CHAPTER IV
Madame Fabre-Lusignan be
comes indignant when her old but
ler, Rudolph, showers hot coffee
oyer her bed. Rudolph explains
his clumsiness by pointing to a
picture in the paper showing a
small pi-etty girl and two little
ones over the caption: •‘The Prin
cess Meridel ot Gratzen and her
cousins arrive in Quebec to seek
refuge with rich uncle in Cana
da.” Rudolph admits he is the
“rich uncle,” and explains that at
Gratzen he was the Baron Kudi
de Morpin. Madame insists that he
stay on at the Chateau Philibert
as the Baron Morpin, anti that he
bring the Princess and her cousins
as his guests. The Princess and
the children arrive and Madame
takes over as housekeeper ot ire
Chateau. Roger Fable of the ^'a
nauian Air Force, and Madame's
nephew, meets Princess Meridel.
She smiled at him, looked up at
the broad shoulders that bulked
above her at his face, dark and
lean-jawed and so wise foi one so
young. Strange, swift world. They
had met only last night and now
lie spoke to her of love. She could
see it in his earnest eyes, read it
in the rough tones of his voice.
But her heart was not yet recep
tive to love and she wondered if
it would ever be again—and then
she thought of the night in Grat
zen, so much like this, when she
and that other youth, so young
and gay and glad of heart, had
climbed the mountain road to
the castle.
But it was not in her to hint
h'tn or discourage him. After all,
he iiau ridden long uun death .tod
he would ride again. Biie had her
hand on his arm and felt a tie
mor there and his strong t.'.gerr
covered 1 ois, small and coo. and
slender.
■ iou make my heart giad, Hug
er. But you do! What you would
ray L always sweet to hear, but
i- -it is Ivo soon for me. n seems
of small importance—or: own
loves and hates, when haued i.as
i etonie a side of the sea and 'o\e
a 'Uiilshid army.
“It is one of the things we can
cling to—so it seems to me. t ling
to hungrily. But it is peniaps too
soon, Meridel. After a little while
-—if there is lelt even a little
"Do md. thi-.K that way. There
will be y md years. Vo..r hu
time and mine.’’
"And .-o many to talk to you
of love'-- .) many others.”
"Thiie could he only o..c to
whom I'd listen. J know that. I
leel that my heart can be ui. act
ed by only one key."
"1 hope 1 have ii. I iiave never
before met anyone like you, any
girl who made me feel as you
have done. And the princess pait
has little to do with it. '
' 1 am glad of that. You would
have found me the same if 1 d
been a souileiy maid?’’
“Yes, the same.”
edie thought of Michel, wh > IHul
been -ad because she had chang
ed n«.m a peasant girl to i prin
cess. As if it mattered, as u that
should discourage him and drive
• Jim \.,u in.-' i vi ii v i v i van.
it b:m been different then, even
th< ugh the olu castle was already
tottering on its rocky buttresses
uitu tiie winds of change were
lustling around its keep.
They drove down the mountain
anc somehow he was not unhappy,
though he hud been unable to say
the things that were clamoring to
be uttered. They wandered about
the city, into places where Roger
had never been before. Doors and
wit (lows were open; the night was
sultry, the air charged with the
threat of thunder. From a little
ha: eluent, restaurant the music of
a violin and a. piano came lilting
ly up to them and Meridel's fid
get s closed hard on his wrist as
she stopped, chin lifted, eyes
bright, like one lost in a dark
wood who hears the winding of a
golden horn.
"It is a song of Gratzen!’ she
said. "It is a song of my people!
Come—come quickly, please!’
Roger, sharing her eagerness,
followed her down the steps into
tbt little taproom. It seemed to be
three-quarters filled by tne huge
ms.i in a white apron who came
forward to meet them, a wide
smile on his ruddy face. He stop
ped suddenly and his little shoe
hutu n eyes ill but poppe I from
their cushions of fat. “G"aeiou3
lady! Highness! It is you I see
hei -here.” And, by some mira
cle, he bowed low until they saw
onlv the shiny bald pate Hinged
by one white locks.
i'he boy and girl left piano and
fiddle and came to stand behind
him and bend low in an Old
World curtsy.
