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Chapter VIII.—Continued.
This great chamber was formed by
the hand of nature, and carved by the
hand of nature's God. It was utilized
by the brotherhood as the scene of
the greatest conspiracy ever organized
against a crowned head or ruler. It
was indeed a weird and fitting place
for such a council, and for a plot
whose secrecy was its strength. How
well chosen this spot, inaccessible to
man or beast. The brotherhood could
meet here, and the trail of Deneau
must ever end at the door of the old
stone house.
I had moved from the slab at Val-
dermere's command and It was slowly
lifted upward until It tilled the aper-
ture above. I was as much a prisoner
as though I had been cemented in a
stone coffin.
Valdermere fastened the torch near
the table at which I stood in front of
the passage I have described. Then,
lighting another, he placed it oppo-
site the first, as though to concentrate
the light upon the table. Then seiz-
ing a bar of Iron, he enteved the pas-
sage and I heard the gong as it sound-
ed loud and distinct, and its vibrant
tones rose to the vaulted roof.
Then I heard a voice I had not heard
before, deep, profound, and thrilling,
speaking my name In slow accents.
I walked tremblingly and knelt at
the table upon which the torches cast
their weird light. It was a Bolemn
scene, and as I knelt I felt some invis-
ible force at work over my heart and
my mind. I received no command,
and yet, when my name was spoken 1
■ought the little table and knelt as
though to pray. I knew it was the
will of the Invisible, whose voice had
called my name, but whose face I had
not seen, nor did I ever see it.
I cannot repeat what followed, and
I tremble even now, when I recall the
terrible nature of that vow—that vow,
which to violate or repeat to other
ears would mean a punishment to
.which death would seem as naught,
and though the years have gone by,
and the events of that scene can never
be enacted again, I still feel a shud-
der as I dwell upon that oath—an
oath which will die in my heart.
This ceremony lasted for more than
an hour. Then I was commanded to
rise. The stillness of death pervaded
the chamber. I could no longer hear
the voice of the Invisible. Suddenly
the lights were extinguished, as it
were by a draught of wind, and the
darkness was stygian. Then again
the voice arose immediately in front
of me, and I could feel the presence
of the man who had spoken, for he
stood on the opposite side of the table,
and his breath was close to my face.
My right hand was seized In his, as a
small circlet was forced upon the third
finger. I felt my bones cracking to-
gether, and then the voice again
came from afar, saying: "And thus
shall we know thee, our brother, and
be known of thee." And now the
lights burned again, and Valdermere
stood before mo, his hand in mine, and
his eyes aflama with the mesmeric
fire of his soul.
He smiled, then seizing a torch, he
i.
I Knelt at the Table.
led me Into the passage from which
the Invisible had spoken, an^ as I fol-
lowed him my mind was filled with
gloomy forebodings, and my heart felt
like lead in my breast.
Ae we moved aiong, the passage
widened and turned in many direc-
tions. Other tributary passages led
from either side, like a perfect hon-
eycomb of tunnels.
At ono end of these, Valdermere
loused aijd raised his torch. 1
heard a rattle of chains, and a pite-
ous weak voice crying out from the
gloom beyond—a voice so full of plead-
ing sorrow, as to transfix me to the
spot.
"What 1b it?" I cried, staring at
Valdermere, whose face wore a se-
rious, thoughtful look, and whose mind
seemed at work upon some horrible
thought.
"Castleman, I would spare you this
sight, but I cannot. It Is a part of
your enlistment with us, to look upon
this creature who eannot die, but must
live on, to pay the penalty of his bro-
ken oath," and dashing into the dun-
geon-like tunnel, he led the way to a
sight which I prayed God to banish
from my mind, but which lives for-
ever.
Chained to the bare stone walls, by
hand and foot, stood a living skeleton,
whose eyes were sightless and sunken,
and whose lips were cracked apart at
the sides, leaving a toothless cavity
too horrible to look upon. His face
wrinkled and worn almost to parch-
ment, was surmounted by a few
strands of thin white hair, which only
enhanced the hideous spectre he pre-
sented.
"Come away," I cried, "let us go;"
but Valdermere, heedless of my words,
took from his pocket a flask and
placed It to the lips of this miserable
wraith, who swallowed the strong
drink greedily. Then, falling upon the
stone floor, it lay silent until we had
passed without.
I could not speak, so filled with hor-
ror was I at this sight.
