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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1915-9-2, Page 2• Jam The Green Seal By CHARLES I3DJVLONDS, WAiLK Author of "'Phe Silver Blade,," "The Paternoster Ruby," "The Time Look," etc. CHAPTER II, Fate's' philandering' lead to strange adventures. Ouce, sho singles out some individual as the object of her capricious attentions, it le her custom to make a thorough job of the matter. For the victim the process is usually unpleasant,. often hazardous, or even fatal; but xn the end, after sho is done with him fqr the time being, hay -ng bent her sportive fancy elsewhere, when be comes 1.0 tako stock of re- sults, he will find that she has not been an • altogether cruel jade. Un- der aff'l'ictions, blessings sometimes may be, found disguised, the two often bewilderingly intermixed; and if one be of the right stuff, the experience will leave one broader and stronger, more tolerant and aympathetic in one's outlook upon life, forgetting all that has been disagreeable in gratitude and joy for the desirable things that may never again be taken away. There is, usually, an effective law of compensations. Some such philosophical conclusions are prompted by a consideration of my next step into a maze, which, un- wittingly, I was already beginning to tread. A few days before the postman fetched me the diamond, I had adver- tised'for a stenographer. Among the numerous written responses there had been one letter that stood so far apart from all the others by reason of its individuality, that its writer was the only one with whom I made an appointment. The circumstance that the applicant claimed to be more than ordinarily proficient, yet made no reference to previous employment, and that the compensation expected was ridiculously small compared with her apparent qualifications, might sounded' a warning to, a man less cau- tious than I usually am; but some in- determinate note in the missive im- pelled nie to ignorethese two factors. Behold me, then, still at my desk, still stupidly staring at the glittering jewel, too dumfounded to believe the evidence of my own eyes, when Stub' thrust his head in atthe door. That I had been neitherr aware of his re- turn eturn nor heard his knock testifies to' my state of mind.- "Miss ind,"Miss Fox," he announced, without troubling to explain. I started guiltily, and with a single movement hastily swept diamond,! ivory boxes, ring and all into a draw- er, which I promptly shut. He might have been addressing me in Choctaw, for .all the meaning the name had for me at the moment. "Miss Fox!" 'I echoed stupidly. Whereupon Stub approached and gave me a.card.. "Miss, Loy Fox," he tried to en - 1 lighten me. His air of surprised, in- dignant contempt at my obtuseness Home Jim -Makers This hint tncxy Save your Ara • No matter how fresh your berries, nor how thoroughly the jam is cooked; nor how clean the jars are, preserves aro absolutely sure to spoil if the sugar used contains organic matter,-impurities—mid malty sugars do- Home jam makers should profit bythe p h experience of others and insist on being supplied with Extra. Granulated Sugar which has always, and for many years, given satisfaction. It'tests over 99.99per cent pure and is refined esclu• Lively from cane sugar. guy In refinery sealed packages to avoid mistaken and asauro abaoluto ctoanitnesa and correct weights -215. and 5 1b, cartons ; 10, 20, 25 and 10015, bags, and your choice of throe sizes of gratin flno, medium, crcoars°. a nygcod dealer can lilt your order. DT. LAZY OW SUCAR EEFIKEIIIES, LIMITED, Montreal. /. ought to have warned me that this wee no ordinary caller. Stub, I must append ere you con- demn him, had his own peculiar meth- ods of expressing himself, gathered from heaven alone knows what sources. His candor sometimes was diseoncertfug, but unless the occasion warranted, never disrespectful:. Be- sides, he was only fourteen. So his next gratuitous observation must be taken as an honest opinion, signify- ing a good deal because he was a cyni- cal, if discerning, critic of young lady typists. "Gee, she's one pippin,boss! Take it from me! I bet shes the next Remington shoffer." I pulled myself together and glanc- ed at the card. "Lois," I corrected him. "Show her in." The instant Miss Fox entered I knew that my judgment, or perhaps it was instinct, had not been at fault when I read her letter. What most convinced me of the accuracy of my