i
1" I
PACI CHS
Tt CZT30:i CTATTTMAIL Cdm Craeoa. Tussiay lZsalsz, I Trc2t 15, 1S
By ANNE HOWE f -
Vo Foror Strays 17; Wo Fear Shall Ato
From First Statesman, March 2 V 1231
s
i
THE STATESMAN PUBLISHING CO.
' . ; CHARLES A. SPRAGUE, Editor and Publisher
- Member ox The Associated Press
Th Associated Press is exclusiveiy entitled to the use for publication of all
news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this newspaper.
Amateur Lobbyists Score
: f -' The- two biggest , and cleverest professional
lobbies active at the 1943 legislative session
Jwere the truck and wine lobbies.. It is not neces-j
aary at this time to mention that they got no
Where. Definitely and in full view of the gal-
lery, each took one on the chin. " . " . s
Amateur lobbies were more fortunate. I There
Was at the opening of the session strong senti
ment for removing some of Oregon's too-numer- -
: ipus property ; tax; exemptions. The movement
was dramatized by Rep. Giles French's tongue
in -cheek proposal that all such exemptions be
' wiped off the books. Praiseworthy as the mo
tives were, that bill appears to have done the
cause more harm than good. It brought reac
tion which clearly informed the members that
any exemptions would be removed over the
dead bodies of the exemptees.
A house committee labored sincerely and de
votedly to bring about some reform but in the
end having polled both houses and learned
of the task's futility it shelved the entire pro
gram. The amateur lobbyists scored a victory.
Legislation requiring municipally - owned
' power utilities to pay property taxes was a part
of the program. Substitute legislation on that
subject was enacted but it was of such nature
that no real reform was accomplished. Those
utilities must pay a portion of their gross re
ceipts in lieu of taxes to the cities which own
them. ; That is little more than taking money
from pne pocket and putting it in"another.
This movement emanated from Lane county.
Lane citizens outside of Eugene- were not hood- -winked,
though they now aver that the legisla
ture was. Resentment there is aimed at the
Eugene water board and Supt. J. W. McArthur
of the municipal utility. McArthur was busy
Jiround the legislature, and he is an experienced
obbyist if not a professional.
It might interest indignant Lane taxpayers to
learn, however, that the more effective opposi
tion appeared to come from the smaller cities
affected. Some Eugene citizens favored the ad
Valorem, county-wide tax proposal; citizens of
these other cities had not been "educated" up to
that point. It will require a few more years
of evolution and agitation to bring about a
real reform. It requires strong public opinion
to overcome the amateur lobbyists' effective
ness. Taxpaying and Inflation
How did you pay your income tax?
Add that to your list of timely, sure-fire top
! Ics for conversation. That you owed an income
tax payment to Uncle Sam on March 15 and paid
i it, assuming you are an employable adult, is
so patent as to be hardly worthy of mention.
How you managed to rake up the cash it,
on the contrary, both interesting and signif t
; cant.
Significant because, as you will recall, there
were two big reasons for a big tax. One was
that Uncle needed the money; the other was its
expected anti-inflation potential.
How you, or you. or you oaid that income
tax, we have no idea. But how you, and you,
and you paid it how it was paid in the
aggregate is pretty well authenticated. You,
and you, and you didn't cut down on expendi
tures in recent weeks in order to pay the tax.
, You, and you, and you didn't withdraw the
money from a savings account.
"You, and you, and you either sold some of
your war bonds, or refrained from buying war
bonds, or borrowed the money and some of
you, and you, and you, despite, having earned
more money in the last year than ever before,
borrowed from the small loan companies at
their high interest rates.
In the first ten days of March 45 million
dollars' worth of war bonds were redeemed
five times the volume for the same period a year
ago. Sales of war bonds dropped by almost an
equal amount. Personal loan companies did a
land-office business. But savings accounts did
not noticeably dwindle. Nor did department
store sales nor luxury goods sales. ;
What does it add up to? Chiefly,' that lump
sum taxpaying once a year, or even quarterly, is
ineiiectual as a means of checking inflation.
In periods of false prosperity as in periods of
oepression some peoplethe same people are
provident and some are improvident The provi
dent people had made advance arrangements to
pay the tax. They had spent less than they
earned. But they would have done the same
If they had had no big tax to payj The provi
dent people are no part of the inflation problem.
