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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Times, 1916-12-21, Page 74‘, • December 21 x916. tea taa LSS.s%sSS-S,SST Lo, Lo• THE WINGRAM. TIMES LINKED. BY FATE BY CHARLES, GARVIS 2 W1 W CHAPTER X. The Earl of Lesborough! The title rang in Mannering's cat's m�t�tockingly. Ire fought with his amo- tion and with a gesture of shame .and apology raised his face from his ;lands. Lady Latchford had slipped away— ;With the tears in her own eyes—but 'Sir Charles still stood beside his 'friend. ' 'I beg your pardon," said poor Fane; "it—it is so sudden, and the boy—great. Heaven, to think that he —and Augustus—are dead, and that 1—I, who never dreamed of it should • stand in their shoos!" "Yes, it's awfully bad," said Sir Charles, shaking his head, but feel- ing mean because he could not mourn as keenly• the loss which had made bis friend a peer. "But you have got to pull yourself together, Vane. There's no end to cio, to see to. You'll make a .first -Tato earl, old -Wan! You'll go to '1'reesidei'" Mr. Tressider was the Lesborough family lawyer—"first thing to -morrow morn- ing. I'll go with you if you like—no, better go alone. Oh; yes; I'm as sor- ry almost as you can be for the ca- tastrophe, but—well, after all, you're toy pal, you, know, and for the life 41.1 me I can't help a sneaking feeling er. satisfaction that the succession Mills on you. Here, have a drink!" • 4.1ca poured out a glass of sham- jpagne and Vane took it mechanically, ut sat. with r !b drooping head and toijdy brott, twisting the glass round and round by its slender stem; and !Latchford watched his friend anxious- ;iaa ahct curiously, ' "Better get to bed, old man," he said . alter nearly half an hour, "you' look played out and as if you want- ed a good night's rest: In the morn- ing—,, Mannering nodded and rose, and Latchford took him to his room. "Is he better?" asked Lady Latch- ' lord when Sir Charles entered their room. "My heart aches for lim. I have never before sage a man ;break - down; and it makes it all the idekie when ;he is such a great, strong"Telt low as Mr. Mannering—Lord 'Lesbor- • ough, I mean." Sir Charles shook his head reflect- ively as he brushaiU his hair. ' "`I can't make him out, Blanche. You saw how lie looked When we found him—wandering shout; the :streets like a—like a duan hall out of his mind—a' "The wreck, perhaps'?" suggested Lady Letchford. "Not much! Vane could stand half . a dozen wrecks." "Judith? Oh, Charlie, how could I have been so gauche as to mention iter!" she wailed. Sir Charles shook his head. "Rather unlike your usual tact, old girl," he admitted. "Yes, I'm afraid e was hit hard there. I'm sorry Judith is a pal of 'yours, Blanche—" "Was, Charlie_' Be just! You know jhave not spoken to her since she ilted Mr. Mannering. Of course, he llnust have felt it, for no doubt he laved her. She is not only the •most beautiful woman in the world—" "Presont ccrupauy excepted,'• said Sir Charles, with a fond glance over bis shoulder at the figure sitting up is bed. • `Nonsense," . retorted Lady Latch- ford. "Don't be foolish! I was nev- er in tnc same street—oh, I wish I did not pick up your slang so easily! —I never could be compared with udith; she was, and is, and always Will be, simply incomparable. But 1 irate her for treating Mr. Mizniicring :sd cruelly." "Well, she was punished, anyhow," .said Sir Charles. "Fancy chucking • Over a man like Vane for old Marl- .ingford—" He wasa inarta is, you. Beer" simrmured Lady Letchford. "A- than •old • enough to be her granfather! That he should die two daysF afore -the Wedding is—etaWh tt 40 you call it—" • 'Poetical justice, do you meant It Maeda her t. -Data °bathe.-ii...it isn Chir wree("T'anr-tSe pr'Dion' he suffered—did you notice how he shirk- ed speaking of thein?—and it isn't Judith, what is it that has changed him so?" Sir Charles shook his head: "I don't know. Anyway, whatever it is, it has hit him hard, deuced hard. 1 don't 'suppose we shall ever 11nd out. Vane can be as close as an oyster when he likes." "Well, you've got to help him all you can, concluded Lady 'Letchford, with a sigh. "And 'do put those brushes down—you'll brush all the hair off your head!