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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 25, 1937)
PflE SIX BEDFORD MAIL TKIBUNT:, M"EDFORD, OREGON". TUESDAY. MAY 25. 1937. MILEAGE By GLUYAS WILLIAMS C1UQDCD STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN MX Tor further proof address the sothor, Inclosing a stamped envelope for reply. Re. V. B. Pat Of. SYNOPSIS: Attractive Jut.. tillnshop U mytUrioutly (hot to death on a wild, stormy nlphe at Tarrlnoton Bluff, home 0 Ml chaei'f aunu. Cvtryon me rooned on this island ij suspect: Kike, who talked uiith Jude alone that nioht; the Skipper, hie tall and tweedy younger aunt; Aunt Martha, itout and prudish; Cay Palmer, Mike'e red-headed tweet heart; Hiooine, the butler; Wil liam, the chauffeur; Cook; Annie the maid even 1, who am picked to lead our aroup Investigation. I Quiz everyone futilely. As we are about to search the house, some untten creature slowly shuffles to the door. Chapter 17 Havoc Upstair THROUGH the door wis coming the mangled remains of Christo pher, the cat. His lower Jaw dangled Inches below when It should have been. His fur was matted with blood, and he was dragging himself along painfully on his belly, mute, appeal ing eyes on ni mistress' tace. Like the crack of a rifle earn M. rarrington'a scream! Close on that scream came a stran gled curse from the Skipper. The - revolver was jerked from my hand. There was a sudden Bash and a thunderous report, and Christopher lay stllL . "What did you do that for?" Michael's voice was dazed. The Skipper placed the gun on the table deliberately. "He was suffering," she said. Would the have acted that rapidly If she had been dealing with a person? Would "William," she said, "take It and" But I Interrupted. "Walt. Just cover It and put It In closet I think this party had better stick together." "Nol" It was M. Farrlngton on her feet, hands clenched to her temples, eyes bulging, her voice verging on 1 scream. "We can't stay herel I won't! I I " Before either Gay or I could atop him, Michael was at her savagely, . had her by the shoulders, and waa shaking her like a bag of flour. The Skipper'a voice stopped tt be fore I could. "Mlchaell" she snapped, and he halted. Then after a ghastly pause. "Martha, sit down." None of us expeoted it, but M. Far rlngton sat, and In another moment Michael had himself In hand. "Sorry, Aunt Martha," he mumbled thickly. "Lost my head." "Now then," said the Skipper briskly, "let's have no more of this. Whatever is roaming around this house can't be half as dangerous as the very special kind of hell a little mob hysteria will turn loose. Michael, give your aunt some brandy." We all watched him pour it, one thought uppermost In every mind. Was It sate to drink It? Was it safe to do anything in this horrible house? Reluctantly M. Farrlngton took the glass he handed her, hesitated, and Anally drank. We waited for several , seconds. Nothing happened. Gay seized my arm. "Let's search this room now, Jlm mle! We're wasting time." We searched It carefully, from end to end. We moved furniture, tore up the carpet, even yanked out books. ' None of us knew exactly why, except that ft would leave us one spot that we could be sure of. There was noth ing there that might not have been there always, nothing that I had not seen a dozen times myself, "A blank," said William, surveying me suspiciously. "Don't you think you might get on with it now, sir?" Coupled with my own growing con viction that X should have searched the house Immediately, his vague in sinuation rankled. "I'm In charge of this," I growled, "Do as you're told and leave the rest to me." His "Yes, sir," was venomous. Nerves Get Higgina tyE left William and his party ' V standing in the hall Just outside the library door, M. Farrlngton quiet, Michael very black, and Gay tense and silent. William's alert, suspicious face was the last thing I saw as I rounded the landing. There we left Higgins, and it Is remarkable that several of us were not killed on the spot, so badly was the revolver shak ing in his hand. The upper hall was a blaze of light. It seemed to me that the prowler, If he were human, would have switched those lights off. The