OCR Text |
Show THE RICH COUNTY REAPER. RANDOLPH. UTAH BANNER SERIAL FICTION- - "Quotations" V K3f? IPunoflfiQG-- l ' ? - ' - A slowf ol touc cut d Uthtyue . . . fy. EtORKlPdDBIlIl YHTES O Domfoid SYNOPSIS Richard Exon, a poor young English man. befriends elderly Matthew Gering, who at his death, gives him a statement claiming he. Gering. is Rudolph Elbert Virgil, Count of Brief, of ancient Austrian nobility who was betrayed 20 years before by his twin brother. Ferdinand, whose sentence for forgery he himself served. Ferdinand appropriated his title, property and daughter. Before he dies. Gering tells Exon there is a family secret, known only to the head of the house, to be found in the great tower at Brief, by a doorway none can ever find. Exon inherits his uncles fortune and sets out to right Ge rings wrongs. En route he encounters Percy Elbert Virgil, son of the villainous Ferdinand and sees him in conference with Insklp, a diamond merchant. He' engages a valet. Winter, who hates Percy and meets by chance at a garage. John Herrick, who Is a linguist and who as a youth served as a page at Gerings wedding, and had visited Brief. Herrick agrees to aid Exon. They establish headquarters at Brenda Revokes farm a Raven, a few miles from Brief and make their plans. They find the castle almost inaccessible. They see a closed car occupied by Percy Virgil, a chauffeur and a woman. Hearing a dog scream, they see the chauffeur flogging it. just as a horse with a girl astride bounds along the path and is felled by a strung wire. The girl, unconscious, is picked up carelessly by the chauffeur and woman, who then run away, after dropping her. Exon rescues the gtp and carries her to his waiting car. He identifies the girl as Elizabeth, daughter of the disowned Gering, tells her of her cousins plot to abduct her and takes her to Raven, where he tells her the story of her father and promises to go the limit to help her right her fathers wrongs Elizabeth wins faith in her benefactor. Percy Virgil brings the police to Raven, announcing that two strangers are being sought for the kidnaping of Elizabeth. Herrick discomfits Virgil, tells of the mornings adventure, names a man called Max and hands the police a sealed envelope with the name of the leader in the abduction Percy Virgil. CHAPTER IV Continued Simply Lady Elizabeth told us her story a grim corroboration of the Statement her father had made. She could not remember the time when her cousin had not been at Brief. It was his home as much as hers, and though she was given precedence, he was used as the son of the house. The Count had done much for him, but little or nothing for her, and again and again she had had to fight for her rights. But for these, she would have been gone, to make her own life, for the House of Brief was divided against itself. She hated the Count and her cousin: they hated her back: and the Count was afraid of Percy, and Percy despised the Count. By the terms of her mothers will, she received 1,000 pounds a year. This income the Count had received until she was twenty-onand when she had come of age he had done his best to retain the half for himself: but she had gone to the lawyers and forced his hand. Since then he had continually complained that he could not meet the expenses to which he was put, while Percy and he were always at variance the former demanding money or moneys worth, and the latter declaring with oaths that he had not the wherewithal to maintain the es-- , e, tate. Her mothers will also directed that when she was twenty-on-e she was to be given possession of all her mothers jewels, and these, she told us frankly, were very valuable. And where are they? said Herrick. In England. They were being cleaned anj reset when my mother was killed, and ever since then theyve lain in the jewelers safe. 1 could have had them out three years ago: but what was the good? Besides, 1 was afraid to have them: they might have been stolen by someone within the house. Times without number theyve urged me to have them out: Percy offered to get them at last and actually wrote out a letter for me to sign,, authorising the jewelers to hand them over to him. Thanks very much, I said, but Id rather they stayed where they were. But Ill lend you five pounds to go on with, if thats any good. For once he had no answer he couldnt get rbund the truth. That was six weeks ago . . . A sudden apprehension stabbed at my mind. Ill lay a monkey theyre gone, 1 cried. ; Lady Elizabeth started, and Herrick frowned." ' Why dyou say that? said the formed. Shamefacedly, I told her of Inskip diamond merthe very big chant, whose, company Virgil was keeping when first I had seen his . , f&CGs But hed never dare,, she cried, I mean, if hed forged .flushing. x my hand he would have, said Herrick, Tataa