—and conic to bed! The look in that poor man's face will keep me awake all night—if I don't go oft at once." Mannering paced his room for some hours, feeling that bed was impos- sible for him. He was the .Earl of Lesborough, owner of an historic title and a vast estate and wealth which had been ac- cumulating steadily during the reign of the late earl, who had lived a penurious existence 'devoted to amas- sing money and finding good invest- ments for it. And of what use to him—Vane— were the title and the money? His heart was buried on the sands of an unknown island in the Pacific. It had died within his bosom in the hour he had seen the wreck of the raft at his feet, had swam out to the little woollen cap which was all that remained to him of Nina, his . wife, the woman he loved. He threw himeelf on the bed at last and slept; but it was only to dream of the island, only to go over the scene of the marriage and the tbo few days that followed it. Letohford, going to him in the morning, found him asleep, but toss- ing 'restlessly, and returned to Lady Latchford with a doleful, shako of the head:' But when Mannering appeared at breakfast he was, out etardly at least, 'calmer and More lige. ta man in a norinal `,d'ondxtton,; "I'm afraid i ` q set and distressed last night, Lady' latehford," he .said with grave 'a'pology.' "The—the shoos—" "That's all right. Blanche under- stood," said Latchford, cheerily. "Have some more bacon—it's of no use offering you anything else, be- cause no one°eatrl anything at break- fast but bacon. Shall I go with you to Mr. Tressider, Vane? I will, if you like," "We will do anything and every- thing you like, Lord Lesborough," murmured Lady Latchford, Mannering started at the "Lord Lesborough," and :abruptly set down his coffee cup which was 'on its way to his lips. 0 "No, I think I'll go alone," he said; and socn after breakfast he stet off. Mr. Tressider was one of the old- fashioned lawyers who stick to the Inns. Pis 'oYiice wee in Grey's, and Manner ing, as • he mounted the steep and not too clean stairs, paused and looked` absently at the 'trees in which the rooks had nested and brought out their young; he did not seem in any hurry to put in his formal claim to the title. A confidential ,clerk, • of as • .old a fashion as his master, received Man- nering, and with a grave earnestness ushered hint into the presence• of the lawyer: Mr. Tressider came to . meet him with outstretched hand, and exclaim- ed with ,intense satisfaction and pleasure: "Lord Lesborough! At last! Trow do you do? I need scarcely ,lay that I am glad to see youl My advertise- ment will be sufficient pleat of tha.t." "I've leen none," Said /leathering. ve been abroad -been wrocked.:`X "beard' thea -the ibad news for the first . time hast Light,' from• iiiy' tent, Sir Charles Latchford--" Mr. 'Treiiider lioddecl; he had a nod which Lord •Butleigh would. not 'hasee ' been ashtt;inid to Own. °'Quite[ le; quite '.sol I:hulve the honor of lir Charles Letchford's ac- quaintande'. Se, al •co irfi?*,'yiiu.knot, the—er—ead circutnstancps which haae Placed you in pox"session of th'd title. Very sad;, vary seal But Taal very glad to see you, my lord." ' The .title ivab still striange to Man- nering and he moved uneasily. tke ntorii glad;'' continued the old leaVl'er; "becauSe at 'Mit we almost feared that you had cdm- pletely 'disappehred, in 'feet, were hist. Of course, •; we heard of the wreck of the Alpina. fa .m` so 'rejoic- ed you were leaved t • 1',:Have done the ,best I,could duelagtyear & bsenee, and 1 think the business of the estate has been tarried'. ort .as you.'wosild; have Wished it to hc." bfalaith fig '„,frl.cicale 5t all seemed so unreal, . sc itul,'ossibly. Why, a few months ago he had been a mere no- body, of lo consequence, a kind of adventurer,, free to do and go as he twilled, in Whose affairs no one Was interested. And now-- He looked Pound the snugly furnished office, at the white-haired, smiling, deferential old lateSait as if thif '4thole thing were a dream from 'which lie should pre- sently awake. "Of" dourSe you will go down to Lesborough At once," continued Mr. Tressider. "Do you propose living there, or will you go into the' town hlit* .ft ltag.._be ...tit i Sul. slafu • • • UNSIGHTLY PIMPLES COVERED HIS FACE. B. B.13. Cured Him. All diseases and blemishes of the Skin ;are caused by the blood being ill an ira- pure'i:ondition The best blood cleansing medicine bit the Market today is Burdock Blood Bitters, a medicine that has been inuse for Wet 4(1' years, so your do bot` eicperti inent when you buy it. Mr. Lennox�D.