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—~T HAPPY
DAYS‘
. . »
- These words fell with startling force ]
upon the ears of Ca d Mr. Bailey
lowed: listened spellbound to what fol-
lowe:
5, my dear mother,” Julie’s voice
was heard, .“My heart is with you for
and forever. But I ask only to go
back’ ‘to the kind friends who have been
so good to me. Let me go back. to the
circus and my life.. I cannot be queen
of the By] psies, dear mother.”
Something like a choking sob came
from Egypta’s lip:
“My Julie,” She said, in a changed
voice, “the fate does not read that you
shall be queen against your wish and——”
“But, Vedda!” cried the man Giovanni,
“who shall rule us better than she who is
of your blo od 2"
murmur ¥
“Silence aur said, the queen, in her
full voice. “IXnow you that Bgypta mee
so long as breath is left in her body.
curse shall be upon you all if_you do not
obey my last comman
: Something like a wail went up from
the gypsies, They knelt again. The gyp-
_>Sy queen .once more-turned her face to
Julie. There aes a divine light upon it
as she contin
“My dearest, thou: shalt go and be hap-
py. Egypta reads thy heart. From all
to love. Thou lovest. May my curse rest
upon him if he ever deceives thee.”
~The young: girl’s sobs were piteous. At
that moment-Cal’s bosom swelled with a
He was not so obtuse
aie had from the
first felt-a certain sort of proprietorship
in her. But he had never been sure that
his passion was reciprocated, It was a
joyous discovery .now that ‘this was a
His impulse was to rush forward and
throw himself down by her side. Me h
-posed, been a victim of the vendetta.
The gypsy queen now turned to: Gio-
vanni and Caddo, the two giant gypsies.
Her lean finger pointed to aC
OW! am dead! * she, said, sternly,
ntake Julie back to ‘those she loves. Tail
ware my vengeance.”
mole will not fail, mother, was the re-
ply y of each, Then a startling thing hap-
pen
Unconsciously Cal and Mr. Bailey had
drawn nearer the door of th
Suddenly Julie looked up. Sade aw them.
The effect was indescribable, He sprang
up with a wi joyous cry.
“Oh, Cal, Call” she screamed, “You
have come te gave me. Mother, mother!
here are my 7
anbe gypsy lifted her head and &xed her
n the new comers. She looked once
ae ak Mtr, Bailey and then laughed searching-
y a
Then she lifted - one bony hand and
beckoned to him.
“Come here, brawny lad!” she said in a
full, a voice, “I want y
ike one in a dream went forward.
quite beside Julie.
but thought of the beauty of this young
couple as they stood t!
Egypta lay back on “her pillow and
looked Jong at Cal. Then her face grew
serene and peaceful. She said slowly:
- “I read your soul! You are good and
you u have her. Take her, my boy, with a
mother’s blessing.
Instinctively ‘Gal bowed his head until
the gypsy queen’s hands rested upon it.
Then he placed an” arm about Julie’s
praist. It.was the happiest moment of his
“Ushe my own mother!’ whisperet
Julie. of “had never hoped to see her in
life. Oh, I am so happy now.”
“And you have made me happ~, said
Cal, fulsomely, “in giving yourself to
me.”
”
- But a spasm of pain now came over the
sick woman. She sank back deeper among
the pillows and it could be seen. that
death’s impress was being fast stamped
upon her .
After a period of agony she finally re-
covered sufficiently to speak again. ‘Then,
from beneath her pillow, she drew an ob-
-long leather case.
». This she placed in Julie’s hand.
“It is your legacy, my child,” she said.
“It will enable you to live as Egypta’s
“daughter shou
She lay back again ‘upon the pillow.
Nearer came the death angel. The gyp-
sies began to wail and Julie was in a
transport of grief.
3 aide not speak again. Quietly,
“paiuieeay she passed from earth and her
. people were without-a queen. ie scene
which followed we will draw a_veil over.
., We will suffice it to say that Julie went
back. to the circus with Mr. Bailey and
The gypsies were loth_to give up
te “pody ‘of their queen, but Julie finally
prevailed upon them to do so, and Egypta
was buried in the quiet little village cem-
etery in Grayelan:
The cireus made its lopg tour through
the provinces successfully and finally got
back to Connecticut. It was some weeks
before Julie was able to resume her rid-
ing.
But in due time she once again went
back to the sawdust circle with Cal and
was rewarded with the plaudits of ad-
miring thousands.
In the little package left Julie by her
mother were found is of property to
the extent of fitty thousand dollars. Also
a miniature of her father and his heavy
seal ring.
All these things were exceedingly
precious tol her now, and life seemed once
en up happy vistas for our
ite hid Tider,
what of ‘Walker, the hobo? This
mysterious individual had disappeared
during | the scene at the bedside of the dy-
ing qu
So that neither Cal nor Julie had a
chance tg to reward him, as they much de-
sir
CHAPTER XXIV.
A HAPPY ENDING.