thought waa In no way reassuring. Gay's room lay directly oppoilte the head of the stairs. With one wave of encourage ment to Higgins, I pushed open the door. The room waa empty. Closet, bath, under tables, chairs, and bed nothing. The Skipper paused with her hand on Gay's suitcase. "Look here, Jimmlo, hadn't we bel ter leave the search for clues until later on? If there's someone in the house, we're giving him plenty of time to get out of it when we go browsing around this way." Cook roused to speech. "But il there's somethin' here we ain't sup posed to see. we'll be leavin' plenty of time for someone," with a signifi cant leer, "to be gettln' it out of the way." I decided quickly. A lost clue dwindled Into nothingness beside that prowler. "You're right. Skipper," 1 said to Cook's indignant face. "Let's go." Higgins still stood on the landing, but he was huddled into e comer, half-crouching, his face screwed into a mask of terror. "How was it?" he demanded hoarsely. "Nothing," said the Skipper. "Are the others sll there?" "Please, Miss Barbara," his voice was shrill, "I don't like this, do you see? I'm In the middle. Whichever wsy the killer comes, he can get me. I ain't staying here. I don't like it." "Don't be a fool," 1 said sharply. "You're In plain sight of four persons sll the while. You have a revolver." He drew a long, ahudderlng breath. "I ain't yellow, Mr. Jimmle. Nobody ain't never said that of me. But a devil of a lot of good It'll do me, being In plain sight of four people when I get mine. Begging your pardon, Miss Barbara, I ain't staying herel" I knew how he felt. "Gay," I called, "come up here and stand with Higgins, will you?" Gay's voice answered at once. "O. K- Jim. Coming." We could hear Mi chael protesting, but she appeared. "Any luck, sailor7" she demanded. I wagged my head. "You watch the upper hall and Higgins the lower one. That makes It all right, doesn't it, Higgins" "Yes, sir," rather shamefacedly. "All right William," I shouted. "Go ahead." Before we had been In that hall 20 seconds, we could understand Hig gins' state of mind more fully. To stand In an empty corridor, every nerve strained for a sound from the party below, waiting for someone or something unknown to appear, was not a pleasant experience even with three companions in the. brilliantly lighted hall. Alone in the dimness of the landing with only empty space beyond, It must have been Insupport able. The silence seemed to be wrapped around us In layers, pene trated only by the sound of our own breathing. And then came a sound from below a door closing and Wil liam's voice. "All right In the living room, sir." There was no light In M. Farring- ton's room, and I concluded that at least one person had been where she claimed to have been during my wild performance downstairs. "I'll get It," said the Skipper behind me. There was a click and the room was flooded with light I promptly re experlenced the sensations of my first ride on a roller coaster. Christopher's Fate THE room might have been struck by a cyclone. M. Farrlngton's cher- isnea bits or shell and china were scattered in ruins all over the floor. Chairs and tables were overturned. bedclothes thrown wildly in all di rections. Even the drapes had been ripped from the windows. Christo pher's bassinet was on its side, some six feet from Its former position. The bedstead and floor beside It were smeared with blood. One look at the bed made quite clear the manner in which the poor animal had met his fate. He had been savagely bashed against the mahogany. Great wet splotches of blood went In a waver ing line toward the door where he had evidently dragged himself. I leapt to the closet door and flung It open. Clothes, nothing else. Through the connecting door of the bathroom came the Skipper's voice. "Nothing here, either." Simultaneously Annie's shrill sobs broke forth, rexmforced by a deeply, rumbled prayer to all the saints from Cook. I shouted something and started to herd them ahead of me out of the room. "Skipper! Are you there? Are you" The Skipper turned from an In spection of her closet her face drawn and set "Empty," she whispered. "Good l.ordl What can we do!" I dragged her Into the