The Fatal Twelve

Ephraim Johannes De i " .iiiitli Btood by liis library tire rubbinj hN liHSi-cd-oU ]:iliiis '4' '.i1 ■: with deep ehudders ol Batisfactlon. The yellow gleam of tB6 tirellght threw b fiiful gïare around thé rooiil, whii-h made the dart red cúrtalas look llke kaleidoscopic fireworks, and bronght out with Btartling dfystlnctness the fací that thesérvant glrlhad kaoeked the nose ofl thé piaster busi of Horace Greeley. I'.nt Ephraim Johannes De Tocq ville Bmlth cared naught tor that. Outside the wind howled through the whiskera of belated pedestriana and vagrant eata witli long, plalntive wails, that sounded likc a cry of agony from one of Laura Joan Libley's novéis. "Ha, ha I" exclaimed Ephralw Johannes De Tocqrille Smilh, as lie began to pace the three-ply l)rnssils with heavy and Irregular paces. -'Toniorrow will be ChriKtmas Kve. and toen- ha, ha :- me Umi daufchter avIH be wed to the Duke of Hoco-Poco. The last of the twelve- a round dozen. All of them have been sought in marriage by alleged honest young Americana, who had no great-grandfatliers burled in any abby and no tltlcs and DO dollars. QadlOOkB 1 Forsooth ! Inaamnch I Wotted they not that I, the great inillionaire oil dealer, would scorn to wed me cheeildren to nameless paupers? Nay ! nay : I bade the worthy but Impecunioua young Americana to ;ro and pursue themaelves around the bloek, and me daughtera have I wed to noblemen. To-morrow the last one is to go. Ba! ha : Hol hol What ho : Without therel Boy! Bring wine ! l't the trombones and Back buts sound a mere squarealay or roundela.N I ilont care whii'h ! I would caronse to my Buccessful suceesses." And tlit Ubrary door Hew open, adinitting i colored boy wlth a lxttle of four doll-ir wine, while Ephralm Johannes De Tocqville Smith'a private brasa band played "You'll never miss the lager till the keg runs dry.' Time rolled on. Time always rolls on. It never Btopfl anywhere, cspecially away out In the heart of Terra Cotta Canyon. There, upon a lonely evening in Juvember, t welve men s.-it around a campfire. Each one -ore a flannel shirt, a broadbrimmed hat, ;i pair of buckakin tronsera and high Safen had on B belt stnficd clnick full of ptetoli and bowie knlves. Bach earrled a repeatlng rifle and bad an eagle -all excepi one, and be bad a i Ui.it didn't eagle wortb a cent. Hard by, tetbered to young sapUngBi whose upper branches scraped the moss mi tlrig sun. were thelr rusty 'tenis. The twelve men sat down on the ground around the camp-fire nnd Belzed the newly cooked haunch of veniaon. Soon aft4T they Beized it . it was lion-. Then of t he men arose and epoke : ■It was something greater tlian mere chance thai bronght urf twlve i i ogei her, or my name is not Ethelred Quintessi n;-e Chórlemange Jupe. We are the twelve wroBsed men wlio refused the handa of E. J. DeT. Sniiih's daughters because we are American-. Vve all tOOk to the plaine and became rmv boys. We have Bworn to have revenge." ■Wc have,'1 s :il Hihlelirand Waterbttty Jolfèi Üeers. aud Huw let -we ir ii an-ain. jusi alter old tlmea' rócEB, and alao s as to glve Ihla i pter the neeessary gre and whisky tiavor." Then they all BtpOd n]i and joincd hands around the campflre, and in ei meert said : "We Bvear hy the greal Nickel l'late railway. and by the memciry Of peorge Barnwell, algo by the rising and the letting gun, and by the elactrtc Ught, by the bittod ol slaln fish and the heart of the patent liver pad, by the red headed liiil wlui never knew a wliite luirse, and by the sevin Sntherlanil sisters, that mi Ep'hralm Johannea He Tocqville Smlth we will rake a large and vartegated aseortment "f yellow-iovered yengeance. Three tlmee three are ten!" Tlms ut tering the mystic wa-hoo of ïlicir dreacl brotherbood, they sprang o the saddle and went galloping away across the plaihs toward New Vnl-k. Tlif inan-iini oí the mtlllonalre oll merchant was shrouded In gloom and mhiw . It was ChrWtnias Eve, lu 1 bnt DO sounds ol nifniiufin penetrated the darknesa 1h.1t had fallen llke a siicriffs attachmeni cm the Btreets ol i!ic great city. The gnow came down in greal white Blli es and il feil apon the bearda ol the jnst and unjusi with a Btrictly unpartlsan [eellng. [( he reader had i standing on ter ol sic n.v-urst i1 reel and "Th avenue cm ili.il (truesome and boding Xmaa Eve, he