The circus had reached Grayeland once
more after a successful season. This ma
exactly two years that Cal Warner had
been out with a circus.
And in that time many things had hap-
pened to shape this career and determine
his character,
And true to his promise to his mother,
he had kept his character above reproach.
None of the temptations or evils common
to_a_ life among such companions had
ever beset h
e had nearly paid for his half interest
in the show and another year would make
him independent. No wonder he felt en-
corns
Mrs. Warner was a happy woman and
sno welcomed Julie as warmly as an own
mother could, It was then settled that
ulie’s career should undergo a change.
s deemed best to send her away
to a finishing school and allow her to de-
yote several years to study. ‘Then Cal
was ‘to claim his bride.
Mrs. Bailey took a great interest in this
lan. She was a lady of rare education
herself and fully competent to direct
Julie’s future.
While these plans Were being -made,
however, the last act in the drama of this
fated young girl’s life of peril was
enacted.
Nothing had been heard of Vespada in
all this time. He had not dared to show
his hand while Julie was in the gypsy
a
®
amp.
But the fear of his vengeance was con-
stantly with Cal and he never ceased to
keep the closest kind of a watch upon
Julie.
e day, while at Cal’s home in Grave-
land, Julie went driving with Mrs. War-
ner ‘and Mrs. Bailey. Neither Gal nor
Mr Bailey knew of this purpose.
ere were many beautiful drives ‘about
Gravela nd. On one of these roads the
party soon found themselves.
Mrs, Bailey had the reins and the three
ladies were discussing the charms of the
drive and thoroughly enjoying themselves
when a startling thing happene
Suddenly the crack of a pistol ‘rang o} out
upon the air, Hrom a roadside thicket
the shot had ¢
‘he horse reared and plunged and then
went down with a crash. The bullet bad
passed through its bra’
The frightened ladies were near the
verge of fainting. Following the shot out
from the. thicket rushed -a wild-looking
man. His.head was bare, his features
contorted and ‘hatred and fury blazoned
upon the
It was Vespad a,
Julie ‘recognized him instantly, Her du
beat. To her it
heart almost ceased to er it
seemed as if death was at han
Mrs. Bailey and Mrs. Warner also
grasped the situation.
h, heaven help us!”.cried Mrs. Bai-
ley. “He is after Julie! What shall we
do? ats must fight him to the death!”
the courageous woman sprang i
front of the rufian. But he hurled her
aside like a puppet.
mother moment his clutch would
e been upon the young girl T
horrible fiend would have executed his in-
sane purpose and fiercely slaughtered her.
But rescue came,
A shrill, sibilant whistle sounded from
the roadside. it of the scrub darted
two giant figures.
n upon Vespada like an avalanche
they descended. What followed was sick-
ening and Julie and Mrs. Warner fainted,
though Mrs. Bailey did not.
®
An awful struggle followed.
Vespada’s assailants were no others
than the two slant gypsy guardians, Gio-
vanni and Caddo. ‘bough the fact was
not known, ie had been detailed to keep
guard over the young girl until the yen-
detta should be forever staye
i And now they had the monster in their
and:
Vespad la raved and fought like a ma-
niac. * He used the deadly knife upon his
foes with ‘some effect.
But, watching his chance, big Giovanni
made a grab for his throat, closed his fin-
gers over the windpipe of the brute and
gave it an awful Sauceze, Then he hurled
the beast from
The terrific Dow r of his fingers had
ruptured the prate's throat and he lay
choking and dying a much deserved death
in the dusty highway.
"thu us the terrible vendetta was stayed.
Giovanni and Caddo disappeared and
were never seen again.
But they did not vanish until they had
summoned assistance e terrified
ladies were safely conveyed back to
Graveland.
It is needless to say that Cal and Mr.
Bailey were beside themselves with hor-
was much relieved when they
learned that Vespada was forever disposed
of and could never trouble them more,
But little more remains to be told to
end our story of fal, fhe Canvas Boy, and
how he made
‘our years the Grea t American Circus
played in all the big towns all over the
United Sta
B tine Cal owned his share and
had a comfortable fortune beside. Then
one da, lay Mr. Bailey came to him and
sai .
“Gal, I have been in business a good
while ar and J am getting old. I believe I
Ww! re.
What shall I do?” asked Cal. “I can-
not run the show alone. Indeed, I would
like jo give it up myself.” ?
“Do sou mean that?”
“Well, then, let us sell out.”
s it happened eek capitalists were
ready to purchase and so the circus
passed into other hands, Mr. Bailey and
Mrs. Bailey went abro:
Cal married Julie aad “settled down in
Graveland, where he is to-day a_respect-
d and popular man. But he will never
forget the days when his fortunes were
humble and he was simply Cal, the Can-
yas Boy.
(tHE END.]
HAVE YOU SECURED ONE OF THE
WATCHES WE ARE OFFERING AT 75
CENTS? WE HAVE SENT our OVER 15,-
000-SO FAR. SEE 16th PACE.
,
Experience among Leeches.
