Fame And Fortune Weekly (no. 647) (1918 02 22)

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No, 647. FEBRUARY 22, 1918. SIX Cents PORES OCITOEE een? STORIES OF ~~ BOYS THAT MAKE MONEY. TRADING TOM; OR , JHE BOY WHO BROUGHT EVERY THING. DRIES LY FLL WUE. “Whoa!” roared Tom, Joes at the reins and cmatetatatae his balance with po difficulty. “Whoa, you beast!” He managed to swerve the frightened animal away from the imperilled girl, and she arose in time to escape further danger. gute

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FAMEAND FORTUNE WEEKLY ©

__ buy anything?” ‘Sas uing and everything, ma’am, that has any value. _ I’m not in business for the fun of the thing, but to make nad | . What I buy I sell again at a small profit.” ‘ __- #What might be your name?” “It might be Smith, but it isn’t. It’s just plain ‘Tom Trevor, otherwise known as Trading Tom. “Trading Tom!” ejaculated the woman. . : “Yes, ma’am. Any kind of a trade goes with me. If 2° pase got anything in the house that you don’t want, ‘and _ I can make use of it, I'll name a figure on it, and you can _ suit yourself about parting with it. You can have the __ eash, or, if you fancy any of the tinware I’ve got in the wago rand new and up-to-date stuff it is—you can pick it out and I’ll name a figure on that. The difference, one way or the other, we'll settle in the coin of the republic. That’s fair, isn’t it, ma’am?” _. The woman looked into the wagon and saw several things . d fill a long-felt want in her humble home, but u ma'am, to th aa t and pointed the articl way w e garret and poin e article, was of ancien vinta , out to him. th wide wers in it and Tom pull “Is that all?” “That’s all, ma’am.” “Why, I’ve heard that it cost more’n fifty dollars.” — “[’ye no doubt it did when it was new and in style, which was long before I was born. Those glass handles, ma’am, aren’t in use any more. They’d have to come off and brass ones put in their places. Then the wood would have to be scraped and a coat of French polish applied or nobody would look at it. Some other tinkering would have to be done to make it kind of ship-shape. All that would take time and a little money, and when it was fixed up it would have to be sold cheap to make it move quickly. The only way to make money these days is to turn your capital over as often as possible in a year. Small sales and large profits isn’t in fashion any more than this bureau. It’s large sales and small profits.” “J guess you make out pretty well, young man, for you’re a slick talker.” ‘“Talking, ma’am, is part of my business, and comes nat- ural to me. Is it a trade? I don’t believe you'll get a bet- ter offer.” : “Seems like giving it away,” replied the woman reluc- . tantly; “but I ain’t got no use for it and it takes up room.” “Anything else you want to get rid of, ma’am? Old magazines or newspapers that lumber up your place? I'll relieve you of them at a nickle a hundred pounds. It isn’t a princely sum, I'll admit, but junk-men aren’t paying as much as they did for waste paper.” Tom had spied a pile of old weekly story papers thrown carelessly inst one of the unfinished walls, and was pre- pared to take them if she said the word. The woman didn’t want them any longer, so Tom said he’d carry them down and weigh them. ; ~ “What else, ma’am?” “J suppose you ain’t got no use for that parrot cage?” she said doubtfully, pointing at the article, which was cov- ered with dust. “Hardly, ma’am; but we'll call it a dime at a chance.” —— That was all the woman- had to sell, so Tom carried the bureau down and loaded it into his wagon, the paper fol- — lowed with the bird eage, and Tom announced that there was seventy-five cents coming to her. : . ne for the tinware she — ae the woman began to dicker wanted. + The things came to eighty cents, and Tom let the odd — nickel go, which pleased the woman greatly, for she felt she — had the best of the trade. * noticed a pan of freshly i mouth water. ans the praise oS 7é “#

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; . e. & : : TRADING TOM. - bestowed on the doughnuts, and hastened to present him with half a dozen. - “Tll pay for them, ma’am,” he said, intending to give her a nickel. The woman wouldn’t listen to that, but told him he was welcome to them. The boy thanked her, put them in his pocket, and then bade her good-by. A minute or two later he was driving toward the village with half a doughnut between his teeth. - Presently he heard the “honk—honk!” of an automobile behind him. The sorrel horse heard it, too, pricked up his ears and FP grew restive. : As the noise grew louder the horse showed signs of fright. j ‘on went the auto by, with an ear-piercing screech of its horn. That was the last straw with the animal. He shied, then sprang forward and got a gait on. “Whoa, January!” shouted Tom, standing up and pull- ing on the reins, as the stuff in the wagon commenced to dance and jingle. The horse paid no attention, but continued his headlong career down the road. Tom saw that he couldn't stop him for the present, but ty he made the animal’s fii as h as possible by tugging k en the reins with all might. As they flew around a furn in the road, Tom saw a couple of girls walking together right ahead of him. He yelled lustily to attract their attention, but the clat- “I don’t see any use of making a fuss over the matter. I make it a point never to cry over spilled milk.” * “T’ve seen men, and boys, too, swear and.behave very ugly over a mishap not as bad as this. Really, you are behaving yery nicely, and we are very sorry for you.” “Thank you for your sympathy, miss——” “Hutchings. My name is Alice Hutchifigs.” “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Hutchings,” said Tom, bowing. “This is my friend, Annie Carr.” “Glad to know you, Miss Carr. Now I will introduce myself. My name is Tom Trevor, but ’'m known to the public as Trading Tom.” “Are you a traveling peddler?” ‘asked Miss Hutchings. “Not exactly, miss. I’m a traveling trader. I buy every- thing of any value that people want to get rid of, and I es in cash or in Such merchandise as I carry around me. “But you can’t ca much in that wagon,” she said. . “No, I only hired that for the day of the blacksmith in the village yonder, who is fixing a new tire on one of the wheels of my van.” “Oh, then you have a larger wagon?” “Yes; quite a good sized box vehicle. It once belonged toa traveling circus. The two horses also belonged to the circus, though they were not performing animals. They are called January ‘and February. That’s January there.” —, “Januaty and February!” laughed Miss Hutchings. “What ~ singular names for horses.” Kind of different from the A sry soe! Ill admit; but I didn’t christen them, and as they answer to their names, I couldn’t very well change them.” “Well;we won’t detain you any longer, Mr. Trevor,” said the girl. “You’ve got to pick your things up. If you will permit, we’ll be glad to help you.” “Oh, I couldn’t think of troubling you young ladies. I thank you very much for your kind offer, but it won’t take me but a few minutes. Onl the Lb) Sig 3 articles bounced t's of the vagon,” replied Tom. “You live in the village, suppose ? iss Carr does,” replied Miss fe get a live in Exeter, and am yisiting her for a little w *T shall visit Exeter about the end of the ale but I ) : ‘ , yah = tering of the horse’s hoofs and rattling o the wagon had already warned them of danger in the rear. They turned around in a startled way and beheld the aver vehicle bearing down on them like a Western cy- one. “ The girls screamed with terror and both made a spring for the nearest hedge The taller and wh gene ier of the two sli a small stone and fell directly in the path + 4 the & pt athe horse and swaying wagon. “Whoa!” roared Tom, tugging at the reins and maintain- his balance with great difficulty. Whoa, you beast!” e € managed to swerve the frightened animal away from _ the imperiled girl, and _ picked herself up in time to ew Alor | Ai suppose I won’t have the pleasure of pnestile ‘ou there, x. th nN escape the wheels. even if you should be home at that time. quite a Crash! large town.” . The forward axle gaye way close to the wheel and Tom it don’t know. I ag boln home pa ro Sn Should you | ‘Only saved himself from a bad fall by springing forward | have the oppakpanity, d be pleased to aor you call re on_ the ares flanks. _ ._ Clinging to his preearious hold ike a leach, he worked _ forward and clapped both hands over, the animal’s eyes. The horse lost his gait, stumbled and went down, Tom Teer as nimbly as a cireus rider, . animal was on his feet again in a mothent, but his _- young owner now had him under subjection, and ‘speakin 5 omg rad to him, and patting his nose, gradually Geistod 2 = = pad ye Tiyan Rode alii ib gga yy alesse a post and then gazed ruefully at the wreck the wagon, By. A re Saget oreo ae yn Ge eae lig TSE gee prop- a 7 seattered back along the road. e realized that he was in a bad pickle. “wo A . nihed and the saat ey, tly Pe alc, fron I the elements, so that the eye. eye. ; f CHAPTER IL xp of the van, was provided bo half doors, : wy pair Ts on a ea us __ INTRODUCES THE VAN AND CHICK SLIVERS. the i was Painted in white te letters, “HRRADING ‘Te Poke C a4 The two girls, now recovered from their scare, a: ed on the other vide, of the road. een Tom a litely to as ’ “TRADING 6 TO Boy ‘te Buys Everything POPPER’S WO RENOY _ LINIMENT, % A ooh Cure ne fr Borne 5 Spr , Lament, oe he we ladies,” he said, with a “but I did 7 e notice; eat Se eo og

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TRADING TOM. ] His name was Chick Slivers, and he was Tom’s compan- ion and general assistant. Tom had left him in charge of the outfit when he started out to canvas the surrounding neighborhood in the bor- rowed wagon. cee Chick was a.typical city youth whom Tom had picked up in Chicago. _ The young trader had rescued Slivers from the clutches of a drunken stepfather who was living on the lad’s earn- ings as a bootblack and lambasting him whenever his re- ceipts were not satisfactory. : Chick, seeing a chance to get away from his unsatisfac- ___ tory surroundings, cast his fortunes with Trading Tom, and . worked faithfully for his keep and spending money. . Tom carried a mattress and blankets in the van, so that ] 2 thie 4 MeneGines they took their meals at a cheap hotel, some- times at a restaurant, and often at a farmhouse along their route. ¥ they were held up by a rainstorm, they contented themselves a “and a cup of coffee prepared over a small oil stove. ‘om was always pre and the pair of traveling merchants never got left. oung trader brought his rig to a halt before the tH 2 & 3 e 6. Q Fe = n 3. ‘a oe. % y ‘ie nF e rls 8 3 down, I see.” is _ “Sorry to say I have. My horse took fright at a red auto and made a break of it. All would -have been well One of them fell in the effort to get out of the side to avoid runnin : for the axle under the circumstances, and it snapped. you'll assess the damage I’ll pay for it,” said Tom. “Who were the young ladies, do you know?” fay eee 4 other was Miss Hutchings, of Exeter, who is visiting her. They are very the narrow ah iS asa and assistant slept together and saved the price of Occasionally when night overtook them along the road, or with a meal of canned meat or sardines, bread or crackers, for emergencies of this kind, only for the presence of a cauple of young ladies in the way, and I was forced to turn the wagon sharply to one ever her. The strain was too ‘es “One was Miss Carr, who lives in this village, and the nice girls. It was Miss Hutchings who had 8 Tom having decided not to move on till the following morning, January was, with the blacksmith’s permission, turned into his pasture to browse with his companion, Feb- ruary, who had been enjoying that luxury the greater part of the day. As it would not be dark for over two hours yet, Tom de- termined to put the time to good advantage. So he got out a couple of flat steel scrapers and put Chick at work on the body of the Spanish mahogany bureau he had bought of the’ woman down the road that afternoon, while he tackled the drawers himself. They worked so industriously that by the time the sun had set behind the distant hills, the entire thing was ready to be gone over with emery paper before the application of the first coat of polish. _ The blacksmith was ready to quit for the day, and he invited Tom and his companion to take supper with him. Tom accepted for Chick and himself, and while the black- smith was locking up his shop, he and Slivers lifted the bureau into the yan and locked the doors. The blacksmith’s wife provided liberally for their young guests, and the two boys enjoyed quite a feast. After the meal was over the blacksmith took his pipe and went out on the front_porch to enjoy his evening smoke, andthe boys followed him there. “How long have you been traveling around this way, Trevor?” he asked. “About da year,” replied Tom. “Are your parents living?” “No. I’m an orphan and wholly dependent on my own exertions for a livelihood.” “How came you to go into this business of yours?” P “I kind of took to it naturally. I first went out as as- sistant to a patent medicine man. After a three months’ experience, w@ had a scrap and he left me stranded in a town about two hundred miles west of Chicago. There ! fortunately made the acquaintance of the man who owned the outfit that now belonged to me. He took a fancy to me, and I went traveling with him. He was returning to Chi- cago. We reached the Windy City im about = weeks. Hardly had we arrived when he was taken down with pneu- monia and was carried to a big hospital. He rapidly grew worse, and when the doctor told him that he couldn’t recover, he willed his traveling outfit to me, as well as all his money, “Miss Carr is the daughter off the ores, land Bank. Considering the circumstances, charge you anything, young man. on that tire, and we'll let it go at that,” said the bie » who was a ial man and liberal in his views. _ Tom thanked him and‘ inquired how his assistant had put in | ee while he was ee “He he me quite a bit around the shop and I took him SN aoe with ue I live in that lbiee across _ the way. He sold several bottles of your liniment to farm- evs who were attracted by the s on your van. I reckon \ TU take a fifty-cent bottle m »” and the man tendered ‘Tom the price. . “Keep your money,” said Tom. “I’d like to see myself ee ee Sencead gute ties ait vos. mba hard Go Tes ee cae ee te ee ee 4 | r » SL; e lini-| P Vv ‘or neither Chick, nor ? ment free, gratis, and for nothing, as ‘an evidence of my| horses ae live on wind. I am_ Le, the extctid ae economically as possible, but until I get rid of my present collection of antigues and old junk, Y won't be able'to tell ) ow stand. the ¢ ad “T su you do pretty well with the liniment?” ag ‘The slamming of the van door aroused Chick, who sat “Yes, 30 f2 T’ve made out very well with it. Tm nearly d. : out of the stock I brought way from Chicago. 4 "trek to . r ¥ up and looked aroun be ile Tom, Et ed have“yer? What’s the matter a ply will reach me at Exeter, where I expect ? 4 ” P : ay.” i ; _ “Had a breakdown along the road,” replied the young| Tom and his host talked for an hour longer, then the trader. . pip iy f blacksmith said he guessed it was time for him to go to : as hard luck,” said Chick, descending from his| bed. , : ; = a ] in order to help his companion-unload the wagon and| The boys bade him good-night, and, going across to the __ - ~ stow. stuff in the van, which was already fairly full of| yan, turned in themselves, leaving the doors ’ a mi ent of truck. : as the night was quite warm. and covered from view by a . spring mattresses that had . break Sen of the Wood- guess I won’t You can pay me for which wasn’t a whole lot. He died, and after he was buried I decided to try my luck as a trader on the same lines he followed, so here I am, and now you have the whole story.” “T judge that you’re well adapted for the business from what little I’ve seen of you,” said the blacksmith. “Do -you intend to follow it up right along?” “[’m always on the lookout for a chancé to better my- self. If I was offered the presidency of a bank or of-a rail- road system, I don’t think I’d turn it down,” answered Tom, _ with a chuckle. ; “No, I suppose not,” replied the blacksmith dryly. “So you buy everything?” . . r “Everything that’s offered to me that’s worth buying. 1. don’t buy trash that is no earthly use to any one. If I or elliad: “Siihe iii A OF ey Berner 5 ) re eciation ae Bret ack ITE ae - i rs a e e ’ a lar bottle of Popper's infallible preparation and handed it Sha ieee Me usually slept ms \

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4 TRADING TOM. His slumbers were disturbed by unpleasant visions of his former hard life in Chicago, and about midnight he woke up. The night was still, save for the hum of nocturnal in- sects and the monotonous croak of frogs. ‘ He hadn’t- more than got his eyes open before he was aware that two men were talking close to the open doors of the van. “There ain’t no use of disturbin’ these chaps,” said one - of the men. “They’re only boys, and cheap skates, at that. I reckon a ten-dollar bill would be a fortin to ’em.” “Oh, I don’t know,” replied his companion. “A chap} ‘who announces that he’s ready to buy everything must have money around him, and money is what you and me want about this time.” “Ho! That’s a big bluff, that sign. I know what them tradin’ Toms are. They never give nothin’ for what. they git, that is, nothin’ worth mentionin’. Even then, they | don’t pay no cash, but trade off tinware and nicknacks for what they pick up. The only time they ever have money | is when they reach some city and get rid of the stuff they bought. Then they blow most of it in over some bar. Oh, I know the hull caboodle of them chaps. I never know’d . one yet it paid to go through.” d “That’s all right, Barney, but this chap sells patent - medicine. He ought to have some cash in his jeans.” E “They all sell somethin’ on the side, but unless they’re uncommonly slick they don’t set the woods afire with the amount they get rid of. If these chaps had any funds about them, they wouldn’t go to sleep with the doors wide open as an invitation for gents of our persuasion to step sD and help themselves.” | = “They couldn’t sleep in that van on a night like this with ee the doors shut,” persisted Barney’s companion, who seemed eager to pursue certain investigations in the interior of the van in spite of the other’s evident disinclination. _ “Aw, what’s the use talkin’,.Snuggs, we’re only wastin’ hangin’ around this van. I tell you there ain’t no use _ tryin’ the sneak act on chaps that ain’t likely to pan out. __ If they woke up and ketched us goin’ through their clothes, it might queer the job we’ve got on hand,” said Barney. “How would it? What kin these chaps ‘do ag’in us?” “They might make a noise and wake up the neighbor- _ *T don’t think would if I showed ’em this gentle _ persuader,” replied the man who had been addressed as i ee, pulling out a blackjack. i my : ’s the use of runnin’ risks unless there’s somethin’ in it?” red to be so close to earn that he was ‘onal one of the village to. be opposed '“Just a wooden’ one with ordinary bolt. There was a smell of tobacco in the air, which showed that one, or both of them, was smoking. Chick decided to arouse Tom. ee Placing. one hand over his mouth, he shook him into wakefulness. : : “Don’t make a sound,” Chick whispered in his ear. “Dere are two crooks outside near de door, and I ain’t sure but dey may try to rob us. Jest listen to dem talkin’.” Tom was onto the situation at once. He was a quick-witted lad by nature, and always ready to grapple with any emergency that presented itself. “How long have they been there?” he asked his compan- ion in a low tone. ; “Dunno. I. woke up about five minutes ago and heard dem talkin’.” “What makes you think they’re crooks?” “J heard dem-say dey was goin’ to break inter some house around here ter-night and clean it out,” replicd Slivers. “Tf they intend to do that there isn’t much doubt as to what kind of men they are,” said Tom. “One of slem wants to go t’rough us fust, as he says it’s too soon to tackle the house; but de other chap doesn’t think we’re wort’ robbin’.” Tom chuckled. Then he reached under the head of the mattress and pulled out a navy revolver, “Tf they meddle with us they’ll get a warm reception,” he said grimly. ; “Dey t’ink we’re asleep,” whispered Chick. “De chap what objects to tacklin’ us said that if we had anyt’in’ to lose we wouldn’t leave de doors wide open as an invitation for anybody to step in and pinch our property.” “Seems reasonable. They wouldn’t find much on us if they did go through our clothes. They’d have a nice job trying to find my funds, I’ll bet, even if I gave them permission to hunt around.” The boys stopped talking and gave their attention to the two rascals outside. They had apparently given up the idea of interferine with the inmates of the van, believing the game was hardly worth the candle. After discussing the project they had in view of robbine one of the best houses in the village, one of them con- sulted a silver watch he carried and announced that it was one o’clock. ; : “It’s safe enough now. I guess, to move on the crib,” he said.’ “These country folks generally go to bed earlv. The folks. at the house ought to be sound asleep by this time. Those cellar windows are a great institution. Thev come in mighty handy for us. A jimmy’ll open one in no time at all. and then all we’ve got to do is to lower ourselves in- side and we’re in the house.” ’ -“S’pose there’s an iron door at the head of the cellar steps,” said his companion. “Some houses have ’em. !t will give-us more trouble than if we forced one of the first- floor windows.” “The chances are there isn’t an iron door,” revlied Snut7s. We'll go through that as easily as through a cheese.” “We've got to look out that we don’t run against a night cop. These villages are generally patrolled by two or more constables.” hs ; .. “There ain’t ‘a chance in fifty of our meetin’ one,” said Snuggs. “They have such long beats that they can’t cover the same spot more’n twice of a night.” “We'll keep our weather-eye liftin’, just the same. for we ean’t afford to take no chances,” said the man called Bar- ney. Yor course we can’t. Well, if you’re ready we'll make a start.” | : Barney was ready. _ : The men stooped, picked up their carpet bag and* walked % off down the road leading into the main street of the vil- a Peet ge eer =

