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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1941-03-20, Page 2’5 I by ANNE MARY LAWLER *3 Ill$ “And then, after xny sister’s death she skipped?” A gleam of sus­ picion lighted John Morton^ eye. “The whole confounded, thing is pretty thin. strangely. My And. the only us anything is the States,” ■ detective. "! Jose Montano’s rudy complexion faded to a sickly pistachio. “Not in this hotel, senor,” he protested, “Give my operators time on this," Arnold Webex’ advised, “It shouldn’t take long to check-— meanwhile—” “Meanwhile my daug-htex' may be dead. ■’ the police, I’ll offer anything. all I have!” Jill Coxnes While ‘his father tective were adding to the gray hairs at the temples of Jose Manuel Este­ ban Montano, back in New York Jill Morton struggled slowly back to consciousness. Water was dripping down her face. There was the sickening reek of aromatics. The room was unfa­ miliar. She tried to rise. iMike bent over her. white and frightened. Giusseppi, excited and unnerved, clutdhed a half-empty water glass. “Why, I fainted.’’ getic. “I’m terribly fainted before in mv —silly q-f mu.” “Take it easy,” “You just—keeled over, feel well? Was there something in that story?" • She remembered mow. Aunt Lucy dead. She herself reported kid­ napped. She attempted a feeble . smile. “What story?” “The Morton story. You read part of it and. then—'bloop—you were flat on your face.” “Everything began to slip away. Maybe it was the change from cold to heat. Maybe it was the cocktail. Maybe”—a pale gray lie—“it was because I had no lunch. I’m all right now.” “You don’t look all right." Mike was anxious Giuseppi broke in, “A bowl of nice hot soup. I’ll bring it in here. You stay on the couch Jill smiled feebly. “I’m sorry, Mike. I don’t know wihat came over me. I must be working toe hard ' lately/.’ Manlike, he snatched at the ob­ vious excuse. “Sure. That’s what’s the matter. You got to take it easy. Soon as you get this bowl of soup inside you, home and to bed.” She did not argue. For once she was gla-d to .have Mike leave. She had an important message to send. When Mike closed the apart­ ment door behind him, Jill ■ filled with fierce delight. Toni . a -date, thank heavens. There no one to see—or notice-T— She Sends a Message She -donned her -hat and. coat and slipped out. There was a hotel not far distant. She could send a wire there. The clerk yawned widely as he read a newspaper. ‘ Jill seized the pad and pencil leashed with a bit of string and scribbled: (PERFECTLY WELL AND SAFE IN NEW YORK (STOP DON’T WOR­ RY ABOUT .ME 'STOP I’LL WRITE' YOU LATER STOP SORRY ABOUT AUNT LU STOP’ ALL MY LOVE -JILL. The wire was addressed to Mr. John Morton. Cosmopolitan Club, Chicago. By the time the clerk had awakened to the significance of the address and the name, the blond girl in the green coat had vanished, A bill lay on tihe countex*. He rushed to the door. She was nowhere in sight. He sent, the wire—and called the police. John Morton arrived in Chicago with barely enough time to pack an­ other 'bag, arrange with tihe under­ takers, cancel another handful of appointments, and make plans to fly to New York. Developments My sister dies— daughter disappears, person who can tell on her way 'back to He whirled to the 'Kidnaped, that’s what!” No, call the newspapers. Call I’ll offer* a reward. My God. she’s to Life and her pet de­ Jill was apolo- sorry. I never life. That was Mike advised. Don’t you was had was. multiplied Before Day Half Over Women, who should be strong and healthy become weak, run down, and worn out, and are unable to attend to their household duties. They get up in the morning dreading the day’s work ahead of them. Some disease or constitutional dis­ turbance has left its mark