Fame And Fortune Weekly (no. 925) (1923 06 22)

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No. 925 JUNE 22, 1923 7 Cents FAME FORTUNE WEE yy sTORIES OF BOYS WHO MAKE MONEY. AFTER A BIG STAKE OF BRAINS LAG OINE BRAWN AND OL Tike ¢ 5: ORTES~ By A Self-Made Man poe aa: ‘The men yelled and there came a terrible explosion almost under the horse. A startled cry escaped the boy as he pitched over backward from the shaken wagon seat. Instantly the air was filled with smoke and gas.

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23d Street, New York, > oF ime Post-Office at Now York, N. gue 925 AFTER = - os Ns = <a p= n= = . E CHAPTER I.—Which Introduces the Hero. “Gee! I'd like to get that job,” said Tom Had- dey, gazing at an advertisement in the Milltown _ Morning News, as he sat in a small restaurant eating a humble breakfast of coffee and rolls, for his finances were at low ebb. “Now much chance for me, I guess, for there’s bound to be a crowd after it.” _ . This is the advertisement which had riveted a ‘Tom’s attention: “BOY WANTED—One not afraid of work, - Orphan preferred. Must live on premises. Good pay to the right party. Apply in person to Mr. G Guffin, Woodbine Vila, on the county road ae a mile from Main street.” ee Tom read the advertisement over again. It cooked ‘@eod to him. Anyway he need a job bad, and this appeared to be a steady one. “‘Not afraid of work,” that’s me,” he said. _ “*Orphan preferred,’ that’s me again. I’ve been _ an orphan for a whole year. ‘Must live on the premises,’ that suits me from the ground ub, for I haven’t any home. ‘Good pay to the right ‘party,’ that’s best of all. It goes right to the yot, but if I can’t get good pay I'll work for particularly where board and lodging are rown in. ‘Apply in person to Mr. Guyman Guffin,’ rather an odd name. I’ve heard of Griffin, ‘but never of Guffin. I guess he must be a retired gent, living on his money. Elderly and_bald- _.. ft wonder how much of a family he has? Well, I’m going to try for the situation on the ciplé that nothing ventured nothing won.” Tom finished his breakfast, fished out a dime pay for it, which he regarded longingly as he hed it across the counter to the proprietor e restaurant, for dimes were as scarce as 's teeth with the boy, and started for Wood- e Villa. Main street was the connecting link z n that dir la, the “I don't object" i FAME AND FORTUNE .WEEKLY j feaued ear catecrineee price, $3.50 Ps year; Canada, $4.00; Foreign, $4.50. Harry E. Wolff, Pubtisher, Inc., 168 Entered as Second-Class Matter, October 4, 1911, Y., under the Act of March 3, NEW YORK, JUNE 22, 1923 Price 7 Cents A BIG STAKE OR, BRAINS AGAINST BRAWN By A SELF-MADE MAN must lie to the west, so he proceeded in that direction. On passing the post-office he decided to make sure, so he stepped in and asked the boy he saw at the delivery window if he knew where Woodbine Villa was. j “Sure I know,” replied-the youth. “Mr. Guy- man Guffin lives there, and we receive a pile of mail for him every day. Going to call on him?” “Yes. The villa is in that ‘direction, isn’t it?” “Yep. About a mile from here, on the right- hand side of the road. House stands back from the road, and has a cupola on top. There’s a silver plate on the gate with the words ‘Wood- bine Villa’ in big script. Guffin has an advertise- ment in the morning paper for a boy. Are you after the job?” - “Yes, but I hardly expect to connect. There’s bound to be a crowd of boys after it.” “Think so?” grinned the youth. “Yes; it seems to be a\good job.” “You are a stranger in town, aren t you?” “T am. Arrived here last evening.” “I thought so.” os “Why?” “Because you’re after that job.” “Don’t you suppose there will be a lot of others after it, too?” “No.” “Why not?” “He won’t take anybody but an orphan.” “I’m an orphan.” cee afraid of work, I suppose?” ° “You'll find plenty to do at the villa if wits hired. Are you a good reader?” “Yes. Why?” “One of your duties will be to read the papers to Mr, Guffin.” “That’s- easy.” : “Then you'll have to read all the letters that come to him, and there are a bunch of them.” e - “I can do that.” “And answer them -by dictation. good writer?” “ds get a bir braxy, You'll hive: read vad e’s got a big library. You’ bya Sid him every night.” = Are you

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7 : S, maid and the cook, and sleep in the garret.” “All right. Does he really pay well?” “TI don’t know any boy who stayed long wetees to find out.” “Didn’t they like the job?” “No. They say he’s got wheels in his head.” “Is he a crank?” “He’s a bit off in the bean.” “Eccentric, you mean.” “Very much so. His block is full of fancies. Strikes a new idea every month or so and you've got to humor him—or you get the G. B.” AFTER A BIG STAKE “You'll eat in the kitchen with the chamber- the nost-office. "When Tom reached the county road he was overtaken by a farm boy in a wagon. “Want a ride?” asked the boy, in a friendly way. “Yes. I wouldn’t mind having a lift as far as Wocdbine Villa,” said Tom, getting on the seat. “Are you going there?” asked the boy, looking at him curiously. FY on” a answer to Mr. Guffin’s advertisement?” “ es. ” “Are you an orphan?” ee “I see; he’s odd. Different from the usual run.” “I am.’ Bee “I should cackle. You'll probably catch on, “Not afraid of work?” 3 but I judge from your face that you won’t last.” “No.” = “What’s the matter with my face?” “Can read books and papers, and write a good. “You look smart and up-to-date. Mr. Guffin is hand?” NaleMt vik Tosti a Bibi ws ‘a back number. He lives in the past, and I imagine that won’t suit you. I’ll give you a week, but I wouldn’t bet you’ll stay that long.” “Oh, I'll stay, for I need the money. Has he ‘a wife and family?” “No. He has a housekeeper who runs the _ place for him. Her name is Caxey.” ’ “Ts he a bachelor or widower?” _ “He’s a bachelor. name?” — “Tom Hadley. What’s yours?” “Bob Pettingill. My father is postmaster. live around the corner.” “Do you work here regularly?” By the way, what’s your We “Yes. ” “You'll get the job.” “What does he pay, do you know?” “Fifteen dollars a month, with board and lodg- ing.” “That suits me first-rate.” The farm boy asked Tom his name, told his own, which was Dick Stevens, and said his father’s farm adjoined the villa. “Then I’m likely to see you again if I go to work for Mr. Guffin?” “I guess so,” said Dick. “There’s the villa yonder. See the cupola?” “I see it above those trees.” = - “Yep. I’m dad’s general assistant.” _ The farm boy reined in before the gate and Be 7 “Yor think I stand a good show of getting the Tom got out after thanking him for the ride: job at Woodbine Villa?” He walked up to the front piazza’ and rang the Rss: “There might be a couple of other applicants; bell. A little girl, rather pretty, of about fif- =. ___ but as that advertisement has been in the paper teen, attired in calico, answered. 7 _ + for a week it looks as if the situation was still Is Mr. Guyman Guffin at home?” asked Tom. pe ” “He is,” said the maid. : open. , “I guess I'll get on my way. I’m glad to have ‘made your acquaintance, and I am much obliged for the information you’ve given me.” _ “You're welcome. Drop in and see me again, even if you don’t get the job.” “T will, but wt may not have a chance soon if Ym taken on.” “Yes, you will. You’ll be sent twice a day to get the Guffin mail, and to post the answers.” - “How is it he gets a big mail if he’s not in : business?” “He sends his name to mail order fakers who print people’s names and addresses for ten cents each. The fakers send their lists around to the agin order houses and to various manufactur- concerns, and they send their circulars and logues to the names on the lists.” “What does es” Guffin want with the circulars a a fad with him, and he can afford in it, I don’t see anything wrong about knocked. advertisement, sir,” said the girl. and Tom entered a la comfo furnished — an pti bro $ “T should like to see him.” meat you come in answer to his advertisement?” “Yes. “Walk in.” Tom did so and found himself in a wide hall with a low ceiling, polished floor and a broad , staircase at the back. Standing on pedestals, on either side, were complete suits of different of armor, with visored helmets, closed, looking : < in ~ half light of the hall like real men on silent guar “Follow me,” said the maid as the visitor stared at the curious effigies. s =i The girl led Tom to a door on the Se esa “Come in,” said a voice. 3 2 “Here’s|a boy who’s come in answer. to your = “Ah, indeed. Show him in.” The maid held he door open for ‘the visitor ; LB! ioned escri “made of Spanish n hess _holstered chairs, — ie ee : of Find library iia ioe papers ines and

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conditions of binding. Seated in a large arm- chair by the window, attired in dressing gown and slippers, was Mr. Guyman Guffin. He was a small man, of perhaps fifty-five, with the un- healthy look of a person lacking necessarv air and exercise, but his face, though pallid, was rather pleasant, and Tom decided at once that __he was nota crank. He pointed to a convenient chair, at the same time taking the bov in from head to foot with a sweeping look, and Tom sat down. “You have called % “In answer to your advertisement. I am an orphan, out on the world, not afraid of work, can read anything from print to manuscript and I write a good plain hand,” said Tom, in an off- hand tone, knowing he probably would be ques- tioned on these points, and thinking it would save time to cover the grounds at once, in a business- _ like way. ; At any rate he produced a favorable impression on Mr. Guffin. . “Will you go to that desk and show me a specimen of your handwriting?” he said. “You will find a pad, with pens and ink.” Tom dashed off a couple of sentences and signed his mame. He handed the paper to the gentle- man. Mr. Guffin nodded approvingly. “That is your name?” he said. “Yes, sir. “Take this book and read one of the para- phs. ? _ Tom took the book from his hand. It was a ; work ortthe chivalry of the Middle Ages, printed _» and published about the beginnixg of the nine- a= century. The type was close, and a size : Yr two smaller than would have been employed - in the production of a similar kind \of work at the present time. While not difficult to read it required closer attention to follow the words. _ ‘Tom read a fairly long paragraph in a clear tone _- and without the least hesitation. Mr. Guffin 2 again. 3 “Have you any knowledge of chemistry?” “No, sir.” j “Just a common school education?” that mega to’ you?” : Si you a trunk to bring here?” “No, sir; only a suit-case. “You left it in town, I suppose?” — “I did; at a lodging house where I spent the and fetch it, and then you can start in at AFTER A BIG STAKE — 3 ters which you can leave at the post-office or your way. Here is the key to my mail box. Iti- one of the large ones: No. 164. Bring the mai back with you.” The maid appeared in response to the gentle- man’s ring. . “Nancy, this is Thomas Hadley. I have em- ployed him. Show him where the kev of the barn is kept. Always return the key, Thomas, when you are through with it.” Tom accompanied the maid to the kitchen, where he was introduced to the fat cook. Then the girl, whose full name was Nancy Decker, showed him where the key of the barn always hung when not in use. He took it and made his way across the yard to the building, which was not an ordinary barn by any means, but quite a stylish house in its way. It had the uswal large door, and a window in the loft above. A buggy and two wagons occupied the larger part of the floor space. On the other side there were three stalls, two of which were occupied. The loft, which Tom did not see at that tinte, was filled with hay and feed. ‘Nancy went to the barn with Tom and pointed out the horse that he was to use. He pushed the wagon outside and swung it around, then he put the harness on the mare. “You know how to do it, don’t you?” said Nan- cy. “Did you ever work on a farm?” “Yes, I have just come from a farm, down Weymouth way,” he replied. d “T was born and raised in Weymouth,” said the maid, “and I lived for two years on Moses Ab- bott’s farm, two miles out.” “Why, that’s the man I worked for,” said Tom. “How did you ever put in two years there? I couldn’t stand it more than four months.” , “I don’t know, butI did,” said the girl. “Then I ran away, came to Milltown, and ‘next day I — hired by Mrs. Caxey, the housekeeper of this place.” “How long have you been working here?” . “A year.” “Do you like the place?” “Oh, yes. It is a dream alongside the Abbott farm.” “I hope we shall be good friends, Miss Nancy.” “I am sure we shall, for I like you already.” By that time Tom had the mare attached to the shafts. “I must be off now,” he said. when I come back.” He drove out of the yard into a sort of lane = which Nancy pointed out to him as the route he must take in going and coming in the wagon, and was presently in the road. g0 some and Tom soon reached the town, He did not stop at the post office to mail the letters his new employer had given to him, but went to the cheap lodging-house w night previous. Getting his grip he returned and enteréd the He the , then looked for box 164, opened found it crowded with letters, newspapers, logues, and several packages of sarples. he transferred to the space under the where there was a box with a cover “I will see you de! : rs ' it i

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return to the villa. Putting up the mare and the wagon he re-entered the kitchen with his grip and one arm full of mail matter. A stout, cheerful- locking lady was giving orders to the cook. This fie was Mrs. Caxey, and Tom was introduced to her 3. as the master’s new boy. 1 ope as ’ow you'll remain with us, Master *Adley,” she said, with a strong cockney accent. “Tf there’s one thing I ’ate, it’s to ’ave new boys halways turnin’ hup.” “Have you had many of them, ma’am?” asked 2 Tom, politely. = ; “*Ave we ’ad many hoff them? I should think ee = = we did,” said Mrs. Caxey. “Where so many horphans come from I ’aven’t the least idea. Be- tween you and me, Marster ’Adley, I don’t believe -tarf of them was real orphans. Any’ow they ’ardly get settled down before they’ hup and leaves. It couldn’t ’ave been the victuals, for they ad the best the market affords. It couldn’t ’ave been their bed, for it’s good enough for hanybody. It must ’ave been their hinability to happreciate a good thing, which I ’opes won’t be the case with you.” “T hope not, ma’ am.” “T hallow I ’ave taken a likin’ to you, for you look diff’rent from the rest of them horphans. I suppose you are a real boneyfide horphan, ain’t eyes. ma’am. I regret to say. My father died two years ago, and my mother about a year since. ‘I haven’t a relative I know of in the world.” “T believe you, Marster ’Adley. It’s quite re- freshin’ to meet with a boy ’oo tells the truth, and shows it on ’is, face. : I ope?” “No, ma’am. make his living.”. “I’m glad to ’ear you say that, for I ’ave lots ef things for you to do when you aren’t hengaged with Mr, n, ’oo I can truthfully affirm is a ~ perfect gentleman, which I cawn’t say of hevery -one I ’ave met since I came hover from the other _ side. When I say I ’ave been haceustomed to the E _. best rE ¢ Marster ’Adley, I ’ope you will hun- ~" derstand I am not blowin’ my hown ’orn, which ee consider quite beneath a person of my hattain- A chap must expect to work to ‘detain you hany longer, for I see you ’ave the ‘mail, which Mr. Guffin is himpatiently waitin’ for ‘ave no doubt. You can leave your luggage in that corner till you are at liberty to be shown to room you are to hoccupy, which ‘you will find quite comfortable and ’omelike,” said Mrs. Caxey, ; away to finish with the cook, who was _ busy at the range on one side of the large kitchen. edinresy to the door of the library, knocked was told to enter. e mail, Mr. Guffin,” he said. iaid the man of the house. “Hand me first, then leave the rest of the mail e there and réport to the housekeeper.” | Mrs. Caxey still in the kitchen. told me ee. to you, ma’am,” 7 = : AFTER A BIG STAKE considering board and lodging are thrown in. A You aren’t afraid of work, — ments. I ’ave testimonials to show. But I won’t © how well his new mi was up in er edge. After cireasieant “You will show Thomas to ’is room, Nancy,” said Mrs. Caxey. “Yes, ma’am.” “Leave your luggage there and come right downstairs, Thomas. You will ’ave to go hout and get some vegetables for the cook,” said the housekeeper. Tom followed Nancy to the top floor, There were several rooms up there, all furnished but one, which was used to store trunks and such odds and ends as usually go in a garret. “This is your room,” said the little housemaid, opening a door. , : It looked pleasant enough, and was equipped with a single bed, a washstand with Pen Z bowl, ete., an old-fashioned small bureau, chair and a little table. The floor was pees with carpet, and a number of cheap prints hung on the wall. Tom was pleased with his quarters and told Nancy so. hoped he Would stay. “I gue&s Ill stay,” replied Tom. “I’m not a rolling stone. I rather like Mr. Guffin, but Mrs. — Caxey is a curious kind of woman. I dare say she’s all right, though.” : “Oh, she isn’t bad; but she’ll make you work.” “T don’t object to that for the wages is good, She smiled and said she fellow can save most of his money, especially when he’s away from the town and has only one night off to see the sights. I suppose you have a night off, too?” : “Yes. Wednesday and Sunday afternoon.” “Same as myself. What do you do then?” “Nothing much. Mend my clothes and make ~ new ones. “Don’t you go to town?” PSs: “No. Ain’t Rot nobody to take mé.” - s “Well, if you’re good eu take you to a ew 5 when I get some money.” a4 “Will you? That’s nice of you. I'll go.” 3 “All right. Now I’ve got to. return to the kitehe en and see what the cook wants.” - Five minutes later Tom was‘in the truck patch — inspecting the early vegetables. CHAPTER III.—The Animated Suit of Armor. Tom’s next job was washing windows on the outside while Nancy washed them on the inside, — Then ‘he attended to a variety of chores until he was called to dinner in the kitchen, where he — sat down with Nancy and the cook. He found é the bill-of-fare plain but substantial, and he no fault to find with it, he wrote a dozen short letters to business ae i requesting either catalogues, specimen copies .0 weekly or monthly papers, and other After that he spent an hour reading all : baa 2 rs, some of them mining j aetie Gold - Until supper he put in in ena rention with uffin, on all subjects. The gentleman ‘was anxious

