The Brussels Post, 1961-04-06, Page 5ti
Getting They Boys
Back To The. .gush
The .recent /wee
that the rising genera Li Doe arenh,
using the woods as a place of
play ,and butt-meth-el erompted
flurry of letters from old woods,
players, who, agreed . with me. 1.
now have a further report, arid
can say that ell is not yet bolt,
seem to have stirred up in-
terest.
It began With Paul Mae, who
is now about to enter high
school, but who came into our
neighborhood-'some seasons ago.
and started, a garden, .fie came
down here one evenieg and ask-
ed one what kind of .ceee. I grew,.
as be wanted to plaint. the same
kind,. This gave me pause, bee..
cause for seven years I had been
growing a secret kind of Cordo
and everybody said it was the
best sweet corn they had ever
tasted, and I Wouldn't, have told..
my own mother, Not only that,
but Mother would never have
asked, me,
e had written to • e seedeinan
and got a handful of an expert,
mental, hybrid which, at that
time, had no name but gav
e a number. I grew it, gave the
eeetisman a report on how it
responded in this latitude,. and
the next year got a quantity, I
think it was, three years later
• they got enough seed to offer it
commercially, named it, and then .
there followed the usual period
of acceptance, • All that time I.
was growing it, and the repeat
business was annazieg. It was
just about the time this situation
was at its most profitable point
. • that Paul came in and wanted to
know the name of it, •
Of course, I told him, ,and
when he. opened a little roadside
stand up the hill that summer,
it put something of a crimp In
my monopoly. , .
But you enust never minimize
the good feeling it gives you
when some youngster comes.
around for .advice. Paul dropped
around off and on with .ques-
tions, and this 'spring I asked
hinrif he'd like to tap'my, maples
trees, another year, It was about
that time I' was complaining of
the disinterest in the woods by
our youth, and I had in mind to •
pee what his reactions would be.
They were mild, I thought.
We have: a small sugarbush,
mostly very old tree's 'that' ,are
-!,ee
The Mud EiVilmer
Has A Busy
In drilling a bola in the
ground to make an oil well,
drilling !fluid is pumped down,
the hollow drill pipe, Paeeell
through holes in the drill leit
end returns to the surface by
way of the annular space be-
tWeen drill pipe and hole. The
fluid carries up the hit cutting.,
'tools arid lubricates the pipe
and bit, .seals the wells of the
lioee and supplies weight to Iced*
iles Pr oil from blowing out,
This drilling fluid is ustiepla
called mud. The man who deter«
mines and controls its aomposie
lion is called a mud engineer.
The mud engineer's job is not
too easy. A major worry is the
viscosity of his mud. If the mud
is too thin, cuttings. w -1 settle
and plug the hole when cavilling
stops — if too thick, the mud is
hard to pump.
The mud eogineer aims at e
slightly "thixotropic" fluid
When circulation stops the mud
should gel enough to hold cut-
tings in suspension. When circu-
lation starts 'the gel effect should.
disappear,
This is whereebentonite comes
in, When bentonite is added to
water and agitated, the clay di-
vides into submicroscopic par-
ticles suspended by the thermal
agitation of the water molecules.
In turn, the particles support
the bit cuttings,- among other
materials, Bentonite also helps
seal the walls of the drill hole,
to resteiet mud loss,
Besides bentonite, the mud
engineer may thr ow in such
exotic I t em .s as gelatinized
starch, germicide, sodium ear- ,
boxymethylcellulose, or barite,
depending on the tactical situa-
tion. Sometimes mud is lost
thr o gh fissures in the well
bore. When this happens the
mad-engineer may tnix in some
shredded cellophane flake s,
cane fibres, wood fibres, ground
walnut shells or perlite. e
mud engineeee f e is seldom
dull. — From "Imperial Oil-
ways."
her trip through. Canada's northwest passage. The berg
toes 300 filet under water.
