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THURSDAY. 8HPTKMREI! 5, IDvr. THE ATLANTA OEOKG1AN AND NEWS. THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN (AND NEWS) JOHN TEMPLE CRAVES, Editor. F. L. SEELY, President. Published Every Afternoon. (Except Sunday) By THE GEORGIAN COMPANY. At S West Alabama St.. Atlanta. Oa. Subscription Rateet One Tear Sll HMIbT'lHinlm! J'S Three Month. One Month -JJ By Carrier. Per Week I 0 Telephones connecting all depnrt- mrnts. Long distance terminal. ntatlres for all territory outsTd reeeotetl Oeorgla. Chief (TO umce -j rinnnr ituionua New York Office Brunawlck Bldg. If yon hare any trouble gettlog THB GEORGIAN AND NEWS, telephone the circulation department and bare It promptly remedied. Telephone*: Bell 4927 mala; Atlanta 440L It le desirable tbet ell communica tions Intended for publication to THE GEORGIAN AND NEWS be limited te <00 worde In length. It Is Imperative that they be signed, ns on evidence of good faith. Rejected menuecrlpte will not be returned unless stamps are eent tor the purpose. THE GEORGIAN AND NEWS prints oo unclean or objectionable adrertle- lag. Neither dure It print wbleky or nay llgnor ade. operated successfully by Kuropenn cities, as they ere, tbere le no good reason why they can not lie to oper ated here. But we do not heller* tbit ran be dona now, and It may be tome years before we are ready for to big en undertaking. Still Atlanta should set IU face In that direction NOW. We might call thin a pleasant In- dlan summer with a “reservation.” Richard Mansfield left a fortune of c million dollars. And yet there are those who declare that the higher en tertainments of the stage do not pay. Tho visiting Prince Chap I* now .getting a taste of New York proper ' after having a fine time In Now York Imp—at Newport. j Clever Miss Edna Cain, of Quitman, Ida., has made another one of her ! bright Caln-breaks—this time Into 'New York journalism. London society women compute that from Infancy to the debut age an Eng lish girl costs '$37,000. That’s very little to what some English boys cost our American heiresses. Commander Peary In waiting so pa tiently for favorable conditions under which to start for the pole, may yet play the tortoise to Walter Wellman’s hare. The open season for new and ambi tious playwrights Is now on. At the usual ‘'first nights" the audiences will call for some of those and go after others. The Baltimore American declares that Saratoga stands less In need of gambling than any other watering place In the world. We bail almost understood that the city had about as much as It required. An epidemic of barefoot burglars baa alighted on the town of Baysport, L. I. Such adepts are they In the thieving business that nothing la left In a Baysport residence after their visits save the Imprint of bare feet Interpreters of the political signs of the times who think Taft's name ia too short for a successful presidential candidate .should remember how much tbere Is in that name. An American girl has gone to India for the purpose of killing the biggest tiger In the country. Tho natives do not know which most to fear—the lady or the tiger. Fort Scott, Kansas, has a curfew law against piano playing; any one caught playing arter 9 o'clock Is fined. Some Kansas freaks are worthy of imitations. Scientists have about agreed that the bubonic plague la communicated to persons through the agency of the ilea. We trust thet the little pests will not hop across the continent just at present. The recently publlebed statements of Dr. Frere. a celebrated French aclentl**, on the nearophatlc dangers of kissing, are said to have created deep and widespread Interest In Paris, where the practice is prevalent In the best society. The Atlanta Constitution must be wrong when It says that Geor gia Is too small to bold Hoke Smith and Tom Watson. For, re member, room must be lound for Scab Wright and John Temple Graver, and thtt Joe Hill Hall has corner pre-empted.