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•â- mHniiâ€" tXm- Kf ;.j !teeaa»«a>^<»»»oo« â€" P<w9 ay e » â€" oc «}e ^oe<sa9g«ffeco»a«off STRONGER THAN DEATH A RANSOMED LIFE ^ (CHAPTER VI. Con.) "You swore you saw your master on the lawn and on the road tho moment before." â- 'AH lies. I did not sec him that day. It was lucky the other wit- ness swore to seeing him near the same place the sonie morning." "You have no idea what brought him there?" "None." "The prisoner refused to give me the slightest information where he was or what he was doing that morning," whispered Trevor. "Tho other witness did not fix the hour," said Ardel. still addressing the sleeper. "No; luckily for me." "Why?" "Because it was an hour later than I swore." Ardel asked his questions in low, Incisive tones, and the other ans^ i - ed as a man thinks, without hesita- tion or reserve. "Two days after my master's ar- rest," he went on, "a telegraph boy came and told me he had seen him at his own door at ten o'clock, the very same hour and the very game day I had sworn I saw him: at La- burnham Lodge, three miles away." "The boy was quite sure about tho man and the hour?" "Quite. I tried to shake him, and failed. He had a watch, and had Just looked at it; he knew my mas- ter well; had often delivered tele- grams at the door, and had got tips from him. My master, he said, was looking very pale and excited. Would his evidence help or hurt the gentle- man? that was all the boy wanted to know from me. If it would hurt, he could 'stow it," he said, and no one need bo a bit the wiser. Of covn-se, I persuaded him to 'stow it.' I have kept the boy out of the way since." "What's his name? where does ho live?" For tho first time the man hesitat- ed before rci)lying. Tho keeping of this secret had grown to be a habit with him, which mechanically check- ed his speaking it, though his will 'was asleep. He was silent for a moment. "Speak!'' said Vivian Ardel, in a tone of insistent command.. "William Ravel is his Jiame." "And his address?" "19, Paradise Court, East." Thore was a lorig pause after thin. Trevor looked at his friend with a curious blending of triumph and ad- miration. "What do you mean to do next, Ardel?" he whispered. "We have done half our work. We know the truth. Tho next thing is to prove it. This fellow won't help us further. It's a pity they cannot hang him, instead of his intended ^ '.Im. Yet I'm not sorry. I want nv hangings." "But what arc you going to do with him now?" .'-'Wake him and let him go about his business." Trevor looked at him in amaze- ment. "You must be mad to think of such a thing! If you give him the chance, he will do his best to get the boy out of the way, and chcckuiate us." But Ardel only laughed softly. "He will remember nothing of what he has said. He will resume his mem- ory at tho moment ho fell asleep." He touched the sleeper's forehead again with his (ingei-tlps as he spoke. "Wake," he said sharply. The nian's o.ves opened, and his mind resumed its functions. The W BI« ti « < >«» MM « 8 <«< C >C0t«« M a<fi \ mask of stolid honesty was again on his face. "But I'm bound to speak tho truth when I'm asked," he said, linishing liis sentence where he had broken it o(T, apparently without any suspic- iian of the intervening unconscious- ness. Ardel assented grimly. "The truth is very dangerous sometimes," he said. "Vury dangerous to my poor yoong master," Weevil answered, with sucli perfect hypocrisy that Tre- vor lost his last scruple about play- ing the game out to the end. He asked Weevil a question about this part of tho evidence and about that, and was divided between repulsion and admiration at the cleverness with which Weevil, while professing deep sympathy, contrived by his an- swers to blacken tho case still fur- ther against his master. Doth were glad when the man rose at last to go. "I'm afraid I have not been of much help to you, Mr. Trevor." he said, and the keenest oar could find no sneer in his voice. "Innocent or guilty, it's very hard on me who dangled him a child on my knees to be the instrument, as I might say, of his death. I declare to you, sir, I'd give ten years of my lifo