The Protector of Finance
Tales of Resilius Marvel, Guardian of Bank Treasure
By WELDON J. COBB
j THE DEAD YEAR’S HARVEST
__ Cr^ifhc W. G. Chapman “] |
THEKK *•* b quick mil at the
t.;,pB-*ne. and Itewlliu* Marvel
... •«! the receiver as though
t* '.ad teen expecting a message.
J k • ' 'he expression of lus eyes
a the :,r*t wopj imparted over the
w — n*et his andi-ipatiou*. Then I
»>ir 1 t::a ask In rapid succession:
Letters—numbers—series?"
He (frnriied rapidly on his shirt cufl
as the replies came
Verify." were his final words : " ’E
b>€ Tel. Series of 15**6 ' Very well."
and bung up the receiver and arose
tc t.» feet "Come with me ” he add
e- na ply. and I knew tha' the great
head of the United Bankers Protec
tive association was started on an
other case"
E 6.'" 1 observed with a sud
den sh-ck of memory bs we reached
the street—“If that applies to a one
t-ndr. d dollar treasury note—"
It d vouchsafed Marvel terse
Tl..-n you probably have the man ”
if .i.sinjctlots have been followed,
yes replied my friend
Who is It?”
The Central National "
That makes ten "
Yt - «-- ep good tab." complimented
Mart • 1— exactly ten What an opti
mist this original tte queer
mas: be!"
Bn- within a week ten counter
feit 1: *o note* had been passed upon
the cry bank: On a certain Monday
mcming a spruce, sprightly young
man of about twenty-five had come
Into our mstitution and had presented
himself at the paying teller's window
srith Eve 1'. ■ treasury' notes. He
asked tc have them changed into bills
of smaller denominations and was
read:.y acccmm-fated The teller
tad noted they were comparatively
new that their serial numbers were
consecutive An expert glance satis
fied him. h- wever that they were all
r.gL They were placed ».-h other
hundreds to make up a package of
twenv- or |i t*0 and nothing more
was thought of it.
Four mornings later Resilius Mar
I ■ came into the bank with Xo 2&S.
*5*3 of the same series Across its
fat * was stamped the word "Counter
feit it broad red letters taking in
tbe full front surface of the note.
• Have you any of those?" he in
quired. placing the bill before me.
I w.il tad out." 1 replied, and then
rather wonderingly scanned the note.
It wt .id have passed muster with me.
and i mted myself something of a
specialist in my line.
It * k half an hour to go the
[I round-- of the cages It is almost sec
1 and nature for a teller to remember
I an; has handled, especially
r these . f large denomination. The
mac who tad changed the treasury
I BO* - * fra stranger soon had the five
I 1c question in evidence.
Two more of the *100 notes turned
jk up twenty lour hours later at another
VtBotitutloc Then two other banks
I each contributed like bills In each
K ease a smiling, easy-mannered young
I fellow had pas.-ed the nous Marvel
■ had named progress to me as it cul
■ m-nuted Xow a tenth note had
W turned up 1 accompanied him to the
f Central National
The floor officer was waiting for
Lhart-I. and knew him There was a
■Sutter of importance and excitement
pIt his manner at be.ug concerned in
a professional transaction with the
ftr- e- head of the United Bankers
F: ■ •.ective association. He took us
tc the paying teller, saying nothing,
but looking the part of an humble
Ids'rument of justice who had co-op
I *rn -d ;n capturing a crook." The
ta ler, looking wise and keen and In a
| Suppressed way exultant, beckoned to
I as and we went beyond the railing
■ an. around into an anteroom, where
1 ke joined us
k| “There is one of the hundred you
■ae> 1 for us. Mr Marvel." he said.
Mil handed a 1100 bill to my friend
iRes.lius Marvel Loaded, cave the
■HU a close scrutiny, and returned it
ti- tel.- r w^th the wt ris. Cancel
and preserve It for evidence.
~Jk'h- re i* the man*"
FTh*- teller sl.pped the note into his
at pork* : and took out a'key.