—Augusta erald. *’lll The Herald permit us to re- mln- It that Georgia Is never crowded .by men who “want ■ nothing? It Is Only competing ambitions that create a jam. REGULATING THE TROLLEY LINES, THE POWER PLANTS AND THE TELEPHONES. The resolution of Councilman Terrell touching the regulation of rates an' methods In the trolley lines,'the gas companies and the tele phones, brings clearly to a head the question of these, public commodities In their relation to the people. The matter should be handled definitely and decisively and disposed of with as much promptitude as justice and accuracy will permit. We feel sure that the various corporations Involved In the proposed legisla tion will agree with The Georgian that the matter at Iseue should be taken up and disposed of now, without wasting time or complicating feel ings by an extended wrangle or litigation. Wo are equally sure that The Georgian will express the public senti ment of right-thinking men In saying that nobody wishes to oppress or to mistreat these corporations. The people want justice, not advantage. They desire equity and not confiscation. Whether the terms of Connctlman Terrell's resolution should prevail, or the exact figure of his reductions should meet the approval of the council, we do not pretend to say. But this much we hold to be proper and discreet This Is a time of general accounting between the people and the corporations everywhere. The beginning that was made with the railroads Is naturally and necessarily going down the line of other corporations which deal In public utilities. The people of Georgia have commissioned a body of thoughtful, up right and conservative statesmen to weigh in the balance the pros and cons of these contentions between the people and the corporations and to decide them wisely and justly. The people want nothing more than this at the hands of tho commission. The railroads should receive nothing more and nothing less than Justice at the hands of this commission. It is fortunate for both the people and the corporations that tho commission Is composed of men wise and able and above the suspicion of graft or per sonal prejudice. The one essential thing Is that through the expert knowledge and the facilities for obtaining knowledge of this commission, that the public should come to a correct understanding of the conditions of these great public utilities corporations. It is time tliat we should know without hearsay and without the coloring of passion or of Interest, Just exactly the status of these great enterprises that are created by the franchises and supported by the patronage of the-people. We want to know just how much money they have Invested, Just how much money' they are earning, Just how far. Justice and public policy can decree that they have consid ered the people In a reduction of rates and In a betterment of public service. . If these corporations are growing so rich out of the franchises and patronage of the people' that their dividends are overlarge and their profits essentially great, then we are quite sure that public policy- In thorough consistency with absolute Justice can decide that the people who arc partners in these enterprises should share at least to that degree In their prosperity that they can be served at cheaper rates and that the service shall be just as perfect as diligence and fidelity and honest work can make it. This conclusion can bo reached neither by the council nor by tho commission without an understanding of the conditions, the capacity and the profits of the corporation. The first of all things to bo sscured Is Information. It would be manifestly unjust and utterly tyrannical for the state or the city to tax the corpoi$ttona without knowledge of their revenues and without due appreciation‘ of their capacity to be taxed. It would be man ifestly unjust on tho other hand to the iieople, who are In the nature of things partners In these great corporations, to bo overtaxed by corpora tions In charges or neglected by them In imperfect service. We commend, then, Councilman Terrell's resolution to the extent that It Is the opening gun of a reform which Is timely and Just. The jus tice of tho reductions which he asks In fees and rates can only be de termined when the council and the commission understand the full status of the corporations. But the Introduction of the resolution brings a mat ter which has heretofore been one of gossip to one of fact and of action and lit that It Is a source of general congratulation. We do not wish nor do the people wish to harass and handicap these great public utility corporations, by constant hammering or Inces sant demands for reform. It we have had to do much of this In the past it Is because the corporations bavo been slow to answer the popular de mands which have been made upon them. No • the people are In a position everywhere not only to ask but to Insist upon the request that their desires shall bo considered and