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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1921-09-15, Page 6�"he �iaado�v ghost sesesseaseteleesseef BY EUGENE JONES 014 main Fipps, ,engineer of the Limited for ten years, was dead. Who would tae his place? According to seniority, the job belonged to Adler; yet Adler has never been popular, with headquarters. Roundhouse No, 5, situated a good half -mile from the Savannah terminal station, was the spot most likely for • the news to break concerning the per- sonnel of the Limited's new crew. Frank Hawthorne, local engineer, young, steady -eyed, liked by the :nen, stood near the door, smoking; and be- side hint lounged the oldest fireman on the Swamp n. .'hey were eailc- ing in low tones, gianaing now rind then- at the bulletin board. "You say ycu re going to get it?'' grunted the latter. • "Surest thing you know, Uncle 13i111 Superintendent had me up on the' carpet this morning—said l'd •done all right, 0.1::d he needed more express engineermen. Then he mentioned the Lint ted. .. Of course, it's a mighty big thing for a kid like me. Everybody, thinks Adler's first choice; he's been. ii ndling a throttle for five years. But • Adler—w el, you know what the chief dispatcher: called him when he ditched that Charleston local last month!" Uncle Bill drew on his pipe thought- fahy. His sheuldcrs were bent, his fate so seamed and wrinkled one could hardly fellow the line of his f eatures. • 0n.y his . ee es, hinted at the mental an:l physical activity which ' twenty years of railroading had failed to tire, And at the moment his eyes were focused on Hawthorne. i - "What about them ghosts in Big' Cyprus Swamp?" 'ra k, �.nklo.. u •ped "Look here, a veteran like you can't' get away with that! And you better not try; you're going to fire for me."' "-What ?" • ''Fact, I asked the boss to let you flee 99, and he promised to." If the older man was overjoyed he' didn't show it; he ir:e:e_y nodded with: a trace of sullenness. And then a clerk from the office pushed through the erowel with o bundle of orders: which' n fasten p.,,cee:ed �_ fasten to the' snake -.begrimed bufet:n board. Frank was named as enginser of No. 86,' the Limited; Uncle Bill as fireman; there were other changes. - Now it so happened that Edward; Adler came in at that moment from his.ovening run. Several of the men were cangratulatng Hawthorne when' Adler strode up to the board. His eyes were a little red from the wind; and wh en he turned abruptly toward the group watching him, there was something g in his appearance sugges tive of an animal ,cornered. "Where's Hawthorne?" he grotvled. ! I want to see hien. Hawthorne pushed forward, ? he - said quietly, although.' his Jaw ova ,ks r-, .oubtleese lie., sur - crowd iciil-dered' eIoser; the two Men faced I each ether in front of .the .bulletin board, Adler white to the roots of his hair, Hawthorne milling a little, but note provocatively'. "You wantedme'?" " to See he hinted. "Yes! •Who's backing you?" The', snea r was obvious. "Just what cid you mean?" A brakeman laid his hand on Ad- ier's shoulder. "Hold on," he advised kindly. "I know it's tough on you—you're the ' older. man—but it isn't Frank's fault. th Get after the boss, see your union prerident—" "This is my scrap!" snapped the ,t angry engineer. "You butt out! Now, Hawthorne. I repeat, who's backing you at headquarters?" Frank held his temper. "I'm sorry," he said. "It seems to p me I have sort of swiped your job. If t cleath-like—and Frank, when he finish. cd 1 was terribly afraid." Hawthorne wet his haps. "You--beseve this, • deer?" "I don't know, Hew eeeld I know? I've never believed in "ghosts-" He drew her to her feet gently, "Then you advise are to pay no .at- tention to it?" Her startled eyes sashed slim the answer he had been praying for, "Noy no! If you see anything ahead of the Limited in B•ig Cypress, stop! , Even if it's a shadow. Please, Frank, for niy sake." - "Then you tiro care!" Ile drew her to him' firmly. "I'm not going to wait any lenge dearest;. you've got to admit it now you do care! When they walked home the girl cheeks were flushed and her .eyes we bright with a .joy that not even h father's death could eclipse. (To be coneluded.) to prevent. There was . a dull soun;l of blows on flesh, a muttered excla- I enation, and Adler crumpled to the floor. Uric bed Frans.. "Colne!" he ; shouted, "get out here—all of you!" And for some re son they obeyed. Hawthorne was t last to 'leave.. As he slammed th door, Adler struggled to his feet. H d o- Ever Tasted Pekoe? of a- he e' looked about