HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1922-10-12, Page 6BY ANTHONY CARLYLE
CHAPTER LV.—(Cont’d.)
“Ara'by’s through with me,” Kemp
ton said concisely. “For keeps! She
thinks the worst that is to be thought.
And she refuses to listen. She
wouldn’t be!ieve if she did. Can I
have the job, Jasper—right away?” _
Waldron looked once, deep into his
eyes. He understood, better than
Marcia. Or he thought he did.
“It’s waiting,” he said quietly, un
heeding her quick cry, “whenever
you’re ready.”* * ♦ ♦
Two evenings later Marcia pre
sented herself at the Trasks’ queer
little Chelsea home. *------------ .
tie pale and a little tired, but there I
was an unwonted brilliance in her
eyes. It was the brilliance of happi
ness, a strange, poignant happiness
that had in it just a little of tragedy.
During these last few days she had
felt utterly dazed.. She was no' longer
capable of caring very much what
happened- It seemed to her that it
did not matter very much, except
where Araby Trask was concerned.
Freedom wras hers, and the knowl
edge overwhelmed her. The thought
of afterward for her mother no longer
was a torment. She had Waldron to
turn to, his love to lean upon.
She gave but little consideration a.s
to how things were to be arranged
without scandal, talk. She knew,
vaguely, that somehow it would be
managed. She knew that Lady Ross-
laer’s tongue would be tied, and that,
anyhow, the fact of Gordon inheriting,
after all, would make her less
malicious. .
The rest lay between the two men
and the little lawyer. So long as he
proved reasonable the world need
■know nothing. Only there was Araby.
Waldron’s voice in her- mother’s sit
ting room. He was sitting in a low
chair by the little log fire. Mrs. Hal
stead, placid, sweet, was knitting on
her couch.
Marcia paused for a moment in the .
doorway to look and to whisper to j
herself thankfully that, after all, her I _____
mother would not be quite alone. She difficulty.
with Miss- Halstead’s heart,” he an-J
noun-ced. “It is a® sound as my own, j
or your®.
“According to What you have told
me, when she visited Sir Hugh for
consultation, she was in a rundown, j
nervous state, anaemic, probably im-'
properly and inadequately fed! She is!
very young, excitable and impression
able.
“Since that time she hias been ut
terly exhausting herself, while she has
lived within the shadow of a terrible
1 dread hanging over her. Her nervous
-system has suffered badly. Otherwise,
there is no cause for alarm.”
“You mean-----”
Waldron got out the words with
_____ _________ His world seemed to be
would have Waldron to care for her. reeling round him. His eyes pleaded.
She was smiling as she went for-. The little doctor polished his glasses
Cr
ward, but Waldron saw something of carefully. .
her pain in her face and rose quickly, | “I mean,” he said, that all Mis®
putting a strong arm about her slim Halstead needs is a change, a com-
shoulders. With a little stifled breath pleto rest and a lot of care. I under-
she turned and laid her face against stand you are to be married. Let it
« J. ra.»n.» rchoWder :'be soon and’ take her to some placeShe looked a 1 - > understood, but only the she has never been before; avoid ex-
I strength of his grip upon her told her citement, discourage recollection, and
so. Then he set her gently in his in a year she will be a perfectly nor
chair and Mrs. Halstead looked grave- mal, healthy, happy young woman! I
ly at her across the top of her glasses.! will wish you good-night!”
her p-ain in her face and rose quickly,
®o.Then he set her gently in his in a year she will be a perfectly nor-
“You look worn out!” she observed.
“Personally,” she added, “I don’t think
tlhat wonderful doctor of Mrs. Alden’s
did you so very much good, after all!”
z
CHAPTER LVII.
Kempton Rosslaer, leaning over the
'She paused to. pick up a stitch la- d;e)(d{ rail, looking with haggard, bitter !
boricusly. Marcia leaned back m her eyes through a mist of rain and scud- ■
chair and closed her eyes. Her lips d,jng cloud at the crowded docks, start-;
quivered. The hand that. Waldron ed and turned at the light touch of a ;
bent to touch her was burning. Sne hand upon his arm.
opened her eyes again and met him. j phe steamer was already throbbing <
“Sometimes,” she whispered in a ,a.nd quivering under his feet, hoarse:
broken half-sob, “I think it is too hard • -— ------s-~----!
to bear! I want so much to be happy!
