Flesherton Advance, 28 Oct 1915, p. 6

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

A Refilling Feature ae/c/ecf to A Successful Pen makes tHe Waterman^ Pocket Self-Fillin5_ ifountainPen Aik to »ee thii new type. Tliere are elso Snfety end Regular Types. Illuslrtted booklet sent on request. Avoid substitutes. Sold By Your Local Dealer L.E. Waterman t:oinpaDy. Llmlled. Muntreal ^en, Kuropatkin Restored to Favor The Green Seal By CHARLES EDMONDS WALK Author of "The Silver Blade," "The Paternoster Ruby," "The Time Lock," etc. "^gj J^'"-"'- â€" r r ^- • - * ^- 1 '^ < \ \S^ ^Ig^ 1 f ^\ n \ . _ ^ 1 p:., ;• > ^^^k IKj J. JH l»^ '"*â- â€¢ â-  -^-^ wL. ^^^^ V^^^H Mj *;. ' ^^ ' W4^I^^^Bb 1 Hliftl \ii.A I85?S^ Rus.sian Arm]' leader disgnu'cd fori allcgod Incompetence In tlic Rus- so-Japanese War, now said to be in OQuunaud of Grenadier Corps. I had griven the chauffeur ample scope to air his knowledge of Los Angeles streets, by the vague direc- CHAPTER X. I was given no time to wonder at Struber's revelation. Almost as he spoke a sound of hurrying footsteps in the hall directed my attention to the outer door. I made haste to open it, and was not surprised to see the chief of police himself, and with him a uniformed policeman and two men whom I rightly took to be plain- clothes men. All were frankly eager and curious. Even their dull and jad- ed professional interest was quicken- ed, I daresay, by the outre end of Steve Willets, murderer, train-robber, burglar, escaped convict, and the devil only knows what else. From a long, satisfying survey of the still figure by the safe they presently turned to a more businesslike and purposeful examination of the inner office and the door opening from it into the hall through which the entry had been made, all the while listening with close attention while Strubcr re- counted his and my experiences. Then the chief asked a question or two and turned to regard me quizzically. "Looks as though you and Heinle nrould have to split the reward," said he. "It's Steve all right." At my uncontrollable expression and gesture of repugnance he laughed and added: "Oh, you don't have to take it. Heinie won't kick." "It's all his," I assured him. At this juncture Coroner Harris ar- rived; and as Struber had foretold, this phase of the proceedings was un- important. Harris was an earnest young th:ip, manifestly ignorant of the ring, without knowledge of whose hi.story the mark in the dead man's palm bore no significance for him, and no question was asked that reveal- ed an inclination to draw Miss Fox into the affair. The inquest which I attended the next afternoon â€" Monday â€" brought nothing further to light, determined nothing that was not obvious to every- body; though by that time, the sensa- tional aspects of the affair having been duly aired by the local press, a gaping mob was in attendance. The newspapers on Monday, by the way, intuitively hit upon the one feature of the matter that I was de- sirous of keeping secret â€" for the pre- sent, at any rate â€" which was the story of Charley Yen's death and my ownership of the ring. Trust a news- paper chap not to forget a thing of that sort! An avid horde of reporters cornered me Sunday evening at my club, and there was no wriggling out of that corner. Thus it wbh that the inquest showed how Willetv's* death was in the nature of merited retribu- tion overtaking the evildoer when least expected. Struber bared his yellow teeth at me in a knowing grin when ('oroncr Harris accepted this interpretation and let it go at that without trying to dig deeper. And Monday's papers also brought out another phase, one that the police had discussed before leaving my office Sunday, to-witi the circumstance of Willets's disguise. Had he, ever since his escape from San Quentin, been liv- ing in one or another of the state's larger ('hinese colonies, going and coming at will under the very noses of the police, who were so energetical- ly hunting for him? The details of importance as bearing upon something of vital moment that happened later. If such were the case, certain de- tails of interest were suggested, Wil- lets must have possessed not only an intimate knowledge of the language and an extraordinary ability to act the role, hut also he must have had their friendship arni good will to an astonishing degree. Or else he was greatly feared by them. In