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chapters he read gave an account of the rescue ef a certain virtuous young maiden from the __ eastle of a rascally old baron who had captured her on one of his raids about the country. Her rescuer was a knight errant, young and hand- some, who had just returned from one of the ~_ erusades started by noble knights and their re- tainers to recover the holy sepulcher at Jeru- salem from the grasp of the Saracen infidels. _. The reading stopped at an interesting point where _ the knight, with the fair lady seated behind on his splendid charger, and holding on to her savior for dear life, was being pursued through the mountain passes by the wicked baron and a __bunch of his villainous retainers. A furious thunder and lightning storm was raging at the time, and the electrical flashes showed the fugi- _ tives their pursuers closing on them. Tom wanted to go on and see how the knight and the lady ‘ame out, but Mr. Guffin said he felt sleepy and - must go to bed, so Tom went-to,his room. Ha _ ~ emptied his grip into the bureau, one drawer suf- _. ficing to hold all of his personal belongings. Hav- ing nothing else to occupy his time he went to = re3 After breakfast next morning he harnassed -the mare to the light wagon and drove to town - to get the mail at the post-office. Bob Pettingill was at the window and Tom stopped there. “TI got the job at the villa,” he said. ae > “I thought you would. How do you like it so far?” _ “First rate. The pay is fifteen dollars a week with board and lodging.” : “That is pretty good. What did you have to ~~ do yesterday?” ‘Tom told him. Fe _ “These’s quite a bunch of mail in the box this ~ morning, for, you didn’t call yesterday afternoon. *I wasn’t told to come.” ~ “You say you’re off to-night?” : ~ J don’t know about to-night, as I’ve only just __ started in, but I expect to be off Sunday afternoon and every Wednesday evening.” ; - “If you get off to-night come here and we'll go w.” ”’t any money to spend yet.” T'll pay.” a Re res of rugge : would you like to travel?” ‘wouldn’t mind if there was. money in it.” was thinking of taking a trip West in quest tic adventures. The knights and trou- -s of old used to travel in search of ad- ‘and they always found them. I regret the days of chivalry are dead, I would nothing bet ter than to go forth armed . true chivalry is dead.. There is one one place ‘tribes of Indians, where one can go and ofiginal garb; where one may still I read in a We AFTER A BIG STAKE _ : 5 Tom stared at his employer. Truly he must have wheels in his head to talk that wav. The boy was right up-to-date and had no thoughts for the past, particularly the remote past of the Middle Ages, five or six centuries before. Mr. Guffin’s enraptured gaze rested on a fine picture of the tournament scene bearing the caption “The Field of the Cloth of Gold,” which took place in: France when Francis I. was king and he was visited by Henri VIII. of England. It was a great demonstration in honor of the Anglo- French alliance. In the background was the royal box in which the two kings sat, surrounded by youth and beauty in the picturesque costumes of that day, while in the foreground two knights in armor, on horseback, with leveled lances, were rushing at each other in mimic warfare. Mr. Guffin never gazed upon that picture but his weak blood ran quicker through his veins, and his heart beat faster with a pleasurable excitement. Tom couldn’t. help looking his elderly emplover over and wondering what sort of figure he’d cut in a suit of armor, which he surely couldn’t move around in. The boy was not entirely ignorant - of the conditions that existed in “those good old ays.” He had read quite a bit about them, and his idea was that the common people of the present day enjoyed more privileges than even the kings and ‘nobles of those times. And he wasn’t \ wrong either, as any one will learn by readin the subject up. Mr. Guffin lived on the fat land, and was comfortable and happy upon an in- dependent income from gilt-edged bonds left him by his father, and reinvested as occasion’ re- quired by his bankers, and yet he wasn’t con-— tented with his lot. He was like a child who longed for a new toy he had set his mind upon. - He had never worked in his life. Everything . he wanted came at his beck and gall. Lan ae he would have bankrupted himself had he anything of a spendthrift. Fortunately he was frugal in his habits, though he indulged in ex- pensive fads. He was cautious enough, however, never under any circumstances to exéeed his an- nual income. He never married because he did : not want to be hampered by a wife. As a = bachelor’ of means he was able to gratify his —— own wishes. without restraint to the extent of his a3 income. ; s. His capital he never touched. Tom made no reply to his employer’s speech.. He was not in sympathy with it anyway. Spe ws: “Ah! it is too bad those times are gone for- ever,” sighed the elderly gentleman, removing _ his eyes from the picture. “Things are vastly - different these days. The world is _commer- cialized and full of people who think of nothing but making money. The age of romance’ and in this great country, one peopled only Leer pen | E; . elbows with somebody every other cage. nt. That is the great West, where nature is still in it robbers, like the bandits of old. Only y j 1 . newspaper about a . ] - pl p DU

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oe a I tay ’ rs ; ~ MR ee books without extra charge. have enjoyed to be forced to alight, lined up alongside the road and deprived of their watches and small change. How I would have enjoyed it, for before starting out on the trip through the wilds I would have hidden my money in my shoes, and my watch under the seat of the coach, and they would have found nothing on me.” The speaker chuckled and rubbed-his hands nnctuously together, eyeing Tom in a peculiar way. Then he called the boy’s attention to some of the picture¢ in the big book, showing nature in its primitive aspect. “I am thinking of going out to Colorado to breathe the glorious, untainted air of that State; where civilization has scarcely as yet intruded,” he said: “but I cannot go alone. I must have a companion on whom I can depend. Will you go with me? The trip will cost you nothing and you shall have double pay.” “Tf you want me to go I’m with you, Mr. Guf- fin,” said Tom, who thought such a trip would improve his employer’s health; “but I hope you won't want to go looking for real bandits.” “Why not? Think of the) excitement of meet- ing with them!” cried Mr. Goffin, enthusias- tically. - “T don’t see any fun in it, sir. They have a tendency, I’ve heard, to make thing warm for tenderfeet. They might shoet one of both of as.” . “True; that would be awkward,” said the gen- tleman, reflectively. “We had better carry guns curselves.” “I thimk we’d need Gatling guns'to get away with these chaps.” “Well, we'll continue the subject another time. Sit down and read those letters to me. Then we'll see what’s in the newspapers.” _ The letters were rather uninteresting. Most of them were from firms who had sent catalogues or other literature to Mr. Guffin, hoping they would soon receive an order from him for the goods described. Several made additional in- ducements to catch the money. One offered “twenty per cent. off for a quick order, another - offered a premium in addition to the goods. A publishing firm offered an additional. set of Tom felt satisfied that his employer wanted "none of these things, and*had no intention of buy- ing them, and he wondered why he put the firms to the expense of postage and printed matter. “One of his wheels,” he thought. Only one letter attracted Mr. Guffin’s atten- tion. It contained a circular describing a new ef revolver. He locked it over and then Reisiod a reply for further information. Among that the mail brought was a _ railroad line. e usual infor- AFTER A BIG STAKE the armored figures apart. the heavy stuff on Tom until he stood a fuli- fiedged knight, and feeling most uncomfortable, before his employer. “Walk up and down the hall,” said Mr. Guffin. Tom was a strong, healthy boy, but he had the time of his life getting around with the weighty | He did the best he could © armor upon his limbs. to be natural, and Mr. Guffin watched him. with great satisfaction. He was finally directed to get on the pedestal, which he did with some help from his employer. “Stand there till I return, Thomas,” said Guf- fin, pulling the visor of the helmet down, and ieering him standing there, greatly to his dis- gust. Hardly had the elderly gentleman disappeared into his library when Nancy came into the ap- parently vacant hall to sweep. ‘Tom saw her and it occurred to him to have some fun at her ex- pense. He uttered a sepulchral groan. It sound- ed so hollow and weird coming out of the visored helmet that the girl jumped nearly a foot. “What was that?” she said, looking around in a fearsome way. Tom groaned again and struck his steel thigh plate with his’ mailed fist. That settled Nancy. She ‘uttered a scream, dropped the broom and Mr. Guffin then. put ~ 2 § a r ] F i i q 7 3 flew for the door she had come in by. At that moment Mrs. Caxey appeared in the doorway and ~ Nancy fell all over her. “Save me! Save me!’ screamed Nancy, hys- terically. “It’s alive.” The housekeeper being stout was able to with- stand the collision easily. “For ’eaven’s sake, what’s the matter with you, Nancy?” she demanded. “Let me get away, do please. the housemaid. “What’s alive? said Mrs. Caxey. f _ “That statue over there. That horrible thing in armor.” ~ “What nonsense! ’Ow could it be alive when there’s nothin’ inside of it?” “I heard it grean twice, and then it made a noise with its hand. Let me go or I'll faint. I know I shall.” Tom hadn’t expected Mrs. Caxey on the scene, so he remained as quiet as a mouse, not wishing to have a run-in with that lady. “Pick ae your Sree and miss,” said the housekeeper, sharply. “What! go near that thing again? do it,” said Nancy. It’s alive!” cried What are you talkin’ about?” all right to her. “Pick up your broom at once hall,” she said to the housemaid. Nancy came ovér in fear and recovered the broom. . She go on with your work, ~~ ae | . - 3

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boy, but she became horror-struck at -took to be the reincarnation of the oe CHAPTER IV.—In Which Tom Argues With ee . His Employer. _ “What’s happened, Thomas?” said Mr. Guffin, ~ ‘as he hastened to help Tom on his feet, which _ Was no easy job. : _ *The pedestal gave way and let me down with -a run,” replied the boy. “Better ‘pick Nancy up. : gues s I seared her out of a month’s growth.” ~The rumpus had penetrated to the kitchen ‘and brought the.cook to the door to find out what ‘had happened. When she saw the suit of armor with a head sticking out of it she let out a -sereech and fled, never stopping till she got out in the yard. Mr. Guffin raised Nancy and car- ‘ried her away into the library, where he laid her Mrs. Caxey, however, couldn’t be induced to descend to the library, for she would have to pass through the ha!l wh-~e, as she supposed, animated suit of armor still lay. Mr. Guf- -pusped the button again and went out in the to help Tom off with the armor, which he ared had been dented or otherwise injured by fall. It was not hurt, however, and was care- fully laid against the wall. — “Fetch the cook to attend to the housemaid, ‘Tom found the cook standing at the kitchen “Nancy is in a faint in the library and Mr. ffin sent me for you to bring her to,” said “Do yez think I’ll go near that hall ag’in. wid apeck inside the armor? Not on me faith.” ~ *Don foolish, Mrs. Brannigan. There was” ae inside of the armor. What you was me.” 3 *y eit? Did yez get inside that armor to ‘me on the pe ad frightened B rs how it some b’ys eos on the lounge, then he pushed a button for the - said, “and then carry away the wreck of the tal ? - ~ » _ “Yes, s bex to put the debris of the stand. in. Nancy : was revived and told the truth. She came out : in the hall and saw Tom disposing of the wreck. “You frightened me half to death,” she told him. “Did you grean because you were smother- ed in that old armor?” “We'll let it go at that,” said Tom. it all right with you.” Order was restored again and after a while the housekeeper came cautiously downstairs and Nancy told her the facts as. she understood them. Mrs. Caxey was reassured and a bit ashamed of herself. -On the following day as Tom was com- ing from the post-office with the mail and a case of groceries, he saw the heads of two rough- looking men rise out of the bushes and wave their arms wildly at him, as though warning him back. Ahead he saw an automobile containing two men approaching at a fast clip. Tom sup- posed the men were calling his attention to the . car to get out of the way. He kept right on; but ; turned off to give the machine room to pass. The x men yelled and there came a terrible explosion, : almost under the horse. A startled cry escaped the boy as he pitched over backward from the , shaken wagon seat. Instantly the air was filled with -smoke and gas. The mare plunged and : kicked wildly. and then broke into a wild run car proceeded on its way. as “T am afraid that was intended for us,” said ~~ one of the men to his companion. “We are car- rying a large sum of money to the Milltown _ Bank, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some rascals planted that bomb to wreck the car and kill us _~ so they could get possession of the money. We must report this affair to the police. I hope the - boy wasn’t hurt, for his coming probably saved us.” ° Tom. was badly shaken up but not hurt much, and he managed to stop the terrified mare before he got to the villa. : “That must have been a bomb,” he said to him- self. “Why should it have been there in the mid- dle of the road? And those men I saw—were they at the bottom of it? It could hardly have been put there to blow me and the wagon up. Maybe it was the men in the auto they were after. Well, I got the benefit of the shock, and __ I guess I was in luck to escape something worse” . _ The mare was almost a wreck when Tom drove her into the vard. He spent some time soothing ~ her startled nerves and then led her into the barn, carried the mail into the library and told Mr. aa had paige: His emvloyer ~~ express is surprise and said the ce ought. to be notified. — ; hee oa “I guess the men in the car will report the ter,” said Tom. - “Was the mare hurt?” ; “No, sir; only frightened. She had | escape, though.” =. 1 : “You had a fortunate escape. - >

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= | ; tice,” said Tom, hoping his employer would see = the hint. Whether the hint made any impression on Mr. epee Guffin it was impossible to say. Tom assisted 2 his employer with his correspondence and then went about his other duties, which kept him well employed up to the time he was called to dinner. A week passed away and Tom gave great sat- isfaction at the villa. Every day Mr. Guffin had something to say about the probability of going to Colorado, and every evening the boy read a chapter or two in the book on chivalry. The little gentleman and Tom got into lengthy dis- cussions about the “good old times” of the Middle Ages, as Mr. Guffin called ‘them. Tom insisted thet human nature was just the same in those times. as it was to-day, only there were less people in the world. People possessed by money and influence were arrogant and proud, and Jorded it over the common herd, who were humble because they didn’t dare call their souls their own. ; “You have a nice house here, sir, with every- thing you want te eat and amuse yourself with,” said Tom, one evening. “Suppose time suddenly Middle Ages, would you not miss the advantages you exioy to-day?” “No. I would a, a knight, with money enough 1c enjoy life. Id travel around the Sehr, mix with brave men like myself and fair dames whose = smiles I would win by my prowess in tourna- ments and other exhibitions. Then when I grew weary of such easy times I’d take a faithful -serviter, like yourself, and travel into other “ eountries in quest of romantic adventures.” _ “And real robbers,” added Tom, with a grin. “You'd travel on\ horseback, I suppose, like the knights in this book?” “Certainly. ' “And it asa take you aJl day to cover as much ground as a fast express does nowadays in half an hour, or an hour at the most.” “What of that? What do you see riding in a Tailroad train? Everything flashes past like 8 fleeting panorama. On horse-back, —<. sant ‘ urely, you see everything on either side, #2 a ey every moment of the ‘trip. Give. e the : 4 way.” ee Ber = a “Weill, let it go at that. But at hiaas you would have no library of books like you have here. Printing wasn’t invented till the middle of the fifteenth century, and it was a mighty long time after before there were many books to be had. And they must have cost a lot of money, - toe. How much did this work on chivalry cost i: You got it second-hand, for it’s nearly a years old.” “I got it from a dealer in England. me about $5.” ~ “I don’t think it’s worth over fifty cents.” to Damion may not be a dozen of them stence, = end paper and printing, for It cost went backward and you found yourself in the hd Fite it. I prefer old books. I wks that. 4 before’ him wi | heroine AFTER A BIG STAKE : pers printed 150 years ago. It is a pleasure to pore over them.” “I'll bet they didn’t have much news in them.” “No. People didn’t care for news so mueh in those days.” “You mean they didn’t worry over what they couldn't get. If France declared war against Germany to-day all England, not to speak of this country, would know it in a few minutes. How long would it have taken the news in those days to have got as far as London, with no cable or telegraph to carry it in a second’s time across the Channel?” “Several days probably; but the people were accustomed to wait for news until it reached them.” “T notice that you like me to read you all the news of the world as printed in the Milltown Morning News. That’s the first thing you ask me to go over. Suppose telegraphy was un- known, and news came as slowly as it did 150 years ago, how long would the intelligence I read to you-this morning about the disgusted Russian _ author who was condemned to Siberia yesterday — in Petrograd, take in reaching Milltown? Six months, maybe.” “True,” nodded Mr. Guffin; “but if news came slow I would be accustomed to have it that way.” “But,” persisted Tom, “isn’t it an advantage in every way to have things as they are than as they - used to be in the Middle Ages? There wasn’t any steam heat or even such a thing as a stove in the _ royal palaces then. There wasn’t any electric — light, or gas, or even kerosene oil in those times. — There weren’t any watches, or regular clocks, — to tell the time in a moment by. There were not even forks to eat with. And if you hadade cayed tooth could you got it filled even if you — were the king of England? The Middle Ages might have beep all right for the people Ren lived in those times, and didn’t dream of what was coming, but for us, Mr. Guffin, we have no use for that period.” : “I admit the justice of your remarks, Thomas, and I am pleased te observe the intelligent way in which you sum the subject up, but the past — has attractions for me I cannot get over.” “That’s all right, but you enjoy the advantage of the present. You have money and can afford to dream as much as you like; but it’s di with me. I have got to be up to the minute to earn a living.” 2 “Well, well, we won’t continue the nid to- night. ‘Did you finish that chapter?” é “Yes, sir. The author left Sir Ronald, the — hero, in the very interesting situation of sce slowly drowned in a dungeon below the castle’s — moat. The water was running in through a ~ small hole at the top, and there was no outlet for — it to escape. The only exit from the dungeon was through a trapdoor in the ceiling, supposed to be fastened. The next chapter may show Rice. he escaped.” ow do you think he escaped?” ed ae Gut ped?” smiled Mr i ' don’t-know; but, it'd a Che enthas _the hero swim or tread ee carr within meet shih tenet denly appear, toreh in

