Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1929-5-22, Page 7THaniISRU$SEL$ POST ream Grading Means BETTER CREAM ETTER BUTTER TT PRICES E �R We are now prepared to Grade your Cream honeeely, gather it twice a week and, deliver at our Creamery .each day we lift it. We gather with covered truck to keep sun off it. We pay a pregnant of 1 cent per lb. butter fat for Speciale over that of'No, 1 grade, and 8' cents per lb. but- ter -fel for No 1 grade over that of No, 2 grade. The basic principle of the improveenent in the : quality of Ontario 'butter is the elimination of second and off grade cream. This may be accomplished by paying the producer of good (roam a better price per pound of butter -fat tone is paid to the producers of poor cream,. We solicit your patronage and co-operation for better market, !1' -We will loan you a can. See our Agent, T. C. ,MaCALL, or Phone 2310, Brussels. The Seaforth Creamery ,r I The Indian Drum By't`riIliam MacHarg and Edwin Balmer IL'.ut at:.ns by IRWIN MYERS Cotrirtuht L, [:,,w.n L.',.la,mr auclerning else: il'oti(1 ne ne sent ror some day? Externally. Alan's learning toe little that was known about himself made nu change in his wuy or living; he went to the town 0('13)01, meet) wee_ blued grammar and high tchools under one roof; and, as he grew older, he clerked lo one of the town stores during vdeations and In the evenings. Alan always carried his money home as part payment of those arrears which had mounted up ngnlnst him since the letters Ceased eommg. At seventeen, having finished high school, he was clerking officially In Merrill's general store, when the next letter came. It Ras addressed this time not to papa, but to Alan Conrad, He seized it, tore it open, and a bank draft for fifteen hundred dollars fell out. There was no letter with the enclosure, no 'word of communication; just the draft to the. order of Alan Conrad. Man wrote the Chicago bank by which the draft had been Issued; their reply showed that the draft had been pur- chased with currency. so there was no record of the Identity of the person who had sent R. More than that amount was due for arrears for the seven years during which no money was sent, even when the total which Alan had earned ivas deducted. So Alan merely endorsed the draft over to "father"; and that Pail Jim, Man's taster brother, went to college. But, when Jim discovered that it not only was possible but planned at the uul- rersity for a boy to work hia way through, Man went also. 4 Four wonderful years followed. In companlonshlp with educated people; ideas and manners came to him which he could not beep acquired at home athletics straightened and added'bear- ing to his muscular, well -formed body; his pleasant, strong :mune face acquired self-reilnnce ana.self-control Lifo became filled with possibilities ton: himself whlrh it had never held before, But on his any of gredunti nt be bad u r v the00 htid a t ata p planned and the dreams he dr•eonu'd and, conscious that his deht.10 father and mother still remained unpaid, he had returned tn rare for them: ror father's health hnrl failed nnri Jin1, who had opened a law °flee in [i;uusns City, emixt do nothing to help, No more money had followed the draft from Chicago and there lend been 00 coutnhundeatton of any kind; but the recelpt of to considerable 8 sum had revived end inti?nsiHed ell Alan's speculations about binlself. The vague expertntion of his childhood that sometime, In some way, 110 would be "sent for"; ltn(1 grown tlarinir the Inst six years to a di finite belief, And now—nn the afternoon hero. e- the summons lied, mime, This time, ns he tore npen the en- velope, he saw that heshle a meek. there wee writing within—nn uneven end nervous -louping but plainly legible come 11/1 l en tine ill loughend, The letter mode no explanation. it told him, rather than niter him, to. 1,1111)1 to Chicago, gave 11)1'1'• hlarun lone for the ,lo.u•ime, nail adviteel him to telegraph when he steeled. .The (peen was for a hmndred dollars to pry his c penses, ('here and tenet ivory signed by a tonne enm strange to him. . Ifo %va.1:11 dist feet ly r'!reef lvvireo leg Ind, as he stand now nn the rt platform of the little town.011%:id'm' tl, ensthnnn(1 tr:,fn r Ih1l'o•1 ht a1•' Metered til his pot Lit the leiter f :. Chien 80, On the train ne tone the letter rem his pocket and for the dozenth time reread it. Was Covert a relative? Was 11e the man who had sent the remit- tances when Alan