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The Signal, 1932-11-24, Page 6$--TLursdap, November lath, 19113 TRY OUR Golden Guernsey MILK - MEW Table Cream and, Whipping Cream Safe, because it is all pro duced from a Government - inspected Herd. ..,Your tpottoluge solicited' I —PHONE 630 - Hydro Store BUY AN Electric Stove - Clem - Eco.. cal mud cool to sok midi r t SEE DiSPLAY OF STYLES AND MAKES AT THE HYDRO STORE THE SIGNAL GODERICH, ONT, • The Black Box of Silence By FRANCIS LYNDR W. N. U. Service. Copyright by William Gerard Chapman. SYNOPSIS amileinilaribrebes demoaai rated the power of al tatraordinary silencer, the "Black Box," which he has per- fected. Owes Landis, young tpventor, In the little town of Carthage, confides to his chum, Wally Markham, that he teen the device, If exploited, might be used for evil purposes. That night the black box is stolen from a safe 1n Lan- dis' laboratory. CharterII. Lae1s qU Il�arrl%a m the only person, besides himself, know - Ing the combination of the safe, is Betty Lawson, with whom the inven- tor 1. in love. Markham takes a pias- ter cast of a woman's footprint, found beneath the window of the laboratory. Chapter 11L—Betty, daughter of a college professor, Is well known to Markham. Both he and Landis believe her to be above suspicion, but to assure himself he takes an opportunity to fit the east to one of Betty's oboes. They are Identical. Betty tells him Herbert Canby, a stranger in town, who is pos- ing as a "promoter," had driven her home from the theatre the previous night, and that she had dosed in the car. Markham does not tell Landis of his discovery. That the girl should ordinary car theft." • have deliberately stolen the Invention Landis shook his head. "I'm afraid from Landis' sate is unthinkable, but not. I'm thinking It means that some - the evidence of the plaster cast (seems body want* to leave us stranded." to prove she was present at the time of "The three men in the Fleetwing?" the robbery. "Hardly, you'd say. Apart from the fact that they've been Wentified as re - CHAPTER VI WINktret 1.11 Breathe found the blue roadster at "mere Is simply no end to tela, Wal - Marysville, Kan., where a stop was ly," Landis protested. "We might made for dinner. Inquiry along the keep on all day In a city with as mazy way had proved that the bleetwing hotels as there are here. Our best chance is the open road. We know where Canby is beaded for. If we trail atm, maybe we'll fad the !last• wing In the same gallery." "You didn't beat me W it by Sag itsa' aweigh, Iss saswP-'WW "•dlta'trilllf a —dtfdll,"' is Sine. there eras no public garage, they turned, spreading the well -used put the roadster under a shed In the map on his knees. "Here's the mane tavern yard, where the innkeeper as- cut to the Tlmanyonl," he pointed out cured them 1t would be safe, and went "We'll get the grips and try odr lock to bed. in the open, as you say." The next morning at breakfast, the For a short run over the highway Innkeeper bunt in upon them to•ask if the trail refused to reveal Itself. But they had locked the car before leaving later they came to a filling station it whose keeper told them he had helped "1 didn't," said Markham promptly• change an inner tube on • Fleetwing "Why?" Eight between six and seven o'clock " 'Cause ft's gene, slick and clean! that morning. He said there were Whadda you know about that? My three men 1n the car, and he also re - land ! Nothin' like that's ever happened called that the one he has helped with here before. You go on and finish eat- the tire had said they were from Louis - in' an' I'll get to work on the phone." vllle. "Which means?" Landis queried. Questioned, be said he had no race!. after the landlord had gone. lection of seeing a Nordyke Ilmauslne) "It may mean nothing more than an put that It might easily have gone by without his noticing it. Markham glanced at the clock on the da*h as he flung the new roadster at the mountain grades. "Three hours ahead of us; we're gaining on them, in spite of the Denver delay. Where do you s this chase is going to wind up, Owen" "I'm not so much concerned about the 'where' as the 'how.' I may as well confess that I'm on the fence again. 