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About Roseburg news-review. (Roseburg, Or.) 1920-1948 | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1936)
RANCH MYSTERY A Story For Children By Paula Beth, a visitor from the East, teams there- hoe been trouble brewing on her Uncle Walter's ranch or many months. Cattle have been stolen, Uncle tyalter hoe been fired at by members of an unknown gang. Someone is de termined to force the owner to give up his land. Beth is inter ested in finding out who these people are and why they want this particular property. She finds the rowel of a silver spur in one of the pastures and now is pretty sure who its owner is. Uncle Wal ter has started to drill for water, and when one of his boys rides into town for a new part for the drill, he is questioned about ac tivities on the ranch. The man who is so curious is Mori Russell, the very man Beth suspects. In the midst of the drilling, Mort calls and offers to buy the prop erty, but before her Uncle can close the deal Beth begs him to wait until she tells her suspicions Chapter 10. I jORT RUSSELL was a dls y g run tied man when he rode out of the ranch and headed bock to town. He told Uncle Walter at the last that hla offer to buy the 1 ranch would not hold for long. With all the trouble and worry the ranch had brought In the last six months, Uncle Walter could not help but wonder if he was doing the right thing In not sell- -ing now, lock, stock, and barrel. The harrassed man went out ' to the pasture where the well drillers were at work. Ron, Tim and Beth watched him amble, slowly toward them. . "Maybe Dad would've done well to sell the ranch, but, gee, I'd hate to see him' do it, at that," said Ron. "Nothin' doln'," Tim threw back at his brother. "We're not licked yet." . Beth waited until her uncle came up to them. There was question In his tired eyes. "Well, honey," he said, "what was on your mind that you was so anxious for your old uncle not to sell his ranch f Mort sure made ma a friendly offer. Did you have somethin' special that you thought would mads any difference 1" "Will you come Into the house with me, Uncle Walter T" she asked, "and you two boys Come along. I've got something to show you and something to tall you." Ron and Tim looked surprised indeed, but without question they followed. As they passed through the kitchen, Aunt Mary turned from the cookstove. "Don't you think they're going to find water, Pa 7" shs asked. "Surely you haven't had 'em stop drilling yet." "Come on along Into the parlor. Aunt Mary," said Beth. "I want you to hear what I've got to tell, too." "Spill it, Beth. A guy can't wait forever." Ron could not hide his Impatience. "Pipe down," was Tim's ready retort. "Well, first of aU, Uncle Walter, I didn't want you to sell the ranch to Mort Russell Just yet because I don't trust him the way you do." Aunt Mary sat upright In the old rocker. "Sell the ranch ? What on earth are you talking about, child?" "Yes, mama. Mort offered to buy the place from me today. Said he knew light well we was hav - Ing a tough time makin' a go of CLASSIFIED FILMS DEVELOPED Rolls Developed .WhSC mnoal Knlar-anirMa and I foarantcad Nmr Fada Prr1l TW Priott. 2V aria. RAV PHOTO USVICE. La Craaaa. IkM MALE A. FEMALE HELP WANTED MAKE S1UI WEEKLY AT HOME addrraanf aad mailinr pMiaHi and trrra KtBrnava aaim iari. Strady wort, tawtl fur award. Start ao. Carardau part.rnlar- arid I'- Natioaal Indoarriaa. Dept. M. 17 Loruat. iStniMrMd. Mala. MANUSCRIPTS WANTED WANTED: ORIGINAL POEMS. SONGS. MMM PaMwhara. Dapt AFL Ptvdio Bide I'TtliM. (Ira OLD STAMPS WANTED OLD STAMPS WANTED. Fill par 1100 for MM I arm Fraakfia rotar narforatrd II (I .000 tf unuard). Wnw Mora amdinc. Lara IHaamiad Ibldar 10a. .irk. t. niyki t i ikvji mm ami m r. a W Bu Mt. Bjrla. Ohio. Nortort it, and he was willing to take it off our hands." "But Mort ttusseli has more land, now, than be needs for his herds." "Yesj Aunt Mary," said Beth, 'you're Just right. Uncle Walter trusts Mort and maybe he's right to do so. You've all known him a lot longer than I have, but I don't trust him. ... I'll tell you why." "We haven't known Mort a great while, child. Just you say what you've a mind to, here with your own folks, and then we'll think about It." "Thank you, Aunt Mary." Now jverythlng was easier. Beth reached into the pocket of her jeans and drew forth the silver, star-shaped wheel. She placed it on the table where everyone could see. Both boys reached out for it, and as they turned It over Uncle Walter said, "It's a rowel, Beth. iVhere did you get it?" "Yes, It's a rowel and not an lrdinary one, either." "I'll say It's not an ordinary one . . . it's silver," said Ron. "Yes, it's silver." And Beth plunged into her story. "I found it in the pasture the day I had my first riding lesson. It was up in the near pasture, just a few feet from the place where the men are drilling out there. 