that justice shall be done them as the facts wilt permit. Wo trust that the council and the commission may proceed at once to understand the value, the revenues, the profits and the possible Im provements which the corporations represent and that upon the basis of this Information our bodies representing the people will proceed.wlth per fect Justice, with absolute fairness and with unruffled firmness In their decision to do tho right thing by tho people and by the corporations. GOVERNOR HEYWARD OF CAROLINA. Among the visitors to Atlanta on Wednesday was ex-Governor Hey ward of South Carolina, and there Is never a visitor whom Atlanta. Is more pleased to see than this ex-governor of the Palmetto State. It Is a fact beyond discussion that Governor Heyward Is the most popular Carolinian of today among the people of the Capital City of Geor gia. His charming manner, hla gracious courtesy and his delightful elo quence of speech have so frequently captured our public bodies, from the South Carolina Society to the Roosevelt receptions, that be has made for himself a lovable and enduring place In the regard of Atlanta and of Georgia. Governor Hoywnrd la In the very prime of a vigorous and militant manhood, pulsing with energy and alive with public spirit, and even out of office Is a vital factor In the Industrial, social and political development of tho New South. He has been generous enough to add to the burden of his many per sonal responsibilities tho high duty of leading the movement for a state ly monument to General Robert E. Lee. The suggestion for this monu ment came from President Roosevelt In a public utterance, and by com mon consent Governor Heyward has been chosen as the executive of this high and holy enterprise. As soon as the organisation of committees Is completed the public will hear more of this great cause. Meanwhile It Is our pleasure to renytrk once more that the latch ■trine in Atlanta always hangs on the outside to the ex-governor of South Carolina. THE SEASON OPENS WITH A WHOLESOME PLAY. It Is a source of satisfaction to the wholesome-minded people of this community that tho winter season of amusement at our leading house of entertainment ahould have opened with a play so wholeeome and 10 plating as that presented by Tim Murphy and his company at the Grand Opera House. There was nothing particularly great and nothing essentially dramat ic In the little story of love and humanity presented on the stage of the Grand Opera House, but It was from first to last wholesome, clean, pleas ing and uplifting In the general failure of selfishness and the triumph of good, and especially notable was the universal emphasis of approval which came from the large and enthusiastic audience for every senti ment of nobility and morality creditable to our common humanity. Audiences to a thoughtful theater-goer are In moat cases as Interest ing as tl ■ play, and It was a wholesome and happy study last night to witness the spontaneous response of the audience to the words and senti ments which Illustrated their high and better selves. * A play like that of last night Is at once the best possible refutation of the belief that In order to make a living and to win succeas on the stage the actor must pander to the prurient and to the doubtful In morals. From the rise of the first curtain to the fall Of the last there was not in the play of last evening a single line that oould suggest Impropriety, or a costume or an attitude which was offensive to the gentlest modesty or the most firmly established virtue. And yet few plays have held a larger interest unbroken to the close and have sent away a larger number of people happier and better for having been there. Actors o the type of Tim Murphy and his company are in themselves moral forces of the age in which we live. They build up the stage above and beyond its bad traditions and Its evil tendencies. They demonstrate the growing power of good and the profitableness of decency and they rob of all possible excuse any other company or any other plays which ap peal through baser channels to the pockets and to the leisure of the play going public of America. As an advocate of public morals we thank Tim Murphy and his ad mirable company for the clean, pure and wholesome evening of genuine enjoyment which our people have received from his visit to Atlanta. And may his tribe upon the stage Increase. HOW SWIFTLY THEY SIGNED THE LEASE! Meanwhile, It is worth while to note the