- Cooke, Indian Path, N.S„ writes: I ant writing you a few lines to tell you what Burdock Blood Bitters has done for me. My face was ;tovefed with pimples. I tried different ''duds"of medicine, and all seemed to fail. 1 was one day to a friend's house, and there they advised Inc to use B. B. B. :so I purchased two bottles, and before Y' had theta taken I foetid I was getting 'setter. got Iwo niore, and when they *ere finished I Was dolnpketely' cured. I find it is a great blood' purifier, atricl I recommend it to all." B. 13. 11. is inauufactitred , only by Tim 'T. Mxt mitts CO., I,IUI'tso, Toronto, Ont. i tine " ye:o r ittiw - "tFruti Llie late earl was—er—economical? Ile amassed a large fortune; you will benefit by his economy and prudence, my lord!" Vane gazed absently at the win- dow, through the grimy panes of which he could sec the rooks which had attracted his attention as he entered; and they still seemed to have more interest for him than the lawyer's remarks. "I think I'll go to Lesborough," he said, at last, but with an indifference which disappointed Mr. 'Tressider, who had expected the new earl to display some eagerness if not excite- ment. "1 haven't made any plans." "Quite so; quite so! Too early yet; you have scarcely realized your sudden accession to the title, the change in your] life. I will write to the steward, Mr. Holland—you re- member him?—he will want to snake some preparations. Ileal•, dear, how glad 1 am to find you are alive! None of your friends can be more re- joiced, I assure you, my .lord. Strange"—he smiled and paused—"I .was just writing to the next heir. I am afraid you can scarcely expect him to share in my satisfaction." Vane looked interested for the first time. "The next heir?" he said, enquir- ingly. "Yes; your cousin, Mr, Julian Shore. He wrote to me, and called on Ole when poor Lord Augustus and his boy died, and we feared you were lost in the Alpine. He was,. very naturally—er—interested in the ques- tion of the succession'." "How can he, with Shore, be the next Vane. "Oh, don't you know? Weren't you aware that there was a feud between his father and the late earl? So great and bitter that he discarded the name of Mannering and took the name of Shore, which Mr. Julian now bears," "I never heard of him," said Man- nering. "Ian afraid he will be very disappointed at my turning up," he added, grimly. "No doubt; no doubt," asserted Mr. 'Tressider, dryly. "What kind of man is he?" asked lTannering: • Mr. Tressider hesitated. It was the sort of question which a cautious old lawyer would not be disposed to an- swer very •readily. "IIe is a young man about five -and - twenty, I should say—a remarkably good looking young fellow; not like the Manneri rigs, by the way; but dark, very .lark. His another was h Spaniard. He has very nice manners —nothing could be more tactf ti• and —cr—pr;7iper than his way of regard- ing his claim' to the title and es- tates." '''Is ho poor or rich?" asked Vane, "Well, he is not 'If articularly well off. He has a small income, left him by his father, and 'hi= rriakes a little in some way on the Stock Exchange, I fancy; but 1 am not quite sure. Of course, 1 knew his father, but I had not Been Mr. J ulian since he was a lad until `the other clay," "Is he married?" asked Vane, "No; oh, no! I asked him that question'. ' By the way, Lord 'Les - borough, it is one I should like to ask you. I am under the impression that you are a bachelor." Vane looked away to the window again. " bave no wife," he said, gravely. Mr. Tresaidbr nodded with almost obvious relief. For the moment, as Vane hesitated, he had dreaded that he should Hear that the young earl had married -and probably beneath his present rank. "Ah, yes, ,yes!'' hemurmu ed. "Plenty of 'time; thotigh`I trust I may have the pleasure of seeing a Countess" of Lesborough before long." Vane rose, but Mr. 