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AFTER A ~ “But the castle is- full of armed men. “How would he away?” __. “I could mention several ways. It is easy for ___ the author to get his hero out of trouble.” = “Well, we'll see to-morrow night if we resume _ the story. It is time to go to bed now.” That was Tom’s signal to withdraw and he did. _. It wasn’t often.Tom dreamed, but that) night he had a vision of a polar sea about which he was _ floating on a raft, and the cold was intense. In the midst of his dream he woke up and shivered. The night was chilly and a cold draft blew across ' and shoulders. He sat up and saw that ' his window was wide open. As he hadn’t left it so he wondered how it came to be that way. Then he heard a muffled cry for help some- where downstairs. } CHAPTER V.—The Burglars. “There’s something wrong,” _ springing out of bed. : : He shut down his window and, opening his door, listened. He heard nothing. The corridor __Wwas dark and silent. Pulling on his trousers and ~ Stockines he went slowly down the stairs to the floor below. Mr. Guffin occupied the large front room, his bed being in an alcove, while the house- a. S$ room was a back one on the same floor. _ The corridor here’was also dark and silent. Tom listened at the foot of the garret stairs, but heard mo sound. Nevertheless he was satisfied that somebody had entered the house through his _ window, which though at the top of the house, ‘Was accessible by way of the stout limb of a huge ~ sak tree which leaned against the wall under the Toof. The fact that his window had opened Was more than suspicious. Anyway, he deter- mined to make an investigation. He tried the of Mr. Guffin’s room and found it ajar. He : in and listened, expecting to hear his em- pl ’s @reathing. Not hearing it, he went over _ tothe alcove. The bed was empty and the clothes thrown back, which showed that the elderly gen- tleman had left his couch for some reason. Tom _ guessed he had heard a noise in his library, where _ tis safe was, and had gone down there to look © it. All the windows on the ground floor’ sre protected at night by heavy iron shutters, d by movable inside bars that prevented from being forced even by a crowbar. With- a-ladder the second floor windows could- not 2 only feasible mode of entrance was_by -of the oak tree and Tom’s window. Mr. never dreamed that a burglar would think ‘route, but it is the unexpected which happens. Tom made his way softly airs. The door of the library me partly ~ d the boy heard a sound inside. He looked jously in. Two rough-looking men were at fe, working on it with their tools. A dark n rested on the end of the table and threw m full on the face of the safe. At one nthe giocm of the room, Tom saw the fig- | chair clear. thought Tom, = th attired in his pajamas, bound and gagged. The whole’ situa- having other chap, — BIG STAKE had his suspicions aroused, had gone to the li- brary and been overpowered. The question was what could Tom do? The two crooks were doubt- less armed, and would make short work of him if he interfered. The villa had ne telephone con-. nection with Milltown. being tco far away for the owner to get on a public line, and as Mr. Goffin had little use for the telephone anywav, he would not go to the expense of a private line. So he was cut off from outside help in the present emergency. Nothing short of a revolver was of any use. and Tom wondered if his employer had one in his room. The only way to find ovt was to go to his room and look for the article. He re- traced his steps to the floor above and felt under Mr. Guffin’s pillows. There was no revolver in that place. Then it occurred to Bom that Mr. Guffin,.if he had a pistol, would have taken, it downstairs with him. If he had done so, it was/clear that he had had no chance to use it. Looking around the room, which the boy had never entered before, he made cut a ghostly-looking figure standing in the cor- ner. His first impression was that a third bur- glar was up there ransacking the room, but on second thought, observing that the figure did not move, he judged that he was wrong in his surmise, for the man had there been one in the room, would have attacked him at once. There was a fine bronze lamp on the table and fom went ove: to it, keeping his eyes on the figure. He felt around for matches and his fingers rested on several. Striking a match he held it up and saw that the figue was a suit of armor, complete in all its details, the mailed fist grasping the handle of a battle-axe. Tom lighted the lamp. On the wall were a number of old-fashioned ee crossed behind shields of burnished steel. The furniture was all built upon antique mod- els, and looked stiff and uncomfortable.. Tom stepped over with the partly formed intention of taking the battle-axe and attacking the men with it, trusting to luck and the effects of a surprise. . Then something in the corner behind the suit of armor caught his eye. It was a modern Reming- ton rifle. If loaded it was worth all the battle axes in the world. Tom grasped it and examin- ed the magazine. With such a weapon, and plen- ty of ammunition, one:man, posted in a narrow mountain pass, could hold an army of Middle Age warriors at bay. Tom didn’t ‘think about that. He was figuring on what he could do to the brace of crooks in the library with that weapon. Downstairs he went, walked into the room, and covering the rascals, cried: “Throw up your hands!” a They were taken by surprise, but instead of obeying, one reached for his revolver, while the other threw his hat at the dark-lantern, knock- ing it off the table. Tom fired at the fellow who was drawing his gun. The bullet struck him on his wrist as he was cocking his weapdn, and he dropped it with a cry of pain. The report echoed through the house and awakened the housekeeper and the cook. Although the floor, its light shot upward even plainer than before. Tage “Throw up your hands!” cried Tom again, “or it will be your turn next,” as he menaced the . ‘ lantern lay on the and showed the men a

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10 arousing the women above, Tom fired at the fel- low, taking care not to hit him. The bullet smash- ed one of the glass of the library shelves and ___ probably burrowed its way through a couple of ~ the books. “Here, don’t shoot!” begged the man, raising cos both arms. : “Back up against the safe, both of you!” or- ae dered the boy. 3 Fearing he would fire again, they hastened to obev his command. . “That’s right. This is a magazine Remington, and it carries a ball big enough to let daylight clear through your bodies. I don’t want to kill _ either of you, but if you take a step forward it _ will be your own funeral.” Tom stepped to the wall and pressed the but- ton which communicated with the housekeeper’s room. The women, however, were badly fright- ened, and Mrs. Caxey was afraid to come down. . Tom pushed the button again two or three times. That fetched her down in a wrapper. : “For ’eaven’s sake, what’s ’appened?” she cried in an agitated tone outside the library door. “Come in here, Mrs. Caxey. Mr. Guffin is bound and gagged in his chair. I want you to re- lease him,” said Tom. “Is that you, Thomas?” said the. trembling housekeeper. SX ocr “Cawn’t you rélease ’im yourself?” “No, I can’t. I have to_watch these two men.” “Mrs. Caxey ventured inside, and then she saw the figures of the crooks dimly visible against the safe, and beyond the light cast by the dark lantern. She uttered a gasp and did not dare take another step. “tho are these men?” she faltered. “They’re burglars,” said Tom. - That produced a smothered shriek from the housekeeper. ““ow did they get in?” “They got in all right. Come here and pick up that lantern and the revolver.” Mrs. Caxey declared that she was frightened to death and couldn’t do it. “Look here, Mrs. Caxey, are you going to leave your employer in the state he is? I’ve got to _ keep these rascals from making their escape.” “Where is ’e?” “Over there | in the chair.” “Is ’e tied?” “Yes, he’s tied, oud gagged, too. Run into the _ kitchen and get a carving-knife.” _ The housekeeper hurried- away to get the ar- — ticle. While she was away it occurred to Tom - to push the table in front of the crooks, and so wedge them in between that and the safe. This he did, watching the men warily. This move en- ed him to pull the lantern over with one of vis feet. He stooped and picked it up, and turned beam of light full on the-men. Mrs. Peed sturned with the sharp bread knife. _ “Now release Mr. Guffin,” said Tom. Tied Seeing Lena burglars were safely Te per courage and made her ‘She — peers him AFTER A BIG STAKE To hasten his movements and make sure of . before, I wouldn’t have heard it.- And I don’t.” On the following morning Mr. Guffin, “We'll attend to that after we secure these rascals, sir. Get some clothes-line, Mrs. Caxey.” The housekeeper hastened to get it. While Tom held the burglars under the muzzle of the rifle, Mr. Guffin tied the arms of the wounded man to his side, and the other chap’s arms be- hind his back. “Tie the left foot of one of them to the other’s right foot,” said Tom, “and carry the rope up around their legs.” - Tom handed the rifle and the revolver to Mr. Guffin and told him he was going upstairs to dress himself. When he got into his clothes, he went to the barn and harnessed the mare to the light wagon. Then he drove into town to the station-house, where he told the police what had happened at the villa. He brought two officers out with him. They hustled the burglars into the wagon, and Tom drove back to town again. He made the charge against the crooks and they were locked up. Tom then returned to the villa. CHAPTER VI.—In Colorado. Tom found Mr. Guffin waiting for him. “You have done me a fine service, Thomas, and oe prove that I am not ungrateful for it, here is “Thank you, sir,” said Tom, taking the money. “Now tell me, did you hear me call for help?” said Mr. Guffin , “TI did, though, I did not know exactly what the — sound was. If f hadn’t woke up a few minutes believe I would have woke up if the rascals had- n’t left my window open after they entered the house.” ‘Is that the way they got in? I have looked at every door and window on the first and second _ floors and could find no evidence to show how the burglars entered. How could they have got in at the top of the house?” “Easily, by way of the oak tree. One of the — branches extends under the eaves. I think you — ought to have a part of that branch sawed off _ early next spring. As it stands its an easy route te my room.” ‘ Tom then told him how he came downstairs to , investigate, and after finding that he was not in his room, had descended to the library, where he _ saw the burglars at work on the safe. He ex- — plained how he returned to Mr. Guffin’s room to look for a revolver and how he had found the ~ rifle behind the suit of armor. Armed with that, — he had gone back to the library, with the pass a his employer was acquainted with. “You’re a boy of courage, Thomas. It was a ~ case of brains against brawn, and you came out <9 ahead. You will make an excellent companion if we go to Colorado. The bandits, if we should meet with any, are not likely to have much ad- vantage over us. I think we can retire in ba for the rest of the night.” Mr. Guffin dismissed Tom, who petemeett his room, got into bed, and was soon fast asleep. _ panied by ‘Tom and Mrs, Caxey, drove to ap the- buggy, and: appeared: F

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AFTER A The two crooks were brought to the bar. v pleaded not ‘guilty, but the testimony : them was so conclusive that they were ze for trial, and returned to their cells. Two x — later Mr. Guffin announced to Tom that he had decided to start for the wilds of Colorado, _ via Denver, and that he was to be his companion - On the trip. Tom had no objection to go, par- _ ticularly as he was to receive double pay while _ he and his employer were away from home. All he was afraid of was that Mr. Guffin would take too many chances in his quest for romantic ad- ‘He believed that an elderly gentleman, whose “heelth was far from rugged, ought to keep to the beaten track, and not go out of his way to look for trouble. He hinted as much when Mr. = G outlined his plans. sss e would think you were afraid to venture on this trip, Thomas,” smiled his employer; “but “that cannot be after the exhibition of pluck you ‘Bave the other night in handling those two ras- : “That’s all right. sir. I had the law behind me, and it was my duty to capture ‘those crooks, since they had not the shadow of. right to be in _. the house, without mentioning the way they had 4 you. I’m not afraid to go anywhere with you, but as you don’t look strong, and are no longer young; I don’t think you ought to take the chances you are thinking of doing. If we go off the regular track of travel, we'll have to car- ry food to last us for several days. And then we are liable to get lost, which would be a se- - -Yious thing.” — ““E-never heard of-the knights of old getting lost, though I’ve read of them traveling for days . over unfrequented stretches of country,” said oe ote 1 Al “They were young and strong, and accustomed Vaparte A roughing it. “Were often likely to lose our bearings, I’ll i but. there are mining camps all over the State, and we are bound to run across one in the : conn gether a day’s journey.” *I don’t know that we would. In such a wild and woolly country we might pass within half a Mile of a camp and not see it.” : ae will carry a mule loaded with provisions, ugh to last us for a month, so, if we failed "Tom advanced other arguments, but they af effect on Mr. Guffin. He was determined to y his own ideas, which had evidently been ering in his brain for a long time, and Tom e it up. The villa was to be left in Mrs. py’s charge, and Mr. Gufiin gave her suf- f money to pay all expenses during the 2 he ex: to be away. The elderly gen- packed a small trunk with such articles t he’d need, and got a light and - suitcase ee Tom. - The boy said he thought zht to buy ao suit each at Denver, sting the wilds they pews like ten aa Mr. Guffin agreed with said ‘that when they reached’ Denver. make their final a prrea which BIG STAKE 11 Tom, but the boy persuaded him to give that idea up as he felt sure it would make them conspic- uous. - Tom had an idea that Mr. Guffin’s medieval ideas would get a rude jolt as soon as he struck the rough districts, and he hoped the jolt would put somessense into his head. The day of de- parture -arrived at last, and they took the train at Milltown for Denver via other cities along the route. Their trip to the chief city and capital of Colorado was devoid of incident. They trav- eled in Pullmans, and both enjoyed every moment of the journey. When they reached Denver, Mr. Guffin put up at a first-class hotel, and though Tom was an humble employee of his. he was treated as.an equal. The fact was, the elder- ly gentleman, now that he was away from home, and up against différent conditions than /he had been’ accustomed to, began to feel a’ certain amount of helplessness which he wouldn’t acknowledge, even to himself, and he regarded the self-reliant lad and plucky lad as his right bower. Tom transacted all the business. Mr. Guftin merely financing things.. He looked to Tom to see that everything went right. As soon as the boy saw that his employer was leaning upon him, he began to see his way toward dissuading Mr. Guffin from undertaking*any visionary and ro- mantic adventure that was likely to get them into trouble. During their stay in Denver, Tom went around picking up all the information he could about the region they were about to enter. He learned where the principal mining camps were, the safest routes to follow, where the rail- roads ran’to, the stage routes, and a host of other knowledge that he regarded as absolutely essential for them to become acquainted with in : advance. Mr. Guffin had planned to purchase ¢ horses at Denver and begin his trip in search of romantic scenery and adventure from the city. Tom objected to that programme, saying that Pa they had better go as far as possible by rail. “But I didn’t come out here to ride around in a railroad car,” protested the elderly gentleman, “I want to see the country i in a leisurely way.” “We'll go to Silver Plume by ail, about fifty miles from here, and then take to horseback over the mountains, following the stage route to the Lost River mining camp and other camps in-that direction. I have learned something about the ~~ country in that direction, and I advise you to let. - me plan your route.” ——— “Very well, Thomas, I suppose I have to yield, but you are upsetting the arrangement I had marked out for myself.” 2 “You don’t expect to travel over the whole ES, State, do you?” Me “Certainly not; but you know I wih to ‘see ie. nature as——” xp “You'll see all the nature you want after we leave Silver Plume in your own way. If I were — going to the Lost River camp, or any other, ’d go by stage where I could. You can always get a horse if you have the price. Come down to th bank and buy a draft on the Silver Plume Na- tional Bank. You can deposit it when. ; there and start an account. much

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propose to do on horseback, we don’t need much money.” : Tom had his way, as he expected to. Instead of huying reugh outfits at Denver, he put that off till they got to Silver Plume, which he regarded _os their real starting voint, and the base of their operations, employer, who realized that he was cut of his -element, and was forced to rely upon his young companion. When Tom advanced plans that he didn’t like, he put up a protest, but in the end the hoy came out on top. Tom was practical end business-like, while Mr. Guffin was full of hare-brained ideas that arounted to nothing. The Foy intended that his employer should get as hroad a view of the country as was campatible with safety. He believed it was~his dvty to protect the elderly gentleman from trouble, for he saw that his employer was as inefficient as a @ child. now that he was out in what was to him an entirely new world. This part of the country was just as new to. Tem himself, but he felt equal to facing anv tired to meet such emergencies half way by pro- " ~iding against them. So they left Denver early ere mornine. and in an hour and a half landed at Silver Plume. This was a town of less than - and claimed to have all city improvements. At any rate, the streets were lighted by electricity, end a trolley line ran along the main thorough- . fare, and the hotel at which they registered had everything in the way of convenience that could he expected there. The country round about Jook- ed settled, but one could see a great mountain range to the west. Tom lost no time in adding - to his fund of information about the mining coun- try beyond. He found that a trip to the Lost __. River mining camp would carry them through virgin solitudes that ought to satisfy some of ‘Mr. Goffin’s craving for nature in its original _ aspect. It took the stage about three hours*to cover the distance, and Tom figured they ought to do as well on horseback. He saw no neces- sity for them to carry any food outside of a -¢old Junch. When he stated things to his em- _ ployer, that gentleman protested that three hours or so was too short a trip between points. He wanted Tom to pick out a less frequented route, but the boy wouldn’t, and so he threw up his ands, and let things go. They bought easy-fitting clothes for roughing it, and when dressed in them, looked very like , general run of miners and prospectors who me and went day after day by stage or on _ At Tom’s suggestion they had their aken in their outfits and left directions photographer to.mail them to ‘the villa. the morning of the second day, their prepara- being complete, they left Silver Plume, well. the heels of the stage, bound for the #8 AFTER A Whatever the boy said went with his_ evergency that might crop up, and he sensibly - 2 . leaving Silver Piume thev st d > ’-a thousand imhabitants. but it was ful! of hustle > 7 ae te ee BESS ee _-* camp we reach,” said the gentleman. orm and the Thunder BIG STAKE not a sign of life around them. : “Ym glad you like it, sir; but after you have ridden a couple of hours I guess you'll be glad to stop and rest.” “Not I, Thomas. “I could ride all day along this read. Were I but clad in armor, with lance in rest, and you attired in the plain habiliments of an humble attendant, mounted on a donkey of low stature, I could fancy myself the famous Don Quixote, traveling to right the wrongs of the world. He was but a creature of a great author’s fancy, and yet he represented a type of - the knight errant. Now that we have left civili- zation, as it were, behind, I feel like a new being. My years seem to fall away from me, and—oh, pshaw! here comes a wagon train into sight. Are we to meet somebody at every turn, even out here in the solitudes?” : The train in question was a string of wagons- laden with ore bound for the smelters at Silver. Plume. They were drawn by stoical-looking ~~ mules, at.a jog trot, and urged on by teamsters. with long whips, which they cracked with reports like pistol shots. The train passed them in a cloud of dust, the teamsters léoking curiously at ~ Tom and his companion. Three hours after enthusiastically. as they struck the foothills, with - z : 4 shade of a big tree to eat their lunch. “We ought to be getting near the Lost River camp,” said Tom. 4 “T shall be sorry to reach it,” said Mr. Guffin, 7 gazing around upon the wild and romantic moun-— tain scenery that met his gaze on every side, - For an hour they had not met a human being, _ and were well up in the range. Right ahead of- them the road led into a ravine, and there they were to face a difficulty which Tom’s foresight had not covered. The road to the Lost River ~ camp branched off to the right along the edge — of a precipice, while another road forked in and continued on to a small camp fifteen miles away, though the road dwindled down to a rough trail a mile or so from the fork.” a tS “Aren’t you tired riding?” said Tom in reply =e Supe he not: used to it.” <= = ired? Not at all. I am enjoying every mo- ment of this horseback trip.” res ole o z = “We'll have to lay over a day or two at the camp, for V’ll bet you’ll be too sore when you gets there to continue on.” =o “T don’t believe it,” said the elderly gentleman. — “T never felt better in my life than I do at this. moment.” : ees They finished their lunch, rested a while longer, then remounted their horses and entered the ravine. When. they came to the junction of the two roads they reined in. _. Wat aes cs PPL get are we to take, Thomas?” asked Mr. “I should “ay the one straight ahead.” ‘The other probably leads off to some other camp.” “Tt really makes little difference to. us— “I don’t know about that, sir,” said Tom. . Lost River camp is only a short distance z itis th aimed-for. The othe ~ and it is the one we aimec be miles away, and we are not shaibuiee.. Rexeabas:

