A Life For Sale
BY SYDNEY HORLER
IV
“I confess I shall be glad
to know what you Intend to
do with me.” He decided
that it would be just as well,
for the presen at any rate,
to meet suavity with suavity.
“The worst of youth Is
that it is so impetuous,”
smiled the other. The Co
lossus pulled out a pocket
book bulging with bank
notes, counted out several of
these, and passed them over.
“Here are fifty pounds,'•
he said; “please regard them
as a lirst instalment of pay
ment. Now I will answer
your remark. To-night I In
tend you to leave this place.
You Will go to some quiet
and homely lodgings in
Hampstead. Fitzroy Street
is a secluded thoroughfare
in the neighborhood of the
Heath. You will find Mrs.
Perkins a comfortable old
soul, who will endeavor, I
feel sure, to make you
thoroughly happy.”
Creighton did not know
whether to smile or swear.
Because the ludicrousness of
the situation was irresistible
he smlilcd.
"You are most kind, Mr.
Jones,” he commented.
A light of warning flashed
from the man’s eyes.
“If you will permit me,”
raid the Colossus, "I will do
what talking is necessary.”
Again came the over
whelming desire to lash out
at the speaker with both
liau*. ill OfJivc ui uio
ficent presence. Creighton
felt there was something
reptilian about the man. He
had an evil aura.
Somehow or other he kept
himself in check. Nodding,
he waited for the other to
proceed.
“To Mrs. Perkins you are a
young engineer who has re
cently returned frcm South
America. You have a little
money, but you are seeking
an opportunity to follow
your profession in London.
All that you will be required
to do at No. 13, Fitzroy
Street, is to await instruc
tions, which will be sent to
you. No restriction will be
placed upon your liberty—
you can roam the glorious
Heath at will, for instance—
but I must warn you that
any attempt to leave your
comfortable lodgings will be
frustrated. Mr. Creighton,
that, as your employer, I re
quire some security. I must
safe guard my own interests.
That is why”—a thin, sug
gestive smile edged the
speaker’s lips—”1 state that
it would be very injudicious,
not to say ill-advised, for
you to make any attempt to
—forgive the vulgarism
clear off.”
1UU UCCU tiuu nun J
that accound. Mr, Jones. I
Intend to stay by my bar
gain.” Yes. he was certainly
going to do that.
“Very well." The tone rt
the Colossus was incisive.
The thought had flashed
through Creighton’s mind
that possibly he might be
able to discover, when leav
ing the place, where this
house of suspician was sit
uated, but this object was
frustrated in a very effectual
manner.
••You will travel to Fitzray
Street by car,” announced
the Colossus, “and”—pro
ducing a black silk scarf—
yofi will go there blindfold
ed.”
There was nothing to do
but to submit, and apart
from the fact that Mr. Jones'
niece, Miss Smith, did not
accompany them, this night
drive, although longer, was
similar to the one he had
taken nearly twenty-four
hours previously.
His senses rendered acute,
“Race Day” Covers
For Collectors Planned
Goshen, N. Y. — (UP»— A special
postal cachet, announcing the win
ner of the forthcoming Hamble
tonian Stake, *60,000 feature of
the Grand Circuit meeting here.
August 17, is to be made available
to stamp collectors of ‘‘fifty cov
ers," according to Frank Kenney,
editor of Wallace’s Trotting Horse
Register.
“Aside from being the first
“cover” ever to deal with a sport
big event, It probably will be one
Creighton speculated as to ;
the type of woman Mrs. Per
kins might be. He found her
Just the comfortable old soul !
the Colossus had described.
She bustled about from the
moment of his arrival, cvi- 1
dent.ly almost painfully
eager to please her lodger.
