North Carolina Newspapers

The Alamance gleaner ] VOI IT! " t ... ? ? "."':u 111?i sggg<M^B ? (? GRAHAM, N, C., THURSDAY JANUARY 20, 1927. NO. 50 WHEN THE PORTIERES OPENED Bj JOHN ELKINS (Copyriot by W. Q. Chapman.) BRUCE FENTON was walking briskly away from the barber's when a man blocked his way. "Isn't this Bruce Fenton?" he asked. "Why, Jack Forbush I" exclaimed the other with hand extended. "Where did you hall from?" "Come and dine with me, and I'll tell you." "Thanks, I cant Pre a special en gagement" "Oh, come now,'' orged Forbush. "I haven't seen yon In seven years. You've got to eat somewhere, and we'll hustle." Fenton went somewhat under pro test. bat the delight of again seeing his old friend was too great a tempta tion to set aside. He was ushered Into an "apartment handsomely fur nished In the oriental style. A subtle odor of exquisite perfume was every where. "Well, yon must have been knock ing around In the Far East!" observed Fenton.-.? "I have." Fenton, looking about the room, dis covered a slender thread of blue smoke rising from a cabinet In a corner^ "Where did you find that Incense burner? It's wonderful?" Forbush smiled a bit mysteriously. "I promised not to tell," he said. Fenton looked qnestioningly at the other man. "Have you become a Parsee, a Roslcruclan, or a Brahmin?" he queried. Perhaps a little of all three," was the rather ambiguous answer. The dinner was extremely good, and well-served by an irreproachable wait er. After the second course Fenton nervously looked at his watch. "I must be out of here In fifteen minutes." he said. "What! Tou don't mean to slight my dinner that way?" "I'm sorry?but I told you I had a pressing engagement" "Pretty woman?" ventured Forbush a trifle sardonically. I "The loveliest in the world!" "I thought so. To most men there are only two Important engagements, business and women. That careful manicuring seemed to point toward a lady. But am I not to. have a peep i ?t her?" "Perhaps so, some day." "After she Is securely yours?" "Exactly. After that." Fenton beamed. It was his turn to become mysterious. His friend re tarded him curiously. Fenton meeting his eye became prions. "Somehow, you don't seem to be the same man I used to know," he said. "Perhaps I'm not," laughed Forbush. "Ton know after seven years we may not have one atom of our old selves. 1 hope I havent." "Tour eyes have changed," said the other man slowly and curiously. Then he- looked at his watch. "Only ten minutes more." And he vigorously nttacked Ma ' I "I'll bet yod stay half an hour," - laughed his host. '"Bet I don't" "How much?" ,. r "Fifty dollars." "Lord'. Yon are hard hit, old chap." "Put up your money," laughed Fen ton. I can use It just now." Forbush hastily wrote a check which the other covered with bills. "What did you mean about my eyes looking strange?" asked Forbush. "I *!sh you'd look carefully, and tell me." Fenton looked searchlngly Into his host's eyes. They seemed to hold his gaze In some unaccountable way. He did not speak, but sat still as though fascinated. Presently his eyes closed, and he sank back In the chair. Forbush regarded the sleeping man *'th an amused smile. He took out his watch, laid It down on the pile of hank notes, and carefully noted the time. "I guess shell forgive him If he's "been minutes late," he said to him ?elt He picked up an evening papqr and ?atoned the contents. After a time * 'gain consulted his watch, and J*T* a slight start. "Oh, well, only "tht minutes overtime for good meas *?*?" he thought, and going to the ?eeping man, he began making passes ***r his face, at the same time calling ?im by name. But his subject did *?1 respond ss he had expected. He tn ^ the means of which he knew ? bring the ?????? out of his hypnotic J*'- The more nervous and terrified : * became the lens effect he knew *as having ow the unconscious I tw*" Be dreaded ???i?ng in help for V** of the consequences to himself. *r working over Fenton for nearly ?u uwur, tn? young man opened hla eyes, staring about in bewilderment. "Hurry, Bruce, hurry!" cried For bush, almost dragging him from the chair. "What is the matter? Have I been asleep?" He clutched bis watch, looked at the time, his face went ashy white, and he staggered back, catch ing at the table "Devil! Tou drugged me!" He sprang at the other man, clutching at his throat. Forbush held him off while he spoke. "No, no, Bruce, I mesmerized you; Just to win the bet. I meant to wake you up on time, and?I couldn't." Fentcn dashed to the telephone. His hand trembled so he could scarcely hold the receiver. Finally he got bis number. ."It's Bruce Fenton. Yes yes. Tell her I'll be there