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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1941-08-14, Page 2WBW, AUGUST Mth, mi the eootr times.advpcate : Cruise for Cinderella” by Bentley Ridge She was still awake at half-past four when the Melville ran into fog, dropped to. half speed, and began blowing her whistle every two and a half minutes. Revived by a hot salt bath at eight o’clock, Bridget went to break­ fast to find the Captain absent from the table. “We won’t be off the Horn to­ night,” said the chief engineer. “This fog will put us back,, darn it!” The Melville Was rolling heavily. “You’d think the sea would calm in a fog,” said Bridget. “Not in these parts!” said Chief Engineer, Bridget saw Mark Salt come and a covert glance showed him looking strained and preoccupied,...,, she thought he avoided looking at her. ■She went back to the cabin, and .there she stayed, typing, while the Melville rolled on towards the Horn; Mrs. Garforth talked on, toward© the end of Purpte Dawn, halting every two and a half minutes, while the ship blew an ear-splitting blast. In a state of * nervous misery, Bridget struggled to keep her mind on her work. The stony obstinacy of her wounded spirit warred against hope. “If I I was “would Lunch was brought to the cabin. At about ten past four in the afternoon, dimly aware, through the of her typewriter, of a blowing on the bridge above, and a clanging of the engine-room tele­ graph. Ten seconds later there was a ter­ rific, grinding shock; the jerk sent Bridget and her typewriter flying forward onto the cabin floor. Mrs. Garforth stood up and screamed. Bridget rose, too aston­ ished to feel anything for a mo­ ment, but concern for the damage to the typewriter. “What is it? What has happened?” cried Mrs. Garforth wildly. The .ship had stopped; in the hush they heard the blowing whistles, shouts and the rush of feet, tumb­ ling down the bridge ladder above. Then Joyce came flying in, eyes starting with excitement. “We’ve struck an iceberg!” “Nonsense!” Mrs. Garforth’s voice quavered on a note of uncer­ tainty. “We have!—we have!” Joyce darted for the stairway to the upper deck and stumbled up it breathless to. see what was going on. c‘ Bridget ran out onto the main deck and looked forward over the side. But she could see nothing but drifting fog and heaving gray water, In which the ship rolled like a log. She ran back-past the cabins to the upper deck stairway, to meet Ma­ dame Dupre coming carefully down it, followed by Grimson, face white, and lips twitching. Madame Du­ pre was quite calm, only her eyes •lool^d oddly dark and intense. “We have to put on our lifebelts.” she said. “Lifebelts!” Bidget was incredu­ lous. “The steward says we are to put on our lifebelts,” repeated Madame Dupre in the same emotionless tone. The cabin steward came down be­ hind her and confirmed it. “All passengers put on their life­ belts and assemble in the saloon,” he called out in a high-pitched voice. “Put on warm clothing and collect any particular valuables, and as­ semble in the saloon immediately.” “Is the ship sinking?” cried Mrs. Garforth. 7 “No, madam, no! There ain’t anything to worry about—£it’s just a precaution. That’s orders, that is, just to be on the safe side. Keep calm, madam—that’s the thing.” Bridget hurriedly snatched her own lifebelt from the rack in the cabin, and leaving the -steward to placate her aunt, ran up the stairs to the upper deck. Even as she ran jarring sensation then as she Came she saw the slant of it, and realized be the in, were to tell him again that innocent,” she he believe?” thought, them, in minutes she was tapping whistle she felt a queer underfoot: and out on the deck Most people fail to recognize tho seriousness of a bad back. The stitches, twitches, and twinges -..................... fering, but ar© bad ehough and cause great suf­ fering, but back Of the backache and tho cause of it all IS the dis- orderedYkidncya crying out a warn­ ing through the back, A pain in the back is th© kidneys* cry for help. Go to their assistance. Get a bbx Of Loaii*s Kidney f’ills. A remedy for backache and sick kidneys. r/Z><oariL*ri,’t ai©' put up in an oblong grey box With Out trade mark a *‘ Maple Leaf”' on th© Wrapper, Ref use substitutes. Get * * Doan’a.» * W'T, Toronto. that