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I r f 4 * 4 â- 4 4t 4 < â- ^ * dnliilll A EA BAGS SYNOPSIS CHAPTEB XIX: BYbtl sdmita tllat she ka4 CMC U the White AbbvT U »ck TalUlBcaart, but did oat (o npatatra. â- cCmIe thrn tslka to Victoria. In > â- MBAtkast war, aha Intlmatra that aha ««• tha woman who wore the red wis aa kCT Tialta to VaUslncourt. CHAPTER XX. "Because it just occurred to me, being a detective, that if you had iliose letters you might just possi- bly not destroy them. They make soeh a swell motive." He bowed "Not only that, my loyal young lady, but you seem to think â€" as a matter of fact, you're practically convinced yourself that Shari Lynn has possession of those letters. Suppose 1 tell ycu that the police have them safe under lock and key. Evidence, you know." "It's a he!" "Yes," he said, "so far as 1 know, h is a lie, but how did you know?" She put her hps together and just glared at him. "Yon may go," he said uncon- cernedly. "I'll talk t oyour sister- in-law next. See you at the in- quest" A few minutes later, the sound of the piano playing stopped abruptly. Shortly afterward, the door opened and Karen Bigelow came in. She brought something into the library with her, something colder than the atmosi^ere already there in tha( back room where the sunshine sel- dom reaches. "You play the Preludes beautiful- ly," he said finally. She smiled and answered in that cushioned voice of hers that liad just the right ac- cent. ". . . and what is life but a series of preludes?" » • ♦ He ntodded. as if she had given him a clue to the inner fabric of her existence. That calm, aloof e.xteri- or covered secret loi»j,'ings, frus- trated dreams, and the viking staunchness that gave her the vital- ity to keep beginning again â€" and again. "I think," he observed, "tliat of all the Bigelows, you belong least of all to tliis house." "You mean, perhaps, that I am ao acquisitionâ€" let us say â€" an or- nament?" "E.xactly. Ycu can tell me more about them than anyone. " "Oh, but 1 couldn't." She made a slow, somnolent motion, not so much in horror or disloyalty as of deadly indifference "I think you can," he persisted. "Let me tell you what 1 know to be true. You all were acquainted with Curt Vallaincourt in Chicago â€" at about the same time Stcplien Bige- low was, shall I say, rushing von into matrimony? You knew his wife, too. Sarah Linsky, wasn't itâ€" the present Shari Lynn?" » • • She was watching him covertly from under her long lashes. "I know you finally consented to marry Stephen," he continued. "I'll confess, I've wondered why." She shifted her position impercep- tibly, placing her long white- hands on her knees. "I had Jtiffered all winter with a pain here." She touched her arm. "A nervous ailment. I thought then that I would never play again. 1 thoughtâ€"" She had thought, of course, that she could forget her music in the bosom of a rich so- cial life. How wrong she had been. She found herself embroiled be- tween a jealous niotber-in-law and a jealous husband. She had with- flrawn, therefore, to her Nordic kauteur, until boredom and unhap- pincss had driven her back to the keyboard to find that sheer neccs- »ily enabled her to overcome her illness, forced her to play attain. McCale stood very straight and sttU before the glacial Karen Bigc-. low. Her hauteur and boredom ajjd complete indifference was begin- ning to get him. "Look, Mrs. Bigelow," he said Tcry quietly, "I know that \'ictoria knew Vallaincourt and that was still going on even after his engage- ment to Veronica, and that he still saw Shari Lynn as well. I know; too, that you once bad some con- BROWN w:N.lt.PfATUf«Ct nection with him, because you went to the White Abbey the night be- fore last to buy back some letters from Miss Lynn. They must have been old letters or Vallaincourt would have had them and you would have had to deal with him. The fact that he showed surprise when ycu made the exchange with his ex-wife proved that." "What else do you know?" she asked wearily,- her voice toneless. "Wei! â€" " he hesitated. "I know that your husband also saw the exchange. Did you know that?"- "Yes. He accused me late that night, but I'd destroyed the letters, Mr. McCale. and I managed to con- vince him thiit I had done an errand for Vicky." "Ummm. Quick thinking. There are some letters of Victoria's arounil, somewhere, you know." "Really?" She was disinterested, completely. "Well?" "Those are the things I know." He raised an eyebrow, looked at her intensely, and his voice grew hard. "But this is what 1 surmise. Let's say it is a hunch I have, so great that it wants only confirma- tion from you.