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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1940-05-02, Page 2“MARK 1702” by Eardiey Beswick A quarter of a minute latei- he remarked: “I suppose I ought to say I’m sorry for having been so beastly. That fact is, well . . .it would upset me rather -a lot if any­ thing happened to you.” “But what about me? I mean it is you that’s going to be in danger!’ she cried at that. “And, well , . . there isn’t going t be much time to say things apparently, but . . There was not even time for her to finish the halting sentence. From the hall outside arose sounds of altercation, of a scuffle, a sharp •cry, a shout of “Stop him!” The loungers herded toward the entrance. Miss Silvane rose and tossed her handbag on Hendriug-| ham's knees. Then she followed the ‘ crowd through the entrance, only, as she passed the switches, out went the lights. Hendringham had mentally lo­ cated the piano sconces so that he could have laid his hands on them in complete darkness. But there was not complete darkness, the evening being not sufficiently advanced for' that and the twilight filtering thro' the high net curtains. Quickly he lifted the candles from beneath their shades, recognizing as he did so the peculiar feel of celluloid and indulging a flash of enjoyment for the audacity that had so publicly, but so efficiently, concealed them where they could be seen by every­ one without single soul, the handbag trance. As with the tail of his eye the impres­ sion of a pale face pressing the window from the outside, the moment it disturbed him, there was excitement without as soon as he had reached the his momentary uneasiness was oblit­ erated by the sight that met him there. Adventure Begins In the midst of a crowd Johnny Cope, a trifle dishevelled, was vol­ ubly explaining how he had been most audaciously jostled and plun­ dered. The Boots, a huge fellow in braided livery, was trying to get the Police Station on the telephone. The crowd was excitedly commenting and explaining one to another. Be­ fore the telephone call could be completed, a more effective member of the company hurried in with a policeman from the street, and thereupon there began a series of official enquiries and note-takings in the manner typical of the British constable in action. Hendringham who had moved to stand beside Miss -Silvane, and was silently and not without a certain enjoyment, find­ ing a secret pleasure in pressing her handbag into her grasp, was aston­ ished to hear Cope declare the stolen parcel of little consequence. ‘A small sample of machinery, Officer, quite useless, I was only keeping it in order to investigate how it failed. Fellow was tall about six feet, with fair hair and a rather long face.” 'Ey the time he had succeeded in satisfying the policeman’s thirst for details, however unreliable, the thief had had plenty of time to get clear but did not seem to concern Johnny Cope in the least. “Excellent fel­ lows policemen,” he remarked as they made their way back to the lounge. (Strangely enough Hendringham still had Miss gilvane's bag in his hands. “Oh your bag. You left j it on the chair, and I thought, with thieves about, I’d better take care of if for you.” She received it a bit awkwardly. She might have been ‘feeling ■conscious, or she might have intentionally handling it as contained not used “About as they their chairs, “On the .Sheiffield road there is a cross-roads. If you pull up by the signpost there and ask a black-haired man without a hat to tell you the way to Hamilton Lodge, he will hand you a parcel -exactly like the one I lost just now. any- Cope have clear, don’t time rousing suspicion in a He slipped them in and made for the en- he did so he caught against For but and hall self- been if it wasdynamite and she to dynamite. a mile out,” said Cope, re-settled themselves in Worry Saps The Nervous System Worry over business or household duties, sudden shock, the insane quest for pleasure, the foolish at­ tempt to put a week o£ normal life into twenty-four hours, feverish ac­ tivity, the demand for Sensational literature are all conducive to the aggravation of wear and tear on the nervous system. If yon are tired, listless, nervous, and worried why not give Milburn’s Health and Nerve Fills a chance to help put you on your feet again. They are a body building, nerve strengthening tonic containing the essential elements for the nervous sy&tem. T. Milburn Co., Ltd., Toronto, Ont I Hamilton Lodge remember, and you should be at the cross-roads pre­ cisely at ten o’clock.” Her lips moved as if she were silently memorising the insti*ue-f tions. Then she rose and held out her hand. “Thank you both for an enjoyable evening.” she said. “I wouldn’t have missed it for thing,” When she had gone Johnny ordered another braudy. “We precisely fifteen minutes Geoff,” he said. “I’m afraid there’s a lot I understand . . .” “We shall have plenty of and more privacy for explanation on the road,” Cope told him, and for the remaining minutes they sat in