Papurau Newydd Cymru
Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru
12 erthygl ar y dudalen hon
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[ALL RiGHTB RtStRVBD.] {(/' § TTHE MAN HUNT ? UH By TOM GALLON, HH ?\ Author of "Tatterley," "The Great Gay Road," &c. CHAPTER (Continued). ) WHEK ROGUES FALL OUT. For some strange reason Murdoch Slade suddenly stood rigid, dropping on the in- stant a certain restless, impatient move- Trent of the hands and arms that had been Booing on since the man began to speak. --nto his face, too, came a tense look, and all the blood seemed to go out of his skin, leaving it chalk-coloured, with grey streaks here and there. "It sometimes happens that I take a night walk when there's nothing particular to keep me inside," said Adams, speaking always in the same dull, level, steady voice. On the particular night I'm speaking about I happen to be taking a uight walk in a neighbourhood I'm not often partial to, because I don't like low neighbourhoods, not having been brought up in that way. I'd just made up my mind to turn back home, when i see someone coming along at a great rate, without taking any notice of anybody; and it's someone that I'll be able to pick out, even in the twilight of a London street, among a thousand. It's a gentleman called Mr. Murdoch Slade. and if I don't know him I don't know who should." The man paused to take out a handker- chief, and to rub his lips and the palms of his hands with it, as though something in what he had to say had put him almost in a sweat of fear. Neither Litchneld nor Slade made any attempt to interrupt him; only it was noticeable that Litchneld had drawn a little apart from the other man and watched Mm furtively, as though to see the "lIect of the servant's words. "t make up. my mind that I'll eee the end ,i it. and know where my gentle- man is going. I go on, with perhaps a <lozea vards between us, until I come to & pl&ce which, by the name on the corner, 1 }ee t3 known as Leech Street. Mr. Slade knocks at a door, very softly, but with a ,'ertain knock, as though it might be a 1gnal; and presently a young lad comes lown, and after a little parley lets Mr. SIade in. It's evidently only going to be a brief visit, because they do not even take the trouble to close the door. I begin to wonder what it's all about, when I am startled by two things happening. I've taken the precaution to move away from the door, and to stand at the other side of the street in a doorway, watching." At this ponit SIadc muttered some quick exclamation and turned away, only to come back a moment later and to stand listening til'tM more. "I see a voung lady I know come up to the house, and, after waiting for a moment, go in. tjuiekly' that young lady is Miss Hester Wake. I see a. man I don't know at fin;t come up to that door, which Iscems to bc- nttracting everybody to-night; I try to sec his face, but can't. Then, a moment later. I see that man go up to the door and stand there, and by the light of a. street lamp I see who it is. and I begin to wonder what he 1ms to do with it. It's Mr. Rodney Manners." "What? Siade did no more than breathe the word in his astonishment, but his face wasastudv. "Then the most remarkable thing of all happens," went on Adams imperturbably. "From where I s.m standing I can see m,to the little passage of the house, and can see a lio-ht nickering at the far end of it. And pre- Ecnti v someone comes racing out of that house as though death itself was behind him. and that someone is Mr. Murdoch Slade. Now, what do you make of that? The man. with his hands planted on the table, Ican-cd forward, and looked from one face to the other in a sudden triumph that lighted up his dull eyes and sent some colour into his sallow checks. "I make this of it: that either you arc lying or you've invented the thing out of your own imagination," 6aid Slade. I'l I admit that I was in that neighbourhood that night, and that I did go to visit the boy—on a mttcr of business. But I did not. come rushin"- out of the house as you suggest; I r.nlv heard long hours afterwards, that the bov was dld to If vou think you'll make capital out of such' a bungling business of putting two and two together and making ilvc of it, you're verv much mistaken." "There's something €l<;e, said Adams nuietlv. "It was said in all the papers that the lad must have fought hard for his life: and the next morning, while you lay a-bcd, I came into vour room. and I saw your hands as they lav outside the coverlet. They were scratched and torn, just as one might have scratched and torn at them to get them away ;1' from one's throat. It took quite a time for the marks to die out." There was silence in the room for a moment or two, and in that silence it seemed as though Slade stood, like a man. at bay. glanc- ino' from one man to the other. Litchiield never took his eyes from him, and Litch- iield's face was a horror-struck one. It was him, as the weaker, that Slade turned tLt last. almost with a snarl. "Well, and why do you look at me like that?" he demanded savagey. "I deny rothing, I admit nothing. The boy had to do with our work, as you've heard m< say to-night; he was the spy in the camp. I had Eothing to do with the killing of him, ttat I swear. You can believe me or not, as you like; it's all one to me. But he's out o" the way, and I think it would go hard with any- one who tried to prove that I had anything to do with it." "Mr. Rodney Manners was there that night," said Adams slowly. "He may hnow. "Rodney Manners is dead," broke in Slade in' a whisper. "Not yet," was the man's reply. "I had a pood look at the man upstairs, and it seema to me I know who he is, and why it became so necessary to get rid of him. Ar.d now ju:t one other word and I have done. The one other word is this: that you've nothing to fenr from me, provided always that what knowledge I have gets its fair price. I shouldn't do any good if I carried what I know to anyone else; but I can do some good if I'm paid to keep quiet. We're all in this. gentlemen, and it seems to me that without Jail vou can't do much." "How much do you want?" asked Slade :.fter a gloomy pause. "Now you're talking, sir," said the man. I'T want ten thousand pounds." SIadc whistled, and then laughed. "That's out of the question, because I won't pay it; y,tu can go and tell all you know, and do vour worst. Halve it." There was some more haggling, and then nt last t:ie, bargain was struck. Adams was for having the thing put in writing then and there; w:th the cunnjng of his class he felt that that way lay safety. Slade, on the other hund. refused to put anything down in black nnd white, and told the ma): he would have to be content with the promise. And all the while Litchneld said nothing, and stood at one side of the room, with his pale lips work- ing and his light eyes iixcd on the man whom he now dreaded as he would have dreaded death itself. "And now that that is settled, and you feel t4iat you are really one of us." said 81adc at last with a note of irony in his tone, "per- haps we c:'n see about this other business of the man upstairs. Something has to be done, because in the morning we shall have vacated this place and gone back to Lon- don At this point they were interrupted by a sort