'mere haven't been any bank blasting! this side of the Missouri river." "Not but there was a perfectly good roadster wrecked back there In Kan- sas," Markham put In pointedly. "Yes, but nothing In the wide world to connect the wrecking with these men we're chasing. Why would a trio of bank burglars, if thltt's what they are, pass up all the chances In six or seven hundred miles and go streaking off up here in these mountains?" 1 were—and this V one of them." , "Just so," said Markham with a Since the perturbed tavern keeper I abort laugh. "11 Isn't decent. But was likely to do everything possible to I there Is something else I'd like to trace the car stolen frbw his premises. I know. What has become of Canby and they took their time over breaast I the Lawson'?" kf Then Markham told him he would pay Thim question was answered late in a liberal reward for information; after which they went to sit on the tavern porch and smoke and wait for results. they torthfared stiff, tired and darty. I passed a large closed oar stopped mld- W pat up at the nearest hotel, and turned In at once. The attempt to trace three newcoas- ere—or at moat six—in • city the stns of Deaver is much like looking for a needle le • haystack; and though they went abort ea sleep and were up may the next morning, eight o'clock found them still driving from one hotel to way on one of the tangents, es if 11. occupants bad halted to view the sun- set glories. "Sightseers,," said Markham; and thea, suddenly "Say, Owes; wasn't that the Nordyke~-Canb7's car?" What Landis might have answered was lost 1a the limbo of things unsaid. another, drawing blanks and lasing As they MOW a "hairpin" carve sad another, 1 abet awamy�ll iammnsding tangent WY cadrei'llippai car hie. above Mases( Mikes row of great Noma set rip by gm road builders to Mud the dows-Natata side of the bay. MI at stns one of the huge MOW mseis heaved Itself from its Mese to time treilg over and down the dwilvtke. base as if by some eal- t11111Yngto reach the lower halt) with the rasing lrrtostdy, hilarklasiiiii one of NNW driven whose resetting In an emergency are so Instantaneous as to semi purely automatic. He did the o&y thing there was to do—released the brakes and Jammed the foot throttle open to Its limit. It was all over in a moment. With only a fraction of a second to spare at the point of intersection, but that fraction 00 the side of safety, the fly- ing car shot fairly under tbe hurtling menace and wept racing on to the next doubling curve. It was not until the car shot out upon the valley level that Landis re- laxed. drawing a long breath and say - Ing, "1'm handing it to you, Wally. You've a lot better nerve than I have. 1 should bare tried to stop if I'd been at the wheel. How do you suppose $t happened?" "One gueip is as good as another. Mine is that whoever was driving that stopped ear had cramped his front wheel, against the rock tot witty. Na- tural thing to do on such a stiff grade." Silence for a speeding mile, and then Landis fairly shouted. "Say, Wally! We've beep asleep at the switch—both of us! Think beck a minute; didn't you notice that the rock didn't make any noise coming down" "What's that?" snapped Markham. braking the car to an abrupt stop. Then, "1 knew there was something queer about the Thing, but f was too busy Just then to figure out what It was. But you've put your finger on It That tumbling rock ought to have made racket enough to wake the dead —end there wasn't a sound!" "Well, you know there is only one way to amount for that, don't you?' "You bet your life 1 do! That stopped car had your infernal machine the afternoon; as they were running I in it—that's what. We're in luck at down the valley of the Panniken to- last." And he began to back the car ward Copah—still gaining upon the Fleetwing, as they learned, by inquiry as they had come along. It was at a water tank station of the Pacific South- western that they first beard of the Nordyke limousine. It was ahead of them: had apparently been ahead all day. They had stopped at a filling sta- tion to get gas, and to ask about the Fleetwing, and the gas man grinned. "You'll have to step on It some to Catch pp with them fellers In the Eight," he told them. "'ffiejjelled up here couple hours ago and told me the7:4 made it ft•gtst;,,jAsswr .. Mace