HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1937-01-14, Page 6THE WINGHAM ADVANCE-TIMES Thursday, January 17,1937
''XTOiviJiiui'-.'j'
'POffTSMAN
by Lawrence A Keaiing
final instalment
“You get the snow. I want the
girl—alive. But there’s to be no kill
ing of Graber, understand? Not un
less it’s self defense.”
Worriedly, Dan watched the repe
tition of farms. He berated himself
for bungling back there in his office.
Over-confidence had ruined the whole
game, A swelled head! Otto had
certainly been swept off his feet by
the news that Irita, known to him as
Helen Fane, and Colwell, were Cus
toms Special Agency operatives! It
naturally had never occurred to Grab
er that a Graber-Vael Agency sleuth
might also be a representative of
Uncle Sam.
Admiration rose in Colwell’s blue
grey eyes. Irita had taken chances,
insinuating herself with those fellows!
It was like walking a tight-rope over
Niagara Falls. By astute means
known only to her clever, resource
ful self, she had prevented the rascals
■quarreling over her. Yet she had
won and maintained their confidence.
That hectic ride lasted five min
utes less than an hour. But Ewing,
Pennsylvania, a country town of per
haps a thousand souls, was not their
goal. As they careened down the
main street Dan turned to Lefty.
“Now which way? It’s up to you
to find the camp!"
Quillen nodded. “Straight ahead,
buddy," he told the driver. “The se
cond road outside town, turn left.
Hit it up!”
Another thirty minutes dragged
past. Despite his efforts at calm, Col
well’s tension heightened. They turn
ed off the main road, went two miles
down a muddy country lane, and
halted when Quillen ordered the driv
er to do so.
The two men piled out . “Guess
you earned the ten-spot,” Dan paid
the fare and handed it to him. “Sup
pose vouj-Qll back in three hours?*
They waited until the rattly cab
was gone. “Come on,” Quillen snap
ped, and led the way into the tower-
ing forest. It was rapidly growing
dark; in fifteen minutes it would be
like night. But the killer of McDon
ald and Catterby seemed to know the
way.
Another mile they traversed afoot
before Lefty stopped and touched
Dan’s arm. “It’s up there. Sec that
cabin?’ ’
Colwell could not at first make it
out. Going nearer, they found it dark.
The two men exchanged questioning
looks at this. Dan felt his heartbeat
slow, then go faster. Suppose their
guess was wrong? Suppose Graber
still was back in the city? «
Cautiously they approached the
square log structure with the slanting
roof extended over a front porch.
There was no light in it, no car near
by, no sign of habitation. Quillen
seemed concerned. He walked to a
side window and peered in. Then
both men went to the front door
which they found locked. Again they
peered at each other—it was dark now
—and again were in wordless agree
ment. They put their shoulders to
the door and after several efforts of
their combined power, burst the cheap
hinge lock.
Dan struck a match. “We won’t
light that iarnp — we don't need it.
NEW PRINCE CHARMING OF ENGLAND
Prince Edward, who fe counted on
now more than ever as the “person
ality Prince” the Royal House of
Windsor, since the abdication of Ids
Just want to see if their things are
gone.”
Several matches flickered and died
before they convinced themselves the
hunting party had not abandoned the
shack for good. Two. deer rifles were
there,, one of them identified as Gra
ber’s. A supply of canned food, cof
fee, and bacon, was found.
“They’re coming back,’ 'Colwell
stated.
He walked to the door and’ stared
at the back sky. Suddenly, almost a
mile of the countryside flared alight,
and at the same time he became con
scious of die whine of a motor. “Lef
ty! There’s a plane!"
Quillen followed at his heels onto
the porch, It was a flare the ship
had dropped, used when a pilot seeks
an emergency landing field, The
motor roared loudly now and in the
slow-burning three hundred candle
power magnesium they found the ship
itself circling. It was quite low. A
cabin job of the Monogram make,
with a powerful Whirlwind motor.
By mutual consent when the, flare j
Graber’s gqn exploded upward,
died at the end of its appointed three
minutes, Quillen and Colwell rushed
to the fringe of woods. They judged
that Graber—if it was he—intended
landing somewhere to the south.
Both men ran fast as they could over
hard, uneven ground. Until, two min
utes later, they burst suddenly from
the copse of trees onto a wide, flat
clearing.
“Sure! I remember this. But I
never thought Otto could use it for
landin’,” Lefty panted.
Colwell determined the direction
of the wind and knew which way
Graber must face to land. As the
ship banked, coming lower, he start
ed at a dead run for the spot it was
due to touch. But he had forgotten
Graber’s second flare.
It burst alive suddenly, illuminat
ing the two men who raced across
the cleared space. “Down!” Colwell
yelled, and hurled himself flat. With
a searing cw-.se Quillen followed suit.
