HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1940-05-09, Page 2THURSDAY, MAY 9th, 1940 THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE
H by Eardiey Beswick s
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You don’t mean there’s any dan
ger?”
‘•Not for her, I should imagine,
but for our candlesticks and sample,
plenty from the look of it.”
Hendringham’s reaction to that
was more human than patriotic.
“(Damn the tubes and the sample!”
he said. “It’s the girl I want to see
safe.”
“I hardly think there's- much risk
for her. If she’s stopped theyTi
only’hold her long enough to enable
them to get away with the tubes
before she telephones someone else
or calls in the police, I imagine.
Problem is where will they stop her.
It must be near enough for the chaps
who held us up to get there. Say
within fifty or sixty miles.” He took
out a map as the car pulled up at
the foot of the hill and began to
make measurements with a scrap of
folded paper. Presently he looked
up. “Here Geoff, you hurry on and
find a garage while I drain the tank
and clean the carburetor,” he said.
“Walk, run, crawl, cadge a lift if
you can, but get back with a can of
spirit as fast as you possibly can,”
Hendringham asked no questions,
but at once set off at an easy run
that he knew he could keep up for
a mile or more if necessary,
Perhaps an hour and a half later
the big car was once more road
worthy and speeding into the night
along a-cross-country route that her
driver tried to follow in the dark
ness, with no other aid than his
sense of direction and an occasional
signpost that their headlight picked
out. After about twenty miles of
this he pulled up,
“You take her on for a bit, Geoff.”
he said. “I’ve got a hunch that we
are going to need a bit of apparatus
when we get there. I believe your
road sense is as good as mine, even
if you don’t notice pylons and A.A.
telephones to remember them.”
He went round to the dickey and
presently came back and took the
passenger seat Hendringham had
obediently vacated.
“I’m not quite cleai* in my mind
what it was they did there at the
'Pylons,” remarked Hendringham,.
following a train of thought,, as he
-started off.
fOh, they contrived to sling a
cable across one of the overhead
ones and left it trailing about the
height of our bonnet. They’d got it
looped back, probably with a rub
ber cord, and they just let it swing
across as we came on the scene. If
we hadn’t guessed to pull up just
where we did there’d probably have
been a pretty little flash and the
bonnet would have gone up in
smoke as soon as we touched the
hanging cable. That’s why they
■anticipated something in the nature
of a burning up- for someone. As it
was the thing seems to have slipped
and got near enough the wet road
to earth the lot. Pretty trick,
wasn’t it?”
Hendringham only grunted and
concentrated on his driving. The
speedometer crept up and eased,
crept up and eased, and they swung
round bends on a desperate wrench
ing of the wheel at a speed far be
yond the capacity of any but a rac
ing model handled by a racing driv
er. He wasn’t a racing driver, but to
night he was qualifying. Hope
crouched in the bucket seat and
manipulated something heavy on his
lap. Once or twice he begged his
companion to “keep her on an even
keel for a moment” while he got a
screw in, and once he said: “Push
her along, Geoff, for the Lord’s
sake. I’m getting uneasy about that
girl.” Thereafter the nature of their
career was hair-raising, but he con
tinued to crouch over his work as it
too absorbed therein to concern
himself with the imminence of vio
lent death.
(Skidding, swerving, thrusting but
braking never, the big car threaded
her tortuous cross-country course,
her headlights fanning the darkness
from side to side as she followed
the windings of the lanes, her hub
caps scarring the high banks, her
great tyres scattering road metal
AnotherBad Night
Could Get No Rest
To the thousands who toss, night
after night, On sleepless beds and to
whose eyes slumber will not come.
To those who sleep in a kind of
Way, but whose rest is broken by
bad dreams and nightmares.
To those who whke tip in the
morning as tired Wj on going to bed,
We Offer in Milburn's Health and
Nerve 'Pills a remedy to help soothe
and calm the neiws and bring them
back to a perfect condition, and
when this is done there should be no
more sleepless nights due to shat
tered nerves.
The T* Milburn Oo., Ltd!., Toronto, O*k
like shrapnel.
