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The Clinton News Record, 1936-03-05, Page 3THURS,, MARCH 5, 1936 THE • CLINTON ,NEWS -RECORD PAGE 8 WI -IAT CLINTON WAS DOING IN, THE GAY NINTIES DO YOU REMEMBER "WHAT HAPPENED DURING THR LAST, DE- CADE OF THE OLD CENTURY? L Front The News -Record, Mar. 4th, 1896: Thelast meeting of the 1. O. G. T. was largely attended and the follow- ing program" was rendered: Solo,'Mr. , J. Foster, reading, Mies C. Barge, mouth -organ solo, lair. C. Cook, ad- dl'ess, ' Rev, W, Harris, duet, Misses Goodwin and A Cant. The literally part ofnext week's meeting will be a debate, Resolved: That Women Should be Given the Franchise." The affirmative will be led by Mr. Alex. Cooper, the opposition by Mr, Rogers. Town Clerk Coats has been official- ly notified that by J. T. Gar'row, M. P.P. for West Huron, that $10,000 of � the Stavely Estate money will be handed over to: Clinton.' The money' must be devoted to some public insti- tution. . nsti-tution.: . A public meeting should at once be called and' definite steps taken for the proper investment of the money. • Messrs. Jackson and Gilroy have returned from a business trip to New York. Will Clinton have a Twenty-fourth of May celebration? Among the delegates from Clinton to the R. W. Grand Orange Lodge of Ontario West are Dr. Freeborn, Rev. W. Stout and D. Cairtelon. The Bayfield Fishermen have been very unfortunate this year. About New Year's a number of nets were lost and since then there has been no fishing done as there has beenno ice on the lake. Last week's cold snap formed ice and on Monday a number of nets were set out, but on Tuesday the wind carried the ice out and with it went another lot of nets, some of them new ones. The following letter appeared In this issue of The News -Record, writ- ten by someone who is, evidently, In , possession of early historical facts about the Township of Goderich. IL• may be of interest to 'some readers of this department at this date: EARLY HISTORY OF GODERICH TOWNSHIP .A Brief and Interesting Sketch By. "Pioneer." Editor News -Record, Dear Sir, ---Having nothing to do I thought I would write a few lines on the early history of our township. It Is bounded on the north by the Mait- land river, on the east by the Base line . or Hallett township, south by Bayfield river, and west by Lake Hu- ron. It is the fifth Iargest township in the county of Huron, Howick com- ing first, Ashfield second; Grey Ethel, Morris -fourth. The first settler was a man named Taylor who settled on lots 20 and 21. Maitland con., in 1828. He was killed soon afterwards by a tree falling on him. His sons for many years occu- pied the same farm. In May, 1831, the late Hugh Sturdy, came from York and settled on lots 30 and 31, Maitland con., where his sons now reside. At the time he to cated here the only settlers between his home and Goderich were the Tay- lor Bros-, above referred to,' who had cleared considerable of their limper - The nearest mill was in London which was then a ,small village. In 1832 the Canada Co. built a mill in Goderich and for the first two or three years it only had business enough to keep it running one , or two days in the week. About this time we hear about Thos. Ginn coming in and settling' on let 11 and 12, con, B. Mr. Ginn had the honor of being the first man married in the township, his partner being Elizabeth Sturdy, and the cern= mony was pe'formed by a Mr. Pryor, a magistrate in charge of the Canada r'o's business. at Goderich. In 1831 Jas. Johnston settled on the Maitland Con„ near Hohnesville. Then in July, 1832, John and Samuel Holmes, who had conte out from Ire and two years previously, and settled on lots 35 and 84 respectively, of the Maitland. The sante year we hear of Robt. Proctor and four Ford brothers all setting near Holmesville. When they came in there was only one framebuildingin Goderieh and very few of any other kind. Along the Huron Road there were very few settlers at this time, but among then were, It. Slattery and two brothers named Gibson. Mr. Slattery was up to a few years ago the oldest settler in the township; ' At the time the Holmes' came in 'there were no set- tlers in the "Huron Tract" except those in Goderich township which in - chided thetown at that time and the Van Egmonds who kept an hotel in Hallett. In 1934 the London Road was op- ened joining the Iiuron Road at.Clin- ton, from whish time the -country. traversed by these roads was quickly settled: The greater number, of the settlers purchased their land foe $1.50 per acre. They could either pay for it in cash inside. of five years or pay it by working on the toads. How- ever, the' greater number of them chose the latter. 