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* TRADING TOM. i) fering with the van, and did not see the necessity of but- ting into their business. “We.must save that house from being robbed.” “And mebbe get into a heap of trouble doin’ it,” replied Chick, who wasn’t in favor of his companion’s suggestion. “It’s our duty to try and prevent those rascals from accomplishing. their purpose. However, if you don’t want to come with me you ‘can stay and watch the van. I'll undertake the matter. alone.” “No, you won’t,”..replied Chick decidedly. bound to foller dem chaps, I’m wit’ you.” “Then come on before we lose sight of ica, _ They sprang out of the van and Tom locked the door. ‘ Keeping close in the shadow of the hedge, they proceeded to follow the crooks to their destination. _The men turned up the second cross-street they came to, and then the boys hurried their pace lest the rascals should get away from them. When they turned into the cross-street, they saw the men walking leisurely along scarcely half a block ahead. + rr behind me, Chick,” said Tom, “then if one of them ee ook behind there will be less chance of him noticing After that they continued along in Indian file, close to ence. . dwelling houses, most of them modest looking cot- cll tages, became more numerous and closer together as. they - Pe ti In a short time they were_ in the heart of the residential part of Woodland. Td shade . trees" Raniobed the street on both sides and w a gloom along the narrow sidewalk. he boys found these trees of great advantage in shadow- | m “If you’re “ At length the men stopped in front of quite a preten- tious-looking residence. The boys took refuge behind the trunk of one of the trees ood. watched . them, ~The crooks, after a sharp look around the neighborhood, ounds. lm “That must be the house they 2 boys hastened forward, and caught a fleeting view of ‘the men ‘disappearing around the back of the dwelling. . They. stepped into. the grounds and followed the route taken by th . of the house. mays ancing, cautiously around the end 7 Fe the building, Tom w.that there.was a two-story ell in the rear. aethe presence of n fi gee small. windows near the | sh ved that the cellar extended under the entire Mees aS f the pressure of a jimmy. ; rascals. soon succeed ¥ ouse. one at a time. ‘One man cilese? feet first and dropped out of view. Se et atin aes fiiga chareslian” neg up from the _ The door apyed:to be an ordinary wooden one, held by ‘a common bolt. r ‘obstacle, so he returned to the window and told Ber- eet davee serene, adows,", said: Tom to I "knew “where Chick. i: Slivers, es ne asked aa then the paste could _» Tom a abel Chick to hold back as they drew near the _two™ F piace were kneeling beside Nhe of the windows heard the sharp crack of wood giving way under ed in forcing ‘the window open, an opening sufficiently large for them to 3 He till he had made an investigation by the professional house-breaker as a , two carpet, bags in to him, and then) rye. forced their way into the cellar through one of . e lives ra jenid nabbed with’ ‘youl up a handful of fine gravel flung it at one of the second- story windews. + The first throw produced no result, though the gravel made quite a noise on the pane, but the second brought a man clad in pajamas hurriedly to the window. Tom saw him peering out and made motions to him. The gentleman threw up the lower pane and asked him, in no pleasant tone, what he wanted. “Two thieves have just broken into the cellar of your house and intend to rob you, sir. You’ve got a revolver in your room, haven’t you?” asked Tom. “Yes. I’ve got one under my pillow.” “Better get it. Ill get mine from my assistant, then I'll climb up on this porch and help you out all I can.” Tom rushed back to where Chick crouched on guard over the cellar window, “Hand me the shooter. I’m going into the house b way of the porch and the second-story window. Look around the yard and get a piece of wood you can use for a club. Should one of the rascals stick his head out of that window you cari give him a rap. The advantage is all on your side.” While Chick went looking for a piece of wood suitable for the purpose in view, Tom returned to the front of the building, climbed the porch with the agility of a monkey, and ate himself at the window, where Mr. Carr stood, revolver in hand, waiting for him. The cashier helped him in at the window and then asked him what plan he thought would be the best to adopt. © Tom kicked off his shoes first. “Follow me, Mr. Carr. Perhaps we can catch these ras- cals off their guard and capture them. I suppose you have say articles of yalue downstairs to attract their atten- wees. My silverware is locked in a cupboard in the dining-room. No doubt they have tools that will enable them to get at it easily,” said the cashier. “T WOE i they have, for they have two carpet bags with Tom opened the door leading out on the first landing, and going to the head of the stairs listened for sounds that anki ig a the presence of the crooks below. All was silent, however. Taking the lead, he started cautiously downstairs, hold- - ing, i revolver ready for instant action, and followed by r. “Can we reach the library from this hall?” Tom asked the owner of the house: “No; we'll have to pass through the parlor to reach it.” “Which is the rlor door?” “This one,” replied Mr. Carr, pointing. oon “How do you fo eench the dining-room from here?” asked “That door there opens into it.” Tom tiptoed over to it and opened it cautiously. ‘There was no light there nor any sign of the thieves. : there is a door opening out of. the cellar?” sf saadthe bey: — “Yes, int the kitchen.” “Is it kept locked?” “There is a strong bolt on it.” “Ts it strong enough to give the men much trouble?” “Not ‘if = have suitable implements.” “T don’t hear them, so I think they haven’t forced theis way gy = the cellar yet. Let’s. look into the parlor pee If they’re not there you can ed a for "Tom auiie the parlor. p. t was dark and — he He and Mr. then passed on to the library. a _ There was no one there, so the cashier walked aver: ot Wen. You'll re each it through the pantry passnie i Bag: ee ee into ae kitchen, Mr. Carr. Is it at the back

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The door had given the crooks a great deal more trouble than they had anticipated. : They failed to push back the bolt with their instruments because the bolt was a strong one, and fitted snugly into its socket. : They wasted nearly half an hour over it, and then had to out a center-bit and bore a number of holes around the Then Barney inserted a thin steel saw ang proceeded to cut from hole to hole. ; The job was about completed when Tom appeared on the scene, He saw a lamp standing on a table. be Striking a match, and shading the glare with his jacket, he lighted the lamp and turned it low. Then he waited, revolver cocked, ready for busniess. rari the piece of wood to which the bolt was at- tached fell out on the floor, the crooks pushed the door _ open and entered the kitchen. , at once turned up the light and covered them with - his revolver. full of holes!” “Hands up, both of you, or Ill fill you \’ he eried in a tone of determination. The two rascals started back aghast. Rs CHAPTER V. * TOM AND THE TWO CROOKS. i “Throw up your hands, I say,” repeated Tom. Although they saw that they were opposed only by a boy, Ws resolute demeanor and the cocked revolver intimidated em, a So they raised their hands and muttered imprecations un- > der their breath. 7 : *Back up against that wall,” ordered Tom. a “I say, young fellow, let us off, will you, and we'll go $ away,” said Snuggs. “We didn’t intend to take much. Just oe ennagh to keep us.from starvin’. We’re in hard luck. Been - out of work for a*year and can’t get nothin’ ta do. We've got hungry wives and kiddies at home, and that’s enough 3 to drive a fellow into anythin’. If you were in our shoes -__you’d do somethin’ desperate, too,” said Snuggs, hoping to as re on a sym asales of Sh Suey. + 7 e rascal mig ave sav. is breath, for Tom wasn’t deceived a little bit. He was wise to the world and ‘knew that the crook was lying. _ ___ “So *you Avant me to understand that you’re not profes- 3 —= thieves, wate gt sarcastically a sure, we're no e’re just two unfortunate chaps who’s up ag’in the world.” aia an “Well, you’ll be up against the village magistrate in the mo! - You can tell him your story and perhaps he’ll sym: ze with you,” replied Tom, with a chuckle. Magistrates ain’t got no hearts,” replied Snuggs, with a disgusted look. “If you'll let us go we promise not to do _ nythin’ like this agin.” _. .“How much is your promise worth?” asked Tom, in a : slightl jeering tone. Stick to it, honest, we will.” At that moment Mr. ki at CRolied the gentleman, and in a few mo- was in the room. : you a piece of clothes-line handy that we can use asked Tom. : n? ‘depart as soon as I can get away. ~ 6 4 TRADING ‘TOM. Tom warned the fellows not to make any resistance, as he didn’t intend to take any chances with them, so they submitted with very bad grace to be seArched by Chick. A revolver was found in the hip-pocket of each, and in addition Snuggs had a small dirk and a slung-shot. “That’s quite an arsenal for a pair of unfortunates to carry around,” said Tom, in a sareastic tone. “What ex- cuse have you for doing it?” Don’t you know that it’s against the law to carry concealed weapons?” | Neither Snuggs nor Barney made any reply. They simply glared at Tom in no friendly way. | It would probably have gone hard with the boys if they could have got the upper hand on him for a few minutes. Tom told Chick to bind their hands behind their backs, and they had to allow the operation to be performed, for they could see that the young trader meant business. “Hand them chairs, Chick, so they can sit down,” said Tom. “They might as well be comfortable till the con- stable comes and takes charge of them.” “You'd better let us go, young fellow,” said Snugegs, with a vindictive look. “If you don’t, you’re likely to regret it.” “Pll take my chance of that. I don’t think you’ll have a chance to try and get back at me for many moons. This job will send you to State prison for several years, and when you get out it will be hard to tell where Pll be. I may be dead or in Europe or on my wedding tour,” chuckled ‘om. The two men scowled at him. “You'll have to get a new door, Mr. Carr,” said Tom, picking up the piece of wood to which the bolt was attached and holding it up for the cashier’s inspection. “This is the way they got around the bolt. Bolts on wooden doors don’t bother the modern burglar much. Here are the car- pet. bags I told you about,” continued the boy, handing the articles into the kitchen from their roosting place on the cellar steps. ‘ One of the bags contained a small kit of up-to-date bur- glar tools; the other had wearing apparel and some articles of food in it. By the time they had examined the contents of the two’ bags the constable drove up in a light wagon with two of his day assistants. “So you’ve caught the rascals, have you?” he said on en- tering the kitchen, ; “The credit of their capture is due to this young man,” replied Mr. Carr, indicating the young trader. “He is as nervy a young fellow as I ever met. + me introduce you to each other. Mr. Brown, Thomas Trevor.” “Gled to know you, young man,” said the constable heartily, offering his hand. “You are a stranger to our yil- age. “Yes; I only arrived yesterday morning, and I shall e capture of these in me here, ior T’ll have to appear ‘om. chaps is bound to de r as a witness against them,” replied “That’s right,” replied’ the constable. “Might I ask where you hail from?” - “From Chicago, though I haven’t any home there. The truth of the matter is my home is my van. I’m a sort of a rolling stone—always on the go.” “A traveling salesman, [ “suppose?” “Not exactly. I'm a traveling trader. Professionally speaking, I’m Trading Tom—the boy who buys everything.” “You buy everything, do you?” laughed the constable. “Eve g that’s worth anything. “Pye got a house and lot I'd like to sell you, then.” “I’m- afraid I couldn’t ca that off in my van, so it would hardly be worth my while to trade with you.” The constable laughed, and fumate to his two men, told them to bundle the Lwiggderidd into the et ny 7 : 8 In a few minutes the wagon drove away the lock-up, which was close to the constable’s house. ie: Tom then turned Fhe! Mr. on — ae oA iar a t missi been brow; a Satisfactory en HT Chick weed teturh to the van ¢o finish their night’s The cashier thanked him for his valuable se frustrating the and assured he, would consider himse i ob

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TRADING TOM my wife and daughter, though you have met Annie already in an informal way. Both she and Miss Hutchings spoke very nicely about you, in spite of the fact that you nearly frightened them to death when your horse ran aWay.” Much obliged for the invitation, Mr. Carr, and I may delay my de e from the village long enough to accept your kind hospitality,” replied Tom, thinking of Alice Hutching’s bright eyes, and rather glad of the chance to See her again. The boys then took turned to their van. _ Fifteen minutes after their arrival both were sleeping soundly, with the stars\of heaven shining brightly in at the open rs of the old circus vehicle. CHAPTER VI. AT THE EXAMINATION. The village blacksmith was an early riser, and when he had plenty of work on hand had his shop open by six °o When he crossed the road on this particular morning he _ glanced into the van and saw the boys still sound asleep. At seven his wife rang the bell to call him to breakfast. The blacksmith, not knowing that the boys had been up part of the night, thought it time to arouse them so they could breakfast with him as arranged the night before, so he went to the van and shook them. , “You fellows sleep like tops,” he remarked as the boys sat up. “It’s seven o’clock. Time you were stirring.” “We were up part of the night, Mr. Jones, that’s why _ We're late in waking up,” co ied .Tom. ? “What kept you up? ere wasn’t any excitement around this neighborhood that I know of.” “Burglars kept us up,” replied Tom. \n 4 their leave of the cashier and re- . . at’ oat | “Burglars!” exclaimed the astonished blacksmith. tg Chick and I captured a couple at the residence of r. Carr. “That’s more than a mile from here in the village. How came you to go there?” asked the blacksmith, clearly sur- 3 prised at Tom’s statement. * “Tl tell you the story after I’ve washed up.” - “You ean tell it dt the breakfast table. Come along. 7 You'll find abasin and towel outside the kitchen door.” . Tom and Chick followed the hospitable blacksmith across _ te his house and were soon seated at the breakfast table _ a bountiful spread before the em. ; the events of the night -to the blacksmith and his wife. were amazed at the incident, for such a thing as a in Woodland was as rare as hen’s teeth. ou are, certainly a nervy and resolute young chap,” said the blacksmith. “The cashier’s house would no doubt have been cleaned out of valuables but for you.” “I guess they’d have got away with the goods all right they hadn’t made the mistake of sto g beside my van discussing their plans. One of them -wanted to our clothes, and probably the van as well, but the didn’t think we were worth the trouble,” laughed Bx " Tom. “Had they tried it on they’d haye got more than they bargained for in the shape of a bullet in their hides. T’m always prepared for hard characters who attempt to ; Chic d me, whether they be tramps or what not.” why to the magistrate’s office this morning you have made a reputation in the village, for that time most everybody in Woodland will have heard two burglars at Mr. Carr’s home. e compliment you, and no doubt Mr. reward you handsomely.” : “Oh, we king fi reward. We are satisfied ‘ we're not looking fer to the amunity.” = that you were in the got the bureau out, removed the old- . treated it ates ox Raf whole lot different to what to a first coat of | played 7 got permission from the blacksmith to take it over and leave it on his back porch, out of harm’s way. When Tom and Chick reached the magistrate’s office they found a big crowd on the outside, for the news of the at- tempted robbery of Mr. Carr’s house had circulated all over the village by that time, and curiosity was on tiptoe to see the burglars. They were represented as desperate fellows, who had been armed with revolvers at the time of their capture, and the villagers were just as anxious to see the boy who had caught them unassisted. The moment Tom and Chick appeared they became the focus of all eyes. The clerk opened the court as the magistrate entered from his private office and took his seat behind a raised flat-top desk. The charge against the raseals was réad and they were asked whether they were guilty or not guilty. ey pleaded not guilty in sullen tones. ; The magistrate, who acted as public prosecutor, called Mr. Carr to the witness chair. He proceeded to tell how he. had been aroused from his sleep by the pattering of gravel against one of the windows of his bedroom, and how on going to the window he saw a boy below, who, on being questioned as to his presence and actions, said that his name was Tom Trevor, and that he was a stranger in the village. He then narrated in substance the conversation which had; taken place between him and the boy trader with ref- erence to the presence of burglars in the house. He told how Tom had climbed up to the room; how they had gone downstairs on a tour of investigation, without re- sults; how Tom had left him at the telephone in the library, and how when Pe renreeentey went in search of the boy he had found him in the kitchen standing over the bur- glars with his revolver. The magistrate asked him a few questions and then called on Tom Trevo' The chief interest centered in the boy’s teStimony, for everybody was anxious to hear how he had managed single- handed to catch the crooks. Tom told his story concisely and directly to the point. : He showed no disposition to make himself out as @ great ero. He simply confined himself to facts, and made those facts perfectly clear. ; The magistrate asked him one or two questions, and then Chick took his place. : He had little to tell, as he had only taken a secondary part in the affair. ina The last witness was Constable Brown, and his testimony chiefly concerned what he saw when he reached the Carr home with his assistants. : y The magistrate then asked ee peace if they had any- thing to say in their own behalf. They had nothing to say. : Indeed, the strong Ss erg against them, and the pres- ence in court of their kit of housebreaking tools, left them no loophole to crawl out at. 4 ; The magistrate therefore remanded them for trial at Exe- ter, the county seat, and they were taken there that affer- noon and locked up in the county jail. As Tom and Chick were not residents of the county, the magistrate said it would be necessary for them to furnish bonds for their appearance as witnesses at Exeter when the trial came on. : “Suppose* we can’t furnish bonds, what, then?” asked Tom. gf 3 a have to gi you in charge, of the constable, who will then become responsible for your appearance,” replied the magistrate. “a ise to appear? It won’t pay this vill for a month or two. I couldn’t afford it,” remonstrated Tom. ; . i alternative. Perhaps Mr. Carr, affair, will in the ll do tha honor,” “I will sign their bonds, and : well, Mr. Carr. I accept you. My clerk will | bonds at , and as soon as’ you have ident" may depart,” said the magistrate. vais ioe EP Ne PT ee | eae en. ee r. in - a up. as ik pare thein these boys - =*

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3 TRADING TOM. Half an hour later Mr. Carr and the two boys walked | “Tell us about the proceedings at the court. Annie and out of the courtroom, and found a considerable crowd of | I would like to hear what took place there.” the curious on the walk outside. “Certainly. It will give me great pleasure to give you “You will both come to my house to dinner, where you) a general idea of the examination of the rascals,” said Tom, are expected,” said the cashier. Chick objected to this part of the programas. and was finally allowed to return to the van, where he was taken to dinner at the blacksmith’s house. Tom accompanied Mr. Carr to his home, and was duly | who proceeded to describe all that happened in the magis- | trate's office that morning. As he finished his story dinner was announced, and he escorted both young ladies into the dining-room. A special spread had been prepared in honor of the young presented to Mrs. Carr, Annie Carr and Alice Hutchings, | trader, and he enjoyed the meal immensely. and received a warm greeting from all three. ; CHAPTER VII. TOM AS AN HONORED GUEST. “This is an unexpected pleasure, Mr. Trevor,” laughed Miss Hutchings when the two girls got Tom to themselves for a few minutes while waiting for dinner to be announced. “Neither Annie nor-I had any idea we should see you so soon again.” : “It’s the unexpected that always happens,” replied Tom, 7 with a smile. : “It seems so. It appears that you have made quite’a hero of yourself since we saw you out on the county road.” “You mean in reference to the burglar episode?” “Certainly. You have placed Annie and her parents un- der great obligations by your timely appearance on the scene, and your plucky conduct afterward.” ns & ore they won’t lose any sleep over the matter,” chuckled Tom. “I didn’t do any more than a fellow ought te have done in my place.” ’ “And just to think Annie and J slept through it all, and so did Mrs. Carr. We knew nothing about the house having been visited by thieves until Mr. Carr told us at the break- fast table this morning. When he said you were the one _ who saved his property, and captured the rascals as well, - we were surprised. Were we not, Annie?” ' F. “T should say so,” answered Miss Carr, with a glance of admiration at Tom. | “Had we known that burglars were in the house I’m ‘ud afraid we should have been ully alarmed,” said Miss ___, Hutehin : ta “I believe I should have fainted,” said Mir3 Carr. er “It was fortunate, then, that you did not know,” replied is om. “ / ‘ Ber. “You must be awfully brave to face those men, and they _ were armed, too, Mr. Carr said,” remarked Miss Hutchings. xg “IT was also armed, you know.” Ber, “But there were two men against you.” oy *T took them off their guard and got the drop on them. M meant business, so they didn’t dare take any chances. It y That put them in my power, and I let them see that I «is well for them that they made no attempt to draw their Weapons. Had ae done so I would have shot them.” “Would you really have done » Mr. Trevor?” asked Miss Hutchings. —. “IT would have been obliged to in self-defense.” f iia tre says that you are a most remarkable boy,” said a f 'm positive m age, wouldn't dare act as you id under tied you are a ic aR idn’t intend to se on the subject. < “I’m afraid your father my importance.” _-“[’'m sure he does not,” the sweetly. “J think myself that you are a most boy,” in Miss Hutchings. “T’ brother, who is about your “You can’t tell what your brother ieapable of until to the test! He must be a nice fellow he’s ou,” replied the girl, with a blush and a bow. great flatterer.” flatter you. I merely expressed my mustn’t throw any bouquets at me, for ‘you He held up his end of the conversation in good shape, and the girls were more than ever attracted by his genial deportment. Mr. Carr asked him many questions about his business, and how he was getting on, all of which he answered with perfect frankness. “I think I should enjoy traveling around the country like you do,” said Miss Hutchings. : “All’s not gold that glitters, Miss Hutchings,” replied Tom. “I’m not touring for pleasure, but to make a living and something over, with an eye to the future.” “But surely you find some amusement in it as. well, don’t you?” she said. “Well, I guess Chick and I don’t miss any that we run across.” “Are you ever bothered by tramps on the road?” “We have been once or twice, but when I pulled that gun of mine on them they skedaddled in short ordér. There's a heap of persuasion in a loaded six-shooter. It’s an argu- ment that nobody likes to ¢ mtradict.” “Particularly when the man behind the gun means busi- ness,” laughed Mr. Carr. , “T never pull my weapon unless I do mean busniess,” re- plied. Tom. “I know what my rights are, and I always in- sist on getting all that’s coming to me.” “A boy of your caliber is pretty certain to.come out at the top of the heap,” said the cashier. “A fellow has got to hold his own in this werld or go to the wall. I haven’t met many people in the course of my travels who are anxious to put themselves out for my bene- fit. I have traded with some pretty sharp people who had very little sentiment in their make-up. They counted on getting my scalp, but I guess they were disappointed in their expectations. I have rubbed against the world a good ree my time, and that has a tendency to cut one’s eye- “We passed your van on our way home yesterday,” said Miss Carr. “It does look very much like a circus wagon, rather the worse for wear. We noticed a small boy appar- =, asleep on the driver’s seat. Was that your assist- ant? “Yes, that was Chick. He’s cut his eye-teeth, too, in a ig hard school, Anybody who tried to fool Slivers would ve to get up long before daylight to. make any sort of success of it, and the chances are then he’d come out sec- ond best. There are no flies on Chick, you can take my word for it. I find him of great use to me. He’s as honest as the day is long, which can’t be said of every boy brought up as he was.” i “You call yourself Trading Tom—the boy who buys every- thing.” smiled Miss Hutchings. “That is my trade-mark.” ° “It is»certainly an unique one; but of course you don’t really buy everything.” “T come as near to it as can be reasonably expected.” Monee me you are able to resell at a profit whatever you any use in me con- th an to what I can get out of the s eats tyanaection.”