I want—I want to live!”
The man did not answer. The same
revolt was in 'his own soul; the same.
sick knowledge of that ever-nearing
shadow. Mrs. Halstead’s needles be
gan to click again. She looked up
placidly. ............................,
“By the way,” fcuru 11
“did you know he was dead?”
“Dead!” T..................................
The steamer was already throbbing
i
Woman’s Sphere
—. .............. .. i
suits her; you may find it satisfactory
also. She keeps a large sheet of white
paper, neatly ruled, both horizontally;
and vertically, tacked up on the inner
side of the pantry door. On the left
side of this sheet is a list of names
of the vegetables anl fruit which she
has canned, and after each name there
are numerous little black marks, some
of them crossed off.
The housewife explains her system
thus: “Every time I put up a jar of
anything, I put down a mark to rep
resent that jar. The figure 1 repre
sents a quart j-ar, the figure 0 repre
sents a pint. During the winter, when
I use a jar of canned goods, I cross
off one of these marks. It is really
very simple.
“I put five marks in a column to
facilitate counting. It is easier and
quicker to count by fives than by ones.
For the same reason, to facilitate
Pickling and Preserving.
Tomato conserve: Peel, cut into
small pieces and remove seeds from
twelve cupfuls of ripe tomatoes, add
eight cupfuls of sugar, and the juice
and grated rind of three oranges.
Cook all together until as thick as
jelly. Put in sterilized jars and seal
with paraffin.
Chutney is made thus: Chop to
gether two dozen ripe tomatoes
(medium size), six. onions, three red
peppers (remove the seeds), one
dozen tart apples and one cupful of
finely cut celery. Add one pound of
seedless raisins, two quarts of vinegar,
three cupfuls of sugar, and salt to
taste. Combine the ingredients, and
cook until chutney is thick and clear,
then pour it into hot sterilized jars,
and seal.
Excellent pepper relish is made of__ _________ „„ __ __ __
one peck of green tomatoes, four red ’ counting, I begin at the right to mark
voices were uttering varying com-
; mands. In a little while they would
! be swallowed in the mist and England
would be gathering denser veils of it
around her, shutting her from sight.
So that, recognizing Araby, he gave
' a hoarse cry of amazement, then stood
! very still.. | “You!” he uttered!. “Great heavens!
she inquired mildly, you here?” he broke off. !
----- nc W2.2 dead”’ i .g,^ waSi smiling at him, a shabby!
------- Marcia sat upright m her; figure in a blue Tam o’ Shanter!
chair. Her voice wa® startled, a little : an.d much-worn Burberry, her bare,
metallic. Her mother nodded. _ ! hands clasped upon hi® arm. - She
“So very sad. Especially the cir-1 utterly fagged, travel-woirn,
cumstancieis. And he was such a 1 ^,eT eye.s glowed,
young man. They say it was over-i - -
work, overstrain that caused the ’
breakdown. It was in the paper the
Prim SSm in
the sound of Audrey Aide s . , ’: my workbasket, Jasper, if you care
dictatoria.ly rising a^ove uph.to read it. Rather terrible, I call it.”
She was, apparently, critlci ng . Marcia, sat quite still'; Waldron
day s work. 1 - - - - - - - ■ - .....
L. ^1- ___________ ,Then she met Araby’® eyes and caught
her -breath. And bef ore the girl could ,
rise or speak she began. _ • I
“I’ve come,” she said, rather jerkily,!
not quite steadily, “to tell you the 1
truth, Araby—the real truth! Come:
to tell you that you’re all wrong about
Kemp, cruelly wrong, and that you’re
deliberately driving him out of _ your
i life, out of every chance at happiness.
For he loves you, Araby! He-----”
“Loves me!” The young voice was
hard, so hard that Mar.cia winced, but ’
:®he went on -steadily, ignoring the
■ interruption.
1 “Loves ycu. He ha® always loved
you. Whatever wrong he has done,
has 'been, almost, as much for the
sake of your happiness- as for his
family honor, for his dying father’s
sake. And you wouldn’t listen to him;
you wouldn’t hear any excuse from
him.”
