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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1947-02-20, Page 7THE TIMES-ADVOCATE, EXETER, ONTARIO, THURSDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 20th, 1947 Page 7 Serial story <1 Peal With Confidence at SERVICE STATION * by Joseph Chadwick Motor Oils made th® most modern in Canada, It’s CHAPTER XII Manuela’s strange belief in the black magic of voodoo was perhaps an inherited thing; her mother had been Cuban and-—so Jim Britten re­ flected"—‘possibly haek in a remote generation there had been a con­ fused blending of races. That might be the explanation, for Manuela had never looked so exotic as now. Her eyes had a feverish brightness, her lips were locked in a mirthless smile, and her face in the fading twilight was full of shadows and mysterious angles. . . . And June Vernon’s fear might be the product, of tales told her by native servants to whom voodoo was not a super­ stition but a religion. To Jim, as his horror dissolved, it seemed like So much nonsense, He took the doll from 'June's hands, have thrown it into she not caught hold “Remove the pin she begged. He stared at her. “Don’t you understand?" she went on. “She had that woman, that voodoo woman, make this doll to put a spell on me. The hairs on the head are qpine. She swam out to the cruiser and gathered them out of the brush I had used. . . . She had to have them ‘to make the spell work!" Jim looked at Manuela, and, as he stared, the brightness faded from her eyes. She looked frightened, dazed, as though just realizing the monstrous idea that had possessed her. iShe . turned abruptly and walked stumblingly away along the beach. Jim pulled the pin from the doll. He to'ok the doll between his hands and pulled it apart. It was merely a thing of rags . . . Then, as the curtain of night came down, a half dozen nondescript boats converged on the tiny island. Some were propelled by sail, others by wheezy engines, and all were loaded to the gunwhales with island natives. The ebony faces were sing­ ing plaintively, and it was a lone­ some procession of some 200 that came ashore. Torches lighted. The procession, headed iby the fat Madame Cleo and a man wearing a mask to resemble a goat’s head, moved into the brush. A tom­ tom began to sound, beating a slow and measured rhythmic tattoo. Then in the midst of the jungle a huge fire glowed. The moon was blood- red. A voodoo moon. Jim didn’t like this. He imagined that the ensuing ceremony would work the natives up into a state of hysteria — perhaps some would be crazed — and there was no telling what might happen. He sent the two girls swimming out to the cruiser. He hoped they would be out of harms way there. Mme. Cleo had told Manuela that the cere­ mony must not be witnessed by whites. * Time dragged. The voodoo drum beat steadily; it was a clever trick to build up excitement in” any hu­ man within hearing, for the drum­ mer timed his drumming with the ■beating of the pulse—gradually in­ creasing the tempo so ’that ’ one’s pulse .quickened. The excitement was spontaneous, and Jim Britten found his own heart and pulse pounding. The night was filled with evil. There was something magnetic about the tom-tom’s sound, in the red glow of the first, in the singing voices, and finally Jim Britten felt pulled into the brush. He moved cautiously, silently, crouching low, and the island was so small that in half an hour he came .upon the scene. Hiding among the hushes, he watched the gathering with guilty eyes. It was not for a White man’s eyes . . . and lie would the bi’ush had of his arm, first—please," souls were Highland Cedar FENCE POSTS ON BAND Anthracite Coke and Coke ON HAND Madame Cleo, black and bulbous, sat enthroned upon a stone dais; be­ fore hei* the native in goat mask danced chanted chanted, beating was electric, and i intoxicated by it. handed the witch doctor bladed knife, and he 'brandished it as he danced about a live goat. The animal didn't move, and to Jim It seemed somehow hypnotized. Then Jim saw something else, something that chilled his pounding heart. A heated man was moving, erect and steadily, through the brush directly toward the clearing. A white man. Hetrick. Jim’s fear was deep-rooted; he knew the appearance of a white man at that