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TRADING TOM. ‘ more than fifty cents for it of a second-hand dealer. It was made of Spanish mahogany, and must have cost money when it was new and in style. The wood, however, was black and tarnished from age and neglect, and didn’t look very inviting. You ought to see it now, though. Chick and I set to work and scraped it thoroughly, and this morn- ing I applied a coat of polish to it. That brought out all the fine points of the wood, same as if it were new. When it gets a second coat it will look absolutely new. I removed the old glass handles, which are obsolete, and I shall replace thém with attractive bright brass ones. Then I shall offer that bureau for sale at $10, and I won’t have much trouble in getting it, either.” ; - “That will give you a good profit,” said Miss Carr. “Which I think I’m entitled¢ to for rescuing an article from oblivion and making it of use and importance once more, just as I saved Chick from the slums of Chicago and hope to make a man of him in time.” i “That was a very worthy action, Mr. Trevor,” said Mrs. Carr, “and you no doubt will get your reward in some way.” “I am getting my reward right along, for Chick is my right bower, and thinks he can’t do'too much for me.” | “That shows he appreciates what you did for him.” “Oh, Chick is all right—a sort of rough diamond that only requires to be ground a bit and polished to show’ what is really in him.” “I suppose you don’t always expect to be a traveling said Miss Carr. : ~ trader? ; “No. I am ambitious to be something a at deal bet- ter than that. As soon as I«see a chance to better myself I shall dispose of my outfit without the least regret. But while I remain a trader I shall continue to devote my best efforts to making the occupation a success, for I believe that whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing as well as possible. It is by putting one’s best efforts in whatever one puts his hand to, no matter how humble. that he blazes the path to success.” \ : ; “That’s right, young man,” said Mr. Carr approvingly. “Tf you follow that sentiment you are bound to become a successful man, if you live.” Pea Tom’s words also made more than a passing impression on Miss Hutchings. She secretly applauded Tom’s views, and the young trader _. rose greatly in her opinion. ; “ _ She felt that he was destined for a much higher plane of : usefulness than that which he now occupied, and she enter- : tained no doubt of his ultimate rise in the world: |‘ After dinner the party adjourned to the sitting-room again; but Tom did not stay much longer, as he said it was necessary for him to return to his van. : _. When he rose to Mr. Carr, with a few well-chosen e words of thanks for his services, presented him with a gold watch and chain, to which Mrs. Carr added a handsome * =i “A couplegof hours later he and Chick, perched on the ___ dtiver’s seat, were on the once more, with the houses Pe of Woodland village fading out of sight behind. CHAPTER VIII. . ON THE ROAD AGAIN. 4 ey to led on till darkness overtook them, and then Sule ay cee up ‘at a spot where the road widened out around , wide-spreading walnut tree. cogs ant the horses and tied them to the tree -where they could get plenty of grass. » “Then ‘Tom got down the gas stove, made a pot of coffee and fried a mess of ham, eggs and potatoes, which, with made a tip-top meal. 378 thi were up they got the bureau of awake and while Chick held the reflector lamp i nd coat of polish. s i eine i standing between the wagon and the-fence, it would be perfectly safe, and turned hanging a lighted lantern outside. he} left the doors only partly open on a 3 1 In about an hour they came in sight of a big farmhouse setting back about half a mile from the road. | Tom drove up the lane and entered the yard. | A woman and three girls ranging from fifteen to twenty | came to the back door, attracted by the unusual spectacle | of the faded fancy van. “Good-morning, ma’am,” said Tom, with Chesterfieldian politeness.. “I’m Trading Tom—the boy who buys every- ae If you’ve got any old paper or odds and ends around the house that you would like to get rid of in exchange for new tinware, pins, needles, ribbons and such like notions too numerous to mention, or cash, I’ll talk business with you. , “I’m afraid you peddle.s don’t pay anything to speak of,” said the woman. : “I’m not a regular peddler, ma’am. I make a_ specialty of buying old truck.. I will treat you perfectly fair.” “ll get the clock,” said the oldest girl, who seemed to be eager to secure something from ‘Tom. Tom unlocked a flap behind him and exposed a wide shelf covered with boxes of different sizes. “Would ‘you like to see the latest thing in ribbons, ma’am?” he asked, taking out several boxes and stepping down to the ground. The temptation was irresistible, and mother and girls Gathered around him to examine the goods. They wanted ribbons of several colors and sizes and asked the prices. Tom quoted city prices, and as they knew he was not trying to cheat them, they bought something like three dol- lars’ worth. . The oldest girl now appeared with the clock, and while he was inspecting it, the young lady selected some bright pink ribbon for a sash, and some narrow ribbon for a collar she intended to make, They also bought some needles, several papers of pins, tape, spools of and a few other things, and finally selected a dish-pan. Their purchases in all amounted to about six dollars. Tom said he would allow a quarter for the clock. “Tt will have to be repaired, ma’am, before I can sell it,” he said, and the woman let it go at that. The farmer himself now made his appearance from the barn and looked curiously at the vehicle. He read the sign on the outside. “Do you guarantee that liniment?” he asked Tom, “Tt will do all that is claimed for it,” replied the young trader. “It is one’ of the best preparations of its kind on the market. I have sold nearly s'x dozen bottles since I left Chicago. I have only two of the large size left.” “If I thought it was any good I’d buy a bottle,” said the farmer, a bit doubtfully. “Maybe you’ve got. some old iron around you'd like to trade off,” said Tom. " “No, but I’ve got a trunk full of old newspapers in the t you’re welcome to if you will take it for the. lini- men Pen look at what you have,” said Tom. “Get the scales, 1 4 - : Tom accompanied the farmer to the garret, where he looked the trunk over and weighed the paper. ws 7 want to trade that for a big bottle of liniment?” he sai , “('m willing to.” : “T can do a little better by you than that. I always aim to do the fair thing and never try to take advantage of a person. 1 allow you seventy-five cents. That is a quarter toward the payment of what your wife and daughters just bought.” = “That’s pretty square,” replied the farmer, evidentl pleased. “I'll help you down with the trunk and’ contents. -When a settlement was’made in the yard Tom received poe ale ag ot good-by and started f th peo ~by s ‘or the roves) — after | hod ° r presen formed of brilliants for her hair, which she accepted an exclamation of delight. About noon-time they reached the be: the horse a bag of oats each, the 7 Oe Gore ate ae pe ig whole ot of a- a ee i. > girl with a fancy ornament with ~ i of Esop, pi Rae’ se boys entered « — 1. ey a eae ae

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10° TRADING TOM. “Say, Jimmy,” said one kid to another, “do you s’pose he’d buy a red-hot stove?” : “Why don’t you ask him?” “Where is he?” “In that restaurant eatin’ his dinner.” , “Is that him with the little runt at the second table?” Jimmy nodded. “Got a funny lookin’ face, hasn’t he? I mean the little feller.” Sage He looks older than me and you and we’re bigger im. While Jimmy and his companion were talking about Tom and ick, grown people were reading the sign on the\side of the van and making humorous remarks about the outfit. At length Tom and Chick finished their dinner and came outside. $ “Are you the cha a who buys everything?” asked one of e wags of the yillage, with a grin, of Tom. _ “I am,” replied the young trader, Jooking him rely in the eye, “If you’re for sale, I’m afraid I couldn’t give much for you, but I'll set a figure if you 4 so.” The laugh was turned on the village humorist and he got very indignant. “Do you mean to insult me?” he demanded angrily. “Insult you! ste you asked me a question and I an- swered you,” replied Tom. * _*You gave me an impertinent answer, and I’d be justified | Y°uné trader wrapped it in “wy in kicking you into the street, you common fellow,” snorted | t the other. . “You’re at liberty to try it, if you think you’re man enough to do it,” replied Tom coolly. ; “I wouldn’t soil my hands touching you,” answered the wag loftily. aeeee considerate on your part,” replied Tom sarcasti- y: The young man who prided himself on his wit turned | Chick. away with a look of disdain and got out of the way as soon as he could escape the snickers of those who knew him and were enjoying his discomfiture. Chick had already mounted to his seat and Tom now foll him and drove off toward the cottage section, where he spent the whole afternoon making trades here and there along the -route. ‘ As soon as it began to grow dark they returned to the ‘restaurant and had their supper, and then Tom drove to a vacant spot of ground on the outskirts of the village close to a small manufacturing establishment, and roosted there for the night. CHAPTER IX. TOM IS TREATED TO A SURPRISE. On the following morning, which was Saturday, the boys got their own breakfast with the help of the oil stove. this afternoon. It’s a big town and I may find a chance om of some of ‘my stuff, so I’ve got to put things pe.” the merchandise in the wagon was pulled out on old paper was tied up in handy-sized bundles. magazines and story-papers were sorted out and tied together in se te boxes. Le frames eas Seen the roof springs from “Want to sell any of them’things cheap?” asked a man, pointing at the bundles., “Sure,” replied Tom. “That bundle of magazines is com- plete from January to December. You can have it for half a dollar. Those in that bundle are different kinds of maga- zines in first-class condition, three for ten cents. Those in that bundle you can haye at two for a nickel. The story- papers go for a cent a copy.” - The man bought the complete bundle and went off with it. Nearly everybody bought from a nickel to a quarter's worth of the magazines, reducing Tom’s supply consider- ably. His profit was large because he had bought all of them for waste paper. ' The manager of the mill, passing that way while the boys were eating their dinner, was attracted by the parrot cage. ; - He decided that it.was just what he wanted for his mocking bird. “Want to sell that cage, young man?” he asked Tom. “Yes, sir.” “What do you ask for it?” Tom sized him up and thought he could stand $1.50, so he named that price. The manager bought it without trying to dicker, and the or him. “You made a good profit on cage,” grinned Chick. “Yes, and on the magazines, too,” replied Tom. “I didn't I’d like to be boss of a business like dis,” said ick. “Maybe I'll turn it over to of something that suits me “Where'd I get the coin to pay for de outfit?” asked expect to sell anything in this village.” eae ou some day when I get hold better.” ic “I'd trust. honesty, Chi } “Yd pay you, all right, if you gave me time “I'd give you all the time you wanted.” “Danks. Dere ain’t many fellers like you, Tom. I'd hate to leave you even to be boss of my own biz. You've treated me white and you bet I'll never forget it,” said Chick em- phatically. ; Tom said it was time for them to start, so the horses were hitched oP and the van started for Exeter, which was only a few miles away. : A mile outside of the town they stopped at a road-house to water the ani The boys went to the bar and bought a bottle of soda- drinking it the proprietor, who was standing on the veranda, noticed Tom's trade-mark on the vehicle. } When the boys came out he said to Tom, “l’ye got some stuff I want to sell. Will yo k at it?” “T will,” replied the young trader, who was ays ready for business.. 5p The landlord led the way to the storage room at the top of the house. : “Here’s a trunk with a lot of clothes that an old man left behind him when he diéd owing me quite a bill. What will you give for the lot?” = Tom open the trunk, looked the things over, and named a small price. “Is that the best you can do?” asked the man. “Yes. I couldn’t get much for them, while the trunk is old-fashioned that I doubt if I could find a purchaser it at any price.” : other things for Tom’s in- on the batch, which the pro- Be for it. I have perfect confidence in your ” enough.” She eae premade w Gite pene hug

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/ TRADING TOM. 11 little more than he had given for them he told Chick to | return the trunk to the van. : It would be handy to hold stuff in, at any rate. The stove fetched a profit of about fifty cents, while the wood that had made up the frames of the spring mattresses _ went for a quarter. The dealer offered a dollar for the bureau, but Tom de- clined to sell it at that price. After leaving the dealer he euageed at a hardware store and bought suitable fancy brass handles for it. ’ Next they went to the express office and Tom got his C. 0. D. box of Popper’s World-renowned Liniment. That finished their business for the day, 4nd they went | on to a restaurant and had a good dinner. Tom then drove out to the railroad yards on the suburbs and located a small field beyond them, where he got per- mission to stay till Monday. - As it was fenced in, the horses were allowed to roam about on the grass at will. . The van was nearly empty room for their mattress. Chick had noticed that there was a show on at the Opera House that night, so he told Tom that he’d like td-go to it. “Do you think you can find your way back here all right?” asked Tom, as he handed him half a dollar. “Why not? All I’ll have to do is to follow the river out to the railroad yard,” replied Chick confidently. now, so they had abundant To say the truth, it would be a hard thing for Chick to lose himself anywhere, so Tom had little doubt but he’d turn up in due time. After Slivers had started for the Opera House, Tom got ardge] account book and figured up the profits of his trip to He found he had a yery comfortable balance in his favor. When he finished his accounts he shut up the van and crossing the street and the railroad tracks began to saunter along the bank of the river. It was a very warm night, and the breeze near the water was a grateful relief after the close interior of the wagon. He y, with no particular object in view, for a mile, by which time he was well beyond the out- - skirts of the town, when he saw a scow drawn up beside the Th craft appeared to be deserted, so Tom stepped on board and sat down on the roof of the covered part aft, which answered for a cabin or living quarters for the men who had charge of the scow when in commission. After sitting there a while he walked forward and leaned ever the side of the craft near the bows, watching the slow a ere! of a freight train on the other side of the river, and the lights of Rivermouth, the big manufacturing town which Was connected with Exeter by ferry. While he stood there in the shadows : the scow and made their way into the cabin, where they struck a light and ignited a candle whigh they stood on a ie table in the center ee ae ne of the men opened a bundle he had brought aboard ' r his arm. t contained half a dozen sandwiches and a pie cut into _ three sections. ; __ He also produced from his hip pocket a large flat black bottle, which he placed near the candle. Each man helped himself to two sandwiches and a slice of the pie and began to eat like hungry men. * ; not heard the men come on the scow, and was not _ ware of their presence until he turned to return to the van, :, — he saw the flickering light and the forms of the men in : immediately concluded that the persons belonged to the , ae and oa he uecetd te doorway one Se inside. | He short, however, with a gasp of surprise, as he two of the men as Barney Hogan and Jim. the Woodland burglars, whom he supposed to be -in the Exeter county jail. three men slouched v~ “ae 4 we ” y CHAPTER X. : ; j "wom GETS IN A BAD FIX. - The. notice as he looked in at them. ee et tke table eating voraciously and con- for the flask, which he raised to his lips after unscrewing the stopper. “The moment our escape is discovéred the cops will start out to round-us up.” “We might be able to steal a ride on that freight train they are makin’ up in the yard back there,” said the chap Tom did not know. “Tt won’t do to go back to the yard just on a chance of gettin’ into an empty box car and a seat on the bumpers,” replied Snuggs. “Some yard man would be sure to. see us hangin’ around and suspect what we were up to. We must hoof it down the road as soon as we’re rested. Maybe we'll find a rowboat somewhere along the river and then we can cross over to the other side.” “IT ain’t countin’ on such luck as that,” said Barney. “I figure that we'll have to walk all night, and hide’ somewhere soon after daylight.” ~ “We'd better stick to the river on the chance of finding a boat, for it would be much to our advantage to get on the other side as soon as we could,” remarked Snuggs. “You see, the police will go to the ferry the first thing to find out if any one seen three chaps of our description go on-the boat. The chances are we would haye been noticed had we gone across that Way, and then the officers on the other side would be notified to look out for us. When the cops find that we weren’t seen on the boat they'll figure that we’re still on this side, and will hunt for us up and down the river and out along the road. If we could get across on the sly we’d give them the slip.” Snuggs’s remarks received favorable consideration, and it was decided to stick to the river. By this time the men had finished the food and partly emptied the flask. . Tom concluded he had heard enough of their plans to be able to put the police on their trail, so he started to leave the scow. \ ; : Unfortunately Barney looked toward the door at that moment and saw his retreating figure. “There’s some one outside watehin’ us,” he said, in a tone that startled his companions. “He must have heard all we — We must catch him,” and he made a spring for the oor. Snuggs and the other man, whose name kins, followed him. pnd ge vr om, unconscious that his presence had been discove had reached the bank and was hastening away. =a The three esca prisoners rushed after him and were almost on him ore he heard their footsteps. _He started to run the moment he saw they were after him, and would probably have made good his escape in the darkness but that, he tripped over a rail and fell headlong across the ties. His head struck the/ opposite rail and the shock knocked ~ him temporarily unconscious. The crooks grabbed, him, but saw right away that he was insensible. _ “He’s a boy,” said Barney. “Must have got a hard rap to knock him out. What shall we do with him? He’s on to us, of course, and as soon as he comes to he'll send word to the police and they'll know the direction we’ve taken.” “Take him aboard the scow and tie him up in the cabin,” ted “We ain’t got nothin’ to tie him with,” said Barney. “T saw a piece of rope aboard,” replied Haskins. ‘Let’s see whether he’s playin’ possum or not,” ‘said Snuggs, striking a match and holding it close to Tom’s face. The moment he got a view of the boy’s features he dropped the match and uttered an imprecation. “What’s the matter?” asked. Barney, who had not iden- _ tified Tom. 7 “Do you know who this chap is?” replied Snuggs, in a fierce tone. him, x st Salt Tee ee 09 5 e scow. , During the transit to the flat-bottomed craft fom regained senses. : Realizing that he was in the hands of the not in a position to make @ break for liberty, he dangerous. Come now, help dsclded that