Page 15

AFTER A BiG STAKE 13 “We should have done so, Thomas. I was will- ing to provide enough food for a week, and would have bought a mule to carry it, but you talked me out of it. I am afraid I did wrong in not insisting on providing ourselves with enough te eat against emergencies.” + => “No, sir. I was wrong in not securing full information about this stage road. The clerk _ of the hotel told me that we could not miss our -- Way, as the road went straight to the Lost River _. camp. I took his word for it, and now we're in ~~ a fix by reason of this fork.” : “Tf he said the road went straight on, then we had better go straight ahead.” “T guess we'd better.” : So they rode into the branch, believing it would ‘land them at their destination. Tom noticed that ‘the road grew worse as they proceeded, But for the ruts made by wagons that had come that way, and which he took for the track of the ‘coach, he would have suspected they were really - “on the wrong track. They continued to ascend the range. | : As they werit on, the sunshine, which had here- tofore accompanied them from Silver Plume, died out, and the distant sound of thunder reached “their ears. Tom looked up and saw that clouds ‘were piling up in the sky from the direction they ~ had come. 2 _ “We'd better get a hustle on, Mr. Guffin,” he _ said. “A thunderstorm is coming after us, and We want to reach the camp before it can over- take us. It wouldn’t be pleasant to be caught by ‘a storm in these wilds with no shelter but the “trees in sight.” : The gentleman agreed with him, and they in- creased their pace to a rapid trot. Tom began ~ ~ to think it was high time they came in view of the camp. As he had been told it was down in a ~ pocket of the range, and they were still going - upwaml, he knew théy had some distance to go According to his calculations, though, he = eared they had covered enough ground to bring - them close to it. The storm came on fast, and _ their prospects began to look dubious. Theair ' Was darkening fast! The dark masses of clouds Were rent by red streaks of forked lightning, giv- ~~ ing a lurid tinge to the mountain sides at inter- ae | They could barely see the road now, which ~ had become a mere traih. widened by the wagon ruts. A critical inspection. of the ruts. would ~ have shown that they had not been lately made. ~~ A wagon had not passed.that way for nearly ~- g month. The thunder peals became more fre- ‘quent, and the crashes were echoed from peak _---to peak of the range. The lightning also had become more intense, illuminating the deep twi- ~~ fight that had enveloped the rugged scene. So - far, however, there was no wind, but Tom knew it was coming, and that it would be some wind when it reached them. He hoped Mr. Guffin was getting his fill of a romantic situation. They cot : traveling through a wide gorge now. They : “not know that they had missed the trail in — darkness and confused illumination of the ie! tning. The trail did not go through the ‘but turned off before reaching it. und- -eorner of a rocky projection they, found ath narrowed down to almost a yard, the almost some sight that startled him not a little, fo: of unknown depth extending to the opposite mountain-side. To be caught there by the wind that might burst upon them at any moment was to invite certain destruction. In order to return they would have to back their animals. Tom, who was in the lead, haited. He shuddered as he locked into the depth of the awful chasm. Another flash showed him that the rocky shelf only ran a shor* distance, terminating at a dark, cavernous hole. It struck him that they could probably find shel- ter in that ‘hole from the storm, and it looked high enough to -take in their horses. “We must alight and lead the animals along this shelf,” he said. “Shall I help you off, sir.” Mr. Guffin said nothing. He looked pale and un- nerved by the terrible situation they were in. Tom helped him off his horse. “Hug the rocky wall and lead your horse. There is no danger if you keep your wits about 2 you. Look straight ahead and not downward,” said the boy. ‘ Tom started on with his horse following, and his employed followed, with li-1os that trembled under him. They reached a wider spot facing: the hole. Tom struck a match and flashed the light into the dark place. It was a cave with jagged roof and sides, and offered complete shel- ter from the elements. Barely had they entered with the horses when the storm burst over the range with terrific energy. The wind swept through the gorge and escaped into the open space beyond witha rushing sound, and a mo- ment or two afterward the rain came down in a ‘ deluge. The thunder crashed and reverberated like salvos of giant artillery, while the lightning came in oft-repeated flashes, illuminating the mountain-sides. in a weird way. It was very like a picture from Dante’s Inferno. The horses . were restive amid the uproar, and had to be held 2 lest they dash out of the entrance to their death : a thousand feet below. Barring a chance thun- derbolt hitting the rock above the cave, Tom and Mr. Guffin were safe from the storm. Neither ‘the furious wind nor the pelting rain could reach them. “We were fortunate, after all, in missing the trail and coming this way,” said Tom. “Had we gone on by the road, we would be drenched to the skin and exposed to all the fury of the storm. I don’t think this will last long. When it is over, we will get back to the road and go on. I am afraid, though, that we took the wrong road at It might be advisable to retrace our - the fork. way and take the other road. I don’t believe the coach comes this way.” % “Do as you please,” said Mr. Guffin, who felt x as helpless as a chip upon the tide of a rapid Pe flowing river. z “Can you hold both horses, sir? I should like to see how deep this cave is.” “A “Yes, I think I can,” replied his employer. — aes Tom lighted another match and penetrated the . + back part of the cave. It was long and narrow, __ more like a deep crevice in the in the recesses of a niche he came upon a p

Page 16

e- S = Ae oy ait ai . mula a hy 4 Sa a a) Se TN RET 14 of a man, hunched up against the rock. Patches of a red shirt, and a jacket, as well as trousers, clung to the bones. From the knees down the legs were lost in a pair of long boots. : From the tools that lay close by, Tom decided that the unknown skeleton had been a prospector and miner. One thing that attracted Tom’s eye Was a Small tin box. He picked it up and shook it. There was a rattle of hard objects inside. “TI guess I'll take charge of this and see what’s in it,” said the boy. Having pénetrated into the cave as far as he could go, Tom turned around and returned to Mr. Guffin and the horses. The storm was at its height, and terrifying in its intensity. Feeling secure in the cave, Tom was not greatly bothered by the terrific uproar of the elements; but it was different with his employer. He was nervous and -upsét by the storm, for he was naturally timid, although when things were running smoothly he imagined himself brave, and he was afraid of thunder and lightning. He had never experi- enced stich a fierce storm in his life, and-it un- nerved him all the more to be caught in it in such a wild and lonesome region. Tom asked him if he was nervous on account of the storm. “Not at all; not at all,” replied Mr. Guffin, in a guavering tone. “It is an.awful one. Hark to that crash! See how brilliant the lightning is! De you think we are safe here?” “Why not? We have a solid roof and walls about us. I think we are safer than in an or- dimary building.” “But a thunderbolt might bury us in the ruins ef this place.” “Not one chance in a hundred, sir.” , So not so certain of that.” .- How long do you suppose this cave has been here?” *“T couldn't guess. Maybe hundreds of years.” “Perhaps since the mountain range itself was ‘formed, thousands of years ago. This isn’t the first storm of its kind that has kicked up a —_ hereabouts, nor the first this summer. I'll thousands of storms have swepi over this range. Is there any evidence in this cave that it. was . ever hit by a thunderbolt?” “None that I can see.” “J have looked it all over and I am certain nothing of the kind has ever happened.” “But it might happen at any time,” insisted Mr. “Not while we are here. It is foolish for you to . If I were worth a million, I’d bet every cent of it against a thousand that this cave will not His words were cut short by a blinding flash and a erash that stunned both of them, The con- --eassion stretched them upon the ground. The ‘mountain itself seemed crumbling and falling them. The air was full of blue flame, and chaos appeared to have come again. It was :. an awful moment, but neither Tom nor Mr. Guffin they had fallen. of it all. They lay senseless where elapsed before Tom was able to igo eg his thoughts. His eyes Guffin, stretched close by who was just d shaved off ; the ledge, AFTER A BIG STAKE to the window and which had fallen and completely blocked up the passage by which they had entered the cave. He also related all about the skeleton and the tin box. By this time Mr. Guffin was able to sit up and he signified his intention of looking at the skeleton. Telling Tom to lead him to the place where the skeleton had“been, Tom did so, but was amazed when they both found not the skeleton, but a deep hole in the floor of the cavern where the grewsome sight had been. Evidently the shock of the thunderbolt had opened up a hole, and the skeleton had fallen into it. The question now was how to get out of the cave. After walking some distance they saw daylight. Hastening on, they came out of the cave and pushed ahead in the endeavor to find the Lost River Camp. After a while the two were astonished to see a light. Going forward they found it to be from a roadhouse. After eating a meal here they were informed that the Lost River Camp was about ten miles ahead. Maying arrangements to put up there for the night, they entered a large room and made them- selves at home. The room was also occupied by a young fellow, about Tom’s age, attired in city clothes, seated by the fire. Getting into conver- sation with the young man, he told them the following story: “Myself and the assistant cashier of the First National Bank of Silver Plume were sent to Eureka with $25,000 in banknotes to ‘deliver to the bank there. The coach was held up, and as we were the only passengers, we were told to get out. We pulled our guns and during the scrimmage which followed I made my escape, and here I am.” “Did they get the money?” “No. Mr. Jones, the cashier, had slipped me the package just as we were held up and I have it with me.” At this juncture the proprietor brought sup- per for three into the room; after eating their meal they were shown to their rooms. As soon as Tom and Mr. Guffin had entered the room Tom proceeded to open the tin box he had found with the skeleton. Sheridan was present at the time. When the box was opened, several speci- mens of rich gold quartz were inside together with a letter which read as follows: “To the person who. finds this—!’m™ diag in this cave from an injury. I have a daughter named Jessie in Springdale, Illinois. To her and the man who finds this box I bequeath jointly my claim I have marked out near Yuba Dam. The specimens in the box will show how rich it is. As you have found this paper I will trust to you to deal justly with my little ek ag * Jessie. + “John Milverton.” — CHAPTER VIII.—In the Hands of the Bandits. “What does the paper say?” asked Sheridan. — . Before Tom could answer there, was a rush of — horses’ hoofs on the road- outside. a soma came to a stop outside the Pant. fe ‘om looked ou saw half. struck him these

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--panion. He called Sheridan over and pointed - out of the window. “Great Scott! They aye the bandits, and they are after me and the money. Where shall I hide Beebe” ~ You haven’t time to do anything,” said Tom. _ “You should have hidden it outside.” “That’s right. I was a fool not to have done - 80. Now all is lost.” ne “JT don’t know. Maybe I can help you out of _ yourscrape.” - : -. “How? If you can save the money you will -. earn my eternal gratitude.” : “It is a case of brains against brawn. I must ~ fool them. Take the package of money out of ‘your pocket. Now throw your jacket and hat on that chair. Don’t hesitate. This is no time to ask questions. Do as I tell you. Now take my _ hat and jacket and get into the bed I was to occupy. Take the tin box with the specimens and eecn them for me. If the rascals carry me off by mistake for you. I leave Mr. Guffin in your care. Look out for him. Lest the scheme should - miss fire, hide the package in Mr. Guffin’s bed, -- as he won’t be suspected of having it. Now get ~ out quickly and softly, for the fellows are in the room downstairs talking to the proprietor.” - Sheridan left the room an his tiptoes and Tom was alone to face the issue he had planned in order to save the money of the Silver Plume Na- _ tional Bank from falling into the hands of the Men below, who he was satisfied were after it. “He pulled off his right shoe and then his sock. : shoved the dead prospector’s note into the latter, and then resumed his foot gear, for he _Yegarded the note as too valuable to be lost. 7s was an old newspaper lying on a shelf. _ Tom folded it up to the size of the money pack- age, tied it with a piece of string, tore the liming of Sheridan’s jacket just enough to admit of pushing the packet inside, pinned up the rent and put the jacket on. Then he shoved the cot- ed aginst the door, which possessed no fasten- ing. This was only a bluff, for he knew the * door could easily be forced. By this time he __ heard several footsteps on the stairs. He threw Up the window, got out and dropped to the ground. He did not expect to escape, for he saw “=S@ man on the watch in front. Hardly had he hit the ground when he was seized by a pair Ss of arms. : Thought you’d get away, eh?” chuckled the fellow who had him. “You can’t work us twice that way on the same night, young fellow. Come - Tow, over that money package.” “What are you talking°about? Let-me go. I w you. os ho!” Jaughed the rascal. “Don’t know eh? I know you, though.” = moment a man looked out of the win- _ party they were after, and that when they fou Tis AFTER A BIG STAKE 15 the money package, shoved his hand into Tom’s inside pocket. “The package ain’t in that pocket,” he said. “No?” said the other. “I'll swear I felt it. There it is. Feel for yourself.” . “It’s in the lining. Thought he could fool us é that way! ho, ho, ho!” “T’'ll hold him while you tear it out,” said the other. “Never mind. We’ll take him along with us and let Crowley attend to him. Jim will want to make an example of him for giving us all this trouble. We have lost three or four hours look- ing for him.” Tom protested that he had no money package about him, and that he didn’t know why they should think he had, but they just laughed at him, tied him on one of the horses, and the whole party then rode away off down the road toward the Yellow Dog camp. So far Tom’s scheme had. succeeded admirably. He was mistaken for the bank clerk, for he was about the same size and age as Sheridan, and the men had only got an indistinct view. of the clerk when he made of from the coach. Tom’s object in getting out of the building was to prevent the landlord of the roadhouse from seeing who he was. He sus- pected that the man was friendly to the bandits, as it. probably was his interest to be, and if he recognized him ‘he would tell the leader of the bunch that he had got hold of the wrong person, and then the game would be up with the bank clerk. Tom hardly realized the desperate game he was playing. If he thought Crowley, who was a notorious scoundrel, would release him when he found he was not the clerk, and didn’t have the money, he counted wrong. Two failures to se- cure the big sum of money would be apt to put the bandit leader in such a furious state of mind that he was more than likely to shoot the boy dead on the spot. He had the reputation of hav- ing killed six or eight. men with little provoca- tion, and he had just as soon kill two or three more as to eat. That’s the-kind of man Crowley was, and Tom was playing with fire when he es- sayed to save the bank’s money. The bunch- traveled on at a rapid clip till they nearly reach- — ed. the spot where the stage had been held up, then they turned off sharply to the left and e@ in the direction of Yuba Dam. In the gloom of ~ the night Tom might have been taken for one of the party as he was strapped behind one of the men in an upright position, with his arms_ tied to his side. ase. He was not gagged as that precavticn was considered unnecessary. After the excitement at- tending his capture had died away, Tom occu- ~ pied his thoughts with conjectures as to what — really would be the outcome of the adventure, Not being aware of the real characters of the Western “bad men” he did not believe that ha stood in any danger of his life.- He relied upon the fact that they had mistaken him for the out their mistake t would let him*go. Dur- ‘ide he lived in a fool’s

Page 18

16 be a large cave in the heart of the range. They were challenged by the one man who had been left on watch. The challenge was a mere form fs he recognizej his companions in the slanting moonlight that shot through a great rift in the mountains. All dismounted, Tom was removed from his position and the horses were led away te some place in the rear of the cave where a taountain stream flowed by the back exit. There they were watered, fed and tied up. Tom’s legs were tied together and he was left to himself outside the cave. No one paid any attention to him, not even the leader of the detachment mak- ing any attempt to take the presumed money package from the lining of his jacket. An hour passed away and another batch of horsemen ap- peared. The head of this bunch was the re- cécubtable Jim Crowley himself. They dismount- ed, like the others, and the horses were led away. “So you got him, eh?” said Crowley, with a grin of satisfaction, walking up and looking at fom. “Where’s the money package?” “He’s got it on him—hid in the lining of his jacket,” said the other. “I fetched him along just as he was, as I thought maybe you’d like to see him after the trouble he gave us to catch him.” “No, I only wanted the money. Get it out of kis jacket and then you can'take him down into the valley and turn him loose.” The other fellow lost little time in going through Tom’s jacket, but to get at'the paper he had _ to free the boy’s arms. 3 » “There’s the package,” he said, passing it to —._.. Crowley. : Dae ‘The leader of the band saw at a glance that “an it wasn’t the money package. That it was mere- ___ ly a newspaper tied together. The real package ~_ would have been neatly wrapped, addressed and well sealed with wax bearing the stamp of the Silver Plume bank. “What in thunder do is the package?” roar precation. 3 ; ; _ “Isn’t it? You saw me take it from him, didn’t - you?” said the other.- _ “Don’t you see that it’s only a folded news- _ paper?” cried the leader, ripping out a string of oaths. - mean by saying this Crowley, with an tm- Tom and searched his clothes all over, but with- - eut result. : _ “That’s all*he had on him,” he said. Crowley was furious. : “The skunk has tricked us. He hid the pack- somewhere before you caught him. Where Il tell us where he put the money or fill him full of holes,” cried Crowley. “Stand against that rock.” The man stared at it, then made a dive at. remain a prisoner here till I learn + AFTER A BIG STAKE with the information.” “I don’t know anything about the package you’re talking about except what I heard from the clerk of the Silver Plume bank this evening at the road-house where my employer and I put up for the night after losing our way in -range. The clerk told me that he and the as- sistant cashier of the bank were carrying a package of money by stage to Eureka, and that — the stage was held up by bandits. He said his companion, who carried the money, was wounded, but that he escaped in the dark. We were about to turn in when a bunch of men rode up to the — road-house and entered it. I was in the bank clerk’s room at the time. He said he believed these men were a part of the bandits who had pursued him. He left the' room and did not come _ back. When I heard the men coming upstairs — I jumped out of the window to get away from them, fearing they might handle me roughly. I was caught, tied on a horse and brought here, _ though I protested that I was not the person _ they were after. That’s the whole story. You have got hold of the wrong person,” said Tom. “That’s a likely yarn you’ve made up to try and pull the wool over my eyes, but it won't work, young fellow,”"meried Crowley. “Where’s Benson.” ° “Here,” replied one of the men, coming for- ward. ~- “You are able to identify the clerk of the bank who was in the coach with the man who earried the money?” - “Yes. I know his face like a book.” ont ake a look at this chap. It’s the clerk. isn’t 4 “Never mind who I take you for, come out I od - ; Wel wih bi ah pad > > letdln as it? __ The rascal addressed picked up a lantern, held it close to Tom’s face and took a keen look. -“No, it isn’t. I never saw this boy before.” - Crowley swore like a pirate and turned upon the leader of the bunch which captured Tom. ME -“I’ve a great mind to blow the roof of your — head off,” he roared. “You're brought a stranger~ here instead of the bank clerk. Your confounded _ stupidity has cost us $25,000. What have you te — yourself?” % e man protested that the roadhouse Ss prietor had guided them to the room he i given the bank clerk, and told him that he w + find the persen he was after in there. ‘ ae When we walked into the room we found he window open and our bird gone; but Jim Kenny nailed him as he was trying to get away. If he wasn’t the right party, what did he try to get away for?” . a Crowley was like a wild man. Two or three times he seemed on the point of shooting down his — lieutenant. Finally his rage turned upon Tom. — “T believe you helped the clerk to escape with the money, and then tried to escape yourself to avoid the consequences. If I was sure of ALE torture the life out of you. As it is you sh: : truth of — the matter. It is bound to come P if I find that you helped to outwit us Pll make yon wis you never were born. take him away lbhG wo abs a | 2 Here, ta Crowle

