PAOTC STX
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1933
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cnppinnnM VAiitv
'111 W IIUILLLll VI
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SYNOPSIS: Jlavtng beaten off a
email band of Kloaohee Indiana,
Curt filea to Vancouver tor infor
mation about Ralph and Sonva
Xichole who are bound on a dan
geroue mtaeton in the Canadian
iiorthweat but villi not tell what it
ia. Curt hlmaclt ta tracking doum
loot Knrakhan, wealthy crook who
hae taken refuge in the Indian
country. Curt ia reporting to A. K.
ilarltn. hie old chief in tho Royal
lfounted. when Am Baldwin tcle
phonca that he hae a line on Ralph
Xlchole.
Chapter 27
SURPRISE FOR CURT
"TTAD do trouble with Nichols;
J- didn't have to go farther than
the telephone book to place him,
continued Baldwin. "He's lived here
in Vanvouver meat of his Ufo, 1 find.
McGIll graduate, start captain over-
eas, got a V.C. at Vlmy. For the laat
ten years he's been with a city con
structlon company. Their head arch I
tect now. Bachelor quarters at the
Trailer Club. Nothing out of the or
dinary about him that I could dig
up, and I've been digging some,"
"What about the other personr
"I've got you a bang-up lead to
work on. Just talked to a. couple of
Nichols' friends who've ' met her
several times. Her name's Volkov,
Sonya Volkov. Lives In Victoria.
teaches In a private school, and's
secretary for the Emigre Society of
Canada. That's all 1 was able to find
out, but I've located a party here who
knows her very well, and 1 think he
can give yon a lot of detallsaboui
ber. Shall I ilp around for you In the
staff cart . . . Good, I'll be there In
twenty minutes."
Volkov, Sonya Volkov Curt re
peated the strange name to himself
as he went back to the porch. At
least he knew he. name now, and
within an hour be was going to And
out something about ber life, ber
background. After that she could
never quite vanish from him.
He rejoined Marlln outside. While
they waited, A-K remarked casually:
"Did you know that Laydon, the
head of the Provincial Police, Is go
ing to be relieved this coming fall?'
"Is that soT Who's taking hie
place?"
"You."
Curt's cigarette dropped from bis
Angers. "I?"
"It you want It. I've been doing
some quiet investigating and 1 know
the lay of the land A'dozen political
hangers-on are after the Job, but the
Premier doesn't want that kind. He
phoned me yesterday and asked
when you could come to see him for
a personal conference. I can tell you
positively that It you want the Job
I've got enough support lined up to
swing It for you.
"No " he waved Curt's Interrup
tion aside "don't thank me. I'm
not doing this because you and I
happen to be friends but because I
consider you the best available man
for that Job."
Curt wanted nothing to do with
the offer. One as It was. He saw It as
another attempt of duty to keep him
from returning to the far North;
another of the Invisible bonds that
ere being thrown around him But
till he did not refuse It outright,
then and there.
Baldwin came, and they started
down town. Parking In a section of
dingy stores, Baldwin took him up a
creaky stairway and knocked at an
apartment.
A young man, a stocky hatel-eyed
foreigner, opened the door, saw
them, and bowed politely.
"Meester Baldween? My fader he
ozpect you and your freund. Kum In,
pits."
He led them Into a small sitting
room and stepped out to get his
father.
URT glanced about the room.
Everything In It breathed of
imperial Russia the Ikon of Holy
Mary, a sword above a bookcase, a
cheap lithograph of Nicholas II, a
Kremlin snow scone, a samovar on
the table. It was typically the dwell
ing of an emigre, living In poverty,
futllely hoping that some day the
old order would be resurrected from
its grave and they could return to
!bomeland, estates, ease.
An old man came In the room, fol
lowed by the son. His hair was white,
his thin face ravaged with furrows.
Curt Judged him close to eighty. He
was astounded later to learn that
the man was only fifty-seven.
Baldwin Introduced: "Feodor Pie
khanov, I want you to know my com
rade, Mr. Ralston. He is the one of
whom 1 spoke."
