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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1936-03-12, Page 6PAGE SIX WINGHAM ADVANCE-TIMES Thursday, March 12th, 193^ I * Joan was dead, but things did not ■end there. He must rouse Dick Charl­ ton, who was obviously the person to handle this. A knock on his door brought Dick out, his book still in his hand. “Come quick, Charlton,” said Maq- jdnff, “Joan I^oster is dead, She jump­ ed into the pool. It was drained, for landing tomorrow.” For once in his life, words tumbled from Macduff’s lips without delibera­ tion. His eyes were bloodshot behind the impersonal glare of his spectacles. Dick went white and caught at his arm. Without a word he followed Macduff across the corridor and pass­ ed from brilliant light into the dark­ ness of the pool. Briefly he hung ov­ er the edge, then covered his face with his hand. Macduff stretched out an arm and gripped him round the shoulders. “.It’s all right, old man,” he said, realizing that the girl had meant something in Charlton’s life. “It would have been hell for her, had she lived ” “She came to my room tonight. I shut the door in her face." The words were squeezed through Dick’s closed teeth. He pulled himself together. He was the chief officer. "I must re­ port at once to Captain Baring," he said automatically. Once more Dick looked at Joan, Whose pale body was moving softly with the rise and fall of the boat. Her rhinestones shone like cat’s eyes through the green gloom. A dark trickle spread over the tiles. Macduff went down to his cabin, which was as austere as when he had sailed. He had spurned the spears of Borneo, the leopard skins of Darjeel­ ing, the mandarin robes of China, and was landing empty-handed. He turn­ ed on all the lights, to shake off the feeling that he had been staring fur ' hours into a darkened cave. The sea rolled smoothly under the porthole, but the night was black and moonless. With an effort he forced the dead girl out of his thoughts. In a few hours now he would be back in Gramercy Park. Angela would be on her wav to England as he was reaching home. Would her heart stand the strain of her meeting with Wynant? Would the cad consider her health in his an­ xiety to throw her off, now that he had met a seventeen-year-old whom he wanted to marry? Strange, strange thought Macduff for the hundredth time, that a woman like Angela should love a man like Wynant! And Jenny wild about Rumford, wild enough to have squeezed herself out through the porthole for love of him. Macduff got up and examined the brass ring. How .in hell had she managed to do it? *That was something lie never would be able to understand. He’d see how far he could push himself through, and what the water was like from a porthole at night. Catching the riin, he pulled himself up by his arms. His head went out, and he saw the water below, smooth as black marble, but he could get no farther. His shoulders balked him at once. “Thin as she was," he thought, "I still don’t see how she did it. She must have had nerve, and the strength of des­ peration.” With a sharp recoil he thought of Joan again, and wondered if her body were still being rocked on the tiles, He began to undress, hanging his tie on the rack, folding his trousers care­ fully, putting his coat on a hanger, Every move took time. At last he donned his striped pyjamas and pull­ ed down the covers of his brass bed. Climbing between the sheets, he lay on his side, smoking and thinking. Tomorrow they would land. Damned nuisance, customs and all that bother! Angela wouldn’t be there, but on her way to England. How strangely Joan’s beads had flashed in the green light! The only thing about her that had seemed alive. Macduff reached out for his bottle and poured himself a wee doch-an-dorrach. He downed it straight and put out the lights, but his pipe still glowed in the dark, gela was an exceptional woman, had His first thought was, “I’ll soon saying good-bye.” Then he remem­ bered Joan, with a catch of his breath. Ghastly! He was sorry for Charlton. When his steward came with his cof­ fee, he cursed him because it was cold. Dressing himself with care, he select­ ed the dark green tie that Angela had helped hint to buy in Manila. He walked along the corridor and out on the deck, to find that they were mov­ ing slowly up the bay in the haze of the early morning. The shore and the water seemed deadly dull after the sharp contrasts of the tropics. There was nothing in the neutral landscape to excite the eye until the skyscrapers came into view. The passengers did not look like themselves this morn­ ing, for they were all togged out in their city clothes. The celebrants of the night before were slowly coming- to life, Couples feeling sick and depressed, who would soon be partedhim feel at times that life “Good-bye, Angela,” said! Macduff, and his heart was strangely