appear- ance and physique he was not unfitted for the part without the necessity of much make-up, being naturally of a Bwarlhy complexion, yet not an un- dersized man by any means. As wuH expected, however, in- quiries pursued in Chinatown were fruitless, In all colonies of that na- tionality of any considerable size there is at least one man, sometimes two or more in open warfare with one knother, who exercises literally the f lower of life and death over his par- icular following of compatriots; and by means of a perfect though under- ground system of espionage he keeps well informe<l of all that happens within his bailiwick; nothing escapes him. At this time one Lao Wing Pu en- joyed the distinction of being the autocrat of (Chinatown. He was n wealthy, intelligent, highly educated member of the race, possessing a com- mand of English and a knowledge of ite literary traditions that might have lix^ffied many an American born citi- zen making more pretensions in the lame respect. It was a matter of policy with him to keep on good terms vitb the police. Betv^een them there was a tacit working agreement which undoubtedly was advantageous to both sides, though the police were well aware that Lao Wing Fu observ- ed his part with a true Oriental sense of obligation. The police also were not blind to the fact that sometimes they were instruments of the crafty Chinaman's revenge, or of punish- ment; but if a criminal were deliver- ed into their power with the evidence assuring conviction ready made, what mattered Lao Wing Fu's motives? It was also a part of his policy never to accept or share in a mone- tary reward, the police being allowed to appropriate the whole; so it is not remarkable that he should have en- joyed a definite degree of immunity and protection. On the whole the understanding was perhaps beneficial to the public weal, because the Chinese are a se- cretive, clannish race, difficult for the Caucasian mind to understand, and Lao Wing Fu was shrewd and cir- cumspect, modest and retiring, never in any way embarrassing the powers that be by presuming upon their in- dulgence. When, therefore, this bland, impas- sive Celestial disclaimed all knowl- edge of Steve Willets's masquerade, Struber knew it was useless to press his inquiries further in this direction. "Why he should cover- that cold- blooded crook," Struber remarked to me a day or two later, "sure gets my goat. "The trail leads right across Alameda Street to Chinatown and then goes straight up in the air. The Chink bulls on our force ain't worth a seagull tumalc when the big glass- crash says stand mum, and the differ- ent kinds of ways they don't savvy the ins and outs of this thinT is sure interesting to listen to. Sceiu' though that we've got Willetts safely planted it don't make any particular differ- ence. You can take it from me â€" a white man togged like Steve was can't walk a block in L. A. without every Chink in town knowing it by night. I don't care how good an aclTor he might be." Struber had a pretty clear idea of what Kipling meant by "West is West, and East is East." So much for Lao Wing Fu. He commands our attention, because we are to meet him upon an intimate footing by and by. I have gone ahead of my story somewhat to dispose of the foregoing factors. It will be recalled that I was to meet Detective Struber at the ('itrus Exchange Dank at ten o'clock Monday morning. I was at my office considerably before nine, and both Stub and Miss Fox were ahead of mo. Stub, I have somehow gathered the idea, was uniformly on hand at eight o'clock. "There was a brace of Chinks here to see you," he informed me as soon as I entered. "They didn't wait long." "What did they want?" I asked. I had little traffic with the Chinese pop- ulation, and I couldn't imagine why I had been favored with such a call." "Dunno. Told 'em when you ought to be here and they sat down. I went downstairs a minute; when I got back they'd beat it." I turned inquiringly to Miss Fox. She shook her head. "They had come and gone before I arrived," said aho. Dismissing the matter from my mind as being of no consequence, I passed on into the inner room to get the wrapping which had been around the diamond parcel, and also the ivory box which had containe<l the diamond. The former I found without difficulty in the drawer where I had placed it. It was my conviction that the small