PAGE EIGHT
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON. SUNDAY. JUNE 17, 1934.
P emeus
MOCKING HOUSE
BY WALTER C. BROWN
.1 Ulrr.lDJ D.lp.U.t ,.
not much closer to finding the ..u
derer of a policeman and a etrangi.
in Pierre tiufreene'e houee than at
the beginning, although he hoe at
eembled a areat deal of evidence.
But he hae at leaet determined that
the man who wrote o eeriee ot
threatening lettere to Dufreene
wrote them on paper he found in a
waatebaeket in Dufreene'e 6afl
fnrnf. yv(j to find the writer.
Chapter 39
PUMPING WHITMORE
'T'HE Srgeant' meditations were
Interrupted by the return of John
Whltmore with the spoil of his tour
through the house. The booty was en
tirely devoid of Interest except for
the six or seven slips from Mrs. Du
fresne's pad. Harper deftly rescued
these, pretended to poke through the
rest ot the papers, then sent Whlt
more to dispose of the trash, telling
him to return afterwards.
While he was gone Harper ran
through this latest collection of
slips, evidently covering the recent
visit of Dr. Ulrlcli. But once again
the almost monosyllable brevity ot
the penciled notes defied reconstruc
tion. The lady was either distraught
or wary.
Whltmore returned to the break
fast-room with the sleek air of a suc
cessful conspirator. The detective
realised that In this placid-minded
sandy man ot the household he had
his best chance to get some genuine
"Inside" Information.
The detective rose and locked the
, door with a theatrical flourish. "I
don't want any Interruptions for a
while," he explained, as be returned
to his chair. "Sit down, John, and
make yourself comfortable. What do
rou say to s, friendly little chat?'
Whltmore hitched his chair i bit
closer. "Yes, sir. Anything I can
lo " . .
"Oh, before we talk," Harper la
terrupted, "there's a little test I want
to make." He then explained about
' the hand-lettered warnings and put
Whltmore through the same paces
with the dictated notes, first leisure
ly, then rapidly.
"Jiist as I expected, no similarity
it all." Harper announced heartily,
putting the sheets aside. "Now that's
out ot the way, we can relax." He
drew out bis pipe and tobacco pouch,
"Do you smoke, John?"
Whereupon John produced a
lurved briar pipe even more scarred
' from use than Harper's own and ac
cepted a filling from the detective's
pouch.
For a few momenta they puffed
sway in silence. "This Is good to
bacco, sir," Whltmore commented,
nodding his head sagely.
Harper smiled. "I have the mix
ture made up specially for me," be
- explained. "I smoke a lot and It's
worth the difference In price. There's
nothing like a pipeful ot good to
bacco when you've got a bit of think
ing to do."
John nodded agreement "I guess
this business has given you plenty
; ot that, sir. It's a Queer one, all
right."
"As queer as any I've ever han
; died," said Harper, gating thought
, fully Into the circular view ot the
room projected on the Olrandole mir
ror over the buffet .
"Two murders In one night right
here In this room," Whltmore almost
whispered. "It doesn't seem real."
"It was real enough for the poor
devils who were killed. Tou knew
Officer Harnlll, didn't you, John?"
"Yes, I knew him. Talked to htm
lota ot times, last summer. A nice,
pleasant fellow."
"TIB was a fine man and a good
1 policeman. Everybody liked
. htm, John, from his Captain down.
, He leaves a wife and children and
It's going to be hard on them. The
other fellow mav have been a croo'.:,
or a blackmailer, or a gunman, and
the world's better off without him,
as Mr. Oufresne says, but tbe family
ot a man like Ham 1 11 has to pay tbe
price for It"
Whltmore nodded In sympathy.
"I've heard what they have to say
about the murder upstairs," Harper
' went on, "and that's very little to
go on. What I have been wondering.
John, Is what the staff thinks about
It?"
"They're not ssylng very much
and that's a tact," Whltmore an
swered, and chuckled. "Between you
and me, sir, you've got 'em all sus
picious of each other. They're going
around watching each other out ot
the tail ot their eyes."
"Have there been any arguments
or bsd feeling lately?"
"Nothing to speak of, Sergeant.
We all get along together pretty
well, better than In most places. Ot
course, once In a while old Andrews
gives Joe a raking over the coals,
but that'a only when Joe ha. been
too flip with his tongue. Joe's young
' and hot-headed, not aa well broken
; to the harness as the rest ot us."
, joe you mean Liooagny, the
I chauffeur?"
j "Yes. He gets a bit beyond himself
I dt times, talking up all kinds of wild
Ideas about capital and labor, and
plutocracy, and that sort of stuff.
Joe has It In for the rich, all right."
Whltmore snickered.
Harper stretched out more com
fortably. "Donagby struck me as being a
pretty lively lad," the detective mur
mured. "He's a good-looking fellow
and he acts as It he knew It."