tirerntr'.'r' ea, w: ria34i`r '-eo:h#sr with that bunch? Ever'body seems to be askin' about 'em." "Who else, besides us?" Markham wanted t0 know. "Three folks in a Nordyke limou- sine; right handsome young feller drlvin' and dein' the talkin', with a girl pretty enough to wake the dead settin' in with him, and an oldish man In the back.' "About how long ago was this?" "I disremember ; about an hour, i reckon." Markham was putting the gears In low for the start when Lndfa halted hint to ask another question of the gas man. "Did the limousine driver ask about anybody eine?" The man scratched his bead as if trying to remember. Soddenly he looked up with the wide-mouthed grin again in place. "Why, yes—come to think. Wanted to know If anybody else bad been along askin' about the Eight; twn lepers. he said, bat he couldn't tell me what kind Of if ear they'd be driven'." It was Landis who spoke first when the two were once more on heir way. "Wally, how Is Bert Canby mixed up In this thing?" he demanded. "What is his connection with these fellows? And why Is he keeping tab on us?" "Why ask me?" Markham shirked. "Because I've had a feehlbg all along that you know more about this mystery than I do: more than you are willing to tell me." "If you put 1t on the ground of ksiowledge, I t, Owen ; I'm just as mach you are. I can say that was 01111 on ahead; but of the limon- slne they had heard nothing. Confident, however, that thele was tbe rearmost of the three can, they covered another hundred miles before paster IL—Markham' vaguely p011 stable citiseni, unless elerybody has piclous of Canby's honesty, searches ! been lying to us, they are hours ahead his hotel room, in ala absence. He of us—and have been ever since we finds hidden there two loaded automa- left St Joseph. Canby is the man Re LIC revolvers and a complete set of bur- haven t been able ie locate." ' gear's tools. Canby, returning, brags Oh, no, not Canby. You are forget - the revolvers and burglar's kit to the ting that he had Betty and her father hotel clerk, claiming to have with him." just found them in his room. ..I know. But In spite of that, be is That night the safe in the bank of the keeping tab on us, or trying to. Other - small town of Perthdale 1s blown open Wise he wouldn't have asked about us - and looted, the noise of the explosion In the St. Joseph hotel. That looks as being unheard. Satisfied that his "black K he toot have bees following us, box" 1. In the hands of crooks and 1s doesn't !t?" being put to the uses he feared, Landis Landis shrugged. "1'm no mind- Ith Markham, drives at onee to Perth- reader. There are times when I wish dale. Chapter V.—At Perthdale they find confirmation of their fears. Three strangers, riding in a Fleetwing, and claiming to be bustnese men of Louis - vibe, are the only possible suspects. Markham and Landis decide to follow them, although advices from Louis- ville seem Ill t guarantee the standing of "Not that there are likely to be any the three. At St. Joseph Markham results " Markham offered. "I've a sees Canby's car, ■ Nordyke. He learns hunch that we're lost the roadster for Canby 1* driving west, with Betty Lawson and her father as his guests good and all." "Tarn we are ditched—out of the in the car. The Fleetwing, Markham's ht?" car, and the Nordyke form a proces fight?" by a d d sight!" was the Mon on the Pikes Peak highway. snappy denial. "We are going to see R D 1411., yn The CANADA STARCH CO us,Hws B COIIN SYRUP A Treat for the whole Fanfils,. an Exc 11 rf Food for GROWING CHILDREN c4 Try it To -dug! Ikattlitt 311004.1111111 ThriftyWomen Buy Hore W DOTE THESE Arreeariva SPECIALS FOR THURS., 1RL, SAT., NOV. 24, 25, 36. Rinso Soap Sunlight Ammonia Snowflake Jam Plum 40 -oz pari Large Package Fancy Rice Blue Rc Tea Salads I' Finest New Raisins Sultan.. Orange Marmalade Cocoa Fry's Breakfast Cornmeal 19c I to Bars 46c I di g x+ Pgke. 15C If; 20c 316.- 2S 23e 45e e 216.25c Crouse & Blaclt- welrs 40•er. 33c 1/2-16. inc 23c 216.. 9c Satin Mixed 16. 15c this thing through now if It takes all summer! If we don't hear from the Wet car -soon, we'll take a _ train and ride it Until we reach some yiaee i s I can buy another." But gee here. Wall?—I oast let yo'd sill "ill hW - i ev`x ?