1 didn't think much about it at first; so I didn't mention it. You see, Uncle Walter, I didn't even know what It was until the dai went to town with Claude." "I'll bet Claude told you," grinned Ron. "Claude loves to explain anything. Did he tell you how they were made and how much they cost?" "Will you keep your ever-ready mouth closed, Ron, and let Beth do the talking Just this once?" ' said Tim with obvious disgust. "After we got to town we went to the station. Claude , wanted to see the train com in." Ron was about to comment on this Idea, too, but Tim anticipated him and clapped his hand, none too gently, across hla brother's wide smile. "At the depot there were two men. One of them was Mort Rus sell, and the other on a stranger. While Claude talked to them I noticed that Russell was we ring spurs, and one of them had a ' rowel missing. I even said some thing about It to him, and then Claude Introduced me." The family leaned forward, all eyes and Interest. "Mort said, yes, he had lost a rowel off his spur, and he had sent to San Francisco for a new one. Then he asked me how I liked the West, and all that. I said, 'Have you been out to see my uncle lately?' And since I was pretty sure the rowel I'd found was his, I was surely sur prised when he said he hadn't been on the ranch in many months." "Well, now, that's strange, ain't it?" said Uncle Walter. "Funny he'd lte like that if he wasn't with the gang that's been raiding us right along," said Aunt Mary. Beth nodded and went on. "Then I decided I'd not say any thing about the rowel I'd found on our ranch. I figured that If be was as rich a man as Claude said he was, he wasn't stealing cattle for any reason except to frighten you off the land." "But what could he want to run me out for?" "That's the part I don't know. Uncle. And here's the rest!" By now everyone was leaning forward with eagerness and ad miration In their faces. "There Is some reason why . Mort wants this land. And who was the man he put aboard the train that day 7 Claude hadn't ever seen him before. But this much I noticed; on his suitcase there were three letters after his name. They were F. G. S. Now that must be some kind of a busi ness or profession. If we knew what those' letters meant, we might be able to figure out why Mort Russell had that man out here, and ..." Beth did not finish for Ron had Jumped to his feat, yelling, "Where's my school dictionary?" (Continued next weak) H? LEVEL off there, fellows, and hold that glide for a minute while we sit her down for a lot of 'he old chatter. We were gassing with the edi tor the other day about Western ers who pioneered in aviation. Naturally the name of Professor John J. Montgomery came up. You aae, Professor Montgom ery, who was a member of the faculty at Santa. Clara College California, actually built the first glider that ever looped. It was in 18M that Professor Montgomery began building glid ers the forerunners of the Wright Brothers' powered plane. Over In Germany, Otto Llllen thal had spent something like five noun In the air; In England, Percy PUcher had constructed a number of suucisaful gliders, and In this country. Octave Chanute was gliding, also. WELL, Professor Montgom ery's models got better and better until he had pretty thor oughly licked the stability prob lem. Finally he ran Into a circus balloonist and parachute Jumper named Maloney. This Kaloney seemd to have a lot of what It takes he hoisted a glider up on a balloon and cut loose at 3500 feet. And he didn't know any too much about flying it, either! Needless to say, he got down all right, but not before he cut a few fancy figures in the atmos phere to give the audience a thrilL regular circus stuff. After a while, Professor Mont gomery hired some more circus stunters and made a tour of the west coast with his balloon-glider show, which caused a tremendous amount of interest. The professor had his troubles, though. His dare-devil glider pi lots were always trying to steal the show from each other. One day one of them, dead set on cop ping all the glory, cut loose from a