'Money was a scarce article in those days, in 'fact' before they commenced raising grain their labor was the only "legal tender" at their connnand'and, it must be remem- bered that they brought in very little cash when they came, but were good fo ' any number of hard days! work unci the use to which their earnings was•pit May be seen to -day in the splendid furies and en,ellent 111104- . legs which grace the entire Township. This 'scarcity of cash, though in a milder form, continued until the building ef'the Grand Trunk Railway. As As an' example of the scarcity, of money it may be interesting to men- tion that Mr. Sturdy on one occasion took a barrel of flour to Goderich and tried to trade it for a' barrel of salt, but without effect, as the salt was considered worth more than the floor. In addition to the early settlers mentioned we must not forget the Cox brothers—John, James, George and David—who carne from Ireland and -settled near Porter's Hill in 1832 and 1833. Next came the late Joseph Whitehead and several sons. Then the next I remember was John Wil- son, who settled on lot 4, 6th con. Goderich Township had its own Gov- ernment as early as 1835, 61 years ago. The first meeting was held in Valentine Fisher's hotel, with a man named Gallagher as Township Clerk: From 1856 to 1858 Jno. Hol- mes filled the position of Reeve. 'In 1859 William Piper was elected Reeve and Jno. Churchill (father of our present Deputy -Reeve) was elect- ed Deputy Reeve, both holding of- fice until 1865. In 1836 Henry Ford was elected Reeve and D. Patton De- puty. In 1867 Wm. Sheppard and D. Patton were reeve and 'Deputy re- spectively. I will now pass along to the time when Mr. Gabriel Elliott was elected Reeve,, with Mr. Jos. Whitely as Deputy, which was in 1877. Mr. Elliott held the office of reeve for a number of years, Mr. Whitely not so long, Then came Mr. John Beacom, who filled the office of Deputy until three years ago, when he resigned to contest the Reeveship. He was de- feated by Mr. Cox, the present Reeve, aha also defeated Mr: Elliott nine years ago. However, John Bea- com may yet he elected to fill the position of reeve of "Goderich ship Government Government House." Hohnesville is the only village in the township.' It consists of two stores, two blacksmiths,' wagon mak- er, cheese factory, shoemaker, Epis- copal and Methodist churches, school house and a temperance house. I'b formerly boasted of an hotel but a few years "ago it was burned down. Porter's Hill 'has a store and a mail service and that is about all that can be said shout it. Goderich Township, religiously, will compare favorably with any other class of people on the face of the earth. They are sober, industrious, Mond minded people. Politically this, grand old township is the purest, vot- ing Conservative by a big majority, which goes to show that they ,are an intelligent people also. In shipping Goderich township has excellent facilities, having Goderich on the west with both boat and Grancl Trunk Railway, and Clinton on the east With the Grand Trunk running east and west, and the G. W. Division. running north and south. •lts :ex ports are grain of all kinds, potatoes, apples and small fruits, horses, cat- tle, sheep, hogs, hay, lumber, and in fact nearly everything that grows. Hoping this may be of interest to some and give offenceto none, I -ant, yours truly, —PIONEER. From The New. Era, Mar, 6th, 1896: There were registered with the town clerk last year 37 births, 23 marriages and 16 deaths. Mr. G. F. Emerson will open a bi- cycle riding school in the town hall on Monday afternono. Austin—Seeley—In Clinton, on the 4th inst., by the Rev. J. W. `Holmes, Alfred, Austin of Blyth to Alice See- ley of Clinton. Wheatley-Armstrong—At Hensel!, on Feb. 27th, by the Rev. J. S, Hen- derson, W. Wheatley of Clinton, to Mary, daughter of Mr. John Arm- strong of Tuekerstnith. Elliott.