Evening Star Newspaper, June 27, 1926, Page 74

6 THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTO LESS EXCITEMENT BY ROYAL BROWN Jane Lived for Thrills; Her Father Feared a Nervous Breakdown, So He Put Her Under : the Care of Jimmy Sherrill, M.D., a Rejected Suitor ASTWARD turned the coupe into Arlington street. moving .with an_inexorability which Jane, had she been more of a philosopher and less of a flap- per—though ‘she would have scorned the sobriquet now accounted passe— might have likened to the inexorability of Iite itself. “Why—vyou drove right past!” she announced. “So 1 did!” equably “Well—aren't you going around”” she demanded. ‘When she wished to. Jane could look misleadingly angelic. She had. none the less, a temper to match her hair, which came close to being red. To the young man beside her it was evident that Jane's temper was about to swing into action. But he remained unperturbed. His hair was red. T doubt it,” he replied amiably “Will_you tell me what you think you're doing?" Jane demanded. “Ducking the Minots’ dinner." he re- plied. I phoned our regrets—they don’t expect us.” “They may not expect you,” she as sured him. “but 1 certainly gave you no right to tell them not to expect me: You see,” her escort retorted to turn he went wp. as if she had not spoken. “there’s going to be another new man at the Minots' to- night. And new men are vour meat. T've noticed. You eat them up—and something ought to be done about that, you know! “And what do vou think you're go- ing to do about it—t cave-man stuff?” she demanded. with-a scorn that should have stung. He refused to be stung. “You wrong me,” he said. “My interest in you at the mament {s purely professional. 1f vou will look upon me as vour physi- cian—" Jane did not so look upon him. She looked at him In a manner which must have shriveled a man with less red in his hair. But he appeared unscathed. They Had known each other a scant two months. He had come from Phila- delphia, where his social background was as good as hers in Boston. He had graduated from Johns Hopkins and spent two years studying abroad. 80 equipped he had come to Boston to act as assistant to a psychiatrist of national repute. The latter had achieved many honors, which he wore lightly. and one daughter, who weighed on him heav- ily. Jane was the daughter. Jane had been “out” for two sea- sons. She was popular and always on the go. “You can’t keep it up.” her father had assured her. “Your nervous ystem is like a storage battery. A continual drain-— “Exhausts the battery—how pe; imple:” Jane had finished nteresting if_true—but how now you're right?” PR (QF_her father's new associate — seated beside her this November night—Jane had heard much before she had set eves on him. All her father’s enthusiasm. however, had sus- gested to her no more than that the newcomer would prove a total los: As far as she was concerned, that is. At first she had humored him. She had. indeed. heen very nice to him and even put herself out, at time that he might learn whatever he nee: ed to learn about women from her. In time, however, her interest in him had begun to wane. Just about, de- wlorably enough, the time his interest in her had begun to wax. As far as this voung Doctor Sherrill. of whom her father so approved, was concerned, Jane had gone to the trouble of taking him apart to see what made him go. She had dis- covered that he was no different, for all his reputed cleverness, from any other man christened James and fa- miliar to his intimates as Jimmy. In a word, Jimmy Sherrill had fallen for her. And that was where Jimmy got off. . It is true that she was going to the Minots' dinner with him tonight—or at least that had heen her impres- sion—but that had been arranged for ages ago. Back in October. before she had been quite sure he would propose. He had. jected. “I rather expected that,” he had as- sured her. Then instead of threaten- ing suicide or something like that— as some of Jane's rejected suitors A week ago. And been re- “Of my distaste for you?” demanded Jane, nastily. He merely grinned. “Belng femin- ine, I suppose you must be personal,” he commented. *But why drag in the fact that T proposed—and was re- jected? I fully expected that and was all set for it. It's over and done with why not forgive—and forget?” way you acted?”’ suggested Jane unwarily. “How did 1 act?” he asked. Jare bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to admit that anything he had ever said or done made the glightest dif- ference to her. “I let my judgment be swayed by my emotions,” he went on. “That was a .mistake and I acknowledge it. Doesn't that consti- tute sufficient apology?” “Apology!” said Jane, between her pretty teef “What else can I say—truthfully?” he protested, as one who tries to be reasonable. “As a man I may bless and adore your sweet eyebrows, but as psychfatrist 1 cannot but realize that you sessed of and— ““What “Why vou—" “‘Be sensible!” he pleaded. hastily You must know that what [ say is true. Your own father says the same thing. He— “Don't you dare tell me to be sensible!”” she broke in. ““I am sensible. It’s you had better be sensible. Don't vou know I could have you arreste for trying to carry me off this way “Do!” he begged. ““‘Will you stop this nonsense and let me out?” raged Jane. “I am not going to let an ungovernable temper gasped Jane. furiously. u out thrillingly had—he had lighted a calm and contemplative cigare before adding, “Is your ‘no’ final?” ! “Abgolutely.” Jane had sald, with almost inhuman emphasis—there was something not to her liking in his proposal or his reaction to her re- fusal of it. He had eyed the tip of his cigarette tor & moment. And a moment later THE NEXT THING SHE KNEW SHE WAS BEL LIFTED BODILY FROM HER CAR. he had taken her breath away by say- ing in the most casual tone imagin- able. “I've got to run now—but I'll see you Tuesday night, of -course. I'll drop round just before eight and take you along to the Minots’ dinner. Tonight she had greeted Jimmy with an air of indifferent acquiescence. She had been prepared to hold the pose indefinitely, but he had taken her unawares. “You must need patienis bad vou have to kidnap them this way she suggested “I do—but not badly enough to kid- nap them,” he retorted serenely. “My motto is, have patience and patients will come. Nevertheless, I am very glad to have the chance to take ypur case. I have & feeling. Lican. you—="" . . jwith great disdain. anyway,” he retorted, flatly. “‘As for nonsense, perhaps vou are right. I'll get down to business. To begin with, you have a long ride ahead of you.” “Oh, have I'" breathed Jane, bend- ing forward and snapping off the ignition. This had been in her mind all along. awaiting a good opportunity. Now they had come to where Massachusetts avenue crossed Commonwealth. A traffic officer stood there: toward him Jane. escaping from the coupe. sped swiftly “Arrest that man there!” she com- manded, breathlessly yvet imperiously. “What man?” demanded the officer, reasonably enough. “In that coupe!” stormed Jane. The traffic officer glanced at the coupe. “What for?” he wanted to know. “Because he—" flamed Jane and then checked herself. Jane had, after all. a horror of publicity, In its vio- lent phase. “You needn't! she in- formed him, friendly, and turned away. She did not turn far. fingers closed on her arm “If you don't take vour hand off me,” blazed Jane, “I'll—" “‘Call a cop?” suggested Jimmy. He turned to the officer. *'Lo, Mike!" “‘Oh—hello, Doc,” said the officer. “I didn’t know you, all dolled up.” “What's the trouble between you and the lady?” “A patient of mine,” formed him. “I'm taking her to an asylum. I hoped to get her- there h;foro she realized what was up. but she—-" “An asylum!" gasped Jane, “You little idiot!” Jimmy snapped in Jane's ear. “Do you think for a moment I'd be fool enough to risk my professional future on a stunt like this i, your father hadn't authorized it? I've got a commitment paper in my pocket signed by him.” ou haven't!” Jane gasped incredu- lousl. “‘She’s crazy—he’s taking her to an asylum,” she heard some one say. She became conscious of peering eyes and shrank instinctively against Jimmy. “I think she'll be all right now, Mike.” said Jimmy. “Much obliged for your assistance.’ i * ok ok % FTERWARDS Jane assured him that she had never believed he had any intentlon of placing her in an asylum. She said that she wanted to see just how far he would carry his bluff. Actually she was dazed. “I'm sorry.” he said, as he threw his gears in and shot away from the crowd. “I never dreamed you'd pull a stunt like that Jane found her voice. “You—you aren’t really going to put me in an asylum!” she protested. “I hope vou won’t force me to.” he replied. “It depends upon you. If you will only listen to reason— “I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on earth!” Jane put in Jimmy's Jimmy in- “Why word—how you harp on that are spolled, perverse, pos- | “Isn’t that to be counted in my favor? / “I played straight into your hands,” he reminded her. *“I sacrificed my own vanity that I might the better study