•That is the only man who ever
betrayed us," said Valdermere, with
a look of such solemnity in his face as
I had never before seen. "I would he
could die, and surely I would go now
and kill him out of mercy, but I can-
not—I cannot."
Was It a tear I saw in his eyes—
could Valdermere weep—could this
man feel human sympathy? Let us
hope It was a tear, let us hope it came
from the heart. I shall never forget
the expression on his face as he said
those words. Then he continued:
"Twice he might have died but for
Sista."
"For Slsta," I said, "how?"
"She is ever watchful of him. He
Is our one prisoner. He Is our one
betrayer."
As we proceeded, the path grew
wider, and the descent more abrupt.
We seemed to be descending a steep
and rugged hill, and the stone walls
on either side of us rose higher and
spread farther apart.
And thus we traveled a distance of
twenty miles, when, turning abruptly
at an angle, I heard the voice of Val-
dermere, who was about a hundred
feet ahead of me, cry out:
"Look, Castleman, is not that
beautiful sight?"
1 hastened into the open space
where he stood with his torch waving
aloft. I-ooklng In the direction indi-
cated, I beheld a massive polygonal
column springing from the very cen
ter of the chamber, and rising to a
height of sixty feet above us, and re-
sembling in Its outlines a colossal
obelisk.
"Oh! how beautiful!" I cried, en-
raptured at the spectacular effect of
the thing.
"Yes, Castleman, this i9 Indeed a
beautiful sight, and to think that such
natural wonders must be hidden away
from the sight of man. The beauty of
this strange formation is almost vir-
gin, as it has thus stood for ages in
Its cold hidden grandeur. Think of
the fortunes which could be acquired
by making these great mysteries ac-
cessible to man. But it cannot be, for
these hidden wonders are ours, and
among them is stored the enormous
treasures of our brotherhood. It Is
here we hold our councils; it Is here
we store our wealth, and form our
plans for the accomplishment of
purpose, on which the life and freedom
of a nation depend. Ah, Castleman,
you will to-day bear witness to our
power, to the almost infallible
sources we possess."
I was struck speechless by his
strange words, and that peculiar ex-
pression which at times marked his
singularly handsome face, and the In-
scrutable light of his magnetic eyes.
"It is in the silence of these vast
chambers that we evolve our great
principles, for there are among us,
scholars, engineers, inventors, artists,
philosophers, chemists, politicians,
and, in short, Castleman, every
branch of learning and science is rep-
resented in the membership of our
Order. But our work is nearing its
end, and the time to strike the deci-
sive blow will soon be at hand. Our
organization, after an existence of fif-
ty years, has been so perfected in ev-
ery detail of its vast machinery as to
Insure the desired result—the com-
plete overthrow of the Russian Em-
pire—a complete revolution of the gov-
ernment; and 1 predict that the earth
will tremble when this blow is deliv-
ered Co effective, so destructive, so
far-reaching will it be in its results as
to Insure the end we strive for. The
means we employ will doubtless cost
millions of dollars and thousands of
lives, yet it will be justified in the end.
We shall make freedom and peace the
world's motto, through the blessings
of science."
"Then vengeance," I said, " Is not
the primary motive of the Order of
'The Invisible Hand'?"
"Yes, Castleman, vengeance is_ the
active principle, but we look upon
such vengeance as a noble accomplish-
ment. And vengeance, which has In
Its scope such results as we anticipate,
can truly be classed as one of the
highest aims of which the human mind
and heart are capable. We do not
simply strike death to our persecutors
to settle an account, but to establish
a right, and to efface a wrong; to build
up a new life and a new creed for
millions. Our Order comprehends in
Its vast teachings a rule that is golden,
a principle that appeals to the lover
of justice and liberty. We do not only
punish our merciless persecutors, but
we save posterity from what we have
suffered. We deplore Nihilism, for its
Farmers' Cooperative
Union of America.
A Living Skeleton.
end is nothingness. We advocate that
which Is diametrically opposed to it—
everything. Our creed is humanita-
rian, because it embraces the liberty,
the advancement, and the rights of
suffering and oppressed mankind. It
establishes the inherent right of man
to regain that liberty which has been
wrested from him by the greed of ty-
rants. We lift them from a bondage
worse than slavery, and give them lib-
erty of thought and action, which in-
sures knowledge and enlightenment,
and finally bring about a condition
that will place Russia among the civ-
ilized nations of the earth.
"One-fourth of the exiles In Siberia
are men who are educated, men who
read, who write, and who think, all of
which qualities are forbidden the
masses, for to think is to criticize, to
criticize Is to condemn. When the
light of intelligence once falls upon
the rotten throne of Russia, It will
tremble, It will fall, as did that of
Louis of France.