silence. Cope sipping his brandy supprecia lively. At a quarter-past nine they set out from the yard, having ascertain­ ed by an examination of the parcel that was still in the dickey that it had not gone unexamined in the in­ terim, a discovery which made Cope laugh. “Evidently,” he remarker as he took his seat, “you can’t fool some of the people all the time, even if they are engaged in secret service. On this occasion they had a look first to make sure. They’ll be a little bothered to know who stole the other parcel ... all the better if it confuses them.” He was run­ ning easily out of the Market Square; as he spoke. “It confuses me, I must confess.” “Well, o'f course; you weren’t there to see the thief. If you had been you might have recognized Evans rather better than from the description you heard me give to the police. It's Evans who’ll hand over to Miss Silvane at the cross­ roads. I fixed afternoon.” “Good God! coming to the time, knew she drive?” “I had a hunch she would, admit,” said Johnny Cope, “tho’ the details had to be left to work themselves out in practice. Don’t be angry with me, Geoff.” he pro­ tested. “I couldn’t see any other way at the time and there’s a lot at stake.” “If it’s all right I suppose I'll be an ass to bear malice, but if any­ thing happens to that girl, Johnny.” “I know, I know. But nothing’s going to happen to her. If it did I’d be just as upset as yourself.” There was silence for a mile or two, then Hendringham said, “I suppose you’ve been exercising your clairvoyant faculties again, eh?” “Well, why not? One can’t af­ ford to, neglect any faculty, you’ll admit, in a job of this kind. There are people, Geoff, particularly nice people as a rule, with whom I’m easily en rapport. She is one of them. When I heard her voice on the ’phone the other night I could have described her, well, to say the least of it, a great deal more ac­ curately than I described Evans to the policeman. It’s much the same with yourself. Sometimes I don’t need to see you to know what you are doing. If the thing would only work like that when it’s a case of dealing with men like our friend Pandolfius I shouldn’t have to do much thinking on a job of this kind. But there it is, the faculty is so- use­ ful, even when it is confined to one’s very special friends, that it would be churlish to be dissatisfied with its limitations.” He was talking in his level, soothingly loquacious manner as if with the aim of giving the other man time to cool down, to consider reason. They were speeding by now along a wet road in the last of the even­ ing dusk under a cloudy sky, their headlights making a lane of vision between the driving with recklessness. “We’ll go marked presently, as if we after all, them too line is to or rather yard to spare, versation our nice young friends re­ ported so efficiently they will have men planted near the A,A. tele- phone.s to report our progress.” He drove on, talking easily as they swung along the miles ticked off monotonously on the speedometer. Lulled by the sense of security he always felt when driving with John­ ny Cope, Hendringham dozed in his bucket seat. it up with him You knew she hotel then all would offer this was the to I’ll dark hedges. Cope was all his usual controlled by Knebling,” he re­ look and, give best trap, “It won’t had any suspicions there’s no call to much trouble, -Our run slap into their to pull up with about a Judging by the con- The Trap roused after about an Cope’s voice saying! Geoff. It's from herb . There’s He was hour by “Knebling, we begin tn take notice . an A. A. telephone about four miles nut of the town and another at the cross-roads, nearly seven miles far­ ther on . , Unless I’m very much mistaken, we shan't reach the sec­ ond tonight.” Hendringham was wide awake at once, in time to see the ghostly houses of a little township caught for a moment in their headlights, vanish as if jerked into the black­ ness behind. He began to watch the speedometer tick off the miles his mind puzzling as to the sort of devilment they were heading for so confidently. Cope said: “There’ll probably be a Minataur on the roadside some­ where near the first telephone box,” and sure enough there was, a long grey car with the well-known rak­ ing bonnet. Someone was sitting in her as if waiting, “Seven miles to go,” thought Hendringham and resumed his speedometer watching. At the sixth mile Cope dropped from sixty to something near forty- five, remarking that it would be, awkward to overshoot. At that pace the last seemed to Hendringham the longest mile in all England, He ceased to watch the speedometer and stared ahead instead. Telephone wires ran in swaying clusters on their near side and the poles stood up bleakly in the beam of their lights. Presently too in the far distance the beam caught the shadowy lattice of a huge pylon. For perhaps fifty yards Cope ac­ celerated. Then he braked sharply and skidded skilfully to a stop a yard or two from the point where the pylon's cables crossed the road. Something black and