river, did ver, oung feller?” said the chap who had admitted m, and whose name the boy afterward learned was Jobkins, while his companion’s name was Rowley. : “Yes.” “Yer have gota good nerye,” said Rowley. “It _ must have been a matter of importance that fetched yer across. Where did yer come from? “Edgecomb.” . “What’s yer name?” “Fred Sparks,” : “Tf yer tired why don’t yer sit down?” Fred availed himself of this permission, but he _ kept a wary eye on the two men, for he, had his - suspicions of them. “Where are ver goin’ on sich a night as this?” “Greenville.” wee es “You’ve no right to do that. And I won’t stand for it, either,” replied Fred, in a resolute tone. -— “How are yer goin’ to help yerself? We're the bosses of this ranch. We can’t afford to let yer go.” “et a “What did you let me in for?” demanded the. boy, indignantly. Fae “To see if yer had any coin in yer clothes.” Dump out what yer got, and in the mornin’ yer kin go yer way.” Fred’s answer was to make a sudden spring for the door. Jobkins, however, was hovering in that direction, and So Fred didn’t get a yard before the rascal seized him with a firm grip and pushed. him up to the table. j “Yer didn’t git very far, did yer?” chuckled — Rowley. “Since yer won’t cough up willingly T'll_have to help yer do it.” Lig Thus speaking he thrust one 6f his hands into the right pocket of Fred’s trousers and fetched up four one-dollar bills. This was the change Fred had received from the man from whom he had hired the rowboat. The young operator put up a game struggle to avoid being robbed, but have yer?” replied. Fred, eva- i: two men were odds against which he had no. show. ; “Now, Jobkins, hold him till I get a cord to: tie his hands with,” said Rowley. a As the rascal rose from his seat a sudden” shock struck the house. The building was lifted bodily from its slight foundation and swept over — on an Angle of fifteen or twenty degrees. The table went over with a crash, carrying the lamp. with it, the light being extinguished when it struck the floor. Fred and his captors were, thrown in a heap against the base-board of the - further wall of the room. Then the building — righted with a wobbly motion, and went sailing down the river at the mercy of the swift current. s CHAPTER IIL—In Which Fred Is Treated To An Uncomfortable Ride Down the River. As Fred, somewhat dazed by the shock he had sustained, struggled on his feet, his, head tru jainst the ladder leading to th ‘ :
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- and feel it washing about the room with A : ‘ He grasped at it for support, and held on in the dark,’ wondering what had. happened to the house. His thoughts quickly grappled with the situation, and with a thrill of dismay he realized from the motion of the building that it was afloat on the river. : “My gracious!” ‘he palpitated. “We'll all be drowned like rats. in a trap!” ». It looked that way, for the water-had risen to a good foot on the floor, and he could an the swing of the house. The water was cold and un- comfortable, and as the ladder offered a chance to get away from it, Fred took advantage of it and ran up to the loft. The opening was fitted - with a trap-door which he might easily have closed against the two rascals, but though he had no desire to. enjoy their company further, he was not heartless enough to shut them down in the room, where they might in that case be drowned. So he left the trap open and groped around to see whether there was any opening by which, jn case of emergency, he could get out and swim for his life. At that moment he heard the two rascals scrambling up the ladder as fast as they could. The rapid flooding of the room below had driven them to seek safety aloft. No sooner ~~ were they in the loft than they slammed the trap - all git out. = - .®Where is the trap?” asked the young opera- _ ing in the peaked roof. . Greenville - down and stood upon it. Then they.heard Fred moving about. “Are you up here, kid?” asked Rowley. - “TJ am,” replied Fred, coldly, for he saw he would have stood small chance for his life had he been the last to ascend. — ~ “Then open the trap in the roof, so we kin ” tor, delighted to learn that. there was an open- i “In the center, to one side.” Fred, following this hint, soon found thé trap; which was held by a small bolt. He released the bolt and threw open the flap, which worked out- ward on hinges. Then he worked himself through -. the opening and Straddled the middle of the roof. - Rowley and Jobkins did not immediately follow, but contented. themselves with thrusting their heads and shoulders through the opening. The rain had died away to a mere drizzle, but the wind was blowing a stiff breeze that raised white- ‘caps on the turbulent surface of Snake River. The more he thought the matter over the more exasperating it appeared to him. “Say, kid, how do you like it up there?” asked owley, who seemed to consider their chances 7; of ultimate escape pretty. good. : jae “Why don’t you come up and see how you like ft yourself?” asked Fred. “This here place where we are is better,” re- turned the rascal. “I reckon yer won’t reach tonight to send that message yer were in sich a sweat about,” he added, with a As they turn in. the waiting for his host and himself. It was just e shore. — A WIZARD FOR LUCK apes The house was caught by another current that set into a bite of the bank where hundreds of the ‘logs from above had jammed together into a kind of temporary boom that extended out a short . distance, and was held in place by the diverse influences of the tide at this point. Before the three voyagers suspected that an obstruction lay in their path, the house came with a jolt against the. outer line of logs, and Fred, only by the greatest good luck in the world, saved. himself — _ from taking a header into the wobbling mass. Rowley and Jobkins were unprepared for the - shock, too, and they fell over themselves on the floor of the loft. The house gradually swung around till its side rubbed against the logs, and as the action of the current bobbed the roof towards them Fred made out several of the logs lying stationary, and he began to understand that they had something to do with the stoppage of the building. “Hello, kid, what have we run ag’in?” asked » Rowley, who couldn’t see the obstructions as the trap opening was on the side opposite the logs. “Climb up here and see for yourself,” was what Fred said. : : Neither of the rascals cared to roost on the — roof, so they didn’t climb up. The house was not fated to remain long in the embrace of the logs. By degrees the action of the current worked it _ in toward shore and it finally grounded close to a big overhanging tree. As the leaves brushed in — Fred’s face he grabbed hold of one of the boughs and succeeded in swinging himself on to the — bank. The two rascals called after him as soon as they saw him vanish from the peaked roof, — but he did not consider it necessary to make them any. reply. As soon as he felt the firm — ground under him once more he started off brisk- ly.toward the nearest light. It proved to be the _ dwelling of the foreman of a section gang on ® the railroad that ran to Glendale. Fred knocked ~ ‘on the door and was admitted. Here, before a — fire which warmed his half frozen frame, he told _ the story of his trip across the river, and his | adventures in connection with the building which _ had carried him down the river to that point. He learned to his great satisfaction that Glen- — dale was only about three miles away. * “Tt is ten o’clock now,” said the foreman, “and — as the road,is in a beastly state it would prob- -ably take you hours to walk to town in the dark. Better stay here, I’ll give you a bed and will — send you on to the yard on a hand-car around - seven in thé morning. That will give you plenty — of time to send your message to Boston before ~ ten o’clock.” ; 5s a Fred, with some reluctance, accepted the friend-® ~ ly invitation to stay at the man’s home that night. He'was not sorry he had done so when, half an hour later just as he was under the blankets, he heard the rain come down in bucketfuls once — » once more. Stes Toward morning the weather cleared up, and the stars were paling in the sky when the section foreman came into the room and awoke him. He © hurried on his clothes and when he got do ee stairs found breakfast on the table ready and” (=k sunrise when Fred and the foreman left for the railroad track, nearly half a ts ‘ “seven a hand-car loa tte
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% goes ‘A WIZARD FOR LUCK ne: section hands came bowling down the line. It _ stopped at the crossing where Fred and the foreman were- standing. After the men had alighted the foreman instructed two.of the hands to carry the boy to the yard, so Fred said good-- - by to the friendly railroader, mounted the hand- . ar, and was soon being hurried toward the _ freight yard at. Glendale. CHAPTER IV.—In Which Fred Saves Major : Stratton from Being Robbed. ' As soon as Fred was landed at Glendale he hurried to the nearest Western Union office and presented Mr. Woodhull’s message for transmis- sion. He introduced himself to the operator as a brother telegrapher in charge of the company’s office at Edgecomb village, and explained how he had rowed across the river early on the previous evening imtorder to carry the message, which was ‘a very important one, to Greenville to be dis- _ patched from that place. He then went on to “tell how he had stopped at the shanty on the edge of the river for temiporary shelter; how he had been treated by the two rascals he met there, and how the building had been washed away by _ the sudden rising of the water, and the three of _ them had been carried down the stream to a point three miles north of Glendale, where he sueceed- - ed in getting ashore. : : As soon as he completed his story, which did not take him long to narrate, the opérator for- warded the message to Boston and added the words, “Important—for immediate delivery,” for the instruction of the general office. Fred signed the despatch as paid at Edge- “comb, and received a ‘signed statement from the _ operator giving the hour and minute when the 5 gn had been forwarded to Boston, With - that document in his pocket Fred bade the opera- ter good-by and started to return to Edgecomb. ” The. nearest route back was by the river road, ‘which offered pretty rocky walking that morning; put Fred was in high spirits, for the $100 was as good as in his pocket. After covering nearly three miles, which brought him close to the “vicinity where the house had grounded the, night hefore, he climbed upon the roadside fence to take a rest. In front of him, a short distance off, he could see the rushing river swelled to a considerable degree, and dotted here and there with floating logs. : _. Fred was Se how surprised and pleased his mother wou he’ $100 which she needed so much, when he heard a ery for help in a man’s voice from somewhere ‘behind the hedge. The ery was repeated, and ingled with it came the rough tones of two en. Wondering who was in trouble, and why, Fred sprang into the field, rushed to the hedge, and parting the bushes looked through, In an pening: on the other side two men were strug- line with a third. The man whe was getting e worst of the encouter was*well dressed and His assailants the boy ad -tried to close on him. ad be when he handed her that. : -, pressed his satisfaction. . =... - ts = 2 for his head had struck upon a stone, and the ~ shock had stunned him. ae The rascals then proceeded to rifle his pockets without delay.. Fred saw them draw a bag of i money from one pocket and a large wallet from z another, He glanced around for something that might answer for a weapon. At his feet he saw a heavy stick. He grabbed it up at once, and thus armed prepared for instant action. “Hold on there, you rascals!” shouted Fred, . springing from the: bushes, club in hand. “What — in thunder are you doing? Robbing the man?” The two ruffians paused in their work and glanced at him in a startled way. “Tt’s the kid!” snarled Jobkins, who was on his knees beside the fallen man, and was in the act of taking a paper from one of his inner poe~ kets. Rowley, who had straightened up from a stooping position, glanced over his shoulder with an ugly scowl on his by no means prepossessing countenance. ; “Come now, drop that!” said Fred, advancing on the rascals: Rowley turned around and faced him. “Buttin’ in, are yer?” he roared. “I reckon we'll learn yer a lesson yer won't like!” He made a dash to seize Fred, but the boy swung his club too quick for him, landing a blow on his shoulder that staggered him. Rowley uttered a string of imprecations and put his hand to his hip pocket. Suspecting the fellow was about to draw a revolver, Fred jumped at him and. brought his stick down on. Rowley’s head with such good effect as to stretch him senseless, on the ground. Then he turned his attention to Jobkins.. That ruffian was paralyzed by the way the boy had handled his companion. He pulled . out his knife and jumped to his feet. Fred gave — him no time to use the weapon, but swung his club upward, catching the fellow a blow on hig wrist that sent the knife hurtling through the — air into the bushes. Jobkins, furious with rage, The young operator, nim- ble as a monkev on his feet, avoided his onrush © by springing aside. vied : Then, with a low sweeping swing of his club, smashed the rascal in the shins. Jobkins fell to the ground with a howl of pain, and was un- able to get up in a hurry. Fred stood over him with his weapon and ordered him not to move on his peril. The victim of the villains had by this time recovered his senses and was a witness of Jobkins’ discomfiture. : “Well done, my lad!” he said, picking himself up. “You came just in time to save me from being robbed. You scoundrel!” he added, facing the rascal. You and your companion swall pay ~ dearly for your assault on me. You both have — the look of jail-birds, and I'll see that you go back to prison, where you belong.” Jobkins glared up at him, but said nothing. — “Here, my lad,” said the gentleman, “take my ~ handkerchief and tie that rascal’s hands behind) his back. Give me your club, which I noticed you. know how to use with good effect, and Il see that he doesn’t make any trouble for you.” ~_ When both jobs had been satisfactorily ex- ecuted by the young overator the gentleman ex- w, my lad, what is your name and wher a. i
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' jured by a pair of rascals whom I 4 6 do you live? I wish to know whom I am under such a great obligation to.” te ‘My name is Fred Sparks, sir. I live on a small farm belonging to my mother about two miles outside of the village of the other side of the river.” “You aré a plucky boy, Sparks,” said Major Stratton. “I don’t know how you managed, all by yourself, to down both of these rascals, but there is no disputing the evidence of the fact. However, I recovered my senses in time to see the neat way you handled that ruffian yonder, and I am bound to say that, no one could have done it better. The rascals collared me unawares and pulled me off my horse while I was looking at some of the damage’ done by the recent rains. It is my habit to take a ride around the country. every pleasant morning, This morning I follow- ed my usual custom in spite of, the miserable condition of the roads. On this occasion I was combining business with pleasure, for I brought out a sum of money to loan a farmer acquain- tance of mine, and but for your timely assistance I would have been robbed of it.” : The major stooped and recovered his bag of money and pocketbook, : “Now, my boy,” continued the gentleman, “it is only fair that I should testify my appreciation of your services by giving you some substantial recompense.” g ; The major opened his wallet, which was well filled with bills. : “Yq rather not take any pay, sit,” replied Fred. “You are welcome to what I did in your Edgecomb, on ‘behalf. /1 considered it my duty to interfere to save you from being robbed and possibly in- knew to be ard characters.” “But you must let me do something for you, tny lad,” insisted the major. “There are many ways I could probably be of assistance to you. Do you work on your mother’s farm?” “No, sir; not since the first of last month, when I took charge of the Edgecomb office of the - Western Union Telegraph Co.” “Are you a telegraph operator?” “Yes, sir, though I’m only a new hand at the business.” “What prospects have you of advancement?” The boy said that he wasn’t very clear on that point, but that he supposed after he had been a year or So in the company’s employ he would get 2 better position with more pay. = “How would you like to get a better position and more pay right away?” : , “That would suit me very well, sir,” replied the boy, eagerly; “but I can hardly expect such good luck.” : : “How would you like to go into railroading (Gk “Railroading, sir?” G ‘ “Yes. I-can place you in the Eastern road, for I am one of the directors, gnd_ well ac- quainted with the chief officials of the line. There are three branches to the service—office, me- chanical and toad. Perhaps it would be well for you.to get your start in the first. You would have to make up your. mind to go to Boston, though, for the: general offices of the company are there.” ; ne ee - “J have no objection to go to Boston in order : fo benefit myself,” replied Fred.» a A WIZARD FOR LUCK “And ‘your mother?” “My brother John has charge of the farm and my presence is not necessary as long. as I can . send a few dollars home every month.” “Very well. I-suppose you know that 2 deal poes-by favor. in this world?”, : “Yes, sir; I have heard. so.” ; “J mention this because I have it in my power to. favor you—and I intend to do it. You have done me a great service today, and I should not be satisfied unless I returned it in a way that would tend most to your ultimate advantage. In a few days I have to go to Boston. see the gerferal passenger agent of the road about placing you. In due time you will receive a letter to report on a certain day in Boston. You will do so promptly, and after that I shall expect to hear a good report of you, for, remember, I shall take an interest. in your progress, and to that end will keep you in mind. Now, Sparks, we must see about getting these rascals to the Glendale jail. You don’t mind keeping an eye on them, I suppose, until I can ride t6 town and send the police out here to take charge of them?” “Y'll_ watch them, sir, and see that they don’t” get away,” revlied Fred. “Good-by, then, till I see you again. Here is my card with my address. If you come to Glen- dale do not fail to visit me. I’m generally at home in the afternoon unless I’m out of town.” “Good-by, sir. I’m much obliged for your offer — one I now to get me a better position than hold.” “Don’t mention it. my side.” With those words Major Stratton mounted his horse and galloped off toward town, leaving Fred. standing guard over the two ruffians.. ~ Uj CHAPTER V.—In Which Fred Leaves His Home for Boston, ate é After the lapse of an hour, during which Row- — ley recovered his senses, and the two rascals — made all sorts of threats against Fred for doing them up, three policemen arrived in a light wagon and took charge of the prisoners. They were dumped into the I will then © TS 2 a a, See ey oe ee AS The obligation is all on : Pe Let) § wagon with little cere- thony, and when the outfit had departed in the — direction of Glendale, Fred started on again up the river road. After a short walk he reache the indentation of the shore where the house h ceme to rest after its trip of ten miles down the stream. He saw it aground to ‘one side not far from the tree that had furnished him his means of escape. Further out he saw hundreds of logs — jammed together and piled on one another — against the shore. ‘The submerged house and the mass of logs gave one some idea of the dam- — age which the flood had oceasioned along the ~ course of the Snake River. After Fred had sat- — isfied his curiosity he resumed his way again. — By noon he was nine miles from Glendale. The sight of a small farmhouse in the near heaps, - with the smoke pouring from the kitchen ch ney reminded Fred that heywes getting hw once, more, So he decided that, as he still some distance to go, he would try to tat the place. He was now able to pay pate rues Pasa: eg ae t a meal — for the — Vig We aces pete
