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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 1938)
PAGE EIGHT MEDFORD MATT, TRIBUNE, MEDFO'R'n. OREGON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28. 1938 SUBURBAN HEIGHTS By GLUYAS WILLIAMS' STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX For farther proof address the author, inclosing a stamped envelope for reply. Re. TJ, 8. Pt 01. , .IBy MAX SALTMARSHV, (Copyright, IP", try Tns Ball BrnUcstaJjie i tVUWiS W111IW76 f; The Character Hugo Stern, handtom author, living on tht French Riviera. Archie Lomiden, myol. Nu- go'i friend. Kene Galas, cartoonist, muter mind behind a murder plot, Yeiterdayi Venner, the eecond 0 Gein'f conederate, livee at the Chateau. I accompany him to the beach, and two men attack me in the water.' : Chapter 25 i Dissension HAD exactly one second, before I the eriD on mv throat tightened. to fill my lungs with the clear, sweet air.' Then down, down I went Into solid green depths of water. I hadn't realized ever De fore in my life I who had always been a crack under-water swim mer how hard it would be to hold one's breath with a suffocating pressure on one's windpipe. It had all passed in a uasn, ana i was al most at the bottom before I real ized what had happened. It was another minute before I could think what to do. There were two men holding me, one by the throat and one by the ankles. Both were swimming with their legs only, for their arms were oinerwise engagea. i kickcu out desperately to free my ankles, but louna tnem caugni in an iron grip. It was no time for ethics or clean fighting. My head was bursting and my chest cracKea witn me terrible strain. I brought up my arms, fumbled for the second face, which I could not see, and drove my thumbs into the eye-sockets. digging at tne eyeoaus. I felt the man writhe, and a sud den wave of blind, crimson fury swept over me. If it was his eves or my life, his eyes must go. I dug deeper and suddenly the grip on my throat slackened and dropped away. I saw a dim, black and white shape swerve upward. Then I doubled up sharply and caught at the neck of the merchant who held my legs. If the trick had an swered so well with me, it would do equally well for him. But he was no fighter when the odds were even. Almost before my fingers fastened on his wet throat, he loosed my ankles, wriggling to ;et away, and I let him go, slant ne unwards like a rising trout. Then I drifted thankfully to the surface myself. It was a queer scene that met my eyes as 1 looked towards the beach. The fqur other fellows were standing knee-deep in the water, but as T looked two of them ran farther out to give a hand to the first of my late opponents. The man I had just parted from was meanwhile swimming for his life to shore, while the remaining two had made a dash for the car, and even as I watched, I heard the roar of the starting engine. And all the time, half standing in his wheeled chair, old Mr. Vcnner was shriek ing helpless objurgations, while Amedce hovered anxiously about him. For an Instant 1 wondered if he was upbraiding his employees for failing in their job, but all that mattered to me was that they had failed, and I took my way back to shore at a leisurely pace. "Well," I said, "that was i.n ex citlg five minutes while it lasted." The old man stared up at me. His face was gray, "What happened?" he demanded. "Nothing," I answered, "except that these gentlemen, for some reason, had a fancy for drowning me. One of them faked an attack of cramp, and when I went to help him, he got me by the throat, while another fellow gripped my ankles. If I hadn't been used to swimming under water, I'd be passing the time of day with my forefathers by now. But at least," I added with satisfaction, "I gave him a couple of sore eyes to remember me by." 