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The Seaforth News, 1958-03-13, Page 2The Pearl of Great Price The surface of the lagoon, smooth as a sheet of glass, glow- ed flamelike as the sun sank be- low the horizon, The vast ex- panse, more than ten miles across, held but a single sign of;. life. A mere dot, insignificant between, the shores of the la- joon which were marked only by lines of coconut palmsseem- ing to grow out of the water itself, was a small outriggered canoe.. In it a young Polynesian boy sat, pantingly recovering his breath after a long and deep dive. It was Maki's last dive of the day, his seventh, in fact. He had been down more than seventy feet, about as deep as it is hu- manly possible to go without any sort of div.ng accoutrement. He had remained several min- utes, actually up to the very verge of the danger limit, be- cause he was anxious to retrieve the poor results of his previous descents. His find, not very sat- isfactory, lay in the bottom of the canoe—half a dozen oyster shells that he had wrenched from the coral reef. Regaining his spent breath, he sighed. He was tired, yet he must paddle five miles to the land. His father and his brothers, diving in a distant part of the lagoon, were probably home by now, and there would be no approbation for the scanty re- sults of his own day's labor. The manner of that labor was the quest for the substance commercially known as mother- of-pearl, that is, the bright -hued Inner lining of the shell. By the time the schooner arrived from Papeete on her semiannual visit several tons of this would have accumulated and the schooner's captain would fray for it partly in goods, partly in South Seas francs, which had a value much different from the Continental currency. Out of it all Maki's share, as the youngest of the divers, would probably be no snore than a hundred francs. He sighed again, recalling the vivid tales of the schooner's sailors about the delights of life in Papeete, "Little Paris of the South Seas. However, there was a conso- lation to all this poorly recom- pensed labor, if a vague one. Now and then a shell might contain a pearl. If it did the gem was the property of `the finder. That was the custom in all the Pearling islands, and encour- agement and lure to the .native fisherman was this dream that tome day he alight find the $Earl o! great price, Maki, before taking up his paddle to begin the long home- ward journey, opened with his heavy pearling knife the tough shells in order to dispose of the substance of the oyster, tossing these casually overside. As he opened the Iast shell a gleaming round object fell to the bottom of the canoe. Maki picked it up and examined it curiously but without much interest. It was larger than a good- sized marble, such as Maki and the other boys sometimes bought from the island storekeeper, an elderly Chinaman, Ah Choy. Its color was strange, a peacock - feather green. Some kind of sea stone, Maki thought, that had in mysterious fashion got inside the shell of the oyster, an ex- ceptionally large shell in this case, more than six inches in diameter. Now the pearls that had been found had, in Maki's recollec- tion, been no larger than peas, rarely even as large. These in- deed had been rare. The best had, he remembered, brought • (IEADY TO RIDE — Karen Womack makes a last-minute adjustment before taking off for a gallop on her favorite mount. The 18 -year-old beauty will be Queen of the 1958 Rodeo., five hundred francs from the eaptain„of the Papeete schooner, Thdse .pearls . had been a milky -white color, faintly irides- cent, Not, so it always' seemed to Maki, in : any way beautiful. He slipped the object from the oyster shellinto his breech cloth, thinking that, so perfect- ly round was it, it would make a good marble. He made up his mind to keep his find a ,secret, else he would certainly be de- prived of it. But that evening, gathering with some of the other lads at the store of Ah Choy, he ling- ered when the rest had gone. Impelled by he knew not what, he produced his find of the af- ternoon. "He come in . a shell," he ex- plained to Ah Choy. The Chinaman, a wiseman who had lived in many lands and knew many things, includ- ing the value of pearls, took the object between his thumb and fore finger, peering, alternately at it apd at Maki. At last he beckoned the boy to follow him, closing the store and carefully locking the door. Maki, growing apprehensive because strange tales were told