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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1917-08-10, Page 8II ose oe,* Author of "Ail for a Scrap of Paper," "Dearer Than Life" eto. Published by Plodder & Stoughton, Limited, London and Toronto CHAPTER IL—(Cont'd.) As Christmas drew near, Tom b came more and more uncomfortabl even although the blandishments Polly Powell grew more powerful. H had attended two recruiting' meeting but they seemed to him half-hearte and unconvicing. He still saw n reason why he should "do his bit, When he was asked why he didn join, he mentioned the names of se eral young fellows who also held bac "Why should I go," he would sa "when so-and-so and so-and-so sta at home? They are manufacturer sons, and they are no better nor me. Let them enlist as privates, and then I'll see about it." When the New Year came a big re melting meeting was announced a the great hall of the Mechanics' In stitute. It was advertised that man who had been to Belgium, an had witnessed what had take place, was to be the chief speaker. At first Polly Powell tried to persuad Tom not to go, and would probably have been successful had there n. been a dance that night to which Polly had been invited. Tom, not being dancer, was not eligible for the oc casion, so he made his way to the meeting. That meeting marked an era in Tom's life. Little by little the speak- er gripped the attention of the 'audi- ence until the interest became intense and almost painful. He described what he had seen, he gave terrible proofs of the ghastly butchery, and made it clear to the audience what the war really meant. He showed that not only was the power of England at stake, but the welfare of humanity trembled in the balance. He relat- ed authenticated stories of what the Germans said they would do when they came to England. As Tom list- ened he heard the sound of the advanc- ing Huns, saw towns and villages laid waste, saw the women of England de- bauched and outraged, saw the reign " devilry. "By God!" he exclaimed aloud, "I an't stand this!" His words reached the speaker, who made the most of them. "Yes," he cried, "if the young men of England hang back, if they fail to love their country, if they care no- thing about the honor or sacredness ir' s, 0 nd e nd for all w0- an oh et in is he CHAPTER III. e- Tom made his way to the Thorn and e, Thistle, but was informed that Polly of would not be home until eleven o'clock. e He therefore wandered about the town s, until that time, and again appeared at d the public -house door. But it was o not until twelve o'clock that Polly " made her appearance. "t1 "Anything the matter, Tom?" she v -Tasked. lc. "Ay, I have joined the Army." ee "I have noanbbeen een sla fool,ch a " said eel Toxn, "I couldn't help it." Polly Powell looked at him rather angrily, then she said: "If ydu have done it, what do you,. want to speak to me about it for?" "I shall be off to -morrow," replied t I Tom. "The recruiting officer told me - I must report et the Town Hall to - amorrow morning at ten o'clock." 1 "Where will you go ?" she asked. n! "I don't know," said Tom. "Well, evhat are you waiting for?" e! "I thought," said Tom, "that is—I of � thought as I was going away I'd—I'd I.. _Look here, Polly, you are going . to keep true to me while I'm away, a aren't you ?" -1 "I never thought much of soldiers," Isaid Polly. `Besides—" "Besides what ?" asked Tom. "Look here, Polly, I gave up Alice Lister for you, and if you had been at that meet - mg you would see as how I couldn't do anything else." 1 "Do you think you might get a com- imission and be an officer ?" asked the girl. 1 "I never thought about that," said Toni. 1 Polly hesitated a second, then she said: "Of course I'll be true to you, Torn. There, good night, I must go in." The next morning as Tom was mak- ing his way towards the Town Hall he met Alice Lister. At first he was going to pass her by without notice, but when he saw the look on her face he stopped. She came towards him with outstretched hand. "Tom," she said,' "I've heard about last night, and it was splendid of you. I am glad you were the first. I am told that your going up in that '"way led scores of others to go." "Have you heard that?" said Tom. "I never thought of it.". "I am sure you will be a good soldier, Tom. We are all proud of you, and—and we shall be thinking about you, and praying for you." Tom laughed uneasily. "I thought You bad forgotten all about me, Alice," he said enee.„ autd you think so?" (To be'Continued.) . 