your svmptoms.” Jane’s eyes widened. “You mean u actually pretended——"" Oh, it" was very easy to pretend!" ¥e assured her. “I—I hate you!" said Jane, furious. ly. “I'll never forgive you for that.” or forget me, either,” he added cheerfully. “But that is not impor- tant at the moment. The question is whether you prefer to be put in an asylum—for yvour own good-—or to Msten to reason.” “You sound like my father,” inter- polated Jane. 3 “I speak for him,” he reminded her. “It is his belief that you, like most of your crowd, are living a good deal faster than nature ever intended you should. To keep up the pace vou all resort to a drug or stimulant of some sort—and he thinks the time has come to take your favorite drug away from you. “Drug!™ echoed “T never us my life." “You're what might tle excitement-eater,” he informed her. “And excitement is both a drug and an intoxicant.” “And the cure”’ mocked Jane. They had been rununing along the boulevard that skirts the Charles in Cambridge and had reached the Harvard boathouse. He turned to the right. “'A little less excitement,” he said then. “Your father has tried to make you see the wisdom of that, but you absolutely refused to.” “He's got the paternal complex bad—why doesn’t he take something for that?” demanded Jane, disre- spectfully. “He balks, naturall gestion of an asylum.” Jimmy went on. “But he agreed t.at if we forced your hand yvou might accept the al- ternative. : “And that?" asked Jane. A month or so of living the sim- ple life with your Aunt Jane,” he re- plied. calmly. < “'Oh, horrors!” pragested Jane. “I'd rather go.to an asylum.” “Why?" he asked, his eves meeting hers. “You wouldn't ask Aunt Jane." “Then you prefer the asylum?" “How long do I have to stay at Aunt Jane's?” temporized Jane. = least a. month—after that we'll see.” he sald. “You'll have to promise on your word of honor, of course, that vou'll stay and not break any of the ~ules to be set down for you. That was precisely what Jane had no intention of promising. A winged inspiration came to her. “1 can ride horseback at Aunt Jane's, anyway,” she murmured thoughtfully, as if accepting defeat. “But I'll need a riding-habit for that.” “I have some sort of a wardrobe for vou in back,” he said. “I'm not sure that it includes a habit, but I'll see that——" . “It's at Exeter Pool,” Jane cut in. “T left it there when we closed the house. It will only take a minute to get it—Johnson. the caretaker, is there and it's on our way to Aunt Jane's.” Her riding-habit wasn't at Exeter Pool at all. But her own car, 4 road ster her father finally had forbidden her to drive, was. And just to let her get her hands on the wheel—that's all she asked. Her car could make better than eighty— which was, why her father had placed his ban on it—and this coupe couldn’t do sixty. -“T'll_run down to New York and visit Sally Willcox,” Jane assured herself. “I'll have one wild time and T won't come back unti the family sues for forgiveness." She glanced at Jimmy. “It's funny she said with malice afore- thought, “but since you have acted so T find a revival of interest in you. Perhape there is something in the caveman stuff, after all.” Their eyes met, his suspicious, hers lovely and much too meek. “Are vou trying to vamp me?" he demanded. “How could T—when you through me so0?” she protested. He did not answer her, but the car spoke for him, moving erratically for a second. And that was one symptom that Jane, without being a psychia- trist, knew very well. A genial little glow ran through her. * Kok K “wHERE is this Exeter Pool?” de- . manded Jimmy presently. “You turn off aboit a mile farther on,” Jane informed him, and added “I do hope that Johnson is at home. This bothered her more than she let her voice reveal. If .Johnson was away, in her car—— Bhe strained her eyes as they swung toward the dark bulk of the house. “There's a light in the garage,” she announced eagerly “That's where Johnsor is. probably Wait a minute while I get the key The November night swallowed her, as dark as Jimmy's sudden suspicion. He started after her, or at least to- ward the lighted garage. A second tater he all byt plunged headlong into a sunken garden. He was checked, but only for a second. He tore around the obstacle. ‘Then he blinked incredulously. The doors of the garage had shot open, Jane, indignantly. d anything like that in e called a lt- at the sug- if you knew see string?” he said, witheringly. Then he|revealing the brilliancy of a car added: chance. Think of all the feminine competition there'd be! . “You flatter