PAGE EIGHT
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD. OREGON, THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 1942.
MlfAU ULiyU UUJfB.ROBERIAll
YESTERDAY: at c luee Harlow
is vtry young, and vary lovely,
ana has Ivoed all Hit Hit in
cable on the bank, of tha Mil
utippt; mow H tends on of th
fuvioaltoH lights, sua her only
companion Is her erandmother.
But in e bad norm she finds on
exhausted young man named
ftand Hendricks, and now the
grandmother Is worried by the
Ihouoht that unsophisticated Mo
llssa may lots her head over
Rand. '
Chapter Four
No Crcal Shake
TJ ANDY said quietly, "You'rt
right, of course. Mrs. Mar
lowe. Soma italwart river man
will coma alonf torn day and
marry her"
"There"! a mess of 'em would
be glad to now," aaid Gran com
placently. "What with her being
my heir to the cabin and the land
and the livestock and with her
Iob with the government ihe can
;ind of pick and choose.
"And being auch a raving little
beauty, too,'r laid Randy in all
Sincerity. . . .
.That nleht after aupper Gran
asked Melissa to play and aing for
Randy. Curious to know what
measure of talent she might DOS'
teas. Randy added his coaxing to
the old lady's, and Melissa, blush.
Ing and excited, took down the
guitar, strummed It a moment to
tune it and tilted back her head,
on which the lamplight turned
the ruddy-brown curia to a mol
ten copper.
"I don't know anything except
the old songs the ones my
mother used to sing." said Melissa
apologetically, and lifted her
smooth, faintly husky young
voice in "The Lonesome ttoaa.
The haunting, tragic little old
song took 01 a new meaning for
Randy as she sang it. Her voice
was warm, sweet, faintly husky,
with a little note in it that tugged
at the heartstrings. But it wasn't
an exceptional voice. It would
definitely never set the river afire,
he told himself, and wondered
that he should be sorry about
that
Her dancing was on a par with
her voice graceful as all young
things are graceful; but the steps
dated, outmoded, unexciting, and
It hurt him a little that she looked
at him with such eager expec
tancy in her brown eyes, auch a
pleading, inarticulate nope.
He was torn between two de
sires. One to tell her what she so
pathetically wanted him to say:
that she was a beautiful dancer,
that her voice waa sensational,
that she would have no difficulty
In getting a job.
The other, the desire to do what
he knew Mrs. Marlowe wanted
him to do tell her the simple
truth: that her small grace and
talent was by no means excep
tional and that she would not
stand a chance.
"Was It as bad as all that?" she
asked at last, and he aaw the
round young chin quiver, the
tears that stood in the soft brown
eyes.
"It wasn't bad at all. Melissa
St was swell," he told her swiftly,
eagerly, and then saw the look in
Gran's eyes and caught himself
up. "It wasn't bad, Melissa, but
there are hundreds of girls all
over the country looking for Jobs
who are youriL and pretty and
who sing welt, almost as well as
you do. So It vould be much bet
ter for you to stay here with your
grandmother."
Melissa lifted her round young
chin and said coolly, "I meant to,
of course. It's just that well, I
was curious to know if anybody
else thought I had any talent
Mother used to think I was fairly
good."
She got up and went swiftly
out of the room.
The Wrong Answer
GRAN said ungraciously, "Well,
you didn't have to break her
heart did you. Just to tell her
how terrible she was? Personally,
1 thought she was real good!"
And Gran followed Melissa and
banged the door behind her.
Randy swore, ran his Angers
through his hair and then
grinned. He should have known
better, he told himself grimly,
than to have expected Gran to be
grateful for his honesty. Gran
hadn't wanted Melissa to believe
she was good enough to get a job
in show-business; but slie furi
ously resented the thought that
he had not admired Melissa ex
travagantly. In the morning when he said
goodbye they were both a bit
subdued. A passing fisherman had
agreed to drop him at the nearest
landing, where a riverboat on lis
trip north to New Orleans would
pick him up later that afternoon.
Goodbyes, under the circum
stances, had to be hurried.
"1 don't know how to thank
you both for what you've done
for me," he said sincerely, know
ing instinctively that he dare not
offpr them money for their hos
pitality. "It's been a lot of fun
and great knowing you both I
hope we'll all meet again."