She laid 'her hands suddenly upon
the girl’s -slim shoulder® and forced
her back into her chair.
“But you’ve -got to hear me,” she
finished breathlessly, and plunged
headlong into explanation.
The thought of the girl was like an
obsession. She shook her head ait the
old gray housekeeper’s attempt tx> re
fuse her admittance, and went softly
up the f amiliar stairs.
She found Araby in the studio.
y s work. .. , fumbled for the paper under the little
I" 'be invalid's chair J
He found the paper at 'last, searched l
it for the paragraph. Then he drop
ped it into Mrs. Halstead’s lap.
“Read it,” he said. His eyes were!
on Marcia. Mrs. Halstead adjusted
her glasses and obeyed.
“DEATH OF SIR HUGH DALLAS.
“Sir Hugh Dallas, the eminent
heart specialist, died yesterday at the
Nursing Home in Bournemouth, to
which he was taken after his seizure,
a week or so ago.
“His collapse was very sudden, but
for some time his condition has1, it
appears, been of considerable anxiety
to his friends. Everything was done,
almost as long as a year ago, to per
suade him to give up practice, but
without avail.
“It has since transpired that Sir
Hugh’s mental condition during this
last year has been by no means sound.
Many patients, visiting him upon se
parate occasions, have found his state
ments' contradictory. In some cases J
this has caused considerable anxiety, •
which has resulted in those under:
treatment seeking other advice, Which, ’
edly, but she made it c,8ar, as women , S;,/Hugh’s opinion. I
can. When she finished Araby drew j
a long breath. Her eyes were wide. woudd have been quite unfit for thing!
There was a dazed wonder in them, j p.na,ctice,» j
For a long moment she sat quite;1 «Tac,r,lr! what is the matter’”
still Then she turned her eyes quick-1 But Waldron, unheeding, was bend-
ly from the gieat, dark, tragic yet;. over a, limp, slender figure that;
smiling eyes bent upon her And it * &agge,d’sll!d,deniy over the arm of ■
was Marcia who broke the silence. b:? rdr“Kempton leaves for Liverpool this ! ' Kvffv tthat Mrs. Halstead had
morning, she siaid. “That’s why I:
came. I did not know he was going so !
soon. He sails to-morrow for Buenos ’
Aires, by the mail steamer. Are you;
going to let him go?” tonright *
Araby got rather stumblingly to her , '.
feet. Her eyes locked unnaturally - --
large, more tragic than Marcia’s own.
Her laps shook.
“Marcia!” She whispered the word, i
Then, a little brokenly, “But how can
I be sure ? How can I believe-----”
She stopped. Marcia’s hands were
on here. Her eyes were very soft,
tired, oddly sweet despite that hint
of tragedy.
“A dying woman doesn’t lie!”
®a™,‘ - i » j x 4. 4.T. / i i ' 1 I mg' eyes aiauso me biuhxds-xuuiii xauie.
He had told all that he knew and the
' """ little doctor’s smooth air of satisfac
tion had given place to a frowning
alertness. He had even gone back to
Marcia’s room, only to return within
a very few moments He smiled in
answer to the anguished, steady ques
tioning of Waldron’s eyes.
“There is nothing at all the matter
i
RHEUMATIC SUFFERERS
Are Relieved from Pain
by_J. SbhsDH | ___ _
Nrtu 2Iffe
"Free as the air” is a saying as old
as the hills, and we talk about empty
air as though there were nothing of
value outsiide our earth and water.
“I only heard—yesterday!” she
whispered, “that you were sailing by
this boat. I thought I should be too
late-----”
She stopped. The throb grew heav
ier. He laid his hands upon her shoul
ders.
“But we start in less than a minute.
I’m going to Buenos Airets. I—good
heavens-----”
He stopped, made dumb by‘the won-
,der of her eyes. She slid her hands
.up about his neck and drew his face
down.
“I know,” she said; And added, on
a little, lilting sob. “I’m your wife,
Kemp! I’m coming, too!”
(The End.)
