Zurich Herald, 1947-06-19, Page 67 ivi Jok.
Vase
1By
L. T. McFAELAND
Fj ARRY LANG had come pre-
pared to spend fifty dollars
for the vase. He sat nervously
watching the auctioneer, the people,
and the door and prayed that
Marjory Higgins (that horrid
spinster who seldom missed an
auction, and always outbid him for
his treasures) had broken a leg
or something so she couldn't ap-
pear this time when the Majolica
vase was to be put up on the block.
Ile strained his neck for the hun-
dredth time toward the entrance.
He wondered if her knowledge of
antiques covered old pottery.
pfaybe nut. Maybe his auction -
sparring enemy didnt' know a
Majolica vase from a beer mug.
Yet the -very thought of those
snapping eyes and that crisp san-
guine voice sent his blood soaring.
* * *
"What am I hid for this Majolica
vase? A rare antique! Rarest thing
in this room!" the auctioneer's well-
oiled voice boomed forth while his
free hand gestured over wash tubs,
kraut shovels, and the toil -worn
c aipet sweepers.
There it was! Harry looked about
cautiously and held his breath for
the sheer beauty of it.
"Who will start the bid?" the
auctioneer coaxed,
"Five dollars." Harry called out.
The girl was nowhere in sight.
"Thank you, sir, five dollars.
Who will make it ten?" Thus the
bidding proceeded until thirty was
reached.
* *
The crowd was swaying rest-
lessly. Interest was on the wane.
Harry took a plunge. "Forty," he
finally said. Now the vase was
practically on his lap, but the auc-
tioneer held on, "Forty—forty—
is all I am offered—who'll make
it fifty—?"
"Fifty," called a clear voice near
the door.
Suffering cats! It was her voice.
The crowd turned en masse to
see Marjory Higgins make her way
up "the - aisle to a spot almost di-
rectly in front of Harry. She stood
there, confidently, already pictur-
ing her proud exit with the vase
in her possession.
Harry ground his teeth and mut-
tered, Sixty."
"Seventy-five" the crisp voice
carne back at once as` Miss Higgins
tossed a swift challenge back in
Harry's direction.
"Eighty," Harry took the chal-
lenge, and this time Marjory flush-
ed and seemed embarrassed.
"Eighty," teased the cryer.
"Eighty I am offered. Make it
eighty-five, Miss?"
The girl nodded. "Eighty-five."
Harry was really seeing red.
"Eighty-five it is. Now make it
ninety, Mister, make it ninety.
Don't let the lady outbid you."
* v
Harry sensed that the crowd to
a man was on the lady's side and
were inwardly rooting for her, en-
joying her sportsmanship—so he
raised up and shouted, "Ninety."
Now he had it. The auctioneer
scolded and pleaded and begged
but Marjory was immovable. She
must be pouting. She heard the
"Going—going—g—"
Then it happened. Marjory Hig-
gins whirled about and faced
Harry Lang. She was trembling.
"You cheap skate!" she shouted.
"You penny pincher! It's not the
money, but the principle of the
thing that burns inc up. All this
embarrassment over a measly
nickel or two. Ninety cents—well
you don't get it for ninety. 1 bid one
dollar. So there! And now that
the vase is mine, I'd like nothing
better than the privilege of break-
ing it over your head."
*
She stepped up to the stand and
snatching the vase from the for -
once speechless auctioneer, threw
it with all her strength at Harry
Lang's donee. Lucky for Harry
he had made his record in football
catching forward passes. A mo-
ment later it lay neatly tucked
away under his arm.
"Touchdown.' someone shouted
and the crowd surged forward
pushing Ha" ry Lang until he was
face to face with his assailal,t.
"Thanks, Madam. Thanks very
notch for the vase—the clerk will
be along to collect your bid," ne
managed as the crowd pressed up.
And in the riot that followed,
Harry edged his way outside.
FUNNY BUSINESS
13y Hershberger
"I only have one dunce cant"
TOM 15 VERY MODERN,
HE. THINKS MEN AND
WOMEN ARE. EQUAL
IN EVERY WAY
HE
SOUNDS
PRET-TY
CONCEITED
TO ME,
Cream of th3 Tokyo Baby Crop—These robust Japanese youngsters are part of the grot p of
25 recently picked as the healthiest babies in Tokyo. Mothers pose proudly with their sturdy
offspring, who regard the cameraman with questioning "shoe button" eyes and would rather
go to work on their prizes—sugar candy.
VOICE OF THE PRESS
Slippery Money
Scientists are now making mer-
cury out of gold. '1Nc hope this
doesn't paean that mercury is going
to become the new standard unit
of money. The present one, as
most of us have, discovered, slips
through the fingers easily enough.
—Kitchener Record.
Must Be Vigilant
Small children who dash out
from the sidewalk after a ball or
in pure exuberance of spirits, often
from behind a parked car, un-
knowingly subject themselves to
great peril. Vigilant motorists on
city streets always drive with this
sort of emergency in mind.
—Ottawa Journal.
Must Have 'Em
Planning an overall parade to pub-
licize a buyers' strike, members of
the Vancouver Housewives' Con-
sumers' League are presumably busy
shopping for the most attractive
overalls they can find, at any price.
