University of South Carolina Libraries
m Cbpyciqhh by BdwUrvBalmcr >? ^ (Continued from last week) I ? CHAPTER XVI ? I "Ho Killed Your Father" lan ran aft along the starboard aide, catching at the rail as the deck tilted; the sounds within the hull and the tremors following each sound came to him more distinctly as he advanced. Taking the shortest way to the car deck, he turned Into the cabins to reach the passengers' compnnlonway. The noises from tin? car deck, no longer muffled by the cabins, clanged and resounded In terrible tumult; with the clang and rumble of metal rose shouts and roars of men. To liberate and throw overboard heavily loaded cars from an endangered ship was so desperute an undertaking and so certain to cost life that men attempted It only In final extremities, when the ship must be lightened at any cost. Alan hud never seen the effect of such an attempt, but he hnd heard of It as the fear which sat always on the hearts of the men who navigate the ferries?the cars loose on a rolling, lurching ship! lie was &otng to that now. The car deck was a pitching, swaying-slope; the cars nearest him were still upon their tracks, but they tilted and swayed uglily from side to side; the Jocks were gone from under them: the next cars airomiv u?nm> hurled from the rails, their wheels creaming on the steel deck, clanging and thudding together In their couplings. Alan ran aft between them. All the crew who could be called from deck and engine room and firehold were struggling at the fantall, under the direction of the captain, to throw off the cars. The mate was working as one of the men, and with him was Benjamin Corvet. The crew already must have loosened and thrown over the stern three cars from the two tracks on the port ide; for there was a space vacant; and as a car charged Into that space and the men threw themselves upon It. Atan leaped with them. It was a flat car laden with steel beams. At Corvet's command, the crew ranged Uieuiselves beside It with bars. The bow of the ferry rose to some great wave and, with a cry to the men. Corvet pulled the pin. The others thrust with their bars, and the ear slid down the sloping track; and Corvet, caught by some lashing of the beams. came with it. Alan leaped upon it and, catching Corvet, freeu hint ami dung htm down to the deck, and dropped With him. A cheer rose as the car cleared tne rantatl, do\e and disappeared. Alan clambered to hla feet. Corvet * already was back among the cars again, shouting orders; the mute and the men who had followed him before L leaped at his yells. Corvet called to r them to throw ropes and chains to bind the loads which were letting go; the heavier loads?steel beams, castings, machinery?smtpped their lash lngs, tipped from their flut cars and thundered down the deck. The cars : JsamL Corvet Already Was Back Among tha Cars Again, 8houtlng Orders. tipped farther, turned over; others balanced bu^k; it was upon tlielr wheels that Ihey charged forward, lialf riding one another, crashing and demolishing, as the ferry pitched; it was upon their trucks that they tottered and battered from aide to side as the deck awayed. Now the stern again descended; a line of cars swept for the funtall. Corvet's cry came to Alan through the screaming of steel and the clangor of destruc won. uorvei s cry sent men with burs I ' beside the cars ns the fantnll dipped Into the water; Corvet, again leading the crew, cleared the lender of those madly charging cars and ran It over y/ . the stern. The fore trucks fell and, before the rear trucks reached the edge, the tern lifted and caught the car in the middle; It balanced, half over the water, half over the deck. Corvet crouched under the car with a crowbar; Alan and*two others went with him; they worked the car on until the weight of the end over the water tipped tt down; the balance broke, and the car tumbled and dived. Corvet, having cleared another hundred tons, leaped back, calling to the crew. Thay followed him again, unquestioning, obedient Alan followed close to him. It was not pity which stirred mlwn n#MP CorY^t * PQf W&S he had never thought or seeing him like this I It