For a moment an eager flare of
hope blazed in the girl's eyes and
she drew a deep, unsteady breath.
Gran, seeing it said crossly,
"Ain't much liklihood o' that
unless you get lost again. I'd say "
At the top of the steep, rickety
stairs that led down the fare of
the cliff to the river where the
cockleshell of a boat lay waiting.
Randy paused a moment looked
down at Melissa and said impul
sively, Tve got the darnedest
hunch that you and I are going to
meet again. Melissa somewhere,
somehow, some whyl"
Melissa was radiant her eyes
blazing. "Do you honestly? May
bemaybe some day I'll be in
New Orleans and we'll bump
into each other"
"If ever you come to New Or
leans, Melissa, promise you'U look
me up," said Randy rashly, and
scribbled an address on a card
which be put in her fingers.
"That's my address, and I'll al
ways be glad to see you."
She stood for a long tense mo
ment there at the top of the cliff,
watching until he had stepped
into the boat and the boatman
had shoved away from the bank
toward the middle of the stream.
The card one which he had writ
ten a New Orleans address was
held tightly in her two hands
that were clasped hard together.
New Life To Come
F)R a few weeks Melissa
-bought of Rand constantly.
She could never quite give up the
thought that he would come back;
that she would hear from him;
that he would write to her or
send her a message. But as the
weeks passed and he did none of
these things the image of him
laaea a little.
Gran watched her closely, wor
ried and uneasy because the
?ayety and laughter was gone
rom her. Now and then Gran of
fered a word of comfort offered
it tentatively, uneasily.
"You'll forget all about him,
honey, soon's some other fellow
comes along," she said one lazy
summer afternoon when they sat
on the porch above the twisting
yellow stream that looked so
peaceful and friendly, like a great
yellow beast asieep in the sun.
"Some other fellow? Maybe
Ben Holcomj. the frog-sticker?
Or French Pete? Or Joe the Her
mit?" suggested Melissa grimly.
Gran made a little impatient
gesture with a gnarled old hand.
"You know I didn't mean none
of them." she snapped. "After all,
there's some fine boys on the
lightship"
"All of then, married except
Billy, who's engaged," Melissa
pointed out drily.
"Well. Randy Hendricks alnt
the only man that hunts in these
parts. There's liable to be another
one soon as fall hunting season
opens maybe a fisherman from
town" Gran paused worriedly.
Melissa saia witn a lightness
that she and Gran both knew was
strictly on the surface, "Thanks,
Gran but never mind. I'll stay
on here at the Point: and maybe
the government'll put up another
light or two for me to tend and
I'll be rich and powerful and the
Queen of the River, with suitors
coming from far and near."
uran said crossly. 'There kx
no call for you to go talking like
a fool, just because a good-looking
fellow stopped off here a day
or two and filled your head with
loonsnness."
"No, there really Isn't, Is there?"
said Melissa, and stood up, draw
ing a deep breath. "Well, I think
I'll go out and snag a few cats for
supper nothing Tike good old '
river catfish for that tired feel
ing." uran sat very still, watching
her as she went along the path
and to the steep, rickety stairs
that hung against the face of the
cliff, below which her flat-bot
tomed, clumsy old skiff was tied
up.
"Drat the man!" said Grin
grimly. "Seems like he ought to
have had manners enough to send
her a little present or write her
a letter saying he was thankful
she saved his worthless life. Still
and all, I reckon maybe he's right"
But summer faded and the
mild, rain-swept mist-driven win
ter closed In.
And in the following spring,
when Melissa was iust Dast her
seventeenth birthday Gran died
quietly, peacefully. In her sleep.
Melissa awakened in the night
and there was stillness a still
ness that was strange and eery
and somehow terrifying, before
she came to herself sufficiently
to realize the reason for that still
ness. There was no sound from
Gran's bed: the slow, light breath
was still. In a swift wild moment
of childish panic Melissa bent
over the old woman and laid a
hand upon the frail thin bodv.
The flesh was cool, the heart still.
and mere was no Breath.
