Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 16 December 1937 — Page 31

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Eh | By ELINORE COWAN STONE Copyright, 1937, NEA Service, Inc.

CHAPTER ONE PE trying to describe Linda Benton often said that she was “different.” They meant in part, no doubt, that she was made with a delicate fineness that suggested exquisite workmanship; in part that she had soft rings of dark brown hair, beautifully) set darkbrown eyes like those of a sweettempered, rather serious child, and an elusive quirk of a smile. But they meant, too,| that there was about her a baffling simplicity and directness, together with a gra- - cious dignity that somehow set her apart from other girls of her age. Perhaps this was because she had been educated abroad, entirely by tutors, under the close supervision of an aunt, who, rather, than Linda’s own mother, had been made her guardian at her father’s death.

Sometimes Linda had wished that she might go to school like other girls. She did not know that every phase of her life had been ordered to eradicate from her character all inherited likeness, to the beautiful, tempestuous, peasant mother whose [sensational doings, on the stage and off, had made "headlines for years; and to shield her from the | scandalous repercussions of that mother’s " tragic death.

T was not until the-day Linda came of age that she understood she was penniless. Although she knew little of her father’s resources, she had always supposed she would have plenty. . When she learned the truth, she determined with a steely purpose hard to reconcile with her dainty, rather gentle loveliness, that she could not be dependent any longer upon those who had kept her from her mother, ; It was then that she began to understand that her| carefully planned schooling—with| its music, dancing, riding, languages, and smattering of art and |literature— had left her pitifully unequipped to cope with life as she found it in the 20th Century. s = = | T was old Mr. Meredith, her father’s attorney, who suggested what seemed an immediate solution to her problem. client of his, an elderly lady, slightly crippled and much alone, needed a companion and secretary. “She insisted,” Mr. Meredith said, “that I must not send anyone who did not have what she called ‘the education and voice of a gentlewoman.’ I thought of you at once, my dear. . . . In all my life I remember just one voice as lovely as yours.” He means mother’s voice, Linda thought, remembering the night, years ago, when her mother had taken her as a small child to the theater, and had left her in a chair in the wings during the play. Linda had cried, clutched by a vague, unutterable grief at the heart-break-ing magic of her mother’s voice— without understanding a word, or knowing that beyond the footlights a crowded house wept with her, ... Her father had been very angry about that night. Linda was never taken again to see her mother play. 8 = =

“Y GAVE her your complete’ his- - A tory, of course,” Mr. Meredith was going on. “Miranda Trent is a great stickler for family traditions. And of course Geoffrey Benton's daughter would be welcome anywhere.” “Thank you,” said Linda, sitting very straight and pale and young. “I will go if she wants me.” When Linda arrived one evening at the little town of Nordhof, she was met at the depot by a colored chauffeur who told her Mrs. Trent had sent him. Nordhof was a typical old-fash-ioned county seat, which centered about a staid little grassy park enshrining a central monument and four cannon, and dotted with beds of cannas and geraniums. About the park clustered the Court House, two churches, and some of the business houses of the town. From it a broad, tree-arched avenue led on between rows of ancient brick dwellings with fanlights, and stoops neatly toeing the sidewalk; and on past more pretentious looking homes with spacious grounds surrounded by walls and wrought-iron fences. The last and most impressive of these was “Trent Hall.”

2 2 =

- CCUSTOMED as Linda was to A. life on a generous scale, these was something about | the gréat gaunt house that made her feel very small, and a little frightened. It. was as if she sensed about it a unfriendliness — the dour, secret hostility of that which was old and worn out and disillusioned for that which was young and fresh and hopeful. = Her childhood home had been built for gracious, sunny comfort. Here, one was conscious first of gloomy heights, of great .spaces, and of many doors opening into still other tall, shadowy chambers. “The room to the right, Miss, please,” said the elderly Negro who opened the door. | : Linda found Miranda ‘Trent seated in a straight chair with a high carved back, before an open fireplace — a haggard but still handsome old omar with lips drawn tight as if by suffering, bright dark eyes, and a pile of beautifully sculptured gray hair. | She sat very straight, her hands resting on the top of a cane, without which Linda was to’ learn she never moved. “ A H, Miss Benton!” she said in £L Aa crisp, cool voice. “You may take off your galoshes and come in, please.” ais ‘Linda did as she was told, look--ing very sweet and proud as she prepared to face Mrs. Trent. . “But——" Mrs. Trent's mouth grew straighter and tighter as she looked—“Mr. Meredith did not tell me he was sending a child. . . . You may replace your loshes. I'm afraid you won't do.” “I'm sorry.” Linda spoke for the -first time, in her lovely, warm, gentle voice, with overtones that floated through the great room like the echo of a golden bell. | “But I really am 21, you know,” she added, and

ound io 80. “Wait!” Miranda ° nt looked

- gtartied, then thoughtful. ond thought, you may stay. If you

“On sec- |

hd Ae ! !

