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THURSDAY, JAN. 18, 1940 THE STORY CHAPTER I—Lovely, independent Autumn Dean, returning home to British Columbia from abroad without her father's knowledge, •tops at the home of Hector Cardigan, an old family friend. He tells her that she •hould not have come home, that things have changed. Arriving home at the "Castle of the Norns,’’ she is greeted lovingly by her father. Jarvis Dean, who gives ner to understand that she is welcome—for a short visit. Her mother, former belle named Milli cent Odell, has been dead for years. Autumn cannot understand her father's attitude, though gives him to understand that she is home for good. She has grown tired of life to England, where she lived with an aunt. CHAPTER II—Riding around the estate with her father. Autumn realizes that he has changed. Between them they decide, how ever, to give a welcoming dance at the castle. When the night of the dance arrives, Autumn meets Florian Parr, dashing, well educated young man of the countryside. Late in the evening Autumn leaves the dance, rides horseback to the neighboring ranch where she meets Bruce Landor, friend and champion of her childhood days. He Rkes her to see his mother, an Invalid. His ther is dead, thought to have killed him self. As soon as his mother sees Autumn ■he commands Bruce to take her away, that death follows tn the wake of the Odells. Autumn is both saddened and perplexed by the invalid's tirade. Bruce, apologetic, can offer no reason for his mother's attitude. CHAPTER III—Auftmn calls again on Hector Cardigan—this time to find out the reason for Mrs. Landor's outburst. From his conversation she inferred that Geoffrey Landor killed himself because he loved Millicent Dean, her mother. Meanwhile. Bruce Landor rides to the spot where his tther’s body was found years before. There i meets Autumn, who, leaving Hector, was ■earching for a lost child. Bruce had found the child, and there Autumn and he talk of their families. They agree that her mother and his father loved each other deeply—and that their love is the cause of present antagonism. CHAPTER IV—Florian Parr, at the Castle tor dinner, proposes to Autumn. She re fuses him. The next day Autumn rides to ward the Landor ranch. She meets Bruce in herder’s cabin. There they declare their love for each other, and determine to stand together against everyone who might come between them. CHAPTER V—Autumn tells her father that she is going to marry Bruce. She is aghast to see his reaction, and is agonized to hear him whisper that Geoffrey Landor did not take his own life. He tells her the story. Millicent, his wife, and Geoffrey Landor had fallen in love with each other. But Millicent would not break her mar riage vows. Meeting Landor one day in a secluded spot. Jarvis Dean was forced to fight with him. Landor is accidentally killed by his own gun. CHAPTER VI—Autumn knows then that •verything is ended between Bruce and herself She goes to call on the Parr family, where she meets Elinor and Linda, Florian's sisters. Florian again tells her how much he loves her, but she nays little attention to him. She likes the Parr family, includ ing Florian, but cannot help comparing the polo-playing,* light-hearted youth to Bruce Landor. Florian is "good company,” but she feels little real affection for him. He realizes that, and tells her she will change. Linda, Florian’s sister, is in love with Bruce, but to no avail. He pays little at tention to her. CHAPTER VII—Bruce attends a party that night given by the Parrs. Autumn purposely ignores Bruce. Bewildered, he cannot understand. Following an accident, he carries her to the garden, where she tells him the episode in the herder’s cabin was merelv a game, that she was not her self. In this way. she believes, she can forget—and make Bruce forget—their love. Bruce is stunned by Autumn's actions. He knows she cannot nave changed overnight, but is forced to believe that she is not the same girl who called on him at his cabin. CHAPTER VIII—Months pass, and neither Bruce nor Autumn can forget each other. Watching a card game one day, Bruce overhears a scurrilous remark made about Autumn. He administers a beating to the ■peaker, one Curly Belfort. He is warned that Belfort will try to even the score. CHAPTER IX—Jarvis Dean upbraids his daughter for giving anyone an excuse to talk about her. Later she meets Hector, who tells her that he will have something to say when the right time comes. The next day Bruce's foreman drives to the Dean ranch and tells Autumn that 30 of the Landor prize sheep have been poisoned. Bruce is away from home temporarily. Sus picion points definitely at Belfort. Autumn knows that Bruce whipped him when he overheard the foul remark made at the card game, and knows she is indirectly the cause of Bruce’s sheep being poisoned. Heartbroken, Autumn knows she cannot hope