conclusions was not alone that she was strikingly pretty, nor that hers was a prettiness in every way super- ior to the showy artificiality with which most stenographers with whom I have had dealings seek to impress the world at large; but it was her poise, the confident way in which she carried her uptilted chin, the unmis- takable evidences of intelligence and self-possession and breeding and good taste that stamped her with character of a high order. From the frank, level look of her gray eyes, from her wavy brown hair and deli- cate coloring to the stylish button shoes of her simple, becoming cos- tume, she radiated charm. Her love- liness was toned and subdued by her personality, and hence inexpressibly, rncre fetchmg and impressive. I guessed her to be at the most not more than twenty-two. f I got up awkwardly and tendered her a chair. She seemed not to no- tice the act. And almost with her first words I received a shock. For the first time, too, I perceived that she' was laboring under a mental strain' which only a habit of self-control could have been able to repress. Her voice was full and rich, but low -I pitched, and quite the pleasantest mu- sic I had ever heard. "Mr. Ferris," she began without! preamble, regarding me steadily,' "no doubt you noticed that I mention- ed no references in my application?" "Yes," said I noncommittally, won-' Bering to what this opening was lead -I ing. She hesitated a moment, then went on a trifle nervously—just the; barest trifle: "I wonder if I can persuade you to hear me out—to the end of what I, have to say—what I must say—before you dismiss me?" "Dismiss you!" I exclaimed in sur- prise. "Why, I'm not—I—I—why should I?" I floundered. A shado-w seemed to pass moment- arily across her face, but her eyes did not waver. They were remarkably fine eyes. A note of appeal crept into her voice. "Will you listen to me until I am through?" she urged her request. "It, is a very serious matter to me, and I! —I"—she faltered—"I can't endure any more experiences like I've re-' cently been subjected to." Her tone and manner made it only too plain that the experiences, what- ever else they might have been, had, been humiliating; that they had hurt and wounded only as a proud, sensi- tive nature could be hurt and wound- ed. My hopes were somewhat dash-, ed. I had the mortified feeling of a man whose usually dependable judg- ment unexpectedly plays him false.' Because, you see, I thought I could anticipate precisely what was coming.1 Yet I did not want her to give me' adequate cause for not employing her; , away down underneath I somehow me would destroy the idea that I had still felt that nothing she might tell found a paragon among stenograph- ers. Accordingly, therefore, but with perhaps a shade less enthusiasm, I tried convincingly to reassure her. "I'll gladly hear anything you think you ought to tell me; but, believe me, I am not at all curious." I smiled. "This is purely business, don't for -I get." 1 "It is necessary that you should' ]mow my story before we go any fur-' ther," she said. She was determined, and I silently acquiesced. After a pause while she! seemed to be gathering strength to proceed— "I gave no references," she startled! me by beginning, "because I have none. Nobody would recommend me." At a loss for words, I remained un - "Mr.silent. "Mr. Ferris, you want a capable stenographer and typist, do you not? One that is honest, discreet, and ab -1 solutely reliable? Then, too, there must be nothing about her that might, by any chance discredit or cause em- barrassment to her employer. Isn't that all you expect of any one you would employ?" I wondered at her intense manner,' for as yet nothing had been revealed! to warrant it. I wished for a means , of checking this impending disclosure, so patently painful to her and so un-' welcome to me. I lamely offered: "You have described an ideal, Miss, Fox." She did not appear to have heard. "I know that I am honest and dis- creet and reliable," she arnestly pur- sued. "I am not stupid; I am not' careless; I am not without education.' I can easily demonstrate my ability; I! haven't the least doubt on that score,' But after you have heard me you must decide whether or not I am likely to' discredit my position—no, whether 1 am likely to dishonor my position or, disgrace you." Again she faltered! and stopped and etrug led for mas-1 tery of. herself. Then she went on in a sudden rush of feeling: I "My antecedents are