dazedly, felt his hea with careful fingers, alio lurched t ward the entrance of the roundhous Before he disappeared he paused fling back thickly; "You'll hear from me—you and th pet of yours!" Then he was gone, staggering a lit- - tle, with a bump on his forehead a big as an egg. e' The my.,terious names given to dit- to ferent grades of tea c'io not, as is usual - at ly supposed, refer to different plants Start a Little Country Theatre. More and more since the boys carne back, country folk are coming to real- ize, that if we keep the young folks i,� on the farm we must not only elimin- ate a lot of the drudgery, but•we must provide entertainment for them. The 's ; days when early to bed and early to re 1 rise, and all play and no work makes er Jack a lazy boy, had power to move, are long since passed. The cities with their dance halls and movies,"or per- haps their concerts and lecture course, are too easy to reach. Factories and stores offer to both boys and girls a means of earning a living easily, with several hours of fun besides. So if a the country is to hold its young folks it must hustle up and establish some way of catering to the -pleasure -loving t side of normal, healthy boys and girls. h n e d e n e awtnorne went nom thoughtfully. Passing through the anion depot h caught sight of a slender black-garbe figure hurrying to' meet him. It wa Kathleen Fipps, daughter of the d ceased engineer. She was pretty, but one didn't thin of that at first; one thought about th sweetness of her, the simplicity, th i utter.lack of self-consciousness. He I chin and her determination had bee ;inherited from her father. Her hair was dark, her eyes a pansy black, wit a hint of slumbering fire, and he mouth?—well, Hawthorne considere it the most lovable, kissable mouth i existence. He took off his cap. "Isn't this a bad time to be pokin around the depot, Katharine?" He tone suggested solicitude rather tha reproof. She laid her hand on his arm. "Frank, can you take vie somewher where we sha'n't be interrupted? I'v something important to tell you." "When a man and woman fall i love—" he grinned. "Who said anything about falling i love? Frank Hawthorne,' you're th most conceited, impertinent—" "You've got to ad -mit it some day. But meanwhile, if you can think of anything more important; there's a quiet spot yonder in the parse," Threading their way through the shrubbery opposite the station, they found a bench protected from prying eyes. She motioned him to sit beside her, and her first words left him curi- ously apprehensive. "Father sent you' a message before he died!" Hawthorne move:d uneasily; the old man Fipps had been peculiar during the last years of his life. Many of the strange stories told of Big Cypress had originated with him, and Frank remembered certain evenings when he had walked home with-Fipps and listened' to the older man's fancies— fancies utterly incomprehensible _', to youth and high spirits and sublime in differen;.e. Yet nowthe was to reeive a viessage" "rom the dead!' S'of-nething 1 liis nature hitherto dormant set his nerves jumping: "Believe me, Dad was never out of his mind; you know' that, Frank.. I want you to'proniise you'll think none the less of him if you don't understand -feel• it's nonsense." Here she hesi- tated, her eyes .brilliant with tears' 'He was a wonderful father; we loved him so dearly! Even if his message is odd, he meant it for the best—in your interest. And it's—it's; like a voice romp another world! "Yesterday morning, the morning he died, he made me sit beside him on e bed. Physically he was very weak, but he seemed bolstered up' by a trength almost superhuman. I'll try o repeat what he said, word for word. He took my hand and whispered: `Daughter, this is my last sick- ness. Don't ask me how I know; peo- le close to the Borderland do know. And so I shall give you a message for he roan who will be chosen to drive • from which they are gathered, but t differeet leaves which may grow 0 s the same plant,. A young shoot on a tea -plant has a e i its tip two very small leaves, whic are naturally: the juiciest and contai the least amount 0f fibre. Of thes d • the smaller is called "flowery" an 0_1 the' other "orange" Pekoe. If tli leaves are even smaller still,'as 1 k some very expensive brands, the nam e of "broken" Pekoe is ,given, e Just below this, travelling; 'farthe ✓ down. the stem, come leaves ; slightl n bigger. These are just plain Pekoe. • Still coarser are the " Sbuchong • leaves, which are often the, basis 0 d "household" teas Lowest of .all con n the "Congon" leaves, which are ne