was a little boy. and the one who later had sent the On the Train He. Took the Letter From His Pocket and for the Doz. enth Time Reread It fifteen hundred dollars?. Or was he merely a go-between, perhaps a law- yer? There was no letterhead to give eel in these speculations. The ad- dress to which Alam tuns to come watt In Astor street. He hod never heard the name of the street before. Was it a business street, ferret's address In some great office building, perhaps? At Chicago Alan, following the porter with his suitcase from the car. stepped down among the crowds hurrying to and from the trains. .He was not confused, he was only In- tensely excited. Acting in Implicit ac• cnrd with the instructions of the letter, which he knew by heart, he went to the uniformed attendant tied en:enaed a textenb—itself no small experience; there would be no one et the station to meet him. the letter hurl said, De gave the Astor Street address and got into the cab. It had begun to snow heavily. For le few Mocks the taxlcnh drove north past more or less ordinary build- ings. then turned oust on a broad baultwerd where roil the and brick and store minimums towered till their roofs were Wiliam in the snowfall. A t :un,;e stir std tingle, quite distinct from 1 the mel r ."rot of the arrival al the vtn,i at, pri ked in Alan's veins. ,lel I:a' lily he '"'11•, "1 the w mdow I• his P1811t and gazed out. The Lite 110 he rod known 0)11(T 1110 geography P east t Chicago;s 11(v to t.1 tin.c therefore that void out there bayonet tib perk was the lake or, at least, the harbor•. A different of 01'011101) U1 came from It; sounds . . Suddenly it all was shut oil; the taxlcat', swerving a little, was dashing beta eel, business blocks; a row of buildings had risen ngatu upon the right; they broke abruptly to show him a wooden - welled chasm h1 wItieil (lowed the river full of Ire with a tag dropping its smokestack ns It cut below the bridge which the cub crossed; build. legs on both sides again; then. to the right, n roaring, heaving crashing ex- panse. The sound, Alan knew, tied been coming' to him as an undertone for many minutes; now it overwhelmed, Swallowed nil other sound. It ails greet, not loud; all sound w'11ich Alan had hefted before, except the soughing of the wind over Ills prairies, Ca1110 from ono point; even the monstrous city tnuenrur was ('catered 111 compete. son'with this, Over tile Joke, as over the lana, the soft snowflakes lazily floater( down, scarcely stirred by the slightest breeze; that 'r'oar teas the voice of the wafer, that maid power Its own, Alan choked and gasped for breath, his pulses pounding In ills throat; lie ha(1 snatched off Ills hat and, leaning out of the window sucked the lake air In his lungs. There had been nothing .to matte him eepeot tits oveewhehming Crush of feeling.. The lake—he flee thought of it, of course, .ea a great body of water, an interesting sight for a prairie boy to see; that was all, No physlcal experience in ail, his memory had affected .film like this; SW 1 was withoutt o •• the t tic warning; tl strange thing that pati stirred within him l I ! 1 ns the ear brought him to the Drive downtown was strengthened now a thousand•fnid; it amazed, half. frightened, half dizzied hint. Now, as the 'Motor suddenly swung around a corner and shut the sight of the hike train him, Alan eat hack breathless. The car swerved to the east curl about the middle of the Week and came to a Stop. The [mouse before which it had halted Was a large stone house of quiet, good design; It was some generation elder, apparently, than tine houses on each side of it, which were brlek end terra cotta of recent fasitlonable architecture; Alan only glanced at them long enough 80 get that impression before he opened the cab door and got out; but as the cab drove away, he stood beside his suitcase looking up at the old house which bore the number given In Ben- jamin Corset's letter, then around et the other houses and back to that again, The neighborhood obviously. pre- cluded the probability of Corvet's be- ing merely a lawyer—a go-between, He must be some relative; the ques- tion ever present in Alan's thought since the receipt of the letter, but held In abeyance, as to the possibility and nearness of ()tweet's relation to him, took sharper and more exact forth now than he had dared to let It take before. Was his relationship to Corvet, perhaps, the closest of all re- lationships? Was Corvet his . fethet•? He