was, probably, only for a- flash; -but the great quality of leadership which he had once possessed, which gherrill had described to Alan and which had been destroyed by the threat over hlra, had returned to him In this desperate emergency which he had created. How much or how little of his own condition Corvet understood. Alan could not tell; It was plain only that he comprehended that he had been the cause of the catastrophe, and in his flerce will to repair it he not only disregarded all risk to himself; he also isu aummonea up rrom within htm and was spending the last strength -of his spirit. But he was spending it In a losing fight. He got off two more ca#b; yet the deck only dipped lower, and water washed farther and farther up over the fantall. Men, leaping from before the charging cars, got caught In the murderous melee of Iron and steel and wheels; men's shrill cries came amid the scream of metal. Alan, tugging at a crate which had struck down a man, felt aid beside him and, turn' lng, he saw the priest whom he had | passed on the stairs. The priest was 1 bruised and bloody; this was not his first effort to aid. Together they lifted an end of the crate; they bent?Alan stepped bnck, and the priest knelt alone, his lips repeating the prayer for absolution. Screams of men came from behind; and the priest rose and turned. He saw men caught between two wrecks of cars crushing together; there w<js no moment to reach them; he stood and raised his arms to them, his head thrown back, his voice calling to them, as they died, the words of absolution. Three more cars at the cost of two lives the crew cleared, while the sheathing of Ice spread over the steel Inboard, and dissolution of all the cargo became complete. Cut stone and motor parts, chasses and castings, fur nlture and beams, swept back and forth, while the cars, burst and splintered, became monstrous missiles hurtling forwurd, side wise, aslant, recoiling. Vet men, though scattered singly, tried to stay them by ropes and chains while the water washed higher and higher. Dimly, far away, deafened out by the clangor, the steam whistle of Number 25 was blowing the four long blasts of distress; Alan heard the sound now and then with Indifferent wonder. All destruction had come for him to be contained within this car deck; here the ship loosed on itself all elements of annihilation; who could aid It from without? Alan cnught the end of a chain which Corvet flung him and, tlougn he knew It was useless he curried It across from one stanchlop to the next. Something- swepnln# across the deck, caught him and carried him with ii; it brought him hefore the coupled line of trucks whleh hurtled bnck and forth where the rails of track three had been. He was hurled before them and rolled over; something cold and heavy pinned him down; and upon him, the car trucks came. But, before thern, something warm and living- -a hand and bare arm catching him quickly and pulling at him, tugged him a little farther 011. Alan, looking up, saw Corvet beside him; Corvet, uii?uie io ?..ovc him! farther, was crouching down there With him lion vnllnri him ?a 1 non I to twist aside and get out of the way; but Corvet only crouched closer find put his arms over Alan; then the wreckage came upon them, driving them apart. As the movement stopped, Alan still could see Corvet dimly by the glow of the Incandescent lumps overhead; the truck separated them. I It bore down upon Alan, holding blni motionless and, on the other side. It crashed upon Corvet's legs. He turned over, as far as he could, and spoke to Alan. "You have been saving me, so now 1 tried to save you," he suid simply. "What reason did you have ,for doing that? Why have you been keeping by me?" "I'm Alan Conrad of Blue ltaplds, Kansas," Alan cried to him. "And you're Benjumln Corvet! You know me; you sent for me! Why did you do that?" Corvet made no reply to this. Alan, peering at him underneath the truck, could see that his hands were pressed against his face and that his body shook. Whether this was from some new physical puln from the movement of the wreckage, Alan did not know till he lowered his hands after a moment ; and now he did not heed Alan I or seem even to he aware of him. "Dear little Connie!" he said aloud. "Dear little Connie! She mustn't iiiitrry nun?noi nun i unui musi no seen to. What shall I do, what aliall I do?" Alan worked nearer him. "Why mustn't she marry him?" he cried to Corvet.