Evening Star Newspaper, December 23, 1928, Page 73

STORLES SPORTS GAMES The Face at the Window A Boarding School Mystery Story. BY W. BOYCE MORGAN Barrie Bayliss, who has the ambition to be an amateur detective, rooms with Seymour _at _ Hillside Academy. , Kay, is a stideni at Miss 1 rls. nearby. ~ Jack ad a fght with Snorter ch Jack beat him bad ster, and g his sl 1 solving a mystery studying dal, and 1 boys are of the masters. he has just e’s school. saY- ppened to Kay, er. rn ack and Barrie once for the school INSTALLMENT II Miss Vale's school stood on the very edge of the lake about a half mile from Hillside Academy. Barrie and Jack reached it in an incredibly short time after Miss Vale's message came, and as they ran up the walk, breathless and excited, they met a man coming out. The boys recognized him as Dr. Partridge, a physician from the neigh- boring village of Lakeside. “Doctor!” cried Jack as they stopped “It's my sister. Is she hurt? What happened?” “The young lady is your sister?” satd the doctor. “Well, do not be alarmed. my boy. She'll be all right. A slight fracture of her left arm and a few bruises, and she’s suffering a good deal from shock and fright. She fell down stairs.” “Fell down stairs?” cried Jack in be- ing intently but silently, cleared his throat. Miss Vale,” he’ said slowly, “pardon me for saying so, but I don't think the police would do any good. You can be pretty sure this won't hap- sen again, and I have an idea of what's behind it. I—I'd like a chance to do » little investigating myself, with Jack’s help. Would you mind?” Miss Vale regarded the boy doubt- fully. “He's really quite an amateur detective, Miss Vale,” Jack put in. wish you'd let him do it. I was telling him about the other scares Kay has had, just before you called tonight. And both Kay and I would rather not be mixed up with the police and have everybody hear this story.” Miss Vale nodded. “The publicity would hurt the school, too,” she said. “Well, supposes you boys see what you can do. We can always call the police later.’ “Fine!” cried Barrie. “And now, Ka; | will you answer a couple of question | The girl nodded. and Barrie thought |for a moment. “Just what was this | figure like?” he inquired. | “Like a ghost,” she said. “Just some- | thing big and white in the dim light.” | “And this shriek,” went on Barrie. | “Describe thai | "“Well, T was so frightened that I hardly know how to describe it.’ re- plied Kay. “It was something like the siren on a fire engine, but not so loud. It started low, then went high, then low again. It 'was ghastly!” “This girl that invited her to her w D O DECEMBER 23, 1928—PART T. ' O)fe BOYS and ' GIRLS PAGE “A WHITE FIGURE JUMPED THROUGH THE DOOR DIRECTLY AT ME!” wilderment. Then, thanking the phy- sician, they hurried on. Miss Vale, a gray-haired woman with a fine, dignified face that now bore anxious lines, greeted them at the door and led them through the silent build- ing to Kay’s room. “The other girls have not been dis- turbed he told them after Jack had “Kay wanted to see y as she was hysterical, I thought ~'d better call you. She's guieter-now?” Miss Vale opened a door in the upper hall of the large building that housed the entire school, and Jack and Barrie entered. Within they saw Kay lying on the bed, her lovely face pale, her large brown eyes wide with fright. Besides hor sat Miss Evers, one of the staff of thae school. Kay’s left arm, splinted and bandaged, rested on the coverlet, bui she raised the other impulsively as the boys entered. “Jack!” she cried, as he ran to her. ¥Oh, I'm so glad you've come! And you, too, Barrie,” she added, turning er eves to him. “I'm glad vou aren't badly hurt, Sis,” breathed Jack. “Tell me what hap- pened. The shuddered. it!” she whispered. Jack, take me home. stay here!” Jack turned worried eyes to Miss Vale, who stepped forward. “Now, Kay, you're going to be all right,” said the woman in a kindly tone. “I had Jack come over so you could tell him all about it.” .She turned to Jack. “She wo pened. you know. “Come now, S For a nodded chairs, s eyes grew wider, and she “Oh, I hate to talk about “It was awful! Oh, I don’t want to loft. About 11 o'clock stoppes! in and said so girls who were s to have a little “fced” in her room midftight, and for me to come in." Kay rasf a look at Miss Vale, as though she expected a reprimand for this infraction of rules, but the mistress of the school pnly smiled encouragingly, and Kay pontinued. “I'm always hungry when I study late, so I said I would join them. Grace™ room i5s in the west wing, you know, toward the lake, and to get to {t you g0 down a narrow corridor that s rathier dark. Abogt half way down |18 the corridor there is & door that opens n a balcony., You know ‘Where that B Jack~ Jack n The others were Te- rdi er with rapt attention la“vyzfifilxay went on, and now she rasped her brother's arm as though t\ get strength from him, “just as I was passing that door, it suddenly ppened. For a second I thought it had een left unfastened and was blowing the wind, but as I stopped a low poan