'I Won't Have It!' "IT'S an outrage!" he said, very -I low, his old voice shaking. "Unthinkable unspeakable! I won't have it I won t have itl" He caught suddenly at his side, and the gray tinge in his cheeks deepened. "Amcdec," he said abruptly, "take me hack to the house at once. I am ill. And you, ir you must come with me. It Is not safe for you to remain here lone." It was a queer thought that I should be safer in the company of Vcnner the banker, but queerer s'ill was the fact that I believed him, and without a word I fell into step beside the wheel-chair. The sight of the housekeeper, standing rigidly under the pillared portico, watching our advance across the terrace, brought me bock to grim reality with a jerk. Whether or not she was sur prised to see me reluming safe and whole I couldn't tell, for iier round fiink face was as blank as a stone mage's; but she came forward swiftly and laid a hand on the old man's shoulder. "You are not well, Mr. Venner," he said quickly. "Amedce, take the patron straight to his room: I will come at once." Then she turned to me. "1 hope you enjoyed your bathe?" "I have never had one like It." I answered simply, and was for making trncKs tor my room when she stopped me with gesture. "One moment, Mr. Lumsden. I am sorry to trouble you, but the key" "Of course!" I said. "The key why, yes, certainly! I'll bring it down to you on my way out." I made my way up the stairs, but just on the bend I' halted, checked by the sound of angry voices. "Henrietta!" came the old man's shrill falsetto. "It was an outrage, a dastardly outragel I won't De argued with. You will telephone at once tell him I must see him this morning or there will be trou ble " I went on my way, convinced that, however odd It seemed, the prospect of my sudden demise was not pleasing to Mr. Venner, and wondering not a little who it was that he was summoning so urgent ly to see him. r . My bed was made and my room tidied for the day, but as I opened the bag to get out a clean shirt, I observed with interest that other hands than mine had been exam ining the contents. For an instant I was at a loss to know what they had been looking for: then suddenly I remembered the key and chuckled to myself, reflecting that the housekeeper was taking no chances of my doing any unauthorized night rambling. I opened my door cautiously. The passage was deserted; there was no sound from the rooms below, and in a couple of seconds I had raised the tile, satisfied myself that the cause of all the trouble was securely in iU hiding-place, and replaced the covering; then I strolled downstairs again. 'The Conscience' THERE was a small door to' the left of the counter, and as I passed it, I heard a female voice raised high in irritation. I paused for a moment, and the voice of Miss Henrietta Adams sounded clearly in my ears. "Is that the Cap d'Antibes?" she was saying. "I've been trying to get you for five minutes. I must speak at once to Baron Stahl." I rapped on the door and opened it without waiting for permission, inserting my head through the opening to see a small, bare room and the housekeeper sitting at a littered desk, her hand on the telephone. "Mr. Lumsden!" she said sharp ly. "Do you want something?" "Only my key," I retorted mild ly. "It's nowhere In my room, and I thought perhaps the servants might have come across it when they were tidying up." She glared at me. "It is not likely, but I will ask them," she said acidly. "And anyway," 1 added com fortingly, if it's lost, it'll prob ably turn up somewhere when you least expect it." With that I left her. Stail was coming, urgently summoned by Venner, and that summons had its origin in the re cent attempt on my life. It was vitally necessary that I should hear what passed at the interview. I went up to my room, closed the shutters, and sat down, my elbows on the window-ledge, to watch the front gate. Finally, a big gray sports car pulled up in the lane outside, and a small fat figure in canary-colored trousers strutted importantly towards the house. So far I had had no oooorlunity to explore the upper story of the house, but I had a pretty good idea of how the land lav. and now. as stealthily as a mousing cat, I crept along the wide passage and halted outside the door that I knew must be Venner's. There was never a sound. I took hold of the handle. and felt the door swing gently open. I could near now a faint mur mur of voices coming from the door on my left, but when I tip toed past him and set my ear to the crack, the words were still indistinguishable. 