For a long, long moment Me
lissa huddled there beside the
bed And then she stood up. drew
the sheet over the wrinkled old
face and whispered very low. her
voice shaken, "Goodbye, Gran
da ling. If I'd only remembered
to tell you enough how much
I loved you!"
Melissa s return to the cabin
after the funeral was the hardest
task she had ever had to per
form. Just to come back alone.
to go out to the light and to re
turn to the dark cabin, missing
Gran with every breath she drew,
completely broke the composure
that had held her so that she
cried herself to sleep.
In the morning she was lust
finishing her lonely, tasteless
breakfast when she had a caller.
Jim Roberts said heavily. "I been
wanting to talk to you. Ussy, but
I didn t know how your Gran
would (eel about leaving the
place here. Now 1 reckon you
won't mind me making you an
offer for the place."
Melissa's nrart leaped and
thudded hard In her breast and
shj said shakily. "You want to
e place?
buy the
Tt be ronltaard
SHOP AT NIGHT
Barker's are open
until o'clock
EVERY night
Store lor Man
1
Legion Convention
Set July 23 To 25
Portland. March 12. lA
The American Legion will hold
Its annunl state convention at
Eugene July 23 25, Joseph K.
Carson, Oregon department com
mander, announced today.
GEN. JONES PROMOTED
Washington, March 12 4i
- -president Roosevelt today
nominated Brig. Gen. Albert M.
Jones of Cnrvallis, Ore , for pro
nioUon as major general.
00 the Radio Chains
STATION!!
Cbata affiliation and wbn
bey ere oa the dial:
KALE MHS( isse, Portland.
BEX (MMNBlur) use, Portland.
KUA (NBC-Hlua Sj atrial ISI0
Spokane; KllO MM.-Wu SIS.
ban rranelaro; Kuw iNHt'.Kadl
(20. Portland: kJK (MMMilurl
1 WW. nrattlai KNX H line
Lot Ansrlra; ROA (MH'.Rrd) SAO
Denver: KOIN cbsi till, Part
land: HOMO (SHC-Hrd) (M
Seal lie: KPO (MIC-Urn) H0
San rranrtaro; KSL, (CBS) I ICO
Bait take city.
Time Shown la PT -
Thursday
8:00 p. m Adventure Stories,
KOO, IUR: Stara of Today, KOW;
Don Wlnalow of the Nary. KPO:
Death Valley Days, KSL; Advrnturaa
In Toyland. KEX; Eyes ri tho World,
KOIN; Danoe Orch, KOMO.
SO p. m News of tho World.
KEX, KOO. KJR; Duffy's Tavern.
KSL; Etchings In Brass, KPO; BUI
Henry, KOIN; Student Theater.
KOW; Streamlined Fairy Tale,
KOMO.
8:00 p. m Major Bowes Orglnal
Amateur Hour, KNX, KSL, KOIN;
Blng Croaby, KPO, KOW, KOMO;
Secret City, KOO, KEX; Old Timers,
KJR.
8:30 p. m Big. Town. KNX, KSL.
KOIN: Blue Horizon, KOO, KEX;
Armchair Cruises, KJR,
1:00 p. m Al Paarce'e Oasg. KPO. Friday
KOMO. KOW: Rudy V alien Program. SOO p. m Adventure Stories. KOO.
KOO, KJR, KEX: Olcna Miller s , KJR; Stars of Today, KOW; Don
Orch., KNX. KOW, KSL. Wlnalow of too Nary, KPO; Kate
' 0 p. m. Red Ryder. KOO. KJR. Smith Hour, KSL: Sd Stoker's Musts.
KEX; Frank Fay, KPO, KOW. KOMO. . KOMO.
8:00 p. m Amos Andy, KNX. j 840 p. m-BIll Sabranaky, KOMO;
KSL, KOirr: Fred Warms. KPO. Cocktail Hour. KOW; Leon F. Drewa.
KOMO. KOW; Rlcardo's Rhapsodies, ' KOIN; News of the world. KEX.
KJR. KOO. KEX. j KOO. KJR.
8:18 p. m. Lura and Abner, KPO, I 8:00 p. m Walts Tlma, KPO.