came from the balconly. I was fmply paralyzed with fright. And then th ) white figure jumped through the door firectly at me Kay paused, her eyes wide with the memory of her terror. Jack patted r arm. “I turned and ran madly. It was gark, and I forgot all about the back jtairway at the end of that corridor. Suddenly there was nothing under my feet, and I felt myself falling. That's :- the botiom of e goctor, then revived 1 fou” The headmistress 1 moment, then &>r lips s e village_at once. At that, Barrie, who had been listen- room—you say her name was Grace Dallinger, and she was studying late. Is she trying for the university medal, t00?" Miss Vale answered that question. “Yes, she is. She is one of our best students, and had permission to study late. However, she did not have per- mission to have a lunch afterward, and I shall speak to her about it.” Barrie nodded thoughtfully. “F think I'll have a look at that balcony,” he said. (To be continued next Sunday.) Sugal: is a Tell-Tale In Effective Trick Of course, it's not nice to tell that sugar is a tell-tale, but . . The magician requests a spectator to remove a jump of sugar from the sugar towl. Handing the spectator a pencil, the performer then asks that the piece of sugar be marked with either an “X" or an “O" as the spectator desires. The marked lump of sugar is then handed to the perf er, marked side down, and the perft T drops it into his coffee, tea or glass of water. After the sugar has dissolved the magiclan drinks the liquid. : “If it slides down easily, flowingly, smoothly, then I know that the sugar AN was marked with a nice, round, smooth circle; if it jags a bit, scratches my Adam’s apple, then I know the sugar must be marked with one of those ter- ribly rough ‘X's’ Ouch! Yes, it was an ‘X’ all right!” ‘That's the patter. What really hap- pens is this: You use a pencil that has a very soft lead. While the spectator labeling the sugar, you secretly moisten the forefinger of your rigat ghand. When the spectator hands the \sugar back, marked side down, the { penciled mark comes m contact with {your moist finger. And there you are! | Your moist finger takes the impression of the X or O and you are all set for a really clever trick. | - e i Picture Puzzle Poem | BY A. L. F. CHRISTMAS PRESENTS, i T would like a baby doll, A jumping rope, a rubber ball, | But what I would like most of all | Would be a new pink —, (Note.—Can you find the letters that THE KING 1 'ORMED ME THAT l-;E HAD ANOTHER ELEPHANT, WHICH, HOWEVER, HE HAD NOT BROUGHT ALONG. EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second of a series of articles in which Waldemar Bonsels, who is talled by Hugh Walpole “the most popular ‘author in Germany today,” tells of his extraordinary adventures as a young man in India. Herr Bon- sels has previously described his trip through the Malabar jungles, accom- panied by his Hindu servant, Panya, whom he had made his close com- panion, and his Mohammedan cook, Pasha. BY WALDEMAR BONSELS In Malabar and South Canara are many Hindu kings. Towns which were the former seats of their power have long since passed into the hands of the Mohammedans or the British; -and the monarchs have withdrawn into the rural districts, where they can live wholly for their people—or rather upon their people. Their kingship has points in common with the genius of many a neglectad poet. Cut off from the 'world, the king- ship, like the genius, is apt to develop into a monstrosity, which is imoressive only to the eyes of a select company of the faithful. ‘There is something infinitely touching about these despots, spiritual or tem- poral, and he must be a hard-hearted fellow who wishes to rob them of their illusions. So much kindliness is usually to be found behind the mask of vanity, that one should learn to regard vanity without contempt, for that which is truly evil is rarely vain. These wielders of an unrecognized sovereignty are apt to be so greatly moved when a stranger unexpectedly ministers to their sense of self-impor- tance that their dignity is prone to be- come formidable as soon as they find it is not contested. Nevertheless. I determined to take the King of Shamadji as seriously as if he had been the Maharaja of Mysore. The trifling presents I might have been able to send him would probably have made very little impression, for in many cases these forgotten rulers are still rich enough to surround themselves with all the gawds that are attainable by way of Western commerce, In the first instance, therefore, I de- spatched Pasha, my cook, to ask for an audience, and to say that I craved per- mission to pitch my tent for a night in the shadow of his throre. Pasha obeyed with his usual earnesthess of demean- or. but my attendant, Panya, took ex- Cepli%fl. “That is not the way to approach a king, Sahib,” he said reflecgeely. He seemed seriously concerned, and I was expecting him to proceed in quite a different strain, when he continucd: “He will clamber upon his mangy old elephant, and will look down upon you as if you were a beggar. But if you had