checked the question within himself, for the time had passed for mere speculation upon it now. Alan was trembling excitedly; for—whoever Corvet might be—the enigma of Alan's existence was going to be answered when he had entered that house. Re was goleg t0 know who he was. All the possibilities, the responsibilities,- the attachments, the opportunities, perhaps, of that person whom he was—but whom, as yet, he did not know—were before him. Fie went up the steps and. with lagers excitedly unsteady, he pushed the bell beside the door. T.ime door opened almost Instantly— so quickly after the ring, indeed, that Man, with leaping throb of his heart, knew that sante tete must have been awaiting him. But the door opened only half way, and the man who stood within, gazing out at Man question- ingly, was obviously a servant. ."What is it?" he asked, as Mao stood looking at hits and past hits to the narrow section of darkened hall which tens In sight. Alan put his hand over the letter in his pocket. "I've come to see Mr. Corvet," he said—"Dir. Benjamin Corvet." "What Is your mane?" Man gave his name; the man re- peated It after him, In the manner of a trained servant, quite without in- flection, Alan, not familiar with such tones, waited uncertainly. So far as he could tell• the name wits entirely strange to the servant, awakening neither welcome nor opposition, but indifference. The man stepped back, but not he such a manner a8 to Melte Alan in; on the contrary, he half closed the door as he stepped back, leaving It open only an inch or two; but it was enough so that Man beard him say to some one within: "He says he's him." "Ask 131111 lm ; 1 will speak to him," It was a girl's voice—this second one, a voice such es Alan never had heard before. It was low and soft but quite clear and distinct, with youthful, Im- pulsive modulations and the mmnner of accent which Alan knew must go with the sort of people who lived in houses like those on this street, The servant, obeytug the voice, re- turned and opened wide the door. "Will You come in, sir?" Alan part down his sultcnse on the stole porch; the man made no move to .pick It un and bring it tn. Then Alun etepped into the hall face to face with the girl who had come from the big room on the right. she was quite a yoummg girl—not over twenty-one or twenty-two, klan jalged ; Ilke girls brought up 1n s s. wenhhy ?ninnies, .h0 .cooled to Alan to hnve !mined young womanhood In far greater degree In some respects than the girls he knew, w'hite, et the same thee, 1n other ways, she retalued mare than they some characterlsties of a child. Der slender figure had a Wmuaa's assurance and grace; her soft brown hair was dressed like a w•umau's; her gray eyes had the oven riim'm'tness of the girl, tier face— smoothly oval, with straight brows and u skin so delicate that at the temples the veins showed dimly blue— WAS lues11'118 Al 01100 womanly end youthful; and there was something altogether ilkabte 8u01 simple about her, ns she studied Alen now. She ryas slightly pule, Ile noticed, and there were lines of strain and trouble about ber eyes. "i nm Constance Sherrill," she an- nounced. Her tone implied quite evi- dently that she expected hint to hove some knowledge of her, and she scented surprised to see that her name tad not (1101111 more to 111(11. "Air. Corvet 1s not here this morn- ing," she sold. Ila hesitated, but persisted: "1 was to see 'him here today, Miss Sherrill. Be,wrote me, and I telegraphed hits 1 would be here to -day." "I kneel," she mlSwered, "We had your telegram, htr. Corvet was not here when It enure, so my father opened it." tier voice broke oddly, and he Owned her in Indoelsioh. were Bering wlwo that Lather might .be that .opened Mt', Corvot's telogsame, Curvet went .away very sud- denly,,' she explaleed, She seemed, he thought, to be trying to iueke soma• thing plain to him willdb might be a shock to hint ; yet borselt to be un• 'erlalu what the neturs of ttrnt shock Molt scrutinizing-, la was Cl' til! n m be,Herk n s ut fhtl gb, questioning, anxious, but not un- friendly. "After he lied written you and something- else had happened-- 1 appened-1 think -.-to alarm my :father about hint, father cattle here to his house to look after" him, Ile thought 8olne- thlog might have... hnppened to Mr. Curvet here in his beuse, But Mr. Cotyet was not here," "You wenn he hos—disappeared?" "Yes; he has disappeared." Alan gazed at Iter dizzily, Bettie. min Corvet—whoever he might be— Alan Crazed at Her Dizzily—BenJamin Corvet.