turaliy not so well advertised` sine g their commercial value is smell The tea -plant sends. out new"shoot n four times every year In China ons - the first to appear are ;picked for the best beverages, though the'custom is e not followed in India or Ceylon: To test your tea look at the eav`1 n after infusion They should be`e cop- pery tint, and all of the same 'color. n At the end of the first five minutes e they should not have unrolled them selves. It is by: this "out -turn" test that th professional tea -taster forms his judg ment, after a sill of the liquid ha proved satisfactory. A form of entertainment which is growing more and more popular in country places is home talent theatri- cals. In coninunities where the idea has been worked out thoroughly the method of organizing has been to send out 'a questionnaire, asking those who will join to tell what they can best do. r The volunteers are then divided into y scene painters, costume. makers, or Iactors, according to individual talent. " 1 To be successful the Little Country f ' Theatre must be a real conimunity ie affair, with everybody and his wife working. A one-person show will not found. If you have a consolidated e. work' out. - Of course, a - suitable to ble ha l l must be s you can fix it with the superintendent, you can drive the Limited as far as I'm concerned," But s,uch generosity was beyond Ad- I ler's understanding; he merely read in it mockery. "Oh, yes, I can? You know blamed o well I can't. You're pretty cocksure - you can knife me in the back and get H away with it, aren't you?" Erank lost his smile instantly. "Stop!" and the word had a certain explosive quality. "That's a liar— everything you've said. 1 didn't ask h for the job; I haven't any friends higher. up. If you want facts, the s superintendent gave it to vie because a he felt I was a better man than you. t I didn't think so at first, but now fill d beginning to. You wouldn't accept niy y offer in a . decent spirit. All right. w You can go to the devil! I drive the Limited, and that's fiat!" p Eefore Hawthorne could guard him- n self the other struck him fairly be- tween the eyes. He reeled back, blink- s ing; caught himself, Then 'something f happened so rapidly nobody had time a s D s the Limited. "You have heard, Daughter, of the Shadow Ghost. .. Don't laugh when say such a thing exists. Back when the road was young, there was just ne fast train between Savannah and the South. The ,cngineer, Tim Mc- Farland, handled her for fifteen years, e was a friend of mine. He always vowed that after his death his spirit would take care of that train. Later, when pneumonia had taken him off, landed his job, but I never forgot is words. "Remember," he had said, if you ever get waved down by a hadow in Big Cypress, give 'er the ir, 'cause it'll be Tim's ghost trying o save you:" I thanked hint, and so id the other boys—he wasn't the sort ou could laugh at. For years there ere strange stories told. of Big Cy- ress, about queer things that walked the rails; but I never told my story— ever until now. • 'Do you remember the night I topped the Limited three hundred eet . from a tree whichhad fallen cross the track.? Nobody could under- tend how I'd seen that tree in time. o you remember when the piling ank under the trestle? We didn't hat EViGII oLCRt tirg ?'o ata pN TREAl- 1/44 !SC the cave-in, although you couldn't have spied it a train length away. The office swore I was a wizard. But, paughter, it wasn't me; it. was Tim McFarland keeping his prom' -e. Both tines I saw Tim—he wavedn s down, flitted along a hundred feet : dead of the train like a gigantic ghost flapping its arms. • 'But now a new man will take my place, and this warning is for him. If he sees anything from the cab of old 99, tell hien to give her the , air and pray for Tim's soul, " `Before God, I'm telling you the truth, girl, and a pian about to shuffle out wouldn't swear to a lie!' " Katharine choked. "That's all Frank, Ile died an bur later. I don't understand my reniem- bering his very words, but the whole thing stamped itself on my brain just as if—as if r were listening to the Gospel, I think I shall always see his face as he lay 'there ----so gray, so school with an assembly room, this may be utilized. In lieu of either school or community house which is suitable, a town hall, or unused left over a store, or even a barn, may be made to do, with the aid of an ingen- ious carpenter. Many manuals are published which give directions for - building the stage, and on scenery and I costumes, making up, etc. o l Pageants, in which everyone can - I