graciously granted him permission to see you, he would have sent you his | elephant for your mount, and would | have vrostrated himself = before you | when you did him the Honor to ride into his palace.” want the king to see me, but that I want to see the king. I want to see him in his own character, and after the manner in which he habitually lives, Do you think it is pleasanter to look upon a man when he grovels on the ground, or when he encounters one face to face?” “That is the trouble,” answered Pan- ya. “You set no store on your own dignity. If you liked. you could travel through the”jungle like a prince; and you prefer to tramp it like a mendicant fakir who has to beg his way. It is a hard fate to have to serve such a master.” GREATLY perturbed, he squatted on one of our packages and watched the ants which seemed busily engaged in trying to carry it away. In reality he did not think as he had spoken and could easily have been talked over. His concern was for my prestige and for the figure he was himself likely to cut upon the stage. Since I had no doubt that an opportunity for his play-acting wouid arrive in due course, I was con- tent to let him sulk a while. Suddenly his discontent broke forth anew in speech. “Please don't imagine that I myself regard you as a pauper or a weakling. I know what you are, Sahib. But what is the use of having a gold-embroidered robe, if the owner wears it inside out? An honorable man shows what he is.” “Panya, it is too hot to argue. Let us rest until the king comes.” [‘No no, you must talk the matter jout!” When I made no answer, he fumed, beating a tattoo with his foot on the ground. “Do you think it's any pleasure to me to know that I am right?” he angrily inquired. “Nor to me,” T answered. “But the gold-embroidered robe is still gold-em- broidered. He shook his head vigorously. “That does not solve the difficulty, for T am your servant; but you are the * ok ok ok spell the word completing the above rhyme?) < in the right. Suppose you choose to “Understand, Panya, that I do not | master and should therefore always be ; pla play the part of the king's servant, but | you find yourself troubled because he is silent and you feel that'in truth he is right? You will get up and go. But I can't do that.” “In the realm where I find myself at home, Panya, there is neither master nor servant; there are only living be- ings, and the goal of all living being is freedom. But he who genuinely desires freedom does not look to others in search for it; first of all, he directs his gaze within. Thuswise no one need have concern about his rights; every one has his portion, when every one knows his own and watches over it.” “If that is what your God teaches you,” said Panya, “he does not know the world, and does not know what goes on in jt.” “Perhaps he does not know what the world is like, but he knows what it ought to be like.” Presently our talk was interrupted by a distant fluting and the clash of cym- bals. “There is the king!" Panya said. “He would have kept you waiting long but for his curiosity.” * k X X THE noisy music drew nearer, arous- ing expectant thought as to what was approaching behind the green cur- tain of undergrowth. Its rhythm was strangely exciting. The first thing to come into view was the gray head of an elephant, sur- mounted by a brightly colored cotton canopy, somewhat crookedly supported by four staves, three of which were guided while one was of simple iron. In the howdah was a deck-chair made of cane, and on this sat the king of Shamadji turning his head eagerly in all directions on the look- out for the visitor to his Kingdom. Eight retainers, disposed on either side of the clephant, carried fans made of peacock’s feathers attached to thin bamboo rods. These fans were a trifle the worse for wear, their rainbow eyes were to some extent blinded; and the attire of the train suggested the haste of impromptu preparations. Nevertheless the proces- sion was by no means lacking in splendor, Above all, the elephant’s trappings were extremely handsome, being made of beautiful stuffs, richly embroidered and decked with imitation jewels the size of a man's fist. The musicians, contrary to the usual custom, marched behind the elephant. Presumably the king had been unwilling to allow them the front places. The consequence was that their aspect was not so much one of solemnity as of curiosity, for they were doing their utmost to catch sight of the stranger by peering to the right and left of the king's unwieldy mount. Behind them, in disorderly array, was the entire population of the village. We made our way to a clearing and the king bowed to me ceremoniously, after quieting the music with a wave of his brown hand. Having glanced searchingly at my baggage, he bade me welcome in the English tongue. I an- swered in the same language. Panya interrupted, for he did not believe that the king's English would go very far, and he was right in his supposition. Now the monarch nimbly alighted from the back of his elephant, treading as unconcernedly on the shoulders of his