f5B5f^ I un I 111 M f SALADA VACUUM-SEALED COFFEE Riders '"*• Hoot- Owl Pool by G. H. SHARP CHAPTER TWO (ContinueJ From Last Week) As the funeral sermon was being preached, a dozen or more riders came up the road that bordered on the cemetery. Ab Abbott was riding in the lead, his men following him. Behind them was a spring wagon. More than one man there beside that open grave unbuttoned his slicker so that he could get to his gun quickly. They all knew what was under tliat wet tarp in the spring wagon. The Triangle outfit was bringing to town the dead body of . the cowboy Sherift Hank Rob- erts had discovered just below the Bob Anderson place. The sheriff slipped through the crowd that stood in the mud there beside the open grave. lie stepped up on his horse and rode to meet ^ tliat grim cavalcade now entering i the graveyard gate. '«»^'They'll be through over tlierc in ""••'alow niinules, Abbot.'' Hank Rob- erts blocked their way. »>, ... *AVe ain't got all year to plant ' this cowboy." .\h Abbot's heavy, purplish face liad an ugly look. His - .eyes were bloodshot, cold as ice. ^'?' vi^'here's his cofTin:" \ "^t don't need one. ilc was ; tough. Anyhow, he was in the hole *"To' me' for a hundred dollars. 1 got r *ift)'. mWiey to pa.v out for cofTins." He tittfied to his men. " Vender's a pick 4i^d sliovel. One of you men get to work on the hole. Dig fast. Take turns. Dig over there where the ground is soft. The quicker -.^"'this planfin' is over, the sooner yon get whisky in your bellies. Get at it." As the preacher's last words were ipoken and the slicker-clad men bowed bare heads in prayer, paying final tribute to a friend, the Tri- angle cowboys began digging a grave near by. The dead man in the spring wagon would be buried without a word of prayer, without even a pine bo.x to hold him. Wrap- ped in the soiled, rain-wet tarp under which he had slept so many nights, he would be dumped into a hole in the ground and covered with earth that was soggy from the rain. Sherill Hank Roberts, a sawed- off shotgun across liis saddle, stood guard between the two burial parties. His face wore a grim, worried c.>ci)rcssion and liis puck- ered eyes glinted. He would be giad when tltat prayer was finislied, when the crowd of men standing beside Dob .Anderson's grave broke up and left. *'Kow tlie prayer was (jiiislicd. The men with wives and families lost little.limc getting to their rigs. The ) younger luc" of the Pool mounted > their. liorses and rode through the â- gatcwav^ headed for town and a 'drink ^> warm tlicni. . 'â- The preacher got into his bugg.v |iul drive away. Then only Mae and V^^ebb Winters stood beside the open grave tliat held the body of Bob Anderson. Mae, whose name was Katlileen Mavourneen Murphy, had reddish hair that glinted like copper, steady gray eyes, a wide, red-lipiied month that laughed easily. She held tight ly to* Webb's arm. She wore a long, black slicker and a lilack Stetson that Bob had given her. She had ridden to the funeral on the fat, black pony Bob had given her for her birthday. She liad come horseback liccaiise .«.lic Kiii-« ll.;i! Boll would want it that way. "He's gone." she whispered. "He's gone, .\fae A whiter man never lived. N'ow we liptlfr go barl; to tcwi The old Kiai'' di.ngcr stood some distance awa). He wag used to open graves and coHins. He swamped around the saloons for a living. Grave digging was a side line. He stood there glaring at the Triangle cowboys who weie using his tools, cursing them in a whisk> whisper. Sheriff Hank Roberts sat his horse, watching thai other grave being dug. His lips tliinned as he law Ihem drop the tarp-covercd dead man into the mmldv grave. He ISSUE 18 - 19S0 saw Ab Abbot drain what was left of a bottle of whisky, then toss the empty bottle into the grave. "Cover him up, boys," he said. "He's dead. So's the bottle." Mae aiid Webb had ridden away. The sheriflf caught up with them as they reached town. "Drop in and see me at the of- fice, Webb." he said, then rode on ahead. Webb and Mae rode through the pines to her cabin. Webb put wood on the open Are and they sat there without talking. They were sitting there uhen the sheriff's wife came with