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A WIZARD FOR LUCK 3 7 favor, as he had recovered his four dollars from ‘the raseally Rowley. Accordingly, he walked up the lane to the '. farmhouse and asked if he could be accommo- . dated with a meal. The farmer willingly acceded '- to Fred’s request, but refused to accept any pay for same. The boy told the story of his night’s and morning’s adventures at the dinner table, and was looked on as quite a hero, The farmer -declared that he must have a cast-iron nerve to have dared the dangers of the river in the dark- - hess and rain. ; i “Five hundred dollars wouldn’t have induced me to attempt it,” he said. “I consider that you took your life in your hands, and that you ought to be thankful to Providence that you got across alive.” Fred remained nearly’an hour at. the farm- ‘house and then resumed his journey. “He finally. arrived at his destination and went- to the hotel and presented the paper he had re- eeived from the Western Union operator at Glen- dale certifying to the fact that the despatch had been sent to Boston at a quarter of eight that morning. Mr. Murray read it, accepted it as satisfactory evidence that Fred had fulfilled his contract, and handed him the envelope containing the $100. Fred then went to the office and re- ‘turned the waterproof, the lantern and the old hat, after which he locked up, went to the stable, got his horse and rode home. - 2 c a “Why, Fred!” exclaimed his mother, as soon as he appeared, “where were you last night that you did not come home?” ae - ~ “Qn the other side of the river, mother,” he -answered cheerfully. “{ don’t understand you, Fred.” “Well, let me have my supper first, for I’m as hungry as a hunter, and then I'll tell you the g Hees story.” or ‘His brother John now came in and started to “wash up. ; 7 “Why didn’t you come home last night, Fred?” he asked. “Mother was very anxious about you. - I rode in to the village this morning and found your office locked up. Where were you?” Fred gave him the same answer he had «given _ his mother. é Petee. uy spose you went-across before the bridge gave way and couldn’t get back before today,” - gaid John. “No. - earrying the wires with it that I went across.” ..“Ts that so?” said his. brother, in some aston- ishment. “How did you get across?” -“Rowed across in a boat.” i. John looked at his brother as if he thought he had done the craziest kind of an act. “Did you tell mother what you did?” he asked. “Ttold her I had been across the river, that’s [ae > ~ ‘replied Fred. ; “A hundred’ dollars!” “That’s what I said. Here is the money to _ prove it,” and Fred took the envelope out of his pocket and showed his brother five $20 bills. John looked at the money with a stare: that important employees in the service of the showed his general unfamiliarity with $20 bills.” my a Tt was because the bridge went down: ern Railroad Co., and his manner showed it. “Supper is ready,” said Mrs. Sparks at tha’ moment. be “Ts that money yours?” asked John, as if such a fact was truly astonishing. : “It’s mine,” replied Fred, in a tone of satis- faction. : 4 : ~ “What are you going to do with it?” “Give it-to mother. She needs a hundrred dok lars: badly just now.” Thus speaking, the young operator took his place at the table. The meal was eaten in com- parative silence. “ “Now, mother, I’m going to tell my story,” said Fred, at length. . Then Fred told his story, ending up by tossing $100 into his mother’s lap, saying that it might pull her out of a hole. ; Next day a force of men were put to work ‘rebuilding the ruined section of the bridge, and at the same time a number of Western Union linemen managed to reconnect the broken wires 4nd thus re-establish the circuit in a temporary . fashion. At any rate, Fred’s instrument began to show signs of life again, and he sent a num- ber of delayed messages that he had ‘on file. Thus a matter of ten days passed away, and he was beginning to wonder whether the major had- n’t forgotten all about him when he received a letter bearing the. imprint of the office of the - General Superintendent of the Eastern Railroad. . Opening it, Fred found an exceedingly brief communication addressed to himself requesting him to report at the superintendent’s office in Boston at his earliest convenience. The result of that letter was that Fred resigned his joh with the,Western Union company, and_ one da about a week after its receipt he left Edgecom en route for the “Hub.” CHAPTER VI—In Which Fred Takes Up - Railroading. “TI wish to see Mr. Lamport.” It was Fred Sparks who spoke, and the person he addressed was a young clerk in the employ of the Eastern Railroad, in their general offices in the city, of Boston. f Rory “Got an appointment?” asked the clerk, with — a certain haughty air bred of constant contact — with visitors whose business might or might not be of sufficient importance to .warrant their names being carried into the sanctum of the great mogul whose private office was close by. “Not exactly,” replied Fred; “but I’ve got a. letter which directs me to report here as soon .~ . as I could.” : ‘Did you bring that letter with you?” - “T did.” : » : _“Let me have it and I will take it in to Mr. Lamport.” ’ Senet Fred produced the letter, the clerk took it told him to take a seat and then disappeared through a door which bore the two words: “Gen- eral Superintendent.” Rete In a few minutes he reappeared and beckoned. Fred to follow him. A moment later the-boy ~ found himself standing beside the superinten- dent’s desk. Mr. Lamport was one of the pss ee
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~~ vou will find him useful in any other way U 8 A WIZARD “Sit down,” he said to Fred, scarcely glancing at thesboy. “Your name is Sparks?” -- *¥es, sir.” : : “You belong in Edgecomb?” “On a farm two miles outside the village.” “Parents living 2” “My mother is.” , “You have been recommended to me for office work—as a starter, till we find out what you’re best fitted for—by the general passenger agent, Mr. Peabody. You are a telegraph operator, I understand ?” : “Yes, sir, I had charge of the Western Union office at Edgecomb.” ; “Tidn’t like the business, I suppose. Want to change. I haye been requested to put you to work. When can you begin?” “At once.” : The superintendent drew a card from a drawer, filled in some blanks on it with Fred’s name and other particulars, and placed it in a shallow ob- , long basket on his desk. Then he pressed am elec- tric button. A small neatly-dressed boy an- swered the summons. Mr. Lamport in the mean- time had dashed a few brief sentences off on @ desk-pad. Tearing the sheet off he enclosed it in ~ an envelope which he addressed, “Andrew Buls ~ gin, Hsq.,” and handed it to the small youth, with these words: j j “Take this young man to the Claim Depart- ment.” Then he turned to the desk and other business, while the small boy-led Fred out into the corri- dor. The boy led Fred down the corridor to the extreme end, where a door faced them bearing _ the words, “Claim Department.” Opening this door, Fred’s conductor, ushered him into a small reception-room, the first of the suite, where they found another small boy seated before a small table reading a magazine. The superintendent’s messenger laid the envelopé on the table and walked away. The youth‘at the table took up the envelope, looked at Fred and then entered an adjoining room with-it. In a moment or two he returned and told Fred to go in. Our hero did so and found himself in a large, well-furnished room and in the presence of the chief of the department, who was seated at a desk in the center of it. Mx. Bulgin, who was a@ small, nervous-looking man, with eyeglasses, - looked Fred over critically and then said: 4Write a good hand?” ‘ j “Yes, sir,” replied Fred. “Come with me.” 134 af | He rose from his chair and led the-way. into. an adjoining room fitted up with two desks, at the larger one of which was seated a sandy~* haired, sharp-featured man of perhaps forty. “My. Hallock,” said Mr, Bulgin, “you are short handed, I believe. Put this young man at work copying reports in our claim book. I dare a a ou wish to employ him.” Mr. Hallock, assistant claim agent, nodded and then gave Fred a sharp glance as the chief re- turned to his own office. FOR LUCK =A <(tipedtinen, please. You will find paper on yonder desk.” Fred sat down at the desk and wrote a dozen sentences off-hand, finishing off with his name and address. He brought it over to Mr. Hallock. The assistant agent glanced at the paper and Seemed to be satisfied. He pushed a button in his desk. “A nearby door opened and a clerk with a pen behind his ear entered the room. Ae ‘he copying of our claim reports are away - behind, I think?” said Mr. Hallock. é “Very much so, sir. We are short handed, as you know.” “T know, -Take this young man. His name is Sparks: Give him the desk formerly used by ey and show him what to do with the re- ports. “Very well, sir. Come this way,” to Fred. He was shown to a desk in a corner by a win-— dow overlooking an alleyway. There was a closet nearby where he was directed to hang his hat and overcoat. The clerk then got a record book. —a big, thick volume it was, and a pile of legal documents. Fred was told, to copy the con- tents of the papers into the book, in their order. “Bear in mind, Sparks,” said the clerk, “that — the copies must be an exact fac simile of the originals. No words or punctuation marks omit-. ted or transposed. No word or mark inserted that does not appear in the legal copy. In a word, you cannot be too careful in transeribing these papers, as everything depends on their correctness. Understand?” Fred said that he understood what was required of him and he was left to make a beginning. The other clerks in the room looked at him curiously, — mentally sizing their new associate up and won- | dering what sort of a chap he was. oe inspection was on the whole favorable to Fred. They liked his fate and the way he carr himself, They judged him to be a good fellow and were disposed to court his acquaintance. Fred worked steadily away until noon, when the clerks hegan to dron work and go out for — lunch. There was an exit and entrance for the employees of this room on a side corridor lead- ing to a stairway that connected’ with the alley.’ As each clerk passed a certain desk he picked — up a small square slip of paper, stamped it on /_ a time clock, wrote his name on it, and hung it ~ on a-file. He repeated this performance when he came back within the hour allotted to him. The clerk who ha@ introduced Fred into the room and set him at work caine up and, telling him he could go to lunch, explained the time-clock system. Accordingly, when Fréd put his hat and coat — on he followed the routine and) left his name on file. He had noticed a clean, modest-appearing — restaurant within a block of the depot when-on his way that morning .to the superintendent’s office, so he went there for his noon-day meal, He dispatched his lunch inside of half an hour and left the restaurant with a toothpick between _ his teeth. ‘With’ thirty minutes yet at his dis posal, he walked slowly back toward the depot. — The sidewalks were alive with pedestrians of both sexes, half of them probably on their way to some train. There were also many vehicles « passing in the street. When Fred reached the street on which the depot faced he saw an elegant equipage drawn by a pair of mettlesome grays yagi s LCE RTE ©
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A WIZARD standing in front of the main entrance of the offices. A handsomely-dressed girl of sixteen or seventeen years was seated in the back seat hold- ing a red parasol to ward off the sunlight. The coachman, ‘who had been sitting as stiff as a ramrod on the elevated box seat, suddenly noticed that something had gotten out of gear with the harness and descended from his perch to fix it. At that moment a red auto came gliding down the street. When-it reached a point opposite the ~ team the chauffeur let off a most unearthly “toot, toot” from his horn to clear the way ahead. The high-stepping grays took alarm at the sound, and poth suddenly sprang forward, knocking the _coachman to one side in the dirt. In another moment the horses and carriage were off down the street at a speed that scattered the people at the first crossing right and left in terror for their lives. Fred was standing at the opposite corner when the team took fright. He heard the shouts and saw the people fall back in some confusion. Then he was what was happening. It was a runaway pure and simple, and as tne block below was congested with trucks and other vehicles waiting for their chance to get alongside the long freight platform, a smashup, that was bound to wreck the stately equipage and probably kill the horses as well as the girl in the carriage, was imminent. He saw that unless the team «ould be stopped within’ a’ comparatively short “distance a catastrophe was certain. The girl © evidently realized her ‘peril, too, for she dropped her parasol, stood up and seemed on the point ‘of jumping out, which would probably have been a fatal move on her part. Fred never thought quicker in his.life. On the spur of the moment, with the nerve for which he was noted at home, he decided that it was up to him to Stop the run- ‘away and save the girl. He sprang into the street and waved his hat and arms at the° ap- proaching team. The frantic horses paid no more -. attention to him that if he wasn’t there. They ‘pore right down on him like a whirlwind, and were upon him before he realized his own dan- ger. ; i _——- =a) - OHAPTER VII—In Which Fred Makes a Daring Rescue. After all, self-preservation is the first law of nature. Fred jumped back to save himself from being run down. As the nearest horse brushed ‘by him one of his hands caught the check-rein _ ‘while the other instinctively seized the upper part of the girth. In a fraction of a second the plucky boy was carried off his feet. Shouts and cries - from the sidewalks greeted his perilous predica- ment. Everybody looked to see him fall under _ the legs of the frightened animals, to be crushed under the wheels the carriage. But Fred’s ~ lucky star saved him from such a fate, and his __steel-like sinews bred of years of farmwork, aid- _, ed by his natural agility, did the rest. ? ; Springing into the air he threw one lee across e horse’s back and swung himself astride of e animal. Tearing off his jacket, he threw it er the steed’s eyes and pulled his head back. , animal immediately lost headway and bes hold re back, the reby clogging the move- | rh 2 lem a5 The girl in the carriage to the girk _ FOR LUCK 9 gazed in a fascinated way at the boy who had come to her rescue. Instinctively she felt that her safety lay in him. As the team lost headway several men took courage to jump into the street and add their efforts! to that of the brave boy. _Finally the horses were stopped within a short distance of a heavilv-loaded truck, and Fred PP sprang from his perch and resumed his jacket. - He was surrounded by an excited crowd of on- lookers, who vied with one another to express the admiration they felt for his intrepid performance. He pushed his way back to the ga k the girl if she wished to get out of the carriage. “Yes, yes,” she said, nervously; “please assist me.” 4 She put her foot on the iron step and then sprang into his arms. He led her over to the sidewalk with some difficulty, as the crowd by this time had grown into mob-like proportions. “Shall I escort you back to the depot, miss?” he asked her, politely. “Tf you will be so kind,” she replied trem- ulously, grasping his arm “for support, for now that the peril had passed away the reaction made her weak and almost hysterical. “How brave you were to spring on the horse’s back and stop the team! I am sure you saved my life.” : “T am glad I was able to be of servicé to you, miss,” replied Fred, regarding the girl with « look of admiration, for she was uncommonly pretty. “ You look faint. Shall I take you inte a drug-store to rest? “No, no; it isn’t necessary. ‘the depot, where my father is.” “Certainly.” He took her by ‘the arm and they made their way through the crowd to the street crossing, — and so over to the block bordered by the depot. A fing looking gentleman ie running up to them just as they reached the corner of the building. “Father!” cried the girl, throwing herself into his arms and bursting into tears. ; “My dear child?” he exclaimed, kissing: her fondly. “Tell me that you’re not hurt in ‘any way. I saw what happened.” a 0, father, I’m all right, but I’m—I’m fright- = rriage and asked ~ Take me back to “Well, miss, I'll bid you good-by now,” said Fred, feeling that his usefulness to her had come to an end. ‘ * “No, don’t go,” she said; recovering her self- possession abit and catching him by the sleeve. ‘Father, this boy saved by life.” : “Indeed! Then, young man, you have placed me under a debt of gratitude. Let me know your name and your address, for I shall want to see you again.” “Fred Sparks is my name, sir. My address is _ the Claim Department of the Eastern Railroad Co.,, __ “The Eastern Railroad! A th clerks 2” ; oe oes “Yos, sir.” : “Young man, you shall hear from me in a day rhea or two at the outside. I am George Wentworth, | the president of the road, and this is my daughter,’ Edith. Be assured that I shall not forget the thanked him, have you not, Edith?” he service you have rendered my child. You have, —
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«a0 “No, father I was too confused and frightened. ~ You will excuse me, won’t you, Mr. Sparks?” she said, looking at Fred. “I am deeply grateful to you for saving my- life, and shall never forget “what I owe you.”? “That’s all right, Miss Wentworth. I am glad I was able to help you out.” “But you risked your life to save me. You might haye been crushed by the horses and the carriage. You were very, very brave to do what “you did. J saw it all. You were the only one who dared come to my aid.” _. She flashed a look of admiration at him that } made his blood tingle. “Well, I must get back to work, for I have already over-stepped my time,” said Fred. “You will call at our house and see me, will you not?” she said, detaining him. ‘We live at No. — Commonwealth Avenue. Write it down for him, father.” “We shall be very happy to see you, young man,” said Mr. Wenthworth, writing his dress on the back of a card and handing it to Fred. “Mrs. Wentworth will want to thank you, too. Call on us as soon as you can.” “T will try to do so,” replied the young clerk. He lifted his hat and walked away, followed by Edith’s eyes. His stamped ticket showed that he had been out an hour and 2 half. j “T was unable to return any soonef,” he said to the clerk who looked after the tickets. “There. was a runaway in the street and I stopped the team, that’s why——” “You stopped the team!” exclaimed fhe der “T did.” The clerk whistled and looked at ier in a strange way. ~ “Was Miss Wentworth hurt?” he said, in some little excitement. ge a bit. You know then that——_” “ft was the carriage of the president of the road—yes. I’m thinking you made a ten-strike. You're likely to be in the butter-tub after this.” “What do you mean by that?” asked Fred, puzzled at his remark. “If you prevented a smash-up, which might have ‘resulted in the death of Miss Wentworth, you'll be in line for the softest job in the building. I wish I was in your shoes, Sparks!” “P’m not looking for a soft job, and wouldn't take it if it was offered to me,” replied Fred, ~ promptly. “You—wouldn’t—take a gasped: the astonished clerk. you're joking!” “No, I’m not joking,” answered Fred, walking over to his desk and resuming his work of copy- ing the legal papers into the record book. Within a quarter of an hour every clerk in the room had ~Jearned what the new clerk had done while out at lunch, and he was the focus of admiring and "envious glances from the rest of the force. At five. soft—job?” fairly “Oh, come now, - o'clock work was over for the day. “tT hear you saved the life of the daughter. of _ the ‘president of this road,” said the head clerk - of the room, the young man who had put him to work, and whose name was Fuller. > “T won’t deny it,” replied oem modestly. did what I thought was right “Well, all I can say is ‘that you've done a amidhty bie as for apiece: ” ; “ey 4 ‘of the arene, of the Eastern Railroad eee oy A WIZARD FOR LUCK “Tn what way?” ice “In what way? Why, by doing a favor for -Miss Edith Wentworth you’ve made a good friend for yourself in her father. He won’t for- get you. I'll bet you won’t remain long in this room doing routine work. You’ll be advanced to Some easy berth with big pay and short hours.” Me “Think so?” said Fred, with a smile. “T’m sure of it.” “J wouldn’t advise you to bet on it. I didn’t seek a position on this road to be advanced be- fore I deserved it. Bi expect to get ahead on my merits, not by -luck. Supe. regarded his words with some astonish- men “Oh, come, now, Sparks, you don’t mean any- thing like that. ‘Promotion here goes as much by favor as by anything else. You may be as smart as greased lightning, but it does not necessarily follow that you'll get on unless the powers that be take special notice of you. In no business is competition for advancement so — keen as it is among the clerks of a big railroad company. Accident and pull count for as much, and, very often, more than real merit. Who got you the job here?” “Major Payne Stratton.” ‘ “The deuce you say! He's one of the directors. Are you a friend of his?’ “T am acquainted with him,” replied , Fred, evasively. “With him and the president to call-on, you ought to land on the top shelf.’ “J hope to land there some day, but I don't intend to get there through either Mr. Stratton or the president of the road.” ER “You tell that so straight that one feels ‘al- most compelled to believe you.” ; “JT never sdy what I don’t mean,” replied Fred. “Upon my word, Sparks, you’re an odd kind of chap. Why, there isn’t a clerk in this room but would give his eyeteeth if he could exchange places with you after what you did Pits after- noon.” Fred laughed. “Where do you hail from?” “Edgecomb, Maine.” “What did you work at before you decided to tackle railroading ?” “T was an operator in the employ of the West- ern Union.” ; : “Why didn’t you ask for a job in the train des- patcher’s office or on the road?” As “T didn’t ask for anything in particular. Major Stratton offered to place me in an office job, and I accepted, so here I am.” +» “And you expect to stick here in spite of your pull?” “T hope to stick until I can see my way clear ne to something better.” Fuller thought he saw a mental reservation in Fred’s answer, and winking a large wink to him-— self, said roodnight, and thestwo parted at “the” corner. ; , CHAPTER VUI—In Which Fred Demonstrates * That He Is All To The Good. ‘The morning papers had an account of. the gallant rescue of Edith Wentworth, dau ae