“Mv friends,” Meridel's voice
was gentle, her eyes shone. She
stretched out her hands to them
and they kissed the white fingers
reverently. “Jules Goujon—Jules
of the Coq (Cor, and little Emil
and little Magda.” She looked
fondly on the old man and his
grandchildren. Their mother was
dead, their father would be fight
ing if life was in him yet. “It is
so good—so good to find you
here, my friends, my own people.”
“It is like seeing heaven, High
ness. You will sit, yes, please, and
this gallant airman—here in my
inn.”
Roger, too, received a royal
welcome. The little blonde Mag
da. the pale dark Emil played
softly at Meridel's pleading. Jul
es brought them his best Chani
Mi’tin and hovered around them,
muttering; in his native tongue,
sjeaking in English when Meri
del Hudress him.
‘ Good—it is good, this Cana
da ’’ he said. “Here we can hope
to build our happiness once a
gai'i. You. Princess, me well
“Wei!, 'ndeed, Jules—an.! Pol
Martin and little Rosine, We l.'ve
at a gfi.d chateau, Philibert,
which belongs to Uncle Rudi, wlio
is a very great man here and
very rich. You will remember the
Baron Rudi, my friend?’’
“Weil I remember him, High
ness,'' said Jules, thinking only
briefly of the long, unsettled
score chalked behind the oar of
his inn in that far-off land. “He
was a gay young man, the baron.
1 am happy that the world has
used him well. Tell him he is al
ways welcome at rny inn, which I
call too the Coq d'ur in memory
of old times.'’
“Old times—do you recaii, my
good friend, the time I came to
your tavern—one fair day—with
the tall, red-headed one, mid we
had dinner together—roast goose
“Y'es, yes—that one. ’ Roger,
watching the great moon face,
saw little eyes go blank. “You
were very gay, Higness. Y'ou have
not seen that red-headed one
"Neither before nor since, Jul
es, but I’ll always remember that
night. He walked up the hill to the
castle with me afterward."
“Sometimes it is well to for
get, Highness,'’ said the old man
softly. “One has to forget so ma
ny things now. Yrou will let me
make for you, perhaps, some of
the good dishes of home—”
“Ah, you are kind. Jules. But
not now, thank you. We have al
ready dined. We shall hear one
more tune unH then « must
‘‘And you will come again,
please? It is yours, my little
place—ail I have. It has been so
wonderful to see your face again.
It has been like—like home to
| us—”•
i Meridel laid her hand on Jules’
shoulder. “It is always home when
we of our race are together. Jul
es. Be sure I shall come again and
often; and I shall bring the little
. ones with me, to see you and
Magda and Emil. It is so good to
j have the little ones here. I hope
| to persuade Uncle Rudi to bring
many of them to his grand cha
teau. Do you not think, Roger, it
would be a great thing for him
to shelter the children from a
broad—the homeless ones of nu.
" i ou know,” said Roger, “that
is i. great idea. There’s room for
a hundred at Philibert, anu I m
s' rt you and Tante Minn coti’d
easily handle them all.”
"Then I shall speak of it the
moment »«• return. Now, Jules —
a'u revoir—and you, Magda, and
you, Emil.” She gave Jules her
hand and Kissed the ones.
Ann Mo- and Itogei w_■ c3 n_ in
I he busy s >• out ot l«.- i Id lost
world ini i new. But v t'.i
way !•?-.•’; to Lhe hole' si r- was
• e-v .jui* t. U biking, he *.- •• v f
mile , i' -i.„s loved ar. t - of'
things loved and lost, of vanish- j
t-d friends and little cherished !
dreams—and of the red-headed I
one—
On the trip back to St. Didier,
Meridel confided to madame her
hopes of having Uncle Rudi throw
open the doors of Philibert to
some of the little refugees.