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effect, though owing to the rush of the stream _ the men had some difficulty in binding the boy _ to the dead trunk that was partly undermined by the water. Then they left him to the solitude - and his own thoughts, with the roar of the surg- ing waters in his ears. CHAPTER IX.—Out of the Frying Pan. 7 Tom’s position was not an enviable one. The —. huge dead tree trunk to which he was tied stood on the brink of a small precipice. Behind, and “in a line with the tree, a huge point of rock di- ’ vided the rushing mountain torrent in two parts. It poured down like two miniature waterfalls upon the wide ledge of earth and rock where the tree rose like a landmark, and shot past on either side, leaving the foot or two of ground between the tree and the edge of the precipice descent free of water, though the dashing spray kept » the spot always wet except when the stream was low. Now it was at its height, due to the downpour of the late thunderstorm, which had flooded its many sources far up around the sum- mits. Tom was alone in the awful solitude of nature, where, of all created beings, man is the most helpless. And Tom was helpless enough now in good truth. Four strands of rope were : wound around his chest and arms, and more -_ eenfined his legs, and every one of them en- the tree itself. They had been drawn ight at the start, so that the boy was The con- A! : * fairly ‘hot a temporary ene. “BtoNcve tnat scoundtel intends I shall stay = here till I starve to death,” thought the boy. w _ “This wiid solitude does not as if it was often visited even by chee travelers. The fact that _ the bandit gang have their retreat in the 1m- mediate vicinity shows that they deem themselves . secure from discovery by the hounds of . I am eompletely at “the mercy of the #Ville’ns, and their leader is as brutal a scoundrel I ever read of. I have prcebably given my life left her by her dying father. have to make his way AFTER A BIG STAKE 17 to get at the jack-knife that was in his pocket. The bandits, however, had taken a turn with one of the strands of the rope around each of his wrists, so that they were held almost tm- movable against the rough trunk of the tree. It was clear they had done this to prevent him from working his arms by degrees out of the four upper cords, which would naturally have loosen- ed the rope so much that he could have pulled all four loops below his waist, and with the upper part of his body clear he might manage to free his legs by bending down and using his hands. Ordinarily he had not the ghost of a show to get clear, for they had done the job well. Had their hindsight, so to speak, been as good as their foresight, Tom’s fate would have been cer- tain, barring accidents; but they never thought of the weakening effect the spray had on rope. Tom had made an ineffectual struggle soon after they left him, and it was the result of that | which discouraged him at first, and held him almost motionless for an hour in the darkening - light that precedes the dawn, for the moon had gone down and the stars ‘had lost some of their brilliancy. When the desire for life reasserted itself, and he put up another desperate effort to test his bonds, he discovered that they had in some way become looser. By a tremendous effort he succeeded in getting his left wrist out $ of the grip of the rope that held it. As the same nope held his right wrist, he easily released ‘ that. e had no trouble now in getting his right hand into his pocket. Out came the jack- knife, and he opened the large blade. M= 5 bering that it was the upper strand on his chest : which was knotted at the back of the tree, he _ worked his hand up to that, without much diffi- i culty, and cut it. All he had te do now was to — . pull the four loops from about him. a On account of his precarious. position on the edge of the crevasse he would have done this with great care but for the fact that the other rope holding his legs eter = him from-losing - his foothold. He pulled the rope free from the tree, but did not cast it aside. To escape he had to cross through the swirling and rushing stream on one side, and without something to hold on to he would be surely swept off the ledge into the abyss below. The two men who tied him _ to the tree were obliged fo cling to a rope leoped about the tree first, both ends of which were held taut by several of their companions. Even ‘at that they had to be careful. So he proceeded to tie the last loop to the tree behind his shoul- __ ders, which he accomplished by twisting his body half around. The problem was to loop the other — end of the rope around a rock two yards a ay, which shot up on the edge of the stream, and tie it. The rope, however, wasn‘t long enough for that. It was absolutely necessary for him to, take off the rope about his legs, and tie it to the other to accomplish his object. To reduce the chances of accident he tgok 8 turn aroun his body with the other rope and tied it with a slip-knot. Then he cut the rope around his legs and drew it free. He lost no time in tyi the two ropes together, then holding on te Se Pog Rar the wide looping et iyi-e. = first essay was ssful, and the bind the nok thee bao the loo

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AFTER Getting between them he tied the end of the loop about the tree. All that remained was to _-eross the stream. Throwing an arm over each rope he began his short journey of six feet. The ‘moment the left the tree his legs were swept from under him by the rushing stream. Raising = his feet horizontally out of the water he slowly oad pulled himself across the foaming space. It taxed all of his strength, but he accomplished it and reached the rock in safety. He threw the loop - into the stream, and it was borne over the edge of the crevasse, but the other end, of course, hung to the tree. “Now I must get out of this locality as fast as I can,” he said. “When Ill reach a mining is a question, but the most important thing is to avoid recapture.” %- There was light enough for him to feel his wav along. He laid his course downward, for he knew that the rendezvous of the bandits was a short : ce above. Dawn found him a mile from the scene through which he had passed so fate- : ful an experience. From the talk of the bandits '_ which he had overheard during the night ride, he judged that Yuba Dam was somewhere within 2 raijius of a dozen miles. It was close to noon, as he judged by the position of the sun overhead, when he*came unexpectedly on a trail. Satisfied that Yuba Dam was somewhere around that part ‘of the range, he took to the trail with fresh hope. Half an hour later he saw a man stalking among _ the trees. He hurried toward him. They came : together near the trail. . Waal, stranger, whar are you bound—Yuba ~ Dam?” said the man, looking Tom all over with ~ some curiosity, for the boy was a sort of hybrid “in his looks, having a blue shirt, with rolling . eollar, 2 tie, cheap store trousers, a well-made ~~ jacket of blue serge and a derby hat. _ “I'd like to reach Yuba Dam. Perhaps you ean tell me how much further off it is?” said Tom. — ~ “You'll see! the camp, sonny, when you reach ‘es the turn in the trail yonder. It’s about, a quar- _ ter of a mile further on. I’m goin’ that way.” “My, but I’m glad. I’m nearly famished.” gh you had no breakfast?”. “Not a ghost of one. I had my last meal &. a road cabin on the stage road ten miles this de of Lost River ome a ~ “D’ye mean Thompso s place?” ~ “Yes, that was the man’s name.” ~ “Why, that’s all of fifteen miles from here as the crow flies. Have you walked across from thar? Mighty risky business, seein’ as there in’t no trail to foller, for a tenderfoot, which take you to be.” “TI admit I’m a tenderfoot, but I went through ae last. night to take all the newness out of tate all night tryin’ to find your way ONG Te on a prisoner most ‘of the night in the hands of the Jim Crowley gang of bandits.” ata, ekens you. y,” whistled the miner, _ “Are that crowd in thar range phéte some time, for they _ ‘the mountain somewhere A BIG STAKE he had me tied to a tree in the middle of a rushing stream, overlooking a crevasse, and vd be there yet only that luck helped me out before daybreak.” “Whar did thar bandits catch you?” “It’s quite a story, which I’d rather’ postpone telling until I’ve had something to eat. I see the — yonder, and if you were as hungry as I am, you’d——” “Say no more, sonny. Pu see that you get a squar’ meal. I s’pose you’re cleaned out of rocks and can’t pay for nothin’?” “T haven’t a cent; but I have a companion who came into the range with me. I guess he’s gone on to Lost River Camp with the bank clerk who : was held up in the coach last evening with the assistant cashier of the Silver Plume National Bank. They were carrying $25,000 in cash to a bank in Eureka, and I guess the bandits found out about it and lay in ambush to get it.” “Did they get it?” “No. If they had I wouldn’t be in my present predicament.” The miner took Tom to the Yuba Dam eating-- house, and ordered a meal to be cooked for him at once. Fifteen minutes later he was eating a mess of bacon, fried potatoes and bread, with coffee, and he thought he had never tasted any- thing half so good ce : Pe CHAPTER X.—The Big Stake. While Tom was eating the miner circulated the news about the presence of the Crowley bandits in the range and not a great way off. The dis- quieting intelligence flew around the camp and a crowd gathered to look at the tenderfoot who had been through the bandit mill and was alive to tell the tale. Tom ate his meal at a table in the one main‘room of the eating-house, which was also equipped with a bar, and the crowd filled up the space between the table and the door. The miner who had befriended him, and whose ~~ name was Andy Blossom, would not permit him — to be disturbed. When he pushed his chair back with a sigh of satisfaction, Blossom said: as “Waal, sonny, ef you’re ready we’ll be glad to hear your stery. = So Tom explained how he had been hired by : an elderly gentleman named Guyman_ Guffn to work around his villa near Milltown, in Illinois, and told how that gentleman took it into his ~ head to travel through Colorado to see nature — in her original state. He told how they took the — wrong road, and sought refuge in a cave from — the thunderstorm. ~He described how the cave was struck by a thunderbolt which cut off their escape, and said they might be there yet, starv-— ing, but that the shock of the bolt opened up the _ ‘the _ mouth of a tunnel in the rear, through which | got away, and after a long tramp came to coach road again at a point where Thomp cabin stood. He then detailed the eegh bandits were cheated out of their prize. how the Rents, on disco the se rie

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ie 4 5 _ the money package, and they rounded him up at - _Thompsen’s. ; Tom said that Thompson stood in with them _ and gave the clerk away, and they would have secured the money only for the new ruse that he (Tom) thought of and which got him into a terrible situation. He then told his interested _ audience how the bandits had tied him to the old _ dead tree in the midst of the mountain stream and Jeft him to his fate. He explained how he managed to escape, how he had traveled since before dawn, and was feeling pretty rocky when _ he reached the trail and ran across Blossom. 5 /That’s all, gentlemen, and I hope I have satis- fied you,” said Tom. 5 “Do you think you could lead a posse to that eave, sonny?” asked Blossom. 2 “All T know about the spot is that it’s high up the mountains and close to the stream I told you about. I dare say somebody can be found who will recognize the place from my description, and “ then a posse could rout the bandits out.” At that moment there was a sound of horses’ feet and a dozen mounted and armed men drew _ up before the eating-house. : ~ “It’s the sheriff and his posse,” said Blossom. ow are you, sheriff? Are you lookin’ for Jim _ Crowley and his bunch?” ; ee “We are. Got any information that’ll help us?” ____ _“You’ve come to the right shop. Step in. Here’s a boy who has‘ just escaped from the headquarters of the gang, and I reckon he kin tell you some- thin’ that-may be useful to you.” _. The sheriff dismounted, entered the shack and Was introduced to Tom. The boy told him his _ story so far as it related to the bandits, describ- : the cave and its neighborhood as well as he _ was ableto do it. One of the posse outside knew 1e mountain stream in question, and the sheriff “said he guessed they’d get Crowley this trip, dead or alive. The party started off at once to find and tackle the bandits. Andy Blossom om to accompany him back to his claim which he said he was working with two partners. 0 pted the invitation, and helped Blossom Be! back along the trail Tom asked him if anything about a claim belonging to a ied. way ween named John Milverton. _ “I sure do, sonny,” he repli “Milverton was er man ce discovered ther first gold in Yuba am. He staked off several claims according to and started for Silver Plume, after he had ie ther necessary excavations, to get his deeds. t was two years ago, and we ain’t seen him ». He told me to keep an eye on his preperty, _ he ex to return to Illinois to see his daughter, a little gal of thirteen.. You know him, ~Treckon. When did you see him last?” “ ester ” a > 2 don’t say. Then he’s h’srabouts. yell al be glad to see him back.” 2 see him again, Mr. Blossom, You'll never see” om, solemnly. ae fe -Whai’s that? Never see him, and you iar of him.” you - thar. What are you gettin’ at, — ~ es - 7 SY de AFTER A BIG STAKE 19 where Mr. Guffin nad I took refuge from the storm.” : “How did you know it was his skeleton, son?” “By a letter I found inclosed in a tin box close to the bones.” “You are sure thar ain’t no mistake about it?” : “Would you recognize Milverton’s handwrit- ing?” “T dunno. I might.” “We'll stop here a moment,” said Tom, putting down the things he was carrying. He took off his right shoe and stocking and produced Milverton’s dying communication. Read that and form your own opinion.” Blossom did, and declared he had no doubt that Milverton wrote it. “Poor fellow! He must have met with the accident in. the range somewhar on his way to Silver Plume, crawléd into thar cave and died Waal, this h’ar paper gives ther finder, and that’s you, a half interest in his claims, if zoo do thar right thing by Milverton’s little gal. reckon thar ain’t no doubt but that’s what you mean to do, Legally thar paper ain’t worth noth- in’ to you. ‘ Thar little gal comes into it all, but as she might never have known nothin’ about : thar property but for you, for none of us know’d whar she lived, I reckon she'll be willin’ to let : you have half. You’d better go and see her about © it right away. Thar claims are safe, because nobody would dar’ jump ’em with us around. After you’ve seen her and fixed things up you’d better come back and get to work on thar prop- erty. It are a big stake.” CHAPTER XI.—Conelusion. Tom was introduced by Blossom to his partners, and they gave him a hearty welcome. As one of the partners was going to drive a load of ore over to Silver Plume next morning, he offered to take Tom with him. The boy was glad of the chance Z to rejoin Mr. Guffin, and after spending the night in a spare bunk on the second floor of the eating- house, the two started for the county seat. They reached the town along in the afternoon, and Tom | went to the hotel to see if Mr. Guffin had come On there. He found he had not. He then went to the First National Bank and asked for the president, and was shown into the office. Tom. introduced himself and asked him if Jack Sheri- dan had returned and reported the hold-up of the stage coach by the Crowley bandits. “No, but he sent us word about the affair and stated that the money would have been Bel from him at the read cabin kept by one Thomp- _ son but for the ruse of a boy named Tom Hadley, who was carried off in his place by the bandits, — Are you that young man?” said the president- “T am.” : ! Tom teld his story. +4 hee “You had a mighty narrow escape. The direc-— tors shall learn. what you were forced to through in the bank’s behalf.” me ; “Did Sheridan, in, his communification to 2 promised yi a (SOs 2 om a | “4. Perris t Ty! iE:

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taken him on to Eureka by the next stage which was due at Yellow Dog about one o’clock to-day.” “Then I had better take the stage in the morn- ing and meet them on the road on their way = back?” = “You can do that, of course, but why not wait here till they return? They should arrive by to- morrow night.” *T guess I’ll have to, for I have no money.” “No money! Let me be your banker. Here is $20 for the present, but if you need more don’t hesitate to call and ask for whatever you want.” — “Thank you, sir,” said Tom, and he repaired to the hotel. ’ Next morning the sheriff and his posse returned with several of the bandits. The official reported a tough fight with the rascals, during which Crowley and several of the gang were killed and ‘wounded. Some of the posse were wounded, but mone severely. The prisoners were locked up. Eventually they were tried and received a life sentence each. That afternoon late the stage _ brought Sheridan, the clerk and Mr. Guffin. Mr. - Guffin declared that he had seen all he wanted of the wilds of Colorado, and was ready to return home. Tom was glad to hear it, for he was eager to reach Springdale, where Jessie Milverton lived, in order to break the news of her father’s death to her, and to settle the question of his right to a half interest in he big stake. He learned that Springdale was about 100 miles south of Milltown, and ‘after showing Milverton’s letter to his em- _ ployer, asked him if he would go to town with him and help him out if he needed help. “Certainly, Thomas. I will be glad to serve you in any way I can,” said Mr, Guffin. - They resumed their better clothes and started = day for Denver. On reaching Springdale, “proved to be only a large village, they put be at the inn, and Tom started.to make inquiries about Jessie Milverton. He learned that she was ‘living, with a family to whose care her father had intrusted her. On calling there he found _ that she had been reduced from the position of a bearder to that of maid of all work. Jessie was ‘how a pretty girl of fifteen, and she seemed over- joyed when Tom told her he had brought news ‘about her father. Her joy was short-lived, for had to tell her the truth, which nearly _ young heart. a comforted ber. as best POR vs Ti ae ae a owe) ae home with a very. nice, elderly gentle- hom he ked and vain would will- “Tom as er only, AFTER A BIG STAKE made her acquainted with Mr. Guffin. They took a liking to each other at once, much to the boy’s satisfaction. On her return she notified the people that she was going to leave at once. On the fol- lowing afternoon the three reached Milltown and were driven to the villa, where they were warmly welcomed. That evening after supper Jessie was taken into the library and then Tom showed her the letter written by her father when he was dying. She cried a great deal over it. “Are you willing that I should have half of that property, according to the terms of your father’s mates? asked Tom. “Yes, yes,” she said. Mr. Guffin went before the probate judge of Milltown and got himself appointed as- JesSie’s guardian, and trustee of her interest in the Yuba Dam mining claims. At the end of a week Tom announced that he was going’ to Yuba Dam to work the claims in Jessie’s interest and his own. The girl had already become much attached fo Tom, for he was yery nice to her, comforting her in her sorrow, and she began to cry when he told her of his intentions. But she soon stopped crying and told him to do as he thought best. So Tom went out to Yuba Dam and took charge of the property. Under Andy Blossom’s general supervision at first he hired two men and put them at work. In six months the mine was turn- ing out ore in paying quantities. In a year he had half a dozen hands at work in mine, several others above ground, and had put up the _ necessary buildings. When Tom came of age he formed a company, with a capital of half a mil- lion to take over the property, and was “elected president of it. Shortly afterward, he and Jessie, now a Bleoms ; . ing girl of eighteen, were married, and went to live in Silver Plume. A good road to Yuba Dam and an automobile enabled Tom to visit the mine each day and note how things were progressing. Needless to say both he and his wife had 4 good- sized bank account in the First National, and both moved in the best society of Silver Plume. And having reached the end of our story we will drop | the curtain on the boy who was after a big = and got it. Next week’s issue will contain “FACING THE MEXICANS; or, THE SECRET OF THE At TEC’S GOLD.” course at the cooking school, I presume you ready, to go to work? Latter-day Dowmesticnz4 don’t know, tery OES ak Bok oe or ‘if yc goin’ m= ,use.8 | Mistress—Now | that you “have finished ‘the “he