The improvident people live up to the limit
of their unwonted incomes except as they were
persuaded by rather direct pressure to buy war
bonds. Come taxpaying time to their unwar
ranted surprise and "they scurried around and!
sold some of their bonds or borrowed the money
and continued to live in the manner to which;
they were not yet really accustomed. ;'
If taxpaying is to brake inflation, it will have
to be gradual pay-as-you-go taxpaying. That's
the lesson of this first big taxpaying date's ex4
perienoe. ' i ,
saw
the
L?rants Pass Courier cot out a seven-Daze
paper the other day. More accurately it was a
six j and two-halves page paper. After the first
four regular eight-column pages there was a
four-column extension, one side numbered
"SX" and the other "5B' An ingenious method
of saving paper in these days when it! has to be
done.
News Behind
The News
I ! By PAUL MALLON
j 1 Distribution by King Features Syndicate In. Repro
duction la wbolt or in part strictly prohibited.) j
WASHINGTON, March 15 Gov. Briefer o Ohio
today seems to have the best chance of being the
1944 presidential nominee of the republican party.
He jis not yet a familiar national figure! Few peo
ple! know him beyond his record as a good jthree
tertn governor who has made some sense oijt of a
bewildered state government. But he is already
getting promises of a substan
tial bloc of delegates. He has
inherited the Taft organization
throughout the south arid that
section is confidently counted
for him, except possibly Geor
gia where a rattlesnake situa
tion exists. Add to these the
votes of Ohio and possibly! New
York, and you have the! begin
ning of a formidable candidacy.
Mr. Willkie has jbeenj getting
all the publicity, but the ques
tion is where he jwill get the
votes. He is working on j Indi
ana and some of the nnrlhwMt.
era states like Washington and Oregon; are counted
at . this advance date as being "probable'' for him.
Obviously New England and the middle west have
not proved- especially fertile fields fix his view
point. He will also certainly not get California,
Iowa or Illinois. So where is his delegate strength
to come from? j -j j
Most of the republican leaders seem to be tak
ing New York's Gov. Dewey at his declining word.
He would, of course, have New York, iff he ran
and could build up a strong candidacy elsewhere.
But to get into the race at all, over thd barrier
of: his official declination, he would have I to be
drafted, and no draft movement has been! started
or seems to be contemplated. J !
j This makes the pre-conveniion raci stand today
as a contest between Bricker and WUlkie With the
edge on Bricker's side. j .
No doubt many favorite son candidacies will de
velop, Stassen in Minnesota, MacNider itt Iowa,
Sal tons tall in Massachusetts, etc., but most; of these
seem nxeiy in the end to become allied Iwith the
t - 7J
I Pavl Halloa
i major candidacies
stance)
(Stassen for WJllkie
for In-
The democratic situation Is still running loose.
The test blackout of politics for a fourth" term, as
staged the past few weeks, looked jgood to some
Rooseveltian followers, poor to others. No one
came out except those you would expert-Guffey,
Sabath, Mead, etc. Nothing very, encouraging
was heard from the great bulk of the party leaders
in congress whose voices would have! sounded
bigger. j :
! True, the mere mention of such a hideous thought
(to republicans) discouraged some jof the opposi
tion political figures. The Gallup poll (incidentally
Hj uia noi contain Detailed state figures which
would have been more convincing) suggested Mr.
Roosevelt would have a fourth term popular ma
jority of only 52 or 53 per cent "if the waj was still
on" a year from next November, j j j
I No one knows when the war will be over. The
ideal time for it to end from a new deal political
standpoint (If it could be ended by political desire
.and It cant) would be along about next summer.
