Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Th? Mystery of Room No. 222 A Ml OUT STORY The dn'o was the ♦*fth of Novem ber, a date easy '.n remember, |l bi*- Ing my own blrtnday. It wan a Krl- flay, and yet there ate people wl-i- affect to believe that Friday Ih not a flay singled out from ita six compan ions lor mystery, strangeness and dis aster. The number of the room was 221, as easy to remember as the date not that 1 could ever fall to recall l.be number also. Every detail or tni* affair is fixed In my mind im movably and forever. The hotel J ahull call the Grand Junction Terrain us hotel. II this tale were not a simple and undeeorated record of fact 1 might with impunity choose any of the big i’urls hotels In order by such a detail to give a aemblanc • of truth to my invention, hut the •lory happens to be true and I must, therefore, for obvious reasons di* guise the Identity of the place where It occurred. I would only say that the Grand Junction railroad is one of the hugest and best managed systems In France, or In the world, and that these qualities Of vast ness (‘.(tend to the Immense Terminus hotel In the midst of I'aris. Hie hot< l Is full every night In the wets except Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and every drummer knows ihat. except on the nights, If he wishes lo secure a room at the Grand Junction he must write or wlr-i ahead. And there are 40'l bedrooms. It was somewhat late when I ar rived In Fails that night. I had meant to sleep In a large n-w hotel iu Avenue de L’Opera, but 1 felt tired, and suddenly, on the spur of the moment, 1 decided to stay a' the Grand Junction If there waB room fo; me. It Is thus that fate works. i walked Into the hallIfpllowed bv a porter with my bag. "rha place seemed Just like usual, the perfection of the commonplace, the business-like and the unrplritual. ’ Have you a room?" I asked the young lady In black, whose yellow hair shone gaily at the office window ill the electric light. She glanced at her hooks and said impassively: "Koom 222.” Howe & Co., ■■■■■■■■iincBammHMBiHBni Augusta, Ga. MAKERS CF CLOTHES THAT FIT. —Don’t fail to consult us* before buying a suit and you will be sat isfied with results. We have some elegant patterns just imported for the season trade. Our LEATH ER-SHADE BROWN is some thing attractive and our plaids can’t be heat. Other lines that are staple the year around. —We want your business and are willing to come after it. Drop us a line about your needs and we will see that you are supplied. Ev erybody knows us, i let’s get acquainted. you don’t Howe 6c Co.; Augusta, Ga. Sunny Brook the PURL POOD Whiskey It is distilled in the Rood old Kentucky way and is especially adapted (or home use. Every bottle is sealed with the Govern ment “Green Stamp/* a positive assurance o( full proof, full quantity and a fully matured age. It stand* un aqua led as a rten and healthful stimulant—a sure cure lor many ol the minor ailments o( the human system. DELIVERED DIRECT TO TOU EXMESS PREPAID BY ANY OF THE F0U.0WINS DISTRIBUTER!: ,, Tv* aaas m, M. mAKKsTKINV , j, ^ MRr,,| ('hRlUnnoin*. I«nn. t BAS BLUM a CO . Jacksonville. Fla. BEDINGFIFLD a CO., JackannvilW Fla c. C BUTLF.R Jacksonville. FU. P. F. a ( r LONG Jacksonville Fta H ^VYgTKlNa aV klonurLer,- Ala. ■A* ' °NWni; K i" rrn ' r,y •' Montgomerr. Ala "Pity you can’t make It all two’s" 1 ventured with timid Jocularity. She smiled very slightly with a dis tant condescension. It is astonish ing how a feminine hotel clerk can make a masculine gurst ff-el small and self-conscious. "Name,” she demanded. “Victor Hollard." "Fourth floor,” she said, writing out ihe room ticket and handing It to me. In another moment I was In the elevator. No. 221 was the last door but one at the end of the eastern corridor of the fourth floor. It proved to be a room with a double bed, targe, ugly, hut perfectly-appointed In all nut ters of comfort, In "hort It was char acteristic of the hotel. I knew that every bed-room In that corridor and every bed-room In every other corTI- dor presented evactly the same as pect. One Instlni lively felt the im possibility of anything weltd, any thing mysterious or terrible entering ihe precincts of an abode go solid, cheerful and orderly. And yet—but I shall come to that presently. It will be well for me to relate all that I did that evening. I washed and then took some valuables out of iny hag and put them in my pocket. Then I glanced round the chamber and among other satisfactory details noticed Ihat the electric lights were so fixed that I could read In bed without distressing