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mer Night’s Dream,” you should be able to read Walter Pater without making him sound like a problem in trigonometry. . . . Do sit down— although I must say you do know how to stand like a lady. I can’t bear people that figdet.” .

# » 8

O Linda’s initiation as a working woman began. : Her routine was simple to weari-

ness. There were letters to be written at Mrs. Trent’s dictation. There were flowers to arrange in crystal and silver bowls. There were interminable games of Russian Bank by the drawing room fire, with old Miranda Trent offering tart instructions to supplement Linda's ineptness. There were long hours of reading aloud while Mrs. Trent knitted, and sometimes drowsed, her erect old back. still proudly held. There were evenings when the old lady put aside her knitting, and with her fine slim hands folded on the top of her cane, talked out of her store of reminiscences. Many of the reminiscences had to do with the glory of the house of Trent. The anecdotes were illustrated with a pointing cane by the portraits on the walls. All

Trent men, it seemed, had been honorable, distinguished, and above

had been beautiful and accomplished; buf as if that were not enough, the Trent women had been brave, too. [Courage wds’the quality. Miranda Trent seemed to hold the most estential attribute of gentility. | : “ir Be We 8. 3 UT always, sooner or later, the conversation’ turned’ to “the Captain.” “The Captain” was Capt. Barrymore Trent of the U.'S. Naval Air Force, lie was Mrs. Trent's orphaned grandson, whom she had reared from childhood. Sometimes the old lady. got out a scrapbook of newspapér clippings, all dealing with explpifs. of. bravery and skill on the part of Capt. Barrymore Trent. . . . “The Ca was the very flower of Trent chivalry. Tet When she learned that he was coming ‘for ‘the holidays on: a month’s leave, she wondered, sometimes, now she was -te endure so mueh perfection under one roof at one time. Often, afterwards, she was amused to remember. this.

(To Be Continued)

Daily Short Story

POLICY—By Jock Hale

“Hey? I didn’t get

ETE DE PALO got into the bus and, shouldering aside the skinny, bent old lady with the bedraggled fur coat, made sure of a seat in the rear. The little old lady muttered to herself and adjusted the ancient, feather-bhedecked hat set awry on her head by the collision. De Palo tossed his bag overhead and, grabbing a newspaper left on the rack, sank into the soft cushions with a sigh of relief. He had made it. He was sure. It had been close at times. - The cops were everywhere, scrutinizing keenly the faces in every train and bus station. But his disguise was flawless. He had even asked a flatfoof to point out the ticket office for him. He chuckled as the scene came up before his eyes. That old doc had been a whizz with his deft, almost magic fingers and that fea-ture-obliterating scalpel. One more stop, then it was clear to Canada.

“¥ AST call for Buffalo.” Then the strain of gear shift, the deep, fullthroated roar of the exhaust as the huge vehicle started off down the concrete driveway. : When they had reached the high-

‘way and slid into a steady forty-

five mile an hour clip, Pete relaxed and, dallying with the pages of his newspaper, thought contentedly of the events of the last few weeks. The break from Auburn penitentiary, perfectly timed after months of watching for the right moment. Whitey, stanch, reliable, playing the cards from the outside. That old doc with the magic fingers he had brought up from New York. The stretch of lying low in that cottage by the lake, waiting for his face to heal while guards, hick cops and state troopers combed the highways around them. i » =n |» ICK cops and state troopers! De Palo sneered. It would take more than upstate farmers to make

ASK THE TIMES °

Inclose a 3-cent stamp for reply when addressing any question of fact or information to - The Indianapolis Times Washington Service Burean, 1013 13th St., N. W., Washington, D. C. : Legal and medical advice cannot be given, nor can extended research be undertaken,

Q—Why does the Big Dipper change it§ position in the sky from night to night? A—On account of the earth’s rotation on its axis the Big Dipper appears to rotate about the North Pole of ithe heavens in slightly less than one solar day, and is therefore continually changing its apparent position. During the latter

seen right side up, below the Pole Star, about 9 p. m. Throughout the night it will appear to turn slowly about the Pole and if it could be seen at 9 a. m,, it would appear upside down above the Pole Star. Six months later, or during the latter part of March, the Dipper will be seen upside down above the Pole Star, about 9 Pp. m.