Whltmore winked heavily. "Sure,
he's a devil with tbe ladles, anyway,
to bear him tell It. He's going to
find a rich young widow, says he,
and then he'll marry and live In
style. He says he can double her
money over and over, but he'a more
likely to run through It In six
months, him and bis 'parlay' bets.' "
Oh, so Joe likes to bet on the
horses?"
He does. I never hesrd of a man
ever took a dollar away from the
races In the long run, but that
doesn't stop 'em from betting. Some
times he's lucky, though. Just today
I saw him counting over a roll of
bills as big as your list. He said be'd
got a bet down on tbe right horse
at last Came In at 100 to 1. But
that's once In a lifetime."
"That's right," said Harper soft
ly, looking out at the snow-covered
grounds, "It's once In a lifetime."
Then, after a few momenta of si
lence he resumed, "Andrews is real
ly devoted to this family, Isn't he?"
MAKE no mistake about that,"
Whltmore quickly affirmed.
"He's gruff and old-fashioned and
as close-mouthed as a clam, but he's
the family watch-dog. You won't get
anything out ot blm."
The detective cocked an eye at
John Whltmore. 'Why, Is there
something to be got out of him?
That sounds as If he's hiding some
thing?" .
'I shouldn't have put It that way,"
Whltmore hastened to amend. "I've
been In service thirty-five years and
I have yet to see the family that
didn't have trouble of some sort
they wouldn't like to have made pub
lic But murder Is a horse of another
color."
Harper smiled quietly. "Of course,
John. I know you're not the kind to
carry tales and I'm not asking you
I ve hesrd some stories, too, so
tar as that goes." It was the detec
tive's turn to give a knowing wink.
That was a pretty stiff row they
had last November, wasn't It, just
about the time Ellen Becker left?"
Wbltmore looked relieved. "So
you heard about that?" He accepted
full value Harper's assumed
knowledge. "Things have never
been quite the same since then," he
said, ssdly, shaking his head. "For
while It looked like they were
headed for a break-up. Mr. Dufresne
has been touchy and sharp-spoken
and suspicious ever since, although
why he should be Jealous ot Mrs. Du
fresne Is more than I can make out'V
'Perhaps the root ot Mr. Du-
fresne's Jealousy lies In the differ
ence In their ages," said Harper.
'That often happens, you know."
Whltmore took a long pull ot his
pipe. "Well, then, take Mr. Croyden.
He's In about the same boat He's
not worried about getting old, like
Mr. Dufresne. His trouble Is that his
wife has r,o much more money than
he has. So they're at It hammer and
tongs half the time. Their maid,
Hannah, cornea over here a lot and
some fine stories she brings with
her." .
John Whltmore warmed to his
subject and proceeded to Illustrate
his philosophy with chapter and
verse. Harper llsteued to It all with
half-closed eyes, nodding at appro
priate places. John's tongue, sub
dued for many a moon by the auto
cratic Martha, rambled on and on,
spurred by the honor ot a sympa
thetic ear. He seemed not to ques
tion but that the detective's duties
had already made him acquainted
with these highways and byways ot
the household at 3 Powhatan Terrace.
Harper listened, careful not to i
break the spell by Inept questions.
He simply sat there In smiling,
friendly ease, smoked his pipe and
listened to the thousand and one de
tails that gave him a keener Insight
than he could uate obtained by un-
lln Jd cross-examination.
Only once did he Interrupt "Who
was this girl, Ellen Becker, and why
did she leave?" he asked casually,
following Whltmore's chance men
tion of the former housemaid.
I don't know aiuch about her,"
John replied. "Nobody did. She was
the hoity-toity kind, not very so
ciable.
CCopvrtoJit, Jill, hi) Waller C. Brownl
What It the myttery ef Ellen
Btoktr Heroer wondtrt tomorrow.
Blowout Dangers
Increase During
Summer Driving
Bqueesing the list mile out ot thet
badly worn tire la a costly and hes
srdous practice, according to 0. 0.
Pumas, Ooodyear desler here.
"Especially Is this true In the sum.
mer months." Mr. Purnsa says, "The
dinger of blowout Increases with
the rite in road temperatures. Hot
rosds ssp the elsstlclty and lite from
the fatigued cords In old tires. Cuts
snd bruises that have escaped not
Ice are very likely to announce their
presence with a loud bang at the
most inopportune moment.
"The Bupertwist cord used In con
struction of the Ooodyear "0-8" All
Weather Alrwheel, Pathfinder snd
Speedway lines. Is the best protec
tion sgslnst blowouts thst has yet
been devised. This cord hss up to
fi fi fA U9L tJMittUX SAW SlU'
Society
and Clubs
Activities of
Legion Auxiliary
"Peace with security can be main
tained for the United States under
present world condition only by
means of defensive preparations
strong enough to prevent aggression."
