“I hope, Grim,” said Jack, ‘'the new year, Which now, as you know, is most here, Will find you a boy Less prone to annoy, More given to deeds that endear.” Nightcaps In. the Navy. Captain William Harwar Parker in lis “Recollections of a Naval Officer” jives the following story from his ex- >eriences on joining the United States rar vessel North Carolina as a mid- hipman in 1841, when he was fourteen r ears of age: “I had suffered much vith earache, and my mother had aused me to wear nightcaps. There v*as nothing strange to me in this, as •ther boys w, re them at my boarding school, but it seems it was not a way they had in the navy. My caps were of many colors, for they were made of remnants of my sister’s dresses. Now, as I made my final preparations for re¬ pose I opened my trunk sand put on a close fitting nightcap. It was the sig¬ nal for an indescribable tcene of con¬ fusion. If I had put on a suit of mail it could not have paused ^greater...as- - - . -L, . .ji tonishment among these light hearted reefers. They rushed to my trunk, seized the caps, put them on and joined in a wild dance on the orlop deck, in which were mingled red caps, blue caps, white caps, all colors of caps, in pleasing variety. I had to take mine off before turning in, as it really did seem to be too much for their feelings, but I managed to smuggle it under my pillow', and when all was quiet I put it on again. But when the midshipman came down at midnight to call the re* lief he spied it, and we had another scene. This was the last I ever saw of my caps.” _______ In"Parls the postoffice department is now using several electric mail wagons which are designed to transport the mail matter in larger quantities and at a greater spied than the old horse drawn vehicles. VOL. XI. I % o at e if © u 0 a, q Copyright, 1901, by Caroline Wether ell o flr0fc0fe0fe0*0fe0fc0fe0to0fe0l*0fe0)«0to0^0it0330fe0fe0?c0fe0340330s®03sol>30*l AH GRIM’S NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATION o 3f © a © n o M o * o NO. 117. “The new year then welcome with Joy, Here's money to buy a new toy.” Thus foolishly Jack put Grim on the track Of a plan bound the peace to destroy. For Grim bought a trumpet of tin To welcome the New Year's day In, One blast on that horn Made the whole village mourn, For it caused bricks and plaster to spin. SEPTEMBER, 1905. —-. In him Grim was sure Jack would find A giaht boy quite to his mind, And promised that he From tricks would be free, Obedient always and kind. i Ufa "Return of \ SHERLOCK (HOLMES i ) By A. CONAN DOYLE, Author of “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,' “The Hound of the Easkervilles,” "The Sign of the Four,” “A Study In Scarlet,” Etc. ILLUSTRATED BY F. D. STEELE Copyright by Collier’s Weekly “IT WAS A STRAIGHT LEFT AGAINST A SLOGGING RUFFIAN.” The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist fo. 4 of the Series (Copyright, 1903, by A. Conan Doyle and Collier's Weekly.) (Copyright, 1905, by McClure, Phillips & Co.) I ROM the years 1894 to 1901, inclusive, Mr. Sher¬ lock Holmes was a very busy man. It is safe to say that there was no public case of any diffi¬ culty in which he was not consulted during those eight years, and there were hundreds of private cases, some of them of the most in¬ tricate and extraordinary character, in which he played a prominent part. As I have preserved very full notes of all these cases and was myself person¬ ally engaged in many of them, it may be imagined that it is no easy task to know which I should select to lay be¬ fore the public. I shall, however, pre¬ serve my former rule and give the pref¬ erence to those cases which derive their interest not so much ffoifT the brutality of the crime as from the ingenuity and dramatic quality of the solution. For this reason I will now lay before the reader the facts connected with Miss Violet Smith, the solitary cyclist of Charlingtop, and the curious" sequel of our investigation, which culminated in unexpected tragedy. On referring to my notebook for the year 1895 I find that it was upon Sat¬ urday, the 23d of April, that we first heard of Miss Violet Smith. Her visit was, I remember, extremely unwel¬ come to Holmes, for he was immersed at the moment in a very abstruse and complicated problem concerning the peculiar persecution to which John Vin¬ cent Harden, the well known tobacco millionaire, had been subjected. My friend, who loved above all things pre¬ cision and concentration of thought, re¬ sented anything which distracted his attention from the matter in hand. And yet, without a harshness which was foreign to his nature, it was im¬ possible to refuse to listen to the story of the young and beautiful woman, tall, graceful and queenly, who presented herself at Raker street late in the evening and implored his assistance and advice. It was vain to urge that his, time was already fully occupied, for the young lady had come with the determination to tell her story, and it was evident that nothing short of force could get her out of the room until she had done so. With a resigned air and a somewhat weary smile, Holmes beg¬ ged the beautiful intruder to take a seat and to inform us what it was that was troubling her. “At least it cannot be your health,” said he as his keen eyes darted over her. “So ardent a bicyclist must be full of energy.” She glanced down in surprise at her own feet, and I observed the slight roughening of the side of the sole caus¬ ed by the friction of the edge of the pedal. “Yes, I bicycle a good deal, Mr. Holmes, and that has something to do with my visit to you today.” My friend took the lady's ungloved hand and examined it with as close an attention and as little sentiment as a scientist would show to a specimen. “You will excuse me, I am sure. It is my business,” said he as he dropped it. “I nearly fell into the error of sup¬ posing that you were typewriting. Of course it Is obvious that It is music. You observe the spatulate finger ends, Watson, which is common to both pro¬ fessions? There is a spirituality about the face, however”—she gently turned it toward the light—“which the type¬ writer does not generate. This lady is a musician.” “Yes, Mr. Holmes, I teach music.” “In the country, I presume, from your complexion.” “Yes, sir; near Farnham, on the bor¬ ders of Surrey.” “Now, Miss Violet, what has happen¬ ed to you near Farnham, on the bor¬ ders of Surrey?” The young lady, with great clearness and composure, made" the following curious statement: “My father is dead, Mr. Holmes. He was James Smith, who conducted the orchestra at the old Imperial theater. My mother and I were left without a relation in the world except one un¬ cle, Ralph Smith, who went to Africa twenty-five years ago, and we have never had a word from him since. When father died we were left very poor, but one day we were told that there was an advertisement in the Times inquiring for our whereabouts. You can imagine how excited we were, for we thought that some one had left us a fortune. We went at once to the lawyer whose name was given in the paper. There we met two gentlemen, Mr. Carruthers and Mr. Woodley, who were home on a visit from South Afri¬ ca. They said that my uncle was a friend of theirs, that he had died some months before in great poverty in Jo¬ hannesburg, and that he had asked them with his last breath to hunt up his relations and see that they were in no want. It seemed strange to us that Uncle Ralph, who took no notice of us when he was alive, should be so care¬ ful to look after us when he was dead, but Mr. Carruthers explained that the reason was that my uncle had just heard of the death of his brother and so felt responsible for our fate.” “Excuse me,” said Holmes. “When was this interview?” “Last December—four months ago.” “Pray proceed.” “Mr. Woodley seemed to me to be a most odious person. He was forever making eyes at me—a coarse, puffy faced, red mustached young man, with his hair plastered down on each side of hfs forehead. I thought that he was perfectly hateful, and I was sure that Cyril would not wish me to know such a person.” “Oh, CyrS is his name!” said Holmes, smiling. The young lady blushed and laughed. “Yes, Mr. Holmes, Cyril Morton, an electrical jengineer,. &n||_we hope to, be married at the end of the summer. Dear me, how did I get talking about him? What t wished to say was that Mr. Woodley was perfectly odious, but that Mr. Carruthers, who* was a much elder man, was more agreeable. He was a dark, sallow, clean shaven, silent person, but he had polite manners and a pleasant smile. He inquired how we were left, and on finding that we were very poor he suggested that I <§»hould come and teach music to his only daughter, aged ten. I said that I did not like to leave my mother, on which he suggested that I should go home to her every week end, and he offered me a hundred a year, which was certainly splendid pay. So it ended by my ac¬ cepting, and I went down to Cbiltern Grange, about six miles from Farn¬ ham. Mr. Carruthers was a widower, but he had engaged a lady housekeep¬ er, a very respectable, elderly person, called Mrs. Dixon, to look after his es¬ tablishment. The child was a dear, and everything promised well. Mr. Car¬ ruthers was very kind and very music¬ al, and we had most pleasant evenings together. Every week end I went home to my mother in town. “The first flaw in my happiness was the arrival of the red mustached Mr. Woodley. He came for a visit of a week, and, oh, It seemed three months to me. He was a dreadful person—a bully to every one