"This **y." he directed, and we
toll* - <-d :..m down a narrow corridor
A* he started to open a steel-studded
door Marvel halted him
"One moment.' l»e said—"tell me
th< circumstances of the matter."
•by jr'wr warning had prepared
as all. of ccurse." explained the bank
man. When the fellow with his note
presented i*„ I pretended to be called
by my aoslstsnt in the next cage. I
Quietl) preeee i th*- call button, sig
naling what ! wanted to the chief
clerk s d*-sk He and the floor officer
came up quietly The man at the
w r.dow lock'd amazed and indignant
a* the officer seized his arm. He de
manded to know what his arrest
m*-an- When 1 told him that the bill
•a* cc.utt* it seemed to me as
*f all of a *■ some inghtful sug
gest rn dr v* v „ face colorless. He
■' or Now* Tes.
Mr Marv'l. * *n<i the speaker un
it* ked tfc* doer He started back as
*■ ;et.-d .: and *cared blankly at a
man standing in the center of the
place before e high desk with a table
top
"Too bad"' rpoke Marvel quickly,
as he crowded past our guide and his
eye swept the room in his rapid, com
prehensive way.
1 did not make out what Marvel
had taken it. with that practised eye
of his at a glance, until I had got
nearly up to the desk, which I found
was one used in sealing money en
velopes A strong gas Jet was going
Near It were the steel dies, wax
sucks and cord used in securing pack
ages The prisoner had evidently
been busy during bis brief period of
forced retirement. A pair of small
scissors and a safety razor lay on the j
tab.e. Also, under the gas jet was
quite a heap of frt .h. warm cinders. j
Thi- eyebrows of the captive were i
;agged and irregular, and his upper
l:p was rough and scraped
"He has tried to disguise himself!"
shouted the bank teller, instantly.
"To disfigure himself, you mean."
interpolated Marvel. "He has done
more than that. He Las been busy
removing all identification marks— j
papers, clothing tags—hello! what's
this?”
From behind the man there sud- j
denlv sprang out a small lively dog.
He was of the fox terrier breed, and ;
barked at us lustily.
"Oh. the animal »as with him when
he came into the bank,” explained the
teller Followed him in here. Be
longs to him, I supnose.”
1 see." nodded n-y friend, thought
fully "Now. then my man!"
He fixed his eye sharply on the pris
oner The latter d» not flinch under
the cynosure. He must have been
a handsome appeariTg young man be- j
fore he had jabbed those scissors into
his eyebrows. He wis very pale, but
there was nothing o; the cringing or
alarmed culprit abou* him.
"I see it is useless to ask you your
name." observed Marvel “We will
make a search, but 1 fancy you have
forestalled what yov. were shrewd
enough to suspect awaited you.”
My friend was right. The man had
cut off even the launlrv marks on his
linen, had removed every letter ar.d
card from his pock' thook. and had
burned them on the tu*.rble top of the
sealing table.
You won't tell ^fcur name, of
course." said Marve* “Will you talk
at all?"
"I will make only one statement,”
came the cool, compose i reply.
' I shall be glad t'» receive it,” re
plied Marvel.
"I did not know *tti\il half hour
since that I was ptTiuitig counterfeit
I money."
"You know it now"''
"Yes,” came the vspoase. acco a
panied with a tremi r of the finely
. chiseled lips. "I hat ten $100 bills,
and I have passed them ail."
"Where did you get them?"
"1 will answer tha* question and
rest my case there," wa.- the singular
reply. "After that it up to you to
do what you choose: iT.d after that I
shall absolutely refu/v to say one
word—I found them "
I hat v. as ail—ah a; the start, all at
the finish. Argument, menaces, ca
jolery. sympathy—these went for
nothing. Marvel studied the prisoner
silently. Then he whispered to the
teller. The latter retired, to reappear
with the floor officer Marvel gave
this mar. some low-toned instructions.
The officer placed a come-along upon
the wrist of the prisoner.
You can leave the dog." spoke Mar
vel suddenly.
The prisoner turned and his lips
parted He was evidently about to
put in a plea for the continued com
panionship of the little animal, whom
he seemed to regard with fondness
With something of a sigh, he re
pressed utterance, however, pulled
his hat down over his eyes and stolid
ly accompanied the' officer from the
place.
