- ' — „
Life For Sale ,
BY SYUNEY HURLER <^T
Her mind then went back
to the Colossus. The latter,
she had the best of reasons
to believe, was a super- crim
inal. Zoab, until that night,
had been associated with him
—had committed crimes on
his behalf, no doubt. It was
fairly easy for her to under
stand what had happened;
inflamed by his desire, the
dwarf had seized his oppor
tunity to kidnap her. No
doubt he was working now
for a fresh master, a man who
was willing to supply him
With unlimited money in
order to profit from the
scheme on which Zoab was
engaged.
What was this scheme?
What work could such a per
son as Zoab do? That is was
of immense proportions, and
that It was fraught with tre
mendous possibilities, were
certain—unless the dwarf
had lost his reason.
She continued in the en
deavor to thrash out this
baffling problem. Always her
reflections brought her back
to one central point—the
Colossus. She had this, at
least, to go upon; that huge
tnan with the parti-colored
hair was the declared enemy
of Lord Balshaven, her em
ployer. Did it not also follow,
then, that Zoab, once the as
sociate of the other, was also
an enemy of Lord Balshaven,
even though he might now be
working for another master?
“Emperor of the World!"
The words rang In her ears
like a sinister warning.
Was it not possible that
this dreadful dwarf, having
some obscure and mysterious
reason of his own, was strik
ing at England?—and perhaps
through the very person of
Lord Belshaven?
She got to her feet. Reso
lution had come to her. She
felt herself being filled with
a new spirit. Up till this time
she had been something of a
coward, and she reproached
herself bitterly for the fact.
But now this greater peril
had enabled her to put on
armour; her country, she felt
sure, was threatened by a
terror of which perhaps she,
and she alone, was aware.
She must stay on in this
place. And whatever the cost
5o herself—God knew it must
be a bitter one—she was
bound to seek out this mon
strous thing, discover actually
What the plot was. and then,
should no help come to her in
the meantime, endeavor to
outwit the conspirators. An
overwhelming task for a girl
single-handed, but she had
to attempt it, nevertheless.
Once the resolution was
made, she was surprised to
find the weight on her heart
lifting. Stranger still was the
thought which a moment
later came so unexpectedly—
She would have liked a com- j
rade in this stupendous task,
and the person who stood out ;
In her mental vision was that i
young, tall, clear-eyed man
who twice had offered her j
aid. What a fool—what a
crass, stupid fool—she had
been to refuse this help! How j
she would have welcomed it i
bow!
There are moments in life
when one gets lightening
flashes of intuition. These
usually come in times of
crisis. Desperately at bay.
Margery Steers had a revela
tion vouchsafed to her—this
man she had suspected she
knew now to be clean and
true. What did it matter that
circumstances had caused
him to be surrounded by sus
picion? No doubt he had re
garded her with similar sus
picion. Yet this had not
stopped him from offering
20
her help when he felt she
was in danger.
Margery Steers’ hitherto
uneventful life had not been
disturbed by any love affairs.
She had thrown herself into
' the work that proved so In
1 terestir.g with a zeal which
I completely absorbed the re3t
of her life. Love therefore,
had been merely an abstract
factor—something to be read
about in novels, something
to be wondered at when over
taking her friends, but that
was all. Love had never come
i marching bravely down
! Whitehall to catch her up in
his swift, tumultuous em
Drace. inow ana men, snung
over the fire in her room or
idling half an hour away in
St. James’ Park, she had
speculated in a vague and
hazy fashion about the chance
of one day a man entering
into her on life. No stupidly
romantic moods, these;
Margery was essentially a
modern girl, and the erotic
or foolish balderdash of lady
novelists she would have
flung unhesitatingly into the
fire. Yet, feminine to her
finger-tips, it was but natural
that, living a bachelor girl’s
life, she should think occa
sionally about men. She did
not want a lover, but if one
came she pictured him, above
everything else, as a com
rade, a man whom she could
meet on level ground with no
artifice of sex—just a true,
clear-eyed pal; just such a
man, in fact, as that un
known whose friendship she
had been stupid enough to re
fuse.
Would she meet this man
again? Any pretense she might
have had was now stripped
from her; her soul was bare.
Her heart beat out a mes
sage; should he come again,
all the friendship that she
could give him would be his.
The thought consoled her.
Whatever fears the future
might hold, yet she had this
small hope—that once again
the unknown would look into
her face and say: "I am your I
friend. I have come to help
you.’’
jNot many mnes away me
man of whom Margery Steers
was thinking was fleeing,
like the hunted criminal he
had become, through the
dark night. Traveling at ter
that he was still alive, he had
smashed against a high wall
an hour before. Wondering
that he as still alive, he had
crawled from beneath the
wreck, and was now running
across country in the direc
tion he hoped and believed,
of the sea.
CHAPTER XXI
Five minutes after beinfj
formally charged with the
murder of a man he had never
seen, Martin Creighton, his
hands manacled, was seated
beside one of the detectives
who had arrested him that
night. The other police of
ficer was driving the car at a
powerful pace acoss Hamp
stead Heath.
In some uncanny fashion
which he did not stop to
analyze, Creighton's thoughts
were not with the present;
they were in the past.
A certain scene was vividly
etched in his memory. He
saw the rat-like face of the
ex-convict, who had drifted
down to the South American
mining camp, as clearly as
though the man stood before
him. Jake Coleman had been
the man’s name, and he was
reputed to be one of the most
| expert safe-burglars in Ameri
ca. On arrival at the mining
camp he was In a pitiable
1 condition, being a physical
wreck. In spite of a natural
antipathy, Creighton had
j helped the man to the extent
NEW ORLEANS
SEES RELIEF
New Orleans — (UP) — The
doming winter holds brighter
prospects for the legion of unem
ployed here.
Construction Jobs costing mor'
than $20,000,000 ara in prospect,
with assurance that several thou
sand men will be given work.
Foremost among the now nro
jects is the Public Belt bridge for
railroad, vehicular and pedestrian
traffic across the Mississippi river.
The bridge, a $14,000,000 pro
ject will be more than three and
a half miles long. Two and a half
years will be required to build.it.
Work on the gigantic span is ex
pected to start within two months.
The gridge will rise 135 faet
above the water. It will be located
nine miles from the business dis
trict, and will be the only bridge
I spanning the river south of Vicks
| burg, Miss.
I It is estimated that 60,000 tons
i of giving nim rood and ciotnes,
and providing him with a
shelter. Coiman who had
Just served a long prison
sentence, had been grateful,
human reptile though he was.
His gratitude had taken a
most singular form,
j “I don't s’pose that you’ll
i ever get across the dicks
I yerself, but if yer do, matey,
; here’s a trick that wiil prove
useful,'’ he said one night,
after looking up his benefac
tor at the latter’s shanty.
To Martin Creighton's sur
prise, the ex-convict produced
a pair of handcuffs.
“Put these on my wrists,
matey,” he said, “and I’ll
show you what I mean.”
Somewhat unwilling Creigh
ton did as he was desired.
The ex-convict held out his
handcuffed wrists. There was
a smile on his hard, criminal
face,
"Now yer wouldn’t think,”
said Coiman, “that any guy,
trussed up like this, had any
more chance than a snowball
in hell of getting free, would
yer now?”
“No. I shouldn’t,” curtly re
joined Creighton.
The smile an the criminal’s
face broadened.
“Well, that’s where I’ve got
yer beat—see? There’s just
two guys in this world who
can get their ’ands out of the
steel ‘mitts’ without raising
a hair. Haljeli, the guy who
goes round on the music ’alls,
is one—and I’m the other!
Like to see how it’s done?
You never know yer luck,
and I may be doin’ yer a good
turn without knowin’ it.”
It was more out of kindness
of heart than anything else
that Creighton had expressed
a wish to see this astonishing
i-ricx periormea. ne aia not
like Colman, the very presence
of the man was offensive to
him; but in spite of the deep
rascality of the other’s nature,
the ex-convict, he knew, was
grateful to him for the hu
manity shown, and he was
trying in the only way he
knew to show his apprecia
tion of the other’s decency.
It would be churlish to refuse
his offer. He affected more
interest than he really felt.
“Do you really mean to
say that you can get free?”
he asked.
“Yes. Look!”
The movements the man
made could not be accurately
followed by the watcher, but
at the end of a very few
minutes Creighton was forced
to gasp in astonishment. Al
though he had tested the
security of the handcuffs for
himself, the ex-convict had
miraculously freed his wrists,
and was now holding the
manacles in one hand.
“Wonderful!” he admitted.
Jake Colman showed dis
colored teeth in a third
broad smile.
“Only two guys in the world
can do that so far as I know,”
he said, “but if you like you
can be the third.”
Creighton had stared. The
thought that this singular
accomplishment might ever
be of any use to him was
ludicrous, of course; but he
was excusably curious to
know how the remarkable
feat could be done. What was
more, he disliked casting cold
: water upon Jake Colman’s
! enthusiasm.
j “I should certainly like to
! see how you do it,” he ad
mited.
The ex-convict demon
strated.
He showed infinite patience,
I and, still filled with his en
thusiasm, he at lenght per
suaded Creighton to put on
the handcuffs himself.
Three months’ arduous
work followed. Wondering
why he was such a fool,
Creighton, always under the
tutelage of the ex-convict
(who, having stated that he
wished to return to an honest
life, had been given a small
job at the camp) and amidst
the ribaldry of Harry Jen
1 kins, his friend, persisted in
acquiring the gift which Col
man insisted should be his.
At the end of three months,
Martin Oreignton. to ch«
jubilation of Jake Coiman,
was able to free his wrist?
from any pair of handcuffs
i that could be procured.
Having accomplished the
j task, Creighton had thought
no more of the matter. As a
matter of fact, the incident
had passed entirely from his
mind. By a master-stroke ot
1 irony, however, it now forced
Itself upon his attention.
He leaned forward as
though overcome by dejection
His manacled hands were
hanging between his knees.
Had he lost the trick? . . .
Five minutes later he sat
upright.
“Here—” started the detec
| tive by his side.
The man said no more.
Noiselessly, but with terrible
force, the prisoner, who had
freed himself, struck him on
| the point of the jaw. With a
queer, half-strangled sob the
detective sank back into his
seat, unconscious, whilst his
colleague, sitting in front,
slowed down to negotiate a
difficult corner. Creighton
acted on impulse. One man
was disposed of; before he
could be safe he must see to
the other.
He heard a growl, and then
a voice; “Blast this engine!"
The next moment the car
had stopped.
Creighton, his nerves on
fire, looked out of the win
dow. He saw the driver get
down from his seat and walk
to the front of the car with
the evident intention of start
ing up the engine again. Now
was his chance. Fate was
lending him a hand after
playing such a scurvy trick.
Opening the door to the left
1 of the driver’s seat, he nois
lessly stepped from the car.
The blackness of the night
shielded him. Outlined by the
headlights, he could sec the
stooping form of the detective.
“You needn't trouble, Sim
monds; I can manage it,"1
he heard the latter say. I
In two bounds Creighton
was upon him. He was
thoroughly desperate, and
this was not the occasion to
stand upon scruple. His free
dom, perhaps his very life,
depended upon outing this
man and getting away. With
| in a few hours he must be
! out of England.
It was almost ludicrous to
watch the astonishment dawn
in the detective’s face when he
saw who his assailant was.
Yet, a man trained to sur
prises and emergencies, he
wasted no words.
But surprise had given
Martin the advantage, and
he made the best use of it
Although much the lighter
man. he packed such power
into his first blow that the
detective staggered Before
he could put his hand into the
pocket which Creighton sus
pected held a weapon, his as
sailant had launched twc
more blows. The first skidded
of the detective's head, but
the second took dramatic ef
fect, for, landing on the jaw,
! it knocked the police officer
j as unconscious as his colleague
| in the car.
Creighton pulled the bodj
to the side of the roadway,
and then, going back to the
car, half carried, half dragged
the still unconscious sim
monds to join hi3 comrade
Cranking up the car, he
leaped into the driver’s seat,
turned in the opposite direc
tion. and sped off into the
night.
(TO BE CONTINUED*
--
Foreign Legion
Deserter Studies Lam
New Orleans. La — (UP) —
Saved from facing a firing squad
because of desertion from the
Foreign Legion five years ago,
Bennet Doty, an adventurour
Southerner, is studying law at Tu
lane university and writing fic
i tion.
Doty, under the easily pro
nounced name, in French, of “Gil
bert Clare," enlisted in the For
eign Legion in 1925, tired of it in
1926, and was caught making his
way to the Palestine border He
was sentenced to be shot, but an
outburst of international protest
saved him.
, of structural and reinforcing steel •
will be required for its framework
j and 200.000 cubic yards of ma- !
sonry. In addition, 4.000 000 feet
j of timber will be used in the floors
and 1.200.000 lineal feet of timber
piling.
Other projects for which con
tracts have or scon will be let
include a new federal building,
extensive lake front improve
ments, a new market, home for
convalescents, a municipal boys'
i home and the Touro-Shakaspeare
almshouse.
Much Labor Required
To Build Lookouts
Chocteau, Mont. —(UP)— Those
neat little forest rangers lookout
stations, atop commanding moun
tains. require a great deal of la
bor. A new station on Bore Moun
tain. in the Lewis and dark Na
tional forrest. required material
weighing 6,500 pounds. Horses
were used to pack- all furnishirgs.
Three days were required for each
trip from a nearby ranch. There
were 28 loads to be transported
MOST OF US KNOW
THESE PETER PANS
Pestilential Nuisances That
“Never Grow Up.”
My cousin Arthur is a Peter PaD
and he will never grow tip.
I am sure that this is true, because
ever since I was in Russian blouses
and curls, tny feminine relatives 1mve
said so convincingly on occasions.
I think the first time Cousin Ar
thur evoked this observation was at
the age of twelve when Aunt Cyn
thia rushed out to the shed to find
out what made iior neighbor's daugh
ter scream so loudly and so urgently.
She learned that it was because
Cousin Arthur was dropping fishing
worms down her back. I held her
while Cousin Arthur dropped. I got
blisters and my air-gun taken away.
Cousin Arthur got "tut tut” and the
information that he was a Peter Pan
and would never grow up.
Then wlren we were in high school,
Cousin Arthur thought of a wonder
ful scheme to pour inr in all the ink
wells in the study hall. We did it
after school and it was a success. 1
carried the tar and Cousin Arthur
poured. They sent mo away to mill
tary school. Cousin Arthur was re
instated quickly because the principal
learned from Aunt Wilma that he
was a Peter Pan and would never
grow up.
At college Cousin Arthur and I
sometimes bet on wrong things. I 1
wrote checks on my father, and
Cousin Arthur wrote them on any
one whose signature he could remem
ber. Father put me to work in the
factory until my pay checks made it
right. The judge dismissed Cousin
Arthur’s case when my mother
(Cousin Arthur’s Aunt Stella) told
the court that he was a Peter Pan
and would never grow up.
I am married now and settled
down. Last Christmas Aunt Cynthia
and Aunt Wilma chipped in together
and gave us an awfully nice whatnot.
Cousin Arthur is crazy about a
chorus girl in New York. Five or
six times a year Cousin Arthur’s
aunts realize how lonely he must be
in the city and send him a check for
a thousand. Of course, I am very
proud to be married and settled down
and 1 often pity poor Cousin Arthur
who is a Peter Pan and will never,
never grow up.—K. 15. in Kansas City
Star.
Scientists on Trail of
Fire Secrets of Indians
One of the oldest scientific mys
teries, the reputed ability of savage
priests and medicine men to make
I themselves immune to fire, is to be
investigated this summer by agents
of the Smithsonian institution. Dr.
Truman Miclielson, of that institu
tion, has been studying the sacred
beliefs and folk-lore of the Fox tribe
of Indians in Iowa. Among this lore
he found the habit of medicine men
conducting certain ceremonies to
plunge their bare arms into boiling
water or to take up and handle
burning firebrands. Educated mem
bers of the Fox tribe ascribe this
trick to the previous bathing of the
hands and arms in the juice of an
unnamed weed which grows profuse
ly in the prairie country. The juice,
it is believed, protects the skin tem
porarily against heat.—rathfinder
Magazine.
A Bad Combination
“What’s the matter with my
speeches?” inquired the orator.
“The seasoning Is wrong,” replied
Senator Sorghum. “You try to put
so much ginger in them that they
have to be taken with a grain of
salt.”—Washington Star.
John fs Mother
Praises Doctor
There Isn’t a moth
er living who won’t
agree that no half
sick child should be
the subject for an
experiment with
medicines of uncer
i tain merit. When
your cnua IS nmniig.i i
headachy, half-sick, feverish, rest
less, with coated tongue, bad breath,
no appetite or energy, you know that
nine times out of teu it’s a sign his
little stomach and bowels need purg
ing. And when you know that for
over fifty years leading physicians
have endorsed one preparation for
this condition, there doesn’t seem to
be any reason for "trying” things.
Rich, fruity California Fig Syrup
clears the little stomach and bowels
gently, harmlessly and in a hurry. It
regulates the bowels, gives tone and
strength to them and to the stomach;
and helps to give your child new
strength, energy and vitality. Thou
sands of Western mothers praise it.
Mrs. Joseph W. Hill, 430d Bedford
Ave., Omaha, Nebraska, says: “I’ll
never forget the doctor who got nae
to give my baby boy, John, California
Fig Syrup. Nothing else seemed to
help his weak bowels. That was
when he was just a baby. He suf
fered a good deal before I gave him
Fig Syrup, but It stopped his trouble
quick. I have used It with him for
colds and little upset spells ever
since. I consider him a Fig Syrup
boy."
Insist on the genuine article. See
that the carton bears the word "Cali
fornia." Over four million bottles
used a year.
World’s Largest Organ
The organ in the convention hall at
Atlantic City is now virtually com
plete and is by far the largest organ
in the world in number and sizes of
pipes, wind pressure used and horse
power employed. This was neces
sary, due to the immense size of the
auditorium, which is the largest
building of Its type in the world and
has a total seating capacity of 41,
(XX). The organ is being built from
the general bond funds issuer! by the
city of Atlantic City for the building
of the auditorium proper and its
equipment, and its cost is $308,000.
/nasa^
IjhmtationJ
I f Relieve all dryness and u\
I irritation by applying \\\
} Mentholaturn night uV
Ilf and morning. W.
Russia in the East
The Uuiou of Soviet Republics ex
tends much farther to the east than
China does. The Russian port, Vlad
ivostok, is practically as far east as
the easternmost part of China. Much
of “old Siberia" lies north and east
of Vladivostok.
Well Qualified
“Before a man marries he should
have a little money in the bank."
“I have as little as anyone that
ever took the plunge.”
Perseverance
Lots of people have good ideas, but
they fall because they won’t stick.—
American Magazine.
Diet Didn’t Do This!
1TTAPPY little girl, just bursting
O with pep, and she has never
tasted a "tonic I”
Every child’s stomach, liver, and
bowels need stimulating at times,
but give children something you
know all about.
Follow the advice of that famous
family physician who gave the
world Syrup Pepsin. Stimulate the
body’s vital organs. Dr. Caldwell’s
prescription of pure pepsin, active
senna, and fresh herbs is a mild
stimulant that keeps the system
from rating sluggish.
If your youngsters don’t do well
at school, don’t play as hard or eat
as well as other children do, begin
this evening with Dr. Caldwell’s
Syrup Pepsin. This gentle stimulant
will soon right thingsl The bowels
will move with better regularity
and thoroughness. There won’t be
so many sick spells or colds. You’ll
find it just as wonderful for adults,
too, in larger spoonfuls I I
Get some Syrup Pepsin; protect
your household from those bilious
days, frequent headaches, and that
sluggish state of half-health that
means the bowels need stimulating.
Keep this preparation in the home
to use instead of harsh cathartics
that cause chronic constipation if
taken too often. You can always
get Dr. Caldwell’s Syrup Pepsin at
any drug store; they have it all
ready :z Dig bottles.
I
. Jm