a laden tray. "She hasn't touched a bite in I don't know how long." the white- haired Mrs. Roberts told Webb. "Now you run along and I'll look after her. H's a woman's ioli. limes like this." "ff you need me," said Webb, "send somebody to fiiui me. I won't be far off." He walked up the street to the slicriflf's oli'ice. flank Roberts mo- tioned to a chair. "Webb. I got bad news for yuli." "I reckon 1 can stand it. Let's lave it." "You're under arrest for tlic mur- der of Bob .Anderson." Murder is an ugly charge lo make against a man, and the murder of a friend adds to its ugliness. The trial o( Webb Winters lasted two days. Those members o( the Scissor-Bill Pool who had joined Ab Abbot in pressing the murder charge gave their testimony. They had lost a part of that tluec thou- sand dollars that had vanished. They openly accused Webb of mur- der and the theft of that money. Ab Abbot and two Triangle men swore they had seen Webb and Hob ride together along tlie trail lliat led to Hob's place. Their testi- mony conflicted with Webb's sworn statement that he had left Bob at the fork of the trail. Webb sat in the packed little courtroom during those two days cf the trial with his jaws clamped tightly, his narrowed eyes watching the men who accused him of mur- der. Beside liim sat ihe sheriti, grave, soft spoken, not unfriendly to the prisoner. Behind them sat Mae and tlic slierifT's wife. Now and then Mae would lean forward and whis- l>cr some word of encouragement to tlie accused man, and the hard light in Webb's eyes would niomen- larily soften. Mae kept telling him she knew he was innocent, thai he would win out. When All Abbot and liis uieii uere called to the witness stand, SherilT Hank Roberts laid his hand on Webb's arm. "Kasy son, I don't wiuu to |nu handcuffs on yuh." Webb had nodded. He spoke llirough clenched teeth, liis .eyes Ixed on Ab Abbot, on perjured evidence." "I'll hang onto my bu'-li.v tail, Hank. 1 ain't done with .Abbot. Never will be 'til 1 watch him fill a grave. Hut I give you m.V word the other (h\ that I'd make no bad breaks, and I'm stickin' to that liromise. Lei 'em go u|i on the stand and lie. I'll pay 'em oil some day. I didn't kill Hob Andcisoii till more than I Killed lh:il Tri.iti.L-h' 1 1>.\ boy. (Contmueil Ncm \\ 1 1 !, , Where To Look A learned individual was an.sious to clarify a few points on art. He approached the girl behind the in- formation desk at a public library and asked, 'Where can I find some data on Correggio and his 'Pltght into I'.gypt'.'" The girl stopped powdering her nose long enough to inform him, "I'lvervthiiiR on aviation in room 12.!," ' "We'll have a whitr wedding, won't we' Sandy?" "Ay . . if it snows." Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret continues Britannia's maritime tradition at the launching of a new ship, the 28,000- ton Shell tanker, s.t.s. Velutina, largest tanker ever built in the Empire. Spectators cheer Her Royal Highness on her depart- ure. Left is Sir Frederick Godber, chairman of Shell Transport and Trading Co., Ltd. Right, J. W. Elliott, chairman of Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson, the builders. hronicles ^ingerIarm W GvervdoUtve P. Clarke At last! Blue skies and bright, warm sunshine. And birds singing for joy from tree-tops â€" trees that are bare now, but with swelling buds that give promise of new life and new beauty. Spring has been long in coming . . . now we think we never heard the bobolinks sing so sweetly nor the robins chirp so happily. Spring is a wonderful time â€" a time for new hope; new- ambition; new desires . . . and new v.ork. Right now, 1 am writing from my portable sunroom â€" alias th.; June Bug, alias our carâ€" and from this vantage point, 1 can watch the cows alternately sunning and e.xer- cisiug themselves in the yard. May- be cows don't understand much about birds and buds â€" they seem to recognize spring more by their sense of smell. About this time of year, yon see bovine noses lifted high in the air and there is a definite iiuiuisitiveness about what may lie on the other side of the fence. Who knows â€" some day there might even be a blade of green grass growing! And where