The campaign would then catch FDR in the midst
of peace negotiations. He would ithen have the
prestige of having won and couldj beg not to be
interrupted in the peace. j
j Usually after wars, however, a hatur$I popular
spirit of nationalism has developed among the
people. In all. It is impossible to tell j what the
feeling of the country will be IS months! hence, as
to Mr. Roosevelt and his conduct bf the war and
peace, and anyone who tries to do it I playing
with fantasies. T ,
j As of today, the tactical situation of the fourth
term campaign is far weaker than the average non
political person assumes it to be. The south is
strong anti-newdealing territory, lopking .for a place
to go. Mr. Roosevelt will have to win lit back; it
ha can. before his renomination ifi assiired. If it, I
and the other loose ends of anti-nwdealism in the
democratic party are organized by Jim Farley or
anyone else lor senator Byrd or Senator George
or if the opposition just agrees on a course of anti
Roosevelt political actionthe o4ly thing left Jn
the democratic convention will j he the federal
machine.
what a - ; u-4J JUL
' L - J ,ijjf lb
Jay Franklin, liberal", columnist,! has - been
converted to the free enterprise system. He saw
the; jMgreat white light" when he tried to send
a birthday telegram to his daughters and dis
covered it was among the things now forbidden.
Not that he objected to the wartime I ruling
but he saw that if government supplies these
service- rather than nrivate enternrise reason
ably free to do whatever is profitable govern
ment may refuse to supply them any time it
sees fit. Some of us, less brilliant,;
point sooner.
Chapter 31 Coalhined
You're the damnedest
with the most lurid imagination.'
I broke j out angrily. .'How can
you think of such horrorsl .The
Inspector doesn't dream of ac
cusing you. That dyou bet he
knows who th murderer Is and
is only waiting lor thai right mo
- mnt to i catch him?"
TDo you mean,1 he's waiting for
another murder?1 fche asked
f;; Ironically. s. j ?: ) :
The words sent a shiver down
my back. And the facf that they
affected me to that extent made
me furious with mysell. "I mean,
you're cuckool I mean take one
of the pnis you: didn't take the
mother night and sleep yourself
out of lyour-i-your neurasthenic
dementia," I raged.-"God knows,
. it's bad - enough thinking of the
that I have
you hinting
happened,
at another
Monday Morning cHang(oyer9
Todlays
GacOio lPQDsirainnis
KSLM TCESDAT V3H Kc
T AO News.
7 AS Rise n Shlna. ' ,
7 'JM News.
7 :43 Morning : Moods.
8.-00 Bert Hirsch Novelty Band.
80 News Brevities. ,
855 Tango Time. I
SAO Pastor's Can. j
9 :1S Dickson's Melody Mustangs.
50 Farm Home Programs.
9:45 Uncle Sam. ;
19 AO World in Review.
10 AS A Song and A Dance.
1950 Victor Arden's Orchestra.
11 AO KSLM Presents. !
11:30 Willamette U CnapeL
11 AO Organalities.
13:15 News, i:
, 1250 Hillbbilly Serenade.
1255 Willamette Valley Qpolniona.
1 AO Lum n' Abner. ;
1 :15 Johnny Long's Orch.
1 :45 Melody Mart.
SAO Isle of Paradise.
S as Announcer's Choice.
S 59 Four Novelettes.
1:45 Broadway Band Wagon.
SAO KSLM Concert Hour.
4 AO Mexican Marimba.
4:15 News.
4 :30 Teatime Tunes. 1
80 Homespun Trio.
5 :15 Let's Reminisce.
S AO Tonight's Headlines.
:13 War News Commentary.
959 Evening Serenade.
6:45 Soldiers of the Press.
T AO News, r
T AS Texas Jim Lewis.
T 50 Willamette Valley Opinloee.
T:sO Mischa RusselL
8:00 Wir Fronts in Review.
8 JO Ski ten Henderson.
8:45 This Is My Story.
8 AO News. :
9:15 Don Allen and His Orch.
9:30 Guest Night. ;
19 AO Let's Dance.
1950 News.
Here are extra radle recrams,
tot the benefit of mail subscribers
te The t Statesman. Each day the
current day's prsgrams win be
Dnblished as snul uri. im KddtMsa
the first half of the aext ear's
schedules will
cam If i usee.
appear the
8:30 Duffy's.
9 AO Homicide O'Kane.
9:30 News. ! ,
9:45 Down Memory Lane.
10:15 Mary Bulloch. Pianist.
10:30 This Nation at War.
1 1 AO This Moving World.
1 1 :15 Bal Tabarin Cafe Orch.
11 50 War News Roundup.
KOTN CBS TUSSDAT 97 Ks.
8 AO Northwest Farm Reporter.
as Breakfast Bulletta.