bad, Mr. For - A Canadian Nurse in London A CANADIAN - Red Cross. Nurse selling flags in the street in London, England, on the day recently, celebrated as French Meg Day. Day. ris-bad—bad—bad' Oh, 1 can't tell you how bad! They hound and drive me from a situation as fast as I ob- tain it. They will follow me here. The knowledge—the certainty of it -- dulls the edge of my usefulness, for it stands constantly at my elbow re- minding me that I am an outcast— that I ani unclean—that people are afraid of me!" By degrees her voice had become tinctured with passionate resentment. I could endure it no longer.. "My goodness, Miss Fox!" I cried. "Disgrace—outcast—unclean: what words are these? You are not your- self!" "Pardon me," she begged and pro- ceeded more calmly. "I am indeed nearly distracted, but I speak the hon- est truth. Would that I could ex- aggerate my unhappy plight! I am not appealing to your sympathies, Mr. Ferris—please, please don't get that mistaken idea"—she was very, earnest—"but I do want you to learn the very worst about myself from me. Then for you there can be no later dis- appointment, nor for me additional bitterness. For once I have deter- mined to make a clean breast of it all. I resolved not to present myself to you under false colors." Never in my life have I been more puzzled. Again my eye took in the trim, modish figure. Like most men, I am wofully at a loss where women's trappings are concerned, and not the least pleasing detail about this girl was what I took to be her taste ex- pressed inexpensively. Upon what monstrous climax was her disclosure verging? All at once the disparity between her words and manner and the clean, pure aura of her personality made the situation funny—for me. "You need the work?" I bluntly asked to cover a skepticism that would have been downright discourt- eous in the face of her earnestness. "Desperately!" "Tell me no more. I can't believe anything very ill of you in spite of your ardent declarations." I smiled as I contemplated her. "You are a young woman, Miss Fox; your experi- ence can not have been verb' large. From your feminine point of view pec- cadillos are magnified into grave faults. Here's a bale of letters that must be attended to at—" She interrupted. "No, no. You are too generous. You promised to hear my story to the end. I dread a scene as much as you pos- sibly can—there shall be none. I as- sure you I can say all I have to, calm- ly and briefly. Then if you desire to know more, I'll answer any questions you may want to ask." Again moved by her unyielding seri- ousness, I was actually obliged to ex- ert an effort to brace myself against whatever was yet to come. Her next question, though apparently irrele- vant, was a formidable one. "Is Steve Willets's name familiar to you?" she asked, her voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. "Steve Willets!" I repeated in amazement. The girl's face was drawn and white. There was something piteous in the way she stood watching me and wait- ing, while I stared wonderingly, back at her. Steve Willets! To whom in the west was not the name familiar! Only a few short years ago, coming from nobody knew whither, the man calling himself by this name inaugurated a career of crime up and down the length and across the breadth of Cali- fornia, which stands without a paral- lel in her annals of knights of the road, even in the glorious days of '49, and must long remain the proto- type of all that is reckless, desperate, cruel and cunning in the gentle art of waylaying stages, wrecking and rob- bing trains, cutting throats and suc- cessfully eluding sheriff's posses. The names of Muriette, Velasquez, Black Bart and Chris Evans sin's into in- significance in the light of Steve Wil- lets's exploits. Why, for more than a year single- handed 'he tel roielect a community larger than New I nglend. Itrequir- ed the entire police mcehinery of the State—mind, ten, in thin clay ni the telegraph and t; leph"n", c•f doge pop- ulation and geed roods to lay h'm by the heels,. And at that he na,irly gat away for good endell; fee there fol- lowed a epectacuhu r' ch for liberty; a thrilling jail delivery and two dead { turnkeys; a return from Elba and the ensuing forty days. And that final wild, hopeless scene: barricaded in a ravine high among the mountains of San Benito, for more than a week he withstood a veritable army of officers, and was taken only after his ammunition had become ex- hausted and