hall after the others. Annie and Cook were pretty far gone. Higgins crouched with his back to the wall and the re volver waving frantically before him. As we emerged through that ghastly door. William, his face like chalk, dashed wildly past them and up the stairs. Uproar on the stairs heralded the approach of Michael and his aunt The thought of the latter seeing that room galvanized me Into action. "Skipper" I began over my shoul der. But for once there was no re sponse. The Skipper was leaning against the wall, her eyes closed and her hands clenched at her sides. As I spoke, she swnyed and William caught her as she fell. (Copyright, JJ37, gatfttr Tytr) Enracrd, William wields a soil dab, tomorrow. FROM HEAD COLD WASHINGTON. Mjr 25. ( API President noatwvtMt ounreled nil o( his Appointment today and remain ed In the White House nursing alight heed cold. Hi penwn 1 physician. Capt. Roa T. MVlnltrc, edvlaed him to remain way from the executive offices dur ing the dey to rent. A White House secretary announc ed, however, that Mr, Roosevelt would hold his regular press conference scheduled for 4 p. m. Stephen T. Early, assistant eccre tnry to the president, said the chlel exfcutlve caught cold during ft week end trip on the Pntmao river. Reckless driver Heea McMINNVILUt. May 24 -(API Sheriff Qeorge Manning aald Arlle L.ttle. 37. Salem, waft at arge '.iay after escaping Saturday when he served IS of a M-dsy reckless driving sentence. Manning said Little left while working on t'le courthouse lawn. Cm lisiU IriDUQi w&ut 4a. ROBIN HAS NEST IN LOST AIRSHIP lAKEHl'nST. N. J, May 25 (API A sunlvor or the Hinrtenburg crew eAplert mother robin building a nest In the blackened skeleton of the once majestic alrslilp and saw in It a good omen. Heinrlcu Bauer visited the mass of charred debris, saw a blue etj in the nest built on a sheltered Ktrtler and remarked: "It Is n gcxxl omen. The H melon -burtt is dead, but from Its remains springs new life. So, ligiter-than air craft shall take on a new urc." Iicnmcmt Tnikrr Coming POR PlsANn. May 2V i AP i - Mri James H. Wolfe, ex-director of the women's division of the Dermvratic national committee, who on ft speaking tour or western states, will address Democratic women here to night and speak nt a tvtnqurt m Eu : gene tomorrow nlht. j , WINDOW IlLAHg W ell inn., . jIhh mi svilt rimiir wnin ncstm ' . MP.TCH65 ftNO flllttN tbtovm Of f NflWi&W ft&l&ED 70 AETHER 05 cwwcp mm tun f m.,.tn U Vau? nose I AMD eftfd in 3 Rochester, Mich., ms THhN ANmx Horse - -yer nbvsr rm ih a race nor MNTToWftfj! MrNiafM SyndkiU, Icsc' Test. Never won a race, never went to war yet the greatest money winner and savior of soldiers' lives In equine history? How Is that possible? Strango as It seems, figuring as conservatively as possible, Teas, a mare- of Rochester, Mich., was worth at least $600,000 during her active career. That's over $200,000 more thin the total earned by the greatest purss- winning race horse. Sun Beau, who won 376.744. Teas was a tetanus anti-toxin horse of the World war. Inoculated with the SEft OfT BW5KLV WKri ATfER 1Wo BlOCk$, 6If6 MONEV FROM HhU AUSf OF -TmNfeJ. MDfHH 60E5 BACK HOME A6filH. "TABLE ANDSEfS OW NEEP5 FROM -ME HMIN6 FOR60tfEr) "fO A6ftlN MARKE-f fAKE "WE MONEV RETRACES 5tERAl. BUCKS io ASK CAN HE WArf FOR EDDIE SEUER 10 RAKE UP HISVARRSO HE CAN 66 WITH HIM HEADS DOWNTOWN A- 6BlN; DE0l)RlN6 1o ED DIE'S BACKYARD ib lELl HIM HE CAN'T WAIT SOME BLOCKS FARMER MISSES frtE LISfAN.? fORWS HOMEWARD, L00KW6fO5E:.FHE PROPPED l 5C5 OFF Wlfri A HE USf.PRESErtfLV FINDING FiRS U5f, CROMPIED W AWATJW HOCKEY RETURNS HOME Wrfa purchases, wondering WHVASlK-BljOCKirRRAfXD ALWAV5 makes him feel AS IF HE'D 60rJEAC0UPiE OF MILES (Copyright, f93T, by The Bell Syndicate, Inc.) S 'MATTER POP germ In 1017 at the Partcdalc medical farm, she produced more than 60.000 doses or anti-toxin before her retire ment in 1029. Thls'marked a longer and more prolific service than that gl"n by any other tetanus "guinea pig" horse. Estimating the value of a hitman life as only $1,000 and figuring that at least one serum dose out of a hun dred taken from Tess resulted In sav ing of a life, a total of (600,000 would give a low figure as to