Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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? 1 EBONY WATERS By Anna McClure Sholl 1? Copyright by W. O. Chapman WNU Service CHAPTER X ? Continued ? 26 ? "Well, It nearly did." II? lingered A little longer to tell her of the burn ing of the figures. Then he followed the others Into the kitchen, and Ber fcenlce related the strange contradic tions of the academy life since Wil fon's going? her guardian's frequent changes of mood ? of Impulses, his bit terness, his Incalculable actions. "Like ? distraught creature. I was sad and 111 myself. These last days I could not even .write to you." "My dear ? this must end ? you must ?oon be free!" "But how?" "We'll plan something. We'll ham mer it out some way. But we must act together ? we four. Janet! Arthur! Have you nny plaijs that may help Berenice and me?" Janet answered from her shadowy corner. "We'll have to leave, whether we want to or not He told me this afternoon he was sending Arthur away soon. He might keep me a little while because of Berenice ? but not long." "I cannot be left here," Berenice said tragically. "What would I do? I know my father would not want me to stay on In this strange, unhappy place ? If ho could know !" "Of course he would not, Berenice," Payne exclaimed. "You can follow the paths of destiny too long and too abjectly. The sure road must open to you If you demand It. We four must go together, it's the Inevitable thing!" "But how nm I to cut this chain? He's always watching me!" ?Why not come away tonight? After your guardian has gone his usual rounds, yoy/and Janet and Mrs. Den ver could" come downstairs, and Ar thur and I will Join you. How about It, Arthur?" "I'm agreed. It's now or never! Once you're out of the place It won't be too easy to get you back. Pack your trunks and lock them; then put in handbags what you'll need for a dn,y V ^ wo. In the morning Wilton I will come tTowTi here, say that" you are at Jerry's and demand the trunks. I don't think your guardian -will refuse to give them up." Berenice put her hand on Wilton's arm. "Somehow I think we'd better face It out here; I hate that kind of leaving, not for his sake, but for all the memories. The place Is sad tragic? but Wilton, I feel that I must leave It In triumph ? openly." "Perhaps we can." "Really she shouldn't go tonight." Janet Interposed. "We can manage for n day or two. I can demand no tice. He certainly wouldn't put us out In the snow." ^ They heard the heavy closing of a ' -door upstairs. "Quick, Wilton," Flem ing said. He extinguished the light in the kitchen, and they all went softly down the passage; but when they reached the basement door they found tt locked and the key gone. They could hear Haskell talking to Mrs. Denver, and then his footsteps starting <Jown the basement stairs. "There's one room safe," Payne whis pered to the ponlc-stricken three "Your key, Berenice." He had It In an instant and was opening the door. Berenice uttered n little cry. "They're gone? but they're gone I" "Never mind ; sit there In their places quick I" He closed the door. "We can unlock It from this Bide." They groped their way to tho desks'* and, scarcely realizing from what In stinct of self-preservation, they seat ed themselves, and Janet and Ber enice bent their heads over the desks as did Wilton and Arthur. "He probably will go straight down the corridor. No need to look in here tonight." They could see a faint radi ance In the hall which slowly moved toward them, as apparently he looked ' In one room aftor another. "Balder, I say ? Balder ? where the devil is that follow hiding? Balder, I say. Come on out, now I You'll play this trick on me once too often? you great hulking coward. Baldfer, I sny, I want your news I You were to bring me news, 'and you've nover come with it*. In this strain he wont on. Ber enlce whispered, "I suppose Balder Is hiding, as usual. He hides when he wants to be particularly trying and disagreeable? then he will come out from some room yawning and sny he v was asleep." "I hope Haskell will give up the search goon," Arthur remarked dryly "I am inclined to think It a waste of time." . "t)o you know where the figure* MYe^ Berenice ? he burned them." Me heard hep sigh la the darkness *Yo? ?r# not sorry, my dtfart" Wilton whispered. "Arthur, I think he's coming back." *l*rtder 1 You'll pay for this"? they heard Haskell's voice trembling with anger. lie was returning down the corridor, a fa*ct attested by the cres cent brightness of reflected light thrown on the wall of the schoolroom. Tn the hall optslde Its advancing circle spread to a wider and wider arc. j "Keep your heads down. Bend over ' the desks," Wilton commanded. "He | may not look in? but If he does?" j he did not finish the sentence. The light was now opposite the cir cular inset of glass. They could hear Haskell muttering and talking to him self. "Keep your heads down," wiltoo i whispered. A pause, a silence as if destiny her- i self had ceased to breathe, then a ' strange mufTled cry reached their I ears, guttural with pain, terror and j violent anguish. The light was aud- ! denly Jerked away. They heard rapid ' footsteps; then deep stillness; thpn I far o(T the slamming of a door. He 8 gone," Berenice whispered. They waited several minutes In ut- ' ter silence, instinctively keeping their positions; then another light appeared and a woman's voice weakly calling : Janet 1 Berenice I Where are you." j Not