—-----------O---------------
Faded Sweater
Skirt, Draperies
in Diamond
Dye
Dyes
peppers and four green peppers
(omitting the seeds), two cupfuls of
celery, two cupfuls of sliced onions,
one-half cupful of salt, six cupfuls of
vinegar, one-half cupful of mustard
seed and two cupfuls of brown sugar.
Slice the vegetables and run them
through a food-chopper. Add the salt
and allow to stand all night. Next
morning drain off the liquid, add the
other ingredients and cook until vege
tables are soft. Bottle and cork
tightly.
Preserved citron: The commercial
product sold at grocery stores is the
candied rind of a certain citrus fruit,
not generally grown. Citron preserves
are made of the citron melon thus:
Wash the citron, cut in halves, re
move seeds, cut in strips and peel.
Add one pound of sugar to each pound
of citron and allow to stand over
night in a large bowl. Next morning
place over the fire, add a small piece
of gingerroot, and when nearly done,
add one thinly sliced lemon to each
three pounds of citron. Cook slowly
until the fruit is transparent and the
syrup thick, then pack in jars and
seal.
Plain cucumber pickles: When but a
few pickles can be made at a time, the
following recipe is invaluable: As the
cucumbers ripen place in a jar and
cover with cold water to find out how
much vinegar will be needed. Then___ _____ ___ ____
make a brine strong enough to bear, good° care wards off the fatal day
off my used jars. Do you under
stand ?”
Large Pores and Wrinkles.
When the word astringent is used
in connection with cosmetics, it means
something which closes the large
pores of the skin, or tightens the lax
muscles of the face. An astringent of
some sort should be kept on hand at
all times, for even the young and
fresh-faced woman needs one occa
sionally. For ordinary purposes a
little tincture of 'benzoin is very good.
This can be poured into the rinse
water—which, of course, should be
cold—and the face bathed with this
mixture. Half a dozen drops of the
benzoin will be enough for the ordi
nary sized washbasin.
Used thus, benzoin will close the
pores. If the pores of the face are
enlarged, use twice as much, or better
yet, mix half an ounce of simple tinc
ture of benzoin with six ounces of
rose-water and keep in a bottle. After
rinsing the face in cold water, shake
the bottle to be sure the contents are
well mixed and pat a little of this
over the skin, letting it remain on to
dry. Apply with a bit of absorbent
cotton.
This treatment will help prevent
wrinkles and sagging muscles, because
it is good for the skin and because all
_ . ° % i n l j- • • t uieainieia seeamg vuier auvice, wincu,P^ps she told lher story disjoint- J in f c hag confirmed lilrrr iKiii- .cR-sio. mo.Hn irf- y a,c WATVian !_,7„ , . . .
It is believed that, had he lived, ’
Every "Diamond Dyes” package
tells how to dye or tint any worn,
faded garment or drapery a new rich
color that will not streak, spot, fade,
or run. Perfect home dyeing is guar
anteed with Diamond Dyes even if you
have never dyed before. Just toll your
druggist whether th? material you
wish to dye is wool or silk, or whether
it is linen, cotton, or mixed goods. For
fifty-one years millions of women have
been using “Diamond Dyes” to add
years of wear to their old, shabby
waists, skirts, dresses, coats, sweaters,
stockings, draperies, hangings, every-
Washing a Hill Away.
A remarkable piece of engineering
• has been carried out by American en-
Every'woid that Mrs. Halstead had gineers in preparation for the forth-
uttered was ringing, clarionlike, in his coming centenary exhibition at Rio de
ears. A dizzy, unbelievable hope was Janeiro, in Brazil. They have bodily
throbbing in his heart. Hope! ! removed into the harbor a hill of re-
Hei drew -a long breath and stood spectable size, called the Castello
It’s all right,” he said steadily to MTx°stood nearly in the centre of the
Mrs Halstead “Tell her maid to 11 stooa nedTiy 111 cem.ro oi me 1. a, ’ if ' to ~' j „x o city, and though it was picturesque itshow me her room—and send—at once ; ., , x ... ,!, .'_for ,a d;0,ctor!” I waB decided that its room would be a
He sp-cke unevenly, like a man Who great deal more valuable than its com-
-has h-ee-n
agonized
followed*
the hall.