In half an hour." And he hung up the receiver. "My God!" he groaned. "What will she think of me? Do you know what you have done? It Is nine o'clock. I was to have been married at half-past eight." The face of the other man went almost as white as his. "Oh, forgive me, old roan! I didn't know." "You must come with me now," said Bruce, and the two men rushed out, hailed a taxi and were soon on the way to Fenton's hotel. The clerk at the desk, frightened and anxious, met Fenton with a string of telephone calls and messages. The excitement at the home of th^ bride had penetrated the place, and curious groups stared at the two men. Fenton made the hasti est toilet of his life; but. in spite of, it all, he found aft?r he was in the taxi he would he nearer an hour than thirty minutes late. "It's all of three miles to the house," he groaned. "My God, what can I say?" "You will have to tell the truth," said Forbush. visibly wincing. "They won't believe me." Forbush was forced to acknowledge that probably they wouldn't. As they neared the house he begged to be al lowed to remain outside and wait, as he*-was not In evening dress, but the distracted bridegroom wonld take no denial. Forbush effaced himself In a corner of the hall as his friend, rush ing pell mell past the ctirious guests,' sought the presence of the bride-elect. She was white, tearless and unfor giving. "Go in there and explain to the guests. I shall be behind these por tieres listening. If I open them you may c<yne and get me. If I do not, there will be no ceremony." "But Ethel?" "I advise you to' dn as she says." broke In her father sternly. "It has been all we could do to keep her from an entire collapse. She must have her way." The chatter among the guests In stantly hushed as Kenton appeared In the drawing room. He told his experience exactly as It had happened. It seemed to Fenton after he had finished as though the silence would crush him. He looked toward the portieres. They remained tightly closed. Just then a noise from an automobile enabled some of the men near the door to Indulge In comment. The noise ceased so suddenly that the word "rowdy" came out unpleasantly distinct. "That's a lie!" rang out a voice loud enough to be heard by all, and Forbush strode Into the room and faced the astonished assembly. "Jack Forbush!" cried two or three voices at once. He waved back the outstretched hands. "Walt!" he dej manded. "I ought to be kicked In stead of being spoken to. I am the onh responsible for all this. But I want you to know I never dreamed 1 It was his wedding night." Bruce looked toward the portieres, j They were tightly closed. He turned ' .appeallngly to Forbush. and his friend ' understood. "Whoever said that word 'rowdy' 1 ought to apologize!" cried Forbush. , "Mr. Fenton never touched a thing. | When I chaffed him about his total ! abstinence he?well. I think I must tell you what he said?if he will allow : me?" He looked at Fenton. who ' nodded his acquiescence. 'Jack.' he i said, 'I used to take too much. One I year ago I promised to leave It alone. ( If I hadn't kept my promise. I wouldn't be fit to face the woman I love. That's the one thing she would not forgive. It's all due to her that I*m j the decent fellow I am today.' "I can tell you I was pretty much , ashamed at having urged hint. But when I could not awaken him. I was so frightened and anxious that I forced a few drops of brandy Into his mouth. I wouldn't think It necessary to tell all this but for that remark. It means too much to go unexplained. "Jack! Ton rascal!" broken In one Of the men. "I can believe you did It, since you played that sleep trick on me!" "But I want It understood," he an swered seriously, "this Is the last time I play with hypnotism." Bruce, watching with despairing I eyes the dosed portieres, saw them I open. A woman In white raiment ' waited for him. By ELMO 8COTT WATSON HE other day an -Illinois T woman was granted a patent by the United States patent office for a "secret envelope," 1. e. one which cannot be fUt .steamed open, Its con ^5 tents read and be sealed without detection of the vT? fact that It has been I if tampered with. Immedl ????' ately there were col umns of newspaper publicity about the "woman Inventor," as though woman in that role is unique. To the average person she is, per haps, for we commonly think of the Inventive genius of woman in terms of the stock joke about her ability to do an innumerable number of things with a hairpin when necessity .de mands it As a matter'of fact, wom ,en inventors are becoming more nu merous every year, as the records of the United States patent office will show. The