** » •â-  ♦ The woman before him might have been carved of ice, but McCale v\ent on. "The design or plan was to bring Vallaincourt. the irresistible, the magnet, to attract Veronica. He was to marry her and get control of the money, or at least salt away a large portion of it for himself. Then, perhaps, a divorce, and back to Victoria. It probably was Vic- toria's idea. Then everything would be soft for the foster-Bigelows. They could have their fun, have millions to rlay with, and no inter- ference from a disapproving broth- er-in-law. like, for instance. Chris- toihcr Storm." An amused nuirmnr came from' her set Hps. "I don't think that you necessari- ly were a party to the scheme. I suppose you knew about it, but were just too disgusted witli your own life to c;ire." He scowled. "But the rest of tliem. What a rotten deal to put over on a fine old lady and a sensitive young girl!" His repugnance to the idea was clearly apparent in his face. * « * '"However " He sat up straight, putting the tii)s of his fingers to- gether. "Something went wroiig somewhere. I rather suspect it was Shari Lynn. Curt probably had to promise he would come back with the spoils in order to get her to dixorce him. He also had to make the same promise to Victoria. What a mess wlien someone, Victoria, no doubt, found the scrap of burned letter in the fireplace. That put the screws in the works. No wonder, in her rage, she took it to Miss .^de!aide, sending her seareliing all over tlie town for an honest detec- tive." ♦ • » He was silent for a moment, star- ing moodily at the disdainful Karen. "These things I surmise," he re- iterated. "Now. what csn you tell me?" "1 don't need to tell you any- thing. You are very acute." Her voice was smooth, flat. . "Thank you." He bowed as though to the Snow Maiden herself. "Except perhaps â€" " "K.xcept." she cut it curtly, "it was \'eronica who found the piece of letter." She smiled ironically. â- 'Lord,'' he reeled as from a blow, "bow you all gang up on Veronica.' She moved toward the door. "Christopher, the Galahad, the ir- reproachable, iji upstairs, if you wish to question him." Her voice dripped ice. "By all means." McCale bad learned a great deal, but all roads led to Rome â€" or to Veronica, to put it exactly. There was only one .suhuion. Shari Lynn. .She must be bribed, or coerced, or irightencd into talking. She must talk before this shabby erowtl brought their witch's brew to boil. (To be continued) ti^*imt^i Farmerette Vanguard â€" .A happy group cf farmerettes clu.ster around the Mobile Canteen maintained by the National Council of the YWCA for the benefit of farmerette camps throughout Ontario. The^farmerettes shown here are at Viireland Camp, near St. Catharine-s, and are the first of 2500 girls to help fruit farmers during the summer. AN N£ HIRST Wife Disagrees With Anne Hirst WELL, today 1 get my come-np- ♦ pance again, from a contented ♦ woman who 27 years ago married • against her family's wishes, and • consequently believes tliat parents * should allow their daughters to * make their own choice. I quote * part of her letter, and I confess * it seems convincing â€" in her case. "/ most certainly do not agree xuitk ycu. Anne Hirst, in your reflv to â- Old Faithful.' I had . the . very same rxperienee. 1 Jt'dj 17 -when I met the young tinsn I later mar- ried. We were not allciued to see eoeh other. for my father and- mother would not permit me to go with anyone â€" not eirii a group of young folks. I ii.'as alicays a eleait Christian girl, and never did any thing wrong . So for four years." she eontiiiues. "we met sei-relly' He zeas afraid of my parents, though lie is no coward and has proved he has plenty of ehar- aeter. I even left home thrcugh it all." • TURNED OUT FINE "lie had hosts of jrends. We have five ihildrcH, all grown, and I have al:eays Said I would never interfere with them when it came to picking their mates. I have okvays stuck to that, and they have nez-cr given us any ki:;d of trouble. We are proud of them, and also our in-la-n's!" Your Handwriting. and You By Alex S. Arnott Friendly people are revealed in handwriting by the spacious lower loops of the Y's, G's anJ F's (as shown in figure below). Whenever you see a large loop in these letters .vou know the person who wrote 'them has a friendly nature and wishes friendship above the material things in life. They would sacrifice time and money to retain their friends and will do whatever they can to make new friends whenever possible. Vou will find, too, that such a person will be frank with you and will not try to