JAh
fa
m
' i 7
Pi
uying
Chapter 1
A FIRM ON THE ROCKS
The road to Kings Mallard held
steadily west. When the most re
mote of cathedral cities had been
left behind and the last big-spread
larm had ditched down into waste
land, there was still a sign-post to
point due west "To Kings Mallard."
Then, hard on the post, came an
uprising of hills heather-covered
hills, lying in a plumy curve like the
lips of a feather fan; open to the
sea. And In the center of the tan,
the bay. And in the most shelter
ed lip of the bay, the town, Kings
Mallard; west of the world,
had been a klnR's port, once and
the still older Yarn Market, were
hemmed In by what had once been
merchants' homes and were now the
offices of Kings Mallard's profes
sional men.
The bank was there, for Instance
it straggled over the lower floors
of two of the oldest buildings.
Next to the bank was an Inn and
next to the Inn a leaning, lath-and-plaster
house of which the top
part was still a private residence;
while the ground-floor displayed
wire blinds and gilt lettering:
"Quentln, Lodely ic Cane, Solicitors,
Commissioners for Oaths, etc."
Two of the partners In this firm
were, on a golden October after
noon, quarrelling In an upper room
of the lalh-and-plaster house. They
had not chosen to meet In the of
fices below, because It was a Sat
urday and the rooms had been
dusted and darkened for the week
end. They sat, Instead, upstairs,
in what was really Mrs. Cane's
drawing-room; and their anger car
ried much of their speech to her
as she sat trembllnR In her bed
room on the other side of the shaky
wall.
"I won't be spoke to like that,
SUNDOWN
STORIES'
TOP NOTCH'S LETTKR
By Mary Graham Bonner
This was the letter Top Notch,
the Rooster, had Willy Nilly write
lor him:
"Dear Santa Claus:
"Merry Christmas, cock-a -doodle -do.
When you're leaving tills part
of the world early Christmas morn
ing to go back to your home up
north I'll be crowing as hard as
ever I can.
"It will be a special crowing for
you, Santa, to wish you the merri
est of Christmases from all the
creatures of Puddle Muddle.
"Dear Santa, I keep a store in
Puddle Muddle, but I haven't been
paying much attention to It lately.
"Could you bring me a few things
that I need for it? I'm out of string
and red paint and I need a paint
brush and I wonder if I could also
have a little brush to brush my
comb the comb on top of my head
I mean.
"It may mix you up to have me
osk for a brush for my comb. Don't
think I mean a brush and comb.
"You know I've been made Mayor
of Puddle Muddle this year, and I
think a Mayor should look nice and
neat, don't you, Santa Claus?
"I've heard that there are little
boxes with holes punched through
them where things can be kept nice
nnd fresh. Now, Santa, the things
I have in mind that would be fine
to have kept nice and fresh are
come delicious worms.
"Mrs. Quacko Duck is making me
o stocking out of some of the feath
ers I have lost. So you will know
that my stocking is made out of
Booster feathers and that the
Ducks' Christmas stockings are the
ones made with Duck feathers.
That Is how you wil be able to tell
the difference.
"I have been a good Rooster,
Santa, and I hope you'll remember
tne well.
"Your loving Top Notch."
ACROSS
81
First even
1 1 timber
Subsequently
Cllmatio con
ditions Mni;o speeches
I'll L on
Tropical
American
lizards
Metal
Old onth
Likely
Repair: colloq,
Journey
Epochs
At liomo
Unite
NIkM befora
an event
Paasnfjo out
Coupled
Votcltllko
pin nt
Small piece of
pasteboard
Parent: colloq.
Ilnve n care:
poet
Slender
Catch sight of
Unrefined
metal
Incline
Exclamation
Unions
aafei
mi
Solution of Yesterday's Puzzle
9.LL M ADA MpjCjA Y
N I Lff I R O N E ijoE
A R aIn etl EN PS
Mm e Is aHm q an M
IfLE AlfeE N ST V E
ON gffiR E A 0 S'0B L A
k andIv js t aBa s
E N P U R E D 1 I NIuTr E
Hop en e rtpjs" jp
c u E dIaJ t Wj via
AiilARiSEA IL
44, Magnificent
AG. illcli brown
cotor
47. Wander lm-
lesNly
49. T-:t tie real salt
T.O. Utter
61. English city
DOWN
1, Fcinnle sheep
t. Leasing
i
tip' '7
f;
Hi
35 3i III Tt W.-3'
1 1
- utu.