Q—Does the Japanese quince have edible fruit? ; i A—T1t is not palatable raw, but it is sometimes used to make jelly and jam. Best results are obtained when it is mixed with apple. It has a strong flavor. The fruit is often placed in bureaus and:chests to perfume bedding and clothing.

Q—When did Leon Blum ‘become Premier of France and how long did he hold the position? Who succeed: ed him?

/, | A—He was appointed Premier

22, 1937. He was succeeded by C. Shautemps. |

Q—Are women accepted as Free- ‘ masons? A—No. : Q—How many equestrian statues .are in Washington, D. C.?. =

part of September. the Dipper is:

June 24, 1936, and resigned June:

yew, young man.”

that sentence of life stick. Pete De Palo had brains. That was why Whitey was already waiting for him in a small town on Lake Erie just outside Buffalo—waiting in a certain hotel to tell him that there was a boat all set for the crossing into Canada. That was why he was riding in the comparative secrecy of a bus where passengers toted along baskets of eggs and chickens. That was why his plans were being carried thrpugh without a hitch. Pete suddenly noticed the thin droopy figure of the little old lady hunched in the depths of the seat in front of him. He remembered now

that he had jostled her in the aisle.

She seemed to exude a misty, almost. pathetic air of belonging to an age long past. Her strange outmoded gark presented a glaring incongruity. Yes, he saw now—there was a basket of eggs at her feet. Pete begen to feel a desire rising inside of him to talk to someone— to exchang: a few pleasantries. It was a natural reaction from the strain he had been undergoing the last two hectic weeks, a strain he would not even admit to himself exigted. : { ® 2 8 HE little old lady looked safe. After gll, he had been rude to her. She was such a frail little old lady. His vas an expansive feeling, generated by the release from tor-

turous, nerve-tightening anxiety. He leaned over. . “How; are you standing the trip, mother?” he ventured. ' She turned around with a jerky motion and stared at him with cracked, wrinkled visage. : “Hey?” Her voice shook and wabbled with the effort. “I say how do you like the ride?” “Hey? I didn’t get yew, young man.” : - De Palo grinned. She must have been as ‘deaf as a cabbage. “Yeah, 1 know—and Roosevelt is sure to keep on being President,” he mocked, his eyes momentarily glancing over the front page of the paper in his hand,

HE lit{le old woman turned the back of her feathered bonnet to him and clucked or hissed something weird under her breath. Queer. coot! They sure had some prize specimens up in this neck of the woods, De Palo stuck his nose into the piper. The bus swung around a corner and grinded to a stop. “Batavia—five minutes rest period,” the driver called. Pete De Palo looked up in time to see the little old woman rise to her feet and hobble through the aisle to the door, lugging her basket of eggs behind her. She did not get on again. x As they neared Buffalo, De Palo’s thoughts began to arrange themselves with lightning precision. He would grap a bite. Too dangerous. A quick change to a bus due out. A few more miles. Ther ‘the hotel with Whitey—and the boat. : When the bus finally drew up at the downtown terminal De Palo reached for his bag, stretched his legs and stepped down out the door to the sidewalk. “Put ’em up!” He turned cold as he felt the hard nose of a gun thrust into the small of his back, then the quick pat of a hand against his coat $0 draw forth his own gun. ' Pete De Palo held up defiantly until the damnable fingerprints gave his identity away. Then he broke down and wept like a baby. It was ton much—to be almost at the gates of freedom, and: then to be captured by a tip—for that was what the police captain had told him. An anonymous phone call from Batavia, giving his description ‘and the astounding news that he must be the escaped convict. | 8 8 8 ISS MATILDA B. WINKLEPorch an ooh eH 3 e n es in her hands chattering violently as they tried to keep pace with her exciting story of her trip to Cousin

ee ————————————— SS Pe a —_———

all else, brave. - All Trent women |

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

=F COPR. 1937 BY NEA SERVICE. INC A 7. M. REG. U S. PAT. OFF.

LI'L ABNER

FLEE

FRECKLES AND

OWE

NUTTY, BUT IF YOU WANT To MAKE. SoME REAL

OUT ‘OUR WAY

DEAD LOCKS.

HIS. FRIENDS

Ta HOW 2

ANYBODY WITH TH' BRAINS OF A GNAT

SIDE WOULD O' HAD | COULD SEE HE SHOULD TO TURN HIS HEAD | HAVE PUSHED FORWARD, THIS LATEST MN THIS WAY. TO GIT '[ THEN! A TWIST, THIS

. WHO'S GIVIN' cer in T Zo 3 FOR THOSE Ore CD POOR EO AN PUT ‘EM WN CARS-

By Williams war, CK \ 2) WELL HAVE TO UNLOCK

PAIR.

