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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1943)
V* ~ Hi PIR/VTES HE/\D 11 ISABEL WAITT^.C^T THE STORY SO FAR: Judy Jaion, *»ho la telling the story, receive* an anonymous letter enclosing $800 and ask ing her to bid for an abandoned church to be auctioned the next day. She finds, In an old chest, the body of a man Iden tified as Roddy l.ane. The body disap pears a tew hours later. A fish shed burns, apparently killing an old man named Brown, who is supposed to have lived there. Judy finds Roddy f-ane’s dia mond in her handbag. I-lly Kendall Is found dead, with Hugh Norcross' scarf around her neck. Albion Potter gives Judy a picture of the rhurch he has Just finished. Bessie Norcross writes a con fession. Now continue with Judy's story. CHAPTER XVI "She confessed to save—him!" Even I could see it, now that Vic tor had pointed it out. During the reading. I'd noticed a few discrep ancies in Bessie's confession, but no where near the number he had. Take the wind itself, for instance. It couldn't have blown the blue scarf back into the Pirate’s Mouth be cause there was a land breeze be fore the tide turned, and the place was entirely sheltered. "We've got to show it to the po lice.” "And incriminate the brother she tried to save?" “May not incriminate him," Vic tor said. “It’s the cleverest thing I ever read. What Bessie says about her light not showing from the path to the bluff; little things like that. And her timing’s pretty good, too, only she's forgotten Mr. Quincy was sitting on the piazza all the eve ning, until she wheeled him down to the church. He saw her go up to her room, before dark, and she didn’t come down again. But Hugh did, he admits. I think it may have been Hugh you spoke to, later. We were walking back rapidly to where the men were working on the boat. Thaddeus Quincy had man aged the ramp somehow, and was wheeling himself toward us with his table cloth tied to his cane. He passed us, giving me a reproachful glance, I thought. “Don’t forget what I told you, Judy." And he shot a warning nod at Victor. Then he stationed him self in the middle of the road and began waving his signal. "We’ve got to And Norcross and tell him about this, Judy.” “He’s around somewhere. 1 should think the scarf would eliminate him from the suspects, wouldn’t you?" “Perhaps.” “That makes you and me, Bessie and Hugh, Aunt Nella and Uncle Wylie, who aren’t on the list. Why, it only leaves Potter and De Witt and Quincy!" “Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Are you forgetting your Uncle Wylie knew Miss Kendall hadn't been strangled, at a glance. He was right, it happens, but personally 1 had to make an examination, to be sure." “Now. who’s crazy? Maybe lu made an examination, tool" I rushed up the steps in high dudg eon. Perhaps I’d better take Thad deus Quincy’s advice. Victor Quad* seemed to say things like that ev- j ery little while which forced me | to suspect the suspicioner. Wylie ! Gerry! Hugh Norcross was coming down the stairs. He came directly toward me. "Bessie says she gave you a letter for me. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She won’t speak to me. Locked herself in." Was she afraid of him? I was glad I could see the men across the road and hear my aunt’s movements in the kitchen. Then Bessie's de spair made me forget my own fear. “You didn’t give her any more of .hat sleeping medicine?” ’Til say I didn’t. She takes far ; oo much of the stuff Why. an over dose—" "Exactly. Don’t let her have it. I You’ll understand when you—’’ I j nearly said when he’d read the let- j ter. which would have been an ad mission that I'd done so myself. “You’re sweet, Judy. My sister’s nerves are an awful care. Go up •rd see if you can get her to quiet down, will you? I wish she was out of this mess. And you, too. When it's over there’s something I want to say to you. Just now all I dare say or think of is—be careful.” He was squeezing my hand till it hurt. “Where’s the letter?” “Mr. Quade has it. He’s with the others at the bam. He told me to find you. It’s important, Hugh.” He took a few steps forward. "You tell Bessie I’ll be back soon, will you?” "Sure,” I said, glad to escape the ievouring gaze of his haggard eyes. I knocked on Bessie’s door. She a as crying "Hughie? I can’t sleep! I can't sloep!” “It’s Judy. Want me to get you a cup of tea?” “No, thank you. Did you give my brother the letter?” “He has it now.” I heard a scrambling off the bed. “Did he give you the—my medi cine?” “No. Said you couldn’t have any more till night. Do let me in, Bes sie—Miss Norcross. I’ll rub your head if it aches so badly.” But evidently she’d flung herself on the bed again, for muffled sobs were her only reply. I gave it up finally, tiptoeing past poor Lily Ken dall's room and on up into my own. The picture of the now hateful old church stood in a corner of the hall near my door, where Victor had moved it when he’d gone to see if the $500 was still there. It stood on a newspaper, where Albion Potter had thoughtfully placed it to save the floor. 