But they had been seen .... The
motor, which had been cut out, pick
ed up with a roar. The ship’s nose
lifted as Graber put her into a climb.
Dan’s heart stuttered and seemed
leaden in his breast. They had given
uncle, is shown as he unconcernedly
went forth from the home of his par
ents, the Duke and Duchess of Rent,
for a tide through Betgrave Square,
themselves away!
Vengefully, Quillen raised- his au
tomatic. He, too, could utilize the
still burning flare that swung lower
on its small parachute. He fired
twice, three times. Foolish, of course,
it seemed useless.
Or was it? The monoplane was
only two hundred feet up, Suddenly
the motor sputtered. It died and the
plane rode without a sound. The
white magnesium still made the field
almost bright enough to read a news
paper. The motor picked and Grab
er increased his revs anxiously. It
sputtered, choked — went completely
dead.
“He’s got to come down!”
The words were scarcely out of
Colwell’s mouth before he and Quil
len rose full height with a jerk. Lefty
gave an ejaculation. His eyes like
agates followed the sharp swoop of
the aircraft, nose foremost but side
slipping badly.
There was a splintering crash.
That was the undercarriage and the
wing tip. Yet the monoplane like a
wounded bird bumped and floundered
along with diminishing speed, push
ed by her momentum. Another yell
from Quillen—trees looming up close
before the ship—and a louder rending
of metal and wood and fabric.
Quicker of wit, Colwell was dash
ing for the ship before that final ca
tastrophe. It was a hundred yards
that seemed never-ending. His great
fear was of a sheet of flame that
would burn them all to a crisp* and
prevent any interference, any saving
of life.
It did not come. In the dying light
of the flare whiqh had struck ground
somewhere ,Colwell saw a form crawl
out. “Stick ’em up!” he shouted.
The man did—but with a gun in his
hand. It lanced fire. Colwell’s hat
left his head as though wiped off by
some invisible hand. The next in
stant he realized that this chap was.
not the first to alight. This first fel
low was hidden behind the crumpled
wing and had opened fire.
Lefty Quillen’s forty-four roared.
He was closing in as fast as he could.
As he struck ground Dan realized Ir
ita Doran was on the floor of the
monoplane — helpless though she
London, Eng., even as his parents
were receiving hundreds of congrat
ulatory messages on the birth of his
baby sister, who was born Christmas
squirmed and battled her bonds.
Dan groped on his knees, shooting.
The second man to alight gave a yell
and toppled. Dan saw Quillen locked
with the other chap; Vael. He rush
ed for his own quarry. The fellow
lay still . . » but when Colwell got
within ten feet, his figure dim in the
half-covered ship’s ground lights still
burning.
Graber!
They struck, Both heavy, the ter
rific impact merely jarred them. Nei
ther gave way. Graber’s square face
was contorted into hate and rage that
Dan never had seen there before.
Perhaps also there was desperation'at
knowing they had outguessed him to
arrive here first and that now he bat
tled the last time, to win or lose. ’
His stubble of hair felt hard as the
byistles of a brush to Dan’s hand.
They mauled and punched and grap
pled for the guns. Colwell's twirled
from his .grasp. It hit wing fabric
with a ping. Otto Graber got in a.
murderous left liook that grazed
Dan’s jaw. Had it landed all would
have been over.
But it didn’t land, and Colwell put
new savagery into his attack. Grab
er’s gun exploded upward — and
again. In the darkness they could
scarcely see each other; there was on
ly feeble light from the wing lamps.
They stumbled back against the metal
stirrup at the open cabin door, Dan’s
lucky right flattened Braber’s big
Germ'an nose. Blood spurted from it
as water from, a fire hydrant.
Otto howled. Colwell tried to wrap
both arms around him to bend him
back' out of control on the floor of
the cabin. Graber side-stepped, and
his terrific blow to the temple stun
ned Dan. He was aware "of shots a
distance off and of Lefty Quillen’s
scream. And that he himself was
weakening, that . Graber was more
powerful than he had ever estimated.
He punched again with both fists
and suddenly grabbed for the gun as
it swung nearer a line with his face.
Their hands struck; the weapon slip
ped; it was gone. Graber, panting,
jammed Colwell back, His head hit
an iron support just inside the cabin.
Things got foggy ....
Something cold came into his hand.
“Dan! Dan!”
It was a scream uttered close to
his ear. Venomously he swung that
cold thing, swung at Graber’s skull.
And it landed with a low, hollow
sound that thrilled one clear to the
pit of the stomach.
Otto crumpled. He twisted and
wriggled on the ground while Colwell
slowly collected himself and stood
swaying groggily, forced to cling to
the open cabin door or fall. Graber’s
writhing hand paused there on the
dark ground. He raised his arm sud
denly—
'“Look out!”
Graber grasped it just as Lefty
limped up, Dan reached out and with
a kick at Graber’s arm tried to dis
lodge the gun. And the first shot did
go wild. But the second took effect.