almost eager haste with which the mayor and the Bell officials have wished to sign the telephone franchise. * Under the conditions, there were four days of deliberation left for the mayor. In which he might prudenfly scan the contract In the Interest of the city, and the possibilities of Injunction and protest which might rea sonably have halted a disinterested public official. There was an even longer period left for the signatures of the Bell Company officials, In which to examine and perfect a lease of such length and such^ magnitude. But bless your souls, fellow-citizens, neither the mayor nor the com pany took any time for deliberation. The lease was voted by the council In the late afternoon. And early in the morning, his honor the mayor was ready with his swift and willing pen, to meet the equally swift and'willing pens of the Bell officials, to make this thing a binding contract, if possible, Just as soon as possible. _ The very haste of the company Is an Indication of the fact that they would quite easily have signed a lease for 2 per cent! The haste of the mayor Indicates—well, what's the use of reading the Indicator too closely? SUPERINTENDENT SOLOMON WRITES OPEN LET1ER TO SEABORN WRIGHT ON LOCKER TAX AND PROHIBITION Hon. Ren born Wright, Rome Gn. t My Dear Mr. Wright: I hnve read with much . Intercat your article on the “locker tax act." . It la atrong and lucid, and, It seema to me, n fair atntement of facta. I can’t eeo why your Interpretation of tho law ao simply. Intelligently and fraukly given to the public ahould not quiet the fenra of Georgians and absolutely satisfy every honest seeker after truth. Like your self, I am persuaded that much of the mis apprehension In the public mind nnd the uneasiness on the pnrt of onr prohibition friends have arisen from tho Incorrect state ment of the ureas In the publication of the prohibition bill. If I mistake not. every pa per had It “other places” rather than other public places. This was misleading. The _ This (Is, “any other public places.” The published “any other places." Let our friends remember, too, that liquor can neither 1m* manufactured nor sold In these public places, nor In private places, only sold in tho ninnner provided by the prohibition hill, which feature Is familiar to the people. This Is not n license, hut n tax, which I trust you nnve made plain In Tour letter. The AntLShloon League 1ms icon. Is now, and always will be, opposed to the license system. We are always add unalterably opposed to putting if license on anything that Is hurtful to the moruls of the people. At first I was shocked and grieved at the very mention of “locker.” It has almost given some of our good folks the lockjaw, but after n close study of the locker tax act 111 the light of onr prohlhltoln bill I am convinced that It la the very best thing possible that could have been done under the circumstances. In the long run. too, I nm sure It will bring but small III*to the prohibition cause In the stnte. Like thousand* of others, I long to see the tax fixed nt $10,000. It ought to have been tory men sure. Our courageous proL...... lenders fought valiantly for It. but lost, make this prophecy, however, that ninny of pur city coiiuclla will materially Increase the tax, mid some of them will make the price so high that the gay liquor gusslers will not l»e able to do business In Georgia. Let not prohibitionists for one moment believe that the locker Is In any sense de signed ns a cloak or excus r for blind tigers. Not n lilt of It, but. to th» contrary, I be lieve In my soul the locker will be a means or Instrument by w hich thi blind tiger may be exposed. The very fact thnt the locker exists and Is located put* It In the limelight of the public eye, and there will be, without a doubt, a very vigilant watch kept over these festive places. Our great prohibition law Is not perfect. We make no such claim for It. No human sblernte mid patient. Let them thank God thnt It Is ns good ns It Is. Lot us all jjlve the law a chance. We will yet liv< •ion willing, ’to rub nut the kinks now In the law, and bring It more nearly to perfec tion next June. What we need now Is n thorough orgnulzntion of our forces. Let our people nil get together. Let there lie no wrangling nor murmuring, nor “Hark from the tomb n doleful sound." Let the peoplq get down to business and show to the world thnt prohibition shall prohibit In Georgia. The devil and the liquor gang are already tickling