—Jervis—At the residence of the bride's father, on the 4th inst., by the Rev. E. W. Andrews, Alec. El- liott of the Bayfield Road, to Rosa, daughter of Mn. W. Jervis, also of Goderich township. Shipley—Miller—At the residence of Ed. Cook, Detroit, on Feb. 27th, C. W. Shipley of Cass City, Mich,, to Alice Miller, Detroit, formerly of Clinton. Goderich Township: -A very happy event took place on Wednesday last at Mr. Wm. Stirling's, ,when his eld- est daughter, Mary, was married to Donald N cIs enzie of the Goderich road. We wish thein a long and prosperous life. On Wednesday evening of last week friends 'of Mr. and Mrs. W•'H• Lobb, to the number of about thirty, as- sembled at their home to spend the evening with; them before their re - WHAT OTHER NEWSPAPERS 'ARE WE NEED RAILWAY SERVICE In a country such as ours s. we can not get along without railway 'ser- viee but we fail to realize, the im- portance of this until *e are snow- bound. Then when things , are nor- mal again wewill soon forget the days when we had no other commun- ication with the rest of the ,district except that which the railways sup plied.--Wingham Advance -Times. BUT IS IT? We have known all along that so- ciety is cluttered up with a lot of loafers. It has remained for the last few years for the belief to grow that it is society's duty to feed, clothe and shelter these who refuse to toil and spin in their own behalf, —Banter 'hues -Advocate., TWO `'E1JSTEES NEEDED Two more Members are required on the Public School Board, one , of the heaviest, if not the heaviest spending body in town. Here is an opportunity for at least two reliable' residents to serve their fellow citi- zens. If they possess some know- ledge of public affairs, so much the better, but they should at least have a sympathetic and understanding in- terest in both teachers and pupils. —Goderich Star. MAX' TO FIT THE SUIT : , From a small town in New York state comes an interesting and thought provoking story of localecon- omy. The community was faced with the necessity of naming a new chief of police. The complete uniform of the previous incumbent, purchased at a cost of $200, was available for the use of the next. There were half a dozen applicants for the job. What was the municipal govern- ment to do? Its members decided finally to combine prudence with law enforcement. They named as chief of police the man who came nearest to fitting the uniform, thus saving the price of a new one and getting a law enforcement official in a sittgle move—Kingston Whig -Standard. AN INCIDENT A young friend of ours runs a store in the country. Last sunnier he gave a farmer's hired man credit in the way of groceries and house- hold supplies. During the autumn this man's child became quite ill and the store •account mounted rapidly. At' last the customer asked for two pounds oT tobacco and was flatly re- fused. Shortly after the refusal a neighbor whose credit Is very good chided the grocer for his non-contin- uance'of credit. "I have carried that masa for 'throe months: Now that you have interested yourself in him, how would it do if you were to put $50.00 to his eredit, you taking fthe 'chances of collection!" the store -keeper sug- gested. "Oh, that's different!" The shoe was on his own foot. —Exeter Times -Advocate. WHAT, INDEED? With n u r p a v,e d h'ig'hways buried under feet of accumulating snow that no plows could keep 'clean; with transport trucks, busses and ears stalled and buried in snow all along the highways, bow would we have moved and lived and had -our moval to another part of the town- ship,.and to give a tangible expres- sion to their good will. . . . During the evening a purse of money and :in ,appreciative address was presented. • When The Present Century Was Young From The News -Record, Mar. 2nd, 1911: Mr. Roy East of the Tiilsonburg' Branch of the Royal Bank, ,cavae home Fdriay night and has since been suffering from an attack of measles. Rev. W. H. and Mrs. Dunbar left yesterday for Bervie, their new par- ish. • , The home of Mr. and Mrs. 4, B. Lindsay was the : scene of a' pretty. wedding yesterday afternoon when their eldest daughter, Ida Louise, was united ,in marriage to Mr. J. Lindsay Kyle of Wilkie, Sask. . The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Dr, Stewart and was witnessed only by immediate relatives . . Mr. and Mrs. 