PAGE EIGHT
MEDFCRD MAIL TRTBTTNE, MTCDFORD, OREGON", WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20. 1937
By GLUYAS WILLIAMS
the dark ships
THE FOOTSTOOL
STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHJSTHIX
Tot further proof address the author, Inclosing stamped envelop for reply. JUf. TT. 8. Pit Off.
V HULBCRT FOOTHI
Chapter 40
Back To The Ship
TTELLO, Johnny," ild NelU.
xl "This Li the guy who passed
out In your cab Monday night, and
whom you took to the Stafford.
You came back the next morning
to see how I was. Remember?"
"Sure, I remember you."
"Are you free, Johnny? Are you
free for the whole night? I want
to make a trip into the country."
"Well, I could be," said Johnny
hesitatingly.
"Oh, 111 make It all right with
you. I've got the jack."
"Okay, then," said Johnny.
"Good boy! Fill up your tank
and meet me on some quiet corner
off the center of town. You say
where, and I'll drive there in an
other cab."
"Make it the corner of Lombard
and Eutaw. That's quiet enough at
this hour."
"Okay."
Johnny was waiting for him. He
greeted Neill with a. grin that
spread all the way across his wiz
ened face. They shook hands heart
ily. Neill felt a real liking for the
little fellow. He was square. When
the other cab had departed, John
ny asked:
"Well, where away, Cap'n?"
'"I don't exactly know."
Johnny's jaw dropped as If he
thought his fare was slightly de
mented. Neill laughed. "We must stop at
If a man could only quiet down
long enough to appreciate itl"
"Do I leave you now?"
"Wait until I make sure that
there's a boat."
Neill found a skiff tied to a line
running out to a post, and pulled
it in. There were no oars in her,
but he was beginning to learn thc
customs of the country now.
Searching inside the gate of the
wharf-tender's yard, he found the
oars in the grass, and silently
brought them down,
"It's a darn shame to lift the
man's skiff," said Neill. "But I'll
make it up to him."
He and Johnny shook hands.
"You'll be hearing from me," said
Neill. "Don't, start your engine
until I get away from the shore. It
might wake up somebody in the
house."
"Good luck," said Johnny.
Neill rowed out on the dark
river. After a minute or two he
heard Johnny start his engine. The
lights were switched on, and the
taxi turned around and disap
peared over the hill. Then silence
except for the creaking and the
dip of his own oars.
When he got across the river he
didn't know where he was. It was
clear that if the spot was new to
him it must be somewhere above
the stretch that he had covered
before, and he rowed down
stream. Before he had gone far he
came to a point of the shore that
he recognized, and upon rounding
cenTRftL toAWtcp. fvjTrte ttJfci& cRtflb
uzhW-secftuse it cm run over,.
ltffX0?6 (T LINK'S
Ail
ifie DOUGLAS SPRUCe,
fUK80WNrV&TH
6PRUCBH0R
A FIR.
fReroy wein ictf-fite
VJORUte UfirtTWe6rtTCrtrMPlON4rilP
W b knock-out mil
ie(SMlH6 OH 1MB
Ropes-
Benny Leonard,
nr-
W, ft rKIVfllis
Dec. ffW-MkytTK
U
Ho-p-yf
.eill rowed out on the dark river.
a filling station and get a map of
Maryland so we can pick out our
route. I want you to take me down
the west side of the Pocomico
river. The road on the east side is
watched by the state police. I'll
have to pick out the spot on the
map where I want you to drop me.
It's about 80 miles.
"Gee!" said Johnny cheerfully.
"A mystery! Give us the dope,
Cap'n.
"I can't tell you the whole story
now," said Neill. "But I will soon.
I can give you one tip: the big guy
who gave me knockout drops on
Monday night was Prescott Fan
ning." Johnny let out a whistle. "Well
I be dogged! And was it you
croaked the so-and-so?"
"Not me. Somebody saved me
the trouble."
"Well, I wouldn't of blamed
rou," said Johnny.
"Let's go!"
Neill'a last act before leaving
town was to 'call up Mattingly.
"Look, old fellow, there's no use
fou waiting for me any longer,
ve had a clue that's taking me to
Washington."
Neill could hear the honest con
stable breathing hard into the re
ceiver. "But . . . bt i . . my orders
was to bring you Dack with me,"
he objected.
"Sorry," said Neill.
"You've got to come back with
me."
"I don't know what vou're going
to do about It," said Neill cheer
fully, because I'm on my way."
He hung up laughing.
