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po sss ad "Kok Your Grocer --" -- for a trial pacKage of GREEN TEA R461 If vou enjoy green tea you will be satis. fied with no other bl end. -- Try it today, = aint a -- ~ pe CHAPTER V.-- (Cont'd.) "I am sorry to trouble you, Sir, Alexander," said Detective-inspector Ditton, when he was shown into the library, "but we cannot find Mr. Mer-! rington. The servant told us that he; had left London in his car, and that, he was going to spend the night with) a Mr. Ardington, who lives at Ded-! bury in Kent. Mr. Ardington is on the telephone, and we managed to find his number and get on to him. He said that he had expected Mr. Merrington about eight o'clock, but that he had not arrived." "I see. And what do you think I know about it?" "Well, sir, the servant told us you had called and that you'd had a long talk with Mrs. Merrington. And we] thought that perhaps she had told] you of some change in her husband's| plans, and besides, we should 'like to now whether Mrs. Merrington was --well, quite compos mentis, so to speak." For a few moments Sir Alexander Bradney was silent. Then he said, "Sit down, Ditton, and have a cigar." He liked to be on friendly terms with the police, and he knew the detective quite well. "Thank you, sir," said Ditton, tak- ing a cigar from the case that was held out to him, and biting off the end with a sharp movement of his strong teeth. He was a sturdy fellew of about forty, with a small black mous- tache and a reddish face. : "May I ask how you come to be mixed up with this?" queried Brad- ney when the detective had lit his cigar and seated himself. "The police telephoned to the Yard at once, sir." "Ah, so bad as that, eh? You sus- "Yes, sir--well, iT you couid tell " "Certainly," Sir Alexander inter- rupted. "Mrs. Merrington was quite well when I saw her, but she seemed to be worried about something." "Ah, that is what we want to know, sir," said Mr. Ditton, taking out a notebook and writing in it. "Worried?" "Yes--pale and nervous--but mind you, I have never seen her before and she may have been always like that." "Did she say anything, sir, to lead you to suppose she was worried?" "Nothing, Ditton--nothing at all. I went there to see Merrington about painting a portrait of my wife. Mer- rington was away and I had a chat with Mrs. Merrington." "When did you leave, sir?" "Oh, at about half-past nine." "The servant was out, sir, wasn't she?" "Yes, Mrs. Merrington apologized for that. It appears that the servant goes home every evening from nine to ten. Her parents live close by." "Yes, so the girl told me, sir. And she was late to-night. She did: not return until 10.20. Mrs. Merrington was then apparently dead. She was lying on the drawing-room floor. On a small table near to an arm-chair by the fire there was a wine-glass and a bottle of pink Noveau." Laas te BE A fter A universal custom that benefits every- Every body. Meal Aids digestion, cleanses the teeth, pd soothes the throat. a good thing torememb Sealed in its Purity Package £ g | CoN oR /4 ISSUE No. 39--'23. The Hidden Hour BY J. B. HARRIS-BURLAND "Deadly stuff," interrupted Brad- ney, "and very difficult to get now." "Yes, sir. And it was a claret glass, and there was still some of the liqueur at the bottom of it. At first the ser- vant thought that her mistress was intoxicated." "Ah, did Mrs. Merrington drink?" "No, sir--not, that we know of--but that was the idea that first came to the servant. She telephoned for a doctor and the 'doctor sent for the police." : "Why did he send for the police?" "He came to the conclusion that Mrs. Merrington had been poisoned by cyanide of potassium or prussic acid. He was certain of that, sir, but as you know, the symptoms are similar. The glass and the bottle have been remov- ed for examination and analysis. Did you see either glass or bottle when you called, sir?" "I did not, Ditton. Shall I be want- ed at the inquest?" "Im afraid so, sir." "Well, I hope you'll arrange to call me out of working hours. I am very, very busy." . "Yes, sir--I know. 1 suppose you can't help us to find Mr. Merrington?" "I'm afraid I can't. Mrs. Merring- ton told me just what the servant told you." Sir Alexander rose from his chair. "My wife is not very well," he con- tinued, "but, of course, if you want to ask me any more questions 44 "Oh, no, sir--and I have no time to waste myself. I suppose her ladyship could not help us in any way?" "I don't see how she could." "She must have known Mr. Mer- rington pretty well, sir." "Well, she had about twenty sittings for her portrait." : "She has not seen him lately, I sup- P28Uh; not for over a month, and I don't believe she's ever met Mrs. Mer- rington at all." "Could I ask her ladyship a few questions, sir?" "Not now, I'm afraid. She is ill in bed. But if she has anything to say she can say it at the inquest. Well, if you'll excuse 'me » The detective took his departure, and Sir Alexander Bradney walked slowly up the marble