ff?nnpAln of IVecedins Chapter*.(Jugt after a ball at the Sutherland mansion

Agatha W-bb ant! her servant are found dead,ami I'hllftin>n Webb. Agatha's husband. whofer years has been growing demented, is dis¬covered asleep at the dinner table. A trace ofblood on his sleeve poluts to him as the mur¬derer. Mr. Sutherland and the local marshal.Fenton. investigate. Agatha Webb is knownto but few as a rich woman. The key to hermoney drawer is found clutched in her hand.Miss Page, the niece of Sutherland s house¬keeper, persists in remaining about the Webbpremises, ami discovers blood on the grass.The money drawer is found to be empty andrubbery is added to the mystery. FrederickSutherland, a wayward youth, calls his fatherto witness bis determination to lie a betterman and promises not to many Miss Page, bywhom he has !>een fascinated. Miss rage tellsFrederick that she followed him the l'lght ofthe murder and knew where he had secreted athousand dollars. She gives him a week todecide whether to marry her or I»e proclaimedas the mnrJerer of Agatha Webb.]

Clinpter IT.There was but one topic discussed in the

country side that day, and that was thelife and character of Agatha Webb.Her history had not been a happy one.

She and Philemon had come from Port-Chester some twenty or more years beforeto escape the sorrows associated with theirnative town. They had left behind themsix small graves in Portchester churchyard;but though evidences of their affliction were

always to be seen in the countenances ofeither, they had entered with so much pur¬pose into the life of their adopted town thatthey had become persons of note there tillPhilemon's health began to fail, whenAgatha quit all outside work and devotedherself exclusively to him. Of her charac¬ter and winsome personality we can gathersome Idea from the various conversationscarried on that day from Portchester Greento the shipyards in Sutherlandtown.In Deacon Brainard's cottage the discus¬

sion was concerning Agatha's lack of van¬ity; a virtue not very common at that timeamong the women of this busy seaport."For a woman so handsome1." the good

deacon was saying.("and 1 think I cansafely call her the finest-featured womanwho ever trod tnese streets) she showed aslittle interest in dress as any one I everknew. Calico at home and calico at church,yet she looked as much of a lady In herdark-sprigged gowns as Mrs. Webster inher silks or Mrs. Parsons in her thousanddollar sealskins."As this was a topic within the scope of

bis eldest daughter's intelligence she atonce spoke up; "I never thought she need¬ed to dress so plainly. I don't believe insuch a show of poverty myself. Jf one istoo poor to go decent, all right; but theysay she had more money than most anyone in town. I wonder who Is going to getthe benefit of it?""Why, Philemon, of course; that Is, as

long as he lives. He doubtless had themaking of it.""Is it true that he's gone clean out of his

head since her death?" interposed a neigh¬bor who had happened in."So they say. I believe Widow Jones has

taken him into her house.""Do you think," asked a second daughter

with becoming hesitation, "that he hadanything to do with her death? Some ofthe neighbors say he struck her while inone of his crazy fits, while others declareshe was killed by some stranger, equallyold and almost as intirm.""We won't discuss the subject," objected

the deacon. "Time will show who robbedus of the gTeatest-hearted and most capableW'.mun in these parts.""And will time show who killed Batsy?"

It was a morsel of a girl who spoke; theleast one of the family, but the brightest."I'm sorry for Batsy; she always gave mecookies when I went to see Mrs. Webb.""Batsy was a good girl for a Swede," al¬

lowed the deacon's wife, who had notspoken till now. "When she first came intotown on the spars of that wrecked ship weall remember, there was some struggle be¬tween Agatha and me as to which of usshould have her. But I didn't like the taskof teaching her the name of every pot andpan she had to use in the kitchen, so Igave her up to Agatha; and it was for¬tunate I did, for I've never been able tounderstand her talk to this day.""I couid talk with her right well." lisped

the little one. "She never called things bytheir Swedish names unless she was wor¬ried, and I never worried her."

"I wonder if she would have worshipedthe ground under your feet, as she did thatunder Agatha?" asked the deacon, eyeinghis wife with just the suspicion of a ma¬licious twinkle in his eye."I am not the greatest-hearted and most

capable woman in town," retorted his wife,clicking her needles as she went on knit¬ting.In Mr. Sprague's house on the oppositeside of the road Squire Fisher was relating

some old tales of bygone Portchester days."I knew Agatha when she was a girl," heavowed. "She had the grandest mannersand the most enchanting smile of any richor poor man's daughter between the coastand Springfield. She did not dress in calicothen. She wore the gayest clothes herfather could buy her, and old Jacob wasnot without means to make his daughterthe leading figure in town. How we voungfellows did adore her. and what lengths wewent to win one of her glorious smiles.Two of us. John and Jacob Zabel, havelived bachelors for her sake to this veryday. but I hadn't courage enough for that;I married and." Something between a sighand a chuckle filled out the sentence."\\ hat made Philemon carry oft the prize?His good looks?"Yes, or his good luck. It wasn't his

snap; of that you may be sure. JamesZabel had the snap, and he was her firstchoice, too. but he got into some difficulty.I never knew Just what it was, but it wasregarded as serious at the time.and thatmatch was broken off. Afterward she mar¬ried Philemon. You see, I was out of italtogether; had never been in it. perhaps;but there were three good years of my lifeIn which I thought of little else thanAgatha. I admired her spirit, you see.There was something more taking in herways than In her beauty, wonderful as thatwas. She ruled us with a rod of iron, andyet we worshiped her. I have wondered tose» her so meek of late. I never thoughtshe would be satisfied with a brick-flooredcottage and a husband of failing wits. Butno one, to my knowledge, has ever heard acomplaint from her lips, and the dignity ofher afflict*d wifehood has far transcendedthe haughtiness of those days when shehad but to smile to have all the youth ofPortchester at her feet.""I suppose It was the loss o* so many

