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Zurich Herald, 1946-01-10, Page 7DARK LIGIITN t HELEN TOPPING NaLLER CHAPTER XIII The sun grew 'hot and Hickey shut down his gear often to oil up. But nights were still enol, and the steamy mist drifted over the slush pit, spewed out ,endlessly, bringing nip from the earth the grist of the drill. But stilt the rotary turned and the bit went dpwn and Hickey kept on grinning. Eight hundred feet and a steamy rinorning, and Gary looked up to see a hairy figure leaning against the tool box. A roughneck eased his itching nose with the back of his fist, and spat. ' "Yonder's old Hughey, he said. "We're going to get oil." Gary walked over to the old man. "Hello, Mr Gothergill. Come out to see us bring in this dry hole?" "I smelled her." Old Hughey scratched himself in several places. "I can smell a drill ten miles off. What you got over yonder in that pit?" "Rock cutting. Lime, mostly." "Yeah, I know. And you can drill her to Chiny and all you'll git is lime and salt water. I been following oil all over this country for fifty years. Reckon Harvey Ma- son is fixin' to lose about ever' - thing he's got on this here wild- cat." "I guess he's not worrying." At dusk old Hughey disappeared,' after borrowing another quarter. But the next day, early, he was there again and Hickey growled when he saw him. "Mason had ought to run that old hum off," he grumbled. "He's bad Iuck." But old Hughey only sat quietly under a tree, taking out his plug tobacco now and then to whittle on it. Gary, feeling vaguely sorry for the old man, begged a couple of slices of bread and a chicken leg from MMaria for Hughey. Hughey accepted them with lofty grace, but Gary did not linger. Gary had heard voices in,the Mason living room—voices rised a little too loudly. Harvey's voice— and another that he knew belonged to Oliver Kimball. He went back, intending not to intrude unless he should be sum- moned, but in the back hall Mona Lee caught at his sleeve and drew him aside. "It's Oliver," she whis- pered, pale with a desperate kind of excitement. "He came out and brought some big oil man with him. They're arguing in there, and Har- vey's beginning to get tread. I lis- tened upstairs. I want you to go in, Gary. I'm going to speak to Harvey." CHAPTER XIV "Please, Mrs. Mason—" But she had walked away quick- ly, to the living room door. "Har- vey, Gary's here if you want him," she said. Harvey got to his feet, and his face was red "Come on in here, Gary. You know Oliver—and this is Mr. Paterson—Tallman's bossing this oil job for me." Paterson was a type he knew. Suave, lawyer turned salesman. "I don't think you need any out- side help to get at the bottom of this proposition, Harvey," 'Oliver said. "You're not going tot lose a cent by accepting Paterson's propo- sition. On the other hand, you stand to lose plenty if you refuse to lis- ten." "Mind stating the proposition?" Gary asked politely. Oliver bristled a little. "I don't see why we should. We've made it perfectly clear to Harvey." "Perhaps I can make it plain in a few words, Mr. Tallman." Pater- son was blandly agreeable. " I hap- pen to represent the people who own the refinery nearest to Mr, Mason's project. We don't at this time wish to buy any more oil. However, the people I represent are willing to take over the lease on this property—mineral rights only, you understand—and hold it for future development." * * * "You figured this out, did you?" Gary said to Oliver, smiling coolly. 'Very clever job." "It's a holdup. I don't care who figured it out!" Shouted Harvey. "You're quite certain then, Mr. Mason, that you don't wish to pro- tect yourselfby coming in with us?" Paterson rose. "Your well is only spudded in now. Plenty of trouble can happen before you hit the sand. We could save you from all that, you know." "I can save myself," snapped Harvey. "Good -day, gentlemen." "They aren't telling all they know," Gary said 'when Oliver's car had backed viciously out of the drive. "Somehting's stirring—and may not be pretty." Very early next morning Gary saw the man in the brown suit walking across the field. `Ouch!" he said to Hickey. "I knew it. Here it comes." "That feller?" drawled Hickey. "He's a lawyer. Slide Ellis, from up in town." "Might as well slog along down there and see what he wants." Harvey and the lawyer walked toward the house, and Gary went back to the slush pit, but unease made him prickly. He went to the house an hour later, heard loud