1 *
. • An hour lateifhe faced a dappersne; little man with shrewd, kindly, search-
- I ing eyes acros-s the sitting-room table.
running. But his eyes were
as he picked up Marcia and
the scared Tcinette across
***
and clung to her. As she released her
self Audrey’s voice came again from
the other room. Involuntarily both
girls glanced across the h-sll. The door
was sufficiently open for them to see
in. Mrs. Alden was examining a can
vas, her slim, bare shoulder ag-ainst
Trask’s.
Marcia tightened her hand ,suddienly
over Anaby’s. Her eyes were brililant.
“Those two,” she said, “are going
to find out very s-con that they need
each other more than anything or
anybody in the world. Kempten needs
you!”
party. The removal of the hill furnish
ed a site for a large part of the exhibi
tion, and, after that is over, will add
' many valuable acres of building land
to the city.
The hill was removed by washing it
! away. Hydraulic power cut into the
hill like a scoop into cheese, and the
j earth, turned into liquid mud, was
! washed down through pipes into the
’sea much more cheaply and qu’ckly
. than it could have been removed solid
i in vehicles.
Wm. Dixon, Toronto, writes:
"For over two years I had
been unable to raise my hands
as high as my shoulders. Af
ter using the first bottle of
Dobson’s New Life -Remedy
I was free from pain. Now,
after using the fifth bottle, my
general health is as good as
it ever was. Thanking you
sincerely for what Dobson’s
New Life has done for me and
trusting every sufferer may
learn of your wonderful medi
cine.”
One bottle for One Dollar, Six bottles
for Five Dollars, from your nearest
druggist, or
Snbsnit
Jfrui itemeby Company
78 West Adelaide St., Toronto
Canada
hours, then strain. Add o<ne ounce
white wax, one ounce spermaceti, and
one ounce orange-flower water, and
beat the mixture until it is creamy.
Pour into jars and seal tightly.
The Muskrat Knows.
A furrier was trying to sell a musk
rat coat to a woman customer. "Yes,
madam,” he said, “I guarantee that
this muskrat coat will wear for years.”
“But suppose I get it wet in the
rain,” asked the woman. “What ef
fect will the water have on it? What
will happen to it then? Won’t it
spoil ?”
“Madam,” answered he dealer, “I
have only one answer. Did you ever
hear of a muskrat carrying an umbrel
la?”
' &---------------------
Minard’s Liniment For Colds, Etc.
---------------------
Aids Deaf to Hear.
A new device that aids deaf persons
to hear closely resembles a walking
stick with a slightly enlarged head.
an egg, heat the -brine and pour over ’ when middle age shows in the lines
the cucumbers. Let stand over night, | of the face. But if you already have!
then pour off, make a new brine, heat wrinkles and lax muscle's and want:
and pour over the cucumbers, allow'
to stand over night and next day re-
heat this brine and allow to stand,
over night again. The next day re-1
move cucumbers from the brine, wash
in cold water'and pack in quart jars.:
Place a small piece of horseradish and
a piece of red pepper to each jar. Boil
the required amount of vinegar with;
spices to taste. Fill up jars with the
hot vinegar and seal tightly. Nastur
tium seeds may be added if desired,
and sweet pickles can be made by
adding brown sugar to the vinegar.
A recipe for piccalilli which is high
ly praised requires one-half gallon of.
best cider vinegar, seven ounces of,
ground, yellow mustard, two table-!
spoonfuls of salt, one and one-half,
pounds of sugar, one-fourth pound of
mustard-seed, four green and two red:
peppers (remove seeds), one pint of;
small onions, one pint of carrots -
(sliced, boiled and cut into small
pieces), one pint of lima beans, one
pint of corn (cut from the cob after
boiling three minutes), one large head
of cauliflower and two level table
spoonfuls of tumeric. Boil the car
rots, beans and cauliflower in slightly
salted water until tender, but not soft.
Break
pieces,
pieces,
Bring
mix the mustard and tumeric with a;
little cold vinegar and add with the ■
salt and sugar to the boiling vinegar, I
stirring constantly. Allow to cool. I
then add
Mix well,
DYEING
the cauliflower into small'
Chop the peppers into small
peel and scald the onions. I
the vinegar to boiling point,!