the ship had taken a heavy list to starboard. Looking; ahead, she could see nothing but fog; and then, as the fog thinned, it must have been quite a hundred yards away on the right, she saw what looked like a long, low white cliff, gleaming and bluishly pellucid—Uie face of the berg! But it seemed too far away for ithem to have struck it, The young fourth officer, hatless, hair flying, ran past her from the bridge and tumbled down the lad­ der to th© main deck. Kingslake, with Diana and came towards her, headed chief officer. “We want saloon,” he “Keep in the decks must be kept clear.” And she heard him say something about “boats” as he hurried past her...... 1 She turned with the others, and went into the passage by the saloon. “Wife!” Colonel Kingslake said jerkily. “Must get my wife!” “What has happened?” Bridget asked him, “Is it bad?” “Damaged below the water line. Don’t like this list!” Colonel Kingslake plunged down the stairway; Bridget followed him to find her aunt, and found her coming up with Diana, “I think, Auntie,” said Bridget, “I’ll just go down and get your manuscript!” In five minutes everyone was in the saloon except Mark Salt. Everyone peered out of the port­ holes, A book slid from the table just behind Bridget, and fell to the flpor. She looked round at it, then at Colonel Kingslake, who was at her side fiercely chewing his little white moustache as he gazed through the window. She spoke to him In a voice so low that his timid wife could not hear. “Doesn’t this list mean that the ship is taking water?” “Yes,” grunted the Colonel. “At a fair rate too, to judge from the fact that it’s barely 15 minutes since we struck. She must have torn £he bottom out of her!” “What are those men doing?” she asked^as she peered out of the port­ hole at the deck amidships. '“They seem to be putting things In the boats,” said Colonel Kings­ lake. Bridget was not exactly afraid. Her whole being was in a tremor of suspense and surmise. “It’s very queer,” was the only comment in her* mind, “th’at -this should have happened to me!” “I can’t stay in here,” she .said, “I’m going on the deck. We wouldn’t be in the way standing by the door.” She went out and Colonel Kingslake followed her. ■■ “Harry!” cried Mrs. Kingslake, in an agonized voice. “Don’t leave me” “I’m only going to Stand in the doorway out here,” said the Colonel. While they stood there they could feel the lunch to starboard as the ship rolled; the deck slanted down­ hill to ithe rail- and the gray water looked near^ Five minutes later, Salt came up from the main deck with the third officer, who dashed past to the bridge ladder; Salt stopped to speak to Co*lonel Kingslake: “The starboard bow is stove in below the water line, and they think her plates are ripped Underneath as far as the engine’ room. She ram­ med the underwater part of -the ice­ berg—they only show an eighth of themselves above water, you know. She hung on the ice for a minute or two, and then slid off.” “Have they sent out an S.O.S.?” asked tho Colonel. “Ten minutes ago.” “They think she’ll sink?” “She’s not too good, I gather.” Salt’s eyes were on. Bridget as he spoke. . “Has the S.O.S. been picked up?” she asked coolly, , “I don’t know!” “There aren’t many ships on this route,” she remarked. “No; the Port Argus is twenty- four hours behind us,” His voice had the same conversational level. Colonel Kingslake exclaimed: “Twenty-four hours! But how long —,k The dead ship lurched in the swell and the deck tilted‘even more acutely; steam whs screaming out of the escape valve on the funfiel; down on the main deck the over ail­ ed engineers were coming out of the engine room doors, CHAPTER XXII Colonel Joyce, by the in theyou passengers was saying urgently, saloon, please. These The order to abandon ship came immediately, it was followed by a rumor that the ship was going to turn turtle, which’ produced a rush for the boats. Crew and passengers scurried on decks, which sloped at such an angle that it was difficult to stand upright. Mrs. Garforth had her manu­ scripts all in a suitcase, and seemed oblivious of all other needs. Mark Salt went down to the cabins and the main deck to get blankets for Madame Dupre, and advised the o*thers to do the same, iBridgat went with Joyce and Diana, and while they rushed into their