in the form of shattered nerves, impover­ ished bloody and bn, exhausted con­ dition of the entire system. Women will find in Milburn’s TIealtlx and Nerve Pills’ the remedy they need to supply food for1 the exhausted nerve force, and one that trill help them back to sound, perfect health again, ■ - IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIII themselves startlingly. Mrs. Allenby, indignant and hys­ terical, had been discovered on a northbound train. Axf amazing wire, signed Jill, had come from New York City, The clerk report­ ed it sent by a slendex* blonde in a green coat. She lhad, -he testified, nervously, dropped a bill counted and fled. He had the police. “A blonde—-ha,” John scowled, ”A gum moll. I was a kidnaping case,” Jteward Offered The papers were again full of Jill Morton. Hex' father had pleaded through the public, prints with his only ohilA’s kidnapers. He had posted, a reward of $10,000 fox’ in^ fprmation regarding Jill’s where­ abouts. Hardly a State in the Union but came forth with infoxmatioxx purporting to bear on the case. Men, women become girls. Mrs. under the publicity, had little- much-—to offex’ tively, Miss Lucy Morton traveled alone. They from Mexico chairs. Miss girl with (her were witnesses, captain, hasn’t it? other passengers,” ton had embarked solo, at Mexico City, and had remained solo, until her death. “She was lonely,” Mrs. Allenby exclaimed dramatically, “So was I, -We .did, things, saw things to-, getlxer. The hotel managex* can tes­ tify to that. So could Arturo, who, drove us around, Havana. So could any of the guests/’ Yes, Miss Morton got many let- ; ters. From tihe States, of course No, she nevei' discussed her per­ sonal affairs. '"No, she never men­ tioned her niece. Yes, there were times when she appeared to be worrying. No, sihe had not confided in Mrs. Allenby. Nor, apparently, in any one else. The agency unearthed a further startling fact. Miss Lucy Morton sailed alone from New York City, on the steamship. .Serena, bound for Rio. The hotels in 'Brazil co-oper­ ated magnificently by confirming that Miss Lucy Morton had been un- accQxnpanied by a young girl, or any one else, duxung her stay in that country. From Mexico came the same story. Miss Lucy’s tour the tropics had been ‘unimpeded company, old or young. Following the Clues on the notified Morton, knew it and children had suddenly conscious of red-haired Allenby, bearing up nobly ■and No, she said posi- had met on the boat City. Adjoining deck Merton had no young then.Certainly there 'The boat has a And there were Miss Lucy Mor­ of bv An examination of her bank ac­ count showed large -sums withdrawn at various times. Once in Rio. Once in Mexico City. Twice in Havana. ■ Some -of the money was converted into American Express checks. Some was paid out in American currency, always in bills of large denomina­ tion. The sums were altogether out of proportion to the length and cost of the trip. Miss Morton’s effects yielded nothing but proof positive of her identification. (Steamship tickets, the oddments of a tour, trinkets and souvenirs, a few letters from her brother. Not a word, not a syllable relating to the missing niece. Any kidnap or blackmail letters must have been carried in her hand­ bag. The loss of the bag, of course, was a tragedy. Thd5 Hotel Central in New York . reported that Miss Lucy Morton and Miss Jill Morton had sojourned there for several nights. But the driver who took Lucy to the -docks swore stanchly that only one womaxx had been his passenger. iSome where between tihe Hotel Central and the Serena, Jill Morton had dropped out of existence. But why—why—why did Lucy sail without Jill? If Jill had been kid­ napped BEFORE leaving New York it was incredible to suppose tlia* Lucy would go on blithely* More