1 didn't pick it up until I’d made sure about the money. It was still where I’d left it! Certain peculiarities in the letter came to my mind, and it occurred to me at least Bessie had given me some hand-writing to compare, only I hadn’t examined it closely. I’d go down and try to take a look. But first I picked up the picture to put it into my room. A wet painting isn't easy to han dle, but when it’s wet on both sides it is really difficult. Potter had painted the entire back of the can vas an apple green, which was even wetter than parts of the picture it self. I, too, got it on my hands, and just when I placed the thing under one of the windows to dry, it fell over. I made a grab, fearing it would be spoiled and smooched, and caught it. doing more damage probably than as if I’d let it go. Now my hands and a bit of floor be yond the newspaper were a horrid sight. I seized the paper and tried to wipe off the place where my hand had been, messing up the back mis erably. Then I stood the picture up again and raced downstairs to wash my hands. Never heard of painting a canvas on both sides before. Per haps the artists did it that way now or maybe Potter had painted on the "You sick, Mr. Norcross?" back of another picture. It didn’t matter. The thing was not to miss anything outside. I could see Mr. Quincy still wav ing his red banner at the dots in the harbor. The men were hammer ing at the bottom of the Eleanor. The boat, they called to me, was virtually water tight—they hoped. The thing was to get it to the shore. Would I go get Wylie Gerry to tell them how? It was too heavy to car ry, and they were afraid they’d scrape the patch off if they just dragged it along. Weren’t there any rollers? "Uncle Wylie’U show you. He's at the bridge." If De Witt or Potter thought I was their Western Union boy they were much mistaken. I skedaddled over to where Victor was standing beside Hugh, who had just finished reading his sister's let ter. Now he held it out to Quade. "For God's sake, what shall I do?” "You could destroy it.” "You read It?" Victor nodded. "You all invited me to sort of take charge. I'll help any way I can, Norcross." "But surely you don’t think—? Bessie? She wouldn’t kill an ant! She’s afraid, that's all. And she'll stick to her story. You see, it wouldn’t do any good to destroy this. She'd only confess all over again. She knows I’m guilty. You’ve got to believe me, man! I murdered Roddy Lane." "Hugh Norcross! I—I don’t be lieve you.” I gasped, tears smart ing my eyes. He didn’t have the— the courage, I was thinking. Victor said: "And Miss Kendall? You killed her, too, of course. Why?” "Because she knew too much. Be cause she saw me coming out of Potter’s room with that confounded cleansing fluid of his, and because she was on the church steps when Roddy and I had the row and I hit him. So I strangled her with my scarf. Bessie? Absurd!” He looked like a handsome dark shadow, haunted by remorse. He crumbled his sister's letter in his hand. "I shall tell the authorities every thing. Will you agree to leave her out of this? Here. Judy," he reached in his pocket and drew out his wal let, removing a few lean bills. "Give her this. I'll be taken to jail as soon as they come. I'd rather not see her. You tell her, Quade, to keep her mouth shut.” "Don’t take it, Judy. I’m telling you to keep your own mouth shut, but I suppose it’s too late." "What's all this? What’s all this?” None of us had noticed the minister and Quincy, who’d come up behind us and were listening for dear life. "God bless my soul! Not you, Nor cross?” Thaddeus Quincy wheeled back a pace and took a firmer grip on his cane, even yanking off the red cloth. "Knew it was you all the time, Norcross—last night when you wouldn’t answer Judy and me.” "Yes, it was I. On my way to kill Lane.” "Good heavens, Norcross, do you know what you’re saying? You don't have to admit anything,” Victor said. "Less you say the better for you." "I want to talk. I want to con fess. I wish to God the police would come—say, what’s Potter running for?” We could all see the artist climb ing into his car and driving like mad down the narrow Neck. "To get Gerry to help us launch the boat.” For a moment our eyes watched the car, but our ears were tuned to Hugh. He was ranting, almost the way his sister did. "I came down here to kill Lane for what he did to my sister. I saw him coming down the Castle drive way. We went over to the church and foughi it out, man to man. Hit him too hard, I guess. Anyway, he died and I put him in the chest, just as Judy said. I ought to have locked it, but I heard someone corging.” Following the pattern—following the pattern—just like the letter. “Hugh, let me see that a min ute. I’ll give it right back,” I said t^ him. He didn't seem to care what he did. He automatically handed