else, but to me some¬ thing Infinitely worse. He made odious love to me, boasted of his wealth, said that if I married him I could have the finest diamonds in London, and finally when I would have nothing to do with him he seized me in his arms one day after dinner—he was hideously strong— and swore that he would not let me go until I had kissed him. Mr. Carruthers came in and tore him from me, on which he turned upon his own host, knocking him down and cutting his face open. That was the end of his visit, as you can imagine. Mr. Carruth¬ ers apologized to me next day and as¬ sured me that I should never be ex¬ posed to such an insult again. I have not seen Mr. Woodley since. “And now, Mr. Holmes, I come at last to the special thing which has caused me to ask your advice today. You must know that every Saturday forenoon I ride on my bicycle to Farn¬ ham station in order to get the 12:22 to town. The road from Cbiltern Grange is a lonely one, and at one spot It is particularly so, for it lies for over a mile between Charlington heath up¬ on one side and the woods- which lie round Charlington Hall upon the other. You could not find a more lonely tract of road anywhere, and it is quite rare to meet so much as a cart or a peasant until you reach the highroad near Crooksbury hill. Two weeks ago I was passing this place when I chanced to look back over my shoulder, and about 200 yards behind me I saw a man, also on a bicycle. He seemed to be a middle aged man, with a short, dark beard. I looked back before I reached Farnham, but the man was gone, so I thought no more about it. But you can Imagine how surprised I was, Mr. Holmes, when on my return on the Monday I saw the same man on the game stretch of road. My astonishment was increased when the incident oc¬ curred again, exactly as before, on the following Saturday and Monday. He always kepthis distance and did not mo¬ lest me in any way, but still it certain¬ ly was very odd. I mentioned it to Mr. Carruthers, who seemed interested in what I said and told me that he had ordered a horse and trap, so that in fu¬ ture I should not pass over these lonely roads without some companion. “The horse and trap were to have come this week, but for some reason they were not delivered, and again I had to cycle to the station. That was thia , niorning. You can think Jhat I t gn4t - .VVxWVX.VwV. 9 <(C 4 'c’ »•»»* w »#•' T H E' BssaF^fgr^:^^ : ^LH looked out when I came to Charlington heath, and there, sure enough, was the man, exactly as he had been the two weeks before. He always kept so far from me that I could not clearly see his face, but It was certainly some one whom I did not know. He was dressed in a dark suit with a cloth cap. The only tiling about his face that I could clearly see was his dark beard. “Today I was not alarmed, but I was filled with curiosity, and I determined to find opt who he was and what he wanted. I slowed down my machine, but he slowed down his. Then I stop¬ ped altogether, but he stopped also. Then I laid a trap for him. There is a sharp turning of the road, and I ped¬ aled very quickly round this, and then I stopped and waited. I expected him to shoot round and pass me before he could stop. But he never appeared. Then I went back and looked round the corner. I could see a mile of road, but he was not on it. To make it the more extraordinary, there was no side road at this point down which he could have gone.” Holmes chuckled and rubbed his hands. “This case certainly presents some features of its own,” said he. “How much time elapsed between your turning the corner and your discovery that the road was clear?” “Two or three minutes.” “Then he could not have retreated flown the road, and you say that there are no side roads?” “None.” “Then he certainly took a footpath on one side or the other.” “It could not have been on the side of the heath or I should have seen him.” “So by the process of exclusion we arrive at the fact that he made his way toward Charlington Hall, which, as I understand, is situated in its own grounds on one side of the road. Any¬ thing else?” “Nothing, Mr. Holmes, save that I was so perplexed that I felt I should not be happy until I had seen you and had your advice.” Holmes sat in silence for some little time. “Where is the gentleman to whom you are engaged?” he asked at last. “He is in the Midland Electrical com¬ pany, at Coventry.” “He would not pay you a surprise visit?” “Oh, Mr Holmes! As if I should not know him?” * “Have you had any other admirers?” “Several before I knew Cyril.” “And since?” “There was this dreadful man, Wood- ley, if you can call him an admirer.” “No one else?” Our fair client seemed a little con¬ fused. “Who was he?” asked Holmes. “Oh, it may be a mere fancy of mine, but it had seemed to me sometimes that my employer, Mr. Carruthers, takes a great deal of interest in me. He has never said anything. He is a perfect gentleman. But a girl always knows.” “Ha!” Holmes looked grave. “What does he do for a living?” “He is a rich man.” “No carriages or horses?” “Well, at least he is fairly well to do. But he goes into the city two or three times a week. He is deeply interested In South African gold shai-es.” “You will let me know any fresh de¬ velopment, Miss Smith. I am very busy just now, but I will find time to make some inquiries into your case. In the meantime take no step without letting me know. Goodby, and I trust that we shall have nothing but good Mews from you.” '“It is part of the settled order of na¬ ture that such a girl should have fol¬ lowers,” said Holmes as he pulled at on bicycles ifi lonely country roads. Some secreti ve lover, beyond all doubt. But there are curious and suggestive details about the case, Watson.” “That he should appear only at that point?” “Exactly. Our first effort must be to find who are the tenants of Charling¬ ton Hall. Then, again, how about the connection between Carruthers and Woodley, since they appear to be men of such a different type? How came they both to be so keen upon looking up Ralph Smith’s relations? One more point. What sort of a menage, is it which pays double the market price for a governess, but does not keep a horse, although six miles from the station? Odd, Watson—very odd!” “You will go down?” “No, my dear fellow; you will go flown. This may be some trifling in¬ trigue, and I cannot break my other Important research for the sake of it. On Monday you will arrive early at Farnham; you will conceal yourself near Charlington heath; you will ob¬ serve these facts for yourself and act as your own judgment advises. Then, having inquired as to the occupants of the hall, you will come back to me and report.” We had ascertained from the lady that she went down upon the Monday by the train which leaves Waterloo at 9:50, so I started early and caught the 9:13. At Farnham station I had no dif¬ ficulty in being directed to Charlington heath. It was impossible to mistake the scene of the young lady’s adven¬ ture, for the road runs between the open heath on one side and an old yew hedge upon the other, surrounding a park which is studded with magnificent trees. There was a main gateway of lichen studded stone, each side pillar surmounted by moldering heraldic em¬ blems, but besides this central car¬ riage drive I observed several points where there were gaps in the hedge and paths leading through them. The house was invisible from the road, but the surroundings all spoke of gloom find decay. The heath was covered with golden patches of flowering gorse gleaming magnificently in the light of the bright spring sunshine. Behind one of these clumps I took up my position so as to command both the gateway of the hall and a long stretch of the road upon either side. It had been deserted when I left it, but now I saw a cyclist riding down it from the opposite direction to that in which I had come. He was clad in a dark suit, and I saw that he had a black beard. On reaching the end of the Charlington grounds he sprang from his machine and led it through a gap in the hedge, disappearing from my view. A quartst of an hour passed, and then a second cyclist appeared. This time it was the young lady coming from the station. I saw her look about her as she came to the Charlington hedge. An instant later the man emerg¬ ed from his hiding place, sprang upon his cycle and followed her. In all the broad landscape those were the only moving figures, the graceful girl sit¬ ting very straight upon her machine and the man behind her bending low over his handle bar with a curiously furtive suggestion in every movement. She looked back at him and slowed her pace. He slowed also. She stopped. He at once stopped, too, keeping 200 yards behind her. Her next movement was as unexpected as it was spirited. She suddenly whisked her wheels round and dashed straight at him. He was as quick as she, however, and darted off in desperate flight. Present¬ ly she came back up the road again, her head haughtily in the air, not deigning to take any further notice of her silent attendant. He had turned also and his meditative pipe, “but for choice not still kept his distance u: ii h ' _t. to c; the road hid them from my sight. I remained in my hiding place, and it was well that I did so, for presently the man reappeared, cycling slowly back. He turned in at the hall gates and dismounted from his machine. For some minutes I could see him standing among the trees. His hands were raised, and. he seemed to be settling his necktie. Then he mounted his cycle and rode away from me down the drive ’toward