of suppressed scream from Boyd Litch- itc'ld. Indeed, the nerves of that weakling Lad been strained for some time to breaking point, as horror upon horror had been re- vealed to him; he saw that he had touched here a more desperate business than he had originally contemplated. As they turned to !ook at him thov saw that lie was drawn up ,N, i t l i one arm held UP, close against the wall, with one arm held up, schoolboy fashion, as though to shield him- 'fICIf from some impending blow. "I won't do it-I can't," he whimpered. "Sl%,(Ie, you've got to let me out; I won't go on with it. I never meant it from the nrst— not to go into such a matter as this. For the love of Heaven let me go; I'll never say a word to anyone of what I've seen or what I've heard. I'll starve on the roads; I'll break stones ffT a living-orly let. me go "it won't be necessary lor you to break .stones for a living," retorted Slade. "We ehall all do better than that. But courage is needed, and any whimpering or faltering now may undo all that we have tried to do. You're in this with us, Litchneld; it's too late to try and get out of it now. Courage, man !—by the morning we shall be far away from this place, with our work nnished, and a future freed from doubt and uncertainty. Courage! It was strange to see the servant joining with his master in that. business of encourag- ing Boyd Litchneld to go through with thn work tragedy brings men into strange com- panionship. So afraid were they both of what Litchneld's sheer panic might say or do, that they would not let him go for an instant; they kept him with them, staying his whim- pering, and even attempting in a ghastly fashion to laugh him out of his fears. So they got him out of the room. and out into the silent house; and there the three con- spirators stood listening for possible noises. There was no sound anywhere, and they presently stole up to that room above—SIade leading, and Adams bringing up the rear. Slade unlocked the door, and they went in, and got a light; a moment later Slade was bending over the man upon the floor. After a moment's inspection he turned impatiently to Adams, and spoke in a harsh whisper: "You've bandaged him!" "It would scarcely have been well for him to bleed to death," said the man in a surly tone. "I suppose you're ris'ht." 'said SIade. in a whisper. "Now, Litchneld," he added in a peremptory tone. "you can carry the Ix'bt: tt's about all you're good for, and even that vou'll do badly. I know where to put him; I've thought it all out carefully." Litchneld carried the light in a shaking hand, and went in front, bearing the light aloft; the two mon followed, with Manners between them. So they went down the stairs. pausing sometimes at a quick whisper from Slade, or at some imagined danger indicated by Litchneld, to listen and so at last came out into the grounds. There the fluttering light had been exchanged for a lantern, the whereabouts of which was indicated by Litch- neld. And so, with Slade directing the way, they set eff across the grounds to where the trees were thickest. And as they went Litchneld, who had been looking back from time to time at Slade, as though wondering what purpose was in the man's mind, cried out excitedly "The old workshop!" "I wonder you didn't think of that. before, panted Slade. "He can lie there and rot; it'll take a long time for anyone to find him.' This old workshop, when they came to it, proved to be little more than a rather sub- stantially built outhouse, in which at some time or other some former owner of the place had probably carried out amateur work of some description or other as a hobby. It was strongly built, but the door which Slade kicked open with a blow of his foot appeared to have no latch upon it. On the floor inside they lay down their burden, and SlH.de called impatiently to Litchneld, who was hovering in the doorway. "Can't you keep that light still? I know every inch of this place I went over it one day when I was dov.n here. I probably know it better than you do, Litchneld," he said. "It's no use leaving him in this room; he might manage to crawl out and raise an J alarm. But whoever built this place built for some reason or other a shallow cellar un- ierground I came upon it quite by acci- dent. Hold the lantern." SIade bent upon one knee, as LitchMd held the lantern a)cft, and after some scrap- ing with his hands in the rubbish and old ehavingp found an Lron ring attached to a trap door this doer he threw back. disclos- ing a square opening. He snatched the lantern from Litchneld. and held it down into the cellar. There v.an a .hort rHgbt of stfps leading down into the dark- le sa. "He'll lie there safely hidden, until some day someone hnds a skeleton, and wonders what mystery is attached to it," said SIade, as he got to his feet. "Hold the lantern, Litchneld," he added, with a short laugh— "and hereafter, when you think of this eight, hold your peace." Litchneld, clinging to a carpenter's bench, held the lantern, and averted his face Sinde and Adams took the unconscious man be- tween them, and went with difficulty down the steps into that underground cellar. Thpre they put Manners down in a corner, and, without pausing for anything, climbed the steps again, and pulled the heavy trap-door into its place. T hen, at a gesture of com- mand from Slade, Adams put his weight against the heavy carpenter's bench, and be- tween them they pulled it across the trap- door, and left it there. As they came out into the grounds Slad.(' stopped and Matched at the lantern, and blew out the light. "I don't think Rodney Manners will trouble I tho world again," he naid in Litchudd's ear. CHAPTER xn. I A CONFESSION. I It ts rcrhapa unnecessary to suggest that neither Murdoch Slade nor Litchfield went to bed that night. It was not exactly a matter of conscience; rather that U\¿:C were so many things to be thought about and ar- ranged; it was a sort of winding up of a tragic business. Adams had gone off to hi° own room, after receiving instructions to have the car ready at an early hour in the morning; and SIado and Litchtield prepared tu make themselves as comfortable as possible for the rest of the night. More than once C;ey were disturbed by sounds above and started to their feet with a wild idea that the unfortunate nl,ii. hidden away to die. had in some fashion or other got out of his prison and was back again into the house. But exasperatingly enough it turned out to be only Mrs. Litch- field, who could not sleep, and was quite cer- tain that she heard noises. So the wretched weary night passed, and in the morning three jaded people at least met fcr an early breakfast, which had been prepared hur- riedly by the startled housekeeper, who had known only that morning that the house was occupied by Mrs. Litchlield and by Grace in addition to the first comers. But little was said over that meal. The tadiea looked furtively at each other, a):d Litchfield was in such a state of abject ner- vousness that he started at every sound, and once fairly leapt out. of his chair when t.ih: housekeeper inadvertently banged a door. Indeed, he made a bad conspirator at "Le best, and, although lie longed to say -on)c- thing to Slade, his fear of that man kept him silent. L To Mrs. Litchfield was left