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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1931-04-23, Page 2Salads Orange Pekoe is a blend :4;: i fres .a young leaves Ttresh from the garenc \ v.. D•' .�. �. `la• ,�. ,ate. ', \�, r• .. ,. ��. �,• 4 TUE tt A KESTREL USE Itti MYSTERY By T. C. H. JACOBS OW..t07.0: ,.0. . lf:0H\ .ate Q\ SYNOPSIS. Henry Holt and his ward, Muriel Mainwaring are staying at a Dartmoor farmhouse. bolt has an old friend; Prof. Moineau, Hang at Kestrel House with bis nephew, Hayden Mercer, whom Holt wishes Muriel to marry. A series of strane disappearances take place,:,ona Page the vicar's daughter, being he latest, Percival Pyecroft arrives at she farm- house, in search ni• health. He takes a walk on 'the moor one evening, is knock- ed on the head and pitched over a cliff. Inspectoi Barnard questions him in bed, end then leaves, after having discovered "something" in Percival's coat pocket. CHAPTER V. A. footstep on the landing without sent Pyecroft hurriedly back to bed. Mrs. French found him in the act of pouring another drink, and the action brought a look of mingled surprise and displeasure to her cheery, mother- ly face. "So early in the morning, Mr. Pye- croft!" she exclaimed. "I've had a terrible fright, Mrs. French, a perfectly ghastly fright." "Indeed!" "Do you know that I was in deadly peril of my life last night?" "You had a nasty fall; lucky it wasn't worse." Pyecroft's mouth drooped with a disappointrnent.almost comical to wit- ness: "I was nearly murdered, madam,' he aeplieetwrthdcgnity,a,distinct note of reproval his voice. �rAnd you told me that Dartmoor was a nice, peaceful, quiet place; I think it's a beastly, lawless wilderness. Look at this fearful lump on my crown; it hurts." r Mrs. French's face struggled to pre- serve its gravity as she inspected the top of his head inclined towards her. "I'm going to get my man down," went on Pyecroft. "I don't feel safe here all alone. I mean, after last night, anything might happen, what?" "Will you be staying in bed to- day?" asked the landlady, presently. "In bed? No! I was on the point of rising when that police what's -his - name cane up and chilled me to the marrow with his grisly warnings. Where's the professor, up yet?" "If you mean Mr. Holt, he has been up since seven o'clock. He's sitting on the lawn." Pyecroft grinned, "Looking for tha worms, eh? Ha, ha, guess I'll send him all shivery with that policeman's horrible yarns. The old boy often wanders into that valley in search of the elusive butter- fly. Any news of Miss Cage?" "Miss Page, you mean. No, she is still missing. I'll be geeing you about your breakfast." "Ta, ta.orli be staggering along in a moon o." Mrs. French glanced at the bottle and tho'ight that this was more than probable. However, when Pyecroft eventually got out of bed he was quite steady on his lege, indeedhis m vei neny s, were characterized with" a certain lithe grace, which spoke more of he trained athlete than of the habitual drunkard's flabby muscles and frayed nerves. Slipp-ng oil a dressing gown he i • •h • • ;;k 11 i thrust hie feet into a.Bair of.41tt bedroom slippers and oautiouoly on - the door. Opposite was a small window overlooking the lawn, A glance assured Lim that Holt was• etill engaged with the morning paper, Hisnext action was to draw on a Pair ,if. flesh -colored rubber gloves, then sling- ing a towel over his shoulder he went towards the bathroom but he did net enter, instead he paused before the door next to his own and, ;pressing his ear against the wood; listened. Apparently satisfied, he turned the handle and glided like a wraith into the room. Here his actions were stranger still. Standing in the : mid- dle of the room ae subjected the cham- ber to one swift, all -embracing survey and then, crossing to a large trunk, knelt beside it. Gently trying the locks he found .hero secure. He paus- ed a second to listen before extracting from hispocket a bunch of peculiar looking keys. He inserted one in the lock but failing with this tried an- other, and a faint click proclaimed his effort to be successful. The sec- ond lock he accorded similar treat- ment, and very carefully raising the Iid he peered inside. The trunk was empty except for a few odds and :nds of clothing, at which he did not even glance, but straightening a, small folding foot- rrle he placed it along the inside vertical edge. Noting the Measure- ment recorded he next placed it down the external face and a smile flickered on his l:ps. Closing the trunk he lock- ed it and rearranged, with meticulous exactness, a strip of cretonne along the top. Standing up, he opened -the