to let him go free/' "That's about what you will have to give, my friend," said Trevor dry- ly, as the door closed behind the re- luctant witness, â€" "ten years' penal servitude for perjury." Next day Trevor himself assisted his solicitor in .searching the sitting- room at Labumham Lodge. The let- ter and the inlaid revolver were found behind the books, and were carried away and laid on the table at Trevor's elbow, concealed by some loose papers when he rose at the opening of tho court on Monday to cross-examine tho chief witness for the prosecution. In ten minutes the stolid, cunning, self-confident witness was utterly broken down, and his evidence de- molished. The suddenness and fierce- ness of the attack, but, above all, the knowledge displayed by the enemy, confounded him. The ques- tions were quick and sharp, and hard-hitting as revolver shots. The sudden production of the letter was a stunning blow. Still striving to brazen it out, he was confronted with tho boy William Ravel. Then he collapsed at once and com- pletely lo.st all self-control, confessed his perjury, and bogged and blubber- ed for mercy. The crowded court literally went mad with excitement. Even the judge and jury scarcely escaped the contagion. The women rose in their seats, clappiiig their hands and sci-oaming hysterically. A titled lady usually a model of decorum, who sat close to tho witness-box, struck Weevil fairly across the face with her parasol, leaving a red weal on the white cheek. The blow was the signal for an on- slaught on tho perjurer, and ho would have been torn in pieces if the police had not interfered. Amid the wild confusion the judge's deep voice was heard calling for silence, and the sternness of his face enforced tho command. The tumult fell as rapidly as it had ris- en, though the intense strain of im- patient c.xcitomont still made itself felt in tho <rowded court. The formal gravity of the law, which life or death cannot stir one jot from its couise, assorted itself. In the midst of the profoundost sil- ence tho judge's voice was hoard again, calm and formal in its tones. "Mr. Attorney," he said, "what course do you now propose to adopt?" "With your lordship's approval, I will enter a nolle prosequi," replied the Attorney-General us calmly. "There is no other charge against tho prisoner?" asked the judge. "None." "Then I order hia discharge." Again the tumult broke out in wild rejoicing over the oecape of the man whose agony the same crowd had gloated over an hour before. The majest.y of the law had disappeared with the retiring judge, and now the tumult was unrestrained. Dazed by tho shock of this sudden transit from death to life, Edgar Wickham was helped by his solicitor through the throng and driven rapid- ly away to his hotel. Weevil remain- ed .behihd in the hands of the police. "There goes a happy man," said Trevor to Ardel. as they stood out- side the court while the crowd melt- ed away. "Not yet," Ardel answered, smil- ing. "I have been watching his face. He does not realize what has hap- pened. He is stunned by the good news. But I envy his ja.y to-nuorrow when he awakes with clear brain to know his whole life is still before him. (To be continued.) filOBEERS REAP flAR7EST. ENGLISH BXIEGLAa HAS NO CONTINENTAL HIVAL. Habits of European Peopla Een- der Them Easy "For Criminals. England has long enjoyed abroad the onenviable reputation of breed- ing, training, and letting loose on the world the most skillful pickpock- ets, just as Italy stands first in the matter of highwa.vmen, or Germany in the production of cosmopolitan swindlers of the cl.iss known to the police as the "ilush mob." As a matter of fact, poor old England does not at all deserve this reputa- tion, which dates more or less from the time of Dickens' revelations in "Oliver Twist," and it would be easy to prove from police statistics that the porcontago of Englishmen among tho pickpockets arrested ou the con- tinent is a small one. On the other rooiii ^.OGi'j, ai,500 of which was i& gold. "THE POLISHJEHS." A provincial as.si/e court .ccently dealt witli a garig (if househr«aker», known as "the polishers," who wer« conviirted of a number of robberies in farmliousps, the sums stolon varying from 8100 to ?1,000. Their modnH operandi was to send two women oi the gang, cepresenting thwnselve.'