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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Clinton News Record, 1940-03-21, Page 2WAGE 2 THE CLINTON, NEWS -RECORD THUR$,S., MARCH 21, 1940 ONO SOLVE THIS MYSTERY OF THE SPACIOUS ROMANTIC WEST Principal Characters: Yi;EITH MARLOW .............Of the Canadian Mounted Police, re cently joined from Britain. •CO•LIN ANSON .... . .Ma'1owas cousin, who had gone out t o Canada some :years earlier than. Keith. CHET FRASER .............. . .Friend of Keith, he later joins the Mounted Police, PAUL MARRABLE .. , , , , , ..::. An unsavoury character, suspected o f trafficking in drugs and drink with the Canadian Indians. • •GRACE ARDEN . . ..Lives with her father in a remote p art of the mountains... DUNCAN MacLAINE .. ...Keith' Maelow's fellow trooper. CHAPTER XXII :PERILS OF THE LOST RIVER: The flood wave reached the point of the landslide before Keith was any- where near the rim of. the cliff. Its roar rose to thunder as it sinashed through the narrowed channel. "Chet!" Keith shouted despe3ately, but the crash of the flood was so loud he could hardly hear his own! ;voice. Yet Chet and Tuzu must have heard ,the wave. They would neve be able to save the canoe but Keit hoped fierce that they themselve were safe. r gouts of yellow foam that raced on 1. its surface. Ohs glance was enough s to show that nothing living could climb down into its depths•, and Keith's spirits sank to their .lowest, for it seemed to ' him that he was f marooned on this bare slope without t food and shelter. Strong as he was, he would hardly survive a night in this bitter cold and, to make matters even worse, the sky looked eis if a fresh storm was sweeping down off the mountains. A. little way up, The Slit curved F sharply to the left. Tuzu had said. that. Marrable's guards were station- ed beyond that 'bend. Keeping far enough back from the rim rock to avoid anyone seeing him from below. Keith walked up stream.' He reached the bend, passed beyond it and, going ' down: on hands and knees, crawled to the edge. His eyes widened. This was such a change as he could hard- ly have believed possible for here the canyon was four or five times as wide as at the entrance and on a � broad ledge of rock immediately be- neath him stood a small but solidly • built shack from the chimney of ! which a curl of smoke arose. Who- ever was inside was cooking, for even at this height, Keith could plainly small frying bacon and the rich scent of hot coffee. Poor Tuzu had been right, and this was Marrable's guard house. Close to the shack, pulled up well from the river was a canoe. The paddles lay in it. That and a stack of cordwood were the only objects visible besides the shack. Keith look- ed at the cliff. It was steep enough, that was plain, but was broken with I many small ledges. He had little doubt that he could climb clown, al- ways supposing that the occupants of the shack did not spot him and take pot shots at him on the way. He took a' second look at the cliff and realized that he would need day- light to tackle it. It would be suicide to try it in the dark. But the climb would take some time and, while he was em the cliff face, he would be at the mercy of the guards. Once more it seemed to Keith that his case was hopeless. He reached the' rim and looked down The ledge on which they three had landed was covered with a swirl o yellow, foam -speckled water. Of Che and Tuzu there was no sign. His gaze went out across the torrent and ''then he saw them. They were cling ing to the canoe which was full of water and they and it were being swept down the rushing flood at The Clinton News -Record frightful speed. with which is Incorporated THE NEW ERA TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION $1.60 per year in advance, to Can- . adian addresses; $2.00 to the U.S. old other foreign countries. No paper : f discontinued until all arrears are paid unless at the option of the pub -i fisher. The date to which every sub- scription is paid is denoted on the' label. ADVERTISING RATES — Transient advertising 12c per count line for first insertion. 3c, for each subse- quent insertion. Heading counts 2 lines. Small advertisements not to exceed one inch, such as "Wanted", "Lost, "Strayed", etc., inserted once for 35c., each subsequent insertion 15c. Rates for display advertising made known on application. Communications intended for pub- lication must, as a guarantee of good faith, be accompanied by the name of the -writer. G. E. HALL - - Proprietor II. T. DANCE Notary Public, Conveyancer Financial RealEstate and Fir in• e aurance Agent. Representing 14 Fire Insurance Companies. Division Court Office. Clinton .Frank Finglatld, B.A., LLB. ;Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Public Shccessor to W. I3rydone, K.C. 