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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1931-05-28, Page 4SALAD TEA The Tea that comes to you, "Fresh from the Gardens.. THE KESTREL EIOUSE MYSTERY By T. C. H. JACOBS ... SYNOPSIS. Henry. Ho t and his ward, Muriel Mainwaring, are staying at a. Dartmoor farm. Holt has a friend, Moineau, liv- ing at Kestrel House, and is desirous that Muriel rnarry Moineau's nephew. Hayden Mercor, whom she dislikes. A. series of mysterious disappearances have been alarming* the neighborhood. Mona Page, the vicar's ',aughter, being the latest victim. Another boarder at the farm is Per.ti- val Pyecroft, who is murderously at- tacked while walking ,.n the moor. Then be and his valet, '!`lack, set out to dis- c.v.. tt'P mystery of Kestrel House. Pyecroft finds a locket belonging to Mona F -re, and also a secret under- ground passage. Aar d of discovery, they return CHAPTER IX.—(Cont'd.) "Did you meet or see any person?" Barnard demanded. "Not one solitary soul," lied Pye- eroft blat-diy. "Of all the gloomy, dismal, deserted houses I've ever struck that place is the worst It's enough to give one the creeps to stand and gaze upon it. Reminds me of that bit of poetry, how does it go—'Under some prodigious ban of excommunica- tion...." "I'v seen it," interrupted Barnard hastily. "Seen itl" ejaculated Pyecroft. "I suppose you've been all over it and ad- mired the work of art, eh?" ITS LITS LAWN MOWER A LIGHTER, easier run- ning and longer lasting mower. Aluminum Drive Wheels and Side Plates. Barium Metal self -aligning bearings, steel drive Wheel Axles and Steel Drive Wheel bushings. At your hardware dealer's. CANADA FOUNDRIES & FORGINGS LIMITED James Smart Plant Brockville - Ontario 4 i S � h ' "Not yet," snapped the chief inspec- tor grimly. Mr, Pyecroft having no further in- formation to impart he thanked him, wished him "good night," and with his subordinate strolled on towards the Blue Boar. "Chief !" exclaimed Trotter with suppressed excitement when they were out of ear -shot, "Did you recognize the little one?" "No," said Barnard, "who was he?" "Freddy Flack." "What, the Bank Smasher?" Trotter nodded his 'lead in affirma- tion and Barnard glanced over his shoulder to where the two figures were still visible. "Are you sure?" he asked sharply. "Absolutely, Me,. I pulled him over the Southern Joint Stock job. He went down for a .hree-year stretch. He'd have got mole if he hadn't been so slippery. You know he was the fel- low who smashed the.London and Can- ada Bank, but we've never been able to fasten it on him, not that he made much over that haul." "Ah, yes, 1 remember. He's been convicted twice, hasn't he?" "Sure, two convictions and umpteen acts of providence. If he had all that was due to hint he'd rot in jail for fifty years." Barnard walked on in silence for some ,dards then he said, half to him- self: ""That other bird is a crook, too, but I'm dashed if I can make up nay hind about him. He told me such a mixture of truthlies les when I intel,viewed . i zn tiat I'm still uncertain just'what he is. Did I tell you that I found a sharper's glove in his pocket?" "No, Chief." ',"Yes. I was feeling around for the button when I spotted it. I slipped it out to -make sure and there was the mirror sewn in the palm." "Pretty obvious then, Chief. "What is?" Barnard shrugged his shoulders. "That he's a stork." A pain in the lower part of your back can torture you. But not for long, if you know about Aspirin! These harmless, pleasant tablets take away the misery of lumbago, rheumatism, neuralgia, headaches, toothaches, and systemic pains of women. Relief comes promptly; is complete. Genuine Aspirin cannot depress the heart. .Look for the Bayer cross, thus; BUB -A -LAWN POWER M ERS 19" and 23 " FOR HOMES ESTATES GOLF CLUBS PARKS CEMETERIES Very Simple to Operate. Saves Money and Does Better Work. Write For Descriptive Circular and Prices. SOLD AND SERVICED BY xrell H. W. PETRIE, LIMITED ELgin 1271 TORONTO •'IIe drinks too much to be danger -1 to form a huge .expanse of delightful' nus" he said, colol.ing The only living things vire.. Sergeant Trotter suddenly stopped ibie were a few sheep grazing on a and struck the top of his bowler a tursede tiny spots of white in the smart blow: blue distance, "Dog bite me, Chief!" he exclainie 1, Detective Sergeant Trotter gazed "I've placed- him!" "Yes?" prompted 