the hall. I ran across the heath CLASS PINS letters or figures and one or twoi colors of enamel, sterling silver, ( 25c. each; $2.50 a doz. Silver „ .... plated, xoc. each; fi.oo a doz. Special designs in pins or badges made for any y class or society at reasonable prices; send design for esti¬ mates ; also manufacturers celluloid buttons and ribbon badges Catalogue free. Bastian Bros., 21 C 7 K.T, and peered through the trees. Far away I could catch glimpses of the old gray building, with its bristling Tudor chimneys, but the drive ran through a dense shrubbery, and I saw no more of my man. However, it seemed to me that I had done a fairly good morning’s work, and I walked back in high spirits to Farn¬ ham. The local house agent could tell me nothing about Charlington Hall and referred me to a well known firm in Pall Mall. There I halted on my way home and met with courtesy from the representative. No, I could not have Charlington Hall for the summer. I was just too late. It had been let about a month ago. Mr. Williamson was the name of the tenant. He was a respectable, elderly gentleman. The polite agent was afraid he could say no more, as the affairs of his clients were not matters which he could discuss. Mr. Sherlock Holmes listened with attention to the long report which I was able to present to him that even¬ ing, but it did not elicit that word of curt praise which I had hoped for and should have valued. On the contrary, his austere face was severe, “Your hiding place, my dear Watson* was very faulty. Yon should have been behind the hedge. Then you would have had a close view of this interest¬ ing person. As it is, you were some hundreds of yards away and can tell me even less than Miss Smith. She thinks she does not know the man. I am convinced she does. Why, other¬ wise, should he be so desperately anx¬ ious that she should not get so near him as to see his features? You de¬ scribe him as bending over the handle bar. Concealment again, you see. Y r ou really have done remarkably badly. He returns to the house, and you want to find out who be is. You come to a Loudon house agent!” “What should I have done?” I cried, with some heat. “Gone to the nearest public house. That is the center of country gossip. They would have told you every name from the master to the scullery maid. Williamson? It conveys nothing to my mind. If he is an elderly man he is not this active cyclist who sprints away from that young lady’s athletic pursuit. What have we gained by your expedition? The knowledge that the girl’s story is true. I never doubted it. That there is a connection between the cyclist and the hall. I never doubted that either. That the ball is tenanted by Williamson. Who’s the better for that? Well, well, my dear sir, don't look so depressed. We can do little more until next Saturday, and in the meantime I may make one or two in¬ quiries myself.” Next morning he bad a note from Miss Smith recounting shortly and ac¬ curately the very incidents which I had seen, but the pith of the letter lay in the postscript: “I am sure that you will respect my confidence, Mr. Holmes, when I tell you that my place here lias become dif¬ ficult owing to the fact that my em¬ ployer has proposed marriage to me. I am convinced, that bis feelings are most deep and most honorable. At the same time my promise is of course given. He took my refusal very seri¬ ously, but also very gently. You can unde^-Tvl, hoover, that the situation lii k, »«*■ rt .-x- v- --»— EN Cents Each. 25 var. Australian stamps. 125 var. Stamps. 60 vaf. mounted. 25 mixed entires. The 4 lots 25c. Edwin Ewell, Anoka, Minn A VAR. choice foreign stamps to all ap- * plicants for my price lists and to all sending good references for my appnoval sheets at 50%. Frank P. Breuer, -Clinton, Ill Printing- for Stamp Dealers. Circulars, envelopes, letter heads, magazines, etc., at lowest prices. Boys, why not start a small stamp paper ? We print them well at very little cost. Send for samples and prices. Star Pub.Co.99 Pleasant St . Holyoke,Mass. In*-»-| nc I have more stamps and better stamps to sell at 50 p. c. commission than any other dealer. AcrPtltiC Live agents wanted in every locality. Corean stp free for ref S. E. Hopkins, 134,5 Clara Av., St. Louis, Mo. COIN COLLECTING A S a hobby or diverting pursuit affords more pleasure and greater interest than any other collectible odjects. It is a jiivenile pastime or a cultivating and diverting pursuit for the wealthy. A very interesting collection may be formed for a nominal sum. U. S. half cents, 2 different 40 " large cents, 5 different 25 " flying eagle cents, each.06 " 3c pieces, 4 different 25 " 20c piece, 1875. 5.0 " Isabella quarter 75 " half dollar dated before 1820 90 " silver dollar dated pefore 1800 2.50 " trade dollar 90 " Lafayette dollar 2.00 " Gold dollar, each. 2 .og " Lewis & Claak gold dollar 2.00 " 3.00 gold, each . 4*5° " Fractional currency, set of 3c, 5c, ioc, 15c, 25c and 50c note for 3.00 This frac. currency is redeemable by the govt. C. Thousands of other coins in stock. Send for large, illustrated Price List. Also cat. of magnificent collection for next coin sale. Both are free. Address— B. MAX MEHU Numismatist Fort Worth, Texas €1 Mention the lie aim when answering ads S TAMPS. 100 all foreign stamps, 1 stamp album, 100 hinges & approval sheets for 6c in stamps. E. E. DUCKETT, J o p 1 i n, Mo. CHINESE USED STAMPS FOR SALE 1S9S issue, in good condition. Mixed stamps Jc ic 2c at 20c per 100; mixed 4c 5c ioc at 70c per 100; 20c 3c each; 30c 5 c each; 50c 10c each; $1 22ceach. Set 5 IOC * - 5 C P er 10 sets I 5 - 3 ° c , IQ c per set; 1-2C to $1, 42c a set. A10 pc diset. also allowed from above prices tor order over $3.00 Cash with order. Postage Extra. HOMER H. W O M G Cd. 14 Morrison Road, Shanghai, China Far 70 win send you ourlar £ e * t/I fctV vLIllO magazine for three months and also send your name to several hundred pub¬ lishers, asking each to send you a copy of paper. ANYBODY’S MAGAZINE. 116 Elm St., PeekskilL N. Y. Minerals, COINS, PAPER MONEY & STAMPS d.Send for our free price list of 3000 bargain*. A. Bullard Company, 446 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts Wonderfill BARGAINS See the Hill Stamp Co. list of thousands of stps. So. End, Boston Kites Free. Diagrams and full direc¬ tions for making toy kites,the Eddy kite, and the wonderful Blue Hilt Observatory box kite. Material costs little or nothing. The box kite will rise straight from the hand, and carry a camera into the clouds for photo¬ graphing from high acti¬ nides. Large ones used in war for making observa¬ tions. Inventors now adopt the plan of the kite for new experiments 111 flying machines. Yon want to know all about them. Send 10c for trial subscription to our paper and receive these di- „ rections, with the history of the kite, f ree. ICbUUJlSj nu vaa “ J g. HEI- M ,Stution A Jiosion. M * T5hQ ^Youth’s Realm is published on the first of every month. TERMS, 35 cents per year, in advance. Special Library Edition, heavy paper, 50c yr* Advertising Rates, 90 cents inch, 45c ^ inch. Ent’d at P.O. Boston at 2nd class rates Jan. id,’97. A. Bullard & Co.,446 Tremont St., Boston “Our young friend seems to be get¬ ting into deep waters,” said Holmes thoughtfully as he finished the letter. “The case certainly presents more fea¬ tures of Interest and more possibility development than I had originally thought. I should be none the worse for a quiet, peaceful day in the coun¬ try, and I am inclined to rum'down this afternoon and test one or two theories which I have formed.” Holmes' quiet day in the country had a singular termination, for he arrived at Baker street late in the evening with a cut lip and a discolored lump upon his forehead, besides a general air of dissipation which would have made his own person the fitting object of a Scot¬ land Yard investigation. He was im¬ mensely tickled by his own adventures and laughed heartily as he recounted them. “I get so little active exercise that it is always a treat,” said he. “You are aware that I have some proficiency in the good old British sport of boxing. Occasionally it is of service; today, for example, I should have come to very ignominious grief without it.” I begged him to tell me what had oc¬ curred. “I found that country pub which I had already recommended to your no¬ tice, and there I made my discreet in¬ quiries. I was in the bar, and a garru¬ lous landlord was giving me all that I wanted. Williamson is a white bearded 'man, and he lives alone with a small staff of servants at the hall. There is some rumor that he is or has been a clergyman, but one or two incidents of his short residence at the hall struck me as peculiarly unecclesiastical. I have already made some inquiries at a clerical agency, and they tell me that there was a man of that name In or¬ ders whose career has been a singu¬ larly dark one. “The landlord further informed me that there are usually week end vis¬ itors—‘a warm lot, sir’—at the hall, and especially one gentleman with a red mustache, Mr. Woodley by name, who was always there. We had got as far as this when who should walk in but the gentleman himself, who had been drinking his beer in the taproom and had heard the whole conversation. Who was I? What did I want? What did I mean by asking questions? He had a fine flow of language, and his adjectives were very vigorous. He ended a string of abuse by a vicious back hander, which I failed to entirely avoid. The next few minutes were de¬ licious. It was a straight left against