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THE COLBORNE EXPRESS, COLBORNE, ONT., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY $, 1927. You Cannot Buy "SALADA" TEA ^«. In bulK. Sold only in sealed packages. M°Wm tMDGfl mm HEADON HILL mm u BEGIN HERE TO-DAY. Samuel Honeybun, retired English countryman, finds blood in his rain-gauge on the morning of the death of Sir Francis Lathrop. Sir Francis' daughter, Margaret, had planned to marry-- Sir Guy Lathrop against her father's wish. Sir Guy is suspected of the murder by-- -Inspector Roake of Scotland Yard, while Adrian Klyne, private detective, employed by Margaret, succeeds in posing as Lord Bulpeter to Roake, but is nonplussed by the strange behavior of-- Adela Larkin, daughter of Rev. Septimus Larkin and niece of Silas Stampage, who reported blood found in his rain gauge on two occasions. Rev. S. Larkin and Silas Stampage seem to be trying to defeat justice. Klyne, out for a stroll, meets Adela. She reveals her surmise of Klyne's disguise. Klyne attempts to bluff, although for the moment, less interested in sleuthing than in the fetching miss before him, NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY. "I cannot even guess at what you are talking about,'- he said. "Oh, yes you can," came the speedy retort. "You are wondering whether I am actuated by ambition to become 'My Lady,' or by admiration for a very clever man." "I would rather credit you with a stronger motive than admiration-whether for a peer or a clever man said Lord Bulpeter quietly. And, yielding to the impulse, he stooped and kissed the provoking lips. He expected to have his ears boxed. It was a pleasant surprise when tw< shapely arms were flung round his neck and drew him closer. "Now I know that we are allies," cooed Adela. "Just as I knew it was you since last night in the library -at the Grange. Tell me how I can help you dish that odious Inspector." "By informing me why you went all the way to Suffolk to pay a one-night visit to Mr. Silas Stampage," was the uncompromising reply. Adela drew back, a little in awe of the speaker. She had only a minute ago secured this man. for her lover and she was very conscious that she herself had loved him at sight. Yet such was the sporting instinct of the man-hunter that at the supreme moment of their romance he could thrust all emotion into the background and endeavor to strike a professional bargain. "I will tell you everything," she said quite humbly. Mr. Silas Stampage, like most retired notabilities who during the years of their fame and fortune have enjoyed the respect of their fellowmen, set good deal of store by the opinion of j his neighbors. The invasion by gentle-! men of the press, and the consequent notoriety accruing to the strange antics of his rain-gauge, annoyed him greatly. It is true that he had a certain inside knowledge of the meaning of the phenomenon, but he wished that the same end could have been gained without so much publicity. So when the card of "Detective-Inspector Roake, Scotland Yard," was brought to him as he smoked his after-dinner cigar he flew into a rage. "So damned unnecessary," he concluded rather lamely <as his anger petered out. "He don't amount to much, sir," said the athletic footman who had parleyed with Klyne. "Puny little rat. Easy to chuck him out if you say the "We won't do that. You can show him in, Cartel-." "That'll maybe be more cruel than the other way. Anyhow I'll stand by in case he howls for mercy, sir," grinned the sinister satellite of the once famous London surgeon. "Get to it," snapped Mr. Stampage. "I am sorry for this intrusion, which is rather in the nature of clearing the ground than personal to yourself, sir," began Roake. "It is that infernal red rain, as the penny-liners call it." "I am as much in the dark as an one," growled Mr. Stampage. "It is no ' use your cross-questioning about the beastly stuff. And I tell you straight, I don't like the looks of you." Roake ignored the rudeness. It quite suited his theory that this unfortunate gentleman was a victim of the wicked Margaret Lathrop. "I did not expect that you could throw any light on the affair, sir, but if you will state your view of it I may be able to relieve you by suggesting a solution," he said. "My view is that one of my neighbors is playing the fool with me," rejoined Mr. Stampage. "Here, don't stand there on one leg. Sit down and have a glass of wine. That's better. Yes, some silly ass has been pulling my leg. Though why he should take the trouble to do it twice is a puzzle which I do not pretend to fathom." Roake nodded. "You have got half of it right, sir," he said. "But I can go you one better on the other half. It is no neighbor of yours who has been filling your rain-gauge with blood. Would you mind telling