Newspapers / The Eagle (Cherryville, N.C.) / July 13, 1944, edition 1 / Page 3
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CHAPTER XIII s r “Sorry, but I don’t trust you. Taking her wrists in his hand he slieked the handcuffs on again “I’ve seen Grace and she will tell Mrs. Malurin that we have gone out. Outside the front door the two men at the gate saluted. Shiver ing in her rui cape, Odette stum bled up >0. the car “What ure ' e going co do?” she asked as the ear moved si jwly off. “You aio g; *ng to identify Fer gus Leite..’ They slowed down before the large swinging door of the hotel. One of the police officers iang the bell. God in heaven, wnat a stroke of luck! Alfred Cummins at the “Mr. Wynter!” “Yes. That’s all right.” Inside the hall, they spoke m whispers John took Alfred aside. “We’ve got to catch him red handed. How shall we do it?” He looked down into Alfred’s wide eyes. “I can do it, sir,” said Alfred instantly. “1 nearly got him today with his pocketbopk, but he was too sharp, May I say what 1 think, sir?’’ “Yes,-say what you like.” “I’ll go into his room first and wake him, taking the key away, quick. When you hear me say. 'Heil Hitler,’ you come in.” “You hear that, Inspector?’’ “Yes, sir?” “Then let’s go upstairs,” said John under his breath. “When I say, ‘Heil Hitler,’ ’’ Alfred repeated. Alfred’s first move after enter ing the pitch-fork room was to re move the key from the door. Then he stood very still reflecting. There might be a fight; re-opening the door a crack, he pushed out the key. “Splendid,” John whispered. After a second or two Alfred advanced close to the bed. “Sir, sir. Mr. Leiter, sir.” “Hallo, what’s that?” Fergus Leiter sat up instantly wide-a wake. Switching on his bedside light, he stared up into Alfred’s face. “Sir, she’s gone back on us. Miss Hannan. The planes have been over and there wasn’t a sign from Pole Star House, not a blessed sign. They came in quite low and dose but she never even opened her window. I was out there to see because I half-sus pected this.” Fergus kicked back the bed clohes and stood there glaring “How long ago was this?” “Well over two hour, sir,” gasp ed Alfred. “That’s what I thought -—there’s time yet if you and me get busy. I’ll watch the door to see that no one comes in.” “Is the key in the lock?” “Yes, sir,’ said Alfred turning to the door. “blast. her!” An hour ago; then they would soon be on their way back. The High Command had no mercy on those who bungled their jobs; he ought never to have left it to a woman. “Here is your dressing down, “Go and stand by the door. If anyone knocks don’t open it.” “How was it that you,happen ed to be awake just now?” Fer gus had drawn back the eur “1 never seem to sleep, sir,” said Alfred virtuously. “Oct on the cliffs I’ve been waiting anc watching so that I could give you a fair report in the morning be fore you left. And when there wasn’t even a chinq of light show ing, I came back as cpiiek as I could, so that you should know in time.” I see. l ut out the light by my bed.” Fergus spoke quickly. The sound of a plane; about fif teen miles off, his trained car cal culated swiftly. They would be flying level in less than five min utes. Two would probably break formation to come nearer in. He would wait for that. ‘‘Yes, sir.’" Alfred clicked down the light with one hand and slip ped the other under the pillow. iShaking in every limb, his icy, trembling fingers closed on the pocketbook. He tiptoed back to the door, opened it a crack and pushed the pocketbook into a waiting hand. “Who’s opening the door?” Gosh! that had been a near shave. Alfred had forgotten that an op en door would make a draft. “No one, sir,” said Alfred. “It’s shut as tight as tight since you told me. It must be the wind get ting up.” “Seay where you are. They’re coming back, it’s not too late. God! that girl shall suffer for this.” Yes, they were coming back; a great big swarm of angry bees. Over the heaving sea the sound came louder and louder. Ah, yes, here they were, two of them coming in nearer to pick up his deadly message, the exact lo cation of the exact military ob jective. Leaning far out the win dow, Fergus began to wave his torch from side to side. Nearer, nearer, Alfred was made with ex citement. “Heil Hiller!" He said the words in an excited, penetrating whis per. To John’s attentive ear press ed hard against the door it was a welcome sound. So often these things went wrong at the last mo ment; suspicion was apt to com municate itself to the suspect. “What! . . . you little . , .” As the wind swept through the room. Fergus turned from the window with a hiss of fury. Struggling through the darkness, he lunged forward; the local constable clos ed the door silently behind him. “That’s it, you can turn the light on now.” John had drawn the curtains. He could safely leave Fergus to the Inspector. They were on