a slogging ruffian. I emerged as you see me. Mr. Woodley went home in a cart. So ended my country trip, and it must be confessed that, however en¬ joyable, my day on the Surrey border has not been much more profitable than your own.” The Thursday brought us another let¬ ter from our client. “You will not be surprised, Mr. Holmes,” said she, “to hear that I am leaving Mr. Carruthers’ employment. Even the high pay cannot reconcile me to the discomforts of my situation. On Saturday I come up to town, and I do not intend to return. Mr. Carruthers has got a trap, and so the dangers of the lonely road, if there ever were any dangers, are now over. “As to the special cause of my leav¬ ing, it is not merely the strained situa¬ tion with Mr." Carruthers, but it is the reappearance of that odious man, Mr. Woodley. ^He was always hideous^ hut he looks more awful than ever now, for he appears to have had an acci¬ dent, and he is much disfigured. I saw him out of the window, but I am glad to say I did not meet him. He had a long talk with Mr. Carruthers, who seemed much excited afterward. Wood- ley must be staying in the neighbor¬ hood, for he did not sleep here, and yet I caught a .glimpse of him. again this morning slinking about in the shrubbery. I would sooner have a sav¬ age wild animal loose about the place I loathe and fear him more than I can say. How can Mr. Carruthers endure such a creature for a moment? How¬ ever, all my troubles will be over on Saturday.” “So I trust, Watson; so I trust,” said Holmes gravely. “There is some deep intrigue going on round that little wom¬ an, and it is our duty to see that no one molests her upon that last journey. I think, Watson, that we must spare time to run down together on Saturday morning, and make sure that this curi¬ ous and Inclusive investigation has no untoward ending.” I confess that I had not up to now taken a very serious view of the case, which had seemed to me rather gro¬ tesque and bizarre than dangerous. That a man should lie in wait for and follow a very handsome wdman is no unheard of thing, and if he has so lit¬ tle audacity that he not only dared not address her, but even fled from her ap¬ proach, he was not a very formidable assailant. The ruffian Woodley was a Very different person, but except on one occasion he had not molested our client, and now he visited the house of Car¬ ruthers without intruding upon her presence. The man on the bicycle was doubtless a member of those week end parties at the hall of which the pub¬ lican had spoken, but who he was or what he wanted was as obscure as ever. It was the severity of Holmes’ manner and the fact that he slipped a revolver into his pocket before leaving our rooms which impressed me with the feeling that tragedy might prove to lurk behind this curious train of events. A rainy night had been followed by a glorious morning, and the heath cov¬ ered countryside, with the -'glowing clumps of flowering gorse, seemed all the more beautiful to eyes which were weary of the duns and drabs and slate grays of London. Holmes and I walk¬ ed along the broad, sandy road, inhal¬ ing the fresh morning air and rejoicing in the music of the birds and the fresh breath of the spring. From a rise of the road on the shoulder of Crooksbury hilLwe could see the grim hall bristling out from amid the ancient oaks, which, old as th^y were, were still younger than the building which they surround¬ ed. Holmes pointed down the long tract of road which wound, a reddish yellow band, between the brown of the heath and the budding green of the woods. Far away, a black dot, we could see a vehicle moving in our direc¬ tion. Holmes gave an exclamation of impatience. “I have given a margin of half an hour,” said he. “If that is her trap she must be making for the earlier train. I fear, Watson, that she will be past Charlington before we can possi¬ bly meet her.” From the instant that we passed the rise we could no longer see the vehicle, but we hastened onward at such a pace that my sedentary life began to tell upon me, and I was compelled to fall behind. Holmes, however, was al¬ ways in training, for he had inexhaust¬ ible stores of nervous energy upon which to draw. His Springy step never slowed until suddenly, when he was a hundred yards in front of me, he halt¬ ed, and I saw him throw up his hand with a gesture of grief and despair. At the same instant an empty dogcart, the horsa. .cantering,, the, reins trailing, appeared round the curve of the road antf-Fattled swiftly toward us. “Too late, Watson; too late!” cried Holmes as I ran panting to his side. “Fool that I was not to allow for that earlier train! It’s abduction, Watson— abductiojf! Murder! Heaven knows what! Block the road! Stop the horse! That’s right. Now, jump in and let us see if I can repair the consequences of my own blunder.” We had sprung into the dogcart, and Holmes, after turning the horse, gave it a sharp cut with the whip, and we flew back along the road. As we turn¬ ed the curve the whole stretch of road between the hall and the heath was opened up. I grasped Holmes’ arm. “That’s the man!” I gasped. A solitary cyclist was coming toward us. His head was down and his shoul¬ ders rounded as he put every ounce of energy that he possessed on to the pedals. He was flying like a racer. Suddenly he raised his bearded face, saw us close to him and pulled up, springing from his machine. That coal black beard was in singular contrast to the pallor of his face, and his eyes were as bright as if he had a fever. He stared at us and at the dogcart; then a look of amazement came over his face. “Hello! Stop there!” he shouted, holding his bicycle to block our road. “Where did you get that dogcart? Pull up, man!” he yelled, drawing a pistol from his side pocket. “Pull up, I say, or, by George, I’ll put a bullet into your horse.” Holmes threw the reins into my lap and sprang down from the cart. “You’re the man we want, to see. Where is Miss Violet Smith?” he said in his quick, clear way. “That’s what I’m asking you. You’re in her dogcart. You ought to know where she is.” “We met the dogcart on the road. There was no one in it. We drove back to help the young lady.” “Good Lord, good Lord! What shall I do?” cried the stranger in an ecstasy of despair. “They’ve got her—that hell¬ hound Woodley and the blackguard parson. Come, man, come, if you really are her friend. Stand by me, and we’ll save her, if I have to leave my carcass in Charlington wood.” He ran distractedly, his pistol in his hand, toward a gap in the hedge. Holmes followed him, and I, leaving the horse grazing beside the road, fol¬ lowed Holmes. “This Is where they came through,” said he, pointing to the marks of sev¬ eral feet upon the muddy path. “Hello! Stop a minute! Who’s this - in the bush?” It was a young fellow about seve' - teen, dressed like a hostler, with leath¬ er cords and gaiters. He lay upon his back, his knees drawn up, a terrible cut upon his head. He was insensible, but alive. A glance at his wound told me that it had not penetrated the bone. “That’s Peter, the groom!” cried the stranger. “He drove her. The beasts have pulled him off and clubbed him. Let him lie; we can’t do him any good, but we may save her from the worst fate that can befall a woman.” We ran frantically down the path, which wound among the trees. We had reached the shrubbery which surround¬ ed the house when Holmes pulled up. “They didn’t go to the house. Here are their marks on the left—here beside the laurel bushes. Ah, I said so!” As he spoke a woman’s shrill scream —a scream which vibrated with a fren¬ zy of horror—burst from the thick green clump of bushes in front of us. It ended suddenly on its highest note with a choke and a gurgle. “This way! This way! They are in the bowling alley!” cried the stranger, darting, through the bushes. _ “Ah, the STAMPS IOO Java, China&c,un usual value , and also a stamp dictionary & big illustrated list of 1000 bargains, all the above post paid for 2c X Only one lot to each. Stamps in an X album free to agents. 50 p.c.cornmis X sion. A. Bullard & Co., Philatelic ^ Dept., 446 Tremont St., Boston, Mass. We sell it. Here is you^ chance to get THE COLLECTOR’S OWN CATALOG of the Adhesive POSTAGE STAMPS of All Nations of the WORLD, i oy only TEN CENTS, Postage Free. It is the latest edition, fully illustrated, describ¬ ing and pricing the stamps as they should be in both used ana unused condition, complete from A to Z in one volume. The leading catalogues of the world have been consulted and thousands of stamps examined in order that the prices given shall be consistent throughout and reflect the actual state of the market. Fictitious values placed on stamps of minor variety have been overlooked and an attempt made where possible to give the best average price for the average specimen of each distinct issue. The illustrations are profuse and the system of classification the simplest and best. This book is a necessity to everyone who collects stamps and we have made the price 10c in order that every collector may own a copy. Be¬ fore we innovated tbe popular, low-priced edition, no complete catalogue could be purchased for less than five times the cost of this. Invest 10 cents in this book and you will save, when buying or selling stamps, many times its value the first week you own the book. Fill out the coupon at once, while this offer holds good. f Gentlemen : Enclosed is ten cents for a copy of the last edition of “The Collector’s Own Cat¬ alog.” Name... Addr’s...... A. BULLARD & COMPANY, Sta, A. Boston, Mass. STAMP COL- - LECTIONS GIVEN AWAY. T his big outfit consists of one WORLD stamp album, lat¬ est edition, fully illustrated with cuts of the variou* postage stamps of the world, and provided with spaces for a large collection of 2,300 varieties ; one sheet of best hinge paper for mounting stamps ; one packet of IOO stamps, cataloguing about $1 50, and including : Shanghai, Jamaica (Jubilee, etc.) Bogota, a U. S worth 23c, Argentine, Cuba 50c, unused, of 1875, ’79, ’80, Mexico, Servia, and others ; and our illustrated lists of stamp? and premiums. This collection will give you a good start, and what duplicates you find can ibeexchanged with the boys for other stamps. This great collection free, as a premium, it you will send only 35c for a year’s subscrip¬ tion to this paper, You never before heard of an offer equal to this one, made simply to add 10,000 or more names to our subscription list, f Collection not sold without subscription. REALM, Sta, A, Boston, Mass . BOYS ** AND GIRLS WANTED everywhere to a c t as agents for the Realm. 