�a'i "tt stands, I'm owing you the price of a car right now." "Nothing of the sort. You may be calling this jaunt your funeral, but If it is, I'm driving the hearse and we don't stop short of the cemetery gate, at least Here come+ a boy. Maybe he has turned the trick for us." The boy came running rap to the porch. fairly bursting with his news. "I've f -f -found your ear!" he stut- tered. "It'd in a gully on our farm! Constable telephoned, and dad said, right away, 'at he thought he beard somethln' go 'squoosh' In the night. It's In a deep place where 1t tumbled off the road." "Good boy," said Markham. "The reward is your*. How far 1s it?" "It ain't far. Tome on and I'll show you." A short half mile from town. by the side of a little -used country road, they found the blue roadster. They did not go down into the gully into which it had fallen. From. 'there they stood they could see that trifle a wreck. "A clean Jeb," Markham greeted moroatdy, "What Landis asked, when they walked a Lull halt mile In silence. "Deliberate, of course. The tire track* In the road showed plainly enough that th1ae bad been stopped, backed and turnedO rter wpy around to head It for the ditch." "But who did itr "I'd be willing to pay another re- ward to find out. There's sometb doing, either ahead of us or behind something we're not to be allow mess In, it • wrecked ens will atop which it weset" Markham arvaaasd to bass the car salvaged and held subject to him order, *ad when the westbound train carpe along they boarded it Markham e0a- sulted a time -card folder and pawed the towns ahead In review. '4 "Colby, at two fifty this afterlroo," he *aid. "it's a junction point, find If we can't find what we want, we /011 get a train from there to Denver. Colby's our drop off." Accordingly they debarked at Colby, where Markham found he was able to replace the wrecked roadster with a later model of the same make. Start - Ing without loam of time, they reached Limon, the point at whkh the two main ante roads, coincident west of Colby, split --one leading southwest to Colorado /Wings, and the other berth - *est 10 Denver. At the taw Mops they bad made west of Corby they got no sews of the Flestwlng er of Canny's car. But at Llaaon the lost trail reappeared. The Fleetwing had permed throng% some six hours earlier oil the way to Denver; and Canby% mdse had taken the same route tis or flour hour. later. Martha• looked st 1M watch. 'Roth parties are prnlmhlr stopptaa met Mins le iis'nret. -Tt wejseskrehmjwe can be there by midnight What do lido i•st'bl[% des. i ran spill yew at the wheel aim roe are titml..,. ,tsea4 t 14s'yfag. 0q� it was well past mldeight whentee tee basnrdose deapeAq Mb Iia 11{9tbr lights of Deaver eine 1s start Be}eh- ad Copal' wish leg time Mb. Markham timed b at it was while lift iiritdtAst first all-siget garage hei came to, ly dews the steep grades tient siker It," then, 'Ye I the dot$ m knows nldrt wbeq g Mack ci • man GM* Niext webear .: ' that wide MI Bebe; ' ea the trail of these tis ` Loath villa and rue into two fit the ns- noise wreckfngs. lbetbet Om, we discover that Canby "11 following us, or the Louisville Womb or both. Next we—" "Yon needn't catalogue the twists e nd turn. It yon know anything more than you've tntd me, you ought to turn 1t loose, Wally." "I don't know anyiing--move'• the pity; and that'• the stubborn troth. But I'm going to know, h.fore we quit and call It a day." By thls time the road had left the narrow valley of the Pannikin. Know- ing from the itteerary in the route hook that there were hatreds ahead ou the demist to the Red desert edge mining gown of Oafish. and hoping to bre aids 4e bee* Joiaght for the own tlati#g-ot them, _Marmara did. stat Sei a tel? WI" itch ihvmr• mode. ft iris wits si dusk whom tat Waa tor a turn. "Hold on," Landis broke in. "What are you going to dor' "Go back up the hill and have it out with that bunch, whoever they are!" "Listen to reason a minute. Wally," Landis said quietly. "If they are the men we've been trying for three days to run down, how much chance would we have in a road scrap with a carload of yeggs most likely armed to the teeth? Beside, we pavep't lust 'eel. They can't go 00 to w1erfter they're going without pinging us, and wiles rcrr#�`t�'c�d• In sad aft. odg-r "l'nip ! You're