scene would cause a hideous crime. It would be sacri­ lege to these people, and the price for such a folly most certainly Jim arose and to stop that he Hetrick in that himself Hetrick his some mystic gibberish, in time tom-tom. ritual and The crowd sang, with the wildly The atmosphere the natives were Madame Cleo a long- B-A Gasoline tor Better Mileage, Peerless by B-A, refining alloyed, Exide Batteries, best suit­ ed for your needs. We specialize in tires for your cars, trucks and tractors, Expert and careful lubri­ cation with Stewart- War­ ner’s latest greasing equip­ ment, — Always at Youi* Service © Roland Grenier Grand Bend Phone: 50r5 Dashwood A. J. CLATWORTHY We Deliver Phone 12 Grantor Regular elimination of •oin the body is one of t omit rules for good heal u: 1* t T 1: Al Bed tongue, sweeten mo wwvu d eliminate waste from the sys« n. As an < toiler-dinner’’ pm ’V relieve that bloated feeling and help indigestion. Sold at drug counters everywhere. IJrico ’ a package. The T. Milburn Cd., Lid., Toronto. Ont. would be death, pushed through the brush the man; his fear now was would be too late. But tripped and nearly fell and second of delay Jim flung upon the man. He flattened with a blow, then pressed bearded face into the ground so he couldn’t make an outcry. “Quiet," Jim said in a whisper. “We’re both in danger!" The weeks of being stranded there had robbed Hetrick of strength; he struggled feebly for an instant, then lay still under Jim's weight. Jim whispered,, “These natives are apt to kill us if they find us here. Trust me, Hetrick—I’m from the American State Department, and I’ve come to take you off this island. I’ll let you up if you’ll be reasonable. We'll have to get to the shore at once." He permitted the man to raise his head, and Hetrick said, “Yes.” Jim removed himself and both, men lifted themselves to a crouching position among the bushes. The tom-tom was beating savagely. Het­ rick’s face was gaunt in the ruddy glow of the fire, his eyes were sunken and afraid. He said, low­ voiced, “Can il really trust you?" “I told you who I am." “There was another man -—■ a white man," Hetrick said. “He came in a schooner, and when I asked him to take me off he demanded money—then robbed me and left me stranded. A stout and jovial .man who looked honest, too." “Sam Benedict," Jim Britten said. “Before that there was an at­ tempt on my life in Kingston," Het­ rick went on. “And my plane crashed here because it had been sabotaged before any pilot and I took off from Kingston. There’s a plot against me." “W’hat is it you know, Hetrick?" “I have some documents that will clear one man of treasonable acts —and prove the guilt of another man. I meant to turn them over to the Trans-Union Oil Co., since it is involved in the affair, but if you are from the (State Depart­ ment—•” Jim gripped the man’s arm. “Watch it!" he whispered. He could see on islander pointing to­ ward their hiding place, shouting an alarm. The tom-tom fell silent, then the singing, and the witch doctor began shouting in fury. All at once terror ’broke loose. A score ■of iblack men started running to­ ward the brush. Jim leapt up, shouted, “Come along!" He ran through the jungle brush with Het­ rick at his heels. Fear drove them, and the savage shouts of the ’blacks. They ran and stumbled, pushed on and fell, plunged on once more. Then the beach lay before them. Jim ran across the sand and plunged into the surf. It wasn’t until the water Was up to his waist that be realized his mistake. He was lead­ ing the enraged men to the cruiser —and Manuela and June Vernon were there. Fear squeezed at his heart with icy fingers. • Hetrick was swimming right be­ hind him, and when they reached the boat, grounded and helpless on the coral reef, Jim saw Manuela and June Vernon on the deck. Their faces were pale oval patches, masks of fear, and Jim knew then that the black men had followed them into the sea. He pulled him­ self up over the boat’s side, and gasped, “Manuela—get the rifle in the cabin!" But Manuela stood dazed and unmoving; it Was June "Vernon who ran down into the cabin, She returned with the rifle Jim had taken from the guard at Rendezvous Cay and with the lit­ tle silver-plated revolver. Jim took the rifle and pumped a ‘bullet at the nearest head in the