PAGE EIGHT
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Death Among The Dunes
Introducing Dr . Mordacai Wescott, investigator, who solves the problem at Dune House,
down among the sand-dunes on the coast of North Carolina.
By WILBORNE HARRELL
★ A Chowan Herald Fiction Story. #
*...,_ u i~ * „
HAS HAPPENED
Josiah Fentress, millionaire*
sportsman, has been found shot
to death at his home, Dune House,
on the coast of North Carolina.
Dr. Wescott, eccentric private in
vestigator, is called in to assist
in solving the crime. The police
suspect Octavia Fentress, Fen
tress’s pretty wife, but Wescott
disagrees with them and sets him
self to prove Mrs. Fentress inno
cent.
The story is being told by Jim
my Maguire, newspaperman and
chronicler of the exploits of Dr.
Wescott.
Chapter Two
Dune House, the imposing home of
Josiah Fentress, is situated on that
narrow strip of sand that skirts the
coast of North Carolina between sound
and ocean. Sand dunes are numerous,
and it was their prevalence that
prompted Josiah Fentress to dub his
home Dune House. Fentress had long
owned this place but since his mar
riage a few years ago, he had made it
his summer residence. The winters he
spent either in Italy or Florida.
Among the residents of this coastal
section, Josiah Fentress was noted for
his philanthropies; in fact, any ad
vancement that these people had made
could be attributed either directly or
indirectly to Josiah Fentress. From
this I gathered that they would view
with hostility any attempt on the part
of Dr. Wescott or myself to prove the
innocence of one they had already
deemed guilty of the murder of Jo
siah Fentress. To these simple but
wholesome folk, Fentress fell not far
short of a paragon.
We had our work cut out for us,
and it was to prove no easy task. I
found myself imagining a beautiful
woman caught in the toils of a foul
monster, where she had been thrown
to appease the wrath of some venge
ful god. I could readily picture pretty
little Octavia Fentress in just this pre
dicament: sacrificed to the hangman
that the majesty of the law may be
upheld. You see, I had already begun
to think of her as innocent just be
cause Wescott had said so. That’s
what association with Wescott will do
to you; he fairly exuded an aura of
confidence.
Yet I knew I must not form an
opinion so early in the game. Woman
had committed murder, and beautiful
women at that. I decided to at least
reserve my verdict until I had seen
the lady, which would be just as soon j
as we could get across the sound to '
Dune House.
A few hours later we were at Land’s
End awaiting Sergeant Crosby and
his launch; he was to meet us here
and ferry us over. I imagine this was
a distasteful job for Crosby, for he
and Wescott were always at dagger’s
point; although not enemies, they
were pretty keen rivals, and I knew
that this case was going to eventual
ly boil down to a hotly contested af
fair between Crosby and Wescott.
Sergeant Wescott would do all in his
power and that of the police behind
him, to fasten the guilt on Octavia
Fentress. And knowing Wescott as
I did I knew he would leave no stone
unturned to extricate that lady from
what, if allowed to continue, would
be a shocking travesty on justice.
Wescott, I knew, would act on the as
sumption of Octavia Fentress’s inno
cence, which in his mind was now an
established fact.
From where we were at Land’s End
Dune House was plainly discernible,
standing out as formidable as any
medieval fortress, as indeed it could
easily prove to be, if Crosby were
allowed to have his way.
I resolved right then and there that
if it be within my power, I would
thwart Crosby if I could.
If I appear to paint Sergeant Cros
by too blackly, let me say that he is
not at all the ogre you would imagine
him to be from what I have written.
Crosby was an excellent detective with
bulldog tenacity that made him all
the more dangerous, a quality that
made him worthy of any man’s steel.
And Crosby was a square cop. I knew
that if he came to see the case as
Wescott saw it, Octavia Fentress
would have no stauncher champion
than Sergeant Crosby.