Lifting A Skiff
TWO hours later the taxlcab
came out on the river at a
point where a side road ended at a
steamboat wharf. As near as Neill
could judge, they were opposite
the spot where the big ships were
moored. The river was over a mile
wide, and the opposite shore was
lost in the misty darkness.
Except for the shed on the
wharf, there were no buildings
nearby except a cottage standing
on the top of a grassv Dank about
30 feet above. Probably the home
of the wharf tender. No light
showed in any window. The
heavy scent of wild-grape flowers
hung on the sir. There was no
wind and a silence brooded over
the countryside that made the city
driver murmur:
"Boy! It would scare vou down
here when you turn off the en
gine." "It's a great country," said Neill.
it saw the dim bulk of the great
ships moored close in. His heart
began to beat, thinking of the
coming meeting with Janet. What
a lot had happened during the 24
hours since lie had left her!
He rowed softly close to the
towering steel bulk of the Abra
ham Lincoln. By counting the
portholes he was able to take up
a position immediately below the
windows of Janet's little veranda.
He lay on his oars and softly whis
tled the meadowlork's call with
tins that trembled a little. He was
so keen to take her in his arms!
Closed Windows
HE LOOKED up, watching for
the weighted string to fall.
Nothing came and he whistled
again, a little louder. Still no an
swer. He supposed that Janet had
fallen asleep and he was divided
between irritation and anxiety.
How could she sleep when she
knew he was coming? She had all
day to sleep in. And what the devil
was he to do if he couldn't waken
her?
After whistling again once or
twice, he rowed a little way out
from the hull in order to look up
at the windows. Even by star-light
he could pick out the four win
dows of Janet's suite. They were
larger than the windows on either
side. Suddenly with a tightening
of his breast he rcnlized that all
four windows were closed. There
was no mistaking it; in each win
dow the glass was faintly reflect
ing the star-shine. Naturally she
couldn't hear his signal. Why on
earth should she close the win
dows when she was expecting
him?
Then he remembered that It was
impossible for Janet to move the
stiff windows.
In the first moment the bottom
seemed to drop out of everything.
What had happened? Had some
body been there? Had she been
taken away? How could ha get
aboard without the ladder?
He set his teeth, and got himself
under control. He rowed around
the ships to the little platform at
the foot of the boarding-ladder,
and tied his skiff alongside the
others. He didn't know if the extra
guards were aboard tonight and
he didn't much care. If Janet was
gone, nothing mattered. There
were no lights showing in Captain
Bickers cabin.
Neill And Jsnet bring rroM-iun
Ined by the police, tomorrow.
Private To Renrral
Son of a peace-loving Quaker,
Nathaniel Greene was brought up In
anything but a martial Atmosphere.
Yet, when the Impending break be
tween the American colonies and
England became Imlnent, he wns one
of the first to prepare for war.
Appointed to a committee for re
vising the militia laws of the colony
of Bhodo Island "as soon us may
be," Greene enlisted In the Kentish
. Guards as a private In December,
! 1774. The Kentish Guards was a
newly organized military body, know
ing next to nothing about military
matters. To overcome this, Oreene
went to Boston, then occupied by
the British, end there managed to
Induce nn English deserter to return
to Rhode Island with him for the
Crooner Worst As
Expectant Father
NEBRASKA CITY. Neb., Oct. 30.
yp) Miss Nicola Monroe, supervisor
In the obstetrics division at Kt. Mary's
hospital, has her own Mesa about
expectant fathers.
Some of them pace up and down
at the last moment, she said, others
talk to themselves, some Just alt and
stare, and, some faint. But the most
trying of all, she stated, was the one
who crooned.
Mount Hood Popular.
THE DALLES. Dot. 20. ( AP) The
58. Baa persons visiting the Mount
Hood .national forest Isst year have
given the area a No. 1 popularity In
the northwest, Rrlc Gordon, district
ranger at Dufur. reported today.
Mount Hood Itself, nordon raid, ir
the "mo! elimtvrt" of tha major
peak In the United State.
Seek Grants Pass
Radio Permission
WA8HINOTON, Oct. 30 (API
Attorneys for the Pacific Radio cor
poration of Grant Peas. Oro- sp
pealed today to the communications
commission for a permit to operate
a radio station In the westem city.
They asked that the corporation be
assigned a wave length of 1320 kilo
cycles and sllowed to operate with
ftoo watts power daytime only.
The commission took tbe petition
under advisement.