Hi
sk
i W 171"
I 1 I I 1 itm im
Barbara
cam mm
Mr. Lodely, not by anyone and by
you least of all." Her husband's
voice was growing regrettably rag
ged and high, site thought, and
he wasn't expressing himself quite
so gentlemanly- as usual; but he
was sticking to hU point, he was
standing up for hJmsslf and, al
though he trembled, she craned
her neck to hear him. But Mr.
Lodely was exploding again.
"Dammit, Cane, if ever there was
a time when we've all got to face
plain facts!"
"I'm facing 'em all right. I can
spell words like ruin and bank
ruptcy as well as you and better
than Mr. Quentln."
"Quentln has lost his grasp of
affairs; he's 111; dying. By God, I
never though to envy a dying man
but I envy him! Whatever Is in
store for us won't hurt him he'll
be out of It! Gone!"
"He'll leave his wife and the little
girl behind, though, won't he?
What 'II they have to live on? Mrs.
Quentln hasn't a penny to her own!
Why isn't he worrying out his last
days, trying to provide for them?
No, Mr. Lodely, It's not because
he's lost his grasp of things it's
because he never had none. Books
was his interest. Fishing. Garden
ing. Not his profession anything
but that. And the same with you.
Hunting. Sailing. Dog-breeding.
Anything except"
"Isn't that Just a little imperti
nent, Cane?"
"Plain facts, you said, Mr. Lode
ly. And the plain facts are that
there's only one of us knows any
law In this firm and that's me.
And there's only one of us has
done a full day's work in the last
ten years and that's me, too.
"Year after year office-boy.
clerk, partner have I worked at
building up this firm. What do
they call It In the town? Cane's.
What do the farmers call It when
they come in about their mort
gages? Cane's. Mr. Quentln and
Mr. Lodely, all, they're gentlefolk,
they have private means, they live
out on Upper Mallard hill. The
only one that needs to earn his
fees is Cane, he lives above the
premises, he's worked himself up
from lord knows what!
"Well? Well? What of all this?
If Quentln and I didn't need to sit
poring over deeds and conveyances,
why should we? We've thrown
every farthing of our private in
comes Into the pot and if it isn't
enough to save us from ruin, what
more can we do?"
"You can refrain from twisting
the blame so that It lays at my
door. You can remember that from
the first I was reluctant for us to
take the course we did and from
the first you've over-rode me you
and Mr. Quentln. And you cau get
out of my house."
Mrs. Cane gulped and held on to
the arms of her chair. She waited
for the crash of Mr. Lodely fling
ing himself upon her poor James
. . . But the crash did not come.
There was a moment's terrible
silence and then the drawing-room
door opened. Peeping through her
own, she saw the visitor cross the
upper hall and go heavily down the
stairs; a big, red-faced man in riding-clothes.
He looked dazed, she
thought; for a moment she won
dered whether he were drunk or ill.
She went to the window of the
hall when his slow footsteps had
finally faded from the house; she
could see, by peering .out and
down, into the yard of the inn nest
door. Within five minutes Mr.
Lodely came Into it and she
watched him dig into one pocket
after the other for the sixpence to
the boy who was getting his horse.
Sixpence? She sniffed a shilling,
more likely. They'd never had any
sense of money, either him or his
wife. They'd spent every penny of
their income for the Inst ten years,
although they insisted that they
lived a simple country life.
Mrs. Cane, mouse-brown at her
upper window, checked over the
Lodely simplicities; open house to
flip county, horses. 1rs. servants,
11. P.eposcs
11. Wine ens'
17. Opening
19. G oil doss of
lllSLOHl
21. Old exprci
sl'Ml oC dli
2:, Throw lishlly
M. Knger
t'. Pull shnntly
0. Aciinlro be
labor !S. Coohlr.fr
formula
iX Sutferliiff
ID. Knroli upon a
Mat for Jury
fluty
SI. Period of llcht
33. YawHinc
abysses
Sj. Wnfcu fii-m
sleep
SC. S.-a eagles
17. Small mound
of earth
IS. Compnrntlr
obscurity
4". risivnrlcntor
41. Altfnr tree;
h'cotch
43. nitirl .