cabin she went into her aunt’s. Gathering the things she needed into a bundle, Bridget ran out; she glanced into her cousins’ cabin, saw they had gone. Their clothes, their expensive odds and ends, lay scattered about, doomed—strange, chilling thought—to go down to the sea. Mark Salt stepped out of Madame Dupre’s cabin, carrying a fur coat and a bundle of rugs, “Come along!” he said. “Hurry!” He was wearing his lifebelt, but she noticed that, the strings dangled untied. She remembered his dis­ ability, dropped her roll of blankets, and in an instant she had the strings pulled hard and was tying them. “Thanks very much! Better hur­ ry!” His voice was urgent, Their eyes met for a second, she saw the softening of gratitude in his, and in the midst of danger, the harsh wildness of disaster, the personal situation between them assumed all its old proportions again, She ran at his side, thinking only of him and of her self, her heart swelling with desperate emotion. She understood how rapidly the ship was settling, for she saw the waves washing over the foredeck as, they turned and ran uphill towards the strangely lifted stern, to join the crowd gathered roupd the boat amidships. * The’ women were being put into the first boat. Mrs. Kingslake was screaming to the Colonel. “You must come! You must come!” ’’ ; “Let him go with her!” ordered the officer in charge. Colonel Kingslake hung back, was pushed forward, scrambled into the boat after his wife. Salt piled Ma­ dame Dupre’s things into Bridget’s arms. “Take these, could you?” She was pushed after Colonel Kingslake, half hauled through the tense, lurching crowd of men. She cried to Salt: Aren’t you coming?” He lifted his hand in farewell. “Ottfer boat!” she heard him reply. So that was that—possibly the end. It was parting—death for him, perhaps death for them both. Wild impulse seized Bridget. She must tell him she was innocent. Now, surely, he must believe her. The first officer pulled her load of blankets from her and flung .them into the boat. She clung to the rail, as they tried to push her over it. “Wait! ,Jnst a moment! Please!” Someone bawled “Lower away!” She was plucked bodily from the rail by someone else, found herself sprawling on her aunt’s knees. ' The boat went down with a rush; as it struck the sea, water, splashed on them. A lurch, a heave, a shout­ ing of voices, and it was floating clear of the heavy swell. Bridget looked up at the ship, tilted at a steep angle towards her. The other boat was down, and the men were scrambling in. She saw Mark Salt°on the edge of the crowd. Men were still moving on the upper deck by the radio cahin;. they be­ gan to come down at a run. Some­ one had let the sheep out of their pens on the after-deck, and they and. down the terror. took the water. Mills were Still waiting for the ed and explained te those behind. “Thaf’s th© boat with the wire* Jess! If she’s lost we’re all fot1!” They could see the men in ..... her ’ three boat, jammed together, trying to bale? <th© stern was almost awash. A sea caught it broadside, it veered, lurched perilously in a cloud of spray. Straining her eyes, Bridget tried to make out Mark Salt or Mr. Mills in the crov’d, but fail­ ed. The boat turned head o“n to th© sea and rode more easily. Mean­ while, number one boat had moved round, and now they could see the port side of the “Melville” as she settled towards h©r grave; the sheep scurried up and down by the main deck, bleating ly. One of the men cried: any minute!” “No, she won’t!” growled an­ other, “She’ll be there yet. Why didn’t those number three boat wait number four!” But scarcely a minute great stern of the “Melville” denly rose into the air: her drip­ ping keel rolled over to starboard, and she slid, hissing, into 'the sea. - “Whoopee!” howled one of the men. The gray water swirled over, carrying a little whirlpool ^of wreck­ age, and the sea. dotted with the backs of madly swimming sheep. “Poor old girll’i said someone, “Narrow shave,” said another. “Number three boat only just done it!” They were alone in the wastes of, the southern ocean, three .small boats, and a doizen sheep struggling in the sea, und©r a sullen sky. (To be continued) ---------v-------- done num* the rail of distracted- “She'll go ‘ for hours chaps in to launch later, the sud- 4 it I vV.-.v The Exeter Times-Advocate EatebUshH 1873 UUd 1387 at Exeter, Ontario Published ©very Thursday xiornins SUBSCRIPTION—?2.00 per year U advance RATES—-Faria or Real Estate for sale 5Qo. each Insertion fox flr»t four insertions. 25o, each aubi#e* quent insertion. Miscellaneous ar­ ticles, To Rent, Wanted, Lost, or Found. 10c, rar line of six words Reading notjcea IQfi. per line. Card of Thanks 50c. ‘Legal ad­ vertising 12 and gq, per lipe. U Memoriam, with ope ver#e pOq,, extra verses 25c. each* Member of The Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association Professional Cards” ....................... GLADMAN & STANBURY (F. W. Gladman) BARRISTER, SOLICITOR, &c Money to Loan, Investmend® Made Insurance • , Safe-deposit Vaults for use of out Clients without charge EXETER and HENSALL # .- ■ .........‘ Rhet Missouri ithat we aOric clipped this from paper with the ’suggestion write a suitable heading. We think a heading would be super­ fluous. “Mrs, Ralph Bean arrived Tues­ day to spend two weeks with her daughter, Mrs. Jack Griffith.” Mr. Jack Griffith left a. two weeks’’ pleasure cago.” Tuesday for trip to Chi­ # * * use a nice, other terms CARLING & MORLEY BARRISTERS, SOLICITORS, LOANS, INVESTMENTS, INSURANCE Office: Carling Block, Main Sttee% EXETER, ONT. ’ / . ON SCHEDULE: BRITISH GONVOY NEAR^ HOME Including tankers laden with oil, cargo, ships laden with planes, an,d many food vessels, another convoy nears the shores of Britain. The escort ships included two. ex-American destroyers and a Free. French cruiser. A gun-crew on one of the ex-American , destroyers are seen at action stations. W. G. COCHRANE, B.A. Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Phone .77 Exeter is * .. d (The World’s Finest Anthracite Trade Marked Blue. Order Blue Co&l and we have' it, also Large Lump Alberts Coal HAMCO Dustless Coke / Fergus Editor May Visit England Invited to Write About Preparations For Invasion ’’' Dr. G. F. Roulston, L.D.S.,D.D.S. DENTIST Office: Carling Block EXETER, ONT. Closed Wednesday Afternoons Lady journalists—to polite (term (there are too that the more cynical males in the office use when the /girls are. out)'—get some queer assignments I from th©,City Editor. Sadie—we’ll call her that because it isn’t her -name^was given the task of getting the lowdown on the clairvoyant ! /racket...making the rounds as a, customer and not as a scribe. Madame’Orland, who used a'crys­ tal ball- as one of her ‘props’ told her: “Lady, you will visit foreign lands and tile court of kings. You will conquer all rivals and will mar­ ry the man of your choice. He will be tall, dark and distinguished-look ­ ing and quite Wealthy (meaning much moo)—and young.” , Sadie—so she tells it—grasped the .fortune teller’s hand hard said: “Thank you! Now " tell something more. How shall I rid of my present husband?” Prices are Right A. J. CLATWGRTHY Phone 12 Grantor We Deliver an d me get . Congratulations to Hugh Templin editor of the Fergus News-Record, Who has beep chosen, as one of a party of ten Canadian newspaper men to go to Great Britain as guests of the British Council in London. • ’ The invitation was extended by Sir Malcolm Robertson, President of the British Council It is planned to let the Canadian journalists see first hand the preparations for the Battle ’of Britain, The group will spend three, weeks in Great Britain and will cross the Atlantic by plane. Details of the itrip have not been made public yet, but it is said that the Ferghs editor has- been chosen as the . representative, of the Canad­ ian Weekly Newspapers. The^invi- tation was extended through W. Ru­ pert ‘Davies, of Kingston, President of the Canadian Section of the Em­ pire Press Union. The Fergus edi­ tor has been spending one day or more each*.Week visiting the var­ ious training schools of the Com­ monwealth Air Training plan in Canada and is’ writing a series of articles about them. These articles are appearing • weekly in The Times- Advocate. Di.eH. H* COWEN, L.D.