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The Exeter Times, 1923-9-27, Page 6the wate ce3 res tea that is fr,u.. fragrant and pu,re Try it our BY J. B. HARRIS -BURL AND CHAPTER IV.—(Cont'd.) It was a beautiful room -this bed room that her husband had furnished for her in the first flush of his sue- cess. The thick earpet and curtains were grey, and all the furniture was. modern black lacquer covered with lit- tie Chinese scenes and figures in gold. The ceiling was a pale grey and' all the woodwork had been painted a. deep ' orange, The dressing -table sparkled'' With gold and crystal. A bright log fire was burning in the grate, as though some servant had only just at- I tended to it. The walls had been 1 painted a pale reddish yellow, that re -1 lieeed the sombreness of the grey and; black. The pian who had designed it had said that it was "all darkness and flame." And later on Ruth had said to herself, "Tire flames have died out and only the darkness remains." The same thought might have oc- curred to her again, as she looked round the room, if she had not had so much else to think about. As a mat- ter of fact she was looking for some' place where she could hide her torn! coat and her ruined hat—sore spot. that would not be too obviously a hid- I ing-place, She was afraid to put the 1 things away in a trunk. There was. just a remote chance 'that she had al- ready aroused her husband's suspi-, cions, that he might even ask to see! the hat and the coat—come up to her 1 room after her and ask to see them. Then she would have to pretend that there had been nothing to conceal. She }vena to one of the big lacquered! wardrobes and hung the coat in a torner of it. _ Then she placed the hat I In a drawer and, walking to the dressing -table, looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was pale, and Ale did not care to look at her own, eyes, The picture that she saw was hot, in the least like the picture which T41errington had „Rainted. This was not the face of a woman who was in love but of a woman \vho was afraid— a guilty, Worthless creature who had broken. -the laws of God in her heart --a ct gone near to breaking the laws of man. Ruth Bradney hated herself as- she saw that face in the glass. She was sorry for the man she loved—the man who loved her.. She was even sorry for her husband, whom she could never love. Perhaps after all there had been some truth in what those people had said in the train. Perhaps her husband was ill—very ill with some secret malady of which she knew nothing. And perhaps, sick in body and mind, overworked, and always knowing that she did not love him, he might have come very near to hating her. "A worthless woman," she said to herself as she regarded that portrait in the mirror—a calm, clear-cut rev- elation of some Ruth Bradney that she had never seen before. She powdered her face:; and tidied her hair with trembling fingers. Then she turned away from the dressing -table and stood by the fire. She was afraid to go downstairs and meet her husband. That was the truth of it. She had never expected to meet him until the following morning, when it would ave been so much easier for her to Have a packet in your pocket for eier-ready refreshment. Aids digestion. Allays thirst. Soothes the throat. For Quality, Flavor end the :Sealed Package, ' . get explain why she had gone to the the- atre in a morning dress and why she had not taken the car, and why—oh, there were a dozen things. She was afraid, and yet at the same time she was conscious of a :feeling of repentance. She could not picture herself cringing before her husband and telling him the truth. That would have been ridiculous, and the shock of the . confession might well kill him, if he were very _ill, But she knew now that the great "romance" of her life would never bring her any happiness. She would never love anyone but John Merrington, but her love would be a secret that she wouldhug to her and hold close to her heart, as Cleopatra held the viper. However long her hus- band lived, she would never leave him, and he should never know the truth. She would be a loyal wife to him, as she had been a loyal wife to him dur- ing all the years of their marriage save for those few kisses—those few passionate words of the last month. Duty! Loyalty! What a revulsion of feeling from the love that had stag- gered her with its intensity! What a swinging back of the pendulum! There was a knocking on the door and the handle turned. She waited for someone to speak, but no one spoke. "All right, Alec," she exclaimed. "You can come in." She unlocked the door and opened it. Her husband