0 c of womanhood, if they prefer the own ease, their own paltry pleasure before duty; if they would rather g to cinema shows, or hang aroun doors than play the gam like Englishmen, this,axed :lei re t leee y "'i''liretse "j.'1 c`e. e Engla thee we own and love will .be lost ever. Liberty will be gone, we sh be a nation in chains, while our men will be the playthings of inhum devils. That is the problem whi every man has to consider. "What are you going to do ? L me put it another way. If we w this war, if the glory of England maintained, and_f she remains as s has always been— "The home of the brave and free, The land of liberty, t., whom shall we owe it? Who will have been our saviours? It will be the lads who have sacrificed every- thing to do their duty." A great cheer arose from the audi- ence, and Tom scarcely realising what ne was doing, shouted and cheered with the rest. "But if we lose," continued the speaker, "if the Germans break our lines and come to England, if we are beaten, to whom shall we owe it? Wh> will be responsible? It will be the shirkers, the cowards! Look, you young men!" lee cried passionately. "Thousands and tens of thousands of our brave feliows are at this time in the trenches: fight*ng, suffering, dy- ing. What for? For England, for England's honor, for the safety of her women, for the sacredness of our lives, for you: while you, you skulk at home smoking your cigarettes, go to your places of amusement, and drink your beer. Don't you realise that you are playing the coward?" Then the speaker made his last ap- peal, clear, impassioned, convincing, "What are you going to do, young men?" he cried. "We don't want conscripts, but free men who come out cheerfully, willingly, gladly to do their duty to their King, Country, and God. Who will be the first?" He stood on the platform waiting amidst bre:..thless silence, "Will you wait until you are forc- ed?„ "No! By God, no!" said Tom, and starting to his feet he walked to the platform and gave his name, Thus Torn became a soldier. "Tha doesn't say so?" said Tom's Mother when, that night, he told her what .he had done. "Ay, I have." "Then thou'st goin' for a sodger." "Ay:, Mrs. Martha Pollard looked at him for a few seconds without speaking. Evidently she found it difficult to find words to express her thoughts. "Weel, Tom," she said presently, "J thought thee't got low eno' when thee got drinkin' and picked up wi' that peacock -bedecked Polly Powell; but I ne'er thought a bairn o' mine would sink as low as that, Wer't'a bean ;ow?" "* m goin' to tell Polly," said Torn. ,v', tha mun be sent to Lancaster rase.i.m," said Mrs, Pollard. TO GARNER CRO a WEST NEEDS IgN THE '"IMPERIOUS URGENCY" OF CONSERVING GRAIN YIELD. Survey Conducted by Canadian North- ern Indicates Need of 25,000 Men Along Its Lines. The successful harvesting of the crop in 'Western Canada this season is what Ex -Premier Asquith of Great Britain would term "a matter of im- perious urgency." Since men began to sow grain west of the Great Lakes, there has never bean so much depending upon the yield of grain in Manitoba, Saskatche- wan and Alberta as there is this year. The Canadian Northern Railway, with lines gridironing the productive 'sections in the west, has already con- cluded a survey as to labour needs, and the prospects of the wages to be paid, and has announced that 25,000 men will be required to help the farm- ers garner the crops in the territory it serves. The indications are that the average wages will be around three dollars a day. A further conference between the representatives of the Government, the railways and the farmers is to be held, when further details will be brought out. The farming situation in Ontario may not permit of sending as much help as in former seasons, but nothing should be left undone on the farms and in the towns to give the western farmers the assistance of which they stand to -day in urgent need, The Dairy Farmer's Ten Command- naents. Mr. Charles Christadoro has issued what he Balls "Ten Commandments for the Dairy Farmer" as follows: Keep healthy cows. Select good producers. Use only pure bred bulls. Feed liberally an approved ration. Produce the feed. Keep barn clean and aired, . Keep the cows comfortable. Be considerate to the cows: Provide shade and wind protection. Feed and milk regularly, DOMINION FROM SEA TO SEA. The Idea of Our Country's Name Came From the 72nd Psalm. The, British North America Act which made Canada a Domino came into force an July 1, 1867, a that original essay in Dominion s -gov- ernment has richly justified the faith and foresight of thosewho unstook it, says the Glasgow Herald. The Convention sat in a room t n the Westminster Palace 'Hotel, in London, which is now the smoking-rooxnof the National Liberal Club. A tablet fix- ed in the wall records the fact that in this chamber the delegates conferred. Those who took part in the proceed- ings are all dead. Sir. Charles Tup- per was the last survivor, and he died at a ripe old age a very few