'Kyle left on the 6.30 train for Goderich, to take the C: P. R. train today for' their home at Wilkie. From The New Era, Mar. 2ncl, 1911: ' A top buggy made its appearance on Monday morning. Is this a sign \of approaching spring? On. Tuesday evening Clinton Lodge held theft annual At -Horne. The Clinton Orchestra supplied the music during the evening. Progres- sive flinch and euchre were the games played and Mrs, Hellyar' and R. E. Manning and Miss Torrance . and A, J. Morrish won the prizes in the re- spective games. Lunch was served after which Mr. Fowler sang"Asleep in the Deep" and Mr. Stevehs of See - forth gave two excellent piano solo's. SAYING being if, it had not been for the rail- ways? The truth is that we are not quite so fast and so smart as we thought we were. We haven't got past. the railway age yet, and as far as this county is concerned, we probably never will. For the past few weeks we would have been in a bad way if ithad not been for the once despised rails. Take the L. H. & B. line running north and south through the middle of the county. )Ince a busy line, it had dwindled in prestige, until` it became slightingly 'referred to as the "but- ter and eggs." ' Even it came into its own again this winter. It took two hours and a half one night last week to .goad the mail, express : and freight into it, and the passenger teaches were erowded. ' tes-And with the London paved high-, way blocked from end to end and im- passable, didn't the people at the sta- tions along the way welcome it? It carried their butter and eggs all right, and it carried their coal and a good many other things too. And it was that way with every village and town along the . other railways in the county. Without the railways this winter we would have been back to early pioneer days, and fast and clever as we think we ` are in this generation, we doubt very much if we would prove as self re- liant and self supporting as' our fore- fathers proved: under similar<circum- stances. —Seaforth Expositor. FOR ITISTORY TO RECORD Hon. Charles Dunning is running Canasta's -budget. He has brought down a statement or two and pre- sented them to the House. He inti- mates that there will be no inflation of money, — he probably means no further' inflation, and he does not take 'the trouble to inform`the House even, just what the present status of Canadian money is. It would be all right with most of es to get a complete and truthful review of all of this money business, including an analysis of our 'currency. But we. Won't get it, We have W turn to ]rather Coughlin or lawyer McQuor quodale, and listen to their unan- swered side of the story, - also the silence that meets this loud voiced defiance of contradiction. For what they are taxed, the people have a: right to know. The government which . demands, under heavy penal- ties a return of `statements from ev- ery business man, and salaried man, to show how much he may be taxed, should in all fairness do as much for the taxpayer. -Listowel Standard. JERRY FULLER DOES MOSTLY EVERYTHING IN MUSICAL LINE EXPRESSES API'lSIiCIATI,ON OF THE YOUNGELOODS -"LET'S GO TO THE MUSIC HALL RECEIVES HELPFUL LET. TERS FROM LISTENERS. Though born and raised among the lofty peaks of the Rocky Moun- tains a t Banff, Alberta, J e r r y Fuller did not mas- ter the mountain yodel. 'With the exception of that vocal accoinplislr- meat, however, he does most. every- thing else in the musical line, not t h e Ieast among then? being Is i s Jerry leaner string -bass plucking, henna tanning the /Chasing Shadows" broadcast from Calgary, over the national net- auorls of the ,Canadian Nadia Oonunis- sion, Sundays at 10.30 p.m. EST. Jerry is 00 orchestra leader in Itis own right, plays several reed And brass instruments, produces many of the musical arrangements for Jaseha Galperin's Radio Commission o r - chestra in Calgarry, and is well known in Calgary, his home -town, as the vocal soloist of his own dance or- chestra. He studied piano :as a .youngster, but taught himself the use of the several different anstrte- iments that he now plays. Youngbloods ,on ,Camas Letter's of eoutreendation for the work of the Youngbloods of `Seaver Bend, who are heard axe bile +Conimis- sion's national network every Mott - day night, are always ,appreciated, but there is 'one listener in Winnipeg' who spent hours of work to perfect his ,expression .of appmeiation of their broadcasts. The gentleman is Jack Erickson, who bretiglat to .the studio :au oil painting of his .coneep- tion ,of what the Yoruagbleed home and ,surroundings looked like to shim as he listened to their broadcasts. And there on the canvas ate paint- ed themembers of the famiiy stand- ing watching the landing of Tell In his .aeroplane. The scene, is tate ..mar of the Youngblood i'arnt 'home, .a rake is standing by the back door,; :on tate . other side below the summer kitchen window, the rain -barrel, and