to frighten Mrs. Denver by a too sudden appearance from that , ahuryied room, Wilton waited until the Passed the door and her footAeps Indicated that she was far downMRte^pasaage; then unlocking the door, ho stepped out and called her name softly. She turned, holding her lamp out to seo him better. "Mr. Payne? I'm so frightened! Something terrible ? " her voice faltered. "Is he In the house?" "No." "Is he coming back?" \ "I ? don't know." ? "Did he say where he was going?" The look of fright came again into j her eyes as she whispered, "Yes." The others stole out of the school- ! room. They waited, standing close j together in the dim passageway, while I the rising wind echoed about the an cient place, and an old, yellowed map ! on the wall near them oscillated in the j draught. They waited, but did not I speak ? and did not look at each other. At last Arthur moved restlessly. "He didn't find us," he whispered to Mrs. Denver. But he did find you. You were all In this room." She pointed fearfully to the empty schoolroom. "The basement door was locked ? he thought this the safest place." "He must have locked it. You sat at the desks," she went on, her voice ' trembling, : "Yes." i "You didn't raise your heads?" "No ? but of course he saw us." "He did, indeed ? and he thought ? * ' "Yes,' Wilton Interrupted, not look- ! Ing at Berenice, "in that dim light." "We'd better go upstairs," she whls- j pered. They followed her silently ? hall into the drawing room. She put down her lamp on theTl marble-topped table and said, "Sit ! down." I think it is safe now." "What happened?" Berenice asked, j "I heard him coming up tho stairs 1 like a man pursued, and yet he was i walking only a little quicker thnn usual ; but he was ghastly pale. 'Mrs. Denver,' he said as I came out of the I drawing room, 'They're all down ' there 1* "My heart was In my mouth, for I felt then he had discovered you, and ho looked so wild and dreadful that l did not know what he meant to do next. 'All of them,' he wont on. 'All?* I asked. 'Yes, the four figures.' He was getting Into his overcoat. 'They've driven me out at last.' 'Where are you going?' I said. 'You dreamed you saw them. You burned them.' 'Who told you?' he asked, frowning. '1 know you burned them,' I evaded him. 'They've come back,' he said. "'Where are you going?' * 'Up the ravine ? to look for Bal dor,' and he was off before I could an swer him." "If he's gone ? you do not have to go," Berenice said to Wilton. "No? \ye'd better all sit here and wait," Payne answered her; but he had a curious instinct that Gordon Haskell would never re-enter tho old academy. They talked in low whispers, softly, happily, with a feeling all shared of re lease, freedom, the very enchantment of freedom. Tho old place grew quieter, settled Into profound peace; even the wind went down, coased to harass the casements and to whisper along the empty corridors. After an other hour, Wilton proposed that Ber enice, Janet and Mrs. Denver should go to their rooms. He and Arthur would watch all night. They divided their night; then at last both slept In their chairs before the dying fire. They were awakoned by a pounding and ringing at the front door. Jerry stood there. "Two bodies have been washed down," he an nounced solemnly. "And hero I am again, after thirteen years, to tell of a drownln'. A woodsman found 'em as he was erossin' the ravine near the mouth. Baldor ? " "And Haskell," Payne flnishod. MIfow did you know?" '?He said he was going up the ravine to look for Balder." "When?" ??About 10:30 last night." "What sent him up at that hour?** MHe wanted to get away from this house.* MI should think he would," Jerry commented. "But she need neve* know." . "Berenice heed never know any thing?of the real facts," Wilton an swered, hit rolce softening. ?'When this Is all over I think ? I hope? 4k?t she will be vjry happy IH (THE END.] POULTRY YKTS GOOD MftfcES BRING HIGH-LAYING HENS Use Progeny Testing Plan to Pick Best Sires. Prepared by the Unltod State# Department of Agriculture.? WNU Service. A good male Is ten times as Impor tant as a good hen In building up ? llock of poultry. For this reason pro geny testing, n method which enables b poultry breeder to ideiktify the supe rior nules In his flock, Is a necessity to progress In poultry breeding, says Dr. M. A. Jull, In charge of poultry Investigations for the United States De partment of Agriculture. Too much significance has been at tached to phenomenal records in egg laying contests, according to Doctor Jull, who bases his statement on the results of a recent experiment with White Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds at the Reltsvllle research center of the department, at Reltsvllle, Md. High-production records In the ances try of hens used In a breeding flock are, of course, desirable but the ex periment shows that such records on only one side of the ancestry are not sufficient assurance of high-producing pullets. On the other hand, three gen erations of good egg-produ<?t1on records do give some assurance of good records of the pullets. A hen that produces good laying pul lets by one sire may* produce pullets with much lower averages when mated to anothor sire the next year. This In dicates that a hen's value as a breeder Is not always si1 own by the average eg* production of her daughters - but de pends also on the mating Involved. The ability to select superior breeding males is of great importance because a sire's