something like a half- dozen of his pursuers were slain. There was something dazzling about that last stand; something wickedly heroic, Homeric, which perhaps won him leniency and a life sentence in- stead of the gallows which he so rich- ly deserved. Steve Willets, indeed. What could there be in common between this blood-stained desperado and the gen- tle, refined Lois Fox? I was to learn in a moment. "Why, I went on as soon as my wonderment had in a measure abat- ed "of course the name's familiar. Why do you ask?" She replied in the same strained, hushed voice: "He is my father." I was struck dumb—stunned. Dim- ly I was aware that she was still talk- ing, though the purport of hex words did not come to me until some seconds later. "Fox is not my name at all, she was saying, "any more, I suppose, than Willets is. I—I honestly don't know my true name. Years ago, when only a small child, I'was adopted by my father's only sister, Aunt Lois Fox. I took her name. She will not say anything about my parents. "Now you know the worst, Mr. Fer- ris. My father is a notorious criminal, i the most jealously guarded inmate of. San Quentin." (To be continued.) COALING WARSHIPS AT SEA. Collier and War Vessel Do It Sailing Twelve Miles an Hour. How the British vessels of war are coaled, whilo sailing through heavy I seas at a rate of twelve miles an hour, without hindering their activities in any way, is told in the Manchester Guardian. A collier, packed to the hatches with coal, gets into touch by wireless with a battleship whose bunkers need to be replenished. On sighting the 1 the au 1 chi vesse , pp y p manceuvres un- til it is within four hundred feet of the battleship. The collier then dis- patches a small boat that carries two cables; one end of each is attached to the masthead of the supply vessel. The lines pay out as the boat ad- vances, and when it reaches the war- ship the sailors fasten the cables to the stern of the ship on the port and starboard sides. The two ships, therefore, travel in a straight line fastened together, while from the mast of the collier to the deck of the warship stretches a transport cable for carrying coal bags. Sacks -of coal that weigh a ton are hoisted from the foot of the col- lier's mast to a platform at its head, below which there is a net to protect I deck hands from falling pieces of coal. By means of wheels that run on the cable, automatic winches force the load along the sloping transport line at a rate of three thousand feet a minute. On reaching the deck of the battleship the load is automatically re- , leased, and the transport starts on its return journey. By means of this apparatus sixty tons of coal can be carried every hour across the gap of water that sepa- 1 rates the supply ship from the battle- ship. The great advantage is that both vessels can move at the rate of twelve knots an hour while the 'coal- 'ing goes on. No sitting accommodation for the congregation was provided in churches before the 14th century. People sat on straw or rushes laid on the floor. Higgs—Crooke is a criminal lawyer, isn't he Diggs—He's a lawyer, but no to his being a criminal, r think he's too careful to quite overstep the i line. • RUSHED FROM CEYLON ..Fashion Hints °3L" 20 Al. B.22 as electrically weighed, hermetically sealed and dispatched till your table fresh with all the fragrant odors of the Sunny Isle. Sample from Salada, Toronto. Where Profit in Poultry Lica, In order to make as great profit as possible we should use economy in the production as well as good judgment in the marketing: of eggs and poul- try, writes Mrs. A. J. Wilder. The farmer has a great advantage here over the poultryman who has all the feed to buy and we must not for, get to make the best use possible df this advantage. At sowing and planting time is when we should make our plans for a var- iety of feed for the poultry through the year and especially for the win- ter. You will want enough wheat, oats, rye and barley sown to supply these grains in the bundle for the hens to work on. Sow some millet also to add variety and to furnish seed for next year's little chicks. Mangle or stock beets makea very good green food for the hens in the winter, so you will: need to plant plenty of them. Cabbage heads are a great treat for the fowls, so raise n few extra for them. Plant mammoth Russian sunflow- ers in the corners and waste places and if there are not enough corners to raise a good many, plant a patch