women's bureau of the United Stales Department of Labor recently made an analysis of those records to determine woman's part in this age i.' invention and revealed what will Ik an astonishing fact to many persona?that at least 500 gov ernment patents a year are now granted to women inventors, and that more patents were granted to them In a recent ten-year period than wAe Issued during (he whole century end ing In 1805. Although the number of patents taken out by men Is some TO Times as many as the number taken out by the other sex, the percentage Increase for women from decade to decade lias exceeded that of the men by as much as 300 per rent In some years. An other striking fact is that war seems to be a strong incentive to woman's producing new things. Before the Civil war about half a dozen patents a year were granted to women. Dur ing the war and in the years that fM lowed the number of patents to wom en increased steadily, rising at times to more than 100 annually. The de cade of 1837 to 1387 saw an increase of 677 per cent In the number of ar ticles patented by women, as com pared to ISO per cent Increase for the men in the same period. Although it is yet too early to pre dict what effect In this regard the World war will have. It Is true that the number of patents taken out by women from 1918 to 1821 was 34 per cent higher than from 1912 to 1818. * Drawing by Ray Walters ?? . Even at that, ttje pre-Worid war pe rlod was one of treat activity for women "Inventors, for in that time more than 5,000 patents were (ranted to women In ten selected years from 1905 to 1921, a number which far ex ceeds the total number (ranted them durln( the. span of 105 years which ended in 1896. As ral(ht be expected the majority of women's Inventions are those which have to do with their household duties. But they are far from being limited to that and they cover a wide ran(e of activity In 50 industries, coal min ing through agricultural machinery, hospital equipment, manufacturing equipment, chemicals, artificial fuels, wood turning, even to submarine ex plosives! Before you exclaim over that last, however, consider a list of Inventions by women which proves that the. mothers of men, who are pro verbially opposed to the war which robs them of their husbands and sons, are still doing their part to perpetu ate Its horrors. This list includes au tomatic pistols, bomb-launching appar atus, a cane gun, an Incendiary ball, railway torpedoes, sights for guns, submarine mines and a top for pow der cans. x Woman, the citizen. Is responsible for Inventions of voting booths, vot ing machines and a pocket ballot. Woman, the scientist, has given us new dyes and new dye bases, chemi cal treatment of oils for commercial purposes, artificial fuels, gas appar atus, air compressors, hoisting appar atus, reversible turbines, various steam and street railway necessities ranging from road bed and rails through rolling stock equipment to traffic signals and block systems Some of the reasons given by the women for their inventions are among the most Interesting facts connected with their work. A large number of these reasons, of course, come under the proverbial head of "necessity, the mother of Invention." One Invention, made for this reason, turned Its bene fits In a direction curiously different from the original Intention. A woman golf teacher, who had been much an noyed by the perverse habit of golf balls of becoming lodged In Inacces sible places or dropping Into streams. Invented an adjustable rake to recov er the errant balls The wider use fulness of the rake was soon apparent, and gardeners now have a golf teach er to thank for making their work lighter. A Texas woman who took out a pat * I ent for an Improvement on a cultlva- j tor tongue, which lightened the bur- ' den of the "menfolk*," Raid that "hav- | In* been raised on a farm and seeing that there was needed Improvement on cultivator tongues, I made up my , mind to Improve upon the old-style ; ones." A Minnesota woman Invented j a portable smoke house because as she explained It "As a farmer's wife, my duty was to cure meats for sum mer use and stnoked meat Is very much favored In my family. I tried to smoke mine without expense, and after I had completed this device I used It successfully for two years be fore I obtained a patent upon.lt." It Is In lightening her home duties t|iat the American housewife finds her best reason for turning to Inven tion. In this realm her new devices Include alarms for cooking utensils. Juice extractors, kettle protectors, sieve-cleaning devices, waffle Irons, ash cans, laundry equipment, broom racks, stovepipe cleaners, napkin