me the crumpled ball of a letter. I turned my back and took a good look at the writing. Neat, tiny, very individualistic. Nothing at all like mine, with the money, I gave it back to him. "—so I tied the scarf around her neck and choked her,” he was al most shouting. “But she wouldn’t fall through the Pirate’s Mouth, so—" “God help us all!” ejaculated De Witt. I could see Potter’s car coming back with my uncle. “How much money was it you sent me, Hugh ie?" I had never called him that pet name before, but he was so distrait, and I couldn't think him capable of all those crimes. “What ails him?” Albion Potter asked. “He's confessed,” shrilled Mr. Quincy. Anyone would have thought he was enjoying himself. “Norcross? Well, I vum!” Uncle Wylie marched straight up to Hugh. "Keep your trap shut, young feller, me lad. IfTen you did kill Lane I guess we’ll all back you up It was —self-defense, warn’t it?” “And Old Man Brown?” “And Miss Kendall?” The men gathered around the boat, shaking their heads and mur muring to themselves. They might be good witnesses as far as Lane was concerned, but the others— Uncle Wylie screamed in a high falsetto, the way he did whenever he wanted anything: “Nella!” Auntie came running. “Where'd you hide the Eleanor's rollers?” "Hide ’em? How should I know? Up in the barn chamber, ain't they?" She stood, a trim whisp of a woman in a neat checkered bib apron, her gnarled hands on her hips. Then, catching sight of Hugh, “You sick, Mr. Norcross?” Hugh raised haggard eyes and said nothing. "I declare I feel a spell cornin’ on, too. Want some of my elderberry wine?" Her eye fell on the patch on the boat. "Land sakes! I’d ruther put to sea in a barrel, 'tain’t safe, is it, Wylie?” Uncle Wylie was examining the patch. He looked at it outside and in, then he scratched his head. "Nev er git acrost the gap. Cove nei ther. Course we can roll her down and see. Me, I’d tear that thing off and do it right." "Why don't you do it then?” his wife asked tartly. “Take too long. Let's see if she’ll hold water.” “Oh, what the heck!” Hugh sprang up to help get a log under the Elea nor. "Let’s get going. 1 want the police to come. I want to be ar rested before my sister comes down." Thaddeus Quincy wheeled himself out of the way. De Witt stood with closed eyes, praying again, I thought. Potter and Uncle Wylie took hold of the boat. Aunt Nella came down the steps and I went to meet her. She shot a querulous glance at Hugh and asked me what he'd meant. I tried to tell her in a breath. (TO BE CONTINUED) Greet the Day With a Well-Balanced Breakfast (See Recipes Below) Good Morning! What’s your breakfast? A squirt of orange juice and a sip of coffee or fruit, cereal, eggs, toast and coffee? No need to tell you which one you can start a man-sized day’s work on, is i there? A break fast should supply almost a third of the day’s calories and food value. A slight breakfast will prevent you from waking up fully—and thus starting to realize your full quota of production whether you’re on the home or factory front. But, treat the first meal of the day with the same respect you do the other two, and you find yourself refreshed and more than ready to do your job— and do it well. If you’re still in doubt about the value of a good breakfast, look at breakfasts fed servicemen. Do you think they could get up and do their work if it weren’t for fruit, cere als, eggs, toast or hotbread and beverage for their first fare of the day? No, ma’am. Breakfast affords a grand chance for you to get your vitamin Bl— that important morale vitamin which prevents nervousness and restlessness. You need this vitamin j every day—and its best sources are whole grain cereal and bread—and yeast. On warmer days, serve oatmeal or whole wheat cereal, on cooler days, use the enriched, ready-to-eat cereals which arp unrationed. When the berries and fruits start coming in, use a few of them with the cere als for a delightful breakfast dish. Breakfast is a good way to take care of the citrus fruit requirement of the day, too. A half grapefruit, a large orange or a large glass of or ange juice will fulllll the vitamin C quota of the day. Remember, however, that vi tamin C is easily destroyed by air, and that means you should not squeeze or cut up oranges until just before serving. •Old-Fashioned ropevcrs. 