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teammameeseem l w The Missing it i. O O 0 Millionaire. i; 3333333333$3Â¥06vvvvvvv Society~witli a capital Sâ€"madei much of Mr. Hiram ’l‘. Beats. ltl accepted his dinner invitations, drank his wines, and smoked his ci- gars (both of thch were excellent) with a refreshingly easy grace ; and in consideration of these little items cheerfully forgot what, in other cirâ€" cumstances, it would ne\ er have forâ€" gikenâ€"namely, that his few odd milâ€" lions of dollars were the result of a judicious "corner" in pork engineerâ€" cd by ’ the astute Mr. Beats in his native Chicago not many years has fore. With SuCll an example it is not to be wondered at that society. With- out the capital letterâ€"particularly the section of it to which I then beâ€" longedâ€"should turn envious eyes in the direction of the wealthy Ameriâ€" can; and many were the schemes set in motion which had for their end the laudable one of relieving him of some of his superfluous cash. Personally, I pondered the. ques- tion as to how this desirable couâ€" sumination could be brought about for a long time, until, in fact, 1 had well-nigh given up the task as hopeâ€" less. At that precise moment, hows over, Providence, in the unlikely shape of Jim Braggs, intervened. Stepping into my little sanctum one evening with the mysterious bearing of one WllO‘llt‘tS important news to Communicate, he whispered : "Guv'nor, 'avo you ’eard that old Beats is goin’ tei‘ Liverpool ! Anyâ€" 'ow it’s right V an‘ don’t yer fergit it ! Four o’clock from St. Pancras, stop the night in Liverpool, 2111' take the New York boat on the Satur- day. ’Ow’s that fer a hit. of news?” “Glorious,” I replied, "if correct. But is it '?” ' "'C’rect ! 'Ei'e, look at that l” Pulling an evening journal from his. pocket he pointed with triumph and a dirty forefinger to a paragraph under the heading of “Society Doâ€" ings," the purport, of which was cerâ€" tainly as he had stated. “Now are yer satisfied ?” “Quite,” I said. “The opportunâ€" ity is far too good a one to be missed ; and it shall not be my fault if we don’t take full advantage it. Only let me tell you this, Jim. it’s going to be a much bigger affair than usual. I can see that plainly. Kidnapping a niaiiâ€"â€"-” “Kidnappin' ! Who said anything about kidnappin’ '2” "â€"- is apt to be risky at any time,” I continued, not heedin ' the g , interruption ; “but when the man happens to be a millionaire is a. form of recreation which becomes positively dangerous. Still, the stake is worth the risk, and that’s the main thing.” "But what do you want ter kidâ€" nap him at all for ?" persisted Jim. "Can't we work the oracle withâ€" out '2” "Very likely,” I answered, "but not so neatly. I’ve got an idea that‘s going to be worth something considerable to us before it’s done with, or I’m a Dutchman !” "Right you are, guv'nor. the way to talk. this time ?” “Very simple l To-morrow we go down to Liverpool together, take a furnished house in a district where it's pretty quiet, and install you in it as caretaker, or whatever you like. I return to London, travel by the same train as our bird on Friâ€" day, in order to keep an eye on him, and you meet us at the sta-I tion with something that looks as much like an hotel omnibus as posâ€" sible. Into this he must he got somehow, and the rest should not be difficult. Once he realizes the situation I should fancy he’ll be willing to purchase freedom at a reasonable price.” “I should faiiCy ‘e will," chuckled Braggs. “’Ere's wishin' it luck, any‘ow?” And, picking up the glass; of malt liquor with which, knowingI his propensities in that direction, i. had furnished hini, Jim drained itl without so much as stopping toi take breath. "The first thing, I said, "is consider what we shall want in way of tackle. Clothes, for stanceâ€"you'll want a different rigâ€". out from that. you know ! And perhaps it world be as well to have, a, couple of the boys to assist in case a little extra persuasion should be net‘cSaryâ€"you Can arrange that?" “Cert’nly, guv‘norâ€"a very good idea. I'll take those two little coniâ€" missions in ’and at once." There, for the nonce, we separated. Eight o'clock the next morning. however, saw us together againâ€"this time as travellers to the Mersey seaâ€" port. There is no llCt'tl for me to. describe our doings there at tedious: length ; enough for me to say that“ having secured the IECC‘Cr-Sal‘} house and settled various other matters, I u to: the,‘ in- thc way things were shaping, leavâ€"i ing Braggs in charge at the