the unpleasant task of dismissing the two old servants .d of seeing that they left the premises. There with a few indignant prc't-csts on their p::rt. a,nd some tears on the pf:rt of the woman especially, but both had "put by," and the amount produced by Slade in addition tc their actual wages was sufficient to serve as balm to their wounded feelings. So that at last their keys had been delivered up lild they were actually out of the house, with such luggage as they possessed piled on a. !iy that the man had brought from the station. "Are you going to leave the place to go to rack and ruin. Boyd?" asked Mrs. Litchfield with some indignation. "You don't seem to understand," he re- torted testily, "that it has got to be sold up —or something else done with it. Haven't t told you," he added in a whisper, "that we're all in SIade's hands and that he can do what he likes with us? If we "tick to him, we shall be all right, but we can't, go against him. Above :11 things, we can't wait now, '.vith the car nt the door; any personal be- longings can, I daresay, be fetched after- wards. There's S!ade '.houtir'g now and wanting to know if we're ready; pray come an. So the lady took her seat, tearfully enough, in the car. together with Grace: and Eoyd Litchneld, after seeing that everything was fastened up, came out to join them. Slade, standing buttoning his gloves, looked at the car and at the party with the air of one who to the last up his mind la dispose of everything and everyone in his own way, and issued his commands. "Adams—you' have to sit with the ladies; Mr. Litehneld will he in front with me; I want to talk to him." That was the arrangement which, above all others, Litehneld would have been glad to avoid. He suppressed a groan, and in- deed turned it into <j, cough, and c!Imbed to his seat beside Slade, who was to drive. And so the journey to London wns begun—and begun in silence. Despite Slade's suggestion that he wished to talk to Litehneld, he scarcely opened his mouth during the whole 'journey, and it is more than probable that he made the arrangement originally in the fear that Litehneld might talk unwisely to the others. It was only when they were Hearing London that Litehneld, bending to- wards his companion, made a frightened re- mark. "Suppose anyone takes that house—or wants to look over it. Suppose after a time they nnd him—dead—in that underground place? Have you forgotten that the house is mine?" "I have borne that in mind," said Slade quietly as he turned his head and looked at the shrinking man with a peculiar smile. "I bear everything in mind. But you needn't worry; I'll see you through this, and a great deal more besides." The starting of the car that morning had roused a certain poor prisoner from strange. uneasy dreams. Manners awoke, cramped and tortured, and faint and weak. and tried to move. It seemed as though heavy weights were holding him down, and that in some strange way the room in which he found himself had a ceiling very close to his head and smelt unaccountably musty. For a Mme, as he lay there, he tried to make up Ms mind what it was exactly that had hap- pened to him. He could remember nothing since that moment when, in the corridor of the house, he had seen Adams facing him, and, turning abruptly, had seen a blinding fla..sh and fallen where he stood. After a time he managed to turn a little; the effort caused him to scream out with sudden pain. A faint light seemed to come from somewhere just beside him, and by it he made out that some of his clothing had been cut away and that his wounds had been bandaged. After a time he managed to drag himself to where the light was, and found that it came in through a low, unglazed win- dow, with bars across it, near the roof of his prison, and giving on the outside straight on to the ground. With a further painful effort he managed to reach one of these bars and to drag himself to the window and to raise a cry tor help. That cry went echoing through the still, clear morning air, but found no response. He fell back again, with a certain dread hopelessness beginning to steal about his heart, for he now began to remember things. He had a dim feeling that, as in a dream, he had been carried, swaying horribly and racked with pain, in men's arms through the cold night air, and that someone had walked in front, carrying a swinging lantern. He stretched up an arm painfully, and just con- trived to touch the roof of his prison pre- sently, with difficulty, dragged himself along the noor of it, until he found, in the grow- ing light above his head, a trap-door. There were the steps up which he could crawl; he might yet be able to force his way out of the place in which lie w: But though, with what strength was left in him, h.<' heaved and pushed against the trap-door, it would not move. He realised that in some fashion or other it had been fastened. With a groan of despair he fell back down the steps again, and lay for a long time motionless and with closed eyes. He was roused from a stupor by a curious sound that was going on near him, and that seemed in some unaccountable way to pene- trate the half-delirium in which he was, and to bring back old scenes in his memory. It was a pleasant Sunday morning again, and he had put on an easy tweed suit, in place of the conventional frock coat, and waa going for a walk through the pleasant streets, with Rags, the terrier. And Rags \va.s jumping and dancing all about him, whimpering and barking with delight. He could hear the sound of the whimpering quite distinctly now in his dream. He opened his eyes and looked about him. The dream w'M over. but the sound was {Toing on in his brain just the same. He cradled again to the window, and laid hold of the iron bar to draw himself up to it, and suddenly found that the fingers locked round the iron bar were wet-licked by a little ex.ger, feverish tongue. This was something from the' world out- side. He drew himself up feebly close to the window and peered out. There was the dog. half mad with excitement, and striving hard to get at him through the bars. There was life and hope in the mere touch of the tittle creature's head as he stretched a hand through to fondle it. "Good Rags' Good boy! What are wo to do for ourselves now, I wonder?" he whispered feebly. "I can't get out-and you can't get in. I wonder if you can help me?" The dog had lain down on the gra<?s out- side, with his muzzle just tlirust through the bars, waiting. His mere stump of a tail was going rapidly, but he did not seem to understand the situation at all. Manners lay on his back thinking of this tiling, and of this one tiny scrap of communication be- tween himself and the world that should help him. And after a time 6onic of his ol(t courage seemed to come back to him. and. with a little laugh that was half a sob, he rolled over, and began industriously to search through his pockets. A scrap of paper and a pencil What wonderful things they were 'at a time like this—if only he could depend on his messen- ger With much labour he scribbled on the 'scrap of paper a message, carefully giving the address of the house in the grounds of which he was held a prisoner. And at tho bottom he wrote: "Come to the old carpen- ter's shop in the srounos." (To be Concluded.)