'Sloan. Blocs — Clin1•nn, Ont. D. IL McINNES CHIROPRACTOR Electro Therapist, Massage Office: Huron Street. (I'ew Doerr west of Royal Bank) Hours—Wed. and Sat. and by appointment. FOOT CORRECTION to manipulation Sun -Ray Treatment Phone 207 GEORGE ELLIOTT %Licensed Auctioneer for the County of Huron Correspondence promptly answered Immediate arrangements can be made for Sales Date at The News -Record, Clantbr-, or by calling phone `203. Charges Moderate and Satisfaction Guaranteed. THE McKILLOP MUTUAL Fire Insurance Company Head Office, Scaforth, Ont. Officers: President, Thomas Moylan, Sea - /forth; Vice President, William Knox, ,Londesboro; Secretary -Treasurer, M. A. Reid, Seaforth. Directors, Alex. SBroadfoot, Seaforth; James Sholdice, Walton; Janes Connolly, Goderich; W. R. Archibald, Seaforth;Chris. Leonhardt, Dublin; Alex. McH+wing. Bath; Frank McGregor, Clinton. List of Agents: E. A. Yee, R.R. 1, '-Goderich, Phone 0031'31, Clinton; :Tames Watt, Blyth; John E. Pepper, Brucefield, 11. R. No. 1; R, F. McKer- eher, Dublin, R. R. No. 1; Chas. F. •Hewitt, Kincardine; R. G. Jan -math, Bornholm, R. R. No. 1. Any money to be paid may be paid to the Royal Bank, Clinton; Bank of Commerce, Seaforth, or at Calvii ,Cbtt's Grocery, Goderich. Parties desiring to effect insur• mere or transact other business will be promptly attended to on applies. tion to any of the above officers ad- doessed to their respective post offi•• des. Losses inspected by the director who lives nearest the scone. TIME TABLE Trains will .arrive at and depart from Clinton as follows: Buffalo and Goderich Itiv. Going East, depart 6.43 a.m.. Going East, depart 8:00 p.m Going. West, depart 11.45 a.m. Going West, depart 9.50 p m. London, Huron & Bruce Going North,' ar 11.21, lve.' 11.47 a.m. Going Soutb ar. 2.50, leave 3.08 p.m. Keith did not waste a moment. He started along the cliff top, running as fast as the ground allowed. In places the slope was steep as a house roof and the thin turf dangerously wet and slippery; here and. there re- mains of half -melted snowdrifts bar- red his way; twice Ire had to climb across ridges of rock similar to that from which he had first seen th flood wave. Struggle as he might, it was impos- sible to keep the canoe in sight and, before he had gone a 'hundred yards, it :had been swept round a bend and he could see it no longer. Panting, slipping and stumbling, he forced him- self on until suddenly he was on the edge of a ravine too wide to jump grid with sides too deep and steep to climb. Ike tried to go round it only to meet sheer cliff. - Completely spent, Keith dropped full length on the sopping grass and, for perhaps the first time in his life, gave way to despair. During the past weeks Chet had become almost as dear to hint as a younger brother and little Tuzu had gained Keith's friendship by his unfailing cheerful- nessandpluck. Now theyboth were gone, for even if the canoe kept them afloat for a little they could not long survive the icy chill of the 'snow water, And, so far as Keitlr could remember; there was no possible landing place for two miles or more beyond the bend. How long Keith lay there he never knew. When he dropped he had been wet with sweat from his furious ex- ertions; the cold wind had chilled had to the bone when he struggled stiffly to his feet. By degrees he began to realize his own plight. He had no food, no weapon except his revolver. Matches he had but no fuel of whleh to .rake a fire. Even if provided with food it was cut of the question to return to the river mouth, for sheer cliffs barred the way while, if he went upstream, the prospect was, equally hopeless. True, Tuzu had spoken of the Val- ley of No Echo where lived the mysterious "Tamer,' but that could be reached only by water. The rims of the deep canyon through which Lost River flowed did not seem pas- sable by a man, on foot, however well equipped. Keith's thoughts turned to Mar- i- ble's guards posted, so Tuzu had said, a little way up the narrow gorge called "The Slit." They at any rate would have shelter and food. They certainly would' not share these good things willingly. Yet their cabin was Keith's only Trope for life, so he began to plan how to get the better of them. Teem hacl said that they were posted some little way up the' sid stream, cut of sight of the main river, and that one kept watch while the other rested. It seemed clear to Keith that lis only chance was to 1 wait until darkness fell, then crawl un to the _cabin. What would happen after that was impossible to proph-' esy. He would have to take his chances and at present these looked remarkably ,slim. He turned and made back along the edge of the cliff. As he picked! his way over the perilous slopes he wondered how he had travelled down then at such speed without coming to grief. One slip meant a drop of a hunched feet or more into the rac-' ing river below. KEITH'S ONLY CHANCE Not that Keith cared. He was so utterly depressed at the loss of his companions that he was Bary he had not shared their fate. At fast he; won back to the rock ridge from' Which he had. first scan the flood' wave and climbing cautiously carer it' was able to look down into The Slit.I A ghastly place! It 'was a full hundred feet deep and not much more' i hen that in breadth at the top. At the bottom, its