evade an enquiry but would rather tell you ontright how they feel. Their nature is to come to the point quickly and without cere- money regardless iif what the out- come may mean to them. The larger lower loops in the letters tell you the easy going nature of the writer, who would dc a favour fcir a friend and not think of the cost, but rather that he would be "helping someone out". You can be sure that he will be as friendly today as he will be to- morrow and all the other days, for these loops reveal the writer to be broadniinded, willing to over- look the faults of others and lo extend a friendly hand no matter what the station in life ot the other person. ^^â- zf-^ In our tie.xt article we" shall see bow the iin -friendly persons reveal themselves in their writing and how you can detect deceit in the hand- writing. "/ have the finest htisband in the world, and even after 27 years we still love each other dearly. After my parents found out we were get- ting along so well, they thought more of him than any one of Iheir sons-in-law â€" "Which just proves tltat parents should never interfere with young folks making their cituice, unless one or the other is not a desirable person." TO "TKLE BLUE": I like your * stniight forward message, and I •* congratulate you both with all * my heart You were extremely * lucky. One swallow, however, * does not make a summer. If you * could read the heart-breaking * tragedies which young girls who * defied their parents write me * about so constantly, I believe you * would realize that in the majority * of instances it is safe to persuade â- â™¦ toen-age daughters that parents * usually have good reasons for their * disapproval, and to wait for a * reasonable time before they dis- * regard their advice. * SUCH HASTE! DE.4R' ANNE HIKST: I am 21, * and met a young man a year older * last October. The same month I * took a vacation, and while I was * away he wrote me -often, and sent * me a ring. Now he wants me to * marry him at once. Where I * visited, I met another man who â- ^ who proposed to me. and now he * wants his answer. He gave me * nice gifts, has called me several * times, and promises iny parents a * trip to his city because it is in- * convenient for him to get away. * Without my consent, he has found * an apartment and furnished it. He * is 33. I don't love'either of these * men, but I feel I should marry. . * Which one do you advise? â€"PUZZLED Neither. You must be what is called a fast worker to hm^e en- couraged any man to speak of love or marriage on such short acquaint- ance. And you seem to regard mar- riage as lightly as you consider a summer frotk. Modern Etiquette By Roberta Lee Q. How should the knife and fork be placed on the plate when not in use? A. Place the knife midway be- tween the outer edge and the center of the plate, cutting edge in. Lay the fork parallel to it, further to- ward the center. Q. Is it the woman's place to tell the head waiter where she would' like to sit when having din- ner with a man in a hotel? A. No; leave it to the man to tell the waiter. Q. How mi'-h space should be left for the left-handed margin of a social letter? A. The proper margin widtk is largely determined by the size of the letter paper. Q. Is it proper for parents to send out announcements and in- vitations when their daughter who is a divorced woman, or a widow, remarries ? A. Yes. Q. How should a mother intro- duce her daughter to a very distin- guished elderly man ? A. "Mr. Harris, my daughter Jane." Q. Should one apologize if it is neces.-ary to turn his back to an- other person? A. yes, alway*. Sunday School Lesson Religious Reforms In Judah % Kings 22:10-11; 23:1-5, 21 Golden Textâ€" Give me under- standi/iy, and I shall keep thy law. â€"Psalm 119:34. One of the mysteries of life is why good men should sometimes have evil sons. However, it is a com- pensating fact that sometimes evil men have good sons. Both facts are strikingly illus- trated in the history of the kings of Judali who came after Hezckiali. Hezekiah was a relatively good king, and his long reign was marked by safety and prosperity, deliverance when the hosts of Assyria were des- troyed. But the impressive influences were soon forgotten in the long reign of Hezekiah's son, Manasseh. It is recorded that he not only shed innocent blood, but he set up altars and practices of idolatry and turned to all methods of sorcery and abom- inable practice. His son. Amon, prov- ed no better, but he reigned for only C.N.E. BULLETIN Quilt Marathon Open to Clubs To Aid Britain Did YCU ever take part in a quilting marathon? There will be a mammoth bee in progress on the Canadian National Ex- hibition grounds, Friday Aug. 29 from 4.30 to 7 p.m.. according to word from the Women's Sec- tion. This marathon is open to all women's organizations. .Ml quilts entered in this competition, are to be lef: with the C.N.E. for shipment to Brit.iin. Six quilters will work at each qiiilt which may be pieced using cuttings from sewing, or of plain material. Quilts should be about three-quarters finished be- fore the day of the competition and. should be completed if pos- sible, during the bee. .