Lefty Quillen, knifer of two mfen
Dan knew about, gave way at the
knees. A dot blackened his forehead
and an expression of bitter surprise
stamped on his face. He uttered a
low moan—then folded in a heap. —
dead. s
Dan straddled Otto Graber, tie
clouted him with his own automatic
I until Graber slumped unconscious.
Then Colwell, very unsteady and with
warm blood trickling down his shoul
der went uncertainly to the fellow
Lefty had tussled with. Horace Vael
was badly mauled and weeping drun-
kenly with the rage that was in his*
helpless body.
Dan lurched back to the cabin. He
had Irita free in a matter of seconds.
“We’ve got to tie them!”
He nodded. “Their belts—will do.
Until we—can get rope from the cab
in. You—all right?" he panted.
“Yes. Oh Dan, Dan, I—” Shud
dering, she shook her head. “How
did you know? How did you guess
they’d fly here? How did you come
so fast? We were stalled—motor
trouble.
“He meant to kill me. Vael was
a little afraid, but he was for it, too.
Graber said he’d do it because you—”
“What?” he asked wearily, Colwell
I folded the girl in his arms and inhal
ed the fragrance of her hair. “The
i snow’s in there, eh? All of it? Good,
i Graber said he’d kill you because I—
what?”
[ She nestled closer to him. “Loved
I me.”
Colwell considered a moment He
was growing faint and weaker. “Sure,
he said, and with a great effort chuck
led. "I do. You know that! 1—there
hasn’t been much—chance to say it.
But—”’ He struggled for breath to
go on. “There will be, lots of chance.
From how on!” I
THE END
Beggar: “Pity a poor man, madam.
I have not eaten a morsel of food
today.”
Woman! ”Ah, my poor creature,
we all have to suffer In this world.
I have just been obliged to give up
my opera box.”
Business and Professional Directory
Wellington Mutual Fire
Insurance Co,
Established 1840.
Risks taken on all classes of insur
ance at reasonable rates.
Head Office, Guelph, Qnt.
ABNER COSENS, Agent,
Wingham, *
...........1 ..... U......II...Ill
Dr, W, A. McKibben, B.A.
PHYSICIAN And SURGEON
Located at the Office of the Lute
Dr, H. W. Colborne.
Office Phone 54. Nights 107
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.
1
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,
flee
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
1
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 I
CHIROPRACTIC and
electro therapy
North Street’ ' — • - Wingham
Telephone 300. |
TIGHT FIT
A HEALTH SERVICE OF
THE CANADIAN MEDICAL
ASSOCIATION AND LIFE
INSURANCE COMPANIES
IN CANADA
The human body like the human
mind, desires freedom. Tight fitting
garments are uncomfortable and
moreover they are ill-advised because
they may cause damage to the indi
vidual.
Every part of the body requires an
adequate blood supply to keep it
healthy and capable of performing its
proper funition. “Anything, therefore,
which cuts off or retards blood sup
ply must be considered harmful.
Tight fitting shoes are a splendid
Josef Stalin, dictator of Soviet ’ rlson of the Red army climb on the
Russia, helps a daughter of oho of j table at an all-unidn conference of
the commanders of the Moscow gar-1 wives of Red army commanders in
the Grand Kremlin palace in Moscow#
example of this. How many thous
ands of people have suffered frpm
corn and callouses, hammer toes and
bunions, cold and clammy feet, be
cause they did not wear proper shoes.
And the time to start wearing com
fortably fitting shoes is when the in
dividual starts to walk. Tpes were
never intended to be piled up in a
heap to be housed in a cone. They
should be freely moveable within the
shoe. The foot of the growing child
should be carefully watched by the
mother. Any sign pf rubbing of heel
or toes should be checked and if the
shoe is at fault, do not let the child
wear it again. If this plan is follow
ed throughout the growing period, no
boy or girl need have corns or cal
louses and much discomfort of body
and mind may be saved to the in
dividual.
But we must not stop there.
Throughout life, it is necessary to
choose footwear that fits and allows
RUSSIA’S DICTATOR LENDS HAND TO YOUTH
of-complete foot freedom. Ill-fitting
shoes not only impede blood supply,
causing pain and discomfort, but
those same symptoms may have a.
bad effect upon one’s temper and
judgment — in fact upon one’s whole
life.
Take proper care of your feet.
Questions concerning Health, ad
dressed to the Canadian Medical As
sociation, 184 College St., Toronto,
I will be answered personally by letter. I ■
“My dog took first prize at the cat
show.”
“How did he manage that?" ,
“Well, he took the first prize cat.”’
The toastmaster arose to introduce
a prominent elderly speaker, and said:
“Gentlemen, you have been giving
your attention to a turkey stuffed
with sage. Now you will give your
attention to a sage stuffed with tur
key.”