'Barnard eageely, "who is he?" Trotter shook his head regretfully: "I can't tell you that, but the last time I saw hien he was half -canned in Hell Bend. Ikey Rosen and Joe Ender v.ere with him with a couple of broads' men to complete the party. Re's a crook, safe enough, Chief. Better -get his finger -prints, eh?" "I got them the other day and re- ceived the record office report this morning. There's nothing tieing in that line." CHAPTER X.. Chief Inspector Barnard was early astir the next morning. He had al- most completed his breakfast before his subordinate put in an appearance. "Hullo, Chief !" exclaimed the lat- ter, "been watching the sun rise?" "You're a lazy devil, Trotter," grunted Barnard. "I don't know why I have you with me." The sergeant grinned good-natured- ly as he took his seat: "What's -the I,rogram this morning, Chief?" he asked cheerfully. r "The vicarage first for me, You can go along to the garage and have a run over Pyecroft's car; there may be something to be found; then comae back and wait for me here." Barnard on admittance to the vic arage found the vicar at breakfast; "Sorry to disturb you, sir," he apologized, "but the matter is rather important." The Rev. Augustus Page showed signs of the strain under which he was living. His tall, lean frame was bowed, while his pale face was drawn and haggard. He brushed long nerv- ous fingers over his white, bushy hair, but his dark eyes lit up with eager hope at the inspector's words. • "Is it news of nay dear 'daugh- ter?" he asked quickly. "Well, it's early days yet, sir," fenced Barnard, producing the locket. "Do you recognize this?" "Yes," cried the Vicar excitedly, "it belongs to my daughter She always wears it around her neck. Where was it founu?" "In the valley; it was picked up by one of . . er . . my men. You are absolutely sure that it is your daugh- te1,s?„ "Absolutely!" The finality, of the reply left small room for doubt, nevertheless Barnard persisted: . "There is no possibility of • another being in existence?" The Rev. Mr. Page shook his :head: "None whatever. If you will exam- ine the back you will see two small scratches which I once nude in .open- k . ing it." • "1 noticed tl5em," repi&ed 13 '‘And you are qult certain that, :12Ss Page was wearing it on the day she disappeared?" "Quite certain; she was never with- out it. What does it mean, Mr. Bar- nard, is it a ... a hopeful sign or?" "I don't know," Barnard frankly confessed, "but it's a step forward, if nothing else." The vicar turned away, anxious that the steely -eyed policeman should not see the disappointment of his new roused hope so suddenly shattered. Barnard waited until the other be- came more composed before he asked: "Do you visit Kestrel House, ;;ir?" "I have been there on one or two occasions," admitted the vicar. "But I do not think that I was welcome," he added. "Did Miss Page accompany you?" "On the second visit, yes. Why do you ask?" "The locket was found close to the bridge. I was wondering if she may have intended calling there on her way hone." The vicar shook his head with slow deliberation: "I do • not think so, Mr. Barnard. As a matter of fact she was rather afraid of Moineai, ,io is an extra- ordinary old gentleman," he added by' way of explanation, "and, I fear, n )t a Christian." The chief inspector did his best to reassure the vicar before he left, but he was not the sort of elan to give false hope under any circumstances. It was ':•ith very definite feelings of relief that he took leave of the other, after promising to keep hint posted with the latest information, and walked back to the Blue Boar, where he found Trotter waiting for him, "Well, Chief?" asked the sergeant tentatively, folding tip the newspaper which he had been reading and fixing the bowler more firmly upon the, back of his head, as he prepared to accom- pany his senior. officer. "Pyecroft was right, the locket be- longs to Miss Page. According to the parson this,Moineau fellow is an un- pleasant. customer." "That's the bloke at Kestrel House?" Trail Rides in the Rockies "Yes, where we are going now," Trail trips, both short and over a "Do you think that Pyecroft was number of days, may be in the kidding us,. Chief? Where he found Canadian Natioital Parks in the Rod - it, I mean."