water, close enough to put fear into a voodoo- possessed heart. The ’pursuit ended there, The ibig amphibian down on the water near at daybreak. It taxied swerved about so that its long starboard wing most to the cruiser’s watching blacks, on shouted in angry frustration. The cabin door opened, and Richard Shelby and Scott Agnew climbed out onto the wing. They came aboard the cruiser, Jim Brltteh held the rifle in his hand. He fear­ ed these men almost as much as the islanders. But iScott Agnew -plane sat the cruiser close, then the end of reached al« deck. The the beach Mrs, Clark Dies Mrs. Matthew Clark, 76, died suddenly at the home of her grand­ daughter, (Mrs, Harold Beaver, in 'Exeter, on Thursday of last week. She was born in Usborne Township, and was the former Emily Cottle. Bhe was a member of the United1 Church in Crediton. Her husband predeceased her one year ago. She resided ip Tuckersmith Township and in Stephen Township before moving to Exeter. She is survived by two daughters, Mrs, A. Wurm, • of Exeter, Mrs. It. I). Bell, of Don- j don; one sop, Louis, of Kippen; j two sisters, Mrs. John Hazelwood, ■ •of Hensail, Mrs. Alex Campbell, of Seaforth, and 14 grandchildren. The body rested at the T. Harry! UUlLlllUll iuucia. UVU1C JU UlJSllWUUU I Beet Growers Get Pay Cheques Sugar beet growers of South­ western Ontario last week were mailed cheques totalling $93'0,000. This amount, added to $2,150,000 previously distributed 'by the Can- adft and Dominion Sugai* Company to growers brings the total so far paid for the 1946 sugar beet crop to $3,080,000. A small final payment, covering the growers’ share of sugar and molasses sold later, will be made probably by midsummer. . ... . .. r Last week’s payment covers the Hoffman funeral home in Dashwood i bonus for sugai* content and the where a private funeral service was subsidies allowed by the Dominion held Saturday. Rev. A, Trueblood • Government. The subsidies amount officiated and interment was in | to about $1.11 per 100 lbs. of sugar, Exeter cemetery. went to Manuela and took hex* in his arms, and Richard Shelby’s face was no longer pompous but old and lined and weary, Shelby was look­ ing narrowly at Hetrick. He said, hollow-voiced, “Well, Hetrick—I’ve lost. But I'm ready to take my medicine. This thing has gone farther than I wanted." And Hetrick said, “It nearly cost me my life to be an honest man," Then Bert Quayle came from the plane, His saturnine face was dark and pinched, and he looked more than ever like a sick iman. He steeped aboard the cruiser like a shadow, and when he spoke his voice was lifeless. “Chief," he said, “it only takes a little more to end this thing." And he took an auto- matic from his pocket. Shelby said, “No, Bert—no!" But Quayle swung the gun up at Hetrick. Something, perhaps a Sud­ den awareness of the rifle in Jim Britten’s hand, made him waver. He swung the gun, hut before the blunt barrel could level at him Jim struck with the rifle. The rifle barrel striking Bert Quayle’s head made an ugly sound. Quayle's eyes glazed and he slowly collapsed to the deck. Jim Britten suddenly felt sick at heart. ’Shadows had crossed Jim Brit­ ten’s mind, and passed away. His assignment was almost completed. An Army transport plane flying to the States was taking .him and Het­ rick aboard as passengers. Cnee Hetrick and his documents reached Washington, the task would done. Ashley, Jim's chief, would “Well done!" But Satisfaction. He was turbed. Dressed in clothes English shop there in Puerto Blan­ co, Jim paced the floor of his hotel room and smoked one cigarette after another in chain fashion. He could find no peace of mind. Some­ thing was wrong. There was still unfinished business. Finally he crushed out his current cigarette and left the room. He had a pur­ poseful manner as he went down through the hotel ... It was still with him when he entered the Trans-Union Oil refinery across the harbor. June Vernon was at her desk there in the room where, in the dark, he had encountered her that first night—the night she had bit­ ten him on the arm. She looked up and her eyes were startled at first, then openly hostile. He could see ..she hated him. Jim stood before her, and he said “I set out to find I-Ietrick, ’but I found something else, got to see you—’’ the