“But that my poor, dear
husband died last year, I
don’t think I could ever 'ave
brought myself to take In
young men, ’owever respect
able they might be.’’ she an
nounced to her somewhat
bewildered guest; "but the
insurance money was small,
and a lonely woman ’as to
do something in these ’ard
times. So when Mr. Drop
stick, 'im as war, at the gas
office, left me at the age of
forty-nine to get marled, I
was forced to advertise for
another lodger. The Mercury
is such a respectable paper
if you want anything, and,
sure enough, I had a very
nice reply from your uncle,
Mr. Jones.”
While the garrulous widow
stopped to collect her breath
—they had reached the
second landing by this time
—Martin wondered what she
would say if she knew the
real character of Mr. Jones,
and how he himself had
come to her humble abode
with his eyes melodramati
cally blindfolded.
Mrs. Perkins continued.
“Mr. Dropstick always said
that no one ever made him
more comfortable, so what
he wanted to go off and get
married for. all in a ’aste
like that, I can’t tell. I only
saw her once, but she
seemed to me to be one of
those bits of ’ussies, show
ing more legs than sense.
Not at all the sort of wife I
should have chosen for Mr
Dropstick—and ’im being at
the gas office all these years.
He was a very nice man, Mr.
Dropstick; most particular
about his carpetslippers, and
was scarcely any trouble—
just drank up his cup of
cocoa at ten o’clock every
night and then off to bod.”
Martin Creighton, who felt
by this time that he had
known the estimable Mr.
Dropstick from the day of
his birth, now coughed.
“I am afraid, Mrs. Perkins,
that I cannot promise to be
in bed every night at ten
myself.” His landlady ^turned
from her task of smoothing
the bed-cover.
“And I’m not askin’ you
to, beggin’ your pardon, Mr.
Creighton, sir. I’m old
enough to know that there
is some as likes a quiet life
and there is others who pre
fer a bit of hexcltement. My
poor, dear husband was a
rare one for ’is bit of hex
citement—once a week
reg’lar he went to the Odd
fellows ’All to play draughts
with that Mr. Muggleton,
who ’as only one leg. But
there” — breaking off — ‘‘I
mustn’t stay here gossiping
any longer; you’ll be want
ing your supper. Would you
fancy a nice slice of fried
’am with a couple of eggs?”
"I certainly should, Mrs.
Perkins,” replied Creighton.
By this time the humor of
the situation had returned
to him, blotting out, for the
time being, the rush of tur
bulent thoughts. Of the two,
he certainly preferred the
company of this talkative
relic of the lamented Mr.
Perkins to the subtly evil
presence of Mr. Jones, who
had so considerately turned
himself into an uncle.
Whatever her failings as a
conversationalist might be,
Mrs. Perkins proved hersqlf
an admirable cook. Martin
: ate an excellent meal, dur
of the most attractive,” Kenney
. said. They will be mailed Imme
diately following the trotting of
the stake. The cachet, therefore,
actually will announce the result
of the world'* richest light harness
racing event.
The cachet design is a particu
larly attractive one, drawn by
Bob Dickey.
Ton of Fossils
Shipped from Nebraska
Crawford, Neb. —(UP)— A ton
of fossils lias been shipped from
r
ing the course of which he
learned that his "uncle” had
agreed he should pay the
weekly sum of two guineas
for his board and lodging.
After supper the need for
fresh air became insistent.
He had had no exercise since
the previous day, and he felt
that a good walk was a much
needed luxury.
‘‘I am going out for an
hour,” lie informed Mrs. Per
kins.
Leaving the house, he
looked around carefully to
see if he were being sha
dowed. but bey^d a work
man returning home from
an obvious visit to a neigh
boring public-house, the
quiet street was deserted.
He climbed the slope to
Hampstead Heath, and feel
ing now the invigorating air
upon his face, he struck off
down the road leading to the
Spaniards. Some time before
he had reached the famous
inn he felt braced and fit to
meet anything that might
happen along. Indeed, his
one wish now was to run
across a creature of Mr. I
Jones’, and thus give him
self an opportunity to get at !
something of the truth.