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, - x - GIRL MAKES a OCCUPATION _ Miss Ruth Studdert of Seattle is the only - woman icthyologist in the United States, and per- ~ haps the only woman in the world who has made the study of fish her life work. Miss Studdert ~ gained her first knowledge of fish lore while em- ~ ployed by the United States Bureau of Fisheries. She is completing her study of icthyology at the | College of Fisheries, University of Washington. ‘WILL EMPLOY TURKEYS TO GOBBLE UP =a INSECTS _ Fire and poison having failed, turkeys are go- _ ing to be used this year to exterminate grass- _ hoppers, the plague of Western grain fields. The _ Thanksgiving bird’s capacity for this work was ‘Tevealed when a farmer cut open the crop of a _ turkey last fall and found 248 grasshoppers and “six water beetles—one day’s catch. One big farmer intends to raise 2,000 birds this season. - He figures that his’ flock, working ninety days, - Should take a toll of 45,000,000, insects. 7 ' DEATH IN A FOX FUR _ A singular case of death caused ig! a fox fur is reported from Bourges, France. In this case the head of the animal had heen set up in a life- Tike pose, its jaws, still set with teeth, serving as _ 2 fastener. The owner of the fur was joking with ‘& girl friend’s nose. The incident was forgotten ‘until two days later, when the girl’s nose began FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY CURRENT NEWS FISH CULTURE HER LIFE’ _ considerably over the boiling point during the 2r to swell, and she found that she must have been pricked by one of the animal’s teeth. An opera- tion was carried out, but this intervention proved too late and the girl died within.a few hours. The danger of the wound which caused the girl’s death lay to a great extent in its apparent insig- nificance, for it was so slight that it did not even bleed or cause any inconvenience until it was teo late to apply antiseptic measures effectively. DEVICE MEASURES HEAT OF TEENIEST — STARS Should the heat reaching the earth from all the stars in the heavens be collected and concen- trated on a thimbleful of water, two centuries would be required to bring the liquid to the boil- ing point. This statement. was made recently by Dr. W. W. Cobentz, of the United States Bureau of Standards, who has perfected the thermophyle, a _ heat measuring device which will determine the heat radiation of a star so infinitesimal, that-1,- — 000,000 years will be required for the ray to warm a bit of water of the volume of a cent, Federal scientists said. The machine will measure the heat of a candle at a distance of one mile. Astronomers studying the moon said the clime there ranges from 460 below zero at night to day. Days are about four weeks long on the moon. ~ : 7 BOYS, DO YOU LIKE DETECTIVE STORIES? ~ You Should Read ss “MYSTERY MAGAZINE” s It contains the snappiest and liveliest stories you ever read. Each number begins 5 with a rousing detective novelette, filled with pep from start to finish. Then there : are from four to six short stories of police adventure with good plots and interesting = _ gituations. All these stories are written by the same authors who write for the higher ae _ priced magazines. Don’t miss the articles about crime detection, yarns of the under-, | = world and special items relating to ghostly happenings, peculiar events and current ve Sag news of police cases, - . aes Colored Covers, Fine Illustrations — 64 Pages Peare 2 Get a Copy, Read It and See > Te eew Interesting the Stories Are! Bo PRICE 10:CENTS 2 oe Uj = t= > Ye yee cannot procure a copy from your newsdealer send us the price (ten cents) yest: nd we will mail you one postage free, Address _ gree Sees < ay +4

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Wrecked On The Desert THE ADVENTURES OF TWO BOY PROSPECTORS _, - By GASTON GARNE (A Serial Story.) CHAPTER I.—(Continued.) The man was conscious then, but during the efforts of the boys to land him his head dropped and so remained. Just how they accomplished their purpose the . boys could scarcely have told, but success came at --- last and the rescued man lay stretched on the rocks at their feet. + _ ~ “Dead, think?” yelled Arthur, with his mouth * close to Jack’s ear. i r. “We won’t stop to find out,” was the reply. _ “We must get him to the shack instantly.” a It was a case of head and feet, with the lan- tern dangling from Arthur’s arm, and the rope, which had not been removed, trailing behind. _. he boys were drenched before they could make the hut, where they instantly began their inves- ____ tigations. _—« *#Y’s- dive!” cried Jack, after listening at the . heart. "Quick work followed. 7 First it was brandy, and this brought back __ eonsciousness, but.the man did not attempt to speak beyond murmuring a few incoherent words. __ They stripped off his clothes, wrapped him in _ blankets and laid him on their own mattress, which with the floor formed their bed, where- upon he immediately sank into a deep sleep. -- “Thoroughly exhausted,” remarked Jack, as he proceeded to get out of his own wet clothes. ff wonder how long he had been there?” oe “Question is where the deuce did he come - from?” replied Arthur; “can it be possible that - the heads and we never knew?” “Might be. It’s quarter to three and we turned in at ten. Plenty of time for lots to happen, sy. res dried themselves with their Turkish tow- els and, getting into their pajamas, sat down to _ smoke. awn came and the sleeper never once stirred, but sents after daylight he opened his -and asked for a drink of water so feebly hat the boys thought he was going, and Jack ave him more brandy, after which he slept e rain ceased at sunrise. Jack and Arthur . ate Sak: eset ait sleeping went out on “Th question 4Stion of the night before was instantly ered, for the rising tide had brought in- FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY some steamer went to pieces in the storm out by’ It was, in short, the memorable wreck of the Queen, a freighter from Vancouver bound north for the various way points along the British Columbian coast. As the boys learned’ later, the captain and a portion of the crew made Prince Rupert in a lifeboat, but the mate’s boat in which the man in the shack had been a passenger foundered at the start. Of all those in it, he alone escaped. : ee ——— a ee ———— * CHAPTER II. The Story Of Old Ben Budd. It was partly business and partly the love of adventyire which brought young Fennister and his companion to Kettle Island in the substantial motor boat belonging to Jack, whose age was something over twenty, while that of his friend was just nineteen. Here were two boys who had both lost their parents in early life. They had been chums from their childhood and as Jack was to inherit a snug little fortune when of age, and was blest with a liberal guardian, he did about as he pleased. Fortunately he had no inclination to do other- wise than all that was right and ‘proper for a youth of his age. : With Arthur it was different, for he was ob- liged to work for.a living. Both were studying mining engineering, and when Arthur lost his job in.a big tannery office at Seattle that summer, he was glad to accept Jack’s proposition to join him in a cruise along the coast of British Columbia. Incidentally it was a prospecting tour, for-both — were deeply interested in mining matters. Their hope. had been to strike a paying claim in some out-of-the-way spot which Jack, who was a na- tive of Vancouver and consequently a British subject, could locate under the Canadian laws. Little or no success. had attended their efforts and as the summer was now almost over the boys Oe oy ON Ne ae ee ee ee ee CSE ey ee Mey eee eee eee oy _ were beginning to think of their return. . “What steamer can it have, been?” questioned Arthur, as they stood looking off on the ocean. 3 “Hard to tell,” replied Jack. “It could not have been one of the Alaska liners. They — wouldn’t trust themselves so close inshore.” “Hope our boat is safe. Hadn’t we better go and have a look?” - 3 Jack’s motor boat had been tied up in a land- locked cove down into which they could look from the cliffs at another point. a Finding the boat all right, the boys returned to the shack which they had found deserted on — their arrival at Kettle Island and began to pre- pare breakfast. ; ~~

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_ PREHISTORIC CITY FOUND NEAR MEXICO x VOLCANO A prehistoric city has recently been discovered at the foot of the voleano Ixtacciruati. The city - is apparently four miles long and three miles "wide. The city is surrounded by a wall and there are twenty-eight pyramids. There is a possi- bility of the ruins being as famous as Tectihua- __ BRINGS IN SNAKE BRACELET -_ When a customs. agent started to examine the _ baggage of Miss Mary Lewis of Pompton Lakes, __N--J., a passenger on the Grace liner Santa Luisa docking from Valparaiso, he noted what _ wrist. His move to examine it was met by a mm sanige move of the “bracelet” and he jumped ‘back several feet. * “Don’t be afraid,” Miss Lewis said. “Tt’s Ru- dolph, my pet coral snake.” . -Rudolph entered duty free. The snake, a deli- cate. pink, was about three feet long. | While coral snakes are said to be poisonous, Miss Lewis affirmed that Rodolph was lacking in such qual- ‘ities. She said she would train the pet to re- ace a watch dog which had died. “KILAER” WHALES HUNT IN PACKS LIKE aS WOLVES The “killer” whale—the most ferocious animal whe of sea or land in the world, bar none— attains a length of 20 feet, and weighs about a ton. It is predatory in the last degree, even at- tacking whales of the largest species and tearing them literally to pieces. & * Tremendously powerful, astonishingly swift, ~ gpg whales usually travel in schools of a m or more, hunting by preference in packs, = wolves. They gobble great numbers of fur ‘pups when the latter are taking their first s in swimming in the waters about the of Islands, in Bering Sea. ; e Eskimos believe that the killer whales are ly metamorphosed wolves. When so inclined, “swim to the shore, climb out and transform selves into wolves. Or, contrairiwise, the rolves come down to the sea, jump in and be- killer whales. ae COLISEUM SEATING 18,000 PERSONS w York is to have a super-Madison Square den to cost several million doilars and to seat sons. It will be built in Fourth m avenue and run- FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY NEWS FROM EVERYWHERE ices rom a source close to the men behind 2 scheme it is understood work will begin at on : on the construction of the building. It is ex- pected to be completed by the end next year. S —oaosaeaqalelalalaj———————™___:= sh “Mystery Magazine’’ | SEMI-MONTHLY 10 CENTS A COP? ~ — LATEsT ISSUEs — WHEN CROOKS CONSP ; pe hast, 0 IRE, by Harola F. Pod- &. BE MYSTERY OF THE BL ‘ - ilton eS e ee 129 THE DET! SCTIVE AND THE LAW, by Frederick : uey. - THR HAND IN THR DARK, by-Chas. F. Oursler, THE TRAIL OF THE ROGUE. jcor = son-Howard. 2m Se. he 5 THE WOMAN FROM NOWHERD®. by Jack Bech- dolt, THE TIME DETECTIVE. by Frank Righton: THE WHISPERING-ROOM. By Beulah Poynter, The Famous Detective Story Out Today in 185 Is — ONE CLUE MISSING By CHAS, F. OURSLER HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc. 16¢ West 23d Street, New Yeris City “Moving Picture Stories” A Weekly Magazine Devoted to Photoplays ana Players ‘ PRICE SEVEN CENTS PER COPY Each number contatns Four Stories of the Bust , on the Screen -- Elegant Half-tone Scenes rm ‘the Plays — Interesting Articies About Prominent P .. in the Fihus — Doings of Actors and Actresses phy Studio and Lessons in Scenario Writing, = tS = :

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HOW TO MAKE A FLEWELLING SET bs a The marvellous little hookup which has recent- s ly created a sensation among radio fans is the Flewelling circuit. It was named after its in- ; ventor, and can be made by any boy handy with _ tools. For its great volume of sound and wide g: range, it is the best and least expensive of any : single tube set on the market. The flivver set is a modification of the famous Armtrong super-regenerative circuit. It can get long-distance stations with ease, requires very few parts and costs very little. This set func- _ tions with or without ground and aerial, or with one or both disconnected. It works on an indoor aerial or with about ten feet of aerial wire. Tun- ing is accomplished by means of a’ variable con- denser; hard amplifying tubes are used, and a vernier rheostat will help to sharpen the recep- tion. ARTICLES NEEDED 1 rubber panel, size 10x7 inch...... Newewh 00 1 hard wood baseboard 9x6x% inch...... 1 23 plate yariable condenser with vernier 1 s filament rheostat.......... I Pee eee 1 honeycomb coil 50 turns...... visite +3 1.00 1 honeycomb coil 75 turns.......---++..- 1.25 Aeterna soy ae Sass Sly Ss Sak oo Noo o's 2.50 1 variable gridleak with 00025 mfd con- ; MIGWAGE? 6; eying cot sto nies o MEA oe ware) 5 1 gridleak without condenter) ses ccxtn. - AS 3 006 condensers............ CURE 6 30 eae en AO 1 001 mrd phone condenser.............. 75 -8 lengths tinned bus wire.............+. 35D 1 piece copper foil 6x9 inch..... ey eee, : Pobethle Shel ae. ois vee be siete iste a iale ave o- _ 2 nieckel-plated % tinch screws........... 05 6 rubbertop binding posts....... SPiagncs wer Oe 2 double binding posts for phones....... stir eae 1 single cireuit jack.......... rrek ae ta 3 double and 2 single binding posts. ate 180 PeMNOE fot tis nae kes wali :d/ ods Raw ewee RTO Stain, solder and extras. Gi festacs wt AO oe Total cost. Siiisae Mdaess ROSE Se eet eene $22.50 THE PANEL J ‘The first proceeding is to lay out -your’ panel for drilling the necessary holes. Along the bot- tom, %-inch up drill three screw holes to hold the : Saaas upright against the baseboard—one in the center and the other two an inch from each end. ‘These holes can be 3-16 inch diameter. soi: mount. SHIELDING The next step is to shield the panel. Lightly sandpaper the back of the panel, coat with shel- lac, and when the shellac is partly dry lay the copper foil on it, and rub it down perfectly smooth. Let it dry over night. Then cut a strip % inch wide from top, bottom and sides. Also cut out pieces from around each binding post and each point where the condenser rheostat and honeycomb nuts touch the panel, leaving % inch of margin bare around each screw hole, except the ground post hole. The ground wire carries _ the electricity accumulated from over the set, the copper shielding absorbs it. MOUNTING THE INSTRUMENTS To mount the instruments begin with the hon- eycomb coil by first attaching the four flexible leads to the mount. Next put the variable con- denser and the rheostat in their places, and at- tach the dials. The battery, aerial and ground — binding posts follow. These can have rubber to on i, to make a neat job. The phone posts can double and nickel-plated, so that two can liétenin _ at one time. The jack is fastened on and se- cured with a small bolt. As some people prefer to plug in, the jack is an added feature. It is not necessary. Some prefer just the jack and:no _ posts, but the advantage of having posts is that it is easy to connect them to an amplifier, if.