Beside Dune House, a pencil of
stone against the sky, reared Sharks
head Light. A beacon, would R il
luminate the darkness that was gath
ering in foreboding shadows to engulf
an innocent woman? Who could tell.
As I gazed across the shimmering wa
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ter, I experienced a queer sensation
that this Light was in some way a
symbol that justice would be done;
that standing starkly in its strength
this tower would play no minor role in
the drama to be unfolded.
Maybe I was hipped or daydream
ing, but I coul/i swear that Sharks
head Light actually flashed me a sig
nal, and I, a hardboiled newspaper
man, and not at all given to seeing
pink elephants or purple cows; and I
risked my life many a time on a dis
tillate of “what have you?” from the
swamps of North Carolina, guaran
teed to produce anything from green
snakes to Barnum & Bailey’s entire
menagerie thrown in for good meas
ure.
No, I wasn’t drunk, unless Wes
cott’s enthusiasm had gone to my
head and‘induced a form of synthetic
intoxication.
The salty tang of the sea, too, that
now faintly came to my nostrils was
like heady wine. I could imagine I
heard the boom of the surf, the roar
of the wind; I could see ships, clip
pers, galleons, caravels, fantastic
sails penciled against a blue sky. All
the tales of men who “go down to the
sea in ships” paraded before me; the
buffeting of merciless seas, the des
pairing cries of lost souls whose
last port o’ call was the grinding ob
livion of a rock-bound coast. At
home, steadfast hearts waiting for
ships that will anchor no more. Down
on the beach the silhouetted lassie,
' with shaded eyes and- heart full of
aches and memories, scanning with a
yet hopeful smile the horizon that
had taken her lover . . .
Aw, hell! What had gotten into
me! Here I was on grim police busi
ness and getting as mushy and as
sentimental as a school girl. Sup
pose I did have a streak of romance
in me that years of newspaper rou
tine and contact with life at its worst
had failed to completely kill. This
was not the time nor the place for
romancing—at least not for me.
I came back to earth with a thud.
“See that speck out there, Jimmy?
Unless I’m mistaken, that’s Crosby.”
Wescott had grasped my arm and was
pointing to a small dot on the water
that was gradually growing larger
and taking on the shape of a boat.
Soon, faintly, I could make out the
putt! putt! of a gasoline launch.
“Yeah, that’s a boat, alright,” I
said, “and it must be Crosby. The
police wouldn’t let anybody else off.”
Wescott didn’t answer and I con
tinued, “I understand Fentress was
j throwing a big party when lie was
1 killed. That right? Then it rcuct
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W erld't largut Port Control Co.
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THE CHOWAN HERALD, EDENTON, N. C., THURSDAY. JULY 9, 1968.
have been one of Fentress’s swell
friends .that bumped him off, and I’ll
bet there’s a bunch of ritzy dames
and gentlemen over there fit to be
tied. Being invited on a pleasant
week-end party and then getting mix
ed up in a nasty murder is not at all
my definition of a good time.”
Wescott turned on me with some
thing approaching ferocity. “You’re
damned right! Murder is a nasty
business, and that’s why I make it
my business to get at the truth of
them if it’s within my capabilities.” ,
(Continued Next Week) x ,
I
HIGH, LOW MASSES SUNDAY
EDENTON CATHOLIC CHURCH ,
Every Sunday (except First Sunday ,
of every month, when first Mass in i
Palace Theatre, Windsor, at 8 A. M.),
a High Mass (Missa Cantata de Ange
lis) will be sung at 8 A. M., and a Low
Mass celebrated at 11 A. M., EST,
each including Sermon, Holy Com
munion, followed by Roisary in Honor
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He’s Driving His Cares Away!
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I There’s a great industrialist in Detroit, and a well
known scientist in New York, and a famous states
man in Washington who will tell you that the best
way to relax from the cares of the day is to get behind
the wheel of a 1953 Cadillac. #
And there are also thousands upon thousands of
other Cadillac'owners throughout America who will
gladly add supporting testimony to these revealing
statements.