vourself!” said Jane, “What yon don't_flatter you, can 17 From that you fed volr eqo on masguline at- tention and that your interest in me was professional, too. to be ecured. really he mean IR, “Besides, it I were the last| man on earth you might not have the| qia she manage ito get that car out | was in the other car. I;But not exactly as sh eadlights. “Good heavens!” he thought. s0_quick!” The car shot out of the garage with Jimmy raced toward his He never doubted that Jane And Jane was. e had plnnned.] a roar. coupe. Or alone. | 4une had expected Jimmy would | Jimmy came to grief again. follow and she had realized that every second was precious. Yet she needed One more scalp | she had assured herself, o more than d Jol after ‘had no ides what.all this wag —she would demand the keys to the house. As for Jimmy, she had planned just how she might lose him. Almost any house of any age .as a past and the one that Jane h=d known all her life as the place Whu‘e! the family moved to, come May, wn-] no exception. In the first place it was almost two hundred years old Its first owner had been a sea captain —also a slave smuggier, it appeared. Anyway, when Jane's grandfather had bought the house and engaged men to remodel it, a secret staircase had been discovered, masked by a panel. Jane planned to smuggle her late slave in there, and then abandon him Johnson would free him, after she had got away. It was, Jane haa believed, a per- fectly good plan. it was subject But like most plans, to change. As the car swung out of the garage Jane just managed to swing aboard. She swung a silk-shod extremity over the car's door. followed it with another and ricocheted into the seat Johnson. Johnson ignored her lutely. He did say | not to Jane-at th apnear- | ance of another ca in from | the State road and bearing down upon | them The searchlights of the other car picked them up and Johnson bent low over the wheel, in a manner incom: prehensible to Jane The fact was that fusillade from behind. This would still have been incom prehensible to Jan She believed she knew all about Johnson- But she didn’t know the half of it. If she had been told that rum runners were in the car behind she would still have been bewildered. “What do they want of Johnson?" she would have asked. Johnson could have fold her. They wanted two things. First. his life and then a package that bumped around between his feet. They wanted his life because John son knew a shade too much about them for their comrort and because he had been fool enough—as he was now realizing and bitterly repenting —to try to hold them up. From the time when her family had moved back to Boston, Johnson had been getting what is usually referred to as easy money. A bit of money, that is, that required no effort on his part. All he had to do was to permit the smugglers of contraband to run their boats in shore and load their cars on the grounds. All with no great risk to Johnson. * o %o THEN he had begun to notice that packages too small to contain liquor were coming ashore. Suddenly he saw Tight. The gang was running in drugs. Each of those small pack- ages was worth thousands. “And they only pass me a hun. dred at a throw!" Jonnson had as- sured himself bitterly. “The tight- wads!" This had rankled. But he knew that they were bad actors. So. though sore, he had kept silent until this same night a particular heavy ship- ment of these small packages had come ashore, arousing his cupidity anew What sort of atuff s in those pack- ages?” he had asked of the man with a hard hat and harder face who was the local leader of the gang. It was in his mind that he was fust sort of feeling his way—that's all. But the leader had given him a swift, menac- ing look. A few moments later Johnson heard him mutter something about some- body getting bumped off the first thing thev knew; and Johnson had ab- sented himself swiftly from the scene. When he returned they had gone. In haste apparently, because he stum- bled over a small package. He picked it up and glanced at ft. A second later he had decided that he was go- ing away from here and at once—be- fore the gang discovered their loss. He had slammed his few belongings into a suitcase and was ready to go when he had a horrid qualm. Not of conscience, but of doubt. Bupposing the stuff wasn't drugs after all? The wrappings were heavy, but he tore at them and was reassured. Tiny vials—hundreds of them, he guessed- were disclosed wrapped in paper and tied together in small bunches. He had not stopped to tie the package up again. He had placed it