In their sleeves over the locker question. They would lock us up In the locker If only prohibition might go to the bad. Let them not divert gentlemen from the mnln Issue. The burden now upon * Geor gians Is the enforcement of law. Rtlck to your bush. Stand by your guns. We shall yet win another victory In the dear old stnte. May not our policemen and sheriffs nnd other officers of the law run down the evil doer? May not every judge lu Georgia put conviction the last liquor seller after hard labor? I confidently expect to see this done. All praise for tne judges who ore now *— ■*■*■*“ —-— • pursuing this course. —i, I want to see'the selling of whisky made a felony In Georgia. And I want to see Governor Hoke Smith, the great execu tive of this great stnte, like Governor Folk, of Missouri, nut on the Hd. Mr. Wi Now, . Wright, let tho people curse you as much iim they please. It Is always a compliment to a man to be cursed for doing right. You have done your duty. What more can nny man do? And when the smoke has cleared nwny It will nil be plain. You. with other Immortal worthless some In heaven nud some on earth, hnve saved this stnte. To all snch I .lift my hat. And to the great and mighty captain I rever ently. bow, crying with ft grateful heart, thank God. Yours slncerefv, „ „ . . . J. C. .SOLOMON. P. 8.—Doubtless In the enrly future the supreme court will decide whether or not lockers are public places. We are anxious tn ktmtr tins nmiri'i mil nr* nn . l.l- l... to know the court's ruling on this hnpor- tnnt questlon. lHit we are willing to wait. “THE REBEL YELL” (From The Nashville Banner.) What Is the "Rebel Yell 7" You never heard tt? Did you ever hear a Bunker Hill to Monterey, from Chicago to the gulf? If so. you have heard the "Rebel Yell." You can not play "Dixie" anywhere in America before 600 people without hearing the "Rebel Yell.” It Is doubtful If It can be plnyed before so large an audience In any capital In Europe with out the same accompaniment. One hundred times during the great Columbian Exposition In Chi- rt fVtn "Rohpl Vnll" enmn npnr rnlalntr t)io roof ntt noon. it. < cago the "Rebel Yell” came near raising the roof oft the great auditorium when the magnificent band played "Dixie." if' The What Is the "Rebel Yell?" The English language has no words to de scribe It, but when you hear It you will know It. It Is the most Inspiring expression of patriotic exuberance known to the Anglo-Saxon race It Is the way tht Southern man says "I am willing to die for my country here and now." The brave old "blue-coat*'' who marched South In '61 know the "Rebel Yell,” and know what It means. "Three cheers" and "hurrah" sound like "hooray” beside the "Rebel Yell." When you hoar the "Rebel Yell,” If you are on the other aide, you had better hunt tall timber. It has been hoard on every American battlefield from Tlconderoga to Santiago, from Boston to the Philippines. It Is called the "Rebel Yell." but It Is America's battle cry and "Dixie" Is our national battle anthem. , Don’t like this, you say? Nevertheless It Is a stubborn accomplished fact. And Theodore O'Hara, "a rebel soldier,” and a patriotic American wrote the "Bivouac of the Dead." America's greatest war poem the verses of which adorn the copper plates In every American national cem etery, and stir the thoughts of youth and age to deeds of glory. W IIEN a man begins to spend less than he mokes, lys “good fortune” begins and “luck” favors him. It is generally a multitude of small expenditures that-keep men poor; so it is small savings that make them rich. A savings account at this bank will encourage the saving of small sums that one is so 'apt to spend needlessly or foolish ly, and will help one to acquire habits of thrift and economy. Four per cent interest, compounded semi-annually, j s paid on accounts in our Savings Department. MADDOX-RUCKER BANKING CO. THE BRACEBRIDGE DIAMONDS A Thrilling Story of Mystery andAdoenture SYNOPSIS. JS Frank (tho hero! nud Reginald Bracehnagc (couilus) meet Mme. Vera Slavlnsfcr. a beautiful woman, at Saratoga. She la nt- tarked l).r a foreigner (Dr. Carl Mtieusr). tho latter demanding thnt she surrender to him "a bit of paper nnd a atone. He claims he hna the mining fragment and thnt “the other* were then lu the hotel. Frank rescue* her and la given a package with permWaou to open It when he thtiiK- the right time hna come. A telegram •*’ nonnees the sudden den*h of Reginald* father. Frank la mndo executor