'Get me a piece of stout cord," Mar
vel directed the teller, and in another
few minutes we were on our way to
the offices of the United Bankers' Pro
tective association. The little animal
whined ani worried, but trotted
alone, guidjd by Marvel. The latter
turned the dog loose in an empty
room and sat down in his own favor
ite chair in his private office
"There is some thinking to do,” he
observed, "but 1 should like to have
you back here about an hour before
dusk."
1 was curious enough and interested
enough to greet the invitation as a
favor, and said so.
"And by the way, my friend." he
called after me as I reached the door,
"that young man we have secured
told the truth—he did not know the
II "0 bills were counterfeit until the
teller at the Central National told him
so "
I wondered how Resilius Marvel had
round this out. but I knew he was
right. He usually treasured up his de
ductions and discoveries until a case
was ended When be anticipated an |
announcement, I had found in the
past. It wa3 only when he was very !
sure of his ground.
When I reached his office again it
was w£!l on tow ards evening. Marvel !
was ready with the little fox terrier
under his arm. With the animal, he
led the way to an auto, and we pro
ceeded back to the Central National.
The city center streets were com
paratively deserted, as the business
crowds had gone homewards some
time since. Marvel carried the dog
tc the barred front of the bank, set j
the little animal cn the pavement and
returned to the machine
.Inst follow that dog," he ordered
to the chauffeur, and fixed his eye
closely upon the object of his interest. ■
The fox terrier crowded through
.the barred gate protecting the en- |
trance to the bank, ran up to the
great bronze doors and lifted its bead
>-n,‘ bowled. Then it sniffed around
:n a circle, came out to the j avement.
threw its nose up in the air in several
directions and trotted down the street
on a bee line.
There could be no doubt that the
clever animal knew the way home,
for it proved never at fault, never
hesitated, and buckled down sturdily
at if knowing it had a long jaunt
ahead. This proved true. It made only
square turns at corners, and gradually
left the business center for the better
residence portion of the city.
"Keep close," directed Marvel to
the chaufTeur as the animal reached a
broad boulevard and increased its
pace. “Follow." he ordered addition- \
ally, as the dog suddenly diverged
from its course and turned down a
bread alley. Then, as our forerunner
reached an iron fence inclosing a gar
den and crowded through between
two pickets. Marvel spoke one quick,
imperative word: “Stop!” leaped out
of the machine and ran up to the
fence.
I could see beyond him. The dog
had burst Into a joyful bark, and al
most instantly a stout woman, evi
dently a servant, crossed my range of
vision. She caressed an;! talked to
the leaping animal and walked to the
fence, as If expecting that the ani
mal's arrival prefaced that of its ex
pected master. She came directly up
to Marvel, the fence between them.
He spoke to her and she answered
him, took a look down the al
ley, and, turning, went back towards
a pretentious appearing mansion
facing the avenue.
“Drive to the next street and wait
for us," Marvel said to the chauffeur,
and beckoned me to join him.
“We will get around to the front
of the house,” he remarked, as we
completed the length of the- lane, and
turned to carry out this plan. “That
is the home of the dog. I asked the
woman you saw if the dog belonged
there.”
“And she said yes?”
“With the addendum that its owner
was the nephew of her master, and
she wondered why he did not come
home with the animal, as he usually
did.”
It was no task to locate the front
of the lot where the dog had run to
cover. It was an imposing stone
structure. We halted in front of it.
and my friend read aloud the name
engraven on the broad old-style sil
ver plate on one of the ornamental
front doors:
"Arnold Buckinghf :n.”
Then Resilius Marvel looked at me.
and my eyes meeting his expressive
glance, full of wonder, reflected some
what a manifest surprise, if not a
positive shock in his own.
There was not a better name at the
banks than that of Arnold Bucking
ham. Resilius Marvel knew it from
hearsay, and I from practical knowl
edge of a financial responsibility rated
way up in the millions. There could
not help but be a direct challenge in
my face. My companion simply
shrugged his shoulders.
