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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Clinton News Record, 1937-09-16, Page 2,SAGE 2 THE CLINTON NEWS -RECORD THURS., SEPT. I Cr, 193`7.'' By J Frances Hodgson INCf" Burnett SYNOPSIS Marco Loristan was the kind of a ,boy people looked at the secondtirne when they had looked at hini once. .11e was a well-built. boy .of 12, intelli.- ;gent looking, and well-mannered: He .and his father had travelled a great ,cleat and the boy was proficient in seyeral languages, so that `he felt at >home in whatever country he was ,staying. Marco knew that they. were Samavians, that there was trouble ;and bloodshed in Samavia at present. ,His fatherhad told him the story of ^the Lost Prince, who might one day return to Samavia and restore order •and peace. At present the Loristan's etre in London, England, and Marco shad encountered several interesting tpeople, among them, "The Rat," a crippled boy who commands a group sof willing. boys—the. boys listen at. itentively as Marco speaks to them. !Later Loristan and Marco have a along talk about Samavia, and the Lost Prince, who had • disappeared five %hundred years ago. .A secret society, with members in many: European ^countries, were preparing to put his 'descendant on the throne of Same - ',via and end the civil wars and blood- .dhed in the country'. At a meeting -of the Squad, The Rat forms a sec- •Bet society for Samavia among them- selves. The Rat's father dies, and Loristan ;invites the lad to live with him and Marco. The two boys plan to aid 'the cause of the Lost Prince. Marco,. -while on an errand, assists a young 'lady' in distress, who seems very in- terested in n-terestedin him. She seems destined The Clinton News -Record With which is Incorporated. THE NEW ERA "TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION 41.50 Der year in advance, to Cana- dian addresses. $2.00 to the U.S. or other foreign countries. No paper ,discontinued until all arrears are paid unless at the option of the publish - or. The data to which every sub- merintion is paid is denoted on the .label ADVERTISING RATES — Tran- !tient rane ent advertising 12c per count line for first insertion.- 8c for each sub- iequent insertion. Heading counts B lines. Small advertisements not to exceed one inch, such as "Wanted," "Lost," "Strayed," etc., inserted once ger 35e, each subsequent insertion dye. 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. E. HALL - - a-: Proprietor. to play a part in his lite. Events which -fellow proye her to be' an enemy agent, and by a clever trick Marco is captured and closely questioned, but reveals nothing of what he knows. Later he escapes,, and >shortly afterward he and The Rat are sent out as agents of the Cause to 'sarieas cities, where they are to communicate with various per-. sons. By various methods of approach they have passed alorig the pass word, "'rhe Lamp is lighted," • ',and have just contacted a young shoeniak-' er ley pretending to need a pair of shoes. They say' they cannot wait until they are made, but must go on' spreading the word, The boys have practically complet- ed their mission and have. crossed the border into Samavia. They hear of towns and villages destroyed in the' bitter fight between the Maranovitch and Iarovitch, who have fought so fiercely that their resources have been almost depleted. Food is scarce,' and a hopeless attitude is evident among the people with whom the boys come in contact. It appears that the waning countries must soon give up the bitter struggle. not excite suspicion by offering much. 1Ie was obliged to let it be imagined that in' his flight from hisruined home he had been able to snatch at and secrete some poor hoard which might save him from starvation, Of- ten the women would not take what he offered. Their journey was a hard and hungry one. They mn'ust. make it all. on foot and there was lit- tle food to be found.. But each of them knew how to live on scant fare. They traveled mostly by night and slept among the ferns and under- growth through the day. They drank from running brooks and bathed in them. Moss and ferns made soft and sweet-smelling beds,. and trees roofed them. Sometimes they lay long and talked while they rested. And at length a day came when they knew they were nearing then journey's end. "It is nearly over now," Marco said, after they had thrown themselves down in the forest in the early hours of one dewrpr morning. "He said 'Af- ter Samavia, go back to London as quickly as you can—as quickly as you can.' He said it twice. As if—some- thing were going to happen." "Perhaps it will happen more sud- denly uddenly' than we think -the thinghe