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About Eagle Valley news. (Richland, Or.) 191?-1919 | View Entire Issue (April 24, 1919)
Copyright by Frsnk A. Munscy Co. THE STRANGE ANIMAL GOES TO LONDON AND THERE IS PUT ON EXHIBITON BY PAULVITCH JACK CLAYTON BCOMES RESTLESS Synopsis. A scientific expedition off the African const rescues Alexis l'aulvltcli. Ho brings aboard an ape. Intelligent nnd friendly. CHAPTER I Continued. 2 The ofllcers and scientists aboard of ten discussed the beast, but tlicjcwere unable to account satisfactorily for the strange ceremony with which be greet ed each new face. Had he been discov ered upon the innlnland or any other place than the almost unknown Island that had been his home they would have concluded that he had formerly been a pet of man, but that theory was not tenable In the lace of the Isolation of his uninhabited Island. He seemed continually to be search ing for some one, nnd during the llrst days of the return voyage from the Island he was often discovered nosing about In various parts of the ship, but after he had seen and examined each face of the ship's company and explor ed every corner of the vessel, ho lapsed Into utter Indifference of all about him. Even the Russian elicited only casual Interest when he brought him food. At other times the ape appeared merely to tolerate 1dm. He never showed affection for him or for nnyone else upon the Mnrjorle W. Nor did he at any time evince any In dication of the savage temper that had marked his resentment of the attack of the sailors upon him at the time that he had come among them. Host of his time was spent In the eye of the ship, scanning the horizon ahead, as though he were endowed with sufficient reason to know that the vessel was bound for some port where there would te other human beings to undergo his searching scrutiny. All in all. Ajax, as he had been dubbed, was considered the most remarkable and in telligent ape that anyone aboard the Mnrjorle W. had ever mvii. Nor was his Intelligence the only re markable attribute lie owned. Ills stature nnd physique were, for an upe, nwe-lni Iring. That he was old was quite cUdcnt, but if his age had im paired his physical or mental powers In the slightest it wn.s not apparent. And so at length the Murjorle W. came to Englnnd, and there the olllcers nnd the scientists, filled with compas sion for the pitiful wreck of a man they had rescued from the Jungles, fur nished Paulvltch with funds and bid him and Ajax Godspeed. Upon the dock tntl all through the Journey to London the Russian had his hands full with Ajax. Each uew face of the thousands that came within the anthrapold's ken must be carefully scrutinized, much to the horror of many of his victims. But at last, falling ap parently to discover whom he sought, the great ape relapsed Into morbid ap dlfference, only occasionally evincing Interest In a passing face. In London Puulvltch went directly with his prize to a famous animal trainer. This man was much Impressed with Ajax, with the result that he agreed to train him for a lion's share of the profits of exhibiting him and In the meantime to provide for the keep of both the npe and his owner. And so cume Ajax to London, and there was forged another link In the chain of strunge circumstances that were to affect the lives of many people. CHAPTER II. "To See Ajax." Mr. Ilurold Mooro was u Uhuis countenanced, studious young mun. i It took himself veYy seriously, and his life and his work, whleh.latter was the tutoring of the young son of Lord Oreystoke, n British nobleman. He felt that Ida charge wuh not muklng the progress that his parents hud a right to expect, und lio was now con scientiously explaining thin act to the boy'a mother. "His solo Interest seems to bo eats nt physical promut nnd tho reading of I'verythlng Hint lie emi got hold of ro luting to xuviigu beast mid the Jive unit vu'Umm ot uncivilized nooplw. Particularly stories of animals appeal to him. He will sit for hours together poring over the work of some African explorer, and upon two occasions I have found him sitting up in bed nt night reading Carl Hagenbeck's book on men and beasts. For several minutes neither spoke. It was the boy's mother who tlimlly broke the silence. "It is very