* Come,” he said, his course of pro
cedure boldly formulated iD his mind
within the space of a minute, and he
led the way up the steps, rang the
front door bell and stepped inside the
vestibule.
I wondered what strange freak of
fate had led us to this icrdly mansion,
to the presence of a man retired from
active business with a royal fortune,
his honored record a synonym for
high business integrity, his name
good for the entire reserve of our
bank. I wondered, too, how my
himself together. He directed one
look at Marvel—reproachful, pleading,
a lost look. His were the eyes of a
man who saw a stranger enter his
presence and bring a stately fabric
into the midst of sudden devastation
and ruin.
“Where—where is my nephew?” his
lips framed, rather than uttered.
"How came he to find the notes—?”
It was an admission, and I noted
Marvel's lips settle grimly—a point
bcored, a start made.
"If you had the notes in this house,”
he ventured audaciously, “what of the j
plates from which thev were print- i
ed?”
“You know- all! Then it is—ruin!" !
broke in a despairing cry from the
old man s lips.
"Quick, call someone!” directed
Marvel, as Buckingham fell to one
side. A spasm convulsed his frame j
and he lay rigid and speechless. My
frleud had lifted him to an easier posi
tion. while I hastened to the hall and
advised the servant there of his mas
ter's condition.
We waited until after a physician
had been called. He shook his head
seriously while they placed the mil
lionaire on a couch. Then he went
to work on him. His attitude be
came more reassuring as the patient
recovered consciousness and looked
about him in a bewildered way. Then
as his eye fell on Marvel the old
fright or fear, terror or apprehension,
or whatever it was. came back into !
his fnce.
"Take," he urged, "a blank signed
check. Fill in for any amount, only
save—save my family from shame."
"And the plates?" gently but firm- j
ly persisted Marvel, waving back the
proffered check.
"Come—come—” the tortured
tones grew- more feeble, "when 1—I
send for you."
We saw that he was going into an
other sinking spell. Marvel hastily
summoned the physician, and we
passed down the hall and out of the
house. Silently my friend led the
wav to the machine awaiting us at
the corner of the next street, reached
his office, dismissed the chauffeur anc
nodded a casual adieu to myself.
I could not resist an impulse of in
tense curiosity and impatience to
drop in upon him on my way to the .
bank the next morning. I found him
with a newspaper folded across his
knee and his eyes regarding it with
a vexed expression
‘ Did you see it?" he inquired.
I guessed what, and told him so, •
and ran hurriedly over an item an
nouncing that a new $100 treasury
note counterfeit—the particulars con
cerning which, even to the approxi- j
mate serial numbers were given—
had appeared on the market.
"Some one has babbled," scolded
my friend. "It may make a compli
cation.”
I did not see how. just then. I
knew belter—later Marvel had noth
1
^A ^ r?i3«
"i HAVE COME ON AN IMPORTANT AND SERIOUS
^ MISSION IN BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT.
MR BUCKINGHAM" HE ANNOUNCED.
friend, skilled ar.d ail powerful as he
was. would proceed in a case where
the sure criminal trail led straight
from the portals of a common prison
to this abode of luxury ar*d wealth.
A servant answered a question put
by Marvel, and ushered him into a
majestic reception room, took his
card, and we both arose ae a man
aged, austere, dignified, came into the
apartment with an easy, old-fashioned
sense of courtesy that charmed me.
He had Marvel's card in his hand, and
I fancied the name it bo'e had
aroused him into curiosity or interest
as to the personality it represented.
Marvel w eighed his man in tho scales
of a mature judgment, and went to
the heart of his subject forthwith
“I have come on an important and
serious mission in behalf of the gov
ernment. Mr. Buckingham," he an
nounced.
"Of the—government?”
Very slowly, as though difficult of
utterance, Air. Buckingham pro
nounced that last word. I thought he
quivered, I was sure his natural ruddy
color lessened.
“You have a relative, a nephew. I
understand," resumed Marvel; ar.d
then followed a rapid description of
the young man who had passed the
$100 counterfeits—plus his denr.ded
mustache—building up a portrait ‘hat
I saw at once was lecognizable by
our host.