50 per cent. f you free besides, one package ce taining: 100 foreign stamps, Jamah etc., 1 set 8 Japanese stamps, 1 pack stamp album,4 blank appraval shfeet 1 sample best gum paper, 1 perfai tion gauge, 1 millimeter scale, 1 s 8 obsolete U. S. stamps and revs., ai our bargain lists. Write at once Is fore we withdraw this big offer, g, A. BULLARD & COMPANY .446 Tremont Street, BOSTON . MAS;. coward!/ dogs! Follow me, gentlemen: Too lata, too late, by the living jingo.’’ We had broken suddenly into a love¬ ly glade of greensward surrounded by ancient trees. On the farther side of It, under the shadow of a mighty oak, there stood a singular group of three people. One was a woman, our client, drooping and faint, a handkerchief round her mouth. Opposite her stoo 1 a brutal, heavjjj faced, red mustache i young man, his gaitered legs parted wide, one arm akimbo, the other wav¬ ing a riding crop, his whole attitude suggestive of triumphant bravado. Be¬ tween them an elderly, gray bearded man, wearing a short surplice over a light tweed suit, had evidently just completed the wedding service, for he pocketed his prayer book as we ap¬ peared and slapped the sinister bride¬ groom upon the back in jovial congrat¬ ulation. “They’re married!” I gasped. “Come on!” cried our guide. “Come on!” He rushed across the glade, Holmes and I at his heels. As we ap¬ proached the lady staggered against the trunk of the tree for support. Wil¬ liamson, the ex-clergyman, bowed to us with mock politeness, and the bully, Woodley, advanced with a shout of brutal and exultant laughter. “You can take your beard off, Bob,” said he. “I know you right enough. Well, you and your pals have just come in time for me to be able to in¬ troduce you to Mrs. Woodley.” Our guide’s answer was a singular one. He snatched off the dark beard which had disguised him and threw it on the ground, disclosing a long, sal¬ low, clean shaven face below it. Then he raised his revolver and covered the young ruffian, who was advancing up¬ on him with his dangerous riding crop swinging in his hand. •^ilYes,” said our ally, “I am Bob Car¬ ruthers, and I’ll see this woman right¬ ed if I have to swing for it. I told you what I'd do if you molested her, and, by the Lord, I’ll be as good as my word.” “You’re too late. She’s my wife.” “No; she's your widow.” His revolver cracked, and I saw blood spurt from the front of Wood¬ ley’s waistcoat. He spun round with a scream and fell upon his back, his hid¬ eous red face turning suddenly to a dreadful mottled pallor. The old man, still clad in his surplice, burst into such a string of foul oaths as I have never heard and pulled out a revolver of his own, but before he could raise it he was looking down the barrel of Holmes’ weapon. “Enough of this,” said my friend coldly. “Drop that pistol! Watson, pick it up! Hold it to his head! Thank you. You, Carruthers, give me that revolver. We’ll have no more violence. Come; hand it over!” “Who are you, then?” “My name is Sherlock Holmes.” v “Good Lord!” “You have beard of me, I see. I will represent the official police until their arrival. Here, you!” he shouted to a frightened groom who had appeared at the edge of the glade. “Come here. Take this note as hard as you can ride to Farnham.” He scribbled a few words upon a leaf from his notebook. “Give it to the superintendent at the police station. Until he comes I must detain ;$m all under my personal cus¬ tody.” The strong, masterful personality of Holmes dominated the tragic scene, and all were equally puppets in his hands. Williamson and Carruthers found themselves carrying the wound¬ ed Woodley into the house, and I gave my arm to the frightened girl. The in¬ jured man was laid on his bed, and at Holmes’ request I examined him. I carried my report to where he sat in the old ta^estry^hung dining room with nis two prisoners before him. “He will live,” said I. “What!” cried Carruthers, springing out of his chair. “I’ll go upstairs and finish him first. Do you tell me that that girl, that angel, is to be tied to Roaring Jack Woodley for life?” “You need not concern yourself about that,” said Holmes. “There are two very good reasons why she should under no circumstances be his wife. In the first place, we are very safe in ques¬ tioning Mr. Williamson’s right to sol¬ emnize a marriage.” “I have been ordained,” cried the old rascal. “And also unfrocked.” “Once a clergyman, always a clergy¬ man.” “I think not. How about the li¬ cense?” “We had a license for the marriage. I have it here In my pocket.” “Then yo 1 got it by a trick. But in any case a forced marriage is no mar¬ riage, but It is a very serious felony, as you will discover before you have finished. You’ll have time to think the point out during the next ten years or so, unless I am mistaken. As to you, Carruthers, you would have done bet¬ ter to keep your pistol in your pocket.” “I begin to think so, Mr. Holmes, but when I thought of aU. the precaution 1 had taken to shield this girl—for I loved her, Mr. Holmes, and it is the only time that ever I knew what lo/e was—it fairly droye me mad to think that she was in the power of the great¬ est brute and bully in South Africa—a man whose name is a holy terror from Kimberley to Johannesburg. Why, Mr. Holmes, you’ll hardly believe it, but ever since that girl has been in my employment I never once let her go past this house, where I knew the ras¬ cals were lurking, without following her on my bicycle just to see that she came to no harm. I kept my distance from her, and I wore a beard so that she should not recognize me, for she is a good and high spirited girl, and she wouldn’t have stayed in my employ¬ ment long if she had thought that I was following her about the country roads.” “W T hy didn’t you tell her of her dan¬ ger?” “Because then, again, she would have left me, and I couldn’t bear to face that. Even if she couldn’t love me it was a great deal to me just to see her dainty form about the house and to hear the sound of her voice.” “Well,” said I, “you call that love, Mr. Carruthers, but I should call it selfishness.” “Maybe the two things go together. Anyhow, I couldn’t let her go. Be¬ sides, with this crowd about it was well that she should have some one near to look after her. Then, when the cable came, I knew they were bound to make a move.” “What cable?” Carruthers took a telegram from his pocket. “That’s it,” said he. It was short and concise: “The old man is dead.” “Hum!” said Holmes. “I think I see how things worked, and I can under¬ stand how this message would, as you say, bring them to a head. But while you wait you might tell me what you can.” The old reprobate with the surplice burst into a volley of bad language. “By heaven,” said he, “if you squeal on us, Bob Carruthers, I’ll serve you as you served Jack Woodley! You can bleat about the girl to your heart’s content, for that’s your own affair, but if you round on your pals to this plain clothes copper it will be the worst day’s work that ever you did.” “Your reverence need not be excit¬ ed,” said Holmes, lighting a cigarette. “Tfae je&seAs-clear enough jigaingt vou and all I ask is a few details for my private curiosity. However, if there’s any difficulty in your telling me I’ll do the talking, and then you will see how far you have a chance of holding back your secrets. In the first place, three of you came from South Africa on this game—you, Williamson ^you, Carruth¬ ers, and W T oodley.” “Lie number one,” said the old man. “I never saw either of them until two months ago, and I have never been in Africa in my life, so you can put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Busy¬ body Holmes!” “What he says is true,” said Car¬ ruthers. “Well, well, two of you came over. His reverence is our own homemade article. You had known Ralph Smith in South Africa. You had reason to believe he would not live long. l r ou found out that his niece would inherit his fortune. How’s that—eh?” Carruthers nodded and Williamson swore. “She was next of kin, no doubt, and you were aware that the old fellow would make no will.” “Couldn’t read or write,” said Car¬ ruthers. “So you came over, the two of you, and hunted up the girl. The idea was that one o|^ou was to marry her and the other fufve a share of the plunder. For some reason Woodley was chosen as the husband. Why was that?” “We played cards for her on the voyage. He won.” “I see. You got the young lady into your service, and there Woodley was to do the courting. She recognized the drunken brute that he was and would have nothing to do with him. Mean¬ while your arrangement was rather up¬ set by the fact that you had yourself fallen in love with the lady. l T ou could no longer bear the idea of this ruffian owning her?” “No, by George, I couldn’t!” There was a quarrel between you. He left you in a rage and began to make his own plans independently of you.” “It strikes me, Williamson, there isn’t very much that we can tell this gentleman,” cried Carruthers, with a bitter laugh. “Yes, we quarreled, and he knocked me down. I am level with him on that, anyhow. Then I lost sight of him. That was when he picked up with this cast padre here. I found that they had set up housekeeping to¬ gether at this place on the line that she had to pass for the station. I kept my eye on her after that, for I knew there was some devilry in the wind. I saw them from time to time, for I was anxious to know what they were after. “Two days ago Woodley came up to my house with this cable, which show¬ ed that Ralph Smith was dead. He ask¬ ed me if I would stand by the bargain. I said I would not. He a£ked me if I would marry the girl myself and give him a share. I said I would willingly do so, but that she would not have me. He said, ‘Let us get her married first, and after a week or two she may see things a bit different.’ I said I would have nothing to do with violence, so he went off cursing, like the foul mouthed blackguard that he was, and swearing that he would have her yet. She was leaving me this week end, and I had got a trap to take her to the station, but I was so uneasy in my mind that I followed her on my bicycle. She had got a start, however, and before I could catch her the mischief was done. The first thing I knew about it was when I saw you two gentlemen driving back in her dogcart.” Holmes rose and tossed the end of his cigarette into the grate. “I have been very obtuse, Watson,” said he. “When in your report you said that you had seen the cyclist, as you thought, arrange his necktie .in thashrubbepy that alone should have told me all. However, we may congratulate ourselves upon a cu¬ rious and in some respects a unique case. I perceive three of the county constabulary in the drive, and I am glad to see that the little hostler is able to keep pace with them, so it is likely that neither he nor the interesting bridegroom will be permanently dam¬ aged by their morning’s adventures. I think, Watson, that in your medical capacity you might wait upon Miss Smith and tell her that -if she is suffi¬ ciently recovered we shall be happy to escort her to her mother’s home. If she is not quite convalescent you will find that a hint that we were about to tele¬ graph to a young electrician in the Midlands will probably complete tLj cure. As to you, Mr. Carruthers, I think that you have done what you could to make amends for your share In an evil plot. There is my card, sir, and if my evidence can be of help to you in your trial it shall be at your disposal.” ***** * * In the whirl of our incessant activity it has often been difficult for me, as the reader has probably observed, to round off my narratives and to give those final details which the curious might expect. Each case has been the prelude to another, and the crisis once over the actors have passed forever out of our busy lives. I find, however, a short note at the end of my manu¬ script dealing with this case, in which I have put it upon record that Miss Violet Smith did indeed inherit a large fortune and that she is now the wife of Cyril Morton, the senior partner of Morton & Kennedy, the famous West¬ minster electricians. Williamson and Woodley were both tried for abduction and assault, the former getting seven years and the latter ten. Of the fate of Carruthers I have no record, but I am sure that his assault was not viewed Very gravely by the court, since Wood- ley had the reputation of being a most dangerous ruffian, and I think that a few months were sufficient to satisfy the demands of justice. Afi Autoiftatl^ *Jafiy Inrse. An ingenious Swiss mechanic claims to have invented an automatic baby nurse. The apparatus is attached to a cradle. If the baby cries air waves cause specially arranged wires to op¬ erate a phonograph which sings a lul¬ laby, while simultaneously clockwork fs released which rocks the cradle. When the crying ceases the wire fails to vibrate, and the cradle stops rock¬ ing.—Tit-Bits. He Knew Best. “Henry,” he said to the young man who had been married less than a year and had separated from his wife, “I am very sorry to hear this.” “Well, I married the wrong girl,” was the reply. “How wrong?” “Why, I should have married Kate instead of Kate’s sister.” “But, good lands, man, Kate’s sister is redheaded and has a temper like a wildcat She’d surely have broken your neck inside of a month.” “Y 7 es, I know, and that’s the sort of girl I ought to have married.” Pretty Bold. Dorothy is overheard having an ani¬ mated conversation with a painter at work in the house, and to him she is telling any bits of family news that come into her head. She confided to her new friend that she is five years old, and then, the dog being the next subject under discussion, she gives the information that the animal is seven years old. After a moment’s contem¬ plation she adds, “Don’t you think it peculiar that an animal is older than a little girl ?”—Lippincott’s Magazine. <r i ' - ' '»mmr-j10 cvt.wr*** ■.» »< »x» THE' agasssxssjs^ssasss^: STAMPS. 100 Honduras etc., album & 1905 illustrate! 'list, TWO. cents. Agts 50 %. Booklet, telling how to scientifica 1 1 y' repair dam - aged ' stamps FREE to new* agents. Illustrated list-of thousands of bar¬ gains, free. Hill Stamp Go., S. End, Boston u A HOME-MADE U. S. STAMP ALBUM Without Minor Varieties (To be Continued Monthly) SE an unruled blank book of suitable size. Rule off the squares exactly as in the diagrams. They should be of the same size. The envelope section (see lower diagram) should be made in the last half of the book. If one is a good letferer it is best to print or write the text, in a neat hand, with a jet-black ink, following the copy ; but some may prefer to cut out the printed descriptions and carefully paste them into the album. When complete your album will hold about 200 general issue adhesives, some 40 due stamps, 100 departments and nearly 150 envelope and wrapper stamps—making as complete a U. S. album as the average collector could possibly till. STAMP NEWS. T HE 12th an¬ nual conven¬ tion of the Ame rican Philatelic Associa¬ tion was held in Minneapolis, Minn., from August 8th to 10th, 1905, a number of prominent phil¬ atelists from various parts of the country attending. The ses¬ sion was opened by an address of wel¬ come by the mayor of the city and fol¬ lowed by .the annual address of the presi¬ dent of the Associa¬ tion, H. E. Deats. In his report he refers to the adoption of a new watermarked paper for most of the British colonial stamps, the issuing of a single series of stamps to be used by the Columbian Republic in place of so many distinct issues for each de¬ partment, the abate¬ ment of French Colonial surcharges and the proposed reduction in the number o f _ Portu¬ guese Colonials to 4 or 5. Owing to the split between Swed¬ en and Norway all the stamps of Nor¬ way bearing the head of King Oscar have been demonet- izen and pending the arrival of a new is¬ sue the remainders of the 2s stamp of 1867, surcharged 1, 1| and 2k, are being used. To our own Colonial series must be added three sepa¬ rate issues for the Canal Zone. A stamp of limited supply has been is¬ sued by J a p a n to mark the event of her assuming control of the postal affairs of all of Corea. XJ. S . General Issues, Continued Like i894;wat- erm’ked U.S.P.S. 1595-99 ic blue ic green 2c i'ed 3c purple 4c dark brown 40 lilac brown 5c chocolate 5 C blue 6c brown Cc lake 8c puce loc green ioc brown 1 ;c blue 15c olive 50c orange ; y AC I 00 black :.oo sapphire 5.00 green ic green, Marquette on Mississippi. 2c copper red, Farming in West 1883; October. Large letters. 2C red on white amber, fawn or blue. 1883, Novem¬ ber. Small let¬ ters; 4 wavy lines 2c red on white, amber, fawn, blue or manila. 1884. June. Similar. Die re¬ touched; hazy ap¬ pearance. 