retainers as if they had been a wooden step-ladder. He kept his dis- tance, as a hint that he had no taste for a western handshake, while I passed a few compliments concerning his power and prestige, with which, I said the Jjungle was resonant. These remarks were greatly to his taste, and he went on to inform me that he possessed another elephant which, however, he had not brought along today. His city was open to me and I was welcome to pitch my tent in his palace garden. We crossed the village square, which was surrounded by mangroves, looking like huge grayish-green tents. Their interlacing aerial roots, like the lattice- work of a cage, made it difficult to see the huts, which were almost hidden by the foliage. X ok 'I‘HE palace was at the farther end of the village, in a grove of wild | lemon trees and areca palms. It was a two-storied building of white plaster, and was surrounded by a tall cactus hedge, between the stems of which were termite heaps forming natural turrets. The windows were shaded with bamboo sun-blinds and were mysteriously silent in the afternoon light falling obliquely athwart the palms; but from time to time the rods of these hangings clicked, as if gently pushed by the hand of an inquisitive inmate. I was admitted only to the courtyard of the house. After our first brief in- terview I should probably have seen nothing more of the king had it not been for an exciting incident that riveted my interest, and, though I was not in search of adventure, involved me in perilous complications. When the night had swiftly fallen, and we were sitting in front of the tent after finishing our supper, I heard from the darkness of the garden a intive chanting, strangely poignant in its forlornness. ; The sound recalled the chanting of those who are working in solitude, be- lieving that no one is watching them or listening to them. The notes were sustained and monotonous: they re- called the moaning of an animal. It recurred again and again, luring me with an elemental fascination, so that I felt impelled against my will to make search for its source. Panya insisted on accompanying me in my expedition through the dark garden. The stars were shining brightly. On either side of the narrow path, the huge leaves of the banana trees looked like the ruinous columns of a pagan ram- part against the power of malignant gods, or hung tattered in the starlight like the hide of some lacerated mon- ster. Close to the cactus hedge we saw after a time the wooden pagoda of a temple, large and black against the sky. The garden afforded a view into the courtyard of this temple, and we could make out the sacred goat among the brown pillars on the threshold of the sanctuary. Nothing stirred. A faint, reddish light glowed from behind a curtained doorway. The interior was hidden from our gaze by hangings of pale red silk. As we approached a bamboo grove, behind the feathery outlines of which a squat building was visible, the melan- choly chanting ceased, just as the noise of the cicadas ceases in the tall grass when a nocturnal wanderer ap- proaches. We pushed on between the tall stems, along a narrow and barely perceptible track. Above us the stars shone through a lattice-work of bam- boo leaves and looked like tiny lan- terns. In the blackness, behind a grated door, could be heard a faint groaning, which seemed to come from somewhere close to the wooden staves. “We must have a light,” I said to Panya softly. But this would only have been pos- sible by the use of a torch that would have betrayed us. Assuredly our royal host would have been ill-pleased to find us spying on his household by night. “Wait but a while, and our eyes will get used to the darkness,” said Panya. As 1 stood irresolute, I could hear my heart beating. “It it an animal?” I asked Panya. He looked at me in amazement at my guilelessness. “An animal? No, it is a woman,” he returned. “Perhaps love has wounded ker; perhaps she is being punished.” N FETID, stifing vapor made me gasp when I pressed closer to the wooden grating. The effect of Panya’s words on me had been to change alarm into the unthinking courage of anger. I drew to one side, so that the star- light might shine into the dark aper- ture. The tiny house had solid walls and was like a neglected stable. “Who is there?” I inquired in Can- arese. Panya stood close behind me. After a brief period of troubled waiting, I perceived a small human face, sickly in its pallor, which now showed itself at the grating. The face was framed in loose strands of black hair, and on either side by terribly lean fingers, grasping the staves of the grating on a level with the eyes. In the dark this apparition was horrible in its sug- gestion of doom, as if the face we saw were that of one who had long since died and had now risen from the tomb. The large, dark eyes drank in the night and shadowed it forth once more in paralyzing_tranquillity. I felt as if my heart had stopped beating. I stag- gered, and grasped Panya's arm. “Come away, Sahib,” said he. “If she is ill, the pestilence may seize you likewise.” “Is