children that reconciled her to a quiet life.A woman cannot close the eyes of six chil-drer. one after the other, without somemodification taking place in her character.""ies; she and Philemon have been unfor¬

tunate, but she was a splendid-looking girl,boys. I never see such grand-looking wo¬men now."In a iittle one-storied cottage on the hlll-

a w-oman was nursing a baby and talk¬ing at the same time of Agatha Webb."I shall never forget the night my first

baby fell sick," she faltered. "I was Justout of bed myself, and, having no nearerr.etghors then than now, I was all alone onthe hillside. Alec being away at sea, I wastoo young to know much about sickness,tut something told me that I must havehelp before morning or my baby would die.1 hough I could just walk across the floor,I threw a shawl around me, took my babyin my arms and opened the door. A blind¬ing gust of rain blew in. A terrible stormwas raging and I had not noticed It, I wasso taken up with the child."I could not face that gale. Indeed, I

was so weak I fell on my knees as it struckme and became dripping wet before I coulddrag myself inside. The baby began tomoan and everything was turning dark be-lore me, when I heard a strong, sweet voicecry cut in th6 roadway:" "Is there room in this house for me till

wayTo^n &b-y? 1 <3nn0t SeP m>'

won\'nhwa burstirR hean 1 looked up. A

the iook (ifbpna" i*".'I'0 doorway. withkn ,

°* '*n a"S:el in her eyes. 1 did not

£r?mfvJ?e,r' i" hor facp was one to bringbXy I rriedf5"031 heart" Holdin«

ihV^Iy.bi,b? ,B (,vin£- I tried to go forileln m*i°r* my kn<>ei l,en; under me.Help me, as you are a mother.!.'

haVw fn"rn again, for the n^xtthing- I remember I was lylnar by the hear'hlooking up Into her face, which wisS

»n«®«r ?"eV Shc was as white as the rag

\ about my baby's throat, and bythe way her breast heaved she was either

frightened or very sorry.>*ou the help of any one

¦.f''1 ?he- 'Babies perish in my armsK rat my breast- 1 cannot touch it.aS,J yca/n to- Rut tet me see its

mafter'wlthTt te" you wlMtt 'S the

.sh°*e<i her the baby's fare and she

? n'°"r, 1 trembling very much, almostas much, indeed, as myself.

'' U is very sick,' she said, 'but if youwill use the remedies I advise. I think you

£a" ?a}'° J'* An'l *he told me what to doand helped me all she could, but she did not

fryJ\rnRor °",he 1Utle darling, thoughfrom the way she watched it I saw that

Karl..wa? set ori his getting: better.^"'1 he .flid. In an hour he was sleepingpeacefully, and the terrible weight wasgone from my heart and from hers. Whenthe storm stopped and she could 1-ave thehouse she gave m* a kis*. b-.it the look shegave h'm meant more than kisses Godmust have forgotten her goodness to me

death* when he let her die so pitiable a

At the minister's house th»v were com¬menting upon tho look of serenity observa-l>Ie in her dead fare."I have known her for thirty years." her

pastor declared, "and never before have Iseen her wear a look of real peace. It iswonderful considering: the circumstances,i'o you think she was so weary of her life'slong Struggle that she hailed any releasefrom it. even that of violence?"

y£,ng ,.a,n' a lawyer, visiting them

sw. WaS lhe °n!y onc to an"

=J.rr.Vfr.?\w ,hp w°man you are talkingabout, said he. 'and know nothing of lhecircumstances of her death beyond what

I. \f mr- I?ut from the verv incon¬gruity between her expression and the vlo-

1 Ran After Him.

'e"( ,na'Vre of her death I argue that there

Kn*tt'hl» trimt Whlch have not yetWhat depths? It Is a simple case of

^oUn!7\ ,l''i?'ed hy th,'rt- To be sure, we

was h , - nn0W ,!he crim*nal. but monevas his motive; that is clear enough "

th^e"lsyto ur-dy to waffer that that 13 a»

mS?iite*aS a startlln? Proposition to the

SV0rSet my eloth." said he.Pardon m"S .m:in Emik'J- "That Is true.

ZoZ ssa"tgsrs&xgTwo children on the Portch°«ifer

?f.J? exchanging lH)ylshasked one.

What 1 thInk alK,llt U?"

!i«.aw' shou!d IT'1.think old Mrs. Webb got the

^"of "hat she sent. Dnn.oi knowS,i bad six children once, and that shek'.'ted every one of them?"

Killed 'em, she?"

aboJ.fi,1 sranny °n" a"aoout it. She said there was a bliirht onher house. I don't know what "hat Is but

that^'in* somethin« big and heavy," andthat It fell on every one of her children as

fa^'as V?ey came, and killed 'em!" '

Then I m glad I ben t her child.". Y"y d!*e"'nt wefe the recollections in¬terchanged between two middle-aged Port-Chester women.

* urt

"She was drinking to* at my iv"i When

>1NaJ^THaRIN£^REEM.AUTHOR op

' THE LIAV£N(A>CRTH CASEr *-*

'kCOPY(?iGMT >899, BY S S MSCLURE CO.>

her sister Sairey c-ame running in with thenews that the baby she had left at homewasn't quite right. That was her firstchild, you know."

es, yes. lor I was with her when thatI ra*r>." broke in the other, and suchjoy as she showed when they told her itwas alive and well I never saw. I do notkntw why she didn't expect it to be alive,but she didn't, and her happiness was justwcnderful to see.""Well, she fliun't enjoy it long. The poorlittle fellow died young. But I was telling

you of the night when she first heard he

.»

