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■ Vv 1 * %■ 7 McCORMICK MESSENGER, McC( m gp®' FAMOUS CLUB ft The Entrance Sign 9P By FLOYD GIBBONS M EET Evelyn Kerr of Somerville, who is pinch hitting for her dad, George R. Kerr, of the same address. Evelyn says she has never had any adventures—not yet, anyway. If she had, she’d be glad to tell us about them. Her dad, on the other hand, has had one of those rip-roaring ex periences that make your hair stand on end for a week afterward, but somehow or other he never gets around to writing us about it. So Evelyn is writing that story up for him. All right, dad. That makes you a Distinguished Adventurer, and a full fledged member of the club. A lot of good yams begin with a man in the driver’s seat of an auto mobile. This is one of them. In 1918, Evelyn’s dad, George Kerr, was working as a truck driver for a company in Medford, and one trip he made in his truck he’ll never forget in all his life. George’s Truck Had a Heavy Load. It was a warm day in September. George was driving a five-ton truck loaded with corrugated paper boxes. There's one thing that ought to be explained here—that is, j that those boxes were heavy. A truck load of paper boxes doesn’t sound like much weight, but these boxes were folded flat and piled high on George’s gas buggy. It was a five-ton truck, but that load of boxes weighed every ounce of six tons. That load of boxes was to go to Salem, and, although George had been in the nearby town of Lynn a good many times, he had never driven to Salem. George got to Lynn in good time, and drove right on. To get to Salem, he had to cross the marshes that lie between the two towns— had to cross them over the floating bridge. *T don’t know whether that floating bridge is still there, or whether it has been replaced by a more modern—and more solid—structure. “That bridge was built of 137 layers of board placed on the top of the swamp, and those boards kept sinking so that they had to be reinforced twice a week," Evelyn says. It was said around those parts that nobody had ever been able to find a bottom to those marshes. But that’s something George Kerr didn’t know about. If he had, he might have traveled from Lynn to Salem by an en tirely different route. Another thing Qeorge didn't know much about was that floating bridge. The Sign That He Didn't See. There was a sign at the entrance to it that said: “Nothing over 6,M0 pounds allowed on this bridge. Anyone driving a vehicle weighing ever f,0M pounds proceed at their own f risk.'* But George didn’t see that sign as he rolled onto the bridge approach. So, with a load alone that weighed 6,000 pounds, and a truck that weighed almost as much again, he started across. It was George’s helper who first noticed that things were going wrong. The truck was halfway across—IN THE DEAD MIDDLE OF THE BRIDGE—when suddenly he cried out: “For Pete’s sake, George, look. The bridge is sinking!’* GEORGE DID LOOK—-AND HIS SCALP BEGAN TO CREEP AND FUNNY, CHILLY TWINGES BEGAN RUNNING UP AND DOWN HIS BACK. THE BRIDGE BENEATH THEM WAS OUT OF SIGHT UNDER MUDDY SWAMP WATER. AND THE WATER ITSELF WAS UP OVER THE RIMS OF THE TRUCK’S BIG WHEELS. The next thing George heard was the helper’s voice again “Come on, George. We’ll have to jump for it!’* That’s the last George saw of his helper for a while. He was over the side of the truck like a monkey, and George was left alone on the seat. From somewhere behind, he could hear his helper’s voice calling to him—telling him to get off that truck before it was too late. But George didn’t get off. That truck and the load it was carrying had been entrusted to his care. It was his responsibility. He’d heard about those marshes—heard people say that anything that went down in them never came up again. But that applied to the truck as well as himself, didn’t it? Hard Decision for Him to Make. Was he going to abandon that truck* -the property of the people who handed him his pay check every week—while there was still a chance of getting it across? On the other hand, George had a wife and five small kids at home. He owed a duty to them, too, didn’t he? What would happen to them if he went down in that swamp and never came up again? It was a tough decision to make, but George made it. He threw his truck into low gear, fed it the gas gently, and started crawling along toward the other side. It seemed as though he’d never make it. The bridge sagged beneath the weight of • the heavy load. The truck was moving at a snail’s pace, but he didn’t dare make it go any faster. Nothing to do but sit tight, hold his breath, and pray that everything would be all right. The water rose higher and higher. It was almost up to the hub caps. What if it got into the engine and stalled the motor? George didn’t want to think about that. What if the flimsy foundation of floating planks broke out from beneath him altogether? He didn’t like to think about that either. Out of the Water to Safety. Then, suddenly, he noticed the truck was rising higher out of the water. He was almost at the end now. Another minute and he’d be across. George didn’t breathe while they were crossing those last few yards. Then he was on dry land again—truck and all—and he stopped and sat there a few minutes to get control of his jumping nerves. His helper, back on the other side of the bridge, saw him get across safely, then followed on foot. After awhile they continued on their way and delivered their load, but it wasn’t until they were on their way back and passed the bridge approach that they saw the sign that read: “Nothing over 6,000 pounds allowed on this bridge.” “Then,” says Evelyn, “Dad nearly collapsed when he realized just how close a call he had had.” e—WNU Service. Robert Adam Styles Among the most distinguished de signers during