T X TURNING POINT Bif Mary Imlay Taylor CHAPTER I "Steady, Tex!" Jane Keller pat- led her horse as she drew rein at the crest of the hill trail. She was young and slim and straight, and her old corduroys made her look like a boy. "A mighty handsome boy," old MacDovvell always said; "ain't any girl in these parts can touch her!" She turned in her saddle now to watch the lights spring up in the distant ranch house, sraaii and faint and flickering, like candles in a log. D' k was down there in the valley, but up on the hill trail there was a yellow light behind the sycamores, and great fla»es of yellow and or- ange and red in the sunset sky. Be- low her lay the private road to "Las Palomas," her brother's lanch; it crossed the hill trail and Ih^ bridge to meet the State high- road, five miles away. There was a big cliff a the be.id. Jim Keller talked of b'a. ting it, bi,t he had never had the time nor the men to spare; it loomed there still in the midst of trees, a rugged sentinel. • » • Tex put down his head and began to crop grass; it was supper time but his mistress did not stir. She was thinking, thinking hard. Then, hfting her eyes to the dark- ening outline of the distant cliflF, she »aw a sudden glow of light and, the next instant, the headlights of a big high-power touring car emerged. The girl recognized it with a start ©f surprise; it was J'ni's car, and Jim was not at the wheel. Urging her horse she galloped down the trail to intercept the car before it reached the bridge. A nearer view showed her old MacDowell in it, and a stranger at the wheel. As she rode up they stopped the car. "Mac," s'^e panted, "'where's. Jim?" "He's all right; don't you get scared, Jane," the old man reas- sured her, trying to get out of the car. J?.ne slopped him. "You've hort jour armâ€" what's wrong, Mac?" V « * The headlights of the car illum- ined her as she leaned from the saddle to question him, but it left Ih man at the wheel in the shad- ow. Jane felt his eyes; they made her move uneasily and cast a quick glance at him. "It's this way, Jane," the old foreman e.xplained' soberly, "Jim's stayed behind; he's got th' sheriff an' a party out. You see, we figured we'd got Jordan skewered, tight as a chicken for roasting, but some- how he broke loose â€" when we were gettin' water for th' car â€" you know that place near Simmons' well? We gave chase â€" both of us, an' I fell an' sprained by blamed old arm; if it hadn't been for this young man here â€" he came along an' helped me out an' motored me back. Jim was kinder afraid Jordan might hit it back here an' he sent me to warn th' men. j1m's all rfght, he's got th' whole bunch with him." "Jordan couldn't get back here tonight on loot, " Jane obj':cted. "He's got pals, might get a horse â€" or a lift in a car. Anyways, I'm here â€" an' say, you oughn't to be up here alone," old Mac said, in his fatherly way. "You ride along be- side th' car, if you won't get in, an' let this young man ride Tex home.'' Jane laughed. "I'll make it; I'll beat you to it!" "This young man wants work on a ranch," Mac added, putting his well hand on the stranger's shoul- der; "this is Miss Jane Keller, the sister of the boss," he said to his companion, impressively. Jane caught the outline of the man's head as he swung off his hat, but she spoke to Mac with her crisp little tone of authority. "When you get .to the ranch send him lo me' V \\ see what 1 ran do for him until Jim comes. I'm going to take the short cut; Tex can beat any old car. Mac! " "Jane â€" Miss Jane!" Mac wanted to stop her, to make her ride beside them, but she was off like a shot; they could just see the beautiful dark outline of her horse as he leaped the creek. ".Mn't that like her, bless her!" old Mac laughed in his beard. "She ain't scared of a thing for herself â€" only for Jiml An' he'd be scared stifi if he thought she was out and Jordan might be here!" * * * ''Tell me about this Jordan; I can't just make it out. Cattle thief or what?" asked the young man at the wheel. "It's this way â€" take that turn, there's Las Palomas up there â€" Jor- dan used to work here; he's a good cattleman but he drinks like blazes, a good -many of 'em do, but he took to dope running, sellin' it here to the cowpunchers. Jim caught him at it an' there was a big row. Jor- dan, half drunk, tried to kill Jim. That settled it; lie was fired. Then he took to cattle rustling an' he's got a gang of cut-throats along with him; maybe some of our fellers are in cahoots with th' gang t^ get dope; we don't know! He's cleared out some of our best cattle. Yesterday he got drunk an' came back to brag. Jim Keller was furi- ous; he lassoed Jordan like a steer, we tied him up an' started. Jim was goin' to have him jailed sure, but he got away; you came along, as you know. Well, he'll try to get even â€" sure as shooting!" Old Mac stopped, with an expressive shrug. "He's likely to kill Keller?" MacDowell nodded. "Sure! Jane, too, if she stands in his way; he's just as vindictive as a rattler. Get me, young man?'' * • !