ward- robe, glanced inside, ran his hands swiftly over the clothes, examining the soles of three pairs of boots and replaced thein in exactly the „same po- sition as he had found then. The dressing table next claimed his attention. Even the most casual and inexperienced observer must have seen tha Mr, Percival Pyecroft was something of an expert at the art. His rubber gloved fingers explored every- where, but not by the fraction of an inch was anything disarranged. Satis- fied at 'ast he was on the point of returning when ,.e suddenly stiffened. In a flash the gloves were off and stuffed in his dressing -gown pocket and with a drunken hiccough he lurch- ed against the table. In that moment Lis whole identity changed, replaced again by the blink- ing, inane fool. It was not merely a change of facial expression, but some- thing infinitely more subtle and con- vincing, a change which would have deceived the most expert examiner, as indeed` it had deceived the Been and experienced Chief Inspector $rnard that very. ,morning. ' The door opened, .and yi.x ••plenry Bolt stood staring with undisguised astonishment as Pyecroft turned to- wards him. "'Whet does this mean, this—er-- intrusion, sir?" he demanded, angrily. Pyecroft blinked at him, "jerking back his head as if he had been struck, but made no reply. His mouth gaped open foolishly, and once his body sag- ged so alarmingly that Holt half started to catch him. "Well, sir, what are you doing in my room?" he demanded with increas- ed force, regarding the other as though he was something utterly dis- tasteful. Pyecroft seemed to regain his pow- er of speech with a rush. "A sthud, professhor, I whas look- ing for a thud. Beastly little pests, they take advantage of me, the mal— mal—malignity of the inanimate. I shoveled and shearched and then I thought my dear old pal the prof is shure to have one, so along I trundled —and I whas right, you. shee!! Ha, ha, ha!" Pyccroft tittered delightedly as he 'UST asyou deal with p<• opie IT you know and trust, so you should buy goods that you r kpow trom experience will give full satisfaction and long wear. Beware of cook. Ing utensils and household articles that bear no name or one you don't know. Look for the famous- .Al. CANADIAN SMP trade marko the red and green shlel" a strict guarantee of super qui ENDURANCE aluminum Mower is twenty pounds lighter than any iron mower and far more durable . . Runs easier, . Cuts with razor -like 'keenness The Finest mower purchase you can make . . Ask your hardware man. CANADA FOUNDRIES & FORGINGS LIMITED James Smart plant BrockvilIe Ontario GENERAL STEEL WARES 1.tMITE to Branches Across Canada Hai Saint John, Quebec City', Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hatti%lton ilrantford, London, Windsor, North Bay, WWinnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edwdhtoti, Vancouver. ISSUE No. 16—'3 ei.thibited a; stud, but Mr, Holt's face remained as; cold as his words. He held open the. door and stood aside, 's'I-Iaving been so successful in your quest, please ;go." Pyeeroft's grin changed first to an expression of .-blank amazement and then to one of drunken dignity. He lurched away froth ,the 'support of the dressing table and'. stood swaying in •the niid'lle of the rooixi, frowning at the stout, rosy -checked figure who re- garded him with such frigid contempt, "A iiieashly, hotrible, li"lie penny 'sthud. ." he began, but Holt cut him short with an inpatient gesture. "Leave my room„, at once. If '•his occurs again I shall complain with a view to haviug you sent about your business ,.You are drunk, arid prat- tically . 'er . . incapable,” he added, as the intruder tottered towards the door. "Prof, that's ..;"r° libe . . libellous shtatomen"," stammered Pyecrofb, stopping to point accusingly with a finger which trembled visibly. "Any magish . , inagish .. any beak would tell you that." Holt banged the door after him, and ten minutes later heard hint splashing in the birth, bawling at the top of his voice, a choice selection from his vocal repertoire. "Drunken sot!" he rnuttered. "What the blazes Muriel can see in him I can't imagine. Women are amazing creatures!" . By which remarks it may be infer- red that the .subject of Percival Pye- croft had come up for discussion be- tween them and a difference of opin- ion recorded. CHAPTER VI. Muriel Mainwaring breathed a sigh of relief when lunch was over and she was able to escape to the peace of the moorland. She wanted to be alone, to sort out in her mind certain matters which were troubling her, Mr. Holt's thinly veiled hostility to Pyecroft for some unaccountable rea- son annoyed her. She told