meant," answered The Rat. ' I Suddenly he sat up on his elbow NOW GO ON 'WITH THE STORY Iand leaned towards Marco. Each day left them weaker and two are in Samavia! And we are "We are in Samavia!" he said. "We more desperate. Europe looked on near the end!" with -st;lall interest in either party , Marco rose on his :elbow too. He but with, growing desire that the dis- was very thin as a result of hard order should end and cease to iter travel and scant feeding. His thin fere with commerce. All this and ness made his eyes look immense and mach more Marco and The Rat knew, black as pits. But they burned and but, as they made their cautious way were beautiful with their own fire, through byways of the maimed and "Yes," he said, breathing quickly. tortured little country, they learned "And though we do not know what other things. They learned that the the end will be, we have obeyed or- stories told of its beauty and fertil- dere. The Prince was next to the last ity were not romances. Its heaven-- one. _.There is only one more. The old reaching mountains, its immense priest" plains of rich verdure on which flocks "I have wanted to roe him more and herds might have fed by 'thous- titan I have wanted to. see any of the ands, its splendor of deep forest and others," The Rat said. broad clear rushing rivers had a "So have I," Marco answered, "His primeval majesty such as the first church is built en the side of this !human creatures might have found on mountain. I wonder what he will say !earth in the days of the • Garden of to us:' !Eden. The two boys traveled through I Both had the same reason for want - forest and woodland when it was pos ing to see him. In his youth he had sible to leave the road. It was safe served in the monastery over the 11. N. RANCE Notary Public, Conveyancer 'Financial. Real Estate and Fire In eurance Agent. Representing 14 Fi ensurance Companies. Division Court Office. Clinton for bread and water, as was their habit, no one refused to share the - 'little he had. It soon became plain Fir Frank Fingland, B.A., LL.B Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Public Successor to W. Bryd�o te, Sloan Block — Canteen, Ont to thread a way among huge trees frontier the one which, till it was and tall ferns and young saplings. It dstroyed in 0 revolt, had treasured was t always easy but it was safe. -the five -hundred -year-old story of the Sometimes they saw a charcoal -bur beautiful royal lad brought to be hid- ner's hut or a shelter where a shep- den among the brotherhood by the herd was hiding with the few sheep ancient shepherd. In the monastery left to him. Each man they met wore the memory of the Lost Prince was the same look of stony suffering in 'as the memory of a saint. It had been his face; but, when the boys begged told that one of the early brothers. who was a decorator and a painter, had made a picture of him with a faint halo shining about his head. The young acolyte who had served there must have heard wonderful legends. But the monastery had been burned, and the young acolyte had in later years crossed the frontier and become the priest of a few mountaineers whose little church clung to the moun- tain -side. He had worked hard and faithfully and was worshipped by his people. Only the secret Forgers of the Sword knew that his most ardent worshipers were those with whom he prayed and to whom he gave bles- sings in dark caverns under the to them that they were thought to be two young fugitives }whose homes had probably been destroyed and who • were wandering about with n o thought tint that of finding safety until the worst was over. That one • of thein traveled on crutches added to their apparent helplessness, and ,to he could not speak the language of the country made him more an ob- ject of pity. The peasants did not I know what language he spoke. Some- times a foreigner carne to find work in this small town or that. The poor !lad might have come to the country earth, where arms piled themselves with his father and mother and then 'and men with dark strong faces sat have been caught in the whirlpool of together in the 'dim light and laid war and tossed out on the world par- plans and wrought schemes. entless. But no one asked questions.1 This Marco and The Rat did not Even in their desolation they were a know as they talked of their desire silent and noble people who were too to see him. ' courteous for curiosity.: D. H. McINNES CHIROPRACTOR Eloctro '1'1 erapist, Massage 'Office: Huron Street. (Few Doors west of Royal Bank) Flours -Wed. and Sat. and by appointment. FOOT CORIRECTION 'sy manipulation Sun -Ray Treatment Phone 207 GEORGE ELLIOTT '€r,icensed .Auctioneer for the. County of Huron ,Correspondence promptly answered 'Immediate arrangements can be made for Sales Date at The News -Record, Clinton, or by calling phone 203. Charges Moderate and Satisfaction Guaranteed. • 'IIE Mcttta0I' MUTtAL 'Fire Insurance Company Bead Office. Seaforth, Ont. Officers: 'President, Alex. Broadfoot, ' Sea-' forth; Vice -President, Thomas Moy- lan, Seaforth Secretary -Treasurer, "t A,of Directors - Alex. Broadfoot, 'Sea- 'The Blessing of the Son of God, and little field mouse running past dis- covered that there were crumbs ly- ing about and ate nil she could find on the moss. After that she crept in- to Marco's pocket and found some ex- cellent ones and had quite a feast. But she disturbed nobody and the boys slept on. It was a bird's evening song which awakened them both. The bird alight- ed on the branch of a tree near thein and her trill was rippling- clear and sweet. The evening' air had fresh- ened and was fragrant with hillside scents. When Marco first rolled ov- er andopened his eyes, he thought the most: delicious thing on earth was to waken from sleep on a hillside at evening and hear a bird singing. It seemed to make exquisitely real to him the fact that he_ was in Sanaa- via—that anaavia-that, the Lamp was lighted' and his work was nearly done. The Rat awakened when he did, and for a few minutes both lay on their backs with- out::speaking. At last Marco said, "The stars are coming out. We can begin to climb, Aide-de-camp." Then they both got up and looked at, each other. The last met!! The Rat said. ,"To- morrow we shall. be on our way back to London—Number 7 Philibert Place. After all the places we've been to what. will it look like?" "It will be like wakening out of a dream," said Marco. "It's not beau- tiful—Philibert Place. But he will be there." And it was as if a light lightea itself - in his face and shone through the very darkness of it. And The Rat's face lighted in •al- most exactly the same way. And he pulled, off his cap and -stood .bare-, headed. "We've obeyed orders," he said. "We've not forgotten one. No one has noticed us, no one has thought of us. We've blown through I the countries as if we had been grains of dust." Marco's head was bared, too, and his face was still shining. "Godbe thanked!" he said. Let us begin to climb." They pushed their way through the ferns and wandered in and out through the trees until they found the little path. The hill was thickly clothed with forest and the little path was sometimes dark and steep; but they knew that, if they followed it, they would at last come out to a place where therewere scarcely any trees at all, and on a crag they woul'l "In the old clays they were.. simple and stately and kind. All doors were open to travelers. The master of the poorest hut uttered a blessing and, a' welcome when a stranger crossed his threshold. It was the custoiu of .the country," Marco said. "I read about it in a book of my father's. About most of the doors the welcome was carved in the stone. It was this I "He mar not choose to tell us -.any- thing," said Marco. "When we have given him the Sign, he may turn away and say nothing as soiree of the oth- ers did, He may have nothing to say which we should hear. Silence may be the order for him, too." It would not be a long or danger- ous climb to the little church on the rock. They could sleep or rest all day and begin it at twilight. So af- ter they had talked of the old priest 'and had eaten their black bread, they settled themselves to sleep under cov- er over of the thick tall ferns. ' It was a long and deep sleep which nothing disturbed. So few human beings ever climbed the hill, except by the narrow rough' path leading to the church, that the little wile crea- tures had not learned to be afraid of them. Once, during the afternoon, a hare hopping along under the ferns to make a visit stopped by Marco's head, and, after looking at him a few seconds with his lustrouseyes, began to nibble the ends of his hair. He only did it from c riosity and be- cause he wondered if \it . might be a new kind of grass, but he did not like it and stopped nibbling almost at once, after which he looked at it a- gain, moving the soft sensitive end of his nose rapidly for a second or so,. and then hopped away to attend to his own affairs. A very large and handsome green stag -beetle crawled from one end of The Rat's crutches to the other, but, having done it. he went away also. .Two or three times a bird, searching for his dinner an - der the ferns, was surprised to find the twosleeping figures, but. as th's !ay so nttietly, there seemed nothing to be frightened about. A beautiful. forth; James Sholdice, Walton; Wil- Rest within these Walls.' liana Ifnox, Londesboro• Chris. Leon- "They are big ,and strong," said lhardt, Dublin; James Connolly, God Tho Rat. "And they have good faces, -erich; Thomas Moylan, Seaforth; W. '11. Archibald, Seaforth; Alex. McEw- They carry themselves as if they had ling, Blyth; Frank McGregor, Clinton. been drilled—both men and women." List of Agents: W. J. Yeo, Clin- It was not through the blood-. 