-- had disappeared; he had gone. Did any one else, then, know about Alan Conrad? "No one has seen lir. Comet." she said, "since the day he wrote to you, We knew that—that be became so disturbed after doing that— writing to you—that we thought you most brio; with you Information of him." "Information 1" "So we have been waiting for you to come here and tell us what you know about him or—or your connec- tion with him." CHAPTER III Discussion of a Shadow Man, as he looked confusedly and biamtkly at her, made no attempt to (10500• the question she had asked, or to explain. ells silence and con- fusion, he knew, must seem to Con- stance Sherrill uuwilitngness to an- swer her; for she did not suspect that he was unable to answer her. "You would rather explain to father than to me," she decided. Ile hesitated. What he wanted now was time to think, to teurn who she was and who her father was, and to adjust himself to this strange reversal of his expectations. "Yes; I would rather do that," he said. She caught up her fur collar and muff trete a chair and spoke a word to the servant. As she went out on to the porch,• he followed her and stooped to pick up his suitcase. "Simmons will bring that," she said, "unless you'd rather have it with you. It is only a short walk." They turned In at the entrance of a house In the middle of the block and went up the low, wide stone steps; the door opened to them without ring or knock; a servant In the hall within took Alan's hat and coat, and he fol- lowed Constance past seine great room upon his right to a smaller one farther down die hale "R'lii emu wait here. please?" she asked. Ile sat down, and she left him; when her footsteps hied died may, and he could hear no other sounds except the occasional soft trend of some servant, be twisted httneelf about in his choir and looked around. Wile were these ;timeline? Who was Cor- vet orvet and what was his relation to the Sherrills? Whet, beyond cit. was their and Corvet't relation to Alan Conrad— to himself? The shock and confusion he lied felt at the nature of his recep- tion lu Curvet's house, end the strange- ness of his transition from his little Rums town to a piece and people such as this, had prevented hint from inquiring directly from Constance 'Sherrill as to that; and, on her part, she had nssutnetl, plainl3•, that be already knew and need not be told.: Ile straightened and looked about, then got. up, as Gnmstalce Sherrill came hack into the room. "leather is not here just now," she said, ,,eve weren't 811.0 from your telegvsmu exactly at what hour yo'u would arrive, and that was why I waited tit Dir. Corvet's to be sure we wouldn't miss you. I have telephoned father, and he's coaling home at once," She hesitated all Instant In the door- way, then turned to go out again. c "Miss Sherrill—" he said. She halted, "Yes." "You told me you had been waiting for the to c01ite end menlalfl my con- mectiotl with Dir. Corvet. well --I can't do that; that is what I came here hoping to find ant" She came beet; toward hien slowly, "What tin yell mean?" she asked. Ile foualtt down and. cOntrnllod Letterheads Envelopes e B' lh it ad S And all kinde of Business Stationery printed at The Post Publishing (louse. We will do a job that will do credit to your business. Look over your stock•of Office Stationery and if it requires replenishing call us by telephone 81, The Post Publishing Nouse resolutely the excitement to his voice, as he told her rapidly the little he knew about himself. Be could not tell definitely bow she was affected by what he said. She Hushed slightly, following ber 9rst start of surprise after he had begun to speak; when he had finished, he saw that she was a little pale. "Then you don't know anything about Mr, Corvet at all," she said. "No; until I got his letter sending for me here, I'd never seen or heard his name." She was thoughtful for a moment. "Thank you for telling rte," she said. "I'U tell my father when he comes," "Your father is--?" he ventured. She understood now that the name of Sherrill had meant nothing to him, "Father Is Mr. Corvet's closest friend, and hie business partner as well," she explained. He thought she was going to tell r him something more about them; but she seemed to decide to leave that for her father to do. She crossed to the big chair beside the grate and seated herself. As she sat looking at itim, hands clasped beneath