But it seemed that he had
the whole glorious expanse
of rolling heathland to him
self. Had it not been for the
thousands of lights that
twinkled below him, he
might have imagined that he
was nunareas or miles away j
from the greatest city in the
world. Here, with the soft 1
night wind playing about
his temples as he stood bare
headed, he was lapped in
peace. The quiet serenity of
the deserted heath en
veloped him. And yet, not
many miles away, the man
to whom he had sold himself
sat In his luxurious spider’s
den, weaving a web of—
what? Somewhere near this
man was a beautiful girl,
whose deep brown eyes were,
perhaps, once again haunted
with terror.
Creighton clinched his
hands, and walked rapidly
back to No. 13, Fitzroy
Street. He moved so quickly
that he did notice the slink
ing form that, gliding out
from behind a bush, sha
dowed him to his lodging.
The next morning Martin
went into the West End. He
had a debt to pay to Luigo.
He arrived at Rimini’s just
before one o’clock. The well-;
known restaurant was filling
up rapidly, but Luigo, his
face smiling a welcome,
piloted him in person to a
seat usually reserved for the
great and distinguished.
“I really came in to thank
you for all you did for me
two nights ago, Luigo,” he
said.
The maitre d’hotel bowed
inimitably. Then his expres
sive face became serious.
“Pardon, M’sieu,” he said,
“but I trust M’sieu took my
warning? That man with the
streaks in his hair—I think
he is no good to M’sieu. And
the woman . . .Ah! she is
very beautiful ... but
very dangerous, M’sieu.”
Creighton unrolled his
napkin.
“Luigo, you know every
one. Who are these people?”
he asked.
The other shrugged his
c Vi nnMnpe
“A million pardons, M'sieu,
but I do not know. That was
the first time they had come
to my restaurant. What I
have told you I have said on
what you call the instinct. It
is my knowledge of th® hu
man face that caused me to
say it. Be warned, M’sieu, I
pray you.”
Creighton pressed the
man’s arm in a little affec
tionate action.
“Thanks to you, Luigo, I
am warned all right; you
needn’t be afraid. I—”
He broke off so suddenly
that Luigo stai*ed. The young
man was looking fixedly
across the room.
Creighton had a difficulty
In keeping his seat. He was
Crawford and Harrison already
this summer.
C. W. Gilmore, of the Smith
sonian Institute and George F.
Sternberg and Marie B. Walker,
of Hays, Kan., have excavated the
fossils from the beds around Craw
ford.
About 1.200 pounds of fossils left
here and 900 pounds from Harri
son. Most of the bones are those
of prehistoric horses.
TANDEM PROPELIjER
Rush vl lie, Mo.. — Charles L.
Brown has obtained t patent on an
TtElliL, Fttumixsir,
literally struck dumb with
amazement.
Walking by the side oi
a tall, distinguished-looking
man, a girl had just entered
the restaurant.
Creighton stared again.
There was no possible mis
take.
This girl, so elegantly
dressed, so thoroughly sure
ol herself and her surround
ings, was the same as he had
seen crouching in piteous
terror before the hideous
Zoab, in Mr. Jones' house of
mystery, two nights before.
Finding his voice, he
turned to Luigo.
“That girl”—he stared,
tensely— "who is she?”
The maitre d’hotel lowered
his voice.
• M’sieu, I regret I am not
familiar with the lady’s
name, but her companion is
a well-known patron of mine.
He is Lord Belshaven, the
Foreign Secretary.”
CHAPTER VIII
She must play for time.
That was the decision to
which Margery had come.
The fate threatening her
father was so terrible that,
although she hated the
thought, she was forced to
temporize with this polished
blackmailer who called him
self a Seeker of Secrets.
That was why, at the
second interview she had
had with the man, she had
pretended to be ready to
listen to his proposals. The
Colossus had been suavity
itself.
“Believe me, my dear Miss
Steers, I have no desire to
be harsh or even inconsider
ate. It would distress me be
yond measure to be forced
to use the threat I have al
ready mentioned. All I ask
is for you to perform a simple
service, and your father will
never be troubled.”