ropelike was swinging in the air before their radiator, descending as it swung. Cope dropped into reverse and back­ ed gently away. The thing hovered for a moment and then seemed to sweep the road surface with a fierce blue flame and in an instant the cables overhead flashed into vivid arcs and the black ropelike tentacle, writhing, seemed to dissolve in fiery smoke. Dazzled by the fierce blue light, they sat for a moment or two as if spellbound watching a few fiery threads consumed upon the ground. Then Cope spoke. “Extraordinary thing!” he said. “They ought not to carry cables over a main road if they can’t be sure of them not coming down at odd mom­ ents.” His voice had a musing tone that his companion knew to be de­ ceptive. He was acting the part of the innocently puzzled observer, and acting it for someone’s benefit: “Well, I suppose we’d better get on. It's no affair of ours if the breakers are out at the power plant, and half the Midlands plunged into darkness.” He pressed the starter petal and the motor charred brisk­ ly. He let the clutch in, and the big car began to move. Then there was a sharp cry of “Stop!” and from the darkness men sprang at the running boards on each side. The dashboard light dimly lit up their hands and the bluntnosed au­ tomatics they held. “What on earth?” “Get out, both of you, and stand by the ditch with your hands up,” a voice demanded. Cope rose leisurely from his seat. “Well, of all the impudence!” he said. “Line ’em up,” ordered the voice, “and one of you keep ’em covered, while the other goes through their pockets. We’ll take care of the car. 'Switch off the headlights one of you.” Now the two stood by side -while expert hands over carefully, and quick ported “Nothing doing” searchers on the car. “Nothing here either, look of things,” a voice “-One of you keep ’em covered while the other lends a hand here/ '“.Might I suggst. that you overlook the petrol tank.” said helpfully. “It has a wide orifice, like most racing cars, want to get the stuff in quickly, you know, at the pits.” “None of your lip, man who seemed to but nevertheless he be heard unscrewing presently there was . pocket torch, from hood of the tank. “Perhaps if you would what it is you are looking began Cope sweetly, but was cursed into silence while the search con­ tinued, one of the men even lying on the road and flashing a torch along the undercarriage. After about a quarter of an hour Of this, the searchers withdrew a few yards, and began a low-voiced argument, in which they were in­ terrupted by the sound of footsteps from ahead. The footsteps, ap­ proaching were presently augment­ ed by the whistling of a few bars from a popular tune. “iBrady,” said one of the men> and the little group which had fall­ en apart gathered together again. Uneasy About the “Phone from Number nounced the newcomer, make for . . . “.Shut your mouth!” man in charge violently, At once they began to converse THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE sivoly along the verge towards them was brought up by the jab of a gun in his ribs and a “You keep still, mister,” from the guard. The seemed to have decided on a of action, for they came back car from which there shortly ated a sound of splashing strong scent of petrol, “That’ll do. You can leave ’em now,” the leader told the guard. “We’ve got to get a move on.” At this all five walked rapidly off and from a distance a few minutes later came the unmistakable hum of a big car’s exhaust. “Well, that’s that,” commented Johnny Cope, thoughtfully. “Next thing will be to get some water to re-fill the radiator and to see if they've left us a sufficent drain of petrol to make the nearest garage with.” He thrust a hand into the tank. “Plenty of something here,” he said, “but it’s more likely to be water than petrol, I imagine.” It was, water from the radiator, Cope mused. “If we can. push her about a hundred yards we ought to be on the verge of a long downhill,” he said. “Further we get her less someone’ll have to walk to next garage. Feel like it?” Hendringham had never felt like it in his life, but he pushed with all the weight and strength' of his powerful young body and, Cope, aiding him, between them they; sweated and strove, driving the heavy body a few yards at a time, until more both It ICE BOX FLOWERS as the road­ felt them voices to re­ tire thefrom grumbled. don’t Cope ! filler . They ” growled the be in charge, at once could the filler, and a flash of his the neighbor­ tell me for . . others course to the eman- and a rd J :-x: ->r ■ig ■;S ^’:Ix II the the less it began to move more and easily under gravity when they sprang aboard. was quiet running engineless downhill, an transit after Hendringham ache seeped 1 muscles. He ; ness when Cope asked throughtfully “Quite sure no one saw you pinch those candles, Geoff?” Now he re­ membered the thiug he had forgot­ ten to mention, the sight of that flat, ghostly face peering at the window. “HellI” said Cope. “That accounts effortless, restful their exertion, and relaxed while the blessedly out of his started into wakeful- Confederation Association F. J. DELBRIDGE, Representative, EXETER SIX-LEGGED LAMB On the farm of Henry Esplen, 4th concession of Arran, one of those freaks of nature, which occur once in a blue moon, appeared among the spring lambs. This lamb, with four good and perfectly formed legs on the left side and two normal legs on the right, is gambling about just as if nature had not endowed it with a lot of extra equipment.