other i “—&lone." “I’ve nothing to say to you," she told him. “Nor you to me." “You’re wrong," he said. He took hold of her arm and drew her from her chair. The other workers were staring when he led her forcibly to the file room where that first night, he had sought some evidence of Hetrick’s whereabouts. He kicked the door shut and faced the girl in his purposeful manner. “June, you know all about me now,’ he said. ‘You know I’m what I claim to be. You know I didn’t kill .Sam Benedict. At least you should know. Richard Shelby has explained all—how he got involved in that crooked business and how Quayle, who was dog-like in his devotion to him, tried to cover up for him. It was Quayle who killed Benedict —. who shot Burke in Kingston and sabotaged Hetrick's plane, It was Quayle who tried to frighten you with threats . . ." “Quayle is a sick man," June dazedly said. “He'll not live—*" “I’m not concerned about Quayle now," Jim gruffly said. “I’m con­ cerned about you and me. ’Shelby has told me about you—how you tried to find Hetrick so his docu­ ments could prove your step-father not guilty of the charges Shelby framed against him. Your step- ! father is a chemist and he made some amazing discoveries in pet­ roleum here in Trans-Union’s lab­ oratories—and his their way into Shelby sold them, treason—not your State Department to find the truth, anyone innocent, to persecute you it was because I suspected you of 'being on the wrong side. I did not know what was 'be­ hind the Hetrick case, and I did not know a thing about you except i that in some way you were involv- . ed.” ■ “Thank you for cioaring that, up i in my mind," Juno said coldly, j ’ “Now if you will permit me to got ’ back to work ... I have a living to make, you know." “AU right," Jim told her, “if that’s the way you want it." He stepped away from the door, and June opened it. He felt some­ thing good and immeasurably ex­ citing slip away from him, and it gave him an empty feeling. Hegave him an empty feeling, tried once more. “What I came to say," he on, “was that Manuela was went right about my ’being in love with you. It must have happened on that voo doo island—or perhaps the night when you asked me to become your fiance. But I can see that falling in love with a cold and calculating girl is a mistake—His heart leapt when he saw that strike home. June closed the door with a bang. She faced him furiously. "A lot you know about me!" she cried. “I’m not cold! I—’’ She was sil­ enced by Jim taking her in his arms and kissing her. At first she was Stiff and unrelenting against him, but then pliant and not cold at all, and he knew that life would -be exciting so long as he was near this girl. It took something, per­ haps something like a voodoo spell, to make her say, “Jim—oh, darling!” and mean it. (The End) tn* a total of nearly $800,000 on the 70-million pounds of sugar pro­ duced from the 1946 beet run. While only a,bout half of the sub­ sidies have so far been paid in by the Government, the Sugar Com­ pany is making the .payment to growers from its own funds. The 1946 crop -from 23,293 acres produced a total of 23'2,426 tons of 'beets from which 70 million pounds of sugar was outturned. The final yield per acre of the crop from the entire territory was ten tons with an <a ver age sugar content of 18.07 per cent. James Street W.M.S. The Afternoon Auxiliary of the W.M.S. of James 'St. United Church, met in the church parlors on Thurs­ day afternoon, !Feb. 13th, with the president, Mrs/ C. W. Down, in charge. Mrs. E. Buswell’s Group had charge of the meeting. The devotional part and the Study Book on “The Woman of India" was ably taken by Mrs. .Buswell, assisted .‘by Mrs. Pybus, Mrs. Kyle, Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Squire. Mrs. T. Coates sang very beautifully “’Bless This House", after which the meeting closed with the singing .of hymn 23, “When All Thy Mercies, Oh My God," and the closing prayer. Jim felt strangely bought in an June, I’ve He gestured at people in the office. discoveries found German hands. , and it was his stepfather’s. The wanted Hetrick not to persecute and if I seemed No Work, No Dirt to heating your home with a Duo-Therm Fuel Oil Heater! Completely new—entirely different! 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