The old Russian bowed graciously
and made them welcome. Curt pitied
him. His hand was bony, he looked
to tired and despairing, and his eyes
seemed to hold some great fear In
their depths memories, probably,
of that horror trail out of Siberia
He broached bis purpose care
OREGON DISTILLERY 1
FIRM IS ORGANIZED
SALEM. Dec. 18. (fp) The Urn
articles of Incorporation for a du
ttlltry alnor the Knox taw waa piuui-J
were 1 1 led here by the Pacific state
Dlitlllery corporntlon with headquar
tera in Portland.
fully. "Mr. Plekhanov, as my friend
here told you, I'm a government
agent gathering data about the vari
ous foreign associations In this
country. Our object is altogether
friendly; we're merely making rec
ords of their personnel and activities.
Miss Volkov Is secretary of your so
ciety, and I'd like to And out a few
facts about ber. My friend tells me
that you know her quite well."
"Yes, I know Princess Sonya for
twelve years, and ber father before
that"
"Princess Sonya J"
"Her father Is Prince Stephn Vol
kov." Curt caught bis breath sharply,
"Prince?" he managed. "A courtesy
title?"
Plekhanov smiled, a bit conde
scendingly. "You know very little
about Russian heraldry, friend. The
Volkovs are an old Kiev nobility, on
of the oldest in the Empire." He
told bis son, "Bring our guests the
picture that Prince Stephn gave us."
Curt whistled beneath bis breath.
Sonya's father a trlncel He had sus
pected she was well-born. But be bad
never Imagined that ber blood was
quite so blue, and she herself bad
not once hinted that she was of noble
blrtb.
"You mentioned her father does
he live here In Canada?"
"At Victoria. And ber brother
Carl."
"What do they do?"
'When Prinze Stephn first cam)
over, he accepted work In a lumber
yard as a grader of timber. Like any
common muzhik." Plekhanov mad
a gesture of shame at his country
man's lack of pride. "He rose In his
employment; he Is some official now,
and Carl is a Held expert for the com
pany. For a time Sonya was govern.
ess In a rich family at V'ctorla. Now
she la teaching language In a pri
vate school."
THE son banded Curt a photo, a
medium-sized studio portrait.
With a queer mixture of feelings
Curt looked at the picture of Sonya'
father. At bis first glance be saw
Sonya's resemblance to him ber
stubborn determination and that
proud poise to her bead came natu
ralhe could see the traits In every
line of ber father's face.
He passed the photo to Baldwin
and listened to what Plekhanov was
saying.
He had first met Prince Stephn
more than a generation ago In St.
Petersburg, Plekhanov said. A man
of brilliant parts, Sonya's father bad
been very close to the Imperial court
at one time, but his liberal views
finally brought him Into clash with
the reactionary clique that sur
rounded the Czarina. As . a genteel
banishment to Siberia, he was mad
commissar of the Crown forests
along the Yanlsel.
When the Empire crashed, he
threw In with Kerensky's Provision
al Government, organized the vast
Irkurts region In southern Siberia
and ruled It for the White Partisans.
When Kerensky In turn was over
thrown by the Leninists, the Reds
put a price on his head. His long
liberal record did not save him; a
nobleman, an estate holder, a mod
erate, be was automatically con
demned.
At Irkutsk, Sonya's mother and
sister and younger brother were
seized and shot, their-home burned,
their immediate friends killed. Her
father was at Vetemsk on the Lena
when he got word of the butchery,
and by a provident mercy Sonya and
Carl were with blm at the tlm.
Taking his two surviving children.
he fled Into tht Lena Woods on
horseback, a bunted fugitive; and
begnn the long bcrror of the escape.
"I met the Volkovs In a woods on
Lake Baikal," Plekhanov recounted,
his heart full of his subject. "Sony
was but thirteen then, and her
brother fifteen. It had taken Prince
Stephn all winter to bring them
across that four hundred miles from
Vetemsk. They had frozen, starved ;
had been wounded; bad fought bat
tles to get through the cordons of
their enemies. Once they met a rov
ing party of Terrorists, six of them,
and wiped out all six and took their
guns, horses, food. They were all
three wounded badly when they
came to Baikal, and sick with mala
ria, and nearly driven mad not by
what they had endured, but by what
they had seen.