“Do you not think, Madame
Laurin, that where there is such
abundance it should be shared
with those who have nothing—no
home, no friends, no resources,
no hope even? Ah, what would I
and these little children have done
were it not for his kindness! I
could work, yes—I want so much
to work, but since there is no
need for that I should like to give
my time, my best efforts to help
ing those others who have been
made outcasts by the storm and
who have here no place as shelter
from it. You will help me, please,
to persuade Uncle Rudi?”
"Indeed I will, child,” said Ma
dame, already making lightning
calculations as to the maximum
number of children she could ac
commodate. “I’ll talk to the bar
on, I promise you, and I think
you’ll have no trouble with him.
He is the most generous of men.’1
Meridel and Madame Fabre
Lusignan, Rudolph and Gabriel
Follet sat in metal chairs, sal
mon pink ana white, ou the ter
race in front of Chateau Phili
bert that afternoon, while Ru
dolph, coached by madame, out
lined to the lawyer the grand plan
they had evolved to make of the
great estate a stanctuary, a friend
ly shelter for the little freindless
Gabriel Follet, sipping some of
the lamented M. Gossec’s excel
lent cognac, listened attentively.
He looked like Mephisto’s twin
brother.
“You have the kindest, most
generous heart in the world.” He
spoke to madame, though his
black eyes were intent on Ru
dolph. “This is one of the noblest
gestures that has been made, one
which all Canada, all America, will
appreciate and applaud.”
“It will cost a great deal.” Ru
dolph looked timidly at madame
“In these times—’’
“Pouf!” Gabriel Follet grinned
into his brandy glass. “What is
money in a time like this? Only
a lot of silly green paper and
dirty metal. Now, if you will per
mit, I shall go back to the city
and set the wheels in motion.
He bent over MeridePa hand,
over madame’s; he bowed low to
th baron and walked briskly over
I the lawn to his Ions: black limou
sine. As he left a battered station
j wagon entered the grounds. It
i was driven by Flight Lieutenant
| Roger Fabre and contained a huge
| mountain of a man with a walrus
mustache and a little boy and
girl.
“Why, it is M. Roger!” said
Meridel, “and Jules Goujon and
his little grandchildren, Emil and
Magda! These are the people from
Gratzen, Madame Laurin. Oh,
welcome them, Uncle Rudi—wel
come them!”
“Yes, yes,’' said Madame, “wel
come them.” And Ruli, whom old
Goujon had last seen as a slim,
black-haired young fellow, buoy
ant and eager for such fun as life
could offer, stepped forward and
held out his hand to the landlord
of the Coq d’or.
“Highness.” Jules bowed. “This
day is a proud one for me, for my
grandchildren. You are all so
kind—so kind. Lieutenant Fabre
i is so good.”
"Yes," said madame, “and
j good to himself.”
Roger looked injured. “It was
j such a grand day,” he said, ‘and
1 I have not much more time—I
I must be hack tonight—I wanted
and to heai how the plans for the j
j so much to see you, Tante Mimi, '
I children are progressing. I met
M. Fullet going down the drive.
He always reminds me so much of
the devil that I look to see if his
exhaust is not spitting out flam
es. All goes well, Monsieur ie
“All goes well, monsieur.”
"1 am so glad." Roger smiled
at Meridel. “It makes you happy,
little princess ’’
“1 shall have much to do. I
shall like it."
“I could show you about the
park,” suggested Roger, “if „he
baron will permit. The guest hou
ses, the chalets—all can readi.j
; be put to use for your guests.’’
They walked away, the tall
1 young man in blue, the slender
j gil l in pink pullover and grey
-kiit, whose nair was a casque of
sunlight whorled and braided.
The children had gathered in a
little group and were chattering
away in their own tongue, talk
ing of Gratzen, of the village be
, low the castle, the mountain, the
! river, the forests; and present!}
they ran off to play some game
oi their own, promising to come
when madame sent for them to
. have tea w'ith her.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
"SK HULLABALOO
Bj LYTLE HULL
AN AMERICAN’S 'MUST’
If a citizen has no interest in
the outcome of an election—and
there are such—there is no rea
soA why he should bother to cast
his vote. He would probably toss
a coin anyhow to decide whose
name to place on his ballot.