2c red on white, amber, fawn or blue paper mm THE COLOR CURE. Windows of Various Hues as Reme¬ dies For Many Diseases. Dr. Boris Bruchs of Kharkov, in south Russia, says a correspondent of the New York American, .'is -attracting general attention by the extravagant pitch to which he is developing the so called “color cure.” By immersing the patient in succes¬ sive baths of colored lights he professes to be able to cure all diseases, from cancer and consumption to simple ca¬ tarrhs. Near Orenburg, on the verge of the west Asian steppes, he is building a magnificent sanitarium, specially de¬ signed for color treatment. The house, which is only one room deep, has all its windows, numbering over a hundred, facing south. The interior walls of the rooms are painted a pure white, while the windows are of different colors or mixtures of colors. With the colored sunlight streaming on them through these windows patients will recline on divans, drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and pray for speedy recovery. The delicacy of the treatment pro¬ fessed by Bruchs may be realized from the fact that there are five windows with different shades of green. j The windows toward the extreme end of the house fade gradually from deep orange to pale yellow and pure trans¬ parency. Bruchs affirms that for the cure of cancer immersion in no less than nine shades of green light baths is required. The . duration of stay in each bath must be calculated to a nicety, as cer¬ tain colors are inclined to induce new complaints. The Nijni Novgorod millionaire, M. Schukotin, underwent Dr. Bruchs’ treatment for kidney disease with such success that he has contributed 80,000 rubles toward the erection of the new sanitarium. The local doctors, howev¬ er, denounce Bruchs as a quack. A WONDERFUL PHOTOGRAPH Flying Bullet Caught by the Camera of a German Scientist. The accompanying illustration is not a representation of a cigar, as one might think at first glance. It is a pho¬ tograph of a bullet from a Mannlicher rifle traveling through the air at the rate of 1,750 feet a second. This re¬ markable photograph was taken by Professor Ludwig Mach of Prague by MANNLICHER BULLET IN PLIGHT. the aid of an electric flash, the expo¬ sure being approximately one eight hundred thousandth of a second. The picture shows how the bullet in -its flight pushes the air aside as the prow of a fast moving ship displaces the water ahead of it. Behind the bul¬ let are seen air waves like the waves in the wake of a vessel,, while immediate¬ ly about the projectile a vacuum is ap¬ parent. Professor Mach’s photograph is the first, it is said, ever taken of a flying bullet and demonstrates the wonderful a superiority of the camera over the hu¬ man eye as a medium of vision. r-- - -- To Bombard the Angry Seas. Shells filled with oil, intended to calm a storjmy sea when fired into it, have been invented in France. The effect of a film of oil in reducing the size of waves is well known, but in the case of a moving vessel it is diffi¬ cult to reach those in front, among which the ship’s progress will soon bring it. At first ordinary explosive shells containing oil were tried, but these, besides being dangerous, did not distribute the oil evenly. At present wooden shells are used, which break when they strike the -water, allowing the oil to run evenly over the surface. For night use the shells have an il¬ luminating attachment. The results are said to be satisfactory.—Success. Worm Bright as a Trolley Car. Conductor Gleason of the Louisville and Nashville railroad recently cap tured a peculiar worm on Red moun¬ tain and will send it to the Smith¬ sonian institute to have it examined and classed. The worm is about two and a half inches long and of an oak color, no fur or hairs, but a shell-like back, there being eleven joints and at each joint a yellow streak across the back. On each side where the worm comes in contact with the ground are yellow dots—ten on each side. At night these streaks and dots are as bright as an electric light, and when crawling the strange worm does not look unlike a trolley car with many lights on the sides. Cows With Nervous Prostration. The Minnesota experiment station has discovered that the cow suffers from the characteristic disease of twen¬ tieth century civilization—nervous over¬ strain. She has temperament. She is overcivilized. “The high strung cow has no place in the dairy scheme. She should be eliminated,” says Professor Haecker. Feats of Photography. Photography has caught the fastest express train in motion by means of the cinematograph, and it also shows the growth of a flower. A bud which bursts into bloom in, say, sixteen days is exposed to a camera every fifteen minutes during the sixteen days, and when the pictures developed from the films are assembled in order in the moving picture machine the observer may see, to his delight, all in a minute or two, the gradual breaking of the bud—the blossoms open, close by night and reopen in the morning, the leaves grow under the eye, the stamens peep from cover and finally the full blown flower. Artificial Gold. A new metal harder than steel, as brilliant as gold, from which it can¬ not be distinguished, and as good a conductor as copper has been invent¬ ed by an Italian, says L’Echo des Mines et de la Metallurgie. It is com¬ posed of copper, iron, silver, phos¬ phorus and, of course, radium. It is lighter, than copper, and its beautiful color is not changed by any chemical reagent. This is wonderfully interest¬ ing if true, says the Engineering and Mining Journal. Indeed “we will go further; it is interesting if only half true.” Injects Sea Water'For Consumption. Dr. Troisier of Paris recently read a paper before the Academie de Med¬ icine claiming the jJisjiovery ,of a. new cure for tuberculosis by means of sub¬ cutaneous injections of sea water, which he c:ills “marine serum.” This has been tried on twenty-four patients at the Lariboisiere hospital, some only in the preliminary stages and others at a very advanced period of the dis¬ ease. All the cases showed consider¬ able improvement. The acade'mie has appointed a committee of inquiry. RTcw Device Wliieh Greatly Facili¬ tate* TJsmdllng' of Fuel. The 8cici)tii:c American describes an invention which, it says, appears to have solved the problem of rapidly coaling large steamships. The ma¬ chine consists of a comparatively light fcteel frame tower. Within this is fin endless articulated steel belt carrying buckets made of the same material. The belt runs over sprockets at each end of the frame. Near the upper end of the tower between the rising and descending chains of buckets is an electric motor, which drives a large spur wheel. The upper belt sprocket is driven from the shaft of the large spur wheel by means of a chain. The supply current for the motor is taken from the dynamos on board the ship, and its speed is regulated by a porta¬ ble automatic release starting box. The height of the entire machine is about two tons. Its dimensions are approxi¬ mately 81 by 3 by 3% feet. It has twenty-nine buckets, each of which is COALING MACHINE IN OPERATION. designed to hold a cubic foot, or about fifty-six pounds, of coal. A crew of six men is required per machine. ... The apparatus can be suspended by means of ordinary tackle from either side of a ship or from the pier. Its weight keeps its lower end below the level of the surrounding coal pile, gradually lowering as this is de¬ creased. It can readily be moved in the barge or on the pier by four men. Narrow harbor barges with open loads, carrying about 400 tons of coal, are very well adapted for the use of the apparatus, and thus all available dock space Is left free for the handling of cargo. When run at its highest rate of speed the apparatus can deliver 180 tons of coal per hour. At this rate, however, there Is great difficulty in economically feeding the coal, and the usual rate of delivery is about a hundred tons per hour. This rate In¬ cludes a generous allowance for time lost in moving the machines from bunker port to bunker port and shift¬ ing from one barge to another. $ STAMP ALBUM FREE From July ist until Jjm. ist, 1906 we are going to give away 100 of Scott’s latest edition of the International Post. Sta’p Album,absolutely free of charge. We are making this exceptional offer to collectors simply to circulate our lat¬ est wholesale and retail price list, and will charge the full amount expended therefore to our advertising account. Send us your full name and address at once and own one of these albums. Al¬ so send the names and addresses of two collectors. Central City Stamp Co. Dept. R. Syracuse, N. Y. STAMPS FREE 20 U.S. REVENUES Cat. value 27c for the names of two collectors and two cents postage. 40 Japan mounted on sheet, only 25c. 10 Cuban revs. ioc. 11 U.S. 1902 1 to 50c ioc. 5 St. Louis 1 to ioc 12c, 20 Russia ioc. Lists Free. We buy stamps. Buying list ioc. Ask for list of an d ic stamps. WHOLESALE 100 Cuban revs. 7c. 100 Cuban 5c 1891 ioc* 100 Mexico ir unused 35c. 100 Venezuela 5c gray 25c. 100 Corea 2r 1900 25c. 100 Corea 2r 1904 25c. 10 sets 10 Cuba Revs 35c 100 sets 2.00 10 Guatemala 1886 asst. cat. 8c to 15c, 25c. loo, $1.50. 50 blank sheets ioc 100,19c. 10 blank approval books 15c. 100 90c. Write for wholesale list. Many bargains. Toledo Stamp Co, Toiedo,o. u.s.A RARE COINS Paper Money STAMPS © Morocco, large brass 1280 “ small “ “ cast Constantine (the great) A. D. 306 India anna—new $1 and $2 bill Augusta, Ga. -1901 12 06 IS 10 12 10 IS 03 04 So 50c Cuban Republic, very preity 4 va. Soudan, Camel Trooper 3 va. U. S. Army Franks, new 100 va. Japan, Egypt, Chili etc 10 ancient R^njan coins 5c, ioc, 25c, 50c Ala. paper money 10 25c and 50c Ga., fine and new 10 5.00 and 10.00 Confederate, fine 10 25 va. Cuba, Hawa’n, Phil.Is.R .R. 25 Free. Rare old war bill to all ordering from this “ad” and sending the names of 2 coll. Sheets, 50 to 66%. List Free Samuel P. HUGHES, Omaha. Neb. When answering advertisements ptease mention the ’Vonth’s Realm We are giving away BIMIt rj c k I; THI puzzles. (pWPstories RECIPE MANUAL ETC., ETC., FREE Tfl ennu DEDVnil Not one game or one IU im [LIlOUli.trick to each person, but an assortment of the above making 500 for each person and including--ILLUMINATED GAMES, such as Dominoes, Chess, Nine Men Morris, Fox and Geese, etc.; Startling TRICKS of Sleight of Hand for stage and parlor enter¬ tainment; chapter of Conundrums, the best you have ever seen; PUZZLES, with correct answers; STORIES for long evenings; Recipe Manual of trade secrets, telling how to make such articles as colored inks, glue, baking pow¬ der, bluing, paint, tooth powder, candy, etc. etc. One of these recipes originally sold for $100.00. You have an opportunity to get rich making and selling the