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Fred Sparks, a clerk in the Claim Department of the company; consequently, nearly every em- ployee in the depot building, from the general superintendent down, knew about the occurrence by the time he reached the office. urally much speculation,among the elerks in the . different departments as to who the lucky em- ployee was, for, of course, they considered him uncommonly lucky because he had saved the life - of the/ president’s daughter. The clerks in the Claim Department fell over one another in their eagerness to make his acquaintance next morning, ‘and much to their surprise they did not find him puffed-up with a sense of his own suddenly-ac- quired importance. On the contrary, they found him a very modest and socially-inclined young fellow, and all took an‘ immediate liking to him. Fred was preparing to go out to lunch that day when a messenger summoned him to the office of the general superintendent. ~ : “Sparks,” said Mr. Lamport, when the boy appeared before his desk, “you appear to shave specially distinguished yourself yesterday after- noon, judging from what I read in the morning papers. I did not call you here, however, to speak about that, but to tell you that the presi- dent has just asked me over the ’phone to send you up to his office in the Narragansett Build- ing, so you had better go at once.” ° “Yes, siry but I’m not very familiar with’ Bos- ton yet, and I have no idea where the Narragan- _ ‘sett Building is.” < “Tt is on Tremont Street, near—but to make sure that you will not go astray V’ll send my messenger with you.” = ~The Superintendent summoned his boy and told Aim to take Fred up to the office of the presi- dent of the road.. They boarded a ear, and before ~ long entered the building where the executive of- _,fices of the company were located. The superin- tendent’s messenger left him in the general recep- tion-room and hurried back to the depot. Presi- dent Wentworth was expecting Fred and shook hands with him he took the seat beside that official’s desk. e will not record the con- versation which took place between them, but _ will merely say that Mr, Wentworth once more a Ceoiaaded the gratitude he felt toward the boy for saving his daughter’s life, and then said he *ould like to give Fred some sustantial evidence of his appreciation. P . Oy “How long have you been in the employ of the eompany?” he, asked, : ' .. Fred clearly surprised him when he answered, “one day.” The boy told him how he came to connect with the company, and how he expected _to advance himself in time to a good position. Fred plainly let it be known that he had no wish to be any one’s favorite, but that, he hoped to get ahead _ by his merits alone. ; ey His attitude made a good impression on the ‘president, and that gentleman assured him that She would see that his ability was fittingly rec- - opnized. \ { ; “7 will keep myself informed of your progress, Sparks,” he said, “and you will be promoted as fast as the service will permit and your abilities . warrant.” Fisted Me ee ee A WIZARD FOR LUCK There was nat- . ‘Then, telling Fred not to fail to call, at his home some evening soon, dismissed him, and the Sa <p ihn il boy returned to his desk in the Claim Depart- ment after getting his lunch. The other clerks looked at him inquisitively as he sat down. to his desk, and wondered if that was to be his last day in that department. When, however, he turned up next morning as usual, and the day after that, and so on, they began to wonder from different points of view. Fred learned the location of Commonwealth Avenue, and the ‘means of getting there from his boarding-house, and on Friday evening he called at Mr. Went- worth’s home. He asked for Miss Edith, and was shown into the parlor while his name was carried upstairs to that young lady. She retreated to her room to get into one of her best gowns, and in the. meanwhile ‘Fred. was invited to come up- stairs, where he met Mr: Wentworth, and was by him introduced to his wife. The lady of the house was very gracious to him, and thanked him for the priceless service he had rendered her daughter. After a little while Edith appeared and welcomed him with un- affected warmth. He laid herself out to enter- tain him, and her bright, vivacious ways com- pletely fascinated him, so that when he bade her and her parents good-by he» was desperately smitten with her. She made him promise that he would call again soon, and he was only too glad to assure her that it would give him great pleas- ure to do so. Fred worked steadily in the Claim Department for three months at a ‘somewhat higher rate of salary than the_ position usually commanded for a beginner. He did not know that the president had fixed his rate of pay’him- self, and that he was receiving as much as a clerk who had been in the company’s service for two years or more. The office employees were paid on the first. of each month, and on the following day Fred sent his mother a sum equivalent to the wages he had earned gluring the short time he had worked for the Western Union: Company. This was suf- ficient to stop the gap made by the loss of his ~ services on the farm, and his mother gradually became reconciled to his absence from home. During those three months Fred demonstrated . the fact that he could work like a Trojan, and also that he was accurate and painstaking in everything he took hold of. Fuller, the chief — clerk, came to look upon him as an employee who could be throughly relied upon to pull out in any emergency. Mr. Bulgin, the chief of the | department, noticed that Mr. Lamport, the super- _ intendent, seemed to take a whole lot of interest in Fred. He wasn’t aware, however, that this — was occasioned by the periodical requests made to the superintendent by the president of the road. for a report on the boy’s progress and general efficiency. .Once during that time a similar re- quest came from the general passenger agent, who was@esponsible for Fred’s appointment. ~— That official made thé inquiry in response to a letter from Major Stratton, who wanted to learn how his protege was getting on. Altogether, | quite unknown to the bright boy, powerful inter- ests were overlooking him with a view to his early advancement in the service. Everybody but himself seemed to take it for granted that he was slated for rapid promotion as soon as ha — had been broken into railroading. Strange to say, this good luck did not give rise to any ~
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12 ae amount of jealousy on the part of the other clerks, for Fred had established himself as a general -favorite in the department. He was. modest and unassuming in his deportment toward his fellow workers, and was always ready to help any one of his associates out at any time that his own. work. permitted him to do so. Although his ‘boarding-house life in a. big city like Boston, which was new to him, brought him in contact with many temptations, he managed to. steer clear of the acquisition of bad habits that would _have seriously impaired his genera] usefulness. He visited Edith month, and had firmly established himself not -enlv.in the good graces of that young lady, but in the good opinion of her parents as well. They learned all about his former life, for Fred had no secrets to conceal, and“was very frank in tell- ing everything about himself. In this way Mr. Wentworth got a line on the bent of the boy’s ambition, and he decided that it would be ulti- mately to Fred’s advantage if he switched him off from routine office work and afforded him an opportunity to enlarge his scope of railroad knowledge. Perhaps the president of the road had noticed the growing intimacy between Fred and his daughter, and thought it would be well . to prevent it from going too far. He was too grateful to the lad,.and appreciated his manly and independent way, as well as his evident abil- ity to a degree that would not permit him to suggest a curtailment of his visits to the house. But there are more ways than one Of killing a eat, and Mr. Wentworth, whether his daughter was a factor in the case or not, decided that Fred would be more in his element_in a road than an office position. So as first step to this change _ he requested the superintendent to transfer the «boy, with a strone recommendation, to the freight - department of the Boston yards. The freight yards were about a block from the depot, and there ene morning Fred was put to sh check- ine outgoing and incoming freight, and Attending - to such other work as the agent saw fit to give him to do. Here he remained for another three months and established as good a reputation for himself as he had done in the Claim Depart- ment. He was getting on swimmingly at his new branch: when one morning he, was summoned. to the office of the general superintendent. CHAPTER IX—In Which Fred Is Transferred. -“Sparks,” said Mr. Lamport, when Fred pre- sented himself at his office in resonse to instruc- tions, “you’ve been working at the freight sheds for the last three months.” _. “Yes, sir,” replied the boy, wondering what _ was coming. : “T have received very favorable ‘reports of your work from the. agent in charge, and as an opportunity offers for your advancement I have ~ decided to push you ahead.” A WIZARD FOR LUCK Wentworth about twice a - was decidedly unusual in the routine of the road but then he didn’t know that. Most of his fellow clerks at the freight sheds ‘had been anywhere from six to twelve times as long holding down their present’ jobs as he, and their chance of ris- ing higher was not particularly brilliant at that moment. He was to be passed over the heads of the whole force of ordinary clerks and given a responsible position on the line. “Yam going to shift you down the road,” said the superintendent. ; “Down the road, sir!” * “To Cresson Junction. You will start in as assistant to Harlow, the agent. In thirty days we expect you to be competent to take charge of the station yourself.” ache Fred was staggered. : eee He was actually going to be made a station agent. He was delighted beyond measure, and yet he hated to get away from Boston —and Edith Wentworth, There was no getting away from the fact that he was dead gone on the president’s daughter, though there was little likelihood that that fact wotld do him any good. He: was a poor boy, dependent on his own exer- tions. for a livelihood, while she was the only child of a rich and influential man, The boon of her society for the past six months would henceforth be as a sweet dream to him, nothing more. : ; “This is more than I expected so soon, sir,” he said to Mr. Lamport. Fe “You will not return to the freight sheds,” said the superintendent. “You will need a few hours: — to get your traps in order to start,’ ages; . “When do I go to Cresson?” . cae “Qn the Portsmouth accommodation, No. 233) 2m . which pulls out of the station at six.” eee: ' Fred thought his transfer -a quick one. He wondered if he would have a chance to call — on. Edith, till he was shifted out of Boston and — wish her good-by. The superintendent drew a map toward him, ran his finger along the main — line of the Eastern road till it paused at a spot — - where a short branch line diverged from it. =~ “Here you are,” he said. “Cresson Junction, — .110° miles east of Boston. Harlow has been in- structed’ to secure accommodations for you, and — will. be on the lookout for you to-night. Call at. half-past two. I will have your orders written out, and all other papers necessary. You can look them over on the train.” Fy Fred went directly home, told his landlady that he had been suddenly ordered out of the city, squared his account with her to date, and went to his room to pack his two grips. He car- ried them with him to a restaurant, ate his dinner and rode down to the depot, where he left his property in the baggage-room to be called for, It was now close to half-past two, so he re- paired to the superintendent’s office once more. “Mr. Lamport has been called away,” said the messenger. “Your name is Sparks, isn’t it?” “That’s right.” + : ei “Come inside. There is an envelope for yo on the superintendent’s desk that he told me ‘ give you when you came here.” ‘ It was addressed: “Frederick Sparks, Cres “Bony SOnCMON a7 n ee “Mr. Lamport told me to tell you th: ass to Cresson Junction in the
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A WIZARD FOR LUCK also said that your time at the freight sheds had een made up and that if you apply at the pay- master’s office you will get your money.” “All right,” replied Fred. He hurried. to the designated room on that floor, received his wages to date and then, look- at the clock, calculated that he had time enough _-to pay Edith a brief visit. As the car was pass- ing up Washington Street he happened to glance out of the window, and to his surprise saw Edith and her mother standing in front of a big retail dry goods store talking to a gentleman and lady. = anne sprang from the car and hastened over to “them. “Why, Fred!” exclaimed Edith, when the boy touched her on the arm. “ This is quite a sur- . prise!” - She shook hands with him in a way that showed she was delighted to meet him, while her mother nodded and smiled. i Fred drew the girl a little aside. “T was just going to your house to see you,” he sai Said. or eae “Indeed!” she replied, in surprise. “Wanted to bid you good-by.” — - : “Bid me good-by!” she ejaculated, in not a little astonishment. “What for?” — “J Jeave Boston at six to-night.” “At six! Are you going home for some rea- » son?” she asked, with a serious look. “No. I’m going to Cresson Junction.” “What for?” , “Pye been shifted.” . “Shifted!” » “Yes. The suberieenene pracae me to re- 3 at that station to-night.” ie itor this rather sudden?” she asked, with a look of concern. as ‘ mie sudden. I only heard about the change at eleven to-day.” i - “And you expect to rem she asked, evidently not ‘Josing him. - : h “For some time, I guess. in there for a while?” leased at the idea: of me I’m to be the station agent there after thirty days.” “JM sorry you're going to leave Boston,” a suspicious moisture in her eyes. “T wouldn’t mind it if it wasn’t for—— “Ror what?’'she asked, as he stopped. “Leaving you,’ he blurted out, with a look with 7 bright blush to her cheeks. “I’ve learned to think - a whole lot of you, Edith,” he went on in a low tone. “I know I haven't yany right to, but I— well, I can’t help it. You've been very kind and “nice to. me—as Nice as a sister, and I shall» ‘he lonesome and homesick away from you. 7 . ghould like to think that you—well, what’s the use of talking?” he said, huskily. “T don’t amount to anything, while you—you’re rich and have lots of friends, and I am nothing to you.” | ~~ “She saw the moisture in his eyes, while his tones thrilled her, and she jaid her daintily-gloved hand on his arm. eck ‘ , “Don’t talk nonsense, Fred,” she said; in a low, soft tone.. “You are something to, me. ean ‘that she readily interpreted and which called a — I- walked into the waiting-room of the station, on want you to Ro, but if you must, I shall not u. I shall think of you ¢very day and ‘the time to come when I may see at, Edith?” he asked, eagerly. 1B “T do. You must write to me and I will answer. your letters. You won’t forget to do that?” _ “Forget, Edith? Never! Never as lone as I live. I only wish——” : “What do you wish?” she asked, looking at him with glistening eyes. “Don’t asked me, Edith. I have no right even to breathe the thought of such a thing. Your father and mother would be very angry if they thought I was so presumptuous to dream of cross- ing the gulf that lies between us. At any rate I never would be considered worthy of aspiring to what was beyond my reach.” _. . “J think I understand you, Fred,” she said, with a look that set his blood tingling in his veins. “Shall I give you a watchword? It is ‘Hope.’ There ds nothing that may not be won by ver- severance and a brave heart. You have both. Then why be discouraged at the outset? The gulf you speak about may be bridged and the object you seek gained.” i “But you do not know the prize I would win.”. - i “Perhaps I can guess,’ she replied, looking own. “Oh, Edith, if I only dared hoped that I had even the- ghost of a chance.” : “Foolish boy! Can’t you see that you have every. “Hdith,” interrupted her mother at this point, “vou will have to excuse yourself to Mr. Sparks. We have scarcely time to ke our purchases, - for we are due at Mrs. Prescott’s at five.” is “Mother, Fred is going to leave Boston. He is wishing me good-by.” i “Indeed!” ejaculated Mrs. Wentworth, who al- ready knew that the young railroader was slated for an out-of-town position. “When do. you leave © town?” ® : “At six to-night.” “Then I suppose I must say good-by to you. You will call on us, of course, whenever you return to the city.” . 1 ‘Certainly, Mrs. Wentworth. Good-by.” : They shook hands and the lady turned toward the entrance of the store. : “Good-by, Edith.” “Good-by, Fred. Remember the ‘Hope.’ ” «Then T eagerly. *“Yes, have Ienot said so? Good-by.” And so they parted, Fred taking a car back -watchword— may hope—you promise me that?” “to the’ depot, and wondering if his chance of ulti- © _ mately winning Edith Wentworth was within the bounds of probability. CHAPTER X—In Which Fred Arrives oh At Cresson Junction. Ss \ At quarter past nine that night the Ports- mouth local, No, 233, stopped at Cresson Junc- tion, and several passengers, including Fred Sparks, alighted on the long platform. Fred which was lighted by a large reflector lamp, in ~
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' thirty days to do 14 A WIZARD guessed this might be Harlow, the station agent. He was not wrong in his surmise. Harlow looked at him and was prepared to recognize him as his new assistant, and the lad who was to re- lieve him at the end of thirty days. : “Are you Mr. Harlow?” asked Fred. “That's my name. You are Frederick Sparks, I guess?” “Correct. Glad to know you, Mr. Harlow.” “Same here,” answered the agent. They shook hands. “Come inside and we'll have a talk, then [ll take you over to your boarding place. The lady who owns, the house is a widow. You'll find her @ nice person. I’ve known her ever since I came. to the Junction.” ; They entered the little office, which Fred viewed with a certain sense of proprietorship, as he felt that he would be in full charge a month hence. “You are young for a station agent,” began Harlow, after they were seated. “How came you to catch on? Got a pull?” _ His words struck Fred like an unpleasant blow. It had never occurred to him until that mo- ment that his promotion was due to anything other than his own ability and strict attention to business. Se as Now there flitted across his mind a vision in which Major Stratton and President Wentworth stood forth with great clearness. Me began to realize that one of these gentlemen, probably the latter, had been the lever that had moved him from Boston to Cresson, and shoved him “up a notch. To a boy like Fred this was not a palatable cud to chew. Harloy’s question was ‘so direct that he had to answer it somehow though him that the day’s work was a fair example ot it was embarrassinf for him to admit that in- fluence had anything to do with his transfer. “Tm acquainted with the president of the road and also with one of the. directors, but I never asked for nor desired their influence,” he, replied. Harlow coughed incredulously. He knew that advancement along the line went largely by favor. Only a chump would refuse to avail him- self of the influence of a friend at court, and certainly this boy didn’t look like a chump, even in the most remote degree. ‘ “How long have you been with the road?” he asked. : 3 “Six months.” That settled any doubt he might have enter- tained concerning the boy’s pull. ; ! “Pye been instructed to break you into the job,” said Harlow. “I think it’ won’t take me that, for you look as smart as You’re an operator, of course? chain lightning. ) 1 e you that, since it is essential to _ IT need hardly ask the job.” “ » Ned “How did you learn? At a school?” | / &No. I was taught by a Western Union*man f and took his place. with the company “antil I resigned to go railroading.” at “T guess you're all right. Well, I'll soon show pes. You won’t find your regular du- for there isn’t much going over the r. It’s a sort of to Lakeview and x FOR LUCK “You refer to the re: here 3 tion, 1 suppose?” epeneleiiies ok Siete “Yes; you'll find them unusual.” ue what Bin ae several ways. You'll get on to some of’ them before I leave. Mooney is the ee bet Restart 2” a hues ! e’s the night operator. Goes on at-six. Hé’ one caine ms I mele ee where fis ine 2 at’s the matter wi im?” “He drinks.” ¢ i a Bi ye he hold his job?” ‘ That word was hateful to Fred i ju- diced him Against Mooney. Paget hats “Doesn't e attend to his business?” Yes—after a fashion. He isn’t attending to it to-night.” ? a “Ts he drunk?” : “Probably.. That isn’t the worst, however. IT _ suspect that he stands in with a bad crowd 5 around here.” g “What about this gang?” oe “They're night-hawks. Always up to som kind of rascality. You must always keep your . weather eye lifting after dark; if you don’t——” —_ Well?” “You'll regret it, that’s all. I’m glad t 7 away from this joint. Another six months “of it ; would turn my hair pray.” ye _ “Pleasant prospect for me,” said Fred, squar- ing his jaws. Harlow observed the action: — ~ yl! “You'll get along, probably, for I can see you have grit.” ‘ “Well; haven’t you?” “Y’ve none to spare. worry.” : “I never worry—if I can help myself,” replied Fred. “It would take a cast-iron man not to worry nerWell, 1 : “Well, I suppose I’m up against it; but you can paste this in your hat—I mean to do y duty or break a leg.” : As Harlow coldn’t leave the station he got ns watchman to take Fred over to the place ot te selected as a home hn boy while he remained at_ Cresson Junction. ed rather liked the little widow who owned the house, while the room seemed to be satisfactory in every resvect. He appeared at the station next morning at seven ready to submit to the breaking-in process, and Harlow was on hand to give him an insight into the manifold duties of a station agent. There — was not such a great number of way-bills to be made out, nor tickets asked for, during the day, as he had expected. Still, there was a whole lot to attend to in one way,or another. After he ~ had set all the lights up and down the track, — which ended his duties for the day, Harlow told — him that the day’s work was a fair sample of what he might expect to have to handle at that season of the year. ehares > - “That’s so?” replied the boy. “Then I'should ~ say you’ve had a fairly easy time of it, take it all I can’t stand continuous veg Sie