"You are describing my neph-w,
Alan Dean,” said Mr. Buckingham,
steely cold, because he was controll
ing himself. "What or him, sir?”
“Just this, Mr. Buckinghtr- He Is
in my hands after passing ten coun
terfeit $100 treasury notes on the
city banks.”
The old man, his hands grasping
the arms of the chair, tried to hold
j mg to impart to me of progress or
I importance in the case, but late that
afternoon there came a hurry call for
j me from him. I closed my desk and
j was soon in his company.
He handed me a card which he
' took from an envelope. It read sim
ply, in pencil scrawl: “I must see
i you—A. B.”
“I may need you,” observed my |
friend, and after a half hour's spin j
we arrived at the home of the mil- !
lionaire.
The servant who answered the sum
mons at the door seemed to know i
we were expected. She led us down
the hall to a sort of library, saying
that Mr. Buckingham was engaged,
but that she would announce our pres
ence shortly. Then she left us alone
in the room, half darkened by the ap
proaching shadows of eventide.
I caught some rapid words from a
room beyond the heavy draperies, ev
idently a smoking apartment off the
library. I noted, however, that Mar
vel heard them quicker than I, for he
moved from his seat to a chair closer
to the masked doorway. The words,
not in the tones of Mr. Buckingham,
were rapid, insistent, almost menac
ing:
“The plates—the plates!”
There was an utterance akin to a
groan, and it proceeded from the lips
of the millionaire, I readily traced.
Then the former voice, only clacking,
wheedling anC menacing at the same
time, spoks again:
“Mr. Buckingham, I am here in the
interests of a client who has one
proposition to make to you. My prom
ise ends with a distinct and final neg
ative or affirmative. It places me in
a regrettable and unfortunate posi
tion to be the representative of men
who are dangerous criminals, but—
I am a lawyer. Shall 1 briefly state !
the case?"
There was no reply, at least none
audible to us. The speaker contip
uea:
"Some years ago, your son Pereira
Buckingham, chief engraver for the
government, was taken 111 and re
moved to a sanitarium while you
were absent in Europe. Too close ap
plication to delicate expert work had
blighted his mind He escaped from |
the sanitarium, and three men 1 will j
not name, but once known as the
most finished shovers of the queer in
the world, got hold of him. They saw
their opportunity and improved it \
They were shrewd, capable men and !
made no blunders. What they did you
will now learn for the first time.
"Those men secured the upper floor
of a lonely, secluded house. They
fitted It up tts nearly as possible tike
one of the work rooms In the treasury
department. They took your deluded
son there, and made him believe that
he was producing new 1906 series j
$100 plates for the government. For [
nearly a year that was his home.
His mind did not refuse to act me
chanically along the line eye and skill
had directed for so many years. In
brief, he made two plates, so perfect
that they were almost duplicates of
the original government plates.
Twelve impressions were made, and j
two of these were tested by being j
placed in circulation. Today they are j
somewhere in existence, their valid- ;
ity never doubted. Within that week
it must have been, while unguarded
and alone, your son had a flash of his 1
old mentality. At all events, when |
his three captors returned they found '
him gone, and with him the two treas
ury plates and the ten printed $100
bills
"Now for your end of the story, as
I understand it: Your son appeared j
at this home, suddenly, unexpectedly. j
He must have brought the plates and
the notes. You believed him a coun
terfeiter, for before he could explain
to you, his insane mood returned.
You at once removed him to a private
asylum. Later you sent him with a
relative. Alan Dean, to Paris. He re
gained his reason Today he occupies
a studio in the French capital, patron
ized by devotees of high art. Happily
married all that year of mental dark
ness forgotten, restored to his right
mind, he is a wonderful producer of
art etchings, a man of fame, and mar
velously prosperous. You have been
content to keep him out of the coun
try. You never sought to enlighten
him as to that lost year in his life.”
“I know all this—why go over it!” .
came in muffled tones of suffering
from the millionaire.