I SOAP BUBBLES.I
I SOAP BUBBLES. It has been noticed that in blowing soap bubbles, just before the bubble bursts, round dark spots appear. On looking closely it is seen that within their circumference other and etill darker spots appear. Newton first directed attention to theoo. Professor J. Perrin has been studying 'these spots under a powerful microscope, and has made some fascinatingly interesting discoveries. Perrin's method, according to the "Scientinc American's" account, was to make a him of soap and water over am iris aperture by which it could be stretched, and to watch it under the microscope. He found that in using- soap and water there were five fpots, one within the other, the spot in the centre being- the thinnest. He wa.; able to measure the thickness of these films by a complex process into which we need not go here, but he found that the thinnest him was five millimicroms thick; in other words, it would take more than five million such HIms piled upon each other to make an inch. He found bhat the successive dark circles arc strata, the thickness of each stratum being an exact multiple of the thinnest. These strata he calls plages. Emulsions of gamboge, colophony, and other substances produce similar bubbles, ;tnd in some of these there are as many as <0 plages, or layers, instead of the five pro- duced by soap. Within the dark circles a cloud of minute shining droplets appears, animated by the Brownian movement that is characteristic of the particles of gases, and is familiar in the dance of dust motes in a sunbeam. These are droplets of water condensed upon the membrane. Their extreme vivacity prove-s that they are moving in the air, but on the membrane, without any friction and without any possible displacement in the direction perpendicular to the membrane.
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Two-thirda of the employees at Mc.qrs. Martini'yde's aeroplane works at Woking have been discharged owing to the action of the Government in cancelling all con- tracts. There are about nfty vacant houses ot low rentals at Seven Sisters, a mining village ten miles from Neath. German prisoners who left Oswcstry in- cluded a number of Scapa Plow scuttlers. .y t h an k s. One shouted, "Good bye-e, many thanks." One of the complaints made at the nret meeting of the Uxbridge Anti-Profiteer Committee waa of an excessive charge for arttSciai teeth.
I -CLUB WINDOW.
I CLUB WINDOW. The dislocation to traffic consequent on the railway strike has ha.d its effect natur- ally upon the holidays of the King and Queen, who have been spending some iew weeks at Balmoral. In any case, they have been much more fortunate than iny o*k their 'predecessors who experienced simitar social disruption, inasmuch that there have Leeu available either the motor-car or aeioplam, with which to journey back to town.. According to latest accounts, the King has enjoyed good and plentiful shooting. ? Latest reports state that King Peter of Serbia, who is about to abdicate in favour of his son Prince Alexander, intends to re- tire forthwith to a monastery and there end his days in prayer and peace. It is probably the safest course for him, for he has always been dangerously unpopular. And to-day he may well recall with a shudder the bloody end of his predecessor. King Alex- ander, an end -which he himself commemo- rated by the gift of a special decoration to the officers who committed the murder. An amusing story is told by Viscountess Cow'dray, who, in conjunction with her husband. has promised .620,000 to provide an art museum for Aberdeen. An Irish- man, she says, was giving a graphic de- scription to a lady of his narrow escape from an enraged bull. "I seized him by the tail," he exclaimed, "and there I was' I waa afraid to hold on, and I dassn't let go." "Between the horns of a dilemma, ventured the lady. "No. ma'am, I wasn't between the horns at all; and besides, he wasn't a dilemma. He was a Jersey." <t Although Parliament is still "up," Club- land is thick with political gossip, says the "Saturday Journal." Here aM .some of the tit-bits: Retirement of Lord Derby as Ambassador to Paris; resignation of "Brimstone Churchill as soon as the Cabinet meets; return of Mr. Asquith to Parliament; retirement of Adamson from leadership of Labour Opposition; appoint- ment of J. R. Clynes as his successor; ap- pointment of Hendersou as Chief Labour Whip. Considerable excitement haR been caused in chess circles by the wizardry of Scnor Capablanca, the Cuban prodigy, who, in the first international tournament held in England for twenty years, astounded every- one with his amazing skill. At the age cf four he defeated his own father, and since then he has developed such wonderful skiH that when twenty years of age he played 590 simultaneous games (in batches of from twentv-nvc to forty-eight), out of which he won 560 and lost only twelve. Doctors puzzle over the brain of chess marvel, who glances at a board, decides hia move, and with bewildering rapidity passes from table to table occupied by the 25 cr 30 players he is competing against. The warning is reiterated as to Bolshevik plans for causing trouble in England duiing the present month. The Admiralty has had some evidence within the last week or so as to the machinations that are going on in re- spect of "the imminent world revolution. Has it traced the source by which seditious literature has been distributed among men of the Fleet in Finnish waters—and else- where? One wondertS. <-<.