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ktsng WIZARD FOR LUCK “What's that got to do with you? It’s up to - Mooney, I should imagine.” : : 3 “No, I’m the agent. If anything serious hap- pened while Mooney was on I’d have to shoulder the responsibility.” While he was talking with Harlow, a short, chunky, smooth-faced man came into the station and walked into the office. “That’s Mooney,” said the agent. “Come, ill . introduce you to him. You might as well make his acquaintance first as last.” st So they followed the night operator inside. “Mooney,” said Harlow, “this is Fred Sparks, who takes charge here on the first of next month. Sparks, I’ll make you acquainted with Phil Moo- ney.” £ Monat sized Fred up to his own satisfaction at one glance, and he grinned sardonically. “So they’re sendin’ boys out now to run the stations, are they?” he chuckled. “I wish ye ' luck, young feller, but I’m afeared ye’ll have yer ~ hands full.” ; “T was telling him that things were rather strenous around here at times,” said Harlow. ~ “J s’pose ye told ‘him I was a soak, too, el?’ _ -yeplied the night operator, with an unpleasant ~ ehuckle. : ‘* “I did tell him that you cro»ke] your elbow too often.on occasions, which is the truthcun- fortunately.” ~ = “Jt ain’t your funeral!” snarled the operator. - “But it will cause yours one of these days.” Huh! ee am , Glick! Click-click! ee 3 Mooney turned around and Sat down before the - table on which the station call—D. G. 13-—was sounding, sharp, clear and distinct, on the little brass instrument. Fred’s ear translated the mes- sage as it came over the wire and Mooney wrote it out with a pencil on-a pad. It came from the next station on the Boston side, and was soime- thing to cause the three to sit up and take notice, _. “An engine, running at a two-forty clip, ‘just passed, bound east, on down track. You have barely time to switch runaway before Ex-_ press No. 66 is due at Junction.” © = Fred easily understood the import of the mes- sage. The runaway held possession of the track supposed, to be clear for the Boston and Port- - land Express, which should pass Cresson Janc- tion in six minutes, . Unless the wild engine was, ‘promptly switched onto the branch track, which | there would be trouble to burn. Cleariy there owas no time co be lost if-a disaster was to be- --averted.: 2 XI—In Which Fred Averts 4 CHAPTER : ~ Head-On Collision. ~ ~ at that hour was clear all the way to Lakeview, . 15 and disappeared behind the trees. The station was. the only bright object in the landscape, but beyond it, some little distance away, were the - straggling lights of Cresson. : F Fred hustled to make the switch that would shunt the wild engine off the main track on to the branch. With no means of makife steam the runaway would then probably “die” before it got as far as Lakeview, which station would of — course be-notified of its coming. There was a _ thick mass of shrubbery near the switch, and as Fred placed. the lantern on the ground and stooped to unlock the lever a man’s face was thrust through the bushes. The boy’s face was thrown into relief by the light, and the man in the background saw it quite distinctly. He ut- tered a low exelamation of surprise, which was followed by a deep imprecation. He pushed his way through the shrubbery, and creeping towart! the ‘switch suddenly threw himself’ upon Fred and bore him to the ground. : A pair of wiry fingers sought for the boy’s throat, but Fred, though taken conmletely by surprise, was not easily subdued. Tie thought flashed across his mind that he was up against one of the night. prowlers mentioned by the sta- tion agent, and he was fully resolved that the rascal should not fine him an easy mark. A des- perate struggle for the mastery immediately en- ~~ sued. The knowledge that more even than his’ own safety depended on the outcome of the sermp nerved the boy to put forth his utimosz efforts te win out. By quick movement he squirmed out of the man’s clutch and rolled over on his back,. the better to see what kind of antageniss he was facing. The rascal, however, juped on his’ — chest and tried to hold him down. , Fred caught a Jook of his face, reflected in the light of the lantern, and gave 2 gasp of astonishment. It was Rowley, one of the two men he had had trouble with along Snake River, near his home, and whom he supposed was safely lodged in State prison for attemuted highway robbery, of which crime Major Stratton had nearly been the yictim, ; ; id ’ “Oh, it’s you, you villain!” cried’Fred. ' ras “Yer recognize me, do yer?” “hissed Rowley, } pausing in his efforts and glaring down at the ~ oy. “Yes, I know you.” si “Yerll know me better when I’m done with © yer. I owe yer somethin’ for gettin’ me pinched, and helpin’ to send me up, and I always pay my debts!” £554 “You only got what was coming to you.” “Did I git it?” chuckled the raseal. . “Pm afraid not. A screw must have worked ~ loose somewhere. You got ten years, and here — it isn’t ten months and you’re free.” _ gr “Jest so. So ye’re workin’ for the railroad, are yer? Yer won’t work long, I’m thinkin’. Tl). fix yer So ye’ll lay up in the hospital for a while, drat yer!” : “Don’t count. your chickegs before they're hatched,” replied Fred. He made a sudden shift ‘of his body, exerting all his strength at the same~ time. e threw Rowley over so that they tay. side by side with their heads touching the side — of the rail. They villain struzgled hard to regain. the mastery, but Fred’s muscles of sec Hele him © down, though he could not get on top be nimself,
Page 17
16 se fe “Blast yer!” gritted Rowley. Ill git the best of yer yet!” “You only think you will. I’m not a chicken.” After another ineffectual struggle, both stopped with one accord to regain their breath. Then it was that Fred’s alert ears caught the first faint vibrations telegraphed along the rail of the ap- proaching runaway engine from the west. He was facing in that direction, too, and presently the headlight of the locomotive came into sight around the curve a mile away. The sight of that glaring white eye cutting its way through the darkness awoke the boy to the realization that everything. depended on the isste of the next few seconds. The switch was unlocked, und all he had to do was to pull the lever. But he must reach it first, and to accomplish the job he must shake off Rowley in an effectual way. As he gripped the rascal for a fresh effort Rowley seemed to understand his purpose, for his fingers got busy, too. 3 < While they. struggled fiercely in each other’s embrace the wild engine was rushing down on them at a lively gait. The glare of the headlight was now upon them. In a moment or two the runaway would have passed the switch. At that ‘tense moment the boy heard the long-drawn-out whistle of the express up the track as it passed Bailey’s Crossing, three-quarters of a mile dis- tant. It was approaching like a whirlwind, and no power on earth could avert a head-on collision sith the runaway if the latter got by the switch. With a ery of desperate earnestness Fred put forth every inch of power he possessed. ‘He fairly rose into a sitting position with Row- ley at arms-length in his grasp. Then with a sud- den swing he threw the man down. Rowley’s head hit the’ rail with a thud that jarred every bit of consciousness: out of him. : The boy struggled on his feet, weak and dizzy -_ from the tension he had been through. The run- ~away engine was right on top of him almost, with rapidly-moving drivers, coming out of the darkness like some mysterious phantom of the night, its eye glaring ahead like an ogre’s. The sudden wild screech of “down brakes” came thrillingly through the air from up the track. The engineer of the express had see’ the ap- proaching headlight. dead ahead on the same track, and knew something was wrong, for no - train should be coming in that direction on the north track. As he had been assured of a clear track to Berwick by the signals displayed at ' Tower No. 16, two miles back, he had supposed, when he first caught sight of the headlight, that it came from the locomotive of the night freight drawn up on the long siding at the Junction. The _air-brakes were instantly applied, but with a * momentum of nearly a mile a minute to over- ~» come, there was little chance of stoppage that side of Cresson. As Fred sprang forward, seized the lever of the switch and pulled it over, he saw + the headlight of the express dangerously near. A second or two later the runaway engine dashed up and then glided off on to the branch with a rumble an@ a quiver of its big driving wheels. . Until it had passed Fred’s heart was in his mouth, then he pushed the lever over and Jocked it with a thrill of thanksgiving at his heart. The crisis past, his strength gave way gil at once, and he collapsed beside the switch. vi NE A WIZARD FOR LUCK ® The engineer of the express saw the switch- light turn from white to a blood red, denoting a blocked track, as Fred ‘pulled the lever over, and his blood ran cold, for he knew his train could not be halted before reaching the switch. Then he Saw the glowing headlight before him suddenly disappear and the switchlicht return to a white, or clear track, and with a cry of relief he whistled “off brakes” and threw off the re- verse lever. So, as Fred half crouched, half lay, beside the switch, the ponderous express train flew past in safety with a rush and roar, and oe vauished around the curve on its way to ‘oston. . : CHAPTER XII—In Which Fred Finds, Himself | ; Up Against Mooney. While Fred reclined half exhausted ,beside the. switch, Rowley recovered his senses,/ staggered to his feet, and looked around in‘a dazed way. Then, muttering incoherent expressions under 3 his breath, he reeled off into the bushes and dis- + appeared, without noticing the boy in the gloom. : - Finally Fred pulled himself together, got up, 3 took the key out of the switch lock, picked up 3 he lantern and retraced his steps to the sta-° ion. z “What's the matter with you, Sparks?” asked 5 Harlow, regarding his assistant with some sur- — prise. “You look as white as a sheet.” ee: “T nearly missedf connections, that’s all.” .- “T noticed you were a long time getting the : switch open. What was the trouble? Wouldnt 3 the key work well?” er “Tt worked all right, but I was jumped by a __ rascal who must have been hiding somewhere | down there, and I had the time of my life getting the best of him.’ “Oh, that was it, eh? One of the night prow- lers tried to rob you. A bad moment to be up against those scamps. So you beat him off?” ye. “Jf I hadn’t done him up there’d have been a | smash-up on the line. I barely had time to switch the Funaway when the express was on : me.” ; % 2 “Thank Heaven things turned out all right!” : said Harlow. “You’ve had a taste of \what’s he- a fore you if you remain at the station any time.” — 4 “What’s the matter with the police force of Cresson? “Why don’t they clean the night-birds out?” “They’ve tried it and failed. The prowlers — keep out of sight whenever there’s an officer pround. To trace them to their retreats has prove an impossible ‘job.” MS iC “I know the chap who attacked me.» He and his pal were convicted» of highway robbery. at Glendale, Maine, about fifteen miles from where . my folks live, and they were sentenced to ten — ° years in State prison. t happened six months \ ago, and I can’t understand how this fellow hap- pens to. be at Mbetey, unless he escaped,” © On their way up the road to Cresson, Fred told _ Harlow the incidents which led to his acquaint- ance with Rowley and Jobkins, as well as his adventure in the field by the river road when he saved Major Stratton from being robbed. “J see,” remarked the station agent. “he rascal evidently managed to make his escape i = ee en
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A WIZARD FOR LUCK 17 some way. Now he’s hanging around this neigh- borhood, or tramping it to Boston. He's got it in for you because of your hand in sending him up. It is probable that ‘he'll get away from this locality as fast as he can, as he knows-you have recognized him, and will put the police on his track.” “Tl go td the station-house at once, if you'll show me the way.” “T’ll do that willingly.” When they reached the station-house in Cres? son Fred told his story, and assured the chief of ' the force ‘that Rowley was an escaped convict and ought to be recaptured. The officer said he would send men out to try and catch him. Fred was satisfied and returned to his boarding place. The Cresson police caught Rowley next day several miles from the Junction, and he was returned to the prison from which he had escaped. As for the night prowlers, they kept very quite dur- ing the four weeks that Fred was learning how to run the station, and. Harlow remarked that ~ he guessed they had abandoned their old stamp- ing-grounds. At length the first of the month came around and with it the pay-car. As soon “as Harlow got his money he bade Fred good-by and the boy was left in full charge of the station. At no time up to this point/had the work been very hard, and consequently Fred had enjoyed a cinch while Harlow was around to help out; now that he was alone he did not apprehend that he would be overcrowded. He had written three | times to Edith, and had received two replies, j penned in her neatest style on fine note paper bearing an embossed.monogram. On the day Harlow Jeft he got an answer to his last letter, and its contents made a very happy, for the girl wrote more confidingly than usual. He al the letter several times during the day, and after supper, when in the seclusion of his own room, he p is hand in his pocket to get it ~ girl wrote more confidingly than usual. . He searched all his pockets in vain for it, and then he recollected that while reading it that after- moon he had been interrupted by a message over _ the wire, and had laid it on a shelf_in the office. ’ The message had taken his attention off it, and subsequent duties so engrossed his time that he had forgotten it. Then the thought struck him that Mooney, the. night operator, might notice §t and take the liberty of reading it. Not for a good deal would he have the man do that. He determined to walk to the station, - which was only a Short distance away, and re- -eover Edith’s letter. Besides, he would see how the night man was getting on. So Fred put on this hat and went over.to the Junction. P - He glanced in through the ticket window as he walked to the door of the office. Mooney was sitting with his chair tilted back, his feet on the table where the instrument was, a black bottle at his lips, Until that moment Fred supposed that the operator confined his drinking to the tavern, as it was against the company’s regula-. _ tions to bring any into the station for consump- tion on the premises. Now he understood what the late station agent meant when he said that his résponsibilities were “unusual.” ee - Suppose Mooney was to drink too much from that bottle some night and go to sleep, what | might not happen? If an accident occurred on. = the line owing to the failure of some operator ‘at another station to get the Junction on the wire the blame might rest on him. His career might be blasted at the outset, and then how could he hope ever to win Edith Wentworth, the bright star of his life? It was with an anxious look on his face that Fred walked into the office and stepped toward the shelf on which the letter he had come for lay undisturbed. Mooney whisked the bottle out of sieht and glared in an unfriendly way at the new agent. “What brought you back?” he snarled. “This letter,” replied Fred, as he put it in his pocket, ; “Humph!,I thought you came to spy on me.” “Why should I do that?” replied the boy, look- fe iat in the eye. ‘ z ooney showed a momentary confusion, then he grew defiant. “Because Harlow. may have told you to watch me. “Why should he tell me to do that?” asked Fred, calmly. . “He told you I drank—hard, didn’t he?” “He did.” “IT don’t deny it.” snorted the. operator, still more defiantly. “What are you going to do yess) a : ic othing, as long as you drink away front the Pe a sie suppose I take a few snifters here j the office—what then?” “ << “Tt’s_against the company’s rules.’ “To Halifax with the company’s rules!” gritted Mooney. “I do my work all right. I’ve never been reported. Tl drink when and where I please.” : ; “T_ think you’d better cut the bottle out here,” replied Fred, coolly. 5 “Who says so—you?” gneeringly, “Tt’s not doing you®any good.” { “That’s my_ business.’ “And mine,” replied the boy, firmly. “Yours! Confound you for a young whipper- snapper, with your swelled head because you’re the agent. Well, I’m thinking you won’t last! Tt takes a man to run this station, not a beard- less kid. Things are coming to a pretty pass when the super sends one of his favorites to it! with a blow that made his pencil and pad jump. “JT won’t stand it,” he repeated. “ Do you un- derstand that?” Fred made no reply, but looked him straight in the eye. The operator writhed under his steady” gaze. There was something in the boy’s eye that — disconcerted him. ; cS a “ “Don’t look at me that way!” he screamed. Don’t!” waving his atms wildly in front of his face. “You put me in mind of him!” ss Mooney shrank back ‘in his chair and made No answer. Fred stepped forward, picked up the black bottle where the man had attempted to hide _ it, opened the window and threw it out., The | crash of glass against the track aroused the operator. He looked for his bottle as Fred was closing the window, saw it was gone and sprang — to his feet in a rage. _ “You've thrown it awayl” he frothed, lord it over a veteran like me. I won't stand - Mooney brought his hand down on the table - ~~ aA, <a rs: a
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x at the boy. boss it over me. 18 “T have. I won’t stand for anything like that in this station.” 3 With a how] like a furious beast Mooney sprang “Yl break your neck!” he hissed. “You sha’n’t TVll half kill you!” — ‘In another moment the two had grappled in a desperate struggle. - Fred’s return had only aggravated it. - and he went down with Mooney on top. CHAPTER XIII.—In Which Fred Takes the Starch Out Of Phil’ Mooney. _ They swayed to and fro around the small office, banging up against the telegraph table, against the walls and getting tangled up with the chairs. Mooney had come to the office with something of a jag on, and had been loading up since from the black bottle. He was in a bad humor, and He had a standing grouch anyway against the young agent because he was a boy, and somebody’s favorite, as he believed. Having worked himself into a crazy fit, he was in a condition to do Fred a bad injury. The boy saw that he was up against it hard, for Mooney was no mean antagonist. He didn’t want to hurt the operator if he could help it, but he soon saw that it was a question of downing the man or being downed himself. Suddenly his feet were tripped from under Li e shock dazed him, and he lay helpless. The night operator uttered a shout of satisfaction, and picked up a heavy wrench that Jay within his reach to hit the boy. As he raised his arm to give the blow the sharp call of the Junction— D. G. 18—came from the instrument on the table, repeated over and over. A It seemed to recall Mooney to a sense ‘of his duty. He dropped the wrench, jumped off his in- tended victim and staggered over to the table where he answered the call, and the following message was clicked off: “Hold freight No. 61 on siding for special to pass. | Repeat.” . “Mooney repeated the message back to the ~ operator, and then came “O, K.” back to him Fred, coming out of his daze, heard the mes- sage clearly. It was the night operator's busi- ness, as Soon as the “O. K.” reached him, to set -the switchlight, three hundred yards back. This he could do, without leaving the office, by means of a rod within his reach.. Mechanically he threw out his hand to grasp the rod, but as his senses’ were somewhat confused he got hold. of the wrong one and set the switchlight at the a ‘opposite end of the station. Then he threw him- -* self back in his chair, having apparently forgot- ten all about the young station agent. In a few moments he began to nod, and by the time Fred got off his feet he was snoring loudly. ‘The boy regarded him with a disgusted and troubled * air, i hours, if not for the remainder of the night. Fred would have to stand his “trick.” __ _ ‘That was an awkward predicament to be placed © Mooney was apparently useless for some in, for besides losing his proper rest he had but an imperfect knowledge of the. night routine. Mooney, this sort of business has gone as far ‘A WIZARD FOR LUCK - Some of the calls he probably would not under- stand and confusion would result: However, there was no help for it! The first thing he did was to drag Mooney, chair and all, out into the waiting-room, where he left him near the stove. Then he returned to the office, took up the train sheets and tried to familiarize himself with the situation. While he was thus engaged he heard the rumble of the approaching freight, which he knew must be No, 61, ordered to be held up on the siding until a. special following with right of way had passed. 3 aig Without looking’ at the switchlight rods, for he had seen Mooney reach out and set what he naturally supposed was the proper one, Fred picked up the lantern and started for the plat- form. He opened the door just in time to be ~ dazzled ‘by the headlight of the freight as it came | up and dashed by with a rumble and roar. The | engineer showed no disposition to slow down, and the boy gazed upon the speeding cars in great astonishment. He couldn’t understand why the driver had disregarded the signal. , : Could Mooney have made a mistake? He turned pale with apprehension and dashed back ~ into the office. Glancing at the rods, he saw that the night operator‘ had indeed blundered. The question was, could he repair the matter? His hand reached for the propér rod, but had barely touched it when the electric bell told him that the train had already traversed the signal. circuit. “Too late!” groaned Fred. “I’ll have to hold up the ‘special to save it, and that is bound to lead to no end of a row. No—there’s one chance yet to mend matters. If I can get Tower No. 16. in time J’ll be all right.” Sheet His fingers dropped to the telegraph key. With — feverish speed he sent the call to the operator at the tower. The response came back immedi-. ately. Then he wired: “Back Freight No. 61.” The operator’s O. K. came back to him’ and the instrument became silent. As a precautionary measure he set the block signal that should have been displayed by Mooney, so that in case the freight did not get back before the special came - around the curve the latter would be stopped. He took the lantern and went to the door to — watch for the return of the freight, and in a short time he saw st backing down the main: track. He got it on to the siding just as the special came in sight, and he hastened to set. the block signal back to “a clear track ahead.” . Mooney snored all through the night and awoke at sunrise fairly sober. : He was astonished to find himself sitting out in the waiting-room. He made for the office at. once and found Fred taking down a despatch. “What does this mean?” he growled. “What are you doing here?” a ‘ “Taking your place so that things would go right,” replied the boy, coolly. “How did I get outside?” 3 “I put you there.” j “You did?” ; Pets “After receiving an important message, and then setting the wrong signal, you fell back in — your chair helplessly intoxicated.” = “I did?” replied Mooney, in a dazed way. “Yes. Had you been alone here there would have been a wreck up the road. Now, Mr. Ps eae d
