HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1947-9-3, Page 2truxt
The We
Was Dying
By
John Christopher
Joe €'ulin looked at the blonde
girl behind the counter as if he
hada t seen her for the last 21
years, And be hadn't. Almost to
the day, come ()ember 5, !;sen
after 21 yearn a guy can't target
the birth date of his daughter.
She looked thi spitting reflec-
tion of her umother, years haat:
when Martha and 1uc had decided
they had made a uurt:,Ie iu uaury-
int; e:ub other. It was too late
then, because the kid was on its
way, and even Jot knew it took
a lather and a mother to give it
the correct backing. But if the
old man hadn't had the sante cor-
rect backing, Joe had decided, he
was like a weed. He had to be
pulled out, to let the good seed
grow,
Joe had figured he was a weed,
and had pulled himself out.
"Evening, mister: Can I help
vour" Joe looked up. A lump settled
in kis throat. His daughter teas smil-
ing at him with .stars in her eyes.
Twenty-two years oldl When
he had last seen her, she was a
mere trick of one, a curly-haired
kid, learning her first steps, Car-
rie, they had warned her. After
nobody in'particular. Martha bad
just liked the Warne, that was all.
One thing, though. Wonder if
Martha had done something with
"Colin"?
"I used to lite here years ago,"
Joe said, to start conversation.
"You did?" Her blue eyes suet
his for a moment Of sparkling in-
terest. "Thought you'd conte back
and see how things have changed?"
"Two -Faced"
Dtoirng the abseurtt of the editor
and publisher of a surall daily paper,
his .Sort took over. Remembering
that each morning Ices father always
dropped is on the lovrl judge and
f.,gaired !tote maty had been
brought into court, he followed the
sauce routine.
"IVell, how tunny ford the judge
today?" he jovially asked.
"Two," canoe the answer.
That night the judge was indig-
nant to read 'u the paper, "Two
Faced Judge."
"Well, sort of," He stroked the
beard, "1 used to know a lot of
people around here. What's your
name? f might know your old
man,"
"Name's Lester," she told him.
"Carrie Lester."
Lester. So Martha had ditched
"Colin." "Lester," Joe mused,
"Heck, I knew your old manl
What's he doing stow?"
"I don't know," site said.
"Mother thinks he's out in Cali-
fornia."
finally. "Cot a husband—or maybe
a boy friend?"
"Ifow about you?" he asked
Her face gave off warmth like
sunshine. "A boy friend." she said
brightly. "But it won't be long
before the 'Air. acid Mrs.' If you're
herein ;motile! 15 minutes, you'll
see him. 11e's tinning after ate."
Joe grinned. "1'11 be stere," he
said,
She brought in his meal. He
just finished it when the door
opened and a tall, young man in
a brown tweed shit swept into the
room like a stray, autumn leaf.
Her eyes brightened but politely
she asked Joe his name, and in-
troduced him. The boy, she said
was Harry Bradshaw.
"Years ago," she explained, "Mr.
Colin used to live here. We got
sort of acquainted while he waited
for his food."
"50 you kids are slated for the
long walk up the altar, eh?" Joe
remarked.
The Bradford kid's face split in
a long smile.
"Look," Joe said matter of fact-
ly, "I got a few green -backs saved
up. I'd like to give it to you two
for a wedding present. Two hun-
dred dollars. Maybe you'd like to
buy something for the baby—
when it comes. Huh?"
"No thanks," Harry said. "We
certainly appreciate it, but we both
work, It wouldn't be right."
Joe drew out a checkbook. He
grinned good-naturedly. "I'll draw
up a check, anyway."
The two youngsters looked be-
wildered.
"Go on," urged Joe. "Take it.
It's good. Don't worry about me."
She took it. "You—you're wond-
erful," she whispered. "And 1 can't
understand why. Thanks—a lat."
Joe smiled and walked old,
breathing in the cool, night air.
Funny thing, but now he realiz-
ed that something had changed in
the weed. And suddenly Joe knew
that after years of battling harsh
winds, snow, cold, and rain, the
weed was dying.
And Joe was the weed.
FUrv*r'Y BUSINESS
By Hershberger
-"..1:1;;: llIaAe t t
HA,c tl
A • W iH•A4,4 eJ(_-=
COPA, 1997. NFA lrt5ICT,lHC.7 M, N(ro. U 1, PAT,
ot6 ^'e �k�cse2
"M3 love birds got into a scrap! ,Can you fix then' up?"
THE Sr'rl.'.T7.0 TiforNo
"High-strung, isn't he?"
a
Good Way to keep cool is demonstrated here by •Barbara Dennison and Martha Mitchell who
give a polite sneer to old man gravity as they list heavily to starboard to make a spectacular
turn on their fast-moving aquaplane. Looks simple? Try it some time.
As Mother Swims—Lest some
well-wisher might take the
child to the "lost and found"
department, Barbara Salsmon's
mother put the sign on the big
wastepaper basket, where she
parked her daughter while tak-
ing a dip in Lake Ontario to
escape the heat.