Questions What happened to Lucy (Morton's money, where was- Jill Moi‘ton? Why had the kidnapers dealt with the aunt’instead of the father, who was fabulously wealthy? Wiho was the mysterious woman in New York to whom Lucy Morton sent an air­ mail lotter- Was it Who coat? gram? kidnap And if Lucy Mofton traveled alone tlhrough| Brazil, Central America. Mexico and Cuba—-who In the name of all that was sane and sensible, had. mailed the letters from Jill io her father? Unquestionably they wera in Jill’s own handwriting. "A most baffling case/1' gfoahed Arnold Weber; “the more we learn, the less we know.” "If we could only find a starting place,” John Morton waited. uxx mt*. uiin. Wxxat mand possibly money? a woman? was the blonde in the green Why did she Send the tele- Why ,iiot a more obvious letter, demanding ransom? .i.1 ft was that girl’s name—the ope who had gone to school with Jill—the one who wanted a letter of intro­ duction to get iher a job in Morton’s Now York branch? Jill'had, pro­ bably seep her before sailing, At least, she had planned to. Joan Merrill, that was the name« He’d, have a talk with her. It was only a frail chance. But first, was a Joan Merrill employed at Morten’s in New York? Yes, there was. John Morton exhaled a sigh of relief. He would see her* and talk to her, CHAPTER XXII Jill was aghast at the result of hex' impulsive telegram to her fa- ■ ther. Instead of reassuring him of hex* safety, it bad, produced exactly the opposite effect. A fresh burst of news staggered the already over- burdened presses. The name "Mor­ ton” had become a permanent head­ line, The strain of worry told on her, She seized, the excuse of an in­ cipient cold, sniffed Brinker’s direction, home with orders to She rushed back nxent, packed a hasty bag, called, the airport»for reservations on the 3 p.m. Chicago plane—and then sat down to compose two letters, one. to Toni and .one to iMike. Toni’s would, he easier. Jill tackled that first,. “Dear Toni:” sihe scrawled- ‘‘I. had no idqa when I horrowed Joan , Merrill’s name that all this trouble would come of it. I’m Merrill. Gay had plenty to be suspicious of me. Morton, Toni. “I had planned that patihetically in and was sent see a doctor, to the apart- not Joan of reason. I’m Jill when mv. aunt came back frppx Cuha, I would, tejl you everything. I hadn’t plan­ ned on a lot of things that happen­ ed—Mike, for instance, or Aunt Lucy dying. „ /‘This whole foolish business started back in Chicago—when Lyle eloped with another woman. It was pret­ ty ghastly, Toni. Being left at the altar may be a comic situation, but not when it happens to you. The reporters—the photographers—the continual and eternal publicity. I couldn’t bear it anothex* minute. “Aunt Lucy and I planned to take a trip, but at the last ’moment, just before we sailed, I knew I couldn’t go through with that, - either. There are so many people in the world. Toni, and they gossip. "I had a letter'*'Dad gave me for Joan Merrill, to help her get a job at the store. I went to see Joan, and she’d left town indefinitely. It seemed a stroke of genius to use it. and get the job fox’ myself. I thought, foolishly, that if I had work, axnong people to whom I was a stranger, it would be easier -for me to forget everything that had gone before. “It wasn’t. I died, I think, a little every day, I was just about ready to give up and go home, beaten, when you asked me to come and share the apartment with you. Af­ ter that, things were different. Baidng- Heart Secrets “Then I met Mike. He knew from the beginning that I was pre­ tending to be somebody I wasn’t. I •had to concoct a lurid story to sat­ isfy him. It was very important to me then that he believed me. And he did. “When I knew I was falling in loye with Mike, I knew I wouldn’t dare tell anybody my real name. Mike with his weird ideas about money— “I wrote Aunt Lucy everything. She promised to stay away as long as I thought necessary. Somehow, I fooled myself into thinking Mike could be told. But how, I didn’t know. “It’s a terrible thing, Toni, to be with people you, love, and to live a continual lie. “Lyle 'Putnam came to town and recognized me.' He gave me a had few minutes at Morton’s, and a worse scare right here in the living room, knowing you were in the kitchen, and could probably hear every word he said.