the latter part of the Eighteenth century was Robert i Adam, favorite of George III, bache lor king of England. Son of an architect, he and his brother James gained considerable fame as archi tects under the partnership legend of the “Adelphi.” Most of Adam’s furniture shows his architectural leanings, the pieces being well bal anced and comparatively severe in outline. Some of the loveliest fur niture Adam made was of mahog any with delicate carvings and dainty inlays. He originally intro duced the shield back chair, but abandoned it in favor of the wheel back chair. Coastlines Michigan has a total of 1,715 miles of coastline on the Grc-.l Lakes, 905 miles in the Upper Peninsula and 810 miles in the Lower Penin sula. The U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey lists only seacoast. Florida, with a coast of 399 miles on the Atlantic and 798 miles on the Gulf of Mexico, a total of 1,197 miles, leads California with 913 miles and Louisiana with 397 miles. In tidal shore line (including islands), Flor ida has 2,276 miles to California’s 1,190 miles. According to the meth ods used by the Coast and Geodetic Survey, Maine has only 228 miles of coast (not including islands); if all the indentations are measured, it would have about 3,000 miles. 'Twas This Way By LYLE SPENCER O Western Newspaper Union. New Ways of Gambling H ORSE racing may not much longer be the favorite Ameri can way of gambling. It takes a lot of time and money to follow the ponies regularly. So a group of Cal ifornia professors have invented a new racing sport where anyone can own a whole stt ble of racers with out it costing a cent. They have conceived the idea of racing snails! On latest reports a history pro fessor had just won the “Kentucky Derby” with his champion thorough bred “Slimy.” Pedagogues who never before showed the slightest interest in gardening may now be seen out in their back yard on sunny afternoons, peering diligently under cabbage leaves. Who knows, any one of them might turn up another “Man O’ War!” Seven or eight members of the group regularly maintain racing stables, and several have seriously undertaken the business of breeding snails. One is said to be developing a giant slug who can outsquirm by two to one any ordinary snail. The races, usually run on the back of tilted ironing boards, vary in length from six inches, for juve niles, to two feet, for experienced veterans. Half-inch handicaps are sometimes given noted sluggards. Every formality and regulation of orthodox turf procedure is carried out in these races. The snails are even tested for possible doping, because a drop of alcohol noticeably increases a snail’s speed and vitality, and a tl-in film of salad dressing in his lane has helped many a snail to gallop home to a smashing victory! Origin of Oyster Cocktails T HE oyster cocktail is usually as sociated with expensive dining rooms and exclusive social gather ings. Like many members of the social register, it has come a long way from its humble beginnings. * Records show that the oyster cocktail was invented in a shabby waterfront saloon in San Francisco about 1866. Its concocter was a drunken gold miner who had reeled into town to spend his month’s wages. He appeared at the bar and or dered a stiff whiskey cocktail and a plate of California raw oysters. After gulping the cocktail, this tip sy guest placed the oysters in the same glass. The bar flies shuddered as they watched him fill it to the brim with tomato catsup Worces tershire and pepper sauce. To their further amazement, he ate the mess with evident relish. When finished, instead of getting sick, he called for another plate of oysters. The bartender was impressed. He seized the idea, put on an adver tising splurge, and was soon doing a land-office business selling the new product for “four bits” a glass. Other people experimented, and found that it worked equally well with shrimps. When society took it up the success of the oyster cock- tail was assured. Lady Nicotine pHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS dis- V* covered tobacco when he dis covered America in 1492. He car ried back to Europe fantastic tales of how the barbaric natives “per fumed themselves by swallowing the smoke of sweet-smelling herbs.” Other early explorers reported that Indians smoked tobacco by in haling it, not through the mouth as we do now, but through the nose. Their pipes were shaped in the form of a Y, the two points of which could be inserted in the nostrils. When first brought to Europe, the tobacco plant was supposed to have miraculous healing powers, and physicians forced people to smoke it for their health. Later, as the practice grew more common, clergy and kings professed to see traces of immorality in it, and passed the most stringent laws to stamp it out. It even became a crime punishable by death to smoke tobacco in sev eral European countries. It was not until smoking became fashionable that it really gained popular following. Sir Francis Drake brought back a complete smoking set from America in 1586 and presented it to Sir Walter Raleigh. Just before he went to the scaffold for political treason, Raleigh smoked a pipe full of Vir ginia blend. This immediately impressed the courtiers as a gallant gesture, and smoking was soon rife in the Eliza bethan court. Even Queen Eliza beth is said to have enjoyed a sur reptitious puff or two in the privacy of her boudoir. Diphtheria Ancient Disease Diphtheria is an acute infectious and communicable disease found more frequently among children than among adults. It is character ized by the growth of a false mem brane on a mucous or abraded skin surface and is due to the presence and proliferation of certain bacilli and the toxins elaborated by them. The disease has been known since antiquity, but