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‘A WIZARD FOR LUCK I’m going to let it. You’re got to promise me _ right now that you'll come on duty sober, and \ that you won’t bring any, mof black bottles into the office. Refuse to agree to that and I’ll ask for your immediate transfer. You know well ‘enough that I’ll be called on for my reason for making the request. . Well, it won’t. be to your advantage for it to reach the ears of the superin- tendent. That’s all I’ve got to say. It’s up to you now to say which it shall be—your promise or your transfer.” The operator flung_a black look at Fred, and seemed disposed to be ugly, but the boy took him up short. ¢ z “Last night before you succumbed you attacked me for throwing your bottle out of the window. you got me on the floor and took a wrench to brain me. You would have done it, too, but for the Junction call which called you back to a glimmering of your duty. Now it is in my power to order your arrest for that.” “Tt’s a lie!” cried Mooney, hoarsely. attacked you.” : ; “T’ll let the magistrate decide that unless you haul in your horns,” replied Fred, sternly. “Now, “T never -are you going to turn over a new leaf, or aren’t - ”» ou? / “Although the night operator felt an intense feeling of resentment against the young station agent he could not help recognizing in him his master. The boy had him in his power, and So Mooney threw up the.gponge and promised to be “good.” : Thenceforth Fred had no further trouble. with him of any importance. Winter came on, wore away and merged into spring, and everything ran smoothly at the Junction. The first of May was close at hand, and Fred had been just one year in the employ of the Eastern Railroad Co. when _ something happened. Fred got a hint of coming advancement through Edith’s last letter. She couldn’t tell him exactly what was on the tapis, but she had heard her father tell her mother that certain changes about to be put into force by the company would enable him to advance Fred SF ge to a more responsible job than he now held. : “Rather says you have shown yourself-to b a boy ite thousand,” the letter concluded, “and that he Will be much surprised if you don’t rise to become the general superintendent of the road some day. If you only guessed how happy it made me to hear him say that. With my watch- word ever before you, you are slowly bringing the gulf that you said les between something you - “wish for very much, aren’t you—dear? Mamma has noticed that I have a very regylar corre- - “spondent at Cresson Junction, and as ‘she knows - you are the station agent there of course ‘she naturally draws her own conclusions. ; have told papa, for the other night he took me on his lap, and drawing my head on his shoulder, asked me who it was I was so interested in at Cresson Junction. Just as if he didn’t know! What do you suppose I said? ‘The bravest and best boy in all the-world, papa—the boy who risk- ed his life to save mine.’ Papa smiled and*said _ J should have added ‘the smartest boy,’ as well. at y am. sure he thinks a great deal of you, and ~ means to help you all he can, but it is-up to you, dear, to cross the gulf; and you will do it, I know. Then you'll find ‘somebody’s sweetheart’ a She must. 19 oa waiting with outstretched arms for the dearest, the bravest, the best and the smartest (under- quest? boy in all the world. Lovingly, your own Itn. : - os CHAPTER XIV.—In Which Fred Is Made Acting Superintendent of the Lakeview ° se Branch, One morning a dapper little man, with a curt, businesslike air, dropped off the Boston & Port- land east-bound express, which slowed up, but did not wholly stop at Cresson Junction. * - Fred was making out a way-bill for a carload of stuff that was about to be shipped to Boston, and was rather surprised to see a stranger march into his office with the assurance of one who had the right to do so. “Well, sir?” asked the re eo geen “You’re the station agent, I believe?” said the stranger, sharply. bag | am.” ; “Your name is Sparks?” ” “That’s right,” replied Fred, in some surprise. “Y’m traveling inspector of the road,” said the intruder, tossing a card on the shelf in front of. the ticket window where the boy was writing. Fred glanced at the card and then at the man, who now had a bundle of papers in his hands. He had heard of his gentleman, and knew that he was an important executive officer of the line. Hi - unceremonious entrance was therefore explained, and Fred wondered what business had brought him. to the Junction. 3 “There is to be a change at this station,” said the inspector, briskly. “A change!” ejaculated Fred. “Exactly. A new agent.” “Oh! And what about me?” “You’re shifted a peg higher.” inte “J do not quite understand,” replied Fred, rather bewildered by the short, crisp way in which the inspector imparted his news. . “Here are your official instructions,” said the company’s representative, handing Fred a bulky i envelope which bore the imprint of the superin- tendent’s office. ; It was addressed to “Frederick Sparks,Actin Superintendent, Lakeview Branch, Eastern Rail- road Co., Cresson Junction.” Fred’s eyes expand- ed to the size of small saucers. “What does this mean?” he gasped. “Plain enough, isn’t it? You’ve been promoted.” “But the Lakeview Branch hasn’t such a thing ‘ as-a superintendent,” protested Fred, who under other circumstances would have laughed at the idea of the sh line to the lake, which was _ scarcely more than a summer road, having an official to supervise its operations. He had done that since he came to the Junction, and had not found it a laborious or intricate addition to his regular work. One small train, hauling freight and a few passengers, came down the branch line every morning, Sundays excepted, and — That comprised the returned every afternoon.. whole of the traffic of the Lakeview Branch dur- ing the six months Fred had been in charge. | He knew that on the first of the month this 5 I service was to be doubled, as it was each year at — that time, when. the Navigation Company pu a
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ee second steamer in commission, and that during July and August extra passenger trains were put on to-accommodate the summer travel to and from the half a dozen big hotels in the neighbor- hood of Lakeview, but Harlow had told him that he had attended to all the business connected with the branch, though it crowded him pretty closely during the busy season. b ! “What does the envelope Saye replied the in- spector in answer to his remark. é : “Tt says ‘Acting Superintendent of Lakeview ' Branch,’ but——” } “That ought to be sufficient. New official.” -~ “Oh!” exclaimed Fred, beginning to understand that the position had just been created to meet - some new conditions in the business. “The situation along the branch is about to un- - dergo a change. You understand, of course, that -its sphere of usefulness enlarges about this time of the year?” : “Ves, sir.” ; “Very good. Hereafter the branch will become amore important part of the system. After this summer the steamers will go to Bunkport, where -_ they connect with the Eastern Division of the = deer gt Ne Oke , ; “No?” replied Fred. : No,” answered the inspector, emphatically. - “The company is about to continue the branch from Lakeview to Bunkport. Construction will begin immediately. When the line is fully_com- pleted it will be known as the Lakeview & Bunk- _ ‘port Branch, and you will take charge exclusively. Now you understand why a superintendent.” . “But,” said Fred, “I’ve only been a yearin the - company’s service. Isn’t my promotion to such _ an important past somewhat 2 _* “Unusual? Granted; but you have the confi- dence of the superintendent. He believes you to be-a young man Of unusual ability—one in a thousand, in fact, “The road is always on the lookout for evidence of special ability on the part of its employees and when it comes to the front it is recognized. Understand?” ; “} think I do.” _- “Buyther, you have the strongest kind of back- ing. The president——” : : “7 object to owing my advancement to influence, or, as it is called, a pull.” The inspector shrugged Be shoulders and looked ~ at the boy in a quizzical way. pore Don't talk nonsense, Sparks,” he said, sharply. “J may say in your case that merit goes hand in Hand with influence. The superintendent, looking over the persons available to fill the post of super- ~ Gntendent of the branch when it shall have been completed, put his finger on you as one familiar in a general way with. the working of the line to Lakeview. It has been under your charge since you came here. This office has been run- ning as smooth as silk under your charge. There js no complaint.. Naturally this shows that you, are a valuable man. Valuable mien are scarce. Tt was hardly necessary for the president to put “in a good word for you, but he feels a certain interest in you. I think you saved the life of his, only daughter. Naturally he is grateful. My advice to you is—don’t worry about pull. Take the good things of life as they come your way.’ ~ Talways do.” ” ; ‘red bowed, for the argument was against him. — “When does this change go into effect? = hee mi Axe ; ois Se ps ys for Fred’s. letter on A WIZARD FOR LUCK “On the first. Your office will be at the Junc- tion till further notice: The salary will be——” The inspector mentioned a very substantial in- crease over Fred’s present income. What won~ derful news he would have to communicate to Edith in his next«letter, unconscious that the girl of his heart already knew all about the mat- ter. The inspector took his leave and Fred saw him through the window making notes with a - view to certain needed improvements. That af- ternoon he went to Lakeview to make further ob- servations, and from'there he went on to Bunk- port. Unknown to the young station agent the extension from Lakeview to Bunkport had already been surveyed and the right of way secured. Two nights later a construction train, loaded with men and material, reached the Junction and was switched on to the branch. Next day ground was - broken south of Lakeview, and after that there was. activity in that direction. On the morning of the first of May an early local dropped the new station agent at the Junction. His name was Frank Jones. He was a young man of twenty-two, and Fred took an immediate liking to him, which feeling was reciprocated. Fred’s instructions required him to exercise a general supervision over the Junction. He had to attend to freight collections and other outside business. His duties would take him to Lake-- view, where the present- agent was a woman operator who lived in the*building, and ultimately to Bunkport when the road was in operation at that point. Fred easily saw that when the branch connected the main line and the eastern division of the road it weld develop into quite an im- — portant part of the system, and he felt a pardon- — -able pride in the reflection that he would be at” the head of its affairs. It wasa big step forward for a lad of his years, and put him in direct line ~ for the position of a division patie aie Whed=e ae made his first trip to Lakeview the day after the new agent got ‘into harness.. Mrs. Somers, the ~~ lady agent, was expecting to make his acquaint- : ance, but she hardly anticipated seeing one so - young holding a position that on completion of 4: the branch to Bunkport would be virtually that © of a small division superintendent. However, she # could not help taking a great liking to the bright, a cheerful-looking boy, who addressed her as polite- ly as he might a duchess. He -went.over the busi- — ness of the station, as it was and. would be later — on when the summer travel set in. The assistant engineer in-charge of the extension construction % invited him to po over the new track as far as» * it had been completed, and he remained some time watching the work under way. When he got back — to the Junction he found a letter from Edith ~ awaiting him. Her letters, as a matter of course, — were the chief pleasure of his life, and he read ; them over almost as many times as the young lady herself ‘read his. The letter was addressed: “Frederick Sparks, Esq., Acting Supt. Lakeview __ Branch, Eastern R. R. Co., Cresson Junction,” and the superscription looked vee important indeed — in the eyes of the new official. As usual it con- tained several pages of closely-written manu- script, and the wonder was what Edith could find to cover so much good paper with, especially as the young people now exchanged confidences regu larly once every week. The girl always. looked: e acertain day, and if it didn’
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a come until the next her mother always could tell by the expression on her face. One week she almost had a fit because, owing to some reason, the expected epistle was three days late. If Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth had hoped _ that the transfer of Fred from Boston to Cresson Junction would break up the growing attachment between their daughter and the bright boy whose sole capital was energy, ambition and genuine capacity for w@rk of a high order, they were disappointed. is quite possible that, with all their gratitude toward the boy, and their personal liking for him, they hardly considered him.as a suitable match for their only and much-loved child, whose social standing was among the high- est in the Hub. y It may be suspected that when Mrs. Wentworth observed the steady correspondence that ensued between the young people’she had a serious talk with Edith on the subject; but that young lady exercised a despotic sway over her parents, and she had many arguments to advance in Fred’s “behalf, the chief and most unanswerable of which was that but for her admirer she would probably be under the green turf of the family cemetery plot, instead of continuing as she was the light and sunshine of her home. At any rate, she was accustomed to having her own way, and as she was fully convinced that she and Fred were made for each other, she was determined tthat the dear ‘boy should have a fighting chance to win her. CHAPTER xXV.—A Wizard. for Luck. Before reading Edith’s letter, which. he awas ' very impatient to do, Fred picked up an official envelope addressed to himself which had come _ down on the same train from the superintendent’s: office. Tearing the end open the took out the con- tents and read them. They were fuller and more ‘explicit instfuctions relative to the conduct of the Lakeview Branch. It was evident that the com- pany regarded. the short line now as something. more important than a mere summer road. Fred, as he read the superintendent’s matter-of-fact let- ter, began to realize in full the growing respon- sibilities that rested on his young and compara- A WIZARD FOR LUCK tively inexperienced shoulders. The company an- - ticipated no failure on his part, and the boy be- ee gan to wonder if he could continue to give the ‘satisfaciton he had done in the past. When he fad the letter down there was a different expres- sion on his face than had ever rested there be- ‘fore. He felt as if years had passed over his head. He was no longer a comparatively eare-free lad, to whom the duties of station agent had seem- ed like second nature, but a man with a weight his brain. a ee, 3 mM ndith noticed the change in his. answer to her letter. The eyes of love are quick to perceive the slightest alteration in that subtile essence that, heart. As far as words went there was no change in Fred’s usual style, but the girl missed some- ing, and she began to ask herself what it was. wee simply that the boy had ceased to be a pboy—a fact she could not understand. May. and -June passed and the third of July, an unusually hot day, was at hand. «The Lakeview Branch was in full swing, with two passenger trains running Ae Pa By each way daily, and a freight at night. Fred had his hands tolerably full of business as things were, with a lively anticipation of what would be in store for him when the extension was finish- ed to Bunkport. So far he had made good right up to the notch. Everything was running as smoothly as a well regulated machine. Fred, in consequence, was feelingwlike a fighting-cock. No word of commendation from headquarters. He hardly expected that. It was sufficient to know that nothing of the reverse order had come to hand. But he was not left with- out words of praise and encouragement for all that, These came in Edith’s letters, Her. father had evidently kept himself well informed about the progress of the acting superintendent of the Lakeview Branch, and he had once in a while mentioned Fred to his daughter in a compli- mentary way that made the girl’s heart glad. , And Edith had reported her father’s words -to her young lover. Edith and her mother were to leave Boston on July 3-for their summer outing. In her last letter, received by Fred that morning, she had stated that fact, but in a seemingly un- accountable way -had neglected to give a hint as to their destination, therefore he could not answer her letter, which he always did at once, until he © heard from her again. It wasn’t like the girl to neglect such an essential particular, and Fred was surprised and disappointed that the omission existed. E “Oh, well,” he thought, “in a hurry of packing and getting ready to be off len she gets to her hotel wherever they are bound for es P= she forgot it; When — @ d reached him officially Pi . ” 7 * she’ll be looking for the letter that will not come _ a al she won't give a scolding in her next.’’ That’s heart. “Yours lovingly, Edith,” the way Fred excused his little sweet- He looked wistfully at the eiptangens ‘ and wondered when he would have the pleasure of seeing her.. It was fae nine months since he parted from her on Wash- ington Street that afternoon when he left Boston to take charge of the. station at Cresson Junction, and a whole lot had happened since then.. He wohdered, if she could see him now, would she notice any difference in him. He certainly felt — like a different boy—or was he a boy an longer? He looked in the little looking-glass t¢ near his elbow close to the ticket, rack to con- vince himself that he looked the same as usual. The hot afternoon sunshine, shining through: the. at hung © * pals P open window in front of the telegraph apparatus, flushed his smooth face. He could not see any ‘change in his customary appearance. “No, outwardly I’m the same ol there’s a change, just the same.” = ne At that moment the shrill whistle at the clock — to assure himself that that was the Boston and . Portland Express which now stopped at the Junc- like a wireless telegraph, flows from heart to ~ tion to accommodate the summer travel up the branch. Fred knew that there would be a mob for Lakeview that afternoon, for the next day was the Fourth. The hotels had been filling up rapidly during the week, but a large of their patrons came to Lakeyiew by t astern Division, and took the steamer up the lake at way of Cresson — Bunkport. The rest ‘came b es Junction. Fred went out on the platform as the ponderous engine swept ee pc ek ee and trailing behind it follows express oy. proportion — he Qa d Fred;—but— Ht x 3 3
