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mif. the In- -my, re- •mj did lak t«! >at V)0 .)Vf hia th« he lun- do one 5? » I'll ap- of •ino in iixl ith- .ith •led bo- th* wai ed ob- ake h«n ♦. ^ CLOSE QUARTERS ; OR. THE HOUSE IN THB RUE BARBETTE '=^ J CHAPTER 1. Ileginal<f Brett, barrister-at-law and amiteur detective, had seldom been jnore at peice with tiie world and his own conscience than when he entered the dining-room of his oosy Hat this bright October morn- iag. Bines the famous affair of L»dy Delia Lyle's disappearance and <leath. he bad not been busy, and the joy of healthy idleness is only known to the hard worker. Again, while dressing, he had received a letter inviting him to a quiet shoot at a delightful place in the country. All these things blended with happy inconsequence to render Brett contented in mind and affable in nian.ner. '•It's a fine morning, Smith," he aaid cheerily, as he settled himself at the table where his "man'' was alreuly pouring out the coffee. "Bee-utiful, sir," said Smith. "Smith!" "Ycssir." "Kot even the best English au- tumn weather can stand being called 'bee-utiful.' Don't do it. You will open the flood-gates of beavei." Smith laughed decorously. He hod not the slightest idea what his master meant, but if it plea.'jed Mr. Brett to be jocose, it was the duty of a servant who kuew his place tj be responsive. The barrister fully understood Smith's delicate appreciationâ€" and it.s limits. He instantly noticed that the morning paper, instead of reposiiig next to his folded nap- kin, was placed out of reach on a 8ideb,>ard, and that the eggs and bacon made their appearance half a mijiute too soon. As an e.vpert swordsman delights io ejcecute a pass en tierce with an umbrella, so did the cleverest ana- lytical detective of the age resolve to amaze h'^s servitor. '•Smith," he said suddenly, com- posing his features to their most severe cross-examination aspect, "I think the arrangement is an excel- lent one." "What arrangement, sir." "That Mrs. Smith and yourself ehou'd have a few days' hobday, â- while Mrs. Smith's brother takes y.iur place during my forthcoming visit to Lord Northaflerton'sâ€" why, man, what is the matter ; Is it too hot ;â- â€" for the cover Smith h.-vd lifted off the bacon and eggs clat- tered violently on the table. " 'Ot, sir. 'Ot isn't the word. You're a fair licker, that's what you are." Smith invariably dropped his h'B when lie became excited. "Smith, I insist that you shall inot call me names. Pass the paper." "But, sir " "Pass the paper. Utter another word and I refuse to accept Mrs. Smith's brother as your locum tenet! s." Smith was silenced by the last terrible epithet. Yet he was so manife-itly nervous that Brett re- solved to enlighten him before plunEriiic: into the day's news. "?\>r the last time. Smith," he said, "I will explain to you why It is hopeless for you to think ot jonceali'ig tradesmen's commissions fr')ni me." The shot went home, but the en- Bmv was acquainted with this me- thod of attack, and did not wince. "You knew that Lord Northal- lerton had recently invited me to Ki*i October pheasant-shooting. Durl.ig the last few days a youth, wlij griiesquely reproduce* Mrs. Binith's most prominent features. has mysteriously tenanted the kit- chen, ill-cleaned my boots, and bungled over the studs in my shirts. This morning a letter came with the crest and the Xor*liallerton p.j.'^tmirk. Really. Smith, consid- prinsc that you have now breathed the same air as myself for eight long vears, I did not expect tj be "cSTTkI on for an explanati.)n. Be- iiide.». you have destroyed a mas- ten''""p- ' "Sir--" begin Smith. "Oh. I understaTid; there is no- thing broken but your reputati.^n. Don't you see that the mere plac- ing .>f the newspaper at a distance. BO that you might have a chance to speak l>efore I opened it, was a .subtle stroke, worthy of Leeoca. Yet vou demand feeble words. What a pity! Know. Smith, that true (CPnIus is dumb. Sjpeech may be silvern, but silence is surely The barrister solemnly unfolded Uie paper, and Smith Taded from (he r.om. On a page usually de- ToUhI to tmportant announceme its, ihe f>1!jwiug paragraphs stood forth in the boldness of leaded type:â€" "MYSTERIOUS OCCURRENCE IN THE WEST END." *'Aa ataii oi a«m« magnitudoâ€" perhaps a remarkable crime â€" has taken place in an Albert Gate man- sion. "Owing to tlie reticence of the authorities, it is at present impos- sible to arrive at a definite conclu- sion as to the nature or extent of the incident, but it is quite certain that public interest will be much excited when details are forthcom- ing. All sorts of rumor.s attain credence in the locality, the mur- der of several prominent persons being not the leaat perai.steut of these. Without, however, giving currency to idle speculation sever- al authentic statements may be grouped into a connected form. 