other‘ end. The only fear now was lest thing Should transpire to postpone the inillionaire‘s journey and I. must own that it was with a sigh of relief I saw the poilly figure that I knew so well einere‘e leisuruly froml the booking-office about a quarter of: an hour before train fatal day. Mr. lie-its halted at to purchase some parezs ed into 4.33 telegraph oil l l l of: You leave it to me." That’s, \‘v‘hat’s the game, i l I hour later. it, was that I did so. Immediately he had scribbled out his form and handed it to the operator, I (who had occupied the adjacent partition on pretence of also sending a wire) tore off the next, sheet from the pad which he had used and crammed it hastily into my pocket. Five minutes later we steamed slowly out from under the big archâ€" ed roof, and I' had an opportunity to examine it away from prying eyes. As 1 anticipated, the hard pencil had made just suflicient iinâ€" pl‘cssion on the paper to enable me to decipher what had been written. "Alexandra Hotel. .l.iverpool.“ it read. "Reserve rooms for me toâ€" night.â€"llcats." "Olin." thought l, “here is a little matter which must, be. adjusted slightly." Accordineg at Leicester I paid a hurried visit. to the ten,» graph oilicc on my own account. To the Alexandra Hotel 1 wired : “(‘an- cel wire re rooms fo~night ; am reâ€" turning Londonâ€"Beats,” and, havâ€" ing done so, dispatched a brief mesâ€" sage, to Braggs telling him how matters stood. So far so good. There was not likely to be any more difliculty till we reached Liverpool. and I relaxed sufficiently to allow myself the lux- ury of a cigar. Fortune seemed to favor us again. When we got to Liverpool it was raining heavily. and fcarfully bois- terous withal. the consequences be- ing that few people were about. Immediately Mr. Beats descended from his compartment, Jim who was waiting close by with his 'busâ€" hired for the occasion at a price which efTectuaily elosured awkward questionsâ€"touched his hat in true professional style, and inquired "Alexandra, sir ‘2 Yessir.” The millionaire nodded, Jim threw open the door, caught up the brown Gladstone bag while I ascended the box from the off side, and in less than half a minute we were bowling away at a smart pace. Without the least suspicion Mr. Beats had walked into the trap set for him ; in fact, the affair could not have been accomplished in iieater fashion had we rehearsed it twenty times. The first intimation he had of anyâ€" thing unusual was when we pulled up in front -of a door in a badly lighted street, instead of the pal- atial hotel entrance he expected to see ; and here again the drenching rain and howling wind proved valu- able allies. The exclamation which rose to his lips as he put foot on the step was unceremoniously smothered by a hand placed over his mouth ; and before he quite reâ€" alized what was happening we had bundled him through the ready open door into the house. The whole thing only occupied a few seconds. Once inside I had little fear. Mr. Beats, too, when he saw how inatâ€" ters were, faced the situation with true Yankee imperturbability. "Wal, p'r'aps naow. heviii‘ con- cluded your acrobatic performance, you'll condescend to tell me what all this means, mister ?” he drawled, when the others had left us in acâ€" cordance with the arrangement. made beforehand. “Certainly,” I replied, in my po- litest manner. "In the first place, it means, sir, that for the time be ing you are my prisoner, though I beg you to believe that. everything shall be done to make the captivity as little irksome as possible,” I added. "Allow me to offer you some refreshmentâ€"a little whisky and seltzer, it ?" “Wal, thanks, sonny, I don’t mind if I do just liev a. small peg. Steady,- tliiit’ll do nicely !” “I would add,f’ I went on. "that any attempt at escape. even if you contemplated it, would be bound to fail. The only perSons in this house besides ourselves are three men who are ready to do my utmost bidding at a touch of the bell.” f‘That's consoling,” he remarked. Nobody could say you weren't‘ can- did, at any rate. Fire away ,! I reckon it’s a question of cash, to come to the point ?” “Exactly,” I replied. to observe that our ideas coincide, and I trust you will not think me unreasonable if I venture to suggest that a thousand pounds would be a suitable ransom." "Make it dollars, sonny, and it’s or hook, if you prefer u “I am glad a. deal l” be snapped out ; but I shook my head deprccatingly. “Pounds !” I insisted. "Your cheque for a thousand will solve all difl'icultics. There is a train to town at midnight