<. One of the most startling features of the Bolshevist menace i, the suggestion that their agents in Englgnj arB in direct touch with Mo-cow. This seems to spell only one thing—secret wireless. There is no question, of course, of a Transmitting station, but there is a very strong probability that Lenin controls his emissaries here by orders (presumably in code) which -they pick up on a receiving equipment. Although it smacks of looking for a needle in ;t haystack, the police might find a j-earch for this gear more profitable than tapping the telephone lines of suspects in London. Ex-President Taft, who has just attained his 6211d birthday, recently inherited ;t2,000 a vea-f from the Carnegie fortune. When he was at the White House, he was known as cue of the hardest working Presidents America, had ever known, yet, by a curious anomaly, he has advocated a three months' annual holiday for everybody. One of his strongest points has always been his di-ie- gard for pubhc opinion. "I will have nothing to satisfy public sentiment," he once caid, when tackled by a Senator to make an alteration in a Hill to paciiy a certain section of the public, '"ihe Bill may be altered to make .it more eSective, but I will have none oi any provision worke-l in to pacify anybody. 1 am a .way pa-t that. When i learn Tvc stirred up ;) new sort of criticism, I feel a ;iort of gleeful satisfaction." :I< An amusing tale is that told by Mr. Leon M. Leon, the actor, who relates how two old ladies were greatly disappointed in a play, to wit, "The Chinese Puzzle," or, at iea-t, in what they saw of it. The play opened in an Engij.sh drawing-room, and the ladies suffered in thence till just before Mr. Leon'e entrance. Then they rose irom their scats and "stormed' the box oitice. They complained that they had come to see a real Chinese play, about real Chinamen in China. In great indignation they ') demanded tueir money back. (And got it. According to all accounts, M r. 11. B. JrvingMlond of telling the story of how a friend of his once put hia foot will it when dining at Highgatev.ith a. family who had recently moved to that salubrious locality. My friend (says Mr. Irving) took the eldest daughter in to dinner, and at the dessert stage he began talking about the beauties of the locality, the splendid view from the front windows, the bnc sir, and so on. Suddenly the young lady interrupted him. Mr. Blank," she said, "I think I get prettier every day." My friend gasped; then plunged, "I es, indeed," he said, "you certainly do get prettier every dav, and no wonder in such pure f.ir and——" 'But the girl flashed upon him a look of withering scorn. and turned away. She had dropped an "h." What &he had said wae not a Hilly compliment to herself. The sentence really was: "I think prettier every dav." Our new to America, Lord Grey. is said to be the most discreet of men. He would not say a word to English journalist- when he Ipit for New York, and though he made a speech to the American Luncheon Club in London, it was on the strict understanding that not a word of it should be published. Whether he talks or not, we shall sec &ome sort of an interview with I;hu when he reaches New York. For the American journalist is notorious at "achieving" fake interviews. We all know that fine old type of Scottish dome-.tic. usually called Janet (for tihort). Well, of this genus a good story was told the other day concerning Professor Couch Adams, one of the discoverers of the planet Neptune, who good-nsturediy remarked to his old housekeeper at the time of his great achievement: "Janet;, the next planet I dis- cover I will give you a sovereign." YeaM afterwards the astronomer said to a" friend, in response to an inquiry: "The only re.sult of my r:)sh promise is that now I never can go out at night but she suspects me of die- covering planets nn the sly."
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Princess Beatrice presented four D.C.M.s and nine M..i\L" and about 50 Mons Stars to mcu of the 2nd Royal Muuster Fusiliers at a parad e at Parkhurst. Viscount Cowdray and Genera! Sir Julian Dvit- will be admitted to the freedom of the borough of Colchester on October 15. George Wall. who won internationa.1 foct- ball honours as a. schoolboy, died at New- castle at thereof 22. He had signed on with Newcastle United. Viscount Bryce was ujiable to open the RusMn Centenary Ex-hibition at the Roya) Academy, and his piace was taken by Sir Ast'm Webb, president of the Royal Academy.