COCKTAIL II:FAKIR, ANYONE? litibmartne meets
'berg and cautiously eld•-steps. This photo was taken
eteeintil eh* voyage of the nuclear evb Seadragon *seri
He Was A Menace To Marriage
A Complete Story
by T. A. Lows
The market -town of Marehes-
ter, on Whose outskirts I live,
has .* population of about four
thousand,' and an exceptionally
sociable High Street — which
means that everyone knows
everyone else's business, or
thinks he does.
In this mild censure I include
myself, for- when the subject of
&sip is Mrs. Prince Mills, the
e wide* -Who lives hext door to
eul; I am all ears. a :*
She is beautiful, shapely` and
well-dressed; and, if her popu-
, larity with men is_above aver-
- age,ato ihy-enind tint -priev,es that
she Ilea hikins as well' ate :looks,
And when she gets ,"talked
about" behind her. back ehis is
invariably due to the unavoid-
able handicap of having an only
child of unaccountable behav-
iour.
But for "Little •Willie," as he
is known to all and sundry, the •
widow would probably have re-
married long ago. He, is a hand-
some, ,sturdy youngster, with his
mother's copper hair and wide
blue eyes, but a proper nine-
year-old nuisance.
THE• WEBB — This man ,is not
working on a giant piece of
needlepoint, He is feeding a
steel rod info a hose-making
machete. Goodyear is' turning
gout 35 miles of fdel hose -for
the Air Force.
shrieked and gasped, but at lest
they reached safety.
I felt proud of Willis, almost
as much as if I had. really been
his father.- I told Charlie Farrell
so when 'I visited him in hospital
next day.
Charlie was sitting -up in bed
with sr'turban of bandages
wound round his head. He didn't
seem 'to share my sentiments.
about Willie,
"That boy is a menace to so
eiety," he growled, "and 'I'm
glad 'I found that out before it
was too late."
"How come?" I asked, sur-
prised.
He touched :his bandaged scalp
and groaned, "When I got out
of the burning house and „saw
what was happening, I stood 'be-
low where he was sitting on-the
roof, and waved and shouted to
him = just to give him courage.
Do you know what your little
hero did?"
"What?" I asked,' wondering.
9Ie pushed a loose brick off
the gutter," said Charlie, "and
it hit me on the 'head. Wait till
I get out of this; I'll have some-
thing to say to your little hero."
"And his Mother too, maybe?"
I grinned, hoping to hear some
romantic news to take home to
Phoebe.
At this suggestion Charlie
turned his bandaged head to the
wall, and made no reply,
So have to continue as a
"stand-in" lather for yet another
spell.
Strangely enough, the pros.
pect is not unpleasing at the mo-
ment. But I shall keep -that
thought to myself just in case
the next brick Willie drops —
hits' me! From "Tit-Bits"
Jade Is Making
A Big Comeback
Jade, the strangely lovely or-
namental stone which has been
quarried in' Chinese Turkistan
and near the •Chinese border in
Burma for more than 2,000 years,
is back in favour this autumn,
say jewellers,
Women and girls who haye
never 'seen jade in its 'varying
shades of green before, are fas-
cinated by this stone which mil-
lions of people in Eastern coun-
tries regard, as a symbol of virtue.
-Jade rlrigg' and necklaces are
fashionable and there's a demand
for jade bracelets consisting of
round or rectangular medallions
intricately carved -with fish, flow-
er and bird designs.
Bigge4 pies*, of jade -ever
quarried le-Priceless. It's in 'the
Peking National. MuSeum and
has been carved into a miniature
•mountain with • forests, villages
and people, ' -
Tile Chinese are so fond •of
jade that they tames it.
Q. When a guest shows no
signs of pleasure, and even fails
do thank his hostess properly, is
there.any way for the hostess to '
make him 'see how he stands
her estimation?
A, Her 'best procedure in this
instance is not to invite him
again soon — or ever!
