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Zurich Herald, 1917-06-29, Page 4Jose.. '0.7' Author of "All for Sora» or Paper," "Dearer' than Life," etc. Published by Hodder & Stoughton, Limited, London and Toronto CHAPTER I. The Brunford Town Hall clock was just chiming half -past three as Tom Pollard left his home in Dixon street and made his way towards the Thorn and Thistle public -house. It was not Tom's intention to stay long at the Thorn and Thistle, as he had other plans in view, nevertheless something drew him there. He crossed the tram lines in St. George's Street, and, having stopped to exchange some rus- tic jokes with some lads who stood at the corner of the street, he hurried across the open space and quickly stood on the doorsteps of the public - house. The weather was gloriously fine, for a wonder the air in the heart of the town was pure and clear. That was accounted for by the fact that it was Sunday, and the mills were idle. Throughout the week -days, both in summer and in winter, the atmosphere of Brunford is smoke laden, while from a hundred mills steamy vapours are emitted which makes that big manufacturing town anything but a health resort. Tom was making his way up the passage • towards the bar, when the door opened and a buxom, bold -eyed, red-cheeked girlof about twenty-four stopped him. "You're late, Tom," she said. "Am I?" replied Tom. "I didn't mean to be." "I was thinking you weren't coming at all, Some young men I know of wouldn't have been late if I'd said to them what I said to you on Friday night." Then she looked at him arch- ly. couldn't get away before," re- plied Tom. Evidently he was not quite comfortable, and he did not return the girl's glances with the warmth she desired. "Anyhow I am free till half -past five," she went on. "I don't know what father and mother would say if they knew I was walking out with you; but I don't mind. Do you like my new dress, Tom?" • Tom looked at her admiringly; there was ne doubt that, after her own order, she was a striking -looking girl, and her highly colored attire was quite in accord with her complexion. "Jim Scott was here half an hour ago," she went on; "he badly wanted me to go with him, but I wouldn't." Tom looked more uncomfortable than ever; he remembered the purpose for which he had set outand vas, sor- t -fined tit '4301444R,az list e= at a1T, (even° although the 'girl evidently favored him more than any of her other admirers. "I just caIIed to say I couldn't come for a walk with you this afternoon," he said, looking on the ground. "You see I have an appointment." "Appointment!" cried the girl. "Who with?" "Oh, with no one in particular; only' [ must keep it." The girl's eyes flashed angrily.. "Look here," she cried, "you are still sweet on Alice Lister; I thought you had given up all that Sunday -school lot." "Well, I have neap. been to Sunday school," said Tom. "Ay, but you're to meet Alice Lister now, and that is why you can't go wi' me." Evidently the girl was very angry, and a look of jealousy flashed from her eyes. Still there could be no doubt that she was very fond of Tom and meant if possible to cap - lure him. "I can't go out wi' you this after- noon, and—and— but there, I'm off," For a moment the girl seemed on the point of speaking to him still more lngrily, and perhaps of bidding him to eave her for good. She quickly{ N• altered her mind, however, and seem- ed determined to use all her blandish- ments. "Ay, Tom," she said. "Tha'rt too good to throw thyself away on the goody-goody Alice Lister sort. Tha'rt too much of a man for that, else I should never have got so fond of thee." "Art'a really fond of me Polly?" asked Tom, evidently pleased by Polly's confession. "I'm not goin' to say any more," re- plied the girl. And then she laugh- ed. "I was, thinkin' that after we'd been to 'Scott's Park you might come back to tea. I don't believe father and mother would mind, Father wur sayin' only this morning that you'd got brains. You took three prizes at the Mechanics' Institute last winter, and he said that if you got manufac- turing on your own, you'd make brass." "Did he say that?" asked Tom eag- erly. "Ay, he did, only this morning." "But I have no capital," said Tom rather sadly. "Father's saved money," replied Polly eagerly. "The Thorn and Thistle's a good house and we have good company; and if father liked a lad, especially if I recommended him, he could easily find money to start a small mill. But there, I suppose you are only thinking of Alice Lister." The Town Hallclock chimed the three-quarters, and, much as he want- ed to stay with Polly, he moved to- wards the door and said, "Well, I must be goin' now." Again anger flashed from Pally's eyes, but still controlling her temper she said: "Ay, but you'll come back this evening, won't you, Tom? Jim Dixon's coming to tea,' and if you're not here, and he wur to ask me to go out for a walk with him to -night, 2 shouldn't have any excuse for refus- ing." There could be no doubt about it that, to Tom, Polly Powell looked very alluring. She was rather older than he, and her beauty was of a highly coored order. At that moment Tom's mind was much distracted, neverthe- less as the sound of the deep -toned bell in the Town Hall tower died away he determined to take his leave. "And I thought we might have such a nice time, too," she said, following him. "But never mind, you'll be back this evening. Ay, Tom lad, the doesn't know when i1• ;a,>, are, welle off. li- -A.z� sli '. mos mit ing smile." Tom hurried up Liverpool Road with the sound of Polly's voice in his ears and the memory of the flash in her great black eyes in his mind. "She is a grand lass," he reflected, "and she's fair gone on me too; and what's more she's not so finickin' as some lasses are. After all, why should I be so strait-laced? She's a lass as loves good company, she likes a lark, and— and" After that Tom became thoughtful. Tom Pollard was typical of thou- sands of lads who dwell in the manu- facturing districts of Lancashire. His father and mother had been weavers, and while his mother had ceased go- ing to the mill, his father still earned his thirty shillings a week behind the looms. They did not belong to the best class of Lancashire operatives, and Tom's home influence was not all I it might have been. That was why, years before, many wondered that Tom promised to turn out so well. He was not particularly clever, but he possessed a large share of the prover- bial Lancashire sharpness and common I sense; lie had an eye to the main !chance, and dreamt of becoming some- thing better than an ordinary weaver. For that reason he had attended some wet FIST YOUR SHOES FEEtN : with 1 ha "Nugget" does not put on a surface shine that disappears in an, hour. "Nugget" feeds the leather. Keeps your shoes soft, * makes there waterproof and gives a brilliant shine that will last all day. Ask :dor "Nugget" at your dealers. BLACK, TAN, TONEY RED, DARK BROWN, 10c. per tin. .. ,,TANn CAT67n or YO—Olt, Snons." technical classes at the Mechanics' Institute, and, as Polly Powell had reminded him, had only a few months before taken prizes there, Young as he was, he had already been prom- ised a Tackler's job, which meant that he would be a kind of foreman, and have the oversight of a small part of a mill. This, Tom was sure, would open the way to a more responsible position, and then if lie had good {tick he might in a few years start manu- factui'ing for himself. Many of the mill -owners in Burnford were, a few years before, poor men= while now, owing to a great boom in the cotton trade, they were quite wealthy men, During the last few months, however; Tom's best friends had not been quite so hopeful about him. He had been a frequent visitor at the Thorn and Thristle; and he had altogether given up attendance at Sunday school,. This was considered a badsign in Brun - ford, where the great bulk of the re- spectable young men attend one of the many Sunday Schoola in .the town. ' (To be continued.) PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR'S SEED. Select the Best Part of the Field,and Give it Special Attention.. Of' 400 farmers visited in Dundas County, Ontario, by the Commission of Conservation, during the summer of 1916, only three were found to be following a really systematic selection of their seed grain; only 23. per cent. were saving the best part or parts of their fields for seed. Practically all of the farmers, visited stated that they cleaned their grain for 'seed, bud it was found that 74 per cent. cleanedit only once through the fanning mill. It is quite plain that sufficient atten- tion is not being paid to the seed grain. It has been shown, time after time, that, other things being equal, the best seed will produce the bast crops. It is,. therefore, surprising that. not more than 23 per cent. of the farmers were found to be keeping their best grain for seed, and that, 74 per cent. cleaned it only once through the mill. If the grain from the best part or parts of the fields is stored and then graded or fanned until all the small and inferior kernels are re- moved, the quality will be greatly im- proved. mproved. By improving the seed the net profit on a grain crop can be greatly increased, such action increas- ing the yield a little without increas- ing the cost of production. It is not much trouble to keep: apart the best portion of the crop for seed. It would even pay to give special care to a special lot or small field from which to obtain