a spade lean against the wall. Stand- ing on the lower step is Julia, hav- ing evidently just finished '.washing dishes: (if the apron she is wearing is any indication). Ma, Pa, and Trudy stand nearby. Heavy, Julia's husband, stands seine distance away watching every move of the plane as it heads down to the pasture --- and right alongside Ted is .the faithful dog, Tramp. On 'the left is Whitey, who. times without number has been sad- dled to Carry Ted to Broseley. The foliage, trees, pump, stumps, and well-worn paths around the door of the kitchen are clearly depicted. A blue sky is broken onlyby a 'plane— to be exact a• bi-plane—coming, down to make a landing in, the open'Pas- ture. The painting is 30 . incIhes by 20 inches'and has been given a place of honour in the, Winnipeg studios. When Fan Letters .Help • "Let's Go " To The Music Hall" gets a brand of fan letters all its own. In the first place the fans foe. this jolly epic of the music hall stage grow and grow. They spring from north, east, south and west In ever increasing numbers and there is no national barrier,, But more hnportant still is the fact that' they are a never ending • source of practical aid to producer George Young, as well as a constant inspiration to his band .of vocalists and entertainers. George can't pos- sibly run out of numbers, for just when he thinks he has written down the very last song that has ever been heard on any music hall stege'then or now, up pops a fan with a song that his father or uncle rade famous. in London forty years ago. Some rare anecdotes come along with these friendly suggestions from fans, For instance, Phillip A. Laf- Toy, A.'I,SC.M, ,ef 'Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 2I.S.A., who started his career as an orchestra boy in the Old 'Blue Bell Music Ball, Portsmouth, England, sends along, in addition to a price- less list of songs, a pay sheet for the week of August 25, 1888. It is interesting to note that the orchestra leacher received £2-5-0 while the star of the show received 412-12-0. Mr, Laffey played for nearly every tam- ous music hall star of the British stage during his orchestra days in the Old Country and since touring to America he has played everything from concert and grand opera to burlesque. One fan keeps Yvonne Miller's am- bition aflame by assuring her that Vesta 'Tilley, whom she so frequently impersonates, received one thousand pounds ($5,000) a week in 1910. An- other ribs the "Chairman" for con- tenting himself with beer, when no chairman in the good old days would stoop to less than Scotch or Irish! Front Lachine, Quebec, conies the word that every Saturday night a party Of four old timers whose com- bined ages total nearly three hun- dred years, are ready at the radio :for the curtain -rise of "Let's Go To The Music Hall:" ,. 9ianvng ;Ot'her, Tleings— l2orace Stovin, western regional program director of the Canadian Radio '.Comanission, teas a recent vis- itor t� the CRBC studios' at Calgary turd was an interested ;guest of "Club 13," the mythical night club of the national network broadcast each Wednesday at 10.00 pan. EST. Bor- ate thought he was a guest, but it didn't take long to rehearse him into a part in the show. It was "Gay Ninties" night and a real, old-fash- ioned. melodrama called for a hero of the high -voiced tenor variety. Now Horace isn't a tenor, but. Hs - tenets that night heard an excellent falsetto and incidentally a marvelous piece of 'play-acting by the regional director. Gladys Rutherford's portrayal . of Martha Youngblood ("Ma"), in the Monday night presentation : 'of the Canadian Radio Commission, "The Youngbloods of Beaver. Bend," has placed this clever actress in the front ranks of those who are heard an the various dramatic productions -broad- cast over the various networks, on this continent. But •riot only is Mrs. Rutherford an outstanding ,actress; she is also a producer in her own right. As each season comes around she, is to be seen. directing plays for societies, clubs, and service organiza- tions. This year she is directing a play y g whieh is to be entered in the Domin- ion Drama Featival. The St. David's Society; , of Winnipeg, have retained her services as director for a play written by J. 0. Francis, "Birds of OUT 1OF THE FOG All day long the fog had brooded over London in a yellow, threaten- ing hood. In the early dusk, it fell with silent, inexorable swiftness. With its ` descent :traffic' became muffled