'Then It Is your aim to destroy the
Russian dynasty, and build a republic
in Its stead?"
"It may be described as a republic,
because it embraces the liberty and
rights of mankind. It makes every
man, from the humblest peasant to the
highest official, equal In suffrage, in
religion, and in law. We wish to raise
from the mire of odious credulity the
minds of man before we can bring him
into the light of scientific being, and
direct him, in his new life, to the only
shrine worthy of his adoration, the
true abacus of his moral and physical
calculations—Nature."
"But there will always be divisions,
separated by hostile opinions. Na-
ture will only be worshipped by the
two extremes, the savages and the
ultra-scientists of this new school."
"There can never be a universal
creed," he replied, "for the light diws
not shine upon all at the same time,
nor with the same intensity; the small-
est brain weighs thirty-nine ounces,
while the greatest may weigh five
pounds. There can never be univer-
sal harmony while there Is absence of
universal faculty. There can be no
universal belief until there is universal
comprehension. Science cannot make
a unit of the world's faith, but it can
shed light upon the almost complete
obfuscation of the human mind, and
in tline aominate the mind and action
of man. Religion and revolution will
fight. Revolution will win. Then
when oppressed humanity Is once free
from the blind credulity of its relig-
ion, reason will prevail; logic will take
the place of credulity, and liberty of
thought will open the way for our
creed. The Icon will be torn from the
wall. The school teacher will walk in
the stevs of the priest. The Third
Section will be transformed from an
inquisition to a court of justice, and
a Statue of Liberty will be reared on
the Palace of the Czar. Immigration
will people the land with men from
every nation. New ideas and new
methods will be promulgated, and in a
few years the great cities of Russia
will be as cosmopolitan and as en-
lightened as New York, London, or
Paris."
fTo Be Continued.)
GET INTO THE UNION NOW.
It Is entirely too late In the day to
stop and talk of the necessity of or-
ganization among farmeus. The aca-
demic course has long since passed
away, and all the elementary argu-
ments and teachings have been worn
threadbare. There is no industry, no
following, trade or profession, that
pretends to a degree of respectability
that is not organized to take care of
Its Interests, except the farmers. The
farmer is not particularly to blame for
this condition, for E is only the result
of the evolution that has made the
very organization necessary. When
the farmer was In. the great prepon-
derating majority he held the power
and the "balance of i>ower" too.
There was little else except farmers,
hence there seemed little use in his
organizing against himself. But time
has brought about many changes, and
among these Is the fact that the farm-
er is not the dominating influence in
the oommercial and political make-up
of the country. The different organi-
zations of other followlngs have unit-
ed and it has not been purposely
against the farmer, but It has been
against bliu all the same. Under these
conditions it Is up to him to get busy.
He has the disadvantage of having to
both organize and educate himself at
the same time. That ho is fully equal
to the task no one doubts, but it takes
a grand awakening to stir so great a
mass of people as the farmers of this
country. Those who have stood on
the watch towers are fully persuaded
that the lime has come when the awak-
ening must be foroed somehow or oth-
or. Great *3 his be«n the awaken-
ing, great as has been the growth of
the Farmers' Union, the mass of fi"in
ers has hardly been touched. Yet|
look at the glorious results from so!
little an awakening. The revolution ,
of a system of handling the money J
crop of the South that had taken a
hundred years to build up, has well
nigh been revolutionized within two
years, yes, hardly one year. The price
has been more staple, and ft from 25
to 50 per cent higher than It has been
for many years. What has been done
In the cotton world Is only a token of
what might have been done with a
complete organization of all our
forces along this Industry alone, to say
nothing of the hundreds of other lines
of Southern farm industry. The time
has come when other business men
recognize that the farmer is a "busi-
ness man," and the mass of farmers
view, it is easy to see that It is nec-
ossary for the good business men to
organize and get the poor ones Into
line, else they will spoil the business,
just as they have been doing for the
last half a century. The time has
nearly come for the organizers to get
out and demand a "why haven't you
joined the Union V rather than to
have to give a reason why one should
join.
WAREHOUSES AND INSURANCE.
Specifications for warehouses and
data concerning the expense of con-
ducting them form the subject matter
of a communication that is being pre-
pared by President E. A. Calvin of the
Texas Farmers' Union. He declares
that he expects several hundred of the
plants to be in readiness for the hand-
ling of the crop In the fall. The spe-
cifications cover houses of capacity
ranging from 1,200 to 20,000 bales.