balloon as usual and started to do some exceptionally sharp turns on his way down. Just what hap pened isn't any too clear to any one, but he turned so fast he did what amounted to a loop, or so they called it. THAT brings to mind these par achute Jumpers who tig them selves out In a flock of fabric and go gliding all over the place on the way down. It's simple to ex plain but not so simple if the Jumper happens to get tangled up in all that paraphernalia. They stretch a webbing between their legs, you see. and have en other webbing on both arms. Naturally the speed they're fall ing creates a certain lift on the "wings." Just as speed creates lift on a plane's wings. And so they get some support. Thus far we haven't read of any . Jumper glid ing In to a safe landing on his nose They dump off the "wings" Polishing Off A Steak ! AnOfficer's Boots By Paula Norton ONCE there was a VERY Im portant officer in the Ger man army, and he had two beau tiful, shining black boots which he wore ONLY on special occa sions. The officer had a small son, too, and the son had two little dachshunds. Now dachshunds are clever little fellows and VERY fond of mischief any mischief. The officer's little boy used tu play in his father's room, while that dignified gentleman was away at a big garrison all day. The boy liked that room beat of all the rooms In his horns, be cause It was dark and filled with books and. mysterious weapons and many curious souvenirs. In the officer's room there was a great dark clothes cupboard, too, and there In the shadows hung many beautiful uniforms. The Dachsies went to this in teresting, mysterious room, too, whenever the boy went there. They never made much noise, however, because they knew If they did someone would notice them and put them out at once. The boy paid little attention to them, for he was always busy ex ploring among the many strange things he found there. He spent every afternoon for a week In that room looking at pictures of and open the 'chute while still several hundred feet up. YOU know there are lots of things not to do when you're flying, but lots of fellows are apt , to forget this: "Don't make a down-wind turn on the takeoff!" Why? Well, most of you know, probably, but here's a simple ex planation. Let's say the landing speed which is also your takeoff speed of the ship is 35 miles an hour. You're taking off Into a 15-mlle-an-hour wind. That means that when you're going 20 miles an hour the wind supplying the other 16 m.p.h.'s you take off. BUT, if you tum down wind at that time, you're still moving 20 per slower than the minimum flying speed. And smacko, off she falls! That's why pilots keep straight ahead If the motor conks on a takeoff ditches and fences to the contrary notwithstanding. battle scenes ot long ugo. He'd drag the big book over to the window to see the details of the fierce battle scenes. NO one came to disturb the boy, and the Dachsies left htm alone, too they had business of their own to handle. Then one day the world fell with a crash around the ears of the boy, and It nearly landed on the Dachsies. There was to be a special, extra fancy dress parade of the soldiers In honor of the Emperor. The officer, hurried to his home to dress In his special parade uni form. It so happened the boy and the Jogs were out fishing that after noon, so the officer found his room quite as It should have been. ' Then suddenly he bellowed In a voice like thunder. The boy and dogs, returning from their fishing trip, were Just passing under the window. THEY heard and all three shivered and shook and listened 1 Then the thunder slowed down, and they heard shouts of com mand to servants and any one who would listen. The nice, dignified, Important officer said, "Someone, someone has chewed a great round hole In the heel of each of my special parade boots. I am furious!" The boy grabbed a dog under each arm and flew Into the woods, back where he'd been fishing. There he tied them to a tree and sat beside them. He was fright ened and a little angry at his Dachsies, too. HE said: "Now you've done it! Stop wagging and listen! What did you have to be so smarty for anyway? How can Father wear those boots to the parade for the Emperor with his white sox showing through the heels?" ' Then he got up and walked around and around the tree. Now the Dachsies felt badly, and they lay down on the ground and lifted their little brown eyebrows with ashamed, sad eyes, watching, the boy. After a long time of great si lence, the