take part, are as much a part of the s l work as one -act playlets with a half dozen =actors. Ontario, ` with its wealth of historical t •' sones drip- ) , all r Ip 1 ping with dramatic interest, offers un Fine Weather. Weather is fine for liviu'—and that's what most of us want As much as we do the shadows o glorythat hound and haunt, bounded material for pageants. Start- ing with the -coming of oft the French and following with the manythrilling f !. sling. Weather is fine for loving, And dreaming and sitting' by Hearing the harp of the evening. wind The lark of the morning sky. Weather its fine for laughin'-and that what most of us need o iinu.i<y the heal' of the. wounds el" we fewhen the old, sore places bleed; Weather is fine for dancing, And delving with what life sends To help us alongto the smile and song And the beautiful faith of friends. Weather is fine for fightin'-and that's. what most of us know As over the .hills and hollows strug- gling for joy we go; Weather is fine for singing And swinging and smiling away To the lilt; of the looms or twilight, The boom of the mills of day. Building New Plane in Secret. Much is expected from the tests of Great Britain's new secretly construct- ed heliocopter (vertical flying ma- chine), made at the Royal Aircraft Works at Farnsborough by a few trusted workers, says a London des- patch. Extraordinary precautions are being taken to insure that no spy will gain the slightest inkling of the principles of can'struction. The place of the tests and the time they will occur are kept secret and it is not improbable that the tests may be made at dusk. Keep Minard's Liniment in the house. ,:events of the French and Indian wars, the British conquest, corning of the 'united Empire- Loyalists, the War of 1822, and pioneer life in Ontario, there is 7 iueh to be drawn upon for pa - I geanbs with a. provincial appeal. Then nearly every locality' has its own ' par- . aicul4r history which is replete with. local 11 teres,,t A aageant written 'di-' fectelat. ed acted by home talent should. furnish enough entertainment to keep a neighborhood busy almost a season. Tasty Salads. A good little salad wh'ch the house- wife should have at her fingers' ends is made of apples and celery chopped together and dressed with mayonnaise. This salad can be charmingly served in apples. A word about preparing your apples: c Select, of course, the prettiest and firmest you can_find, peel them care -1 fully; take out the core, and scrape out. ;as much of the 'inside as is pos- sible without allowing your knife to burst through. In serving them, place each apple on end just before serving add thr tablespoonfuls of rich cream, eith sweet or sow. Mix the ingredient pour over the' fruit or vegetable mix tures, and toss"lightly until well com eel ivir, uopei'ann. they should be slightly seasoned wi salt and pepper. ee er' • the words that trip nee till I can see them with my eyes shut! Thank you, The used stir defiler wee chows, you how they, run instead of teIk?na• about, w1'�at th }•. are iMO, S* L7 AUTOS 100 aeteetily In atock. 402 YCNSE ;3T, Percy Break ► TOROlvTo Mention 11115 niter. mingled, When vegetables are urs' ( She had risen, but Mr. Copeland de- tainedth her. "One minute,Miss Ellis, We cannot afford to let i girl go who ' is determined to make her' defects help To' serve salad in cucumber boats scoop out your ctieurribei•s after ting them in two lengthwise,.and ou them in boat shape. Then refill wi your salad mixture, Take some wafe in the shape of triangles and fas'len then like three -cornered sails uprig in the front of the canoe -shaped e cumber, lay a wreath of greener around on the plate. For a very easily prepared' dish - the salad order, there could be nothing daintier and more appetizing the whole tomatoes served- with enayon naise. The tomatoes the dropped i hot water to loosen the skins, whic are very carefully stripped' off. Ar range each tomato on a bed of gree pour a spoonful of dressing over i and chill before serving. Would You Spend Ten Dollars? In considering the matter of hom conveniences, a common tendency i to think in terms of the hundreds dollars that are necessary in order to buy the furnace, the lighting plant, the water system or other fairly ex- pensive necessities. Every farm home is entitled to such modern conven- iences but they come only in time a the purchase money become., avail able. Did you ever stop to think that for about ten dollars you can purchase at any good hardware store some twenty- five conveniences that will save you almost . as ankh labor and trouble as the more