a person would clap their hands for joy, cows and young cattle let go with their heels and chase each other around the yard. Yes, the weather this week-end is cause for rejoicing, but it also fills me with remorse. You see, last Wednesday came a letter from a niece, asking if it would be all right to come for the week-end, arriving Iriday night. Generally speaking, any of our young relatives are more than welcome, but when this letter arrived, the house was inches deep ill dust; the furnace was still going tiill blast with dirty, smoky coal; 3.S a result, 1 haven't even started liousecleaning â€" and the weather was windy, cold and depressing. 'I'lie house wasn't fit for visitors and for some unknown reason. I could not find the energy to give it the proper cleaning it required â€" clean- ing which I intended postponing until our belated spring showed some sign of turning that corner around which it has been hiding for sii long. So 1 sent word to my mecp suggesting she visit us a little later. And then what happened? The weather really changed and it has been warm and sunny. And the bdter the weather, the meaner 1 fdt! 1 have one consolation â€" it really will be nicer in a couple of weeks when the spring flowers ar? out and the trees and shrubs come into leaf. And maybe by then, our worries at the barn will be over. Another calf arrived yesterday and tw-o more are expected any day now. And while we arc on the subject of barn work, it might interest you to hear of a rather curious experi- ence we had here last week fn our horse stable there are three electric light switch boxes, all in a row. When Partner turned out the light one night, he got a shock. We 'phoned the electricians and they promised to look after the trouble the next day. But the next morning Partner and Bob both tried the switches and nothing hap- pened, yet at noon Partner was shocked again. Wheu the electric- ians arrived, they worked the switches and so did Bob. Nothing happened. "Guess the trouble must have righted itself," one of them said. Then Partner tried it again. "Oh no it hasn't! As far ts I am concerned, it's still kicking like blazes!" So the electricians went to work opening up the boxes. One box, that which housed the three-way switch, was choked with dirt and chait'. and had become damp with moisture from the stable. This col- lection was cleaned out and new switches installed in each box. But every time the men wanted to test tlie switches, it was Partner who had to do it â€" he was the only one it would shock. Why? The an- swer was in his boots! Partner was wearing leather boots; the other three men. were wearing long rub- bers. That morning when Partner had tried the switch and had not been shocked, he, too, was wearing rubber boots. Ts'ow, what would have t.appened if the trouble had gone on without being detected is anyone's guess. Whether the dampness would have caused a short circuit and ultimately led to a fire, we don't know, but the electricians were definitely agreed it was a matter that needed attending to. Our switch boxes have been in operation for five years without giv- ing any trouble except fo; one or two c>ccasions when the three-way switch for the pole light would work from the house, but not from the barn. Maybe that was the time V, hen it should have been looked at. Hut it righted itself and, in our ig- norance, we thought no more about it Now I am pas>iiig this bit of in- formation along for wh.it it is worli. Lvery one knows electricity can't be fooled with, but sometimes there is danger when one doesn't even know that danger exists. A .V early idea! check-up iiii,i;hl be a good ' -^^^^»^^^^^^^»^ MEA.6IC makes baking fine-textured, delicious! c:nnamon sandwich biscuits Mix iind sift once, then gift into a 1m>»1, '.: c, onct-Blflod pBHlry thuir (or IJ4 c. once-sifted hoi-d-whcat flour). S tapn. Magic linking I'owder, ?i t«p. salt and 'i ". fine granululeil Bugiir. C;ul in finely 4 tbs. chilled slKirlcninB, Combmo 1 welt- Ileal en <>gg, \i c. nuilk and i(. tap. vimillii. IVIake a wull in dry ingredients and add liquids; mix liglitly with a fork, adding milk If nccwBary, to make a enft dough. Kjioad for 10 