—Port El­ gin Times. . GMC-48 Snell Bros. & Co., Exeter Before you buy—see these handsome, sturdy trucks • Yes sir, GMC prices start with the lowest! And, GMC gas sav­ ings are breaking records. There’s, a GMC for every purse and purpose—including a full line of "Heavy-Duty” Diesels, and Cab-Over-Engine models from 2- tohs up. Try a GMC and be con­ vinced. BMC TRUCKS Kwao Girl One,” an- “We*re to cried the slide easily into sharp detail and in whispers. Cope, edging unobstru- what?” I’m beginning to for it.” “Accounts for “For the fact that they’d no fur­ ther use for us. wish I’d not let that girl take it on after all, though what else could anyone have done?” Your Next Visit to TORONTO tit Hotel Waverley (To be Continued) IRON LUNG GIFT TO SCOTT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL Scott Memorial Hospital, Sea­ forth, will receive an iron lung, the gift of Lord Nuffield, of England, Who is donating these appliances to any hospital in the Empire making application, ed by the in Canada, soon as it Stratford. Word has been receiv- hospital that it is now and will arrive there as clears the customs at Located on Wide Spadina Ave. at College St. Easy Parking Facilities Convenient to Highway* • n . Single - . UH to Slit Kites Doub,e : • $15ltoS5.H Four to Room, $5.01 to HH • Cfo«e to the University, Parliament Buildinns, Maple Leaf Gardens, Thaatres, Hospitals, Wholesale Houses, and the Fashionable Retail Shopping District. A. Mi POWELL, PRESIDENT THE WORLD'S GOOD NEWS will come to your home every day through THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR An International Daily Newspaper It records tor you the world's clean, constructive doings. The Monitor does not exploit crime or sensation; neither does It ignore thetri, but deals correctively with them. Features for busy then and all the family, Including the Weekly Magazine Section, The Christian Science Publishing Society One, Norway Street, Poston, Massachusetts Please enter rny subscription to The Christian science Monitor for 9 lPyear $12.00 6 months sfl.00 3 months.$3.00 A 1 >nonth $1.00 Saturday issue, including; Masnzlnc Section: 1 year z&.co. o issues 256 Addfesa -Copy on Request A new industry has sprung into being, or rather an astonishing de* velopment of a very pld industry, It is the making of Ice Box Flowers. Years ago there was no difficulty in telling whether the flowers in a lady’s corsage or J;he little decora- tons in evening Even at ference, the night wore on but the artificial varety remained sprightly. There is an ice box flower in Toronto, which so, far Bureau of .Statistics knows, only one of its kind in Canada, It is said to be the-largest in the British Empire. The industry is only about six years old. It began in a private home’ with a family of three the working staff. Today the business is housed in a factory and there are about one hundred workers. 'These new artificial flowers are as close an imitation of the real thing as can be made. The blossoms are perfumed, A very wonderful thing about them is that, when the flow­ ers are crushed, as flowers will be at a dance, they can be restored to their pristine elegance by confining them in the refrigerator for a little while. Thus there is another use for that modern complement of the kitchen. This ability to come back to life under cool and moist condi­ tion is what has given the name “ice box”4 to those artificial flowers. What has made this industry pos­ sible was the discovery that the pith of the tushia tree could be used for making petals. Tire tushia tree grows on the Island of Formosa off the coast of China, familiar to many Canadians as a centre of missionary activity. The pith is soft, velvety texture and .when dyed resembles both in touch and appearance petals of natural flowers. There being only one firm manu­ facturing these Ice Box Flowers, the Bureau does not make public the production -figures, but an indication of its extent may be gathered from the fact that some 1,500 Canadian brides last year* wore them at their weddings. the lapel of a gentleman’s coat, were artificial or not. a distance there was a dif* foi* the real thing wilted as NO APPEAL TO MINISTER factory as the is the Students who fail to obtain stand­ ing in middle school work this year will have to appeal to the Minister of Education except in cases of illness or special circumstances, ac­ cording to announcement of the De­ partment of Education. This June is the first in the his­ tory of 'the Department that there will be no department middle school examinations. Students