Mr. Mench Again
Miss Silvane, having accustomed
herself to the feel of the old car,
began to drive faster. The engine
sounded sweetly, and the steering
was in good order, though the paint
work justified Johnny Cope’s earl
ier sarcasm. It pleased her to con
firm that Hendringham would not
neglect the mechanism, however
careless he might be of the paint.
There was something ‘in that that
conformed to her idea of what a
man ought to be like.
It was a pleasant run as soon as
she got familiar with the feel or
the steering, and she found she was
able to hold a cruising speed of
fifty with reasonable steadiness.
Fifty she considered fast not having
been a pupil of Johnny Cope, And
anyway fifty would get her there
in plenty of time, so she held It
as long as the going would permit
and the miles rolled by encourag-1
ingly.
Beore she had gone such more
than thirty miles she was beginning
to feel bored by the monotony or
her run. When she had first volun
teered she had been fired by antici
pation of adventure, had envisaged
thrills that now began to seem ro
mantically absurd. Even the thought
of the articles she carried, with
their hint of explosive possibilities,
failed in time to stimulate her lm-
gination. It became just a long
a lonely, and a rather wearing drive
and it was increasingly difficult for
her to retain the idea that she was
performing any service of a more
than commonplace character either
to the men in whom she was inter
ested or to the cause of internation
al peace which, like every decent-
minded person, she had at heart.
Occasionally a big lorry ground
by in the opposite direction, occa
sionally a belated car and once even
a long-distance char-a-banc. She
was almost completely bored and
beginning to drive mechanically
when hex* headlights, as she neared
the point of junction with the Great
North road somewhere about two
o’clock in the morning, picked out
a huddled group by the roadsiae.
Nearing it, she noted that a car
stood on the grass verge, its nose
canted ovex’ the ditch and one of its
rear wheels off the ground. Another
car, pulled up by the verge, gave
the impression of a crumpled rad
iator and shattered glass. Stretched
out on the grass was the body of a
man, another man bending over
him. The second man rose as she
approached,, and stepping into her
path, raised an appealing hand.
She stopped.
'Sorry to pull you up,” said the
man on the road, “but there’s been
a nasty smash. Can you help me
get this poor chap to the nearest
hospital or a doctor or something?”
“Is he much hurt?”
“Very badly, I’m afraid. How fax’
is it to Mansfield?” His voice sound
ed gaspingly overwrought.
“I don’t know. Not many miles, I
should say. Perhaps I’d better have
a look at him.”
“Very kind of you,” said the man
and held out a hand as if to help
her from the car. The hand came
quite firmly about her arm above
the elbow. “This way,” he said,
and steered her in the darkness.
As sue bent aver the prone figure
it rose to a sitting posture. “I think
I can stand now,” the casualty said,
and reached fox’ her free arm. He
hung his whole weight on hex* and
drew himself up. Now there was a
man either side of her, gripping her
arms. She was suddenly afraid.
“This way, please,” said one ot
the men curtly, and between them
they began to lead her towards a
field gate. A brief struggle con
vinced her that she had no chance,
and realizing how easily she had
been trapped, she cursed her own
stupidity. They were leading her
away from the car, but by flinging
hex* head back she glimpsed, before
the headlights had been extinguish
ed, that other men were clustered
about it.
‘Take it easy,” said one of hex’
captors. “The chief’d like a word
with you. You’ll be all right.”
About fifty yards through the
gate something shadowy loomed,
like a haystack, against the dim
sky, a haystack with a glint of
light around it, internal light. Her
knees came against a step. A door
was thrown open and through it
she saw the interior of a luxurious
caravan. Humping her up the steps
the men pushed her inside. There
was a bunk, a tiny stove, all neatly
compacted, polished fittings and
glossy wood gleaming in the light
of a hung lamp. A partition midway
had a door in ft, and on this one
of the men knocked.
A voice she recognized said “Come
In," and through the opened door
she found herself thrust into the
presence of Mr. Mench,
He was sitting before a built-in
bureau that had a little latticed
window behind it, and the inevitable
cigar smoke curled from his plump
hand. He said: “Ah, so you have
come. Rather a long way from
home fox1 this hour of night, aren’t
you? You’d bettex’ sit down.”