box had been with it; but it was not there now. I rapidly rummaged through the remaining drawers, but without bringing to light the missing box. Puzzled, I leaned back in my swivel- chair and tried to remember where I had put the thing â€" in this particular drawer, I was positive. I recalled wrapping the diamond in the tisauo- paner the preceding Monday; I re- called my hesitation over entrusting it to my office safe, and next my final detcrpiination to carry the gem home with me and to place the jade ring in its box in the safe instead. All this 1 had (lone, and then I closed and locked the safe door, nn operation broken in upon by Miss Fox's cry of alarm upon reading the account of Steve Willets's escape. After a while I had retui'ned to my desk, and it was then I put the wrap- ping-paper in the drnvver. Had I done likewise with the little box? In the back of my head I believed that I had, but would not have sworn to it; the momentary divertnon laused by Miss Fox's agitation dimir.<Mi my recollec- tion of the occosion. Once again I went through all my desk drawers, and this time I came upon the box containing the ring. The two boxes being exactly dupli- cates, this one could very well be made to serve my purpose, but unless I wanted to twist the truth, not with- out stirring up a lot of unlicensed speculation that would involve Miss Fox, which was not a pa't of my pur- pose this morning. 'The detail could be dispensed with; 1 could do with- out the box; and the one containing the ring I buried once more under the bale of old papers where I had con- cealed it the day before. I had not removed my hat, ond now I went into the outer office and paus- ed by Miss Fox's desk, where she was arranging a bouquet of hyacinths in the Japanese vase. Their sweet odor filled the room, a fragrant incense to her loveliness. "How would you like to take a walk this morning?" I asked. She flashed a look up at me from beneath her long lashes. "Business or pleasure?" she return- ed lightly. "Why," I replied, "if I am obliged to go alone it will be purely business â€" not of a particularly pleasant sort either. If you accompany me the oc- casion will be all pleasure, yet the business will be attended to, too. Un- tangle that if you can." "After that," she said demurely, "I could hardly refuse." She bestowed upon the hyacinths a parting pat which produced the final miracle of perfect arrangement, got her hat and jacket, and turned to her desk once more to gather up notebook . and pencils. I "You won't need them," I told her. She stood a moment hesitating. i "Oh," doubtfully, "then it really is to . be a holiday jaunt" I "Does that possibility chill your I eagerness to go?" I complained, for ; I was sensitive to all her moods. I A tinge of color stole to her cheeks, j and she lowered her gaze. I "No," she said softly. Instead of the notebook and pencils she took up her gloves, and by put- ting them on seemed to stamp the i occasion with her approval and to re- cognize in it a certam degree of for- mality. Together we callied forth to the accomplishment of an errand that had now been shorn of its every dis- agreeable feature. j Then suddenly I was struck all of I a heap. I must have sworn aloud, for Miss Fox turned to me with a look of shocked disapproval. It occurred to me that the lovely girl beside me had heard nothing of yesterday's tragedy; the shock the news would be to her, and that it had fallen upon \ me to impart it, filled me with dis- may. All along it had been so impossible I to associate her, even in the remotest manner, with the notorious bandit, that until this moment the thought had never entered my head that the latest victim of the green jade seal was â€" her. father. Her father â€" dying so wretchedly! Gracious Heaven, how , dreadful! I I stole a glance at her. The color was still vivid in her cheeks, notwith- standing the reproof and surprise in the fine eyes, they sparkled with ani- mation: clearly, just now she was ' not thinking of her wretched father at all. Her spirits were high, she glowed with life and pleased anticipa- tion of what the morning's adventure might bring forth. I trembled before her beauty; the charm that radiated ^ from her enveloped me like a glori- fied mistâ€" and at the same time my heart sank. She turned to me abruptly. "Oh, Mr. Ferris! Isn't it good just to be . alive on a morning like this!" I No wonder I had sworn. Imagine me having to crush her with sorrow and shame and melancholy! I We had not walked far until I stop- ped in perplexity. She glanced at me and must have detected the trouble in my face, for she asked quickly:' I "What's the matter?" j I tried to smile â€" and I wanted to weep. "If you don't mind, I believe j go„ an undisputed right to the richest I d rather ride than walk this lovely ,„d sweetest grass. e I ""ci?i",?L„ if"!"