heavy. superb, and that he could write much better if she were always near him. Without any talk, she inspired a man to effort. The glow of his pipe grew feebler. At last he banged it out on the washstand, sighed and settled him­ self for sleep. He could hear a grind­ ing; below, that crunching sound of the anchor chain he had heard so of­ ten lately, and always for new ports, new scenes; new faces. The engines were in reverse; the boat was swing­ ing around. They must be at Quaran­ tine! That meant home. They would lie .there for the rest of the night. Macduff rolled over to the wall. The throbbing had ceased at last, and stillness descended on the ship, brok­ en by the laughter and cries of the last night revellers. Their voices, drowned before by the pounding sound of the boat in motion, were strangely strident now. The flying steps of excited girls could be heard along the • corridors. Everything seemed extraordinarily clear, now that the ship had anchored. Macduff felt as if he had emerged from the Cave of the Winds. At last he fell asleep. Angela's name was on his lips when he wakened five hours later, looking as hard as a rock, sober and fresh. hung together at the rail, watching the encroaching shore line with dis­ may. One youth was fumblingly try­ ing to say good-bye to a girl whom he now adored. Soon he would be meeting his bride of a year, and their baby, born a month ago. His hand plucked nervously at his companion’s coat. Theii* glances were telling their story, but nobody cared. Angela was there—cool, composed, in a black tail­ ored costume and a small black hat, with a fur around her shoulders. Her face was drained of colour. As usual, she had dreamed through the night of Jenny’s face and her thin, pale hands clutching at the water. It dawned on Macduff that none of them knew about Joan, not even Angela, moved over towards her, “Good-morning, Angela.” “Macduff, I’m glad to see you. I was afraid you were sleeping in. I wanted you to watch the skyline with me. It’s, thrilling.” “I’m sorry to see it,” said l^acduff, gloomily. “Not really?” "Yes, really.” They stood close together and watched the buildings swimming into view—tall ' grey spires, glittering through the morning haze, like a gi- Hq CANYON REMINDS HIM OF RELIGIONgantife fresco flung against the sky. Angela could imagine thousands of people going to work, typewriters clicking behind the myriad panes of glass, and captains of industry start­ ing out on their daily tasks. “An exciting city!!” she exclaimed. “Yes, if you get what you want in Macduff conceded. “1 shall feel quite dull when I get back to my tulips and roses, know­ ing that, all over th© world, Japanese and Chinese and Filipinos and Hindu are doing these strange things we’vd seen them at, with everyone grasping for a little bit of happiness near at hand. And in America the great pan­ acea is work, isn’t it?” “One simply has to work in New York or perish of boredom and dis­ approval,” Macduff observed, Angela’s thoughts were centered on Macduff, who was looking profound­ ly miserable. She hated to leave him, Such a good friend, such a good com­ panion! Her black-gloved hand ched his sleeve. "Macduff, I think we must good-bye,” "Not good-bye, Angela,” His were stiff with cold. "Yes, my dear, at once! Now leave me before I burst into tears. I shall ■see you some time in England.” Macduff caught and held her hand. He raised it slowly to his chest and his eyes burned into hers. “Angela,” he said, “I—well, good­ bye!” he snapped, and turned his back on her, The gangplank was down. He walked across it in time to see John­ ny embraced by his father, and to hear him say: “Dad, this is Patty, your future daughter-in-law.” He saw Johnny’s father catch her hands, and Patty’s piquant face turned up to him, sweet and eager. “Good-bye, Mr. Macduff,” Johnny shouted. “We’re going to send you an invitation to our wedding.” "Good-bye and good luck,” Mac­ duff responded, cursing as he made his way to the letter M in the cus­ toms shed. Halfway down the wharf he noticed Dick, talking ardently to a girl in powder blue. She was hand-, ing him a card with an address, while she devoured him with her eyes. .He remembered now that it had been like this at every port, .always a girl wait­ ing for where he astrously Angela and on her other boat now, finding her way to a new stateroom. _He felt like driving back to see her again, to tell her some of the things that were welling up within him. Better not to see her again, better to see her some time later in England, wait for her life to straighten out. He wished that be could help her over the difficult bit that was coming. She looked calm when he left her on the boat, the on­ ly woman he had ever known who was clever enough to accept a crush­ ing blow without showing her tress. He did net like being at home, had nowhere to sit, and even bookshelves