herself that Pyecroft was a drunkard, a weak stupid man for all the promise of his massive frame, and yet she keenly resented her guardian's attitude to- wards him. Perhaps Mr. Holt had been a lithe clumsy, tactless, in his endeavor to contrast Pyecroft with Hayden Mer- cer. The, was another matter which secretly worried her, more than she cared to admit. Mercer was persist- ent in his attentions and Holt had made it plain that a marriage be- tween his ward and the nephew of his best friend was his dearest wish. As she walked slowly along the moorland track she tried to analyte her „ feelings towards Mercer. Sne wondered why `she dicta:lot really care for him. He was the type of mart, she thought, that would make most girls envious of her good fortune. She would give him full credit for his in- telligence, his immeasurable vitality and his charm of manner, three attri- butes which Pyecroft appeared to lack entirely. He was wealthy, she was poor, dependent on the generosity of a guardian who Lad been a name only to her until a few weeks ago. Mar- riage with Hayden Mercer ' would place her in a very different position; yet the very thought of marriage sent a tiny shiver through her as she in- voluntarily shrugged her shoulders. It was unreasonable of her guardian to expect her to marry anyone for a year or two at least. She felt that the expressed wish might soon become the command, and that she dreaded. With a gesture of impatience sl_:e tried to thrust the problem aside. Raising her head she filled her lungs luxuriously with the invigorating air. The cool breeze blowing gently over the moor was both sedative and stim- ulant, and she smiled as she paused to admire the beauty of the wild land with its rugged tors and sweeping uplands. Far below her the river wound its way through the valley, a gleaming ribbon of silver edged by - the emerald green of the mash grass. (To be continued.) Austrian Professor Hopes To Forecast Earthquakes Pecs, Hungary — Professor Martin Hanka, who predicted and placed the Java earthquake, hopes to be able to warn of quakes in time to save whole populations. The Java earthquake, for example, came on January 21. Professor Hanko had predicted a quake between the 19th and 21st in the region of the western extension of the Pacific. probably Japan or the East Indian Archipelago. According to Professor Hanko's calculations, earthquakes should oc- cur periodically and with an aston- ishing exactitude in the different parts of the world. Ile has estab- lished a record of foretelling a good many w' :n a margin of only one or two days. To test the. correctness of his sys- tem he worked back to the greatest earthquakes of history and found thatthe historical data coincided With the results of his system of cal- culation, Professor Ranke is sixty-two years old and has been for the best part of his career professor at the former Naval Aeaclemy of Hungary ill Fiume, • where he had taught physics and mathematics. Since 1907 he has devoted himself to seismologic, oceanographic, mete- orological and navigational studios ' and is the author of several books on these subjects. When you turn over n new leaf, fasten it down with cement. ADVE-NTT S C S1/4 &izdhh .Dog S ?TTIE' 'hat carne before: Captain Jimmy and and his dog Scottie are exploring (ihina in their plane. They call on a Chinese General to get a pass, when Scottie f..olishl catches him by the foot. There we stood before General I.u, wondering what was going to happen next. Scottie, bristling with angel' and ready to fight at the drop of a hat. The interpreter scared white, or rather, scared lemon yellow—and myself anxious and worried for fear that General Lu would refuse to give us our pass to the Chinese front. Fortunately Gen- eral Lu was too great a man to bother much about dignity. Without even a word of comment on Scot- tie's absurd attack, he sat down and wrote quickly on a sheet of paper, to which he affixed a bright green seal. Five minutes later we left the palace with a pass that gc.ve us freedom to go anywhere we pleased. Early next morning we took off in our plane for Liuho—a little town where the fighting was in full pro- gress. Soon the country below show- ed the ravages of war. Buildings were wrecked by shell -fire, bridges were down at the rivers, and the ground was so rough that we almost crashed at our first landing. Leaving our plane well back from the battle front, we took a road lead- ing up to the lines. The air was damp and foggy, and the rumble of the guns seemed muffled under the heavy grey sky. Bullet -scarred walls stood bleak and white, and now and then a tree, with the wood torn into