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- ¢one be but himself. _mer,” she said. and baggage cars, the smoker, day coaches, and drawing-room cars. Frank Jones, the agent, came * out behind him, “President Wentworth’s private car is attached to this train,” he said. ‘It'll be dropped here, and I’ve received orders to see that it’s hooked on to the Lakeview train w leaves in ten minutes.” “What!” almost sh d Fred. “The president’s car, and it’s going to Lakeview?” The thought flashed across his mind—could that be the destination of Edith and her mother, and the girl hadn’t even hinted the fact to him? He stared at Jones, who was pushing his way down the platform through the streams of alight- ing passengérs bound for Lakeview. Why hadn’t Edith told him? Didn’t she know that it offered her. a chance to see him again? Of course she couldn’t help knowing it, then why——_ -But perhaps, after all, Edith and her mother were not aboard of the car. Perhaps Mr. Went- worth had loaned the car to a party of his friends, Well, he would go and see who were on the car. It was his duty as well as the agent’s to see that _ the car was attached to the Lakeview train. As he passed jdown he platform he saw a vision of loveliness, in white attire, pending on the front platform of the private car. His heart began to beat faster, for he was willing to swear-that was Edith. He hurried his steps, for he saw she was looking for someone, and who ought that some- In another moment she singled him out and began waving her handker- chief at him. He wanted to break into a run, but he felt that would be an undignified proceed- ing on the eee of the acting superintendent of the ran Lakeview ch, so he walked forward as fast as he could. “Fred, you dear, dear boy,” she cried, as he spr up the steps and caught her by the hand. sees th, this is a great surprise to me. You '? nev “Told you? I wanted to surprise you,” she cried, with flushed face and dancing eyes. “Well, you’ve done it, all right. How well you look,” he said; looking at her with mingled admi- ration and love. - ' “Do I? And you—you haven’t changed a bit, except you look manlier and handsomer than- ever,” she added, demurely, : “Come inside and see mamma,” said Edith, stepping toward the door. Mrs. Wentworth greet- ed Fred very kindly. - €We are going to Lakeview to spend the sum- “Edith wouldn’t listen to any other place, so I had to agree.” 4 “Why. Lakeview, Edith?” asked Fred, mis- chievously. ynge? : ; “Can’t you guess?” she said, with a smile and a blush Fred thought he could, but he didn’t say so. The Lakeview train now backed down the track and . the private car was coupled on. ‘ ‘All aboard!” sang out the conductor. “That means I’ve got to drop out,” said Fred, extending his hand first to Mrs. Wentworth and : then to the girl. _ _ *Isn’t it a shame!” cried Edith. “But you'll : be up to-morrow, won’t you? We’re going to stop ce ‘Lakeview. ; Remember, Vl jak for you.”, e up in the afternoon, and I gues fh eta sith < Soe SSeS s I can A WIZARD FOR LUCK e manage to stop over,” he said as the train began to move. “Good-by till then.” ; He jumped off and watched the flutter of a handkerchief as long as he could seeit. He kept his word, and e¢alled at the Lakeview Hotel at- five next day. He dined with Edith and her mother, and then he and the girl went out for a walk together to watch the ,fireworks. They had a great deal to say to @pch other which wouldn’t interest the reader, but which was ex- tremely interesting to ‘their two ‘selves. These tete-a-tetes were continued at frequent intervals all through the summer nights, and when the first of September came around, and Edith had to re- _ turn to Boston, they parted with mutual regret. Their last night together both remembered a long time. : “You know I love you, Edith, and I know you love me, isn’t it so?” he asked. “Yes,” she answered, peg “Then why deny me one kiss at parting?” hé asked, wistfully. “Because the gulf is not! yet spanned, dear. When you go to papa and mamma and ask them for me, and they give their consent, then I will x “be wholly yours, and you may kiss me; but until then you must be patient, for though my heart is yours my hand is yet to be won. It is up to . you to win it.” On his twenty-first birthday Fred was put in charge of the Eastern Division of the road, and a year later was transferred to the Portland Division of the main line. After nine months’ service he was shifted to the Boston Division, with an office in the depot building where he had first begun his career of set eoaing fa the Claim Department. These shifts had all been made for a purpose, and at the instigation of President Wentworth. It was to) make him familiar. with the whole system, for Mr. Wentworth, having weighed him in the balance and found him full weight, determined he should eventually succeed Mr. Lamport as general superintendent of the road. It was not expected that he would attain. this office for some years, but here Fred’s luck | came in play—Mr. Lamport was found dead in his office one afternoon, a victim of heart failure, and thus at the age of twenty-five Fred Sparks be- came virtual head of the Eastern Railroad. Then he went to Mr. Wentworth and asked him for Edith’s hand. Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth had fong accepted this as a foregone conclusion, an so the answer was favorable. Then Edith plac her hand in his and said: “The gulf is spanned at last, and I am yours. Now you may kiss me.” “ : And thus Fred .won both fame and fortune— fame as the best superintendent the Hastern road ever had, and fortune with Edith, for she was an heiress to a million. When their marriage’ was noted at-length in the Boston papers the clerks of the Claim Department who had known! _ him as a fellow worker said with one accord that Fred Sparks was certainly “A Wizard for Luck.” Next week’s issue will contain “A FORTUNE. = AT STAKE; or, A WALL. STREET MESSEN- _ GER’S DEAL.” cae
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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY HARRY THE HALF-BACK OR ; A FOOTBALLIST FOR FAIR _ By GASTON GARNE (A Serial Story.) CHAPTER IV. ok Silkwell Gets Thrashed. “Don’t be too confident,” warned Pessiman ; ' 66 all know what Silkwell is capable of doing, and we don’t know what Winslow can do.” : “He can do Silkwell, that’s what he can do,” grinned Opper. = “He'll skin Silkwell, I'll wager much, And when the thing is through Our friend Silkwell will need a crutch. x Will be beaten black and blue.” ? “T hope there is more truth than poetry in that,” said Curly Carwell. BS ip “Tf there isn’t, then I pity Winslow,” drawled - Pessiman: z The youths laughed, all save Opper, who shook “his head and said with mock anger: : . "You’re jealous, that’s what’s the matter with “you, Percy. You don’t like me because I’m a : enius.” ~ go-called because all the difficulties that require adjudication by force of physical prowess were - gettled here. It was an open space in the midst of a clump of trees. There was considerable un- dergrowth, which made it impossible for any per- sons in the open space to be seen by any one in the college buildings or on the campus. : _ “Here we are,” said Silkwell. .And then, with ‘a vicious look at Winslow, he went on: “Get ready to take the thrashing of your life.” ~ €You might get yourself into a receptive mood, Silkwell,” was the cool reply. : : “Bah!” sneered Perey, with a snap of his fin- ee hen he proceeded to doff his coat and vest and his. sleeves. . = ea tear did the same, and when the two stripped arid ready for the encounter it was seen that Silkwell was inferior in physical develop- t to Winslow. k oy ar truth, Harry was as finely-built a fellow as any of those present had ever seen. Parker, the coach, was delighted. His eyes fairly snapped with pleasure. -« ~ “Say,” he pela sey ae Westley, fectly developed, old man. : Peon ave rest; he looks to be larger, now that he has his coat and vest off, than he looked ae i ary ee a o he does. Pie : peiet® this thing perfect,” said Silkwell, with Bar cree eee cibmed’to such affairs; “Wil- oki air of being accus you, Winslow?” cf RATS 5 gee eee Tee 3 ot * “that fellow is s will second me; who do you want to second The party had now reached the field of seper, _saw to that. 23: “Walter, will you act for me?” he asked. “With pleasure,” said Denman. Though I am not very well up in such matters.” - “Oh, you won’t have anything in particular to , “Who will act as referee?” asked Silkwell.. “JT will,” said. Parker. “All right; that is satisfactory to me,” with an inquiring glance at Winslow. ; “And to me,” that youth said, quietly. “Now. for the timekeeper,” said Silkwell. “Gene,” to Small, “you hol The youth nedded and drew a gold watch from his pocket. s ; “Tl keep time for you, Winslow,” said West- ey. “Very well, and thank you,” said Harry, with — a pleasant smile. %: SiS we These pre eces having been settled, they were ready for business. * * : They stepped out and faced each other, Surronding them, but at a sufficient distance to allow them plenty of room in which to man- euver, were at least a score of students. On Silkwell’s face was a confident, arrogant smile. It was ag that he thought he would easily dispose of his antagonist. The spectators were not so sure of this, how- ever, even though they were aware that Percy was a fine boxer. There was an air of quiet con- fidence of power about Winslow in’ his whole bearing that made the boys feel sure that he would at least give a good account of himself. - Those who knew that Denman was an old ac- quaintance of Winslow’s, had known him many ears, in fact, looked at Denman and noted that the watch for me.’’. e was smiling and confident in appearance, and — this, too, made them: feel certain that Winslow would best efforts. t “Are you ready?’ queried the referee. “Ready,” replied both in unison. “Shake hands.” Harry held out his hand, but Silkwell refused to take it, ceo his head disdainfully. ; “Oh, very well,” said Winslow, coldly. And there was a look in his eyes as they met those of Silkwell and an intonation to his voice that struck a chill to Percy’s heart. rove to be a foeman worthy of Silkwell’s The knowledge of this made him very gngry- “Look out for yourself!’”’ he hissed. “T always do,” was the cool reply. Instantly Percy began the attack. He was an expert sparrer, and he at once be- gan with a lot of fancy work, feints ‘and passes, : which were calculated to confuse his antagonist. With: a calm face and cool, half-sarcastic smile — Harry Winslow met the other’s attack. He paid no attention to the feints, parried the blows with — ease and quickly showed all that he knew some- thing about the boxing game himself. ; There was perhaps a half minute of this kind of work, and then, finding that he could not dis- concert or dazzle his opponent, Perey began a real attack. He began striking out straight from the shoul- — der, rapidly and with great force and fierceness. — Had any of the blows taken egect, they would — round, uncon- have stretched Winslow upon the I scious. « But they did not take effect, W He moved about. auicklv a ivde
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| wwell’s three cronies were silent. aos, tack on Winslow. 24 the ce and ease of a dancing master, and he “pte some of the blows, dodged others and ucked and evaded still others, doing it all so easily and so skillfully that murmurs of admira- tion -went up from the spectators. “FHe’s all right,’ murmured Curly Carwell. “Yes, and he’ll thrash Silkwell sure,” said Jimmy Opper. * oat There were others who were beginning to be of the same opinion. : __ Even Silkwell’s cronies began to look troubled. They had seen Percy take pa ia a number of affairs of this kind and had never seen any one stand him off as this young fellow was doing. “But our man is on the defensive,” murmured Pessiman to Opper, in response to the other’s statement that Winslow would thrash Silkwell; “and a defensive fighter rarely wins, you know. To win one must take the offensive.” _ “Well, that’s what Winslow will do pretty soon. You'll see. He’s just playing with Percy, letting him. tire himself out. : Very soon it was proven that Jimmy was right. Silkwell grew tired and ceased attacking, at the same time stepping back a couple of paces and dropping his hands. Doubtless he thought ‘his opponent would wait till he was ready to renew the attack, and if such was his thought, Winslow’s action must _have come as a great shock to him, for suddenly Harry began attacking in his turn. He seemed to be as fresh as when he began, while Silkwell was very tired, almost exhausted, in fact, and the result was that in a very few moments Winslow managed to deal his antagonist a blow fair between the eyes, knocking him down as though he had been struck by a sledge-ham- ‘mer, x _ All stared in amazement for a. few moments, and then exclamations escaped the lips of the students. . “What did I tell you!” this from Jimmy Op- ‘per. “Oh, I knew that our man would lick him! Pfett jt in. my bones!” “Remember, the fight isn’t over yet,” warned essiman. : “Oh, go along, old darkside-gazer,” laughed Opper. : = “J ouess Percy has met his match at last. “Tt looks that way.” - “And I’m glad of it.” © . “And I!” ; ? _ Such were a few of the exclamations, but Silk- They could not say 4 word. ; Wilkins knelt beside his principal and inquired - how he felt, and asked if he could help him in any way. Noe Tm all right,” eried Silkwell, and then~he scrambled to his feet and made a desperate at- FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY poe thing for Wrightmore College,” said Par- er. “That fellow has been trying to run the school, and now he will have to take a back seat and behave himself.” “Being unable to prove himself to be the Bell cow, he ‘will have to fall in behind,” said Curly Carwell. ater “Bell calf, you mean,” chuckled Opper. “This ends the day of Silkwell’s reign; e’s down and ne’er will come up again.” Leaving Silkwell’s cronies to look after their beaten principal, Winslow, Parker, Denman and rs “eet went back to the reading-room to talk CHAPTER V. A Touchdown By Harry, The Halfback. At three o’clock that afternoon the football squad was on the field ready for practice. : There was a great crowd out to see the practice for the word had gone around that a new man: was to be tried at right halfback. The story of Harry Winslow’s encounter with Percy Silkwell had been told and retold, and all ‘were eager to see how the new man would show up in practice. = Silkwell and his three cronies were present, in a little group by themselves. They were so eager to see how the new student would play that they came out, even though they felt humbled because — of the thrashing that their leader had received. Many were the remarks and smiling! glances that were directed toward the four, and they could not help seeing and understanding; but, while it was very galling, they did their best to pretend that they did not see or hear. Captain Wesley got his men out ready for work, and when Harry Winslow appeared and took his position at right halfback, Jimmy. Opper eried out loudly: ‘ “Three cheers for Harry, the Halfback!” The cheers were given will a will, for the ma- jority of the students were so glad that Winslow ad thrashed Percy Silkwell that they were more than willing to cheer him. » Winslow Wlushed slightly, but did not let on that he realized the cheering was for him. He was a modest fellow, and was really embar- rassed, where many, a youth would have swelled - up and become chesty. The scrub eleven lined up rach the first team and after some preliminary talk by the coach the ball was P ei in position and the scrub center kicked off. g Away sailed the sphere, and “after it dashed - the members of the serub. Ha: forward on the run. Two of the scrubs intercepted him and tried — right in his way, while the — to down him. One got r other essayed a flying tackle. : Harry leaped high in the air and to one side, going high above the groping hands of the scrub who dived at his ankles, and at the same time evading the other. one. Ee Segee “7 oer (To be continued) ae , the Halfback, caught the ball and leaped ~ ese ad eel eee Oa Oe ot ae
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FAME AND FORTUNE. WEEKLY ~ GOOD READING 25 SEA GULL ANNOYS GOLFER Walmer and Kingsdown golf links was the scene the other day of an extraordinary incident, _ in which a golf ball and a sea gull were con- cerned. The member who saw the incident thus describes what took place in “The London News”; “After driving a ball from the fifth tee, I saw - ‘a sea gull follow the ball and take it in its mouth and come slowly toward me with it. In the mean- _ time, I was walking to the spot and when near the gull I thought that perhaps the bird could , not release the ball and was in distfess. “To my surprise the bird dropped the ball and tantalized me by cmepeearn | picking it up again _ in his beak. I tried to catch it, but the sea gull would not allow me te get within arm’s length. “T sat down on the grass, while the bird re- mained still, a feW feet away, intently watching me, but absolutely fearless. “For several minutes we gazed at each other. Then the bird released the ball and I picked it up ~ and walked away, the bird watching me the while. : : “A greenkeeper who saw the incident said he had never seen anything so extraordinary.” = Tt was only a few days ago a sea gull perched for half an hour on the head of an angler as he sat fishing from a boat off Kingsdown. WASHINGTON’S EGGS YIELD STATE 7 MILLION YEARLY From an egg importing state in 1909 Washing- - ton has become in the last sixteen Years an an- nual seller of eggs to the extent of $7,300,000 and _ of chickens valued at $2,000,000, writes William -* HH. Curry in “The Seattle Daily Times.” ; From nothing Washington’s export egg market has been built up since the year of the Alaska- Yukon-Pacific Exposition until the product of the _ state’s hens are found in the markets of the At- ’ Jantie seaboard, South America, Asia and the _ Hawaiian. Islands. More than 175,000,000 Washington eggs go _. from home and bring a premium of 5 cents a dozen in foreign stalls. The industry has assumed to-day vast propor- - tions, utilizing many thousands of acres of other- wise unproductive stump,land, marketing through ‘a co-operative organization and opera ing four mills for grinding foodstuffs. .. In 1909 Washington was importing eggs by the earload ftom Nebraska, Minnesota and Califor- nia. Sixteen years ago it was almost impossible to interest an,experienced poultryman to the point . - of venturing into wholesale egg production in this ‘state. Western Washington was too@et. Eastern ~ Washington was too hot. On both sides’ of the ~ Caseades the price of chicken feed_was too high. Few, if any, acres were exclusively devoted to poultry. The total investment in the industry as such Was negligible. Eggs and chickens, if pro- duced at all, were mere agricultural sidelines. To-day $70,000,000 is invested in. the poultry industry—fowls, lands, houses, mills, depots and warehouses. The state receipts in 1925 for eggs alone, based on sales for the first six months and on future contracts, will be $7,300,000, and $2,000,- ' re ay - i) tht tri teed SiS yee se ye SEL ally ata My Sites a Sa 000 for marketed chickens. Seven thousand farmers “are producing eggs and poultry on a commercial scale. ~ SIAM’S FIGHTING FISH DON ‘WAR PAINT’ Among new arrivals in the aquarium at the Regent’s Park Gardens in London are a number aA of fighting fish from Siam, says “The London 4 ~ Post.” These tiny warriors are extremely inter- esting, not only from their own warlike’ habits, but from the fact that the Siamese still hold prop- erly organized contests with them, under fixed and strictly drawn up rules, in very much the same way as cock fighting was formerly con- ducted in England. ; Years ago, before slav@ry was abolished in Siam, they even went further than one -would think any such “sport” could possibly be worth; for sometimes the liberty of a whole family might depend upon the hazardous result of one of these’ | fish battles. Very heavy odds were often laid on the prowess of a favorite fish; and after losing all his fortune, a gambler would not hesitate to stake his children, one after the other, until, per- haps, it might happen that his unfortunate off- spring were all sold into slavery before the day was out. , The fish are scarcely more than a-couple of — inches in length and usually, when not in fighting ~!— trim, they are of a plain drab-gray. But when two males meet to do battle for ein mates, then they put on their full war paint, and their bodies glow with brilliant shades of crimson, gold, green, orange and violet. They rush at each other with fury, and when the victor has finally overcome his enemy, his Joseph’s coat of many colors be- comes more dazzling still as he passes up -and down with the arrogant air of a conqueror. The vanquished warrior, on the other hand, even if not badly wounded, quickly loses all his war. Th and finally slinks away in the. dingiest garb. : . In the organized games, no defeatéd fish is ever permitted to.fight again. Sometimes the fighting fish may be seen in their painbox garb when no: fighting is in corttemplation;\for they are some- . what chameleon-like in disposition, though they - take their coloring not from their surroundings but from their mood. Their is one particular pretty member of this interesting family in the aquarium which always glows with a foe shade of deep cerise or crimson-lake. When about to_- rush upon a foe, one can imagine his coloring must be superb indeed. = ~~ [ 2) 66 : ° . Moving Picture Stories” _ A Weekly Magazine Devoted to Photoplays ana Players PRICE TEN CENTS PER COPY Each number contains Three Stories of the Best Films on the Sereen—Hlegant Half-tone Scenes from the Plays —Interesting Articles About Prominent Peo, and Lessons in Scenario Writing. ma : __ HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. 166 West 23d Street _ ‘New York City ? le in the 4 Films—Doings of Actors and Actresses in ‘Studio
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26 66 St “Fame and Fortune Weekly” NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 20, 1925 TERMS TO SUBSCRIBERS MUN GIS 2O OWEN ga stile ips a group of people discovered the monkey lying ; ead on t he south footwalk of the bridge. ‘ CANDY HELPS ATHLETES - ‘Scientists have upset the dope of hard-hearted ‘trainers who rule candy off the diet of athletes, says Science. Dr. Burgess Gordon and several other physicians of Boston have found as a result- of experiments that marathon runners who have. lived on a generous carbohydrate diet during the the race not only come out ahead but are during t h better physical condition than those ‘training season and who eat candy before and Tl bet it’s got a lot of stuff showing’ how f doing.” Charlie—“I do that all right. Wh - morning 7m i FAME AND. FORTUNE WEEKLY eos > that those who were most exhausted showed very” low blood sugar, and others, less exhausted, showed a somewhat higher sugar. percentage. Some extreme cases even presented an appearance similar to that of shock produced in diabetic pa- tients by an overdose of insulin, a substance neces- sary to the proper disposal of sugar in the blood and which. diabetics lack. ; : Results of blood tests made accordingly, using ~ sugar rations during this year’s marathon, have* just been made public.. Runners were placed on high carbohydrate diets before the race, besides being given large doses twenty-four hours before and supplied. with candy and oversweetened tea at wayside stations. The blood tests after the race showed normal blood sugars in all cases in contrast to previous results. There was strik- * ing improvement in. general physical condition. atid running time was faster in many cases, ——04- ogee — Se se LAUGHS Mamma—Remember, Willie, this hurts mamma _ more than it does you. Willie—Yes—maybe, but it doesn’t leave blisters on you. “I wish, my dear, he had made his money in- — stead of inheriting it. He would make you a@ better husband.” “Nonsense, papa. Why, then he would know how to keep it.” Pe “So you claim to be a literary man, eh?” “Yes, sir; “I. wrote that book, ‘A Dozen Ways to Make a Living.’” “And yet you are begging!” “Yes, sir; that’s one of the ways.” : rie Mr. Slicer—I was reading the other day that — there are eight hundred ways of cooking pota-— toes. Mrs. Slicer—Yes. Mr. Slicer—Well, my = dear, don’t you-think that if you tried hard you ~~ could learn ore of them?” RS ‘fg this the Union Dime Savings Bank?” ; “Yes.” “Well, I want to know if a non-union man ean deposit in your bank.” : : . “Hear about the new poison?” Shoot.” “Areo- i plane poison.” “What the dickens is that?” “One drop and you’re dead.” . ate Teacher—If a bricklayer gets.four dollars for working eight hours a day, what would he get — if he be eee > ten hours a day?” Bright Pupil—_ He’d get a call-down from the union. : Daughter—Papa did not take the paper to the office with him this morning. Mother—He didn’t? © women can trim their own hats. ae ee Minister—“We, all of us, should do at least — two things every day that we heartily dislike ¥ hy every — I get out of bed and every night I go os to hed.”