voices barking at each other in the living room, and slipped upstairs unobtrusively. * * * He heard the front door close while he was shaving, and then the sharp slam of the back door as Harvey went out. Then Ellis' car went snarling out of the drive and when Gary went down again, Mona Lee was lingering in the hall. "Gary, Slide Ellis was here," she began at once. "There's some kind of trouble. I couldl hear from up- sairs--part of it. It's something about this place." "This place? But you own it. You've owned it for years." "We haven't owned all of it for years. We started with this hun- dred acres along the road and year by year we bought more. Harvey traded for some of it and then he' bought up some mortgages and foreclosed when he knew the people didn't have any intention of paying them off." "Don't worry till you have to. If it's serious, we'll hearlabout it soon enough—and until then we won't worry." Gary gave her a filial hug. "You're a big comfort, Gary," she sighed. * * * Gary went back tot the derrick, found Harvey standing there glar- ing at it. "Well, it's begun," he snapped. "That was Slide Ellis. He says he's going to get oirt an injunctioii to keep me from putting down this well. It's al a cooked -up mess, and 01 Kimball's at theb ottom of it. I fc,und out he'd been to considerable expense, travelling around, seeing the big oil fellows." "Just how is this fellow Ellis go- ing about stopping you on this well?" Gary asked. BY RADIO—HOT DOGS Hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers heated by radio waves in a new "electronic grill" like that above soon will be bidding for the favor of the great American appetite, Developed by General Electric and the Automatic Canteen Company of Atnerica as result of work in the radar field, several thousands of the units are scheduledfor mesaufacture. Then all the customer will have to do will be to drop in a dime, and out will come a tidbit like the lass in the photo is about to sample, "Ile thinks he's turned up a flaw in this title --title to that piece of Pasture out there that I bought from Iilihu Plummer, Lack in '28. Slide says he represents one of Plummer's minor heirs." 'Tuckey, who had sidled nearer and was frankly listening, spat dis- gustedly. "How could old man Plummer have a minor heir?" he demanded. "Plummer wasn't nev- er married to nobody," "Slide Ellis claims there's a boy seventeen years old that he can prove was Elihu's son—and that the boy's property rights in this land were violated when Elihu sold out to me." * "A holdup," said Gary. "Old stuff. But he may he able to get an injunction, you know." "I won't compromise with a low heel like Slide Ellis—nor with that crummy son-in-law of mine, either. I'm going ahead with this .well, if I have to fight the whole state .of Texas to do it." "I'd advise you to see your own lawyer, at any rate," Gary said. "I'll go and see him the first thing in the morning. And I'll let those birds know they're in a fight." "The thing to do now," Gary told Hickey, "is to rush this well down as fast as we can, safely, before somebody comes along to stop us." "O'K, young feller," Hickey said. "We'lI jam her down till they come out with the papers." Gary stayed out late that night, watching the drilling, and Adelaide came out with a flashlight and perched on the. tool box, watch- ing too. Gary went and leaned on the box beside her. "Lord, I wish she was down," he said. (To be continued) ikeekets Sieh simple crochet, you'll want to make a pair to go with all your suits and coats! Doubly smart in two colors done in two sections. Inexpensive to crochet, these gloves, done entirely in single cro- chet, look costly! Pattern 525 has directions; small, need., large size. Send TWENTY CENTS in coins (stamps cannot be accepted) for thispattern to Wilson Needle- craft Dept., Room 421, 73 Adelaide St. W., Toronto. Print plainly PATTERN NUMBER, your NAME and ADDRESS. CHRONICLES of GINGER FARM By Gwendoline P. Clarke * se U n Officially, this is the last day of the year. But there is a fly around here that thinks it is the first day of Spring. He's a noisy little beast, hopping around under the lamp shade. "You 'had better look • out, young fellow, or first thing you know you'll get a dose of D.D.T." 1 suppose I should give him a dose anyway but it hardly seems worth- while hunting the spray -gun for just one fly. Or is it? Supposing I tet that one fly live will its pro- gency run into the hundreds or thousands? Does