Allow to cool,
the remaining ingredients,
bottle and cork tightly.
Keeping Account of Your Canned
Goods.
Do you keep a record of your can
ning activities? It is well to know
just how much food has been prepared
for further use, and to know also how
rapidly it is being used. One house
wife has worked out a system which
something stronger, try ice as a mas
sage. Ice is a powerful astringent.
It brings the blood to the skin, in
ducing a better color, draws up the
muscles, and smooths the wrinkles.:
Of course, as ice is very drying, it
should only be used after a hot wash|
and a cold cream massage.
There is another astringent, a paste
sometimes called a “pack” and vari-]
ously used by facial specialists. There;
are a hundred ways to make this, the;
simplest form being as follows: Beat'
up an egg, using the white only, if 1
you want this for wrinkles. If you
want it to help cure pimples and for a
bleach as well, beat the yolk in at
the same time. Mix in half a tea
spoonful of powdered alum—this will ;
curdle, but that doesn’t matter. Add'
enough white wine vinegar—cider •
vinegar if you can’t get the other—I
to make a thin paste. Or use cucumber
juice and vinegar, half and half. This
amount will last for a long time.
Clean the skin with a cleansing,
cream. Rub in a little of the paste,!
lie dowm (this is important) and rest ■
for twenty minutes while the paste
dries. The rest will relax your
muscles and give the astringent a
better chance to act upon the lines in
the face and the tiny lax muscles of
the skin. Wash off with very warm
water, masisage with a good cold
cream, and end with an ice-cold rinse.
While cucumbers are in season,
make this cucumber cream; you will
find it excellent for the skin: Put into
a double boiler four ounces of almond-
oil and two ounces of cucumbers,
washed but not peeled, and chopped
into small pieces. Allow the oil and
the cucumbers to simmer for two
THE postman or express man will
bring Parker service right to
your home. Suits, dresses,
ulsters and all wearing apparel can
be successfully dyed.
Curtains, draperies, carpets and
all household articles can be‘ dyed and
restored to their original
freshness.
We pay carriage one
way on all orders.
Write for full particulars.
Parker’s Dye
Works, Limited
Cleaners and Dyers
791 Yonge St.
Toronto 92H
A SIN TO LET
HAIR FALL OUT
3 5c “Dan.derine” Saves Y our
Hair—Ends Dandruff!
Delightful Tonic
CHAPTER LVI.
Marcia walked home through the
soft, chill du-sk. She did not realize :
how far she had come or how tired |
she was until she was at her own door.;
Her mind had been busy with a med- - ley of curious thoughts, at one time'
uplifted, at the next shrinking from '
the knowledge of that dread beyond .
which was creeping so close to her;
now.Her veins were tingling with youth.'
The call of youth was strong within '
her, of love. She wanted to live, to !
taste the sweetness and the warmth ■
of the best that life has to. give. Her;
threat was throbbing a little as she
passed into the flat; there was a faint!
mist before her eyes. !
,'he had had her day. She told her
self that with a sort of indomitable
pluck that was characteristic. But to
morrow was so sweet—so sweet! And
the darkness that called was so cruel,
so empty, so cold!
She steadied herself as she heard
i
►Jladi
----- -----------
Keep Mir.ard’s Liniment in the house.
&
Competing squaws and papooses at the celebrations when the David Thompson Me
morial was opened at Windermere, British Columbia.
Hurry! It’s your duty! Each ddy 1
you seo a little more hair falling out
and you are making no effort to avoid
baldness. What a pity. Falling hair
means your hair is weak, sick,—pos
sibly dandruff is strangling it, or the
hair root pores in the scalp are not
firm and tight, thus wasting the hair
growing oils.
Danderine almost instantly stops
falling hair of men or women and ;
cleans every particle of dandruff away, !
then the hair takes on new life, vigor ’
and strength to grow strong, thick,
and long.
Danderine is delightful—not sticky
or greasy. Go to any drug store now
and get a bottle. Use it. Have
healthy, heavy, beautiful hair and lots
Yet the outstanding discovery of the
present century is the fact that the air
; is valuable for many purposes beside
. breathing. In another quarter of a cen-
ury we may have begun to know what
the cushion of atmosphere which sur
rounds the earth is really worth.