the floor, the Inspector was on the top. “That’s all right.” John’s long legs straddled the two. Putting his foot on one of Fergus’ claw ing hands, he clipped the hand cuffs on the other. “You wait until I get hold of vou.” Suffocating with rage, Fer gus was trying to get at Alfred, who stood there gravely staring. Well, it was all over; would Mr. Wynter say he had done well? No not over yet. John, walking out into the hall, ■stood and looked down on Odette’s ■mall felt cap. She was leaning against the wall, her head bowed. He slipped his hands under her cape and heard her cry out as he handcuffs slipped from her wrists. “We’ve got him. Now, then, I iust want you to identify him.” A torrent of abuse poured from Fergus' white mouth when lie saw her. “Can you identify this man?” fohn asked quietly. “Yes.” Odette spoke firmly, for his touch had told her what her tortured heart had been afraid to believe. He did love her. “His name is Fergus Leiter.” “Tell us anything that you know about him, briefly.” “He sent me down here to con vey messages to Germany by sig nals to passing aircraft. I am only one of scores of women whom he has made work for him in the same way by promising them indulgences for their rela “Try.” “No.” She buried her face in tier hands again. He hated to see her yellow head abased. “Don’t.” “Don’t what? It's my turn now to ask questions.” Odette’s voice was hard. “Don’t hang your head; it’s not like you.” “How can I ever hold it up again?” “As my wife. Easily,” said John cheerfully. He stood and watched the misery on her face merge in to incredulity. “As your wife?” “Of course. Haven’t I asked you before? No, I believe I haven’t Business first, you know.” He caught her to him as she bung out her hands. “You don't believe it? Nonsense, Odette, don’t pretend. You knew it all the time.” “No, no ... I didn’t . . . not that; not your wife. You can’t mean it. John, you can’t.” “But I do.” He took her face between his hands. “Poor little darling,” he said, “you have had a heck of a time. But it’s over now. That bruite . . . that slimyt brute is locked up.” “John ...” She spoke after a long pause. “What about Alan?” “Alan? Well, personally, I think you can rely on the Red Cross. Don't let’s think about Leiter now.” He kissed her hair as he pushed her down into her chair. “John . . .” “Presently,” said John. “Food first and kisses afterward—.. . . . You’ve had a long evening so do what, you’re told and get some thing warm inside you.” A few days later the Cornish Riviera Express, steaming majes tically out of Paddington, carried with it John WyntOr, Odette Han ‘Sir, she’s gone back on us, Miss Hannan.” tions who are prisoners in Ger many. I tried to convey a message tonight, but . . Odette dropped her face in her hands. “That's enough,’’ he said “Now, then, Inspector, take him away and I’ll see you in the morning. Keep him safe and let me have his suitcases. Thanks to Cummins ve already have his pocketbook.” l’o alfred he said, “You have done well, my boy.’’ “Thank you, sir.” Alfred’s star y eyes were fixed on the man who had given him the chance of And then, somehow, all the ex itement died down. Alfred let hem all out and they got into the ar. A second car had arrived into hich Fergus was hustled with the nspector. “How they do arrange things,” hought Alfred as he tumbled in -o his bed. Perhaps he would hear more tomorrow. After Mr. Wynter had finished his whispered conversation and gone away, Grace had decided to dress and go downstairs. Some thing odd was on foot, and she nad a pretty shrewd idea of what it was. Not that she was going to say, but one thing would be quite sure—when Mr. Wynter and Miss Hannan came back they would want something to eat. “Good heavens, I never knew such a woman!” While Odette stood drooping under the hall light, John had a whispered collo quy with Grace in the kitchen. “I felt that you’d be hungry, sir. It’s in the sitting room and I managed to get the fire going again.” “Well, Grace, I have no words!” John went back into the hall and taking her by the arm, he led Odette into the sitting room. A bright fire and two chairs drawn up close to it. A small table just the right height for the two low chairs. “Did you ever?” he said. “Yes, she’s wonderful.” Odette’s voice was flat and weary. “Cheer up.” “I’m all right.” Now that it was all over, Odette’s temporary rise of spirits had died down again. It was finished; done with. She would have to begin again; somewhere else where she was not known. She bowed her face in her hands and wished she were dead. "Come.” John held out his arms. She had suffered enough, that was quite certain, and the suffer ing was not yet over. She still had to give evidence before a closed court in London. However, he would make that as easy as he could for her, and the fact that she was his promised wife would go a long way to make it very easy