850 Texas Rangers.
JS-KOm Klock. ;
1:15 Wake Up News.
750 Dick Joy, News.
I : Nelson Prmgle. News.
r wei
B Valiant 14.
59 stories America LoTtS.
8:48 Aunt Jenny, j;
9 AO Kate Smith Speaks.
9:18 Big Sister.
950 Romance of Helen Trent.
9 :45 Our Gal Sunday.
10 AO Life Can Be Beautiful.
19:18 Ma Perkins, t
10 50 Vic and Sade.
19:46 The Goldbergs.
11 AO Young Dr. Malone.
11:15 Joyce Jordan.
11 50 We Love and team.
11:4S News.
12 : 15 Bob Anderson. News.
I J JO William Winter. News.
IS 5 Bachelor's Children.
1 A8 Unci Sam.
1 59 American School of the Air.
S A9 Newspaper of the Air.
150 Your Tuesday Date.
8 AO Melody Matinee.
8:45 News.
4 AO Milton Charles, Organist.
4:15 Sam Hayes, i
450 American Melody Hour.
5 AO WUma Bailey.
850 Harry Flannery.
8:48 News.
tJ5 CecU Brown.
.00 Burns and Allen.
8 50 Suspense.
7 AO Jazx Laboratory.
750 Talks. ,
7 :45 Frarier Hunt.
SAO Four to Go.
8:15 Harry James Orchestra.
850 Lights Out.
AO Ai Jolson. r
50 For Mutual Benefit
19 AO Five Star Final.
19:15 Wartime Women.
1959 Air-Flo of the Air.
19 50 The World Tedav.
11 AO Del Courtney Orchestra,
1150 Manny strand Orx&esbra.
11 .M News. I "
12 50 te 8 a. aa Musle and News,
machines
About the same time that the Oregon legisla
ture was being warned of an impending crisis
in the dairy industry; the Salem school district
was offered federal ; aid in instituting a pro!
gram to-supply ,!surplus milk to school chil
dren. Jn the middle west the Surplus Commodi
ties Corporation is distributing "surplus! butter
to rural schools and recently offered one Ohio
school an additional 153 pounds, which the di
rectorsj turned down because the school already
had enoui butter to last, through March. : But
- ter can be shipped any required distance! Sev
eral Pacific coast i cities recently had : actual
shortages of butter. But" the Surplus Commodi
ties Corporation insists on ghrinf -tens ef it
away in rural cocummities already plentifully
supplied. New deal agencies must ba pespet-
uaxea, no matter what the cost.
omce ncuding group, the Kelly-Nash
the ' Hague rnachine and other tnulir
workim in cooperation with HaH-r Tnr.v?T
Icke. ! ;. f",K7TT
! IXmt sorset that the republicans qow eontrol
tnost of the large state governments jeven down
to &e counties. II these various state machines are
tied together with national leadership, the republic
ans this time wffl have the first real working or
ganization to-25years.! ?: :: J t J;H:
-) fntlieiuH)re,-m fourth term capigi f, nte
5?f?ntbe handled b Hopkins and David K." '
Niles (Walker win no doubt be replaced as national
chairman before the race gets hot) aid they are
hotgim Farlers-or Charley wr,k.if j Also Mr. ?
Stoosevelt wm probably have tolfet uther vice
presidentiair candidate tf he tries it again. llr -Wallace's
standing, as at democrat has; dinunijed
to the point of political weakness, jwhert Mr. Roose- "
Velt will need strength. "j-; f- S5;s;v
J These powerful uirfercurrents conbrolling the
pohfical situation on both sides have apparently
been forgotten in the strong Irumuag tides of
publicity which keep both Mr. Koosefelt and Mr.
- Willkie on the front paxes unchaaenr4 every day.
1 SN--TTJXSOAT 1198 Ka. I
A Moments of Melody. 1
SOS Victory GaideaaT "
National Farm and Home,
:5 Western Ariculrare. j
i wue ena the Land.
7 US-Music of Vienna,
76 Gene and Glenn.
Sao Tii..hr.,i n
oreasaan at sarars.
18A0 Baukhafe TalUnc.
19 J5-Unde Sam;
19 50 The Great Melody.
11 AO Hank Lawton'i Knichta.
11 J Seisnes oC Travel.
115SwCota C.Im r-lnh
"ept Ctehvtai Patty Jeaa.