WNUSvrlca rising, a very pressing reason for putting you out of the way. There was a deathly silence which I employed in cursing my reckless tongue. Lady Elizabeth sighed.' Thats right, she said, slowly: thats right. You know, its painfully clear that he is his fathers son." hours, you know. I mean, this search will take time. And it would be so very convenient to be on the spot. I stared at him but Elizabeth threw up her head and began to- laugh. Youre true to type, she said. The jesters counsel was nearly always the best. And why shouldnt Brenda come, too? She can look aftThe next day I drove her to buy er us all and wait upon me. some clothes in Salzburg a very long way: but shop any nearer she Though the tower was unoccupied, dared not, because she was too well its apartments were aired 'and dustknown. Brenda came with us to ed twice in the week. Every Monhelp her, because she had so much day and Thursday these things were to buy, and in view of the miles be- done, and since the day was Sunday, fore us, Herrick was more than con- we determined to take possession tent to be left behind. the following night. In .this way for For most of the day I drove, and 52 hours we should have the tower she sat by my side, and before we to ourselves. got back that night I think I had told That Sunday afternoon Brenda her all that ever I did. It was a dull and Winter were told the most of enough record, but have it she the truth, for, though I am sure that said she, for both would have trusted us blindly would, because, two years you played the part which and would have done without quesI should have played you cared for tion whatever we asked, it would my poor father, and I cannot know have been unfair as unwise to make enough of the man who did that. such demands upon such fidelity. You see, I said to Winter, we We held the first of our councils such a show, uncouldnt the following day by the side of less thereattempt was someone outside not the stream in the meadows, before only who knew where we were but II oclock. with whom we could keep in touch. I said what I had to say first All Tuesday and Wednesday I want by Elizabeths wish. to Watch the castle especially, you To my way of thinking weve of the great tower. I shall course, only one object in view, and that signal to you, if I want you, and is to expose the man who for 22 what I want you to do. Well aryears has passed as the Count of range a code later on. Brief. If we can bring this about Our were we shall kill two birds with one made theslight preparations We bpught following day. stone we shall not only bring him some torches and knapsacks, and down but put Elizabeth up in her food for two days was put up. Maproper place. dame Revoke was told that we The only way to expose him is were going to stay at some hunting-lodgto make him expose himself admit to which heT guests of the officially that what we allege is true. summer had two or three times reAnd that he will never do, unless we someand was she paired, though can force his hand. If we can hold surprised that we should travabove him some threat sufficiently thing el by night, instead of by day, Lady grim, the man will do as we wish. Elizabeth Virgil could do no wrong What we need is some informa- in her eyes. tion from which we can forge a For the search itself, I could not weapon which we can use. And that think what to take. I could hardly will be hard to come by. It might not have been so hard 20 years believe that we should have to use yet things which have lain ago; but the sources we might have force: undisturbed for a number of years to turned have almost certainly are apt to get stiff or. clogged as failed. Still, were not in the hopeless position of not knowing where the case may be. In the end, after to begin, because we have one clew, much reflection, I decided on a malwhich, if we can follow it up, may let and chisel, some oil and two if what we found lead us straight to a source which measuring-rulewere to show that this rather meais still alive. It is, I think, a promising clew, ger equipment was not enough, we because it concerns a secret of should have to withdraw and rewhose existence the Head of the turn with the stuff we required. House should know. And Elizabeth That afternoon we rested, to save knows of its existence: but her un- our energy for the work to, come. cle does not . . . She knows of its And at half past eleven that night existence, I say: she does not yet Winter set us down at the mouth of know what it is: but she knows the entrance-drivHe was not to where it is roughly. return to Raven, but to berth the The great tower of Brief the Rolls where he could in the country great tower. There is a doorway beyond the foot-hilwhich rose to there .which no one would ever find. the south of Brief: and then at