Already it is realized that the air
can no longer remain a No Man’s
Land, governed by no laws, and free
tor anybody to use or missuse at will.
For the present, while we breathe the
air, we must also regard it as:
(a) The pathway for airships and
aeroplanes, which are to be the world’s
chief means of transport and communi
cation in a future by no means dis
tant.
(b) The medium through which
wireless messages are transmitted.
(e) The storehouse, apparently in
exhaustible, of gases of a commercial
value equal to that of the coal and oil
of the earth itself.
Possibilities and Problems.
So every country possesses, in tire
air above it, a most valuable right of
way, a telegraphic system, the possi
bilities of which are only dimly under
stood, and a storehouse of chemical
wealth. No laws govern it as pet.; but
it is Impossible that the air should re
main free much longer, because it is
too valuable.
One day we shall have definite air
routes, and they will not carry the
jumble of traffic at present seen on our
roads.
One lane for slow and heavy vehic
les, another for light pleasure craft,
and at least a third for speed maniacs
will surely be the rule.
They will require policing, weather
reports, and a dozen other services ap
parent to any ordinary imagination.
The countries over which they pass
will be responsible, and will collect
dues and provide services. Like the
Suez Canal, or any big railway, an air
route will be worth something consid
erable.
Let us consider the question of wire
less next. One of the most fascinating
features is the mysteries upon which
wireless operators are continually
stumbling.
At least two areas have been dis
covered which are described as ‘dead."
Wireless messages sent across those
areas are subject to such Interference
that results cannot be obtained.
Just Fancy That!
Elsewhere it is found that the range
over which messages can be sent
varies enormously with the condition
of the air. These things are not yet
understood, but their mystery will one
day be solved.
The result may easily be a set of
laws entirely different from those ap
plicable to aerial navigation. In the
last war the use of wireless was for
bidden; in the next we may have to
protect cur air from being tampered
with.
In the last war, too, Germany proved
the commercial value of the air. The
blockade having cut off the supply of
nitrate required to fertilize German
fields, the chemists of the country
drew upon the nitrogen in the air to
supply the deficiency. With cheap
power, cheap fertilizer can be made
from the air, and more is now being
produced every year.
Other commercial gases derived
from the air are oxygen, argon, and
helium. The process of making oxy
gen from air is getting cheaper as
time goes on; when it reaches an easy
stage of cheapness an enormous de
mand will arise. Just as oxygen is
now used for welding and other pur
poses in which great heat is desired,
not gradually but very sreeUly. it
will be required for smelting and a
hundred other purposes.
The Age of Miracles.
Argon, a much rarer gas, is used to
fill incandescent bulbs. Formerly they
were filled with nothing at all, but the
substitution of this gas ensures a
brighter light and a very much longer
period of usefulness.
Helium, taken from the air, is used
to inflate dirigibles and observation
balloons. It is not cheap at present,
but it is safe as well as light.
It is likely that these things c?.ly
begin to indicate what the a.? is v;:;rth.
Among its secrets, stiil withheld tie
the mystery of rainmaking, and 0: bot
tling sunshine, estimated by our scep
tical fathers as impossibilities equal to
that of flying.
These possibilities are act co vogu?
as may be supposed. Hardheaded
farmers already pay lUnrnakers by
results, and the harnessing of the sun
has begun.
Air is obviously too valuable to be
adulterated by smoke anl ether noxi
ous poisons. A charge for brei th’ng
sounds an absurdity; yet there "r< big
hotels where the air is purified and
heated or cooled according to th? sea
son, and the cost apper.rs in th? bill.
So there you are, the ?.ir is no longer
free.
A Waste of Good English.
“Bobby,” said his mother, “why do
you keep telling Rover to ‘set up,’
when you know ‘sit up’ is what ycu
should say?”
“Oh, well, mother,” said Bobby, “of
course I know lots of grammer, but
I don’t like to waste it on Rover when
he doesn’t know the difference, being
a dog.”-------e-------
In Holland there are 93C miles of
cf it.canals.