her chin, and her elbows resting on the arm of the chair, there was etteteiletion and in. terest in her gaze; but she did not ask him anything more about himself. She, he saw, was listening, like him- self, for the sound of Sberrill's ar- rival at the house; and wben It eame she recognized it first, rose, and ex- cused herself. He heard her voice in the hall, then her father's deeper voice which answered; and ten minutes later, he looked up W see the men these things had told hits must be Sherrill standing In the door and look- ing at him. Alan had arisen at sight of him; Sherrill, as he came in, motioned him hack to les seat; he did not sit down himself, but crossed to the mantel and leaned against it. "I. am Lawrence Sherrill," he said. ( As the tall, graceful, thoughtful man stood looking down at him, Man could tell nothing of the attitude of this friend of Benjamin Corvet to- ward himself. His manner had the same reserve toward Alau, the same questioning consideration of him, that Constance Sherrill bad had after Alan had told her about himself. "Sty daughter has repeated to me what you told her, Mr. Conrad," Sherrill observed. "Is there anything you want to add to me regarding that?" "There's nothing I can add," Alan answered. "I told ber all that I know about myself." "And about Mr. Corvet?" "I know nothing at all about Mr. Corvet" I stn going to tell you some things about Mr. Corvet," Sherrill said. "I had reason—I do not want to ex -plain just yet what that reason was—for Milking you could tell us certain things about Dir. Corvet, which would, perhaps, make plainer what has hap- pened to him. When I tell you about him now, It is In the hope that, In that way, I may nwelte some forgotten memory of him In you; if not that, you may discover some Coincidence of da"es or events In CN'vet's rife with dates or events hi your Dian. Will you tell Inc frankly, if you do discover any- thing like that?" "Yes; eertninly." For several moments Sherrill paced up and clown before the fire; then be returned to bis place before the tuaotei. "I first met Benjamin Corvet," he commenced; "nearly thirty years ago, I had come West for the first time the year before; I was about your own age and had been graduated from college only a short time, and a Mist- imes opening Imd offered itself here. Times were bt-oming on the Great Lakes. Chicago, which bad mere than recovered from the fire, was doubling its population every decade; Cleve. h.tid, Duluth, and Milwaukee were leaping up as pmts. Dien were grow- ing millions of bushels of grain whlel they couldn't ship 0cru t by lake: hundreds of thousands of tons of ore had to go by wiper; and there w'er. tens of millions of feet of pine AM; hardwood from the DIlehlgnn forests. Sailing vessels, it is true, had sec) their dry and were dlsappenrIng from the lakes; were being 'sold; Homy of them, as the saying is, 'tn the insmr- ance companies' by deliberate w•reei . Ing. Steamers were taking their reeve. Towing heel come in, T felt, young men though I was, that rhes trans- portation mutter was all one ihdug, mid ih11t In the end the railroads would own the ships. I have never engaged very actively in the operation Caught any trout yet? teed the advertisements. g9 of the ships; my dantihler -would like eeeel eeoa.o,l4,pe„p.4•i,l,.d!Aa•0•l'+49 ate to be mare acute itt it lilac 4 have been; but ever slave, 1 nave had, 1310111y itt lake vekeels, 1t was Ute 4. year that i began that soft of lam* 4 went that 1 arta wet Corvet." Alai lvuketlup quickly, "elle‘Core a' Was ---r et to ? be lashed. d. (Curvet Was--ta a lakuman," Sher - 61118441.5m 1fau sal motionless, as be recol- lected the strange 4Stlilutlalt that had come to lata whet be tem .the laice' for time OMtune. Should he 101 paid }tour Hells Sherrill tit that? Ile derided it teas + d�s+ too vogue, too indefinite 10 he 1171'21 4 0 �F tinned; nu doubt any ether man used a o for 1 , • only to the prairie alight clave felt file same.. :+01.0÷0+0+0+0+404."4„0 Y+b•tp{«, WANTED Y e Highest market price 't' "Ile was a shipowner, then," he said, "Yes; he was a shipowner -not,. however, on a large scale at that time, He bad been a waster, sailing strips which belonged to others; then he had sailed oue of his own. Lie was operating then, 1 believe, two vessels; but with the boom times on the lakes, his Interests were beginning to ex- pend. 1 met him frequently in the next few years, and we became close friends." Sherrill broke off