1350 Lrrestock
1 AO The Victory Hoar. !
139 Men of Lead and Sea. ' ;
J-J-F,en "netee sroa BreeolwayL
SA9 The Baby Institute.
; taj Clancy Caiiiaa.
2 5 Labor News.
1 S AO Music of Lou Bring.
SAO The Gospel Singer.
S 5-Paees in Mlelody.
" The Latest Word.
4 AS Concert Orchestra,
4U5 Horror, Inc.
50 Simrinc Strincs.
f :??I?Ty. maA tt rataa.
8U8 The See Hound.
850 Jach AriusUuua.
8:45 Captain Midnight.
tfO-JIo Haxrian.
- 9fl5 News, i - " "
8 25 The Lion's Roar. .
50 Spotlight Bands. -S5
LitUe Known Facts.
T AO Raymond Gram Swine.
T:1S Gtreete Fields. -
750 PW Ryder.
-ea f Jtri Godwin. News.
aai-l.Mie and Abner.
i KGW NBC TUESDAY 829 Ke,
i 4 AO Dawn Patrol.
8:45 News.
: 5:55 Labor News.
SAO Sunrise Serenade.
! S55 Labor News.
: 7:15 News Headlines it HifhugliU.
i 7:45 Sam Hayes. I
8 AO Stars of Today.
8 :15 James Abbe Covers the New.
8:30 House Divided.
8:45 David Harum.
AO The 0Netlis.
8:13 EverythiM Goes.
' 50 Mary LeeTaylor.
45 Kneass With the News.
I 18A0 Funny Money Man.
10:30 Hom-keper'a Caiendac. v
10:4S Dr, Kate.
1 1 .00 Light of the World.
11:15 Lonely Women.
11 50 The Guiding Light
1 1 :45 Hymns of All Churches.
12 AO Story of Mary
IS IS Ma Perkins.
IS 50 Pepper Young's Famttr.
13 :4S Right to Happiness.
1 AO Bactcstace Wife.
1:15 Stella Dallas.
150 Lorenzo Jones.
1 :4S Young Wldder Brown.
SAO When a Girl Marries.
S as PorUa Faces Life.
S 50 Just Plain BUI.
2:45 Front Page FarreU.
S AO Road of Life.
3.15 Vic and Sade.
859-Snow Village.
3 :45 J udy and Jane.
4 AO Frank Hemingway.
4 :W News of the World.
450 The Personality Roue.
5 :15 H. V. Kaltenborn.
8 50 Horace Heldt Treasure Cheat.
8 AO Battle of the Sexes.
50 Fibber McGee and feUy.
7 AO Bob Hope.
7 50 Red Skeltoe.
8 AO Fred Waring in Pleasure Time.
8:15 Fleetwood Lawton.
8.30 Johnny Presents.
:0O Mr. and Mrs. North.
9 50 Quis of Two CUies.
10 AO News Flashes.
10:15 Labor News.
1050 Moonlight Sonata.
10:45 Uncle Sam. I
1 1 AO Your Home Town News.
11:10 Musical Interlude.
11:15 Biltmore Hotel Orch.
11 50 War News Roundup.
11:00-2 a. m. Swing Shift.
KALC MBS TUESDAY 198 K.
8:45 Uncle Sam.
7 AO News.
7:15 Texas Rangers.
750 Memory Timekaepae.
SAO Haven of Rest.
850 News.
. 8:45 Old Songs.
AO Boake Carter.
9.-15 Woman's Side oC She News.
50 Buyer's Parade.
9:45 US Marine Band.
19 AO News. i
10:15 Stars of Today.
1050 This and That.
11 AO Cedrie Foster.
11:15 Bitt Hay Reads the Bible.
1150 Concert Gems.
1255 On the Turn Front. .
It 50 News.
13:45 Shady VaUey Folks.
. 1 AO Background for
1:15 Sweet and Sentimental.
1 59 Bridgeport Ensemble.
SAO President's Press Conference.
SA5 Sheelah Carter.
S:15 Texas Rangers. 1
S-.30 Voices in Song.
?5 Pat Neal and the News.