*~ "Why? Ben Corvet, tell me I Tell me why lH "Who are you?" Corvet seemed only with an effort to become conscious of AlHn's presence. "I'm Alan Conrad, whom you used to take care of. I'm from Blue ItupIds. You know about me; are you my father, Ben Corvet? Are you my father or what?what are you to me?" "Your father?" Corvet repeuted. "Did he tell you that? lie killed your father." "Killed him? Killed him, how?" "Of course. He killed them all?all. But your father?he shot him; he shot him through the head I" Alan twinged. Bight of Spearman came before hlm.aihe had flrst seen tuai wat trie hole made by the shot ] ' Spearman fired which had killed Alan's father?which shot him through the head! Alan peered at Curvet and culled to him. 'Father Benltot 1" Corvet culled In response, not directly In reply to Alan's question, rather lp response to what those questions stirred. "Father Benltot I" Some one, drawn by the cry, wns moving wreckage near them. A hftnd .and arm with a torn sleeve showed; Alan could not see the rest of the figure, but by the sleeve he recognized that It was the mate. "Who's caught here?" he called down. "Benjamin Corvet of Corvet, Sherrlll and Spearman, ship owners of Chicago," Corvet's voice replied deeply, fully; there was authority in It and wonder too?the wonder of a man finding himself In a situation which his recollection cannot explain. ? "Ben Corvet 1" the mate shouted In surprise; he cried It to the others, those who had followed Corvet and obeyed him during the hour before and had not known why. The mate tried to pull the wreckage nslde and make his wuy to Corvet; but the old man stopped him. "The priest, Father Benltot I Send him to me. I shall never leav# nere; sena Father Benltot!" y The word was passed without the ninte moving away. The mate, after a j minute, made no further attempt to f free Corvet; that indeed was useless, and Corvet demanded his right of sac- * rament from the priest who came und E crouched under the wreckage beside ( him. 1 "Father Bonltot!" s "I am not Father Benltot. I am Fa- r ther Perron of L'Anse." } "It was to Father Benltot of St. Ignace I should have gone, Father I . . . The priest got a little closer as Cor- 0 vet spoke, and Alan heard only voices s now and then through the sounds of clanging metal and the drum of Ice < agulnst the hull. The mate and his i helpers were working to get him free. They had abandoned all effort to save the ship; It was settling. And with the settling, the movement of the ^ wreckage Imprisoning Alan was Increasing. This movement made useless c the efforts of the mate; It would free Alan of itself In a moment, If It did not kill him; It would free or finish * Corvet thb. But he, as Alan saw him, 1 was wholly oblivious of that now. His c lips moved quietly, firmly; and Ids eye* a were fixed steadily on the eyes of the t priest. r (To be contvnuod next we?k) c FRETFUL BABIES I f , 1 Cheer Up Instantly When Dr. Thornton's Easy Teeth- ? er Removes Cause of Pain. p r ti' .i | S c Mother! When the child becomes e cross and peevish with feverishness. t sour stomach, coated tongue, bowel trouble, cold or colic give a course of t the old reliable Dr. Thornton's 'Easy \, Teether and note the quick, improvement Dr. Thornton's Easy Teether F is a harmless sweet powder composed e of antiseptics, digestants and granular stimulants, contains no opiates or harmful drugs. Babies like it and s take it mere freely than sticky syrup* or liquid medicines. a Hundreds of unsolicited testimonials f received during the past fifteen years from doctors, druggists and apprecia- c tlve mothers prove its efficiency be- 8 yond question of doubt. If it fails to help your child your money back without question. Twelve powders in a h package with full directions, 25c at ^ your druggist?Advertisement. 