He-pops into our *sittingeroorn
when there is nobody about, and
turns the itripbs Of the TV set
— a villainy Which, I ,suspect,
is encouraged ,by hii mother
• when one of her, suitors is
around, and she wants "Little
Willie" out of the way. "He re-
gards you as' a 'stand-in' father,"
she would tell me.
There are times when I feel
quite "fatherly" towards 'Willie,
One Saturday afternoon, ,when
his mother and Phoebe were
shopping in Marchester, he ar-
rived to ask. if he might watch
some athletics on our set, As I
wanted to watch it too, we both
sat dowii in front of the screen
and had a highly entertaining
afternoon,
Such was the amity between
us when the programme came
to an end that Willie became
confidential to an embarrassing
extent. "Mum's very cross about
my school report," he informed
me.
"Mine were never very good
either when I was at school,"
I consoled him. Then Willie pro-
duced the report. "Mum said you
must read it," he announced,
I glanced at the' document and
found myself reading over what
had been familiar ground to me
as a boy — "Spelling -- won't
try, Arithmetic — poor." And so
on down the list until I came to
the headmaster's remarks.
"Climbs trees well,", it read.
"Mr. Mason's cat got stuck in
a tree opposite his house," Wil-
lie explained, seeing my bewil-
derment. "It couldn't •fret down
so I climbed up and fetched it."
Then, modestly. "It scratched
my face, and I was covered with
blood."
tapped more out Of tredithen
than anything else, I have a
little sugarhotiSe with a $111a11.
size eVaporlit(a. and I make the
job about as big or as, email as
I feel like. It isn't all fun to
wallow around in the allow and
sit up late to stoke the fire ..and
draw off, but. it is fun to have
your own syrup.
I. long ago gave up the notion.
that I. Might some day become
rich on maple syrup. If Pail
took an interest in the project,
I could turn the equipment over
to 'him exacting a few gallons
for ray own use, as proper rental,
and perhaps further his experi-
ences in a helpful way,
I w as disappointed that I heard
no more about it J'or, a few
weeke, and then one evening
Paul bicycled into the dooryard
and asked, "What do you think
of plastic bags?"
From this point on, my prob-
lems have increased. Paul, be.
lore accepting my offer, has gone
into research, and had sent to
the Department of Agriculture
and the state library for 'the
available works on the sugarin-
dustry in general, In the mean-
time, he had thug ace-in-Mated
everything there Is to know,
which Is more than I know.
Somewhere in the "literature"
he had found that' little plastic
bags, hung on the trees instead
of pails, promote a better qual-
ity product. He wondered if our
operation would be large enough
to warrant investing in bags this
year.
This was far flom all. He told
me glibly that Maine makes 10
per cent., of Vermont's syrup
crop, since they have processing
'facilities and we don't. It was in
his mind to erect a processing
Pant, 'encourage Maine pro-
ducers to market at home, and
build up a domestic trademark
to enhance the agricultural eco-
nomy, here. He said the forestry
bulletins Indicate 'vast stands• of
untapped maples in our northern
townshipe, virtually going to
waste except for ;their potential
in the veneer and hardwood
_pulp industries.
Paul also outnumbered me, as
well as outknowing me, for he
brought Mark Stowe into the
partnership. Mark lives across
the road from Paul, and is also
studious and alert, Mark said
. we must be careful not to use
any containers thet have had
paint on them, He, said that we
would have to take a barometric
reading to establish our true
boiling point, since 212° is based
on sea level. Preliminary, but
unproved, experiments led him
to believe"that 219° at our sugar-
house would be about the same
as 220° at the ocean. I nodded.
also suggested that making
Maple syrup involves much more
than reading a book. I paid
homage • to the general idea of
literary reference, but said a
woodpile would,,prove much
more essential 'than a barometer.
Weald they care to step into the
woodlot?
This story linet going to be
finished until next April, but the
boys have cut their wood. -I go
up with the tractor and haul it
for ,them, and we pile, it neatly.