between his feet and thrown in his gears. Now he had forgotten it. He was hardly consclous of Jane's presence. He was actuated only by an instinct to save his skin. He turned and twisted desperately, striving to shake off the lights of the pursuing car and then, succeeding. turned and shot straight down toward the sea. * ok ok % 'OR an awful moment Jane believed him insane. He was headed straight for the boathouse. But as it seemed he must strike it, he jammed the emergency. ‘The next second he was gone, leav- ing Jane with her pretty mouth at its widest. But it shut swiftly when she heard an engine catch, at the end of the pier. “Why!” she thought, “he's got my speed boat—and he was supposed to have taken it out of the water a month ago!"” The searchlights of the pursuing car bore down upon her. To her that sug- gested Jimmy in pursuit. She shifted quickly over to the driver's seat and threw in the gears. As the car lurched forward a shot shattered the windshield. Jane turned. ““Well, of all the nerve!” she gasped. The other car swung abreast of her | and—why, it wasn't Jimmy’s coupe at | all, but a long, underslung touring car. Two.men leaped to her running- board, automatic revolvers in thelr hands "‘Well, you double-crossing crook! anarled one. ‘‘We're——"' There he stopped short to gogsle incerdulously. Where's Johnson?” he demanded abruptly. I don’t see as that is any of your business.” began Jane loftily. “Oh, it isn’t any of my business!” broke ini the other, and shoved his gun under her nose. Evidently this man was not to be managed by the methods she usually found adequate. beside abso | but | he expected a “How ““What did he do with the stuff?” h demanded. ~ don’t know what you mean!” Jané answered, in all sincerit; The next thing she knew she was being lifted bodily from her car. As she struggled, instinctively, her foot struck something that described an rc and the man who had swung on the other running-board caught it. ““There’s some of the stuff!” he said, excitedly. “She must have the rest on her.” “We'll get them,” promised Jane's captor grimly, throwing her into the other car and leaping in beside her. To the driver he added: “Give her the gas.” The ecar plunged ahead just He had as [been speeding toward it, still on foot, when a peg tripped him. ‘That he might have been shot save for the peg never occurred to hlmul:te' JUNE 217, was unfaiv. But Jane was beginning to get uxed to that “IU's no use treating me this wa she wax informing her captor, “be cause I haven't a thing on me, as you wiil find. “Well, where is it, then?" he de. manded “In the house,” Jane lied desper ately. “Hidden behind a secret panel in the library. Johnson put it there before we started.” A8 far as she was concerned, this was no mare than clutching at a straw. She had no idea what it was they sought, but she wad in the mood to try anything. The man whose fingers gripped her wrist spoke (o the driver. “Go to the house,” he commanded. Then he turned back to Jane. “And if you're stalliing us.” he said, “Heaven help you' Jine trusted Heaven would. Tre car stopped in front house. “Where's the key?' demanded her persecutor. “‘Johnson it Jane told him, truthfully ow'll have to break a window i the iibrary and get in that bkl To Jimmy's ears came the sound of falling glass. followed by a gleam of light from the librar A gleam of light was what Jimmy sought and he moved rapidly. Meantime the two desperadoes—the third stuck with the car—eyed Jane suspiciously as she fingered the pan- eled wall. “There ought to be a catch here,” she murmured, fighting for time. “There’s a catch, all right!” retorted the leader, suspecting her intent. “You've got the stuff on vou. Hold her, Red, while I search her. “If you put your dirty hands on me again,” flamed Jane, “1'l— They seized her. She bit and she kicked. And that was the sight that met Jimmy's eyes as he reached the window. of the L T AT that point Jimmy’s natural in stinct all but hurled him through the window. But a lingering vestige of common sense held him where he was, and at that moment the driver of the waiting car spotted him and blew his horn four times. From the library came Jane's voice raised in terror, it seemed to him-- though at another moment he might have suggested rage. He no longer reasoned or thought. The front door loomed before him. He pounded on it with his fists. A second later he dis covered a brass knocker, and this he used with all his might. “Open!” he heard himself shout. “Open in t} as it occu | more house is surrounded:” Jimmy conld and often did of fear rist more powerful thau the actuality, es- pecially which is alwavs unreasonine might *“Possibly—but work might combination of a safe. tors second rushed plunged in through the open window The room was empty! thought called. less furiously. triumphant at the suddenness of her rescue. room filling with bluecoats, Iplays and {had come and a sudden panic seized her, throurh the open pa behind her. was in the library. To sweeter. cried. matter moaned vou can reach down.” and rushed there. peeped wildly up the chimney. 