â- The younger man kept his eyes steadily on the unfamiliar road, but he uttered an exclamation of sur- prize. "You don't mean that the rascal would try to hurt that young girl?" "If he thought he could get her an' hold her over Jim's head for ransom, he'd do it. Jane's in just as much danger as Jim, that's why 1 had to come back." "By Jove, I wish I'd known that today â€" when he bolted past me â€" before you an' Keller came up!" Old Mac chuckled. "Seen Jane Keller, eh? That's how all th' cow- punchers feel! Well, you know now, son, an' you've got an all-fired good chance to aiakc good,' he drawled. "To make good!" The words struck the other .nan like a blow; his face burned in the darkness, his steel-gray eyes shone strangely, but he said nothing. "There's the house, we're goin' to the men's quarters. That there row of windows toward us â€" all lit up â€" belong to th' sickroom. One of Jim's friend.s was took down with pneumonia here an' they got a trained nurse an' kep' him; he's a heap better. Old Teresa says he's got a devil!" Mac added, laughing. "Kind of fine feller, name of Sten- hartâ€" Max Stenhart." (To be Continued) PORTRAIT OF A PRINCESS 0ioitx£A lADA TEA EASTER SPECIAL .\ loveable, strongly constructed, hand-sewn eiderdown BUNNY which will delight the hearts of the young ones. Price |1^5 each C.O.D. plus postage. Pink or Blue. Send no money â€" just mail your name and address. If vou are not satisfied with your purchase, money will he refunded within seven days. ECONOMY MAIL ORDER CO. 245 Yonge St., Toronto, O .t. Princess Elizabeth, heiress presumptive to the British throne, is pic- tured in a rose lace and tulle picture dress, embroidered in rose and gold with blue butterflies, in this charming portrait by famed artist-photographer Cecil Beaton. The recent portrait sitting was at Buckingham Palace.. CHRONICLES oi GINGEB FARM By Gwendoline P. Clarke It never rains but it pours! W"e know that to be true, around here anyway, both literally and figura- tively. Friday night we were treat- ed to a literal interpretationâ€" and how! Partner and I were sitting quiet- ly at home, prepared to enjoy hear- ing a broadcast from our own home town on the Ontario Panorama programme. And then we heard it . . . and I don't mean the radio . . drip, drip . . . drip, drap, drip. Partner went out to the kitchen. In a few minutes there was a call for help. When I went out it didn't seem possible to know where to start with pots and pans to catch ' the drips. Their number was legion. And since the roof had been re- tarred a year ago we certainly were not looking for any such catastro- phy. But there it was â€" and there also were we. Partner i:p m the at- tic investigating, and I down be- low mopping up the floor and ta- ble and moving dislies around un- der the biggest drips. But it didn't make any difference. For every drip that stopped two more started up in its place. After a wliilt Partner got disgusted and went to bed. But I stayed up because Bob was bring- ing home a visitor â€" his uncle â€" off the midnight train. So thus it was Glamorous i? tlic word lor yo\i in this artistic apron! Colorful pan- sies parade around the graceful portrait necklini; and handy pock- ets. Embroidery niakc« wearing an apron as prett., as tliis one, "com- pany manners.' Pattern 501 has transfer, necesary pattern pieces. .Send twenty cents in coins (stamps cannot be accepted) for th's pattern to Wilson .Nced.ecraft Dcpt.. K'oom 121. 73 .Addadc St. West, Toronto. Print plainly pat- tern number, your name and a.J dicss. our visitor was given a somewhat damp reception. He came from Montreal and, knowing we were fond of fish, he brought with him a big parcel of the grandest fresh fish I ever tasted, at least this side of the Atlantic. But we had to eat fish for almost every meal for two days. You see what I mean ... it never rains, etc. * • • Saturday Partner had trouble with a cow. The next day another cow had a calf, .^nd the next morning we had to call in a "vet". Alore "rain", you see. The same with visitors. Since Christmas we haven't liad anyone staying here at all. But this week- end no sooner did o ir arrive than two more blew in. In the middle of this 1 received an editorial re- quest for 1200 words on a given topic, .^nd one definitely doesn't turn down editorial requests, even supposing the house were on fire. One would just help put out the fire and then get on with the job. * » ♦ So now here 1 am, after a hectic morning which included getting three separate breakfasts, speeding our week-end guest on his way, catching the "vet" by phone before he left for parts unknown, rescuing a sick pullet, arguing it out with a bank clerk about a mistake in our pass book, and then packing a lunch for Bob, who, incidentally, had had his own troubles when he found a flat tire on his truck. But for all that, it's really a beau- tiful morning â€" grand weather for anyone with early chicks. Ours don't arrive uiftil the second week in .'