/;., »„ „ f t .. ,.,„ The little Walliser cow of the Erin- ohe was ot a loss to account for my i i, . , , . l, i - ' ger valley is a dark brown or black animal, of an excitable temperament. The Virtue ol the Natural Leaf is perfectly preserved in the sealed IICllTJIIlill BI04 packet. Young tender leaves only, grown with utmost care and with flavour as the prime object, are used to produce the feunous Salada blends. ! determined by the cups in the teeth. ^ At four years, the horse has his per- Replanting the Woodlet. Special effort should be made tion, "Anywhereâ€" Just so wi are Wk i ^'^^'^^ }•** reproduction of the trees ; manent front teeth. At five, there by ten;" and during the talk that held ; r*'"°ved from the farm woodlot dur- ; are deep black cavities in the centres Miss Fox and me so deeply engrossed '"^ **»« cutting season just passed. In ; <>' all lower nippers. At six, these he had whirled us down to Seventh niany cases sprouts are counted on \ cavities disappear in the two centre Street and across to where that thor- 1 for thir: reproduction and for certain I '"^^ nippers. Two more lose theii oughfare becomes Wilshire Boulevard, i purposes such as fuel posts and ' cavities for each year to the eighth, "w*^?! s'owed down and inquired: shelter, they can be relied upon to land then the two centre upper nip- A^z^d'cSLVSU-ay of Pic^ S[s"i^ '""l ''''-^' -"teriar met' P^" lose their cavities, and each year. Street?" second crop is cut in its turn, [two more, until at the age of ten thtf Under his scrutiny I released the j •'o^ever, the old stumps have lost | teeth are all smooth or retain only a hand that had until now remained j '"°*t, if not all of their vitality and | small black speck. After the Age ol passively in mine. The machino came j unless some vigorous seedlings have > ten the length of the teeth and tushea grown up in the meantime, the value ; â„¢"st be judged â€" even then the ag« of the woodlot is g^reatly impaired. | "^a" ^ determined only approxi- Since it requires many years to build I lately. up a woodlot which has been allowed I to a stop, and I addressed Miss Fox, "I suppose I had better take you home." But to my surprise she objected to this proposal. "I would rather not," she said with some embarrassment, j Jt "•" °L"t, it is a wise plan to insure I Souring and Cover Crops. "I would rather be" â€" she paused and I tne production of some good healthy I Never turn the clover or other crop the color rushed to her cheeks â€" "I | seeding trees each year by planting under without first thoroughly cut- prefer to go on just as though nothing , species m the openings created by ting up with a disc harrow, as the "ff i« "h/^t"" ' * ""''*'* ***^'^- i n '^•"**" ?"'"*• material ploughed under in a layer se- Mv heart le«i,pd T i^rVpd nnf â„¢v ""*â- '"/, ««''ly ''^e the sprouts. be- riously interferes with the capillary north," I curtly directed. "We'll just 'Lf„^^/'"'!'tr "^""t system, will out- effects of turning under in a layer are about have time to get back by way | . ^ ^"® ""i*' seedlings and may de- j what is sometimes called souring the of Sunset Boulevard." And we swung fP^'f *"*"> "' the requisite amount of | soil with green manuring crops. Dou- round into Vermont Avenue. | ;lf - *"^ ^°°^ growth. Therefore, in j ble disc the cover crop two or three I gazed at the girl beside me until i the first thinning or cutting of the ! times with a sharp disc harrow before she turned her troubled, eyes to mine. ; sprouts some special consideration ; ploughing; plough well by taking a should be shown the young seedlings, narrow furrow and edging rather than rhe method of planting the seeds InverUng the furrow; then double disc will depend upon the species used, the land again rather deeply, and no Walnut, hickory and all of the oaks injurious effect will result, however can be planted about two inches large the growth may be. deep in a hole