me if anyone can gain access to the gauge It was a pleasant surprise when two shapely arms were flung around his neck end drew him lift lit ' I ill filii «p The Fathers of Confederation They Breathed Life into Confederation and Behold ... a Nation was Born Out of the separate Colonies of British America, they created a powerful Dominion, forming what is nov/ an important part of that great Empire upon which the sun never sets. Shoulder to Shoulder with the Progress of the Canadian Confederation Marches the Record of Confederation Life Sound, conservative, avoiding the spectacular, but building a structure of enduring strength, Confederation Life Association records another year of progressive achievement in 1926. 1867 Confederation of Canadian Provinces 1927 1871 Confederation Life Incorporated by Act of Parliament The-Association enters the sixtieth year of the Confederation of Canada with INSURANCE IN FORCE ------ $230,747,937 ASSETS - - -....... 50,660,858 INCOME, 1926 .......- - 12,334,566 NEW INSURANCE WRITTEN AND REVIVED 45,076,775 Paid and held for benefit of policyholders since 1871 - #107,169,778 Full Annual Report sent upon request Confederation Life ASSOCIATION A GROWING COMPANY IN A GROWING COUNTRY HEAD OFFICE TORONTO, CANADA from the road without being seen from the house?" "Certainly. It is hidden by a screen Again the Inspector nodded. Things were coming his way. "Those Li throps and their fraudulent crime e.; pert have been monkeying on yov. premises," he said. "The daughter and nephew of the murdered baronet, love with each other." The demeanor of the once eminent surgeon was growing more friendly. "That bearc out what happened here a few nights ago," he replied. "Two mysterious callers turned up at brief intervals--a male and a female I was dining out and saw neitiie:- of Roake purred like a well-fed cat. "They will have been Margaret Lathrop and either Sir Guy or the impostor, Adrian Klyne," he affirmed. "What was the purport of their business with- you, sir?" "They declined to state it to my man-servant," replied Mr. Stampage. "They refused their names and would not say if they were staying in t neighborhood or would call again." "I see," the Inspector swallowed it all at a gulp. "Just an excuse to cover their entrance into the grounds. Probably they had ascertained that you were not at home and tampered with your rain-gauge on their way ' "I am very greatly obliged to y Inspector Roake," Mr. Stampage livered himself pompously. "It is not nice to dwell among evil-disposed people and you have completely ex erated my neighbors from playing a scurvy trick--two scurvy tricks, fact. I hope that in doing me t good turn you have freed your mind from all suspicion cf me as an accessory to the Lathrop murder?" "I never entertained any such suspicion, sir," came the swift assurance. "As I said when I commenced this tresspass on your time, my object was to clear the ground. Thanks to your revelations about the anonymous callers I have succeeded bSyong all expectations." "What are your next plans?" "I shall hunt for Sir Guy Lathrop In London." "You are not returning to Chev- "No, sir; I have left a very gcod watchdog there--no less than a peer of the realm who, besides being s of a sportsman, is a friend of one of our assistant commissioners. Name of Bulpeter, Viscount Bulpeter. have probably heard of him." "Lord Bulpeter, eh?" murmured Mr. Stampage reminiscently. "Yes, I can place the chap. Years ago, when I was in practice in Harley Street, I chopped off his appendix." In awe-struck veneration for a mere commoner who could so violate tho august body of a nobleman, Mr. Roake stared at his host. "I must be going, sir," he stammered. "I have to catch the southbound train. Thank you for your tolerance for an intruder who must have been most unwelcome." )n the contrary," replied Mr. Stampage politely. The Reverend Mr. Larkin was rooting plantains out of his lawn with a spud, tool beloved of country clergy-, when the postman came into the garden with the mid-day delivery. The mail consisted mostly of circulars, but there was one letter which the Rector, after a glance at the postmark, tore n eagerly. This is what he read: DEAR SEPTIMUS--Last night I [ a call from Inspector Roake of Fifty=Eighth Annual Meeting: of The Royal Bank of Canada The fifty-eighth annual general meeting of The Royal Bank of Canada, held at the head office, marked the close of a very successful year and was attended by a large gathering of shareholders. Several announcements of special interest were made both by Sir Herbert Holt, president, and C. E. Neill, general manager. In his address, Sir Herbert Holt gave a complete review of tho outstanding features of the growth in Canada's trade and industry and took the view that during the past