'ton, R. R. No. 3; ,James Watt, Blyth; drenched part of the unhappy land .Jahn E. Pepper, Erucefield; R. R. their way, led them, but they saw N• o. 1; R. F. Mcli etcher, Dublin, R. R. hunger and dread in the villages they "No. 1; Chas. P. Hewitt, Kincardine;eft. G. Jarmuth, Bornholm, R. R. No. 2. passed. Crops which should have fed Any money to be paid may be paid the people had been taken from them 'to the Royal Bank, Clinton; Bank of for the use of the army;' flocks and Commerce, Seaforth, or at Calvin herds had been driven away, and fac- +•'Chit's Grocery, Goderich. es were gaunt andgray.'Those who Parties deefeiiag to effect instil,- ' -mice or transact other business will ehe promptly attended to on applica- lop to any of the above officers ad- di'essed to their respective post otPi- .ces. Losses inspected by the director •,who lives nearest the scene. ANADA. aafli'i „AN'..s TIME TABLE l Trains will arrive at and depart from Clinton as follows: Bitffalb and Godericb Div. i Going East, depart 7.03 a.m. Going East, depart 3.00 p.m. ,,Going West, depart 11.45 p.m. ,Going West, depart 7.0.00 p.m. London, Huron & Bruce Going North, ar,' 1125 ave. 11:47 p.m. ,sciroing South ar. 2.50, leave 3.08 p.m. had as yet only lost crops and herds knew that homes and lives might be torn from them at any moment. Only old men and women and children were left to wait for any fate which' the chancesof: war might deal out to them. When they were given food from some poor store, Marco would offer a little money in return. He dare `PIP E• f oBACCio: • FbR $ Mil.D c ia4,t$`MdKE LOCAL: ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Chairman -W. S. R. Holmes, ph. 51. Secretary—H. C. Lawson, ph. 251w. NATIONAL EM LOY ENT COMMISSION UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF TI -IE DOMINION GOVERNMENT find the tiny church waiting for them. The priest inight not be there. They might have to wait for him, but he would be sure to come back for morning mass and for vespers, where- soever he wandered between times. There were many stars in the sky when at last a turn of the path show- ed them the church above them. It was little and built of rough stone. It looked as if the priest himself and his scattered flock might have hr" - ken and carried or rolled bits of the hill to put it together. It had the small, round, mosque -like summit the Turks had brought into Europe in centuries past. It was so tiny that it would hold but a very small con- gregation—and- close to it was a shed -like house, which was of course the priest's. The two boys stopped on the path to look at it. "There is a candle burning in one of the little` windows,' said Marco. 'Mere is a well near the door and some one is beginning to draw water," said The Rat, next. "It is too dark to see wise it is. Listen!" They listened and heard the bucket descend on the chains, and splash in the water. Then it was drawn up, and it seemed some one drank long._ Then they saw a dim figure move forward and stand still. Then they (continued on page 6) • ,aif�„al�iwsr§"l �ZZ eeee 'imeeeeeeeee This T;:IS GHA LD NAVE BEEN T Y T A If it hadn't been for a foolhardy, reckless, criminal driver, this accident would have been avoided; As it is, one victim was taken direct to an undertaker's parlours and two to a hospital. The driver who caused it is hopelessly crippled for the rest of his life. YOU'LL BE IN TROUBLE 1F YOU DISREGARD THE LAWS If you are a reckless driver travelling the Ontario highways, cutting in, passing on curves and hills, endangering the lives of others, you will find yourself in serious trouble. The appalling death toll must stop—and you who are responsible for it will be put off the road! A thousand eyes are watching you; so be. forewarned! Ontario Motorists: Will Co-operate When you see a motorist driving in a manner dangerous to the , public, take his number, make a careful note of the actual time and place; and when you reach your destination write to the. Motor Vehicles Branch, Department of Highways, Toronto, giving full details. We do not invite reports of minor infringements of the traffic laws;' you are requested to use sound judgment. We will deal adequately with offenders. QlLTAxio ONTARIO DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS Motor Vehicles Branch` ii cie )1 57; i %; as v ru f• z