which I can catch, 1 shall be at. your bank at opening time. and my assistants wilf have instructions to liberate you half an The incoinenicnce which you will suffer will be a mere bagaâ€"l telle ; whereas. on the other handâ€"" “\l’al ‘2 Don’t think me inquisitive sonny, but 1 should like to know the other side of the lvyai'd." ‘pointinent in “all Sti't-i-f returned to town \vcll satisfied with' dd." fullo“'i“.'s“~” Muffler, I reckon you think yourself some": pretty smart. ‘you' \ e got [iipp on “my in fact. I had bceii expecting 50,110; i \lllllfâ€"‘f of the SOl‘lâ€"i'litl the two glyph, “10 l'tlfilie‘iull‘ i“? : Illsli tm~n-. “And Err. I hadi Iliram "You will miss your boat toâ€"mor- row, and consequently your ally the Futurâ€" "0h, 1 shall, shall 1 ed. conteinptuously. '?" he “Look drawl- lei'e. . l \\’al. so y'are, p‘r'apsi for a llritishcr , but when you tryI to take the gilt. off llirain 'i‘. llcats1 to be a goouish bit} than y'arcâ€"scc 2’ What? Say to that 2’" l" sprig h t l ier do you “That I l was as quick as lirâ€"-§ l loaded andâ€"yours isn't !" an inspiration to follow; and luckylhim straight in the face, "llllllCS‘i 1 There was a moment's silenCe then, Seeing that his bluff had failed, he let his arm drop to his side. "Say. sonny." he saidâ€"and i took it as a compliment that there was a different note in his voiceâ€"“1 gnosx i made a, slight mistake when I took you for a green ’un, eh ‘P" "Green and gold, sir," I replied, sententiously, "may be an excellent. ‘ formed that 1 should be detained while inquiries were made. To say‘ .that l was astonished at the tlll‘ll’ f l combination from the artist‘s point of How ; but in my profession you seldom find them associated. The. hour is, ll0\\'(‘\01‘,flCtLlllR’lult‘. I would suggest, with all due defer- ence, that you now hand me your cheque, and we shall have just nice time afterwards for a quiet supper together before 1' leave." He gave a peculiar shrug. it's the first time drawed a bend on me, sonny, and that you kin bet your last dollar on ; but I reckon it's a case this time. What did you say your name was 7" "0h, make it out to Smith save any trouble," him the writing materials. good as any other.” "P'r‘aps a peg better than some, sonny !" he flashed back, as he toss- ed the cheque over. “Like charity, it covers a multitude of sins." I smiled at his pleasanti‘yâ€"I could afford to be goodâ€"humoredâ€"and placed the precious slip of paper in my pocket. "And naow bring on that supper, will you ?",he said, coolly. "I’m confoundedly hungry, and that’s a fact." The next three-quarters of an hour passed pileasantly enough. Mr. Beats appeared to regard his enforcâ€" e‘d captivity as an excellent jestâ€"it certainly had not spoiled his appeâ€" titeâ€"laughed and joked freely, and declared after the second glass of whisky that I was a capital fellow and that it was "a downright pity ' 'Wal . to I said, passing "It's as I was only a Ili‘itisher.” From which remark it Will be gathered that the whisky, or something else, had ex- ercised a decidedly soothing effect on Mr. Beats’ feelings. ’ At parting he shook my hand efâ€" fusively, repeating loudly that he would not have missed the adven- ture for worlds. "Mind you, sonny,” he added, "I’m to be turned loose at 10.30 precisely toâ€"morrow. No hankyâ€" paiiky !” * * 1- * I 7. My subsequent emotions were a queer mixture of exultati‘on and im- patience. The long night journey seemed interminable, for I was too excited to Catch even a. wink of sleep and when at length we rolled into London in the grey dawn I had perâ€" force to curb my haste'for some hours longer until the banks opened. Punctually at ten I stood before the big stoneâ€"faced building at which Mr. Beats transacted his business. and after allowing a few minute's grace, in order that I might not be absolutely the first customer, I swuirg open the litige door and walk- ed boldly up to the counter. The cashier glanced at the cheque, made the stereotyped inquiry as to how I would take it, and was about to count out the notes, when seineâ€" thing fresh seemed to strike his eye. He scrutinized it a second time, then walked a yard or two away to consult a colleague. significant, and for once my usual presence of mind forsook me. Think- ing only of what the possible conâ€" sequences might be, I did the very worst. thing I could under the cir- cumstances, namely. made a bolt for the door. He nodded his head sharply, and a burly commissionaii'e laid a quiet hand on my arm. I realized mistake the moment after, and. knowing that, any resistance