indeed. “A filthy spy? No you don’t want me there.” nan aiul Alfred Cummins. But a glorified Alfrel Cummins, radiant in a blue serge suit, overcoat and a hard hat—number E. 9 Wes tern Circuit. “He makes me laugh.” Odette, in a ridiculously shaped new hat, was standing making up her face in front of the'mirror in her first class compartment. “He'll make a good many peo ple laugh on the other side of their faces before he’s finished wti it,” said John tumultuously. For John was ridiculously happy. All had gone well in London, and they were. on their way back to | Battle Point. Miss Hannan, so far from being a spy, had done valu able work by helping to round up someone who was a spy and a very dangerous one at that. Fer gus Leiter would very probably be shot; in any event there was not the remotest chance of his ever being free again. So John was happy. And so was Odette, bewilderingly so. For there had been a letter from Alan to her mother in Geneva and a good many of them were about to be transferred to Switzerland, above the Lake of Geneva. So all was golden and beautiful, and having finished her running repairs as John laughingly termed them, Odette sat down opposite her lov er and leaned her face on her hand and gazed out at the spring landscape as the long train fled by it. Lovely gray stone houses cuddled among trees; who could believe there was a war’ (THE END) They keep fighting— Yob keep raying WAR BONDS A LAXATIVE is needed Caution, Usa Only at Diractad BEHIND THE SCENES m AMERICAN BUSINESS, mjQm&AimeM NEW YORK, July 10.-—The world monetary conference of 44 nations at Bretton Woods, N. H., this month will have a bearing on the lives of every American. Of couroe, all the talk of quotas, borrowing restrictions, gold ship ments and international curren cy will seem pretty remote and incomprehensible to most of us. But these are merely the me chanics for stimulating postwar world trade, and therefore per haps better to be left to the ex perts to fathom. It is important, though, for the layman to understand the major objective of the conference and how its success or failure may af fect you and me. In the five pre war years America’s average ex ports amounted to roughly three billion dollars annually. It’s es timated that the country will need in postwar years at least sev en billions of exports a year to avoid depression. If jou’re in the tobacco or cotton industry, or work in an automobile or machinetr'y fac tory, for example, the amount of goods shipped by your company to foreign purchasers may well de termine whether you are steadily employed and whether your pay will be high or low. If a way can be worked out to eliminate pre war barriers to world trade, then we can all expect to see an era of unprecedented prosperity for ma ny nations, including this one. Lack of international credit and financing has long been one of the biggest barriers. DRIVE-IN SHOPS—The citizen who sighs for the good old days may find, in the postwar world, that one phase of yesteryear’s life —the crossroads emporium—is re turning. Recently, Joseph Reiss, head of the advertising company bearing his name, predicted that 249,000 drive-i n “shops'’—Offering the products of thousands of manu facturers—will be built within fi ’e years after the war’s end. Tomorrow’s roadside establish ments, however, will be a far cry from the general store of the horseless-carriage era. Likewise, they will depart sharply, Mr. Reis* forecasts, from pre-war roadside “antique shoppee” and refresh ment stands. Tomorrow’s road side stores will feature modern retail fronts, coupled with smart merchandising and dignity. Indicative of the post-war trend were gas stations developed by Sinclair, Goodyear, Shell, Stand ard Oil and others just before the war. Hundreds of other concerns have already made postwar plans —now at the blueprint stage— for similar establishments. One large glass concern, the Lihbey-Owens-Fo^d Glass com pany, has already completed a number of design ideas for these “stores"—the 194X version of the crossroads store. “Visual fronts” —all glass fronts which permit merchandise to be seen from the outside—lead the customer into an interior that utilizes glass widely to give a clean, sparkling appearance. Exteriors in these designs frequently use structural glass to minimize maintenance problems and to prevent stains and scratches. “Such stores,” explains Mr. Reiss, ‘may in future years be come a significant factor in re tail merchandising. These stores will be giant highway advertise ments—with glass-paneled fronts. They wiil be true disvlay cases whether viewed from the inside or out.” THINGS TO COME—A new flavoi for confections, “bitter sweet" rose cream ... A new light weight carbon paper, developed by Carter Ink company^- for noiseless typewriters . . . More cherry pie for everyone this year. Growers in the 11 sour-cheny producing