'Tressider, ex- tended his lir,ad appealingly. "Oh, pray don't .gq yet, my lord," she said; "there aro so many things 1 want -to speak to you about, to ar- range. 'And—er—perh%cps the first subject is• the important and inevi- table one of—cr—moliey. -I do not know whether* you need atiy at the present moment—yoit . will excuse me?" Vane smiled. "1 have a fcw'siiillings,'"•he said. Mr, ']'ressider• -rtotldecl . es' if this" were not the least satisfactory 'mo- ment of the interview. • "Quite so; quite so! I will snake at•rangements—tvlI1' pay a sum, as . large as ;1•ou^pkease? Into the bank this afternoot}. Meanwhile., you will permit vee tba bE,you;t' banker, 'Ltit Me bee. I have some notes and Will the name of heir?" asked WAS. TROUBLED WITH HER LIVER FOR FIVE YEARS. When the bowels become constipated the stomach gets out of order, the liver does not work properly, and then follows the violent sick headaches, the sourness of the stomach, belching of wind, heart- burn, water brash, biliousness, etc, Keep your bowels regular by using Milburn's Lama -Liver Pills, They will clear away all the effete matter which collects in the system and thus do away with constipation and all its allied troubles. X91 , Mrs. John Fitzgerald, Brittania Bay, Ont., writes: "I have been troubled with my stomach and liver for the past five years, and have had constipation causing headache, backache and dizzy spells, and sometimes I would almost fall down. I tried all kinds of remedies without obtaining any relief. I commenced using Milburn's Laza- Liver Pills, and they have cured me. I have recommended them to many of my friends, and they are all very much pleased with the results they have ob- tained from their use." Milburn's Laza-Liver Pills, 25c. a vial, 5 vials for$1.00, at all dealers, or mailed direct 00 receipt of price by THE T. MII.ni1RN Co., LIMIri;B, Toronto, Ont. not trouble yett'to, ealeh a cheque!" ' He went to tfie safe and` from his Cash box took' outa little pile of fiotm, 'counted them and laid theta on 'the table before Vane. "There is a hundred and twenty pounds there, I think you will find. It is fortunate that I had just re- oeived a paynte1t ' this morning. it that is not suti oft nt I will send a clerk to the bank•-" 'tif'aha smiled gravely. '41 sla'n't spend snore than a hun- dred and twenty before to -morrow," he said. As he Spoke the door opened and the clerk brought in the usual Piece Of paper with a visitor's name writ- ten on it. Mr. Tressider looked rather om- bussigna, .». ,. .� r.. "Strange coincidence!" he said. "It is Mr. Julian Shore. Ask Mr. Shore to kindly wait—" Vane looked up quickly. "No, no. Will you let him come in? I should like to see 'hint." Mr. Tressider nodded and the clerk went out and ushered in a tall, thin young man with a remarkably hand- some face and a graceful bearings. He was almost as Clark as a typical Spaniard, with eyes that were well nigh black, and screened by long silky lashes. As he entered, he looked from the lawyer—still rather embarrassed—to `ane; then his eyes fell on the sheat of notes, and the bleak orbs seemed to deepen suddenly, swiftly, but in an instant the fleeting expression had vanished and given place to one of courteous curiosity. "1 beg your pardon, Mr. Tessider," he said in a singularly soft and low voice. "1 did not know you were en- gaged—" Pray take a seat, Mr. Shore," said Mr. Tressider, "you have called at a most, auspicious—" the word seemed rather inappropriate, not to say heartless, and he paused and stumbled in search of a better, but failed to find one, and so gave up the idea of "breaking" the news to the next heir and blurted out thein- troduction. "I must make you two gentlemen known to • each other. Mr. Shore, this is Mr. Mannering--tut, tut! I mean Lord Leshorough." Vane, with a feeling of pity and sympathaf, was watching the man whose hopes he was destroying, and he saw the- polite look of inquiry, - doubt and then dismay and pain which passed over the dark, hand- some face. The lids fell over the dark eyes, as if their owner desired to hide them; "Lord—Lesborough!" fell