Influence on a flock Is at leost ten times as great as tty>t of a hen, as one sire Is usually mated to ten or more hens. The Index of greatest val ue In determining a sire's breeding worth was found to be the averuge egg production of all of his daughters. Italy Believed Home of Original Leghorn Fowls The history of poultry reveals that "Italy \yas, undoubtedly, tho home of the original Leghorn fowls," says the Montreal Herald. Early literature shows that poultry of several kinds was bred at least 3.000 years ago, and fowls were used In Rome for food 2,000 years ago. Indications resulting from careful and widespread Investigations, are that "The Leghorn fowls as they ex TSl.a^were a mongrel lot," descended from iWOffrffi? ? ? cuous matlngs, without any attention being paid to color, body formation or productivity. The greatest develop ment In the breed has taken place In England, the United States and Can ada and It Is significant that the high stato of development attained in theao countries has led breeders In the natlvo home of the Leghorn to import spoclmens for the solo purpose of Im proving size, stamina, conformation and productivity ? not to say profit. Poultry Rations. Many poultry feed experts think it Is a wise practice to build all poultry rations around yellow corn, believing that under normal conditions It may make up one-luilf to two-thirds of the grain mixture, depending on the sea son of the year, possibly more being required In tho winter season than In summer. Wheat Is well liked by fowl* and may form a part of every ration. In feeding value It Is said to be ap proximately equal to corn, pound for pound. When It Is low In price It may bo fed up to one half the total grain al lowance and when relatively expen sive, It may he reduced to a fifth or even less, according to the Illinois Ex nerlmental station. Poultry Gleanings Lancashire, England, has more hen? than people. ? ? ? Pound for pound, s pullet needs four times more oxygen than a cow. ? ? ? ? Pale yolks are produced on such reeds as white corn, wheat, oats, and barley. ? * * One hundred pullets should eat about 2.r> pounds of feed dally. The propor tion of grain to mash will vary. ? ? ? In the case of a fresh egg, the shell Is dull and often has a sort of "bloom" on It; shells of stale eggs are glossy and smooth. ? ? ? When a bird Is dry-picked, It will lose about one-tenth of Its weight when tho blood and feathers are re moved. In other words, a 15 pound turkey will lose about one and a half pounds In dressing. ? ? ? Systematic and continuous culling of poultry brings results quicker than al most any other piece of work on the form. ? * ? Hens that are fed a small amount of cod-llver oil, about 2 per cent of their ration, produce egg.< containing more copper and Iron. ? ? ? An inexpensive piece of galvanised sheet iron has been found to be a satis factory covering for henhouse dropping boards. It Is verinln-proof and easily denned. Scenes and Persons in the Current News 1 ? Massive bronze doors of tfae National Capitol opening for the first session of the Seventy- tourth congress. 2 ? Brit ish soldiers, part of the internntiotTM^fiTree 8ent Into the Saar to keep order during the plebiscite, being greeted with the Nnzl salute In Saarbruecken. 8 ? South Trimble, clerk of the house of representatives, calling the hm??e to order for Its first session. Hamilton Field Air Base in California Under the reorganization plans of the army air corps the tirst wins Is to be stationed on t he Pacific with general leadqnarters at Hamilton Held In Marin county, Calif., a view of which is here given. The Held is across tho bay rom San Francisco. AIR FORCE CHIEF Lieut. Col. F. M. Andrews, who has been named commander of the newly organized genernl headquarters air force. SUCCEEDS BIFF JONES I/ernie Moore, Louisiana state uni versity freshman conch, who has been appointed head conch for Huey i\ Long's pet "Tigers," succeeding i,aw rence "llirf" Jones. The latter resigned nfter an a.^'ument with the Klngfish. Pritonor* Demnnd Rnpftir* It's bad enough to havo to l?o In any i kind of Jnll, hut life In a run down one I Is too much to expect. That Is whnt J the Inmates of the Jnll At Hlda, Nigeria, told tho district oflicer. They nppeared before him In a body and declared that j If tho prison was not repaired they would not Rtny. % To Honor King In memory of King Albert I of Bel glum, who Was a fine mountnlncnr and R great friend of Switzerland, a fund la to be created, Interest of which will be used to benefit any destitute stir vivors of mountaineers who have suc cumbed to climbing Occidents. Abraham Lincoln in Indianapolis This new seated statue of Abrahuin Lincoln, in bronze, designed by Henry Bering, New York sculptor, was dodlcated In University park, Just south of the World War memorial In Indianapolis. Tuning His Motors for Record Try Although there Is no Indication thnt a Harmsworth challenger is In tho ofl1n?, (Jar Wood, poor of nil Bpeedboat drivers, will not ho found unprepared should one bob up. Wood la Increasing tho power In Ids hujfo Miss A morion X motors, nnd Intends to try for n new world record In Florida some tlmo this winter. The photog|*nph shows Wood looking over the superchargers of his motors, lie 'fins Increased the speed of these units to provide MOO horse power more to each of the four hlu motors, making a total horse power of 7,('-<)0 for the craft, the most powerful power pjffint ever attempted In a boat.