We would all fight shy of the leeches in
rest of the sta Valley.
When a leech is famishing Tees is only as
“thick as a. knitting-needle.” In
condition he is the hungry enemy of every
two or four footed creature that crosses
his path, And the leeches* were every-
where. They “stood alert on every twig
of the. brushwood that overhung our track
and on every dead leat on the path. And
lashed themselves
&
they touch their victim they fix
selves firmly and then mount nimbly up
by a series of rapid somersaults till they
reach a vulnerable point; and then they
lose not an instant in ‘beginning their
surgical operations. oor servants
and. coolies who walked barefooted were,
of course, badly bitten. From their an-
and legs little streams of blood
esd all day, and at every few steps
they had to stop and pick off these horrid
little pests, and it was often difficult to
dislodge them.” Major Waddell and some
of his friends took the precaution o
with nee ae
all the same “through the eyelets of our
boots.” Numbers of them, having drunk
all they could hold, “crept down into our
the poor catt
leech-infested forests.
always bleeding more or less, and these
pests lodge in their nostrils, and bang
from their eyelids and various parts of
their body. "To dislodge them from the
recesses of the nose the herdsmen, it is
said, keep the poor beasts from water for
a day or so, and then, when the animal
drinks, the leeches show themselves and
may be removed. All pehas have
their legs covered with the scars of these
leechbites, and the actual loss of blood in
this way must be very great. I have no
doubt that these pests have something to
do with the remarkable absence of four-
footed game in these regions,
| They supposed the cause
iA LITTLE FUN.
Mrs Binkley—Parson, do you consider
“darn” a swear word? Parson Goodhu
Well, it all depends on what you really
mean when you
is a lineal descendant?”
“os lineal descendant is a person who has
to fall back on some braiseworthy an-
cestor for his own importan
“Don’t you think, Mrs. Spitely, that this
hat is a little too gay for a matronly
woman like me?” {Not at all, my dear.
You know that you’: re years younger than
you look.”
Te—Your husband is much better, [
hear. Sbe—Oh, yes; the doctor has re
commended him to ride a bicycle, and he
is doing it. He—Oh! then he is not ous
of danger yet.
“TIannah,” exclaimed the mistress,
““hat do you mean by putting all your
money into mackintoshes, galoshes an@
umbrellas?” “Wasn’t it yer own advice,
mum, that I gous away all I could fur ¢
rainy day, mum?”
“Tt ain't “only English people drops
their aitches,” said a little boy to the new
teacher. “I never heard no American
pronounce the aitch in my name.” “What
is your name?” asked the teachet
Sobnny,” said the little boy.
Jones—Dear me! You say you often
lay down the law to your wife. How d
you go about
need is firmness,
study, “Jock the door, and do it over the
transom—all you need is firmness—in the
door.
Bank. Clerk (scrutinizing check) —
Madam, we can’t pay this unless you
bring some one to identify you. Old Lady
(tartly)—I should like to know why?
Bank Clerk—Because we don’t know you.
Old Lady—Now, don’t be silly! I don’t
know you, either.
Young Lord Duval Fitznoodle (to fair
companion on box-seat whom, with her
mother, he is taking for a drive on his
coach through his park)—I think your
name is such a pretty one, Miss Primrose.
Mrs. Primrose (from seat behind her
daughter with great empressement)—
Oh, but my daughter likes your name, my
lord, so much better—don’t you, Millie?
INTERESTING ITEMS,
Water is an excellent transmitter of
“A scientist by the name of Calla:
don made some experiments on Lake G
neva, Switzerland, to demonstrate the
the water, and was heard to a distance
of twelye miles. In a second experiment
the striking of a clock. was head to a dis-
tance of twenty-seven m miles,
limbs crackling and the leaves quivering.
to be squirrels,
and the family Shotgun was brought to
the scene. While the boys were near the
tree, trying to et \ a
there was
blacksnake, fifteen feet in length and
own squirrel in its
The father seized the gun and
fired two shots into the reptile before it
was
To the initiated, a man’s nationality is
betrared by the way he carries his money.
e Dnglishman carries his loose in his
f Hope hand trousers’ pocket—gold, ote
and copper all mixed up toge ther, He
American carries his wad of bills in a
peculiar long, narrow pocketbook, in
which the greenbacks lie flat; the French-
man makes use of a leather purse with no
distinguishing characteristics; while the
German uses one gayly embroidered jn
silks by the fair hands of some Lottchen
or Mipa. The half civilized capitalist
from Some torrid South American city
carries his dollars in a belt with cun-
ningly devised pockets to bafile the gen-
tlemen with the light fingers. Some of
these belts are very expensive. The Ital-
ian of the poorer classes ties up his little
fortune in a gayly colo handkerchief
secured with many knots, which he se-
cretes in some mysterious manner about
his clothes. A similar course has charms
for the Spaniard, while the lower class
Russian ex preference for his
poots or the Tining of lis clothes as a hid-
g place for his savings.