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
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Rt-PORT PIE-XT
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LOOK BAD
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I AM SORRV, MR.TOMKIMS.'V
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By EDWIN ALGER
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