necessary, Mr. Moore," she said, "that you do everything In your power to discourage this tendency In Jack ; he " But she got no further. A loud "Whoop!" from the direction of the window brought them both to their feet. The room was on the second floor of the house", nnd opposite the window to which their attention had been attract ed was a large tree, a branch of which spread to within a few feet of the sill. Upon this branch they both discov ered the subject of their conversation, n tall, well built boy, balancing with ease upon the bending limb nnd utter ing loud shouts of glee as he noted the terrified expressions upon the faces of his audience. The mother and tutor both rushed toward the window, but before they had crossed half the room the boy had leaped nimbly to the sill and entered the apartment wllh them. "Oh, mother," he cried, "there's n wonderful educated ape being shown They Both Discovered the Subject of Their Conversation. at one of the music halls. Willie Grimsby saw It last night. He says It can do everything but talk. It rides u bicycle, eats with knife and fork, counts up to ten und cver'so many other won derful things. And can I go und see It too? Oh, please, mother please let mo I" Patting the boy's cheek affectionate ly, tho mother shook her head nega tively. "No, Jack," she said; "you know I do not approve of such exhi bitions." "I don't see why not, mother," re plied tho boy, "AH the other fellows go, and they go to the zoo, too, nnd you'll never let mo do even that. Any hody'd think I was a girl or or u mol lycoddle. Oh, father," ho exclaimed ns tho door opened to admit u tall, gray eyed man "oh, futher, can't I go?" 'Go where, my son?" asked the new comer, "Ho wants to go to n music hall to see a trained ape," said the mother, looking wnrnlngly ut her husband. "Who Ajax?" questioned tho mun. Tho boy nodded. "Well, I don't know that I hlamo you, my son," suld tho futher. "I wouldn't mind seeing him myself. They say ho Is very wonderful and that for uti an thropoid ho Is unusually largo, Let's all go, J'Uiu, Whut do you uuy'i" IIu turned towurd his wlfo, . ' "But that lady only shook her hend In n most positive manner nnd, turning to Mr. Moore, asked him If It was not time that he nnd Jack wcro In tho study for their morning recitations. When tho two had left she turned to ward her husband. It was from her husband that tho boy had Inherited his longing for tho wild. Lord Oroystoke's parents had been set on tho shore ot tho west coast of Africa by mutineers. After their death their Infant son was stolen nnd mothered by nn npe, and he In turn be camo the king of a tribe of great apes. no was known as Tunsun. After many adventures ho was rescued and Anally settled down In London. "John," Lady Greystoko said, "some thing must be done to discourage Jack's tendency toward anything that may excite the craving for the savage life, which, I fear, he has Inherited from you. You know from your own expe rience how strong Is the call of tho wild nt times. You know that often It has necessitated a stern struggle on your part to resist the almost Insano deslro which occasionally overwhelms you to plunge once again Into the Jun guo life that claimed you for so many years, nnd at the same time you know better than any other how frightful' n fate It would be for Jack were the trail to the savage Jungle made either allur ing or easy to him." "I doubt If there Is any danger of his Inheriting n taste for Jungle life from me," replied tho man, "for I cannot conceive that such n thing may bo transmitted from father to son. And sometimes, Jnne, I think that In your solicitude for his future you go a hit too far In your, restrictive niensures. Ills lovo for nnlmals his desire, for example, to soe thl trained ape Is only natural In a healthy, normal boy of his age." And John Clayton. Lord Oreystoke, put an arm about his wife. laughing good-naturedly down Into her up turned face before he bent his hend nnd kissed her. Then, morn seriously, he continued: "You hnvo never told Jack anything concerning my early life, nor have you permitted mo to, and In this I think that you have made a mistake. Had I been able to tell him of 4 ho experi ences of Tnrzun of the Apes I could doubtless hnvo taken much of the ! glamor and romnnce from