1926—PART 5. name of the law!" Then. d to him that there was to the formula. he added “The In his solerer, saner moments alk of the power of suggestionand the psychology te knew, as every psychial- should, that ‘suggestion is often when it works toward fear, Of such a device as he now tried he at another time have said improbable. It might under certain conditions. I liken such a situation to the If all the fac appened to .click together—" All the factors happened to click together. This much hecame apparent to Jimmy in the space of a breathless They had skipped. He back toward the library. “They took in her with anguish them'" “Jane! he be At shade zed vet Jane's heart beat She had been d that She had had a vision of the s it did in movies. But no biuecoats Supposing those men should come back! This time she had lost no time in finding the spring that disclosed the cret staircase. She had stepped 1 and closed it Some one, she knew “Jimmy!" her ears informed her. her no sound could have been She started to reveal herself. Im- pulsively she checked herself. Trouble was managed water. and Jane was remembering that she had a score to settle with that young | man outs something that Jane always to shed as a duck sheds What was over with was over ide. 'Oh dear!” she moaned. Jimmy stopped short. ‘Jane’” he Where are you—what's the “They stuck me up the chimney," Jane. “I'm caught—see if my feet and pull me Jimmy glimpsed the fireplace Kneeling down he Jane, in her hiding-place. smiled sweetly. WHAT'S el THE TROUBLE BETWEEN YOU AND THE LADY?" _ ° 'H “What chimney? 1 can't see you!” “I'm dazed.” whimpered Jane's voice. “Look behind the sofa and see if I'm there.” Jane heard him rush there You're not” he Hid. with an an- guish of voice that should have soft- ened her, but which, regrettably, did not. “Then they must have thrown me down the old well.” announced Jane, enjoying herself hugely. It occurred to Jimmy then—tar- dily—but one must remember his men- tal state—that he was being kidded “I &hould say.” he announced bitter y, “that you perfectly intact and behaving “about as usual. Do you realize that those men may come back?” “I doubt it.” retorted Jane. “You ought to see how fast they were going when they left. And even if they did come they couldn't find me. You can't yourself.” Are you going to qui ense—and come out this non- stormed for m something for pneumonia Jimmy. *And asyium? 11 right, then < long as you can, g0 to Aunt Jane's—or an Nothing stirring.” T can stick it out said Jimmy. “You can picture me sitting here enjoying | a o rette.” “While I go out and swipe car,” replied Jane. “You see, there is a secret staircase here, and I'm in it. I can get out at the other end just as easy."” This was not true The other end was padlocked. She saw no reason to tell him that, however “All right. Ill sit in the car, then,’ said Jimm) That was not to Jane's liking essayed another tack 'm chilled to the bone!" she said plaintively, and this time she told the truth. “I loet my cape, and I'm aimost frozen.” “Please be sensible and come out, he pleaded, distractedly.’ “I think my nose is red.” she said. "And you're already o critical— “You know darned well it wouldn't make any difference if your nose was green!” he retorted. “Would you love me just the same?" she wheedled. “Oh, yes!” he shouted in a most un- loverlike tone. Jane thruet open the panel “I knew all the time you loved me." she said. serenely. “But you were an awful fool to tell me so—just as I was beginning to get interested agair ‘I am very well aware of the fact.” he answered her, distantly “And vou prescribed less excitement She { are running drugs | there are erer Fede: | cers—perhaps we'd | I'm 1 | Aunt Jane she apostrophized. “I sue that next you'll be prescribin; pect * ¥ X ¥ wheeled swiftly, then tore of his greatcoat and thrust her inte ou are cold,” he said 'n it. sorry Their met. From came the sound of a motor. “They're pming back,” aghas! “Quick!” she commanded, drawing him toward the secret staircase The panel closed behind them. Hel put rms around her instinctively Ry She did not protest. His arm tight ened ahout her. Some one had comad into the library. N “Skipped:” announced a voice vii3 brant with disgust They never heard him way their lips met “Are you still studying symptoms®" Jane whispered, as the first thrill ra eyes the drive he said Tn some | through her ‘You know I'm not:" he breathed. “Were you—ever?” . sver, when I was with you!