staircase. On the first floor landing he leant against the bronze rail and looked down into the hall. His face was very white, and he seemed to be out of breath. CHAPTER VIL "7, Romney-mansions, Chelsea," said Merrington, in answer to Tre- horn's question. "My studio is in King's-road--173c. 1 say, I'd no idea you didn't know my address. You lought to have got that out of me last night." "I couldn't have sent a telegram to your wife until this morning," the young doctor replied, "and I didn't want to wake you from your sleep. Feeling a bit shaken up, aren't you?" "Yes--aching all over. Your name's Trehorn, isn't it? Look here; I can't remember anything about this motor accident. You must tell me what hap- pened." "I only know I found you on the road and the car was in the hedge. You'd got a suit-case with you, so I suppose you were going to stay some- where for the night." John Merrington closed his eyes. It was an effort for him to think. He could only remember Paula and the studio. It was Paula's birthday and there was a crowd of people. They had given a dance and supper and it had cost a great deal of money. They had quarrelled about that on the way home to the flat. He remembered that he had slept on the sofa because Paula had asked a girl to stay the night with them. That was the last thing he could remember. And here he was. --in a strange room and a strange! | house, and aching all over, and a dul] - pain at the back of his head, and Tre-| thorn, a complete stranger, asking him | for his address. CHAMPION CHILD DANCER Rita Liffey, aged nine, of Dundee, who has won four silver cups and twenty-one medals for dancing, recently immigrated to Canada with her parents. Her repertoire includes sixteen different dances which she has suc- cessfully acquired in less 'than three years. Merrington. - "And my wife's birthday is on June the fourth. Merciful Hea- vens! I've lost seven months of my life." "Oh, you'll get your memory back," laughed Trehorn, "even if we have to supply you with an artificial one." "Now what do you mean by that?" asked Merrington. "Oh, well--others can fill up the blank for you--construct something like the iron framework of a building, and .then by degrees you'll be able to put in all the rest yourself. Now I'll telephone to Mr. Ardington and then send off this wire to your wife. And I shall have to see about the wreck of the car, I suppose." He left the room, and as he walked down the narrow stairs with his hand on the pitch-pine railrthe telephone bell rang, and he hurried into the con- sulting-room. Si trom 1s hook. "Yes, $i Trehorn-- oh, that's you, Ardington, is it? I was just going to ring you up. Yes, Mer- rington is here--My God, that's ter- rible!--No, of course Merrington can't go up to London, and the news had better be kept from him--The police, did you say? You'd better come round here at once. I'm blessed if I know what to do in the matter. I tell you the man can't be moved for a month, and if he's told, it'll probably kill him. Come round here, that's a good chap-- Eh, what's that you say--a lady in the car with him?--Nonsense. You're talking rubbish--absolute rot. Yes, that'll be best; come along at once." Dr. Trehorn may not have been a ! Two Lives Saved; Two Tempers Lost. A stout, determined-looking man reached the station just as the train was pulling out. He ran down the platform, seized the handrail of a coach and was about to hop aboard when some one clutched him by the coat tails. It was a brakeman, very angry and blustering. Lifebuoy may be safe- ly used on the tender- est skin, > It is wonderfully cleansing for little hands, faces and bod- ies. Lifebucy babies have beauti- Sul healthy skins. sik "There, I've saved your life," a train when she's in motion!" Then as the train continued to gather speed the brakeman skillfully swung himself on the steps of the last coach; but the stout man caught his coat and plucked him off like a ripe peach. "You saved my life," said the stout man, grinning. "Allow me to save yours." rr eer warm v--rm-- curve, etme feet ein When the price of good tea is high, many poor cheap teas are offered to the public. Those who buy them learn to their sorrow that price does not indicate their cost. To the pound more satisfying and flavory cups can be brewed from a fine tea like "SALLADA," hence its real economy in use. ------f Spelling Reform Needed. An elderly gentleman from the East was visiting his daughter in San Jose, Calif. Of course, he pronounced the the | brakeman said. "Don't ever try to hop | very brilliant young man, but he Was name according to the spelling, until cool and level-headed, and he si they impressed it upon him that in stood his business. His imme iate | Spanish J has the sound of H. business was to look after his Datient| Sv and bo he elefiol to and restore Merrington to health. Be- y y 560°2 S00 This town is on a yond that, always thinking of Mer- In Wotsonville. : rington in the first place, his business branch line a