3 AO Philip Keyne-Gordon.
3 J5 Wartime Women, i
350 Hello Again.
3:45 Remember When:
4 AO Fulton Lewis, jr.
4:15 Johnson. Family.
450 News.
4:45 Lefa Learn to Dance.
SAO Matinee Varieties.
8 as Superman.
50 Norman Nesbitt. :
5 Singinc Sam.
AO Gabriel Heatter.
as Movie Parade.
50 This Is Our Enemy.
7A0-John B. Hughes. ,
7 as Art Kassel Orchestra.
750 Pass to Review.
9 AO Jack Mclean Orchestra.
8 50 Sinfonletta.
AO News.
8:15 Manhatters.
950 General Barrows.
9:45 Fulton Lewis. Jr.
10AO Louio Armstrong Orchestra.
10:15 Treasury Star Parade.
1050 News.
19:45 George Sterney Orchestra.
1150 Wingy Manone Orchestra.
ll:t&-Louie Armstrong Orchestra.
KOAC TUKSDAT IsO Kc.
IS AO News. .
19:15 The Homemakcrs Hour.
11 AO School of the Air.
1150 Music of the Masters.
IS AO News.
12:15 Noon Farm Hour
13:45 Neighborhood Leaders Ques
tion Box.
1:15 War Commentary. "
130 Variety Time.
15 Victory Front.
AO AAUW Half Hour.
8:30 Memory Book of Music.
SAO News.
as Adventures in Research.
S50 The Concert Hail.
40 Neighborhood Call. "
4:15 Echoes of WaikakL
450 Stories for Boys and Oirls.
AO-Private Pete Presents.
8:15 On the Campuses.
wkhou
to
fl left rahaiatiyi aftet'that :out.
burst pur talk just wouldn't be
natural and 1 unrestrained after
it, no matter how much each of
us txiea to make light of what
had been saidV But I walked up
stairs again the moment I arriv
ed downstairs. To phone Dad
from the privacy of toy room.
And then I sat in front of the
Instrument, not daring to lift the
mouthpiece. i
Finally, I. dialed the shipyard
numoer. l lhxx i worry about
. Gala,"! I told him 00. the, wire.
"Aggyls been I tellingj the truth.
She's in bed with an awful case
of thej snifnesrshell see' you, all1
ngnt, toe moment she looks hu
man again". $: ::-.-
Then I hung-up, quickly.
f ume sitnt sittfnff i hofnr thJ
telephone, deep; in thought, wheq
Nettie) came to; the doori : "
r The Inspector's ieen asking
for ypu twof or three times
'ma'ani, she inf ormea me. "Misl
Wentworth too. She! says ' she'i
stuck J with Mr. Avery and is
getting lockjaw from yawning,
and please f or j you to come and
take him overi Them's j her own
, Words, -Miss Kay." '-'.-'-.. ; j
In She library: I found Aunt
Millie and ! Curtis Avery facing
each other mutely before the
fireplace, she profoundly bored;
he distinctly jittery and with one
ear cocked. in the (direction of
..the drawing room. I'
The charming Stella' was un
dergoing one lof Inspector Pejt
tengul's smiling thirri degrees in
there Not of her free will either;
She had been! summoned ofCci
i "So'm I. I - wish you hadn't
fool-.!311 ne snrugged my lame
mm apology aside. "After alL on
scream sounds pretty much like
anotheri and you couldn't be
sure. It's played havoc with Stel
la's nerves. They were bad be
f ore. But tnow!"
"Again rm sorry, but I did
recognize her voice. Your wife's
creams are different fmm
others," I insisted. j
"Perhaps they are." he pta
unhappily. Toreive me if rv.
been rude. But Tm at my wits
end. Miss Wentworth. Stella is
In a state. Nothing X do Is right
Nothing the servants do pleases
her. The house Is an inferno ever
since the unfortunate scene here
in your garden last Sunday. It's
all based on her senseless Jeal
ousy of Gala Burton. If if only
Bruce hadn't been killed! If only
I could have brought them to
gether, so that he could have
explained how it was! And this
police Questioning! ;
e jumped up and walked to
the hall door, listening, as Stel-
closed drawing room. : '
ally," i I found out
Millie had vanished
-cedented alacrity.
after Aunt
with unpre-
5:45 104tn OrientaUosi Course.
:15 News.