my eyes. I then went downstairs in the elevator and Into the smoking room. I had dined In the train so I ordered nothing but a cafe noir and a box of Virginia ci garettes. After finishing my coffee I passed Into the blllard room and played a hundred up with ihe marker. To show that my nerves were at least as steady as usual that night, 1 mav mention that although the marker gave me fifty and beat me I made a break of twenty ados which won his generous approval. The game Over. I’went Into the hall and noticed that ihe porter:—It was the night node., and he had just come ou duty— seemed to have i peculiarly honest and attractive face. Wishing him good night I retired to bed At 3 o'clock I awoke, not with a start but gradually. I know It was exactly 3 o'clock because the striking of a.very noisy church clock in the neighbor hood was the firs' thing J heard, lur. l ho clock had not wakened me. I felt sure that something else, some thing far more sinister than a church dock had disturbed my sleep, I listened. Then I heard It again It 'was the sound of a groan In the next room. "Someone must be sick," I thought and tried to sleep again. But I could not sleep, the groatiH continued and grow louder and more terrible. At last 1 jumped out of bed and turn ed on the light. I felt easier with ihe light turned on. “That man, whoever he Is, Is dy ing, only a dying man could groan like that,” I thought. I admit I was frightened, bo I call- id. No answer. /’What’s the mat- ler ? " I Inquired. No answer “Arc you sick or nre you doing this Just to amuse yourself? 1 ’ No answer. Then 1 tried to open '-he door but It was locked. "Yes, I said to myself, “he Is either sick or he hus committed a murder and Is feeling sorry for It. I must get the-night porter.” I put on some tclothes and went lo find my way through endless cor ridors and down Mights of stairs ap parently Innumerable. Here and there an electric light sought with Its yellow eye to pierce the gloom. At length I reached ll.e hall and l re member that the tiled Moor struck cold Into my slippered hut bocklcss leet. "There is a man either dying or very sick in 222," I said to the night porter. He was leading an evening paper and evidently very comfortnbl* in his easy chair. "Is that so, sir," lie replied. “Ye3," 1 Insisted, "l think he Is dying. "Hadn’t you better do some thing?" 'I ll come upstairs with you." hs answered readily, and wo began ths ascent. At the first Moor landing the night porter stopped and faced me. Ho was a man of about 45 aua looked like the father of a family. "If you think he is dying, sir, 1 will call the manager, 5>r. Duvall." "Do,’ 1 said. The manager slept on the first ficor ind he soon appeared—a rath young man In a terra cotta colored dressing gown. Arrived in front of loom 222 we listened intently, but could only hear a faint occasional groan. "He Is nearly dead." 1 said. Th manager called aloud, hut there was no answer. Then lie vainly tried to open the door. The nigh' porter ilo- pnrted and returned with a stout pair of steof .ongs. With these and the natural ingenuity peculiar to hotel porters he forced open the door and wo entered room No. 222. A stout, middle-aged man lay on 'he bed, fully dressed in black. On the Moor near the bed was a silk hat As we approached the great body seenu-d to Mutter and then it lay pro foundly and terribly still. The man ager put his hand on the man's head and held the glass of his watch to the man's bloodless lips. "He Is dead," the manager said. "1 am sotry you have been put to any inconvenience and 1 am very much obliged lo you for calling me." • • • • "What about that man?” 1 asked the porter early the next or rather the same morning. "What man, sir?" he replied. "You know." 1 retorted very angrilv “The man who oled during the night In room 222." "I assure you clr, I have not the slightest idea of what you mean." Yet his face seemed as honest as ever. I inquired at the office for the manager and saw him in his private office. "1 thought I would just see about that man,” 1 begau. "What man?" the manager asked. "laxik here," 1 said, now thoroughly annoyed. "It is all very well to give In structions to the porter, and I can quite understand you want the thing kept as quiet as possible. .M-f. Irlrtr •Irt+irlr i Thinking: About It!! Two farmers met in the road one day-=“thought you said you had plowed that ten-acre field” said the first farmer. “No, I was only thinking about plowing it” said the second farmer. “Oh, I see; you merely turned it over in your mind.” Now then, we’ve been turning over some things in our mind, and