to the ear as well as to 'the eye, and everything assumed an as- pect.of spectral unrdality. Harrison was ono of the few per- sons in London who welcomed the fog. It could not, he thought, have come at a better time, He sat on a bench in Hyde Park, hunched into formlessness as he sought to shut out the penetrating cold of the fog. "Gosh," thought Harrison, "this is a bit of luck, eh?" He`tentative) twitched y his ..mus - les into activity. Then, rising,' he shuffled along in the, direction of Marble Arch. Harrison welcomed the fog be- cause of the .admirable cloak it of- fereil him. Harrison was a thief— and 'a poor one. Had he been a bet- ter thief he migiit 'not have been sitting in Hyde Park so'"inadequately clad. On the other hand, had he been a better thief, he might have been sitting its goal. Although, he thought sometimes, that would be an im prevenient upon his present condi- tion. • Primarily, Harrison was a poor thief because he was a coward, Like so manyothers, he now stole habit- ually because the first step had pre- sented itself to him accidentally. It had been safe, it had been easy, it had been profitable. Thereafter, he had- felt an uncon- querable scorn for the tedious office which claimed his days, and in re- ward, paid him in three months what that initial enterprise had gained for him in as many hours. So he had given up his job, left everything, confident of his ability to earn a dishonest livelihood. And ever since he had drifted along with increasing unsuccesst His plan was now simple. He might have taken advantage of the fog to pick pockets, but his single, .terrify- ing experience of that, when he had fumbled in his nervousness, and had been forced to run many miles, with his ribs cracking and his heart burst- ing, had given hint a lasting aversion from that particular form of petty robbery. He intended to do what he had clone before when kindly fogs had conte to his aid. He intended to walk into a likely looking house as boldly as his nature would allow, and lay his hands upon what he might find. If he should be interrupted, it would be easy to apologise—explain that he had mistaken the house for his home in the fog. It might cause many varieties are brought to the Canadian Radio Commission listeners in the program "Hors d'(Euvr'es" broadcast every Tuesday at 7.45 pan. Maurice Durieux directs the etseni- bre, composed of stellar performers, Paul David at the piano, G. Romano, saxophone, and Saturn Gentillett:, accordeonist. The songs feature the voice of Colette Ferrier, French cab - met entertainer. If it's pep and variety that you are looking for in your radio bill of fare, the Canadian Radio Comni e- sion program "Edgar Herring's Nov- elties," should not be overlooked. This quarter-hour presentation heard every Thsirsclay at 7.45 o'clock EST, features old favourites and new all dressed up for the usual combination of xylophone, vibra-harpe, two pi- anos and violin. From the starting light to the "off the air" signal this combination never lets up in its at- tempt to please you; Edgar Herring, well-known xylophonist, is the musi- cal director. .COMMISSION FEATURES , DAY BY DAY (All` Tunes Eastern Standard) Thursday, March 12: 9.30 p.m. "Woodwind Duo"— From Winnipeg. 10.00 p.m. "For You, Madame"— From Montreal. Friday, March 13: 9.30 p.m. "Canadian Concert Hall of the Air"— From Montreal. 10.00 p.m. Cleveland Symphony Or- chestra -- From r- chestra—From: New York. Saturday, March 14: 8.30 p.m. "Let's Go to the Music Hall"— From Toronto. 10.30 p.m. Don Bestor and his Or- chestra— From Montreal. Sunday, March 15: 9.00 p.nr "Forgotten Footsteps"--- From ootsteps"—Frond Toronto. 10.00 pan. "Atlantic Nocturne" From Halifax. Monday, March, 16: 9.00 p.m. "Melodic Strings"-- Prom trings"—From Toronto, 10.00 p.m. "Youngbloods of Beaver Bend"— Prom Winnipeg. Tuesday, March 17: 8.00 p,m. "Show Time on the: Air" —From Montreal. 