44. Merry
4'. Arid
48. Uabylcnlan
. Root
. Article
. Von and I .
urea
. Noisy
, Hoiitlmrn con'
stollmMn
. Dinl of bP4l
Unnt pin
inn go
. Day's march
sables and tailor-mades lor shop-
lng days in Toxeter, Hand-spun
tweeds lor every day. Of couse.
there was poor little Mark, he was
a groat expens and one had never
grudged him the best of everything
And what hone was there lor his
future now?
r. Lodely, down in the Inn-
yard, mounted and rode slowly out
of her hlght; but the eyes of her
mind remained upon huu, much as
her thin shoulder remained against
the window-pane, because she her
self was tired and unhappy. In her
imagination she followed the rider's
home-faring; she saw hhn come
out from under the old archway of
the Inn and turn Into the Yarn
Market, and then up High street;
he would take his way out of the
town by one of the many lanes that
climber into the lolds of Upper
Mallard hill.
She raised her head and gazed
at Upper Mallard hill, that great,
golden buttress curving between
Kings Mallard and the world.
"The gentry" lived up there: al
most she could see the roofs of the
house she called In her west -country
way "Lodely's." And she could
see that all the way up to that
house, people touched their hats to
the man on the horse. Bankrupt
he might be, but they would always
touch their hats to him. Whereas.
they would only stare at her and
James.
"Em! Here a minute!"
She jumped and turned; James
was motioning her into the draw
ing-room. But her thoughts were
still vaguely with the man who
had recently left it and, as she
mechanically straightened cushions
and emptied an ash-tray, she
asked
"You don't think he'll do any
LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE
I WONDER WHAT MR.
FUTILE CAM BE UP
TO- HE ACTED ALL
EXCITED AND SAID
HE HAD SOME BUSINESS
TO TEND TO- HE'S
NEVER LEFT TH' STORE
LIKE THIS BEFORE
HE'S BEEN GONE OVER
V AN HOUR-
REG'LAR FELLERS
THE GI MPS
'RL - fcuMPS-
PR6SA.Re
VOUR-iSLP
FOR RSL.
TREA.T
VOU HAVE EN
ExPECTiWfc, Bi
TO VIIT YOU
POR CHRISTWAS-
'OUD WvONfcY BAdV
AS MILLIE'S MA
CALLS MIAA -VgU-MgRg
MJ
he.'s on his
way to your
h0us.6 im his
palacs on
vmhiselS -naiT
till YOU
SEE
MUTT AND JEFF
IfHCLLOlTHI I AUGOSTuS MuTT.
j.AottiueRiMG Your uiwn-ftD in
look what I got
( THE. BABY POR
-S4 agicie! pn' it
,,S2T ONE.Y COST fit y
ine
MORMING PAP6R. I' HONEST,
soaen ami ambitious: do i '
TttC JOB .' - OKAY I KtVOKI I
rr- -pj v at oNce. j-
CM TAl H6UX4V
TAILSIMN TOMMY By Glenn Chains and Hal Forrest EASIER SAID THAN DONE!
r - - - . ' ! I m.- 1 I J 1 i-Mii
THE CAPITAL JOURNAL,
thing to himself, do you?"
The reassurance she expected did
not come.
"He might. It's all he can do.
And if he did I'd be the last to
stop him."
She glanced at her husband and
her pride in his defiance gave place
to her usual faint fear. Yes, lor all
he was so slim and sandy-colored
and harmless-looking, and such a
good lather to little Leila, she was
nearly always Irightened of him.
He had a fixed smile that well,
she couldn't put a name to it. But
when he told her to stop fidgeting
and come to the window, she obey
ed him anxiously.
"Look out there!" he commanded.
"Out along the line of the bay to
the old coastguard's cottage. See
that bit ol level green field Just
below it?" And when she nodded
"Well, that's where I was going to
build my house. No Upper Mallard
for mo, with gentlemen's residences
all round me, eyeing me right andt
left. I planned to build for myself,
out there with the sea under the
windows and a private road between
the back door and this god-forsaken
hole of a town. But all that's
gone."
"Poor James!" she said timidly.
"Do do you think of going back;
to London for a new 6tart? Speak- j
ing for myself I'd be glad enough, i
Feopie'il be staring and pointing
here lor a long while yet, whatever
sort oi a home we manage to keep
together."
"Let 'cm stare! I'll be king of
this dung-heap yet!"
"James!"