width was only about. ten paces, and the river that filled it looked black •as ink except for the CHAPTER XXIII SURPRISE FOR THE GUARDS A great cold drop splashed on Keith's cheek. The storm which he had seen gathering on the heights had broken. Next minute the air was full of driving shafts of rain. Keith did not lose a moment. He went over the edge and started his peril- ous climb. The rain beat upon him, little rivulets poured over the rim and fell in tiny waterfalls among the broken crags. The chill air was misty with spray and Keith's fingers grew numb as he lowered himself from one nar- row shelf to another. ' He gave no thought to his discomfort, The storm would keep Marrable's men within doors and give hint his chance to get down, unseen. It was still pouring when lie reach- ed the bottom. He paused a moment to get breath and see that his revol- ver was safe then glanced at the; canoe. He was tempted to launch it and get away at once. But even with the stream' it would take two full days to reach the mouth of Lost River and he had not a scrap of food, nor a vag to cover him during the bitter nights. The task was beyond 'him and ire proved Moser to the shack.. Tf possible he wanted a peep through the window to see what the men inside looked like. He was close under the side of the cabin when the rain ceased as sud- denly as it had begun!. Almost at the same moment Keith saw the door opening. fortunately for him it opened towards the side where he 'was standing and with three quick, silent steps he was able to get be- hind it. A man came out, a thick -set fel- low, with greasy black hair and a coarse stubble of ,.beard on his un- pleasant ,face. As he turned the coiner Keith's arm, shot out •and the muzzle of ,his revolver dug into the man's short ribs. His jaw dropped, his eyes -bulged. Keith could :almost have iaughed; at the ludicrous sur- prise depicted on' the fellow's face. To Min it must have seemed as though Keith •had choppedfrom the moon. "Raise your hands!" Keith ordered in a low voice. "Now turn round and walk in front of me through the door." The other obeyed. Keith kept close behind hint, his' pistol ready for in-. start use. Inside the roughly furnish- ed little place a mane was busy over the stove turning rashers in a pan.. "Hurry up with that wood, 'Tray- nor' raynor," he said in a sharp, hard .Voice. i ' ow the devil' :an I` going to cook supper without fuel?" Getting no reply, he mined. In a flash Keith: saw that this man was a very different type from Traynor, and much more dangerous. He was sandy -haired with' a long, narrow face, thin lips and 'very pale eyes. The moment he set eyes on Keith Ire'reacted instantly. His right hancli, flashed to his holster and his draw was like lightning. Traynor flung himself flat on the floor and two shots crashed out with only a fraction of a second between therm. Keith's was the first and that was lucky for him for the, sandy - haired man's bullet plucked at his left sleeve before thudding into the log built wall of the cabin. His adver- saiy's pistol arm dropped, an expres- sion of extreme surprise showed, for a moment ore his hard face, then he folded up ,and collapsed' with a thump on the rock floor. Keith stood still for a moment to make certain that there was no de- ception, but the man was as dead as ever he would be, for Keith's bullet had hit him in the throat. "It's all over," he said to Traynor. "Get um And don't try anything or you'll be in the same box." Traynmr's thick . cheeks had a yellow pallor as he got to his feet. He looked at the dead man., then at Keith. "I wouldn't! be- in your shoes when the Boss hears of this," he snarled. "Don't worry your heart about that," said Keith curtly. "I've thrash- ed your Chief once and I can do it again, if necessary. Now get to work and finish cooking supper. But first you can put the body outside." TRAYNOR TELLS NOTHING It wasn't like Keith tobluff, but he 'knew very- well the sort of man: with wham he was dealing. The re- sult was just what he had expected. A scared look wiped the truculence from Traynor's face, he lifted the body of his late companion and car- ried it outside. Keith seized the op- portunity to look round the place for arms. He picked up the dead man's pistol then saw a rifle in the cor- ner. This was not loaded but there was a box of cartridges on a shelf. He pocketed these and sante pistol cart- ridges as well. He found. a second, pistol wheh no doubt was Traynor's. This and the dead man's revolver he took to the door and threw both into the river. The rifle he decided to keep Tra. ynor cane back and went to the stove Eynow Every an n d the he glanced round at Keith in a queer furtive way. He seemed to have re- covered from his fright, and Keith wondered what was in his mind. He was planning something or else knew something which Keith did not know. Keitlr was sure of that, and kept keen watch on the roan all the time. He himself was thinking and plan- ning. He decided that be would stock some food in the canoe, launch it, and make the best of his way