THREAD," HE CRIED.

was ailing. Philemon had been telling agood story, and we were all laughing,when Sairey came in. I can see Agathanow. She always had the most brillianteyes in the county, but that day they weresuperbly dazzling. They changed, though,at the sight of Sair>-y's face, an.1 sheJumped to meet her just as If she knewwhat Sairey was going to r.ay before evera word left her lips. 'My baby!' (I can hearher yet.) 'Something is the matter withthe baby!' Anil thougli Sairey made hasteto tell her that he was only ailing anil notat all ill. she turned upon Philemon with alook nor.e of us ever quite understood; hechanged so completely under it, Just as shehad under Sairey's; and to neither did theold happiness ever return, for the childdied within a week, and when the nextcame it died also, and the next, till sixsmall innocents lay buried in yonder oldgraveyard.""I know: and sad enough it was, too,

especially as she and Philemon were bothfond of children. Well, well, the ways ofProvidence are past finding out! And nowshe is gone, and Philemon.""Ah, he'll follow lier soon; he can't live

without Agatha."Nearer home, the old sexton was chat¬

tering about the six gravestones raised InI'ortchester churchyard to these six deadinfants. He had been sent there to choosea spot in which to '.ay the mother, and wasfull of the shock it gave him to see thatline of little stones, telling of a past withwhich the good people of Sutherland townfound it hard to associate Philemon andAgatha Webb."I'm a digger of graves," he mused, half

to himself and half to his old wife watch¬ing him from the other side of the hearth-stcne. "1 spend a good quarter of my timein the churchyard; but when 1 saw thosesix little mounds, and read the inscriptionsover them. I couldn't help feeling queer.Think of this! On the first tiny headstoneI read these words:

I !I STEPHEN', !i :I Son of Philemon and Agatha Webb, t

I Pled, Aged Six Weeks. tt :: God be merciful to me, a sinner! 1

"Now what does that mean? Did youeiver hear any one say?""No," was his eld wife's fnswer. "Per¬

haps she was one of those Calvinlst folkswho believe babies go to hell if they arenot baptized.""But her children were all baptized.

I've been told so; some of them before shewas well out of lur bed. 'God be mercifulto me a sin'ier!' And the chick not sixweeks old! Something queer about that,dame, if It did happen more than thirtyyears ago.""What did you see over the grave of the

child who was killed by lightning in herarms?""This:" 'And he was not, for God took him.' "

Farmer Waite had but one *ord to say."She came to me when my Sissy had the

smallpox; the only person in town whowculd enter my doors. More than that;when Sissy was up and I went to pay thedoctor's bill I found it had been settled.I did not know then who had enoughmoney and compassion to do this for me;now I do."Many an act of kindness which had been

secretly performed in that town duringthe last twenty years came to light on thatday, the most notable of which was thesending of a certain young lad to schooland his subsequent education as a minis¬ter..But other memories of a sweeter andmore secret nature still canne up likewise,anions them the following:A young girl, who was of a very timid

but deeply sensitive nature, had been urgedinto an engagement with a man she didnot like. Though the conflict this occa¬sioned her and the misery which accom¬panied it were apparent to everybody, no¬body stirred in her behalf tiH Agatha Wrebbtook it up. She went to see her, and,though it was within a fortnight of thewedding, she did not hesitate to advisethe girl to give him up. and when the poorchild said she lacked the courage. Agathalierself went to the man and urged him In¬to a display of generosity which saved thepoor, timid thing from a life of misery.They say this was no easy task forAgatha, ajid that the man was sullen for ayear. But the girl's gratitude was bound¬less.Of her daring, which was always on the

side of right and justice, the stories werenumerous; so were the accounts, mostlyamong the women, of her rare tendernessand sympathy for the weak and the erring.Never was a man talked to as she ,alkedto Jake Coblelgh the evening after lisstruck his mother, and if she had bees intown on the day yfhen Clarissa. Mayhewran away with that Philadelphia rascal

many said it would never have happened,for no girl could stand the "admonition, orrjslst the pleading, of this childless mother.It waa reserved for Sit. Hallldsy and Mr.

Sutherland to talk of bter mental qualities.Her character was so marked and hermanners so simple thai few.pave attentionto the Intellect that was the r>al basis ofher power. The two mentioned gentlemen,however, appreciated 4er to the full, andIt was while listening to thitr remarks thatFrederick was suddenly stirtled by someone saying to him:"You are the only j>e#feoh In town who

has nothing to say about'^Agatha Webb.Didn't you ever exchange iftiy words withher. for I can hardly raflievd, you could havjmet her eye to eye J'ithotlt having someremark to make abont her teauty or herinfluence?"The speakjr was Agnes Halliday, who

had come in with her fattier for a socialchat. She was one o£ Frederick's earliestplaymates, but one With whom he hadnever assimilated and who aid not like him.He knew this, as did ;very one else intown, and it was with some hesitation haturned to answer her."I have but one recollection," he began,

ar.d for the moment got no further, for inturning his head to address his youngguest h» had allowed his gazs to wanderthrough the open window by which she satinto the garden beyond, where Amabel couldbe seen picking flowers. As he spoke Ama¬bel lifted her face with ons of her sug¬gestive looks. She had doubtle.53 heardMiss Halliday's remark.Recovering himself with an effort, he re¬