\ picnic supper for all quilters will be supplied by Exhibition authori- ties. Prizes are: ^lO for first, §0 for second, $8, $7. $6, ?5, $4, and $3 for eighth prize. A consol- ation prize of $2 will be awarded to each organization taking part. Basis of judging will be' suit- ability 40; workmanship 40; ap- pearance 20. Entry forms arc now available at the Women's Section, Canadian National E.x- hibition, Exhibition Park, Tor- onto. Why We Have Heels One rather surprising,' result of the introduction of stirrups has been the use of heels on shoes, says the Windsor Star. These were brought in about the sixteenth century to provide a rest for the feet of horse- men. Tljey still survive, although we no longer go about on horse- back, in spite cf the fact that they are uncomfortable and unhealthy, and that it is impossible, to walk naturally in them. This is a striking example of how, through sheer inertia, some- thing can continue to be used when there is no longer any need for it. loan companies. Permanent British occupation of the Cape of Good Hope, now in the Union of South Africa, was start- ed in 1806. two years. Then his own servants slew him. * * * Then came the good son of a bad father, Josiah, Amon's son, then a boy of 8. He ruled Jud;ih for 31 years. Josiah was aggressive. He vig- orously attacked the idolatrous places and restored the Temple as the place of true worship. It was in tliis restoration of the Temple that the "Bool, of the Law," the book of Deuteronomy in our Bible, was discovered. It be- came the occasion for an impressive dedicatory service In wliich king and people made a covenant to obey its preempts and serve the one God. * * * Centuries later Jesus proclaimed the spiritual nature of the true God, whose worship is in spirit and in truth and is not confined to temples, mountains, or other pro- fessedly holy places. But the effect of the reforms under Josiah was to purify religion of its abuses. In its emphasis on the holy pkicc it des- troyed the unholy places. .â- \nd im- holiness, whethc.- in place or in per- son, is the denial of essential good- ness and of all inn" worship. WOMEH! TRY THIS ryoare NERVOUS On 'CERTAIN DAYS' of Month! If functional momlily disturbances cnuse yoa to Buffer nervous tension â€" at sucli times â€" this is xxry erfectiie to relievo stuh symptoms, imAlPMHAM'S «MprS ^S^J^^kt^and Lois of l^p rot ^ Dr. Chase's Kjdney-Liver Pills HOW CAN I EARN AiT»jin( ntu m«iiu«l l«lli how to mtm fnonty >t home >p»r»iim« or tuli lime SUrt your oHn buiinea*. t>« your own b«u Make BK, protlra Euy pltatam W5Tk Conl«m« ^M Cif pl»ni including Proniabit Row«r' Buaints. SUrlKl on 13 10 JSTj A Yf«r Fri.n. Trr« a Uvinf From Hfrbs In • « By 6 Foot Sp«cr' $^S3 * Yr«r For » Hour* Weekly â-  ,tc He Can b« op«rateiJ by any. one â€" hou»«wivrt n\tn. • ludcnu. in>aliil<. «ic An ««»y w«y lo make Ui« money you neetj All 10 plans lent postpaid â€" only I) »a Send .NOW FLETCHER'S Bowie, Maryland ISSUE 23â€"1947 CRUMB COFFEE CAKE r> ^A^f, 7 ^ > ^ "If Recipe Add 1 envelope Royal Fast Ri.'s- ing Dry Yea5t and 1 teaspoon sugar to 14 cup lukewarm water, siir and let stand 10 minutes Scald Vi cup milk, add ? tabiespooQS shortening, Vi cur sugar and </i teaspoon tali; rtx>l to lukewarm. Add 1 cup sifted Hour to make a batter. Add veast mi.xture and 1 beaten egg Beat well. .\dd 2 ',4 aips sifted 6our. or enough to make K soft dough. Knead lightly; place in greased bowl. Cover; set in warm place, free from draft Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Kol) out dough to ^fi' thickness and place in greased shallow pan. Lei rise in warm place, free from draft, until light, about 1 >/^ hours. Prick top with fork and brush with }• tablespoons melted shortenin^c. Cream 3 tablespoons butter or shorten- ing add 3 tablespoons sugar gradually, mixing well. Add V4 cup silted Hour, >/i cup dry, 6ne cake or bread crumbs, and V4 teaspoon cinnamon; stir until well milted and crumbly. Sprin- kle on top of cake. Let rise again in warm place about Vx hour. Bake in moderate oven at -iOU' F. about 20 minuies.