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_ struments on a panel, it can be screwed to the 6x9 baseboard on which the lamp socket con- densers and gridleak ure placed. The lamp socket sets back in the corner behind the rheostat, the = and F marks on it turned toward the panel. a P and G marks are at the rear. An inch _ from the G, along the rear, fasten the black _ variable gridleak, one end pointing toward the G on the lamp socket. Next lay two of the 006 condensers flat on the board, about % inch in 3 front of the F markings on the lamp socket... These two condensers must be end to end, the holes overlaping, so you can drill a hole to fasten _ them down with one double binding post. The _ other two ends are each held down with single binding posts. Lay the third condenser in the _ center, in front of the pair just mentioned, and _ fasten it down with a double binding post at _ each end. If there is no room to place the red variable gridleak between the last mentioned con- denser and panel, on account of the rheostat pro- jecting inward, put the red lead on top of the single condenser. The wiring will hold it in place. _ The baseboard will now be nearly all filled, as _ the variable condenser lays back upon it on the _ right-hand - side. WIRING THE SET ; The wiring is perhaps the most difficult part of the job, but using busbar permits of making stiff, strong connections, bending it at sharp angles ith a pair of pliers. Each piece should be care- 2 measured before it is cut to avoid waste, and all joints that are not soldered should have t connections. 1 binding posts is first bent in the form of a ‘hook, and is then squeezed together tightly over s screw, and the nut is screwed down securely. - Do not use a soldering iron near the fixed con- denser when you can avoid it, as the heat might ruin them, and use. as little rosin flux and solder as possible. Now for the wiring. Commencing ‘at th@lamp socket attach a wire to tre G post and e other end to the nearest post of the black eak. From the other post on the gridleak y a wire along the rear of the baseboard, end it toward the variable condenser, and sol- the end to the connection on the left-hand . °A wire is next soldered to the connection n the right-hand side of the variable condenser, -is brought up and secured to the screw of ground binding post. Next secure a wire to aerial binding post, bend it over and down qe baseboard behind the variable condenser, : a few extra inches can be left. Later we vill explain where you fasten the end of this e. Solder this wire to the middle joint of the 2 condenser without cutting it where it down from the aerial post. The rest of s wire is now on the board below the soldered and must be bent toward the 006 fixed con- s. We will leave it for a while until we the three condensers, and the red grid- as this wire, fastened to the middle joint variable condenser will afterward have to d to the condenser bank. Beginning red leak, perched on top i ie of ee — nsers, secure a wire to a binding post on the »w bend this wire around and thread it ble bin . post which holds j ew" FAME. AND FORTUNE WEEKLY The end of the busbars to go™ en ge Pi stations come ke te ee 25 the hole in the single post holding down the two overlapping condensers. Do the same on the other side, and you will then have all the fixed condensers and the red gridleak connected to- gether in a circuit of wire. You now pick up the end of the wire coming down from the middle joint of the variable condenser, and solder it to the wire that joins the condenser with the red grid and the overlapping eondensers. A wire is now attached to the left-hand joint of the rheo- stat, and is connected to the battery A binding ea screw. Another wire fastened to the right- and connector of the rheostat is brought over to the lamp socket post marked Fx. Next a wire is secured to the lamp socket marked P, is bent straight up about 4 inches, then is bent at right angles for about 4 inches, and is cut off. A wire is now fastened to the lamp socket at F—, and is carried over to the Ax battery binding post. A ‘wire is soldered to the last mentioned lead about 1 inch from, the lamp socket and is carried to the ‘ fixed condensers, where it is fastened to the dou- ble binding posts holding down the ends of the two overlapping fixed condensers. Attach a wire to the upper phone post screw, bend it out about 3 inches, then bring it down to the end of the plug, to which it is soldered, and continue the wire downward, and secure it to the battery post serew Ax. Another wire is secured to the lower prong of the-jack, brought to the lower phone post screw, continues down, and is attached to the battery post screw marked B—. The little 001 fixed condenser must now be soldered (by the means of wire arms) at the side of the jack, be- tween the upper and Jower phone post screws. First secure two 2-inch lengths of wire to each end of the condenser. Bend these wires at right an- gles. Then solder the end of one to the wire from the lower phone post, and solder the other to the wire from the upper phone post. Without this condenser you could not hear anything very well. The last wires to be secured are the flexible leads, coming through the hole in the panel from honeycomb coils. The two on the right-hand side carry the 50-turn coil. The top one is sol- dered to the wire running from the aerial post to the middle of the variable condenser. The lower one is soldered to the wire running from the ground post to the right-hand joint on the varia- ble condenser. The fiexible leads from the 75- turn honeycomb coil are secured as follows: The top one is secured to the end of the wire sticking up from the P mark on the lamp socket, and the lower one is, soldered to the joint of the variable condenser on the left-hand side. This completes the wiring. The batteries are now attached by — wires to the binding posts on the panel. Be care- ful to see that no wires touch each other, form- ing a short circuit, and to not run parallel wires closer together than an inch.’ First turn on the rheostat to see if the lamp lights up from the A battery. Be careful not to get the lamp con- nected to the B battery, as it would burn out the. filament of the lamp. If the rheostat lights the lamp turn on the B battery current. The tuning is done with the variable condenser. whistles and shrieks adjust the var Tf the iable ge leaks, as they are the critical adjustments.

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26 ms FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY NEW YORK, JUNE 22, 1923 TERMS TO SUBSCRIBERS Bingle Copies......6-.-...06- Postage Free 1 Cents One Copy Three Months..... = e Cente One C wy Six Months..... — « bod One (syy One Year.........- oa! » Canada, $4.00; Foreign, $4.50. HOW TO SEND MONEY — At our risk send P. O, oney Order, Check or Kegistered Letter; remittances ; any other way are at your risk. We accept Postage mps the same as cash. When sending ver wrap Coin in a separate piece of paper to avoid cutting P e eo Ae rite your name and address plainly. HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc., 166 W. 23d St., N. ¥. ITEMS OF INTEREST MAN, 80, NEVER SAW A MOVIE Money spent on amusements is largely squan- dered, according to D. F. Barrett, eighty years eid, Riverside, al., who never has seen a motion picture, has not been to a circus for fifty-six ears, or seen a theatrical performance since’ 880, and says he never wants to. : UNBREAKABLE GLASS -_. Aecording to recent reports, a Bohemian in- @ ventor, after thirteen years of research, has suc- ceeded in producing unbreakable glass. At a re- cent demonstration, it is said, plates and vessels -. of the material remained whole when thrown to the ground from a height of twelve feet. Meat was on a thin glass plate over an oven _. fire at a temperature of 750 degrees Fahrenreit. Tin was melted in a glass pot and nails were - driven in a piece of hardwood, using a piece of glass for a hammer. NNORWAY’S TROPICAL FLOATSAM The coast of Norway is not so cold as\ many think, for the gulf stream with its tropical breath modifies the cold as it flows by, and it also brings to the fishermen of that northern coast fuel with _» which to warm their homes when winter is upon them. Some of the floating wood grew along the _ Amazon or Orinoco Rivers of South America, or _ dn the palm groves of the islands of the At- lantic, the trees being carried to the distant shores by the Gulf Stream, the current of which is more speedy than the Amazon and 1,000 times 2, areater- . a ONE BEAR THE LIMIT IN NEW YORK Bae Parts i PATE. ‘The new law reads: ade sunt te taken from October 15 to No- FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY “Wild bear may be taken only on land. No jacklight or other device to entice bears shall be used, made or set, nor shall any bears be taken by ‘aid or use thereof. “Bears shall not be hunted, pursued or killed by any dog of either sex. Wild bears lawfully taken may be possessed from October 15 to No- vember 20, both inclusive. A person may pos- sess such bears from November 21 to February 1, both inclusive, provided a license so to do shall first be obtained from the commission. Every person obtaining such license shall pay to the commission a fee of one dollar. Bears so pos- sessed shall at all times be marked or tagged in such manner as the commission may provide. “Possession of bear, or any part thereof, from November 16 to February 1, both inclusive, un- less such license be so obtained, shall be presump- tive evidence that the same was unlawfully taken. This act shall take effect immediantely.” LAUGHS The Man—What’s your name, my little man? The Little Man—They call me “Corns” at school, sir. The Man—Good gracious! and why? The Little Man (cheerfully)—’Cause I’m always at the foot of the class, sir. A servant girl was given macaroni by her mis- tress to prepare for the table. Noticing her sur- prise, the lady said: “Didn’t you cook macaroni at your last place?” “Cook it? We used them things to light the gas with.” Tourist—you must get some business here, ad- vertising “All the Comforts of Home for One Dollar.” Rural Landlord—We did until the fel- low opposite opened up with “None of the Dis- comforts of Home for Two Dollars.” ‘ How many apples were eaten by Adam and. Eve? We know that Eve 81, and that Adam 812, — total 893, But Adam 8142 please his wife, and — Eve 21242 please Adam, total 89,384. Then again — Eve 21420 by herself, and Adam 813240 by him- _ self. Total, 1,628,480! . _Tramp—You know the sayin’, mum, “He that - 4 giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord.” Mrs, _ Subbubs—Very true. And since you speak in — proverbs I’ll refer you to another old saw. Tramp —Which one is dat, mum? Mrs. Subbubs—The one back in the woodshed. ig The proprietor of a dry-goods store in Preston, Ill, is superintendent of a Sunday school. Ona recent Sabbath, in the school, after explaining the Bible lesson, he said: “Does any one wish to — ask a question?” “I do, Mr. Barnes,” said a little — girl, in great excitement. “How mitch is those little red parasols in your show window?” _ inclusive. A person may take ; season and then bo.

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i HYPNOTIZING AN EMPLOYEE é An unusual story regarding an achievement by _ @ clairvoyant is reported from Hamburg. For _ two weeks the branch of the Deutsche Bank there - had missed an important letter upon which de- >" ed a gain or loss of several billions of marks. a rehes by the police proved vain, and finally a ¢lairvoyant, Juan Colmo, whose telepatic ex- Periments were said to be astonishing, was con- ___ By a process which remains Colmo’s secret, he _ Managed to eliminate ull persons from suspicion but-the young clerk. This man Colmo hypno- _ tized, whereupon he led the clairveyant to a room _ where the letter was found. -It seemed to have _ accidentally fallen between two bookcases. Colmo _ received a large reward, ; _ TEN-YEAR «GRAZING PERMITS FOR e FOREST RANGES Beginning in 1925, 10-year permits are to be ranted to stockmen who desire to graze cattle and sheep on ranges within the National forests, _ the Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agri- _ Culture, announced recently. This new policy, as _ pproved by the Secretary of Agriculture, ex- _ actly doubles the maximum period for which graz- ing permits are now being issued. The Depart- ™Ment’s action was taken from the standpoint of _ Cover from: its depression of the last few years, _ Since, it is claimed by steckmen, grazing permits _ for 10 years instead of 5 will make it less diffi- _ Srazing operations. ¢ A LABRADOR ROMANCE Lovemaking is not by any means confined to time or place, to crowded cities or seaside re- ts. The fever is caught in the tropics or any her zone, fer just now we are reading of a ro- which began in Labrador, when Miss mond Bradley, a society girl of Boston, went volunteer nurse with the Grenfell expedition ) that bleak land, and in the course of her labors ecasion to correspend with other workers in ; t part of the peninsula. Charles R. ault answered the letters as part of his duty, the perfunctory business correspondence ‘into an intimate and personal one. He was Officer in the Canadian Royal Mounted Po- _ Later Miss Bradley returned to her home Beston, and when Rheault called on her in her ne, he finally went back to Canada-with a ~ S from the young lady, which in ANOTHER ATLANTIC CABLE s ‘a number of us can remember the days ent over the laying of the first cable America and England. Cyrus W. Field, oe = eee -_ FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY ; HERE AND THERE the tive-stock industry to further re-~ _ cult to secure finacial aid to carry on live-stock from the coast of New Foundland to England. The great United States frigate Niagara and the mammoth Great Eastern were employed in the work and the Old World was much excited over the progress. The first successful layings of cables were in the years.1857 and 1858 and celebrations followed on both sides of the At- lantic. New York City burned down her City Hall. The cables did not work well, and every- thing relating to them were stopped by the Civil War until 1866. Since then cable laying has gone on with great rapidity, but with little excitement and no burning of city halls to announce success. Now_Clarance H. Mackay, president of the Pos- tal Telegraph-Commercial Cables, announces that his company has completed contracts for the lay- ing of a great cable directly between New York and London, and the work will be completed by Aug. 1. The route will be from New York to Nova Scotia, about 1,000 miles; thence to the Azores, 1,750 miles. At Azcres it will connect with a cable already laid. A new cable is to be laid this summer from Ireland to England. Great things are expected of this new cable, which will have. a capacity of approximately 600 letters a minute in both directions. PIT DWELLERS A Mr. Ferguson, of Franklin, Pa., seems to be somewhat of an investigator—maybe an arche- ologist—as events will show. Not long ago he was in Canada, and in one place the “lay of the land” seemed to call to him to investigate it. This was in the Province of Ontario. He began to “nose” around, and then he used pick and shovel, being rewarded by finding the remains of a vil- lage which, he says, must have existed two or three thousand years ago. Everybody seems to deal in thousands now instead of hundreds. “We found an area covering at least half a mile in width and two miles long, over the whole of which were remains of human habitations,” said Mr. Ferguson. “There were largely pits which had been dug for homes. They ranged from 8 to 10 feet deep and were protected by carefully built stone walls, which kept them from water. Apparently they had been covered by wooden roofs, Some of them were 20 by 40 feet in diam- eter, evidently being communal dwellings. We, found one structure, 150 by 180 feet, that had evidently been 2 fort. “The pits had sides runnin uarely east west and morth and south, the bog sides bone straight north and south, indicating that the pee- ple who built them perceived the relation of the Stars and the sun’s direction. . “Their tools were black, egg-shaped stones of great hardness, which are found on the shores of Black Bay, on the north side of Lake § rior, but on Isle Ro ae ton yale we found several of these with markings which would indicate the fitting Be se ll _ There will be a longer re Mr. ; bis

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SAR Oe TOSSED GOOD MONEY AWAY Two counterfeit $10 bills from the bankroll of __ &R otherwise honest bootlegger cost Michael J. | Sullivan of Salem, Mass., $1,500. Michael arrived ¥ on the White Star liner Homeric, and after a long session with currency experts at the pier and another at the Custom House he was per- suaded that the $1,500 which he tossed into the Bay of Glasgow was probably perfectly good money. on He had retained $300 of the bootlegger’s $1,- ‘ 800 payment for a consignment of Scotch and the _ . $300 contained the two bad tens. Michael was | positive the whole amount was counterfeit and it a lot of argument to change his mind. It was then that he really regretted throwing away ~ the $1,500. ’ A Belg combination of circumstances led to 4 the New Englander’s loss cf 1,500 American dol- _. Jars, and when all is said and done he is lucky to 2 aave salvaged the $300. Not that he needed it $ especially, however, as Michael exhibited fifteen “<< $1,060 bills which the experts in passing also pro- nounced 100 Per cent, pure. The two outstand- ‘ ing factors in Michael’s loss were a desire not to _ break the law against passing bad money and too pss much dependence on amateur methods in testing % bills to find out whether they were good or bad. BOTTLE DRIFTS 8,400 MILES IN 753 DAYS Capt. F. B. Bassett, Chief of the nea ale Office, Navy Department, recertly announced that a bottle dropped overboard by the steamer West Islets on Dec. 31, 1920, was picked up last Jan- _ wary after having travelied 8,400 miles. Another bottle, cast overboard in September, 1921, was _ found in February of this year after having drifted 2,300 miles. ; Both bottles contained paper especially pre- pared by the Hydrographic Office for experi- mental work in the study of ocean currents. The West Islets was in latitude 12 degrees 34 minutes north, longitude 92 degrees 45 minutes _~_-west when the prepared bottle was cast overboard _ three"years ago. It was feund on the shore of _-. . Misool Island, northwest of New Guinea, in lat- _._ itude 1 degree 30 minutes south, longitude 130 it = s cast, on Jan. 23. “If’this bottle had drifted in a straight line and was picked up immediately, which is un- ,’ said Capt. Bassett, “it must have trav- 5,400 miles in 753 days.” E In latitude 37 degrees 22 minutes, longiture 73 degrees 37 minutes west, the steamer Nestlea cast overboard a bottle Sept. 3, 1921. The paper contained in it was found at. Lagens, "Island of : ee ASETeS-G7OUE. Muon: =p afer nw 23 minutes north, longitude rees 15 minutes 2a ee : ine and been picked up i ately i -moust travelled 2,300 miles in 536 days. wee 2S - be ae So path FAME AND FORTUNE WEEKLY INTERESTING NEWS ARTICLES - population of 50,000 to 100,000 responds almost instantly to a call for conflict wherever an in- vader approaches? The authority for this information is Michael W. Barrett, Boston’s dee expert, internationally known as the “bee king,” and reputed to be one of the foremost authorities on Ss, both from the theoretical and practical standpoints, in America, Mr. Barrett has been studying and experiment- ing with bees for forty-five years—ever since his boyhood days. He came to Americatfrom Ire- land at the age of 7 and has since made his home in Boston. For years he traveled through Amer-. ica and Europe with a “circus” composed of more than 100,00 bees. His bee farm. in the Hyde sec-’ tion of Boston is a mecca for thousands of vis- itors. : “Next time you go aear a bee hive look closely and you will see several bees flying around in a wide circle,” says Mr. Bassett. “If you made an effort to approach closer to the hive some of the bees in this group would attack you and the — rest would hurry to the hive to warn its entire population of the apyrowe: of an invader. If you continued to walk toward the hive an army of thousands of bees would swarm out of it to — attack you. “The bees constantly flying about outside the ‘hive are sentinels, or outposts. They are the ex- terior unit of the bees’ superior fighting organi- — zation. This organization, as my research work — has proved conclusively, has its vanguard of shock troops, its regular fighting legions, its chemists, engineers and a hundred and one other kinds of units that go to make up its fighting force, just — the same as a nation of humans.” Investigation in the warfare of bees has con- vinced Mr, Barrett that no sort of an animal small enough to enter their hive is a match for — them. The mouse, for example, always fights a losing battle when he enters a beehive., oe animal remains in the hive a few seconds he is — stung enough times to kill him. The body is too — heavy for the bees to drag out. So the body, for sanitary reasons, is sealed over entirely with: wax. ; “It is not un unusual thing to see a mouse or other small animal completely sealed over with wax on the floor of a bee box when the cover is lifted,” said Mr. Barrett. = REE In discussing the safeguards, the precautions 7 bees take to protect themselves and their homes, Mr. Barrett says? ae “They are not satisfied with outsice grar Parr & oe Oe ‘Deis * at eee