` • ies where there'are experienced pack - "Quite possibly, but it'll be an ex- ells and guides'femiliar with all the cuse to get into the house." I main routes of travel. These guides A cool, refreshing breeze was blow- can be relied upon to take any party ing across the moor as the two police -Ito outstanding features and points of men set out. Everywhere the golderi interest that do not lie on the reg1 h:v', gorse made brilliant patches ef'color beaten tourist path. against the dull green of the coarse turf, blending with the purple heather "A vacation le something you l lice • to get away from whit ;teat iktn t •dice ISJE No. 21 ---*3 1 doing." -Claiming Polleek. around with with admiring eyes. "Dog bite me, Chief," he exclaimed enthusiastically, "I could live here far the rest of my natural" "H ---m, see it in winter, and you'd change your mind," snapped Barnard, He was in no mood to appreciate the wild beauty ct Dartmoor. They deseeuded into the valley, amu followed' the same route as Pyeeroft had taken on the night before. Whei1 they cavae to the edge of the planta- tion the chief inspector stopped, "I'm going 011 alone," he announced. "1 Naat you to scout around the grounds. According to Ford they do not own a car; yet they must keep one somewhere. Map out a general plan of the house, ground floor win- dows and that sort of thing—undee- stand?" "Sure, Chief." As Bernard walked up' the path bc:• tween the pines he became more ce•,'- tain that for some inexplicable reason Pyecroft had spoken the truth. What the devil was that fellow's game? He was frankly . puzzled and uneasy in his mind, he could not place hint in the scheme of things, and yet he felt convinced that the roan was closely connectee with this riddle he had been set ,-, solve. It was not chance which had brought Pyec:.oft to Barrows Farm, but design. And where did Flack the bank smasher, come. in? Did 'Pyeci•oft know the history of his valet? • Everything pointed to him being ,well aware of it, and .ne probability was that it was because of Flack's skill that he was employed by Pyecroft. Mentally conning things over, he walked on until the outlines of the house became visible through the trees. Standing in the cover afforded by an overgrown rhododendron, he surveyed the place. Anything more utterly desolate, he thought, w,uid be difficult to imagine. The absolute eerie silence of the place seemed to possess actual weight. • He thought of Pyecroft's quotatio t, and found him- self repeating the words, "Under some prodigious ban of exa mi iuni- cation"—gad, it was apt! Suddenly the dead silence was bre:- ken ro-ken by a snuffled sound, distant and indistinct. Barnard mentally shook himself, and listened, but it was sev- eral minutes before he came to any decision. "Some sort of machinery, by the sound of it," he muttered. "Well, here goes!" Squaring his shoulders, he walked rmartly across the ragged lawn. He gave two sharp, authoritative raps on the knocker, and waited expectantly. (To be continued.) Camp- of. the .Falle . +, ]Better to" face 'tile goal beydlld our scaling Quiet at last, knowing the end has • come, Rather than with our lowered banners trailing To take the paths of safety leading home. In vain shall any lesser lights he burn - Ing For us who glimpsed the Vision from afar; We shall go down the road of unre- turning, Broken and spent but faithful to a star. Oh, let then say when men shall tell our story: "True was their quest, deep -loved, though unattained; Their futile striving held some seeds of glory, Their shattered dreams the heights they never gained." —Jack Clark. "Miss" Is Banned By Chinese Officials Peiping, China,—The foreign word "Miss" is officially, banned from use on, the campus of the Women's Col- lege of the National University in Pei- ping by order of Director Liu Fu. "Miss" sounds unpleasing to the ear, and is not really a polite form of salutation, declares • Director Liu's formal order. Instead of "Miss" all Young women students must hence- forth. be addressed as "ICu Xiang," he insists, for this Chinese word means "maid" and!is therefore more respect- ful. Director Lieu has also ordered all, the students in his institution to cease' attending dances and cabarets. Those who disobey this injunction' will in- stantly be expelled. Director Liu's annoiinceinents have come as a surprise. He is•in his early thirties, and has been. prominent as an "advanced modernist" for the last ten years. He was educated in Pei - pia; and in Belgium. .AD' :. 