„They :dug 'out the spring and
.stoned; it up, arid'. are now mak-
ing* fireplace for cooking their
'lunches. They've been bushing
out the made, lopping out soft-
wood that has crowed around
the Maples. They've; decided
hoW many pails to Wing on each
tree, arid, totted- the total of
spites and, buckets:
How:this will all look -to them
when February cliys warm and
the -snow ie leip-deep is, yet, to be
Seen, „leut I've' Succeeded in get-
ting 'two' boys eitito -my "woods
Again-eand I dare say it's doing
me' es' much good as their. Best
result, perhaps, heivebeete.ehe ex-
pressed 'thanks of their r Barents,
who tell Me this le a wonderful
thing I'M .4°14, and they think
it's .a shaineethat more boys, to-
day,' can'elaire the advantage of
this kind of thing. "It's ail they
talk aboetr• they say.
Bet . •ntibeclY is 'having any
more' fun than I am, We' may
Put Vermont out of business yet;
John. Gould in' the Chris-
tian science`"' Monitor:
HAUTEUR Schoolboy on the
South'Wer` *On island of Chi
Shim proudly 'wears new long...-
1ft he .and his schooliimates
sewed for winter wear. The' 33'
students In the "tiny Scheel.
were given the underwear and
shads Which arrived In CARE
pcickagei, •
seeen=mimiceesse
MEXICO'S SESQUICENTENNIAL — Tremendous stone statue 04
tether Jose Maria Morelos, one of the leaders of
and War of independence, were covered' with flowerS and Wreathe
Wheel ihe 150th anniversary of the country's independence from
Seethe Officially opened; The 6:sentry's 32,006,009 people had
beer' preparing for The event for a year. The 86,freet statue
was &insti/tied 2$ pities' ago. It stands be the. 'island
Ihe eiree
was smouldering, so Charlie
helped me douse it with buckets
of water from the kitchen sink.
Of course, that only made' the
smoke much -thicker, So Claude
quickly threw open all the win-
dows he could reach and the
carpet started burning again in
the draught:! The situation was
looking very dangerous when
..the fire brigade arrived, and
Auickly got the flames under
control.
t For it was an easy job,
but for us it was an'exhausting
ordeal 'which left us choking,
soaking and -blackened. Farrell
must have collapsed when he
reached fresh air, for when my ,
eyeballs ceased smarting I saw
an ambulance party carrying
him away on a stretcher' through
an anxious crowd whose atten-
tion seemed to be riveted on the
roof.
I looked up. Willie in his py-
jamas, and Celeste in a nylon
nightie, were sitting .on the roof,
watchihg with great Interest the
activities of the firemen end
speetators far beloW. They seem=
ed quite disappointed when, at
last, a fireMan reached theM
with a long ladder. He siting
Celeste under his ,arm, but. Wil-
lie scorned such help and foie
lowed them both down, the lad-
der in the apprOVed Hillary' tert-
Mien, slowly and carefully,
never putting * foot wrong.
Foe some reason I felt proud
of the boy, but what I heard
from ,Phoebe later brought a
really paternal lump to my
throat.ecste,
it seemed;: had, got Out
of bed to go to the batlfrooni,
amid in doing to had knocked
over the stove. When she saw the
smoke And tisane§ on her WO
back, the child got out of the
window and hung on to, a ledge,
Across the road, Willie, in his
bedroom, couldn't sleep. Leek-
big out, . he happened to spot
Celeste on the ledge, and smoke
paining Out of the Winderieet
Ibis was toe Math for a 'future
Hillery. Phoebe said the widow
nearly fainted is she 'steed be-
side. 'her, watching the boy shins
nine tip a Wait Irma the garage
roof; When he joined Celeste bit
the ledge the smoke got thicket,.
but it cleared- for it .few mom.
title to reveal Willie pushing
the little girl, slowly upWarda.
front joint to joint Of yet another
Water pipe. Once' or itriC.:". his
Jost slipped while ortic.sokets
His mother told me later when
I questioned her that the head-
master's cat was an extremely
ferocipus animal which had sunk
its claWs into a policeman who
had tried to reach it, Other vol-
unteers had also failed to bring
It down.