and stared an tn- Stant down at the rug, Mao bent forward; he mede no Interruption but only watched Sherrill attentively, "Between 1SS6, when I. first met him, and 1596, Corvet laid the foundation of great success; his boats seemed lucky, men liked to work for him, and be got the best skippers and crews. There was a saying that in storm a Curvet ship never asked help; it gave it; certainly in twenty years no Corvet ship had suffered serious disaster. Corvet was not yet rich, but unless accident or undue competition Inter- vened, he was certain to become so. Then something happened." Sherrill looked away at evident loss how to describe It. "To the ships?" Man asked him, "No; to Min. In 151)6. for no ap- parent reason, a great change came over him." "In 1596!" "That was the year." Alan hent forward. his heart thrnb- Ging Iii iii, threat. "ince .ea, the year when I was brought and left with the 1Veltous in Kansas," lie said. Sherrill did ant speak for a moment, "I thought," he said finally, "it most have been about that cline; but you did not tell my (18ughter the 081(11 date." "What kind of charge emimmm: over him that your?" Alan asked. Sliorm'Ill gazed down tit the rug. then at Man, then 15181 bin. "A Monate in his way of living," he replied. "The Corvet line of boars Went on, ex- panded; interests were acquired in otlher lines; and Corvet and those allied with Ida swiftly gree rich. Elm In e11 this 14real development, for which Corvet's genius and ability had laid the foundation. Corvet Mansel; ceased to take nettve part. tie tool: Into partnership, about a year later. Henry Spearman. a young roan MA. bud been merely n mete en one of his strips. This prated subsequently to have been n gond beetmees move. ten Spearman had tremendous energy. daring. and enterprise; end no dnuht Corvet had recognlzeri these gllalltie, in him before others did, Steve then he has been ostensibly and punnets. the head of the reticent. but he hu, left the manegcntent almost entirely to Spearman. The personal (llamer to Curvet et thus tithe is harder for me to describe to yon:" Sherrill halted, his eyes dark with thought, his lips pressed closely to. genet; Alan wafted. (Continued Next Week) GETTING PRACTICE Mrs, Hobbs —Do you think that Mary is fitted for the battle of life. Hiram? Mr. Hobbs --Well, she ought to be; ehe's been in three engagements al. ready! Although Scottish are si+lwer t0 marry than either ,Lngfish or Welsh, they Have an average, larger patrons of the divorce courts, Debts Collected We Collect Accounts, Notes and Judgments anywhere and every- where. No collection, no charge. Write us tqday for particulars. Canadian Creditors' Ass'n Post Office Box 951, Owen Sound W. D. S. JAMIESO111, MD; CM; LMµCC; Physician and Surgeon Office McKelvey Black, Brussels Successor to Dr. White Phone 45, T. T. M'RAE M. 6., M. C. P.. As. 0. M. O. EL, Village of Br nese' Physician, Surgeon, Aaoonohenr Orlon at residenoe, opposrte Melville Oharea wittlarn street, DR. W.4RQL,aw Honor graduate of the Ontario Veterla College. Dey and night oa11e. Office eppo Floor Mill, lithe(. re:03L tf'1r.!t"ozad BARRISTER, SOLICITOR, CONVEYANCER, NOTARY PUBLIC. LECKIE BLOCK - B•1USSELS I AUCTIONEERS JAMES TAYLOR Licensed Auctioneer for the County of Huron. Sales attended to in aY parts of the county. Satisfaction Guaranteed, or no pay. Orders laic at The Post promptly attended to. Belgrave Post Office. PHONES: Brussels, 15-13. North Huron, 15-6211 D. M. SCOTT Licensed Auctioneer PRICES MODERATE For reference consult any person whose sale I have officiatd at. 61 Craig Street, LONDON WM. $PENCE Ethel, Ont. Conveyance, Commissioner and C. A. Agent fdr The Imperial Life Assurance Co, ot Canada, and Ocean Accident Guarantee Corpr a+ - tion, Limited Accident Insurance, Automobile In- surance, Plate Glass Insurance, elk Phone 2225 Ethel, O,m • JAMES M'FADZEAN gent Howick Mutual fire Insurance Comm, Also Hartford Windstorm and Tornado Insurance Money to Loan for The Industrial Mortgage & Trust Company on Ftret-class Farm Mortgagee 'hone 52 Box 1 Turnberry street Brussels SDT'l4ERLAMD 8s SON LIMITED tgez:n rg.i'Bf lurr 61814 11 1Cl 111'11 t((� 11vI; There are a great many ways to do a ?ob of printing ; but quality printing is only done one way --THE BEST. We do printing of all kinds) and no matter what your needs may be, from name card to booklet, we do it the quality way. P, S, ---We also do it in a way to save you money. 1 he Past Publishing Douse