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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1932-04-14, Page 2JIM THE CONQUEROR By PETER R, KYNE Illustrated by Allen Dean SYNOPSIS Don Jaime Miguel Higuenes, Texas ranches, and Tom Antrim, sheep owner, Have been bitter enemies. Capt. Iden Ho- bart, Don Jaime's manager, finds him wounded after shooting it out with An- trim, who is killed. Don Jaime takes possession of Antrim's sheep. Roberta Antrim is advised of her uncle's death and leaves for Texas. "Crooked Bill" Latham another uncle, Wants her to marry his friend, Glenn Hackett, and when Roberta wires her approval of Don Jaime, and a letter ar- rives from Don Jaime asking permission to woo his niece. Latham decides to leave for Texas. CHAPTER XXIV.—(Cont'd.) Long dicl Crooked Bill ponder. The question that gnawed at him even as the fox gnawed at the vitals of the Spartan youth was: whom could he get to buy the sheep for him and, after having' secured them, to whom would he sell them? What would he do with them if they were not readily eatable? Would he be forced to rent pasturage for them and hire herders to watch them? If so, he would have to hire watchers to watch the herders. "Well," he sighed presently, "of one thing I'm certain. I'm in the sheep business right now and the sooner I get out of It the better for all con- cerned. Glenn, my boy, fighting your fight is going to be mighty expensive, but as an adjunct to the family I guess you're worth it." He telephoned to his office in New York, instructing it to secure him transportation and a drawing room to Los Algodones, Tex., and the following day was en route to consummate the crookedest piece of business he had ever contemplated— that of swindling himself! He solaced himself, however, with the reflection that this was a luxury he could afford. In due course he arrived in Los Al- godones and put up at the Mansion House. Neither the town nor the hotel had changed a particle in the twenty- five years that had passed since lie bad seen it last. Indeed, the only dif- ference Crooked Bill was aware of was that twenty-five years ago Los Algodones and the Mansion House had pleased him thoroughly while today they caused him to shudder. Nobody knew him, nor did any of the faces of the loungers in the chairs tipped back against the front of the, hotel awaken in Crooked Bill the faintest flicker of recognition. At the general store he purchased a pair of overalls, a canvas coat and a gray sombrero, which, combined with a soft white shirt and black tie and the boots (a relic of other days) which he habit- ually wore, metamorphosed Crooked Bin into a very fair imitation of .a Texas citizen of the wide open spaces. Thus garbed he calFd upon Don Pru- deneio AIviso. "My name's Blodgett, Mr. Alviso," he announced, and soothed his con- science with the thought that it was -- his middle name. "I understand you're the attorney for Tom Antrim's estate." Don Prudencio, a stout and affable person of fifty, nodded gravely, and with large dark eyes, which showed a yellowish tinge in the whites of then!, inquired of what interest the Torn Antrim estate might be to Mr. Blod- gett. "I remember this fellow just about the time he got his sheepskin," Crook- ed Bill soliloquized. "He's developed just about as I thought he would. Too confounded lazy to open his mouth and ask questions." To Don Prudencio's eyes he replied: "I understand old Tom left quite a smear of sheep." Don Prudencio nodded. "Are they for sale?" "A sale might be arranged, weebh the consent of the court, Senor Blod- gett," Don Prudencio answered guard - idly. "Pine," said Crooked Bill. "I'll buy them. I've a notion I can make a tune ],ethose sheep. I understand Antrim's ar hives in New Yorlc, so I presume a she'll be glad to sell and get rid of a nuisance," Don Prudencio shrugged, "Maybe so." With his eyes Le inquired what Senor Blotlgett's offer might be. Hav- ing .00hed up the market quotations in an El Paso paper and fortified himself with further knowledge of the market in a conversation with a sheepman he had drawn into conver- sation on the train corning down, Crooked Bill promptly named a figure one dollar per head 'above the highest market quotations. Don Prudencio stirred slightly "You have seen times sheeps?" "No; but I understand they're a good lot," "I weel sell you those cheeps, sub- ject to the confirmation by the court," Don Prudencio purred. "I am the executor for the ee-state. The sheeps have been count' recently and I weel guarantee the count, I well write for you an offer for all those sheeps, wheech you will sign. Then I weel accept, subject to the confirmation of the court and you will pay me now on account ten thousand dollars, no? I am queeck trader—like you." "I'll have the money wired to the credit of the estate in any bank you name. It will be there tomorrow. You've sold something." Don Prudencio Alviso might have looked sleepy, but behind those slight- ly liverish eyes he was very wide awake. He knew there were a few thousand culls in that lot of sheep --- old ewes with wrinkled necks, old ewes without teeth, old rams that were merely boarders, !nixed breeds of un- certain sizes and ages. Consequently, when for both aged sheep and lambs he had received so cavalier and tempt- ing an offer he did not hesitate. Within ten minutes he had William B. Latham