artie’es described here. Also some choice cooking recipes and hundreds of other useful and entertaining devices, including the magic age card; how to memorize dates and num¬ bers by a wonderful discovery invaluable to teach, ers and scholars; deaf and dumb alphabet; some good experiments: etc., etc. Just think of it, 0 500 OF THE ABOVE FREE TO CnOEACH PERSON \ v / \ . , ^r who sends only ten cents for a 3 -months* trial subscription to our great paper for young and old. All we ask is that if you like the paper show it to your friends or speak a good word for us by way of an advertise¬ ment. This offer is to introduce ourselves to 100,000 new subscribers. If the above supply of games etc. become exhausted before you write to us, we will return your money. But we advise you to write at once to secure the above. Address — S. HE A LMfStation A,J*oston, Mass, CHAS. C. DE SELMS, Box 1072, MANILA, Philippine Islands R /% m ET Philippine n n L *oio*or War Knife, carved from Carabao horn, special price, only $2 00, and my large Price List of Philippine hats, canes, boles, sea shells, books, photos, paintings fine cloths, embroideries, enrabao horns, coins, stamps, kalans, suecosand many other curios. Price list alone, io cents. -—SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICES—— Calasiao hand woven hat worth $5.00 3.00 Two pairs suecos (wooden shoes) ..1.00 Six different curious hats, worth 3.00 2.00 One Petate (nativemat) .. 1.00 Native Bolo, steel blade . 2.00 Fifty Sea Shells . 1.00 Curious Buyo Claaver .50 Finely embroidered Pina Handkerchief 1.00 Kalapiao, or rainy-day suit ---.- 2.00 ft These prices good for a short time only. To every customer—an opportunity to secure a $5.00 hat FREE of cost. Address C'OrYfclttHTi'O. 35 STAMPS free to all who buy a packet. 50 variety packets, each 5c, per 10 30 c 100 ” ” K 8c, " 10 55c iooohinges, 5c Pocket albums 5c Herbert N. Myers 64 W. 95 St., N. Y. O STAMPS A. BULLARD and COMPANY END 10 CENTS and you will! receive for 10; weeks a copy of the STAMP LOVERS WEEKLY a weekly newspaper keeping you abreast with collecting, giving you much information concerning stamps and many subjects of in¬ terest to the Stamp Collector The Stamp Lovers Weekly! Bethlehem,Pa. 4 4444444444444 *444444444♦ U . S. and Foreign Stamps sent on ap¬ proval to reliable persons. Agts wanted, 5o%oom. Collections bought. 5 souvenir posta-ls of Louisville, different, ioc. H. Gr. Bennett, 2012 First Street, Louisville, Ky. <41 Q VAR. Canadian stamps Free to all ■ O applicants for ih^ppvl sheets from 50 to 66 2-3%, enclosing 2c stp for postg. 100' va stps, 2 ftffld, 2 stps cat 25c, & bargain list all for ioc, post free. H. TOWSLEY 89 Robinson St., Winnipeg, Canada. M0r MONEY -MM State of Alabama, ’63, 25c “Shin plaster” 3c 1 1863, 50c, 3c; both 5c. Augusta, Ga. $1.00, 4c; 5 <°°> 6c; 10.00, ioc The three 15c. Virgin. Treas. Note, 5.00, ioc 5 cent Sets . 10c sets 4 var. Barbados 4 var. British Guinea 4 var. C. Good Hope 4 var. Ceylon 4 var. Dutch Indies 4 var. Jamaica 4 var. Mauritius 4 var. Natal 4 var. N. So. Wales 4 var. Queensland 4 var. So Australia Postage extra io var. Argentine io var. Bolivia io var. Brazil io var. Chili io var. Guatemala io var. Jamaica io var. N. So. Wales io var. New Zealand io var. Peru io var. Queensland io var. Russia r EICP I t ct jH ypp W E 8 T E R N STAMP COMPANY 702 N. Y. Life Bldg 1 . Omaha, Nebraska PACKETS etc. 7 S a11 dif., Egypt etc,, 15c. 12$ all dif., 28c. 2.5 dif. Brit. Cols., N. Brunsw’k etc., aoc. 30 dif U. S. 25c. 105 foreign, some duplicates, Constantinople &c., foe. 500 mixed for sheets, fine. Si .00. 500 U. S., all obsolete, 30c. 1000 foreign,25c. go rare Mex. revs., $1. 20 Civil War revs. 45c. *10 Cuba lac. *10 Pto.Rico, 14c. 11 Austria ’91, i-Sok, ioc. *4 Pto.Rico postals, ioc. Climax illust. album,holding nearly 2500 straps, 25c. Better one, 35c. A good album, 18c. One for U.S. only, 25c, Inter, nat'l album $1.50; full clqlh, 2.50. Complete guide, “How to Collect Stamps,’’illustratd, 15 c. Scott's catalogue, gSc. igo Foreign Monej Tables, 8c. Prices we pay for foreign stamps, illst w . Be. Prices we pay for nearly 275 U.S., 5c. Prices we pay for U.S. revs., 5c. The 3 cats., iac. Prices we pay for U.S. coins, Se. 13 Approval books ruled to hold 40 stamps, ioc. To hold 80,15c doz. To hold 160, 20c doz. ^40 Midget approval sheets to hold I to 10 stps, ioc. 25 Blank sheets to hold 25 stps, ioc. .12 sheets to hold 60 stps, ioc, Bx 1000 [hinges already bent for use; something 'new; ioc. Gum paper 4c sheet. Perfo- ration^gauge with millimeter scale, 5c. V.r* - ■ ‘ 1 " Pocket microscope, 17c; w'ii J . 25 printed envelopes for packets of stamps, 7c; 100, 23c. 25 better envelopes, 9c; 100, 29c. 25 printed envelps. for coin collectors, log. Dealer’s stock of stamps, al¬ bums, etc., $1.15; better, $2.65. ^ Buy of the publishers & importers and save money. *A. BULLARD & COMPANY 446 Tremont Street y BOSTON , MASS. STAMP 8 Xl PACKETS u EAD this list over carefully. You will find greater bargains here than in any other list published. Every stamp we sell is guaran¬ teed to be genuine. These prices are for perfect stamps only. m Packet ZK contains 14 rare Honduras envelope and wrapper Stamps, Unused, 1890-92, a fine collection, all different, cf some of the most beautiful stamps ever print¬ ed, being large anddistin t specimens. Catalogue value, 70c. Our price only 15 CBIlts, which is on'y about one- fifth of what they ?ire actually worth This is the greatest bargain ever of¬ fered by any stamp concern in America. 44444444444444444444444444 444444444444* Packet ZL contains a collection of 24 4 different used postage stamps from China a' d ^ | pan only. Worth abou' 30c by catalogue, but we are selling them u hile they last tor only 13 which L less than the wholesale price. This is one of our special bargain packets* ♦44444444444 444444444444444444444444 444 Packet SUl contains 100 all different U. S. stamps, no revenues, but practically all issues, including departments. An excellent collec¬ tion in itself. Worth over $3.00. Our price, postpaid, $1.00. Packet SU2 contains 500 all obsoh te, mixed U. S stamps- This packet contains duplicates. Price, postpaid, .30 Packet SU3 contains 32 different U. S. stamps, all obsolete, no revenues, 1861-1902, including stamps from every commemorative issue. — _ — Worth 40 cents. | Postpaid only.IO 6 Packet ZG contains 11 different! Belgium Postal Pac ket stamps, 1895-190’. | These large and attractive stamps are ac- a tually worth about 50c, but we are selling 1 the packet for only 10 cents, as a leader | to show you what ice can do.-| Postpaid, only.$ Packet ZH contains 10 different stamps from Porto Rico, 1800- 96, rare and high values. Worth about $1.75 but since they are can¬ celled by a small punch hole (which actually does not injure the specimen so much as a heavy ink cancellation ) we are closing them out at only, postpaid. . 20e 444444444444444 4444* Packet Z1 contains ro different stamps from Egypt only, including rare envel¬ ope ^and official stamps. The set is worth about 25c, but as this is one of our leaders we are selling the packet for on* ▲ ly 7c, this being less than }%d of the regular price. Postage one 4 ce'nt extra unless other goods are ordered with this packet. X ►4444444 44444444 444444444,444* *4444 44*4 Packet U contains a vei) fine collection of 29 all different Venezuelan postage stamps, 1879-1900, including early lith¬ ographic printings, perfora- ti ms, surcharges and stamps worth 15 to 20c each. Value, about $1.50. Our price, post free, 60c Packet Z contains 50 different postage stamps from Mexico only, including about all issues; a grand collection in itself and very cheap considering the quality of the stamps contained in this superb packet. Post free $)OC Packet ZA contains 25 different Australian postage stamps. It includes "Tasmania (Jubilee), Victoria 1881 ip green worth 10 cts, and other fine stamps. Actually worth 50c. BARGAIN PRICE, 17 Cts. Packet ZB contains 60 unused stamps, including Montenegro, Liberia, New Found- land, Shanghai, etc. Post Free, only . .&OC Packet ZE contains 250 all different stamps from every quarter of the globe— Borneo, Shanghai, Newfoundland, Malta, Ice¬ land, Etc. This fine collection only $125 PACKET ZF contains 300 different stamps including Portuguese India/ Barbados, Guatemala, Levant, &c. Price. $ 1.00 PACKET R. A Span¬ ish War Packet, containing 40 U. S. Colonials and Cuban stamps only. It is one of our most popular packets containing mostly unused stamps. The fol¬ lowing countries only are represented: The Hawaiian Islands, Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines. 40 different stamps, worth many times our price, postfree...45c. packet's' contains 19 varieties of Heligoland stamps. These are reprints, but not counterfeits We never sell the latter under any conditions. Almost any reputable dealer on the other hand will supply genuine reprints selling them as such. Postiree, only.... tSc Packet T contains 100 fine all different, Mexican, South and Central American stamps only—a grand collection in it¬ self including stamps from Salva¬ dor (1st issue) Nicaragua, Honduras, Venezuela, British Guiana, Argentine, Brazil, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Columbia, Uruguay, etc. Cat. value over $2.50. Price only,.... m .$ 1 . OO THOUSAND MIXTURES PACKET ZM contains 1000 well- mixed European stamps. A good assortment for the price, only 25 CCfltS postpaid. This packet contains duplicates. HILL STAMP CO., BOX B, SO. END, BOSTON