1 stared around me. completely at a loss. Before me stretched the corridor, cool, empty, and singu larly unhelpful, but at the end, facing me. 1 saw another door. It stood half open, and when 1 peered round it 1 round mat 1 was at the head of a back stairway, with another door on my right, opening into a service pantry. mere was a window here, and when I cautiously thrust my head through it, I could have whooped for joy. Clear and brittle on the sparkling air came the voice of Huron btam, not 'wo yards away from me. You will not have this young man killed?" he demanded, on rising note of indignation. "Now, mat ls very nicei Ana u was to tell me this that you- bring me hastening from Antibes. on ihis morning of all others, when the old man and the girl have packed up and gone to Lannes, tor no reason that I know, and in conse quence all our plans, all our ar rangements, must be remade? To tell me that you like the young man, that you have a bad heart, that you do not wish him killed before your eyesl How many peo ple, I ask you crowned heads, statesmen, financiers have died without a protest from you? And yet, for this one big Englishman, a nobody, a nothing, you endan ger our plans, you develop the conscience!" Copyright, l?3tt Uaa Saltmarih) Tomorrow: More trouble with 01-till. NEW VOnK, Sept. ai TV-Mayor L Ouardta'a compromise proposal tor settlement of the strike of 15,000 truck drlvera was accepted by the strikers at noon today at meeting In Mecca temple. The truck ownert rejected the propoaal yesterday. The mayor's compromise Asrce ment rails for a two-year contract es tablishing 44-hour :ck will) no re duction in the present weekly be.se. pay of 144 to fe.&O. Tne old con tract, which provided for a 47-hour week, expired September 1. The strik ers, members of the Inumitlonat Brotherhood of Teamsters and Chauf feurs, hsa asked for a 40-hour week without a pay reduction. About 4,000 strikers Attended the meeting at which the mayor explsln ed the situation and his desire to bring a speedy end to the strike which haa crippled city-wide freight transportation. rinn tiiiftulo i"eiii YUBA CITY. Cel., Sept. 38. (,T, A buffalo barbecue October 18 wilt dedicate the new tour-mile stretch of the Takho-Uk ah highway and he bridge over Sutter bpaat. Til1 m W mm fff ffilS til rrri II II ill BTljeABBB .F.Hli,Jd I'J II 7 essafcstamailaMUaJWaa, "MO-STHoW TRINITY " INZlLVEff BAtte I TIN fofmef London ppsfdpncpoFBr'fffehkinfl'S. J$AJlLTOHiysmcT$lTEoFA former leper colony (Hospital of si ' James Iheb&s) ' "mo1' vm office Uibcm dm bio sKuufi Wftffc usEDWiwr offices" W MoRMoHS CROSSING) THE ' PRfMRieS INIHfc mot.., v l.fR3 WERE LEFTlNTriEfA fOR IftTER IMMIGRANTS.... A r- r t. St. James Paliice. Scene of many a gay function was St. James Palace, long the official London homo of Brlttfih kings- Yet, strange as It seems, on the exact site on which the palace stands today once atood the Hospital of St. James the Leas, a home for 1 Incurable lepers I Originally containing 14 leprous women, the hospital ls mentioned In history as early as 1100. The exait date of Its erection Is vague, Henry VIII acquired the building and grounds In 1632. replacing It with a fine 'hunting lodge. First king to use the building as his London home was William II, who ascended the throne In 1689; reigning sovereigns continued to live there until 1820 when George IV ascended the