"So that the matter may be clearly
understood between us," was the
prompt response. "Within a week
after your son's escape from the coun
terfeiters, one of their number came
to see you. He caused you to believe
that your son had deliberately left the !
government service to go into a
scheme to secure millions by using
his professional skill as a counter
feiter. You told him a lie. You led
him to believe that your son had de
stroyed the ten treasury notes and the
two plates, i ne man. however, threat
ened to find the son you had hidden
away, to denounce him to the police
as a dangerous counterfeiter. To si
lence this man. you paid $50,000, and
that ended the matter for the time
being.”
"I know not how," continued the
lawyer, but my client, when today
he saw the announcement in the
newspapers that certain counterfeit j
Slid v* very notes of a certain series
were in circulation, at once was
:orced to an irresistible conclusion.
Those notes came from this house—
hey could come hom nowhere else.
Your nephew, only recently arrived
.rota Paris, where your son is living.
.- missing from vour home since yes
erday. A man answering his descrip
tion passed the notes. Putting this
and that together, my client reasons
that you have also the plates. He
must have them."
Again a groan from the lips of the
tortured man.
We heard a tottering step cross the
door. Marvel was at my side as the
draperies were agitated. He reached
me in a swift glide and drew me be
side him to a curtained alcove in the
library as Arnold Buckingham entered
and turned on a light.
The old man's lips were trembling
and he was whispering hoarsely to
himself. His eyes were those of a
man on the verge of losing his senses.
He produced a key, opened a strong
box sAfe, and from some inner recess
drew out two oblong pieces of metal.
In a lash Marvel was at his side.
"On your life, not a word!" he ab
jured <he shrinking, well-nigh stricken
millionaire. “I will deal with the
wretches who seek to blackmail you.”
I pressed to the side of Buckingham
and supported him, or he would have
fallen. I saw Marvt/1 hold the plates
toward the light. He drew a magni
fying glass from his pocket and
looked them over.
wnat was tne sigmncance or the
quick, momentary smile that crossed
his lips, I knew not then. Before 1 j
could even conjAture a cause, he had
parted the draperies, and I heard the
lawyer's metallic voice exclaim:
"Resilius Marvel!”
“You know me,” was the stern re- !
ply. "Ani I you, Israel Craft, dis- J
barred attorney, fence, go-between i
and agent of the hunted and lost. You |
do well to strain the limit of justice ;
to the danger point.”
“I am within the law," crackled
from »he mean, servile lips.
"Admitted. What I wish to know
is—have you the affidavits you boast
ed of to Mr. Arnold Buckingham a
minute since?”
"I have.”
“Y.'ill you add a statement of your
knowledge of this unfortunate busi
ness?”
"For the plates—yes.”
Marvel led the man into the libra
ry. He pointed to an open desk, and
said simply:
"Write.”
It was at the end of ten minutes
that I saw Resilius Marvel receive
into his hands four documents. He
scrutinized them closely. Then he
said:
"There are the plates. Now your
men and my men are—quits.”
I was amazed—more than that,
petrified. I saw Marvel accompany
ing the lawyer to the door. Then.
returning, he drew Buckingham aside.
He conversed with him in low tones, t
At the end of ten minutes I saw hope
end courage come into the face of the
old man. It was the relief and grati
tude of a person drawn from the edge
of a fearsome precip:»3.
"The nephew who passed those
notes, and who recently came from ;
the son in Paris,” explained Marvel
at ife left the mansion, "was told by
Percy Buckingham that he might
have what he found in his old home
room. He stumbled across those
counterfeit notes. The son is in hap
py ignorance of that blighted year in
his life. The father need bear no
further anxiety. He will reimborse
the banks gladly, the affair must be
hushed up, and the man who gets the
plates—”
He paused in an impressive way.
Then Resilius Marvel laughed—a low,
strange laugh of intense satisfaction.
"But they have them! I do not
understand.” I floundered.
“They have them, yes,” assented
Marvel, "and so much worthless
trumpery they are.”
"I do not yet comprehend you.”
“They bear a sure record, that in
his lucid awakening the night of his
escape. Percy Buckingham placed
upon them,” said Marvel. "They are
as useless as old metal.”