from his lips, which had grown almost white. "Lord Lesborough! Then—then—" "Exactly!" put in Mr. Tressider, as the soft voice broke and fell away. "Mr. Mannering was not lost in the Alpine. He was rescued and has only just returned to London; has indeed only been here with me a - few minutes. Of course, I should have let you know—" It was an awkward, a trying mo- ment for both the young men. Vane felt as if he had been guilty of inex- cusable meanness in not getting drowned; and with a Rush and a frown he rose and held out his hand. "I' sorry—" he began, then he shrugged h'rs shoulders. What could he say? But Julian Shore had recovered from the shock, and •rising instantly he 'took V'ane's strong, firm hand in his soft, white one; a smile glittered in his eyes and curved his rather thin lips, and the low, musical voice said: "And you are the new earl! Well" —he drew a quick, short 'breath, then he shrugged his shoulders -"we can't both have the title, and—Lord Les - borough, -7'. assure you that I am heartily glad that you are alive!" Nothing could have' been better done; and Vane, feeling if anything still more guilty and ashamed of his existence, gripped gratefully • the white 'hand of the disappointed ansa „Thanks." he saiae. srtanit -TM • lubtAdmiaasaftemeasomitga The .Army of ContiP- ation '1* Growing Smaller Eier y Day. CARTER'S L TTLS LIVER FILLS ate fes onsible—theyaet only gireteliEf -- ; theipermanently clue Constipa- fioa. Mil- lions use them for Eilione- nen, Indigestion, S1ek 11tac'ael t,.Sallow Skin. Small Pill, Small Dose, Small Price. Genuine *maw Signature rainiweviviorrempromwev ainhum'roaiy aiat i Willi -7V; (Will with the ship, ;You'd have made a better earl than I shall, Mr. Shore," "Oh, conte, conte!" murmured Mr. Shore, laughing softly. "Don't say that—and--we aro cousins, aren't we? I hope you'll call nil Julian!" CHAPTER XL Would he call him "Julian?" Of course Vane was pleased by 'ouch good nature and nragnaniruity dis- played by the man between whom and the prospect of an earldom he had . stepped. ^Certainly—JuIlan ," he said with so much lighter a tone in his voice that Mr, Tressider was surprised. "And of course you'll call me 'Vane' ; we are cousins, as you say and, through we haven't met before, I hope we shall be friends. I only heard of my good fortune last night, and I am a bit confused. I see it is lunch time. Mr. 'Tressider, will you let us off for an hour or twa? I should like to go out and get some- thing to eat with—Julian. The old lawyer smiled, but rather ruefully, as he thought that the new earl was likely to be rather an er- ratic client. "Oh, well!" he said, with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'll wire to Hol- land to say you may conte to Les - borough at any moment, and: I hope you will pay me a visit before long. There is much to be done, to be seen to,' "That's all right," . responded Vane, serenely. I'll leave every- thing 111 your hands, Mr. Tressider, ancl it will be sure to Pan out per- fectly." He pocketed the notes and J uliau watched him with lowered lids. Tho two young men went down the stairs and into the courtyard, where the planons fluttered and strode at their feet with the fearlessness of the London bird. "Where shall we go?" asked Vane. "I used to have a club, but my sub- scription ran out, aitch I couldn't af- ford to renew it. Restaurant?" Julian 11r.ughed—his laugh was its soft as his voice and his smile, soft and caressing. "How strange to hear that from this Earl rl of Lesborough!". he said. "Yes; but I wasn't earl then, and I was poor," said Vane. Julian slowed up for a moment. "I was going to lunch at my place," he said with a hesitation that was only momentary. "Per- haps you won't mind coming home with me? It's rather out of the way, thdugh it isn't far from here. We shall be free to talk-" "Right," said Vane. "I shall be very pleased." Julian called a cab and gave the address—Vane did not catch it—to the cabman; and they drove across the Strand and alongside the House of Parliament to an old-fashioned row of houses facing the river. - Vane, as they alighted, looked anund .him. curitons1 .,-It.,was.,ZI_,bit of old London hemmed in and