Our little band of refugees at
Baikal were betrayed by a fisherman.
A company of Reds, recruited from
the convict colony at Chita, sur
prised us one night and rode down
our camp, with pistols and axes
Only a few of ns managed to escape
In the dark and across a river on
Ice rafts."
ICopvrtoM nil. William B. Hewer)
Curt hears, tomorrow, s .strange
thtory eboul Sonya.
Members of the firm are Will Red
head, JR. Fred Emery, O. M. Atllann
and Frederick Piper. The capital
stock la 110,000.
Christ maa cards, all kinds and
brlces. nrlnted or blank. Order now,
time ia short. Mall TrlbunV Job De
partment.
BIG
5
WORTH
BEAVER COINS OF
E
ALB AN 7, Ore. (UP) Oregon bea
ver coins, among the moat valuable
S'MATTER POP
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tUIOOU) SMULTl.,
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SHOUJCO MCRTH6
ULTTCR THAT
PROPPED BTT TO
Be ATAin.eR
ujttu ujokvbio's
hoarts amd
POCHteT BOOKS,
Tue RA6CAV
HOPPBO ABOARD
TUB TBAlk) m
"rIWiS.T& IM -VOUT2. i teWL I J -OVW To 3oy
1 (Copyright, 1633, by Ths Bell SyiidlciI
roSLJ f? 19k IV b IJfiU ,Jm? mw mo tt. Xs therms K-rfWLi'' '
m' eVU -cUVL SSS tWAW, V.vC "" WV FIELD fV ,0
vr 1 n k 1 if.r ' i-iiHgM l.s LMAe r. "g sr-
BOUNDl;OWIN LukeWants To Tell ' By EDWIN ALGER
HOORAY BENMT'sHVOU MEAN ABOUT W ITatHG EVILEST THING I "S 1 f THE MAN'S ff SHOULDN'T NE BE 1 1 YHS, 1T NHV NOT? OO OLi SPOSE
SUHOl AMTO B THE SHOOTtrS ? : EVER HEARD TELL OP ! THEV ' NAME WAS I AfTeRT6LUH'THe M16Hl, EZRA PARTON,TH6 FORE
SEE WO 1 HAVE YES, I HEARD IT DIDN'T EVEN GIVE THE POOR J- VMILHOIT, THE POLICE WHAT WB J BUT I 1 MAN OF THE TROPICAL LME,
VOUHEAD U LAST NIGHT, AND FELLOW A CHANCE FOR HIS S PAPER9AID--J HEARD AN'SEEN? DON T 1 16 SOINnDBE ABLE TO SET
' S THE NEWS? kl READ ABOUT IT WHITE ALLEVI6HOTHIN DOWN ) HS WAS WOULDN'T THAT ( THINK ANVONETO WORK FOR HIM?
, . lSHj list THE PAPER INTHE DARK! AN' 3U9TTHINK,L BRAND NEW A GIVE 'EM SOME; WE ft AFT ERTWO MYSTERIOUS
WHygggTHIS MORNSING BENJHEMMUSTVeBEEN n-11 ON THE JOB, KINO OF A LINE ON J OUSHT K NUSDERftTWELL,! SHOULD
j IE TECr C
THE NEBBSLucky?- " : By SOL HESS
' :
BRINGING UP FATHER
THERE ALONG
DISTANCE 'PHONE
CALL FOR VOU -
I THINKJT'S
FROM VOUR WPS.-
lS I PUEAAIMT ?J 1 K J A
There's No Guesswork in Tribune A. B. C. Circulrtion
pieces sought by collectors, are on
exhibit at a bank here.
The coins are minted at Oregon
City under the Oregon provisional
government In 1849. Dies were made
from wagon tire. About 6,000 5 and
3,650 610 gold pieces were made,
from the pure rcwtal. The coins
bear & fac-slmlle of a beaver on a
log on one aide.
