cnet sa———
By Mary Schumann 1
Copyright by Macrae Smith Co.
WNU Bervice
CHAPTER 1
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Hugh Marsh waited on the sta-
tion platform for the 11:25 from
Washington which was bringing his
younger sister, Kezia, home from
school. The train was a few min-
utes late. He was annoyed and
wiskied he had called before he left
his office to time its arrival. He
might have worked o few minutes
longer on the cost sheet he was
preparing.
Around him were the milling
people who wait for trains, people
of all classes and conditions, some
with harassed faces who carried
cheap suitcases, one or two laugh-
ing family groups, some traveling
salesmen, with smart luggage and
an air of success.
A long whistle coming from
around the curve, startled the
groups on the station platform in-
to scrambling activity. Baggage
was lifted, good-byes were said, the
crowd surged forward toward the
steel rails as the train thundered
by and came to a gradual stop.
Kezia, twenty years old, slim and
delectable, her eyes bright with ex-
citement, a small brown hat on
her curly ash-blond hair, a jacket-
ed brown silk suit with a spray of
el 4 i 4
ons: , 2 Lh, iia
“Good-by—Perhaps We May
Meet Again.”
orchids at the shoulder, came down
the steps of the sleeping car. The
smartness of her costume and the
supple grace with whick she
moved, made her look much pret-
tier than she really was. She
smiled radiantly at the well
dressed man of 30 who picked up
her bags with his from the row
the porter had set out, chatted to
him as they came along the nar
row space between the wall of the
embankment and the train.
“Here—here!” said Hugh touch-
ing her arm.
“Hugh, darling!” she cried in
glad surprise. She kissed him,
held both his hands for a second,
then turning to her companion,
said: “This is Hugh, the most
wonderful brother in the world, Mr.
DeGraffe. Nice people should
know each other, and Mr. DeGraffe
has been very nice on this trip!"
The men shook hands. DeGraffe,
obviously ahused by Kezia, ut-
tered a few inconsequentials, mur-
mured, “Good-by--perhaps we may
meet again,” lifted his hat and
followed in the wake of a taxi
driver.
Hugh and Kezia climbea the
stairs to the street and the wait
ing car.
Hugh released the brake prepar-
atory to starting. ‘Ever hear lit
tle girls shouldn't talk to strange
men on trains?”
“How do you know I pickea him
up?’’ she asked, pouting.
**Deduction—‘perhaps
meet again.’"”
She wrinkled her rose at him.
“Even Emily Post says you may
speak to a well-bred stranger in a
museum or traveling! Don’t be
elder-brotherly!” She added in a
whisper with a pert look at him,
“I'm grown up now-—know my way
about!” 4
‘Serving notice?”
we may
“Just as well,” she laughed.
They went forward to the green |
light and edgeu their way through |
a narrow street congested with |
traffic. The steel mills beyord the |
river vibrated with a rhythm that |
was like the roar of distant surf.
“How is Mother?” she inquired
almost at once.
“Very well.”
“The love!” murmured Kezia
tenderly. ‘And how is Dorrie?”
“She's great. She had an en
gagement or she would have come
this noon. She sent her love.”
‘No little hopes for the bassi-
nette? . . Shame en you, Hugh!
You've been married four years.”
“Give us time—we're young.”
“Think of sister Margery's ex-
agpple—three in no time at ail”
“Living is expensive.”
“And so is Dorrie.”
The flicker of annoyance fh. his
hazel eyes was his only answer.
“How's Ellen Pendieton?” she
asked.
‘‘She’s going with a buy named
Jerry Purdue,
cording to Mother.”
“Ellen still arty?”
escape Hugh.
“had it in”
Kezzie had always
for Ellen,
remnant of childish jealousy
len had a natural charm, unique
and appealing, which was all the
80 unconscious of it.
still paints a little,” he replied.
finish art school, you know.”
often had before:
ens had Gavin and Lizzie managed
to produce such a lovely lyric crea-
ture as Ellen?
They moved faster up an avenue
over which elms met forming a
Gothic archway. A mile further
on, Hugh made a sharp turn.
“There it is,” said Kezia, in a
choked voice, her eyes misted with
tears. Their childhood home lay
before them, a white house with
colonial pillars set back on a deep
lawn. When they turned into the
drive a woman rose from a chair
on the porch.
“Mother!” cried Kezia. She
leaped out of the car the second
Hugh brought it to a stop.
‘Kezzie, darling, it has been so
long!” Fluvanna Marsh put her
arms about her daughter, kissed
her, then held her off to look in-
to her eyes with wistful affection.