But if a citizen is interested
and allows anything less than a
freshly broken leg to prevent him
from exercising a privilege which
he may otherwise find himself
without—he—or she—is just not
making good sense. Forgive us
for even suggesting that any
member of the “weaker” sex
could be anything but perfection.
But even among the members of
that otherwise delightful ele
ment of the human race there
are those naive enough to be
lieve that their vote doesn’t make
any difference among so many
others.
This fallacy Jias lost many an
election—large and small. Not
that these elections have been
lost by just one vote: they have
been lost by a number of “one
votes.” They have been lost by
a number of “non-voters” who
didn’t believe their side had a
chance; or who believed their
side was a sure thing; or who
were just too busy with small
matters which they considered
more important to themselves ani
their families than the qualifica
tions of the next mayor or gover
nor, or even president.
Now there is practically noth
ing more important to the citizen
than who the next alderman,
mayor, governor, senator, presi
dent, etc., will be. His taxes de
pend upon it; his streets and roads,
his sewage system, schools, health,
business—almost life. Certainly
these considerations are more im
portant than a trip to the beach;
than a directors’ meeting; than a
day’s fishing; than a stomacJr
ache; than a bridge tournament.
Who hasn’t cussed out the m*<r
or, the governor, or the president;
Who hasn’t said they were “put
in office it was because the labor
unions were asleep on the job, or
vice versa; and if the booze
hounds elected him It was be
cause the election was held on a
Monday and the women had the
wash to do. If the Communists
swung the election it was be
cause the farmers and other old
line Americans had neglected the
interest of their beloved country.
If Abraham Lincoln had not
been elected President of the
United States, we might have
been two nations today. We cer
tainly would have turned the
course of our own history and
that of the world: possibly for
the better—probably for the
worse. If a few citizens of Cali
fornia had neglected to vote in
1914, Woodrow Wilson would not
have been elected president and
we might possibly have not par
ticipated in the first global war.
Germany might have won it and
the world we live in today would
probably have been even less
pleasant than it is. Suppose Fran
klin Roosevelt had been defeated
by his opponents because the Dem
ocrats were so sure of his return
to office that a few million of
them had spent the day on the
golf links, or at the baseball gam
es or on a picnic There would
| doubtless have been a vast differ
| ence—one way or another—in life
i as it is today.
Maybe the mayor or the con
! gressman or the town councillor
i is not as important as the presi
dent—but he certainly means a
great to his constituents—whether
they appreciate it or not. It is
pretty stupid not to get out and
vote for him no matter what one’s
preoccupation for the moment
may be. But it is more than stu
pid not to get to the voting booth
on presidential election day.
Inch
Smtmti
t REV. ROBERT H HAWS f
l he Kriest in the Lire or Israel. )
Lesson for August 13: I Sam-I
uel 1: 1-4:18.
Golden Text: Hebrews 5:1. |
Somettimes a by-product equals i
in value the original thing as j
when building material is made
from the bagasse of sugar cane.
In the lesson, the training of
children ranks with the main top
ic. !
Consider the contrast between j
the training of Samuel and that
of tile sons of Eli. Asked of God
and dedicated to Him, Samuel De
came a great prophet in Israel.
Evidently Eli's sons were sadly
lacking in childhood training, for
while assisting their father in j
the priesthood they used the sa
cred place to satisfy their own !
gieed and lust.
However, the reverence for holy
things represented in the tuber-'
r.acie at Shiloh, either the old
one removed from Gilgal or a
new and more permanent one
built there, led the people to
continue going there for worship,)
Xq pa;eaiodJdd asnqe aqj aiidsop |
Eli’s sons. And Eli had a high i
regard for his priestly office The
old man of 9s survived the tid
ings of his sons’ death but when
he heard the ark, symbol of God’s
presence and of which he was
guardian, had been taken, he fell I
backward and broke his neck
The whole of the lesson shows
tile importance of the priest in
Israel, though the priesthoo 1 was
at times abused by unworthy men.