“Then—thej awful news about Aunt Lucy dying. Dad, of course, lost >his head and immediately leap­ ed to the conclusion I’d been kid­ naped. I wired him that -I was well and happy, hoping that would keep him calm write and stead, the the wire the police.” Her hand grew cramped writing. She flexed it idly, dered what to say next. “There Isn’t anything but to go home and tell truth. He’ll probably have ed up as criminally insane, and I don’t blame him. But breaking the news to Dad will' be a simple mat- beside telling Mike the truth. That, after1 all, is the only excuse I’ve had for tills masquerade these last font months. i ll CxL '.ilows ovex’f Tom, till I had a chance to explain everything. In­ got excited, and turned over to the papers and I 1 and with pon- nowleft Dad the me lock- * i. S ;! I**/V*. The Exeter Times«Advocate Established 1373 Wl water* mtarte Published qvery Thursday mornln® subscription—?2.00 per year ba advance RATES—Farm or Real Estate few sale 50c. each insertion fey first four insertions. 25c. each subse­ quent insertion, Misceltenepu® ar­ ticle®, To Rent, Wap ted, Lost, or Found. 10c, per line of wjto, Reading notices JLQc. per line, Card of Thanks 50c, Legal ad­ vertising 12 and 8c. per line. la Memoriaxn, with one verse 50c, extra verses 25c. each, Member of The Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association 0 / Professional Cards %s, we mean just that! 1941 Pontiac buyers are Pontiac boosters — and they’re spreading the good news that Pontiac’s priced with the lowest! They’re urging neighbors and friends to share the advantages of Pontiac ownership and enjoy the same fine . performance, top satis- faction, dependability and thrift. For Pontiac is simply packed with fea- tures—some of which are j available in no other car at any price. Why not get all the facts—now? ON ALL MODELS ■ 43 "W? WE®*? «*: 4 /8UY\ ZlUHR\ ZSfiVINGS\ TERTIFICRTEsX,1 these gre^-feituteMd other cay combines' i <3 <3S£”S2=? NEW CONCEALED RUNNING BOARDS '* Away from mud, dust, snow, ice NEW FULL-FLOW, BUILT-IN, PERMANENT OIL CLEANER Never requires service ox- replacements MOST ADVANCED KNEE-ACTION . For supreme Riding Comfort and Handling Ease NEW, DYNAMIC VTQRPEDO" STYLING Gives Pontiac radiant distinction CANADIAN - BUILT BY GENERAL MOTORS 0 1l P-I34IB GLADMAN & STANBURY (F. W, Gladman) BARRISTER, SOLICITOR, &c Money to Loan, Investment's Made Insurance Safe-deposit Vaults for use of our Clients without charge EXETER arid BEEN SALL CARLING & MORLEY BARRISTERS, SOLICITORS, &c* LOANS, INVESTMENTS, INSURANCE Office; Carling Block, Main Stree*. EXETER. ONT. Dr. G. F. Roulston, L.D.S.,D,D.S. DENTIST Office: Carling Bloch EXETER, ONT. Cioaed Wednesday Afternooiqs Dr. H. H. CQWEN, L.D.S.,D,D S DENTAL SURGEON Office next to the Hydro Shop Main Street, Exeter Office 36w Telephones Res. 38J Closed Wednesday Afternoon® ARTHUR WEBER LICENSED AUCTIONEER For Huron and Middlesex FARM SALES A SPECIALTY PRICES REASONABLE SATISFACTION GUARANTEED Phone 57-13 Dashwood R. R. No. 1, DASHWOOD I will come back to see you—if I j am still welcome. Love, "JILL MORTON.” (She enclosed the letter, in an en­ velope, tagged it “Toni”, and prop­ ped it against the lamp. 