She was suddenly glad to sit
down.
He tapped plump fingers on the
desk before him like a man'" idly
beating time to some tune running
in his head. “You have no idea
how glad I am to see you," he said
at last, his voice unexpectedly very
friendly. “These caravan holidays
are desolate affairs in purely mas
culine company. However, I shall
be still more glad if you have
brought the things I wanted.” His
fingers caressed a hairy jowl. He
waited. At the sound of a knock
he sprang eagerly to the door.
The man who entered laid a
sacking parcel on the desk and be
side it her own hangbag. Mr. Mench
seized the handbag, felt it, said
“Ah!” and a smile spread from his
thick lips to lose itself in the hirsute
growth that covered his cheeks.
Opening it he took out the two tubes
that were “dynamite only more so”
and as he held them to the light,
his smile broadened to an expres
sion of gross satisfaction. Very care
fully he pried the wax stpppei’ from
one of them, dipped in a stubby fin
ger-end and tasted the stuff deli
cately.
“All right?” asked the man who
had brought them.
“Apparently. Not that execrable
purgative axxyway.”
“Good,” said the man. “Horsch
will be here sooxx aftex' dawn. I got
a message through to the aerodroxne
and diverted him.”
“Splendid!” Mi’. Mench seemed to
congratulate them both. “I shall be
glad to be relieved of the custody
of these.” He carefully replaced
the stopper. “They have caused
xne a lot of worry. Do you know,
Reiter, when these are well oxi the
way I think I shall take a short holi
day. Caravanning in this weather
would be a restful change particu
larly if, as I have reason to hope, I
can persuade this lady to accom
pany xne.”
The man, Reiter grinned abomin
ably. -“I envy you the prospect.”
He bowed towards the girl. “Shall
I leave these?” His hand gestured
towards the strange loot.
“I think so. I shall hold myself
responsible for the powder, at any
rate until Horsch gets it. The other
does not xnatter. Perhaps we shall
do well to send it over, since after
all it weighs so little. Otherwise 1
should merely insist on its des
truction. I shan’t need you, Reiter.
“Evidently,” said Reiter imperti
nently, and withdrew.
An Offer
Mr. Mench pulled slowly on his
cigar, “Do you'know,” he said after
a long silence, “I find it easier to
forgive you than I could have
thought possible? You acted no
doubt impulsively, I tell myself,
and in ignorance. One can forgive
more than that to a pretty woman
... .if she proves sensible. And
aftex’ all I can afford to forgive. I
am a rich man, my dear. I^can
make things very comfortable for
you if you will. You have been
working hard. I propose to give you
a holiday, a short holiday to begin
with in this beautiful countxyside.
It is kinder than to dismiss you
without a character. Afterwards, if
we get on, we can travel . . . Paris,
Vienna, the Riviera, all places where
a pretty woman can feel at homd.
“I think you are taking a lot for
granted,” she said.
“Perhaps. I am taking it for
granted that you have a head on
your shoulders for one thing. That,
like every other woman, you would
prefer a life of luxury and travel to
one of drudgery in an office or,
even more so, to one in which there
was not even the office, even if the
price happened to be that of toler
ating the company of an elderly and
I fear, an unattractive man such as
I humbly conceive myself to be.”
“I should prefer scrubbing floors
to that.”
“You think you would, but wait.
Your position, after all, is not one
that leaves you much choice. You
will not, I fear, ever see alive again
that rather impetuous young man
on whose behalf you seem to have
undertaken this escapade. He is, I
regret to say, but now a little char
red, a sort of cindex* that was once
a man. Now look at it straightly.
You are doomed to spend the next
few days sharing this rather re
stricted accommodation with me.
That, I am afraid, cannot be avoided
Inevitably, by sheer pressure on cir
cumstances, you will have suffered
loss of reputation that a lifetime
will not suffice to outlive'. In other
words, you will have had the disad
vantage without any of the delights
I am able to offer you, You are
a sensible woman, I have observed,
and when you have turned these
things over in your mind,, I am
.E.
hopeful you will not continue of the
same opinion , . . However, I do
not wish to press such considera
tions at the moment. I can afford to
wg.it. What would you say to a cup
of tea, or a cocktail if you prefer
it? This place, though small, is
not ill-equipped.”