of (lie it- tnte. Reginald la ehnrged with forgery, nnd cnila upou Frank to wire him truin ana .1. A nmlil rushes Into the rwin nnd tells Be:,' tnald tits wife Is dead nnd that be fa chart,- ed with her murder. Frank nnd Reginald leave the house t)v a aeerct passage and renrh the Brnrehrtdge country home oa Long Island, They embark I* an ulreblp. Reginald la sent to France. Frank lent”? thnt the phyalelnn who attended Reginald a wife resembles Dr. Mueller. lie hires u farm lu Ohio nenr the plncu where this doc tor lives. Sylvia Tburatnh. pretty daughter of n bulge In Ohio, Is brought Into the story. Dr. Mueller fnlls In love with her. lie seema to know her brother, a painter, who resides abroad. Sylvia. Dr. Mueller and n girl friend visit "The Hollow," an old house, said to be haunted. Raymond Thurston returns homo unex pectedly nnd Is greeted by his slater during the temporary absence of her fiance. Sylvia nnd her brother go for n walk and meet Basil, who quarrels with Ray mond. The following morning Ruth rrltchnrd Is found In the woods near the Thurston home, unconscious. When she recovers conscious ness, Iter mind Is nppnrcntly unhinged with some horror. Raymond Thurston Is found In the sfudln, shot through the heart. Sylvia suspects Basil of tho murder of her brother. TAKES ISSUE WITH GOVERNOR AS TO GEORGIA COTTON CROP. To the Editor of The Georgian: In reply to an Interview with Gov ernor Bmlth and other prominent buel- neee men of your city In regard to the present crop of cotton In Georgia, I beg to say that insofar as the condition, at present, of the cotton crop Ip concerned, and the probable amount to be matje this year, they are very far from the correct state of nffnlrs It. ...any portion* of the state today. Th* crop Is thirty days late, the plant very tender, and the past two weeks of excessive heat and drouth have caused th* plants to shed very heavily. The bolls that are left are beginning to open prematurely. The staple will be short and the eeed Imperfect. The crop In this section has fallen off two-fifths within the pant fortnight. I realize the fact that Gcvemor Smith would not under any circumstances do or say any thing that would prove detrimental to the people of his state, but rather 1 ara assured he would make personal sacri fices for the people of all classes. But. Mr. Editor, you will see at once that the statement coming from one so high In authority, the governor of a great state. It will have the effect of de pressing the price of cotton. Mark the prediction! Th* present crop of cotton In Georgia will not reach the one and a half million mark. A good rain ten days ago and another just now might poeilbly have brought the crop up to one nnd three-quarter million bales. The last planting Is almost ruined, and the first planting Is greatly damaged by the present spell of weather. Yours truly. R. B. TRAYLOR. Chlpley, Ga., Sept 4. BOOTBLACKINQ MAGNATES. Arthur Sears Henning contributes nn Interesting article In the Inaugural Issue of The American Business Man, which appears on the news stands to day, on the business of blacking boots. He writes: "it la estimated that Chicagoans spend more than $300,000 a'yinr In keeping their boots and shoes polished. ,**00,000 represents the profit of the business. A big down town •hop that pays $100 a month rent and Sr* * h, i. mo,t e *Pert*n«rt polishers $10,000*11 year Pr ° P ,r ° m ”' 0M to a-7 he a l,uaiuir ot the work performed has undergone a change (or the better during the expansion and organization ?e week U * ln *.“ K Nowada V" a man has up Peeeme an expert shoe ?? d v. r^mmand the highest wages In the beat-shops. A first-class poUsher Is paid $46 a month. Boys are Pejd from 14 to $S a week. This Is one calling In which there I■ no union or affiliation with organised labor. A few years ago one was attempted, but It failed In Its Inception." PECULIARITIES. "You have observed wild animals a great deal?" "Yes," answered the sportsman. H av ,e noted any peculiarities?" Decided peculiarities. Some of them absolutely Insist on not behaving an the naturalists say they ought."—Washing ton Star. * GLORIOUS EMPIRE. Chairman Murray, of the Oklahoma Constitutional convention. Is about to be robbed of his glorious sobriquet of "Alfglfa Bill." A new state newspaper has called him "William th. sir.. has called him "William the First of Tishomingo." Whatever comes, Murray may rest assured that It Is a glorious empire over which he rules.