Hating herself, she had to
act.
“I realize that you have
me in your power,” she re
plied, “but what you call a
‘simple service’ will be very
difficult. I am not sufficient
ly in Lord Belshaven’s con
fidence to know his private
affairs, and if I were caught
the consequences—”
The man interrupted her.
“Please do not worry your
self about such a contingen
cy,” he replied. “When the
time comes, as it will very
shortly, you will find that
I have made all the neces
sary arrangements. And
now”—smiling as a fond
father might have smiled at
a favorite child—“seeing
that we understand each
other more thoroughly, there
Is no reason why you should
not return to your normal
life. You must be prepared,
however, to obey instantly
and without demur any
orders that I shall send to
you. Refusal to do this, or
any other foolish conduct on
your part, and—” The speak
er did not finish the sen
tence, but the gesture he
made with his hands was
painfully expressive to the
overwraught girl.
The second interview took
place after tea.
“You may return home im
mediately,” announced the
Colossus. “In order to protect
yourself from an impulse
you will not be allowed to
see where this house is sit
uated, but the sensation of
being blindfolded need not
cause you any unnecessary
alarm. Just one final warn
ing: Do not attempt to de
ceive me in any way. Miss
Steers. The consequences
would be very serious.”
The girl who had lured her
to this place now came in.
For all her beauty and ar
resting grace, Margery felt
that she was as treacherous
as a snake. Yet she made no
resistance when a black silk
scarf was placed over her
eyes and knotted at the back
of her head.
I UU CONTINUED)
airplane which features a tandem
propeller are said to be elimination
of propeller are said to elimination
of vibration and torque, and pro
duction of slower and more effi
cient propeller speed in ration to
engine speed. The propellers re
volve in opposite directions.
One Long T-auth.
Prom the Humorist.
“You know. I’m the sort of man
who doesn’t mind laughing at him
self when he say„ anything ridicu
lous.’1
“Well, all I can 3av is yon must
lead a frightfully tolly life!1
[of7interest to farmers
DRYING GARDEN SURPLUS
The wise farm housewKe plans
her garden to provide a surplus of
fruits and vegetables Some of these
will be used for canning, others will
be made into preserves and jam.
some will be pickled. Some kinds—
and these are our subject here —
can very profitably be dried. Dry
ing is the oldest method of food
preservation Primitive man dis
covered that meat left exposed to
sun and wind dried out and could
be put away for future use. In
caves, heat from fire hastened the
process; and in the case of meat,
smoke changed the flavor and
probably increased the preservation
action — but that is another story.
Colonial housewives dried corn, ap
ples, peppers, beans, and stored
them away across the chimney and
among the rafters above, where
they furnished decoration as well
as a winter food supply. Since these
days, canning, preserving and pick
ling have tended to replace drying
as a method of home preservation.
But drying is so simple and requires
so little outlay in equipment that
there is a tendency to fall back
upon it in hard time?. In the re
ports last year from many rural
sections is noted with interest an
increase in drying. During the war
the urge to conserve led to much
drying. The small bulk of the dried
product and the ease with which
it is stored make an appeal in sec
tions and at times when funds for
special containers are not available.
The wartime experience showed
many gaps in our knowledge of
drying, but experien-e gained dur
ing those days furnished sounder
information upon which to tnse a
program today. Drying preserves
foods by removal ot water, m.cio
organisms that cause spoilage can
grow only in the presence of water.
The bulk of the products is re
duced by dryintr to from one-quartet
to one-ninth of the original volume,
depending upon the amount ot
water originally present. Vegetables
must be drier than fruits to keep
successfully: also they need to be
stored more carefully, since they
take up w.Ver nr.o-e easily it ex
posed to moist air. But there are
other difficulties to be avoided in
keeping foods. Enzymes are respon
sible for the ripening of fruits and
vegetables. These same enzymes in
fresh fruits and vegetables cause
color and flavor changes that are
increased when th<= surfaces are cut
and exposed to air. The more rapid
the growth of the fruit or vege
table. the more active the enzymes
they contain. Successful drying and
the keeping of the product after
drying are complicated by the en
zymes. Fruits and vegetables for
drying yield an inferior product ns
to flavor and color unless these
changes can be stopped by drying.