of Ah Choy and of his mysteri- ous powers, followed into the room. behind the store where the owner lived, The Chinaman mo- tioned him to a seat, and then commenced a curious and rath- er frightening ritual. He produced a tiny scale on which he carefully weighed Maki's find. Then he examined it through a magnifying glass, taking what seemed to the boy an interminable time. Other tests followed, all without sig- nificance or sense to the Poly- nesian boy. They even included tasting and holding it in the mouth. Throughout it all Maki fidgeted, even more apprehen- sive. At last the testing was done. The Chinaman carefully and de- liberately put his things away. Then he sat, holding the object between thumb and forefinger still, opposite Maki. For a long time he regarded him silently, lost, as it seemed, in deep and profound reflection. Then, at long last, sighing deeply, he spoke: "It is the pearl of great price. For it I will pay your father one hundred and fifty thousand francs!" Bewilderment and apprehen- sion threw Maki's thoughts into wild confusion. He dashed from the house and toward his home. 1 thought of secrecy now van- ished, he sought his father. "Big pearl! I find! Ah Choy! Much money!" was all he could Manage. His father, grasping the words "pearl" and "money," made for the Chinaman house with Maki at his heels. The rest of the family, gathering that something of import was afoot, followed. Still Ah Choy sat, deep in reflection, the pearl between thumb and forefinger, as his room filled with the peenla of the village. Smiling a little sadly, he cor- roborated Maki's story. Then, rising, he produced from some hiding place a thick package of bank notes, He placed them in the hands of Maki's father, though . the man's bewilderment was such that he reluctantly ac- cepted them, "Ten thousand francs,' Ah Choy said. "It is all I have here. When the schooner comes I will go to Papeete and from the bank of my friend, Chin Fu, I will secure the rest," He sighed again. "I am risking much," he told them. "That it is a rare gem, I know. But never have I seen its like. It may be that I shall lose. Perhaps I may gain much I wish. to be fair." Honest old Ah Choy! Little wonder he had signed, knowing as he did that a thousand francs would have been great wealth to the men of the pearling -island. But his honesty was rewarded. Upon instructions to their re- presentatives in Tahiti the Chinaman received from the leading jewelry firm of London and Paris the sum of three hun- dred thousand francs for the pearl of great price.—By Marc T. Greene in The Christian Sci- ence Monitor. Body -Snatchers A man was recently arrested in Wisconsin, after t e n human heads were found in his farm- house. He is said to have con- fessed that he dug them out of local graves. From time to time there are reports from different parts of the world that graves have been rifled. In some countries these incidents are linked with dark practices such as voodoo. In the West, however, grave robbing usually ha a severely practical purpose. In 1828, Burke and Hare were arrested in Edinburgh for rob- bing graves and selling corpses to surgeons. When they couldn't get enough corpses, they made themselves, a few — by murder! Burke was hanged and Hare, who turned King's evidence, went free — until he was thrown into a lime -pit and his eyes were burned out; SOAPED DISH—Bathing beauty Vera Day unlimbers in a London bathtub during a rehearsal of a television comedy to be shown over the British Broadcasting Corporation. It seems there's been a policy change at the staid BBC, which has been criti- cized for being too highbrow in the past. kat \Mak, 7 rr TMLE TALKS Serve this sour cream raisin pie 'waim with a wedge of cheese if you want after-dinner compliments! Sour Cream Raisin Pie 1 egg or 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten 1 cup sour cream or buttermilk 1 tablespoon vinegar 34 cup sugar 2 tablespoons flqur % teaspoon elnnamon 14 teaspoon nutmeg % teaspoon salt 2 cups seedless raisins Pastry for single crust 9 -inch pie, unbaked Combine eggs, sour cream and vinegar. Combine sugar, flour, spices, and salt and stir --into first 'mixture. Add raising. Pour into pastry -lined pie pan. Bake at 450°F. for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F. and bake 30.35 minutes longer • or until crust Is brown. Use any leftover juicy, spicy filling from this recipe for Ca- nada's favorite Pie — apple — with any • leftover dough and make