mile or so from the junc- was to keep his word to the unknown tion at Jajaro, and as the electric cars woman who had thrown herself upon: his mercy. He saw, clearly enough, ! that the fact of Merrington's wife be- | ing dead would not in any way solve! the problem of the "eternal triangle," | for in this case it had not been a tri-| angle. From what the woman had] said he had gathered that she was, married and that she had gone back | to her husband. | He filled his after-breakfast pipe, lit it, and looked at the clock. It was not yet quarter-past nine. At ten o'clock he usually started out on his rounds. But to-day he would have to leave the house a little later--perhaps | he would not be able to leave it until nearly noon. "The house will have to be guarded like a fortress," he said to himself. It would have been easy enough to guard it if the police had not been dragged |" into the matter. But the whole situa- tion had changed. "Suicide," he thought, "possibly murder--no, not Merrington, someone else." It seemed impossible to him that Merrington could have murdered his wife: That face, so gentle, and so strikingly beautiful, was not the face of a murderer. He stretched out his hand and rang from Pajaro to Watsonville passed di- rectly by the son's house, the old gentleman's railway ticket was for Pajaro. He looked at it in a puzzled way, then threw it down in great dis- gust, exclaiming: "Well, sir! They can tell me that 'J-0-s-¢' spells 'Hozay," but they needn't tell me that 'P-a-j-a-r-o' spells 'Watson- ville!" " RL * About Needles. Every needle is subjected to some twenty-two different processes during its manufacture from the parent wire, | and the world at large is estimated to use up something like seven million needles every day. CID. KE The English language contairs be- tween 400,000 and 500,000 words. Where Do You Taste? If asked what part of the body you taste with, you might answer: "With the mouth." But try an experiment. Put a fragment of salt into your mouth, placing it between the teeth and the cheek. - Until it dissolves it has absolutely no taste at all. The fact is that the sides of the mouth are insensible to certain sub- stances, such as galt and vinegar. The tongue is really the main organ of taste. All those substances which . have an aromatic taste, such as spices and coffee and wine, can only be ap- preciated by the front half of the tongue. A piece of sugar applied to the tip of the tongue tastes extremely sweet. Try it on the back of the tongue, and it is almost tasteless. With many other foods the case is reversed, and it is the back part of the tongue and the mouth in which they are properly appreciated. A few ex- periments will prove to you that taste ' is strangely localized in the mouth. ° "s! Minard's Linimeni fe. Dandrufl SES NI When Love Says "Don't." Don't mail that sarcastic, bitter let- ter which you wrote in an angry mood, and which gave you a feeling of spite- ful satisfaction because you thought you had done a smart thing and were going to "get square" with someane who had insulted you--burn it. There is a better way, love's way. Try it. Don't say the mean thing you have been planning to say to someone you think has been mean to you. 'Instead, give him the love thought, the mag- nanimous thought. Say to yourself, "He is my brother. No matter what he has done, I can't be mean to him. I must show my friendliness, my mag- nanimity to this brother." This is Love's way. Universal Portable } and Folding Bath Tub a with or without instantaneous water heater attached, permits all bathroom comforts of) - a milliongire in the room. No plumb, ing. Equally suitable for country on town home. 80 days' trial. Mod-, erate price. Ask about our indoom ~ chemical closets. - Universal Metal Products Company, 86 Assumption St., Walkerville, Ont, MATCHES s0/q by over 14,000 General Stores and 16,000 Grocers ON SALE EVERYWHERE CANADA Serve Musfard I night with Ardington. I've often stay. | The cook was a few years older and red with him." "I live near Dedbury," said Trehorn | the Bell. The house-parlormaid, al after a pause. "I suppose you don't | £rey-haired woman of fifty, came into | know anyone at Dedbury?" i the room. She had entered his father's "Yes, of course I do--old Ardington, | Service at the age of twenty-five and 1 wonder if 1 was going to spend 'the had worked for the family ever since. remembered when he had been born. " Mr. H .._! Could he rely on these two; women to ide Mr. Ardington. Shall I ring see him through a difficulty that did "Yes--please ring him up--very not in any way threaten his own hap- likely I was going to stay with Ard. |Piness? ington--I say, this is a queer business. What is the date?" "January the thirty-first." (To be continued.) , > rm "January the thirty-first!" échoed Minard's Liniment Heals Cuta wilh tard neu ¢ Sn and makes oy & st Mustard enables hi as ssimilate food whic cforms TE burden the digestive Organs w : " i the richhé tralizes em easier to A