'TU1 5 of timtil (IS se MY dna/ /d DQE SCOTTIE- .t %, What game 'before: Captain TltlzmY and his dog Scottie get lost in the darkness, while laying myter the Chinese War Zone. They are caiittmea b, bandits and sepa"• ated Captain Jimmy ' makes' his escape and plans to efurcnfor the faithful Scuttle. ' Yes, sir. Just as I crowded the old' Chinese interpreter into the freight car to hide from those pursuing bandits, a black object came hurtl- ing in and struck me square in the beat. "Seattle!" We untangled ourselves, and there. was a grand re- union. But there wasn't any time to waste. The bandits were following closely • 0 n o u r trail. Some place must be found to hide. In the corner of the car were piled a number of tea chests. These I shoved out so the three of us could hide in behind. Over the top I spread some old straw matting. If onI3r the train would move along before the bandits caught up, we would he all right, but it seemed to be waiting on the switch until a train coming the• other way had passed. • Suddenly the sound of hoofs rang on the rocky railway siding, and a score of bandits began running up and down the train peeking into the cars. Things looked pretty serious, especially when a big Chinaman be- gan rummaging around among the tea chests. Luckily he did not no- tice our hiding place. Something had •to be done quickly, however, or the outlaws would re- turn and find us. Quietly I signal- led Fit Hsu and Scottie to follow me. We dropped out of the car and crept softly along' the side of the train away from the bandits, and • groped our way in the dim early morning light toward the , engine. The engineer and fireman leaned out of, their cab anxiously, wonder- ing what was happening down along' the track. I slipped in behind them and gave them a good shove. Off they went—end over end into , the ditch. Promptly I threw the reverse lever and opened the throttle. There was a violent spinning of drive wheels. The cars bumped anti crashed against one another noisily, and at the same time I pulled the whistle valve wide open. The whistle fairly shrieked. It was a perfect bedlam let loose. Panic stricken, the bandits rush- ed to the doors to escape. Some jumped out, some were pushed out, others simply fell out. But in less time than it takes to tell it, there was not a bandit on board. Away we roared, gathering speed as we backed down the track for we dared not go forward in the face of the signals. The engine rocked and swayed. I took up the shovel to feed the boiler fire, when 'suddenly a heavy boot stuck out from under the coal and someone hollered. • What ',ext. Even the coal was alive with .Chinese bandits. "Maybe I'm a bandit, Captain' said the owner of the boot. "But not Chinese anyway!" Where had I heard that familial voice before?. I shoved 'him into the light. His face was like a black mask from the coal dust, "By Golly! Jed Stone," I yelled. And so it was. My old friend Jed Stone who I had not seen for many years. Our meeting was one of those odd' co -incidences that you couldn't make happen in a lifetime if you tried to plan it. Jed told me a startling story. He had a broth- er Guy, 'engag- ed in Chinese famine relies work. A bandit gang had pass- ed through the country raiding and plundering the pitifully scant food supplies of the people. Guy • followed the bandits for days, and tried to reason with the chief. Making no impression he finally lost Control of himself, and be- fore anyone could interfere, soundly thrashed the villain. (To be -continued.) Note: Young readers wishing photo of Captain Jimmy may have same by writing "Capt. Jimmy", 2010 Star Bldg., Toronto. 7307de4a Chocolate Ma1tei 4ih The health -giving, delicious drink for children and grown- ups. - - Pound and Half Pound tins at your grocers. Farm Boy Sells Calves To Build Winning Model A farm boy in overalls, plow shoes and a green -billed soda cap won first prize at Kansas City in the miniature aircraft circus. He is 1S -year-old Rob- ert Meier of Louisburg, Kari., and will represent his district in the national contest at Dayton, Ohio; June 29. and 30. Robert's big paper and wood mono- plane, propelled by rubber bands, roar- ed into the gusty air and circled for 2 minutes 55 seconds. Poling Meier, a student in high school, owned two veal calves. They w • about all he owned, except a mind fox mathematics and an imagiaa- tion. 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