entered the room. CHAPTER V. "You have been a long time taking off your hat and coat," said Sir Alex- ander Bradney.' Yes, Alec, I'm very tired." "You were not coming down to the library, eh?" "Oh, yes.! ---I was just coming." She paused and laughed. "I just wanted to tidy myself up a bit; I've been roughing it, you know." "Roughing it? What do you mean?" "I've been. to the theatre—upper circle took a cab both ways. Sir Alexander stroked his chin thoughtfully. "H'm, I see," he said after a pause. "So that's why you are 'not in an evening frock?" "Yes. One could hardly dress for the upper circle." "Come downstairs. I want to smoke. "Oh,; you can smoke here, Alec." "No, thank you! I do not do that kind of thing." Ruth switched off the lights and walked slowly down the stairs. Her husband followed her, but he did not speak until they were in the library. I Then he said, "I wasn't able to go to the house after all." 1 "Did you dine in town?" queried Ruth, seating herself in an easy chair. ' Sir Alexander nodded. He took up his position with his back to the fire. He lit a cigar and stood there with his hands behind him. For nearly a minute there was silence, and then' Ruth said, "Do you want to see me about anything of importance?" "Well, yes --important to me at any rate. I'm beginning to feel that things cannot go on very well as they are. You have always been' indifferent to me, but now you seem to hate me. I've seen it in, your eyes more than once —hatred," "Oh, no, Alec. It's wicked to talk like that." "I am speaking the truth. Ever since I destroyed that rotten portrait of you you have been quite different." Ruth tried to smile. "Oh, well; Alec." she said, "you did behave abom- inably." "Yes, I lost my temper; I was not feeling very well that morning. The portrait irritated me." "You said it was the portrait of a bad woman. Very likely you're right" "I did not speak the truth. I did not tell you exactly what was in my mind, Ruth. The portrait showed me a woman who was in love." He paused and laughed. "In hove—and I- know well enough that you are not in love with me." Ruth . clasped her knees with her hands. She knew that her husband was conducting a cross-examination. She had listened to him, more than once, when he had been trying to get the truth out of a witness. He never blustered or bullied. Be was'always quiet and gentle and'sympathetic— just like this. So you think I am in love with someone else, Alec?" she laughed. "Oh, how absurd!" He looked at her fora few moments without speaking. Then he said, "You e ut t 1113Ltse THE BORROWER. Judith's door opened cautiously, and Sarah Fell stood apologetically in the doorway, Hew pretty she was with her golden hair and her armrs full of jade crepe de Chine! "Oh, you're studying!" she exclaimed. "I won't interrupt you but a Moment, I just wanted to ask you which you'd have this made up with if you were I, silver or black? Or would you use both?" "Prue said silver, Connie,said black, and Mary said both," observed- udith dryly. "Sarah, don't you ever get tired. of borrowing?" "Of borrowing! Why, Judy,'1 never borrowed a cent in my lite!" "I'm not ,talking about money. 'Whv don't. you decide something for your' self? Really it's heaps. mere fun. Oh, you're a wheedler, and it's awfully hard to resist you, but somebody's got to do it for your own` good. So I de- cline to answer your question," " "Why, Judith!" Sarah exclaimed, "I' mean it,We're all in a conspir- acy to help you rob yourself, but I'm going to get out Try' standing on your own.feet, Sai•ah, -and- see how o•ood it 'Feels P' "But • Professor ;Baker said one of the requisites of success ° is willingness to learn from others!" Sarah exclaim- ed triumphantly. "1 know he did. But that doesn't mean you should go round borrowing other people's brains to avoid using your own," Judith retorted, "Nonsense!" Sarah replied lightly. "Go back to your old calculus. If my gown is spoiled, it will be your fault!" A week later Sarah was summoned to the dean's office. "Miss Fell, the dean said, "I am afraid your report is going to be a shock to you this term, so called you in to talk it over with you." She waited till Sarah, white of face, had read the card twice. Then, "Do you understand?" the dean asked. The girl shook her head. "It is because you are trying to live upon borrowed capital. We could not be sure of it at first, so we waited, giv- ing you the benefit of every doubt. Think it over. Ilow many papers have you written, how many problems have you solved, how many even unimport- ant things have you decided without help from others?" "Why, I — I didn't suppose — I must have hit your forehead against something, Ruth." "Yes—getting into the cab. It doesn't hurt. I didn't think it showed at all." "Oh, it won't disfigure you for life," he said with a smile. "Well, look here, Ruth, I'm very sorry I lost my temper —and that I've been thinking such horrible things about you. Can't you forgive ms?" - "Yes, Alec, of course I forgive you," she answered. He came towards her and laid his hand upon her shoulder. "You see, Ruth," he continued, 'it wasn't as if I didn't care. If I hadn't cared that look in your eyes wouldn't have mat- tered. But I did care, and I do care. I know you don't love me, but—Ruth dear, I'd be content with so very little " She flushed with shame; but before she could frame a reply the telephone bell rang. Sir Alexander did not move but as the bell kept on ringing Ruth cried out, "Oh, please answer it, Alec. I can't even think with that noise go- ing on.,, Sir Alexander Bradney walked to the far end of the room and picked up the receiver. "Hallo!" said Sir Alexander. "Yes —speaking—Oh, what's that? Speak louder, will you—yes, I did call, there, about nine o'clock, to see Mr. Merring- ton. Yes, I saw Mrs. Merrington-- Oh, how terrible, how shocking— You'd better come and see me, or send someone, if you like—yes, certainly— yes, of course." He hung up the rece4ver, and Ruth, chilled with fear at the mention of Merrington's • name, said, "Who was that?" without looking round at her husband. "Someone speaking from Marring- ton's house," Bradney replied. "I was round there about nine o'clock. You see, Ruth, 1 ",thought perhaps he'd paint another portrait of you if r paid him over again, so I looked him up after I'd had some dinner at the club." He paused, and Ruth, in an agony of terror, dared not seem to take too great an interest in what she had heard. No doubt, somehow or other, Dr. Trehorn had got 'through to the. Merrington's house on the telephone with news of the accident. When her husband had exclaimed, "Flow ter- rible! How shocking!" he must have been referring to John Merrington's (loss of memory. "You see," Bradney continued, "I didn't like to write to him or speak on the 'phone in case he might be-- well, e—well, anyway, I .thought it best to go and sec him. He was out, but I saw Mrs, Merrington.I' ; Again he paused, .and: Ruth, still afraid to look at his face; stared at the fire. Why, she asked herself,had they telephoned to her husband? I "A most terrible thing has happen- 1ed," said Sir Alexander very. slowly. Ruth turned her, head at last, saw her husband's :'ace, and rose sharply to her feet. 1 "What is it, Alec?" she cried. "What has happened?" { "Poor Mrs. 19:errington is dead," he answered gravely. "The' police rang me up they think theta's something wrong, I'm : a frlid—Ruth---"` She was r'CSe to him, and she caught at h' arm and clung to it to 'save, herself moon lnllinrr He held her up in his arms, and then he caeriad 1' i to tlie sofa. (lo be continued,) thought—" Suddenly as in a dream Sarah saw , Judith's clear eyes chal- lenging 'her hal-lenging'hel; and heard Judith's voice; "Try standing on your o',,vn feet, Sarah, and see how good it fuels!" A DRESSING STOOL, "By the time I comb my hair in the afternoon I'm just too tired to primp before a mirror," admitted a busy country mother. "So.e I do it . in . the q_uickest,,possible way a}rd trust to luck regnrding,the appearance of the back of my ,collar- and hair." Many times my tired and aching feet have tended to hasten myafter- noon toilet and have reminded me of my hard-working. friend. So it was with surprise and interest that I re- cently saw in front of her dressing- table a .'rejuvenated ;,piano stool brought down from ,her attic, where it had ,remained in useless oblivion since superseded . at the pieno by a more! ambitious bench. "I cannot tell 'you•,wliat a comfort it''it," she explained. "I'm only pro- voked to think that I did not get it cloiyn -ooner, ' 1, sit here in comfort and arrange my, hair carefully as I choose. " Then I swing "round and scrutinize 'results from all angles. "No more scolding -locks for mother! Daughter is so delighted with this one improvement that she, donated the cretonne cover." Even if vanity does not prompt a more careful toilet, every mother will appreciate the comfort this arrange- ment offers for tired feet. If' the attic does not harbor one of these old swivel piano stools, one can be bought at second-hand , very cheaply. And inci- dentally let me add that such a stool is exceedingly handy in the kitchen as well. A PRETTY APRON FOR "MOTHER'S HELPER." 