'â- Four weeks ago a party of Tur- kish gentlemen of high rank in Constantinople, arrived in Londoa and took up their abode in the house in question, after some struc- tural alterations, pointing at great security within and without, had been planned and executed. •Attending these Turkish gen- tlemen, or officials, was a nuTper- ous suite of Moslem guards and servants, whilst, immediately fol- lowing their arrival, came from Amsterdam some dozen noted ex- pert* in the diamond-cutting in- dustry. These were lodged in a neighboring private hotel, where they were extremely uncommuni- cative as to their business in Lon- don. They were employed during the day at the Albert Gate house. The presence in the mansion, both day and night, of a strong force of Metropolitan police, tended to excite local curiosity to an intense degree, but no clear conception of the business of the occupants was allowed to reach the public. 'Whatever it was that took place, the full particulars were not only well known to the authorities â€"the presence of tlie police h.'nts even at Governmental sanction â€" but matters proceeded on normal lines until yesterday m.irning. 'â- Then it became clear that a re- markable development must h-ive occurred during the precediig night, as the whole of the Dutch workmen and the Turkish attend- ants were taken off in cabs by the police, not to Morton Street Police Station, but to Scotland Yard; this in itself being a most unusual C'jurse to adjpt. They are unques- tllonably detained in custody, but they have not yet been charged before a magistrate. â- â€¢The police, later in the Jay, carried off some of these men's pt.-- sonul belongings, from both hotel and mansion. "\ sinister aspect was given to the foregoing mysterious proceed- ings by the presence at Albert Gate, early in the day, of two police surgeons, who were f illowed, about twelve o'clock, bv Dr. Tennyson Coke, the greatest living author- itv on toxicology. "•'Dr. Coke and the other medi- cal geatlemen subsequently refus- ed to impart the slightest informa- tion as to the reas^ms that led tic police to seek their services, and the Scotland Yard authjrities are adamant in the matter. "The representative of a news agency was threate'ie<l wich arrest for trespass when he endeavored [ to gain admission to the Albert ! Gate house, and it is quite evide:it that the police are determi;ied to prevent the facts from leaking out at presentâ€" if they can by any means accomplish their wishes." Brett read this interesting statement twice slowly. It fascin- ates! him. Its very vagueness, its admissions of inability to tell what hvJ reallv happened, its otlroit use of such phrases as â- â- Turkish gentle- men of high rank," â- 'Xoted ex- perts in the diamond-cutting in- dustry." "The greatest living au- thoritv on toxicology," betrayed the l-aud of -the disappointed jour- nalistic artist. 'â- Excellent:" he murmured aloud. "It is the breath of battle to my nostrils. I ought to tip Smith f >r niv breakfast. H-id I read this earlier, I would not have eaten a morsel." He carefully examined the page at the back. ' It contained matter of no consequenceâ€" a London County Council debateâ€" so he took a pair of scissors from his pocket and cut out the complete item, placi ig the slip as a votive offering in f' nt of a finely executed bust of Edgar Allen Poc that stood on a b'>okcase behind him. Wihin three minutes the scissors were again employed. The new cutting ran - ,. «•• i "There is trouble at Yildiz Kiosk. A Reuter's telegram from Con- stantin .pie states that a near re- Uti\ - of the Sultan has fle<l to Eran.e. The Porte have asked the French Government to •ipprehend him, but the French Amb.assador h.-M iuformed Riez P<»sh-\ that this course is impracticable i'l the ab- sene> of any criminal charge." "T lese two are one," said the barrister, as ha turned towartls Poe's bust and laid the slip by the side of its predecessor. This time he had mutilated a critique of an Ibsenite drama. The rest of the newspaper's con- tents had no special interest for him. and he soon threw aside ths journal in order to rise, light a cigarette, and muster sufficient en- orgy to write a telegram accepting Lord Northallerton's invitation for the following day. He was on the point of re.oching for a telegraph form when Smith entered with a card. It bore the name and address â€" "The Earl of Fairholme, Stanhope Gate." "Curious," thought Brett, "Where is his lordship!" he said aloud â€" "at the door, or in the street?" (His flat was on the second floor). "In a keb, sir." 