Jr ~ =

JS WILLIAMS, . nes

R'S

es CAN

| CAN PICK UP ALL “THE | KNIFE SHARPENERS YOU WANT AT [0 ¢ APIECE ! THEN YOU | couLD PEDDLE DOOR-TO-DOOR - __

‘EM,

THURSDAY, DEC. 16, 1037 NNY

By Sylvia

“What do you care if you're an ounce or so overweight?” “If a gal doesn’t watch her figure, nobody else will.”

MIMAL. MASTER UST

BUY 'EM AT A DIME AND SELL 'EM FOR 9% 7 WHERE'S

“By the way, Studs,

4 \ lady spoke in a rapid, high-pitched voice: : “I do declare, : Mrs. Tuppence, 1 knew he was a bad one when I felt

that big gun of his under the coat |’

strike my shoulder--up to no good, I tell you! I knowed an officer of the law wouldn't act that rude— pushin: a poor old lady ‘round like She sniffed, waiting for an appreciative cluck from her. friend.

“% :

mark ‘bout Roosévelt bein’ President, I knowed right there he was that escaped convict Cousin Agatha was tellin’ ‘bout. An’ how would he ’ locked up in prison, that Theodore Roosevelt had gone out of office three years now? Taft's the man now—Lord bless him!” ° Mrs. Tuppence rocked quietly and kept her counsel to herself. Winklespoon - was noted for her lapses of memory. ‘It was bést to

keep still and say nothing.

’ when he let out that re-

MISS | toms develop rapidly. |

how many shop-lifting: days left to Christmas?” :

YOUR HEALTH

By Dr. Morris Fishbein American Medical Journal Editor MONG the most serious of the disturbances caused by locomotor ataxia is ultimate paralysis of the nervous system as far as it controls the bladder. Unfortunately the patient may eventually lose voluntarily control of all of the organs associated with the excretion of waste material from the body. = ‘Without suitable treatment, it. is the tendency for this disease gradu-

ally to become worse for many years

until the patient finally has to lie in bed. Unfortunately for these patients, in some ins “the ‘course of this disease requires several years. In rare cases the symp-

SVERY patient with

Mind Your Manners

Test your knowledge of correct social usage by answering the following ‘questions, then checking against the authoritative answers below: 1. If a boy who does not have a car asks a girl to go to a . dance, may she offer the use of her car? 2. May a girl ask a boy she knows, but with whom she has never had a date, to go to a dance sponsored by a club of which she is a member? 3. Should a girl write a “thank-you” note to a boy who has invited her as his guest for a week-end of college parties? 4, If a family has a houseguest who is with them on Christmas Day, should there be a gift for him? 5. Should the guest buy a - small gift for each member of the family?

What would you do Af— You have very little money to spend on Christmas— - A, Leave the {friends that you usually include off your list this year? B. Use some time and imagination to get something inexpensive, but showing your thought? | C. Tell your friends that you wanted to give something, but couldn’t afford it?

# ”

Answers 1. Yes. 2..Yes. . Unless she knows that he -is dating only one girl. 3. Yes. : 4, Yes. | 5. Yes, or one gift they could all enjoy.

Best “What Would You Do” - solution—B. :

physician. It is important to watch the hygiene of the patient because relief for a great many of the pati-

study of the diet and other factors in the hygiene of the body. ; Most important is the special

ents may be obtained by a suitable |

URIOU

OF THE MOON

ACER

FOUND

IN THE : ONITED STATES.

—By Al Capp

SOBRE po

—By Raeburn Van Buren

CAUSES A VARJATION OF SIXTY FEET IN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN, NORTH AMERICA AND EURCPE.

BY NEA SERVICE, INC. CONES :

STAND ERECT ON THE TWIGS]

THE CONES OF PINES AND 5 SPRUCES | HANG DOWN

NO LONGER ARE TO BE

IN ANY OF THE MANY NATIONAL. PARKS

blood, at the same time studying

regularly the symptoms from which the pavient suffers. While few cases seem ‘to develop complete cures, in a great many cases modern methods of treatment may bring about a stop in the progress of the disease. nod

infections of the nervous sys-

N addition to locomotor ataxia, |’

ALTHOUGH no wolves are to be found in National Parks of contie ‘nental United States, Uncle Sam can bsast of a goodly and increasing - number in Mount McKinley National Park, in Alaska.

NEXT~—Can a bullet be photographed in flight?

vessels, and many similar condie tions. For that reason evary pere son who ever has had this form of venereal disease, even though once announced as cured, should have another examination bf the blood with the Wassermann test at fairly Irsquent Jrtervals—sar,

tem with the later stages of this| 7

treatment for the syphilitic infec-! the body. This the|