"But in London I'm nobody." He
passed his hand over his face and
seemed to wipe away some of his
bitterness. His Hps were folded tn
their habitual half -smile when he
LET'S SEE- I
BELIEVE 1 HAVE
OUST THE EXACT
CHANGE
VES MAM-
HERE IT IS-
I' J
JMhAT WILL TH &UMPS SAY? f," J
(SHOW "WILL THEY TREAT. B1M. " . I
J WHEN HE MAKES THEM, , j
BELIEVE THAT HE HAi 9 I 'gjl
LOVT ALL WIS NEALTM? f ft llj
Hv.e.LL,t'M goimg I crtccitio, I 3oT" JsH THe UA of mvtt really hcJ2s .1
V I avf . I IKsAK. I JTMIWtl OV&.R MIM. HO TOU DUNS l5 m
m a w . I m. m . , i m ',. i i i i i i m z,:m wt - o c.
3Pft?iiKS'K5n TWO OF "Ett ItIOlTMuT StiOWbruESIAT payfeyl- HOU) YOU 60IN' TO SET!
tL i, -.-.-xT you KNOlO THAT Y r-r IN THAT WHJSEl NO fei 'CM OUT? itX COULD fL REDAkK" SHOWS WW VHV. S. CLOSE ENOUGrt 10 THAT I
trvS-TC flyer may be fiSi?:fc oise feller could tH? tot a& they wthat wou're ea, not? house to put it on fire
ligSrSWLONC'.UHOEVE'R ,!;t'3B.0OALlTHAT I tC lOERt COMIN OUT -SM UlTH US.ALL , Wm WITHOUT BElN POTTED J
iHl lU Mill" T IT T II I i kfes?-, TH' DOOSS AR.E iaioeA NNT V- Sa
I MIS IM OFF HERE WOtSL W7 rll feO SKuT. J VSk N0 'l KP9MSffl!l
SALEM. OREGON
A NSWERS TO
jfQUESTIONS
By Frederic J. Haskin
Ask any questions ol fact und it
will be answered, free, by mall
direct to you. Enclose three cents
hi coin or stamps lor reply postage.
Do not use postcard. Address the
Capital Journal Information -Bur
eau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director,
Washington, D. C.
Q. What are the cobwebs mode
of which are used In old houses Ln
the movies? W.D.
A. They arc made of finely shred
ded asbestos.
Q. Is more electric power for pub
lic use generated by fuel or water
power? E.N.H.
A. Power lor public use hi the
United Slates is generated in ap
proximately 3741 central stations.
About 60 per cent of the total out
put is generated from fuel and the
remainder from water.
Q. What power has the president
ln changing the tariff? J.W.L.
A. As the tariff law was finally
asked "Where's Leila?" i
Mrs. Cane went to the door and
called. Down the upper staircase
came sidling a child of eight or
nine, whose eyes illtted from one
parent to the other with a sly, at
tentive brightness.
Two women are introduced, to
morrow, who have much to do with
future events.
QUICK.'
GUMP& -TO
THe I
NINDOW .
CAN'T YOU
HEAR THAT
WORM ?
BlM, IS
THERE -AU.
THE
WAY PROM
AUSTRALIA-
YlLDA
faET OUT
THAT
WELCOME
MAY- ,
HURRaM.1
THREE
CW6ERS-
1 I'M SURE M MOTHER ALWAYS ffiW I've ALWAYS WANTED . i
V YOU'RE f I H WANTED A REAL SILK J TO GIVE NICE THINGS AT g tm
rl I GOING TO i ORESS LIKE THIS- AND II CHRISTMAS- BUT I'VE L (SS
J I MAKE I I m I HOPE LITTLE ANNIE I ffi NEVER SEEMED TO HAVE g, W,
f SOMEBODY I IS LIKES WHAT 1 GOT FOR I B4 ANY. MONEY. TILL THIS fe' IMA
) I VERY 1 BJ HER- HEH! HEH! THE EXACT ! K M YEAR- BUT. WITH THE E. KS?
r! MR. FUTILE-J d THAT YOUNG LADY IT WAS J f M AT LAST WE'RE JGETTlN''yg W
v-1, . iA ALL THE MONEY I HAD. TO J f II AHEAD A MITE-Jg"; Hg
THEY RE RErUMr
CiENAWINB YR?
NORTH POLE
11
passed it provides that the tariff
commission's reports shall be made
only to the president and shall
siieclfy the increases or decreases
necessary to equallzo costs of pro
duction. No duty may be increased
or decreased more than 50 per cent.