boy untied the two vil lains and went slowly back to the house. He listened carefully when he went through the halls to his room. All was quiet , , . the band music of the parade could ' be heard In the distance. . That night the dogs slept In he boy's room (he built a tent house for them out of a plaid shawl draped over two chairs). They were VERY- quiet and VERY good. . When the boy's father came In to tell him "good night," two pairs of soft brown eyes pecked from under the tent fringe. They were watching two dusty military boots and wondering how THEY'D taste! CURFEW THE ringing of a curfew was first an English custom, orig inating with William the Con queror. The word comes from "eouvrefeu," a French word meaning "cover fire." The curfew In England meant that at S o'clock all fires and lights had to be "covered." Tell Time By The Flowers No Watch Needed in Garden Where Western Flowers Bloom EVEN if your watch has stop ped It is usually quite easy to tell what 'time It is in a gar den. A large number of plants open their flowers at certain times of the day and this they do with amazing regularity. Other plants close their flowers with the same consistency Just as though they had an eye on the clock. Probably the earliest garden plant to open its blooms is tho well known climber, Ipomaea, the buds of which expand at 5 o'clock. Single rosea of all kinds open about an hour later, at 6. Practically all kinds of Linum and the Day Lilies (HemerocaUls) open at 7. Just about the same time the Shirley Popples burst their green cases and Irises ex pand. At 8 many kinds of Con volvulus expand their blooms. At 9 one will see the opening of many sorts of Veronica, Gentians, Ox alts, to mention only a few kinds Arenartas, Portulacas. Esch . scholtzias and Marigolds display their flowers at 10 o'clock. At mid-day those great sun lovers, the Mesembryanthemums, open their blooms to the warm rays. From about noon, until the late Over the Captain's Coffee Cup Travel Tales from Everywhere By Whit Wellman MEN YOU hear about have wanted to accomplish cer tain things so much that the price didn't matter Fame often comes unsought Paul Gaugin deserted Paris to live on an Island. He painted what he saw and felt, and went mad. Recognition followed long after. Yet before the end, for several years of freedom his life was satisfying. More contented, prob ably, than the days of his Euro pean friends, who lived in the "world that is" He did what he wanted. Not everyone can live accord- , Ing to their heart's desire. Re sponsibilities, conventions stifle all but one In a thousand or so. It takes strength not to care what people think. Stout belief In your own talent or simply know ing that the customary routine Is not for you. Of such are the beaoh combers, "tlcket-of-leave" men, planters on some forgotten Islet who'd rather swim In a warm coral lagoon than own a business. A man will drop a good Job to build a boat and put out for the Pacific Islands. Any Island, so It's far enough. Gold la found up a waterway in Guinea, where canni bals have their own convention of "long-pig." Few have grown wealthy on corpa or sago plan tations. Not many have brought out enough yellow metal from un explored Papua to make up for malaria and blackwater fever for native sorceries they've seen and cannot talk about or forget SEEKING NEW frontiers some few will disregard three meals a day, a place to sleep. In San Francisco a young portrait artist fishes much of the daylight hours near Fort Mason. Evening sees him sketching pa trons of a Bohemian resort on the edge of Telegraph Hill. At a dol lar a head, he geU little but ex periencewhich an. artist needs more than anything he could buy. Independent, he says "No" to more faces than he sketches, and depends upon an intuitive sense of selection when he "accepts" a model. In the dim candle light his drawings line the walls, some ex cellent others experiments In technique. His last name Is some thing Swedish, his hrst is Rich a blond lad, who steadily sees more behind a smile than the surface pose. A philosophy of his own poking around from city to city concerned more In developing his work than in wealth or comfort. He's doing what he wants to do. Sacrifice now some day, fame. SPEAKING OF SAGO and copra, coffee, rubber, and cacao planting there exist even today opportunities In British Guinea for men with a few thou sands of dollars. Between two and five. You can lease land for 99 years at a nominal figure, so low It's almost