* h ‘1 suspected jt," she assured him blissfully The voice again. They long, Tom,” in the nib v can't have heen said “And if the tonight, thev'rs probably headed down toward Ne York We'd hetter get back to head quarters and get the other station busy “Drug: echoed Jane, in a whis. Why, was that what those np ught I had? suspected somethin ke that Jimmy answered. “But those men on:g al or ate offf better tell the spok gon it what we know." “But we really don't thing! " protested Jane qu very comfortahble here."” fou darling!” he murmured. “Spoiled, perversed. possessed of ar ungovernable temper, remind him. “You told me so. “You vourself said you wouldn" marry me if 1 were the last man on he countered , You aren’t, are yvou Then. snuggling ren’t going to now, you “I think perhaps we have discovered an alternative.” he said. “If you think you can get along with a little lesq excitement.” “Excitement! 1 feel as if T'd had| enough to last me a lifetime. “But that feeling will pass. when it does—" “1 should say,” she informed him “that that would be up to you) mister!” And, as her face happened to ba uy) to him, too, he decided that it was. (Copyright. 1923.) know any Kkly. “Anc ™" she de oser, &h ou ake me tol And| Bureau’s New Apparatus Detects Poison Gases Development of Delicate De BY C. MORAN. UMEROUS deaths and ill- nesses resulting from fault combustion in gas heate! furnaces and from automo bile exhausts in garages have caused the Bureau of Mines to give increasing attention to the ques- tion of carbon monoxide poison. The bureau has learned that four parts of carbon monoxide in 10,000 parts of air is harmful to human beings. The poison is undetected usually until the person is overcome, thus making necessary the development of sensi- tive equipment which will detect the gases automatically. Apparatus that detects the presence of polsonous gases in the atmosphere has been developed by the bureau. The device is sufficiently sensitive to record the presence of one part car- bon monoxide poison in 1,000,000 parts of air. It may be set to register at any given percentage of gas by the ringing of gongs or bells when such percentage is reached. This serves as a warning to persons in charge of ventflation systems that more air is required to diminish the percentage of poisonous gas. * kK * THE Holland vehicular tunnel now being completed under the Hud- son River between New York City and New Jersey has installed an elahorate ventilating system for pre- venting the presence of excessive in- jurious gases. The system has been developed mainly as a result of ex- periments with the Bureau of Mines carbon monoxide recorder, and is said to be the most efficient ventilating -wachinery . ever produced. The principle employed in the de- sign of the.new carbon monoxide recorder is measurement by means of thermocouples of the increased tem- perature of the gases when the carbon monoxide and oxygen react chemical- ly in the presence of a catalyst, the thermoelectric effects being recorded by means of a recording potentiome- ter, After extended experimentation and development, a recorder was pro- duced which is not appreciably af- fected by the presence of other gases and which is capable of indicating and continuously recording the highly diluted carbon monoxide. The apparatus is an improvement upon equipment developed for use in the Liberty vehicular tunnels at Pitts- burgh, There are two tunnels 6,888 feet long. Midway in each tunnel a two-compartment shaft leads to a fan house at the surface. There are eight huge fans, four of which exhaust the air longitudinally through half of the tunnels, while four blow air through the other half. The fans run from about 7 o'clock in the morning until nearly midnight. From midnight through the early morning hours the tunnels have natural ventilation. At no, time since the recorder was In- stalled has the carbon monoxide in the tunnels exceeded 4 parts per 10, 000 of air. The Bureau of Mines for some years has been studying the properties of exhaust gases froms automobiles and y Great Auto Traffic. 