Jungle life that naturally surround It In the minds of those who have had no experience of It. Ho might then hnvo profited by my experlenco; but now, should tho Jungle lust every claim him, he will hnvo nothing to guide him but his own Impulses, nnd I know how powerful thevc may be In tho wrong direction nt times." But Lady Greystoko only shook her head ns she bad a hundred other times when the subject had claimed their at tention In the past. "No, John." she Insisted. "I shall never give my consent to tho Implant ing In Jack's mind of nny suggestion of the savage life from which wo both wish to preserve him." Mr. Moore's room was next to that of his youthful charge, and It was tho tutor's custom to have a look Into the boy's each evening ns tho former was about to retire. This evening ho was particularly careful not to neglect this duty, for he had Just come from a con ference with the boy's father and moth er, In which It had been Impressed TYPISTS MAKE BAD ERRORS Slips Are Very Amusing In Some In stances, and Hard to Explain In Many Others. If some lady typists can rnako n mistake they will, and some of their efforts ure very amusing, a humorist relates. One typist produced the re mark, In regard to n rather conceited mun, that "his one weakness was on ion sauce," the real word being "om niscience." Another, In an obituary of a great theologian, spoke of his belief In the "Immorality of the soul." Just the omission of tho "t" from "Immor tality" made all the difference. Some few years ago a speaker at a meeting waxed very sympathetic over tho death of tho wlfo of n manager of the company nt some fover-strlcken Lpluce In West Africa, and tho report ers who were afterwards getting out this speech together to save tlmo were In, a Jocular mood. At tho end of the pathetic oration tho ono who was dictating said, for a Joke, and to amuse tho others, "Loud Laughter," and the foolish girl, who was as much u machine us tho typewriter ut which she sat, actually put tho words In. Moreover, they appeared In print In. n financial newspaper, and a very hum ble apology hud to bo inado by tho edi tor afterwards, although any explana tion of tho "slip" wuh Impossible, Highly Valued Pen. Ono of tho most valuable pens In tho world, and ono that has been much coveted by curio hunters, Is ono owned In Now York, It was mudo from n carved box In which George Washing ton, when a young man, kept tho lenses of Ids surveying Instruments, tho wood of which formed tlio lid of tho deck ot tho cuptulu of the historic ifuvilowyr. upon htm that ho must exerclso tho greatest caro to prevent Jack visiting the music hull where Ajax was being shown. .So when ho opened tho boy's door nt about half-past nine ho was greatly ex cited, though not entirely surVrlsed, to find thu future Lord Greystoko fully dressed for thu street und about to crawl from his open bedroom window. Mr. Mooro made n rapid sprint across the apartment, but tho waste of energy was unnecessary, for wlien tho boy heard him within the chamber and realized that tie had been discovered, ho turned back, as though to relinquish his planned ndventure. "Where were you going?" panted tho excited Mr. Moore. "I nin going to see Ajax," replied the boy quietly, "I am autonlshed 1" cried Mr. Mooro. A moment Inter ho was Infinitely moro astonished, for tho bey, approaching Moment Later He Was Infinitely More Astonished, close to him, suddenly seized him about the waist, lifted him fnmi his feet and threw him, back downward, upon the bed, shoving his face deep Into the soft pillow. "Be quiet," admonished the victor, "or I'll choko you." Mr. Mooro struggled, but his efforts wcro In vain. Whatever else Tnrzun of the Apes may or may not have handed down to his son, he had at least be queathed him almost ns marvelous a physique as ho himself had possessed at thu same age. Kneeling upon him. .Tuck tore strips from a sheet and bound tho man's hands behind his back. Then ho rolled him over und stuffed a gag of the same material between his teeth, securing It with n strip wound about tho back of his victim's head. Next ho tied Mr. Moore's feet together. Young Jack Clayton over comes parental opposition, throt tles the crabbed Mr. Moore and goes to see the performing ape, with whom he makes friends. (TO 