turnovers for your chil- dren. Lattice Apple Pie 5 cups (2 cans) sliced apples ^, cups seedless raisins 1% cups sugar 2 tablespoons flour 2 teaspoons each, nutmeg and cinnamon 2 teaspoons lemon juice Dash salt - Flaky pastry Drain juice from apples; com- bine apples and raisins. Com- bine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nut- meg, and salt; add to apple mix- ture. Add lemon juice; mix well. Line 8 -inch pie plate with flaky pastry. Fill with apple mixture. Moisten edge of pastry with water; place pastry strips on filling in open woven pattern; press edges together. Trim pas- try to 1 inch from edge of pan, fold under, and flute it all around pan. Bake at 425°F. 40- 45 minutes. Apple Raisin Turnovers Roll out remaining pastry about r/s inch thick. Cut in 5 - inch circles, Place some of the remaining apple mixture on half the circle. Moisten edges of pastry with water; fold over apple mixture to make half circle. Press edges together with tines of fork. Make slits to al- low steam to escape. Bake at 425°F. 10-15 minutes. Makes about 8 turnovers. * * 4 Two -Crust Apricot Pic 314 cups drained apricots (cook- ed or canned) 14 cup apricot juice % cup sugar 34. teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons lemon 'juice 1 tablespoon butter Pastry for 2 -crust pit Combine sugar, salt. and corn- starch. Add apricots, apricot juice and lemon juice. Place in pastry lined pan and dot with butter. Prick steam vents in pastry for top crust. Place top pastry on filling; trim edges 1/4 inch beyond edge of plate and fold under; seal with fingers or fork. Bake at 425°F. for 10 minutes; reduce temperature td 350°F. Bake 25 minutes longer. * * 5 Here is a pie with glistening red cherries peeping through an ornamental lattice of crisp pas- try. Tart, pitted red cherries are used for the filling. Lattice Cherry Pie 1 cup sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch teaspoon salt 1 cup cherry juice 3 teaspoon red food coloring (optional) 3 cups drained, water -pack red, tart pitted cherries 2 tablespoons butter Pastry Mix sugar, salt and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add juice and coloring; stir until smooth. Cook until thickened and clear, stir- ring. Remove from heat; add cherries and butter. Pour into unbaked pastry -lined 9 -inch pie pan, Cover with lattice top crust. Bake .at A25°F. about 40 minutes. -'' 4. z.. Why Doii't People'' link ? Why don't people think ? We are now speaking of those persons who attempt to drive a car after drinking .. We ask why don't people think ? Certainly it is the charitable thing to conclude that no per- son, even the dumbest, would at- tempt to drive a car after drink- ing . , if they were thinking. This is prompted by having witnessed the police remove •several men, allintoxicated, one not able td wrl::.:.. when they were preparing to drive •a car. Why don't people think ? ...' If a man doesn't think ahead, in such cases, if he doesn't ac- cept his responsibility to himself as well as the public, then an arrest for drunken driving should be treated without maud- lin sentiment... As long as such public men- aces are not given penalties just that long will they continue to kill and menace. When a drunk driver kills there should be a prison sen- tence as well as permanent re- moval of the driver's license... , Anyone killed by a drunken driven has been murdered in our book, and we don't think you can call it otherwise. Why don't people think ? — Mexico (Mo.) Ledger Hypertension A Major Factor By A. C. CORCORAN, M.D. Cleveland Clinic Foundation Written or NEA Service Cleveland, Ohio-(N2A)-.As our medical scientists probe for definitive knowledge ,regarding the causative factors behind athersoclerosis among them nutrition, hormones, exercise and heredity—they have at hand conclusive evidence that hyper- tension (high blood pressure) is to be listed among the causes. No one dies of hypertension itself. People who have high blood pressure die as a result of the blood vessel and heart disease that follows in its wake. This disease is atherosclerosis, the most serious form of arteri- osclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries." Apparently, theimpact of months and years of high blood pressure damages the vessels. They lose their elasticity be- cause the little fibres of elastic. tissue in the walls of the ves- sels become stretched, split, frayed and broken. - As this process goes on, the vessels become scarred and ac- cumulate