peated his words. "I have but one recollec¬tion of Mrs. Webb that I can give you.Years ago, when I was a lad, X was play¬ing on the green with severil other boys.We had had some dispute about a lost ball,and I was swearing angrily and loudlywhen I suddenly perceived before me thetall form and compassionate face of Mrs.Webb. She was dressed in her usual simpleway, and had a basket on her arm, but ehe

looked so superior to any othv-r woman Ihad ever met that I did not know whetherto hide my faco in her skirts or to followmy first impulse :uid run away. She sawthe emotion she had aroused, and lifting upmy face by the e-uin, she said: 'I-itlle boy,1 have buried six children, all of th;myounger than you, and now my husbandand myself live alone. Often and oftenhave 1 wished that one, at least, of thesedarling infants might have been spared us.But had God given mj the choice of havingthem die young and innocent, or of grow¬ing up to swear as I have heard you to-day, I should have prayed God to takethem, as He did. You have a mother. Donot break her heart by taking the nama ofthe God sh? revers in vain.' And withthat, she kissed me, and, strange as it mayseem to you, in whatever folly or wieked-ness X have indulged, I have never madeuse of an oath from that day to this.and Ithank God for it."There was such unusual feeling In his

voice, a feeling that none had ever sus¬pected him capable of before, that MissHalliday regarded him with astonishmentand quite forgot to indulge in her usualbanter. Even the gentlemen sat still, andthere was a momentary silence, throughwhich there presently broke the Incongiu-ous sound of a shrill and mocking laugh.It came from Amabel, who had Just fin¬ished gathering her bouquet In the gardenoutside.

Chapter X.Meanwhile, in a small room of the court

house, a still more serious conversationwas in progress. Dr. Talbot, Mr. Fentonand a certain able lawyer in town by thename of Harvey were in close discussion.The latter had broken the silence of years,and was telling what he knew of Mrs.Webb's affairs.He was a shrewd man, of unblemished

reputation. When called upon to talk hetalked well, but he much preferred listen¬ing, and was, as now appeared, the safestrepository of secrets to be found in all thatregion. He had been married three times,and could still count thirteen childrenaround his board; one reason, perhaps, whyhe had learned to cultivate silence to sucha degree. Happily, the time had come forhim to talk, and he talked. This is whathe said:"Some fifteen years ago Philemon Webb

came to me with a small sum of moneywhich he said he wished to have me Investfor his wife. It was the fruit of a smallspeculation of his, and ho wanted it givenunconditionally to her without her knowl¬edge or that of the neighbors. I accord¬ingly made out a deed of gift, which hesigned with joyful alacrity, and then, afterdue thought and careful Investigation, Iput the money into a new enterprise thenbeing started in Boston. It was the beststroke of business I ever did in my life. Atthe end of a year It paid double, and afterfive had rolled away the accumulated in¬terest had reached such a sum that bothI'lillemon and myself thought it wisest tolet her know what.-«he was worth andwhat was being'don* with the money. Iwas in hopes it" wolild lead her to makesome change 111 "ler 'mode of living, whichseemed to me out of keeping with her ap¬pearance and mental qualifications: whilehe, I imagine, looked for something moreimportant still, a smile on the face whichhad somehow lost the trick of merriment,though it had never acquired that of ill na¬ture. But we ffld not know Agatha; atleast, I did not. When she learned that shewas rich she looked at first awe-struck andthen heart-pierced. Forgetting me. or ig¬noring me, it makes no matter which, shethrew herself Into. Philemon's arms andwept, while he, poor? faithful fellow, lookedas distressed as If h# had brought news offailure, Instead, of triumphant success. Isuppose she thought i>t her buried children,and what the money would .have been toher if they had. lived; hut she did not speakof them, nor am I quite sure they were Inher thoughts, when, after the first excite¬ment was over, she drew back and saidquietly, but In a tone of strong feeling, toPhilemon: 'You meant me a happy sur¬prise, and it shall be so, Philemon. This Isheart money; we will use It to make ourtownsfolk happy.' I saw him glance ather dress, which was a purple calico. I re¬member it because of that look and be¬cause of the sad smile with which she fol¬lowed his glance. 'Can we not afford now,'he ventured, 'a little show of luxury or atleast a ribbon or so for this beautifulthroat of yours?' She did not answer him;but her look had a rare compassion in it; acompassion, strange to say, that seemed tobe expended upon him, rather than uponherself. Philemon swallowed his disap¬pointment. 'Agatha Is right,' he said tome.' We do not need luxury. I do notknow how I so far forgot myself as tonantlon It.' That was ten years ago, andevary day since then her property nas In¬creased. I did not know then, ana I do not

know now, wtiy they were both so anxiousthat all knowledge of thetr Rood fortuneshould be kept from those about them; butthat It was to be to kept was made very-evident to me; and, notwithstanding alltemptations to the contrary, I have re¬frained from uttering a word likely to giveaway their secret. The money, which toall appearance was the cause of her tragicand untimely death, was interest moneywhich I was delegated to deliver her. Itook It to her day before yesterduy, and Itwas all In crisp, new notes, some of themtwenties, but most of them tens and fives.I am free to say there was not such an¬other roll of fresh money In town.""Warn all shopkeepers to keep a lookout

of the money they reeelve," was Dr. Tal¬bot's comment to the constable. "Fresh$10 and l"J0 bills are not any too commonIn this town. And now about her will. Didyou draw that up, Harvey?""No. I did not know she had made one.