down. river. IIe would need help to tackle Marrable's stronghold, and the soon- er he got it the better. Traynor put food on the table. Fried bacon, baked beans, sour -dough bread and coffee. Keith ate mechani- cally. He was more than ever cure that Traynor had something up his sleeve, and he was wondering wheth- er he had not bettor start at once. But already the dusk was closing, and it was raining again in torrents. IIe decided that -he had better re- main under cover for the night and start early in the morning. He fin- ished liis' supper and let Traynor take the plates anal dishes and wash them. When Traynor had finished his job and stoked up: the stove, he took a chair on the far sidle of the room from Keith, sat down,and filled and lighted his pipe. There was no ex - Messier' on his heavy face, yet Keith was aware that the man, watched him constantly. Keith shot a sudden ques- tion at him. "IIow many men his Wing at The Bowl?" "Plenty," said Traynor, sullenly. "I asked how many," Keith snap- ped. "Twenty, I reckon)' Traynor an- swered. "How often are the guards reliev- ed?" was Keith's next question, "There ain't no set time," Traynor told him. Keith knew he was lying, but there was no way to make him tell the truth. He lighted his own pipe, and the two sat silent as the shadows 34% On Guaranteed Trust Certificates A legal investment for Trust Funds Uncon ht onady Guaranteed THE STEJUUNC TRUSTS CORPORATION STERLING TOWER TORONTO MINESWEEPING AND'' conditions are favourable to aircraft operations, dark moonless nights and calm seas They para attached to parachutes. These mines .are alsa distributed by •submarines and are laid in complete dieregar•cl of .inter- n'ational law, which accessible to neu- tral shipping to whom. the seas' are, or should be, free. The first intimation neutrals are given 'of the presence of a Gorman minefield is when one of their ships is blown up. Counter-measures consist in tow- ing a magnetic sweep -.that is to say magnets attached to a wire—be- tween two fishing vessels of small craft, over the area in which mines are suspected, The , magnets provide the requisite disturbance to the mine's magnetic field to detonate the mine: as they pass over it. The horned impact mine is moored to a simmer by a length of wire. It has a number of horns projecting from it •and is detonated by a ship striking these horns. International Law requires that if 'the wire is severed and the mine fleets -to the surface it shall be harmless even if a ship strikes the horns. A 'safety device has been in- troduced ntroduced into all British mines whereby the tension of the mooring wire alone keeps the nine inoperat- ive. Directly that is relaxed—if the mine is torn. from it mooring wire alone by a storm, or the wire is cut by a minesweeping operation, the detonator becomes inoperative. Counter measures against the im- pact mines, which are laid by both submarines and surface minelayers consist in towing at the end of a wire an object which floats and is built on the stream lines of a fish. By connecting to the wire in the vicinity of this float a board which works on the principle of a rudder, the float travels parallel to the sur- face , can be made to intercept the upright mooring wire of the mine at any desired depth. This is cut by the strain and the mine floats to the surface. A patrol vessel follows in the wake of the minesweepers — several of which follow each other in echelon — and by rifle and machine gun fire perforates the mine case, which fills with water and sinks to the bottom. Both these operations involve very skilful handling of wires. Steel wire is always dangerous. Under great strain it is liable to part, the portion above water springing back like elastic; it will decapitate a man as THE MEN WHO DO IT' BY "BAR'i'IM]'US (Tho famous British Naval- writer) In their attempts ' to paralyse British shipping and as part of their Naval "offensive" the Germans are laying mines which are of two types the magnetic :nine and the moored impact mine. The magnetic mine rests on the bottom and does not require ta' be struck by anything. It is sufficient For a ship' to pass into its magnetic field for it to ,expode. These mines are laid by aircraft which drop them in fairways when deepened. At last -Keith got up, light- ed the 'leinp, took from his pocket the light steel chain which he al- ways carried,: and ordered Traynor to one of the bunks. Scowling, Traynor obeyed, and Keith locked him to one of the solid uprights. "Just in case you took the nation to stick a knife in nee during the night," he said, as he turned the key. Then as he was very tired, he de- cided to turn in, -but before doing so he went outside to make sure that all was right. He could not get Traynor's odd glances and queer be- haviour out of his mind. It was now well on in the spring, and there was still light in the sky. He could see a long way up this side stream that came down from the lake called The Bowl, but there was no- thing in sight. How could there be? No one in their senses would travel down a