—Windsor Star. -
From Bottom Up
The !Massachusetts community
cf Newburyport has abandoned its
month-old 10 percent price cut be-
cause suppliers failed to co-operate.
All other similar efforts to reduce -
prices must fail unless the reduc-
tions are first made by the.ntanu-
facttrers and wholesalers.
Better Wait First
Time saved by crashing traffic is
often lost waiting for the amhulance.
—Guelph Mercury.
Radio -Minded
The small boy who was taken
to the country for the first time
saw a spider spinning a web be-
tween two tall reeds and told his
father that a bug was putting up
a wireless.
—St. Thomas Times-Jaw•nal.
Neglected Language
A Toronto educationist has let the
cat out of the bay by referring to the
"five languages now taught" in our
secondary schools: IIe. nettles them
as Latin, Greek, French,. German,
Spanish. This explains why so many
graduates have an imperfect com-
mand of English, which is apparently
not taught at all,
—Peterborough Examiner.
Mounties To Get
Back Their Horses
Return of the high-stepping
RCMP mounts is announced. ]t
is certain to win popuar acclaim.
With the force resorting more and
more to the use of fast patrol cars
and planes in tracking down the
West's "bad men", it had been
feared that the highly -trained
police horse was on its way out.
In the minds of people most
everywhere the mounted Redcoat
is a symbol of law and order.
Without the horse, the symbol is
definitely weakened. The pages
of history cannot be so easily and
should not be so harshly blurred.
Progress is fine -but so is tradition,
Couldn't Do Better
Newsweek ?Magazine opines that:
"Japaneyse closely associated with
Hirohito are carefully studying the'
British monarchy as a model for
the Emperor's future under the
new constitution." They could
do no better.
—Stratford Beacon -Herald
Ignorance Is Bliss
Everybody likes to be humbug-
ged once in a while, so long as
they don't knot- how it's done.
—Guelph Mercury,
Then Education Begins
Schooling is what you get et
school, but education is what the
rough old world gives you when
schooldays are over.
—Brandon Sun.
Lewis Asks Boost
For Mineworkers
According to the latest available
figures the soft -coal miners were
averaging about 269.50 a week, says
the The New York Herald Tribune.
This is the highest average for
manual workers in any of the
country's major industries. The
steelworkers, for instance, with
their recent wage increases, have
an average wage of about $55,50 a
week, the auto workers one of
about $59.
Yet Mr. John Lewis now insists
that. his mineworkers get a boost
of 35 cents an hour, or else, though
the steelworkers anti others have
been content with one of 15 cents
or less and the Northern and
Western coal operators have offer-
ed 15 cents.
Approximately 45,000,000 people
immigrated to the United States in
the 100 years from 1831 to 1931.
First Silent Plant
Developed By U.S.:
Aeronautical engineers have corn -
billed alt known noise -silencing
devices to produce the first "silent'"
airplane.
One of aviation's major develop-
ments in recent years is the way'
200 experts, at Langley Field, Vas
for a demonstration, describe the
new ship,
Taken up above 200 .feet the plane
made only slightly more noise than
a glider. Its five -bladed propeller,
which revolves at a slower speed
than the conventional ones but
propels the ship at a higher speed,
and an engine muffler contribute
to its "silence".
It was pointed out that cons -
plaints about the noise near air-
ports not only have caused adjoin-
ing property to decline in value,
but also have brought a nutnber of
lawsuits and reshlted in many
metropolitan fields being closed.
DoyousufferOnli r
FE/Ill! Fi1INa
This fine medicine is very effective to
relieve pain, nervous distress and week.
cranky, "dragged out" feelings, of such
days—when duo to female functional
monthly disturbances. Worth trying!
INA: PINK(HAM'S C,MPOUNU
Von Will Enjoy Staying At
The 5t. Regis Hotel
•
•
TORONTO
Every Roon, With Rath
Shower and Telephone,
Single, $2.50 ap—
Double, $3.50 np '
Good Food, Dining and Danc-
ing Nightly
Sherbourne at Carlton
Tel. RA. 4133
1
ROOMS BEAUTiFULLY
FURNISHED $1.50 up
HOTEL METROPOLE
NIAGARA FALLS
OPP. — O.N.R. -STATION
*
THE FARMER
Isis strong hands work the soil of Canada in
the service of -the world. leis labours provide the
first essential of life—our daily bread.
The Canadian farmer has won for Canada the
everlasting gratitude of the peoples of the
ravaged lands of Europe and Asia.
Men like this, seine of Canada's finest, are in
the public's service—at your service.
®AWES BLACK HORSE BREWERY
One of a series of advertisements in tribute /0 those Canadians in the service of the public
POP—Nothing Wasted By J. MILLAR WATT
:
i co11-kke!.L. FIT Km IVlOFF
ti
0., 4
s ry
I�r YOU cut ?NE TA11 S,
`17kIAR Tt-10 i'A13lDING
Our' D1- THE
t; at tOUG.fr 1%u,-���,
<w;U , ',3 i,,V1 .-'-• --
ki . y .e,^ araai:
P
,..1,, --AND POT IT
`C t, IN "6;aE SEA
OF Ntg
f�fdi3 T .G+ ';'\
i`.�� o"
• ,
��l '
\
`lir
.
lai.`^.�e�„w�. ✓✓.
�
i