of them. Sunflower seeds are great egg -producers and also make the plumage of the fowls bright and beautiful. They are fine to feed through the moulti se son nourish the feathers and cause them to grow rapidly. Variety in the food is more than half the secret of egg -production and it is much cheaper to raise these dif- ferent foods than it is to buy them, so do not forget the poultry at the planting time. Grit and charcoal can be found and rade on the farm and the expense of buying these necessary things can be saved. If there is a creek bed near haul gravel from that and place near the henhouses where the poultry can find it. Charcoal can be made by taking the live coals from the stove and pouring water over. them. They will,immediate]y turn to charcoal and can be ground or broken np into the right size for the chickens to swallow. Better do this work out of doors as steam and ashes will fly from the coals when the water is poured on them. In these ways we can greatly re- duce the cost of keeping poultry and it will pay us to give time and thought to our work as the profit in the poultry business, as in any other, lies between the cost of production and the afnount received for the mar- keted products. Besides comfortable quarters, the chick, to thrive, must have exercise, water, grit, a variety of grain food, green or succulent food, And casein or meat foods,: Exercise is as essential as food, and lack of it indicates wrong meth- ods of rearing. The natural way for a chick to take: its food is toscratch for it, taking a little at a time. If small chickens are put into a box with a bare floor and fed from a trough, they will become weak, Many will be- come clogged behind with the excre- ments accumulating on the down, and it is generally concluded that something has been fed to cause bowel trouble. As a matter of fact they are weak from lack of exercise, and the appearance of diarrhoea is only the inability of thechick pro- perly to expel its excrement. If chicks cannot be out of doors,. their feeding -floor should be covered with sand, and over this should be thrown some litter, such as chaff from the straw stack or leaves from an al- falfa loft. Place the feed in this lit- ter. If small quantities are thus given, and given often, the question of exercise is solved. Brooder chicks. need more care .in this way than do chicks with hens, but even in the lat- ter case it is worth while to make them scratch for their food when they are raised indoors. The notion is prevalent .that a chi& should begin his diet on boiled eggs, bread and milk or some other soft food. This notion has probably arisen from the knowledge that most young animals cannot digest hard' foods. But when we consider the fact that the natural food af. the! young mammal is ?silk, we see why this principle does not apply to chick -i ens. Little chicks should first - be fed, when 72 to 96 hours old. Feed small quantities and as often as is conveni- ent. If the feed is buriedin deep lit- I ter they must work longer in gutting it out. The•idea is to have them al- ways hungry enough to hunt for food, and always a little food for them. to I fled. If the chickens are at liberty, feeding often is not so important -1 three times a day would be sufficient; while if they roam far in the fields, finding much food, morning and even -1 ing feeding is all that is necessary. It is nota matter of great importance ! just what grain a chicken is first fed. The important thing is that ,they be supplied with a variety of grain as well as with casein or meat, grit and 1 green food. Client—"You ought to have gone into the army, not the law." Solicitor, —"Why?" Client—"By the way you chargo there would be little left of the enemy." What to Wear and How to Wear It. The long, puffy handbags are known as ".Juliet'," All of Shakespeare's ladies Appear with little money purses of satin or velvet, And, 50 far as we have ob- served, they never carry anything more than a "hanky" in them. Not so the real woman, I' saw a beautiful live Juliet the other day carrying Juliet of satin brocade, and she tools from itsluscious and expensive depths .more articles than were ever dug from the pocket of o. busy small boy whose business was that of col- lecting. Many women make the mistake of carrying these elaborate bags when they are attired in everyday costume. Such grand affairs are really for tea. dances and other dress -up affairs. One looses overdecorated lugging