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: : " _“ MeDaniel said y Georgia, his habitat, is making frie FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY Sos 27 \ CURRENT NEWS LARGEST TELESCOPE IN THE WORLD The Hooker telescope of the Mount Wilson ob- servatory, California, with a mirror 100 inches in diameter, is the Jargest telescope in the world. It has been announced a reflecting telescope, hav- ing an aperture of 10 feet and a focal length of 50 feet, is being constructed, and will be mounted in the Frye Observatory that is to be established in Seattle, Wash. WASP’S STING KILLS WOMAN Mrs.* Margaret Bottvill, a widow, seventy-five years old, died at Leicester, England, the other day as a result of-a wasp sting, says “The Lon- don News.” She was eating her dinner when she was stung under the tongue, and although a doctor was im- mediately fetched death ensued in less than an hour. Her tongne swelled to a great size and age lg partly due to suffocation and partly to shock. ; ANDIAN RELICS 1,300 YEARS OLD UNEARTHED Skeletons and relics dating 1,000 year's B. C. have been excavated from Indian ruins near Pur- ley, N. M., by Wesley Radfield of the School of American. Research and the New Mexico State Museum. Two oddly carved shell bracelets, representing coiled serpents, are among the specimens. Many ceremonial burial bones and skulls, as well as hundreds of earthern pots, have been unearthed. The bird and animal life of the time is pictured on the vases and pots. BULLBATS FEED ON BOOL WEEVILS The bullbat, hitherto held in light esteem in 8 amon the cotton planters because he feeds on the bol weevil. ~The Adel, Ga., correspondent of “The Tifton - (Ga.) Gazette,” reports this story: P “One of the members of the Farmers’ Union of Cook County,.F. T. McDaniel, said there were a large number of bullbats over his cotton field every afternoon and he believed they were eating boll weevils. So he killed one of the bullbats to Bee, ; : _ “Cutting open the craw of the bullbat Mr. ehiet aha he found ninety boll weevils, a fourth of which were still alive.” ae Y The Adel correspondent hereupon gives this “advice: “Don’t kill bullbats. Protect them. They are worth their weight in gold to the cotton _ farmer.” De TIFICIAL CATS| FOOL BIRDS IN 9 CALIFORNIA ess ‘ i Haw the inventive genius of Mrs. John Herbert ~ were literally stripped by. was sufficiently ripe to pick, was Tracy made it possible for her to harvest a bum- be ie crop from a large fig tree in the garden of her while the trees of others birds before the fruit learned recently Euclid Avenue home, ‘those of the glow worm an when neighbors less fortunate started an inquiry into how it was done. Sadly recalling past seasons when her luscious fruit was devoured by members of the feathered + tribe despite the use of scarecrows and other methods which proved equally ineffective, Mrs. Tracy determined to devise some scheme to ‘out- wit, the birds, and finally hit upon a happy plan. Instructing her ranch féreman to save her the skins of some rabbits, Mrs. Tracy directed their stuffing with, cotton batting and fashioning into “ the shape of cats. When completed and perched in.the branches at convenient intervals about the trees, the pseudo cats bore such a striking re- semblance to the original tabby that even the keenest-eyed sparrow was deceived, with the re- sult that not a fig on the Tracy tree was so much as bird pecked. - ISLAND OF PATMOS “The Isle that is called Patmos” is the account given by St. John of the place where he was when he reecived the Revelation. Patmos is a rugged . and bare island, one of the group known as the Sporades, standing in the Aegean’ Sea, between reece and Asia Minor, and in that part of the Aegean which is called the Icarion Sea. The island is divided into two nearly equal parts, a northern and a southern, by a very narrow isthmus, on the eastern side of which is the harbor and town. | Such a scene of banishment for St. John in the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian is quite in harmony with what we read of the custom of — the period. In the southern part of the island — is a hill, and crowning this carn eae height is the celebrated monastery which bears the name — of “St. John the Divine.” Half way up the ascent is the cave or grotto where tradition has it St. John received the Revelation. ; Z LONDON Z00’S LANTERN BEETLE 3 A most curious new arrival in the insect house in Regent’s Park, London, says “The London — Post,” is a lantern beetle from San Domingo. It is about an inch and a half in length and ‘is of a dark olive browny greenish color. It looks quite an ordinary everyday kind of beetle, but on bein disturbed a marvelous ee oceurs, whic makes it extremely beautiful. On the top of its. head two brilliant emerald green phosphorescent lights gradually appear, glowing and shining like jeweled lamps. : At first one thinks these shining lights are the insect’s eyes, which have suddenly become like fiery gems, but its black pinhead eyes are at the back of the glowing Jantern and there is nothing unusual about them. These surprising emerald lights are evidently Bars keer ai like fireflies; and itis supposed that the lantern beetle uses them when _ wandering abroad at might—for he is a nocturnal — insect—to scare off owls and other night-roaming __ creatures that might otherwise be inclined tu — make a meal of him, 7 epee ors :
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FROM ALL POINTS : ‘AN AGREEMENT E as Irishman was sitting in a station, smoking,, “when a@ woman came in, and sittng down beside him remarked: “Sir, if you were a gentleman’ you would not smoke here.” ‘Mum,’ he said, “Gf ye was’a lady ye’d sit farther away.” : Pretty soon the woman burst out again: “If you were my husband,” she said, “I’d give you poison.” “Well, Mum, ‘Sf ye wuz me wife, I’d oe ate? : - §PIDERS CATCH SMALL BIRDS In New Guinea and Australia are spiders with a2 leg spread of fully four inches that make nets so strong that small birds caught in them are held fast and helpless, says “The Golden Age.” _. The natives use them to catch fish that weigh up to a pound. Some of these nets are stretched - twelve to fifteen feet, with centers six feet high. - Plorida has an equally large spider that builds a golden yellow net of almost equal size. LOBSTER A battle with a giant sea lobster was one of the thrilling experiences of Herr Harmstorf the diver who accomplished the first wireless broadcasting from the bottom of the ocean. Listeners-in in Hamburg, 100 miles away; Bremen, Hanover and even in Berlin heard his account of this battle ~~ even while it was in progress, nimety feet below the surface of the North Sea. ie The diver related how a big lobster swam to- ~ ward him, and when he attempted to grab it the giant crustacean gave him battle with its great scissor-like claws, which. seized Harmstorf’s hand so forebly that he felt an excruciating pain in ~ spite of his thick rubber gloves. _. *The diver also described an eel which he watch- *. ed swallowing smaller fish. He saw’ swarms of fish, frightened, darting to and fro and looking _ like fiocks of swallows. FIREPROOF GAS TANK “An airplane gasoline tank which may be: com- pletely riddled by incendiary or explosive bullets without bursting into flames or even leaking, is the latest development in the aviation field which comes from Vienna, according to Science. The tank is the usual metal type, but a peculiar in- fully guarded se@ret with the inventor, probably “mobile tires to make them puncture-proof. : The inflammatory bullet, upon entering the * tank, is immediately enveloped with a coating of some sort of material that extinguishes the flame and at the same time prevents the phosphorous ‘coated bullet from leaving a deposit. In the test made by expert army witnesses, a series of twenty bullets were fired through the experimental tank, which was filled half with “gasoline and half with inflammable gas. The bullets were red in a series of one explosive, “one phosphorous and one solid, in rotation. After the twenty rounds had been fired, with no bad results, the tank was set in an airplane, which then made an hour’s flight, using only the ae line from - terior coating, the composition of which is acare- © 1367 “on. the order of the liquid gums placed in auto- | m1 the aban eee tank. “i FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY SECRET: SERVICE > Grand and Thrilling Detective Stories By OLD KING BRADY Price 10 Cents We can eee supply the following numbers of the above Weekly 1388 The Bradys and the Subway Mystery; or, Tracking a Gang. of Counterfeiters. 1339 “ and a White Band; or, The Sign of the Sil- . ver Cross. . 1340 “* me ok. Box No. il; or, Solving a Post-Oflice yster. 1341 “ and the Yellow Crooks; or, The Chase for the ~ Chinese Diamonds. 1342 “ Strangest Case; or, The Skeleton in the Well. 13438 “ and the School Boy; or, Het. Work on the Brandon Case. 1344 “ ae a poteee Check; or, Convicted by an nk 1345 “ Best Trick; or, The Clue in the Glass Jar, 1346 “ prs Crackemen ; or, A Desperezte Game for ons. 1347. ae Coal Mine; or, The Mystery of Shaft 1848 -“ and os ‘Voodoo Queen; or, A Dark Case from San Juan Hill. 1349“ and the the Boy Spy; or, Solving a Secret of Seven. 1350 “ and ‘the Missing Money; or, Shadowing a Sus- pected Man. 1351 Chinstown) Case; or, The Hidden Den of Pell ree: 1352 “ and the Double Daggers; or, The Secret Sign — of Vengeance. 1353 “ and “Ola. Breaklock”: or, Trapping a Desperate Crook. The price of the following numbers is 7 Cents ae “1354 “ On a Raid; or, Rounding Up the Cireus Fakire, 1305 “ and the Snake Charmer; or, The Search. a : the Hindoo Idol. 1356 “ After the Bronx Burgiars; or, Nabbing the Gas 5 F House Gang. ¥ 1357 -“* be as Dumb Boy; or, The Fate of Meseenger 1358 ‘* and the Blind Chinaman; or, The Wh of Mott Street. ie Siri, 1359“ Tracking a Skeleton Arm: or, The Clew in Epi 4 the Tree.. % 3 1360 “ aut Piss Factory Boy; or, The Mystery of the 1361 -** a the Poisoned Pen; or, Foiling a Desperate 1862 ‘* Chasing the Black Crook; or, Solving a Fifth” “ : Avenue Mystery. 1363 “ and the Banker’s Boy; or, The Kidnappers of Mulberry Bend. 1364 ‘* After the Gold Brick Man; or, Chasing a Gang — of Swindlers. 7 1365 ‘“ and the Diamond Heart; or. The Mystery of ; a Mommy. ~ $ 1366.“ Red Glove Glew; or, The Secret Band of Seven, — “ end the Man Next Door: or the Mystery Howse on High Street. rio 1368‘ ber in Chinatown; or, Tracking the Hip Sing +3 1369 “ And the Mad Barber; or, Solving A Singulan, Secret. C ip i, 1370“ Six ded Chase; or, Running Down a Clever ~— yo71. aud the Black Dwarf; dr, Working Up-a Poison lew. 4372.4 es Foe; ‘or, The Man With the Missing Pinger. 1878 “ and the Sneak Thieves; or, Running D ‘ » Red Hook Gang Be. put oo. 374 “ Working a “Blind”; or, The Secret ot the Sealed. Room. > . Any of the above numbers will ies mailed to aes ‘postage free, upon receipt of the price in money, oF — postage stamps. ret HARRY B. WOLFF, ‘PUBLISHER, INC., 166 West 28rd Street, oh
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THE ‘HAWAIIAN ‘ISLANDS. - According to an article printed in the National Geographic Mag- azine some months ago, “The Hawaiian Islands are the most -{solated inhabited islands in the ‘world, more than 2,000 miles from the nearest neigh- -bor, California.’ Because of their daring trips out to sea the people who_ occupied these islands be- fore the white man came, de- serve the name of ‘Vikings of the Pacific,” The is- landers went to sea in canoes hol- lowed out of single logs made by tools of hard - rock and_ hard ~lava. Some .of the canoes made on the _ islands were 70 feet in length and could carry fifty men. The giant goa _ trees from which they were made ‘were cut half way up the moun- tains, painfully and laboriously “ with stone axes, and then with Yropes made of vines, dragged ~ Sshoreward b y¥ hundreds with willing hands. It ig believed _ the * Polynesians, t* o _ which the Hawaii- ans belong, origi- - mated in India. Their voyages aeross the path- less seas rival n _ their. to 3,000 fd he Write to Riker & King Hast Madison Street, Chicago, for par AGENTS WANTED $2.00 AN HOUR for pleasant_ introductory work among local families. Pay starts im- mediately. Write American. Products Com- pany, 4258. American Bldg., Cincinnati, Ohio. VLE PROVE to you that you can make $96 a week taking orders for Jennings Guar- anteed. Hosiery. I furnish complete .equip- ment and offer vou an Essex Coach without cost. Write now. The Frank B. Jennings Co.. Dept. 1222, Dayton, Ohio. NEW WONDERFUL SELLER — Cost ‘10c, profit $1.40 monograming autos. Experi- ence unnecessary. Free samples. ‘Worcester Monograms, B134, Worcester, Mass. a SOE cee Ra SE BO COO CSTR ID EE AGENTS—_WRITE FOR FREE SAMPLES. Sell. Madison ‘Better-Made” shirts for large Manufacturer, direct to wearer. No capital, or experience required. Many earn £100. weekly and bonus. Madison Mfgrs., 503 Broadway, New York. NEW CAMERA takes and finishes photos in one minute. Make monev selling cam- eras, or taking ofos, Fixclusive territory. Crown Co.. Dept. 967, Norwalk, Conn. ABSOLUTELY no competition selling Val- Style millinery. Every woman buys. You make $25 to $150 a week. Write for Special Offer and Exclusive Territory. Val-Styls Hat Co., A81, Vai-Style Building, Cincinnati. 0. HELP WANTED DETECTIVES needed everywhere. Big pay, experience unnecessary, easily learned, 17 to 45, write Barl Wilcox, 1407 Lafayette Ave, SE, Grand Rapids. Mich. ; eg pt ey Lore SE FIREMEN, BRAKEMEN, BAGGAGEMEN, Sleeping car, train porters (colored) $140- $200. -Exnerience unnecessary. 238 Railway Bureau, Hast St. Louis, Tl. - eee mmnmene nee eT DETECTIVES NEEDED EVERYWHERE. Work home or travel. experience unneces- sary. Write George R. Wagner. former Govt. Detective, 1998 Broadway, N. Y. SILVERING Mirrors. French plate. Bastly learned: immense profits Plans free. Wear Mirror Works, Excelsior Springs, Mo. PERSONAL - ARE YOU LONESOME? Write Betty Lee, Inc., Box 820 City Hall Station, New York ‘City. Stamp appreciated. | HUNDREDS seeking marriage. If sincere enclose stamp. Mrs. F. Willard, 2928 Broadway, Chicago, Ulinola, / J OLD MONEY WANTED | Do you know that Coin Collectors pay up to $100.00 for certain U. S. Cents? And high | premiums for all rare coins? We buy. all kinds. Send 4c for Large Coin Folder. May mean much profit to you. — oe LITTLE ADS Advertising Offices, 530 Broadway, New York City, or. 29 troulars - NUMISMATIC CO.. Dept. 436 Ft. Worth, Tex. x about advertising in this magaazina LONELY HEARTS—1I have a sweetheart for you. Exchange letters: inake new friends, £fficient, confidential and dignified service. Members everywhere. Eva Moore, Box 908, Jacksonville. Florida. NOTICE—Attractive Young Lady worth $25,- 000-00 “wil marry. Club, B-1022, Wichita, Kansas. MARRY IF LONELY “Home Maker’: hun-~ dreds rich; reliable, years experience; de- — scriptions free. The Successful Club, Box — 556. Oakland, California. MARRIAGE PAPER—20th year. Big issue with descriptions. photos, nameg and ad-. dresses. 25 cents. No other fee. Sent sealed, Box 2265, R, Boston, Mass. MARRY—Free photographs, directory and | descriptions of wealthy members. Pay when married. New Plan C€o.,/ Dept. 36, Kansaa- City, Mo. F J PRETTY GIRLIE, wealthy, but oh so lone some. League, Box 39, Oxford, Wha. ; —— MARRY—MARRIAGE | DIRECTORY with photos and dek&criptions* free. Pay when nee The Exchange, Dept. 545, Kansas y, Mo. © : : MARRY —Write for big new directery with - photos and descriptions, Free. National Agency, Dept. A, 4606, Sta. E.. Kansas City, Mo. - 5 ’ . : or CHARMING YOUNG WIDOW worth | 000.00, lonely, will marry. (Eva) B-1022, Wichita, Kansas. GET A SWEETHEART. Exchanee letters. Write me enclosing stamp. Violet Ray, Dennison, Ohio. : eS MARRY—Lonely Hearts, join our club. we have a companion for you, many worth from $5.000 to introductions free.. Send no money. ard Cor. Club, Graysiake, Ill. PRETTY GIRLIE, wealthy, but oh #0 lone- some. League, Box 38, Oxf. sh ord, SWEETHEARTS for everybody. Stamped — -envelopes *for proposal. The Lily Club, Station H. Cleveland, Ohio. at Stand- Se ee CHARMING YOUNG WIDOW worth 538,- .90, lonely, wills marry. : Wichita, Kansas. SONGWRITERS . SEND TODAY for free copy Writer's Di-_ Pt aed ei howe to write and sell ee es, otaplays, poems, songs. Writer's Digest, G-22, BH. 12th St., Cincinnat: = TOBACCO HABIT Tobaceo or Snuff Habit eured or no pay. — 31.00 if cured. Remedy. sent on trial. Superba Co., “PC.,. Baltimore, Md. y yer eaig BOYS GIRL We wi 50 sets of ees, Seals. Eas $80,000. Descriptions, photoes, (Eva) B-10%3, ~ 4