4472, Figured percale in white and blue is here portrayed. The style is easy to develop and easy to adjust. The straps may be fastened to the belt with buttons or snap fasteners. The Pattern is cut in 5 Sizes: 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 years. A 12 -year size requires 2 yards of 27 -inch "material, Pattern mailed to any address on receipt of 15c in silver or stamps, by the Wilson Publishing Co., 73 West Adelaide ' Street. Allow two weeks for receipt of pattern. THIS DOUGH WON'T STICK. The other day I saw my aunt knead- ing bread on a.cloth-covered `.bread- board. 1 had never seen this done before, so asked her her reason for using the cloth. The answer was that thecloth prevents the soft dough from sticking and it can be worked up much softer than on a floured board in the ordinary way. She said it was also splendid when cutting doughnuts, as they stick so easily to a floured board, and to be good should be very soft. The idea is not original, as she once saw the doughboards covered with cloth in a big doughnut factory. The cloth cover is best made from a large- size flour sack, which is sewn .intoa tube to fit' the ; doughboard; or sew tapes to a square a little larger than the doughboard and tie these so that the cloth will be smooth and stay in place. -Louise E. CLEANING OILCLOTIC. Oilcloth should never be scrubbed. If this is done the paint will quickly be worn off. It should first be care- fully washed with a soft brush, to re- move all the dust and dirt, and then wiped with a large, eoft cloth wrung out in tepid (not hot) water. If it is very dirty it may he necessary to use a little soft soap, but this should be done rarely, and on no account should I soda be used. When it is dry wipe over with a cloth or sponge dipped in skim milk, which will brighten and preserve the colors and give: it a pol a, After sponging with the milk dry Lwith a cloth. WRITE,' INTERESTING LETTERS. Before 1 acquired the habit of mak - I ing notes before writing my- letters, they were, I am afraid, rather short and uninteresting, Very often while II was working ];'would think of some bit of clews that 1 would like to tell 1"so and so," but by the time I was Nlinarn's 'Liniment lc., Dandruff. ISSUE No. 38-'23. Zalik i .,n ,.ul d have wrig :¢ties r Skin be tf ifebtioy keeps yi NDRiNi•1 0 The health odour: vanishes uickly after use. LEVER. BRQTI_IERS LIMITED Toronto " ,:Lbi4 ready to write a "letter to them I had forgotten many of the things,:I wished to tell them. Now, for a day or so before I write my letters I carry a paper in my pocket and from time to time, as I am about my work I jot down brief notes on different subjects which I wish to write about, This enables me to write much longer let- ters and to make them more interest- ing. One ofnaycorrespondents laugh- ingly told me recently that my letters were "as good as a newspaper."—G, T. TO CLEAN THE MOP. If you use any of the patented wool- ly mops now on the market, whether for floors, walls or furniture, keep an old whisk broom hanging near the' out- side door in order to give your dry mops their daily cleaning. Brushing removes the bits of lint and dust much more quickly and with less damage to the mop than the old-fashioned method of banging it on the porch rail. The lowest priced tea is not the cheapest. A pound of "SALADA" yields more cups to the pound, and so much more satisfaction than ordinary tea, that it is really the most economi- cal to Use. t Cheap If They Cling Long. Wife—"These clinging gowns are rather inexpensive. Hubby—"If they cling long enough nodoubt they are." Mlnard's Liniment :Heals Cuts. The long -familiar colored globes in chemists' windows were first display- ed by the Moorish druggists of Arabia and Spain. A strong hive of bees will number 60,000 insects. A queen bee is sup posed to lay about a million and a half eggs during her lifetime, Nutritious Bananas. The producing power of the banana is forty-four tunes as great as that of the potato. The dried fruit is readily converted into nutritious flour; it may be also manufactured into sausages; been can be made from it; while the skin can be turned into cloth, and the juice made to do service either" as ink or vinegar. The first astrological issue of Old Moore's Almanack was' published in 1697. The first negro ,was brought to the U.S, in 1619. WASH CAMS Of MONATfh Mina 'AI outwear�otf ems ONS4LE SYGROCERS AND HARDWARE MERCHANTS ..,d ... ............. ... . . . .....a„;. un 3•, Keiseylleating o is ht Heahhh The warm airgen- eratoKelseyr will beet everyy room in your house. Itis, easy to operate and costs less for fuel than any other heating method. 