IMRK UGHTNING f sy HELEN TOPPiKG MILLER •'1 ^ •-*' it A ^\ â- ^V- ,* ^ I â- s* *»- J^ '*'~ f» 11^ /* V f< #». <•♦. 4^ . m ^ M â- K ^ -^ â- />• «k. ^ *^ i £ 4 ft. 1% ♦^ s ^ 6 > A «l # ' '^^ ^ >*. . f^ * ^ K *it V m â- ^ ^ V 41. ,* ^ b <* *. 4i» % a* X A. Chapter xi At dusk Gary and Adelaide re- furned from ar.n.i'r trip over into tbc oil fields, nn^i Mona Lee noted bow sober Gary's face Vas. He handed her a »heaf of papers. "Will you put th..s-. away careful- ly, Mrs. Mason, tiU Mr. Mabos comet back?" Mona Lee looked at the figures. 'My gracious, Gary, does an oil well cost as much as that? That's more than Harvey makes in a y«ar!" "Think how much he'll make when we get oil. Mother," Adel- aide said. "If he gets oil," Gary added. "Still croaking, are you?" re- narkcd Adelaide coldly. "But I can't blame any oil man for having a nasty dispositio'i. Jf you'd see the way they have to live. Mother â€" even the ones that have fairly nice houses â€" and most rf ^hem don't. They have little, dreadful pUccs^ stuck around under derricks "That's where we'll be stuck I â- appose," sighed Mona Lee. Harvey Mason cam* back, very jttbilant, with his uriiiij permit in Us pocket. "Had to finagle tome of those guys," he admitted. "R;iilroad Commission thinks there are too aany wells down now â€" but I got around 'em." "Ill bet you paid somebody plenty." Mona Lee dashed his ex- uberance. "Jo9t paid my lawyer. Permit didn't cost anything." "Hadn't we better see about the .water before we go any further?" Gary asked. "There's no use mov- ing drillers on to this job, till we- 're sure about the water." "Ought not to have any trouble about that" Harvey was bland. "I've loaned old man Harper plen- ty â€" got a chattel mortgage on all his stock and tools now. Mortgage ain't due till August â€" ^but he can't pay h and he knows it." ♦ * » Old man Harper lived in a long, â- npaintcd house with a kind of ^en hallway through the middle of it. The porch sagged in sad scallops, each depression occupied SIZES, 12-20 Wonderful way to build up your wardrobe at low cost. Pattern 4623 •hows you how easily you can re- make a man's discarded suit into a smart jacket and skirt for year round use! Pattern 4623 comes in sizes 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, Size 16 suit, takes •^ vards S4-inch material. Send TWENTY CENTS (20c) in coins (stamps cannot be accep- ted) for this pattern to Room 431, T8 Adelaide St. West, Toronto. PHnt plainlv SIZE, NAME. AD- BRESS, STYLE NUMBER. by a languid, long-tailed dog. Every dog's tail thumped like a signal drum on the wooden floor as they drove up to the gate, and from within the house a woman's voioe called nasally, "Pa, here comes somebody!" Harvey and Gary waited on the porch, surveyed with weary indif- ference by the flat eyes of the dogs. Then old man Harper came to the door. "Howdy, Harvey." "Hello, Harper." Mason pulled up a chair and sat down 'oetween two dogs. "Thought I'd come over to talk over a little piece of business with -you." "If it's about that note," Harper said, "I'm fixing to pay it When it's dw;.'" "It's not about the note. If yoa ain't able to pay it â€" or maybe pay all of it, we can fix that up. Whit I want to talk about is me running a pipe down here through your pasture and pumping a little water out of that creek. What you figure you'll charge me for running the pipe line, and the water?" » • • Old Harper did not look up, but there was about his mouth a sly and contemptuous twist. "Don't figure to charge ye nothing. Har- vey." "Well, I'll pay whatever tht damages come to." "Don't figure to charge you nothing," Harper went on in a maddening drawl, "because I don't figure to let you have any water, because I've leased every doggone acre of this place to some fellers down in Corpus Christi. And if there's any more water in thit creek than -what my cattle can drink, I reckon they'll want it theirselves. They're paying me twenty dollars an acre for ten years, and that's more than I can make offn a bunch of cows." Harvey's neck was red and his eyes glared. "Harper," he said, 1 sure wish that note was due right now. I'd foreclose and sell you out!" "Well, it ain't due. And when it comes due I'll have the maney to pay it. So looks like there ain't very much you can do. Anyway you got it all right in