she ill?" X " he answered dubi- “You know perfectly well,” I eried, clenching my teeth. Panya took alarm. “All I know, Sahib, is that unfaithful wives are punished in such fashion in this country. But she may be ill.” Beside myself with indignation, I seized the grating with both hands, set my feet against the threshold, and en- deavored, with all the strength that intense anger will sometimes lend us, to |break down the barrier. But it was nmde of strong bamboo and unbreak- able. Panya drew me away from the grat- ing. T could not recall that he had ever ventured to touch me before. His boldness did more than anything else to_sober me. When I thought the matter over, I realized that the position was a very difficult one, though I was firmly re- solved to do my utmost to help this unfortunate being. After all, the affair had nothing to do with me. The king would never forgive my meddling with his private affairs. It was true that he was not so formidable a potentate as he imagined, or as he gave himself out to be; but, conversely, my own status was less secure than he sup- posed. It is a part of British policy in India to leave the utmost latitude to the wealthier Hindus, and also to the Brah- !m‘ms. in all concerns of their domestic |life. The white rulers have learned that the existence of caste divisions and divergent customs makes it easier to govern the country. Few as they are in numbers when compared with the natives, they form a united and compact society which is more potent than the most powerful of the castes, Lol I BETHOUGHT myself that I could look for no protection from a gov- ernment by whose canons such action as I designed would be most emphati- cally condemned—all the more if the aggressor were a German. Nevertheless, I was determined to carry out my design, and I decided to send Panya to the king early in_the morning to request an audience. It is remarkable how much easier we find it to do cruel or unjust things than to tolerate them when done by others. Throughout, & sleepless night, spent in the oppressive-heat under a mosquito net, the thought of the jniseries of this imprisoned woman inspired me with intense wrath against her tormentor. The next day I went to interview the king. “You are keeping a woman prisonsr in your garden,” I said roughly. “It is unworthy of a great prince to treat a helpless creature thus. I demand that you should set her free, instantly!* For a moment the Hindu sovereign was nonplussed. Then he assumed a supple manner, simultaneously obsti- nate and deferential, while continuing to display a ceremoniousness ~ that would have wearied the patience of a saint. Panya was extremely serious, and translated everything literally. I felt that on the present occasion he shrank from taking any responsibility. “I see that you are unwilling io comply with my request,” I said, “so I must remind you of the law of the government which forbids murder and punishes it with death. The king turned pale, and his lips trembled; but his manner remainad friendly, and he endeavored to convince me that he had inflicted no more than a trifling punishment which was well within his rights. Besides, I was inter- ceding without knowing anything of the woman’s offense. Thinking I was English, he said he was aware that the British were severe, but never yet had he had reason to doubt their justice. | | He would more readily believe that an unjust man was not an Englishman, than that an Englishman could com- mit an Injustice. Once more did I grasp the cunning and tenacity of these people: once again did I realize the crafty manner In which they can make a weapon of the most trifling doubt, without ostensi- bly giving offense. Strictly speaking, it behooved me to give way, pending an examination into the rights of the matter, or until I had heard why the punishment had beea inflicted. But the fact that I had been driven into a corner made me angry instead of circumspect, and I therefore retorted in anger: “If the British had learned their jus- tice from Indian princes you would find yourself behind that grating before I had made my way back to Bombay.” It is not my usual practice to treat kings so rudely, but after my opening moves, this was the only possible course. I saw in Panya's face that he thought my rejoinder a good one. He now stepped forward and said quietly: “The prisoner's legs from the knees downward have been gnawed by the 4 ants.” The king made Panya no answer. He looked straight in front of him, as if the | affair had suddenly ceased to interest him, and at my opponent's change of manner fear for the first time stole into my heart. I felt that he was meditating the use of force, against which spiritual weapons are of no avail. His was the image of the outward dispassionateness | in which evil, at bay, meditates perfidy. “I will set the prisoner free, Sahib,"” he said quietly. In his weary eves there gleamed the dark poison of the jungle night, hatred of the foreigner, and the racial animos- ity of an oppressed nationality. * K ¥ ¥ I DEEMED it prudent to be satisfied with the