expensive improvements? You may have to wait for the furnace, or the lighting plant or the water system but you need not wait for' the little conveniences. Take for example the inexpensive dish drainer._It ' is estimated d that a dish drainer will save at least thirty minutes a day or a total for one year of over twenty 'working days, of nine hours each. This is.only one of a dozen or more simple, inexpensive conveniences that will give the work- er in the hoine a total of hours and, hours of Ieisure. Think this over and make a few purchases the next time you go to town. t her to victory. You are what we eon tli sider to be a very good risk., You` will rs report as usual Monday miming:" I And then, with a blue envelope still clasped tightly in her hand,• a dazed htclasped smiling girl found herself out. in ythe corridor. on a An Airless Earth. Were the earth deprived of its' at. n niosph�ere, - and existence possible, un- - der such conditions, we should find n that no rosy dawn would herald the h rising of the sun in the darkened east, - or gorgeous colors mark its setting in n, the west The sky would be dark by t, day as well as by night. The stars would shine brightly through the entire twenty-four hours,'" but we should see thousands more 02 e them than are now visible on even the s ' clearest nights. They would not of twinkle in the least. They would be seen almost up to the_ very edge of the sun itself, but im- mediately round the sun there would be a glow having the appearance 'of broad wings, and red flames would s add their. grandeur to the'impressive scene. The Zodiacal light would appear as a broad beam of light in the spring, up to the left of the place where the sun had set.. It would he possible to study this remarkable object, and no doubt to solve quickly the mystery `which has clung to it for so many centuries. The appearance of the Milky Way would be far more magnificent than it is now, seen even from tropical countries. A big comet would be seen months before it got to the sun, and we should witness it sweep round the sun with. incredible speed'and dart offs into space again. Mercury and Venus could have their movements followed with ease, and any other planet there might be be. tween Mercury and • the sun would 'soon be discovered. Egg's Fight ��� ith Moss. A. French. naturalist recently ,had the rare opportunity of: observing .au intensely interesting struggle for existence between an egg and a. moss plant. . The egg was that of a lizard which had been deposited on a cushion of moss. It was enclosed by a white pro- tective covering of leather -like ,tough- ness. The "moss on which the tip of the egg rested secreted at the point of contact a substance that gradually dis. solved the leathery shell of the egg.. When there was no longer any re- sistanee, the stens of the moss plant penetrated the shell and sent its branches through the substance of the egg, emerging at the opposite end. But the egg was equal to the emer- gency. It enveloped the stem of the moss inside the egg with a membran ,ous coating thet formed an insulating tube around the intruder. ' Then the moss sent out side branch-. es through the egg, traversing it, but these also were made innocuous by an albuminous coating. In spite of this struggle against the intruding moss,: the lizard embryo de- veloped to all appearances normally, and finallyiemerged from its prlson tin - harmed. Tho Blue Envelope.. Everyone knew that the blue en- velopes were coming•. Like hundreds of other firms;: Copeland & Co. had doubled its business during the w'ar 'and naw saw it shrinking again to its normal. size. That meant that many employees could no longer be kept. The firm had given a month's notice of the coming cut, yet when it came it nevertheless seemed like a thunder- bolt. Eight of the office girls weredis- missed. Florrie Evans went, of curse; Florrie's attitude toward her' Nork had never been serious. She only aughed at her dismissal and remark- ed that she should not let it worry her. Nellie Scott, who also lost her place, turned pale but said nothing. thers of the dismissed girls sputter- edangrily. Of thein all only Gertrude. llis walked straight to M1. Cope- and's office. She had to wait half an hour before he could see him. At the end of it she was facing Mr.Copeland across. is desk. Her eyes met his steadily. he even managed: to smile. "I'm one of the blue envelope •girls, r. Copeland," she said. "I've come o ask you for a little help. I know f course that I am being dismissed ecause my work isn't so good as that f the girls who are staying. Would