fatty deposits in their linings. These may of them- selves obstruct the flow of blood. Probably more commonly some- thing happens in this scarred, fatty mass—perhaps bleeding into . its base or loss of its lin- ing membrane. Either process results in an area on which a clot will form and this is the usual basis of heart attacks and strokes. Doctors have recognized for a long time that high blood pres- sure and atherosclerosis were closely associated diseases. But, until recently, we had no firm views on the nature of this as- sociation. Formerly, most doctors thought that the hardening of the arteries occurred first, and that, as a consequence, the blood pressure rose. This rise of pres- sure was even considered bene- ficial because, they reasoned, it helped maintain blood flow through the thickened vessels. This view, no longer held, re- tarded and delayed research on high blood pressure for many years. We now know that high blood pressure is one of the am - snots causes of atherosclerosis, and an increased risk of one of its complications. Happily, research has achieved important advances in the treat- ment of high blood pressure. About five years ago, doctors everywhere were provided with drugs which were truly effective in controlling this disorder. A flve-year study of these drugs was recently completed. We re- viewed the histories of a group Of patients who had come for treatment of a very severe form of, high blood pressure known as s "malignant hypertension" Until these drugs became available, we knew that of .100 .such patients about 50 would. die within six months, and about 80 within a year. At the end Of five years there, would be only one or two lingering on. Our survey showed that 70 per cent of treated patients survived more than one year, and that. some 30 per cent survived for five years, with- most of. them leading active, productive and comparatively normal lives. We believe that starting now, with better drugs and more "know-how" in their use, we can double this five-year survi- val rate, particularly if patients receive treatment before their blood vessels have been so dam. aged by . high blood pressure that arteriosclerosis begins and progresses. This is a substantial accom- plishment. It is important to re- member that a majority of those who died were victims of some complication of atherosclerosis —such as a stroke, a heart at- tack, rupture of a large vessel: or kidney damage. In other words, we had relieved the im- mediate situation for many, bui' they were left with a residue of vessels damaged during their period of uncontrolled high blood pressure. So it follows that we are faced with the urgent problem of find- ing for these patients something which, in ,association with drugs used in treating high blood pres- sure, will check the spread of atherosclerosis, But this is not enough. High blood pressure is an insidious disease. Few people know they have it until they have suffered some of its complications, by which time the damage is 'usu- ally well established. Clearly, there is • urgent need for accel- erated research into all phases of the problem of atheroscler- osis, especially that associated with high blood pressure. Not many years ago this would have been regarded as a hopeless undertaking. But, just as we have accomplished so much so recently in the field of high blood pressure .research, we may be confident that sooner or later the missing answers will be turned up, (Final of a four -article series) QUICK SPIRIT In Detroit, Mayor Louis C. Mirlani opposed any plan to al- low bars to stay open until 4 a.m., commented: "Any serious drinker should be able to get stiff by 2 a.m." PLANT LIFE—Although the begonia is ordinarily a short -I,, ad plant, this impressive speciment is threatening to become a centenarian. Already 50 years old, the angel -wing plant is flourishing and shows no sign of withering. It's owned by Mrs. Eula Stricker, above, who was given the plant by her mother • - in-law. LUCKY, LUCKY ME—Service station operator Raul Enlow smiles and wipes his brow amid the wreckage of his station after it wds hit by a section of an Air Force C-118 Skymaster trans- port in Los Angeles. Not so lucky were the 48 persons killed when the four engined military transport collided with a Navy Neptune bomber. All 41 aboard the Skymaster and six of the eight on the Neptune died. One civilian, a housewife in Norwalk, Calif., was killed when wreckage from the collision struck' her home.