year there had been steady and substantial improvement in almost every department of Canada's business life. Discussing the necessity of the re-1 ducing of all taxes, Sir Herbert said: "What Canada need3 is to follow the example set by the United States in the reduction of all taxes and in the cost of government, so that by economies due to the efficiency of administration we may secure a substantial reduction in the .total burden of taxation rather than a change of incidence. Canada has frequently shown that she I is not without courage in facing her economic problems, and there are Indications that a bold co-operative policy of administrative economy on the part of all governments would meet with strong public approval and support." C. E. Neill, general manager, gave a number of interesting particulars of tho Bank's growth and expansion during the year. Of special import waB the Increase of $6,904,587 In commercial loans in Canada. This reflected business activity arising from tho country's growing p-ros-p-wlty. • Referring to the constructive cooperation the Bank had been in a position to give towards the development of Canada's foreign trade, Mr. Neill said in part: "Since this bank first, commenced' to establish branches abroad over twenty-five years ago, we have ac-. quired an intimate knowledge of many foreign markets. W-d have done our utmost to use this knowledge for the benefit of Canadian Irule by placing foreign buyers in touch with our exporters and locating advantageous sources of supply ;or Canadian import-' ers. The Manager j of. our foreign branches are familiar *'lth Canadian products, and It goes without saying: that our opportunities to b- of service have been numerous, more particularly since the majority of our foreign branches are located in countries which are no: competitors of Canada, but rather buyers Of our products and suppliers of our necessities. I know, that during this pa*t quarter of r. century we have 3eec able to facilitate' the movement of Canadian goods to the .extent of many millions of dollars." the Criminal Investigation Department. A more futile idiot I never encountered, I simply tied him in knots and played with him as if he were a bit of string. All the same, the fatuous R6ake coughed up one item which has filled me with a good deal of apprehension.. He bragged of having secured the cooperation, as a sort of non-official assistant, of one Lord Bulpeter, taken on under the auspices of one of the Scotland Yard mandarins. Now some years ago I operated on the one and only Lord Bulpeter for appendicitis, and he did not strike me as at all the kind of man to hanker after detective kudos. If a personal description will aid you my Lord Bulpeter was a fat, lethargic little creature--one of those frequent freaks of the peerage, a peer without 'a presence.' And, on top of this discrepancy, I seem to remember reading somewhere lately that Lord Bulpeter was in Canada. It might be worth while to look into this. Turn Adela on to the job if you can't take it on yourself--Yours. "SILAS STAMPAGE." Mr. Larkin carefully read the letter for a second time, when he went out into the hall and shouted for Adela. She came running down the_sto.irs and followed him into the study. (To be continued.). A Birthday Gift. As is already rather generally known, the University of Toronto is to celebrate, next October, the one hundredth anniversary of its founding. The Alumni Federation is making plans to arrange for a birthday gift to the University on that occasion. Various suggestions of a suit-' able gift have been made but the one that so far seems to make the greatest appeal to the graduates is that tho money be used to place a carillon of bells in the Soldier's Tower, which the graduates erected a few years ago. The Soldiers' Tower of the University of Toronto is said to be the largest single memorial of the Great War in the British Empire. It was built with money raised by graduates and former students of the Provincial University of Ontario. At the time it was built, the plan was to put a carillon of bells in it but there was not sufficient money for the purpose. Now it is proposed to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the University in this distinctive way, and certainly this would be a birthday gift that would never be forgotten. For Colds--Minard's Linim THE NEW COATS RETAIN THE SLENDERIZING LINES. The modish coat shown hare will be found; very easily '.ashioned and a style suitable for all occasions. The becoming shawl collar may be softly rolled or fastened closely at the throat, and the long two-piece sleeves are finished with trim cuffs. The only adornments are the practical patch pockets and buttons at the side front closing. 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