-''fJ IS THIS WEEK IN THE…
-fJ I S THIS WEEK IN THE GARDEN. XX, The ripest peach is highest on the tree.Anon. A, i Violets for Winter.—Place thece, plants in a cold fra.me for the winter now, ming a compost of three parts gocd loam, and one part lea-f-mould. Avoid the common error of placing- them too far irc.m the glass, be- cause they do better when the foliage actually touches it. Give the violets all the air possible, plant nrmly in nine inches of compost, and water each plant in. Eeep the lights off except in wet or frost. Final Potting of Cinerarias.—If pots of these have become crov-'ded with roots give them their nnnl pc-tting now. Leave space at the top of the pot for a top-dres'-ing to be applied before they throw up nower spikes. Later batches should be potted, on as they became fit. Do not coddle them, but grow them naturally, taking sufficient care to prevent frost reaching- them. Destroy the lea-fminer, if it is discovered, by pinching it or pricking it out with a needle, otherwise if left it epoiLs the foliage quickly. The Double Soapwort.—Snponaria. omci- iio.lc nore pleno, to use the full L:lbn name, is one of the best hardy perennials for town gardens. It thrives in nearly all trils and positions It grows about two feec I)igb, and the double pale pink flowers are freely borne throughout summer and autumn When cut for vases the n&wers are lasting; unopened flowers expand when the fading blooms arc removed and fresh water given. Division of the roots is a ready means of increase.  Ro?ea from Cuttings.—Many varieties of the rose may be increased by taking cut- tings now. The stronger grov.-ing roses, such as the Ramblers and Hybrid Perpetu- als, respond best to t',iis treatment. Select a piece of ground, shaded and s heltered to some extent, for the reception of the cut- tings, and add sand to the soil. '\VeII- ripened shoots nine inches in length make the best cuttings. Insert Crmiy, live inches deep. < < Potting Arum Lilies.—Plants that have been allowed to remain in their pets should be shaken cut immediately and repotted. Those that have been planted out i;i the open border must be lifted ai;d petted in a compost of about three parts good loam and the remainder well-rotted mnuure and leaf- soil. Rcmo\c all suckers from the plants, and place one crown in a five-inch pot, or four in a nine-inch receptacle. Renovating Fruit Trees.—In many C3.<'e8 this work will soon ca" for attention. It may be old trees which must be removed entirely to make way for young or neglected trees may need thorough pruning and cleansing to bring them back into a fruitful, healthy condition. It may be necessary to apply manure, or fresh soil or thorough soaking-s of liquid manure may be given two or three times during the autumu and winter. Sweet Peas.—For an early display next year. sow seeds of this popular annual in 5in. pots now. Apart from their flowering' earlier, sweet peas raided from an autumn mowing are .generally hardier and last longer in Sower than thofe from the ordinary spring' sowing-. Use a good open compc-t, and sow about five seeds in each pot, germi- nating nnd wintering them in cold frames. Look out for mice. Cabbage.—Get out the plants to frTm the spring bed at the earnest opportunity. It the be-st results art wanted give the ground a liberal dressing of good stable manure. Avoid planting- on porous ground, and after watering keep the roots well supplied with clear water until new leaver are made. Where the space is limited and demands foi greens great, plant twice as thickly a,3 usual, withdrawing each alternate plant as soon as the tops are of fair size. Strawberry Beds.—These must not be -neo-Iected now if good fruits are desiic'd I]l(lx t season. Cut away all runners from the plants and preserve a fine, loose tilth, free from weeds, by frequent hoeing-. This ad- vice M especially applicable in the c.ase of beds made larit month. Plants that have carried a good crop this year should now be mulched with well-decayed manure and otherwise attended to. Storing Fruits.—The fruit-room must be properly prepared bv washing the shelves cieau It is an advantage to Iim.?-wash the walls. The ideal Etore-room for apples is one with a cool, rather damp air. A damp atmosphere is far preferable to a very dry room. In gathering fruits, bruise a3 few as possible and reject any that are nMggot- eaten, or pecked bv birds or wasps. Ail of these should be laid aside for immediate use. < Paths between Plots.—The-e are formed to facilitate manuring, for keeping the beds free from weeds, and occasionally, on heavy land, for drainage purposes. They vary in width, according to requirements and the amount of space available. They may be temporar' y, .as between seed-beds, or perma- nent, w between asparagus beds. It Ire- quently happens that the-* have become neglected and overrun with WlW"; the qinckest way to clean them is by using- the spade or shovel to ekim the surface. In the event of the plot on one or more g:dcs being vacant, throw the skimmings there, when they will be dug in during trenching or digging. All paths require reforming onc-e a year as, through rains and hoeing, they become partly filled up. < <. Lifting Root Crops.—April powi'r:gs oi c:rrote and beet should now be lifted. Leaving them in the ground too Jr.llg i. often responsible for cracking and Ic.s of Davour. Keep carrots fresh and tender throughout the winter by clamping them nt the foot of a dry wall, but the beet mu.-t be stored in a frost-proof s hed. Lift beet very carefully, and -screw off the tops by hand. <J Late Peas.—Although the entire s, Iccess of late-own row' of peas depend- en favourable climatic conditi:]; "e-C:l'al thing: may be d"ue to brmg gr.od re- suIts. ldew is often a but *his can be fought bv dusting aSected fohige with flowers of sulphur and keeping the plants moist at the n'e,t..c;. It ad"'i«- able to pick all pods imm&diately they are full enough for u-e. Autumn-sown of thi", crop made in August haYp l,n-.d;;cl'd plants large enoug-h f<r pricking- out !l"\í" Do this in cold frames, or ¡-{,me ruugL;v- ccnstructed woodcll he It,cr, at GiE. a -art, each ,yav. Do not use over-rich soi!. or grovrth wHI be too gros'. AHo'-v a;r to circulate amongst the plant. -o 11; tnev ma.y withstand the winter, a:;d prick the &oil between with a poii..t<'d st.ick. Lte-Sown Eoct çrop3.-J"J.ly mid sowing of turnip-rooted b?et a 13,; p rooted carrots are now making fair h.c:!d- way and must be lett in the s round for some time yet. Ue the h'e tween the rows. and dc not negicct to 'jhjn the crops so that the plants at a dis- tance of 4in. to 5in. fror:i each ether. Tur- nips require thinning to a. sin.ik. exto'.t to produce a good crop. now occupied with tomatoe' 'iil shortly be requircd for ch:-ysanthemujM,a:;d the de- sire is to get the tomntoe- matrLr'ed quickiy. Ripening may be hastened by cutting back the foliage of the plants se' cre!y, keeping the soil in the pots on ihe dry side, nd gathering each h'uit directly it becc.mes nt. Outside tomatoes must be' treated in the same way. Winter Greens.—Yherp these haTe been planted between rows of potatcc'.s the lifting of the potatoes has shown them to be rather sickly. Do everything possible to improve their state whilst the g'rowins' sea-on !r.sts and before winter real!y set- in. Remove all yellow and -iecaved ](,a7e,. acj t:cad around plants that are not ver y iirm. A couple of soakings of hq-id rranure or weak Boot-water would assist s'rr,wth.