about a gold -lace -trimmed silken Juliet when one wears a serge gown and a plain sailor. Good dressing requires a lit- tle heavy thinking, and that is why it is desirable that the feminine packs shall pay heed. Anything that ex- ercises the human mind is for the wel- fare and advancement. of the human race, With that out of our editorial system we pass on to other subjects. Puffy roses made of satin or velvet .are used and make wonderfully effee- tive trimmings on dancing frocks, They are. made to order for each cos- tume and the same material is em- ployed for pipings, , bows or other forms of decoration. A .beautiful gown, showing these deftly contrived flowers, is of bronze colored chiffon, the skirt having tier upon tier of fluffy ruffles, cut in Van - dykes. To give irregularity tothe flounces they are caught up here and there with huge roses of dull blue satin and velvet. The color effect is • warm and living, and the entire cos- tume takes on a flowerlike fullness that is beautiful. The corsage is a mere wisp of chiffon—nothing more than a high. girdle, in fact—with narrow shoulder bands, from which flutter bits of flow- ing chiffon caught with more blue roses. There is a narrow band at the waist of dull blue brocade; laced front and back corslet-fashion, 'a little vogue note that prevails just now and which f5 youthful and pretty and gives I little curve at the waist which is much sought—after years of straight front and huge waist lines. Glory be! L EXTRA GRANULATED with the fruit you order for preserving. Tell him, too, that you want it in the Packages originated for 840 Sugar — 2 or 5 Ib. Sealed Cartons or 10, 20, 50 or • 1001b. Cloth Bags. Then you will be sure to get the GENUINE REi7PATl-I— !+ Canada's favorite sugar for three generations—the sugar to whose preserving purity you can •safely trust good fruit, CANADA SUGAR REFINING CO., LIMITED, MONTREAL. 135 /5r - 'l! SSIVASISCAligirris Was there ever anything so preva- lent as the new silk sweater jacket? It shows up everywhere, in every col- or, on every kind of a woman and of every kind of a si11c that looms ever contrived to weave. Glove silk sweaters are as thin as chiffon, almost, and in these the stripes predominate. There is cer- tainly a madness for awning and rain- bow stripes. Worn with white skirts they are very smart. Crepe de chine is the latest and new- est fabric for these absurd little coats, and it comes in all colors. Taffeta and cretonne have been tried, but buy- ers won't have them. They possess not the clinging qualities of either fine or coarse ribbed silks. The cor- duroys are a bit gone by, having ap- peared early in the season. Voile coats are seen, too, and everyone knows how cobwebby they are. It is almost an absurdity to call such gar- ments coats. Certainly they give neither warmth nor protection. If your skirt is plain you mustevear a striped jacket. If your skirt is striped, your jacket must besolidcol- or. That goes without saying. Too many stripes spoil the 'tout .ensemble. Also, they make your eyes go ziggy. QUEEN MARY FROWNS. Gay . Entertainments in War Time Meet With Her Disapproval. Those who have anything to do with Queen Mary just now in connection withphilanthropic and war schemes marvel at the methodical and orderly way in which she deals with the multi- farious committees and schemes with which she is connected. Her memory and capacity for organization are ex traordinary,and she appears to Carry. the details of every department in her head. ' As a matter of fact a strong leather bound notebook plays an important part in assisting Queen Mary's inem- cry. It accompanies her everywhere. In it she enters all the things she de- sires to remember in connection with her various good works just now. Her'schemes of organization are her own. If these little leather bound books could be collected and placed in the London Museum at Stafford House they would make an interest- ing addition to the royal collection, The Queen has taken a very de- cided attitude with regard to enter- taining in war times, and has shown her strong disapproval in no uncer- tain manner. In fact, ie. has been so openly expressed that very few host- esses have dared to send out invita- tions for dances for some time—and dinners, too, have not been so numer- ous or lropular of late. Not Much, "'Ihere'.3 not much petticoat rule nowadays, in 'pito of votes for woe 'meg,' was said, ''No,' smiled illc.Fee, "there's not much petticoat,"