1 -!eats both small and large houses with equal satisfaction WRITE FOR. PARTICULARS . ‘\ CANADA FOUNDRIES & FOP.GINGS um rco .JAMES •5NAI1T PLANT SROcevi e.c, ONT, • ATTENTION' IN READING To succeed in any profession a man must know some things well, and to do that he must cultivate the power of concentration. To acquire that power is the greatest difficulty that tha young student has to meet, but unless he does meet it in early life be will be handicapped throughout his whole 'Vetoer. "Until he, Acquires the power of giving his whole attention to what he is doing, his reading will be me� chaiiical, and the longer he reads the less attentive be will be to what he does read. Like other habits, the lack of attention grows. When Edmund Burke read a book, he gave his attention to it as if he drought he should never see it again. The result was that when he had fin- ished reading it, the book was his own.. Not only did he absorb the book with. one reading and thusstrengthen' his mind for other work, but also he saved an immense amount of time that most people, waste in reading the same thing again and 'again. '; Any book worth reading at all should be read with all the power of the mind con- centrated on it. In our own time there is danger of inattention in ' reading that did noi' prevail in older days, when books were few. Men like Webster and Lincoln read a few great books and mastered' them, but to -clay, when we have so many books, we are likely to read everything and retain nothing, Then the mind becomes 'a junk shop lull of literary rubbish, little of which is, worth the room it occupies. It is only- the nlythe young man who cultivates the habit of attention and directs it to some of the .really great books who can use his . mental -powers to the. fullest, Mere passive reading will soon wreck the memory and render the' mind unable to think for itself. Rush- ing through a vast number of books,: many of which are shallow' and evan- escent, and much newspaper, stuff, - highly seasoned with sensationalism,, is sure to result in intellectual dyspep sic. Almost better not . read at all. than to vitiate the mind in that way. It is better to read one good book well, with the attention almost burning. holes in the pages, than to read fifty volumes with the mind on everything from football to the Milky Way. The question arises how best to con- trol the attention and force the mind to overcome or prevent waste of men- tal energy. Many rules have been given; memory systems have been de- vised. Some advise reading with pen- , r' cil in hand and underscoring or mark- 4' ing every important passage. That is all right in case you want_ .to review the book; by noting the 'irnportari$m„, _ points you can go over in a few min- utes what required hours to read at first. But that method isn't worth much in strengthening the habit of attention, on the contrary, the very fact that you intend to go over the matter again may have quite the op- posite effect. The thing you are after is to find some way of making the author's message your own at the first reading, and so eliminating the neces- sity of reading the book again. Although it may be impossible for the ordinary person to reach a point where repetition will be unnecessary, yet anyone can accomplish much if he tries. It is said that Macaulay could put • his finger at the top of a page he had never read and, slowly moving it. down the page to the bottom, could tell all the author had said, and that one reading was sufficient. It shows what training will do. Of course .interest. in anobject arouses reflex attention, and some people never get beyond that kind; but the attention that counts in making a success of life°is voluntary,- and that kind is -the result of a strong will. So to strengthen the habit of attention it is necessary also to exer- cise the -will. One good way to cultivate attention in reading is to form the habit of studying an hour or so every day some subject for which you have a natural aversion, and then to force the mind' to reproduce it. A student may dis- like Greek. Because he does dislike it he should force his n to ,. for doing he, wily findattentiohis greatesitt growinth.so The power of attention is, strengthened by compelling it to con-` centrate on difficult subjects, and' especially on those that are disagree- able. Mustard neutralizes the richness of fat foods and males thenn easiea' to digest. !mustard enables you to enjoy and assimilate food which oth r wis would burden the elle 111 117US The Wear and Tear. "flow do you know . Clarice !e so, popar1ar7” "WLy, she buys lid^ la,air° nets b tJrn tx,RSso.w 3