sewed up on a contract of purchase and sale, and with this sig- nal advantage. If, for any reason, it. was considered undesirable for the estate to go through with the sale, it could get out of the contract, while for the purchaser there could be no escape, even though he should change his mind, provided the court approved Don Prudencio's acticn as executor. When Crooked Bill had the contract safely tucked in his pocket he com- menced talking with Don Prudencio about the deceased Toni Antrim, and learned that for a few days following Antrim's death the sheep had remain- ed in charge of one Bill Dingle, An- trim's foreman. Later Dingle had been rather forcible relieved of his cheep'es, by . Jaime. Higuenes, of the Rancho Valle Verde. "That Dingle night be a good ex- perienced sh'eepnan to care for these sheep in case the court approves the sale," Crooked Bill suggested hope- fully. "Where might one get in touch with him?" Don Prudencio gave him minute di- rections for finding Mr. Dingle, and with a heart beating high with hope, Crooked Bill took his departure. "I'll sell the dod-gasted sheep to Dingle, and take a chattel mortgage on thein if he hasn't got enough money to pay for them --and I dare say he hasn't," the old schemer decided. "Of course I'm bound to lose some money, but them. 7 expected that, and I can pay for my fancies. Well, tomorrow I'll hire a ear and driver and hie me out to saw those sheep off on Bill Dingle. Pll give that grass thief a bargain he just naturally won't have the heart to refuse. Then Pll get an airplane to freight me, back home in a hurry, because I hnusn't waste any time with that Higuenes bird on the job. Once hone, Pll wire Roberta I'm very ill and to some home immediate- ly. After that—the DeIuge." CHAPTER XXV. For a long time after Crooked Bill No substitute can bre goad enough ChrilieS Arrowroots 'lour Mother's Mother gave hmx ildren "Christie',s" Arrowroots, Canada's original Arrowroot Biscuits, liaised In Canada 1 y" Christie's since 1833, There is xxot1.ing hitter for tour children, '32 Styles This is called the half and half, and is one of the smartest, out- fits noted at Miami Beach. On the inside is Miss Blanche Mar- tin or Chicago. had left his office Don Prudencio Al- eiso sat in his swivel -chair and stared hard at the opposite wall. Presently he took down the telephone and called the proprietor of the Mansion House and with hint held a conversation in Spanish. Then he hung up and waited. Presently the telephone rang and Don Prudencio answered, "Gracias." He hung up and wrote on a scratch pad the initials W. B. L. Thereafter he continued to stare at the wall for another hour. About sunset he shook his large black head in negation and defeat and went hone. The following night he appeared at the Rancho Valle Verde. Roberta was dressing for dinner, after a day in the saddle with Don Jaime and his men, and Don Jaime was lying in hie long chair on the gallery, with Ken Hobart beside him. "Hello, Prucly, what brings you. out?" Don Jaime hailed him. "I am mystified," Don Prudencio re- plied, and forthwith ielated in detail his impending sale of the Antrim sheep to a fat -headed old geritlr, for a very great deal more than they were worth. "He said his name was, Blodgett, and signed the contract Wil- liam L. Blodgett," the lawyer contin- ued. "He did .hot say where he was from, but I could see he knew nothing of sheep .and was a city man. His hands were soft and white and his shirt was too expensive. He did not bargain with me and he seemed to me to be quite anxioes to buy the sheep. So I telephoned to the Mansion House 1 inquire if he was stopping there and when I described him they said they had a guest there from New York by that name, but that his baggage carried the initials W. B. L." "Hum-ni-m!" Don Jaime grunted and sat up very straight. "He isn't a very good liar, is be? Any fool in this country would have known bet- ter than to leave a trail like that. What .does W. B. L., of New York, want of the Antrim sheep, and why should he pay such a high priee for them? This is indeed very mysterious, Prudy. Did he deposit the ten thou-. sand?" "He did. It was telegraphed from New York." "I wonder what the old idiot is go- ing to do with those sheep?" "1 imagine he's going to get Bill Dingle to care for them for hint" "Not on my range, Prudy, the min- ute those sheep pass out of possession of the estate of Thomas Antrim, dee,, ceased, they're going to get off the Higuenes range. If they linger there'll be a fight or a foot -race." "Do you suppose Miss Antrim will, agree to sell the sheep, my friend??" Don Prudencio queried, "Sell them? Of course she'll sell them. You are her executer and you recommend the sale. I am her busi- ness adviser and I recommend it, and as the probate judge knows nothing of sl eep and will be guided by such ex- ports xperts as you and me in making his de- cision, naturally he will sign an order of sale. And while he has the pen in his hand, Prudy, I think his honor should consent to the solo of the wool at the market priee. Wool is going down. The growing popularity and cheapness of rayon is going to cost the estate some money on its wool, so get busy, Prudy" (To be continued.) Seal Fishing Excellent Family Life In Old China. (By Ling Tsiu-Sen . a Westermann's Monthly, Berlin.) In the year 1307 Marco Polo wrote the