! aa French polishers, who offered their services at such modcrato rates they were almost always engaged I? waa tlK'ir business t>o watch where the money with which they were paid when the work was done was taken from. The cache having thus been located, tho rest Was ea.sy. The cache was sometimes an 'old kettle, sometimes a hole in tho mattress, but most often the cupboard. This custom of using the cupboard as a safe is a rooted one in Francs. French servant girls all save and all keep their money in cash in thei* rooms. These rooms are situated on I the sixth floor of the big Parisian hand, the reason of this may be that apartment houses, and this floor ii the artful dodgers of London little | absolutely deserted during the day HAHD ON THE BABIES. One of the first effects of a hot wave, particularly in towns and cities, is a pronounced increaise in t>.e nu'mlber of deaths of infants. Elven in tlie open country the auEEer- ing of the helpless little ones wuuld move the hardest heart. Stoimach trouble and diarrhoea are the foes mrfat to be dreaded at this time and every mother should appreciate the necoasity of careful diet and atten- tion at tho fwat sign of thoKe tji'our bias. Medicine should never be given to aheck diarrhoea except upon the adMice of a pliy«i<nan. A diet limited almosrt entirely to boil- ed milk and the use of Baby's Own Tablets will cure aln-so-s-t any case and keep baby i'n health. Mrs. W. E. Bassaan^, of Kingston, Ont.^ writes : "When my little girl was abouit three months old she sulTered with vomiting and had diari'hoea conr- atairtly. I did not find any medicine that helped her until we began giiv- ing her Bab.v's Own Tablets. After giving her the Tablets the vomiiting and diairrhooa ceased and she began to improve alniosi. a<t once. Since tlscn whenever her atomtich is o'u't of order or alio is constipated we give her the Tablets, and the ie.sult is al- ways all tjiat we desire. They are the very best medicine I have ever used for a child." Baby's Own Tablets are sold by all dealers in medicine or will bo sent postpaid, at twoii'ty-five cents a box, by the Dr. Williams' Medicine Company, Hrockville, Ont. care to practise abroad, b(!cause of the great severity of the foreign courts in dealing with this form of crime. In France, for instance, there seems to be a fixed penal tavill applied to foreign voleurs a la tire, and that is the maximum allowed of by tho code, five years' imprisonment. It is probable most of the pickpockets who operate abroad are Germans or Italians, though American enterprise is not lacking in this direction also. The English fraternity may derive satisfaction from the statement that time. All the doors of the rooms being fastened with cheap locks, i* will be seen that the Irousebreakor has an easy task. As a rule, how- ever, he carries a complete outfit ol burglars tools, for tho manufactura of which England still has the speci- alty. VICTIMS SELDOM COMPLAIN. It is on the continent that the con- fidence trick especially flourislies. Hardly a week passes in Paris or Berlin but one hears of some one who has been robbed in this way. But, as a leading French police o.ftcial in this branch, of crime the English pointed out, these cases are hardly A FAMILIAR SUBJECT. Wife (after i-eturning from church â€" "You should have been in church this morning. We had a beautiful ser- mon." Husbandâ€" "I'll bet you can't re- peat the text." Wif(»~"Yes, I can It was the tenth verse of the sixteenth chapter of Ezekiel â€" 'I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk." Rusbnndâ€" "Hug! It is no wonder you remember it." burglar for skill and courage has no continental rival. One rarely reads abroad of houses being broken into at night when people are sleeping in them and the danger of detection is great. In the last few years there have been two such cases in France, and two only, and in each ca.so the arrested burglar proved to be a countryman of Bill Sykes. In each case the sentence was a heavy