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) = 30 HERE AND SQUARE HOLES ARE CUT WITH NEW DRILLING TOOL f One more pas of the carpenter has been “~ solved, it is c aimed, with the invention of an in- erg tool that drills square holes. Two screws asten the box-shaped tool head to the place where the hole is wanted. A brace then is at- tached and the drilling started. The clean-cut hole measures 3% inches by 2% inches. _ DISTRESS CODE FOR HUNTERS A sportsman and big-game hunter, J. Allen Barrett, of Lykens, Pa., has just poprighted a unique idea for a national code of distress sig- nals for persons who may be lost, injured or in need of assistance while traveling or hunting in “sparsely settled regions. 2" Revolver shots should be used for the signals, but the victim should shout, call or whistle them. The chief requisite would be to have’ the code widely understood. . The'code follows: To signify “lost,” two shots quick; wait; one shot. “Injured,” three shots quick; wait; one shot. “Sick,” four shots quick; wait; one shot. “Help,” two shots quick; wait; two shots. Res- cuers answer, using the same number of shots, # bent a reverse order. Three shots; wait; two shots g: ae : 3 RUSSIANS WORK HARDER, PAID LESS That the average Russian workman is doing _ more toil, working longer hours and getting less _- pay than before the rule of the Soviet, is de- clared by M. Michelson, a British subject recen- ly returned from Moscow. “If the British work- man sAw what the man in Russia has to con- . tend with, it would cure him of Communism and Bolsheyvistic ideas.’ Under Soviet rule the Rus- sian workman’ is just able to exist. “Tea and bread form the cae diet of the worker. Meat is such a rarity that if the wor- er gets it once a week he is lucky.” Michelson said the majority of the peasants were anti- -. Bolshevist, and that they are very bitter. “Taxes -- eat up whatever was promised them,” he con- , 7, > cludes. SOME HIKER! a Miss Nell A. Walker walked into Times Square : the other day after two years of hiking across the -/ eontinent by way of Mexico City and Nova Scotia, With the slogan “Walking to All the Capitals of the World’ on her knapsack, she announced her intention of encircling the globe in two years more by way of Europe, the Mediteranean coun- tries and the Orient, returning to California. — A twenty-pound kit,a camera.and a portfolia, containing letters from almost every Governor in the country and: from leading statesmen in Mexico, Cuba and Canada comprise her equip- ment. oe ; : 5 Miss Walker plans: to accumulate a collection of pictures and anecdotes for publication. Trans- -eontinental walking is better than a college edu- cation, she says. Pees ai chr Pr ae ie = ci ae oh sth we, . “ + 9 ies OS Nt af FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY THERE Two years ago Miss Walker left Los Angeles hiked to Mexico City and returned to the United States through Texas and the Colorado Rockies to Canada. She visited the chief cities of Can- ada and went up to Nova Scotia, where she touch- ed on the most northerly and easterly points of the North American Continent. : Miss Walker displayed letters from former Sec-. retary of State Hughes, Secretary Mellon and Senator Hiram Johnson. She had not succeeded in shaking hands with President Coolidge, Miss ~ Walker said, but hoped to some day. In the course of her hike Miss Walker said she heard much about Governor Al Smith, whom she hopes to meet soon, to complete her feat of seeing every Governor in the United States. She showed a™ letter in Spanish from President Zayas of Cuba ' wishing her good luck. % In covering an average distance of be ear 2 miles a day, Miss Walker said, she encountered many. humorous situations. It was difficult for her to. obtain a night’s lodging in some hotels and road-. houses because the proprietorg often mistook her for a prohibition agent masquerading as a Girl Scout leader. ~ WHY THE SEA IS SALT ne All water that comes into the oceans by way. of the rivers and other streams contains salt. The amount is so very small that it cannot be tested. . But all this river water is poured into the oceans eventually at some point. After it reaches the. oceans, the water is evaporated by the action of . the sun. When the sun picks up the water in the | form of moisture, it does not take up any of the solid substances which the water contains as it comes in from the rivers, and while there is about as much water in the ocean all the time and about as much also in the air in the form of moisture, the ocean never gets fuller; the solid substances, from the river waters keep piling up in the ocean and float about in the water there. The salt which is’in the river water has been left behind by the sun when it evaporated the water in the ocean for so tong that the amount of salt has be- come very noticeable, we are told by the Book of Wonders. The moisture which the sun takes into the air from the ocean is eventually turned back to the earth again in the form of rain. This process of evaporation and precipitation in the form of rain is going on allithe time. When the — water which ,is in the form of rain strikes the earth, it is pure water. It sinks into the ground — and on the way picks up some salt, finds its way into a river sooner or later, and then eventually gets back into the ocean. All this time it has been carrying the tiny bit of salt which it picked up in going through the ground. But when it reaches the ocean again and is taken up by the — sun, it leaves its salt behind and so the saltfrom — countless drops‘of water is constantly being left in the ocean as it goes up into the air. This has — been going on for countless ages and the amount _ of salt has been inéreasing in the ocean all the ae so that the sea is.becoming saltier and saltier, © ~ yi ee See 7 eo: hats
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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY BRIEF BUT ' FLIES QUENCH BUOY LIGHT Captain Kuhne, master of the lighthouse ten- der Hawthorne, recently visited the Montauk gas and whistling buoy to relight’ the lantern after it had been reported out. As he opened the lantern a swarm of horseflies flew out. Captain Kuhne’ found about a quart measure . of dead horseflies in the lantern. Apparently ‘the flies had put out the pilot burner and so ex- tinguished the light. , A CUTE DODGE In St. Louis a year and a half ago one candy merchant beat his rival in a trade battle in a decidedly crafty manner. The chief issue used by both merchants was the respective purity of their wares. Each spent considerable money .to prove in advertisements that his sweets were the purer. Finally one of the merchants quietly de- Pras at every hospital in the city a large box of his candies, secured receipts for the same, and~ the next day published the fact that his were the only candies that had ever been accepted by local hospitals. Reprints of the signed receipts ac- companied this statement, and the desired effect was gained. aes A GIANT TURTLE A gigantic turtle was landed at Yokohama on August 1 by Japanese fishermen. The turtle was said to be fully 1,000 years old and weighed 600 pounds. A showman offered to give $5 for the prize; but another purchaser appeared willing to pay half a dollar more, and was about to take away the turtle when a Chinese tailer, Ah Long, appeared. He promptly offered $50 and bought it for $5. After a ceremony, in which the turtle ‘was given several bowls of sake,;Ah Long, ac- wel F BE FIRST GIRLS Earn $2.00 IN YOUR TOWN WRITE ‘NOW for 50 Sets Christmas Seals. Sell for 10¢ a set. When sold send us $3.00 and keep $2.00. Trust You till Xmas. B. Neubecker, 961 E, 23d,St. Dept, B. Brook- lyn, N. ¥. : re BOYS & FOR ip pL ean be quickly cleared ] of Pimples, Black- heads, Acne Eruptions on d fe ioe ood Pee ree Oy m: arged Po: or Shiny Skin.” CLEAR-TONE has n WRITE TODAY for my Free Booklet-—“A CLEAR-TONE ° Sxin"—telling how I cured myself after being afflicted for fifteen years. LE, S. GIVENS _ 126 Chomical Bldg. Kanna City, Mo. 81 POINTED companied by friends, boarded two sampans, and, after carrying the turtle many miles to sea, re- leased it with a blessing. | The Chinese have a belief that by setting tur- tles free they will be blessed of heaven. The turtle measured 6 feet from head to tail and 5 feet across its shell. Its head was 15 inches in circumference, DATES AND -GRAIN GROWTH ON OASIS IN SAHARA The Oasis of Adrar is in the western part of the Sahara Desert in North Africa, east of the Spanish possession of Rio de Oro, of which it formerly constituted a part. A considerable por- tion of its 300,000 square miles is fertile land on which dates and grain grow. Ostriches are raised for their feathers and salt is mined. Due to its © position on the caravan route-of Morocco, it is of considerable commercial importance. The in- habitants are for the most part Berbers, says the Dearborn Independent. An immense system of subterranean aqueducts, whose origin is lost in antiquity; supplies the oasis with water. Not even the legen s of the most ancient native tribes contain a history of their beginning. Adrar lies at the’ bottom of a natural depressfon that a marvelous irrigation system connects with reservoirs feeding the sur- rounding plains ata higher elevation. The na- tives with no better implements than. crude scoops and picks have dug, at a depth of from 150 to 200 feet below the surface of the desert, spacious tunnels that extend for miles, ; It rains but once in ten years at any given point in the Sahara, and this sparse rainfall is conserved by collecting the ground moisture from a great expanse of territory at Adrar. Pee Mitte Nak Si ¥ ASTHMA 223 Eso ean . Old Money Wanted ‘| will pay Fifty Dollars for nickel of 1913 with Liberty head, (no Buffalo). We pay cash premiums for all rare coins. Send 4c for Large Coin Folder. May mean much profit to you. NUMISMATIC CO,, Dept, 436 Et. Worth, Texas. BOYS & > NO WORK Girts $2.00 Given JUST FUN Simply sell 50 Sets of Our Famous Christmas : Seals for 10c a set. When sold send us $3.00 * And keep $2.00. Trust You till Xmas, Amer-—,— a3 dents Cites tetas Seal Co,. Veyt. Wi, Brooklyn, ——
Page 33
OUR TEN-CENT HAND BOOKS Useful, Instructive, and Amusing. They contain Valuable Information on Almost Every Subject. No. 26. HOW TO ROW, SAIL AND BUILD A BOAT. ‘Fully ilustrated. Full instructions are given in this little book, together with instructions on swimming and riding, companion sports to boating. % No. 28. HOW TO TELL FORTUNES.—Every one desirous of knowing what bis future life will bring forth, whether happiness or fre) wealth or poverty. You can tell un a glance at this little book. Buy one t onyvinced. am Ps HOW TO BECOME AN INVENTOR.—HEivery hoy should know how inventions originated. This book explains them all, giving examples in electricity, hy- dranlics, magnetism, mene: pReyine mechanics, No. 80. HOW TO. COOK.—One of the most instructive hooks on cooking ever published. It contains recipes A for cooking meats, fish,, game and oysters; also pies, xa puddings, cakes and all kinds of pastry, and a grand collection of recipes. No. 38° HOW TO BEHAVE.—Containing the rules and etiquette of good society and the easlest and most “approved. methods of appearing to good advantage at parties, balls, the theatre, church, and in the draw- ing-room. ‘0. 85. HOW TO PLAY GAMES.—A complete and ; neotel little book, containing the rules and regulations of billiards, bazatelle, back-gammon, eroguet. domine ete. : . 86. HOW TO SOLVE CONUNDRUMS.—Contatn- ine ail the leading conundrums of the day, amusing rid- dies, curious catches and witty savings. ° 40. HOW TO MAKE AND SET TRAPS,—In- eluding hints on how to catch moles, weasels, by ee] rata, equirrels and birds. Also how to cure skins. Coplously iT] ed. iMustrated. HE BOYS OF NEW YORK END MEN'S JOK EBOOK.—Containing a great variety of the Intest jokes used by ae pee Seah Roh a. eget ‘ omplete ou s wonderfu e ok. a i BOYS OF N YORK STUMP. ER.—Containing a. varied assortment of stump a pate tes, Negro, Dutch and Irish. Also end men’s jokes. Inet the thing for home amusement and amateur shows. No. 45. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK MINSTREL AUIDK AND JOKE BOK.—Something new and very ; instructive. Every boy should obtain this book, as it ~ sontaina full instructions for organizing an amateur BE ay roupe. : ae rete. HOW TO MAKE AND USE ELECTRICITY. . _-& description of the wonderful uses of electricity and = electro magnetism; together with full instructions for ; making Hlectric Toys, atteries, ete. By Coarse T rebel. A. M _ D. Containing over fifty fljustrations. 0.48. HOW TO BUILD AND SAIL CANOES.—A - nandy book for boys, eontaining full Se a a for con- structing canoes Bit Sow smoat popular manner of sall- (ea F I ustrated. ; ing a9. How TO DEBATH.—Giving rules for con- ducting debates, outlines for debates, questions for dis- éussion and the best sources for procuring information iven. i eon egw TO STUFF BIRDS AND ANIMALS. A valuable book, giving instructions in collecting, pre- paring, mounting and preserving birds, animals and in- sects, ; w To DO TRICKS WITH CARDS.—Con- : ets hapten stone of the general principles of sleight- 3 - licable to card tricks; or card tricks with ‘ of pene Per ds, and not requiring sleight-of-hand; of _ ~heks involving sleight-of-hand, or the use of specially prepared cards. Illustrated, No. 52. oO w TO ErAy pg aie com Maas . le pook, giving the rules and fu rections ‘rg eet: Taine, Exibbage, Casino, Forty-Five, 4tounce, Pedro Sancho, Draw Poker, Auction Pitch, All Foursy and. many other popular games of cards. No. 54. HOW TO KEEP AND MANAGE PETS.— Giving complete information as to the manner and meth- ed of raising, keeping, taming breeding and managing al] kinds of pets; also givin full instructions for mak- ng cages, etc. Fully explained by twenty-eight illus- ~ trations. . ‘or sale by all. newsdealers, or will be-sent to any i - address on receipt of price, 10c, per copy, in money or stamps, by West 23d Street MARRY E. WOLTF, Prblisher, Infe. * ‘ 166 1006 ae the Market; or, A Keen Boy in f Street. Wal reet. E “1047 A wae be bag or, The Treasure of the Indies. New York City Fame and Fortune Weekly ~—— LATEST I8SUKa —— 997 Bound to Rise: or, Fighting His oved, to Success 998) oe for the Dollars; or, A Smart Boy in Wal treet. 999 Bor Fame and Fortune; or, The Boy Who Won Both. 1000 A Wall Street Winner; or, Making a Mint of Money. 1001 The Road to Wealth; or, The Boy Who Found Tt Ont. 1002 oS ae Wing; or, The Young Mercury of Wall reet. 1004 Juggling with the Market; or, The Boy Who Made t Pay. 1005 Cast Adrift; or, The Luck of a Homeless Fey re a 1004 A Pot of Money: or, The Legacy of a Lucky Boy.” 1008 From Rags to Riches; or, A Lucky Wali Street Messenger. ef 1009 On His Merits: or, The Smartest Boy Alive. 1010 Trapping the Brokers; or, A Game Wall Street Boy. 1011 A Million in Gold: or, The Treasure of Santa Cruz, 1012 Bound to Make Money; or, From the West to Wall Street. 1013 'Tne Boy Magnate; or, Making Baseball Pay. 1014 Making Money; or, A Wall Street Messenger’s Luck, 4015 A Harvest of Gold; or, The Buried easure 0: f Coral Island. 1016 On the Curb;/or, Beating the Wall Street Brokers.. 1017 A Freak of Fortune; or, The Boy Who Struck 1. 2 1018 ane Prince of Wall Street; or, A Big Deal for Big — oney. 1019 Startin . ais Own Business; or, The Boy Who Ang im. » 1020 A Corner In Wall Street: or, The Wall Street Boy Who Won. 1021 First in the Field; or, Doing Business for Himself. 1022 A Broker at Highteen; or, Roy Gilbert’s Wall Street Career. ; 1023 Only a Dollar; or, From Hrrand Boy to Owner. > 2024 Price & Co., Boy Brokers; or, The Young Traders of Wall Street. y 1025 A Winning Risk; or, The Boy Who Made Good. 1026 From_a Dime to a Million; or, A Wide-Awake Wall treet Boy. i 7 1027 The Path 4 woe Luck; or, The Boy Miner of eR ‘alley. : 2028 Mart Morton’s Money; or, A Corner in Wall Street x. Sets tocks. 1029 sie pes 7 Fourteen; or, The Boy Who Made a reat Name. 1030 Tips To Fortune: or, A Lucky Wall Street Deal. 1031 ape His Gait; or, The Perils of a Boy En- — gineer. > ee 1032 From Messenger to Millionaire; or, A Boy’s Luck In Wall Street. =e 1033 The Boy Gold Hunters; or, After A Pirate's: — Treasure. 1034 Tricking the Traders; or, A Wall Street Boy’s: Game of Chance. 1035 Jack Merry’s Grit; or, Making a Man Of Himself. 1086 A ee Shower; or, The Boy Banker of Wall it: 3 x 1037 Making a Record; or, The Luck of a’ Working Boy. f 1038 A Fight For ey; or, From School to” W Mie = Street. . 1038 ey ee Out West; or, The Boy Who Found a oatmnan, P 1040 Ben pasos Luck; or, Working on Wall Street — ‘Tips. . 2 5 1041 A Young Gold King; or, The Treasure of the Secret ave. 1042 Bound To Get Rich; or, How A Wall Street Boy Made Money. : ok 1043 Friendless Frank; or, The Boy who Became . ‘amous. 1044 A E000 Tip; or, The Young Weazel of Wall = : eet, 2045 Plucky Bob; or, The Boy Who_Won Success, ~~ 1046 From Newsboy to Banker; or, Rob Lake’s Rise in 1048 A Ge ‘ the Market; or, A Hot Time In Wall Street. : 3020 Wares His Chance; or, From Ferry Boy to Cap- n, - 3050 A Game for Gold; or, The Young King of Wali f Street. 4 For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any | address on receipt of price, 8c. per copy, : ; in money or stamps, by | = b + ¥ bd ied J HARRY K, WOLFE, Publisher, Inc, 166 West 23d Street _ “2 1 New York £ 7 *