made with a dibble or , spud. The smaller seeds such as red Profits on the Farm, and white elm, maple and ash may , You will not be likely to have a bal- mt/r frl ^ '•«7°^>"g the coarser ance on the right side of your farm litter from a small spot and putting ledger if such a scene as this may be Hehtl5 wifrf' *'°''m""^. ^^T , ^t'y '°""d °» y" fa"»- After a farmer lightly with fine soil and a little lit- } has paid his good money for farm I equipment it is wasteful to leave it I bent down to her. "Did you mean," I asked breathless- ly, "that you would rather be with me?" No trace of her momentary shy- ness and confusion remained. "Yes," she said. (To be continued.) * COWFIGHTS IN SWITZERLAND. Last Remnants of a Custom That Is Rapidly Disappearing. Much has been written about the bloody bullfights in Spain and south- ern France, but the cowfights of Can- ton Wallis, or Vallais, as the French Swiss call it, in Switzerland, although quainter and more interesting, â€" be- sides being far more humane, â€" have already been heard of beyond the bor- ders of the tiny state. The favorite arena is the ground of Phion, near Sitten, grazing or Sion. ter. T_ _,„_ .i . , ., . I ^M"'f""="'' "• '" »»J»aM:iui lu leave it JL^ V- ',\u ''*"^.'" *? "'" 0"t to take the weather wherever it l^l7« .H ^"^^ °/ ^^' species having , was last used. The winter months is fTnL • f ""d transplant them in not a bad time to construct sheds and the desired locat^on^ j shelves for the equipment. There . , _ I should be a place for everything on Age or Uorsea. j the farm and everything should be The age of a horse is most easily kept in its place when not in use. rapidly yields ground, and finally, with backward -Bprings, gives up its The time is the beginning of July, place in the combat, and is driven out when the cattle go to th,c upper Al pine pastures; and there are some- times 250 cows in the procession. The winner, known as the "Queen," marches during the whole year at the head of the line, and the herd to which she belongs has throughout the sea- strange humors, but I could not tell her here upon the street; and as for my office, it was the last place in the world wherein to break the intelli- gence. Fine mornings are so com- mon in Los Angeles that we who be- long here, alas! grow indifferent to them; but I was determined she should have all the encouragement and sup- port that this perfect day could give. So I signalled a taxi, which she en- tered without question or demur. There is no need of enlarging a painful episode. Miss Fox had not yet seen the morning papers. And I had to tell her the whole story. She was shocked, of course, inexpressibly shocked; her feelings were torn and bruised and lacerated until I felt like a brute. As soon as .she had steadied a bit she said to me: "It would be foolish to pretend that I have any feeling of grief, as if a loved one were gone, for I haven't â€" not a bit. It's the awful horror of it â€" the idea that that man â€" my father â€" should have been what he was and should have come to such an end; the thought of what I will have to look back to as long as I live. While he was ulivc there was a hope â€" a pos- sibilityâ€"that his heart would be soft- ened ; that he would try to redeem the past as far as could be done by liv- ing a better, cleaner life, even if it must bo lived in prison. But to bo blotted out as he was â€" " A shudder convulsed her; words fail- ed her. I took her hand in mine and tried with all ipy might to conjure up an asauasivc word; but there was liUlo enough, in all conscience, that ' one mivrht offer by way of comforting her. Iter distress wrung my heart; \ she knew that, and I fondly hopixl [ that thari'by her burden of woe was in ' a measure lightened. I •'Believe me," I said, gently patting! the little gloved hand, "it is all for the j best; try to look at it in that way. He , v.'ill soon be forgotten, and your aenao i must tell you that that is for the beat | too. You and he had nothing in com- mon; your lives were far apart; the very nature of your own honest, use- ful mode of life will train you to for- get. 1 know. The law of compensa- tion works alike in all things. The load will be lessened for you." "God knows I want to forget," she said bitterly. with sharp-pointed horns and gleam ing eyes. She climbs like a goat, and well knows how to find her way over the steep and