years „ago. The word "Dominion" was suggested by the Bible. Sir Leonard Tilley had been 'read- ing in the 72nd Psalm "He shall have dominion from sea to sea," and thought the passage applicable to Canada. IF FOOD DEM EFS RINK HOT ' ATER When food lies like lead in the stom- ach and you have that uncomfortable, distended feeling, linsuf- ficient blood supply this estoma,, bined with acid and food fermentation, in such cases try the plan now followed in many hospitals and advised by many eminent physicians of taking a teaspoon- ful of pure bisurated magnesia in half a glass of water; as hot as you can com- fortably drink it. The hot .water di;a,vs the blood to the stomach and the bi, ted magnesia, as any physician can ell you, instantly neutralizes the acid d stops the food fermentation. Tr simple plan and you will be a at the immediate feeling of r comfort that always follows th tion of the normal process of People who find it ineonvenien to secure hot water and trave are frequently obliged to tal meads poorly prepared, should al take two or three rive -grain tablets of nisnrated Magnesia after meals to pie vent fermentation and neutralize the acid in their stomach. SHELLS LIKETHUNDERCLAP British Shrapnel Explodes More Quietly than Does German:. Writing from British field head- quarters, Edward P. Bell, says: Listening to the explosion—con- tinuous as I write—of British and German shrapnel shells, one notes a striking difference in the sounds pro- duced. The British shells make a comparatively soft report, while the German projectiles make a piercing, shattering sound like that of a tee ribie thunderclap. Moreover, th subsequent sounds.;a 70 different,.t srbx kilt' in quality arid greeter.` volume than those from the British shells. Which shell is the more destruttive I cannot say. The German has a sharper, louder report, due to the fact that is is charged not only with shrapnel bullets, but with high explo- sive materials. This material bursts the steel shell case so that the whistl- ing noises following are caused by e mixture of bullets and fragments of steel. The British shell case, on the oth- er hand, does not burst. It remains intact and pours its bullets from the shell mouth as a shotgun pours its, shot; thus perhaps the bullets are brought to bear more effectively in a definite direction. Certainly the British must have some good re for using the type employed. Brother Fritz's penchant "frightfulness" shows itself in a does. There is probably no doub regards his high explosive shrapn shell, that he reasons that, whether it is really more destructive than the other or not, it is calculated to pro- duce greater fright—a thing which commanders always must fight against among their troops. Happily for the British army, Tommy Atkins is about the hardest man to scare that ever wore a uniform. Success with poultry means work, and the work must be given when needed. "Pure and Uncolored" The Three, FREE (, The Lantic Library of "goody secrets" sent free if Tou mail us a Red Bail rademark, cutfronn carton or sack of Lai ticPure Cance Sugar. In 2 and 5 -lb, ' Cartons 10, 20 and 100.8. Sacks .ATLANTIC SUGAR REFINERIES Limited, Montreal 173 TWAY 0 Is the best way, and the best way is the Parowax way. Jellies and preserves that are sealed with PURE REPINED PARAFFINE keep their luscious. flavor. They never mold or ferment. They are as good when you want y to eat them as they were the day you keeps out all dus '`an It �. p t d germs. It keeps the preserves air -tight. FOR THE LAUNDRY—See directions on Parowax labels for its use in valuable service in washing. AT DEALERS EVERYWHERE THE IMPERIAL OIL COMPANY Limited BRANCHES • IN ALL• CITIES HOW TO TEST DIAMONDS. Simple Methods to Determine if Gems .. Are Genuine Or Not. Fe.public is frequently deceived in to the sale of jewelry and pre - stones and the authorities have a statement upon the accurate ng of diamonds. rWhen a diamond is quite clean and dry, the following experiment should be tried : Place on the surface a tiny drop of water and then take a needle or pin and try to move the drop about. If the diamond is genuine, the drop can be rolled about intact. On the other hand, where the gem is an imita- tion . the water spreads directly it is touched with the needle -point. Another very good test may be car- ried out with a tumbler of water. In- to .this put the suspected article and examine its appearance. A real dia- mond will show up in the water with a startling clearness, and it can never be confounded with the water. On the ether hand, the imitation looks inde- finite and it is sometimes difficult to see it at all. Not To Be Cheated. Little John had been extra specially good that afternoon, and father felt amiably inclined. "Papa," piped John, "cau I have a banana ?" "Yes, certainly, soonny." "Papa, if I was twins would you give the other boy a banana too?" "Yes, of course," "Well, papa., you aren't going to cheat me out of another banana just because I'm all in one piece, are you ?" 2 and 51b. Cartons-•- 10, 20,50 ,and 100 le. Bags. 1 better sugar is ever produced than the present REDPATI-I Extra Granulated, you may be sure it will the same Refinery that has led for over Half be century -and sold under the salve name—REDPATH. "Let Redpath Sweeten it." 15 Canada Sugar Refining Co, Limited, Montreal. WITH A BRITISH TANK AT MESSINES INCIDENTS IN THE BATTLE ON Ml SSINES RIt GE. Lieutenant Tells of Adventures With the Big Machine Under Shell Fire. Lieut, H. W. Benjafield, in com- , mand 'of a British tank, writing to his sister,' in Toronto, tells something of the recent battle of Messines. He says he had been up to the front on reconnaissance work for days before trying to pick out a route for his ma- chine. "We could see the Bosehes alright, because we had to look over the top and they could see us. The trenches were,up the slope of the ridge and they could observe all our move -e'' ments, as we were on a ridge opposite, with a valley between, 300-400 yards wide, "No Man's Land." In normal times it would be marshy, but there was one stream right across it, an- other behind us, the long spell of dry weather was in our favor." In the Darkness. "We moved off at half past eleven to a point 150 yards behind the first line. At best of times you can see very little from a tank. Now we were driving at dead of night, over a route none of us knew, as et had been, changed at the last minute. We had to drive with our gas masks on, for the Hun put over gas shells the whole time, and it was terrible, as we had to take our respirators off to see where we were going. At last we got to our jumping-off place five minutes before the attack was to start. Tank commanders hop- ped out to say good-bye to one or two friends, but it was none too healthy outside, for the German barrage had come down. Seen by Enemy. "I think we had been spotted .'ten minutes before, for a big dump went up behind us, and I fancy, we were spotted against the glare. Inside and barely seated when zero hour was announced by the mine explo- sion. The mines were a magnificent sight, the ground rocked and made our 'Willy,' as we call the tanks, toss about. Then forward, lumber- ing. over trenches and shell holes in the dark By great good ruck we gojzr, nothin coma •e g' P r. d to oil • 1 S �!e jumped the Douve river and in `Ne Man's Land' could see our infantry engaged in hand-to-hand fighting on the ridge, and I was sorry our,,,mon- ster was slow. As it was the attack was such a success that the tanks eerere not required. We are supposed to go where the infantry are held up. Germans Gave Up. "Machine guns rattled or. the out side. My driver zig-zagged so as to make it difficult for artillery to range us. We got to the Bosche front line and lumbered over. By this time the ridge was practically taken —the Germans hardly fought at all— they simply ran. Then we saw the prisoners coming back. The German. trenches had been blown absolutely away. At 4 a.m. we got to the Bosche second line, then we had the misfortune to ditch our tank in boggy ground. We set to digging her out and got her out at 6.30. Theu I sent my message by pigeon, which was quoted in an account of the battle in the Daily Mail. Under Shell Fire. "The battle was now too far ad- vanced for me to be of service, and I decided to return. All the undiitch- ing was done under fire, and the crew worked magnificently. A Bosche aeroplane came over and spotted us, and they put up a ter- rific barr,,ige along our route, which 1 thought we would never get through, so I decided to wait a while and we got out and had breakfast in a shell hole. The Hun gave us no peace, but shelled us soldier for an hour, but we enjoyed our breakfast. My poor old 'Willy' managed to stop a shell, fortunately we were all mute side, but it made a nasty hole 12 by 9 inches just by my seat, So I de- termined to make a dash for home. We steered successfully through a heavy barrage and got back: safely; they dropped shells all around us, but the;luck was with us." Lieut. Benjafield *on his commis- sion in the British service. Heroism of Stare Clerks. "It is the fashion to scoff at the - clerks behind the counter, but I could tell you. of countless acts of heroism on the part of these so-called `Willy' boys. One boy from a Toronto dew partnaent store, a mere youth, toff, captured seventeen Germans without firing a shot. When he paraded then in camp it was discovered that he was without ammunition. He knew its and fluffed it through," writes a war correspondent from the trenches. 4.