'Bring his lordship up." A rapid glance at "Debrett' re- vealed that the Earl of Fairholme was thirty, unmarried, the four- teenth of his line, and the posses- sor of country seats at Fairholme, Warwickshire, and Glen Sj^y, In- verness. The earl entered, an athletic, well-groomed man, one whose lines were usually cast in pleasant places, but who was now in an unwonted state of flurry and annoyance. Each man was favorably impress- ed by the other. His lordship pro- duced an introductory card, and Brett was astonished to find that it bore the name of the L'nder-Sec- retary of State for Foreign Affairs. "I have come " commenced his lordship hesitatingly. But the barrister broke in. "You have had a bad night. Lord Fair- holme. Y'ou wish for a long and comfortable chat. Now, won't you start with a whisky and s.xla, light a cigar, and draw an easy chair near the fire .'" " 'Pon my honor, Mr. Brett, you begin well. Y'ou give me confi- deaee. Those are the first cheerful Words I have heard during twenty- j four hours." I The earl was easily manoeuvred into a strong light. Then he made a fresh start. j â- â€¢You have doubtless heard of j this Albert Gate affair, Mr. Brett;" 'You mean this ?' said the other. rising and handing >to his visitor the longer paragraph of the two j he h.ad selected from the news- ; paper. j ••That is very curious." said the I earl, momentarily startled. But 1 he was too preoccupied by his : thoughts to pay much heed to the i incident. He merely glanced at I the cutting and went on: •Yes, that is it. Well, Edithâ€" I Miss Talbot. I meanâ€" vows that she won't marry me until this beastly business is cleared up. Of course, we all know that Jack didn't sloi>e with the diamonds. He's tied up or dead, for sure. But â€" no matter what may have become of him â€" why the dickens that hould stop Edith from marrying me is more than I can fathom. Just look at some of the women in Society. They don't leave it to their rela- tives to be mixed up in a scandal, I can tell you. Still, there yuu are. Edith is jolly clever and aw- fully determined, so you've got to find him. Mr. Brett. Dead or alive, he must be found, and cleared." I 'He shall," said Brett, gazing j into the fire. The quiet, self-reliant voice steadied the young peer. He check- ed an imminent tlow of words, 1 picked up the newspaper slip again, I and this time read it. 'Then he blushed. '•You must think me very stupid. Mr. Brett, to burst out in such a manner when you probably have never heard of the people I am talking about.'' "You will tell me. Lord Fair- holme, if you get quietly to work, and try to si>eak, so far as you fijid it i>.isgible. in chronological se- quence.'' (To be continued.) /T LEHERS OF A SOH IN THE MAKING TO HIS DAD. ^= â€" ly REX MoEVOY HEAD ^^^jfe^CHE Slop It In 30 miautes, without »ny harm to any p»r1 of your system, by takin; ••NA-DRU-CO" Headache Wafers ^^.v^tS..""" K«TION»L DRUa »NO CHEMICAL CO. Or CANADA UMITCD, MONTRtAL. 2? [Mr. McEvoy will write for this paper a S3rie3 of letters from the west. They will appear from time to time un- de.' the above headin<^, and will give a picture of the great Canadian west from the standpoint of a youug Ontario man goinjj out there to make his way. Tlie.^e let- ters should be full of inte.est for every Ontario father.] "THE BEST HOME PRESERVES" 3 A fellow never suffers from ennui till he gets tired doing no- thing. In society it is much easier to do the proper thing than th? right t'hing. F.very church has a nave, but, unfortunately, it isn't always spelled that way. If misery loves company it's up to everybody to get married. Many a man starves to-day -while feeding on the hopes of to-morrow. If the average man has any vir- tues he feels like aiwlogizing for them. There's nothing like the knife of candor for severing the bonds of friendship. Only a wise man know.s how lit- tle he actually knows of that which may be known. A woman's idea of a man's re- spectability depends on how he ii dre«»ed. Heron Bay, Ont., Aug. 9th. My Dear Father,â€" Perhaps it would be well to ex- plain the shakiness of my hand- writing before going any further iu this letter. Although everybody in our car is in excellent spirits, we are all sober. The fact is, however, that iu spite of the little movable table which the porter has fitted up for me, the motion of the car occasionally makes my writing ra- ther shaky. They are great little tables that fit into the side of the car near the windows and they are ; supported at the other end on oue leg. They com© in useful for all sorts of things. We use them as dining tables, and just now an old man and his three sons just across the aisle are playing a game lA cards on their little table. They are going out to take up some of the irrigated lands of Alberta which are watered by the C .P. R. irri- gation canal. I got acquainted with them through mother not put- ting a cup in my valise when she packed the grub for me to eat on the trip. I borrowed a cup 'r in them and traded two bananas for a cup of coffee and some dried beef. They are a fine jolly crowd in this car, and there is all sorts of fun all the time, especially at meal times. I am mighty glad