rocky pastures of Wal- lis, which are often seven or eight thousand feet above sea level. To excite the cow to the utmost, the herdsman frequently gives her during the fortnight before the battle a daily ration of bread steeped in of the arena. Even insignificant wounds are unusual, and a veterinary is seldom present. The interest centres in the queen of the previous year. Foaming at the mouth, her hide shining with perspir- ation, she bellows forth defiance, and seeks fresh encounters. Several cows come near, apparently accepting her challenge, hesitate a moment, and then draw back. The culmination of the excitement is, naturally, the strife between two victory, although all the rest of the year her owner will energetica'ly re- press any belligerent inclinations on her part. She has an obscure appre- hension of the fact that the assem- bled spectators expect something from her. She comprehends the rules of the game. The cow-fights in Wallis arc among the last remnants of the original and picturesque folk customs that are ra- pidly disappearing, and will probably soon be discontinued and forgotten. queens; the struggle of a former vie- j thirty yards of Just So. "I saw a professor of magic remove tor for the restoration of her rights, | plumes and seven ribbon, fourteen buckles from a or the dethroning of the last year's ' hat." queen by a new champion. | "Enough material to trim To the student of animal psychol- ly," commented the party ogy these cow-flghts offer a curious problem. The cow is the emblem of stolidity and stupidity; yet in the feminine part. it nice- of the wine; but a regulation that is strictly cow-fights of Canton Wal is the cow enforced forbids the owner to inter- «??««" «« ""» exceedingly spirited fere during the fight cither by word «"<» ambitious animal. She remem- Qj jggjj I bers the battle of the preceding year. The journey up the mountain side I «»>« *eels the joy of victory and the is usually over about eleven o'clock in the morning, and before noon nil the cows are assembled on the battlefield, where the pastor of the neighboring village pronounces a blessing over them. "The field is then cleared and the ar^na marked off. Each owner fastens on the horns of his cows a sort of thimble with an open top, and to prevent serious acci- dents ho files off to the level of the metal the sharp points that protrude. The peasant girls, in picturesque dresses and four-cornered, broad-rib- boned hats, group themselves in the back-ground, and the crowd of excited j male apecUitors â€" a certain number of tourists are always found among them â€" forms into a half circle. The cows, lowing and tearing up the earth with their horns, run to the middle of the ring. They regard one another with threatening looks, and apparently measure the strength and weakness of their antagonists. They paw the ground, and finally rush upon one another, thrusting vigorously with their horns. One by one the weaker and less eager fighters with- , draw humiliated from the strife, and the number of competitors is soon re- duced to about thirty. i The fighting consists chiefly in con- cussions of head ond horns â€" not in efforts to inflict wounds on the vul- nerable parts of the body. The con- queror presses forward; the worsted cow sinks on its knees, rises agai:i, shame of defeat. She gauges her own strength, and accepts or refuses a challenge according to the dictates of her judgment. She knows that to- day it concerns her to strive for the A Wirse Kid. "Johnny, do you know that your mother has been looking for you?" asked the neighbor next door. "Sure I do," replied Johnny; "that's the reason she can't find me!" Miss Gossip â€" "Mrs. Pewyears tells me she wasn't 16 when she was mar- ried." Miss Telltaleâ€" "Well, I should say she wasn't She was 29." NOWâ€" You Can Have A PERFECT Complexion 50c, 75c $1.00, $150 SKIN FOOD WRINKLE CHASER USIT has solved the problem of beauty. Its use Is bring- ing back the freshness and bloom of youth, and driving away, whferever used consistently, the wrinkles of worry and age. Used for centuries by the famous beauties of the East. Guaranteed free from hoir growth. Your druggist has it SEE YOUR DRUGGIST TO-DAY. USIT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, Limi'cc' 476 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto.

Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy