THE STOUT SO FAB: Colonel Flag
will, acting chief of G-Z. V. 8. military
Intelligence department, e»timated there
were 206.000 European troop* in Mexico
preparing for an attack on the United
State*. Intelligence Officer Bennlng wai
cent to Mexico City where he poied a*
INSTALLMENT FOUR
Bromlitz, an American traitor wbo had
bven captured In Paris, and soon gained
the confidence of Fincke, another offi
cer. Bennlng was accepted as an offl*
cer by Van Hassek, leader of the foreign
armed forces in Mexico. Several days
later Bennlng was joined by Lucette,
Bromiltz'i sweetheart, who was actual
ly a French spy. Se told Bennint the
ominous news that Bromllti had es
caped. Later she reported that Botfio,
an air corps ofllcer, told her he had
more than a thousand planes In Mexico.
Now continue with the story.
▼ T ^
CHAPTER IV—Continued
Benning searched Mile. Ducos'
face and demanded. "Boggio told
you that?"
"Boggio has told me a great deal
ir the past few days.” she answered.
"I have—”
The orchestra brought their dance
to an end. Mile. Ducos ended her
sentence in a harmless platitude.
They went back to their table.
“How do you know this isn’t some
ruse, some trick?” Benning con
fronted her when they were alone.
“Why should a trusted officer be
tray such secrets to you or anyone
else, mademoiselle?”
She flared back: “Don’t you cred
it me with knowing what I’m about,
monsieur?”
“I also credit Boggio with ordi
nary discretion in matters of such
importance,” he retorted. “Under
what circumstances did he tell you
of Van Hassek’s air bases?"
Mile. Ducos sat down and a cold
smile replaced the resentment in
her eyes.
“For several days past, mon
sieur, Colonel Boggio and I have
been going about the city while he
showed me the sights. It was very
simple, when we saw planes in the
sky, for me to set him talking about
them, and about himself. Yes, much
more he has told me. In front of
Fernando on the Laguna de la
Madre Van Hassek has a secret field
for his bombers and pursuit ships.
He has more than a thousand planes
in all, with more coming to them
by sea."
“Do you understand, mademoi
selle, the full significance of what
you just told me?" he asked, his
eyes searching her face.
She shrugged her shoulders and
said with a touch of annoyance:
“Anyone who is too stupid to evalu
ate information would be too dumb
to collect it, monsieur! But all of
this information only confirms what
we already know, that Van Hassek
means to attack the United States.
The really important thing we’ve yet
to learn is when, and for what real
purpose. I meant to tell you that
Van Hassek sent an aide to see me
today, to invite me to be his guest
at a little party he’s giving for some
friends tomorrow night at the pal
ace. You may thank me for your
invitation—I think you weren’t want
ed. But I couldn’t afford to let Van
Hassek think I’m running too much
at large. You’ll go, of course? At
eight."
Benning hesitated while he
searched the possible ramifications
of such an adventure. His mind
fixed upon Captain Fincke’s disclo
sure of the operations map in Van
Hassek’s desk. Finally he nodded
acceptance.
CHAPTER V
In his regal suite in the Palacio
Nacional the next night, Van Has
sek had replaced his khaki field uni
form with peacock military habili
ments.
Benning found discomfort in the
presence of Colonel Bravot, alias
Sergeant Gaujos. But Bravot was
to remain only a few minutes, his
departure made the occasion of a
puzzling ceremony.
Van Hassek, from the moment of
the French girl's arrival, had cen
tered his attentions upon Mile. Du
cos. Benning promptly suspected
that she was the real motive for
this Van Hassek party, a show to
turn her head.
But the Benning interest had cen
tered upon a scowling Bavarian lieu
tenant who sat in Van Hassek's ad
joining military room, shut off by
thick draperies. The Bavarian’s
erect posture suggested that he was
present on a purely duty status It
was obvious that the object of his
vigil was the Van Hassek blackwood
desk.
With patient caution Benning wait
ed his time. The hour was close to
midnight when he chose his oppor
tunity to strike. He stalked into the
military room in the manner of a
man who has been drinking too
much. The Bavarian sat at his job.
stiff as a ramrod.
“A command for you, Lieuten
ant!” Benning blurted at him in
German. “You will report at once
to Excellency’s junior aide-de-camp
in the bar. See to it that you lose
no time!”
The Bavarian looked up with a
questioning scowl, then sprang to his
feet under the habit of obedience to
a superior officer. He hesitated for
a moment, and stalked through the
heavy portieres and headed toward
the bar.
As the portieres rippled behind the
guardian of Van Hassek’s desk, Ben
ning turned the key in the top draw
er. His steady hand extracted the
one document that he found there, a
folded linen map.
Benning’s face went taut as his
hand thrust it open and he saw the
legend of arrows superimposed on a
map of the United States and upper
Mexico. A glance told him that the>
arrows pointed to vulnerable points
of possible invasion. Behind each
arrow that pointed across the Mexi
can border toward the United States
rr wc 1T Ip JT
were figures of five digits.
He sensed rather than heard the
returning Bavarian. Instantly he
thrust the map into the breast of his
loose khaki tunic, closed the open
drawer of Van Hassek’s desk. Ben
ning strode through the curtains into
the reception room at the identical
moment that the Bavarian re
entered.
Although as an essential of his
business, he had learned control of
his emotions, Benning was unable
to put down the racking suspense of
the next few moments. Would the
Bavarian discover at once that Van
Hassek's desk had been tampered
with? Benning’s brief survey of the
map had given him the vital infor
mation for which he had been play
ing. If no alarm came now, he
could slip away in the night, haul
out the Fernando plane from its
hangar, and fly through to the bor
der.
The Bavarian came driving
through the portieres, black tragedy
in his distended eyes. His cheeks
A folded linen map.
were flushed ahd heavy Veins welled
at neck and forehead. The Bavarian
strode to a colonel of the staff and
whispered avidly. The colonel hur
ried over to Van Hassek.
Mile. Ducos picked up in Ben
ning's face some hint of his sus
pense. She left Van Hassek, now
pawing drunk, and crossed the room.
"Something has gone wrong, mon
sieur,” she whispered anxiously.
"You have been up to mischief in
Van Hassek’s room.”
“Concealed in my tunic,” Benning
answered at once, “I have Van Has
sek’s operations map—the most dan
gerous secret in Mexico. You must
drop me at once.”
"Let me have the map, mon
sieur," she whispered.
"1 took a desperate gamble,” Ben
ning coolly rejoined. "If I’ve lost,
it’s my funeral, not yours.”
With a quick decisiveness the
French girl threw her arms about
Benning’s neck and kissed him to
screen the deft movement in which
she stripped the map from under
his tunic. She stood close to him
while she concealed the document in
her dress. Then she stepped back,
spat at him, and angrily slapped his
face.
“Very well!” she raged, in a voice
that reached through the room. “If
that’s the way you feel about me,
you can go to the devil!"
Van Hassek slowly drew himself
erect and his face went livid as he
received the alarm from his staff
colonel. One moment Van Hassek
was drunk, the next moment coolly
sober.
"No one will leave my quarters,
Colonel,” Van Hassek calmly in
structed "With the help of my aides
you will search everyone present, in
cluding our own officers, until you
find the spy and recover my map
At once!"
Outer doors were promptly locKea,
windows put under guard. All were
required to assemble in the ball
room. thence to be taken one at a
time to Van Hassek’s bedroom for
examination.
Benning was taken first. The co
lonel sharply demanded explanation.
Why had he sent the Bavarian offi
cer away from Irs post of duty? Ben
ning confessed had judgment, for
which he offer eu apology. His only
thought had been that the Bavarian
was a neglected guest who should
be given a drink. He insisted that
he be searched immediately.
The Van Hassek guests had been
jolted into sobriety. One by one they
were taken for search. Van Hassek
stood to one side, smoking a cigar,
his face grimly contained as if he
waited in supreme confidence on
the unmasking of a spy.
Benning’s thoughts were inter
NEXT WEEK
AnoUt** Aiu&Uu*ta
T IP IP
rupted by a sudden noisy commo
tion, the half-hysterical cries of a
Mexican girl who was being thrust
into the ballroom from Van Has
sek’s bedroom. The staff colonel
marched across to Van Hassek and
handed him the stolen operations
map.
"Excellency, I found it pinned un
der the lace flounces of this wench's
gown,” the colonel reported.
Van Hassek took the map with a
casual hand, opened it for identifi
cation, and slowly smiled. He tucked
the document into the gold sash at
his waist, and with a toss of his
hand indicated that the prisoner
be taken away in close arrest. The
Mexican girl* loudly protesting in
nocense, was bundled out of the
room. Van Hassek slowly turned to
his remaining guests with a cool
bow,
"Good night, my friends,” he said
gravely. "I regret it if your pleas
ure has been spoiled tonight, but on
some other evening I’ll expect to
make amends. Now I must busy
myself with the details of what has
happened. Buenos noches.”*
Mile. Ducos did not speak as Ben
ning took her home in a cab. When
they were alone, Benning saw her
undergo an unexpected transforma
tion. Her eyes filled with tears and
she sobbed softly to herself. Pres
ently she recovered her self-posses
sion and dried her eyes.
“I suppose I shouldn’t have such
scruples about that girl when so
many lives are at stake,” she ra
tionalized. “But I had no alterna
tive than to do what I did. I only
hope she convinces Van Hassek of
her innocence—or he decides she is
too attractive to die.”
Benning busied himself with maps
and pencil. From time to time as
he worked he closed his eyes to ex
amine the sensitive film of his mem
ory. A Van Hassek arrow thrust its
point across the border at Laredo.
Behind its shaft was the figure 50,
000. At Brownsville was the figure
10.000, at Eagle Pass another 10,000.
On the California frontier were two
arrows joined together behind a
curved line, their points aimed at
Tecate and Tia Juana, in the region
of San Diego. The figure here was
60.000.
Four arrows thrust from the Pa
cific, behind them no legends. One
pointed to Seattle, a second at the
mouth of the Columbia River, a
third just north of San Francisco, a
fourth at San Diego. On the Atlan
tic side, groups of red arrows point
ed at critical points from Boston to
New Orleans. Here, again, there
were no figures.
Benning handed his reproduction
of Van Hassek’s key map to Mile.
Ducos. He saw the blood drain from
her face as she studied it. She
looked up at him with startled, star
ing eyes.
"Mon Dieu, monsieur!” she
gasped. “This means the very worst
is to happen! Such attack upon you
will set the whole world in flames!"
Benning got up and put on his cap
“I am leaving Mexico at once,
mademoiselle," he said calmly
“You are welcome to come along
with me if you don't mind taking
some chances with a pilot who's
somewhat out of practice.”
She answered gravely: “My in
structions require me to remain in
Mexico, monsieur. But it’s impor
tant for you to reach your govern
ment as quickly as possible! I
learned from Boggio today that he
can't see me tomorrow. All leaves
of absence are being suspended,
which means you'll not have long to
wait for Van Hassek's attack. Au
revoir. monsieur, and bon voyage."
CHAPTER VI
The sun was moving over the jag
ged Washington skyline on the sec
ond morning thereafter when Ben
ning was put down at Bolling Field
by a fast observation plane from
Kelly Field. After his landing at
Randolph Field from Mexico City
the day before, he had passed the
alarm to Eighth Corps Area Head
quarters and sent a code report ol
details by wire to Colonel Flagwill
A military car was waiting for
him at the airport. It sped him to
the War Department where Flag
will was waiting in the G-2 office.
The colonel showed the effects of
strain and sleeplessness, but was
gravely contained.
“A fine bombshell you’ve exploded
in the War Department, Benning,”
Flagwill said solemnly.
“I’ve reported only what I learned,
sir,” Benning answered. “Of course,
the final appraisal of my informa
tion is up to the General Staff.”
“General Hague took your report
at once to the President,” Flagwill
said. “As a result the President
had an ultimatum sent to Ruiz yes
terday by the State Department.
Our ambassador at Mexico City was
instructed to say that Mexico must
explain fully its European army
within forty-eight hours, and give
our military attaches at the em
bassy full authority to visit all troop
concentrations to view first-hand
what is going on."
(TO BE CONTINUEDt
Body Width and
Blood Pressure
Relationships
By DR. JAMES YV. BARTON
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
I^OR years life insurance
companies have been pub
lishing height and weight
tables. Because of the differ
ence in build r |
of individuals TODAY'S
the companies ||cj||tu
have advised
examiners to COLUMN
accept under
weight and overweight can
didates for insurance accord
ing to whether they are nar
row or wide in build.
If they are of the narrow or grey
hound build, they can subtract 10
Dr. Barton
pounds from the
weight recorded on
the tables for their
height; if they are of
the wide or bulldog
build, they can add
10 pounds to the re
corded weight for
their height. This
means, then, that a
narrow man 5 feet 7
inches in height can
weigh 139 pounds
and a wide man of
the same height 159
pounds and both are considered nor
mal in weight.
Insurance statistics definitely show
that the narrow individuals live
longer than the wide ones and we
are told that this is not because wide
individuals are not as strong (be
cause they are usually stronger
physically), but because they eat too
much for the amount of work done
or exercise taken. Wide individuals
by overeating are more frequently
attacked by heart vessel, liver and
kidney ailments. Thin individuals,
on the other hand, usually eat less
and because they have no excess
weight, are more apt to be active
physically.
Blood Pressure ‘Types.*
Some interesting results from an
investigation of the relation between
body width and blood pressure are
recorded by Drs. S. C. Robinson and
M. Brucer, in American Journal of
Medical Science. They divided
their patients into six groups, from
the very narrow to the very wide.
They found that few of the narrow
type had high blood pressure where
as many of the wide individuals had
high blood pressure. The shape or
build of the individual is related, as
definitely shown by the figures, to
blood pressure
The thought then for wide individ
uals is not to allow themselves to
become overweight, because their
blood pressure is naturally high ow
ing to their wide build.
• • »
Asthmatics Should
Study Make-Up
t
'T'ODAY, while the cause of some
cases of asthma is unknown, a
cause for the majority of cases can
be found if diligent search be made.
Research workers are now agreed
that asthma is not a disease but a
group of symptoms with not one but
a number of causes.
Drs. P. De Bersaques and A.
Bcrat. in Archives of Medicine-Sur
gery, Paris, stress the importance
of the ‘‘constitutional” factor as an
underlying cause of asthma and
show that effective treatment can
be realized only when the complex
problem of the makeup or consti
tution of the asthmatic is clearly
understood.
A study of 40 cases showed that
’.here were three factors in the cause
of asthma all of equal importance:
(1) The respiratory (nose, throat,
lungs) factor, (2) the instability
(easily upset) of the nerves con
trolling the organs of the chest and
abdomen, and (3) the liver factor.
Having these three causes in mind
they proceed to treat asthma from
he three different standpoints. For
he respiratory (breathing) they use
-pinephrine (adrenalin) and ephe
irine; for.that part of the nervous
system controlling lungs, heart and
ligestion, they use a ‘‘quieting"
Irug such as beladonna and pheno
>arbital; for the liver or hepatic
system they recommend diet meth
>ds and liver preparations.
In cases where the asthmatic is
illergic or sensitive to certain sub
stances, tests for these substances
ire made Among the new methods
>f treatment are the breathing ex
•rcises—blowing all air slowly from
he lungs—and the use of short-wave
treatments.
Remember, the patient’s general
makeup, obstructions of nose and
sensitiveness of various substances,
can each and all be the cause of
asthmatic attacks.
question box
Q.—Will iron (marked ferrous sul
fate), taken in vitamin capsules in
jure or have any ill effect on the
teeth? How often should vitamin
capsules be taken and may they be
taken without advice of a doctor?
A.—I’m sorry but I try not to
prescribe or suggest doses for any
particular case. If you have a fam
ily physician a telephone call will
give you the information. If you
have no family physician, one visit
to a physician would tell whether or
not you really need the vitamins.
Farm
Topics [
SOIL FERTILITY
VITAL TO U. S.
National Security Requires
Productive Land.
By PROF. J. C. CHAPMAN
(Dapartinont of Agronomy. Univoraity o!
Wisconsin)
American agriculture Is coming to
realize that a national defense pro
gram against the forces of soil de
pletion and exploitation is Just as
vital to the future of this country as
defense against foreign aggression.
In every past age soil fertility has
played a dominant part. Succeed
ing civilizations have sought and
fought for fertile lands that would
provide food and clothing.
The restlessness of the earth's
early inhabitants, their migrations
and invasions of new countries were
In most instances due to the deple
tion of the soils in their own coun
tries and a desire to acquire and
settle the more fertile areas of the
then-known world.
It was not until comparatively re
cently that the development of the
science of soil chemistry taught the
nations of the world how to main
tain soil fertility on their lands.
Of recent date, too, is the rec
ognition by American agriculture of
the dangers of soil exhaustion in
this country. Farmers have come
to realize that every year they are
selling plant food from their land
in the form of cash crops, dairy
products and live stock. They have
discovered that even in a system of
live stock farming where all the
crops are fed to stock and the ma
nure returned to the fields, they are
losing fertility at an alarming rate.
Everywhere we have been drawing
checks on our bank account—the soil
—and spending and using our fer
tility much faster than we have been
replacing it with plant foods.
The hopeful fact in our situation,
however, is that farmers in increas
ing numbers are becoming aware of
the seriousness of these losses and
are taking steps to prevent them.
They are using lime and fertilizers
and following soil and crop manage
ment practices that will restore the
native productiveness of their farms.
This national defense program
against the forces of soil depletion
is steadily gathering momentum. It
is being spurred forward through the
co-oj>eration of the federal govern
ment, the AAA, the state agricul
tural colleges, and farmers’ organi
zations everywhere. The war
i against soil exhaustion gives prom
ise of final victory.
Capons Require Special
Care Before Marketing
Where capons are being fattened
for market they should be fed a
regular growing ration and plenty
of whole grain, which should be hop
per fed. Clean quarters and range
are important. Close confinement
should be avoided. A clean open
field with protection from the weath
er, such as that afforded by a good
range shelter, is ideal.
During the last couple of weeks
before marketing, it will pay to feed
a wet mash twice a day consisting
of growing mash and milk or
whole grain soaked in milk in addi
tion to the usual ration. Such feed
ing will improve the quality of the
birds, but actual poundage is made
by keeping them on a full and com
plete growing ration throughout the
summer and fall months.
Worms should be strictly guarded
against, tapeworms in particular,
since worpiy capons simply refuse
to get fat. If the birds are wormy,
they should be treated without fail
After which, they should be removeo
to a clean range.
Mulch of Pine Needles
Reforests Eroded Field
Pine needle mulch can sometime
be used to reforest old fields or cla>
gall areas, recent experiments at thi
Southern Piedmont Soil Conservatior
Experiment station at Athens, Ga
show.
Seeking an economical way ol
seeding eroded areas, the station
mulched four clay-galled plots with
800 pounds of pine-needle litter fron
adjacent woods. In five months a
healthy mixed vegetation devel
oped, including more than 1,600
shortleaf seedlings—an average of
two seedlings from each pound of
mulch.
The study will observe for several
years the survival and height growth
of the seedlings resulting from this
simple and inexpensive scattering
pine-needle litter over the bare area
to a depth of about one inch. If only
one-fourth of the existing seedlings
live for five years, the area will be
well planted.
Farm Notes
Onion* and garlic were common
in the diet of the ancient Egyptians
* * •
A total of 432,369 loans were made
on stored wheat during 1940 by the
Commodity Credit corporation.
• * •
Oats, straw, corn stover, bean
pods, and the poorer grades of hay
may provide most of the roughage
for the idle horses.
HOUSE PARTY
MURDER
£6
By JAMES FREEMAN
(Associated Newspapers.)
WNTJ Service.
IT WAS a high-pitched, ear-split
ting scream; the scream of a
woman.
Following it there was a shot,
a series of groans, a heavy, thud
ding sound.
Then silence. A profound, heavy
silence.
Clyde Greene was the first to
reach the corridor. Clyde's room
was next to that occupied by Marie
Leland. As the youth opened the
door he switched on a light button
and the corridor was brilliantly il
luminated.
Clyde pounded on Marie Leland's
door. There was no answer, and he
decided to force the lock. By this
time, the corridor was filled with
people. Doors opened and fright
ened, curious faces looked up and
down. At sight of Clyde opening
Marie Leland's door, they came run
ning.
Clyde paused just inside the room.
A shapeless bulk on the floor ob
structed his passage. He felt along
the wall, found a switch and snapped
it on.
The bulk on the floor was a dead
man. Blood oozed from a wound
in his temple. Clyde recognized
him at once as one of his week-end
guests. His name was Howard
Lund, and he was known to be mad
ly in love with Marie.
Marie lay on the bed, unconscious.
A dre sing gown partly covered her
form. Her face was white as chalk.
Clyde kept his head. It was his
house; he was, in a sense, respon
The bulk on the floor was a dead
man. Clyde recognized him at once
aa one of his week-end guests.
Bible. He kept the crowd back,
turned to look at them. Jack Chase
seemed the calmest
‘‘Go down and call the police, will
you, Jack. And the rest of you
please get back into the corridor.
We don’t want to disturb anything
until the police get here."
It was fully a half hour before
Inspector Oscar Bean and his chief
aide, Bert Ross, arrived on the
scene. They went immediately to
Marie Leland’s room. Minutes later
they came back downstairs and
confronted the scantily-clad guests
in the drawing room. And with
them came Marie Leland, still pale,
frightened looking. She flung herself
on a divan and immediately broke
into sobs. Homer Dunlap came and
sat down beside her, and Marie
clung to him.
Inspector Bean spoke to Clyde.
"You’re Greene, aren’t you?"
"Yes."
"You’ll save yourself a lot of
trouble, Greene, and a lot for your
guests, by answering my questions
unrestrainedly. You understand
what it will mean if I clear this thing
up tonight?”
"Of course. Ask your questions.”
Bean glanced sidewise at Marie.
"Was this man Lund in love with the
girl?”
"I believe he was.”
"Did she love him?”
Clyde looked uneasy, but Mane
wasn’t watching him.
"I don’t think so.”
"Possibly she loved someone else,
and Lund was forcing himself on
her?”
Clyde glanced meaningly toward
the divan. Bean nodded and strode
in that direction. He sat down, close
by the girl, ignoring the threaten
ing look with which Homer Dunlap
regarded him.
"Miss Leland, will you please
tell me exactly what happened?”
The girl dabbed at her eyes. She
was holding Dunlap’s hand, and
when he looked at her reassuringly,
she turned to Bean.
“I don’t know how long I’d been
asleep. I was awakened by a noise.
I looked up and saw a man’s wrist
watch glowing in the dark near the
door. I screamed. There was a
flash, a loud report. The door
opened and closed. I saw a figure
dart into the corridor. Then I must
have fainted.”
"You didn’t recognize the figure,
have no idea who it was?”
"No.”
"Had Howard Lund been forcing
4iis attentions on you?”
"Yes.” She paused, seemed to
consider, and went on. "We used
to be engaged. It was a silly love
affair. I soon got over it. Then I
met Homer and fell in love with
him. Howard kept hounding me."
"Hounding you?”
"Yes. He said he’d discovered
some things about my past, and un
less I’d let him come to my room
he’d tell Homer. He always said
that Homer wai a no-good rich
man’s son.”
"Did you tell him he could come
to your room?”
"Nol”
Bean spoke musingly, looking at
Homer Dunlap. "It might be pos
sible that someone who thought a
good deal of Miss Leland overheard
Lund make that threat. That same
someone might have anticipated
Lund coming to Miss Leland's
room; might in fact have been
there himself, or in the corridor
nearby and—"
He broke off, got to his feet.
"However, that isn’t what happened
—Greene, you’d better have your
guests leave the room. These things
are upsetting.”
Greene nodded. He didn’t under
stand, but he was glad to comply
with the request.
Greene remained in the room un
til after the guests had gone.
"I’m sorry you didn’t get any
where with your questioning. Inspec
tor."
Bean shook his head. "On the con
trary, Greene, I got a long way. It
didn’t take a great deal of Ingenuity
to identify the killer.”
Clyde's face was a mask of as
tonishment. "You don’t mean you
know who the culprit is!”
"That’s exactly what I do mean.”
"Well?”
"Marie Leland!”
"Marie! But good heavens, how
could it be? When I arrived in the
room she was lying on the bed un
conscious.”
“How do you know she was un
conscious?”
Clyde bit his lip. He regarded the
inspector steadily, wanting to be
lieve. fearful of what the man knew.
“She identified herself as the mur
deress when she told her story. She
mentioned awakening and seeing a
man’s wrist watch glowing in the
dark. A man’sl Why not a wom
an’s? She knew it was a man’s be
cause she was expecting a man.
And she wanted that man out of the
way because of what he might tell.
Besides, how many men who were
in this room tonight wore wrist
watches? None. All but Howard
Lund had removed their watches for
the night.” ,|
Bean paused. “She shot him.
The gun was lying close by his hand.
She had wiped it off with a handker
chief. I have the handkerchief in
my pocket. It's spotted with grease
marks from the gun. She had bare
ly time to feign unconsciousness on
the bed when you arrived. She must
have been breathing heavily. It'e
odd you didn't notice.”
Clyde sank into a chair. He turned
his head as a sound came from near
the door. He opened it and Detec
tive Ross stood there. Behind him
was Marie Leland, fully clad, mis
erable of expression, frightened, sob
bing hysterically.
Clyde turned away. It was a
nasty business.
Family Trouble Starts
Over Handling Finances
Nothing causes more friction in
the American family than the ques
tion of who shall handle the fam
ily's finances. Man is traditionally
the provider, so of course, his self
esteem makes him unable to bear
the thought of a woman telling him
how to handle his money.
The thing to do, according to one
expert on financial problems is to
treat the problem as a business con
cern treats it. A business concern
makes its purchasing agent the
shrewdest bargainer it can dig up
and to hire the best bookkeepers it
can find for its auditing department
It doesn't give the purchasing Job
to a good contact or idea man, or the
auditing Jobs to a bunch of good
salesmen.
Do the same thing in your home,
the expert advises. Take stock of
each partner—rule out the vanities
and taboos—determine which of the
two firm members is the better at
stretching a dollar and keeping track
of all the dollars that come in and
go out, and then simply elect that
partner chancellor of the home ex
chequer.
Run the business side of the fam
ily as a business, unemotionally and
shrewdly and you will likely detour
a lot of emotional, upsets, not to
mention a lot of inefficient use of
what money you have to use.
Why It’s Stonewall Jackson
Time: July 21, 1861.
Place: Manassas, Prince William
county, Virginia.
Dramatis Personae: Generals
Thomas Jonathan Jackson and Ber
nard Elliott Bee, Federal and Con
federate troops.
It was the first Battle of Bull Run,
or as the South prefers to call it,
Manassas.
Under the withering fire and ir
resistible charge of the Federals, the
Confederate General Bee’s brigada
had broken and was on the verge
of utter rout
As from nowhere, appeared Gen
eral Jackson with five of Virginia's
crack regiments, who, though con
fronted by superior numbers, were
holding their own, were indeed be
ginning to press forward.
"See, there Is Jackson standing
like a stone wall!" shouted Bee to
discouraged soldiers.
Suiting their actions to his stirring
words, which passed from lips to
lips, the fast faltering troops re
formed their ranks and put up such
a stiff fight as to contribute mated
ally to shifting the tide of battle,
the Federals coming off second best.
General Bee was killed leading the
fresh rally; but his sobriquet,
"Stonewall" for Thomas Jonathan
Jackson survives lustily