“So long—and it is good to have
you home to stay!” Then her fin-
gers touched Hugh's sleeve with a
caressing gesture although she had
seen him only a few hours before
on his way to the office. She
murmured “Hugh.”
That was part of Mother's hold
over him, thought Hugh. If you
skipped a day coming to see her,
she never made you feel remiss.
At each meeting she surrounded
you with an unspoken flood of joy
in your presence, as silent and in-
tangible as sunshine.
“It's great to be home—simply
marvelous! I could have cheered
wher. I saw Pittsburgh this morn-
ing—dear old smoky Pittsburgh! It
reminded me of Corinth . And
everything's just the same, the
house, the yard—you, Mother! Oh,
I do love it all—and I'm going to
have a wonderful time this sum-
mer! Come on, Hugh, be a
redcap for me! Carry my grips
upstairs and I'll wash yp.”
Her room had been redecorated
in her absence and she exclaimed
with pleasure. “Pale gold, and
chintz of gold and green! Ador-
able!” She went about joyfully ex-
amining her possessions, her
book-case, the pictures on the wall.
Margery was sitting on the porch
with his mother when Hugh came
downstairs. ‘‘Hello, Hugh.” She
lifted her face for his brotherly
kiss. “I wanted to go to the train
with you but things were compli
cated this morning. Angela would
not sleep after her bath. She
walked around her crib, clinging
to the bars—and sang!--and she's
only 10 months old. Stop laughing!
. She really sang, I tell you!”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
* Beginning
in this issue!
BRIGHT
STAR
A new serial
by MARY
SCHUMANN
* Kk *
Here's a thrilling story you'll
enjoy from beginning to
end . . . the unique tale of
two disappointed peoplewho
unexpectedly found their
common interests led to a
great love . . . a new and
steadfast bright star to grace
the horizon!
% Start reading it today.
get the background of events
which brought near-disaster
to the life of sheltered, mis-
understood Ellen Pendleton.
And then, issue after issue,
let yourself be thrilled by
the sudden, unprecedented
developments that make
“Bright Star” such a sensa-
tional novel.
* * *
Read Every Installment
IN THIS PAPER
SAFETY FIRST
Little Hinks presented himself at
the office with a aoticeable gap in
his upper dentures,
“Hullo!” was the cry.
accident?”
“No,” he replied.
with the wife.”
“What! You surely didn’t come
to blows?”
“Oh, no,” said Hinks. “But next
time I gnash my teeth I'll remem-
ber to take my pipe out of my
mouth.” — London Tit-Bits Maga-
zine,
“Had an
“Only a row
AIMLESS SORT
hap?"
“*Aimless?
Ing to do with the other half.”
Shaky
hole in the small hours of the
morning. A policeman saw the dif-
ficulty and came to th. rescue.
“Can I help you to find the key-
hole, sir?" he asked.
the housh shtill and I can
age.” —Filth Corps Area News.
Not to Be Outdone
“Down where 1 lived,” said the
Texan, “we grew a pumpkin so big
one-half of it for a cradle.” .
“Well,” smiled the man
Chicago, “that's nothing.
days ago right here
A few
two
on one beat."’—Dallas Times.
Verse and Reverse
tric light company has done this
town,” cried the speaker, the com-
pany's president. “In conclusion
let me say—if you'll excuse the
pun—"Honor the Light Brigade!”
Quick as a flash came a voice
from the audience:
charge they made.”
No Better
The anxious father wrote to the
college professor:
from my son for some time.
he's not sick. If he has been I
hope to hear he's improving.”
The professor replied:
sick, and not improving.”
Not So Simple
blue sky overhead.
that was the only overhead.
Golfer's Stimulus
the sweet fresh air?”
“0, is that what you drink?”
HAPPY DREAMS
First Fish—-Do you sleep well at
Second Fish--Sure, ain’t 1 rocked
Which Bar
Mrs. Frazzle—~What a terrible
It is sad
ed man.
Mrs.
to see such a dissipat-
Dazzle—Yes, indeed; but
age.
——————
Why Not?
“l am always ill the night be-
“Then, why don't you go a day
earlier?’ Ww r Star,
On the Front
Preacher—And so your daugh-
ter is about to marry. Do you
really feel that she is ready for the
battle of life?
Mrs. Brown—She should be.
She's been in four engagements al-
ready.