dawn You must go up, counting your he would make his way over those steps. And when you have foothills and down to the belvedere. One thing more. Elizabeth may Half an hour later we saw the castle not like the line I suggest.. The se- before us, a shadowy mass without cret, whatever it is, has been most form, charged on the sable field of jealously guarded for, hundreds of the uAods behind. years. It may be something that So dark was the night that had no outsider should know. And if there been posted about the shes the slightest feeling against house, theysentries could not have seen us out-well, our doing our utmost to find it five paces away, and since she knows that shes only to moving Elizabeth said that no watch was say so for me to drop this line and kept, we followed her boldly up to never touch it again. foot of the pile. Because we the , My dear, said Elizabeth, quiet-ly- were shod with rubber, we made my father tried to give it to but tiie sound. slightest you. It may be that you can use it ; Elizabeth skirted , the; walls, and those were his words Do you think I would revoke his bequest? we passed three staircase-tunret- s, to come to a fourth. And there she Why, he never even charged you to tell me . . . Never mind. Of course stopped, before a door or postern ' youre right. That doorways our set in its base. I, who was next behind her, only chance. Ive no idea what is behind it no more than you. But moved to her side. 1 think it may lead to something I want you to pass me, she as soon as Ive opened which, as you put it, will give us the breathed, weapon we need. As for looking the door. Turn to your right up the for the doorway well have to be steps, and wait till I come. Ill careful, of course,but that shouldnt shut the1 door when youre in. As a rule Brief be very hard. I passed the word to Brenda, who sleeps very sound; and if I like to gave it to Herrick in turn. return when Brief is asleep . . . Then Elizabeth used her key but She held up a Yale key. Thats the door stayed shut. my key. It will let. us into the turIn she set her weight desperation ret which leads to my rooms. My to the oak; rooms give to a landing, and the Then she took her key from the landing will lead to the tower. And latch. nobody lives there now. The rooms My God, she said, its bolted. are just as they were when my What shall we do? grandfather died: but they are not close by, I whisSomewhere a rather occupied.. Its pity, really: we can talk. Where pered. except for the stairs between, they She led us away from the turret make a delightful suite. What does it consist of? said and presently down some steps. Listen, I said. There must be Herrick. , I . never saw it, you windows left open a night like this. know.. Two sitting-roombedroom and Isnt there one I can climb to? Elizabeth shook her head. bathroom. Why do you ask? Youd break, your neck, she I was wondering if theyd suit said Herrick. Just for 48 said. And if you could get in some us, open-mouthe- d, - . e, s; . e. . ls ... -- . s, . where, youd never find, your way down to open to us. Then, what of the tower itself? any way I can get into that? Once inside the tower, I couldnt go wrong and its doors in the courtyard, isnt it? Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. Theres a window, she said, but its heavily barred. Its on the northern side not very high up. Its a chance in a million, but one of those bars might be loose. Elizabeth led us back to the castle wall. There she turned to the left, and we followed her as we had come. Then she turned to the right, and we passed the mouth of the archway which led ' to the small courtyard: and after a little she turned to the right again . . . Some 13 feet up I made out what looked like a cage, sticking out of the wall. Straining my eyes, I counted four vertical bars, not flush with the wall, but projecting, which meant, of course, that the casement which they were guarding was made to opqn outwards into the air. Hopeless, said Elizabeth, quietI thought it was lower than ly. Isnt there The best of prophets of the future is the past. Lord Byron. Pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes. John Ruskin. Custom reconciles us to everything. Edmond Burke. Every hero becomes a bore at last. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Liberty exists in proportion to wholesome restraint. Daniel Webster. Let any man speak long enough, he will get believers. Robert Louis Stevenson. I will find a way or make one. Hannibal. The public is an old woman. Thomas Carlyle. Mother-As-k l"Jait, Your Doctor First - that. .I think I can make it, I said. Herricks shoulders, of course. And if theres nothing doing, Ive only to drop. I took off From my knapsack and jacket, and rolled up my sleeves. Can I use a torch with safety, to look at the bars? Elizabeth nodded. But do be careful, she said. Herrick spoke out of the darkness. Im prepared to contribute, he Be sure of that. But Im said. no acrobat. Im willing to try and carry your 15 stone, but as soon as you feel me going, youd better jump. And how dyou propose to begin? Are you going- to run up me,' - or something? I made him take off his knapsack and stand to the wall, and I begged him to hold his peace, because if he made me laugh, we might both come down. Then I turned again to my lady. Once Im up there, I said, we shant be able to talk: yet there may be something I find that I want to say: in that case Ill drop my handkerchief. If I do that, will you climb on to Herricks should'ers? And .Ill lean down and tell you whatever it is. Yes, indeed. But, Richard, you will be careful? Supposing those Never give your children unknown Bargain remedies to take unless you ask your doctor. A mother may save a few pennies giving her children unknown preparations. But a childs life is precious beyond pennies. So Ask your doctor before you give any remedy you dont know all about. And when giving the common childrens remedy, milk of magnesia, always ask for Thillips Milk of Magnesia. Because for three generations Phillips has been favored by many physicians as a standard, reliable marveland proved preparation ously gentle for youngsters. Many children like Phillips in the newer form tiny peppermint-flavore- d tablets that cnew like candy. Each tablet contains the equivalent of one teaspoonful of the liquid Phillips. 25 ff for a big box. A bottle of Phillips liquid Milk of Magnesia costs but 25. So anyone can afford the genuine. Careful mothers ask for it by its full name Phillips Milk of Magnesia.f5g PHILLIPS MILK OF MAGNESIA WIN LIQUID OR TABLET FORM bars arent sound. I promise to test them, I said, before I go up. A moment later I was standing on Herrick? shoulders, with my chisel and a torch in my pockets and both my hands on the bars. .These were in good condition, and when I had tried them once, I drew myself up by inches until I had a foot in the cage . . . Within this, the window was open. If I could displace but one bar, the trick would be done. As I have said, the cage was made of four bars. All four were sunk in the stone above and below the window they were to protect: but the outer two were also tied by crossbars to the windows jambs. It was, of course, hopeless to try to move either of these, for each was held at six points: but the two middle bars were held at two points only, where top and bottom were bedded into the stone. (TO BE CONTINUED)" - Four States Have Less Than 150 Sq. ML Water Continental United States contains square miles of which are covered with water, notes a correspondent in the Portland Oregonian. This is exclusive of the water of the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico and the oceans, which are not entirely under United States jurisdiction. There are only six states having wholly within them more than 3,000 square miles of water Minnesota, 3,824; Florida, 3,805; North Carolina, 3,686; Texas, 3,498; Maine, 3,145; and Louisiana, 3,097. On the other hand, there are four states having less than 150 square miles of water wholly within their borders New Mexico, 131; Connecticut, 145; Arizona, 146; and West Virginia. 3,026,789 53,-0- 15 Two Principles The whole duty of a man is embraced in the two principles of temperance and patience; temperance in prosperity, and patient courage in adversity. Seneca. Beware Coughs from common colds That Hang On No matter how many medlcinea you have tried for your common cough, chest cold, pr bronchial Irritation, you may get relief now with Creomulsion. Serious trouble may be brewing and you cannot afford to takea mroth anremed totoeoSple goesrlght and aids nature to soothe and heal the Inflamed mucous membranes and to loosen and expel germ-lad- en phlegm. Even if other remedies have failed, be dont discouraged, try Creomul-sio- n. Your druggist Is authorized to refund your money If you are not thoroughly satisfied with the benefits obtained. Creomulsion is one word, ask for it plainly, see that the name on the bottle is Creomulsion. and youll get the genuine product and the relief you want. (AdvJ Awake at Day Success consists not so much in sitting up at night as being wide awake during the day. ORXS ER E A DIP NRROOST5 148. However, New Mexico is the fourth state in the United States in size, with a total of 122,634 square miles, while Connecticut is forty-sixtwith a total of 4,965 square miles. If Connecticut contained water in the same' proportion as New Mexico, .there would be only five d and square miles of water in the state. h, one-thir- WNU W 44-- 38 Good riERCiiAnoisE Can Be CONSISTENTLY Advertised asa BUY ADVERTISED GOODS - -- |