I often spoke to her about the advisabilityof her doing so, but she always put meoff. And now it seems that she had itdrawn up in Boston. Could not trust herold friend with" too many secrets, I sup¬pose.""So you don't know how her money has

been left?""No more than you do."Here an Interruption occurred. The door

opened and a slim young man, wearingspectacles, came In. At sight of him theyall rose."Well?" eagerly inquired Dr. Talbot."Nothing new." answered the young man,

with a consequential air. "The elder wo¬man died from loss of blood consequentupon a blow given by a small, three-sided,slender blade; the younger from a strokeof apoplexy, Induced by fright.""Good! I am glad to hear my Instincts

were not at fault. Loss of blood, eh?Death, then, was not instantaneous?""No.""Strange!" fell from the Hps of his two

listeners. "She lived, yet gave no alarm.""None that was heard," suggested the

young doctor, who was from another town."Or. If heard, reached no ears but Phile¬

mon's," observed the constable. "Some¬thing must have taken him up stairs.""I am not so sure," said the coroner,"that

Philemon is not answerable for the wholecrime, notwithstanding our failure to findthe missing money anywhere in the house.How else account for the resignation withwhich she evidently met her death? Hada stranger struck her. Agatha Webb wouldhave struggled. There is no sign of strug¬gle in the room."She would have struggled against Phile¬

mon had she had strength to struggle. Ithink she was asleep when she wasstruck.""Ah! and was not standing by the table.

How about the blood there, then?""Shook from the murderer's fingers In

fright or disgust.""There was no blood on Philemon's fin¬

gers. No; ho wiped them on his sleeve.""If he was I he one to use the dagger

against her where Is the dagger? Shouldwe not be able to find it somewhere aboutthe premises?""He may have burled It outside. Crazymm nre supernaturally cunning.""When you ean produce it from any place

Inside that board fence,. I will consideryour theory. At present T limit my sus¬picions of Philemon to the half-tmcon-pclous attentions which a man of disorderedIntellect might give a wife bleeding andflying under his eyes. My idea on the sub¬ject Is "

"Would you be so kind not to give ut¬terance to your ideas until T have beenable to form some for myself," interrupteda voice from the doorway.As this voice was unexpected they all

turned. A small man with sleek dark hairand expressionless features stood beforethr-m. Behind him was Abel, carrying ahand-bae and umbrella."The detective from Boston." announced

the latter. Coroner Talbot rose."You are In good time." he remarked.

"We have work of no ordinary nature foryou."The man failed to look interested, but

thtn his countenance was not one to show-emotion."My name is Knanp.' said he. "I have

had my supper, and am rejviv to go towork. I have read the newspapers: all Iwant now are any additional facts thathave come to light since the telegraphicdispatches wer; sent to Boston. Facts,mind you. not theories. I never allow my¬self to be hampered by other persons' theo¬ries."Not liking his manner, which was brusque

and too self-important for a man of suchInsignificant appearance. Coroner Talbotreferred him to Mr. Fenton, who imme¬diately proceeded to give him the result ofsuch Investigations as he and his men hadbeen able to make: which done. Mr. Knappput on his hat and turned toward the door."I will go to the house and se» for my¬self what there Is to see there," said he.

"May I ask the privilege of going alone?"he added, as Mr. Fenton moved. "Abelh>re will see that I am given admittance.""Show me your credentials." said the cor¬

oner. He did so. "They seem all right, andyou should be a man who understands hisbusiness. Go alone. If you prefer, but bringyour conclusions h>re. They may needsome correcting.""Oh, I will return," Knapp nonchalantlyremarked, and went out, having made any¬thing but a favorable Impression upon theassembled gentlemen."I wish we had shown more grit and triedto handle this thing ourselvis." observedMr. Fenton. "I cannot bear to think ofthat cold, bloodless creature hovering over

our belo%-ed Agatha.""I wonder at Carson. Why shon'.d he send

us such a man? Could he not see the mat¬ter demanded extraordinary skill and Judg¬ment?""Oh, this fellow may have skill. But he Isso unpleasant. I hate to deal with folks ofsuch fish-like characteristics. But who Isthis?" he asked, as a gentle tap was heardon the door. "Why, It's Loton. What canhe want here?"Thi man whose presence In the doorwayhad called out this exclamation started atthe sound of the doctor's heavy voice andcame very hesitatingly forward. He wasof a weak, Irritable type, and seemed to bein a state of great excitement.^ pardon," said he, "for showingmyself. I don't like to Intrude into suchcompany, but I have something to tell youwhich may be of use, sirs, though it isn'tany great thing, either."

"Something about the murder which hastaken place?" asked the coroner. In a mild¬er tone. He knew Loton well, and realizedthe advisability of encouragement in hiscase.

The murder! Oh. I w*ouldn't presume tosay anything about the murder. I'm notthe man to stir up any such subject asthat. It s about the money.or some money.more money than usually falls Into mytill. It.It was rather queer, sirs and Ihave felt the flutter of it all day. Shall Itell you about it? It happened last night,late last night, sirs, so late that I was inbed with my wife, and had been snoringshe said, four hours.""What money? New money? Crisp,fresh bills, Loton?" eagerly questioned Mr.Fenton.Loton. who was the keeper of a smallconfectionery and bakery store on one ofthe side streets leading up the hill, shifted-uneasily between his two Interrogators andfinally addressed himself to the coroner:"It was new money. I thought it felt soat night, but I was sure of It in the morn¬ing. A brand-new bill, sir, a But thatisn't the queerest part. I was asleep, sir,sound asleep, and dreaming of my courtingdays; for I asked Sally /tf the circus, sirsand the band playing on the hill made methink of It, when I was suddenly shookawake by Sally herself, who says shehadn't slept a wink for listening to themusic and wishin' she was a girl ag'in.There's a man at the shop door," cries she.'He's a callln' of you; go and see vhM hewants.' I was mad at being wakenedDreamtn' Is pleasant, specially whenclowns and klssin' get mixed up in it butduty is duty, and so into the shop I stum¬bled, swearing a bit perhaps, for I hadn'tstopped for a light and It was as dark asdouble shutters could make It. The ham¬mering had become deafening. No lot uptill I reached the door, when it suddenlyceased." 'What is it?' I cried. 'Who's there andwhat do you want?'"A trembling voice answered me. 'Let