soi-onds on lightly-floured board and roll out to li" tbiokneiis; shape with floured 1\^" cutler, ('ream togollier Us tlw. aoft butter or loargarinc, t, r. lightly-packed brown sugar, }i tap. grated ornngK rind and H tsi). ground cinnamon. Usikk mJy about half of the crt-umcd nuicture, plneo 11 small spoonful of the mixture on half of the cut-out rounds of dough; top with remaining rouiKls of dough and press around edges to seal. Spread bis- cuits with rcmnining creamed mixture and ar- range, slighllv apart, on grpnucd cookie slietM, Bake in hot oven. ^M", about 1- mimi I ch. Servo warm. Yield 16 bivu'l"- ANNf£ HIRST "Dear Anne Hirst: 1 hope others will profit by my horrible mistake . .A year ago I jnet a young man who was a perfect gentle- manâ€" until the inevitable hap • pened. I gave in to him, because I loved him al- most to the point of wor- ship. [ paid for it in h e a 1 1 h mental anguish, and money, ','et I did not expose him, "We were not children, both in our late 20's, both from fine fami- lies. He was the first" with- meâ€" yet now hft has the audacity to say there have been 'Others! "He was a., cad.' After this ex- perience, 1 Uiifik all men are sel- fish, conceited skunks. "I say to other young women, don't give to any man what is sacred to you. Beat them at their own game. If you love a man, don't show it . . . fUST ANOTHER FOOL" A HURT HEART * I'm afraid you show yourself * in a poor light. Beaten by cir- * cumstances, yes. But you were * at least partly responsible for * what happened. You weren't an * innocent young girl, you know. * You were an adult, and you * should have had more mature * judgment. * Perhaps you did lose your head, "â- But weren't you, deep down in * your heart, trying to forge a * bond which you hoped would * tie this man to you in m.arriage' * When you failed, the man * promptly became a cad and one * of the race of skunks. * His conduct was certainly * reprehensible. But a wiser wom- * an would have seen indications, * during the "worship" period, * that would have saved her from * going off the deep end. She * would have tempered her wor- * ship with restraint, and proved * herself worthy of the over- * powering love she knew. * Your bitterness does you no * credit. Where now is this great * love that swayed you so? Be- * cause you are disillusioned, you * let yourself seem a shrew and a * termagant. You have grown bit- * ter. A bitter heart is deadly to * yourself and to all whose lives * touch your own. * Rise above this slough into * which you have sunk. Take what * is coming to you like a good * sport. You played for high DON'T WORRY "Earl, Earl," whispered Phyllis Drews, poking her sleeping hus- band in the ribs. "Wake up, wake up, there are burglars in the kit- chen and they're eating all my pies!" "W'ell, what do we care, ' yawned Earl, "so long as they don't die in the house?" * stakes, and you lost. Admit it, * and go on from here. * Vou can, you know. This sad * experience can make you more * sympathetic with other women; * it can mellow your nature so * that you will never again con- * demn anyone â€" even men â€" but * come to see all others as weak *â- human beings who need your "â- understanding and your charity. ♦ • » If you have loved â€" and lost- rise above it. Admit your own responsibility and go on, a â- tronger and wiser woman. Anne Hirst win help you steer your course, if you write her at Box 1, 123 Eigh- teenth St., New Toronto, Ont Small china turtles placed in ash tray automatically snufT out cig- arettes placed in cigarette-size holes in each Shell; cut down fire hazard and stale tobacco odors. And the REUEF is ''"'^LASTING Nobody knows the cause of rheuma- tism but we do know there's oam thing to ease the pain . . . it's INSTANTINE. And when you tiike Instantinb the relief is prolonged because IKSTANTINE Contains not one, bat three proven medical ingredients. These three ingredients work together to bring you not only fast relief but more prolonged relief. Take Instantinb for fast headadie relief too ... or for the pains of neuritis or neuralgia and the aches and pains that often accompany a cold. 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