first authentic description of the Flowery Kingdom. This was follow- ed in 1552-1610 by the writings of such educated Jesuits as Matio Ricci, Adam Schell and others whose re- searches into ancient Chinese liter- ature have left us much better ac- quainted with the country. On Janu- ary 81, 1827, Goethe paid tribute not only. to Chinese culture, but to the fine sensibility of Chinese character. It was when sensation -loving tourists visited the land, that stories arose that were not only ridiculous but un- true, I recall as examples the tales of "rotte.n eggs," "earth -worms" and "opium smoking." It is manifestly impossible for foreigners unacquaint- ed with the language—and very few ever really master it—to comprehend Chinese customs and character, and especially is this true of the family life to which the average foreigner has no access. Yet Chinese fancily relations foram the foundation of society and of state. Woman is the absolute ruler of the household, and she is respected and loved in. proportion to her ability to educate and train her children, and carry on the :multiplicity of her house- hold duties. Even yet the Occidental pictures the Chinese woman as secluded, a virtual prisoner within her , our walls, busied from morning till night with some tiresome embroidery, and enduring the torture of tightly -bound feet. As a natter of fact, several decades have gone by since the custom of feet -bind- ing was given up—Chinese woman freed herself from the bonds of style before the Western woman gave up her corset. Besides, the painful hob- ble was never so bad as pictures and story -writers would have us believe. One can grow accustomed to anything, and I remember well how proud my grandmother was to the end of her life of her tiny feel,. Further, the custom was restrictei almost entirely to the upper stratum of society, and when a protest against it arose, 't was soon aholishea. The young Chinese woman begins her day with a visit to the wing of the house where her mother-in-law resides. She gives the older woman her morning greeting, and serves her with tea. The two women then con- sult over the day's work, and discuss the children, who later also visit their grandmother with an early greeting. It is the Chinese woman who teaches the rudiments of learning to her boys and girls, and she looks upon it both as an honor and a duty. She ifistructs'theni in the extremely diffi- cult alphabet, assists them in. the early stages of writing, and makes a beginning in arithmetic. But it is she, particularly, who instills into them the veneration for their ances- tors, and for the age-old wisdom of the Chinese by teaching then .rhe songs and legends ehat are handed lows from generation to generation, and have such :i Deculiar influence on the Oriental character, Even in wealthy families, the chil- dren's toys are very simple. As far as possible, they are kept close to nature. For instance, in Southern China every family has its goldfish aquarium, and it is the peculiar pleasure of mothers and children to care for these beauti- ful creatures. When we remember that the goldfish of China have mar- vellous veiled tails, are sometimes as .much as 40 centimeters in length, and are decked in all the colors of the rainbow, we can understand the in- terest their owners take in them. I remember, as a child, that my broth- ers and sisters and myself each had our favorite among the goldfish, and great was our joy when we could per- suade our own special pet to nibble at the bit of food we had to offer. There is no idleness in the Chinese Lome. Even the most dignified and high-class have some form of Indus- try. ndustry. In the south, the gathering, dry.. Ing and sorting of the tea -leaf are carried on in ninny private homes. They even weigh and parcel it for the , great wholesale houses. At the same time the blossoms of the Mo Li and Sui Sien are gathered in large quartet • ties, and added to the tea -leaves to produce the tantalizing flavor the Oc- j cidental loves but never understands. In winter the cultivation of highs and the working of fine embroidery for sale to the exporters take up much spare time. In spring there is the silkworm industry to attend to, also a peculiarly ferninini occupation. In practically every room except. the becl rooms, there aro long bamboo tables upon which the silkworms are placed,' and it requires a great deal of atten- tion to see that those that try to on Lower St. Lawrenea iii5liiurYOU Quebec. Reports received by the o„athMilYtao: Department of Colonization, Game and Fisheries frog] the ]ower St. Lawrence on the north shore, show that the seal fishing for Deeember and 5'anuary has been exceedingly good, between eight and ten thousand seals have been caught by the fishermen considerably greater than the eatoli: ter the same months a year ago. tna(v,:ri,.1 (or -kw' ., ISSUE No. 15---'32 R Fres. h and Fragrant -Always "Fresh From the Gardens`” z6' escape are recaptured as quickly and quietly as possible. A healthy and pleasant occupation for the entire family, including the servants, is the gathering of the mulberry leaf for the worms. They are picked fresh every day, the fresher they are the better for the silkworm culture. Care must be taken lest the leaves be too damp, for that is harmful. Feeding the worms was always a pleasure to us children, and the peculiar harsh