—Sl Louis Republic. CHAPTER LI. Ruth Accused. "I am force dto do so. Aunt Lctty —there Is nothing else to believe,” Syl via returned hoarsely. “Again and again during the past month Basil has threatened Raymond In words that could not be mistaken. He even wrote to Raymond, and so violent was the letter that Raymond could only ac count for It by the supposition that Basil had written while under the influ ence of drink, or else that his tnlnd was affected." "You really can not mean that you suspect”—Miss Letltla gasped, but her voice utterly failed her here, and she sank Into a chair and her aged form trembled In every limb. T can nnd I do suspect Basil Thurs ton, Cousin Letly! There Is no onu else to suspect. On the very last oc casion of Basil’s meeting with Ray mond—a few days ago—he used lan guage that pointed directly to his In tention to have recourse to some des perate, wicked act. But I could not believe at the time thnt he reully meant what he said. I thought his anger had carried him away and that he was speaking wildly—heedlessly— and that there was no real danger." "Perhaps you are not aware, Sylvia, that Basil has been drinking hard dur ing the past weeks," Mies Letltla falter ed. "He hae been constantly under the influence of drink of late, so that he can not be held responsible for his words. But as to his acts—no, no, no, Sylvia, my dear! Basil would not In jure a hair of your brother's head." Even In her terrible agitation, now- Sylvia was Impressed with these words, and with the look in her aged kins woman’s face as she spoke them. "And where wns Basil that night, Cousin Letty?” "He wheeled to Cleveland that even ing, and he has not since returned Rose fears, nnd so do I, that he is stlli drinking hard. I am sorry to suy that Gabriel Baring, Basil's friend In Cleve land, bears a very questionable repu tation In that district. Z have never quite approved of Basil's visits to that ■nan's house.!' "But how can you be positively cer tain, Cousin Letty, that Basil went to Cleveland that evening?" Basil Clsared. "Because David Prout—one of our tenants, you know—met Basil cycling furiously In the direction of Cleveland on that evening; nnd Rose had a let ter from Basil today from Cleveland, or rather a few scrawled lines, from the look and substance of which It seems evident enough thnt Basil was so far gone when writing that lie could hardly hold the pen or form a coherent thought. • • • "Things, you see, are bad enough as they nre with Raall, Sylvia—there Is no need to fix the burden of crime upon him In addition to his existing misfortunes!” "What am I to believe? What am I tn believe?" Sylvia .moaned, wringing her hands together In sore perplexity and distress. "If Basil Is Innocent of this, who is the guilty one? No on* else that I know of owed a grudge uf any kind to Raymond. Every one loved him—every one wished him well. There's not a man, woman or child In all the country round that would will ingly have Injured him in the allght- her agitation ns she said these words was movlnc hurriedly to the door •:« if to leave the room then and there- but Sylvia hastened after her and dropped upon her knees at her feet "Cousin Letty, do not leave me! stay with me and talk to me. I feel on the verge of madness. Heaven knows tt Is not my wish to Incriminate Basil* Next to Raymond himself, Basil used to be nearer and dearer to me than all others. But what can I think? What can I think? Oh, Cousin Letty, let ua talk over the whole matter, from be- ginning to end. We may arrive at some conclusion. And I find it Is so terrible to be groping In utter dark ness—like this!" i But again her voice failed her, and tottering to her f-et, she clung to Miss Letltla’g thin, aged form, fixing wild distended eyes on her kinswomans troubled face. It was at this moment that a hur ried knocking sounded at the door, and Martha Jenner's homely face up- reared. “The police Inspector, Sir. Rogers, Is Just riding up the avenue, Miss Sy|. via," Martha said, excitedly, "He’ll want to talk to you, miss—but Miss Monica says you can’t possibly see him." "Miss Sylvia can see no one this af- ternoon, Martha;, she Is quite III," ,M| SS Letltla said, almost sternly; then, as Martha withdrew, the old lady turned quickly to her young cousin. "Sylvia,” she said, with a sudden pal- lor In her face, and her voice 1 dropped to an Intense whisper, "you—surely— will never be mad enough to breathe to any or t alive that cruelly false suspicion of yours as to—Basil!" est way.’ She paused, gasping for breath, and hid her tortured face In her hands. But after a few moments' silence she turned again to Miss Letitia. "What does Rose really think. Cousin Letty? Has she any susul- clnn. nt Fte.ll?" cions of Basil?' God forbid. Sylvia! Even If the di rect evidence were not In her posses sion that Baal! was miles away from Moorcombe on the fatal night. Rose is not the girl to blacken her brother’s name wit’ this wicked, hotrlble suspi cion." Miss Letltla, altogether overcome by The dark mystery shrouding the cir cumstances of Raymond Thurston's death defied the combined efforts of the village police and the Cleveland detectives to unravel It; and when the day of the adjourned Inquest came round there was no fresh evidence ot any Importance forthcoming. The midnight visit of the deceased to the studio In the wood and Its dire result. Ruth Pritchard's absence from Moorcombe that night, and the Imme diate cause of her strange attack— these matter.s on the face of them so significantly connected, were still wrapped In Impenetrable darkness, and there seemed no prospect of arriving at any satisfactory Issue. Ruth Pritchard's distressing condi tion was unaltered. She lay In her bed room at Moorcombe almost as It dead. From her locked lips no evi dence of any kind was to be extorted. So there was nothing for It but that the Jury should finally return a verdict of death resulting front a gunshot wound Inflicted by some person un known, adding a very genuine expres sion of their regret for the sad end of the deceased, and of their true sympa thy with his family In their terrible bereavement: and the tragic occurrence was relegated to the long list of unex plained fatalities of the kind. “It's one of the most puzzling things I’ve ever heard of In all my life. Isaac," Mrs. Prosser said to ther husband on the night following the close of the Inquest. “One doesn't liko to accuse any one, of course, of so dreadful a crime; but, between ourselves. Isaac. I can not but think that Ruth Pritchard Is answerable for poor Raymond's trag ic death. "Whatever the true circmustanccs may have been, tho fact remains, to my tnlnd at least, that Ruth made an appointment with Raymond In the painting room that night, and—and”— Mrs. Prosser's voice dropped to a whis per—“shot him dead there!” The minister was silent. He had heard this suspicion whispered about during the past few days, and. shocked and Incredulous os he had been w hen his wife had first made such a sugges tion a week before, he had, little by lit tle, accustomed himself to the possi bility that this explanation after all might be the only true solution of the mystery. Continued In Tomorrow's Georgian. SOUTHERN LANDS. (From Southern Farm Mrtguxtm 1 .' That o greater number of men of m> Mtahllslie.l thorn solve buy nr tales tn the South fins been title prlltclj to a Inek of itciiiutiiituiire with the itoviur tnges tbere In tint ehnpo of cheap hut fer tile land*, ettiinlilc climate itml opportuni ties for honntlfnt development. These, how- eve?, are beginning to tie properly ■'l'i r o- elntetl, hut It will In* n long tiny before there could It* anything like a crowding fit the small farmer lty great land owners. Still. Ule possibility Is not one to lie nmit Mil* llUVfllUIIII) It WHO ■ fld light!>, It In r fust that the »»»'•[* The dm whack* tt* a tenant or owner of In nil an? bringing It to iium* thnt n gteatar aua greater number of fkmttierii farmery are obliged to depend’ upon their own rcaipire. * in working their bind. Deserted td h® degree*, the bind of the South would Btean- tty degenerate. To mnlntaln the wmm Plan up to its full capability* n large , tnk« place In the body of white Itnuilgn* lion, nnd the fact mast be kept to the front thnt $10,000 Invetited In product b® fnruling I* worth more to the South **“*! f 100.000 Invested In lund to be occupl* solely for pleasure. Out of Practice. “These kt**c« yon sold me yesterday hnrd nnd stnje, growled n cti*topM*r at tus enudjr counter. “I thonght you flolmeu m ke4»n only f$w*h »*!'Rdje«.“ _ . "We do generally." replied the fair sa* Indy. “Those must hnve come from an »iu batch,"—September Llpplrteott’s. KODAKSSUPPUES-FINISHING 1* h ® *hft lights of Autumn make this the best time for Amateur Photography— suppU«s‘ U “ fr ° m ,10 ° to * 36 00 — Flne finishing work—Fresh KODAK DEPARTMENT. A. K« Hawkes Co., Opticians, 14 Whitehall and 125 Peachtres (Candler Building)