is has been only with in comparatively recent times that men have learned just how to com bat it with success. r , JANUARY 7, 1937 It's Harder to Lose Pounds Than INAL All jj r F\ He—Are you at liberty, Misi Sweet? Miss Sweet—Do I look like I wa under arrest? CALLING ALL PAPAS < “If I refuse you, you say you have nothing to look forward to?” “No, Miss Rich, nothing but my monthly bills.” YES, FINISHED “I suppose you’ve finished your Saturday shopping?” “Yes, and it’s finished me.” THE LEFTOVERS “We’ll have to economize this year, my dear.” “Yes, blit how?” “I’ve an idea. Let’s give your relatives the same kind of leftovers we always give my folks.” A TRYOUT Wifie—What are you taking that medicine for—you are not sick, are you? Hubby—No, but the advertise ment of this dope is too attractive not to give it a trial. DANGEROUS OUTLOOK IT wm ** m Boss—Why didn’t you close that deal with old Moneybags? Salesman—He sail that he found that an auto license almost invari ably leads to a marriage license later on and he decided not to buy. SOMETHING FOR PAPA “I hope we have snow this win ter ” “Why?” “I gave my husband a new shov- ei.” It Is to Gain More of Them Overweight GeneraHy Has But One Cause and That Is Overeating. <sv “The slim, the irritable, the hungry woman takes on the pro portion of one of our minor men aces,” says Fannie Hurst in her amusing little book, “No Food With My Meals.” Miss Hurst is writing frankly from her owr ex perience in attempting successful ly to lose pounds. She admits herself that although she under took her reduction program under the direction of the doctor, she was not content with the com paratively slow results and cut still further the low calorie diet which the physician gave her. It is one of the mysteries of life that it is much harder to lose added pounds than it is to gain them. The bathroom scales, which are now so general a part of equipment, enable us to keep a check on weight. It is not so easy for those extra pounds which creep upon us unaware as it was once upon a time. A few days of dieting in time will save the slender figure. Remember, how ever, that, in general, the addi tion 3f a few extra pounds with the years is an asset. They are usually needed to balance those lines which the years write. Unless there is some glandular deficiency, overweight has but one cause, namely, overeating. The avoidance of more calories than are needed for use by the body for its own processes and for the activity of our lives may usually be a simple matter if there are no between meal sweets and no over-indulgence in bread, butter, other fats and rich desserts with meals. Not complete avoidance! It is only the second helpings that are usually responsible for undue weight gain. Looking out for that pound in time will actually save nine. Just one word of warning, however, don’t advertise publicly your diet program. Coffee Jelly. % tablespoons granulated gelatin Vt cup cold water 8% cups hot strong coffee cup sugar Soak gelatin in cold water, add fresh hot coffee and the sugar. Stir until disspolved and pour into molds to set. Mineral Oil Mayonnaise. % teaspoon mustard 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup mineral ofl Cayenne Lemon juice % teaspoon sugar Vinegar Mix dry ingredients and add yolk of egg. Mix well and add one-half teaspoon vinegar. Add mineral oil gradually, drop by drop at first, then more quickly* beating with egg beatei. As mix ture thickens thin with lemon juice or vinegar and continue add ing oil. When finished mixture should be very stiff. Keep cov» ered in the ice box. ® Bell Syndicate.—WNU Service. Bunyan Created Lakes Elk and Torch lakes, the beau tiful finger lakes that stretch par allel for miles along the shore of Lake Michigan near Elk Rapids, date back to the days of Paul Bunyan, according to the old lum berjacks. Lake Michigan, they say, was scooped out by the mighty Paul, to be used as a log pond. Instead of skidding the logs into a stream and floating them down to his pond Paul would hitch onto a section of land and drag it over to the lake, log off the timber, and then haul the section back. One day Paul hooked onto a particularly heavy timbered sec tion near the Boardman and started Babe, the blue ox, out to haul it over to the lake. Thera had been a heavy rain, t h a ground was greasy, and Babe’s feet slipped. Torch and Elk lakes remain, an eternal testimonial to the blue ox and the time his feet slipped.— Detroit Free Press. Here's Simple Way to Ease a Cold Two Quick-Acting, Quick-Dissolving Bayer Aspirin Tablets with a Glass of Water The modem way to ease a cold is this: Two Bayer Aspirin tablets the moment you feel a cold coming on. Then repeat, if necessary, according to instructions in the box. At the same time, if you have a sore throat, crush and dissolve three BAYER tablets in one-third glass of water. And gargle with this mixture twice. The Bayer Aspirin you take in ternally will act to combat fever and the pains which usually ac company colds. The gargle will act as a medicinal gargle to provide al most instant relief from rawness and pain. It is really marvelous; for it acts like a local anesthetic on the irritated membrane of your throat. Try this way. Your doctor, ws know, will endorse it. For it is • quick, effective means of combating a cold. Ask for Bayer Aspirin by tbs full name at your druggist's — not for "aspirin” alone. 15c FOR A DOZEN 2 FULL DOZEN FOR 25« VIRTUALLY 1e A TABLET Sit in Your Chair f at Home > > > and Shop* The things you want to buy •• • at the time you want to buy them • • * at the price you want to pay* You can find these right in the paper* Your newspaper advertisements make it possible to do your “looking around" right at home • • • and then go downtown to do your buying • • • saving you time and energy*