looked unfriendly, glanced over the titles and came to rest on one of his own books. That made him think of his typewriter, which was still in its dusty corner among his papers,’safe from Susan­ nah’s cleaning. She did not dare to touch his papers. He opened it up and started to type, but his fingers were stiff from lack of practice. There was nothing to write. His mind was a blank. The bloody flatness of ev­ erything! His thoughts went round in circles—lhe boat, Angela, cherry blossoms, the mists of Darjeeling, the elephants al Kandy, Johnny and Pat­ ty, Jenny squeezing her way into the China Sea, Joan crushed at the bot­ tom of the tank, Angela, Angela! He covered his face with his hands to ward off the spectres that haunted him now. Macduff was stung at last to suffering; alive as he had never been alive before. This, then, was the way that Angela had felt about Lovat, and Jenny about Rumford, and Joan about Dick. It was easier to understand things now. In desperation he went to the win­ dow and looked out at Gramercy Park, a sight that had often soothed him in years gone by. A long, deep whistle stopped his brooding. That would be Angela’s ship sailing at noon. He moved to the door. Too late now! She would be gone. He sank wearily on his ruined chair, and in a blinding flash Macduff knew that there could be no life for him now without Angela. THE END Him, Lord, of watching in prayer! tou- say lips Dick—except at Bombay, had devoted himself so dis- to Miss Mudge. would be across the docks dis- He his He ENGLAND PREPARES FOR WAR THE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON to Golden Text: If we ask anything according His will, He heateth us (I John 5:14) JESUS TEACHES HIS DISCIPLES TO PRAY. Sunday, March 15.*—Luke 11. With the threat of war in Europe defence of the motherland. Above are spring cruise to the Canary Islands growing greater daily England is signalmen aboard H.M.S* Eurious, air- as they took their stations to repel ^hastily preparing her forces for the craft carrier of the fleet during the mock enemy gas attacks from the air.It has oftew been noted that the ...,■,, .............................................. Bible never explains prayer, or de­ fines it, or defend is. The Bible sim­ ply takes prayer for granted: it as­ sumes prayer as something that all humanity will understand. Prayer is a keynote throughout the Scriptures. Jesus Christ prayed. “And it came to pass that as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto teach us to pray.” Think of the privilege the Lord Jesus Christ Whether he was praying at this time silently, or aloud, we are not told, But we are given more than one of His actual prayers in other parts of the Gospels. Of one thing we may be sure: our Lord prayed as no others have ever prayed. Yet He was eternally the Son of God, being Himself a member of the Godhead, one with the Father from all eternity, and sharing His glory (John 1:1; Phil. 2:6). Yet not only during His earthly lifetime and ministry, but even today in glory, we praying without liveth to make in- 7:25). The great Charles H.. Spur­ find the Saviour ceasing. “He ever tercession’l (Heb. English preacher, geon, once said: “Whether we like it or not, asking is • the rule of the Kingdom; a rule never to be altered in any one’s case. God has not relax­ ed the rule for Jesus Christ, the eld­ er brother. If the royal’ and- divine Son of God cannot be exempted from • this rule of asking that he may have, you and I cannot expect the rule to be relaxed in our favor. Why should it be? If you may have everything by asking, and nothing without ask­ ing, 1 beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is.” Our Lord answered His disciples’ request. “When ye pray say, Our Fa­ ther which art in heaven.” So prayer J is conversation between children and their father. Dr. Scofield has a re­ vealing note on this passage in Luke: The believer is a child of God through the new birth. The clear rev­ elation of this fact at once establish­ es the reasonableness of prayer; a reasonableness against which the ar­ gument from the apparent uniformity of natural law shatters ijself. God is more than a Creator, bringing a uni­ verse into being and. establishing laws for it; more than a decree-maker, de­ termining future events by an eternal fiat. Above all this ily for whom the law exists.” It has been well not a Force, but a But we are praying to “Our Father which art in heaven.” So He is a heavenly Father. Heaven is His home —not earth, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and thoughts than your thoughts,” God long before (Isa. 55:9). .We recognize three glorious about God as we offer the Lord’s Prayer. He is our Father. He dwells in heaven, and is our heavenly Father. And He is holy—“Hallowed be Thy George Bernard Shaw, who arrived in San Francisco recently, while en route around the worlds