5 e ? .. A Bad Combination. r Trollope?I know u combination ^ which you may always tuke It for ^ granted Is bent on mischief. Needham?What combination is k\\nt O Trollope?A small boy and a pin. a t Complimentary. . Lady?I want to sop some grand planoc. Do you carry them? Clerk?Madam, you Hatter ma. ? ?Li fa. i] r ? t H ATonic B' g For Women 8I DD "I was hardly able to draa, I DE ( U was so weakened," writes Mrs. U 0 Xl W. P. Ray, of Eaaley, S. C. QQ c rj "The doctortreated me for about r] 1 M two months, still I dkln't get M ( Mj any better. I had a large tain- M 1 U fly and felt I surely must do U i QQ something to enable me to take QC ? fj care of my little ones. I had KJ Ixl heard of |x r Mai nnm C; gUAKUUIg m Tin Woman's Tonic H: 12 LJ c XI "I decided to try ft/' con- HC 1 n tlnues Mrs. Rsy . "I took Q W eight bottles in all I re- M i M gained my strength and have M \ U had no more trouble with wo- U a Xj manly weakness. 1 have ten UE > H children and am abta to do all Q c 2| my honsewock and a lot out- [Y n doom , I can turn recoo- n , M mend CarduL* M \ fl Take OaiM today* It Mqr rj 1 I M bejnst what yod need* M L. C. WANNAMAKER WILL NOT BE IN THE RACE Editor Chesterfield Adeirtiser, Chesterfield, S. C. Dear Sir: "Permit me, please, to announce through your paper to the voters ol Chesterfield county that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the House of Representatives, nor will 1 [>e a candidate for the State Senate. "I deeply appreciate the confidence >f the voters when two years ago they ?ave roe about four-fifths of the votes :ast in our county, even when there ivere five candidates in the race. Considerations of duty to my private business make rae", af or careful consideration, decide to withdraw from politics for the present. "The past two years have been financially distressful to all of us, and made the burden and responsibility jpon the Legislature doubly heavy. Feeling it a duty, I have hereinbelow set out some general lines of policy vhich I think mean county progress. "I consider the income tax and the nhcritance tax laws the most progreslive steps taken by the State in relent years. In theory these taxes are 10 just and equitable ns to be beyond luestion the ideal sources of revenue, -legislatures should address themlelves to making fair and even the iractical application of these laws. From these sources wealth ougnt to :ontribute more largely to the develipment and maintenance of our school system. "During the past two years the state levy has been reduced from 'ourteen to seven mills. As soon as >roper sources of state revenue are apped this seven mills ought to be viped out. "In addition to supporting the in:ome and inheritance taxes, I sup>orted the gasoline tax and the hydroslectric tax, while I fought the luxury ax. The gasoline tax was necessary >n account of our broken down tax system, and is especially justified in hat half of the fund goes to the oads direct in the counties, and the >ther half goes to the State. The later half help to reduce the mill levy, ind certainly the mill levies for road ar overbalance this amount that goes o the State. The hydro-electric tax s a tax on what Providence gave to .11 of the people, not to a class of leople, to wit: our splendid natural esources. The luxury tax as a State reposition would discriminate gainst our merchants in favor of nail uiuei houses, and i:: only fessble when it can be collected at its ource or so fairly levied not to disriminate. It's cost for enforcement vould be terrific, and if not strictly nforced the honest man would suffer nd the dishonest man would reap a inrvest. It would be, like our presnt system, a thorn in the flesh of the ody politic of the state. It is a source if revenue that the National Govrnment can better invade than the itate Government. Besides the above, kill x . 1 i -I uc urn (jii'st'iiu'u ai me last session ed me to believe that the small tax layers' burden would be made heavir. "I hope the next Legislature will ubmit to the people the question of mending the constitution so that diferent levies can be made on various lasses of property. As matters now tand we are not getting any apprecible revenue from invisible property, ?ut with a reasonable levy, I believe hat within a few years.