Switzerland Marks
Over 650 Years of
Political Freedom
Switzerland, which has main-
tained a policy of strict neutrality
forovera century and a half, ob-
served its 656th year of demo-
cratic freedom on the first of this
month. Once again traditional
festivities, curtailed during the war
when the nation was encircled by
the Axis, were held.
It was back is 1291 that the
mountaineers and peasants of the
first three cantons, Uri, Schwyz
and Unterwaiden, entered into a
perpetual pact to safeguard their
system of local self-government in
opposition to the officials set up
by the Habsburgs, Since then
Switzerland, whose union of twen-
ty-two cantons was completed in
1'15, has proved that it is possible
for nations to live together in har-
mony. The Swiss policy of abso-
lute but active neutrality enabled
the nation to perform many im-
portant international services.
During the two World Wars the
International Red Cross in Geneva
accomplished enormous tasks in
acting as liaison agent between pri-
soners and internees of war and
their ,families. More than 100,000
refugees have been sheltered with-
in Swiss frontiers in recent years,
further proof of the humane role
which the little land of the Alps
played in the second World War.
The "Save the Children" pro-
* * *
gram of the Swiss National Red
Cross is still in effect. It helps
thousat}<ls of youngsters of all na-
tionalities to regain their health
through recuperative vacations in
Swiss resorts and private hones.
Other charities include roving
medical teams and numerous relief
centres, The foreign interests of
forty-four nations, including the
United States, were ' handled by
Switzerland during the last war.
Four different languages are spok-
en in this little country of 4,300,000
people, All groups continue to
work together in harmony and co-
operation developed over six aid
a half centuries of democratic
freedom.
Final Proof
.4 bumptious fellow was giving
evidence in a police court.
"You say you ,stood up9" asked
the magistrate.
"41 said," retorted the conceited
one, "that 1 stood. If one stands
one must stand up. 7'here's go other
Amy of standing.'
'Oh, isn't there9" replied the
magistrate, "Pay cavo pounds for
Contempt of court—and .nand doavrtl"
Ibn Saud Travels
With 4 Room Tent
Complete with Bath
King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia
lives with one foot in the seventh
century and the other in the twen-
tieth. A battle -scarred desert war-
rior, 67, he never saw a modern
city until he went to Egypt and
visited Cairo in 1943. He has n
stone palace with telephone and
pushbuttons in the crude, walled
capital of Ryadh, but when he
travels his servants pitch a four -
room, silk -lined tent, complete
with bathroom. This ruler of
"Arabia of the Sauds" holds title
to the 610,000 square miles of his
land and absolute power over his
5,250,000 illiterate and impoverish-
ed subjects.
Ibn Saud has a fabulous income.
For the privilege of exploiting
Arabia's vast oil reserves, the Ara-
bian -America' Oil Company pays
him a royalty of 23 cents a barrel.
The total came to $10,000,000 in
1946, is expected to reach $50,000,-
000 in 1950,
Last week the King announced
plans for spending some of his
money. He will enlarge two
ports, build a railway, two air-
fields, 1,200 miles of road. He
plans to bring electricity and
water to the holy cities of Mecca
and Medina as well as to Ryadh,
He plans also to construct irriga-
tion projects, build agricultural
experiment stations, schools and
hospitals, The construction will
take four years and cost $270,000,-
000—most of which the King ex-
pects to borrow from U.S. oil
companies and the U.S. Import -
Export Bank, •
De -Hailer W anted
Hailstones are particularly se-
vere in Italy and cause millions of
lire of damage to crops. Hence
the president of the lslilan Fair
Association has offered 100,000,000
lire at next year's exposition to
any one who can devise a method
for preventing haiistorms. Two
suggestions have been made pub-
lic and pronounced unacceptable.
One is an anti-aircraft barrage aim-
ed to explode in the middle of the
offending cloud, The other is the
use of the now too -familiar atom
bomb. The atom bomb seems to
be running first as a universal
panacea for all men's ills.
—New York San
Clean out your furnace and
chimney during the summer to
avoid waste of heat and danger of
fire next winter,
STUFF AND THINGS
"Delicious, aren't 'het
Still Grow 'Em L ilk
In British Columbia
A news story from Halifax, re-
cords the arrival there of a 128 -
foot British Columbia Douglas fir,
It arrived loaded on three rail-
way flat cars, to make the new
flagpole for the City Hall.
It is getting on towards evening
of the day of the tall timbers, But
there are still active loggers who
can remember when it was not
very unusual to cut fir timbers
36 inches by 36 inches by 150 feet.
They used to load them on the
Fraser, on the old windjammers,
through a thole cut in the bows
of the ship. They went to )::urope,
to make the keelsons of the last
of the wooden ships.
Still, that 128 -foot flagpole for
Halifax City Hall would hardly
have been cut out of less than a
200 -foot tree, a tall, straight tree,
a very wonderful thing,
Always listen to the opinions of
others; it probably won't <lo you
any good, but it will them,
Canadian, Sir John M(eLenn;.: ny
Placed Helium an Commercial Basis
"1 he late .Sir John C. McLennan
spent his early youth in Stratford,
Ontario, The following article is re-
produced front a booklet, "Forward
with Canada."