holders, bed-alrlug devices, high chairs, bathroom fixtures, an auto matic rocking chair fan, awnings, clothes containers and ant traps. Do mestic difficulties sometimes result In Invention, as witness the case of the woman who invented a pie-pan cover because of the "overflowing of Juicy pies, the best of the pie Is wasted, leaving the poorest part In the crust." And these are only a few of the many new devices for which the world can thank the women. None of them Is "revolutionary." perhaps, but for those whom they benefit by making life eaaier, that Is Immaterial. What If, so far, mere man has been respon sible for all of the most lm|>ortant I Inventions, Including those, such as the typewriter and the sewing ma chine, which have meant so much to ' women? (Incidentally, it might be added that 131as Howe's Invention of j the sewing machine was not greeted I with unanimous enthusiasm by the : women of the tlu*. Was It "feminine I Inconsistency" which prompted some of them to opposition when the first aewlng machines came upon the mar ket I-ecu use tbey "would take away the livelihood of the poor sewing wom en"?) This Increase In woman'* In ventive activity, as shown by the rec ords of the patent oflce. may be Indi cative of the Increasing Importance of women In every pbaae of life, and we may yet aee some new device of world-wide and *11-0roe significance conceived In a woman's mind and molded by a woman's hand. '?A Big Cause for 1 Clover Failure ? 1 Acreage1 Declining Because : of Spread of Anthrao nose ih South. (Pt*p?r?d by the United States Department of Agriculture.) - For some year* the acreage in red clover has been' declining qnlte as much In the southern and southeast ern parts of the clover belt as etse where. The area In question Includes Delaware. Maryland. Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Anthracnoae disease, according to the Pnlted States Department of Agrimi ture, la the chief' cause for red clover fall are In these states. This disease Is described In Farmers' Bulletin 1510 F, Just Issued liy the department. The bulletin also reports on some experi ences with red clover seed from differ ent sources when seeded In Infected territory and calls specific attention to the only remedy?the use of seed produced by plants . resistant to anthracnoae disease. Attack of Anthracnoae. Anthracnose may attack the clover plants either In the seedling stage or when they are fully matured. It Is the Injury to the crown of the plant which, between July and early Sep tember. causes heaviest losses in spring seedlings and which may prac tically destroy a stand of clover. Many of the casea of so-called winter injury are no-doukt due to a severe thinning af the stand during the summer or to the death of plants dnrtng the winter as a result of the earlier Injuries caused by the disease. The best means of combating clover anthracnoae Is by the development and use of strains of clover resistant to Its attacks, a method advocated years ago by the Tennessee agricultural experiment station. At present there Is only one distinct strain known to be highly resistant, says the de|iart inent, though there appears no reason why other highly resistant strains should not be developed locally throughout the Infected area. The one resistant strain known was de veloped several years ago by the Ten nessee station. I'nder climatic condi tions of Tennessee and neighboring states It Is capable of malnlalnlng a heavy elover stand In spite pf attacks of anthracnose. It does not. however, show up to such advantage when sown In northern states. The be havior of thla atraln demonstrates the advantage to lie gained liy developing and' using clover which lias become acclimated and salted to the local con ditions under which It Is (o lie grown. The seed supply of this Tennessee strain Is very limited at present, how ever. Osvslop Rss stant Strain*. Highly resistant atraln* ran be de veloped by farmer* themselves If they will take the trouble to save seed from plants that survive and mature In a diseased field. Th? very fact that some plants-are able to live and ma ture seed in spite of the presence of anthracnoae Indicate* their resist ance to Its attacks. Organised efforts should be made by local state author! > ? ? ? . | il,M ties- to sftmulate prHwtion of resist ant seed and a demand far sack aendt AS lour aa seed of unknown origin most be need' the department adriaen seeding In late summer ar early fall wherever experience ban not shown,) this to be Impracticable. Seeding at this time will give tbe clover plants S chance tb escape the eariy altaehs of the disease and produce a bagr crap