“You mean—?”
"When these knaves come to print
their issue, they will find that, finely
but plainly engraven across front and
back plate, is one warning word.” .
"You mean?”
“ 'Counterfeit.' ”
—
MAKING USE OF PUFFBALLS
May Be Cooked in Many Ways If One
Is Sure the Right Kind Is
in Hand.
Puffballs are the safest of all fund
for the beginner, none of them being
poisonous: and they are at the same
time excellent and easy to obtain,
writes William A. Murrill. assistant di
rector of the New York Botanical gar
den, in the American Museum Journal.
Being tender, they cook quickly and
are easily digested. They should as a
rule be cut open before cooking to see
that they are not toy old and that they
are really puffballs. If they are white
and firm like cream cheese inside,1
showing no yellow or brownish discol
oration, they are of the right age to
use. If the interior shows no special
structures, but is smooth and homoge
neous. then one may be sure he has a
puffball. The "egg" of the deadly
amanita contains the young cap and
stem inside, which are readily seen |
when the "egg" is cut; and the “egg"
of the stlnkhom shows the stem and a
green mass inside surrounded by a lay
er of jelly-like substance.
Puffballs may be cooked alone in va
rious ways or used in stews and ome
lets and for stuffing roast fowls. When
used in omelets they should be stewed
first. All kinds except the very small
one should first be peeled and cut In
to slices or cubes, after which they
may be fried quickly in butter or
dipped in beaten egg and fried like
eggplant or cooked in any of the ways
recommended for the ordinary mush
room. The smaller kinds are much
Inferior in flavor to the larger ones
and need a few specimens of some
good mushroom to make them attrac
tive.
An Educational Garden.
The educational garden of L*r. J. B.
Hurry, a horticulturist of Reading.
England, is a novelty as a private en
terprise. Useful plants of various
kinds are grouped in several special
plots. Among plants employed in medi
cine are eucalyptus, belladonna, aco
nite. stramonium, gentian, liquorice,
podophyllin. asafetida. valerian, hen
bane, castor oil. cinchona, and opium
poppy; foods include such plants as
maize, millet, sugar, rice, bananas, ar
rowroot. ginger, pepper, chicory, olive,
and caruamon; plants supplying cloth
ing and textile materials embrace flax,
hemp, cotton. Jute, ramie, and nettle;
and there are such plants yielding dyes
as woad, indigo, madder, dyers weed,
turmeric, annatto. and alkanet. Con
servatories display tea, coffee, soya
beans, monkey-nuts, guava, chick pea,
cinnnmon. and camphor. In the gnr
den is also a museum, and in this nu
merous industrial products are shown,
with labels referring to the plants
from which they are derived. On cer
tain days the public, including the old
er school children, is given free admis
sion to the garden.
-,
Preface to Politics.
We have almost no spiritual wea
pons against classicalism : universities,
churches, newspapers are by-products
of a commercial success; we have no
tradition of Intellectual revolt. The
American college student has the grav
ity and mental habits of a Supreme
court judge; his “wild oats’* are rare
ly spiritual; the critical, analytical
habit of mind is distrusted. We say
that “knocking’’ Is a sign of the “sore
head,” and we sublimate criticism by
saying that "every knock is a boost.”
America does not play with ideas: gen
erous speculation is regarded as insin
cere. and shunned as if it might endan
ger the optimism which underlies suc
cess. Ali this becomes such an in-;
sulatioc against new ideas that when
the Yankee goes abroad he takes his
environment with him.—Walter Lipp
mann.
Meaning of "Purim.”
The word "purim.” the name of the
great annual festival of the Jews,
means “lots.” This feast commem
orates the preservation of the Jews in
Persia from the massacre with which
they were threatened by Hainan (Es
ther 9). They gave the name purim or
“lots" to commemorate the festival be- j
cause he had thrown lots to ascertain
what day would be auspicious for the
massacre.
—
Woman May Be Auctioneer.