already that we decided I should come out west this summer, even if I don't stop here. Why, I never realized before what a big place Ontario is. Of course, that big map of the Dominion hanging on the school- house wall, showed that the Prov- ince was some size, but here I have been travelling along for pretty near twenty-four hours, and we have to go over fourteen hours more, before we get to Manitoba. We cross the boundary at Rcnnie, just 1161 miles from the L'uion Sta- tion, Toronto, where you saw me off when I climbed up into this car in the Canadian Pacific train for Vancouver. Do you know. Dad. for all they talk of the West, ' we have a good line of country in Ontario. We didn't see much of Muskoka. a.? we passed thiough there at night, but I woke at Muskoka station and raised the blind at my window and saw the trunks of the nearest trees looking ghostly in the electric lights of the station. Behind them was black mystery. Of course, 1 couldn't see much, but it looked as though the folks that go there fyr their holidays ought to get a pretty good change from the cities. At breakfast time, on the first morning of our trip, we were in the Sudbury district, and it's some- thing to make us throw out our chests, and feel proud to think that the richest nickel and copper de- posits in the whole world are right here in Ontario. Moose Mountain Range is close here, too â€" the great- est known iron range in Canada. This ought to be a great manufac- turing district some day. There is not much timber round the line just near Sudbury. The trees die when they get to be si.x or nine inches through. Poplar trees grow about twenty feet high and then they die, and everywhere you can see these young trees cov- ered with dead, shrivelled leaves. Low bushes give the only touch of green to be seen, and everywhere there are rocks of all kinds, sizes and shapes. There are rocks that you could play duck on the rock with, and others that are bigger than our barn at home, with all sizes in between. It must have been a tremendous jnb putting the railroad through here. It seems like railro.id building was what mother says woman's work is â€" it's never finished. Every little while we pass a gang of men who are busy doing something to the track. They build culverts of concrete sections and turn streams through them, then they fill in solid all round them, so that a number of little bridges have been done away with. Long trestles have been filled in the same wiy wit:i solid banks in some places thirty or forty feet high. The line cro,?<c;. deep valleys on these high banks, and if there is a stream in the bot- tom of it, the railway may cut a new channel for it through the solid rock. I would like to see how they managed to get orer this v)uatry in the days wh«a they Tbeiie are made by riKbtl; combiaing lusoioua (reab fruits witk EXTRA GRANULATED SUGAR Thu best results are then ait-sured. Ask your grocer for Redpath Extra Granulated Sugar, knows then that you want the best. Ha The Canada Sugar Refining Co., Limited, Montreal Established in 1854 by John Redpath. used to go to Winnii)eg by o.x-cart. I saw my first real live Indian to-day. There are lots of lakes all through this country, you are hardly ever out of sight of water in this part of Ontario, and just as we pa-ssed one lake I caught sight of an Indian tepee on an is- land, with a squaw bending over a fire. There was a birch-bark canoe â€" the genuine thing â€" drawn out of the water and lying upside down, close to the tepee. You go fur miles and miles, in the train with- out seeing anybody, and then you may come on a little clearing with a little bit of a wooden house, un- painted and looking more like a box with windows than a house. But there may be a flag-pole along- side, where the Union .Jack is run up on holidays. The children who run out of these cabins and wave at^ the train, as it goes by, seem quite glad to see someone, even if it's only to shout 'â- howdy, ' as the train rushes by. We passed & grave to-day. where, I suppose, some settler is buried. It was all alone in a small cleared space among the trees and bu.'-hes. It looked awfully lonely in that wilderness, but there must have been someone to think kindly of the man who is taking his last rest there, for a wooden picket fence had been built round the. grave, and a weather-worn wooden cross stood at its head. Say, Dad, I do wish you could have been with me this last half hour. We have just come into view of Lake Superior. AH day we have been rolling along be- tween fairly high hills. Just as t'V: shadows of evening were com- ing on we turned down the va'.ley ')f a river, and suddenly came in full view of the wide expanse of Lake Superior. It was grand. The lake was a bright blue, far out to the horizon, where a blue moun- tain-nis island loomed up. In shore, a hundred feet or so below us. the waves were dashing in snowy breakers on the rocks. All about the lake were high, rolling hills, their wooded sides bathed in the mellow ruddy light of 'Uisjt. The track here winds in and out around t!ie hills, and soT:-.