would effectually destroy the last chance that remained of bi'azening the thing out, submitted to be taken into a private room. There I angrily deâ€" inanded to know on what ground I was treated in this unwarrantable manner. “On the ground anyone‘s ever~ The action was: the* , ensconced there, that this cheque there isn’t a hole in them yet 3" has been obtained by false preâ€"l tences," was the curt reply of the,I manager. who hail now taken the Case out of his subordinate-5' liandsp and no more could I extract from him. i stormed, argued. threatened‘ in turn ; but to lit) purpose. lie was coldly inflexible ; and I was in- e\enfs had taken would but feebly describe the constcrna'tion that filled 1 inc. “hat could have happened ‘2. Why had fortune so cruelly betrayed me on the very point of victory ‘2‘ These were questions which I vainly attempted to answer as I fretted and: fumed the next two or three hours away. The denouenient was just as startling. About four o'clock in the afternoon l was fold in the same curt voice that I was at liberty to depart, a letter Was pushed into my, hands, and I found myself on the pavement a moment after, wonder- ing what it; all meant. Free ! It was a joyful sensation, coming after the \isions of enforced retirement from the world which had presented themselves in such unpleasant guise not; long before ; and realizing that a speedy disaps pearanco was the best policy to ‘ pursue I made off as quickly as pos- sible to my humble dwelling. Safely I bethought myself of the inissive that had been handed to me ; and, guessing that it held the key to the mystery, with eager fingers broke the seal. This was what I read My Dear Young Friend,â€"I by the time you read this you’ll have had plenty of opportunity to cool your heels a bit ; and a little advice won't come so much amiss. Next time you try to rook anybody make sure you've got the right man. I was laughing at you up my sleeve the whole time if you’d only known it. Don't think I hear you any malice, however ; Hiram T. Beats isn’t that sort. To tell the truth, I've a sort of sneaking liking for you ; and that's why I've told the bank people to let you go. For years my cashiers have had orders not to pay any cheque of mine which was signed with a Greek "a" guess in the word “Beats”â€"a little fact of which you were not aware, and consequently failed to observe on that piece of paper last night. Across the pond, you see, we anticiâ€" pate this sort of thing and proâ€" vide' for itâ€"only they're a lot smart- er over there. Here’s luck, sonny ! You're not half a bad sort, and- your whisky was immenseâ€"Yours adiniringly, I-IIRAM T. BEATS. I perused this remarkable docuâ€" ment twice ; then it struck me that the admiration expressed by Mia, Beats was mutual. To this day I regard him as an exceedingly farâ€" seeing individualâ€"London Tit-Bits, __+_ MIXED. In some parts of Germany it is the custom to send congratulatory teleâ€" grams to friends at a distance who are being married. That is, the message is timed to arrive just after the ceremony and during the feast which usually follows. Now, a certain man, a large far- mer, was about to be married, andi shortly before the time he heard that one of his cattle had strayed. It being a valuable animal, he told his bailiff to let him know at once when it was found. Tho bailifl', being an economical man, combined the two affairs, and the happy bridegroom received the following message just as they all sat down to dinner :â€" “Congratulation ! The beast is caught !” It is fair to conclude that the tele- gram all‘orded at least as much gratification to the assembled guestsi as to the attual recipient himself. I Mrs. Bargamlyâ€"“ll'ill these soaks wear well ‘2” Salesladyâ€"“ll'ill they wear well ? Why, they’ve been on} this counter for nearly two days and .t'.s aW / breeze?!“ . 7.7.54 {"dé‘fi‘kl .- ,-. L. 9‘ .r '{o .. barrels if ’1‘. {la-bed simultaneously- the friztli's known, hll‘.i nous.” I said. lookingl ‘sa Passe "Anoth “nu-u: o... is going to the ball tonlght in the character of Night." er case of night made hideous.” ' awakened natives of South Am ‘l‘ruit of the. tree, are .place a few paired breeders in I- -W WONDERFUL TREES. fi. Produce Genuine Cows’ Erik and the Pan to Boil It In. No doubt everyone would consider. it a great boon to have a tree in their back garden which everv mornâ€" ing on being tapped yielded .