Although there is no record that a '
woman has ever been ar auctioneer, it
is on record that in xT>12. the
then mayor of New York. Mr. Gaynor.
answered an Inquiry addressed to him
by a woman by saying that there was
nothing in the law to prevent a woman
from becoming an auctioneer. Strange
enough, it was a milliner who made
the Inquiry.
WOMEN! IT IS MAGIC!
LIFT OUT ANY CORN
■
—
Apply a few drops then lift
corns or calluses off with
fingers—no pain.
Just think! You ean lift
off any corn or callus
without pain or soreness.
A Cincinnati man discov
ered this ether compound
and named it freezone. Any
druggist will sell a tiny bot
tle of freezone. like here
shown, for very little cost.
You apply a few drops di
rectly upon a tender corn
or callus. Instantly the
soreness disappears, then
shortly you will find the
corn or callus so loose that
you can lift It right off.
Freezone is wonderful. It
dries instantly. It doesn’t
eat away the corn or cal
lus, but shrivels it up with
out even irritating the sur
rounding skin.
Hard, soft or corns be
tween the toes, as well as
'painful calluses, lift right
off. There is no pain be
fore or afterwards. If your druggist
hasn't freezone, tell him to order a
small bottle for you from his whole
sale drug house.—adv.
SHARKS TO SERVE MANKIND
Veteran Fisherman Believes That,
Properly Handled, the Meat of
the Fish Is Edible.
Russell J. Coles of Danville, Va,
who taught Colonel Roosevelt how to
harpoon devilfish, announced that he
has discovered a method of preventing
world-wide starvation by tests he has
carried out with regard to certain spe
cies of the dark shark and ray family.
Mr. Coles has just come back from
Morehead City. X. C., where he caught
a number of fish, and despite the pop- 1
ular belief that the eating of them
would bring death in a terrible form,
he decided to take the risk and he
sampled several of them. He has sent
a complete record of his findings to
Herbert Hoover in the hope that the
food administrator will incline an ear
and start the fashion of shark eating.
Mr. Coles believes that the sides of
the larger fish may be tanned and con
verted into marketable leather.
After trying several methods the
Danville man gives the following re
cipe for cooking shark steak :
Salt heavily for 30 minute-, soak out
in three waters, parboil a few minutes,
change water, parboil again, cook
heavily seasoned and serve hot. The
amount of seasoning must be used ac
cording to tile odor of the meat.
Already Done.
“That chorus will soon catch up the
national airs."
“From what the director lias been
saying to them. I should judge they
lad already caught Hail Columbia.
The vindictive chap never has as
much fun as the fellow who can smile
and forget it.
H" — " «
Won't You Try to Stop
Needless Telephone Calls
—the Lines Are Very Busy
and Equipment is Scarce
The constantly Increasing
scarcity of men and materials
is causing great difficulty iu
getting and installing tele
phone equipment for the most
urgent needs.
Long distance telephone fa
cilities are loaded to their ut
most capacity, and local serv
ice in some localities is suf
fering on account of the con
ditions over which the tele
phone companies have no con
trol.
As the war goes on. the
government's requirements
for trained telephone men and
for service and equipment are
increasing. The present busi
ness activity is also likely to
he extended as the war con
tinues.
You can help the telephone
companies “do their bit" for
the government by asking for
no additional equipment un
less absolutely essential to
the conduct of your business
and by putting every possible
restraint on the unnecessary
and exrravngnnt use of the
local and long distance serv
ice.
Just Try iten
Korn Krackers
and you will say: “Here’s good eating
from first to last bite.”
Iten (Com Krackers tSStO gocd,
because they are baked just right of a
wholesome blend of corn flour and
wheat flour.
Rich in food values, too. A pound of
Iten Korn Krackers contains an average
of 40 large crackers, yielding 1860 calories.
Com bread yields only 1175 calories to
the pound.
Ask your grocer for an 8-lb. box of hen
Kom Krackers for $1.25. You'll get full
money's worth in both quantity and quality.
G-o-o-d eating from first to last bite.
Rm SP?W'uttion E.Col«nmn.Was*
r« & t Vi I ^ 'nuum-D C Book' II **
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