you mind telling me where I have ailed? You see, I want to get some- thing out of this. I may be dismissed omewhere else, but I don't intend hat it shall be los the same thing." Mr. Copeland's keen eyes • looked interested. lie turned to his files and, took out her rating'card. "You understand, Miss Ellis," he said, "that neither we nor anyone:else would consider you a failure. You:'do good average work, -even above the average,—but naturally we are keep- ing the best." "I understand. But I mean to be the best myself some day, and, I want to know what I have to correct."' Mr. Copeland glanced at the card. "You are a little slow. ` Still, speed is not the first requisite. Your chief trouble seems to be your spelling" "I was afraid so. I'm a wretched speller. I've worked and, worked at it, but evidently I'll have to work harder.. I'll plaster my walls with a,. bed of watercress, lettuce leaves, grape leaves, nasturtiums, or other dainty green thing. They may hedecorated, too, with red beets;in fancy shapes. Many delicious salads mayb 'served in these pretty apple cups A 'bit of crisp cabbage or lettuce snakes a. good combination with the apples and celery, and a few chopped nuts are always a splendid addition. Different combinations of • fruits may be used for variety, and a cream dressing instead'of mayonnaise will 0 E 1 s h M t 0 b 0 be relished by everybody. To make • , enough dressing to serve salad to six f people, pour one and one-half table- s t spoonfuls of vinegar over one table- spoonful of granulated sugar, flavor with a little lemon and vanilla extract, S0SFor h the Doctor A woman sat rocking her baby one Saturday at sundown in the steamship Venetian, homeward bound in th-e Bay of. Biscay, from Alexandria For a week past she had nursed her dying child, and there was no doctor on board. The grey outline of a man-of-war ap- peared in the distance, and a wireless message was sent asking for help The war vessel flashed back a reply. The Venetian; stopped, the war vessel drew to within a quarter of a mile, and in spite of the heavy swell a lifeboat put out to her, Passengers on the Venetian watched their progress breathlessly as the lit- tle boat swung up and down in the trough of the sea. At length the side of the Venetian was reached, and the man whose help was so sorely needed Mounted a rope ladder prepared for him. The baby's life was saved. The name of the baby was Elizabeth. The name of the warship was the Queen Elizabeth. Some time age .Tames Arthur, a fire- man of the Canadian Pacific liner Mon-. mouth, was attacked in mid -ocean With severe internal hemorrhage, He owes his life to wireless, The Mon- mouth carried no .surgeon, ,but her commander secured wireless com- munication with the Allan liner Hes- perian, gave details of the man's symp- toms, and received daily prescriptions from the doctor on board the Hesperi-. an. The fireman was well on the road to recovery when he reached Mont- real. The captain of a tramp steamer in the Gulf of Mexico was taken ill with ptomaine poisoning. With death star- ing him in the face on account of in- adequate medical aid, he decided to Dalt by wireless for assistance from a naval station many' miles away. A liner 700 miles farther away pick- ed up the call, and the ship's surgeon made haste to reply with the neces- sary prescription; which was then filled from the tramp steamer's medi- cine -chest, and the captain recovered. Themail-packet was Grossing from" Ostend to Dover, and one of the pas- sengers, donning his overcoat in half a gale, put his shoulder joint out, and was in great pain. A wireless n:eesage was sent from the vessel to Ostend and thence to -Dover for a surgeon to meet the boat, and on arrivalat the Admiralty Pier the passenger was promptly attended to. • Minard's Liniment used by Physicians. Garlic Blocks Hardening of Arteries. Eat plenty of garlic and your anter. les will not harden, according to a re- port just made by three French doc- tors to the Biological Society at Paris: The garlic treatment can be taken in two ways. One may eat it, or a steep- ed solution of it may be injected into the veins. The advantage seen in' the latter method is- that the garlic solo tion is alcoholic. By steeping garlic bulbs for three weeks in four times their weight of alcohol a filtering liquid is obtained, and .- by taking thirty drops of this daily, accdreling to the report, a rapid softening'. of the affected arteries is certain to result, The Test. It is not until we put them to the test that we :can .distinguish between• our friends and our, acquaintances, • Vr l e,