one; indeed, one of the tvio was sentenc- ed to penal servitude for life. OPERATE BY DAY IN FRANCE. The French housebreaker invariably operates by day. It is only when he attacks an uninhabitated houseâ€" say, a suburban villa whose owners are away at the seasideâ€" that he takes th» risk of the increased penalty, for, as in England, burglary is punisshed DLUch more severely than mere house- breaking. Ho onl.v "goes for" prem- ises when their occupants are awa.y. He does not want to have to kill to insure his safety, though if he is caught in the act of robbery ho in- variabl.v tries to kill. He is alwa.ys armed with a revolver and a dag- ger, but generally relies on his "jim- m.v" for silencing his aggressor. But ho docs not want te kill. Two men executed on the Place de la Ro- quette complained bitterly that ill luck had forced thorn to be«ome mui- derers when they had never had the intention of becoming anything but burglars. With two other men they had broken by night into a house in tlie Rue Poussin, believing it to te uninhabitated. knowing that the family was away at l^ice. However, an unfortunate caretaker slept on the premises. RICH HARVEST AT HAND. Biliousness From the Liver A Ce»mmon and Distressing: Ailment Which is Promptly Cured by DR. CHASE'S KiDNF.Y-LIVER PILLS. Bess, liver complaint and sick head- ache for over three years, I am glad to testif.v to my appreciation of Dr. Chase's Kidne.y-Livur Tills. At first they seemed a little strong, hut being bolli searching and thorough in their action amply repay any inconvenience by after-results. I am feeling better in every way and my headaches have entirely disappeared. Dr. Chases Kidne.v-Liver Pills are certainly the best I ever used, and I freely recom- mend them." After all, it pays to stand by the tried and proven medicines instead of running after every new-fungled treatment that is brought out. Dr. Chase's Kidnsy-Liver Pills are con- sidered <lell-nigh indispensable in thousands of tho best homes. They stand supreme as a reliable family medicine. One pill a dose, 25 cent* a box. At all dealers, or Edmanson, Bates and Co., Toronto. To pro- tect you against imitations, the por- trait and nignature of' Dr. A. W. Bays: â€" "After doc- j Chase, the famous receipt book au- succesfl for biliou.s- ' thor, arc on every box. "BiliouiJJesa" is the one word used by most people to describe their trouble wh(;n the liver gets out of order, loaves hilc, and brings on sick headache and irritable temper, stom- nch troubles,,' and irregularities of the bowels. People who suffer much from bil- lousnes.'i become pale and yellow in complexion, irritable, and morose in disposition, and arc liable to find themselves among tho chronic grum- blers, to whom noth'ing seems to go right. Tho trouble begins with the liver becoming tcvpid and sluggish in ac- tion, and dtsappoars when the liver is set right. Dr. Chase's Kidne.v- Liver Pills cure biliousness promptly, because of their direct action on the liver. They thoroughly remove all the symptoms because of their com- bined action on kidneys, liver, and bowel.'*. 41x8. Faulkner, 8 (lildersleeve n«*3, Toronto ioring without DR.A.VII.C}tASrSOS! CATARRH CUBE... i^OC U tent direct to tki diseased part, bj- lie loippovtd Blower. He»ls ihe tilccri. cl<!tr» tbo att p>M«ees, Slops droppinps In tb» throat end permananlly cures Calarrh apd Hay F«vi». Bloww >. J. ^" do*'"''' °' ^'- ''• W. Ch:is» Uedicla* C*,. Toconis acd BuSala, IRON DUKE'E WEAKNESS. Patronage as It V/as in the Early Days of Last Century. A book of memoirs just published has a good story of the Iron I'uku; â€" Colonel Wollesley was very much in debt and embarrassed when he left England, and a small tradesman in llublin was of great ussistanco to him b.v the loan of four or live iuin- dred pounds, which on his arrival in India in duo course of time wa.s lo- paid; and I have .yeard that on his return from India he walked into the shop of the tradesman, a boot and shoo maker, and nnkcd him if ho re- eollected him. The man said "No." "Well." suid Sir Arthur, who waa .secretary to the Duke of Richmond, "can I be of any service to you?" Tlie man said, "I want