the money humanity owes the mare. Much of tlis anti-toxin produced by Tess was ship, ped oversens to ftcht naalnst the tet anus disease, rampant during the war. Later It was used to fight the ,germ in American hospitals at home. Broken-Hearted Queen "Caroline, the Injured Queen of England." were the wortls of Caroline of Brunswick ordered to be engraved on the plate of her coffin. She died from the mental blow administered by her husband, Qeorge IV of Eng land, when he refused to let her be crowned, with him, or even to attend the coronation in May, 1821. Tnnmrrtiu : Insult to Injury. Cupltol i; ii try Designs PORTLAND. Mav 24. ( API D. s.gns for reliefs to decorate the eas bnd west entrances to the new caplto' at Salem were sent to the capltoi reconstruction commission by Ulrlo H Bllerhusen. New York sculptor, who has charee of Interior unfit. if fct the $2,000,000 building. Hose (ucen Chosen POnTLAND, May 24. (AP)-Queen Lorothy of Kosnrla, In real life Doro thy Hardin, president of the Oran high school student body, was chosen t. be queen Saturday night of Port land's rose festival June 0-13. The pretty, brown-hatred girl will have eight princesses In her court. PORTLAD. May 24. (AP) One hundred twenty-five delegates from sll parts of the northwest attended the eighth annual regional conven tion Saturday of the northwest con ference of bank auditors and comptrollers. Closing time for Too Late to Clas sify Ads Is 1 :30 p. m. New Guard Unit. NEWBERQ. May 24. (AP) New berg, which long has sought a Na tional Guard unit, had word today that a firing battery In the 218th field artillery will be maintained here, the unit consisting of four officers and 60 men, who will be recruited Lm-: mediately. j i Lewis Hawkins, agricultural expert in the Kansas City stockyards, be- lleves the 1937 calf crop will develop satisfactorily and be somewhat above that of 1936 i By C. M. PAYNE Vyp Just 5Tam3j-T3.V ' Tfe. VikjtjoW I T3U6TET). viki' vfJxLp mv maw comes (oKie, fOU LOOrf TV) E. rvVKT O.s4! AV13 yf. Someday You'll. NJ k I n . T- all V STAr43-lw! i AT x L (Copyright. 1M7. by Tie Bell Syndicate, Inc.) TAILSPIN TOMMY Clipped Wings! By HAL FORMS" YOU DC-MY HAVine CRASHC-D THAT DLArif...Yr-T YOU Rt-PORT PIE-XT I MORMING. . WIT H A BROKE" ri ARM AflD OTHe-R IMJURIE-S I T It-1 I I I I I )V.DIDri'T F-LY THAT SHIP.' .. I WAS VJlSHURT f-ALUMG JJl DOWM A -lif RAILROAD W V-fMBAMKMC-nT. n A HEAP IMG B THf Dt-PT. COMMISSIONER, TOMMYS CHArHCt-S Of RtSAiniMG HIS LlCthSC-, TAKtri FROM HIM UIIDf-R CIRCUMSTAMTIAL tVIDMICC", LOOK BAD 28l9 I AM SORRV, MR.TOMKIMS.'V YOU ARE" AM E-XCE-LLt-MT PILOT.. BUT THE t T RECORDS IM ' THIS CASe J P! ; ARE: A6AIMST ) ,j j THE RE-CORDS SHOW THAT N N TWU VV L K L KL LLLOO 1 ( THE" E-XTC-MT Of- EMDAMGErR VlMG OTHE-RS..AS WtLL AS 111 ui-M m C Ci C -T n A. ( An pVRECKLE-SS F-LYIMG 13 i OVE-R uvrk....s r: rrrs-t r I AM C "Nfi - s rx -r-A k vJUvJccny TUUK r License-., f-or One YtrAR... WITH OUT APPEAL ' BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER High Praise! By EDWIN ALGER Y LlStCU.VOU WO VOUUG wuwu )- HEAD?, I SIT THE FACT Trlt VJEB9TER. B0V OFF A UETW UOTE-THAT WHAT URE.HE'S PAMU'OFF OWE U0TE.1 UUCLE CALE8 - ALAA06T AWiV600Y WU HAT- BUT MOWMAUV MOM O' JM OLDMA6?E U0TE5 VOU 601 IUTHE5AFE? f V. AlU'T HETTV i niLJLJiBkiTi rjirsu .-t&a i . . - tj" BOR.ROWIU FEB. ,93?. ht Ji lr. V...... 1 60TTHAT,LEM-'WE 6TILLJWHAT BIT1U ' I A WEAP O' HER. PAPER ) VOU, UUCIE Cj'POSIU' THE YOUUG JUWHPER BU&H AIU'T 50 QUICK OU THE TW66EB. VJHEU 1HE UE1CT W0TE COMej 0UE, UV4CLE CALEBS THErJ J VMWAT? DURUED IF VOul AIM T UTTER.IW FIWAUCE 'ERIM' i ,leaJ I F THE NEBBS Poor Butterfly By SOL HE " ff" MS Wf?S, GOT AMOTUER lCXO SOU lie. "ij ifJTUEQ SETS TELEGRAMS Tk.O,TMAT5 6ETTiiOG kj ECTTIWo -SCMH&ODV DONJT kJvjouN WAS 0- MAKING, MOSJEV. GET-piOG SMART, W ALMOST PROM TwE WOSSG - VKOnjEV TOO EASILY HAS TO LOSE IP 50MEOME VUHETwEt; SCO A vM PT-riNJS ONJ y EMMA, UOUJ OlO J THE P1CST MONJEY V EET1SOT IT M6HT MMtE ME lELSE. LUVJ, Bur LUTkER isl MEM tljat- rs 1 y if ViSE CX.itoJ,P SHALL 1 GET MIMTO PET E pjg pQILLiAMT SCOMG MAM - VOU V OUldAWTC J C r, JaET? NsSome MoioevroR,You3 fo-l(f cawt make amy mistake r-C y winn -.atnao)y fruw briars Cao luei tWifcsV s