free. Native labor Is higher than in Malaya or Africa, but this is amply balanced by the low living cost. You live as you please, cheaply or expensively plant a crop of whatever strikes your fancy, and reap the harvest within a few years. Everything grows quickly In the rich soli and tropical climate. No great for tunes are made you don't go down to become a millionaire but your plantation and bush made house can be beautiful, your boat la manned by loyal natives, the forests and rivers ars virtually your private hunting preserves. A decent living, privacy freedom. LETTERS DRIFT IN not only from foreign ports, but afternoon, one must tell the time not by the opening of flowers but by their closing. Mallows of vary ing kinds close from 1 to 2, as also do the garden forms of Hawkweed (Hieraclum). Potato and Tomato flowers shut up about 3, whilst an hour later, the Esch scholtztas and Marigolds close. At 5 you will see the glorious flowers of the Water Lilies draw their pet als together and begin to sink be low the surface. At 6 quite a remarkable open ing of flowers begins again. Then the Honeysuckle opens In addi tion to the Evening Primrose and many kinds of Lychnis. At 8 comes the Night-scented Stock and Mlrabtlls Jalapa. At 9 many of the Catchflies (Sllene) ex pand for the first time and the Woodruff and White Tobaccoes do the same. Those who have greenhouses, and grow the Night-flowering Cacti, will notice that the marvel ous flowers of this plant open al most on the stroke of 10, only to be a mass of faded and crumpled petals a few hours later. from the Pacific Coast as well. Brigadier General J. A. Woodruff replies to an. inquiry about the disappearance of Captain cMc Lellan of the transport Republic " . .It seems doubtful if further ever be thrown on the matter." ..cpublic brought the body ot Father Damlen "leper priest of Molokai" to San Francisco for high mass at Old St Mary's . . . - then sailed with the remains for Belgium. Hawalians Intimated that a curse would strike anyone removing a body burled in sacred , ground. At 6:15 in the morning between the Farallon lBlands and the lightship Captain McLellan vanlshed. More of this lator. In vestigations are still under way. Mrs. Jay Harvey, of Yelm, Washington Dallas Alsman, of Astoria, Oregon have collections of thoso Interesting glass balls that sweep In with the Japanese current rolling up on northwest ern beaches. This Is not a trading column but If you'd like to possess rather lovely and unusual globes in rainbow colors, drop them a line. BURIED TREASURE . Is not always a myth. If you feel the urge to dig for dead men's gold and Jewels, there are places today supposed to hold fabulous wealth. Millions In plate and bar gold treasure of Lima still evade seekers on Oocos Island. Some where on Trinidad la burled a fairly well-authenticated treasure. We understand that even charts are obtainable. South of Madeira He the Salvages, where a chest of two million silver dollars was sunk in the sand by a mutinous crew, which did away with their Captain and laid his body atop the treasure. In '66 the sailing ship General Grant was lost off the Auckland Islands bearing 60,000 ounces of gold. The vessel drove Into a cliff cave and broke up. The hu!l Is still vlslhle, but the huge combers and swift un dertow have prevented divers from rescuing the booty. ONE OP DEWEY'S SHIPS lies In San Francisco Bay the U. 8. B. Boston, which Is tied up at the south end of Yerba Buena Island. The Navy has used It for years as a Receiving Ship, doing dull routine duty after the excit ing Battle of Manila Bay. She Is one of the few vessels left that served the Admiral when he hum bled the Spanish fleet. Thousands of commuters pass within sight of ht-r every day, completely un aware that close at hand is one of the romantic relics of ths cen tury. Time moves so swiftly, no one has time these days for memories. But anyone with a good reason, or a bump of curiosity, can ask for a pass to board her at 1 Harrison Street, Headquarters of the 12th Naval District. IF YOU'VE LIVED through adventures in any part of the world . , , and want to see them published In this column . . . write them clown and send them to The Captain, Five Star Weekly, 4BO Mills Tower, San Francisco, California. ROGS START BACKYARD ooo tins r"'iy- en up to a? aottn. ' An climift u ft- thl. lomi hint in MRln. Market wamnft IW ill ru !. Wr.ft lor TWVr. fmi boot today. AMKHK AN HUH. ( ANNIN( CO. dtp( KM-tl New .JrUani, La. PAGE 8EVEN