$.,D.D, S DENTAL SURGEON Office next to the Hydro Shop Main Street, Exeter Office 36w Telephones. Res. 36J Closed Wednesday Afternoons * ARTHUR WEBER - LICENSED AUCTIONEER For Huron and Middlesex FARM SALES A SPECIALTY , PRICES REASONABLE SATISFACTION GUARANTEED Phone 57-18 Dashwood R. R, No. 1. DASHWOOD FRANK TAYLOR LICENSED AUCTIONEER For Huron and Middlesex FARM SALES A SPECIALTY Prices Reasonable and Satisfaction k Guaranteed - EXETER P. O. os* RING 188 WM. H. SMITH LICENSED AUCTIONEER For Huron and Middlesex Special training assures .you of your property’s true value on sale day. Graduate of American Auction College , ■ Terms. Reasonable and Satisfaction Guaranteed 1 Crediton p. O. or phone 48-2 Ford Fighting Machines in Action USBORNE & HIBBERT MUTUAL EIRE INSURANCE COMPANY Head Office, Exeter, Ont. President ......... . JOHN MCGRATH. ’ Dublin, Ont. Vice-Rres. ... T. G. BALLANTYNB Woodham, R.R, 1 were trotting up deck, bleating *wlth The second boat Mark Salt and Mr. there on the deck last one. “Why didn’t they come with us?” cried JoyCe,- gray-faced, clinging to the thwart beside Bridget. The en­ gine of the boat they were in set up a roar, and the boat headed slowly* away over the swell. The fog was lifting, and Bridget saw the iceberg standing out clearly in the . haze, a 'wall /f glittering, perfect white'1 in the gray world of Water. The lifeboat veered away from the berg, and passed astern of the sinking “Melville.” “Are the other boats away?” cried Joyce as Bridget stagger&d up to look back. “The second one is!” said Brid- ; get, and the lurch of the boat flung her dbwn on her knees. The third boat was hidden by the stern of the. “Melville,” Mrs, Mills, sitting further < for­ ward, her eyes wild, spray standing in beads on her hair, which wa falling down her back, kept saying “t can’t see my husband! V1 can’t see him!” • i ‘"Don’t worry, lady,” said a seal man. “He’ll be in No, 3 boat.” j In a minute or two, as they watch-! ed, they saw it eorhe slowly into1 view. , * “it’s packed!” said Diana, sitting next her mother, apparently unmov­ ed by all these events, her cheeks whipped to biting wind, them in it!” “She’ll be OhOl’KingsIako; ' ■ A dubious., ‘murmur arose from the men forward. One of them’turn- t j DIRECTORS W. H. COATES, .............. JOHN HACKNEY ... ■ ANGUS SINCLAIR ...... Mitchell R. 1 WM. HAMILTON... Cromarty R. 1 AGENTS' JOHN ESSERY .......... ALVIN L. HARRIS ... THOS. SCOTT ........ ..... Exeter . Kirkton R.l/X MHnWI TJ 1 \ .. . Centralia ....... Mitehell - ..... Cromarty SECRETARY-TREASURER ,B.*W. F. BEAVERS ........... Exeter GLADMAN & STANBURY Solicitors* Exeter Alone on: the Ocean At half-past five the news round: “The tramp ’Gallegos’ 146 miles north* is steaming to our aid.” At six thirty-five th© “Melville” gave a lurch which sent the pasengers in the saloon,tumbling out of their chairs. The first officer gave It as his opinion -afterwards that a mass of Ice jammed In the ship’s forepeak fell away, and left her bent plates still further open tn the sea» I went a high color by the ‘"there are dometts of ©“warnped!** said Col- W/ITH Spectacular realism, the ’’ Canadian Ford company will present Canadian fighting machines in action at the Canadian National Exhibition this year. *>A special proving ground, complete With dirt track, “shell holes/* water hazards and Other obstacles' designed to test tho stamina and performance of army trucks* artil­ lery tractors and Universal carriers* is Being constructed at Exhibition , Park. Earing test drivers wili put the formidable war vehicles through their paces four times daily and free seating accommodation is being provided for several thousand spectators* ■ < The vehicles demonstrated in tho show will include those shown above: 1. 8-cwt., Army Truck, 2. Field Artillery Tractor, 3. Uni* Versa! Carrier. All told the Canadian Ford company -"produces more than 20 different types of vehicles for military us© and has supplied Empire armies with more than 90,000 unite'te date. It isn’t often that a sailor can get revenge, on his boss. The first mate of the ship,, who was inclined to drink too much happened to see in the ship’s log on© day this very harmful item: “The mate- was drunk today”. No matter how eloquently he pleaded with the captain to change that derogatory sentence, the head­ man clung steadfastly do Ills resolve to let th© record stand, Some time later it became * the mate’s duty to note ithe day’s hap­ penings in th© log,* Remembering th© permanent wrong don© him a few pages back, the mat© wrote: “The captain was sober today.” —“Globe- and Anchor