ribbons, showed the spite of high ex- plosives. Suddenly we noticed a group of soldiers, off duty, grouped around some object tied to a tree. Coming near we heard a loud and complicat- ed din—moaning, groaning and gib- bering enough to make your hair stand on encl. To our horror, we found that the soldiers had caught a few of the enemy, and tied them up to a large branch by their wrists, so their feet were several inches off the ground. Of course, it must have been fearfully uncomfortable, but the soldiers only Iaughed and jeered. "Come on Scottie", I said, "Let's bust up this party." Punching ants poking my wayt through the ring I stood beside the. prisoners. The soldiers, of course, dM not take this treatment too kind. ly, and began to whisper among them- selves and finger their rifles. Then I took out General La's pass, Luck - fly no one couldreact it—but I point- ed to the bright green official seal and made gestures and faces that, must have convinced those Chinese soldiers that dire calamity would, be- fall any man who interfered. Taking out my knife, I crit the captives down, and automatic pistol in hand I shoved thein through the .. ring of soldiers who were too sur- prised to resist. "Herd those prisoners into that house." I said to Scottie; pointing to a house which remained standing. In fact, it afterwards proved to be the headquarters of the Colonel°"yin charge. Scottie needed no second invitation—with a fierce growl he - lunged for the ankles of the 'three Chinese, and they covered the die tance in no time at all. Then the soldiers suddenly woke up. Several fired shots, and others ran toward us with their bayonets. I ran to the door. This was guard- ed by a sentry. He made a stab at me but missed, so I bowled him over and turned just in time to see two more figures rushing toward me. There was, no time to think. Hiding behind the door, I hit—each as hard as I could .as he jumped over the sill, and scored two knock outs. Then as my eyes became accus- tomed to the gloom of the house, I looked more carefully, and diseov ered to my dismay that one man was my interpreter, aacl the other no less than the Colonel himself. Fortunately the Colonel revived in a few moments, otherwise we would have been in a bad fix, as everyone was running toward the house shoot- ing and yelling. Sitting up, he fairly screamed some orders in Chinese. i n-- stantly the hub. bub ceased. T h e Colonel turned to me. Quite evidently he hadn't the slight- est idea what happened. (To be continued.) r 1Si' r7rJ 4 ; ate Maltid The health -giving, delicious drink for children and grown- tin• s > Pound and Half Pound tins at your grocers. Child's Stupidity May Be (mediately to a mental specialist, Dr, Robin urges, for careful diagnosis Sign of Serious Brain Disease and treatment. A child who refuses to answer questions but merely sits still like the proverbial "bump on a log," may not be really stupid or intractable, it is urged by the distinguished French expert on mental disease, Dr. Gil- bert Robin, but may be suffering from the first stages of serious men- tal disease. This- peculiar mental inhibition under questioning, as though the child were literally stun- ned, is a warning symptom, Dr. Rob- in believes, of the brain disease call- ed epilepsy. The look in such a child's eye after any orcliu ry ques- tion has been asked, like a question in school, is described as vague and wandering. There is no interest, ir- ritation, or any other sign that the question has been heard. The child's mind seems to be a complete blank. After a few seconds or minutes this curious state passes off. Sometimes the child then answers the question which apparently had stunned him. Sometimes the whole matter seems, to be forgotten, as though the child had been unconscious. In more severe cases similar attacks of un- responsiveness may occur without any question being asked and those' often are reported by teachers as in- excusable inatteuti;eness or absence of mind. Such children or those who show the peculiar stunned silence when questioned should he sent im- SAVED IMPORTED DRESS "After a little wearing, a lovely green voile—au imported dress—lost color so completely that it was not wear. able. A friend who had admired it, asked me why 1 wasn't wearing it' any more. On hearing the reason, she advised dyeing it and recomq mended Diamond Dyes. To make -',a long story short, it turned out beam? fully. I have a lovely new dress that really cost just 15c—the price of one package of Diamond Dyes. "I have since used Diamond Dyes for both tinting and dieing: They do either equally well. 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