anyone know? However, I am not really worried —thanks to D.D.T. Come to think of it, one might almost call the re- lease of D.D.T. one of the high- lights of 1945. * * * 1945—what a year! Do you re- member the snow last winter .. . and the rain last spring Remem- ber V.E. Day •...'V.J. Day ... and after that the boys coming home? Do you remember how glad they were to be home, and how confi- dent that a grateful peo$le and government would give them a square deal? (Thank goodness—Partener has killed that fly Now that's a funny thing—I never even thought of stivatting it.) And now let's take a look at what 1946 has in store for us—or at least what some folk think is in store. T'here is the weather, for in- stance. We are supposed to have a colder winter and more snow than last year. The summer and spring are to be wetter and cooler —all that because we are at the tail end of an eleven year weather cycle. However, prophets are like doc- tors—they don't always agree with one another. So I guess we can leave the weather to look after it- self, take what comes and make the best of it. * * * And then last Sunday we were listening to two religious broad- cas+s—one right after the other. (It wasn't nearly so slippery list- ening to the radio as it would have been walking or driving to church). The first speaker said he was sure this country was in for a period of prosperity such as the world had never known. The second reminded us of the fallacy of "crying peace, when there is no peace", that in some quarters there were already rumours of a third great war, that the set-up of a world wide government Was doom- ed to failure and that the Bretton Woods agreement would prove to be a wasif-out. * * * Farm and industrial reports are also contradictory. We have been toll' there will be a steady market for farm products for the, next five years; but then it is also rumoured that there is bound to be a revision of the present subsidy system. 1 expect a lot of people have forgot- ten that the government is paying a subsidy of two cents a quart on every quart of milk that is sold. How long will that be continued, and if it is removed what will hap- pen—will the milk go up in price or will farmers have to take the loss? I don't know the answer—. only the powers that be in Ottawa can tell us that—and I doubt very much if they know either. * * * In trade`;circles' various controls have been lifted but ceilings still remain in ; effect which means manufacturers will not bother making* a cheap line of goods be- cause there is too little profit. It pays them better to make higher I riced articles—and because, when people have the money and want to buy, they will buy, no matter what the cost. And that brings us back again to that old bogey 'in- flation". As for :'instance in the case of Sugar.. We have been told that sugar can be bought in countries other than Cuba—that there is no reed for sugar rationing in Cana- da But there is just one snag—it would cost twice as much Now do you suppose that little natter of price would bother some people. There are a fair percentage I ani sure who would say "To the dick- ens with inflation—we have the money so let's have the sugar." The pity of it! If only we, as a people, could be less selfish, if only the Golden Rule were more gene- rally applied there would be no need for world government or con- ferences regarding atomic energy. Surely we can wait for sugar and other things until some order has emerged from the present chaotic conditions. • ou Will Enjoy Staying At The Sim Regis Mei • TORONTO Every Room with Hath, Shower and Telephone. • Single, $2.60 up — Dotble, $3.50 up. e Good Food, Dining and Danc- ing Nightly. Sherboiirne at Carlton Tel. RA. 4136 a:g•. �,'K iN'.. ','lFw"vig'•LK.'t;sa.•-J:-. y 'VOW ,f4,1.1,"'" One of the best home ways to help if your blood lacks eron[. You girls and women who suffer so from simple anemia that you're pale, weak, "dragged out" —this maybe due to lack of iron in blood. 