3 eggs It* cups milk lt4 cups enriched flour % teaspoon salt Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Beat eggs and add milk to them and stir gradually into the flour to make a smooth batter, then beat thoroughly with egg beater; put in hot greased muflln tins two-thirds full of mixture. Bake in a hot oven (450 degrees) half hour, then in mod erate (350-degree) oven 15 minutes until brown. Note: No leavening agent is used in popovers, and their rising action is dependent upon thor ough beating. Lynn Says: Make Rationing Work: Keep food essentials in mind when planning your menus, and use point-rationed food to best advan tage. When you spend any of your coupons for rationed food, make sure you are not buying anything that you could buy fresh. In buying meats buy those of which you get the most for your points. Extend whatever cuts of meat you can with cereals, stuffings, food extenders and vegetables to make them go fur ther. Start today to save sugar and put it in a bank so that you will have enough for the canning you are going to do this summer. Do not use sugar anywhere that you possibly can avoid it Start planning your victory garden, so that you will be ready to put up ! as much of your share in fruits and vegetables. Buy quality foods to get the most value of your points. This applies to canned and processed foods, meat, cheese and butter. Lynn Chambers’ Point-Saving Breakfast •Baked Apples Ready-to-Eat Cereal Cream and Sugar •Old-Fashioned Popovers With Jam Beverage . *Recipes Given If possible, have eggs for break fast—with bacon, if you can man age it, but remember that a nice hot bowlful of oatmeal will give a good ly quantity of health. Then, of course, you can vary the menu with pancakes, french toast and waf fles when the mood strikes you. Baked pears or apples are a good fruit for breakfast variation. Try apples this way: •Baked Apple With Orange Marmalade Filling. Select apples that are suitable for baking. Core, and fill cavities with orange marmalade. Prick skins with fork and place in a baking pan with a little water. Cover with lid and bake in a slow oven until ten der. Remove lid just long enough to brown. Creamed Chipped Beef Omelet. (Serves 8) 1 cup chipped beef, cut fine cups white sauce 6 eggs 6 tablespoons top milk % teaspoon salt % teaspoon pepper Fold chipped beef into white sauce. Beat eggs until fluffy, then add milk, salt and pepper. Melt enough butter or margarine into a heavy skillet to cover bottom and sides of pan, pour in eggs and shake I gently over fire. < When set, loosen sides and bottom, cover with heated creamed beef, carefully fold over with spatula, and slide onto hot plat ter. Serve at once. For variety, there are many types of griddle cakes: Sour Milk Griddle Cakes. l'A cups flour 1 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon melted but ter or margarine *A teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon sugar 2 eggs Sift flour and sugar; dissolve soda in buttermilk and add to flour. Drop in unbeaten eggs and beat well, then fold in butter. Drop by spoon fuls on a hot, greased griddle and brown on both sides. Flannel Cakes. 2 eggs IA cups milk 2 cups enriched flour H teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons melted but ter or margarine 3 teaspoons baking powder Sift all dry ingredients. Beat egg yolks and add to milk. Pour this into the flour, add melted butter, and lastly the well-beaten eggs. Drop by spoonfuls on hot, greased grid dle and serve with syrup, preserves or jelly. Crisp Waffles. (Makes 4 4-section waffles) 2 cups sifted cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder % teaspoon salt 2 egg yolks, well beaten 1 cup milk Vs cup melted shortening 2 egg whites Sift flour, measure, add baking powder and salt and sift again. Com bine egg yolks and milk, add to flour, beating until smooth. Add shorten ing. Beat egg whites until they hold up but are still moist, then fold into batter. Bake on hot waf fle iron. Lynn Chambers welcomes you to submit your household queries to her problem clinic. Send your letters to her at Western Newspaper Union, 210 South Desplaines Street, Chicago, Illi nois. Don't forget to enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope for your reply. Beleased by Western Newspaper Union, j By VIRGINIA VALE Released by Western Newspaper Union. THE little town of Brawley, Calif., woke up one morn ing recently to find a motor ized battalion of German troops, armed to the teeth, lin ing the streets. As the Mexi can border’s only 25 miles away, the townsfolk were a bit jittery. Then they took an other look at the “invaders” and recognized them as Brawley high school boys, drafted by Columbia Pictures to represent a unit of the Nazi Afrika Korps in the picture “Somewhere in Sahara.” Humphrey Bogart’s starred in it. -* Janice Gilbert, who’s twenty, has been acting since she was eight, has been on the radio since she was ten. On “The O’Neills" she plays “Janice O’Neill” and also an infant JANICE GILBERT and four children. But her most famous juvenile role is “Little Or phan Annie”—when she tours army camps, entertaining the boys, she gets vociferous requests for a ses lion with “Annie.” The night Ann Ayars, Metro star let, sang for the boys at Fort Mac Arthur, Calif., she got a rousing reception, but could have dispensed with part of it. Arriving in a pour ing rain, she was escorted to the hall by a new recruit who led her smack into a deep puddle at the stage door. Ann fell in to her hips. She says that most of what the soldiers saw of her was mud! Any Hollywood