throne. Queen Victoria transferred the of ficial residence to Buckingham Pal ace, but the British court still Is officially known as the Court of St. James. Little of the old place re mains standing today. Plralp's MIMake. Under command of Captain Bar tholomew Sharpe, famous pirate, the outlaw ship. "Mast Holy Trinity." In July, 1685, captured the "Holy Ros ary," Spanish merchantman, In South American waters. Looting her, the pirate crew found In the hold a cargo of heavy metal "pigs" which they thought were tin. To lighten their .prize, the pirates threw the lot overboard. One pirate, however, saved a pig for himself, and eventually took It to England, to have It cast Into bullets. Analysis showed that the metal was silver Instead: the pirates had thrown away $270,000 worth of the precious metal. Tomorrow: The man who turned $fi into ?r.o,noo.ooo. T Tl PENDLETON. Ore., Sept. 28 (AP Mr. and Mis. E. B. Aldrich of Pendleton became grandparents twice when their only children two daughters became mothers the same day. A grandson was born early Mon day at Corvallls to Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Forrestsr, Jr., and early in the evening a granddaughter was born to Mr, and Mrs. J. M. Bedford. Jr., at Flagstaff, Arizona, although the Bedfords reside at Williams. Ariz. Mr. and Mrs. Fori-cster, Sr., reside at Marshflcld. Ore., and Mr. and Mrs. Bedford. Sr.. live at Williams. Aldrich ls a member of tho state highway commission, and editor and publisher of the Pendleton East Ore gon lan. FREP POLES' COULDN'T KEEP HIS D&TE AT ftfE fiOLFLOB "THE . OTHER DfiV BECAUSE HE HAD'BOLfED YHE BACK POOR BEFORE VAR NISH.N6 "THE ROOR OF THE REAR EHfRV, WHICH LEF NO JERV 60DD WAV OF GETTING AT "THE KEV OFfHE CAR, LEFT HftMglNS OM VfS HOOK S MATTPt? Pm Bv C M PAYNE Flslicrmnn DIps, AUBURN, Cal., Oept. 28. (P) j A weekend fishing trip up the Mid- ! die fork of the American River end ed fatally for Sidney I. Dees. 38. of R:sevllle, mine foreman. Reports said Dees suffered a heart attack yes terday and felt from a rocky embank ment. His skull was crushed. Use Mall mouna want Ada. BWessii?, in tUm daws S" N '3 yMA STREETS VJETJ.E TUUL ,Sj 7 f V J I OV- -Mo1?SES,-Am' VJtJtM TeV3J -A W -VSEt -AH Auto, TJ EVP I ast. '1 d (OopyritH 1M8, by Th B.U gyndlcala, Inc.) -Jtj TAILSPIN TOMMY Was It Tommy? By HAL FORREST ' j 1 JV,?-- 1 I 1 1 f.- JaVJSM t53Dc,ffff! ' LOOK! TX-a- -a. rDOWNl DOWN IN YOUd) rSSfcSsX. 'THE MEPCURY?V TEAOf, LZ . -run ruf-r ' PLANE Yr?faFL SEATS, FOLKS! I'LL ..O-OH. NOl BB.TTY- ) PSUESS WE Hil; !; Lrj5JLA7 " JU5TCCA3HED l& tfLj LET YOU KNOW IN -IVSnJ I HO NO A LOU DON'T HAVE VVf m :'! '! ' '2,"AZ'MA.lv iOver there! A.Tzib ,st a minute! WfeaK V w &tk TO bump iST2L I ',:' AIR MEET AT N l'mfm 3ftHk ( AJktZ- TAILSPIN J, I !i MIAMI SEEMS TO J $k$fcv tf 14 fcVf T jfSf. WfTs OFP APTBR "7123 (fk'A or3 g Rv EDWIN mumuim AW,6U0THATf WEa ,'MN0T I BUT WHAT'S HE MEAN ABOUT N V I IS THAT AGAINST THE X ;J ( THAT ( jAlAN'Y--- I I BIRD'S GONE! r FEELiNS ANY US DESTROYIN' THE BALANCE I Z LAW? GOSH, MAVBE IT ? WEANS THEY r v h M AND AM I TOO EASY MYSELF, OF AGRICULTURE? ALL WE , K 1 IS I YOU KNOW WHAT I JAILl J CALL THIS eSIF- E f - X t W SCARED TOO iw RUSTY) r- BEEN DOIN' HAS BEEN GIVIN'J " HE SAID ABOUT GOIN' v- ! y A FREE HT L i I Vsf BEN! w'TL, FOLKS MORE FOR THEIR r- TO A PLACE WHERE rp I COUNTRY! H 1 - I M- a i; -7 SILENCE IS SILENCE! I T-f j ' ' BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER Free Country? THE NEBBS Cheerful News By SOL HESS l FE.EL klNJD OP J--r W& P7TcAMSErAS7V f IT MAY BE ALL BUNJK,X W SILLV SMEAKIlvie IMTO A M i " -7 ROMAtsJCE IKJ NOUI2. W VE BEEM ISJ BUT POP. A f3UCK MO ,.T I A PLACE LlfcETMIS &OTj M . f UPE -NOUVE t5eEKJ INJ "U-O.'E. ? 1M STILLi lOlE EVER MADE ME SO tZ'P (SHE. Ml&wr TELL MEE rsrTJl--r -il LOVE AMD YOU'RE &OIM& K IW IT .' . WAPPV IKJ MV LIFE sNTv50ME.TWisje AtSOUT ) VaTZTT" - - vV - 1 TO GET A LETTER TM AT-; yrf- i,. ) Pk $ ALGER