For these motorists know, from their own personal
experience, that there is no faster or surer way to
relax and refresh than to take to the highway with
a smooth, comfortable, quiet Cadillac car.
It makes a man feel good just to sit behind the
; V #heel. As he glances about his Cadillac’s gracious
k . . . WV. '• ~ t
M H. JENKINS MOTOR COMMAS tec.
. . PHONE 174 , Bterfton, N. C.
of Our Lady of Fatima for Conversion
of Russia soon, Universal, Everlast
ing Peace, Sunday School, with Con
fessions for hour before Services, in
St. Ann’s Catholic Church, Edenton,
stated Father F. J. McCourt, Partor,
who invites everybody to all Services.
Week-days 7:30 A. M., Mass, Roeary.
Saturdays 7:30 P. M., Choir meet.
Aromatic Transplanter
May Increase Acreage
The recent development of a satis
factory aromatic tobacco transplant
er could easily boost North Carolina’s
acreage of this small leaf crop.
R. H. Crouse, agronomy specialist'
for the N. C. State College Agricul
tural Extension Service, says the de
velopment of the transplanter will cut
out about three-fourths of the labor
previously required in planting the
small plants in the field.
Transplanting was the major bottle
neck, Crouse says, in the production
of this leaf. The number of plants re
quired per acre—between 60,000 and
70,000 —required too much time to set
in the field. The new and inexpen
sive transplanter will set the plants
in 20 inch rows, spaced five inches
apart in the row, in about one-fourth
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the time required when using the hand
transplanter. Aromatic tobacco can
now be cultivated and dusted for in
sect control by tractor.
This, along with other mechanical
improvements such as the air condi
tioned curer and the wire rods on
which the leaf is strung in the field
prior to curing, may go a long way
toward putting aromatic tobacco on a
more competitive basis with other
cash row crops in the Carolinas.
J ""
Guest Preacher At
Presbyterian Church
The Rev. James MacKenzie, pastor
of the Edenton Presbyterian Church,
: announces that the Rev. Jesse Parks,
pastor of the Presbyterian Church in
Plymouth, will bring the message at
the regular 11 A. M., service Sunday,
July 12. A native of New Bern, Mr.
Parks has held pastorates in North
Carolina and Virginia, and has had
extended experience in counseling ju-
I), J parties I
| WHITE PERCH FISHING
We are now prepared to take care of fishing parties from four J
j to twelve people. All bait and tackle furnished, including ice. j
PRICE $4.00 PER PERSON L
Enjoy a Day’s Fishing In Albemarle Sound! "
FOR RESERVATIONS CALL
i
Kermit Mizelle
PHONE 681 -:- EDENTON, N. C.
interior, he’s reminded that he has made something
out of his years—and that, in itself, gives a lift to
his spirits.
And then, once he’s out on the highway—well,
in no time at all, he’s as happy and contented and
trouble-frte as it’s possible for a motorist to be.
He is surrounded with comfort—and his driving
is so relaxing and effortless and enjoyable that
his mind clears, as the miles go by—and his heart
grows gay and his outlook bright and hopeful.
He has literally driven his cares away! 1# ■
You really ought to try it sometime. Come to
think of it, you ought to try it today ~. after your
' day’s work is done.
The car is waiting—and so are we.
■r Al*. *. 6 i fj! -a , .
' ' ■mi. ■»
venile delinquents at the detention
home in Richmond. Sunday School
will be at thy usual hour, 10 A. M.
Tuesday evening at 7:30 the Boys’
Brigade will meet. Prayer meeting at
8 P. M., Wednesday. The ping pong
room in the church will be open every
day except Sunday for those who wish
to use it.
Flowers
Choice of Freshly Cat Bouquet*
Carefully Ensembled Corsages or
Deco-Right Potted Plants
> PHONE 342
Lula White’s
Flower Shop
203 WEST CHURCH STREET