me In,' It said. 'I want to buy somethingto eat. For God's sake, open the door.''1 don't know why I obeyed, for it waslate, and I did not know the voice butsomething in the Impatient rattling of thedoor which accompanied the words affectedme In spite of myself, and I slowly openedmy shop to this midnight customer." 'You must b® hungry,' I began. Butthe person, who had crowded In as soon asthe opening was large enough, wouldn't let

me finish."'Bread! I want bread, or crackers, oranything that you can find easiest,' he

gasped, like a man who had been running'Here's money,' and he poked Into my handa bill so stiff It rattled. 'It's more thanenough,' he hastened to say, as I hesitatedover It, 'but never mind that; I'll come farthe change In the mornhig.'

»rour 1 crled- 'You're notBlind Willy, I'm sura.'"But hi* only answer was 'Bread.' whilehe leaned so hud against the oounter Ifelt it thkka.1 Could not stand that cry of 'Brta*'

so I groped about In the dark and foundhim a stale loaf, which I put Into hi*arms, with a short, 'There! Now tell mewhat your name Is.'"But at thla he seemed to shrink Into

himself, and muttering something: thatmight pass for thanks he stumbled towardthe door and rushed hastily out. Runningafter him. 1 listened eagerly to his steps.They went up the hill.""And the money? What about the

money?" asked the coroner. "Didn't hecoma back for the change?""No. I put It in the till, thinking it a dol¬

lar bill, but when I came to look at it Inthe morning It was a twenty. Yes, sirs, atwenty!"This was startling. The coroner and the

constable looked at each other before look¬ing again at him."And where Is that bill now?" asked the

former. "Have you brought It with you?""1 have, sir. It's been in and out of the

till twenty times today. I haven't knownwhat to do with It. X don't like to thinkwrong of anybody, but when 1 heard thatMrs. Webb (God bless her) was murderedlast night for money I couldn't rest for theweight of this thing on my conscience.Here's the bill, sir. 1 wish I had let theold man rap on my door tl'.l morning beforeI had taken It from him."They did not share this feeling. A dis¬

tinct and valuable clew seemed to be af¬forded them by the fresh, crisp bill theysaw In his hand. Silently Dr. Talbot tookit, while Mr. Fenton, with a shrewd look,asked:"What reasons have you for calling this

mysterious customer old? 1 thought It wasso dark you could not see him?"The man, who looked relieved since he

had rid himself of the bill, eyed the con¬stable in some perplexity."I didn't see a feature of his face," saidhe, "and yet I'm sure he was old. I neverthought of him as being anything else.""Well, we will see. And is that all youhave to tell us?"His nod was expressive, and they let him

go.An hour or so later Detective Knappmade his reappearance."Well," asked the coronor, as he camequietly In and closed the door behind him,"what's your opinion?""Slmp'e case, sir. Murdered for money.Find the man with a flowing beard."

(To be continued.)

UNIVERSITY NOTESColumbian.

The fourth annual debate of the Colum¬bian University Law School will be heldthis evening. The question for discussionw:ll be: "Resolved, That the governmentshould own and operate the telegraph andtelephone system of the United States."The debaters are: Affirmative.C. O. Guyn-es. Mississippi; J. G. Tyssowski, District o£Columbia; J. Boyle, Pennsylvania. Nega¬tive.R. B. Watts, Alabama; E. L. Davis,Tennessee; I,. H. La Chance, Arizona.Judges-Senator Wm. E Mason, Illinois;T. C. Alvord, New York; RepresentativeChas. B. Landis, Indiana. The DouglassQuartet will furnish music. The officers otthe society are J. W. Crooks, Illinois, pres¬ident; J. Boyle, Pennsylvania, vice presi¬dent; J. G. Harris, Kentucky, secretary;A. C. Wells, treasurer; K. Denison, Illinois,critic.The graduates and former students of theMassachusetts Institute of Technology inWashington and vicinity completed a torm-al organization at the meeting held lastSaturday night at the university.Secretary Fosler's lectures are postponeduntil further notice.Prof. E. B. Pollard of the department ofbiblical literature will lecture on the Poet¬

ry of Israel in the Post Graduate Hall. OnMarch 1 he lectured on The Literary Artof Ancient Israel. On March 8 he will lec¬ture on Hebrew Lyrics of Israel Life inSong: on March 15, on the Epic and theDramatic In Hebrew Poetry; on March 22.on Hebrew Gnomic Poetry or the Poetry ofPractical Life.At the meeting of the Enoslnlan Society.February 24, 1899, the question, "Resolved,That Mr. Roberts of Utah should be, when

seated, expelled from the House of Repre¬sentatives" was debased. The speakerswere: Affirmative.Mr. Fuller and Mr.Haws. Negative.Mr. Leech and Mr.Whoeter.