KOW, KOMO; Lanny Rosa, KNX KOMO. KOW; SacreV City, KOO,
KOIN. KSL. KEX: What's On Tour Mind. KNX.
8 SO o. m. Death Valley Days. I Kortr. ksl- on with tha rianoa.
KNX. KOIN; Coffee Time. KPO. I KJR.
j KOMO. KOW; News. KSL; Your I 8 so p m March o. Time, KEX.
Blind Data, KOO, KJR. I KOO, KJR: Plantation Party, KPO,
UX) p. m. Easy Aces. KOO. KEX. ' KOW, KOMO; First Nlghter. KNX.
KJR: Duffy's Tavern. KNX. KOIN; i KSL, KOIN.
Aldrtch Family, KPO, KOMO. KOW; j 7:oo p. m. Elan Maxwell's Party
8 porta, KSL. j Una, KOO, KJR, KEX; Olenn Mil-
S SO p. m Ellery Queen. KPO. tar's Orch.. KSL, KNX. KOTO Capt.
KOW, KOMO: Claude ThomhlUa ! Flagg end Sgt. Quirt, KPO, KOMO.
Orch.. KOO; Maudle's Diary. KNX. I KOW.
KOIN; News. KSL, KJR; News High-I 7:80 p. m. Bob Hawk Quiz. KNX.
Ilghta. KEX. I KSL, KOIN; Orand Central Station.
10:00 p. m America's Town M( it- I KPO, KOW. KOMO; Modem Music
Ing of the Air. KEX. KOO. KJR: Box, KEX.
KOW, KOl" Eraklna Hawkins Orch,
KOO, KJR: Kate Smith Hour, KNX.
! KOIN; Candlelight Coo carta. KEX:
: Sports, KSL.
. M p. m Dark Fantaay. KOW;
Kewa, KSL. KJR; Moonltsht Sonata.
KEX: Derln for Mayor. KOMO; Floyd
j Wright KPO.
10:00 p. m. Hollywood Legion Sta
dium Flghta, KOO: Reporter News.
KPO, KOW, KOMO; Red Nichols
Orch, KSL; News. KNX: Dance Orch.
KEX; Shining Hour, KJR; FITS Star
: Final, KOIN.
i 10:30 p. m. BUI Sabranaky, KOO:
unlimited Horizons. KOMO; Broad-
Reporter News. KPO, KOMO. KOW
News, KNX: Masterworks of Music,
KSL; Fire Star Final. KOIN.
10:30 p. m. Sun Kenton's Orch..
KSL: wings over the Waat Cor ,
KPO; Moonlight Sonata, KNX; War
Time Women. KOIN.
11:00 p. m. BUI Clifford's Orch.
8:00 p. m Fred Waring. KPO.
XOMO. KOW; Herbert Marshall. KOO.
KEX, KJR: Amos V Andy, KNX,
KSL. KOIN.
8:18 p. m. Lanny Ross, KNX, KSL,
KOIN: Lum and Abner, KPO, KOW,
KOMO.
8:30 p. an. Variety Show, KPO,
KPO. KOW; This Moving World, KOW. KOMO; Gang Busters. KPO,
KEX. KJR; Wilbur Hatch's Orch.. I KEX, KJR; Playhouse. KNX, KOIN,
KOIN; News. KNX, KOO; Evening KSL. I
Reveries, KOMO. I 8:00 p. m Who Done It KPO,
SUBURBAN HEIGHTS
Br GLUYAS WILLIAMS
way Bandwagon, KXX: Moonlight
Sonata. KOW; Northwest Bible In
sutute, KJR: War Time Women.
KOIN.
11:00 p m. Danoa Orch. KPO.
KOW; This Moving World. KEX.
KJR: Oene Grounds. KOIN; News.
KNX; Reveries. KOMO.
HORSE KICKS LAD
Pendleton, March 12.
Jan, 2 H-y ear-old son of Mr. and
Mrs. J. Emery of Kimberly, Ore.,
was in critical condition today
with a skull fracture, the result
of the kick of a horse early this
week. The child's unconscious
form was discovered in tha barn.
UNFREEZE FOOD
Washington, March 13
The war production board to
day "unfroze" stocks of canned
beer and coffee which It had
ordered held subject to the dis
position of WPB.