5o try Lyd iaE. Pinkham's Compound'I ABLETS with added iron—one of the best home ways to help build up red blood—in such eases. Pinkham's Tablets are one of the most effec- tive iron tonics you can buy t For Eczema Skin Troubles Make up your mind today that you are going to give your skin a real chance to get well. Go to any good drug store and get an original bottle of IMioono's Emerald Oil -- it lasts many days because it is highly concentrated. The very first application will give you relief — the itching of Eczema is quickly stopped -- erup- tions dry up and settle off in a very few days. The same is true of Itching Toes and Peet. Barber's Itch, Salt Rheum and other skin troubles. Remember that Moone's Ilmerald Oil is a clean, powerful, penetrating Antiseptic Oil thn t does not stain or leave a greasy residue. Complete ti::faetion or Pinney bads, ISSUE 2-1948 AGUE T Hot Deserts Frosty 'sinter days 'call for hot desserts. If the pudding has a rich spicy flavour, is economical and also easy to prepare, it always meets with the approval of busy homemakers. Steamed and baked puddings have all these advantages. Steam- ed puddings have sometimes been considered bothersome on account of the special utensils required, but modern methods of steaming in a double boiler or in a pan in the even, overcome the difficulties. The home economists of the Consumer Section, Dominion De- partment of Agriculture, Ottawa, suggest : hree puddings to round out cold weather meals, and they throw in a new pudding sauce for good measure. Cranberry Pudding 2 cups cranberries 1/2 cup brown sugar / cup molasses 3f cup boiling water / teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Wash and halve cranberries. Add sugar and molasses. Let stand 1 hour. Add boiling water. Sift salt and baking soda with flour and add to other mixture. Beat well. Pour into greased custard cups. Set cups in a pan of hot water. Cover and bake in a moderate oven, 350 deg. F, for 1 hour. Serve with pudding sauce. Six servings. Oatmeal Fig Pudding 1 cup quick -cooking rolled oats / teaspoon baking soda 1✓s teaspoon salt / teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 pound figs, uncooked, cut fine 2 eggs, well beaten 1/3 cup molasses 2/3 cup water 1 / tablespoons lemon juice (/ lemon) Mix rolled oats, soda, salt, cin- namon and figs. Combine the eggs, molasses, water and lemon juice and add to the dry ingredients. Pour into a greased mould, cover and steam for three hours. Eight servings. Chocolate Batter Pudding / cup mild -flavored fat 2/3 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted all purpose flour, OR 1/ cups sifted pastry flour 2 teaspoons baking powder teas): oon salt 1/2 cup cocoa 2/3 cup milk Cream fat well, add sugar an4 cream well together. Add welt, beaten egg and vanilla, Mix .and sift dry ingredients, add alternate» ly with the milk .and beat thorough. ly. Bake in 8" square pan in mod. crate oven, 350 deg. IT, for 40-46 minutes. Cut into squares and serve with Jelly Sauce. Eight serv- ings. J&ly Sauce i cup jelly (crabapple. red cur- rant or grape) 1 cup boiling water 11/2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons cold water Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon butter (optional) Melt jelly in boiling water. Stir over low heat until melted. Blend cornstarch and cold water to a smooth paste. Add slowly to melted jelly, Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until clear and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add salt and lemon juice, and butter if desired. Yield: 1/ cups sauce. °add a The White Deer By James Thurber If you should walk and wind and wander far enough on one of those afternoons in April when smoke goes down instead of up, and nearby things sound far away and far things near, you are more than likely to come at last to an en- chanted forest. (Of course you may be too old for all this). Here is James Thurber's new world: a world of kings and princes and enchanted deer, of wizards and dwarfs, of false love and true. His story is a fairy tale for grown-ups; a story sweet, funny, wise and ab- surd; full of a wonderful magic which only the young in heart will understand. ..The White Deer .... By James Thurber . . • . George J. McLeod, Limited .... Price $3.25. HOTEL EMPIRE All Beautifully Furnished With Running Water. Rates: NIAGARA FALLS OPPOSITE C.N.R. STATION idd You can often check a cold quickly If you follow these instructions. Just as soon as you feel the cold com- ing on and experience headache, pains in the back or limbs, soreness through the body, take a Paradol tablet, a good big drink of hot lemonade or ginger tea and go to fired The Paradol affords almost immed- iate relief from the pains and aches and helps you to get off to sleep. The dose may be repeated, if necessary, accord- ing to the directions. If there is sore ,ness of the throat, gargle with two Paradol tablets dissolved m water. 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