Georgetown.Friday evening, February 24, Dr. Spald¬

ing gave his third lecture of the series en¬titled "American Literary Leaders of theCentury," on the subject, "Lowell," In Gas¬ton Hall. The last of the series was givenlast ervening on the subject "Holmes."On March 10, Rev. John P. Chidwick,United States navy, will deliver his lecture,"The Late War," In Gaston Hall.The student orators and valedictorian for

the commencement exercises In June wereannounced last Saturday; the subjects willbe on George Washington generally, thisyear being the one hundredth anniversaryof his death. Robert G. Cauthorn ot Vin-cennes, Ind., will deliver the bachelors'oration on "Washington as a Citizen;" themasters' oration will be given by FrancisH. McCauley, A.B., Hoboken. N. J., on"Washington as a General." and the doc¬tors' oration by Louis J. Potts, A. M., ofthis city. The valedictorian will be Liv¬ingstone J. Cullen. also of this city.In progress at the university is the an¬nual tournament of the Billiard and PoolAssociation: there were thirty-seven entriesin each contest. The first billiard prize waswon Saturday by C. Tobin, lltow, and thesecond prize by T. English, 11*11.The indoor meet is attracting the atten¬

tion of many of the eastern colleges. Not¬able among the new entries are John F.Cregan and George Curtis of Princeton;the former Is the one-half and one mile In¬tercollegiate champion; Cur.is Is well-knownin this city among High School circles,having been the captain of the Centralathletic team last year; he will be enteredin the high jump. The New York AthleticClub has signili-d its intention of enteringa team. It will be composed of such menas Burke, the one-quarter mile champion;the famous Wefers, and Long and Lyons,both of whom are fast runners. Others ofthe colleges and schools who will enter areBrown Preparatory of Phlladelnhia. Wil¬mington High School. Chester High Schooland the Central High School of this city.

Howard.At the last meeting of the Athletic Asso¬

ciation It was decided to choose the baseball team Immediately.The Blackstone Club met as usual. Con¬

gressman White will address the LawSchool Wednesday. March 8. at 7 p.m.On Wednesday, March 1, the Junior class

organized a club for the purpose of dis¬cussing legal matters.

Catholic.Mr. J. J. Powers, jr., of New York and

former serg&ant-at-arms of the SorosisClub, and Geo. V. Powers have resignedfrom the club.

Suicide in German Schools.Prom the Chicago Chronicle.During the ten years ending in 189ft, 407

Bchool children (331 boys and 70 girls) inPrussia alone succumbed under the strain3f education and took their own lives be¬fore they had arrived at the age of fifteen.It Is extremely significant that without asingle exception the children were pupilsof elementary schools and schools wheretraining for a particular profession is given.The German educational methods and in¬

stitutions are held up as models, and right¬ly so, to the other commercial nations ofthe world. To them Is undoubtedly due Ini large measure the commercial successwhich Germany has attained. The question;s, has this success been attained by sap¬ping the heart blood of the nation?The sons of the sturdy victors of Sedan

ind Gravelotte had stamina enough toovercome and profit by the strain of suchi school education as their statesmen pre¬scribed. Whether the present generation:an stand it seems to a foreign observerioubtful. The pale faces and generallyiveakly-looklng bodies of the youth of Ber-in, for example U refer entirely to theworking classes), are not wholly accounted'or by town life.In an article In the current number ofhe German Imperial Gazette on "NationalSconomics" It is stated that in Prussia, out»f a total population of nearly 32,000,000,1,740,000 heads of families and persons within independent existence (with their fam-lies, representing nearly 70 per cent of the>opuIation) do not earn £45 ($225) per an-lum.This shows that the ordinary working-nan is very poor, and as meat of all kindss terribly dear in Prussia, it is evidenthat the pupils of elementary schools can-lot, aa a rule, receive the nourishmenticcessary to sustain them during their hardchool life.

At present It Is estimated that there areii the world's oceans 7,000,000 cubic milesf salt, and the most astonishing thing¦bout it to that If all this salt could beaken o«t In a moment the level of thewrter would not drop one single lnoh.

POSING AS REED BIRDS

Eobins and Other Intectivore Have BeeifeKilled by Thousands.

Klacrnnt Ylolatlona of I.an That*Have n.« liar. 1« lk, ,

Written for The F.venlni: Star.The frequenter of the market has doubt-*'loss noticed recently isrge bunches of htriio, jplucked and headless. exposed for sale. If

he stopped to Inquire of the dealers as tothe kind of birds thus offered to tempt thee>e and pocket of the passerby he wasprobably Informed that they were "reedbirds." And if he yielded to the temptationand had some of the attractive morselasent home and cooked for his dinner the'probability Is that he and bis family fully 'believed that they were Indulging them-selves In an added course of reed birds and]were properly satisfied.But as "line feathers do not make fine

birds," so also the dictum of a marketdealer does not make a reed bird. Owing: tothe popular prominence of that form ofbird flesh many other birds have at vertnustimes masqueraded under Its name. In therestaurants the "reed bird on toasr" whichis eaten with so much relish is \ery fro-,quently English sparrow on toast in actu¬ality. The fair Juliet tells us that "thatwhich we call a rose, by any other namewill smell ns sweet." This may be a cor¬rect principle applied to botanical subjects,but as to ornithological matters It wouldseem to be reversed, end, to the populartaste, that which we call a reed bird,though any other bird, will taste as ¦¦lit.