your own family. It was your son-in-law, Ol Kimball, fixed up the leases for me." "Who'd you lease to, if it's any of my business?" "It ain't, but I don't mind tell- ing for I reckon you'll find out anyhow. I leaded to Grice-Mor gan â€" and if you can get any water out of that outfit, you're a good one." "Well, I'll get itâ€" if I have to run a pipe plumb to the Gulf of Mexico after it! " Harvey stamped away. He trod v.ciously on the starter and raced the engine till it roared. "What do you know?" he demanded wrath- fuUy. "That dirty little heel! He comes to my house Sundays and eats my chicken and drinks my liquor, and then he sells me out â€" like this. Son, if it wasn't for Grace, I'd sure drive into town and give Mr. Oliver Kimball a good poke in the jaw I" "I'm afraid you won't get any concessions out of that Grice-Mor- gan outfit." Gary was dubious. "Yeah; I've heard about them â€" "You might figure on running a -pipe line and tapping the city sup- ply â€" that is, if they'd let you." "I'll go talk to 'em. They've got water to sell â€" they can sell it to me." "Do you want me to see about the concrete job? We can't put a derrick up without concrete corn- ers and we have to concrete the surface casing in.'' "You said vou knew a good out- fit." "Powers is the best. All new equipment, and they work fast and save you money." "Well, you get .\ddic to take you over to see them." (To Be Continued) The British government is urg- ing British farmers to raise 1,500,- 000 more pigs next year. FOUR OF A KIND It WM • long step toward Maiag th« beef thortage when that Mriniril rarity â€" quadruplet ca lvâ€" w er e bom on the farm of Chaa. Lwaa and Sona at Dyer, Ky,, laat April 18. They are shown on exhibition at die Chicago Market Fat Stock Show, wartime replace- ai«iit of the Inttmatloaal Stock Show. Christmaa Suggestions The outburst of Christmas cheer, the chiming of the bells, the wor- siiip, the fun and all that goes to make a Merry Chrisraas, are cus- toms inherited from a long line of ancestors and from many coun- tries. Warm hospitality at this season is a tradition of long stand- ing, so we gather our families, ov.r friends, and those for whom we are making Chrismas, to share tiio happiness of the day. The home economists cf the Consumer Section, Dominion De- partment of Agriculture, offer a few suggestions to simplify seme of the homenakers' problems. In keeping with the Christmas colour scheme the salad should 'se red. The choice is between cran- berries, tomato juice and beets. A jellied salad will be the easiest to prepare and serve, since it requires only garnishing with greens and dressing at the last minute. Dessert will probably be plum podding or mince pie, but it is wise to have an alternative dessert for the children and those wlio may have already indulged rather heart- ily in the fh-rt course. An old- time homemade vanilla custard ice cream served with a red fruit sauce is just right. Jellied Beat Ring 1 tablespoon gelatine 'A cup cold water 1 cup juice from canned beet«. or water > tablespoons light corn sj'rup 'i tablespoons prepared horse- radish 1 teaspoon salt Yi cup vinegar 1 cup diced celery 1 cup diced cooked beets Soak gelatine in cold water for 8 minutes. Bring beet juice or water to b..yiling point. .\dd soak- ed gelatine and stir urtil dissolved. Add corn syrup, salt, horseradish and vinegar. Chill. When mix- ture begini; to thicken, stir in cele- ry and beet.s. Pour into a moist- ened rinir mould and chill until firm. Un mould on salad greens and fill centre with cabbage salad. Six servings. Mincemeat Upside-Down Pudding This pudding requires more mincemeat than pie, therefore is luscious and juicy but easy on the shortening. V/i cups sifted pastry flour OR XYi cups sifted all-purpose Tour 854 teaspoons baking powder }/i teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons shortening ^ cup granulated sugar \ egg, well beaten K cup milk Mincemeat ' Sift together the dry ingredients. Cream the shortening slightly, add sngar and egg. Blend well. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk, to make a rather thin drop batter. Decorate- the bottom of a well- greased pudding mould v/itli a few toasted almonds. Spread with a generous layer of mincemeat. Fill mould no more than two-thirds foil with bitter. Cover and steam over rapidly boiling water, about l>i hours. Turn out and serve hot with hard sauce or a hot pudding sauce. Si.x servings. December 23 The Message of Christmas to the World Lesson: Luke 2:1 â€" 14. Golden Text "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth pea,ce, good will toward men.'' â€" Luke 2:14. Jotimey to Bethlehem Luke 2:1 â€" 1. â€" In taking a Jew- ish census, all families went to the tribe to which they belonged anti to the place where their family had resided. Joseph in fulfilling this demand of the Roman authorities was fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy respecting the birthplace of the Lord. Angel of thet Lord 5-7. â€" The word manger means simply the stable or place where the cattle or camels lodged. There was no room at the inn and Mary and Joseph were obhged to lodge in the stable. It was uot necessar- ily a proof of poverty â€" under s-ach conditions even the rich with the poor had to suffer inconveniences. 8-1 J. â€"The angel of the Lord came upon the shepherds suddenly. It is not surprising that the appear- ance of the angel, enveloped in Heavenly glory, filled these simple shepherds with fear because the presence of an angel vas associ- ated with disaster or death to the Jewish mind. But the Divine messenger came not to speak of disaster, but of de- liverance; not of death but of life. The great joy of believers in their dsrkest hour is a striking fullilr ment of the angel's message. The Gospel is first a person-i! message. The angel spoke as though Christ was born especially for their sakes â€" "Unto vou is bcrn." The Angols' Joy 12-14. â€" The sign given to these simple hearted shepherds was so simple that they could not fail to find the child wrapped in swad- dling clothes and lying in a man- The angels gave praise to God i:i the Highest, that is, in the highest Heaven>. They praised God tor the great plan of redemptioii, whereby sinful man was to be saved throygh the Babe w!io>c birth the messenger announced. STOPS COUGHS ISSUE 91â€" 1945 Thanks for a 'Nice* Christinas Present With Christmas close at hand the young man is likely to solve the "gift problem" in an orthodox way by visiting the florist or candy shop. Exhibits in the Royal On- tario Museum, however, show that in the ISth century his lady love likely would have received a far more varied selection of presents. for instance, she might have been given a stay busk, whi.:h was a long flat piece of wood that wo- men wore at that time tucked down inside the front of their bo- dices to add to the rigidity of the pr'son-like corsets. There is a stay busk in the costume gallery of the Museum that is carved with two sets of initials and the date 1793. An even more significant gift was a wooden spoon. There are some of these love spoons in the Museum that are beautifally carved and seem to suggest that in days gone by you had to be quite bandy witii a pocket knife before you could be a successful lover. The expression "spooning" comes from the way spoons fit closely together and this curious custom of giving a spoon grew out of that use of the word. Christmas Bells I heard the belS^^jj^ Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, gocKi will to men. H. W. Longfellow. for BemnsuiP... BiTWiHEJUTH! Chronicles of Ginger Form By Gwendoline P. Clarke Dear friends and patient leaders everywhere: You are bu-y and I am busy but 1 think v.e can just take time out for i few minutes to exchange Christmas greetings, do- n't you? Xaturally I want to wish everyone of you a very Happy Christmas an 1 since this is a season of goodwill I am going to take it for granted that that is also your wish for us at Ginger Farm. Am I right? ".