Cloning time for Classified Ads S
i. m Too lata to Classify 13:30
STRANGE AS IT SEEMS
by JOHN MX
BY 8:14 NO OME HAD YET OFFERED ANY
CONSTRUCTIVE SU6&E51.0M t) FRED PERLEY,
WHO HAD COME OFF WITH THE KEV OF IHE CAR ON
A DAY WHEW HI5 WIFE SIMPLY HAD fo USE "THE CAR.
& ID HOW HE WA6 60IN6 It) 6Cf "THE KEV PACK
-fn HFF? AMD S-Tll 1 CtrfCW TiJF em
3-IJS (Ralawd St Tha Ball Brndlcau, lnc.1
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17L' "9-lJ,l1Wi
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IMl AVlATiOKj
EU6ENB ELV TOOki OPP
PROM A WOODEN
PLATPORM ONTHf
DECK. OP .THE;
Hi? PUAN& STRUCK.
THE WATER AMD
LOST PART OF IT'S
PROPELLER BUT
ELV MANAGED
. TO CONTINUE'
ON TOR A M-MILE-FLIGHT
"Tuus AM&RICA
conceived -rue-
Aircraft carrier
and changed
NAVAL
. HISTORY
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COBlDA
w. a. fond ggows
tomatoes on
uiaason weeds
We uad no previous
CAKCKJITNI.C IIM
PLANT GRAFTING
LouMille,Ala.
APTER TUE CATERPILLAR.
FORMS IT'S CHRYSALIS
ALL RUT A PEW
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ALBERT
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DISAPPEAR
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PUBLIC TELEPHONE,
Jot invented
UNTIL 7 YEAR'S
LATER.)
;OM THESE
THE
"RtlTTERPLV
PEvcLOFS
1
raw
HAP HOPPER. Washington Correspondent
The Partingl
WINGS FOR THE NAVY
In November, 1910, the United States Navy laid the foundations for sea tactics of war
thirty years later. A runway of wood, 83 feet long and 24 feet wide, was constructed en
the deck of the Birmingham, and Pilot Eugene Ely took off from it in a 50-mile-an-hour
biplane. George L. Von Meyer, navy secretary, said: "This experiment and the advances
which have been made in aviation seem to demonstrate that it is destined to perform some
part in the naval warfare in tha future." A couple of months later Ely landed a plane on a
similar platform built aboard the Pennsylvania. A hook on his plane engaged ropes attach
ed to loaded sacks, and brought him to a quick halt.
Edited by Drew Pearson and Bob Allen
ITWITH LUCK I'LL BE IN WASHINGTON! I W A " WHAT'S THAT I I VA SIGNAL IT IS V S I I ' -r rrT , ,r V - 1 .
BVPAVLI6HTJ ANPONCETPnivrR 1 I "r J- J THE" SIGNAL! IT lF f rYWWTOMO
I MV MEWS ABOUT SECRETARY V AND OFF? LOOKS S V MOM (TIME-- S '-WSTERH
IC A,T
LIX ABH Smiles! ' '
By Al Capp
r'M JFIWD MY FOITOK V MR-GARK.-I V EXCELLENT.'.'-OF I ( AH-H-A LIST OF ) I MISS HAZARD, I THINK I Y;
MS WfiOfCJ7'-THF? SNT X HAVE. DISCOVERED ALL MY PHILANTHROPIES I ITS INHABITANTS J WILL TAKE. MY FIRST
A 'AVVSCMMCr'- ANOTHER S THE ONE I ENJOY V HM- ...... V VACATION.''-1 HAVE! ALWAYS HT
HE SPfNDS MS FVFfY MOMENT ISOLATED T MOST IS FINDING . HM-- AH.eV C WANTED TO GO ON A
DONSNCfSOBLYKWDir HEEDS- ISOLATED MOUNTAIN : -y, CTa V "ER-HUNTIHG TRIP- M
-fVM3?rAt?Vo CS--'fe-r ot-St in -and-now-i wiul- M?
THE POO HAS CVEft J-n AIDING THEM . . rsl-v. - , -,,,.,. rfi.W
THE NEBBS Gone With the Windl
By Hesi
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