too d—d sensible for any use!" Markham grunted. "It gets me on the raw. I'm not used to being stood up as a mark for a bunch of murderers to throw stones at Just before the thing came off I was asking you if the car wasn't a Nordyke. Was It? Or was it the Fleetwingr "I couldn't say. All I noticed was that it was • dosed car." "No matter; we'll find out In a few minutes what it was—or la." They were entering Copah. Mark- ham steered Into the shadows and turned off the car lights. They had not long to wait before the headlights of a following car appeared ea the rearward road. "Spot it as it pswSP'7Lrkham rapped out; and so they 41d, both of them. What they saw was a mere thkkening of the mys- teries. For the passing car, slowing to town speed as it entered the town street. was no other than Canhy's 11m- onsine, with t4 Massif at the wheel. - --_-.- "If i wasn't reasonably certain that we're both fairly sane and to our right minds," Markham began. Then, "Yon saw them, didn't your "I saw Canby. yes." "But he wasn't alone." "No; there were two people In the back seat." Exactly. Betty and her father, of course." "I suppose so; though i couldn't make them out very well." "But, see here; Canby was an hour ahead of us at the last place we in- quired, which was only a few milks back. His ear couldn't have been the OOP we saw stopped up these on the moustaln grade." "Of warm not. The people -who were in that ear pushed a rock over oe us. Besides. Canby hasn't my black hoz." "D—n!" gritted Markham impatient- ly; and then, "Owen, this thing le pet- ting too many twist* and tangles in tt together too many. i can't under- nd how Canby got behind aa.'; Landis Monk his head. "Let's waft a hit and ase if another car doesn't turn up," he suggested. "There mast be another one, yon know." They welted for half an hour or more and nothing turned up "it's no use," Markham said at last. "We may as well drive on and get sometbing to eat." They had eaten dinner In the dining nom wlthcmt seeing anybody they re- cognised, and were making fnquirte• at the desk for the Canby -Lawson party. "Nobody of either name this even - We," saki the clerk, "but that doesn't necessarily moll ssytalng. if they are merely motoring through they may have, takes dinner tickets at tine easb- ler's window ; In which case we'd haws wo reeved. - "I see," saki Markham. Then ie took from his pocketbook the slip tit♦ ss- wit*. In the At. Inapt* betel. ise bot 005104110 - ot. tba_ 141111 elite mer, ssd11111 .e.. /t &AC ciavt. "icy tK thaws gsnt3emas barer "Why: tie4i;A4 came In tfb'Ia *Ierssmm. There this are mow—" palating assess ta. thy. -veno," said Mastrl.mms, sin the two croon& M the sahrhimortiorid et the three, Markham saying, "They Mat Meow w, se we can take a good look at them for whatever that may amount to," and accordingly they took a couple of chairs a short distance ferret the terse whew they could sit and smoke and observe. Fur a time the espial went for no- thing. One of fife trte was reading a newspaper, and the other, the tail man and the sandy -haired os,.—las - �.he h ! !? !!ht *ba new Flertwing b Chillicothe—were smoking. There was nothing auspicious ht the appear- ance or actions of any of them. "Wel said Lapilli, "Where do we go from hater "I'm waiting for Canby to show up,' was tate low -toned reply. "I'd like to and out how he Is linked up with these 1tl8WW.�. ,.. "Is 117lsM won't 301)'0 we don't let Mm see tie drab" "You're rigid; we'll take the mes- sanine. We can look on as well from there." They bad scarcely setthxl themselves ; whom a a.sd kse behind said, "Well—of allrprlatales.vo: You two eat here?' "Betty!" Landis exclaimed, apelop Ing to ala feet - Markham laughed and said, "Sore; and why not?" "Bat you never said a word to me, either of you, before we left tarthkge ! How did you come --by train?" "Part of the way," Markham quali- fied. "But agstn I ask, why net? Why shouldn't we take a few days off and "I know : but It's perfectly wonder- ful that we should meet herr this way." Markham drew up a chair for her. "Sit :own and we'll unravel 1t Owen was ueedtag a rest and a change of scene, so I took him by the 'leek and ran off with him. Where 1s your fath- er? And how do you come to be break- ing your journey in Copah?" "Daddy 1s around, somewhere; and we're not breaking our journey. We're leaving presently—going on to see the Red desert by moonlight" "Oh; so you're driving?" "Yes; with Bert, to Ms stuffy luxury car. At the last minute atter we'd all bought our train tickets --Bert was go- leg along. you know—he said he'd like to drive. If we would. tbo we took our tickets back and came to the car." "Had a good „trip this far?" "Glorious," "When did you reach Copahr "Oh, quite a little while -ago; about five o'clock. 