It satisfied the need of aa ap
proach Junto God, and it fore
shadowed the final and perfect
priesthood of Christ. And may
we find our life in Him who made
on Calvary an atonement for the
’ sins of all mankind.
I- ' ■’ -
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ALL OVER THE SOUTH
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it’s thrifty
and fils most folks needs
BLACK
DRAUGHT
uw uniy •» uifcr»q
»Y
'MRS. CATHERINE CONRAD EDWARDS
Attocial* Editor, Parents' Magazine
HOME AND A HAPPY
POSTWAR WORLD
The home front job which the
women broadcasters begun in
February w. en the Association cf
Women Directors launched their
American Home campaign, has
tangible evidence of success in the
extraordinary quality of the
prize-winning letters in the con
test sponsored by Parents' Maga
zine, as a feature of the cam
paign, on the subject “What 1 Arn
Doing in My Home to Strengtn
en the Promise of a Happier Post
war World.” Because the judges
found it difficult to choose the
best letters from many outstand
ing ones, Parents’ Magazine trip
led the prize money, awarding
2 first prizes, 2 second prizes, 5
third prizes and 20 $5.00 priz
es. Judges were still hard press
Here are a few thought-provok
ing excerpts from prize-winning
letters. Mrs. Elsa B. Bate of Mad
ison, Wis., one of the two first
prize winners, writes: “1 will
realize that when our boys—and
our girls—come home from war
they will oe ‘different.’ They wil,
have experienced and seen things
which wt in our sheltered homes
couldn’t possibly experience or
see. I will know these experiences
have changed them; and that we
can’t abruptly begin wn«.ie we
left off before they went a'v.iy.
It isn’t as simple as that.
“I yill know that many of these
boys—and some of our giris—
have been face to face with oea:h,
and that when they get home
they will remain ready wo fight
for whatever they value. There
fore, I will not be shocked by
their forthrightness, their grim
mer philosophy, their readiness
to battle for what they believe
in, their greater skepticism,
their less ‘slap-happy’ egotism and
tbeir determination to have a
‘gnarled ptace’ so thu horrcr of
war won’t come again. . . . But
I will realize, too, that \we who
haven’t seen so much or exper
ienced so much, can help prevent
their skepticism, their forthright
ness, and their determination from
turning to bitterness or resent
ment. Therefore I will try to be a
balance wheel, as well as an un
derstanding person with whom
they can candidly discuss their
thoughts and feelings.”
A grandmother, Mrs. Le Roy
Frederick, of Leetonia, Ohio, won
the other first prize with a letter
which says in part: “I’m just
staying ‘put’ in an old colonial
farmhouse, holding on to a bit of
security for my children and
grandchildren, and trying to b* n
good neighbor. . . . We corid
make more money in town, but we
feel it our duty to produce food.
So I’m milking, gardening, even
husking corn. . . . I’m trying to
keep this tenroom house livable,
and lovely until my son in ser
vice brings home a bride. . . .
Our community club is making
quilts to give to our newly weds.
A boy in the thirty-seventh divis
ion knows his quilt and his bride
to-he are awaiting his furlough.
A soldier in Iceland knows there’s
a club quilt in his bride’s dower
chest. We think these wartime
couples will treasure our gift of
lcrV-ng stitche.. and our nerves
•re calmed m the doing.
“I’m teaching in Sunday school
the churches until the ltgln s shine
once more, anti young folka are
free lor the finer things oi life.
I woih on the election board, help
maintain the grange, and in all
ways so.-k > preserve me homes
arid ,l.;je things t.. ire lit
tle eo nm i< mes for wr h cur
boys are f. nting, »v. h their
thoughts n happiness in the
postw-r ••o,’d.’
KCEP ON
JiiMn
WAR BONOS
Washington, D. C. (NWNSt—j
Tnv notice given by t\e director j
of our nation’s rubber program
that he will resign on t'epl‘tuber i
I 1 ccause he aas coir.p'eted his
job is something in the ..atore of j
a history-making event.