seed for the folloying s son's 'cn.op " There is, aerh` thing o n the•$ax m that more profitable return than l the xv i m spent in securing a supply of good' seed. Plan now to save the choicest of this year's crop for next spring's seeding. GEA READY THE MACHINERY. Time May be Saved at Harvest by Being Prepared. Time is money on the farm at har- vest time. Now is the time to repair the mowers, binders and rakes which will very shortly be required for ser- vice. ' All machines should be inspect- ed now and, if any parts are broken or missing, they should be obtained immediately. It is much better to se- cure what is needed now than to risk having to make a special trip to town during the busy season, thus caueing a serious delay and, possibly, extend- ing the harvesting of the hay or grain crop into wet weather. It is also an excellent plan to keep on hand a few extra pieces or parts which need fre- quent renewing, such as knife 'sec- tions, canvas slats, reel slats and braces, rivets, etc. These are condeni- ent to have and will often. save time and annoyance. Clean out the oil cups and oil all running parts of the machinery afeW days before it is to be used. This will allow the oil to penetrate to the bear- ings, and permit the machine to quick- ly get into smooth running order. The knives should all be sharpen- ed and in readiness. These things should be particularly attended to this year. Help is scarce, production is • needed, and if crops are to be saved with as little loss as possible good management must prevail, It is good business to be ready for the harvest season. Do it now. He Wished to Read. "Nurse," moaned the convalescent patient, "can't I have something' to eat? I'm starving." "Yes, the doctor said you could start, taking solids to -day, but you must be- gin slowly," she said. Then she held out a teaspoonful of tapioca, "We must only advance by degrees," she added. He sucked the spoon dry, and felt more tantalizingly hungry than ever. He begged for a second spoonful, but she shook her hear, saying that every-, thing at the start must be done in similarly small proportions, Present- ly he summoned her again to his bed- side. "Nurse," he said, "bring me a post- age stamp; I want to read." All He Was Fit For. In an Irish court house recently an old man was called into the witness box, and being infirm and just a lit- tle near-sighted he went too far in more than one sense. Instead of go- ing up the stairs that led to the box he mounted those that led to the bench. The judge good -naturally said; "It it a judge you want to be, my man?" "Ah, sure your honor," was the re- ply. "I'm an old man now, an' mebbe it's all I'm fit for!" The Judge raised his spectacles. $25,00 ron $21.50 suv Ws SAVINGS BEGFIFICAFES 'eau A11 ,:UUil WWI WI to In Ital. **no for my 21i11Irtxnted Booklet Mbout--. I —n'IB Free L J. POTTS, 1710 Royal Bank Eildp. TORONTO The world's supply of wheat is cer- tain to be dangerously short this year, and this shortage will undoubtedly greatly affect corn prii-. to the bene- fit of the grower. M lagemamitmeonv rini,nniiin�,P IIE>r �„ i�i11i►-� "la:GU id.Cfi'�s�kl Thrift that Barg ? gs Comf ingtead of Sacrifice rt THRIFT, the paramount national duty, J. applies to thne as well as to money—to small personal outlay as well as to larger family expenditure. Applied to the daily shave, thrift means the use of a GUI TE SAFETY RAZ The Razor of National Service. The Gillette reduces shaving time to five minutes or less—an actual saving of a week of working days a year ! To the man who depends on the barber, it saves still more time, and from $25 to $50 or even more annually. This means the cost of one or several War Savings Certificates. Moreover, there is not a roan living with a beard to shave who cannot shave better with a Gillette if he will use it correctly—with the blade screwed down tight and a light Angle Stroke. For the thousands of young men just reaching shaving age the Gillette Safety Razor is a source of good habits—not only thrift, but undtuality, personal neatness, and efficiency in little things. For yourself or your son, at home or Overseas, it is a splendid investment. Cillette, "Bulldogs",• "Aristocrats'' and Standard Seta cost $a4..-'Pocieieons `.$5. to $6;,..-,.Conlitirtatian Sets from $6.50 up. Send for Catalogue. 251 Gillette Safety Razor Co. of Canada, Limited, Office and Factory : The Gillette Bldg., Montreal. ESSIMISKIR o eS a., rt/ J' '�,�.a1 a+•�++: ..