May 6th, 19371 The scene: The
airport at Lakeburst, New Jersey.
Floating gently towards the huge
hangar is a proud German airship. A
veteran of ten round-trip flights
across the Atlantic, it is the pas-
senger -carrying Hindenburg, Land-
ing ercws stand ready as the romm.
moth dirigible settles earthward,
Suddenly, and with incredible swift-
ness, the airship bursts into flames.
Ho:richt! spectators, powerless to
help, hear the screams of trapped
victims. In a !natter of motnculs,
nothing is left but a tortured twist-
ed mass of white hot metal! One
more ghastly monument to the haz-
ards of llyrlrogc* * *
September 3rd, 19251 Another
lighter -than -air craft fights- for her
Wel High above Ohio the Ameri-
can dirigible .Shenandoah is in mor-
tal distress! Shaken and tossed by a
giant storm she batters on with a
gallant heart, Finally she is beaten
and breaks into three parts. There
are casualties in this tragedy and
some men die ... But there is no
fire! Many of the crew ride out the
storms, navigating part of the hull
as a .free balloon. At last they land
safely, thankful for their good for- .
tune that the Shenandoah had been
filled, not with treacherous, explos-
ive hydrogen, but :with life-saving,
non-inflamable H El -.HIM 1
* *•
*
In the year 1914, there was avail-
able only 75 cubic feet of helium. It
was worth $7,000 per cubic foot,
Then World War I swept over Eu-
rope The British Government call-
ed for helium. They wanted large
quantities — quickly! Helium, the
safety gas, was ideal for filling ob-
servation balloons and blimps. But
where would they get helium?
Where? Time was short! Then
somebody in England remembered
that a Canadian scientist, Professor
John Cunningham McLennan, had
been lecturing in London. Included
in his lectures were reports on Can-
ada's natural gases. The British Ad-
miralty was interested in one particu-
lac statement: Professor McLennan
had said that certain natural gas
wells in Canada appeared to be rich
in hellion, That was the clue Sec.
ret, coded cables crackled across the
Atlantic as British officials impress-
ed 00 John McLennan the urgency
of their needs, But the Professor
needed no urging. The search for
helium wits on!
* * *
1 i'ssor McLennan decided thal
the best sources of supply were
near Calgary, Alberta, and Ham-
ilton, Out. On arrival at the lens
well;, McLennan and Itis cull,'atmen
wore faced with a trent( 'Mons
obstack. I'::,ietiug nutlwds of Felt_
ant extraction required the limning
off of the unwanted pas, but ai
Monition and Calpnry this method
was impossible. The eutpul cel the
gas wells was being piped into near-
by bonus and factories. To eel r:'t
tete helium, Professor Ilei Conan
must devise a new method, one
which would not interfere with the
normal flow of gas to Ironies and
factories. This challenge to Can-
adian ingenuity was swiftly ans-
wered. With concentrated vigor the
scientists under John McLennan dug
into the job, spurred by the know-
ledge that human lives depended up-
on their success. Finally plans were
drawn. A plant was built—and the
new apparatus tested. It was o FIR,.
MS
* * *
Large quantities of helium were
now available for the first time.
Professor McLennan had put helium
on a commercial basis. The price pe.
cubic foot dropped from succi
thousand dollars to eleven cents!
Today many varied and valuable
new uses are being found for Ire-
inm, In the modern light metal in-
dustry, in deep sea diving, and in
the new field of electronics, helium:
has its important place. Again the
research of a Canadian scientist
contributed to the welfare of the
world—Sir John Mrl.cnnan 1
Rice Ration
The Sydney Morning Herald to-
Ittutaist says he hasn't dared to
check this one for fear it's not true:
The Chinese in Sydney get a
special ries ration.
A half -Chinese taontau thought
she'd like some, and applied.
She got half a ration.
igaiai -ON
1,17.678.17iNg OPT
THE 'Pltt®SP)CCTOR
fiu'dyy Men, Searching out the hidden
wealth of a nation; accepting privation, lone,
linens and the stern challenge of nature in
the hope of finding the elusive 'strike!'
• The discovery of a nation's mineral wealth,
ao essential to pragrosa, lies in the strong
hands and willing heart of Tho Prospoctor.
Men liko this, some of Canada's finest, are
in the service of the public—at your service.
IMVNES NMI NORSE BREWERY
One of a series of advertisements in tribade to those Canadians in the 'service of the public
------------
POP--Helping The Opposition
IL - .LT...
t��;F'GtV�O ssn.Ts J� Iev,tkYty w
a rt,5 Ill craa.t.Ec,Ye.
"^- J' t-IEt.t='e~D-AT YALE.
I• -, 1 TR -912E •C -YEAR
STRAiGt-V
�SS
1 DIDN'T (,(NOW '101.1
WENT TO
YALE 1
By J. MILLAR WATT