Oregon was essentially an Inde
HIT A TT
Rumors Make Skeeter
WELL, HE GOT NfvoU'R.G. A LUCKV WOMAu LUCKV ? WE'S VOU SO OKI HOME ANJO KEEP VOUR
&&n rr, - 1 6BABBE LiZLV SOT MV BOAJDS 1 MOUTH SHUT THERE IS SJO WEED OF
ZTefT Y erITMJlo i TIMeL TO BP vou IanjD Mowerv 'twe whole towsj wowikis about twis.
Zlf VF w,s CAT: ,u HACy proving vjhat a fool A TH1S STOKV IS -too-rare awd -too good j
' v A NWOMAM CANJ MAKE ' FOR. THEM I'LL SEE IF 1 CAM GET VOUR
- rcu r--
IsaS&I n 1
pendent republic at the time the
coins were minted. Territorial gov
ernment was not set up by the Un-lted-Btatea
until later.
Christmas Card's.
Time is getting short to get Christ
mas .and New Year greeting cards.
Order now. See the choice llnea to
select from at Mall Tribune Job De
partment. Prices reasonable.
By C. M. PAYNE
Skeptical
UlftTEtsl- I fORCOT TO
BRING MV FOR BOA
I WANT TOO "TO oE.NO
IT TO MESV EyPRE'bft
IMMEOIATELT-
PRECIS JEWELS
IN IDAHO HILLS
BOISE. Idaho. Dec. 18. JP) Now
don't start a Jewei rush but there
SNAPSHOTS OF A MAN WRAPPING CHRISTMAS PRESENTS bt glutas williams
GOES WTO TEN 10 WRAP
UP HIS CriRISfMPft PRE6-ftffS,MAlN-rAlrllN6
THAT
Of CoORSE
NEED ArtV HELP
aoSK POOR MD OPENS
KA6WH ALMOSf AfOKCE
1b ffeR TbR TriE SUSSORS
MLLArr
I I
VsHERS. Ift IT? WHAT VOU
DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS.'
HOW DO VOU EXPECT ME. TO
PlMDIT? OH-ALL RIGHT'.
DON'T HOLLER- I'LLPIND IT
AN' 5END IT- HUH? YF.S- I CWV
ALL THE Bll-Lb AS FA"3T AS,
THEV COME IM
are diamonds, rubies, opals, topaz and
garnet around Payette lakes, 80 miles
from here.
At any rate there are unless 6am
Hayes, Boise attorney, has gathered
them all.
He displayed a group of them at a
local luncheon club meeting and John
Carpenter, former University of Idi
ho geologist, said likely there we
more, not only around the lake b t
P
OPENS POOR 1b cm.
Villi SOMEBODY" 8S1K6
HM SOME fiSSUE WER
ANP SOME REP RlBBOH
A fttJ MlHOfES LATER
EMER&ES h6NN 10 A
N00NE HIS HANDLER -rllFS
TOR AlMf EM
ARE Hvm
5J
RETIRES, T)AWlN6 0lK
PPKEHTW 5HOUTiN4
FOR -THE IODISE, HPS
ClTf HIMSELF
BAMDft&ES WOUND AMP
C&U.S TOR SOME OKIE
TO COME HOLD A T1N6ER
ON KNOT'S WHllE HE
Tift friEM
(Copyright, 1953, by the Bell gyndicste, Inc.)
CONTINUED -
ruxijn
FORGlTS
" -L X 7-'
some place In the mountains from
where they were carried by streams.
Oregon Weather.
Unsettled; local rain west and lo
cally In east portion tonight and
Tuesday; little change In tempera
ture; fresh southerly winds offshore.
Ethelwyn B. Hoffmann's
Semi-Annual Clearance Sale
Now in progress
CD
WMI1.Y DROPS EvTRV
WIK6 To LOOK FOR THEM
UNTIL HE CALL'S NEVER
MIND THEY'RE HERE, Iri
WITH ANOTHER BUNDLE
EMERGES fit LAST Wlfij
BUNDLES WHICH WIFE
WILL WRAP ALL. OVER.
A6AIN To MAKE 1HEM
LOOK 'PRESENTABLE
By GLKNN CHAFUN
and UAL 'FORKESt
By George McManua
I WISH MAGGIE WOULD M
' t) OUY THINGS
TO KNOW