concession and to wait the issue. I therefore took leave of the | king, and at our parting we outvied one another in ceremonious politeness. I had the tent struck and made all prep- arations for departure, but was fixed in my resolve not to embark until I had learned of the event. I hardly had time to wonder whether success or failure would prove more em- barrassing, for, ere the last box had been packed, two of the king's retainers brought the prisoner. The young ‘woman wore a white saree. She walked slowly and with difficulty. When she stood before me, little more than her eyes was visible, and the look of terror in_them utterly disconcerted me. Panya began to talk to her, and with great difficulty was at length able to! make her understand that she owed her | liberation to us, and that she was free to go wherever she pleased. She sank to the ground in her ex- huusuon,Aoonununly closing her eyes, BY . W. DAVIDSON. THE practice of Christmas decoration is one of great antiquity, and is ascribed by various writers to various sources. As far back as the fifteenth century we read in Stow's “Survay of London’ “It was the custom at Christmas time for every man's home, and also the parish churches, to be decked with holm, ivy, bays and, whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green. The standards in the street were gar- nished. Sprigs of holly and yew stuck into holes in high pews in the churches | made them into miniature forests.” In England the practice of decora- tlon at Christmas time, wherever de- rived, has existed from earliest days. The greens appear to have been the holly, laurel, ivy, rosemary and mistle- toe. There is also mention of box, fir and pine. The greatest number of these appear to have been so used, not on account of any mystic meanings supposed to reside therein, but simply for the sake of their green leaves and rich berries, Among a few, however, there was real significance. The rosemary, with its rich fragrance, emblematic of fidel- ity and constancy, was supposed to possess occult virtues. It was also be- lieved to have power to relieve head- aches and mental weariness, to strengthen memory and make touching appeals to the heart. It was used on occasions of rejoicizg as well as of mourning. Perhaps from that source first came the phrase “Rosemary for remembrance.” Holly, with its beautiful scarlet berry, has its own place in superstitious an- nals. Among certain peoples have been found traces of their belief in its sacred- ness. It is also said to have been used for divinations. In preparing for this it was important that nine leaves should be used, tied with nine knots into a handkerchief and put under the pillow of the person who desired prophetic dreams. Always the smooth leaves without prickles were used. Old folk- lore tales tell how holly was hated by the witches. Not perhaps due to any pre-Christian sanctity attached to it, but to the association of its thorns and blood-red berries with the passion—an association to which it is said to owe its Danish name of Kristdorn. In certain parts of England holly that has adorned churches at the Christmas season was much esteemed and cherished. A small branch with berries was supposed to bring the pos- sessor a lucky year. There are many species of holly in all parts of the world. In some parts L In this holly wreath are some good Christmas words. And we hope all you puzzlers have a very happy holiday! A Christmas Symbol. The definitions are: Horizontal. . A Christmas present. . A beverage. . Frozen dessert. . Christmas. . Highest point, . Sister. . The night before a holiday. . Piece of cloth. . Once symbol of Christmas. . In the past. . Before. . Christmas (abr.). Vertical . Happy. . To bind. . Also. . Yale. . Important Christmas decoration. . One kind of Christmas tree. . Another symbol of Christmas. . One way of showing Christmas joy. . By way of. 14. Used in cutting the Christmas tree. 5. For packing gifts. . Boy's nickname. o Below is an easy word diamond built about HOLLY. The second line is a part of the foot and the fourth is a fairy. H o HOLLY L ¥ g GUESS THESE THREE CHRISTMAS GIF TS which were unused to the light. She showed neither gratitude nor joy. At length, when I had moved away, she asked Panya whether she must accom- pany the white lord. Panya told her that we neither de- manded nor expected anything of her. He described the allurements of free- dom with all the eloquence at his com- mand. After a little time he came to me, and without either triumph or par- tality, but obviously baffled, said: “Sahib, the young woman begs that you will allow her to return.” “Return to prison?” “Yes, Sahib. She laid her hands on Qfi: heart and named the name of the 2. An hour later our boats shoved off from the landing place of Shamadji into the sluggish current of the Kumardhari, which quietly bore us westward toward the seu. (Copyright, 1038.) AT, of Europe it thrives in abundance. While it grows on low bushes, holly trees have been known to attain a height of 60 or 70 feet. It will grow in almost any soil not wet, but