There are two ways of doing this
precooking and surphurlng. L ndei
most household conditions it is
simplier to dry only such products
as do not need much preliminary
treatment. The drying in itself
tends to check these changes, but
in quick-ripening vegetables the
very active enzymes are difficult to
destroy and the changes tend to
continue very slowly after the ma
terial has fcpen dried, with deter
ioration in both Color and flavor.
Vegetables that are used in the im
mature form and the stage or
rapid growth are to be avoided for
dning. since they ’ose so much in
flavor and appearance on ''Orage.
On the basis of these facts, the lis
ot the products that can be dried
successfully in the home narrows
down. It is difficult to state dog
matically what foods will dry suc
cessfully, since they vary as to
both kind and variety. Fruits and
vegetables that may be dried are
listed here. Fruits are easier to
dry than most vegetables. The
higher sugar content makes them
easier to preserve and they give
tip water more easily than do vege
tables. Apples, pears, peaches, apri
cots, cherries, prunes, plums, figs
end berries are the best fruits for
drying. Among the vegetables, corn,
mature beans and peas, celery, okra,
and sweet potatoes are best for
drying. The quick maturing vari
eties, suche as green snap beans,
immature green beans, asparagus,
cauliflower, broccoli and spinach,
are difflcut to dry successfully.
With preliminary steaming or hot
dip and quick drying, a fairly sat
isfactory product may be obtained,
but some tend to be woody and
fibrous and all tend to lose flavor
and color if held too long. Other
methods of preservation are sug
gested, therefore, except in case of
green beans in late summer or fall.
These may be dried if not held too
long before using — that is, if used
before Christmas. Any surplus of
green beans earlier in the season
should be canned for use in the late
winter. Potatoes, turnips, beets par
snips. carrots, cabbage and onions
can all %c dried successfully, but
they store so well and so simply
that It seems uneconomical to pre
serve them in any other way. Sweet
potatoes also store, out they dry
so easily and successfully that any
injured In harvesting msy well be
dried for use in the late spring.
Pumpkin and squash both dry suc
cessfully. Corn properly dried com
pares in flavor and palatability
with canned corn. Sliced okra may
be dried successfully for soup,
nt.u i9.itjEnsH.uii
Prom time immemorial, cabbage
has been the product from which
sauerkraut has been made. Now
comes the United States depart
ment of agriculture with the in
formation that first-class kraut
may be made of turnips. Medium
sized purple-tcp turnips that are
firm, sweet and juicy are selected
and the flesh Is ground, shredded
and mixed with salt at the rate
of four ounces of salt to 10 pounds
of turnips. It is then packed in
stone jars, weighted down and al
lowed to ferment. The product is
said to have a sharp flavor closely
though the color of the fresh prod
uct is not retained if held too long
Celery dried serves as a source o
flavor, and may be used as a vege
table alone or in combination will
! other vegetables. Beans and pea
may be allowed to mature on th
vine, but even these are storei
j more successfully after a shor
i treatment in the dryer. It is to b
| strongly urged that more beans am
peas be planted and used. They adi
both variety and food value to th
diet. A variety of flavor is obtainet
if some are gathered and driet
1 when the seeds obtain full size
I but before the pods have turnec
yellow. Some of all varieties, in
cluding field peas, black-eyed pea*
and Lima beans, can be treated thii
way to advantage. Drying is simp!}
a removing of water. Any fresi
food, if exposed to the air, dries
out. The rapidity with which it
dries depends upon the amount oi
water in the air — humidity, w«
call it. The warmer the air th*
more water it takes up before it
becomes saturated. When saturated
air is cooled it gives up water, a*
i nv UV.V/ •*» V4V II Uiiu HiV. kinvuwug v*
i a pitcher of iced water on a humid
; day. The faster the air passes over
| food the more rapidly it driea
These principles are applied in dry*
ins vegetables. In climates when