111: t'ONTINlMSD.) Clock Dials for Summer. Instead of moving the hands of tho clock forward and back at thu time of changing from standard to summer time, nnd vice versa, a plan recently proposed In England Is to have clocks provided with an adjustable dial. Tho circular disk of the dial wpuld ho put In place by screws In curved slots, and the dial would be rotated through ono hour spaco at thu time of making tho change, leaving the hands untouched. It Is claimed that this plan Is especial ly deslrablo In tho easo of striking clocks, the bauds of which cannot bo moved back. The position of the dial would also Indicate whether thu clock was keeping summer or normal time. Tho objection to this procedure, of course, Is that practically everybody tells time from position of tho hands, without any attention to the figures on the dial. Not All So Harmless. Tho part of Father Christmas may be easily overacted, as a certain town councilor would be tho first to admit. Ho had been asked to take part in tho annual treat to the old folk ut tho lo cal workhouse. Mado up iih thu an cient gentleman beloved of thu chil dren, ho went, and for a tlmo his pranks and antics delighted tho com pany. Then n scrap of conversation ho chanced to overhear scarcely added to tho worthy councilor's enjoyment. "Ain't 'o cnjoyln' of hlsself?" re marked ono aged Inmate to another. "Wot a treat It Is for tho likes o' hoi Hut why can't they let nil Iho loonies out on a night like this?" ' "Well," tamo Iho reply, "mebbo they ain't all so harmless as thls'n," Describes Trouble, "Trouble," said Undo Hben, "In a lot o' cases Is only Jes u lazy mini' numo foh liurd wmli," BOY-SCOUTS IK M SEA SCOUTS TRAIN ASHORE This Is undoubtedly ono of the most picturesque, If not the most appealing, division of tho scouting program. It has to deal with that element In the boy 'a life which Is seldom thoroughly satisfied unless ho actually runs away and goes to sea, Tho program Includes every phase of nautical work. It Ih based on a program outlined by and In charge of James A. Wilder. Mr. Wilder Iiiih hud the heartiest co-operation In develop ing this from tho high olllcluhj of tho navy department. Tho plan In n thoroughly working ono nnd Its promotion attracts u great JAMES A. WILDER, Chief Sen Scout of the Sea Scouts of the Boy Scouts of America. deal of attention. It Is now nnd la In tended to work with older scouts. It's not, however, entirely n cn board affair. It's so designed that nn inland city can produce practically the same results. Tho Idea of training seamen Inland Is not a new thing. It has been ex tensively dono both In .Sweden und Norway for generations. HOW SCOUTS HELPED FRANCE. A' recent statement received nt nn tloual headquarters of tho Boy Scouts of American by General Baden-Powell, head of tho English scouts, contnlns the following: "Tho fighting Is over nt Inst, and tho scouts, whether from homo or over seas, have distinguished themselves In notlccnblo proportion throughout the war. Among tho highest, three out of General Hulg's five army command ers In Franco nro scout commissioners Sir Herbert Plumer, Sir William Blrdwood and Sir Julian Byng. "While nt Llllu I heard of tho pluck of n boy scout during thu German oc cupation. No sooner had tho German staff received news by wireless ns to tho progress of tho war and events In other countries than It was at onco known by all the Inhabitants of Lille. "Till tho time of their departtiro thu Germans never discovered how tho news leaked out. As soon as night fell every evening this hoy rigged up his wireless apparatus on tho roof of Ida home, received all tho nows that wuh going and had It typed and communi cated to his friends. Tho nppnrntus was all down and stowed uwny beforo tho day dawned." NOT EASY TO STAY A SCOUT. Being a scout stands for service This service may mean a sncrlllco or tho changing of his entlro modo of living, Mich as tho rearrangement of Ids studies or tho giving up of amuse meiitH or things ho may like best. This of courso Is tho real scout'H program of unselfish und patriotic uervlco to his country, In Iheso days each scout feels that ho Iiiih been called upon to inako Just nutii sacrifices and still lias a debt to pay lo Mm brother hcouIu and ncout olllciuls "oyer there," I