•e .rs+'kn , Mee MS' a:li7k?' .JM'i.E4Mr. ,�.i �it•1i.F. �:�laiN,i ..I cg tee Is but another word for "insured" when it refers to jams and preserves. Molding and fermentation are impossible when the jars are securely sealed with PURE REFINED PARAFFINE Parowax keeps the container air -tight. When you have the jars securely parowaxed your preserves will be the same when you open thein as they were the day you put them up. Best of all, Parowax• is most convenient to use. Pour melted Parowax over the tops of jelly tumblers and they are made air -tight, dust and germ proof. FOR THE LAUNDRY—See directions on Parowax labels for its ur,o in valuable -service in washing. At grocery, department and general stores everywhere. THE IMPERIAL OIL COMPANY Limited BRANCHES IN ALL CITIES 21. STORIES FROM WAR-TORN FRANCE SENT EY AN AMERICAN NURSA IN FRANCE. Weary Soldiers In a DevastAtted Land Write Letters to Their Former Nurse. Writing to her friends in the United States, a nurse gives extracts from the letters she receives .from French soldiers who have been nursed at her convalescent home. Our great source of joy is the de- liverance of our towns and villages, The letters of some of' my soldiers, though often most illiterate,are act, ually hymns of joy. Unfortunately the gist is lost in the translating. One man writes, "What happiness, my vil- lage is now in the hands of our brave French soldiers!" But a pang of anguish seizes him, for he has as yet no news of the family he left there old parents, a young wife andfour little children—did they remain there through all the fighting, and will he soon see them? Or have' they been taken off into captivity, farther even from him than they were before?; Many are living through these alternations of hope and fear. Many also have the hope of long month$' dashed to the ground, and the patient waiting must begin again for them. Another, a more fortunate one, writes: "I wish to tell you that I have found my little family. They were at C-- when the French troops enter - and now we are at last reunited, They suffered greatly during the oc- cupation, but are well now. We will come to see you some Sunday" (this man lost a leg at Verdun. His bro- ther is a prisoner in Germany). Joy and Sadness. Still another: "I'm out of it once more, out of the blazing furnace. I was made a sergeant on the field of honor. We entered the town four days ago under the bursting shells. The church bells were ringing all the morning and the few remaining inhab- itants had put on their Sunday best. It was a fete day; and we were satis- fied that in all this joy there was a good share of our efforts. We have made a big push and captured many prisoners, and even at the rear the number of our celebrated battalion..; flies frommo h m t and o nth o, •Z; v �e �h. - s i" { welcome is"given us wherever we ;l3 You cannot fancy what this de- vastation means. Even the papers give no idea of it.. . What was my joy to find my sister-in-law and her child, also two aunts—but alas, my two young girl cousins each with a German baby. Think of the horrible thing! How can they return among Us? We dare not think of it, and the future lies before us all terribly black." Innocent Victims of War. One of my faithful young soldiers of twenty-two, who has. come to me after each of his three wounds, has just written me: "Your servant is lying in a hospital near the front, not restored yet because of all the blood he has lost, and a bad heart owing to shock from bursting shells. The hospital is outside the town and therefore expos- ed to the enemy's fire. Most every evening German aircraft are flying above us and we can see the effect of the bombs as they fall on the city: A terrible strain it is for those poor wo-, men and children, to be awakened by that infernal noise, to see the flames, and to hear the crackling of the fires lit about them. It wrings my heart to read the terror on the poor haggard faces of those innocent victims." "For God and Country." From a Belgian private: "In spite of all we will hold out, for we are fighting for God and country. Time and again my French soldiers have used the same words, proving the same ideal. They are all so pene- trated with the justice of their cause that they feel that it is actually "for God." Allow me to close these extracts with one from yet another young son of martyred Belgium, a poor miner of twenty-one: "We feel we are fighting to redeem our dear hones over there. I know you will think me brave, and i take pride in that feeling; and yet f only fight like any other. I sleep in the mud, I fear the shells, and'1 long for cozy little bed; but since I must keep on fighting for peace, I will stick it to the end. Should ,I, however, keep silent some day, do not accuse me of ingratitude. In his turn the little sole dier would be dead, that is all." 4,4 Replace old rail fences with wire and use the woad as . a provision against winter scarcity of fuel. Thousands of persons every year ale crippled or killed because they fail to place a value upon their own safety.