50 Xvening Farm Hour.
750 Learn to Speak Spanhfh.
7 AS Latin American Melodies.
8 AO The World ta Review.
8:15 School of Music.
850 String Time.
AO Pan-American Melodies.
50 News. .1
W tJncle Sam. '
, 71 ame along in cise she need
ed me,' Avery explained nerv
ously,. and then piilled himself
together aufficiently to insert, a
perfunctory speech f condolence
into the recital of his : own trou-
-'..bles. y - j , . I I
, His attitude was a ! relief es-
peciailly as he addressed me as
'Mis Wentworth, without the
t hesitation and smirking I had
. come to dread anid j suited my
purpose besides. I Was more than
; . willing to tve him discuss his
- wife, in the hope of learning
aomething that might shed light
. on our murders. Also, her re
newed questioning puzzled me.1"
"Why. did the' Inspector call
her?" I asked curiously. t
: "Because you recognized her
voice in the Burton house, that
; evening. It's all I $ah think of,"
he said dejectedly.l r. . ." 1
I Tm sorry," I told him, with
' out much convlctioia.1 f
Dini'&eirpir
By GLENN BABB
ii
Wide World War Analyst for; The SUtesman
Chapter tZ ' -
"Bruce knew you! were driv
ing Gala to him?" I asked Curtis
Avery. "I thought Gala had
asked: you."
He Came from the back door.
"No, It was Brace's" idea. He'd
called me up about It long dis
tance at my office. I have en
office, you know. I'm supposed
to handle all my wife's proper
ties, under the supervision of
her trustees. In other words,
Tm her errand boy And, to be
honest with you, I did elope.
Not jwith any woman. Away
from Stella. Bruce had come In
to ; his mother's money and
welli I hoped he'd find an
opening for me in one of the en
terprises , he controlled, but"
He broke off with a helpless
gesture.; And I murmured "I'm
: sure; he would," not because I
i believed it, but to say something
in answer to his unsought con
fidences. , ; -.j-
"And he didn't tell you he was
coming back? You didn't know
he was here-" Z asked.
He shook his head. "If only
I had known! I could have made
him help line, if I'd had a chance
to talk with him. He would have
placed me, now that he had his
whole inheritance.". He paused
again, eg if debating something,
and then burst out desperately:
"Miss Wentworth ! please! I
have to presume. I know I have
. no right. You scarcely know me.
But j knew all along you and
Bruce were married, and I've
; kept your secret. Won't you help
, me, in (Bruce place? I'd take
any Job,? do anything, go any
where! So long as it takes me
away from here makes me
free!" p :V"-. .. .'; .
f It wm very embarrassing, and
rather terrible, seeing a man go
so jutterly to pieces, but in Cur
tis! Avery's case I j could under- i
stand it. No one could endure
Stella Avery forever, not for all
the money In the world.
"And yet. aomethins! in me re
belled against being drawn
deeper: into the, hidden life of
Caiffport, and I was greatly re
lieved when Sergeant Hatch ap
peared in the door at this cru
cial moment, announcing: "The
Inspector asks will you come In,
Mr. Avery. You too, Miss Went
worth, he said. If I Jcould find
you." f '. : '
"Well talk about it later, when
all this murder business Is over,"
I quickly assured the unfortun
ate Avery as I oreceded him
I
Heads Planning
' -
Frederle A, Delaae (above), rres
" UentXem tit's uncle, is chair-
'snaa 1 the statlenal reeosrees
planaing SxMraV whose pest-war
last for America jyas sent is
v eacrress try Ca president As
sacUted Zress TdcrU , .
For the second tfin'e this month
General MacArthur's communl
que calls attention to a growing
coooentratipn '-? of Japanese air
and sea power in the islands
above Australia. Evidently this;
. tenacious foe intends to keep -coming
on in spite of the unbro
ken series of disasters he has suf
fered on land and sea and in the '
air in the southwest Pacific thea
tre in the last six months. .
The 1 American commander's
. first alarm of the month was fol
lowed oilckly by the battle of
the Bismarck sea, Obviously
even that blow, in which the Jap
anese lost every ship of a 22-ves-'
sel convoy and nearly all the 13
000 men aboard, has not ended
the threat to Australia. .