would have ■i a st range and terrlfylng ight. Airead] the gnow va deep cm a dead level and ;ii" thern leter d rank to 17 degrees below staten nel. Buddenly the bui f-1 ■ aow al corner l Itated. Then it opened and the liead ol Ethelred atessen e Chai-1 mange mil. foliowad by his body. He aróse to his feet, shook almself and looked around, "Yes, by my Waterbury," he murnrared, "1 : Is the place, thougn I ;i.n to iíiüI it su readily traveling by snow tunnel. I wonder if the resi oí the fatal twelve are hereJ' He blew a long, kkng whistle. Tlie sur face o! the snow In various pis 'was upheaved, and the eleven appeared. They all approached Ethelred, and then, joining bands, sald In a low. i-aul mis tone : "Three times Hipee are ten.'1 Having uttered once again the mystic wa-hoo of thelr dread brotherhood, they were prepared for business ness. 'Now.' said Ethelred, "let us more on t he house." They had not gone three good paces before Ethelred paused and, laving his finger on his lips, said : "Hist ! liist !" And they all histed. A témale figure was seen tottering down the strcct toward the oil millionaii-r's hinisi'. 'I know her." said Hildebrand Waterbnry Joliet Heers; ''thal is Castorla, who was taken froni me and glven to the Count of Besqulpcdilia." They waited to see whai she would do. She went to lier íather's (loor and rang the bell, sume pne vlthin opened the door and admltted her. Then the fatal twelve moved forward once more, mu-ttering ''Three times three are ten." Ephralm Johannes De ToeqvHle Smlth sat by hls Ubrary flre during the ]revions rhapter and gazed blandly at the evening paper. "Alas: alas'.' he exilaimed. ''1 ani busteil : Not a red cent is left me. and ere the spring Btocking blossonis in the Marco wind. I ihall be BOld ont by the sheriff.1' At that moment his sole surviving servant entered and said : 'S ir, a veiled woman would speak with you." "Aha ! Perehance it is the wltch of Wall street come to give me a pointer how to it't straight on the mnrket. Admit her at once." The servant retired and present ly returnod naherlng in a darle and inysterious figure, that stood tremblinj; before the ex-millionaire. "Madame," said he, "yon have come In -penk to me. Nmv let me hear yon do it." With a great bod the woman threw off her veil and shrieked: 'Father-r-r : Do you not know your chee-ild '.'" "Great hêavens ! '.-is:n: i-i [' crled Ephralm staggerlng back. "Where dii! yon come from ?" "Father, lorglve me. I am a deBerted and deceived woman. The count was no count. He coílared my jeweli-y and niy scads and leil me Btranded at Old Polst, whence I e walked home through the bitter blinding snow."' i Kphraim was aliont to reply when the servant entered again nul said : ■'iv, a second veiled woman WOuld Speak with yon." He was about to order the second woman to be bóunced, When she entered the voom, threw lieis 1: at hls toet and shiieked : ■'l-"at lirr-r-r ! Take pity On yonr cl lid !" "(reat p ow era I Palavln . !" he ea claimeil. "Yes : ' shc answered. "It Is even I'alavina. The marqulB i a fraud. He collared my Jewelry and my si-.-uls and (eseited me at Né-e, whenee I have walked home througb the blinding snow." "What on eartli." deinanded t lic old man, "am I tn do with you tWO glrls when I have jiist gone deafl broke ?"' "Sir,11 said the hervaiu. entering agaln ; 'a third vailed woaian would gpeak with you.'' "Oh. show her in!" yelled the cxmllllonaire. "Fetch on your vailed vromen." 'i'his one proved to be the third daughter, Macedonla. 'o sooner hadhe told her tale of woe than the fourth caine. And so it eontiuued till the whole twelve were tweeling around the heiplees father. Then Ihe front door was burst open with n crash and twelve Btalwart cowboyi mimiumI t'i liic teetb Imrst int o the room. ■'Vim see beïore yon. oM man," s.-iid r.t hclicd Quinteesence Charlemange Jupe, ''the rronged sultors ui these irirls. We pöde all the w&y froin Tora Cotta ('an.vcm to wreak a [earful vengeance on you ; bul wc have declfled Hiat yimi' puntshment lias been atranged. Yon Rhall live tu shpport these tweli Bsly unmarrlageable daughterg." "Ah-h-h-h-h !" screamed .lic old man. ''Spa re me ! Spare 8hoo1 me n the sjmi !" 'No !" thundered the twelve. "You Bhall live. Three times three i pe ten V And they rushcd from the lm as the dld man feil down in a til.