10.00 p.ni.. "Nickelodeon"— From New York. Wednesday, March 18: 9.00 p.m. "Road to Yesterday"— F • To • t a Feather," a orie-act comedy. + : 10.00 p.m. "Club 13"— Musical • IFrom tid-bits of many hoods and suspicion, but it was an ekcute that could not readily be disproved. And even'' if the worstcame to the worst a quick dash into the street and es- cape in the fog would be simplicity itself. , So mused Harrison ashe emerged, at, Marble -Arch, crossed the .Bays= l water Road, shuffled and'up the Edgeware Road. It was queer how dint everything looked. The lamps seemed nothing but hazy, orange balls; they could not be seen until one was right under thein. The shop windows, threw out a light that was caught and checked straightway by the fog. One walked unexpectedly into what looked like a solid bank of light, and stepped out of it, again im- mediately into gloom. ' Harrison had no particular idea where he was going. It didn't mat- ter. He allowed his feet to take him. where they would. In any case, it was impossible to tell where he was.; He guessed,"from 'the quiet, that he had left the Edgware Road, but where he had turned off he had nr'. idea. He was deep in meditation, for, despite the protective fog, Har - risen was, mortally scared. He had. attempted 'no theft for weeks now and •nerve is soon lost. Especially/ when there has never been much to lose. Presently, he became aware that he had stopped walking. Like most thieves of his type, Harrison was sup- erstitious. Did this mean, then, that. the Fates' intended him to burgle the house outside which he had stopped?' He peered at it. There was little e- nough of it to be seen through the fog, but the lower windows, at least, were in darkness. He could see no higher. It had possibilities. A quick sur- vey of the rooms nearest the front door, and if there was nothing small enough and, valuable enough for him to take he would try his luck else- where. The street, at all events, look- ed promising. 'It was very quiet, and only two or three people had passed him—momentary, vague blurs of in- tensified darkness. Harrison thought to himself. "Well, here goes!" He tried to convince himself that he was experiencing a sensation of exhiliaration, that his whole being was keyed to the venture. But his. forehead was sweating freely, and his spine reit cold and clammy. It was always thus when he attempted a "job." The front door gave directly on to the pavement. Harrison tried the handle. with infinite caution. It turned. He exerted pressure, and the door swung inwards. It hadn't got a Yale lock. That was a stroke of luck! Maybe the Fates were with him! Harrison felt cheered, though still apprehensive. He stepped inside, and stood listen- ing. Not a sound was to be heard. The house felt empty somehow. Ile risked closing the .door behind him, for the fog aces drifting inside in lazy, tenuous wreaths. The door strut with a little bang, and he wait- ed s fiercer with a heart ea o �ed t g y that he wondered whether above its he would be able to hear any sounds.. But there was no sound to be heard. He moved along the passage in the dark, trailing his hand against the wall. His fingers brushed against a doorknob. He turned it, and went into the room. Inside, there was no light save for a gas fire. In front of the fire. was the dim outline of a woman in a chair. And a voice said very calm- ly: "Hallo, Arthur! Conte in and shut the door." Every hair on Harrison's scalp seemed to rear itself prickingly. He' stood stock still, his hand on the doorknob, absolutely incapable of movement. And his heart thumped away more wildly than ever. "Come in, Arthur," said the voice again. "Don't stand there. And switch the light on, will you? The blinds are drawn." Somehow, Harrison never thought of disobeying, of Ieaping through the door and out into the friendly fog. His nerve had deserted him so com- pletely now that he could not think for himself. He could only do what he was told. ;Like an automation he closed the door and swept his hand up the wall until it found the light- ing switch. , With startling clarity the room was revealed. It was small and com- fortably, furnished, but Harrison saw only the woman in front of the fire. A stick leaned against her chair, and her white face was, lined and wrink- led beneath her grey hair. She turn- ed her face to Harrison, but she did not start or exclaim. Her eyes, too, were white. "She was sightless, "I thought I heard your step in the passage," she said,."but I couldn't be. sure." He said nothing, because he eolith,. not speak. She gave a queer little sugb, gasping and exultant. "Oh, it's no good!" she cried. "I —I can't go : on being matter-of-fact and—and unexcited. But I did try didn't I, Arthur? The, doctor says -mustn't get excited, you know but, of course, you don't know -and I really thought Pd try, but — Oh,, sn't it` wonderful, wonderful, that you're here again?" Desperately Harrison strove tosol- .,lett himself. He said: "Weren't weren't you expecting (Contirtued on' page 7):