'Then she began the lettex’ to Mike. , Her Letter to. jMike “Dear .Mike.” ''Tire 'blank page stared at Jill accusingly. What were the words to §ay? 'She ripped t'hq offending sheet, began again. “My Darling—You always knew my name wasn’t Joan Merrill, and | you never asked me what it really was. I never could tell you until now. I’m Jill Morton, Mike.” The pen spattered inkily. Jill ■ brushed a stubborn teax’ from her pye. This was harder than she had imagined. “If you and I had .been nothing more than friends I would have told you long ago. But I fell’ in love with you, Mike. And if you wouldn’t marry a well-paid model, what hope was there for a millionaire’s, daugh­ ter? Always I kept thinking and hoping that things would work themselves out. I know, now, xny dear, that nothing works out unless we take our courage in our bands and make it work out. “Deceiving you was anything bul amusing Mike. If I hadn’t been -so happy loving you—being loved by you—I’d always have been the -most miserable woman in the world. Part of me was. “The least I can do now is go home and straighten things out for Dad. I’ve done him a pretty ter­ rible wrong. And you, too. My only excuse is that I didn’t know "it at tihe time. “Toni ‘knows all the facts in the case—now. She’ll tell you, if you are still interested. “I love you, iMike. Nothing in the world—nobody in the world— ' will evei’ change that. And surely the accident of my having money is no excuse for forgetting it. I won’t love you any less as Jill Mor­ ton than I -did as Joan Merrill. “I’m flying hack to Chicago on the 3 p.m. plane. I'll be waiting to hear from you. If you -don’t come to me, Mike, I’ll coine to you. .What we have is too big a thing, too fine a thing, to break over a little matter of pride.” ! Tears rained oil the letter, blis­ tered the paper, blurred the inic here* and there. Jill continued: "Don’t be angry with me. The only mistake I made was loving you so much I lost my head.” “Always, “JILL” She folded the note into ail en­ velope, addressed it to Mike and phoned for a messenger* The small, ' freckled boy arrived, was entrustod 1 With the note and duly tipped, Jill cast one last lonely look around i the shabby little apartment, find ! closed the -dooi’ regretfully behind ; i i Drive out ACHES a ‘ 114 her. Forever, maybe. Jill Meets Slick She walked down the worn brown­ stone .steps to. the sidewalk, turned valiantly toward the corner. “I 'for­ got to 09,11 -a tax,” -she mourned. “I always seem to forget some­ thing.” A neighborhood urchin, .grimy of face and paw, grinned as sihe passed “Whereya goin’, Miss Joan?” “Don’t tell a soul,” Jill assumed a conspiratorial air. “I’m eloping/’ His wide eyes blinked open delight­ edly. <She thought: I may never bee this youngster again. Jill set her suitcase carefully on the-, sidewalk, and drew a shining half dollar from hex’ purse. “Here, sonny,” she offered. "Buy your­ self some sodas.” The gesture -made her feel lighter at ;hedrt. It also, al­ though she did not realize it at the time, saved her life. * Jill . swung around the corner, walked a block, straining her eyes for a taxi. A si A, -sleek roadster paced Iher footsteps by the curb. She, looked up. Ic was Slick. ‘‘Can I give you *a lift?” he asked smoothly. I “Central Afx‘porf. • Jill stepped gratefully into the car, “I’m making the 3 o’clock plane.” For once even the odious (Slick was welcome. 