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12 : it would be the part of prudence to keep quiet and pretend to be still unconscious. ‘ The rascals carried him into the cabin and laid him on the floor. “Get the rope,” said Snuggs to Haskins. The latter fetched it and no time was lost in tying Tom so as to render him helpless. _ “I think the best thing we can do, Barney, is to toss him into the river,” said Snuggs. “Then we'll get both revenge and safety so far as he’s concérned.” “That won’t do,” objected Haskins. “I won’t have no hand in a murder. Leave him here. He’s not likely to be found before we’re safe oft.” “You say that ’cause you haven’t any score ag’n him; but Barney and me have. He queered a job of ours and got us jugged. We swore to get square with him some day if 7 we eiage him ag’n, and now we’ve got the chance to keep our wo 4 “I don’t care what you’ve got against him, I won’t stand ‘ for havin’ him done up while I’m around,” replied Haskins. decidedly. “You be blessed!” growled Snuggs. ta right to stand between him and us. if and must pull together.” ’ “That’s all right; but there’s no call to murder the 33 ar- “You ain’t got no We’re in the same boat op “Well, you needn’t know nothin’ about the matter. ney and me’l! attend to him.” ; ihe No,” said Barney, “I ain’t in favor of puttin’ him out of ies the way. I won’t put my head in no noose just to get square he with him.” Barney’s unexpected opposition angered Snuggs, and he i: abused his associates in round terms. 7 “I thought you had some backbone,” he snarled. “Here’s Eh pies chance to get back at that kid who’s the cause of our Ge Y in the fix we are. What kind of a lobster are you, any- way?” i nt ain’t such a blamed fool as you seem to be,” retorted - rney. ‘al “We're only wastin’ time scrappin’ over the chap,” put in t Haskins. “We ought to be on our way. Leave the boy here. Hegcan’t get away himself, and it isn’t likely anybody’ll co: before Monday. He’ll be pretty well starved by that ti That ought to be satisfaction enough for you.” The last part of Haskins’s remarks had some effect on Snuggs. “i He judged that there was little chance of the scow being visited that night or all day Sunday and Sunday night, with the possibility that no one might even come there on Mon- ae aoe struck him at once that Tom had a good Miners of ce, a ae 80 Sant betas, 287 eae ag At any rate, the boy, if left there bound and foot as y She would be in a pretty bad e, so he suddenl a Peony tees ad setent te tliat _ Harmony was thus , Tom was placed in a corner ic. restored of the cabin, and the men then left the scow and started down the bank/of the river, keeping a bright lookout for a om) 4 Si, See's ee nae Sad al wn is a mean-m . e Ss way, I’ Eee Gein town into the Tih in a bad off to sl the flashing of a light in his man’s voice, “what’s this?” saw a policeman with a dark lantern ‘ou 2?” _ et beim this plight, young man?" asked tien TRADING TOM. “Three crooks who escaped from the Exeter county jail did me up as you see.” : “Oh, ho, so it was them, eh? How long ago is it since you met them?” asked the policeman, kneeling down, drawing out his knife and beginning to cut the rope. “Well, they nabbed me between nine and ten o’clock,” answered Tom. “I’ve no idea what time it is now.. Maybe you know.” “It’s a little after midnight,” replied the officer, as he severed the last strand that held the boy’s legs. * “Thanks, officer,” said* Tom, getting on his feet. “Are you after the rascals?” “I am. Two of us are searching this neighborhood for a clue. No one could guess the route.taken by the scoundrels. _ have been sent out in all ‘directions to try and» find em. “I can give you a pretty good line on them if they haven’t changed their plans after leaving me here.” “Well, where did they go—down the river?” : “Yes; looking for a boat to get across to the other side of the river.” oe say they made a prisoner of you around ten o’clock?” es “Then they have a good two hours’ start of us. How came they to bother with you?” 3 Tom explained how he had discovered the trio in thé cabin eating and planning their course of action. “Thad no idea that they saw me outside in the dark,” he said. “I knew them and had just started for the freight yards to get somebody there to telephone to the jail when I saw them coming after me. They never would have caught me if I hadn’t tripped over the railroad track.” _ : “How is it that’ you recognized them as having escaped from the jail? By their conversation?” “No, I-was the cause of the capture of two of them—Bar- ney Hogan and Jim Snuggs—after they had entered the residence of George Carr, cashier of the local bank of Wood- land, to-rob it. I knew them. at once, and the fact that they were at large was enough to convince me that they had man- aged in some way to ‘get out of the jail where I knew they were awaiting their trial, I am_the chief witness against them, and because of the part I played in their capture, Snuggs wanted to throw me into the river to-night. Fortu- nately for me, the other two objected to being mixed up in a murder, and so they left me here in the hope that I wouldn’t be discovered before Monday at the earliest.” “It is fortunate for you that we came this way, and a piece of good luck for us that we found you and thus got a clue to the direction taken by the als.” At that moment a gare a in plain. clothes, a detective officer, stuck his head in at the door and asked the man Tom was talking to what was keeping him. : “Have you got one of them?” he added} seeing Tom’s fig- ure in the gloom. “No, Dan, but I’ve got evidence that they came this way,” ~ replied the policeman. .“Come, let us get out of this, young man On reaching the second officer’s side, Tom was asked to repeat his story for the other’s benefit, which he did. So, they’re trying to make their escape down the river,” said the detective. “We have no time to lose, Hinkley, for pr My epee Mg he rye oe i gw now. € p it, get ai go on as far as Allentown. We can telephone to headquarters from there, and then start up the river on the chance of meet- ing the men. I don’t think there is much chance of their finding a rowboat to get across the river.” - tiently waiting for him to show up. Tom was i to re at police headquarters in the forenoon, and he pro’ 0 $e. ; he gg ot The officer then si led the freight engineer. «5 “4 As soon as the train came to a stop the policemen got into the cab, briefly explained things to the engineer, and then the n started on ; é ye Tom. took the road back to the yards, congratulating hir self over his per escape from a bad fix, and in be teen minutes ed the van, where he found Chick’ - CHAPTER XI... 6 ANS os _ TOM CALLS ON MISS HUTCHINGS. = | -“Gee, Tom!” exclaimed Chick, “where have you been?.- CS “egies, Tamt” exelaimed Ch ve 9 aah after te Ud ba See a9 re a balks Te eee “Up the river and in trouble,” answered Tom. ke “

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TRADING TOM. “What trouble did you get into?” : “I ran) against those two crooks that tried to rob Mr. | Carr’s house in Woodland.” “How could you when they’re in jail?” “They escaped this evening with another chap and went | aboard a scow hauled up to the river bank about half a mile from here.” ; 3 “You don’t say,” cried Chick, much astonished. : “I was on the scow at the time taking in the breezes,” said Tom, who then went on and told his companion all that had happened to him until he was finally rescued from his pre; dicament by a policeman, one of a pair who were out hunt- ing for the rascals. “It’s a good t’ing dat de cop found you. I.never would known where you was. You might have stayed dere a couple of days wit’out anyt’in’ to eat.” “That’s right,” said Tom, unlocking the doors of the van. A quarter of an hour later both boys were asleep. They slept late Sunday morning and got their breakfast the van. Leaving Chick in charge of the vehicle, Tom went to lice | headquarters and reported the events of the night so far as} his connection with the escaped prisoners was concerned. ~* He learned that so far as the authorities were aware, the rascals had not yet been retaken. On leaving the station-house he went to a restaurant and had dinner, after which he went back to the van. “Here’s half a dollar, ere he said. “Go into town and get your dinner. I have mine. . Chick took the money and departed, but without any in- tention of spending all the money on a meal. — : While his companion was away, Tom passed the time reading the Sunday edition of one of the Riverside papers. His assistant got back about two o’clock and Tom told him he was going to pay a short call on Miss Hutchings, who he presumed had returned home as she said she was going to. - : ; He inquired his way to Jefferson street, in the residential section of the town aad found it was lined with cottages of the better class, all standing apart in their own grounds, Following the numbers he came to the Hutchings house where he rang the bell. A neat looking servant answered his ring. “Is Miss Hutchings at home?” Tom inquired, “She is,” was the answer. “Tell hie Thomas Trevor would like to see her.” “Walk in, please.” - do do, Mr. Trevor,” she said, with a beam- weve “1 am delighted to see you.” “The pleasure is mutual, Miss Hutchings,” responded Tom, hand. é kind of you to call.” - “Tt i y oy “ conlen help it, for you are an attraction I was unable to resist.” Soe ; \ “Dear me, are goi shower compliments on me again? TT thought sob had exhausted your supply the after- noon we met at Mr. Carr’s,” she laughed. “I have a few left,” he said, with a smile. w : “You boys are such jolliers that one hardly knows how to $e I aay do a litfle jollying in my business, but I wouldn’t ying you. It is my intention to speak only the xe 2 Baal Now, when I say that, in my opin- even more charming this afternoon, in that well becomes you, than you did at Wood- expressing my re sentiments on the sub- ushed and looked pleased. oe the contrary, every girl likes to be oa Alice Hutchings was en oe 2” she asked. _ $0. 18 day on the ferry. My father is the president of the ferry, and also of the Exeter National Bank.” Judging from the cottage and its appointments, as well as Mr. Hutchings’ importance in the community, Tom figured that his fair hostess was a member of the best society in Exeter, and he felt that she had greatly honored him in re- ceiving him at her home on terms of equality. He had taken a great fancy to the young lady, but he was afraid that if her father learned that he was only a travel- ing trader he would not approve of the intimacy. ‘Did you hear about the escape from the Exeter’ jail of those two rascals who tried to rob Mr. Carr’s house?” “Why, yes! it was in the morning’s paper. Isn’t it too bad they got away?” “Yes, it is. You will be surprised when I tell you that I ran across them last night along the river below the rail- road yards.” a it possible!” she exclaimed, with a look of astonish- ment. “ll tell you how it happened,” he replied. Whereupon he described to her how he had met the ras- c and fallen into their hands; what they had done to him, and how he had subsequently been rescued by one of the Exeter police force. She looked startled when Tom described how -Snuggs wanted to throw him into the river in order to get him out of the way and be revenged upon him at the same time. “You had a narrow escape,” she said, with some earnest- ness. “That’s right. If the other two, or even Barney Hogan had been in favor of doing me up that way, there was noth- ing to prevent them from carrying out their purpose, for the scow is moored at a spot that is very lonesome at night.” “T’m so glad nothing serious happened to you, Mr. Trevor.” “Thank you, Miss Hutchings. It is very kind of you to express your sympathy. Being as ‘I am a rolling stone. without parents or relatives, and nobody but Chick to mourn my loss if I were suddenly removed from this busy world, it is a satisfaction to know that you feel at least a slight interest in my welfare,” replied Tom, in a grateful tone. “I feel more than a slight interest in you, Mr. Trevor,” replied the girl, ep sively. “You may be only a traveling trader at present, but I am sure you will not long remain I. know that you are energetic and ambitious, and to a boy so well endowed as you are, all things are possible.” I think the compliments are coming from you now, Miss Hutchings,” laughed Tom. “I am only following your example—expressing my real sentiments on the subject,” she replied, with a slight blush. “T accept them as such and thank you for your encourag- ing words,” replied Tom. After that the fair girl and the enterprising young trader seemed drawn a little closer together in spirit. Each recognized that a kind of mutual interest existed between them, and in consequence, their bearing to each other unconsciously became more unreserved and friendly. Tom remained till t five o’clock and then said he guessed it was time for him to go. “Shall I see you again before you leave town?” Alice asked, with a look that indicated it would give her much pleasure to have him call again. e “I’m afraid not, Miss Hutchings. I shall cross over to Riverside by an early boat in the morning, and continue my way west and.south. I trust we shall meet again in the near future, for I will try and return to this town some’ — time, if 1 have to make a special trip by rail. Your friend- ship is more to me than perhaps you understand. You have — a nice home, parents, a po cirele of friends who admire a bit of flotsam on the world, — you, while I—well, I am a with my future to make through my own efforts. Your -— friendship, therefore, is a precious possession to me, and J want to deserve it, and I.don’t want to lose it. I shall-re- member your kind words of encouragement, and | shall think _ of you often as distance lengthens between us. If you would = ~ permit me to——” a “Permit you to what, Mr, Trevor?” said the girl, who was deeply moved by the boy’s words, as he paused a 7 aa ' “T was going to ask a favor of you, but I fear I have no right to suggest it,” he said, with some slight emotion in his ; £5. __1 am sure you would not ask uny favor I could not wilt jog) Sir ge Satan Thi be resumption om my part, bog. your forgiveness in adv was going to say that if

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14 TRADING TOM. you would permit me to write you once in a while, it would make me very happy.” “You have my permission to do so, Mr. Trevor,” she re- plied, with a smile. “And I promise to answer your letters if you will let me know where an answer is likely to reach you.” “Thank you, Miss Hutchings. I appreciate the favor very much. Any letter you send me will be treasured in re- membrance of this afternoon, which I regard as the brightest spot in my life so far. I shall labor harder than ever to. be worthy of your friendship, and to show you that I mean/* to get ahead in the world as fast as it is possible for a boy of Jmy years to do.” “T have no fear about your future,” Sone the girl, in a tone of earnest conviction. “I am satisfied that the time will come when I shall consider myself fortunate in knowing you. I foresee that you will make your mark in some way, for, in my opinion, you are one boy in a thousand.” “T thank you pe for ate ur generous appreciation of me, and now wish Ys trusting that we shall meet : again before a Great yt Tom om, pat out out his hand and she placed hers in his. # vf r. Trevor,” she said. 6 na pte 4 bowed courteously to her, and the next moment he was outside. ¥ y ian turned at the gate and saw her still standing at the : "He waved his hand and she returned the salute with a % "Then Tom walked up the street, and Alice went to her _. room conscious that something new and sweet had come is into her life which made her feel very happy. 4 Pr. ite CHAPTER XII. a SE re ee ee 2) ‘Tom and Chick were astir soon after daylight. ia F ean. nasnee were hitched up and they drove toward the : ‘erry-house. ___ Within a block of the river they ice at a small res- Ze paenenes for eee teen they were aboard the boat which /~ was about y to sta _A few Bi core i meas. to land them at the wharf on the side of the river, and from has aa ig they proceeded h the business section of Ri Ton stop at a wholesale tinware establishment to re- ‘new his dep eted stock of articles most in demand among the _ farmers’ wives! and then went to a jobbing dry goods house where he bought a supply of the notions he needed. There being nothing else to him in town, he started on and ai was on the county road with his horses’ heads to: the southeast. He did some business long his route that day, and at ioe: oy s roads. what t call nde life for me,” said Chick, B squatted « on the grass after su boda Sigs beveaht ith a of of cigarette from a pack in et. “Most fellers to de city like me, abet 8 gp dat’ Ty By) was der homesick at fust, country for a gold mine. [ in gown once in a while where I on Bagh Bes _ “You're Banteg's Fe a whole ie ‘heal singe you've been Tiny ws, ond fe would ; “our lite i would” en grinned the boy. Pt AS gh htin’-cock since I’ve been travelin’ in dat waggin. t I could any two boys my size now and’ come up to hick blew out several rings of blue smoke and watched circle above his head. dark by this time, but the “Be sure that I will not! ‘you anything to eat, you’ve got to be : ees Tom, “though re a tough g & great deal to knock you a, Be Ste ses Sab he wad ehh with up to stretch himself, he saw two men coming slowly to- ward them along the roa The boy called Tom’s attention to them and then hopped up on the rear of the van where he sat down, allowing his legs to swing under him. When the newcomers got close if was seen that they be- longed to the hobo fraternity, and pretty tough specimens they were. Each of them had an empty tomato can slung over his shoulder, and carried a cudgel in his hand. They saw the wagon and walked toward it. “Hello, matey,” said one, stopping in front of Tom, somethin’ good to eat in yer outfit?” “Hungry, are you?” answered Tom. eg reckon we are. If ye’ve got. any licker we'll take that us “Don’t carry anything of that kind.” “Why don’t yer?” asked the fellow, in an impudent tone. “Because I don’t,” replied Tom, coolly. “Don’t get sassy, young feller, or eon bust yer in the snoot.” “Maybe you will, but I doubt it. If ze § expect me to give civi “Hear the little cock crow!” said the tramp, sarcastically. “Jest yer hand out a supply of yer eatables or we'll step aboard and help ourselves.” “If that’s the way you talk, you won’t get anything from me.” “Yer do what I tell yer, or I’ll knock yer block off,” said the tramp, raising his cudgel in a threatening way. Chick saw there was going to be trouble, so <* darted back into the van for the six-shooter. The second tramp, seeing him retreat, decided to follow. Tom sprang forward, seized the cudgel held by the first tramp and wrenched it from his grasp. ~ “Now you’ get out quick,” he said, in a resolute tone. The tramp, with a snarl of rage, ‘stuck his hand into his shirt and rew out a wicked-looking knife, the blade of which glinted in the starlight. “Tl) carve yer up,” he roared, preparing to make a with the weapon at Tom. The boy was too quick for him. ’ He brought the knotty end of the cudgel down on his wrist, and the knife fell to the grass. The tramp uttered a howl of mingled anger and pain. A different kind of a howl came from the other tramp. He was in the act of clambering into the van when Chick jabbed_ the revolver in his face and said tersely, “Git.” He “got” quick, tumbling backward on to the grass. Tom stepped forward and put his foot on the knife so that the tramp could not ogg it. ; Then he swung the cudgel 1 so close to the aes face that he hopped back and tripped o over his compani -The ragged and disreputa ir got ely baz canned up in their efforts to rise, and they filled the air with their im- precations. Tom picked up the knife and tossed it to Chick. Then he waited for the men to get on their feet. * As soon\as they did, he ordered them to get away at once. They stood and slaved at him, apparently disinclined to “got lunge rec out into yr obey. at that moment Chick accidentally pressed the trigger of you know; but now it’s different. ame ps Sar if I’m| the revolver. There was a shart 7S eas the bullet whizzed between the heads of the two tram: They were ceed ‘ave hat ‘Chick had in- tended to shoot They were panic-struck and took to their’ bees = at once. Chick uttered se hype tet. of glee, sprang to the AA ny ye and sent an em,. taking care that pass over their heads. Seng RO, Oe ee “*You’ve hit one of

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’ ; \/ > 4. is = 4 ‘Tot. Tom and Chick went to a ch it worth a good d ho TRADING TOM. 15 Nothing would have pleased him better than to have rushed after the rascals and discharged the remaining chambers of the weapon, but he guessed that Tom would not approve of such a proceeding, and he never did any- thing that Tom didn’t like if he could help it. “We have taught them a lesson, I hope,” replied the young trader. “Perhaps they won’t be in such a hurry after this to bulldoze persons they happen to come across.” “Gee! How dey did run, especially de big fellow dat got de tumble in de dust,” chuckled Chick. “It was better dan a circus to watch ’em.” ‘ “You gave them a terrible shock when you fired that gun the first time. The bullet must have sung between their ears. That certainly started them on the go.” “T didn’t mean to shoot dat time. De revolver went off before ] knew what was goin’ to happen. Dey was lucky to get off wit’out a bullet,” said Chick. — 5 “T thought you shot on purpose to frighten them,” replied Tom, a bit surprised. ee : : “Nope. It was an accident, but it did de business al! right. Dey started, bet your boots. Den I fired to make ’em go faster. What a nerve dat feller had to order you to fetch him somet’in’ to eat, just as if he was some big rooster wit’ lots of money, and you was his nigger waiter. If dey’d behaved demselves dey’d have got somfe grub, now dey’ll have to go hungry, which serves dem right.” ; “Well, it’s time we turned in, Chick,” said Tom. “Hand me the lantern and I'll stick it up at the corner of the van.” A few minutes later, with the door partly closed and se- cured by the chain, they lay down to rest and were soon asleep. CHAPTER XIII. = AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER. lat ' they entered a good-sized city on their route and me ear Sanday on a vacant lot where other vehicles am Agia oo were lodged in a cheap stable attached to the bevel ang teelataent. ‘. er, Tom went to the reading-room and wro a fainly long. letter to Alice Hutchings, detailing his adven- tures during the week, and directing her to address him at a certain town he expected to reach a week later. . On Monday morning Tom sold the greater part of his purchases at a junk store. Then visited several second-hand stores to try and sell burea' ‘ A was $2.75, and as he considered Pot Lee HSE IY ee ee thea take he ket it in the “4 days afterward he entered a small village in the co ae lot of attention when it halted be- ght and entering the main room of the sa SBR Nay cost for two suppers. ‘He was told ; satisfac oung trader and his as- cone najourned Log TY eet ag where they got steak, ot rolls, prunes and coffee, : e boys reached the veranda facing on the street found the van still an object of curiosity to ted on the front seat and drove off. a store and went in to purchase he ‘“ ete., for his larder. en th : of letters out of the “I” ‘much so, indeed, that he began buildin ont’ of ost-office, and, goi ilar saked the man if there was . He picked it up and saw that it was addressed in a femi- nine hand, and of course it came from Miss Hutchings. a He placed it in his pocket,as carefully as if it contained a $1,000 bill, and returned to his perch on the wagon. Then they took their supper at a restaurant and then kept on out of town. It was dark by the time they found a suitable spot along the county road to haul up for the night. The horses were released and tethered by their long ropes, the lantern lit and hung up outside the van, while the re- flector lamp, was tuyned on inside by Tom so he could read his précious letter. . Slicing open the envelopé carefully with his penknife, Tom pulled out the enclosure which bore a slight perfume sug- gestive of a lady’s boudoir. It began: “Dear Mr. Trevor. I received your delightful and very welcome letter, dated July 18th, and mailed from Dayton, and I read and re-read it with feelings of great pleasure. I will now keep my promise to you and answer b it, though I cannot promise that my poor efforts will be as ? interesting to you as your splendid letter was to me. Your adventure with the two tramps gave me quite a thrill, and I shudder to think how you might have been stabbed by ~ that ruffian who attacked you,” etc. The letter was full of a kindly personal interest to Tom, : and its perusal made him very happy indeed. ) He read it through three times before finally returning’ it J to his pocket, and while he was thus occupied, Chick sat on the end of the van. Tom turned out the lamp and told Chick that he was go- ing to walk up the road a bit to stretch his legs. “You can come if you want to,” he said. “Nope,” replied Chick, “dis is good enough for me.” So Tom started up the lonesome road alone. The road swung around a short distance ahead and the light of the van lantern vanished behind him. Tom was rather pleased to be alone, as he wanted to com- iene with himself over the contents of Alice Hutchings’s etter. . Its tone and words were very satisfactory to him; sc 2 castles in the air in which the girl was a very important element. Lost in delightful visions of the future, Tom was hardly aware that he was Bey oat a railroad crossing. Between him and the tracks stood an old and dilapidated story-and-a-half shanty, fronting on the road. As Tom approached it, a light suddenly flashed from one of the side windows, and its gleam ‘attracted the boy’s at- tention, he woke wp from his airy dreams. , a The heat of the night had made Tom thirsty and he thought he would stop at the house, ask for a dipper of water and then retrace his steps to the van, which was something less than half a mile in his rear now. A _weather-worn picket fence, much dilapidated, separated _ the house from the road and also enclosed it with a gveed- grown yard on the sides and rear. ; The place didn’t present a ve stop in front of the gate whi one hinge. i He walked up to the door and raised his hand to knock whan it was suddenly opened in his face and two men filled e opening. ea Soi Bent, back ix. 6. Mind of crgniernetion. fez his | te ge had startled them, and for a moment une maestro ae Se as mn ile s the night was not a one, there was en for Tom to see the faces of the men quite distinelly, and a them to get a fair view of his features. +37 There was mutual recognition in the looks that passed Snuggs and Barney Hogan, the ‘ to be ; * 4 between thi Tom saw before him Jim ; ge much the worse encouraging aspect as Tom Was open, and hung on escaped crooks, and they after their tramp from Ex * ee: ON THE WATCH. = Snuggs i gar ee glaring to this unfriendly salu Ctr young