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Cura.te.s are getting better pay. Bolshevists admit further loss of ground to Denikin. Cec&orship in France is aboli"hed. Cardiff wag-on builders have struck for a new price list.
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The Lord Mayor (Sir Horace Brooks Mar- <haLl), who is the 'Worshipful Master of the Guildhall Lodge No. 3,116, the members to hold their next at the Mansion Hous-e on October 2' when two members of the Corporation wiil be inhi- ated. The veteran runner. C. W. Hart. who started to run from the Marble Arch to Bath and bacJ. a distance of 21H niiies. hnd to abandon the att-empt o-,7]rl an :€]- dentto hist-on.who while n i i with him on the Bath road a -,vn and seriousiv injured by a mctcr-orr'r. Mr. Alexander Gi)roy. jute merrllaIlt. of Dundee, who died on June 15, has left. in addition to real estate, pei'-onat estate in the United King-dc.m valued at £j7..31:2. of which his holding in War Bond.- was £226,975. He \Y.l chairmsn of the Victoria Jute Company, Limited, and diiector of a number of corcpanies. General Bart.. hae been appointed aldc-de-canip-pciieral to the Kinp-, vice Geueral Sir H. C. 0. P!umcr. promoted to the rank of :fidd.m\rsha!, with effe2t from Juty 31, 1919.
IHOW TO KEEP THE GRASS GREEN.
I HOW TO KEEP THE GRASS GREEN. Gardeners have much dimculty with brown patches in fine turf, and, as they commonly occur in midsummer, have usually been ascribed to "sun scald." Observation of the spots near Philadelphia furnished strong evidence that the caufe was an organism, but the pathologist- who f-tudied specimens failed to disclose the casual agent. According to Professor C. V. Piper, how- ever, who has investigated the matter, the fungus is the well-known Hhixoctonia solani. From artificial culture it was eary to induce the formation of brown patches in grasd turf under favourable weather conditions. The fungus is known to attack an enor- mous list of herbaceous illailt-, but strangely enough has never been reported as attacking any grass, although there is one record of the occurrence of the mature form of the fungus (Corticum vagum) on maize. Rhizoctonia is, however, very common in lawns and pastures and has been observed bv Professor Piper and his assistants in many places from Minnesota to Maine and southward to the Ohio and Potomac Rivers. Among the plants attacked are rcdtop, red fescue, Rhode Island bent, carpet bent, velvet bent, Kentucky bluegrass, rough- stalked meadow-grass, as well as many lawn weedt'>o Crab-grass and Bermuda grass feem perfectly immune, as is also white clover. Most of the gra..se.s slowly recover in the brown patches with the advent of cooi weather in autumn, but seme are completely killed. Certain strains of carpet bent and velvet bent grown in pure cultures near Washington are especially injured by the disease, but others are completely immune. Spraying at intervals with Bordeaux mix- ture helps to protect the turf, but such applications need to be frequent.
IMAKtNG SCENTS.
MAKtNG SCENTS. The scientific discovery that odours can be communicated to fatty substances provides two methods of making perfume. One of them is called "maceration," where fresh flowers are laid fro: day to day during a period of weeks in the same bed of slightly .warmed fat. The other method i", called "cnneurage," where the Sowers are renewed daily in unheated fat or oil. Gather the blossoms when they are most fragrant, which is usually in the morning, djscard everything but the petals, and, if the en- ncura.ge process is to be used, put them at once into frames, made of small, shallow boxes from which the tops and bottoms have been removed. These four'&ided frames must be all alike in ;-ize and shape, each with a partition, made oi glass or coarse-mesh wire netting, midway between the top and bottom. Glass is needed when the perfume i.s to be absorbed by layers of fat. and net- ting: when soft cotton mats are used soaked in olive oil. If fat is uc;ed, spread a layer on the glass, tin. deep. and cover it thickly with blos- soms. Dace a second frame above it with its glass partition greased above and below, so a« to protect the flowers underneath and to serve as a bed for others on the top. When these are in position, continue up- ward until the whole stock of flowers ie used up. and lay a thick cüth ever all, to pre. v&nt the fragrance from escaping. Leave the blossoms in the frames not less than twelve hours and not more than tv.-enty-four, after which separate the frames ;:nd renew the blossoms. The fat is Icit v.'here it is until it has absorbed perfume up to the desired ctrength, which is determined by the ratio of the weight of the flowers to that of th< fat.
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Hammersmith Council has received 100 applications for the position of chief libra- rian at a salary of -L3OO a year. Lady Monson, widow of Sir Edmund Mormon, Bart., late British Ambassador to Paris, died suddenly in London. Although the Paris theatre strike con- tinues, performances are being given as ujsual at several theatres. The majority of the niiisic-halls and cinemas are open. The Bolsheviks announce that they have evacuated Tobolsk. Siberia, which they cap- tured from Eoltehak a fortnight ago, and are now 14 miles from the city.