'Slick thought to himself: This is a break. Ready made. The street was exnpty of people, Only one paix* of eyes watdhed them, whirl off-—those belonging to grubby little boy who clutched half dollar in one sticky hand . a a HAY COUNCIL The regular -monthly meeting of the Council' of the Township of Hay was held in the Town Hall, Zurich, on Monday, March 10th, 1941, with all members present except Mr. Fred J. Haberex’. The minutes of the meeting held Feb. 10th were adopt­ ed as read. After disposing of the communi­ cations and hearing a number of delegations the following resolu­ tions were passed: Tihat patrolmen for the vari­ ous Township Road Divisions be the same as in 1940. , That the Clerk advertise fox’ ten­ ders fox’ operating Township crush- ex- and for trucking gravel onto township roads fox’ 1941. Tenders to be in the hands of the,. Council by noon on April 14tih. fame con­ ditions as in 1940. That the application of the Board of Trustees, Police Village of ’Zur­ ich be approved by the Council for the puj-chase of a fire truck and appliances for fire protection at a cost not exceeding $2,600, and the Reeve and Treasurex- be authorized to sign a note for the funds, same to be repayable by tihe iPolice Vil­ lage of Zurich within a period of ten years. That accounts covering payments on Township Roads, Hay Telephone, Relief and general accounts be pass­ ed -as pex’ vouchers: Township Roads—General Sup­ ply Co., snow plow equipment, '$870.00; W. F. Jennison, snow plowing, Township, $393.43; W. F. Jennison, snow plowing, Zurich Po­ lice Village, $5.0'6; Geo. 'Hess, tile, $1.8iQ; H. Steinbach, road supt.. $5.9'0. Hay Telephone System—H. G. Hess, one month salary, $175.00; T. H. Hoffman, one montlh salary, ' a ........•—> r ' Bell Telephone iCo., v‘tolls, Northerxi Electric Co., FRANK TAYLOR LICENSED AUCTIONEER - For Huron and Middlesex FARM . SALES A SPECIALTY Prices Reasonable and Satisfaction Guaranteed ■’•EXETER P. O/or RING-138 H. * WM. H. SMITH LICENSED AUCTIONEER For Huron and Middlesex Special training assures you of your property’s true value on sale day. Graduate of American Auction College Terms Reasonable and Satisfaction Guaranteed Crediton P. O. or phone 48-2 USBORNE & HIBBERT MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY Head Office, Exeter, Ont. President ............. JOHN McGRATH * Dublin, Ont. Vice-Pres....... T. ,G. BALLANTYNE Woodham, R.R. 1 DIRECTORS W. H. COATES ...................... Exeter JOHN HACKNEY .... Kirkton R. 1 ANGUS SINCLAIR .... Mitchell R. 1 WM. HAMILTON.... Cromarty R. 1 AGENTS JOHN ESSERY ................. Centralia ALVIN L. HARRIS .......... Mitchell THOS. SCOTT ..... Cromarty SECRETARY-TREASURER B. W. F. BEAVERS ............. Exeter GLADMAN & STANBURY Solicitors, Exeter (TO BE CONTINUED) SIGN BEET CONTRACTS A meeting of interested sugai- beet growers was held at Granton when some 25 farmers attended, Dougald Munroe, of Glencoe, was present and received, contracts from farmers who intend planting11' an acreage of boots. The number of contracts Signed was much in ad­ vance of last year and will covex* some 120 acres. The price guaran­ teed will be the same as last year, $5 a ton, with test increase. $191.74; O'. L. Smith, paintings etc, $12.50; $118.81; supplies, $172.04. Relief—>D. Geiger, $5.00; Dept, of VVelfpre, London, $2,55; J. Sup- lat, allowance. $10.00; H. Thiel, transients, $5,75. General Accounts — Dept, of Health, insulin, $9.08; Hensail show grant, $25. That Council adjourn to meet again on Monday, April 14th, at o’clock, p.m. , A. F, Hess, Twp, Clerk The World’s Finest 1.30 Moved into New Home Mr, and Mrs. Clarence Schade and family and Mrs. Wm. 'Schade of the Blue Water Highway, have moved, into their new heme on the .14th concession, recently purchased, from the Wm. T. Truemner estate. The neighbors of the 14th concession are welcoming the now residents.— ttul'ivu *aC****m.t i Anthracite Trade Marked Blue. Order Blue Coal and we have it, also Large Lump Alberta. Coal HAMCO Dustless Coke Prices are Right is .A. J. CLATWORTHY Phone 12 Granton We Deliver M' If poverty is the cause of dis- honesty, why is it that most large hotels have their name woven in their towels and linen?