personage who dis covers Lupe Velez watching him in tently is likely to be uneasy; experi ence shows that Lupe’s just gather ing material for a devastatingly fun ny impersonation of him. Her imi tations seldom reach the screen, but in “Redhead from Manhattan” she does several imitations of fellow stars. She plays identical cousins, both of whom are revue stars. -% Lionel Barrymore was in a dan gerous spot a while back, and it wasn’t one of those things that are part of a scenario, when the actor knows he’ll be rescued. Driving home, he miscalculated the depth of flood water near his ranch, and found himself sitting in his stalled car in water up to his neck. The swift current started moving the car toward deeper water. But neigh boring farmers came along with chains and hauled the car back onto the highway. The car was ruined, but the famous Barrymore wasn't damaged. -Sfc When Robert Ryan joined the army he knew that he’d have a job when he came back; he has a con tract with RKO that assures his re turn to the screen at the war’s end, at a salary exceeding the one he was getting when he left. His work in “Bombardier” and “The Sky’s the Limit” was responsible for the scrapping of the old contract and the writing of the more favorable new one. -* Bob Hope's set for another of those cross-country tours of army, navy and marine posts and bases, which is good news for the men who’ll benefit; he gives them a swell show. In fact, he probably works harder at entertaining servicemen than at anything else. -* Jack Miller, orchestra director for Kate Smith and “The Aldrich Fam ily,” can drop off to sleep any time. He dozed off in the studio before a recent “Aldrich Family” broadcast, so the cast slipped out and sent a page in to wake him and explain that the program was over and all visitors must leave. He spent a frenzied five minutes before he caught up with the truth. -* ODDS AND ENDS The voice which Willy Maher uses for “Wilbur" on the Tommy Riggs broadcasts is going into the movies for the second time, as the lead in the Metro cartoon, “The Screwy SquirreT’ . . . After three years' preparation. King Vidor is nearly ready to begin production of “America,’’ starring Brian Donlevy . . . Helmut Dantine, the Nazi aviator of “Mrs. Miniver," has a leading role in Warner Bros’ "To the Last Man," starring F.rrol Flynn , . . New Orleans’ famous French market, exactly as it was back in the year 1885, has been erected as a setting for "Saratoga Trunk." Today’s Scrap Bag Is a Valuable Asset 7458' /■''HEER up your home with gay linens—appliqued curtains— colorful aprons. Get these simple applique motifs—you can use each as often as you please. Get out your scrap bag and put this ma terial to good use. • * * Pattern 7458 contains applique pattern pieces of 6 motifs averaging 4>,i by 5 inches; directions. Due to an unusually large demand and current war conditions, slighUy more time is required in filling orders for a few of the most popular pattern numbers. Sewing Circle Needlecraft Dept. 82 Eighth Ave. New York Enclose 15 cents (plus one cent to cover cost of mailing) for Pattern No. Name . Address . I LICKED MY CONSTIPATION Of course, it wasn’t due to anything organically wrong with me. It was just ordi nary constipation, due to lack of “bulk” in the diet. A dose of some medicinal laxative gives only tempo rary relief for such consti pation. You got to find something that gets at the cause and corrects it. I found just that-in kellogg’s ALL-BBAN. ALL-BRAN is E WOnderful tasting breakfast cereal and a swell way to start the morning. Eat it regularly, drink plenty of water and —if your constipation's like mine-you'll “Join the Reg ulars,” too! all-bran is made by Kellogg’s in Battle Creek, Michigan. At Cheerful Beginning Every beginning is cheerful; the threshold is the place of expecta tion.—Goethe. There’* good reason why PAZO oint jj mi nt haw been used by wo many million* of wufferers from wimple Pile*. Find. PAZO oinlment soothes inflamed areas — relieves pain and itching. Second, PAZO ointment lubricates hardened, dried parts— helpw prevent cracking and I soreness. Third. PAZO ointment lends to reduce swelling and check bleeding. Fourth, it’s easy to use. PAZO oint ment's perforated Pile Pipe makes ap plication simple, thorough. Your doctor can tell you about PAZO ointment. I From an old French word “mes" derived from the Latin word “missus” meaning a course at a meal, comes the Army’s name “mess” for its breakfast, dinner, and supper. Favorite meal with the soldier is chicken dinner —his favorite cigarette, Camel. (Based on actual sales records from Post Exchanges.) A carton of Camels, by the way, is the gift he prefers first of all from the folks back home. He’s said so. Local tobacco dealers are featur ing Camel cartons to send any where to men in the armed forces. —Adv. r Kills APHIS { W One ounce makes six gallons [ of aphis spray... 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