sound o their chewing so annoying to foreigners becomes more pleasing as it grows familiar. In m,, home city—Fu-tschou—an absorbing amusement for the house- wife was that of allowing the worms to embroider their own table•covers. The paper pattern is laid on the table. end a number of worms ready for spinning are placed upon it --some white and some yellow. As is well known, the wombs -..ever eat in the spinning season. While they spin, the careful guard guides them in the right direction over the pattern, and fre- quently foregoes a night's sleep to see that there are no mistakes. If other colors are required, they are handpainted on the table cover later. All kinds of clothing, including shoes, is manufactured as far as pos- sible in the hone. This is all the easier since most of it is very simple. Even shoes are fashioned chiefly from silk, and painted or embroidered by ;.and. No hats are worn, but the parasol takes on the duty of a head - covering. The costumes of former days were much more complex and e :- pensive than they are now. Women now wear a short skirt with a jacket embroidered about the neck and over the breast. It is extremely becoming to the Chinese type and dainty figure. Even in the house the modest woman wears a loose form .1 pyjama. The desire for children, especially tor a son, is so great in Chinese homes that the patriarchal custom of con- cubines was quite common until the laws of recent years frowned on the practice. Now the lack of children is provided for by adoption. In the matter of feminine charms the Chinese woman is in no sense be- hind her Western sister. She knows even better than does the white wo- man how to retain the love of her hos- band. She has learned to smile and dress to please him, and there is small danger that he will seek feminine companionship elsewhere. Great tal- ent is not considered necessary for a. woman, but she must have modesty, reserve, and faultless manners, and t." she must know whe'to speak and when to keep silence. The changes of the past few years have brot.ght the Chinese woman out of her seclusion. rhe is beginning to take an interest in higher educa- tion, and the number of female stu- dents at the universities is steadily in- creasing. But there never was a law against women in China. Chinese wc.- i men simply did not care about the vaunted freedom of the Western na- tions. So long as she liven, the mother-in- law is head of the household, but there is a ver,, real friendship between her and the younger woman who will some' day succeed her. The English expression "filial love" hardly ex- presses the honor ia which Chinese children hold their parents. T1 -e du- ties of family may be summed up in a few short rules: the parents are committed to a love for and a mild,, patient care for their offspring; the childrei must show attention, obedi-: ence and gratitude; the elder brother is responsible for his younger brcth- ers and sisters; the husband must be gentle and reasonable, and the wife kind and understanding. "Tom called on me yesterday af- ternoon." "Yes, he told me he had some time to kill." "I have never seen anything since 1018 that was worth the sacrifice of the war dead." --J. B. Priestley. "Triumph of inind over matter Is one of mankind's superb achieve-. ments."—Fannie Ilurst. "Poverty to -day saves Europe from war."—Benito Mussolini. FASHION . HINT "Trow to make my old short skirts conform to the new length was a problem to ale until I hit on this plan I dropped the !hems; and as the part that had been turned un- der was darker than the rest, T re - dyed the entire dress, after having bleached the goods, following direc- tions in the Diamond Dyes package. "I used Diamond Dyes for the re- dyeing, of course. I have dyed many things with these wonderful colors. They have saved me many dollars and have never failed to give perfect results—smooth, even colors—fast to wear and washing. Friends think my things are new when I redye or tint them with Diamond Dyes. They do give the most gorgeous colors!" Mrs, Cr .C'., L'vii. Quebec. When Yo u Fatigue is the signal to rest, Obey it if you can. When you can't, keep cool and carry -on in comfort. Aspirin was meant for just such tines, for it insures your comfort. Freedom from those pains that nag at nerves and wear you down. One tablet will block that threatening headache while it is still just a threat. Take two or three tablets when you've caught a cold, and that's usually the end of it. Carry_ Aspirin tablets when you travel. Have some at home and keep some at the office. Like an efficient secretary, they will often "save the day" and spare you many uncomfortable, unproducttvehours. Aspirin is harmless, so keep it handy, keep it inmind, and use'it. No man of affairs an afford to ignore the score and more of uses explained in the proven directions. Frons a grumblingtooth to those rheumatic pains wich seem almost to bend the bones, Aspirin tablets are ready with quick relief—and always work. Neuralgia. Neuritis. Any nagging needless pain. Get the genuine tablets, stamped with the Bayer cross. They areof perfect purity, absolute uniformity, and have the same action every time. Why experinient with imitations costing a few cents less? The saving is too little. There is too much at stake. nut there is economy in the purohase of genuine Aspirin tablets in the 'Jorge bottles.