HIGH COURT UPHOLDS
CONTEMPT CONVICTION
8A1.KM. Oct. 30. (API The itutt
ftuprrm court upheld riifwcUy con
tempt 'conviction of torn Portland
men nhn rrfnt.v, o tratlt) in fin
nerr.ot. with ( iir iitw1 mi in
purpose of becoming drill master for
the Guards.
When the Revolution began few
months later. Rhode Island hastily
provided for the raising of n army
of 1,600 men. In recognition of Pri
vate Greene's help and ability shown
In developing the Kentish Guards, he
was given a commission as brlgAdier
general In the army, dated May 8,
1776 five months after he had en
listed as a private! He was less than
33 years old when elevated to the
post. Throughout the war. General
Greene was one of the most able
and successful of American officers.
Neither spruce Nor Fir
Strange a it seems, the red fir,
the yellow fir. the Douglas fir and
the Douglas spruce ere all one and
the same tret; yet the tree la neither
a fir nor a spruce. Related to both
the spruce and the fir. Its scientific
name Is Pseudotsuga douglassl.
Standing Knock-out
Out but not down was the peculiar
condition of Freddy Welsh while the
referee counted away his lightweight
title In New York City. May J8, 1917,
In the ninth round of a fight against
Benny Leonard. A terrific right from
Leonard had knocked Welsh uncon
scious but one of Welsh's arms, slung
over the ropes, prevented him from
falling until after he was counted
out.
Tomorrow: New York to Paris by
I Auto!
Rlvermen's association hiring hail
at Fourteenth and Alberta street,
Portland.
The men, Arthur Ruat, Paul Jen
nings, C. M. Abbott and Karl Tlgert
were witnesses at a trial of Art
Shearer, ono of 33 men who were
indicted by the Multnomah grand
Jury on November 38, 1934, lor
rioting. 1
EX-CONVICT ADMITS
MISTREATING CHILD
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 30. (AP)
Donald White, 39-year old thrtce
pnroled convict, pleaded guilty in
police court today to a charge oi
raping Betty Jane Rush, 10.
Judge Fred J. Miller bound White I
over to the grand Jury under S0,
000 bond. Maximum penalty on the
charges under Ohio law Is life Im
prisonment. The little schoolgirl was held cap
tive In a vacant nuse for six hours
the night of October 9. Police phy
sicians said she had been assaulted
repeatedly.
VY0HDER& I51HERE AMV
AMOSEMEM-f "fo BE HAD Wlfri
rcurfS-foO). ACR044 -THE R06M
CHAW1A OVER 'foil'. DOESH'-r KWOUl
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FINDS Vf HARDER THAN HE
tH0l)6r Y0 HOISf HIMSELF
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8'MATTEB POP
By 0 M PAYUT
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TAILSPIN TOMMY Tommy Is Convinced of Bently's Guilt!
By UAL FORREST
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ACTOR, RUDOLPH ' XM ALSO A CIRCUS. jTsL'TV SifiSl HAD COURAGE 1 WjtfS&r'THAT SETTLES N
MARTin, who rTKu. riiteiW . performer. . . . IPft .Vfl enough to risk MKT the matter
IMPERSONATED i VA14fr -X BEFORE THAT HIS MECK, THEM ABOUT THE 1
VSOMEM OM ST. SlSS kT r. 7f (JU?J lM9HEO HAVE MERVE PARACHUTE,
THE STAGE 04&) 'LrSlsr U isLAi f S"Slftrl W Ha ENOUGH TO BAIL , R?5f BETTY-LOU
SIX YEARS CsKajB JrJl WVVV I ITO ,OUT OFAPLAME.'y BENTLY'S J
a P youR
BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER What Jason Heard
( THE 0OC1OB. e-AYS BEN'S L! Mi' urm THE YJEB-SltaJ-T ' , f - TW1WK. lT AFE TO TELL GRABBER. c
TB.E1TV ROCKY FROAA WHAT Ift-- WO &CAR.ED Off, AM' A pjm -STTT1 J THAI 6ETH STRALE'LL HAMD OVER. THE WUGGET
THAT BULLYIK1' BRUTE CTRALE ir,!S COUaE O' OTHER A . rTOHS ''lilt LOCK, STOCK AW' BARREL IU LES'W TWO
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THE NEBBS Eony-Meeny-Miny-Mo-
By SOL HESS
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P DONJ'T HAVE TO SIT OP ',.' '''VfW kVUILL VOL) TAE ?AsET fbOTU YOUR -oOOD AS CASH AMD YOUR. EXTREME COtO-
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. ( 1 QITHP N ' (sh ' I VAULT WHILE C SNPU ee TRLSTED
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