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16 “You needn’t worry about me,” replied Tom, coolly. “This meeting is as much a surprise to me as it is to you chaps.” “Oh, is it?” sneered Snuggs. “Why were you spying around this door if you didn’t know we was here?” he added suspiciously. “I wasn’t spying. I saw a light in the window of this house and I stopped to get a dipper of water.” “Don’t lie now. You have been drinkin’ water in your van, haven’t you?” : “I have told you the truth, but if you won’t believe me, it won’t worry me any. I'll go back to the van and get a drink there,” replied Tom, turning away from :them. “Hold on. We don’t part company so easily as all that,” said Snuggs, reaching out and grabbing him by the arm. “This business has got to be settled between us.” “Let go of me,” cried Tom, tugging to free himself. “Lay hold of him, Barney, and drag him into the house,” said Snuggs. The other crook obeyed, and Tom presently found him self a prisoner inside of the tenantless shanty. “Now, you young spy, we’re goin’ to fix you for keeps this time,” gritted Snuggs. “You’ve got into the habit of | followin’ us up, no matter where we go, and it’s goin’ to be stopped, d’ye understand?” “T don’t see any use of ing with you, since you won’t believe what Jj tell you,” replied Tom. ; “No, there ain’t no use. We’ve cut our eye teeth, and we ain’t such fools as to swallow the soft soap that comes out of your mouth. We've teken all the chances with you we intend to.. Now we've got you dead to rights, we’ll fix you so you won’t have the chance to spy on us no more,” said Snuges, grimly. summoning all his courage for a big effort, Tom sud- wrenched himself free from the rascals and sprang for the door. . The boy yanked the door open just far enough to allow _ him to get through, and then slammed it in their faces. ty When they got outside Tom was in the road,,..making _ tracks for the van. : oy. ver sneer him, for a short sie wet seeing ye he outstrip em, they gave up the , seeing w. the young trader slackened his gait. On reaching the van he told Chick about his encounter with the crooks, “We'll have _ “Tt wouldn’t be thaps are so near.” i. “Dat’s right. Which of us will keep de fust watch?” “J guess you’d better. If they make up their minds to try to steal a march on me, they probably won’t do it for two or three hours yet. They may even wait till the early hours of the morning so as to make sure we’re sound asleep.” “I tink de best way for me to do is to hide in de bushes behind de fence, and keep my eye on de road and de yan. Den dey can’t sneak up wit’out I see dem.” Chick took the revolver, fully loaded once more, jumped out of the van and got out of sight behind the fence, while Tom partly closed the doors and secured them with the ‘chain. , : te When the two rascals gave up the chase of Tom, they - held a consultation. ___.*He’s the slickest , Sn . a weHfe is that,” nodded Barney. ae “He'll give us away at the next village, as sure as thun- Be walked back to the house and spent the next three bere playing cards and emptying the contents of a flask CPU whe saideicht when they: left the Shovse ‘snd took: their “About the same time Tom I into the van, keep watch to-night by turns,” replied Tom. monkey I ever ran across,” growled watchful Chick, doors fastened 3 the Aes for us to take any chances while those | ' TRADING TOM. As soon as Snuggs and Barney.made out the form of the van drawn up close to the fence, they left the road and got into the same field where Tom was. The young trader observed this flank move on their part and drew further back into the shrubbery. They came on with due caution until they got opposite the van, when they paused and reconnoitered it. The crooks got over the fence and approached the wagon in a careful way. Snuggs first peered through the narrow opening between the doors, but he copldn’t make out much, for*it was-very dark inside, . Then he put up his hands thinking to open the doors, and discovered, to his disgust, that they were secured by a chain which prevented them from opening more than an inch ex- cept at the bottom and top. He tried to reach the chain by putting his arm up under the doors as far as he could reach; but failed to touch it. Here was an obstacle they had not figured on, and it ap- peared to be insurmountable. | . They mounted to the wagon seat, saw the outline of the | flap covering the shelf on which Tom kept his stock of no- | tions, and tried to pry it open with a jack-knife, but without | the faintest result. They were at the end of their rope and did not know what to do to accomplish their purpose. : There was a lot of brush in the field and, gathering an seh each, they carried it to the wagon and heaped it un- er it. * Tom at once surmised their object and prepared to defeat it. ‘ CHAPTER XV. A WONDERFUL DISCOVERY. The crooks went back to the field and brought two more Y sone x Shot yan f in hi t, and he nuggs had part of a newspaper in his pocket, made it into a kind of torch, the end of which he ignited with a match. He swung it-around in the air till it burned smartly and. then walked to the van. As he put one hand on the front wheel and bent down, Tom who had crept up as near as he could behind the fence took aim at his hand and fired. ; A roar of pain came from Snuggs, and the burning news- paper fell to the grass. arney turned around, startled almost out of his wits. The report of the revolver awakened Chick, and he looked out of the van door. “Hands up, you rascals!” cried Tom, climbing over the fence. “I’ve got you where the hair is short. up against that van, or there’ll be trouble to burn for you chaps. Bring some rope, Chick,” he said, “and tie these, chaps.” Barney was secured first without any great trouble, for he was cowed by the weapon in the young trader’s hands. |. - It was different with Snuggs. He resisted Chick’s eters yo bind him, in spite of Tom’s threat to shoot him, so that the latter was obliged to help his assistant out by laying hold of the rascal himself. Snuggs struggled desperately against them both, but Tom was strong and tough. He tripped the crook over on the grass and held him down while Chick bound his arms tightly to his side. Both men were then tied to separate posts and left to pass the night as best they could. ed In the morning they were loaded into the van _ like so much merchandise, and Tom told Chick to remain with them and keep an eye upon them. _ p ; The young trader cut out business that morning and drove at ng st speed to the town of Darien, some ten miles dis-_ tan : Inquiring his way ‘to police headquarters, he stopped im. front of the building and reported to the chief that he had Sipe erockn St Sis van anne epeanen trom Che Rpt Fat

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28 Seer 4 man who owned them.” smashing the lock. proceeded on their way out into the rural districts once more. One day, the van was overtaken by a heavy thunderstorm on a lonesome stretch of road, but fortunately Tom was able to reach a deserted house with a barn behind that stood not far from the road before the storm actually burst in their vicinity. ‘ He drove the horses and van into the barn just in time to escape the deluge of rain which came on the heels of the| Sweeping wind. While. the storm was at its height, a‘ thunderbolt struck the deserted building a few. yards away with a crash that fairly stunned the boys for some moments. storm continued about fifteen minutes more, and then the worst of it was over in that neighborhood. Tom, however, was in no hu to make a start. After the lapse of another half hour, he and Chick sallied forth to look more closely at the ruins of the old house. The thunderbolt had torn a gaping rent in one end of the building, from roof to cellar, and Tom stepped inside the lower floor. As Tom gazed on the wreck, he noticed something bright shining up through a mass of demoralized brick. Curious to know what it was, he began to toss the bricks this way and that in an effort to get'a better view of it. tan wasn’t long before he saw that it was a japanned tin x. Eager to see if it contained anything of value, he re- doubled his efforts until he finally reached and pulled it out of the ruins. | It was locked, and not so very heavy. At that moment Chick, who had not ventured in for fear the building would fall upon him, mustered up courage enough to follow his young boss. ; “What you got dere, Tom?” he asked, seeing the tin box in the young trader’s hands. “A tin box, eh? Where did you find it? . Ys ~ “In the wreck of the chimney. Sor eal might be somet’in’ of value in it, what do you t’ ?” *I couldn’t say, Chick, as it’s locked.” “Smash it open, den, wit’ a brick.” — “No, it’s a tog box and I wouldn’t like to spoil its useful- néss. I might be able to open it with some of my tools.” “Maybe it’s full of money,” said Chick, gazing at it in a “More likely it holds documents of no value except to the It ought to be full of money and to get rich as quick as all that, though I hope to be well off in the course of time.” Dere ain’t no doubt in my mind ‘but you'll have loads of sage way. on ain’t no gg oa ; work up right along.” ‘ ell, the Rhino over and I don’t believe there is any- thing worth seeing in this old house, so we'll return to the barn and get the team out.” ; . Chick had no further gpa to investigate the house, so he preceded Tom into the open alr. As Paha as the van was out of the barn and ready to pro- ceed, Tom got a hammer and a small cold chisel and com- te) ons on the tin box. Chick held it while Tom hammered at the lock. { 'Pom’s object was to break the lock without disfiguring the box any more than he could help. 3 “After pottering at it for some little time, he succeeded in -Putting down the tools, he pulled up the cover. Part of an'old newspaper was the first thing that met his 3 painonian tat, he uttered a gasp_of astonishment, and ‘so did Chick. - The tin box was crammed full of American bank notes, | ; all of them comparatively new, and showing very little use. “See 0 > CHAPTER (XVI. Vale ee _ CONCLUSION. “Gee! Talk: about de Count of Monte Cristo, he ain’t in it - wieDonrt nonsense, Chick. ‘There may not be over a dollars here when’ we count it.” - TRADING TOM. 17 “A couple of t’ousand!” ejaculated the tough kid. “Go on, ou’re kiddin’ me. Look at dat bunch of tens. Dere must e a t’ousand in dat alone.” “Maybe they’re not all tens.” “Dat’s right. Der might be some twenties, and fifties, and hundreds in it, and den dere’d be more’n a t’ousand in de bunch. Go ahead and count de treasure. I want to know how much you’er wort’. If you t’ink dere’s too much for you to handle, den you kin turn what you don’t want over to me, and I’ll open a bank somewhere, and buy an automobile, a steam yacht, a big house, and a few udder t’ings like dat. Oh, mamma! Wouldn’t I be a high roller! Oh, no; of course not,” and Chick grinned all over his tough freckled face. Tom, who was just as desirous as Chick to know how much money there was in the tin box, proceeded to count it slowly and carefully. One thousand was soon reached and the pile seemed scarcely diminished. , “Bet you a nickel dere’s twenty t’ousand dere,” said Chick, with a knowing expression. ; “T’'ll take you, Chick.” “Make it a dime.” “You seem confident o. winning?” “Bet your life Iam. Do you raise de ante?” “Sure. The bet is a dime, and you’re going to lose.” “Ret you another dime dat I don’t lose,” said Chick, promptly. : “Say, do you want to go broke?” laughed Tom, laying the second thousand aside. “Don’t you worry about me goin’ broke. I’ve got more money in my jeans dan you t’ink. Is dat a bet, too?” “No, I don’t want to rob you.” “Aw, where’s your sportin’ blood? Come up wit’ your ten like a little man.” _ “There it is. Now give me a rest till I get through count- ing.” ; , Se was still a number of bills of large denomination in the box when Tom announced the twentieth thousand and Chick swept the stakes into his pocket. Altogether, Tom’s find footed up close on to $30,000. “Nobody kin say you ain’t rich now,” said Chick. “But this money doesn’t belong to me, Chick,” replied m. eens? be else wy it eee 3 to, den?” @ person who owns this property. : “What you talkin’ about? You found it, and findin’s is keepin’s.” : “Sometithes, but not always. I must make inquiries about the ple who lived here, and try and find out whether J woul ieee a right to any part of the money under the cir- cumstances,” “You're de doctor; but I’ll bet if anybody else found dat tin case of bills, he’d keep it wit’out wastin’ any breath on de subject.” Tom didn’t ¢are to argue the matter, so he stowed the box of raced carefully away in the wagon and drove on up the road. About sundown they saw a farmhouse in the near distance and Tom.made his way there. He told the woman he’d like to make a trade in notions for supper for himself and his companion. The woman ped at the offer and told them to sit right down at the table, as the meal was all ready to be served During the saps Tom asked for information about owners of the old house down the road. “Nobody owns the place. It is to be sold for unpaid taxes soon,” said the woman’s husband. E “?Cause the owner died over ten years ago. E believed he was worth a lot of money, but when he hardly a cent was found in-the house. He was an old who had outlived all his relatives, so there was no claimant for the property. It will go to the highest bidder when it comes under the hammer, and somebody will get a m Chiek at Tom, as much as to say, findings is keep- ings in case sure. ; After the meal Tom the view their supper in 1 e ghen some tinware for a batch of papers and ~ old clothes. . epdy \ Then he obtained permission to camp out in the field near fre'and Chick continued on their route; now that I have a good sight to the money — as the house all Next ma - he aretha *T, tery e Fe _—_r. =. <e eeee

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18 TRADING TOM.. in the tin box,” he said to his companion, “and so I’m going to keep it and give up the trading business for something that has a future in it. I have an idea I’ll locate in Exeter, and I hope you'll stick to me just the same.” ; “Bet your life I will. I wouldn’t lose you for not’in’,” replied Chick, in an earnest tone. So they went on, Tom outlining his plans for getting on in the world and Chick listened eagerly to all he said. They reached a small city two days later and there Tom found two letters awaiting him at the post-office. One was from Alice Hutchings, and the other was from ‘the police department of Exeter notifying him to appear in town on a certain near date to testify against Jim Snuggs and Barney Hogan. Tom then decided to sell his outfit and give up his trade- mark of “Trading Tom” for good and all, though it was not without some regret that he relinquished the business in which he had found both pleasure and profit. But he knew he was adapted to something better, and now that he had a bunch of money at his back, he felt that he was in a position to give his ambitious dreams full swing. He selected Exeter as the scene of his future efforts for two reasons—it was a thriving little town for one thing, and for another, Alice Hutchings lived there, and he wanted to be within visiting distance .of her. So next day he advertised his van and horses for sale, and soon found a purchaser who wanted to use the outfit for the express ‘business. As soon as the bargain was concluded, and the money paid over, Tom and Chick took a train back to Exeter. On their ove they put up at a second-class hotel, a v e house. oy mtg were fitted out in new clothes, and would searcely have been recognized by any one who had known them as Trading Tom and his assistant, ~ Tom called first on the police and then paid a visit to Alice Hutchings, who was delighted to see him again. He told her about the money he had found, and how it was his intention to stay’ at,Exeter and make the town his future scene of action. ; “I will introduce you to my father,” she said, happy that Tom was going to remain in Exeter, “and you can talk with him about your plans. He will advise and help you all he can to oblige me.” A week later the trial of the two crooks came off, and they were easily convicted. 7 They got the limit, and were sent to the State prison at once, where they still are working out their time. Mr. Hutchings, after a long and confidential talk with Tom, to whom he took an immediate fancy, offered him an opening in his bank, and advised him to invest his money in gilt-edged securities. Sy Tom gladly accepted the banker’s offer and also his sug- gestion. He secured Chick a position as office boy in a wholesale house, where he had opportunities for advancement. To-day Chick is one of the best salesmen of the house, and no one to look at him would think he was once a tough boy who handled the English language very carelessly. Tom is cashier of the Exeter National Bank, and is en- gaged to be married to Alice Hutchings, with her parents’ full consent. He is worth about $50,000, and a part of this he is ex- pending in a new cottage in which to place his lovely bride- 0o- And now, having finished our story, we will take leave of the bright and ambitious young man once known through the western rural districts as “Trading Tom—the Boy who Bought Everything.” Next week’s issue will contain “FAVORED BY FOR- TUNE; OR, THE YOUNGEST FIRM IN WALL STREET.” Send Postal for Our Free Catalogue. . A NEW SEMI-MONTHLY THE TITLE Is “MYSTERY MAGAZINE” PRICE 10 CENTS A COPY HANDSOME COLORED COVERS.. 48 PAGES OF READING. ~ LOOK FOR IT The greatest magazine published, for old and young. F. IT CONTAINS F Rousing feature stories, detective stories, based on deep mysteries, short stories; novelettes, serial stories, and a‘ vast miscellaneous reading matter. quantity of GREAT AUTHORS, FAMOUS ARTISTS. Zz FINE PRESSWORK. |} This magazine contains more reading matter for the price than any similar publication on the news-stands. The f title of the feature story in No. 7 is THE MYSTIC EMBLEM - |" By MARIE COOLIDGE RASK -BUY A COPY Now! te r e * ' Watch this ad for the titles, which will follow from week to week, -’ . BUY A COPY NOW!

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. 19 HELP YOUR COUNTRY! TAKING LIBERTY LOAN BONDS IN TRADE. “I hope that the merchants of the country, upon amore careful consideration of the subject, will dis- continue their efforts to sell merchandise and take Liberty Loan Bonds in payment,” says Secretary McAdoo. The Secretary states that he has no doubt that merchants offering to take Liberty Loan Bonds in exchange for merchandise are actuated by patriotic _ Motives, but that such transactions tend to defeat a primary object of the bond sales, as they discour- age thrift and increase expenditures. Bonds so taken in exchange in most cases are immediately sold in the open market, which tends to suppress the market price and adversely affects sales of fu- ture issues. _ The strongest efforts are made by the Treasury Department to have these Government bonds pur- chased for permanent investment by the people and paid for out of savings, thus not only providing funds for the Government but effecting conservation _ of labor and material; exchanging them for mer- _ chandise therefore defeats this purpose. FROM THE BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE, “what deductions are allowed a farmer for ‘busi- _ mess expenses’ in making out his income-tax re- ~ turn?” ; : This is one of the many questions which revenue officers who will visit every county in the United - States during January and February will answer in detail. Briefly, they include the amount expended for labor in the preparation of land for crops and in the cultivation, harvesting, and marketing of the - erop. Deductions may be made for the cost of seed and fertilizer, the amount expended for labor in -ice. December 31 need not be considered. Persons in doubt as to any of the provisions of the income-tax section of the war-revenue act are advised by the Bureau of Internal Revenue to see the revenue officer who will visit their county to assist taxpayers in making out their returns, which must be filed or or before March 1, 1918. HARVEST NATURAL ICE, URGES DEPART- MENT OF AGRICULTURE. Farmers and others who harvest natural ice this winter-and store it for summer use will aid greatly in the conservation of ammonia, vitally important at this time, it is pointed out by the United States Department of Agriculture. Ammonia is a necessity in the manufacture of Every ton of natural ice harvested means a certain amount of ammonia saved. Ammonia salts are regarded as an essential in the manufacture of certain fertilizers. The most important chemicals” used in making ammonium nitrate and other explo- sives are readily made from ammonia and every quart of America’s already small supply of this sub- stance that can be saved means more power to America’s armies. Thus the farmer is interested in the conservation of ammonia not only from a national standpoint, but beeause of his personal in- terests. Ammonia saved through harvesting of nat- ural ice means more ammonia for fertilizers and more ammonia for ammunition. The man who har- vests ice now and stores it in pits or ice houses, next summer may have the satisfaction of helping out his neighbor who depended on 4n ice plant. » wb As i. = 9 | 4 i oa ; % : In addition to the saving of ammonia, conserva- tion of coal is to be effected through the harvesting — of natural ice. American ice factories and refriger- _ ating plants, according to figures of the United States Fuel Administration, use annually 15,000,000. ag earing for live stock, cost of feed, repairs to farm tons of coal. * ap farm puildings, but not the re of ree bon Ae to the dwelling. The cost of repairs to farm fences ROCKEFELLER GIVES $25,000. - and machi is deductible, as well as the cost of Saale toni. and material which is used up in the course of a year or two, such as binding twine, _ pitchforks, spades, etc. William Rockefeller has just made a gift of $25,- — 000 worth of the last issue of Liberty bonds to the Ossining, N. Y., Hospital to endow a “Mr. and Mrs. _ William Rockefeller Fund” for the institution. = The bonds will yield $1,000 a year. It is under- stood that Dr. Joel Madden, of Ossining, who is” physician to the Rockefeller family when they are at their Summer eller - e cos chinery, such as tractors and oie gdlaprt paige deducted, Wut the 4