When the war started and our I
=upply of natural rubbc. was cut
tfi, the rubber industry w.nt to
,vork to perfect and manufactur■■ !
synthetic rubber. At that lime it !
was estimated that if all went |
well, within two or three years we |
might have enough synthetic rub
ber to fill normal needs.
Now Col. Bradley Dewey, head
of that program, points out that
this goal has been overreached,
that our nation is now entirely
independent of the need for crude
rubber. And, having brought his
program to this happy state. Col
onel Dewey has recommended that
the office of rubber director he
this will be the first wartime agen
cy voluntarily to surrender its
wartime power.
Submitting figures on the rub
ber program, Colonel Dewey said
that output is now running at the
rate of 836,000 long tons annual
ly, which is about 250,000 long
tons more than our average im
ports of rubber before the war.
Thus we have conquered, with
interest, one of the greatest pro
blems which faced industry when
war was declared.
By far the biggest problem fac
ing the government right now,
next to the war itself, is the com
plicated job of drawing the blue
prints for conversion from war
time to peacetime manufacturing.
It is estimated production of war
materials will be reduced by as
much as 40 per cent as soon as the
war in Europe is won. Although
this gradual change over to nor
malcy will be welcomed by the
American people, it can also mean
a 40 per cent decline in employ
ment unless steps are taken im
mediately to plan a quick conver
sion to production of civilian
goods, It is also quite possible,
following the defeat of Germany,
that the size of our armed forces
can he reduced, which will mean
more men looking for jobs.
Aware of the importance of
having a practical plan ready,
more and more congressmen are
favoring Senator Vandenberg’e
opinion that congress should stop
recessing and stay in session un
t il they have a sound answer to
this problem.
"Our soldiers,” said Senator
Vandenberg, “have done a splen
did job and congress and the
home front should be just ae
forehanded as the armed forces
have been in preparing for the
economic consequences of peace.
We've done only part of the re
conversion legislative job so far.
The balance should be completed
immediately. It is my opinion that
congress should resume work on
this without delay.'’'
The part done so far, to which
the senatoi referred, was the pas
sage of the War Contracts Ter
mination bill. Other bills for the
handling of unemployment and
for. spooning the shift to peace
time i reduction are before con
gressional committees but have
not been acted upon. ,
Because of the election it is
still a question whether enough
congressmen will agree to call on
their ho at fence-mending activi
ties to return to Washington.
When the July recess started,
majority leader, told members
that they need not return in Au
gust because no legislati ;e pro
gram was planned. It is possible
that the senate will go into ses
sion. and get started on these im
portant measures, with the house
continuing an unofficial recess.
But because of the growing
pressure of public opinion, of or
ganized labor and of industry to
get the postwar legislative pro
gram completed, congressmen
may decide that it will be most
helpful to them politically to re
turn to Washington now.
It’s the Quality of leadership
that makes Leaders
Atlanta, Char lotto.
Chattanooga. Norfolk, Orlamdo
BUY MORE WAR BONDS AND STAMPS
Leave me out of it
i
I’d rather skip any new car rush
worse than a nylon stocking sale
after War. More cars have already
gone out of the running than ever
wese built any year! How’ll every
body get his new one overnight?
But I’ve come this far with my
engine oil-plated, so I figure I’ll
be all right. I’ll just keep it safely
oil-plated by staying with my
good old friend Conoco N*A motor
oil. If you think you can beat it,
okay. But remember, any engine
is bound to have adds inside from
every explosion. Therefore you’d
risk too much grief from corro
sion, as I understand, except that
oil-plating is made to check it.
The cans of N th oil tell you about
a modem synthetic that does the
oil-plating. You’d imagine it’s
kind of magnetized to working
parts, making a protective surface
to shed off acids, before the worst
happens. Good thing you needn’t
wait for an oil-plated engine;
you can have that whole improve
ment now, using Conoco NfA oil.
CONOCO
N*
MOTOR OIL