\ye could have 1300,000,000.00 worth of such proprty on our tax books. People do not eturn bonds, mortgages, stocks, totes, moneys and other property of his character. With a reasonable levy uch property would get on the tax >ooks. "When we have succeeded in doing way entirely with a state levy on angible property, and only the county s interested in the valuation returns, t will be advisable to have a survey f our county made by competent, disnterested parties so that all property iow escaping taxation can be put on he books, and so that expert informainon can be put before the County 3oard of Equalization in order that i * >-- i 1-- ? ... nc iwui uuiurn tan dc iairiy listributed. "In County matters I have tried to ook to business qualifications in the natter of recommendations for ap ointment to various offices. Our bounty Commissioners ought to be iur best business men, and come from liflferent townships in the county. A >i 11 by me making it unlawful for bounty Commissioners to deal with he county for profit either directly or ndirectly,. was passed at the last sesion. "An equitable division of the road noney ought always be maintained? certain funds going for the roads in he Highway System, and other funds roing on lateral roads only. The county debt will soon have to >e floated. Serial bonds are in my pinion the best means of floating a lebt, for by this means the entire debt loes not fall due at once at the end of he period when the sinking fund pos ibly has been used for some other >urpose or emergency, or not prodded at all. But with serial bonds a imall part of the debt may fall annually or bi-annually and easily paid ?ut of current funds. "I was opposed to the time being >xtended the payment of taxes, fearng that it would cripple the schools, hat it was an injustice to the school {*?*?* Cur*' Ckuumrnm , i, j I When; : 30* , [ 31 v P n^^OUR tire deal , p 8^ga enthusiast r you the 30x2 ff USCO at $10.90. fr To him USCO has i f ways represented a ti f value that he felt mo vf than justified in offeri; r his customers. ? At- tlia <fc i r\ or* ?:? w * AV 1.KKV , r can hardly be blamed 1 7 putting it to the front f the value he would m< i y like to be remembered 1 y * * * r This much to keep r mind? r r United States Tires y are Good Tires iPactoi Where You Griggs'I Can Buy Rivers B U.S. Tires: JO.Ta; teachers and to the children, that it would be expense to the county to finance itself, and that most floating property would escape taxation by being: in North Coralina or elsewhere when collecting time came. It was an injustice to those who had paid their taxes to have the County in the 'Hole* so to speak, on account of those who had not paid. The writer's position on state aid to schools has heretofore been outlined in the county papers. It is very regrettible that many leading men in other counties have launched a fight on this proposition. The masses of the people everywhere, I feel sure, when they are awakened will repudiate at the polls those men who for selfish reasons stand in the way of educating every boy and girl in South Carolina. "I hope County Officers will look into the matter of more licenses as a proper source of revenue. But the commutation road tax should be lowI ered. Durinc the tir?t s??cir>r> r\f r"n/. Legislature the commutation road tax was reduced from four to three dollars. It ought to be reduced to one or two dollars, and the specific duty of collecting same be put upon the Rural Police under the direction of the County Commissioners. I believe each township loses hundreds of dollars each year by not collecting road tax, and it is very important as this money goes on township roads not in the Highway System. "The Rural Police system was put in force at the instance of petitions and letters from practically all over the county, and at the instance and request of practically every County Official. It was represented that the laws could not be enforced with the old constable system because the constables were not sufficiently well paid to give their time to the job except when called, and that the police