Kvncllni! the I.aw.In the present instance the reed birds are

principally -oblrs. cedar birds and shorelarks, plucked, beheaded and dubbed reedbirds because the existence of certainlaws against the destruction of Insectiv¬orous birds might give rise to awkward orunpleasant contingencies were the dealersopen In the matter. Thus they are com¬pelled. In order to pursue the trade, to liedoubly false: they have to deceive boththeir customers and the pMta of thelaw. As to the former, in the majority ofcases there Is probably little dlflt-ulty: butwith the law and Its guardians they arenot so safe. It world seem !o the averagepublic to be hard to identify the headless,featherless bodies they offer for sale. Hutthere are many ornithologists in the cityto whom siich identification Is a compara-tlvely trifling task.a mere play comi«aredwith some of the identiflcatlo.is of the con¬tents of the stomachs of oird and le»astthat arc a regular part of the work of the -

Department of Agriculture. To these the *

foot of a robin is as distinctive as the headof an owl would be to a layman. >t«lthrough their co-operation, which has Iw-tncordially offered, with a little vigilanceupon the part of the authorities, it Is l:ke!ythat Infractions of the law will not bewithout their punishment. At least It willnot be possible to carry on the trade a*openly as heretofore. One ease has alreadybeen punished, and It Is understood that"prosecutions will be vigorously pressedagainst further offtnses. The extent of thetrade In the past can be gathered frcm thesingle fact that last year one dealer InCenter market received fi.ooo robins in oneshipment and S.000 more a few davs later.These birds came from North Carolina,where they had probably been slaughteredat some roost where northern birds win¬tering in the south had gathered In largenumbers.

Ueaerve Protection.The shore larks recently exposed for sale

were winter visitors to this latitude, andwere shot Just outside our city. Indeed,during the late bllzxard weather many ofthese handsome and valuable little birdswere the guests of the city Itself, and couldhave been seen in flocks of varying sliesmingling with the sparrows on the citystreets. They are close relatives of theEnglish skylark, and. like that noted song-sfer, they are usually to be found on theground, except when traveling or whenascending toward the zenith to showertheir music down upon those below.The cedar bird Is practically valueless,but he makes some amends for his taci¬turnity by the elegant appearance he j»re-sents to the eye. His sleek, fawn-coloredgarb, set off by trimmings of black andyellow and touches of red on the ends ofsome of his wing and tall feathers resem¬bling bits of sealing wax.from which heIs often called "waxwing".and the jauntycrest he wears for a headdress, combineto make him as alluring to the sight aamany of his companions are to the te aring.The ladies, those severe critics of dress,would all lie compelled to admit that hiacostume is In faultless taste. He Is a per¬manent resident of the neighborhood ofWashington, and so. being one of us, doublydeserves our protection.

tlecnnae of Their Value.But while the object of the law was par¬tially to preserve for our enjoyment thesebeauties of garb and song, yet It was more

particularly because of the value of thebirds that the shield of the law was Inter¬posed between them and their enemies. Thenoxious insects that they destroy.beetles*caterpillars, grasshoppers and other foes tovegetable life.are enormous in number.The service rendered farmers and thosewho have any interest In shrubbery andshade trees Is inestimable. True, the robinsand cedar birds will sometimes steal a fewcherries or maybe other small fruit, andperhaps the shore larks may be found occa¬sionally unearthing planted grain, but thistoll that they take Is very small pay for thebenefits they confer. The cedar birds arebetter guardians of our elm trees than theablest and most vigilant gardener, for theyfeed upon the elm-leaf beetle that, despitethe utmost care, makes skeletons of theleaves of so many of our elms In summer.Apart, therefore, from mere resentment of

the Imposition practiced upon them by thedealers In the "reed bird" trick, the peopleof Washington have a personal interest 1nsuppressing this unlawful traffic. Theyshould not only refuse to be gvtlled. butshould actively aid the authorities by ex-'posing those who attempt to defy the lnw,

HENRY OLDY8.

THE IHRI>00\ GIV

Ingenious Plan for RrmoTlav I'an-BTeroHn Hulus of Plrea.

From the San Francisco Chronicle.A daring and ingenious plan for the de-

mollshment of the high brick walls whichetand In the center of the Baldwin Hotelruins.a menace to the lives of workmenand pedestrians.was Invented and given asuccessful trial yesterday. It was at firstthought that It would be necessary to re¬sort to the use of dynamite to wreck thesewalls for removal, but a small whaler'stwo-pound cannon, a liberal quantity ofcable and the application of the simplestlaws of mechanics in the use of the blockand tackle have been found to be as «-ffleai-cious and quick a remedy without the at¬tendant dangers of the use of explosives.A small harpoon gun was secured yester¬

day morning and mounted upon a platformbuilt from the annex roof. It was loadedwith a rig after the fashion of a life line,consisting of a slug attached to a stoutcord. The piece was aimed at a window atthe top of the rear wall of the old theater,which stood about a hundred feet high. Theslug was fired through the window, trailingthe cord after it. A clothesline was thenattached to the other end of the cord andpulled through the window. A cable wasthen drawn through after the5 line andpassed around the outside of the wall andback to the roof of the annex, where itwas secured to a chimney. A block-and-tackle arrangement of eight pulleys wasmade, and twelve men were put on the end¦j{ a rope for a tug-of-wor with the wall.When all was In readiness the street cars

sn Market street were stopped, and all pe-lestrians were warned away to a safe dis¬tance. At the first strain on the cable theilgh wall trembled as If disturbed by anearthquake. Successive tugs caused it tonave through an area of two or three feet>efore it gave way with a roar, and the tons>f brick, mortar and timbers fell with *:rash and a cloud of dust to the mine be-,ow. A man with an ax had been stationed>n the outer walls, and as the mass fell itvas his dangerous part to cut the cable sow to save the blocks from being dragged 1nto the failing mass. The remainder of thevails will not be pulled down until the de-

'

wis has been cleared away. ?

Tumblers resembling In shape and dlmen-.Ions those employed today have been found/a great numbers In Pompeii. Thay wereJnade of gold, silver, glass, marble, agate,ad of precious stone*.