\ Happy Christmas!" As I wrote the words I wondered in my own mind what we generally consider constitutes a happy Christ- mas. A lot depends upon one's sense of values doesn't it? Funda- mentally, the condition? are very simple. > * * Tradition makes us expect ther: will be a certan amount of giving ard getting, but in that I often feel we have lost sight of the original idea behind this exchange ot gifts. We seem tj be leaning towards a tendiUicy to spend mere and more each year on the presents we buy for our friends. I am afraid we too often forget that gifts are meant as an expression of our thought for one another â€" not as a blatant display of spending power. Haven f we all had the experience some time or other of being cheered and touched by a simple and inexpen- sive present from an unexpected <iuarter? If that be so. then isn't it safe to assume that we also can give pleasure in the same way? We csn no moie buy a happy Christ- mas by extravagent giving than we can buy oiir way into the Kingdom of Heaven. Happiness at Christ- mas or at any other tirfSr. for that matter, is reflected in our own hearts in proportion to our will to bring happiness to the lives of oti-ers. • * « And what about Christmas fare â€" does it contribute towards our enjoyment? \\. the risk of being thought slightly gluttonous I would say "yes" â€" particularly with •o many of our boys back from overseas. .-Vsk these boys and you will soon find that Christmas din- ner according \f> their own family tradition has, to them, become a symbol. Don't try to cliange it â€" don't think to yourself "I won't bother making puddings this year" â€" or cakes, or whatever it is that has been your custom. If you do so slip up you take something away from Chrismas as your fami- ly remembers it. No need to be txtravagan'. â€" remember the starv- ing millions in Europe â€" but use your imaginatiou, your ingenuity, and make something that looks Ikie the real thing. « « « And a tree! What is home with- out your own personal Christmas tree? Yes, it is quite a bother, I k^ow, but don't let the old custom die. Let your tree be big or small, as you wish, but make it gay and sparkling. Bring out t^-.e gaudy baubles, the tinsel, the star and the Christmas angel, even though the ore it was your delight to trim the tree for in years gone by is no longer here to share it with you. You naturally feel you no longer have the heart for sucii pretense. Hot I urge you, have a tree any- way. Can't yod feel that "he" woold wish it â€" and who can say \> hat happiness your tree uii^itr bring to some other lonely »ouL » • • .â- \nd then let us remember the ciiildren â€" children everywhere. Children and Christmas belong to- gether. If you have little ones in your home then you are to be en- vied. Make them happy â€" it takes so little. Don't spoil them with extravagant giving but make *t their day in other ways. Join in their fun; share their laughter, make this a Christmas for them to r.'member. .\nd if there are no children in your home there are plenty outside of it. It may be a queer notion on my part but I always have a feeling that there can be little happiness in our own hearts unless we have contributed in some way toward* the happiness of at least one little boy or girl at Christmas time, other than those of our own family. Last but not least we should surely remember the reaion for which Christmas came into being. "For unto us a Child is bcrn '. Without that thought to guide us Christmas is meaningless and void. Remember it. and Christmas giv- ing, Christmas fare, thougiit for the children, our own little person- al problems, our joys and our sor- rows, fall into their right perspec- tive and we can say in all sincerity â€" ".A. Happv Christmas to you alll" (njj au. ia ~Whcidc i Just take two needles and three colors to harmonize with bathroom or bedroom and knit this rug. You can do a stool and seat cover, too. This rug, knitted in one piece, is ,,done on 2 needles in rdg cotton or old stockings. .\ beginner can do H. Pattern 812 has direftions. Send TWENTY CENTS ii» coins (stamps cannot be accepted) fcr this pattern to \\ilson. Needle- craft Dept., T3 -Adelaide St. West, Toronto. Print plainlv P.\TTERN NUMBER, vour NAME and AD- DRESS. QuaUty You'll Enjoy "SALAD/C Here's Quick Relief from SINUS PAIN 3-Purpose Medicine Helps Clear Out Congested Sinus Areas ONE best wsy to get relief from tortiTing siiius p«««i is to clear con- gfvtion ftoin nasai passages and give sitiuiies a chance to drain. A few drops of Vicks Va-tro-od in eadi nostril is usually enou^ to bring this cotnforting relief. S-P«rv«s« Modktoo . . .Va-tro-nol is so successful because it does three important things: (1) shrinks swol- len membranes of the nose ; (2) helps dear out pain-causing congestion and (3) soothes irritation. Many sinus sufferers say it's best relief they've found. Try itl VICKS VA-TRO-NOL