Rank- ed by newly -built Rats and modern residences. "Quaint place," he said. "I've never been here before." "No? I live here because it's quiet and out of the way; and I own the house. It was my father's. It's rather a nice view, especially at night, with the lights on the water. The house is old, very old, and it wants repairing, modernizing and all teat, and T moan to do it—when I can afford it." ?Ie pulled at an old-fashioned bell and the door was opened presently, and with an air of caution, by an old woman with so strange an ex- pression on so pallid a face, that Vane could not .help staring at her; and he stared the harder when, in- stead of speaking, Julian Shore made signs to her in the deaf and dumb alphabet on his fingers. The old woman took her eyes for a moment from her master's face to glance at Vane, then nodded assent- tngly. and ' closing the door disap- peared through another which led to the basement. "Come upstairs, will you?" said - .Julian. "I live on' the upper floor for the sake of the view." He led the way into a sitting -room which was as old-fashioned as the exterior of the house. The walls were of oak, blackened ty age—not Tot- tenham Court Road varnish—there was a massive mantelpiece as black as the panelling, and the furniture, old and heavy, was in perfect har- mony with the ropm. There was a piano, also _o£ oak: It Iwai, a very quaint room, and imposing, but it struck Vane as sombre, not to say weird. He went to the window and looked out. "You've a fate view of the river," he said, "and this is a grand old room." As he spoke he noticed a faint smell like that emitted ;by pungent chemicals. It . carate • from a, door lead- ing out of the room, and Julian stepped to it and elated it softly. The old woman appeared with a tray and presently set out a nice lit- tle lunch' of sweetbreads, pate -de -foie gras, Swiss cheese, and a blanc- mange.. The claret was in a Venetian flask, and a 'entail bottle of yellow Chartreuse stood beside it. Having laid out the table, 'the 'adman, a1 - ter a fixed loole at - Iter master—ths kind of look one sees in the eyes of a well-trained 'And devoted spaniel— left the room, and Julian drew a chair to the table for Vane and in- vited him to be seated: "You seem to laevo very comfort- able quartets," said Verne. "Your servant is deaf and dumb, isn't she? 'Tee.," said Julian. "She- was an old servant of my father's'. I'in, afraid to 'say hoW old the is. But site is very faithful and attentive, and serves my purpose." "And you don't mind ,iter—afilic- tion?" said Vane as he helped him•• self to sweetbread. Julian smiled. "No," he replied. "I suppose it's because I'm used to her, She is very '--intelligent, and, as I say, she IS de- voted to me." "She looks it," remarked Item, "This is splendid claret," Julian smiled, the smile of if ; - ,(TO BE CoNTKIIIEb.l ChUUdreu Cry for Fletcher's The Kind 'Lou Ilavo Altrayfi otY ist, anti Vehich has been in use for.overCO yews, bas horue the signature ot and has been made under his per - conal (supervision since its infancy. 4,GGC��lJl/. Allow ino ono- to deceive you in this., All Counterfeits, Imitations and "Just -as -good" are but Experiments that trifle with and endanger the health of Infants and Children Experience against Experiment. •- What is CASTOR.IA Castoria is a harmless substitute for. Castor Oil, Pare* goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is pleasant. It contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotics substance. Its ago is its guarantee. It destroys Worms and allays Feverishness. For more than thirty years it has been in constant use for the relief of Constipation, Flatulency, 'Wind Colic, all Teething Troubles and Diarrlicea. It regulates the Stomach and Dowels, assimilates the Food, giving healthy,and natural sleep. The Children's Panacea—The Jllother's Friend. GENUINE Csi -. T RIA ALWAYS Bears the Signature of In Use For Over 30 fears The Kind You Have Always Bought THE CENTAUR COMPANY,. NEW YORK CITY, Ya`!"SY? •>sw`u=:a .;::5'„f 7}i. ;14.1 SNA®A'S BIGGEST ROLE . • In Play of Nations is in the Future.* Forecast of Lord Shaughnessy before sailing, from New York. NIEW YORK.