vapid like that except in broad daylight. He looked across the stream and noticed that the cliff on' the far side was even more broken than that which he had recently des cended. He went back into the cabin,' pulled off his boots and tunic, turned! the lamp low, and lay down in the second bunk. He greatly wished that he had Koltag with him, yet felt' fairly sure -that he was safe. It was a long time before he could sleep. The picture of Chet Wilson, and Tuzu clinging to the swamped canoe, sweeping to their death in that relentless flood, kept rising be - fomes his eyes. He was sick with the' horror of it, and with remorse that be had not been able to help them.! At last, with a great effort of will, he put these thoughts from his mind and slept. I (CONTINUED NEXT ISSUE) effectively as a guillotine, and break banes like match stalks. Wire out of control on the narrow slippery desk of a minesweeper roll- ing in as heavy sea can behave like a cageful . of mad serpents and be even more dangerous. For this reasna the mine sweeping personnel is largely drawn from the fishing !population of Great Britain. These men, besides being accustom- ed to handlingwires and living in small ships in all weathers, have a . tradition of hardihood and unassum- ing courage. They have no illusions about the duty required of them, The trawlers in which they work the fishing vessels to which they are accustomed converted into minesweepers — do sometimes strike a mine. And when they do the t'he trawler usually van- ishes, with everybody on board. If sighted by German aircraft they are bombed .and machine-gunned. They work from dawn to sunset in fair weather ,and foul, in the bitter cold of a North Sea winter. They are a soft-spoken, gentle -mannered breed of men accustomed to the perils of war with unobtrusive gall- antry. I went out on one of these trawlers to gain experience of mine sweep- ing and the lives the trawlers' crews lead. The skipper had been thirty-five years in trawler fishing hi the North Sea. He knew it like the palm of his hand. I asked him if he had ever been wrecked. He said he had — once, as a boy. When the little vessel struck he went below and put on his best suit. This anger- ed his captain who asked him what he meant by such conduct. He re- plied that he wished his dead body to look respectable when it was wash- ed ashore. Although the first apiary of the Dominion Experimental Farms Ser- vice was established at Brandon, Man., in 1891 and the apiary at Ottawa in 1893, it was not until 1915 that the Bee Division of the Service was created to look after this par- ticular endeavour. -e r There is only one decision to be made by the Canadian people on March 26th ... It is this: Shall our country's war effort be handed over to unknown, unnamed politicians ... to a make.. shift cabinet with Dr. Manion as the self-appointed leader? Or ... Shall our country's war effort be continued vigorously and faithfully by the known and proven administration of Mackenzie King? That is the question YOU must answer. a F Uh I r iley?—or—tut hi the pen! It is time for plain speaking. Dr. Manion's pretence of offering "national" government is sheer polit- ical deceit. Because: even if he were elected to office, Dr. Manion could not organize or lead a truly national gov- ernment. The parliamentary group which might follow him would fail to represent all Canada. It would not represent the people of the national Liberal party. It would not represent the people of the C.C.F. party. It would not represent the people of the historic Conservative party which Dr. Manion has now scuttled. Do not be deceived! Dr. Manion cannot give you National Government. The best he might give you would be government by unknown followers. Ile invites you to follow him up a blind alley.. to vote for a government of his own imagination -answerable to some undisclosed pont/ice'. group. Mackenzie King offers you something entirely in the open ... the most truly National government Canada has ever known. His parliamentary followers represent the people of every province in Canada — every section of our country—every economic, social and racial group. There is not an area: of this country... not a single classification of our people ...without proper repre- sentation in the Mackenzie king following. Mackenzie King's cabinet ministers are well known to you. They are broadly experienced men, eager and able to continue the sort of admin- istration which brought progress to Canada in times of peace and national pride to Canadians since the outbreak of war. The Mackenzie King administration is answerable to the people of Canada —to no one else. The friesponsnAlity is N Yu .srs Canada is facing the greatest crisis in her history. It is YOUR responsibility to say how she is to deal with this crisis. Therefore: when you go to the polls on March 26th you should consider only what is best for Canada —what is best for the Empire and our allies —what is the sure, direct road to Victory and Peace. The National Liberal Federation of Canada, Ottawa. Ontario.