This was the contention submitted
In the American Legion Auxiliary's
national Fldac essay contest, written
by high school pupils on the subject,
"Peace With Security."
Results of the contest, conducted
by the auxiliary as part of It par
ticipation In the program of the
Women's Auxiliary of Fldac, the in
terallied veterans' federation, were
announced by Mrs. W. A. Holloway,
chairman of the Fldac committee of
the Medford unit, following the re
ceipt of the Information from the
auxiliary's national headquarters.
First prize was won by Harry Ter
hune, of Martinsville, Ind.; second
prize by Beatrice Y. Black, of Wash
ington, D. C, and third prize by
Viola Andrus, of Blaine, Washington
Honorable mention went to Anna,
Louise Kettler, of Kansas City, Mo.,
David Sung Inn Nahm, of Honolulu,
and Ann Mae Taggart, of Mllford,
Conn.
The three prize winners will receive
sets of the Official Source Records of
the World War, published by the
American Legion, and their essays
will be sent to Fldac headquarters In
Paris to compete in the International
contest. Essays from 40 states, Dls
rlct of Columbia, Hawaii and the
Panama Canal Zone were entered In
the national contests.
Only 50,000 more enrollments were
needed to give the American Legion
Auxiliary Its full strength of 400.000
I members for 1034 as the organization
j entered Its June activities, according
to Mrs. E. J. Leach, membership
: chairman of the local auxiliary unit.
A membership roll call of depart
: merits, conducted by Mrs. William H.
Blester, Jr., national president, May
31, showed 353,821 members actively
enrolled for the year. Twenty-one of
the 63 departments reported In
creases over their total 1933 enroll
ments. A national increase of ap
proximately 40,000 members is Indi
cated for this year.
With one million glasses of Jelly
and Jam as their goal, the women of
the American Legion auxiliary are
working in a nation-wide "Jelly-making
bee" to preserve the nourishing
goodness of the summer's fruits and
berries for the country's needy dur
ing the coming winter, Mrs. W. Olm
Beheld, president of the local auxili
ary unit, has announced. Individu
ally and In groups, the auxiliary
women are making Jelly and jam for
their local units wherever home
grown fruits and berries are plenti
ful and cheap. The products are be
ing stored for distribution to needy
families of the community next win
ter. y
Royal Neighbors
Plan Business Session
The Royal Neighbors will meet for
a business and social evening Thurs
day, June 21, at the K. P. hall. All
Neighbors urged to attend.
Degree of Honor
To Gather Monday
Members of the Degree of Honor
will gather on Monday evening at the
city hall, for a social and business
meeting, the date having been chang
ed from Thursday, as lectures being
given there will extend Into that
date.
Following a brief business session,
a social hour will be conducted, and
refreshments served. All members of
the order and friends are Invited to
attend.
Hundreds of Tests
Made On New Tube
Hundreds of tests were made by
engineers of the B. F. Goodrich com
pany In laboratories and on tbe com
pany's Silver Fleet of test cars be
fore the new Oold and Black Inner
tube was released for sale to the
public, according to W. L. Lewis of
Lewis Super Service station, dealer
for the B. F. Goodrich Rubber com
pany in Medford.
"This new tube, Vjfhlch resists
pinching, cutting, tearing, or abras
ion when An flat has taken the
motoring public by storm," Mr. Lewis
says. "Drivers who have had trouble
and expense when a tube has been
cut to ribbons when run a short dis
tance after a flat tire occurred have
welcomed this new Goodrich devel
opment. "One of the tests was to run a
tube, one-half of which was composed
of the ordinary construction, and
the other half of the new Gold and
Black combination for a mile in a
flat tire. When the tube was removed,
the half of ordinary construction was
chewed up, the Gold and Black half
had resisted destruction.
"Made of specially compounded
black and gold rubber, the new tube
Is made In two sections. The entire
tube is first constructed of a tough
rubber stock and then a layer of
abrasion resisting rubber la placed
over the inside periphery of the tube.
It is this base strip which not only
prevents destruction when run flat
for short distances but affords dou
ble protection from the common
causes of tire failure."
'TICKETS, PLEASE"
By- GLUYAS WILLIAMS
Boards tRaitf aud opms
UP PfPER It) READ Wr
NEWS
HEARS COrlDlJCfbrV
CQMlKS AND HftSTilV
66fS TiCKEf OUT
Picks newspaper up off
rum . F1HDS COHDOCl'OR
WASN'T COMINS TO
"mt "TICKETS
HOlPS TiCKEf INTirf
6ER5.MAWK6 If AWK
WARD TO TURM PA6E5
OF PAPER.
STbVS READING T6 7W
aw thrust ticket itfib
SlOf ON SPAT AHEAD
Picks newspaper up
off e00ra6aih, in "
doiks so knocking
Ticket" oof ofslot .