— Lord Shan- shnessy, iipraident of the an Pacific !Railway, who ladled for Europe on Wednesday on the Eroonland, In an interview, .' naade the - follow- ing statement 1,c - fore his depar- ture: "Though bleed- v, ing with sacrifices and bending with effort in behalf of r& the great Empire i0f which she is an integral part, Canada's biggest role in the play ot nations is not n o w, but in the future. Bright though her record DIM' be, it is only a glinipme of what 8 2 is to come. Her;, greatest oppor- tunities, although secured th> ghh t trying will be shown when, with the i> war settled, she i- undbrtakea to as- sume the place she has fought for. "'""" nisosisiosMal Success will come measured by forethought. By fulfilling duties as pre -i seated today, Canada will be able to reap abundantly of the prosperity which! the Pears, surely not far distant, will bring. E O"Canadian history shows that what mistakes have had to be reetifled have been those due to short vision, and that the deeds most criticized have bees of over -anticipation, Between the two is the straight course of steady de- velopment. Blind faith in the country has been, to a large extent, the guid- ing star of the men who have built. Speculation has been a ready growth in a ground r.ich beyond the dreams of the most hopeful. Calm, conservative business sagacity bade the pioneers discard the thought of spanning the prairies with a tnansoontinen:tal line, while bold daring built not one, but three. The succes6 of the Canadian Pacific, the pioneer, urged others to be reckless, perhaps, but then there were those who said the construction of the Canadian Pacific was folly. "Canada's course is the centre one, and to choose is no easy task. We' do not wish to cramp our future by a narrow, limited imagination, Neither do we wish to greatly over -develop and thus render the load we are now carry- ing too great. It is sometimes hard to realize that on the shoulders of this present the material for the future must be carried. "Canada is an 'empire in itself. Its population is not a fraction of what it should be, of what it is capable of becoming, or of what it will be after the war. We are taking steps to prepare for the future. and are anticipating an' immigration that should be unprecedented in Canadian history'. "When peace is declared Canada will naturally be looked upon as the promised land by many peoples of Europe. She will be in a position to - choote e"aref0Hy- She need take not but the best, and only by so selecting her 'citizenship will she build up a nation capable of performing the tasks which undoubtedly will be allotted to her. "The war has taught Canada self-reliance as probably nothing else would have done. She has been forced to do rapidly and efficiently things which were impossible. She has expanded commercially and industrially faster. than ever before, and has ieonfidenee in herself to do the things which she formerly expected others to do for her. "In the same manner that she unhesitatingly mobilized the largest army that ever crossed the Atlantic, she has developed a sea traffic en both the Atlantic and the Pacific that is tremendous. This will be undoubtedly fur- ther developed', proving to be a powerful aid in moulding trade connections favorable to Canada after the war. "Canada cannot go back. She is committed to expansion, but not to over- enpantion. Keeping Within limits instilled by conditionb has -been -hard. It, is difficult in being optimistic to be not too optimistic, and here perhaps la the greatest Problem. "In the past Canada has been too eager and is :nock faced with the probleim, of overdevelopment in certain lines. ,, ti "Politically Canada wilt undoubtedly take a more prominent Tart in the destinies of the British Empire than ever before, She will probably be asked to become one of the senior members of a firm fa which before the war she was merely, regarded as a junior, bright, full of promise, to be sure: but one on whom a full share of the burden Should not be placed. The future is Undoubtedly bright, but the advMtcenient iQ fraught with problems which will require good juggInent and 'forethought raither than good judgment l i afterthought," hristmas Cards ONHESRAELE