-times goes t'lrough . tunnels, wiiile at other times it runs along a precipit- ous wall, at the foot of which the waves constantly dash. For some reason, the view of those great hills, and the might\ lake in the sunset light mad'.? me think of us singing â- '.Voidf Wii: Me" in the churcii at home, especially tliat verse : "Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day ; Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away ; Change and decay in all arotind I see ; O Thou, 'VVho ehangest not, abide with me." Perhaps it was the thought that the waves of tliis lake were dash- ing about that distant island, and at the feet of those hills, for un- told centuries without change, that made me think of the hymn. It was a sort of glimpse of eternity We are running on with coi- stantly changing 'iews of tne lake. which is disappearing in the gath- ering night. It is immense. I would sort of like to hear the hum of the separator at home now, and I can im.igine that you are about hitching up Nellie to go to the post office. Well. I must say good- bye now as the porter is beginning to make up the beds. Tell mother I will write to her. Your loving son. JIM. UPSET HIM. Hub (angrily)-'What: Thirty- five dollars for that new halt You told me hats could be boug'ht from 9t up. " Wifey- •'Ye«, <ie«r, this is one of the -uj*.'" WAR A.ND BRITISH CREDIT. Boer War Increased Debt Eigb( Hundred Million Dollars. In 1S99 the debt of Great Bri- tain stood at the lowest point sinc« the Napoleunic wars, and for foul years Government bonds bearin| two and three-quarter per cent in- terest had sold at a premium aver- aging about ten per cent. Then came the Boer War, increasing th« debt by eight hundred million dol- lars and making the total nearlj four billions. •This," the editoi of the Economist recently observ- ed, "was the highest point sinc« 1567; so that the national saving! of thirty-six years of peace wer« swept away by national borrowing! during three years of war." Anc in April. 1903, interest on consoU was reduced to two and a hali per cent. For a good while consols hav« been selling at a discount of aboul twenty per cent., and in the middls of July they dropped to seventy- eight and a quarterâ€" the lowest price in eighty years. The drop was attributed to apprehension over the Morocco situation â€" which naturally raises a question as to what would become of consols il there were a real war scare. Money cannot be had at two and a half per cent, because there ara too many competitors for tha world's savings. The relative pric- es of British two and a half per cents and French three per cents suggests that investors do not like a very low-rate bond, even at a discount. The more important point is thai aboul a year of actual fighting with a handful of Boers caused Britain's debt to increase three-fourths as much as twelve years of fighting with Napoleon at the height of his power. That suggests the colossal destrucliveness of modern warfare. GET POWER. The Supply Comes Fncn Eood, If we get power from food why not strive to get all the power we can. That is only possible by use of skilfully selected food that ex- actly fits the requirements of the body. Poor fuel makes a poor are and a poor fire is not a good steam i>roducer. â- 'From not knowing how to select the right food to fit my needs, I suffered grievously for a long time from stomach troubles," writes a lady frjm a little town in Missouri. "It seemed as if I would 'ev-?r be able to find out the sort of food that was best for me. Hardly any- thing that I could eat would stay on my stomach. Every attempt gave me heartburn and filled my stomach with gas. I got thinner and thinner until 1 literally became a living skeleton and in time was compelled to keep to my bed. â- A few months ago I was per- suaded to try Graps-Nuts food, and it had such good effect from the very beginning that 1 hav« kept up its use ever since. I was surprised at the ease with which 1 digested it. It proved to be just what I needed. "All my unpleasant symptoms, the heartburn, the iufl.ited feelin.n which gave me so much pain dis- appeared. My weight gradually increased from !»S t(j IIG pounds, my figure rounded out. my strength came back, and 1 am now able to do my housework and enj'>y it, Grape-Xuts food did it." Name gi^ en by Postum Co., Battle Creek, Mich. .. .\ ten days* trial will sIio'a- any- one s<.ime facts about food. Read the little bonk. 'The Ro.-m to Wellville." in pkgs. â- 'Tljere'i •a reason." Ever raad th« abo«« Utter t A n*« an, appears from tlm« to tlm«. Tticy ara tmm ulna, trHt, and full al iMHiun Inta It i* eas'er to accept a pcwitioi Khan it is tit lioM a iot>-