are to' ob­ tain standing in the- middle school classification if they secure fifty per cent, on their various papers during the year. In 1941 all candidates for upper school certificates will be required to write departmental ex­ aminations. According to the time table the tests will commence in the upper school on Friday, June 14, and will end two weeks later. “There shall be no appeal,” the announcement says, “the the Minister from tlfe de­ cision of the principal and staff in the case of any candidate who has not been given at least 50 per cent, on a middle school paper or 66 per cent, on an upper school paper, but the special revising board will give consideraton to cases in which by reason of illness or other special circumstances such consideration is warranted.” Middle school standing will be granted to pupils in attendance at the day or night classes of any col­ legiate institute, high, continuation, or vocatonal school if the qualifica­ tions of the teachers concerned and the provisions made for teaching middle school courses shall be satis­ factory to the Minister of Educa­ tion. At the end of April each candi­ date for middle or upper school standing must fill out and submit his application as in former years. If a candidate fails to make appli­ cation before the first of May he shall pay a fee of $1. The methods of procedure of determining the standing of candidates are left to the discretion of the principal and the staff of each school. Gratitude and Faithfulness in•Near Greyfrairs churchyard Edinburgh, 'Scotland, stands a mem­ orial fountain and statue, erected in honor Of a little Skye terrier nam­ ed Greyfrairs .Bobby. 'For 14 years after the death of his master in 185’8, Bobby guarded his grave day and night, protected from the weather by a simple shel­ ter fed by a restaurateur. One day^ he was found, lying across the grave, dead. In tribute to his lifelong loyalty and devotion, he was buried be- i side his master. * Scrambled Has It Ever i * * Shorthand Notes Happened To YOu and failings of sten- recounted from Shore have you ever employed The foibles ographers are to shore one Who might transcribe her notes of a familiar verse thus: Liza Grape men allry mihdus Weaken maka Liza Bllme And departing Lee IB. Hindus iFootbrih fcona 'Sands a time. The Exeter Times-Advocate Established 1873 and 1387 at Exeter, Ontario Published every Thursday no min g SUBSCRIPTION—$2.00 per year in advance RATES—Farm or Real Estate toy sale 50c, each insertion for first four insertions. 25c. each subse­ quent insertion. Miscellaneous ar­ ticles, To Rent,1' Wanted, Lost, or Found 10c. per line of six words, Reading notices 10c, per line. Card of Thanks 50c. Legal ad­ vertising 12 and Sc, per line. I» Meworiam, with one verse 50c. extra verses 25c. each. Member of The Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association Professional Cards GLADMAN & STANBURY (F. W. Gladman) BARRISTER, SOLICITOR, &c Money to Loan, Investments Made Insurance Safe-deposit Vaults for use of our Clients without charge EXETER and HE NS ALL CARLING & MORLEY BARRISTERS, SOLICITORS, &c LOANS, INVESTMENTS, INSURANCE Office; Carling Block, Minin Stree*, EXETER, ONT. Dr. G. F. Roulston, L.D.S..D.D.S, DENTIST Office- Carling Block EXETER, ONT. Ciofied Wednesday Afternoon* Dr. H. H. COWEN, L.D.S.,D.DS DENTAL SURGEON Office opposite the Post Office, Main Street, Exeter Office 36w Telephones Res. 35J Closed Wednesday Afternoons ARTHUR WEBER LICENSED AUCTIONEER For Huron and Middlesex FARM SALES A SPECIALTY PRICES REASONABLE SATISFACTION GUARANTEED Phone 57-13 Dashwood R. R. No. 1, DASHWOOD FRANK TAYLOR LICENSED AUCTIONEER For Huron and Middlesex FARM SALES A SPECIALTY Prices Reasonable and Satisfaction Guaranteed EXETER P. O. or RING 188 USBORNE & HIBBERT MUTUA1 FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY Head Office, Exeter, Ont. President ........... JOHN HACKNEY Kirkton, R. R. 1 Vice-President .... JOHN McGRATH Dublin, Ont. DIRECTORS W.. H.. COATES .................. Exeter ANGUS SINCLAIR ... Mitchell, R. 1 WM. HAMILTON ...... Cromarty, R. 1 T. BALLANTYNE ... Woodham, R. 1 AGENTS JOHN ESSERY ................. Centralia ALVIN L. HARRIS ... Mitchell R. 1 THOS. SCOTT .................. Cromarty SECRET ARY-TREASURER B. W. F. BEAVERS ............„ Exeter GLADMAN & STANBURY Solicitors, Exeter lumber Shingles Our’ Prices are the Lowest they . * have been for several years. If you are building it will pay you to call and get prices. Just think Matched Lumber at $35.00 per M. feet A. J. CLATWORTHY Phone 12 Granton We Deliver TROUBLE IN THE OFFICE The pencil has made a number of pointed remarks about the sponge being soaked all day and the waste basket’s being full.’ The scissors are cutting up and the paper weighty is trying to hold them down, while the mucilage is sticking around to see that the stamps get a good lick­ ing. The Ink is well, but appears to be blue while Bill is stuck in the file an’d the calendar expects to get a month off. The blotter has been taking it all In,