She chose a cup of tea. She want
ed it, and it was clearly futile to
remain stubhorn over little things
like that. ‘She was tired, and de
pressed by a sense of complete fail
ure, by the self-accusation that in
her confiding folly she had let down
the two men whom she desired to
help, 'She ought to have driven
straight on, past even the most ter
rible of road accidents, holding her
trust more important than any char
ity. She could not believe that
Hendringham was dead. She had
too much faith in Johnny Cope for
that, and after all, she had warned
them, a fact of which Mr. Mench,
DEAD AND DISABLED ANIMALS
REMOVED PROMPTLY
Phone Collect: Seaforth 15; Exeter 235; Lucan 12
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was evidently still unaware. Never
theless she was anxious on his be
half, Something terrible and un
avoidable might so easily have hap
pened, and Mr. Mench had spoken
confidently.
He was pottering around amiably
in the next compartment, and pres
ently he returned with a neat little
tea equipage and a tray with whis
key. He pourned tea for her so
licitously, meticulous about the
proportions of sugar and milk, the
exact strength she desired. Then
they sat opposite one another at
either side of the desk and drank
in enmity, or at least she drank
in enmity, Mr. Mench drank placid
ly confident.
(To be Continued)
Wife (nudging husband): “Look,
that man in front of us is asleep.”
Husband: “Well, why wake me
up to tell me that?”-—Wochenschau.
SISTER IN BOMB AREA,
♦WINGHAM MAN ANXIOUS
Bert Wellwood Awaits News of
Cheng-Tu Hospital Superintendent
Reports reaching Canada May 2
said that tlie*United Church Mission
Hospital at Cheng-Tu in China had
been destroyed on May 1st, by fire
of undetermined origin, Bert Well
wood, of Wingham, brother of Miss
Caroline Wellwood, superintendent
of the mission has not been notified
officially, but is waiting for some
news of his sister. Reports from the
vicinity of Cheng-Tu in the past few
days mentioned frequent Japanese
bombings. Miss Caroline Wellwood
built the Cheng-Tu hospital 24
years ago under the direction of
the Women’s Missionary Society of
the Methodist Church in Canada.
Miss Wellwood, who is now 64 years
of age, was home for a visit three
years ago and expressed the wish
in a recent communication to her
sister in New York that she might
be allowed to remain in service an
other year and thus complete 35
years of missionary work. Of a fam
ily of ten, there are seven still liv
ing and Miss Wellwood has two
brothers, Robert, of Winnipeg and
Bert, of Wingham; and four sisters,
Mrs. James Taggart, of Hamilton;
Miss Elizabeth, of New York; Mrs.
A. Kent, of Vancouver and Mrs. R.
J. McKenzie, of Boxssevain, Man.
The Exeter Times-Advocate
Established 1873 and 1387
at Elxeter, Ontario
Published every Thursday morning
SUBSCRIPTION—??.oo per year in
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President ........... JOHN HACKNEY
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Vice-President .... JOHN McGRATH
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DIRECTORS
W.. H.. COATES ................. Exeter
ANGUS SINCLAIR ... Mitchell, R. 1
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Lumber Shingles
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If you are building it will pay
you to call and get prices.
Just think Matched Lumber at
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Phone 12 Granton
We Deliver
REV* L. W. HILL, RETIRED
MINISTER, PASSES AWAY
Rev. L. W. Hill, 8'5, retired, Unit
ed Church minister who held var
ious pastorates at Toronto, died at
his home in parkhill oh May 1st. '
He was ordained into the Metho
dist ministry at prince Albert, Sask.,
in I8181I and was twice married. His
second wife was Elizabeth Jackson,
whom he married in Edmonton, HIS
last Pastorate Was at Parkhill where
he has lived since his retirement.
Briton Hill, of kitchener, is a son.