So far as could be ascertained from
the Insurance representatives, the best
rate that can be obtained for the ware-
houses Is f-i per hundred bales. Six
heads of credits are allowed from this,
which materially reduce this rate.
They are as follows:
"1. If the floor is of earth, concrete,
gravel or uivcombustible material, a
credit of 25 cents is a'lowed.
"2. If within one block there Is a
hydrant of two and one-half Inch open-
ing, there is allowed a further credit
of 25 cents.
"3. If there be two such hydrants
the warehouse has for protection,
there Is allowed a reduction of 50
cents.
"4. If the hydrants are of smaller
capacity than that given, but above
one-half Inch, there ia allowed 25
cents.
"5. If there Is a waterman and a
modern punch clock In use in the es-
tablishment the allowance is 50 cents.
"G. If ten water barrels and twenty
water buckets of fire kind for each
1,000 bales of cotton stored are con-
stantly ready for use, there Is allowed
a reduction of 75 cents.
"For country warehouses, situated
where there Is no hydrant protection*
conditions 1, 5 and C apply, and the
ratt may bo reduced from M to $2.50.
in the city with water tervloe o< six
Inch main and ind on« -lialf Inch
hydrant i ; «ii 'gs, ?fi or 5# cents
ther may be allow rt. reducing f-iiv
to either $2.25 or to fit.OU."
Better look after the bugs on the
chiokens about now. Bugs eat up
more chl&keus in Texas than the peo-
ple do.
It is particularly necessary that the
cattle have salt at this time of the
year. The grass Is now sufficient and
the beasts soon sweat out all the salt
they have In their systems, and suffer
greatly from Its loss. Give them plen-
ty of salt, but don't neglect the water
also.
NEVER LET UP.
The results from the past year's
work of the Farmers' Union can not
fail to Impress the fact upon every
member of the organization that there
is strength in unity. While majiy
farmers fiave failed or refueed to lend
a helping hand to the zealous Union
worker, there have been enough who
did help to keep the movement ailve,
and bring about results which have
surprised even the most skeptical.
It can not be denied that the Union
Is the chief factor which held the
price of cotton to ten oents and afcoTO,
during the season now closing.
It is a fact that the Union, by tts In-
fluence, secured a saving of 225 oenta
per bale on cotton shipments.
It Is a fact that the Union—Mnglo
handed and alone—has forced the Eu-
ropean spinners to consider the pr<io>
tlcablllty of contracting for their sup 
ply of raw cotton directly with the
cotton raisers.
This has resulted from combined ef-
fort by thoso whom tho favored few
have dominated "hay-seeds," "country
yaps," and like opprobrious epithets.
When the principles of the Union
shall have been understood by all who
live by honest toll, when a Local shall
have been established in every ham-
let and precinct, there will b«e a revo-
lution—a peaceful revolution—not
only In the methods of buying and
selling farm products, but In many
other things.—Mercury Password.
TRY ITI
One of the best members in the
South Canadian division of the organ-
ization, gives the following timely ad-
vice on how to make the union a pow-
er for good. We say amen to it and
suggest a trial by our brethren every-
where:
"Have something good and new to
talk about at every meeting you have.
l>eave the bad news for the unorgan-
ized growler to tell; he always enjoys
the telling of that kind of news any
way.
"Union men, never for a moment
forget tho fact that your Union is
made up out of the reputation and j
character  £ its members, and that
each ftad every member of Union la:
at It all the while, building up the j
strength of the Union or pulling down i
the influence and ixrwer of his Union j
at all times. The Union password or j
the Union signs or grip do not make a ^
man a good Union member; it Is good {
works and Use character of each and j
every member that tells the tale to
the world for either good or bad repu 
tation of the Union.
Give to the Union a good reputa-
tion and you have a power for good!
Make a reputation for good works and
you will be prosperous and happy."
CO-OPERATOR CULLINQS.
Get square down to business.
Competition means death to the pro-
ducer.
A Co.Operator Is not a dumper. He
Is a builder.
Do you own a bome? If not, get
one while you can.
Don't miss a meeting of your looal.
You can't afford It.
Your local is just what you make it.
Make it what It should be.
Let us be a nation of home-owners,
lxjt us make conditions Buch that we
all may own a home.
No. We are not going to be here
always. Taklng-out time Is coming.
Let us do all we oau lor laimanity
while we can,