nothing m.y- self, but I have a son." "Give me his name," said Sir Arthur; "you did me a kindness once, and I do not forget it. " He got the mans son a place at £4(Xi per annum. It is nn interesting side light on tho methods of Government patronage in those days. Will tho memoirs dealing with out present enlightened ago have sim- ilar revelations to make? "RETURN AT ONCE." Merchantâ€" "Did you deliver my massage to Mr. Smith?" Boyâ€" "No, sir; he was out, and the office was locked up." Merchantâ€" "Well, why didn't you Wait for him. as I told you?" Boyâ€" "There was a notice on the door saying 'Return at once,' so I cam* back as quick as I could." In those matters the housebreaker takes few risks, he usually reai)s a rich harvest. The love of the French for economy is proverbial, and an- other typical feature of tho national character is that people who save like to kecj) their mone.y in cash where they can see and count it. The bulk of tile Froncli people of the low- er ar.d middle classes have littlo con- fidence in savings banks or invest- ments, and since the Panama smash this confidence still has further di- minishrd. So in most rooms and npartiiients in Paris the robber is a.s- sured of finding a sum of hard cash, and it is surprising to hear what sums they do find. The other day a fire broke out in the attic of a house in Paris and amongst the garrets which were biirr.ed out was one occupied by a milkman's carrier. His desi)air. bordering on insonil.v. on learning what had happened was explained b.v the fact that he kept in a box in his e\ier taken up by €he police, becausa almost Invariably the actual victim was in intention a thief .xlso. Hav- ing exchanged portfolios with ths benevolent- and millioBaire stranger, the eventual victim makes haste t« 'disappear. It is only when he comes to examine the contents of the port- folio, satci'el, or portmanteau that he raises the cry that he has been robbed. The thieves in this branch of crime speculate on tho natural dis- honesty under strong temptation «l the average man. Blackmailing also prospers on tht continent far bettJor than in Eng [land, where criminals of this ordei I are coming to the conclusion that tho game is certainly not wortli th« candle. Abroad it fu-rnishes an ig- noble sulisistenco to thousands o' men and women. Berlin is full o: them. In Paris, be it said to thi di.sgrace of tho French press, ninny newspapers, for lucre, make them- selves the allies of these scoundrels. A book could be written on the sub- ject of blackmailing in Franco. BURIED TREASURE. The buried treasure swintHe. thanks to Mr. Labouchcre and other journ- alists, does not now-a-da.vs maka many victims in England. However, the Spanish Vrisoncr and his con- geners still reap an abundant harv- est. If you come to think of it tha Humbert swindle with tho safe, with the .4,000,0fl0 .stored in it, is only a variety of this form of robbery. Thousand.s of letters go out yearly from Barcelona to people in all parts of the world, their names and ad- dres.ses being taken from tho vaiious continental directories. This swindle, by tho wa.v. Was in- vented by a Frenchman named St. Firmin. and there is still extant a letter written by him in 17fl8 to a Parisian tradesman named PauvMrt. in which he asks for nn advancp ol funds so as to be able to travel to a spot where a buried treasure was hidden. Pauvort was to have hi.i share in the proceeds. St. Firmin said he had been valet to a iiobli<- man, who. fleeing the dangers o' the revolution, had buried a chest containing $20,000 in gold and a quantity of jewels. St. Firmin was arrested in 1801 and it then came out his story was ipiito true. A treasure had been buried under th« circumstances di'.scribod. Unfortu- nately the cache had been rifled, sta the e.x-valet's stock in traile was a myth, lie had duped scores of |ieo- pie with his story and has immortal- ized him.seU' in tho annals of the j)o- lice as the inventor of one of th( most productive forms of fraud to wl!.icli human cupidity and credulitj fall victims. "AVhat do you sell dried apples for, joung man T* '"'Cause 1 can't get an>- other job, via'au».. ijoL^-jMiiaiiimm