want to tell you about them. The Store oE Today ? Not Yesterday—Not Last Week We propose to make this the model store, we are going to do so from the customers' standpoint as well as our own. What makes the good store, the model store? Our way of thinking: Having what you want, new and stylish, nothing old, polite salesmen ro wait on you, the right prices, the right treatment. What’s yonr idea? We w ill be pleased to hear from you. We want you to make this store right. Drop us aline, you can sign your name or not—if we agree with you, we will pub lish it in The News. Your friends. McCRAW | & MYRICK "Excuse me sir," said the manager, “elthet you or 1 must be hnuil and I am Burry to say, 1 don’t thing It Is ntyself." “Do you mcnn to say that you did not enter room 222 with me at 3 o'clock this morning?" "1 mean to suy Just that,’ he an swered. ’ Well ” I got no furth-r. I paid j my bill and left. "Here," 1 suld to the porter as I de parted, "tAke this flvo franc piece, t admire you.” I had a serious illness extending over a spell of three months. In the course of my next travels I found myself one night at the Grand June • Ion hotel. "Mr. Hollard,” said the night porter. "I have been looking for you for weeks and weeks. The manager would like to see you In his prtvat. apartments. Again 1 saw the young manager. "Mr. Hollard," he said to me, sit ting down next to me on the lounge, "I owe you an apology. At any rate 1 think it right to Inform you that on the night of the fifth of November the year before last, exactly twelve months before your last visit, a stem man dlod in room 222 at 3 n. m. I had forgotten this when you were in my office last.” "It seems queer," I said, coldly "that you should have forgotten such a ruing.'’ "The fact Is," ho replied. "I was not the manager at that time." "And (ho porter—is he u new man too?' "Yes, the porter wno, with th-- font! r manager fom-d the corpse Ir 222 is now at Nice." “Then you think I had a glimpse of the world of spirits?" ' On these matters," the manager said, "I prefer to think nothing." Night On Bald Mountain. On a lonely night Alex. Benton of Fort Edward, N. Y., climbed Bald Mountain to the home of a neighbor, tortured by Asthma, bent oncuring him with Dr. King’s New Discovery, that had cured himself of asthma. This won derful medicinesoon relievedlandquickiy cured his neighbor. Later it cured his son’s wife of a severe lung trouble. Millions believe its the greatest Throat and Lung cure on Earth Coughs, Colds, Croup, Hemorrhages and. Sore Lungs are surely cured by it. Best for Hay Fever, Grip and Whooping Cough. 50c and $1.00. Trial hottle free. Guaranteed bv all druggists. BOOKKEEPING $29.°° SHORTHAND % 2.2.99 C0ABINE0 $4 52° Episcopal Church Lenten Services. Evening Prayer and Address Wednes days and Fridays at 4.30 p. m. a general invitation is extended to all Christian people. W. R. Scarritt D. D. Rector St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Rev. Wm. Russell Scarritt, D. D., Rector. Sunday services—Morning Prayer and Sermon. 11 a. m. Sunday School, 9:30.* Friday Evening Prayer, 4 p. m. Holy Comjnunion, the First Sunday in. the month. The Rector andjiis family will be at home to frinds each Monday night from 8to 10 o’clock. Attention Ladies! Don’t fail to see the new line of hair fixings now on display at Miss Ellen Fox’s. New Pompadour rolls, new style putt's and the newest of the new Chignons. Hair nets and the new shell ban deaus. li Books Included. This offer good ninety days.I 2 Write R. K BOND IL liege f ‘ Mitiedgeville. Ga?» I M College ' Ogeechee River Roe at J. H. Ennis’ THereeremw MrC’nll PnltrrnnIntheHnifeA tin than of any other rrake ol p. tcrr. 1 his >• oi count of their qtyle, accuracy and iimplicity. Mrfall'B Mniatlfif The Queen of Fa*hion)ha« ore lubunServ thin anyothn Ladir* M**a*»ne. On* . . - C -|) CTMtt 60 IaifAt ibaenber get» a McCall I*al- .1 cent*. Fvelv tern Free. Subscribe today I.bHt Affni* Waatril. Hard e premium* of iti:n«) an.) Premium C atalogue (ahoung 400 pteir. umw arul free. Addiea* THE McCALL i;u. # Nee York McCall Patterns and Publications for Sale by Blood wor tli-Stembridge Co., LEADING DRY JOODS DEALERS. Milledgeyille, Ga. SAMUEL EVANS, SON CO. GOTTON-MOKERS HUP HtREHOUSCMEH tvery Accommodation and Convenience for Our Customers and the Trade. HIGHEST PRICES'. PAID FOR COTTON Your Patronage Solicited. WE PAY W ANTED TO KENT. A plow animal for small farm. Good care and attention will be given- Mrs. M. Minter. Gordon, tea. fliotet Gash Price For all Kinds of COW PEAS I mini mm. | Myalls Milne Ms Milledgeville, Georgia-