THE POULTRY YARD
THE POULTRY YARD )!)j Helpful Hints for "Backyarders." By "COCKCROW." iUt In continuation of my brief "Ybo's Who in the Poultry Yard.' I will descri be th.s week other members of the bird trÚ)\ wiÚ. which you may come into conta-ct. It may be said t-hat Polish fowls at one time occu- pied a more prominent position in thp poul- try world than they do now. Tb&y are handsome birds, and for the man who goes in for exhibiting' would prove an interc.ting investment. They are not particularly di6.- cult to deal with. and their appearaiice add" dignity to ary run. I NOX-SITTI:SG BREED. A non-sitting one is the Polish. breed, though there arc cased where the contrary will be found. 'But taking them all round jt is noticeable that the heu;- do net show a very great tendency towards sitting. They are good layers, tlie cg'g's being white and of an avciage eize. Tne drawbaek of the breed is their tendency to contract cold t the slightest opportunity, and for this r('u,on tne bouping accommodation should be ample. The white-crested Polish is neat and well-made in the body. Both the cock and the hen have a good themselves well. The plumage of the bc.dy should be glossy black in cotour, while the cre,t should be a pure white. A few black feathers will be found in the front cvpr the nostrils, but these make their appearance in nearly aF! cases. In breeding this variety birds with good crc:sta sTiouid be the or;cs k selected, of course taking into consideration ("ize and shape. A singie matin?, i: br'th birds sre satisfactory in these point?, should produce good results. THE SPANGLED POLISH. This bird is an extremely dainty ore. and in bred in two colour;-—silver and golden. It is curious to note that two have been mated many times the result has been always silver or golden without, any apparent diminution of the colour. The piiver arc generally larger than the gold'jn. The crests are larger than those found in the :paL,;led. The crest feathers are black nt the base, coloured in the middle and black at the tips. The ccck should have t.f.e hackles and saddle leathers tipped with black. The ground colour of the silvers should be as white as possible, and it is here that one must be careful in :e:('cting j for breeding. But the ordinary precautions taken in the case of ether white brce- will meet the case. The C'olden Spangled have a deep golden colour substituted to" the white in the silvers. Dark" blue legs are characteristic of both specie!?, and the Leaks are a very similar colour. BUFF LACBD POLISH. A third variety is that known as the Ch.:mois or Buif' Laced Polish. The'e were originaily produced by crossing the Silver and the Golden, but have now become a djs- tinct breed. In appearance the birds are ex- tr'emelv beautiful. One prominent breeder of this class deelai-Co that the birds are as hardv a. any other breed, and do not require a superlative amount c-f care and attcinio;i. T)ie egg'b ire large, but the hens 2. not g-rcat winter layers. Of course, if they were placed on a special diet they might, be made to produce a good average supp)y during the dark months ot the year. For the table they will be found very adaptable, as they are of fair size and neat shapes, and the meat is plentiful and of excellent quality. When. mating the crests should be cut completely on', so that the birds have an uninterrupted view. They can then 8ee to feed and forage properly for themselves. C THE SCOTCH GREY. Ose of the oldest and most interesting cf all the varieties of bantams is the Scotch 1 Grey. It Is more popular in Scotland LlJl in England. The bir-cis arc very ha.i the chjckeus are ea,,v to rear, whik' T.hp r.L'n. i. an excellclt lavel'. The breeder whii;d that by careful itiating he get l('lts that are <-nitisia<'toiy enough, to catch ihe judge's eye at the sliow. j MEAT AXD GREEKS. Both of these thug's are to young birds, but they should )-()i h be ltd a" i'r'esn a.s possible. if one \\at<*hes birds <yf any jkind in a state of nature, v.'hiL-t the youngsters are iu the the ieeding n- mostly of a meat kind, L,7 represeMted by gTubs, wormg. aud such like, and very sel- dom. indeed, do we iind <my d the,(' birds dying off with the troubles čh:lt ?o beset those reared nudcr hurna.u A.gaiu, young chickens and require plenty of green iood—lettuce, radish tops. green onions, the leave:! cf c.abba¡;f'; all thet-e are helpfuL 1Dd nnic-h ''nay be g-ath-Hed from the hedgerows, such a.! goosegro::¡-:s or cleavers. Do not ruu chickcu :iii )ong- gia,ss. They often get wet in the e<iriy morning, or if it. rains, there i" soon trouble ahc-ad .in 'he form of lung air-Khans There is nothing' better for young chickens than four hurdler put in to form a square, which -will aHord adequate protection, and which can be e;1."ity shifted by moving three hurdles and the coop each day. I HAVE AX OVERHAUL. It is always a good pinn to cvprhau' Y;)U:f app!iancee., and there is no QOH A t},J t there will be no disposition aruoug to spend more money on than ia absoiute!y uepescary. It is. therefore, more important than ever to see that a!I the old and put into good order. It i", -%Nunde--ful .,h:t a lew nails and .(.'rewt> will do. A naii herf and a screw there will lens'thcn the IHc cf a hc,tlse for years. Don't stint the ,hit.e'.Y:sh. A!I the iuteriois of the c, a, brooders, houses, etc., should be washed, and then well whitewashed, particular attention b<ing paid to the crocks aud crannks, lor Jt 13 here that insects love to congregate, cording' out at night to weiry and annoy the bjrds. GAUGJXG EGG PRODUCTrON. Some time ago, at Coid Spring Uarboui. Long Inland, America, Dr. A.I-. Biakestce discovered that yellow Figmu;t (JJl th .ar- lol,,e. and shanks oi white Leghorn fowl., is inversely consisted with iccundity. Further I H't;earche, by him 011 thia subject gh<;w that the percentage ci yeliow iu the clT-;obe during October i:- clc,eh- corrdatl'd, in- versely, with the .mean annual c tion. This ie t: terest, since by it one can telÎ in Octc,ber without trap-ne'ting which bi:d8 have been the heaviest layer-, duiiug the past vear. Birds Mhov-'ing onh- 10 or 20 :'e1' <(-i;t. of yellow in their ea'i-iobes laid at the end of the year. oti an averag-e. ? bout 185 eggs. those exhibiting u5 or G5 "per cent. yellow will have )aid <n the average only about 130 eggs. The result is believed to be due to the eire-ciia-laice that the growth of the eggs in the ovary abstracts veilow pig- ment from the hc\dy-ti.ssue, or IJrc, e!Ó" it from being deposit«i there. The IDe<i.sure- ments of colour ar:' ma.de with the c&Jour top (& top provided with colour discs. for blending colours in an y desired proportion).