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20 THE CHEAPEST ~ ‘TWO FOR A CENT : FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. BOY ON EARTH By GASTON GARNE (A SERIAL STORY.) CHAPTER XIX (Continued). He was a shrewd-looking man of about forty, stocky and short, and with eyes whose gaze shifted a good deal. He ordered one of his men to bring the pair of grays out. ’ Both Milt and Chub felt a thrill of admiration when they saw the splendid pair, hitched to a light road wagon. . “Jump in with me, and go a bit behind them,” invited Mowbray. “Just a few minutes. I want to look them over first,” Milt rejoined. ~ : __-. He looked over every point of both animals. He even looked over points that are not familiar to horsemen. This part was a bluff, but it had Mow- bray puzzled. 3 “The judge may be a fine lawyer,, but he doesn’t know much about horses,” muttered Milt, at last, in a low voice to Chub. : ; Lew as the tone was, Mowbray caught it, as our hero intended he should. aii _.. *What’s that?” he asked, sharply. “I was speaking to my friend,” smiled Milt. “Well, _ Vm ready to take a short spin with you now, if you feel that the horses are up to their best work.” _ Mowbray got into the wagon a bit sulkily, Milt taking a seat beside him. The animals proved to __ be a magnificent pair of pacers. “Now, as to price,” began Milt, as they drove into the yard again, and sat in the wagon. “Why, the judge knows that now,” exclaimed a Wives. “Twenty-four hundred—not a cent less.” ees mn all I have to say,” rejoined Milt, “‘is that Judge Hepworth will not consider these horses again PY A Eee ee % tg ; = ae t “ ~ ; At eee. 3 wo “Humph! The judge offered me sixteen hundred himself the other day.” “He won’t now, when he hears my report,” our hero answered. “In fact, he won’t consider the mat- ter with you any further at all. He has promised me that.” “If you want to say twenty-two hundred fe “I don’t,” Milt cut in, shortly. “Fourteen—not even fourteen and a quarter.” “But that would be crazy on my part,” cried Mow- bray. “But I will say twenty-one, since the judge ‘wants the critters so badly.” “He won’t want them a cent worse than fourteen hundred,” retorted our hero. “In fact, once I’m outside this gate, he won’t consider the pair even at fifty. I believe he told you over the phone that I have full charge of this matter. Before you hear from the judge again he’ll have a pair and won’t want these.” “T’l] ask him over’ the wire myself,” muttered Mowbray, leaping down from the wagon. “Do,” replied Milt, “and when you come out you'll find me gone, and no chance on earth for a trade with Judge Hepworth. But you won’t come down to anything right, so I may as well be going.” “Hold on! Nineteen——” In three minutes more Mowbray, in a cold sweat, |had come down to Milt’s fourteen hundred offer. The matter was clinched with Judge Hepworth over the telephone, and it was arranged that Milt and Chub should drive the pair over in the road wagon. “am I a business man—what?” smiled our hero, as he held the whip over the fine pair along the road. “My hat’s off,” muttered Chub, admiringly. “But

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beats you as a trader. He got them for four teen hundred, and the bargain’s clinched.” “Got this pair for fourteen hundred, did he?” in- quired the horse expert. “Smart young man, is he? Not Much! This ain’t the pair you wanted, judge. It’s another matched pair altogether, me worth about six hundred dollars!” > CHAPTER XX. : A LESSON IN MAKING SUCCESS, is At that dreadful announcement, and the gasps that Mrs. Hepworth and Grace gave, Milt wished he could sink through the wagon seat, soak into the ' ground, and vanish forever. “No, ‘it ain’t the same pair,” repeated Farnum, slowly. “Mowbray has beaten you, after all!” “Humph!” retorted the judge cheerily. “Don’t - you believe it. And don’t you wilt, either, Brad- lock, as you seem likely to do.” I know that. Besides, Mowbray’ couldn’t beat me. If it wasn’t the same pair, then the trade wouldn’t this was the same pair, and he assured me that it was. Come to think of it, do you see that whitish star—the little one—on the nigh animal’s chest? _ And that dark drab line across the off fore-leg of the other animal? Those were the marks that I noticed in the first place.” eeu sta Se nT oe ~ a 4 “T guess they are the same pair,” Farnum admit- |. ted, grudgingly, and Milt's heart began to beat more = dl again. . -“T’)]) make sure of it by talking to Mowbray, now, A bier the phone,” uttered the judge, and vanished _ inside the house. He came out again, announcing: “Mowbray swears it’s the same pair, and says I -needn’t hold to the trade. In. fact, he says he’s sorry, now, that he let the pair go at that‘ price. _ He'll:be glad to call it off, but I won’t do it. Brad- lock, my hat’s off to you as a business man! Mow- y was trading on his knowledge that I wanted this pair badly.” _ “And I traded on my knowledge that he wanted “to a ” laughed Milt. ; umph!” uttered Farnum, going away with a face. Sheet expert of yours, judge,” whispered. Milt, ‘must have oat up a job with Mowbray to make you , “half bour was past Judge Hep- Bt Milt two fifty-dollar bills. | mh what’s this, sir?” seaped MUTE... he bv e- : cL YOu es FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. It is ‘the same pair.. hold, for I asked, particularly, over the phone, if| to come to his study. He was sorting over ede, : ‘to for you, first?” he asked smilingly. “Here’s one thing ‘be done. I’m paying a 21 sides, I’m satisfied. I saved money and got just what I wanted.” : _ So Milt took the money, though with a queer feel- ing. Judge Hepworth afterwards satisfied himself fully that he had the same gray pair that he had bargained to get. “Shall I tell you how I brought Mowbray to the point, sir?” asked Bradlock. : “Don’t,” retorted the judge, almost sharply. “Young man, if you have any business methods of your own, and they are winners, don’t be in a hurry to tell them to others. Remember that successful business methods are property, and should be held as such. I’ve got another idea to impress upon you. Never tell all you.know. If you do, everyone else will know as much as you do. If you keep some things strictly to yourself, Bradlock, you'll always know some things that other folks don’t know.” “T see the point of that, sir. Thank you.” Nor did either Milt or Chub ever forget this well- meant advice. “Here’s your fifty, Chub,” whispered Milt, a little later. ie “But what for?” yy . j. “Your share in the horse deal.” , “T didn’t have anything to do with it.” 4 “Chub, you’ve been sharing your money with me all along, and telling me we were partners. Ain’t — we partners yet?” } y “S00” 7 7 a “Take this money or a licking! Which?” | | Chub decided on taking the money. So elated were the Hepworths over santa! that coveted pair of matched grays that the boys hada _ delightful time there that day and evening. They ~ spent the night there. PO * In the morning Judge Hepworth sent for Shen ; ness papers. - “Now, how soon do you young men want to give me your past references and let me look them up, _ so that I can start you in something good here- " abouts ?” “e “Good heavens! Look up our révdrds.+-0¥ least, what people believe are our records—in Westford — and Royalton?” gasped Chub, ins af. turning hic a But Milt kept his nerve splendi -“Tsn’t there some other business we can attend . 3 bad UE: Galibve'T'm ‘abieut out: of business," EY Judge Hepworth, slowly, as he sorted over pap that you at do, ae this house and other Keen and my ‘belon ein; mee fafa Laie bens 1 wri

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7 : ! Dr. Fred 0. Orcutt, who was staying at Oak Point Camps, Me., was awakened early one morning by a slight noise. Rising on his elbow he saw a fine buck through the window of the cabin. He picked up his gun, which was beside him, and shot the deer while still lying in bed. French chemists are advocating the use of sea water in the making of bread. This not only would _ save the transportation of salt, it is urged, but __ would add materially to the healthful properties of ___ the bread, owing to the fact that sea water contains, besides salt, a valuable percentage of magnesium C. and calcium. Ocean water is already being used, _ it is said, in bread making at Cherbourg, and the bread has gained a considerable reputation as a diet in various complaints. By way of solving the disabled soldier and sailor 7 problem, Great Britain has gone to great lengths 3 - in studying and devising occupations suited to those whom the war has treated somewhat harshly. One _ instance of this is to be found in the twelfth course ab = at the Northampton Polytechnic Institute for giving _ & preliminary training to disabled soldiers and sail- ors as sub-station attendants, which has just been completed. A number of students who finished the course are now awaiting vacancies. Se _ The response to the réquest of the Navy Depart- or me for binoculars, telescopes and spyglasses has _ been most gratifying. By November 23d, about six _ hundred of thege instruments had been ‘voluntarily _ paid over to the Navy. Letters received by the De nent show that hundreds of first-class glasses _ would be loaned to the Government if the owners __ were assured of their return at the end of the war. _ To meet this contingency, the Service has been or- _ dered to place a tag with the name of the owner, vu each glass, with a view to keeping records of _the same so that they may be returned after the war is over. #.. One of the young men employed by the Lethe alley Railroad in Towanda, Pa., purchased a new - of overalis and found pinned inside the name a young woman who was supposed to have made em. He accordingly sent a letter to her. The ner night he received a letter reading as follows: am a working girl, but I am making a good and do not care to be married and support band, as would probably be the case with a who gets mashed on a girl he never saw. further to say that I do not know how in that pair of overalis, and that when 47-cent pair of SS ok - os nm Tare that the disks do not wear out s0 } } FAME. AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. / RENT NEWS What is said to be the most valuable tree in the world from a productive standpoint is the Gantor avocado, or alligator pear, near Whittier, Cal. Its average revenue to*the owner is $3,000 a year. At one time it was insured in Lloyds for $30,000, but the company insisted that a high lattice fence be built about it to avert any damage from wind or carelessness, and it was feared that this might in- terfere with the health of the valuable producer and two years ago the lattice work was removed, causing a cancellation of the insurance policy. Other alligatorspear trees in Southern California produce large returns, but none so far has rivaled the Gantor tree, the fruits from which sell at from 50 cents to $1 each. ; Germany will fight harder to retain Alsace-Lor- raine than any other territory in the present war; for Alsace-Lorraine, in the last analysis, is the foun- dation of the material side of Prussian militarism. It is upon the basis of her possession of this dis- trict, with its enormous mineral wealth, that Ger- many has built up her industrial imperialism, as the following facts will show. Out of 28,600,000 tons of iron ore, which Germany extracted from her mines in 1918, 21,000,000 tons came from Lor- raine. Out of the 2,800,000,000 tons of iron ore deposit in Germany it is admitted by the German engineers that Lorraine alone contains 2,100,000,- 000. For the last forty y2ars, the mineral wealth of Lorraine has been the principal source from which German metallurgy has gathered its raw ma- terials and German militarism its munitions. Quickly revolving smooth steel disks are now be- ing used in Germany for cutting metals with, it is stated, results equally good and even better than’ those obtained by toothed saws. The actual cutting — is not effected, as was formerly understood, by re- moving the metal, but by the heat generated by the friction between the rapidly revolving disk and the etal. That heat is so great that the metal is melted at the point of contact. The disk has consequently only to discard the molten metal, and by doing so | clears the dividing groove. Naturally the steel disk rr also becomes. heated in the operation, but as the greater part of its circumference is always out of ‘contact, and continuously being cooled by air, and ¢ as the friction for each point of the disk circumfer- ence only lasts for a minute fraction of a second, its own heat remains always below melting point. When oe fact was realized, toothless saws were | soon constructed which were able to cut through all metals, even the strongest joists, ina minimum of time. The advantages over the toothed metal saws quickly. % -) par cg WS P; ~ i < ype br tare

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me ’ 6 a By ED KING | re Pe. aoe . le a 4 CHAPTER II (Continued). “Now I’ve got the price, I’ll stop here a day or two,” Jack decided, swiftly. “I may strike on some- thing good by hanging out where the money is.” Flossie’s father surveyed him with an amused that gentleman declared, “I didn’t drop, at first, that dog-trading was your business, or you might not have gotten such a good bargain.” “Pardon me; I’m not a dog-trader,” Jack shot back, coolly. “That man is a dog-trader. He’s been having a run of hard luck, and, as I was on my way here, I told him I’d do my best to stir up some busi- ness for him. But dog-trading is out of my line. Ive come here to be a guest of the hotel.” _ “Oh, I beg your pardon,” cried Flossie’s father, “with another keen look at Jack’s excellent clothes. -_- As coolly as if he had done this sort of thing for years young Thurston walked in to the desk, regis- tered, and then strolled out again on the veranda. An elderly man had just driven up in a touring smile. E “You’re a pretty clever dog-trader, young man,” car, which he left in the driveway before the hotel. __ With him, on the front seat, was a brown-haired, P -laughing-eyed girl of sixteen. She was so pretty and so bright looking, that Jack, with all a boy’s eye for good looks, could not look away from her t first. : RS He heard the girl’s father speak to friends on the - veranda. Next he heard someone introduce the el- - derly gentleman to someone as Judge Holman. os “Aren’t you going to get out, Bess?” called the - judge, turning to his daughter, who still sat in the ‘. ae papa, for you promised not to stay long.” a the) girl remained in the car, while interested i) ae that he h | suddenly acquired the “a a of father and dau 3 “Whew! I wish I sab some way ‘to get ac- = it le FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. ON SUCCESS STREET TWO AND TWO MAKE TWENTY- TWO KING (A SERIAL STORY) “T can’t!” quivered the girl. “Come quick!” The judge was bounding down the gravelled drive- way, in pursuit of the great car. But it moved faster and faster. “Throw the lever back, Bess!” screamed the judge. He added other directions, as he ran. But the girl, ignorant of the machine, and rattled besides, only succeeded in getting the car going at a clip of twenty miles an hour. By some bit of good luck she got the car aa from the driveway and headed up the street. A And now she appeared perfectly helpless, stand- __ ing up in the car and looking with appealing, white face, all about her for signs of help. 4 “Tere! Whatcher doing!” shrieked the boy who 4 owned the pony. For breathless Jack Thurston, in a twinkling, haa snatched the bridle of the youngster’s hand. Slap! With a blow on the pony’s rump, Jack — made a flying start, a leap into saddle. Then, bending forward low, digging his heels into the pony’s flanks, Jack galloped as for dear life down that driveway. Me Out into the street he pounded at a gallop, now standing up in his stirrups to take in the scene _ ah : ead. He passed the judge but never looked at him. With his eyes on terrified Bess, our hero shouted: “No, no! Don’t jump! Stay where you are! woe: vy to reach you!” : CHAPTER III. eee A SHADY-LOOKING DEAL. Then spur! nites spur! A oe ; Jack dug his heels against the ribs of that swift other object, with wreck and death to follow. ie gemyidn Se whebhcanenene » A degnpihicrm t

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24 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. If Jack could overtake the fugitive ear in a few / out, wrung the boy’s hand, and then pr omptly moments, there might be a chance. marched him away, inside. If he failed in reaching the car promptly, then| “Young man,” gasped the judge, “I know only the pony would soon be distanced. /one way to thank you, and that seems worthless.” “On, on, on! You gritty little beast!” panted| He reached to an inside pocket and brought out Jack, as the pony strained itself to its ae his wallet, but Jack shoved the wallet back. leaps. “That way is quite worthless, sir,” Thurston re- Click-clack! Click-clack! ‘The girl in the auto) plied. car looked back with a flash of hope in her eyes as| “But how can I thank you?” she saw mounted Jack overtaking the car. “You've already done so.” ? With the pony panting, Jack dashed up to the; “But how can Ido more than merely thank you?” corner of the car. “T don’t know,” Jack replied. “The time may He made a flying leap, trying to iia inside of it.| come, though.” To his horror, ‘he fell just short. “Heaven grant that it does,” cried the judge husk- . Yet his outstretched, clutching hands closed on|ily. “But you are quite sure that I can’t offer you the rear of the machine above the seat. a reward?’ . Hanging thus, from the rear of the car, despair} “Quite,’ returned Jack, crisply. “Judge, with racking him, J ack must have lost his hold and fallen, | your permission, I will step outside and satisfy my- ~ beaten, vanquished, in the dust. self that Miss Holman is over her fright.” But a jolt over a bump, as Jack tried to struggle| “One moment first. Your name? For I feel that, in, threw his feet up high in the air. some day, I shall be able to show you the real depth For just an instant he hung poised there, head|of my gratitude. John Thurston? Thank you. down, fairly standing on his hands. Now, come on, Thurston.” Then another lurch threw him forward. He! Of course, within the next half hour, the excite- plunged, head-first, inside the car. ment had quieted down. But Judge Holman, who Up in a twinkling, Jack climbed over the remain-| was a power in this part of the country, had intro- barrier. duced the boy so generally that Jack felt more than . “Sit still; we’re all right!” his voice rang, exult- antly, as one hand rested on the steering wheel. Then, gradually, he slowed down speed, made a turn at a crossing, and glided back down the road _ toward the hotel, . ‘Now, he ventured to half-turn, glancing into the - girl’s grateful, admiring eyes. “You want to learn, at once, Miss Holman, just how to run a car,” he suggested, coolly. _ “T never want yo ride in an automobile again,” _ shuddered the girl. . “Oh, you'll. soon foxes that,” skeate assured her, smiling. “But don’t forget to learn all about the uses of the veers, the chard and the other parts of the _ “You've saved me, but it Me gies ta you your life,” eried the girl, grateful “Tt didn’t cost me wae ‘but the fun of riding . pony and a chance to dive, head-first, into your AS 25% As Cpe rake as ra ¥ sae he, He 3 es Lyte t - Randolph. What was better still, just before they went away in their car, Judge Holman and Bess both invited him to call. “I shall be daring enough, then, to call to-morrow forenoon, with your permission,” Thurston replied, with a quickness and esoinees that surprised even himself. Urged to do so, Jack eect himself feeling won- derfully hell satisfied with life. After the Holmans had gone, Flossie’s father, a Mr. Granger, appropriated Jack himself. “You appear here in many strange roles,” laughed . Mr. Granger, “‘and you appear to be a success in all of them.” ~ “Don’t you think, sir,” smiled Jack, “that success can become a habit?” “I am satisfied that it will become a habit wi wee smiled Mr. Granger. “May I ask where yo ive?” a4) a “I’m just planning a new home,” Jack replied, mysteriously, > pats “Where?” the other > lg. bluntly. | i “On Success Street!” grinned the boy. Oe paate, - L =) afi ater t ir * And voi yomay pbs But Vl talk to ‘the hotel. Let me in, in pak 2 Fk Judge Holman’ pea: Bd into the lot there.” Te dudes aa cess Street. in her, hands PP ate the veranda toa p earrings’ aE ee ee te eee at home among the wealthy guests of the Hotel — “Success Street? I'll back you as own a commer “I’m hog enough to want a indi block on Sue- ‘a - A woman carrying a bulky leather’ case’ tghtly 3

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“eS a ee ae 3 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. INTERESTING TOPICS FIGHTING CULEBRA SLIDES. In the report of the Panama Canal for the-fiscal year 1916-17 Governor Chester Hardy states that the East Culebra Slide is still in motion with occa- sional periods of increased activity, each period re- sulting in a settlement of the entire mass within the limiting break, and a horizontal motion toward e center of the bowl-shaped area. The east bank of the canal has been excavated several hundred feet beyond the limits of the canal prison so that the movements of the slide do not produce upheav- als of the bottom within the limits of the canal prison. After each movement the dredges excavate the material outside the canal limits and have no difficulty in keeping ‘it from reaching the channel. Altogether 23,259,909 cubic yards of material have n removed by dredges from the Culebra slides and it is estimated that 36,000,000 yards must yet be removed, POLICE KILL BEAR IN SAN FRANCISCO STREET. Wonderful things have come out of Calaveras County. First there was gold, and then came along Jim Smiley’s wonderful jumping frog, and now comes the wonderful fighting bear. The bear weighed 400 pounds and he was being shipped to a bird store on Market street. The bear fought all the way down from Calaveras County and finally tore away sdme of the bars of his cage. When the cage was about to be unloaded in front of the store the fighting bear had arranged the bars. so that he was about to get out. A crowd gathered —and then suddenly scattered. _ Policeman Bert Wren and Perey McPartland hur- ried down to see what it was all about. The bear was just crawling out into the street. The police- ‘men drew their revolvers and shot him to death. Then the crowd came back to look at the body and to feel the fur. , ALLIGATOR AND LIZARD STEAKS. One need not become excited over the high cost of beef while there is an alligator handy. A steak _ from the latter is a toothsome morsel, having a combined fish and flesh taste, writes Prof. A. M. Reese of the University of West Virginia in the Sci- entific Monthly. Only prejudice stands in the way of our making use of alligators as well as lizards ) and all species of turtles as food. The domestic liz- ard is too small to be worth while, but South Amer- ica produces a six-footer, the iguana, which is a being about $6. The common varieties, however, the loggerhead, snapping and soft-shelled turtles, are also recommended. Do not feel sorry, by the way, for the green turtles in the markets because they are lying on their backs; this is the only posi- tion in which they can breathe out of water. THE FRIGHTFUL SPEED FOR FIFTEEN MILES AN HOUR. Alexander Wells, an old citizen of Wellsville, O., has a copy of an interesting and-novel document issued by the school board of the town of Lancaster, Ohio, in 1828. The question of steam railroads was then in its incipient stage, and a club of young men — had been formed for the purpose of discussing their value and feasibility. They desired the use of the schoolhouse for purposes of debate. This was looked upon by the members of the school board as an in- novation bordering upon sacrilege, as indicated by their reply to the request, which is the document in the possession of Mr. Wells. It reads as follows: “You are welcome to the use of the schoolhouse to debate all proper questions in, but such things as railroads and telegraphs are impossibilities and rank infidelity. There is no word of God about them.. If God had designed that His intelligent creatures should travel at the frightful speed of fifteen miles an hour, by steam, He would clearly have foretold it through His holy prophets. It is a device of Satan to lead immortal souls down to hell.” STAINED GLASS MADE WITH THE X-RAYS. It is well known that glass exposed for long to sunlight acquires a violet tint. In very old houses the windows facing south are often distinctly violet. Experiments recently made in the laboratories of the General Electric Company at Schenectady with X-rays prove that these can be used to\dye glass in many colors, principally an amethystine violet and an amber yellow, but also green and bright yel- low. These colors, according to Mr. Rosenthal, who conducted the experiments, are due to modifications of the physical structure of the glass and not to chemical alterations. The color can be made to penetrate to any desired depth, from a mere surface tint to complete coloration of the entire substance. And the same method can be applied to tinting por- celain, enamel and precious stones, } An interesting and important fact about this glass that has been colored by long exposure to X-rays is that it becomes impervious to the radiations that have transformed it. it can be used as a pro- : the sun or the snow and