He Was Quite Cool
Mrs. Blue—Was your husband
cool when y Sara broke in the
A ! s
ie b all over. Vit, 1s waa
Roman Empire’s Highways
Were Several Feet Thick
The Roman Empire was inter-
|
{
|
i
i
i
cipally between the Second
Fourth centuries after Christ.
These highways, notes a writer
in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, va-
ried from eight to fifteen feet in
width, and were often laid for con-
siderable distances on bases sev-
eral feel thick. They were to a
large extent roads of hard ma-
ersed afforded, and were so
built that the original construction
of some of them is still found. In-
deed, some of these highways were
80 durably built that they have sus-
tained the traffic of 2,000 years
without great injury.
Soldiers, slaves and criminals
were employed in the construction
of the Roman roads, which were
almost universally built in straight
lines, without regard for grade,
probably because the use of beasts
of burden as the chief means of
transport made the preservation of
the level an affair of minor im-
portance.
The Roman Forum is said to
have been the point of convergence
of twenty-four roads which, with
their branches, had a total length
of 52,964 Roman miles.
Iknield street, from St. David's to
: The Ice Age
Estimates are based chiefly upon
sion of streams known to have been
formed after the recession of the
sheet. The Niagara river
the United States Geological
Survey figured from the rate at
only
Other
7,000 or 8,000 years
ago. estimates are up to
¥
The Dobson Fly
Despite its enormous pincers, the
cannot be considered dangerous,
according to an authority. The
Dobson fly is the final stage of life
of the hellgrammite, a bait used
by bass fishermen. The heligram-
other small
devouring insects
PA.
Theft of Crown Jewels
Theft of the crown jewels of Eng-
land more than 260 years ago, is
recalled by Pearson's Weekly, of
At that time, the jewels
lower floor of Martin Tower,
under stones. After it has passed
from its awkward larva stage as a
hellgrammite into a Dobson fly, it
flies like a butterfly.
they attracted the attention of Cap-
tain Blood, a notorious Irish swash-
buckler.
Blood disguised himself as a par-
son and paid regular visits to the
Martin Tower. Soon he was friend-
and suggested that a marriage
might be arranged between his
“nephew” and the keeper's pretty
daughter,
He appointed a rendezvous for
the couple at the unromantic hour
of 7T A. M,, on May 9, 1671. But,
instead of the “nephew,” Blood
turned up with three lusty swords-
men, who knocked down and
gagged the old keeper. Blood
snatched the crown, and while one
accomplice seized the orb with its
giant ruby, another sawed the
sceptre into three parts.
But at that very moment the
keeper's son returned from a long
campaign in Flanders. He gave
the alarm, and a guardsman cap-
tured Blood at St. Katherine's
wharf.
Charles II treated the whole af-
fair as a joke. Not only did he
pardon Blood, but received him in-
to court, and granted him an estate
in Ireland to console him for his
failure to bring off the most daring
burglary in British history,
Old Women Dance on Fire
on St. Konstantine’s Day
Old women dance on red hot em-
bers every summer in the village
of Vulgari, south-east Bulgaria, ac-
cording to a writer in Pearson's
Weekly.
These women are called “nesti-
They are devout Chris-
tians, and their patron saints are
St. Konstantine and St. Elena.
On St. Konstantine's day the
logs in the village square. And
while it is blazing up the ‘“‘nesti-
narki” begin their fire dance pro-
cession.
This is led by villagers bearing
ikons of St. Elena and St. Konstan-
tine. To the drone of bagpipes the
old women dance to a weird rhyth-
as if in a palsy.
The villagers gather round the
Then the “‘nestinarki’
barefooted, dance for several min-
utes on the glowing embers, until
Afterwards, it
is claimed, their feet show not the
least trace of burning.
ing defective?
little as 5 foot candles!
school progress.
West Penn Power
RE
/
vy yi
Salt Wells Primitively Drilled
With equipment no more modern
than bamboo pipes, the Chinese suc-
ceeded in drilling salt wells 2,008
feet deep.
Mexico an Immense Country
Mexico contains 28 states, two
territories and a federal district
which embraces the City of Mexico,
The country, laid across the United
States, would stretch from New
York to Salt Lake City.
A Carton of Mazda
Lamps Home
MAZDA lamps are so
cheap now that you can fill
every socket in the house
at trifling cost. Get a car-
ton of assorted sizes (6
lamps) on your way home
from shopping.
Mazda Lamps
at Lowest Prices Ever!
15¢
20¢
25¢
15 watts
25 watts
40 watts
60 watts
75 watts
100 watts
150 watts
AT ALL MAZDA
LAMP DEALERS