even though there may he n? second growth. Copies of tills bulletin amy he ob tained aa long as the supply lasts hp writing to the United States Depast tnent of Agriculture, WashlngCsn. D. C.' Feeding Hens Legume Hay | Favored Plan in Winter Legume hay, either cat In one haU. Inch lengths or left in Its natural form: placed In a wire basket or box may be fed to laying1 hens during whiter. as a substitute for succulent green feed. Tbe second and third ruttlnga of alfalfh are best for these carry the most vitamins and proteins be cause they have a higher percentage ad leaves, according to the New York State College of Agriculture at Ithaca. N. Y. Quoting the Ohio experiment sta-j tlon. the college says that, from Sn vember to May. as good results weret obtained front laying pallets confined; Indoors and fed legume hay as froaa those having access to an outside range of blue grass. The hay should he carefully < ul'ed to preserve the green color for the valuable properties of the plant atr to he linked with the color. Alfalfb and clover leaf shatterlngs are ofter obtainable when these hays are far to other anltnals. The Ohio experiment station reports that no benefits were derived fro* ordinary alfalfa meal mixed In th? mash st a rate of 5 per cent weight. Whether the recent product alfalfa leaf meal. will prove valuaH> like the hay. remains to he determined ? Another good way to feed tbe If gume hay Is to tie it In a bundle an suspend It from tbe ceiling withl easy reach of the birds. The depart nient says It is surprising bow th hints relish the hay and the quantlt they will cat. ?# i Everything to Be Said for Pushing Pig Alon Tlx-re In everything to be aald U pushing a pig to quick maturity, point la reached early In ita existent when more meal la required to pr iluce a pound of flesh. The pig. like a otlier growing or producing animal require* a maintenance ration th> cannot be uaed for growth or proda tioo. and the longer It Uvea the mo will it abaorb In maintenance?and a tendance; If It la allowed to grow a ao-called atore condition it will ha* exceeded the moat salable size by 0 time it la lit for slaughter; and laat the benefit of rapid turnover is- an rlflced. FARM FOREST IS ONE OF THE GREAT LABOR-SAVING CROP <4 Within the Reach of Every Farmer Without Outlay. Hedurlng labor costs Increase* prof its In any business and most progres il\i> business inen art constantly on a search for labor-saving systems. Farmer* do this by Installing laltor savtng nmrhlnery but there ia atlll another way which haa been largely overlooked and thla Ilea In giving mora attention to labor-aarlng rropa. "The farm forest hi one of the great labor-aarlng crop* for North ("arollna farmers.? aay* R. '.V*. firaeber. extension forester. "This <Top Is with in the reach of every farmer without a great ontlay of money If he win only eo-operare with nature ami fol low the system which nature *> [4aln ly suggests." Mr. (iraelier stales that no s|.eHal soil preparation snch as [4o* trig and harrowing Is needed for a crop of plnea, oaks or poplar*. No seed la needed If a few a-ed trees are left In plaee. No fertiliser la needed be eanae nature maintains the fertility of the forest soil through the annual fall of leaves and twigs. All that Is necessary Is to keep out destrnctlTe forest Urea. When the Urea are kept not. a heavy blanket of leaf litter prevents weed growth and helps to hold a good supply of moisture. It Is In the harvest alone gflth a timber crop that labor of man Is required. "Nature baa provided line conditions for tree growth In North Carolina." . . Si JkL ?i say* Mr. Graeber. "Rood soit. anq rainfall and a lone growing K?| will permit any farm woodland , produce an annual growth of one-hg to one cord of wood par acra. arftL many area* of piaaa are |inO(| two cords and more an area each ye^ Where a fanner doe* not cat'ok than the annnal growth of -Ms llmr a *e! f perpetuating. labor-saving at i Im made an actual reality." L It I* not necessary to spare - a* hot It 1* necessary to so use ax that the best tree specimen* hi lt ri opportunity to coo tribute t^ Share to an unendine crop, states * i Graeber. ^ ?.??A* TarmJ-||ny It pays to keep cherry trace fit* trmrlng too high: height uuiketfln difficult to harvest the fruit. "ng" ? * ? Whan corn is 75 cants per Mb farmers can afford to pay as hw 127 to $30 a ton for shorts to M* ?* ? ? ? 'j Sows that will produce Utters ?? spring should bare plenty of nnan They should he In good flesh Mat too fat at farrowing time. I Pat alfalfa or clover hay ia aiMf wire basket where bans caa jgjgL , leaves. They are a hWdHtflt tute for green feeds dnHhgl^jjJ^g^|