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‘FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 22, 1918. SEND MONEY—At oe risk send P. 0. Money or ; remittances in any other cutting thé enve' plainly. | Address letters to HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, 166 West 23d St., New York ‘Good Current News Articles a Southern California produces 87 per cent. of .all the lima beans grown upon the face of the earth. The only other place where limas are extensively grown is on the island of Madagascar, and only - about 250,000 bags are produced there. This year Southern California has grown 1,500,000 eighty- pound bags of lima beans, the value ‘of which is _ about $13,250,000. ‘ 2 _, It is announced from London that a group of New _ York financiers has acquired the patent rights for _ the manufacture of a triplex glass for war purposes. Fe. At present this glass is used in aviation goggles, ‘ ~ automobile windshields, port lights of ships, obser- vation windows, chart covers and so on. The man- _ ufacture of this glass in America will begin shortly, _ the plant for the purpose now nearing comple- y the collection of éurines, bones, butchers’ = Steeda’ from the army camps in Great Brit- - ain and their salé to makers of soaps, candles, fer- tilizers and glycerine, more than $400,000 a month - is now being returned to the messes of the regi- 4 = United States Consul McBride writes from London that the glycerine alone made from these erly wasted by-products of army kitchens is 5 _ isnt to provide explosive for 17,000,000 shells year. va = ms Guy, who was: ar while working in the of the Cincinnati Northern Railroad Com- at Addison, ‘Mich., has been notified that the rd of the jury of the Lenawee County Circuit sro hale and he the Michi- rt. From a and hearty young the date of the accident, and | the Charles # from pcg Reece tks 3 pee es pack sik Ah , | spot several years ago. | vessel placed ovér the other that its boiler room By a strange coincidence, the new $1,000,000 oil tanker which recently came to grief on the break- water at Tampico, Mexico, was wrecked squarely on the top of another steamer that was lost on the same So exactly was the new was pierced by the boiler room of the older craft, says Popular Mechanics. The wreck occurred when | the captain, unable to obtain a local pilot on account of’a storm, attempted to enter port on his own cal- culations, The disaster serves to emphasize the danger of dispensing with the service of a local pilot when entering a harbor. It was estimated at the time of the accident that the new vessel, valued at $1,000,000, would become a total loss. A loss of | this kind is very keenly felt in these days in partic- | ular when vessels of all kinds have practically dou- bled in value. Grins and Chuckles Mother—What’s the matter, children? Not dressed yet? Little Edgar—You see, mamma, Emma’s got an apple and I told her we’d play Adam and Eve, so I can get the apple. Merchant—I always give the preference to a mar- ried clerk. Friend—Why is that? “Because I find they are not in such a hurry to get home of an eve- ning as the others are.’ ; Customer—Tell me, waiter, why do you only recommend stewed tripe to-day? Is it so excellent? Waiter (confidentially) —No, it isn’t even fresh; but if there’s anything left we have to eat it. “]. pelieve absolutely in this idea of an-all-milk diet,” said a man. “I lived on nothing but milk for a whole year, and look at me.” “On nothing but milk?” queried a physician. “At what age?” “Dur- ing the first year of my life,” quietly answered the Willis (at the Ladies’ Aid Society)—Now, what — can we do for the poor boys at the front? Mrs. Gil- lis—I was reading to-day where the soldiers are al- ways making sorties. Now, why can’t we get the recipes for those things and make them ourselves and send them to the axe. A man n living i in Charleston during the earthquake there some years ago felt that his duties required him to remain there to do what he might for the sufferers, but sent his six-year-old son out of the danger and co BS usion to the youngster’s:grandfath- _ Three days after the boy’s. ee. man received this telegram tee Gea ne

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, ae og 27 FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. THE SNAKE WOMAN. By Alexander Armstrong One day I received a visit from a gentleman, whose name for obvious reasons I withhold, but who is to-day one of our wealthiest bankers in the city. He came to engage my services in a case so strange and rare in occurrence and yet so interesting in na- ture, that I may well be pardoned for relating it here. He had heard, he said, of my wonderful control over the lunatic patients in my charge; how, by some gifts of animal magnetism I was capable of swaying their ‘shattered minds in any way I saw fit, and he hoped I would employ this faculty in curing his only daughter artd dearly beloved child of a mys- terious disease, undoubtedly due to strange mental derangement. ‘ Pressed to give me the particulars of the young | lady’s malady he related the following wonderful story, the truth of which I can amply vouch for. : Louise uttered a piercing yell, and fell backwards in a swoon. Thus she was conveyed to the seminary by some . of the fishermen, while others who remained behind succeeded in killing the snake, and took charge of the remains of the ill-fated girl. Louise’s father was summoned by telegraph to the seminary, where he was informed of these facts and also the additional one, that when the girl awoke from her swoon she seemed to be entirely oblivious of her companion’s fate. She never once alluded to her, or spoke of the unfortunate sail and its sad consequences. Thus years rolled by; and, on the particular day and hour on which the accident had occurred, they, that is the father, mother and daughter, were stroll- ing along a deserted portion of the beach at Long Branch. Suddenly, Louise, who was walking slightly ahead of her parents, fell flat on the sands. In alarm they rushed up to her thinking that she had tripped over a stone, and ‘perhaps hurt herself His daughter, he said, whom we will call Louise, | jn her fall. had been sent to a female seminary at some distance | from the city on the banks of the Hudson. There|ter go through all th she had made the acquaintance of a young girl, whom likewise we will call Annie. The two’girls shared the same studies, the same _ dormitory, and became the most intimate of friends; in fact, a veritable female Damon and Pythias, Annie was the more livelier and daring of the - two, and one evening, happening to find an empty skiff moored to, the banks of the river near the col- lege grounds, where they were taking their custom- ary stroll, laughingly proposed that they should take a sail on the placid waters of the stream in the soft glow of a summer sunset. Louise at first objected; but upon her companion affirming that she would go whether accompanied by her or not, she consented, and together they sailed éut on the bosom of the Hudson. ‘ It was never definitely known how the skiff came to be upset,but an hour later that night it was dis- covered by some fishermen floating bottom up; and the same men subsequently beheld in the light of the full moon, which had risen above the horizon, the forms of the young girls lying side by side on the strand, where they had been washed up by the ered a terrible hiss, and then red, apparently into the corpse itself But what was their horror to behold their daugh- e graceful undulations of a snake. Rooted to the spot in terror and surprise, they could do nothing but watch her. ~ Now she wriggled along the sands for some mo- ments, then she would suddenly dart her head and shoot out her tongue. All the while a hissing sound would issue from her throat, so like that of a ser- pent that a person not seeing her would not believe otherwise than that a reptile was in his immediate vicinity. It took the parents some moments to recover even partially from the dread stupor into which their daughter’s extraordinary behavior had thrown ~ them, and with their anxiety on her behalf was mingled a feeling of joy that no one but themselves had witnessed this strange phenomenon. They carried her to the hotel, and, placing her at once in bed, summoned a physician from New York, who happened to be a guest at the same stopping place. To him they confided what had happened. He had never heard of such a case before, and, as Louise seemed now to have fallen in a profound sleep, advised them to wait until she should awake. She slept uninterruptedly for twenty-four hours, | ; and, though somewhat surprised on opening her eyes to find herself in bed, had not the slightest recol- lection of what had occurréd. of the strange attack They prescribed various ith all the eminent ' ¥ & ig . . é a

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28 s: FAME - AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. clockwork these fits had returned alw ays at the same! boa-constrictor, and all her maneuvers partook of a time. As a last resort the father had come to me and offered me a quarter—nay, half of his fortune, if I could cure the child. I told the father that it was necessary that I should be introduced into the house as a friend and : not in my professional capacity, and even take up = my residence with him for some time. To this he gladly consented, and as it was not difficult for me to obtain a,leave of absence from the asylum, I was introduced that very evening to Louise as a distant relative of the family, who had just arrived from abroad. : I had looked toward a meeting with this fair un- fortunate creature, with a great deal of curiosity ; o but after, I had exchanged-a few words with her y this feeling gave way to one of deép sympathy and solicitude. ; ____ She was now eighteen years of age, tall and finely _ developed in form and a slight sha e of melancholy : rested on her pure oval countenance, which gave it an air at once tender and attractive. I will at once confess that though I was_a bachelor of thirty-five, I fell in love with my interesting patient, and, though it was barely probable that she would be- come my wife, I did nothing to restrain my inclina- tions, kmowing that my very love would aid me greatly in obtaining a mastery over her mind, which iets my all-important object. _. [had been in the family about a week, and was = my room musing over the peculiarities of neutral affections in general, and that of Louise in particu- Jar, when her father hastily entered and with pallid ga: chéeks and trembling lips informed me that the de- cisive hour had come. hastily descended to the parlor with him, and ae I entered the room a sight’met my eyes which ; Twill never forget as long asT live. ~~ the center of the room stood her mother with tok hands clasped as in prayer and the hot tears _ streaming down her furrowed cheeks, while on the floor om and wriggled the beautiful girl yee the symptoms—the baleful look, the hissing already described, were present. With an effort I shook off the feeling of awe possessed me, = advanced boldly towards gave a spiteful hiss as she saw my approach, ps d: ting at me with a celerity ‘that took me swhat by attempted to bite my hand. eprenet , caught both her ssiges in mine, and then e tug-of-war. by 2 subtle, snaky nature. For upwards of an hour the combat raged, the parents, who had dried their tears, watching the unusual contest with undivided interest. Finally I succeeded in throwing her heavily to the floor, when a cry of pain escaped her lips and she swooned away. She slept longer than usual after this last attack and when she awoke she stated that she had had a dream in which she was struggling on the edge of a precipice with a ferocious ‘giant; who had hurled her into the abyss, and that, in falling, she had struck her side against a sharp stone. She was much surprised on finding a blue, livid mark on the side of her body, and wondered how, if it was all a dream, she camé to be injured. I was quite elated with the success of my first~ encounter, and was anxious to renew it. I was too impatient to wait for the’ lapse of another month, and determined to bring about the attack at an earlier period. For this purpose I purchased at an antiquary’s a stuffed snake of the same genus and species as the one which had so affrighted her, and one even- ing when I was alone with her in the parlor, sud- denly displayed it before her. The result was as I anticipated. She immediately was seized with another fit. The struggle which ensued was an exact counter- part of the previous one, my triumph, if anything, was a little more difficult, as she now looked upon me as‘an enemy, and exerted all her power to over- come me. “JT. will not dilate all the successive encounters of mental and physical prowess we engaged in; suf- fice to say that gradually I lost the power of bringing on an attack whenever I chose, and that for some ‘time they only occurred one a month, and even these became less and less violent. As they did so the memory of her ill-fated friend, and the circum- stances of the latter’s death, came back to her, faint- ly at;first, as the fleeting vision of a long-forgotten past, but after a while with more distinctness, until, one evening, I heard the whole story from her own lips. } Then F suggested to her parents that she should be brought to the grave where rested the remains of the unfortunate girl. This was done, though not without some misgiv- A ings on*the part of all of us. Louise, however, did not fall into convulsions, but knelt for over an hour beside the marble tombstone in silent, tearful prayer. - Jong, and I not know it until now?” Goths iG not strange,” said she, when we set out for oe ome, “that poor Annie should have been sea 80 s

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v ee A r year-old boy fired at the doe and missed. FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. ITEMS OF GENERAL INTEREST INVENTS BOMBING AIRPLANE. Fred C. Hayne, of Grand Rapids, Mich., has in- vented an automatic driverless airplane for bomb- ing purposes which may play an important factor in waron Germany. The machine is controlled from the engine in a manner which is being kept a secret by the inventor. Each machine, it is said, could carry 1,500 pounds of explosives and could be sent any distance from 100 feet to 500 miles. On reaching its destination the explosives would be dropped and the machine itself would be blown to pieces, so that it would be of no use to the enemy. A fleet of the machines could be directed against an ammunition depot, the inventor says, and bring complete destruction. Mr. Haynes has shown his plans to Senator Smith and Government officials, TELEGRAM TAKES ELEVEN YEARS. One day recently a London newspaper office re- ceived the following letter: “I beg to acknowledge your telegram despatched to me January 22, 1906,| and received on Tuesday, January 7, 1917, thus tak-' ing eleven years to come fifty yards, that being the - distance between the local post-office and my shop.” Of course there is an explanation of the delay. The telegram was handed in at Fleet Street Post- office on January 22, 1906, at 2.07 P. M., and was received at an Essex Post-oflice at 2.36 P. M. the same day. At that period telegrams were placed in a shute leading from the receiving room to the coun- ter for delivery, and it appears that on its way the naughty telegram slipped in between the woodwork and hid there for eleven years. _A few days ago a Post-oflice engineer making some repairs rescued the wire from its “dug-out.” It was forthwith delivered by the postmaster in person with courteous apologies for the delay and any inconvenience incurred. 18-YEAR-OLD MAINE BOY KILLS A BUCK. The deer season in Maine is a thing of the past, but one of the most interesting stories brought to light is that of a thirteen-year-old boy who killed a buck. The boy is Kenneth Gray, son of Mr, and Mrs. George Gray of Black Narrows, Me. Kenneth was accompanied by seven-year-old Lewis Pinkham, and Gray, armed with a small 28-gauge gun, not far from Edgecomb saw a , startled when a big buck brought his 28-gauge gun to his shoulder and fired. The shot stopped the buck. In its struggles to get closer to the boys it finally fell to the ground, unable to rise again. The deer was fatally injured and the boys were able to tie the legs of the buck with a chain. Thus, making sure of their capture, they rushed home to get help to bring the buck out of the woods. CACTUS CATTLE GUARD. An ingenious foreman on an Arizona railroad re- cently conceived the idea of using the cactus plant as a cattle guard at railroad crossings. The first, which was planted a few months ago, has proved an unqualified success. Not a single animal has at- tempted to crossit. Asa matter of fact, both horses and cattle are thoroughly familiar with the species. . of cactus used, and fight shy of it as they would of a rattlesnake. A frame of two-inch by six-inch timbers was placed on edge and fitted between the tracks. In the bottom of this structure are a few inches of sand and gravel in which the cactus plants were placed. The cactus is very long-lived, but as it grows in abundance along the railroad, it can be renewed if necessary. As the thorns will pierce an ordinary boot or shoe, it was necessary to place a piece of timber along the bottom bar of the fence to allow. employees to cross. This is by far the cheapest form of cattle guard in use on any railroad. AUTOMOBILE TIRE MADE OF COTTON ROPE, The carcass of a tire has so long been a series of cotton fabric permeated with rubber that to pro- pose any change in its construction is almost like wrecking a sacred institution. But an inventor has come to light in Andover, Mass., who is no respecter of traditions or the ex- isting order of things. He has put cotton and rub- ber together in a way that is nothing short of amaz- ing. 3 His invention, specifically, is a machine which builds a tire carcass of cotton rope in continuous strands. Cords are used in some other tires, to-— day, but never rope, and never in unbroken strands. This new tire, the Carlisle Cord, invented by F. B. | Carlisle, departs abruptly from all precedent in an- other particular. Practically all tires to-day boast doe. Both hid in the under-| of imported cotton, while in the Carlisle goods old- _ oo) ae

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. ARTICLES OF ALL KINDS STEFANSSON SUMMER PLAN. Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the arctic explorer, ac- cording to Captain A. Lane, who arrived at Fair- banks, Alaska, January 15th, from the Arctic Ocean, bringing direct news from the explorer, was pre- paring to make a 300-mile dash over the ice north and west of the western Canadian arctic coast dur- ing the Summer of 1918, in search of more new land. Stefansson, he said, intended to leave his present base in April and hoped to reach Wrangel Island, off the northern Siberian coast, in July or August. He planned to spend the 1918-19 Winter on the isl- and and end his explorations by sailing through the Bering Strait to Nome, Alaska, in 1919. WEDS AS PRISON OPENS. True to her promise to wed Thomas Carrigan, alias Thomas Patrick Hogan, bank robber, if he was given a Christmas pardon, Miss Pearl Morris of To- peka, Kan., was married to Carrigan by the Rev. Father J. P. Melies, Catholic chaplain of the Peni- tentionary at Jefferson City, Mo. The ceremony was performed a few minutes after the bridegroom ' was released under his parole. The couple will go “somewhere in Kansas” to live. BSA Carrigan was convicted of robbing a bank at Phil- -. lipsburg, Laclede County, of $1,300 by blowing the safe. He was sentenced to ten years and came here ~in 1914. _.._ Miss Morris, who was engaged to Carrigan before he came to prison, has beenwnremitting in her ef- - forts to get a parole for him. She declares she will > make a good man out of him. She formerly lived]. in Kansas City, but gave her home address as “Topeka. ~ FATAL RESULTS OF FEEDING NUTS TO LIVE STOCK. The shortage of fodder in Holland is affecting the health of live stock because of substitutions—in - gome cases fatally. . . 4 x: Recently reports have been frequent of the death of stall-fed animals, attributed to spoiled or other- wise unwholesome feed. »In many such cases the animals have been freely given acorns, chestnuts and beechnuts, unshelled and uncooked. All of these i it is averred, in their natural state have pois- 3 elements, especially in the lis. It is said that horses have died within twenty-four hours after eating raw and unshelled beechnuts in considerable tities, the stomach and intestines being fatally Experts advise that nuts be fed to stock in lim- ed quantities, not than a kilo (2.2 pounds) ty we . Y" — + 7 > , howe tr ae “ =a} ‘ vi Ses ee i = eo 1 ae as 3 more have been shelled and boiled, care being taken to throw away the boiling water. It is remarked, how- ever, that nuts can be fed more freely to pigs than to other animals, and that, besides, they are very fattening. BOSTON’S NOVEL RED CROSS APPEAL. Boston has employed a novel appeal in her cam- paign for Red Cross membership. A gigantic wood- en soldier, fifteen feet high, with blood-stained band- ages wrapped around his head, neck, and one arm, is leaning for support on an equally wooden and equally altitudinous Red Cross nurse. This pair of statues is making the journey up Tremont Street, from Boylston to Park, and is moved forward forty- five feet for each 10,000 added to the membership. Rosy-cheeked girls in Red Cross uniforms are sta- tioned here and there along the route to present the appeal for membership to passersby. The locale for this demonstration was undoubt- edly chosen with craft. Whoever fights his way up Tremont Street, or down it for that matter, in the face of a Winter wind realizés the agonies of exposure to the elements so keenly that he is apt to let go of a large share of his possessions to aid our troops in France.’ THE PEOPLE ARE SAVING. The English have not been considered a saving nation, and one of the most notable examples of the effect of patriotism on a whole people was the fact that during the year-1916, although purchasing bil- lions of dollars of war bonds, the small savings banks depositors in England increased their depos- its over $60,000,000. The patriotic appeal to the American people for war savings has met with a similar response. Sta- tistics for the year 1917 are not yet available, but reports from various sections of the United States indicate that membership and assets in co-opera- — tive building, or savings and loan associations, in- creased at least 10 per cent., the same rate of in- crease for the year 1916 and about the average rate of increase for the last 10 years. The small savings-bank accounts show a similar increase in numbers of depositors and amounts of deposits. Sales of War Savings Stamps also show a great growth of the habit of saving. ~- The American people have responded to the eall of duty to economize and save. They have not only purchased nearly $6,000,000,000 of Liberty Loan Bonds and War Savings Stamps but in addition they have increased their savings as above shown. Pa- triotism and saving are synonymous now, and econ- omy is a duty, and many millions of American citi- their duty in this particular.