Even without that knowledge
I was suitably impressed. I pat-
ted Willie on the head. "Stick to
your climbing, son," I said, "and
don't worry too much about your
report. Maybe Hillary and Ten-
sing were no good at 'spelling or
arithmetic when they were your
age, but they reached the top
of Everest, didn't they?" Willie
brightened up at. once, and de-
parted homewards whistling,
'I didn't se( again until
the evening his mother gave a
cocktail patty in honour of her
boy-friend, Charlie Farrell, who
was expecting promotion to the
managership of the Citizen's
Bank in Marchester. Phoebe was
quite 'excite'd about when we
were dressing, "Charlie is getting
a big jump in 'salary and a free
house'," she said. "Maybe, they
will announce their engagement
to-night."
Knowing Charlie's , playboy
tendencies I doubted it, but
'when'we arrived in the widow's
lounge it certainly seamed , to be
an exceptional *occasion, Guests
were already packed like sar-
dines in a tin, and inore kept On
arriving.
I would have departed' there
and 'then but Phoebe had. al-
ready elbowed her way through
the crush to find our hostess.
"Ifyl you' look smart, George,"
''she, flattered, her eyes Appraising
me. She waved , a bejewelled
hand' -towards a noisy sorrier
where Charlie .was oscillating a
huge cocktail shaket. "See if you
can give Charlie a hand," she
smiled. Only too happy to find a
small haven in the crowded
room, I willingly obliged.
,Then the Verekers arrived,
looking as thirty as if they'd
walked fee miles, instead of from
the house across the road. They
gave me rather a dirty look, I
thought. But as I poured out
their Ariake I politely inquired
after the health of their child,
Celeste, aged six.
Mrs. Vereker sighed, "She's ,
changed her name to Tensing,
and it's all your faalt," she said,
"And Willie's changed his to
Hillary and he's teaching her to
ellinba interrupted her husband.
"I found them both on the roof
of the garage on Sunday, tied
together with I rope. I'm sur-
prised at you, George-- filling
Willie's head with all that non-
sense about Everest. 'Celeste
thinks she's a Sherpa or tome-
thing; she might fall and break
A leg:"
I choked over my drink. I had
.forgotten all, abotit Willie's
schOol reenti; 1 had, wen foie
gotten What 1 had Said 'the
boy,- but I wasn't &big to stand
Clatide Veteket talkitig to nie as
If he *as the .coroner" at an in-
quest pinning dOWn blame:
But We're could reply, who
should arrive on the scene bet
little Willie' in person, and in
pyjamas!. "Your'house le ,oil
lite,' he yelled at the Verekers,
and then bolted oat theoUgh the
Iterit debt:
I folidieed; SO did Claude
Vereker and Charlie Ferrell.,
,Broni the froht garden iite saw
smoke, potirerig from a wilidota,
and Willie already on the gat.
age toot- "Good grief!" gasped
Claude; "that's Celeste's bed-
eoortit We left her fast :Asleep:"
Iri the'race: etecite the toad 1'
think I evae first, het I had to
Wait for Vetekee wiio was fumbe
ling With the 'door key. Then We
dashed upstairs to a bedroom
filled With sitieke. I' ste.W• nine-
thing gloating, and Managed to
fihd the "switch eleCtrid
stove which had fallen over on
to the carpet,
There was hot a sign of del-
este, 134 fail bededolet
DEATH IN GERMANY Rubble marks the semis Id. a II S Army camp near Heldiibers0
Germany, where a howitzer shell eXplodide killing arid inlet-hie dozerii of Soldiers;