1 think it was. Anyhow, daddy and I had time to bathe and change and get to the *Mariam In time to see the sunset over the Red desert. It was simply gorgeous!" "But you took a drive after that, didn't you?" Landis put In. "Daddy and I? Oh, no; we just rested until dihner time. But when did you leave Carthage?" Markham nested the date, and due said, "Why, we must have been right along the road together! Or no; you said you came by train, didn't you?" "I said, 'part of the way.' We got tired of the train, so i bought a car, and we came on is that" 'But where are you doles?' "Ask Owen; I'm merely his chauf- feur." dragged is latitettsitett. best he could. "I don't know—any more than the cat, Betty. We've just trundled along from one place to another, know - leg where the next stop would be." "It must be simply spiffy to drift about that way, with no responsibili- ties." "It Is,"al andls agreed. "I'm—er— having fire Um. of my life." "Yet you don't look It" asserted the frank osis, axing him with as appeals - ire eye. "You look haggard and wor- ried. You ought to stop over la the Ttmaayonl and go Wadi hunting with Markham had beam keeping an eye es the group of three beton, and now be stood up and turned to face the trade. For Canby had jataed the three, and was giving me of them a folded paper. Markham svepaat Veneer -,.,H caught a descending elevator, and when Canby and the three moved away to- ward a •ids exit be was able to follow without being seen. The chase was a abort one, ending at tats -haul garage, which the four men entered together. Markham, slipping In apoe the heels of e four, was able to conceal himself. In a few minutes a handsome nest - whir lMgbi-s sse-stlMat -esimadsetad to pause with Tb front wheels on the tbresaold of tbs entrance. As the car came to a stand Canby got out. "As I've told you, you'll have W use your head,," ire was saying to the man at the wheel of the Eight. '"Phe aketcb map layout I gave you is the best I eoeld do. Your route book will show you where to turn off." • "No 'lance for a break on the date, is there?" came to low tones from the interior of the ear. "I don't make breaks," was the brittle retort. "You've gut • mono- poly 1n that field. Among you, you've balled things up beautifully ! You had the whole thing in your hands three days ago; all you had to do was to sit down and watt until the flurry war over. And all you did was to yell for help! But that's • back number. let It go and get out of here. And don't fall down on this business tonight I'll meet you as arranged. Oet a move!" The big car rolled out across the sidewalk; and Canby walked quickly around to the side entrance of the hotel. Markham returned to the hotel lobby, where be found Landis waiting for hint.: -•. "What die you and out?" Landis de- manded. "Enough to warrant us in getting quick action. Oet your dunnage and wait at the side entrance. I'll be there with the car imide of five minutes." In rather less than five minute* Markham was plating the roadster at the side entrance of the hotel) and they shot out upon the broad, silent expanse of the Red desert (Te be continued next week) Cuwtomer—"I bear that my son has owed you for a suit for three years." Tailor—"And have you come le to pay the bun- Customer—"No. I want a suit my- self on the same terms." Have yin triad the WEiSB COAL i am expecting my emend car this week and advise scaly ler- ders, as the dot tins. wM sold sat in a mays, Customers are greatly pleased witi..11,'*r its cleaucburning and heat -giving qualities. Also Anthracite, Pocobontas and Coke. L. FLICK Telephone 178j Goder'ioa Fragrance -Sealed In Metal ...�rrcass, 'FreshFrom theGardens" Chstmas Greeting Cards A Fall Life at Prices to Suit All Parses We will be glad to show them to you