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY. SNAPPER CIGAR, The rea! thing for the e‘gar grafter. If You smoke you must have met h'm He Sees a few choice cigars in your pocket and makes no bones abont asking you for one. You are all prepared for him this time. How? Take one of these cigars snap- pers (which is so much like a real cigar you are liable to smoke it yourself by mis- take) Bend the spring back towards the lighted end, and as you offer the cigar let go the spring and the victim gets a sharp, Stinging snap on the fingers. A sure cure for grafters Price. by mail. ten cents each, postpaid or three for 2c. Cc. BEHR, 150 W. 62d St., New York City. GREAT BURGLAR PUZZLE. The latest and most fascinating puzzle ever placed on the market. Patented May It consists of four revolving dials, each dial contain- ing 16 figures, 64 figures in all. To ‘open the safe these dials must be turned around un- til the figures in each of the 16 col- umns added to- The puzzle is made on the gether total 40 lan of the combination lock on the large ron safes that open on a combination an figures. Persons have been known, to up ail night, so interested have they be- come trying to get each columnato total 40 in this fascinating puzzle. With the printed key which we send with each puzzle the fg. ures can be set In a few minutes 80 as to tota! 40 In each column. ce 1% cents: matled. paetnaid. H. F. LANG, 1815 Centre St.. B’klyn. N. ¥. DICE BULLET. This Bullet and contents will afford you lots of » “game.” Not, however, the kind of game usually “got” with bullets, the illustra- on fest the idea. This little hovelty consists of a real shell fitted with a hollow “bullet,” and contains two small bone dice. This li_make a very acceptable gift to any of eat soldier friends. Hach 15 cents, by mai}, C. BEHR, 150 W. 624 St., New York Clty. LAUGHABLE EGG TRIOK., - always produces roars ~ some eggs for one of he calls bis assistant. the head, he his mouth. JAPANESE MAGIC PAPER. A The latest, great. x est and best little ¥ be’ Es trick perfected by the ingenious Jap- Pp socets 6f manufacture is a secret. ting a white sheet, and pressing a ae sheet on of wi oe anese fs called Yaka Hula. It consists of two packages of specially prepared paper, one a sensi- tized medium, and it, the white sheet 1 develo photographic scenes, such as * ' of Japan, portraits of Japenese char. rs, pictures of peculiar buildings. God: vn. icukat Gad teint uv. 8 A, bee Lee tote. toles. Intensely interest- : for both oe yous- ite. ES; WOLFF Novelty : Co.. 168 W. 234 St.. N, ¥. LUCKY PENNY POCKET PIECE. This handsome pockt piece is made, alu- minum, resembling somewhat in size and appearance a silver dollar, In the center of the pocket pigs is a new one-cent U. 8. coin, inserted in such a way that it cannot be removed. (U. 8. laws prevent our —_ showing this coin in our engraving). On one side of the pecket piece are the words, “Lucky penny Sa ay Piece; I bring good luck,” and the design of a horseshoe. On the opposite side, “I am our mascot,” “Keep me and never go roke,” and two sprigs of four-leafed clover. These handsome pocket pleces are believed by many to be harbingers of good luck. Price 12 cents; 3 for 80 cents; by mail, postpaid, Cc. BEHR, 150 W. 624 Street, N. ¥. SCIENTIFIC MIND READING, Wonderful! Startling! Sel- entific! You hand a friend a handsome set of cards on which are printed the names of the 28 United States Prest- dents. Ask him to secretly select a mame and hold the card to his forehead and think of the name. Like a flash comes the answer “Lincoln, Washing- ton,” or whatever name he {s thinking of. The eget repeat it the more puzzling it becomes. With our outfit you ean do it any- where, any time, with ‘anybody. Startle your friends. Do {t at the next party or at your club and be the lion of the evening. This was invented by a famous magician. Price, with complete set of cards and full instructions, 12 cents, mailed, postpaid. Cc. BEHR. THE SPIDER WEDS PUZZLE. ~~, A very interesting Iit- t= tle puzzle. It consists ° of a heavily nickeled . pete and brass ring. The object is to get +A) the ring from the side . to the center and back. ‘ 6.2 ? 4) This is very hard, bat Kee? e ° ee ‘ . we give directions making it easy. Price, 10 cents each, by mail, postpaid. - FRANK SMITH, 883 Lenox Ave. N. Y. CACHOO AND ITCH POWDER, As’ Iteh powder, Cachoo and Bombs are unmailable, we cannot accept orders for less than One Dollar’s worth of an assortment. hey can be sent by express only, on which we will prepay the charges, WOLITF Novelty Co., 1 W. 234 St.. N. ¥. STGNALING INSTRU Cie 150 W. 62d St.. New York City. . 81 Tobacco Habit Easily Overcome A New Yorker, of wide experience, has written a book telling how the tobacco or snuff habit may be easily and ter. ban- ished with delightful benefit. he author, Edward J. Woods, D 228, Station F, New York City, will mail his book free on re- quest. The health improves wonderfully after to- bacco craving is conquered. Calmness, tran- Pps sleep, clear eyes, normal appetite, good igestion, manly vigor, strong memory and a general gain in efficiency are among the many benefits reported. Get rid of that nervous, irritable feeling; no more need of pire. cigar, cigarette, snuff or chewing to- acco to pacify morbid desire, DAYS FREE TRIAL “ a 9 a yf at ayes our ect . Take from #4 styles, colors and ‘sizes in the famous “RANGER” line. i t dri hig da the blevele line at ‘ rite ay. CYCLE COMPANY Rergor | Ziectrio OLD MONEY WANTED $2 to $500 EACH paid for Hundreds of Coins dated before 1895. Keep ALL old Money. You may have Coins worth a Large Premium. Send 10e. for New Illustrated Coin Value Book, size 4x6. Get Posted at Once. CLARKE COIN CO., Box 85, Le Roy, N. Y. To the Wife of . One Who Drinks I have an important confidential message for you. It will come in a plain envelope. How to conquer the liquor habit in 8 days and make home happy. Wonderful, safe, lasting, reliable, inexpensive method, ar- anteed, Write to Edw. J. Woods, 228, Station #, New York, N.Y. Show this to- ers. ; TWO-CARD MONTE. This famous trick gets them all. You pick up a card and when you look at it you find you haven’t got the card you * yd thought you had. Price 10c, by mail, postpaid. WOLFF Novelty Co., 168 W. 23d St., N. Y¥,. POCKET SIGNAL CHART With Booklet of Instructions in accordance with U.S. ARMY AND NAVY SYSTEMS, 1918 With this chart the authorized codes are Y aries learned. Signals are read and veri- ed immediately. Can be operated with one hand while the other writes. For use by Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, Boy | Scouts, Girl Scouts, Lone Scouts, Red Cross Societies, Schools, Military, Naval and Patriotic Organiza- tions, Enlisted Men, Camps, ete. make you very low rates in quantity. Write The Booklet which goes with the Chart endorsed by authorities as being the simplest, clearest treatise on sifnaling. Price, 10 cts. each by mail, postpaid. Y. M. C. A.s—besides e can ‘o-day! WOLFF NOVELTY CO. 165 West Twenty-third St., New York City

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TRICK CIGARETT; BOX. { This one is a corker! Get a box right| away, if you want to have a barrel of Joy. | Here’s the secret: It looks like an ordi- nary red box of Turkish a But {t contains a trigger, under which you place a sy cap. Offer your friend a .smoke and raises the lid of the box, That ex- | plodes the cap. and if you are wise you will | get out of sight with the box before he gets | Se he was shot. Price 15e, post- pa WOLFF Novelty Co., 168 W. 23d St., N. Y. PAPEL BLANCO, Four cards are placed ip a) hat. One card is removed | the balance ‘are Dow | shown to be changed to blank cards. The cards can be thoroughly examined. Price 10¢, by mail, postpaid. 1815 Centre dt., b’kiyn, N. Y¥, MODERN DANCERS. These dancers are set in a gilt frame, the size of our engraving. By lighting a match and woving it in circular form at the back they can be made to dance furiously, the heat from the match warw- ing them up. If you want to see an up-to- date tango dance send for this pretty. charm. Price, 15 cents, or 3 for 40 cents, sent by mail, postpaid. WOLFF Novelty Co., 168 W. 23d 8t., N. ¥. IMITATION BED BUGS, This toy is an exact unitation of the friendly little fellow who shares your bed, eats out of your hand or leg and who ac- cepts your humble hospitality even with- out au invitation, The fact that he also | insists on introducing all his friends and | ‘family circle, sometimes makes him most | uupopular with che ladies; most every | Woman you know would have seven kinds of fits if she saw two, or even one, of these imitations on her bedspread. Six are contained in a transparent envelope. Price, 10¢ by mail. H. F. LANG, 1815 Centre St., B’klyn, N. Y. LANG, IMITATION GIANT DIAMONDS, Diamond rings or studs of half-inch and one inch in di- ameter are heard of in stories only. We bave them imitated by prodigious sparkling stones which will deceive the glance of any spectator. Price, by mail, postpaid, small size, 25¢ each; size, 850 each, ‘ H. F. LANG, 1815 Centre 8t., B’klyn, N. Y. FORTUNE TELLING CARDS. The most comical fortune telling cards ever issued. Kvery one a joke that will arouse screams of laughter. ‘hey are shuf- fied, and one is drawa—red for iadies, whit: for gentlemen. On the drawn card is a mirth-prevoking picture, and a few words revealing your furtune, mail, postpaid, C. BEHR, 150 W. 62d Street, N, ¥. THE CREEPING MOUSE. This is the latest novelty out. Ibe mouse is of a very natural appearance. When placed upon a mirror, wall, window or any ether smooth, surface, it will creep slowly downward without leaviug the perpendicu- lar surface. It is furnished with an ad hesive gum-roll underneath which makes it stick. Very amusing to both young anu old. rice, ten cents by mail. WOLFF Novcity Co., 168 W. 23d 8t., N. ¥ THE JOKE SPIKE. This joke spike is an ordinary iron spike or very large nail, the same as is found in any carpenter's nail box. At the small end is a small steel needle, 44 inch in length, firmly set in spike. ‘Take our friend’s hat or coat and hang t on the wall by driving (with a bammer) the spike through it into the wall; the needle in spike will er. injure the hat or garment, ther will it s ein been driven. fect, as the spike appears to buve been driven half-way through the hat or coat, which can be left bangivg on the wall. Price, 10 cents, or 8 for 26 cents; by mall, aid, WoLrr Novelty Co., 168 W. 23d St., N. ¥. The deception is per- READ THIS ONE! “Moving Picture Stories” A WEEKLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO PHOTOPLAYS AND PLAYERS PRICE 6c PER COPY Price 6c., sent by / large | | BLOCK PvrUZZLE, imported from Japan. This ueat little puzzle consists of six strangely cut pieces of white wood unassembled. The trick is to so assemble the blocks as to form a six- point cross. Price ite, by muil, postpaid. H. F. LANG, 1815 Cen- tre St., B’klyn, N. ¥. MIKADO MONGOL PLAYING CARDS. Aub exact imitation of a pack of the finest quality playing cards in a very neat case. You hand the package to your friend, requesting him to shuffle the cards, and as he’ attempts to do so a cap inside expuodes loud enough to muke him see stars. Price 25c, by mail, postpaid, Cc. BEHR, 160 W. 62d 8t., New York City. TOKIO CARD TRICK. You place tive cards in a hat; Kemove one of them and then ask your audience how many remain. Upon ex- amination the remaining four have vanished. A very clever trick. Price, 10, by mail, postpaid, with directions. C. BEHR, 150 W, 62d Street, New York City. z POCKET SAVINGS BANK, riect little bank, baudsomely nic lated. Holds just five dollars oo dle t cannot be opened until the bank is full, when it can be readily emptied and relocked, ow on wall or wood where | ready to be again refilled. Every parent should see that their children have «& smatt savings bank, as the early babit of saying their dimes is of the greatest importance. Habits formed in early life are seldom for- otten in later years. Price of this little ank, 15¢., mailed, postpaid. WOLFF Novelty Co., 168 W. 23d St.. N. ¥. PRICE 6c PER COPY THE BEST FILM MAGAZINE ON EARTH BUY A COPY! ENJOY YOURSELF! Magnificent Colored Cover Portraits of Prominent Performers! 32 PAGES OF READING EACH NUMBER CONTAINS and Biographies of Actors and Actresses Best Films on Screens New Portraits Six Stories of the THIS LITTLE MAGAZINE GIVES YOU Its authors are the os ae See —— Now" is ; & copy : r9 any number you test grea’ being your iver spared the Plays People in the Films OUT EVERY FRIDAY dios and while Picture-making MORE FOR YOUR MONEY THAN ANY OTHER SIMILAR PUBLI- CATION ON THE MARKET! a, money can procure;its profuse illustrations are exquisite, and its special arti- eir cular line. Go eee tale sa tllentibk: thi very. bask’ aé ihe bind:du Be meek , or send us 6 cents in money or postage-stamps, and we will mail you HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, 166 West 23d Street, New York City

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eee ey Fo Na eat ae —FyPs

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FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY LATEST ISSUES 634 Eastman & Co., Stocks and Bonds; or, The Twin Boy Brokers of Wall Street. 614 After the Big Blue Stene: or. The Treasure of the Jungle. 685 The Little Wizard: or, The Success of a Young Inventor 615 Little Jay Perkins. the Broker: or, Shearing the Wal) Street “Lambs. 636 After the Golden Eagles; or. A Lucky Young Wall Street 616 The Young Coal Baron: or. Five Years With the Miners maar. aP 617 Coini nop cape . 2 687 A Lucky Lad: or, The Boy Who Made a Railroad Pay. 618 Among the Tusk Hunters? or. The Bos. Whe Found’ s Dia- 688 ie asec to Last; or, Six Months In the Wall Street Mones mond Mine. : Market. 619 A Game Boy; or. From the Slums to Wall Street. 5: 639 Dick, the Boy Lawyer: or, Winning a Big Fee. 620 A Waif’s Legacy: or, How it Made a Poor Boy Rich. 640 Broker Dexter’s New Boy: or, A Young Innocent In Wah 621 Fighting the Money Kings: or. The Little Speculator of Street. Wall Street. 622 A Box With Grit: or. The Young Salesman Who Made Hi< Mark. 623 Ted, the Broker’s Son; or. ang, | Out For Himself. ngine-House to Manager's 643 A Stroke of Luck; or, The Boy_Who Made Money a 644 Little Hal, the Boy Trader: or, Picking Up Money In Wa 624 Dick Darrell’s Nerve; or, From ce. 625 Under a Lucky Star; or. The Boy Who made a Million In Wall Street 626 Jock’s Fortune; or, The Strangest Legacy In the World. 627 Taking Chances; or, Playing For Big og oe K u oe 628 Lost In the Tropics: or, The Treasure of e ; v. 648 Favored by Fortune; or, The Youngest Firm In Wall Street. 629 Ten Silent Brokers; or, The Boy Who Broke the Wall Street 49 Jack Jasper’s Venture; or, A Canal Route to Fortune Syndicate. Steel cate. Street. 630 Only a Factory Boy; or, Winning a Name For Himself. 631 Fox & S' Day, Brokers; or The Young Money Makers of Wall treet. 632 ——. Barry's Boy; or, Gathering the Dollars In Wall Teet. 633 an Land of Gold: or, The Young Castaways of the Mystic sie. 641 From Mill to Millions; or, The Poor Boy Who Became a Magnate. 642 Three Game Speculators; or, The Wall Street, Boys’ Syndi- 645 On the Gold Coast; or, The Treasure of the Stranded Ship. 646 Lured by the Market; or, A Boy’s Big Deal In Wall Street. 647 Trading Tom; or, ‘Th e Boy Who Bought Everything. For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receipt of price. 6 cents, per copy. in money or postage stamps, by HARRY E, WOLFF, Publisher, < IF YOU WANT of these weeklies and cannot procure them from newsdealers, and fill in your Order and send it with the price of the weeklies mail. ANY BACK 166 West 23d St., N. Y. NUMBERS they can be obtained from the publishers direct. Write out ou want, and the weeklies will be sent to you by return POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY. QUR TEN-CENT HAND BOOKS No, 464. HOW TO MAKE AND USE ELEC- TRICITY.—A description of the wonderful uses of electricity and electro magnetism ; to- ether with full instructions for making Batteries, ete. By Geor, lectric Toys, Containing over fifty il- Trebel, A.M., M. lustrations. No. 47. HOW TO BREAK, RIDE AND DRIVE A HORSE.—A complete treatise on the horse. Describing the most useful horses for business, the best horses for the road; also valuable recipes for diseases peculiar to the horse. No. 48. HOW TO BUILD AND SAIL CANOES.—A handy book for boys, contain- ing full directions for constructing canoes and the most popular manner of sailing them, Fully illustrated. No. 49. HOW TO DEBATE.—Gliving rules for conducting debates, outlines for debates, questions for discussion, and the best sources for procuring information on the question given. No, 530. HOW TO STUFF BIRDS AND ANIMALS.—A valuable book, giving instruc- tions in collecting, preparing, mounting and preserving birds, animals and insects. HOW TO DO TRICKS WITH ecards. L- No. 52. HOW TO PLAY CARDS.—Givme the rules and full directions for pl ying Euchre, Cribbage, Casino, Forty-Five, Rounce, Pedro Sancho, Draw Poker, Auction Pitch, All Fours, and many other popular games of cards. No. 53. HOW TO WRITE LETTERS,—A wonderful little book, telling you how to write to your sweetheart, your father, moth- er, sister. brother. employer; and, in fact, eeernety and anybody you wish to write 0. No. 54. ing and n andsomely il md newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on rece'pt of price, 10c. per copy, or 3 for 2c., in money or postage r - em - . bs HOW TO KEEP AND MANAGE. No, 60. HOW TO BECOME A PHOTOG- RAPHER.—Containing useful information regarding the Camera and how to work it; also how to make Photographic Magic Lan- tera Slides and other Transparencies. Hand- somely illustrated. No. 62. HOW TO BECOME A WEST POINT MILITSRY CADET.—Explains how to gain admittance, course of Study, Exami- nations, Duties, Staff of Officers, Post Guard Police Regulations, Fire Department, and ali a boy should know to be a cadet. By Lu Senarens. No. 63. HOW TO BECOME A NAVAL CADET.— Complete instructions of how to gain admission to the Annapolis Naval Acad- emy. Also containing the course of instruc- tion, description of grounds and buildings, historical sketch, and everything a boy should know to me an officer in the United States Navy. By Lu Senarens. No. 64. HOW TO MAKE ELECTRICAL MACHINES.—Containing full directions for making electrical machines, induction coils, dynamos, and many novel toys to be worked by electricity, By R. A, R. Bennet. Fully illustrated. No. 65. MULDOON’S JOKES.—The most original joke book ever published, and it is brimful of wit and humor. It contains a large collection of songs, jokes, conundrums, etc., of Terrence Muldoon, the great wit, hu- morist, and practical joker of the day. No. 66. HOW TO DO PUZZLES.—Con- taining over three hundred interesting puz- zies and conundrums, with key to same. A complete book, Fully illustrated. No. 67. HOW TO DO ELECTRICAL TRICKS.—Containing a large collection of instructive and highly amusing electrical tricks, together with illustrations. By A. Anderson, ; No. 68. HOW TO DO CHEMICAL TRICKS.—Containing over one hundred highly amusing and instructive tricks with chemicals. By A. Anderson, Handsomely illustrated. : No. 69. HOW TO DO SLEIGHT-OF- HAND.—Containing over fifty of the latest and best tricks used by magicians. Also Salado | the secret of second sight. Fully illustrated. No. 70, HOW TO MAKE MAGIC TOYS.— Containing full directions for making Magic Toys and devices of many kinds. ‘ully il- lustrated. No. 71, HOW TO DO MECHANICAL TRICKS.—Containing qari’ illustrations for cep over sixty Mechanical Tricks, Fully illustrated. No. 72, HOW TO DO SIXTY TRICKS WITH CARDS.—-Ewbracing all of the latest — most deceptive card tricks, with illus- No. 73. HOW TO DO TRICKS WITH NUMBERS.—Showing many curious tricks with figures and the magic of numbers. By A. Anderson. Fully illustrated. No. 74. HOW TO WRITE LETTERS CORRECTLY.—Containing full Instructions for writing letters on almost any subject: also rules for punctuation and composition, with specimen letters, . No, 15. HOW TO BECOME A CONJURER. —Containing tricks with Dominoes, Dice Cups and Balls; Hats, etc. Embracing thirty-six illustrations, By A, Anderson. No. 76. HOW TO TELL FORTUNES BY THE HAND.—Containing rules for telling fortunes by the aid of lines of the hand, or the secret of palmistry. Also the secret of telling future events by aid of moles, marks; sears, etc, Illustrated. No. 77. HOW TO DO FORTY TRICKS WITH CARDS.—Containing deceptive Card Tricks as performed by leading conjurers and magicians. Arran ment, lly illustrated. No, 78. HOW TO DO THE BLACK ART. weer a complete description of the mysteries of Magic and Sleight-of-hand, to- [Messer g with many wonderful experiments. y A, Anderson. Itlustrated. No. 19. HOW TO BECOME AN ACTOR. —Containing complete instructions how to make up for various characters on the stage; together with the duties of the Stace Man- ager, Prompter, Scenic Artist and Property n. No. 80. GUS WILLIAMS’ JOKE BOOK — Containing. the latest jokes, anecdotes and funny stories of this world-renowned Ger- man comedian. Sixty-four pages; handsome colored cover, containing a half-tone phote of the author, No. 81. HOW TO MESMERIZE.—Contain- ing the most approved -method of mesmer- ism; animal magaetten. or, magnetic heal- ing. By Prof. Hugo Koch, A.C.S., au- thor of “How to Hypnotize,” etc. S No, 82. HOW TO DO PALMISTRY.-Con- taining the most approved methods of read- ee the lines on the hand, together with a full explanation of their meaning. Also ex- plaining phrenology, and the key of telling characters by the bumps on the head. By Leo Hugo Koch, A.C.S. Fully illustrated. No. 83. HOW TO HYPNOTIZE.—Contain- ing valuable and instructive information re- garding the science of hypnotism. Also ex- plaining the most approved methods which are employed by the leading hypnotists of the world, By Hugo Koch, A.C.8. No. 8. HOW TO BECOME AN AUTHOR. —Containing information regarding choice of subjects, the use of words and ner 0} reparing ri ten scripts. tion as to the neatness, levibility and gen-— 168 West 23d St. N.- ——_ Vw ———S— ei for home amuse- PF .eeq ei Bek: » ites Pt ees