HAS To 6Ef DOWN ON
HANDS AND WEES 10"
RKWER TiCKEf
f If
UJlLLIpCrTS b-lb
Finds tf, picks paper up!
OU tWOK AND BcCIPcS
TO 6HE OP READING 50 HE
CAN POT flU HIS MIND OKI
HOLDING TiCKEf UMfit COH
DUCfOR COMES R)R (f
(Copyright, 1934. y The Bell gyaffltaisyjfeefl
S 'MATTER POP
By 0. M. Payne
p low Comil va. I t lJ outbids.! Vaiw'tN I
C&w PKJr Towdblis. jsBsSg " Tc- "V. , u?ou Social. J ljX
jXV" 0J Ve-TS. "FACE., iWjS MArCe. M-iLP f . f TAUAVB.xJ fe'7 L-
2::: j tXj! 'X.j IeII Sffj am (Copyright, 19M. by Ths BtUByiidlestt, Inc.)
TAILSPIN TOMMY Who Killed Bruce Wilkins?
rM" KIUE0I
HeRtS ANOTHER
6MUR.Y OP
FACES FOR
you TO STUDY.
THY ARB
PUBLISHED.
. rooAV
)S ClUES
For you
TO UIORK
OV"
. 7HP REST
S OP
TO YoU"
can you
MAMETHe
6UITV OAE?
By Hal Forrest
WSPPEED IaALTOM. N DDH'T
Or UIKS u?t-A& .OUT
T)LAf&Lr 4C7S.'
AVE BAfiiR. P4UI 3fi77H's
svtT? twss to eer FesV
(ifTfV A- IGliY 'Li. '
ft
ear enouinec browha
goiag to eer a sg
OLT--F YOU JOAr
YOUR S7E-"
MORTON TZHIEF RAOO
OPERATOR. AT TMJRESrA
IVCMWS OUT OC" AVS
OFFyOtT OVC ASAV
HEJgFF UM ALMOVO - --
'DOUGiAS OA A CiVAoSE OF
KU.HG HS PAL, COII.KAVS
THAT SOMEOVF. ELSE HELPEO
DOUG GO THE JOB.'
BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER Cap'n Ike's Decision!
By Edwin Alger
By Sol Hess
Insry tlr cords snd will atind ter-
rllio sbum.
"Ths trssd of s tlr must provlds
trsctlon snd protect ths cord carcsss
or body, but it Is this cord body!
thst tires protection against blow
outs. The tread may sppear in ex- I
cellent condition, but It will not ,
keep a tire from blowing out if the j
carcass Is cut Inside or If the cords
srs bsdly fsttgued from long use.
"Ooodyear's new "Q-J" tire was de.
signed especlslly to provide long wesr
for modern high speed automobiles I
snd It hss s Bupertwtat body of (lie
strongest and most elsstlo tire cords !
that will give maximum protection (
against blowouts. ;
"A set of new tires put on an aut
omobile now will eliminate the prob
ability of tire trouble for the rest of
the aummer. It la no pleaeant Job
to change tires on a hot dusty road i
and that la the mildest consequence 1
si ft tuniiV tut Vf, rums.
THSySH i BRIARVJHIMPEREDWI-TH -AN WE DIDN'T ( WHAT? SLfiPME LET'S GET UNDER AVE, AVE SIR ALL THEY 6ANA WA A LAMTERN-
EAGERNESS TO TRACK DOWN THE HAVE TIME TO DOWN. O'BRIEN. ' WEIGH TO DEAD li ORDERS IS BUT CAP'N IKE, WITH BUT ONE GOOD
MVSTERIOUS HOLDER OF THE LANTERN, AAAKH A FULL . YOU DON'T L DOG REEF AT K ORDERS, LAD-j EVE, 'SPOTTED THE HOLDER OF tT,
BEN DECIDED THAT THE LATENESS OF CENSUS. CAP'N MEAN IT j DAYBREAK, CAP'N ttJIL- AN' CAP'N IKE S KEEPlN' QUIET
THE HOUR AAADE NECESSARY THEIR IKE, BUT THAT -v--fck . IKE- J7-A BECAUSE USE MAY BE MADE O' HIS
RE ' ' ( ' gci
THE NEBBS Yes Yes
has been . y f . -i feaffMwIiyt M wrJjei Y fu
. "i . n -, -cWk shw.;,' -ii: ftiri "s-Ska&. s v a-?rcw-.
' 1 ojiii sram I " i- ia,SF,.-i " r mmmrn- ' T -
fAlnr.iv B Q McManu.
HOUSE.- BUT MOW- WITH- T.rfi-Vr- t-rllll I I cm iir-iC. itr -i-uir f. CPIt'l y, W I (,7
T