salaries would not exceed the constable salaries and the additional fines thereby. secured. Law enforcement should not be measured in terms of fines but should be a steady continuous thing. For the present I am standing by the rural police system until something better is offered. "Our county can well look forwarc to the future. Prosperity seems cer tain after we have gone through the boll weevil war. We ought not to be afraid to go ahead in county progrest I wniie miner in i and labor are cheap We ought, in the next few years, complete the building of all of our im portant roads, and with a permanent system of maintenance keep in gooc repair all the State Highway road; together with the local townshij roads. A good court house, where botl men and women can comfortably at tend, and when Court can be belt both summer and winter, thereby dis patching all the business before th< court, is a need of the county?but re member?use serial bonds. "At the close of my services I wis] to thank the county papers for theii iMir treatment and such items as the] published for me, and to thani< all 01 the County Officials for their co-op eration, especially, Mr. G. W Duvall who unselfishly gave of his time ant attention to county business until pre vented from so doing on account oi his health." f I r "I l" I I' V\~ 1 rni'- I i you look ai 3VaUSCO t S 10.90 er USCO has always sold ly as a quality tire of knotvn ic standards ai .1 performws ance. / Today at $10.90 it / fixes the worth of / al? your tire dollar at / ire a new maximum / 4 >re by reason of its / ng own distin* / ^ g u i s h e d / he values- / }St / '/ $lf ' d^oVfarTax< lited States Tire ted States @ Rubber Compar lr?? The Oldest and Larqest 7Vo hundred I set Rubber Organization in ihe World thirty-five lirut Igeworth, Ruby, S. C. Lucas Auto ( 3ros., Ruby, S.C. Nisbet & ros., Mt. Croghan, S. C. ylor, Mt. Croghan, S. C. W. M. Pai Another Prank i Watts?Say, the horse you sold me J last week fell down dead this morn- r COUNTY TA> State Ordinary County Roads Bridges Total I | Marburg Orange Hill Pats Branch Pee Dee Stafford Bethel Center Point l/nesterfieiu Parker Pine Grove .' , Ruby hiloh Snow Hill ( Stafford ,jVaughan ' Wamble Hill , Black Creek , Center , Center Grove Cross Roads I Mt. Croghan Ruby Wexford , Winzo Zion I Buffalo Dudley j Five Forks . , Mangum Pageland Plains < I Zion . Angelus . Center Grove , Clarks , Jefferson Macedonia . Plains . Bay Springs t Green Hill . ] Leland j Middendorf j McBee 1 Providence . Sandy Run j Union . Bay Springs e Bear Creek Bethesda Juniper i Middendorf r Patrick 7 Pats Branch Branch f Shiloh . StafVord White Oak I Cat Pond v Juniper f Ousley Patrick Linton ."Ti'rr'r r ii i'jiajal ta /\ 1 / A / A / '> 1 / i / A / A / A / A / A / A f A A 2 A A 3o*3% i rsco A VHHB^^hhhhb 4 sharped \ ^ f- J ^ ^ J i Svfctvb "?:.? * ^ A^tjj K.kS. Wfe? Do., Chesterfield, S.C. ! Wilson, Chesterfield, S. C. nkcy, Patrick, S. C. ?1 ng! Potts?Well, I'll be handged! I told rou he had some funny ways, but I lever knew him to do that before. C LEVY 1921 12 mills 6 mills 6 mills 1 mill 28 mills w F w w F h ?T g 2. CL c o 2. Q ET ET r> cy Jb EL o O. * I* ? o o ? ? ? cp ~ ~ r 3 2. to td o ? O- ?T C O OS < 0 a si o. ?* H | s 9 1 ? | I 28 I 12 ' * 1% 46% * *1 28 I 8 1% 37% . . . 28 6 1% 34% .. . 28 8 1% 37% 28 8 4 1% 36% ... 28 8 2 1% 39% 28 8 6 41 ... 28 S 36 ... 28 1C 4% 48% ... 28 83 33 ... 28 8 86 28 16 5 4% 63% ... 28 82 38 ... 28 | 8 6 42 .. . 28 8 2 88 ... 28 8 2 88 ... 28 8 ... 28 10 6 48 ... 28 10 6 43 ... 28 8 6 5 47 ...28 8 6 5 46 ... 28 16 6 4 6 68 28 I 16 5 4% 6 68 1 28 8 5 I 6 46 I 28 8 8 51 49 ... 28 8 7* 6 48* ... 28 8 4 | ... 28 8 ?\ ... 28 8 8d ... 28 8 86 28 16, 7* 61* ... 28 8| 8 44 28 8| 7* 43* ...28 8 7 6 48 ... 28 81 6 6 47 .... | 2 8; 6 6 46 ... 28 icj | 9 6 68 .. 1 23 8j 3 6 44 . ... I 28 J 8j k| , 49 ... 28 8 6 6 48 ... 28 8 10 6 62 ... 28 8 10 6 62 28 8 6 6 47 ? 'o2*8.'18*' ' 4*l a *7 . . . . 28 I 91 i i' i o 30 .. 28 8 6 42 . . .1 28 8 6 6 48 ... | 28 8 6 42 ...128 8 88 ...] 28 U 88 128 8 81 ... 28 8 6 41 . . 28 15 4 4y ... 28 8 M ... 28 8 2 if ... 28 8 2 88 ... 28 8 6 4f 2i 8 6 42 ... 28 8 ... 28 12 6 <1 ... 28 18 4