2 TESTING THE EFFECT OF AUTOMOBILE EXHAUST GASES ON ANIMALS AT THE BUREAU OF MINES LABORATORY. ethyl gasoline was introduced, the bu- reau became interested in knowing whether the addition to gasoline of the tetraethyl lead and the halogen carrier in the concentrations recom- mended by the manufacturers would increase the existing hazards from automobile exhaust gases or would in- troduce any new hazard. An investi- gation was undertaken to determine whether there is any additional haz- ard to health in breathing air which contains appreciable concentrations of exhaust gases from engines using the gasoline. * ok ¥ ok CONSIDERABLE number of rab- bits, guinea pigs, pigeons. dogs and monkeys were exposed for certain periods of each day to a definite con- centration of exhaust gas from an en- gine using ethyl gasoline. The ex- posures were made to simulate the worst -conditions, as to time of ex- | cient acoumulation of lead on the the astonished hawks ure_and-concentration, -of -gag-in- wubistlers a-wide-herth, streets-proush.~discharge. .of- acale. the air, to which people could be ex- posed without. being poisoned by the carbon monoxide in the exhaust gases. The tests were continued over a period of eight months in order to bring out cumulative effects. With the exception of a few of the animals that died from causes ascer- tained to be other than lead, all re- mained normal as to activity, growth, appetite and general signs of health. Those that died had normal appe- tites and were active up to within a few days before death, which is not in accordance with lead poisoning. In the Bureau of Mines investiga- tion the air of the test chamber was continually passing over the exhaust scale in_amount greater than would ever collect on streets. Also this scale was kept in constant agitation by the vibration of the engine. This indicated the remote danger of suffi |77 United States Army | Zone now take off ca vice Is Required by Condition Resulting From from lead pois quantity omobile engines 1o cause| ning. A calculation of thel of ethyl gasoline u to effect such an accumulation fur ther substantiates this, especially inl view of the percentage of the lead that is discharged and the number « times the streets of a city are cleaned either by rain or by flushing ‘The only danger of lead poisoning] roducts of combustion from soline was found to be confined |8 to the mechanic who is con- tinually cleaning carbon from motors Although this is but a possibility, the| investigators declare, it merits pre- caution, even though the occupation would appear to be no more hazardous than palnting, lead being the common base of paints. A large number of samples of mine gas have been collected by the burean for analysis as to the effect of such gases on miners. Samples have been obtained under nmormal conditions in mines, and also under abnormal co ditions, such as after explosions g while mine fires were in progress. Al series of samples have been obtained| in mines where gasoline locomotives| are used, In order to determine the degree to’ which the exhaust gases| from such locomotives foul the air. The carbon monoxide recorder expected to prove of value in min inasmuch as good ventilation is one of the most important means of pre- venting disastrous explosions. At least 60 per cent of the big explosions have been caused by the ignition gf gas, which in turn has ignited coml dust. Ignition of gas is prevented by the use of explosion-proof machinery, permissible explosives and permissible miners’ lights. Systematic ventila- tion is an important safeguard in pre- venting explosions of gas. “Experienced mining men under stand fairly well the principles gov erning the systematic circulation of air through a mine,” declared George S. Rice, chlef mining engineer of the Bureau of Mines, “but the bureau's enginears have found that there is! general fajlure to recognize that al- though an abundant volume of air may be entering a mine, vet because of leakage along the airways not enough fresh air reaches the work- ings to dilute and carry away inflam- mable gas. Generally, it is at work- ing faces that gas is most apt to en- ter a mine. Produced during the for- matioh of the coal beds, the gas cumulates in crevices and joints and in the pores of the coal, and as min- ing advances it escapes into the work- ings, sometimes under high pressure.’ sure.” is Pigeons Scare Hawks OMING pigeons in training by the in the ving whistles fastened to their tails as a |w«|m-(?l measure against hawks which inf the Isthmus. As they fiy the rush air causes the whistle to sound, and giverthewinged