states are looking for ward to harvesting a record crop of 112,000 tons . . . SCRAPS FOR THE SCRAP— !t’s reported that every Allied fighting man landed on the French invasion coast requires an average of 81 tons of supplies to keep him there for a montn. With most of the supplies wrapped in paper, the expression “only a scrap of paper” is as outmoded as an iso lationist plank in a national party platform. In an intensive effort to overcome the most pressing war material 3upply problem of the moment, the War Production Board is currently launching a countrywide waste paper cam paign based on a model salvage collection system recently put in to eeect w ith impressive results in the world’s t.adest skyserapper. Organized on a floor-by-floor, of fice basis under the direction of John J. Hennessy, civilian de fense coordinator for Schenley Distillers Corporation, a 30-day test drive in the Empire State Builling in New York recently sent 238,085 pounds of waste to war, an amount almost 100 per cent in excess of normal monthly collections. Pacing the excess cos tributions of the tenants were the 14 1-2 tons collected from the Schenley ocices, sufficient to pro vide 58,000 extra blood plasma containers or 188,500 additional containers for Army field ra tions. BITS O’BTJSINESS—Due to increased material and labor costs, railroad locomotives cost up to $410,000 each today, or about fi 10,000 more than before the war. Modern passenger coaches cost -70,000, an increase of a tound -20,000 , . . Progi e<s in achieving safer working condi tions in the steel industry is indi catto by an industrial injury rate less than half that of all industry in 1943, aceordng to Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corp. EMPLOYERS URGED TO RETURN FORMS All employers in Gaston and Lincoln counties have been mail ed a letter with three froiils at tached to be filled out and return ed a letter with three forms at many employers have not return ed to the Gastonia office, A great and very important that these forms be returned to the local office of the United Stales Em ployment Service immediately. All employers, both l- 'gv and small, issential and non-essential must keep in mind that effective 1 -Tulv 1, a i male woi»r must be hired through the U lited States Employment Service eveept those employers of 8 or less. Those small emp oyers of 8 cr ess must observe stabilization regulations now in efleet, wfiieh nicaii< mat they cannot hire a worker, male or femal t whose last woi 1: Aas in an essential activity un.ess such worker is hired through the unit ed States Employment Serviv e. OF AVAILABILITY BY EMPLOYEES Employers shall issue state* merits of availability to their em* ployees as at present: A. When the employee has been discharged or his employment has otherwise terminated, or B. The employee has been laid off for an indefinite period, or for a period of seven or more days, or C. Continuance of his employ ment would involve undue person al hardship, or h. Such employment is or was ai a wage or salary or under work ing conditions below Stand aid. established by State'or Fed oal law or regulation, or E. Such employment is or w*i at a wage salary below a level -ablished or approved by the Na tional War Labor Board (or other agency authorized to adjust wag es or approve adjustments there of) as warranting adjustment, and the employer has failed to adjust the wage in accordance with such level or to apply to the appro priate agency for such adjustment or approval thereof. Reduced Prices On Baby Chicks Barred Rocks, New Hampshire Reds, White Rocks" Rock Red Crossed; Plenty Started Chicks. Now is the Time to Buy CHICKjS for BROILERS. Rocky Ford Hatchery Phone 471-W Lincoltnon, N. C. | 7^6/7 I’m not losing face I guess you’ve seen pictures of those real ancient cars that are quite a fad with some prominent people. I’m no big shot, but folks envy me, even at that, for keeping this car like an heirloom. Oh, some say that any good motor oil would largely do the trick, and they’re welcome to believe it. I simply say this: Keeping my engine oil-plated ever since I switched to Conoco Nf* motor oil, has helped me beat the curse of engine acids. I got wise that acids from combustion always try to corrode an engine’s inside finish, but oil-plating furnishes special protection. A syn thetic in Conoco oil, I’ve learned, behaves almost like magnetism. This makes the working parts attract oil-plating, and hold on to it. It’s fastened as closely as chrome plating to keep metal under cover from acids. That would ''c -k on corrosion, from the minute you & witch to an oil-plated engine. So just get Conoco Nth motor oil. CONOCO "ITS RICH, CREAMY Y.'HITE COLOR MEANS PROTEIN VALUE"
The Eagle (Cherryville, N.C.)
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July 13, 1944, edition 1
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