flourishes best in dry, sandy loam. Of quite a different character is the mistletoe—the mystic mistletoe, with its privilege of kissing the one caught thereunder. It is difficult to tell just exactly the origin of kissing under the mistletoe, but it dates far back. One of the early traditions was that the maid who was not kissed under the mis- tletoe at Christmas times would not be married before the next Christmas sea- son came around. Each young man as he caught and kissed the girl would pluck one of the pearly berries from off the bough, which he presented to her as a talisman of good luck for the en- suing year. When the last berry had been taken the privilege of kissing ceased. ‘The mistletoe was deemed sacred among the Druids, a religious order of ancients comprised of bards, proph- ets and priests. Their ceremony in collecting it for the festival of the Winter solstice was one of high so- lemnity. With a golden sickle the mis- tletoe was cut by the Prince of Druids himself. White-robed, he climbed the oak (the only tree on which the mistle- toe grew which was held sacred) and cut the branches. As they fell they were caught in a white cloth, and two white bulls were sacrificed with prayer. The mistletoe is also associated with Teutonic myth and Celtic ritual. In Scandinavian mythology a story is told in which the i.istletoe takes a very prominent part. Balder, favorite of the gods, son of Odin, King of Deities as well as god of war, and of Frigga, goddess of the sky, was slain by a con- trivance of the evil Loki. Balder’s mother had taken an oath from every creature, and® even from every inani- mate object, that they would not harm her son, but she omitted the mistletoe, Balder was therefore deemed invulner- able, and the other gods in sport flung stones and shot arrows at him, but always without harming him. The evil Loki, god of mischief, adroit and cun- ning, to transform himself into innumerable shapes, fashioned an arrow from mistletoe and got Hothr, the blind brother of Balder, to_shaot it Loki himself guiding it. ~Balder fell dead, pierced to the heart. “But he was restored to life, and the mistletoe was given to the goddess of love to keep always, so that every one who passed under it, receiving a kiss, would have proof that it was an emblem of love, not of death. THE PUZZLE CORNER gt Try these two words chains, changing one letter at a time and forming a complete new Word at each move. Re- member that you must not change any letters about within a word! ‘hance - SOCK to FULL in five moyes. Change LOVE to GIFT in four moves. g In a four word square, the first is something you get on Christmas, the second is & thought, and the third is terror. With that you should be able to get the last word and form the square. » Answers, 1. Cross-Word Puzzle Solution. 2. The diamond is H, toe, holly, elf, Y. 3. The three gifts are bicycle, vanity case and fountain pen. 4. SOCK—slick—silk—sill—fill—FULL LOVE—live—!life—lift—GIFT. 5. The words in the square are gift, idea, fear and tart. The Kitchenette BY AUNT HELEN. A wonderful salad for the Christmas season, or for a party at any time of the year, is my recipe for you this week. ‘Things that look appetizing always taste better and you can't imagine any more attractive dish than this. CANDLELIGHT SALAD. Cut a banana in two parts, crosswise, Place a slice of pineapple on a leaf of lettuce, then fit the piece of banana into the hole in the center of the pine- apple and place one maraschino cherry on top of the banana. Serve with may- onnaise or cream dressing, Pug Dog Saved Life Of Prince of Orange That dogs appreciate good treatment is shown by the story of the Prince of Orange and his dog. Of cqurse you've | read about him in history, but perhaus you didn’t know that he had a tiny pug dog of which he was very fond. One time there was a big battle om. The prince was at the front. As ne was sleeping one night in his tent, two men from the camp of the enemy stole through the lines and crept right up to the tent of the prince. They would have killed him, too, if his nervous little pug hadn't wakened up and made such a noise that the prince ‘was_aroused. That is how the toy dog first ap- peared in history. The prinee was so grateful that he always kept in his home a dog of that kind, and they became quite popular about the court. They became a fad in England, too, where they were at first called “Dutch pugs.” Aol g SN Riddles ‘This being vacation, you should have lots of time to guess riddles. And these | we are asking you this week will take & lot of time, for they are pretty tricky. 1. As light as a feather, but you can’t hold it 10 minutes. What is it? 2. Why did the cow go over the hill? 3. Why does a dog curl his tail? 4. Railroad—can you spell that withe out an “r 5. What's good for a bald head? Answers. 1. Your breath. 2. Because she could not go under. 3. So fleas may loop the loop. 4. Certainly, T-H-A-T. 5. Hair, Quite Natural. “Ma, I want to go cut and play.” “What, Henry? With those holes in your. stockings? 'No, ma, with the kids across the stieet.”