there is plenty of sunshine most
products can be dried successfully
by exposing them to the sun on a
porch shelf, a roof or a platform
of some sort. Such products should
be lightly covered to prevent access
of insects and trash. The use of
these makes drying independent of
weather conditions and extends the
drying season into the late fall,
when certain varieties of fruits and
vegetables especially desirable for
drying are available. Select the
pioduct as carefully as if for table
use. Material that Is inferior be
fore drying will still be inferior
afterward. Most products should be
of the right stage of ripeness for
immediate use. The preparation
varies with the product, as indi
cated in the table giving drying di
rections. Portions should not be too
thick to give up water readily and
slices of the same thickness dry
more evenly. A short cooking either
in steam or by dipping into water
is recommended for most products
to set the color and stop enzyme
changes. In apples, color changes
can be retarded by dipping into
salt water as soon as pared and
sliced — three to five teaspoonfuls
of salt per gallon of water. Gener
| ally speaking, flavor and cooking
quality are best preserved by rapid
drying. Low temperatures not only
lengthen the process but encouraga
changes that may result in deter
ioration of color and flavor. On
the other hand, too high a ten
perature, while it shortens the pro
cess, may injure the cells, causa
leaking of valuable cell material,
and charring. The optimum tem
perature conditions vary with the
material that is being dried. All pro
ducts dried in air or sun should
be given a final heating at 165 ta
170 degrees F. before being stored,
to kill any micro-organisms that
may be adhering. Any carefully
regulated oven can be used for this.
Store, as far as possible, in air
tight tins to prevent access of dust
and absorption of water. Friction
top tin cans, tin coffee cans or any
cans with a tight lid can be used
successfully. A heavy peraffined
paper container that can be tightly
closed is satisfactory.
.»♦-. ■ —
VALUE OF IN-ARCUING
Inarching is a type of surgery of
ten serviceable to the amateur fruit
grower and frequently of practical
value to the commercial orchardist.
The treatment for the ordinary ro
dent girdling is bridge grafting. In
arching differs from bridge grafting
in that it is employed where por
tions of the roots of a tree have
been killed by disease or mechani
cal injury and it becomes necessary
to develop a new root system, either
partially or entirely. Seedling trees
or nursery trees are set alongside
the original tree as near the trunk
as practicable. The top of a small
tree is then grafted into sound
wood some distance above the dead
area. The graft union is formed in
| the same manner as is employed in
the common bridge graft. The near
{ er parallel the little tree is to the
I old tree the better the union is apt
j to be. It is rather difficult to make
I a firm union if the angle at which
! the graft is inserted is very acute.
It is well to tack the branch in place
before covering with wax. Where
whips are used for uiis work it is
usually only possible to make one
union for each small tree used. If
the tree to be repaired is a mature
tree then two-year-old nursery trees
are preferable. The number of trees
required for inarching depends up
on the portions of the root system
it is necessary to replace. Two-year
oid nursery trees, having large root
systems and several branches which
may be used for grafting, reestab
lish the normal relationship be
tween top and root system more
quickly than small trees. Inarching
is one of those practices only vague
ly understood by most fruit growers,
but it is withal a simple means of
preserving valuable trees.
, resemonng mat oi gooci caooage
! kraut. The turnip flavor is lost
j when fermentation begins.
SUBSTITUTE FOR MINERALS
If plenty of meat scrap and skim
milk is included In the ration for
chicks from hatching time to
weeks of age. there is need for but
little mineral materials in the ra
tion. Meat scraps contain 20 to 25
per cent of lime and calcium, the
two minerals that make up 75 per
cent of the ash in chickens, and
one-tenth of the total solids in
skim-milk is phosphorus and oal