\pril. Last year we had them in early March, but they were full grown, begii.nir.g to lay, and ready to be shut up before we were ready to deal with them. This year we are trying to avoid a repetition of that trouble. We want pullet eggs in the fall but we don't want them in the middle of the stiiiimcr. FROM SNIFFLY^ STUFFY DISTRESS OP HeaJCokki DOUBLE-DUTY ^J^Vl'ST NOSE DROPS WORKS FAST RIGHT WHERE TROUBll ISI Instantly relief from head cold dis- tress starts to come when you put a little Va-tro-nol in each nostril. Also â€"it helps prevent colds from develop- ing if used in time! Try it! Works flnel You'U like it! VICKSVA-TRO-NOI. One of the Most Effective BtOOOIROII YOU CAN BUY If your blood lacks iron ! You girls and women who sufter x> from â- impk' anemia tliai you re pale, weak. "dragged out"â€" this may iK due to lack of iron m the blood. So iry Lydia E. Pinkham s Compound TAPLrrs with added iron â€" one ol the be«t home ways lo help Ijuild up red blood â€" m such case*. Pmkham s TableU are ooeof IticaMJsteScctive iron tonics jroucac buy 1 fOMICS Golden Notes _ By GORDON L. SMITH :;:. Where Space is Short Those unfamiliar with gardening are amazed at the amount of vege- tables a plot I ew -ards squar. an produce. Handled properly a piece of ground 12 feet wiile and 25 feet long should yield practically all the vegetables, except potatoes, a small family will require from early July until frost. For case in cultivation, rows should run across the width, not the length of the plot, and they can be as close together as 12 inches for little, narrow and early stuff like lettuce, radish and carrots, about 15 inches for beets and beans, and 18 inches for corn and tomatoes. To save room and induce early and clean fruits the latter should be staked with all side branches pinch- ed off. Space can be saved by alternating early vegetables like radish, spin- ach and lettuce with later maturing sorts like beets, carrots and onions. By the time the second group real- Sunday School Lesson Forces That Unify a Nation 1 Samuel 7: 1â€" «. 13â€"15. Golden Te.xl â€" Obey Jij voice and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that 1 have com- manded you, that it may be well unto you, â€" jercniiah 9;23 Israel Repents The twenty year during which the ark abode in Kirjath-jcarim were years of bondage and dijci- pline for Israe; But at last "tiiey lamented after Jehovah." Samuel told them that they could get de- liverance from the Philis'inc.- if they would return to Jehovah with all their heart and pi.t awav all oti'er gcds. Now in true repentance Israel put away all false gods and "served the f-crd only." The Gathering at Mizpah .Saniue'. Jirected them ill to gather at Mizpah. They were to come together to pray. They first "drew wati i and piured it oi.t tefore Jehovah." a symbol of their utter helplessness and the pourii.g out of their hearts before God. They fasted as a ,^^gn of tlieir humiliation of self and ea.i.eft desire to find God. Tliey mride confession of their sin. Sa â- ue] Intercede- No wonder :'-".t . tei more than twenty years <f defeat and bond- age Israel was afraid of the Phili- stines. But there was no need of fea now. They looked to Sam- uel to be their intercessor. They trusted in God's strength, and not tl-eir own. to sr.ve tlem. They had little faith in their own powers, their own prayers, but great faith ;. Samuel and in Lis intercessions. They believ..d that God lOuld save them if Samuel made unceasing pifyer in their behalf. The Victory Was Gods The earnest ai.d continuous prayers of Samuel prevailed. He offered a young lamb for a burnt offering unto the Lord. The Lord heard him for even in the act of offering, the Lord with a voice of thunder caused a panic among the Philistines and they became an e; sy prey to the Israelites. When Gcd arises to help His own He often uses nature te discomfort their enemies. Israel repentant and restored to God, was blessed with the return of lost territory. Samuel ascribed the who!e vic- tory to God. So should we always. The Philistines were subdued, and God can subdue all c ur enemies so that they will come no more witliin our borders. ly requires all room the first will have been removed and eaten. No Hurrv Old-timers are seldoiji seen rush* ing the planting, .^s a matter of fact they will tell you there need be no special rush. It is a good thing to get a bit of the gardeii planted early, but it is foolish tO risk the main planting until all daa'* ger of frost is over. And in any case if the garden is all planted at once then the harvest will all come togethcB. with a least - for a few days followed by a famine. In the greater part of Canada one can go on planting vegetables and flowers right up to July 1st â€" in- deed in some areas it is possible to plant beans, carrots and beets even later and still get good returns. 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