and took a trip to visit the Grand Canyon, an­ nounced that the canyon reminded him of religion. “Science changes ev­ ery 20 years and we must change our views,” the famous playright said, “but the Canyon, and the'' truths of religion are always the same,” is the divine fam­ universe with its said that "God is Father.” My said facts name.” His interests become our interests, so we continue in this prayer: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will’be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” In God’s kingdom, under His reign, all i$ as it should be. He makes no mistakes; His wisdom and power and love are perfect and infallible. The greatest blessing that can ever come to this earth will be when God’s king­ dom comes. But God encourages us to tell Him about any and every need of our own, smallest as Avell as greatest, so we may ask Him without fear: “Give us day by day our daily bread." That means turning to Him for the meet­ ing of all our needs, important to us is God. ‘ Our spiritual life, bodily, is to be brought to Him, so we continue: ’“And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.” How can we ask God to forgive us if we refuse to forgive some one who has wronged us? Many years later the apostle John wrote by inspiration: “If <we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to, forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” There can be no full confession of sin if we are harboring resentment and unforgiveness toward another. ' Temptation may mean testing, and, knowing our own weakness, .we may well ask God to "lead us not into temptation (testing); but deliver us from evil.” God is abundantly able to deliver us from any -and all evil; He wants us to ask Him, and trust Nothing that is unimportant to as well as our Him, to do this. The Lord then gave two parables on prayer. The first showed that God. wants us to continue steadfastly, per­ sistently in prayer, Even a human friend may give us what we ask him. for if we keep on asking; how much more our divine Friend, God. People sometimes pray, and con­ tinue the prayer for a while, and then grow faint-hearted or discouraged be­ cause the answer does not come. Imr portunate prayer is “undiscouragcd by delayed answers.” A human father would not give his child a stone if asked for bread, or a. serpent if asked for a fish, or a scor­ pion if asked for an egg. Yet human fathers are far from perfect; they may be mistaken or even sinful. But if they give good gifts to their children, how much more our heavenly Fath­ er! The best way to learn to pray is. by praying. And prayer is the best thing we can do. Dr. A. C. Dixon once said: "When we rely Upon or­ ganization we get what organization can do; when we rely upon education,, we get what education can do; when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do; and so on. Nor am I disposed to undervalue any of these things in their proper place. But,” he added impressively, “when we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do.” Specialist; "Gould you pay for an operation if I thought one Was ne­ cessary?” Patient: “Would, you find one ne­ cessary if I could not pay for it?” Business an id Professionlal Directory Wellington Mutual Fire Insurance Co. Established 1840. Risks taken on all classes of insur­ ance at reasonable rates. Head Office, Guelph, Ont. ABNER COSENS, Agent. Wingham. ADVERTISE IN THE ADVANCE-TIMES HARRY FRY Licensed Embalmer and Funeral Director Furniture and Funeral Service Ambulance Service. Phones: Day 117. Night 109. DR. R. L. STEWART PHYSICIAN Telephone 29. J. W. BUSHFIELD Barrister, Solicitor, Notary, Etc. Money to Loan. Office — Meyer Block, Wingham Successor to Dudley Holmes. THOMAS FELLS AUCTIONEER REAL ESTATE SOLD A Thorough knowledge of Farm Stock. Phone 231, Wingham. —*-* Dr. Robt. C. REDMOND M.R.C.S. (England) L.R.C.P. (London) PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON J. H. CRAWFORD Barrister, Solicitor, Notary, Etc. Successor to R. Vanstone. Wingham ’ • Ontario It Will Pay You to Have An EXPERT AUCTIONEER . to conduct yOur sale. See T. R. BENNETT At The Royal Service Station. Phone 174W. ' DR. W. M. CONNELL PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON Phone 19. R. S. HETHERINGTON BARRISTER and SOLICITOR Office — Morton Block. Telephone’No. 66 J. ALVIN FOX Licensed Drugless Practitioner CHIROPRACTIC ** DRUGLESS THERAPY - RADIONIC equipment Hours by Appointment. Phone 191* Wingham W. A. CRAWFORD, M.D. Physician and Surgeon Located at the office of the late Dr* J. P, Kennedy. Phone 150 Wingham ft F. A. PARKER OSTEOPATH All Diseases Treated. Office adjoining residence next to Anglican Church on Centre St Sunday by appointment. Osteopathy Electricity Phone 272. Hours, 9 a.m, to 8 p.m. A. R. & F. E. DUVAL CHIROPRACTORS CHIROPRACTIC and ELECTRO Pherapy North Street — Wingham , Telephone 300.