No transfers may be made to or
from the free list. The pressident
may proclaim the recommended
changes or not, as he chooses. No
limit is placed on the time within
which he may make such procla
mation. The chief change from the
flexible provision of the 1922 act is
that responsibility lor revision of
rates is placed definitely on the
tariff commission; that is, the pres
ident no longer has the right to
determine, following recommenda
tion of the commission, the amount
by which the duty shall be changed,
within the 60 per cent range; he
must either accept or reject the
specific rate recommended.
Q. Is there an easy way to re
move the outside husks of black
walnuts? AH.
A. The department of agriculture
says that the ordinary corn shelter
is effective,
Q. Exactly what is a penthouse?
H.W.
A. It is a shed-like structure,
usually clinging to the side of a
building, having a sloping roof and
corbelled floor. It sometimes is
f THATS VERY WEET
1 OP YOU TO, SE.E.
I THE. BftHYS E.AES. ARE.
V NICE AHD WARM!
(OorrHfit mt br Om Brra TrfJ Xtrk Bf
UEUO.Ml'rJ.'j 3TTi fl ATtL WW
& ' v Mey M ' J Yo- mS
used immediately over a doorway.
Also a small shed built as a tem
porary shelter In an opsn Held Is
classed as a penthouse. The term
Is now applied to living quarters
built on the roof of a tall building.
Q. which has a larger popula
tionMoscow or Leningrad? CM.
A. According to the latest census,
Moscow, Russia, has a population of
2,025,947 and Leningrad has a pop
ulation of 1,014,008.
Q. When were reindeer imported
into Alaska? H.A.
A. Through the efforts of Dr.
Sheldon Jackson, a missionary, 16
Siberian reindeer were brought into
the Bering sea region in 1891 and
171 reindeer ln 1892. By 1902, 1280
had been imported, when the Rus
sian government lorbade further
export ations. The number increas
ed to over 400,000, of which about
100,000 have been used for food and
clothing.
Q. Why are refreshments some
times called a collation? F.W.
A. The term was originally con
fined to the light evening refection
of monks, and is supposed to have
been named from the Collationes
of Cassianus read in Benedictine
monasteries before the repast.
Q. Whose statue stands in Union
town, Pennsylvania? It Is a short
man holding a beaver hat. H.W.J.
A. The statue Is of the Marquis
de Lafayette for whom that county
was named. He made several visits
to that county during and after the
war of the Revolution. The statue
was made by a wood carver and
placed on a dome of a court house
erected about 1840. When the pres
ent court house was built, the sta
COME EASY GO EASY
THT
V. I. Ptt- OfflM
MUTT
LOOKiTKIS
TUB. YEAR.
tue was resurrected from the buse-
.,, nf tit., fklrt rnill-L house and
placed on a pedestal on the present
cotut house lawn.
O. Will nutting a cotton dross
away for the winter without taking
the "starch out of it cause the ma
terial to deteriorate? H.K.M.
a There aimears no reason to ex
pect starched cotton goods to de
teriorate more rapidly than un
starched on storage.
Q Where Is the Cloud peak prim
itive area? N.P.
A It is an expanse of 94,000 acres
on ths high core of the Bighorn
mountains in Wyoming. Tills area
lies ln the Bighorn national forest
inldwav between the continental
divide and the Black Hills, at 9500
to 13,103 feet elevation. Thore are
about 200 attractive lakes, many of
glacial origin. There are no auto
mobile roads. Wild life is abun
dant, and the southern half of the
area is ln game preserves. Pioneer
conditions of travel will be main
tained by the forest service.
Q. What is lire? L.S.
A. Fire may be described as the
visible light and heat that are
evolved by the action of high tem
perature on certain bodies, turn
ing or combuslon results from the
chemical reaction between the ele
ments composing the fuel and the
oxygen ln the air.
9 O'rrv
"Sow all we need," Puff exclaims,
"is some snow
To fill out our picture of Ifulctidc."
And so
The weather man comes to his res
cue posthaste
And piles up the drifts till they
reach Puffy's waist.
A MUSICAL BENEFIT
HURRAY!
WORKS ONE DAY A YEAR
IS THS. SHORTEST DAY IM
IT'S MAY-L16HT JoB He
that!
t GOT 'EM SOS
i CAM PRACTICE THE
I a ASS DRUM j
WHILE. HE'S
AL.tcp yz'
SoT- AMD THAT MEANS THEY (SUIT AT
FOUR O'CLOCK. OM JUNG. 2.1 il- THeY WORK
I
TLL MIME O'CLOCK:. BUT MuTT LOAFS IN 4UVC.
1
t