But apparently the enemy does
not care to brave again the dead
ly striking power of. the land
based ' American, : Australian,
British and ZXitch planes that
wiped out his tommy as he tried,
to slip it down New Guinea's
northeast coast with reinforce-
: ments : for his garrisona in. the
Lae-Salamaua area. He Is look
ing for softer spots elsewhera. '
The new concentration is soma
1509 miles west of the Bismarch
sea area. Monday's communimia
mentioned ; especially transports
. and cargo ships in the Ambolna
Zobo area, to 03 miles above :
Darwin, the chief port of north
ern Australia. The setup suggests
strongly that a Japanese ttescent
on Australia's rparsely- populat
ed northwest coast, out of rangs
of the bases from which the bat-
- tie' of the Bismarck sea was won,
is In the making. ...
MacArthur's airmen have been
keeping dors watch ca thli rn ,:
acej for weeks, bttj recently the
evidence has become clearer jof
teady .idvancaUof Japanese
strength southward through the
islands west of New Guinea.
An invasion : of :northwestern
australia would s riecessarily
men an attempt! at permanent
oxrpatlon. The Objective prob
ably would be to create a diver
sion under cover of which the
Japanese Would attempt to im
. prove their situation In other
treas, where th j outlook cir
reritly is none too hopefuLIt,
might, eompel MaeArthur to jii.
. vert major forces from other 1
theatres and throw bis offensive
schedule out of fisr. -y- - ,,,
' Itmlgh for instance, forca a
retotioh of thelanied pressure
on the- Japanese in Bortheasteni
New Guinea, at Lae and Sala
maua, Uadang and Wewak. The
, position, of those j garrisons must
bej getting desperate; they need
ed the: supplies' jand .reinforce
ments that 22-shh? convoy was -
carrying. "'if-l.:'.-:. -;-.:r '" :- :
I (There are points of sirnllatity
between the present plight of the
J4ee m northwestern New
Guinea .and thai of their com- '
rades m Papua, jto the south,
shortlyl before: the Australians
and Americans destroyed utterly i
General Horfi'a frmy there, j
j IMeanwhfle the! outcome of' the
Bismarck sea batUe -Justice al- -lied
confidence to awaiting (the
next j Japanese blow. Despite i
warnings from headquarters that
Japaneseialr power stfll Ig'jfor- '
nudable,;! the sllles have such
marked man-foritnan and plane-foc-plane!
superiority . that I any
Japanese advmture within rangt
cf their bases is marked for ter- i
rible pusiihment If not Cr.ruc- ,
t-- . ' -. . ... i.
across the han.
In the drawiruc room an in
furiated Stella trying hard, and
in vain, to copy her aunt's im
Perious dignity was 5 facing a
placid Inspector, teetering com
fortably In his chair behind the
desk. ; " -.-;)-.' .
:h 1 "It's a lie! Tve told you a hun
dred times ifs a lie! she was
saying sharply when we came
: in. "Get that dirty liar, and I'll
tel Iher so to her face."
-jH She ; swung around at the
: sound of the door opening, saw
her wish fulfilled and gasped for
a second. Then her fury" poured
forth in a torrent
f "So here you are at last, you
liar!" she apostrophized me ve
nomously. "Saying I was in the
Burton house Friday night, when
X was home and in bed with a
sick headache and can prove it!
Tel lthem I was home. Curt!" she
" ordered her husband, and then
turned on the Inspector again.
."Why dyou believe her, and not
me? What right hare you to
. doubt my word? Ifs an outrage,
nd X promise you tt won't be
overlooked when the next pro-
..motions are given out IH have
!you demoted. IH have you pound
the pavement again, down by the
wharves, rn " -. . .
. The Inspector' atopped tecter
j Ing and leaned his arms on the
1 table. "Til have you put in the
I hoosegow, if you don't stop jav
I ing he assured her amiably.
; It cut of fber breath. be
turned purple, gasping with the
shock of it And the Inspector
used the momentary hiatus to
address her husband.
"Mrs. Avery gays she was to
home the time Hiss Kay heard
her scream In the Burton house.
'."Was she?"- . ' j .
! Curtis Avery had calmed down
remarkably ia the last minutes.
"To exactly what time do you
refer?" ha asked politely.
-liair past elt to tine."
(To t-