{ liberal supply of fresh and luscious milk eq- ual to and almost indistinguishable from geiilline’cows’ milk, without any fear of adulterafion from “the cow with the iron tail." Such a privilege is enjoyed by tho inhabitants of South America or at least the‘tropical parts of it, whom the eowâ€"trcc (which has been graphi- cally described by llumboldt) grown wild in the forests. All that is no- cessai'y is to make a few incisions in the trunk and the milk flows freely, ‘no further trouble being required ex- cept. to hold a bowl or other recepâ€" tacle for it. to run into. It. is in the early morning that the juice flows niost freelyâ€"just the time when it is rerpiired. a fact. that will be duly ap- preciated by the servant-girl who fl from her slumbers to reâ€" ceive the ‘natulinal visit of the milk- nian. . The bowls generally used by the ~ ‘ crica. to collect the precious beverage are the. "cala- bashcs" peculiar to tropical America. .’l‘licse are nothing else but natural pots and pans. The tree that sups plies the calabash grows wild, but it is also cultivated. when it produces larger gourds. These gourds. the of spherical or oval shape. and often more than a foot in diameter. The outer shell is extremely hard. so that they are not only unbreakable, but will also resist the action of fire, and are used for cookingâ€"pots by the Indians and negrocs of TROPICAL AMERICA. All that is necessary is to saw the fruit in half and scoop out the pulp it contains, when each half forms it. vessel which can be used either as a bowl or cooking-pot. The gourds, when not used for cooking are often carved or painted with artistic de- signs. The tree which yields the milk is a. near relative of that which produces the Indiaâ€"rubber of commerce, which is nothing more than the coagulated milk or sap. And apropos of this a short anecdote may be told which will be interesting to teetotalers and of vital importance to tipplors who may visit that part of the world. A planter of Demerara, whilst. hunting in the woods with a. negro servant, was overcome with thirst, and tapped a cowâ€"tree in or- der to obtain a supply of milk. Of this he drank a large quantity, qual- ifying it with a nip of brandy from his flask, and after partaking of this he sat down to rest in the shade. Shortly afterward he was attacked by the most acute pains and had to ‘be taken home, where he expired af- ter terrible suffering. A post-inortem revealed the fact that the. unfortu- nate man’s intestines had been liter- ally scaled up with indiaâ€"rubbcr, the brandy which he put. into‘thc milk having fad the efTect of solidifying it and turning it into a substance resembling indiaâ€"rnbber. â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"+ FROG FARMING IN CANADA. The Industry Reported to Be Pr ofitable and Growing. I‘rog farming as an industry is asâ€" suming large proportions in many parts of Canada. Not only are large shipments of frogs’ legs made to the United States, but there is a growing demand for the luxury in many of the large centers of tho Dominion. ()ne of the most sue cessi‘ul frog farms is in Ontario. Last vl‘ar it produced 5,000 pounds of dressed frogs' legs and 7,000 livâ€" ing frogs for scientific purposes and for stocking other waters. The Deputy Commissioner of Fish- cries for Ontario reports that in the past year a number of applications were made to the Government for leases of lands suitable for this inâ€" dustry. No licenses were, however, granted, as it was found that the territory concerned was already be- ing farmed by a number of people. 11'. is safe to assume that in the very near future much land noW idle will be stocked with frogs. All that is necessary for this purpose is to the water. Natural food is almost al- ways pl‘C‘Ft‘llt in sufficient amount for successful growth. The species conâ€" sidered to be most profitable, on ac- count of its size, is the Eastern bullfrog, Hana catesbiana, which reaches a length of more than eight, inches. It begins to breed at the end of three years, is may productive and reachrs a marketable size in four or fi\c years. Only the hind legs are marketed, and they average half a pound a. pair in wclu‘iil. Tan are wmtli 50 cents u pound. at times, to the pro- duccr, and American dealers take .is many as (.‘anada can supply. + ()ljljll'i‘ Ti) Ill-I l'INf'lt'f’lll l'T‘rI‘. llii‘vl Mrs. 1. "in; tell me. barking" said the young mot] , "whether you beâ€" ii.-'.e in one cow's inill: for l..:'.y." “\\'wii " >ni<l Mrs. Earl-ins, "that, (lulu-m)»; on the child. if he's a good, 1-froiiu'. luralthy baby. and wants it. l'r! glue him two rows! inill; b'it it (lets .‘f'l'lll as if any iordi ‘v lolly ‘.\'Ut‘.l’l'. !, mull lilfil|"ll om; cow could irrii