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- “Life Aint in Holdin’ a Good Hand, ~ but in Playin’a Poor Hand Well LIFE AINT IN HOLDIN’ A G00 HERE I$ NO FINER THING IN THE WORLD than courage. It is the warm and beautiful flame which lights the fires of ambition in every man’s soul and burns a forward path through every difficulty. It is easy to be courageous when the odds are in your favor. But the greater hero is the man who smiles a brave smile when days are darkest and ___keeps on fighting toward the ultimate goal—“to the __ Tast & warrior unafraid.” As Grantland Rice so beautifully expresses it:— “God grant that in the strife and stress Which all must face who linger here—. Upon the Field of Hopelessness oo with the poe aaee near, pon the world’s r ring line The battle of the strong and weak—~ _ wined The fate of all the Fates be mine— - a I will not show the Yellow Streak. Ii Fortune play me false or fair— If, from the shadowlands I creep Up to the heights and linger there, Or topple downward to the deep— On up the rugged path of fame, Where one man falls—another mounts; God grant that I play out the game, 5 For there is nothing else that counts. As the old cowboy saying goes—‘Life ain’t in holdin’ a good hand, but in playin’a poor hand well.” _ What if you did have'to leave school when you Were but a boy! What if you have been working years at a small salary with little or no chance or advancement! Do you think that makes any difference to a real fighter? What you have done with your time up to now &ccounts for what you are Today.— tee What you do with your time from now on-will © what you will be Tomorrow. Your hands can’t earn the money you need. But our head can—and will/—if you give it the chance. ) Matter what your age—your education—or Fmeans,You can get out of the rut and make good way if you grit your teeth and say “I will.” FS .: 4 iw ¢; . By R.C. Templeton O you want to advance in Business? In Adver- tising? In Salesmanship? Many of the coun- try’s foremost Sales and Advertising Managers, Chief Clerks, Accountants, Office Managers, Book- keepers, and Private Secretaries have won success with the help of the International Correspondence Schools. More students have been enrolled in the I. C. S. Business Courses than in any other business courses in the country. Would you like to be a first-class Draftsman, Mechanical, Electrical, Civil or Steam Engineer? A Chemist? An Architect? A Building Contractor? An Automobile Expert? Thousands of men have climbed into big jobs in the technical professions through I. C. S. help. The I. C. S. is the biggest and oldest correspon- ~ dence school in the world. For thirty-one years, it has been helping men out of routine drudgery into work they like—helping them to win advancement, to have happy, prosperous homes, to know the joy of getting ahead in business and in life. How much longer are you going to wait before taking the step that is bound to bring you more money? Isn’t it better to start now than to wait five years and then realize what the delay has cost you? One hour after supper each night spent with the I. C. S, in the quiet of your own home will prepare you for the position you want. eae Here is all we ask: Without cost, without obligat~ ing yourself in any way, mark and mail this coupon, It takes only a moment of your time, but it is the most important thing you can do today. Right now is the time to say “I will.” =-——— — — — TEAR OUT HERE — — — — —- — — INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS Box 4489-B, Scranten, Penna. Without cost or obligation, please tell me how I can at for he position or in the subject before which I have tie an xX: BUSINESS TRAINING DEPARTMENT Business Management Salesmanship Industrial Management Advertising Personnel Organization Beter Letters Traffic Management Foreign Trade Business Law St phy Typing anking and Banking Law Business English Accountancy (including C.P.A.) Civil Service Nichelson Cost Account! Mail Bookkeeping mon School Subjeets Private Secretary High School Sub: Business Spanish 1 French Cartooning TECHNICAL AND INDUSTRIAL DEPARTMENT Electrical Engineering Electrie Lighting Mechanical Engineer Mechanical Draftsman ‘Machine Shop Practice Kaitroad Positions (Gas Engine Operating Metallurgy Steam Engineering Radio () Airplane Engines NAIC io. cen ecncdescedssnss osponsevacencteindeempinstonsessdrenson SER Meaty ET week a Street 1-10-23 BB O08 sscsaconceeoriconcrseoveparetliesectonouseveiens ieee Waimea Sasa State... -.ansainscsewessowsesoreesscsniees Persona residing im Canada should send thie coupon to the Intermae tional Correspondence Schovuls Cancdian, Limited, Kontos Venade, —— trey i ras ee : 4 . ¥ =" ~~ cneeeetr tenants sem,

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RED BLOODED. BANG sue STORIES! A thrilling story of ding Dendits, train robbers, Dexas rangers, aud & oo Dv | 7 the Edwin oe Babin romance 0: o early days, w lives depended on quickness of draw. A men who wero Jasglers with death, H SONTAG OF SUNDOWN. W. ©, Tuttle An exciting story of the the jcppetion of ranch ownership—which ame oted bloodshed and a war of no meau ¢: ee. g W. OC, Tuttle ~~ of Caller owas lived raw . the desert’s maw, and Hell a apes ke shun; where they buried ’em nest, without preacher or sheet and writ on thelr tombstone, crude but sweet, *"This Jasper was slow with his gun.” ARIZONA ARGONAUTS H. Bedford-Jones : Three adventurers whose fortunes lead through ; ore ht and the @ goal they c TUB LUBE OF Pras my e Goodridge Roberts It was the lure o t we North, of biful geme and of the aoe wind from the grea’ Plaing Young Jim Todhunter heard it, an for adventure a-plenty. Every jae Ripsnorter! Exciting? You'll say so! - 12 red-blooded tales. Real thrills on every page. Smashing, unexpected endings make you gasp. Never a slow evening if you own these books. Just like being a cowbay, a prospector, a dare-devil adventurer yourself, Every story a “ humdinger.” Live the life of the big open Western world—among hairy- chested, bard-fighting frontiersmen who tramp, ride, camp, scheme, love and hate—yes, and sometimes shoot to kill! These gripping stories will pick you up, and whirl you bodily into the * gun-toting” life of the West—the bad old, glad old West. Every book will make you “ hold on to your chair.” SEND NO MONEY You can this whole library of 12 fascin: nervo-ti for about Say each. ‘The mals set sent to you ¥ ht pie yn send- 7 a But The THE CHALLENGE OF THE NORTH ames B, Norte = in adr lis night t! these books come you won't sleep! \You'se Just hound to finish the one you, sart_it a wore - the mercy che shuasss << 1 eet Pi yo pe have these 4 3 A ye mes pie | WHOLESO: should not be read by any boy / - jet this whole Ibrary right sway. Don’t send any mal 7 ciry PUR. good paper and each with a eiting ae ere uted on J v8. Wc. Will be sent to you I promptly. Just pe 8 1.96. plus a 7 __ Bet. w-ll04 few cents postage, to the postman the Bearetecoy ~ books, and a yours, ‘There are | a4 other ps on 7 fx A That it still balongs to THE CANYON OF ey Guay bas Each book complete. CF we umes osr4 Wee Yibo were the. fortis So human J aa RL ey Rg ate, back fo and othe tige Tamoos wathors: haunt was the ag Be Pos Invisible, ter- ible, they i eeatie the young officer of tho law ‘toa eins dilemma, : er: -BIGH CORRAT. Ralph Cummins § Siero aces eae a, ie a7 Bee =a A yarn of the unending feuds t ween catjlemen: bas ari oa ay aot J a —~t rangers; St. the ay keene GARDEN ae Hee C0, Ke St gps ssberecevecsessopes: « = conservation teen titer eke Dept. W~1104 J ABA pe erseersnessenenenenenen Garden City, New York LS — CNGcecerecrveredeeeer ees BBO escceees wa

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VACANCIES AT U. S: NAVAL ACADEMY Under the ex- isting law there are authorized 1,- 129 midshipmen for 1923. At this writing all but 438 of the vacan- cies have filled, of which fifteen are presi- dential appoint- ments. Of the vacan- | cies already filled 157 are by certifi- cates from col- leges, 34 by ex- amination and 57 by the renomina- tion of ex-mid- Shinmen. While there has n a steady in- crease in number of mid- Shipmen appoint- ed from enlisted men of the Navy, at no time since 1914, when this Was authorized, have all the va- Cancies that are authorized been filled by the ap- Pointment from * the enli®ted force. s Mated. In 1916 twenty-two én- | ~ tered’ the Acad- “€my and thirteen Sraduated. In 1917 the al- jewance of en- oe t eracduat: n Year ninete * ¢* en en In 1914 fifteen Were allowed, but only five entered and three of them Sraduated. In 1915 eight enter- ed and four grad- Sted men who may be appointed “Midshipmen was Mcreased t hundred. That That > ten of who oe ASE fttyrone 1919 thir- © entered 1922 twen- i entered been | the | 79 wal, We pay $2, erie Sarde ee" to: 42 Kth 4 v9, parat 58. New York 4 ted one like this, a it now. Usetul and Entertaining _ teed or money re’ OH FERRY & CO. 75 W. Dept. 2462, Chicago n STEEL STL Fite Diamond CAN TELUIT FROM-A DIAMOND END IT BACKS. the latest d : Ment Fer eseciat Hots f Van Buren, tands Acid and other tests--only experts can i] the difference, Free Combination Set uce these wonderful ited introd ite Diacnonde, we wil Uecive aisoluvely tree Rbeaniful pair of ns ty seart pin coor a each set with feat Elite Diamonds <~ am must s oe DON’T SEND A PENNY! (ar gee, dress and | over ring finger. When F oes os with ten ie. 90 ann fom, Poy PSEND ‘ODAY i ELITE JEWELRY HOUSE 306 S. Wabash Ave., Dept. $700 in 2 Hours That's what Ryan made by wearing this Mystic Egyptian Luck Ring Why Be Uniucky? FAME — FORTUNE—HAPPINESS —SUCCESS IN LOVE AND BUSI- NESS are said by many men and women to have come to them with this SAGRED SCARAB RING. Wear It and Sec. Makes a Desir- able Gift. GUARANTEED STERLING vith rete Cash with Order, $1.45; ©.0.D., 1.55 Two Rings, Cash, $2.75; C.0.D., $2. 85. Money back if not satisfied. Foreign cash with order. CHALENS SUPPLY HOUSE 7.8. Dearborn St. Chicago, It. il, Chicago Dept. 71 OLD MONEY WANTED 2 to $500 EACH paid for hundreds of Old Coins dated before 1895. Keep ALL old or odd money. Send 10cts. for New Ill’s Coin Vaiue Book, 4x6. You may have valuable soins. Get posted. We pay cash. 2 CLARKE COIN CO. Ave. 13, Le Koy, N. “& Make.a ae ! eA om ¥. (or pa: REO CO, ‘Desk Relig wore goth Bt, NL. dey Teepe Jette mabots Ge acuee A DAY SCMINS SPiTls wants agents shirt manufacturer w: {ores seil complete line of shirts. Ms and and night shirts direct to tor 30 days trial on approval. Cho:ce of 44 Styles, colors and sizes of famous Ranger Bicycles. Express id, at Factory Prices, 12 FS Months toPay fr: bre and site: qaaity save the emali monthly paym wheels and equipment « at t half usaal prices. Write for remark- able factory icy cle € velousterms. Meads ~ crt sgchicago Bas Fits the hana, cangot bs seen. , with it you can throw Big Wide/ ¢ curves, Boys, get this Base Ball curverand youcan Fan ’Emas §% fast as they come to Bat. By mai! 4 MIVERSAL, 3 for 2h5e DISRMDUTORS. 1 catalog of phan __DAIVERSAL DISPRNBUTORS, Deol. 1033 Stamford Cons. TOBACCO Habit Cured or No Pay Ser an comma eene tie hee CO. use isis GOITRE "= Ihave an bon iSaeahTe cuoel toe oltre Ri = i Srrat ate i in re pele Teliyour felons avoctte We i ay mestone. DR. R Dept. sé Box 737 ~ aah new blue otecl, double safety zutomatics bought before recent tariff raise and offered at special prices for a limited time. Regular $22.00, 25-calibre, 7-shot auto- cial at $6.95. Or regular 25. 0 heavy service: ar Sith ty NE FRE Bole at aot ee standard cartrid Money back promptly if Not a CONSUMERS CO., dept. 748 12 Dept. 748 1265 Broadway,N.¥. matic, 41-4 in. , ong, our Ne. 74B210, spe- < tic, Bin. long re meets raed en nae MAGAZI i RY } PAY POST! On ieee lus postage. “ Acne eee te po Fky Song for wy, Fi AR-ToNe SEIN, EM at ane Fa hein oi

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Fame and Fortune Weekly —- LATEST ISSUES — 882 Stocks and Bonds; or, The Firm With a Grip on the Market. 883 Stranded in the Cit, , or, A Boy With a Head for Business. &84 Getting the Coin; or, The Luckiest Lad in Wall St. 885 In the Lumber Trade; or, A Winning Speculator. 886 A Boy’s Big Deai; or, The Wall St. Tip That Won. 887 Prince, the Printer: or, The Little Shop That Was Made to Pay. 888 ‘The Little Money King; or, Tempting Fate in Wall Street 889 anes the Missing; or, The Treasure of the Silver y. 890 Lucky Larry; or, The Boy Who. Made Wall Street Take Notice. 891 The Young Wrecker; or, The Boy Who Dealt in Derelicts. 892 In the Game for Gold; or, Beating the Wall Street Market. $93 Messenger Sixty-four; or, Hustling for a sagen 4 894 Old Kitson’s Kid; or, The Best Tip in Wall Stézet. 895 Lineman Jack: or, The Boy Who Built a Business. 896 Barry & Co.. Bankers and Brokers; or, The Boy Money Makers of Wall Street. 897 On the Fast Mail; or, From Clerk to Postmaster. 898 His Last Chance; or, The Boy Who Made Money in Wall Street. 899 Shipped to Sea; or, The Treasure of the Coral Cave. 900 An Errand Boy’s Fortune; or, The Office of the Wall Street Secrets. (01 In an Film Game; or, The Boy Who Made Moving tu ietures. 902 A Smart New York Boy; or, From the Tenements A to Wall Street. : Mark Milfon’s Mine: or, A Schoolboy’s Inheritance. — The Young Banker; or, The Mystery of a Money Sox. F 005 The Secret Chart; or, The Golden Treasure of the Crater. / 906 The Boy Behind the Deals; or, The Luck of a Wall Street Broker. 907 Thrown on the World; or, Starting Business with x a Dollar. 908 A aba! at 16; or, The Lad Who Worked His . 3 rains. | B0v ae the Steeplejack; or, Winning a Living by ; erve. - 910 Saving a Million; or, Ben and the Wall Street as, Brokers. Sh 911 Down and Out; or, A Hard Boy to Beat. : 912 The Boy Banker's Doubie; or, A Strange Wall St, = Mystery. : 91% ~*~ Young Beach Comber; or, A Fortune in the 915 $250,000 in Gold; or, Hunting a Hindoo Treasure. 916 A Corner in Money; or, Beating the Wall St. Loan Sharks. 917 Geis It Alone; or, The Boy Who Made His Own uck. 918 gg Tucker; or, Making Big Money in Wall t. , 919 penting for Business; or, ere a Bad Start. 920 A Boy Money-Maker; or, In Wall St. on His Nerve. 921 Buried Gold; or, The Treasure of the Old Buc- caneers. 922 Hitting It Rich; e\ The Luckiest Firm in Wall St. 923 Sam the Salesman; or, The Boy With the Silver Tongue. . See BESSY and. 914 The Little Boss; or, After the Wall St. Money Kings, . ‘166 West 23d Street OUR TEN-CENT HAND BOOKS Useful, Instructive and Amusing. They Contain Valuable Information on Almost Every Subject No. 1. NAPOLEON'S ORACULUM AND DREAM BOOK.—Contuining the great oracle of human destiny; also the true meaning of almost any kind of dreams, together with charms, ceremonies and curious games of eards, No. 2. HOW TO DO TRICKS.—The great book of magic and card tricks, containing full instrocttoan on all leading card tricks of the day, also the most pop- ular magical illusions as performed by our leading ma- gicians ; every boy should obtain a copy of this book. No. 3% HOW TO FLIRT.— The arts and wiles of flirtation are fully explained by this little book. Be- sides the various methods of handkerchief, fan, glove, parasol, window and hat flirtation, it!contains a full list of the language and sentiment of flowers. . No, 5. OW TO MAKE LOVE.—A complete guide to love, courtship and marriage, givin aenalbiz advice, rules and etiquette te be observed, ms many curious and interesting things’ not generally known. No. 7. HOW TO KEEP BIRDS.—Handsom e trated and containing full instructions for ee ieee ment and training of the capary, mockingbird, bobolink blackbird, paroquet, parrot, ete. : No. 9 HOW TO BECOME A VENTRILOQUIST. — By Harry Keunedy. The secret given away. Every in- telligent boy reading this book of instructions, by a practical professor, can master the art, and create any amount of fun for himself and friends, It is the great- gt tes ever published, and there’s millions (of fun) n No. 10. HOW TO BOX.—The art of self-defense made _ easy Containing over thirty illustrations of guards blows and the different positions of a good boxer. Every boy should obtain one of these useful and in- structive books, as it will teach you how to box with- out an instructor. No. 11, HOW TO WRITE LOVE-LETTERS.—A most ee eae — ee i directions for writ- g love-letters, and when to use them, giving s letters for young and old. - nr No. 13. HOW TO DO IT; Or, BOOK OF ETIQUETTE —It is a great life secret, and one that every young man desires to know about. There’s happiness in it. No. 4. HOW TO MAKE CANDY.—A complete hand- book for making all kinds of candy, ice-cream, syrups, essences, etc. 3 Ne. 18. HOW TO BECOME BEAUTIFUL. — One of the brightest and most valuable little books ever given to the world. Everybody wishes to know how to ha- come beautsent, motn anaie and Temale, ‘The Secret is simple and almost costless. No. 20. HOW TO ENTERTAIN AN EVENING PARTY—A most complete compendium of games, sports, card diversions, comic recitations, etc., shitable for par- lor or drawing-room entertainment. It contains more for the money than any book published. 1 No. 299. HOW TO BECOME AN INVENTOR.—Every _ boy should know how inventions originated. This book explains them all, giving examples in electricity, hy- draulics, magnetism, optics, pneumatics, mechanics, ete. _ No. 33. HOW TO BEHAVE. — Containing the rules and etiquette of good society and the éasiest and most _ approved. methods of appearing to good advantage at — parties, balls, the theatre, church, and In the drawing- — room. “ : No. 35. HOW TO PLAY GAMES,—A complete and useful little book, containing the rules and re - billiards, bagatelle, back-gammon, croquet, ete. . No. 36 HOW TO SOLVE CONUNDRUMS.—Contain- ing all the leading conundrums of the day, amusing riddles, curious catches and witty sayings. te: No. 40. HOW TO MAKE AND SET TRAPS.—Inclind- ing hints on how to catch moles, weasels, otter, awa? i ra squirrels and birds. Also how to cure skins. Co: sue a illustrated. wa No. 41. THE BOYS OF NEW YORK END ‘a: JOKE BOOK. — Containing a great variety of the e jokes used by the most famous end men. No amateur — minstrels is complete without this wonderful little 5 For sale by all newsdealers or will be sent to any address on receipt of price, 10 cents per copy, in ney or postage stomps, by 42 HARRY E. WOLFF, Publisher, Inc, i 2 New P| { .