to repay him. CHAPTER X—Jarvis Dean asks Bruce to call on him, and offers to pay him for the loss of his sheep. Bruce, leaving, refuses to take the money. Autumn hears of his call, and goes to visit him. He tells her that they cannot be friends, and his ac tions prove to her that he has lost both his love and respect for her. CHAPTER XI—Autumn admits failure to herself, and tells her father she plans on leaving. He offers to tell Bruce tne truth, knowing she loves him. but she will not allow him to do it. Jarvis decides he will sell the ranch and join her in the fall. They will visit relatives in England. Neither are cheerful about the venture. Jarvis Dean knows it will be the end of everything for him to leave the country he loves and helped build. Autumn realizes she cannot forget Bruce Landor by going back to the artificial, purposeless life she had known in England with her aunt. Florian had closed the door. He was leaning against it now, his hands thrust nonchalantly into the pockets of his corduroy jacket. His blond head shone in unruly pictur esqueness against the stained log surface of the door. His dark eyes smiled at her, half closed in con templative pleasure. “Lin came down with tonsilitis this morning,” he told her. “Why didn’t you telephone me, then?” “We did, but you had already left home.” “Why didn’t you have Elinor come along with you?” Autumn demand ed, vexed at Florian’s manner. “Lord, Autumn, don’t get all worked up over nothing.” he re plied. “Elinor doesn’t go out with me. Besides, isn’t it all right this way?” “You know it isn’t—as well as I do,” she told him. He took a step toward her with easy indolence. “Don’t be a simp!” he said. “Give me your things.” Autumn looked at him coolly, sur veying him hostilely as he regarded her with his smile of assurance. “Certainly not,” she said. “I’m going back home right now. You know I wouldn't have come if I had known you were to be alone here.” She moved toward the door, but Florian grasped the shoulders of her loose automobile coat and pulled it off her. “Don’t be such a fool!” he said. “Now that you're here, sit down and be pleasant about it. I’m not so old fashioned as ’o make any assay's cn .oux virt __I & what’c on PROLOGUE TO LOVE MARTHA OSTENSO your mind. My God, I had to come up here to tell you, didn’t I?” “Now that you’ve told me—I can go,” Autumn replied. “You’re not going to get out of here till we’ve had a drink and a bite to eat. Aficr that you may do as you please.” Autumn seated herself and took a cigarette from her case. She lit it and sat without speaking while Flor ian carried her coat to a closet and hung it up. When he came back he poured a couple of drinks at the buf fet, one of which he handed to Au tumn. Then, glass in hand, he stood before her and laughed sardonically. “So little Autumn was afraid her Florian was ing to stage a regular old-time, knock-'em-down-and-drag ’em-out scene, eh?” he observed. “I wasn’t afraid,” Autumn told him. “As a matter of fact, I really should do something about it,” he went on. “Come to think of it, you’ve succeeded in making a fool of me all summer.” “I see,” said Autumn. “You’d like to get even. I didn’t credit you with being vindictive.” He flushed darkly. Then a pathet ically boyish and disappointed look came over his face, so that for a moment, in spite of herself, Autumn felt sorry for him. Perhaps it had been unsporting of her to play with him all summer when she had known from the first how he had felt about her. Florian threw him self into a chair and sat with his hand shading his eyes. “No,” he replied slowly, “you’ve got me wrong, Autumn. I’m not saying anything about what I would do if I could. But—not against your will, my dear. I admit I was glad when Lin found she couldn’t come out. I was glad of this chance of being alone with you. I was silly enough to think that perhaps—alone with me for the last time—you might relent a little.” “I’m sorry, Florian,” she said wearily. “I have tried to make it clear from the first that we could never be more than friends.” “You have your reasons for that. Autumn ’«oked at him coolly. no d-'Mht.” he raH “Am I sn- so abs mo'ssible?” Auiumn sighed and turned her ey to tic window “1 serm to have de a mess of things, all around." she said. He shot her a quick look from be neath lowered brows. “It’s Bruce La ’dor, of course," he said, with a shrp inflection bitten with hope'ess n s. Autumn avoided his eyes, her gaze upon the window where, the curtains d’ awn back, the redolent, piny air of the mountains drifted gently in v. a rd ‘I knew it," he said disconso lately. "I’ve known it for weeks. That’s why you’re going away. You’re running away from him.” Autumn got up and stood by the window, looking out across the hills where evening was already settling down. She had been standing there a long time, neither of them speak ing. when Florian got impatiently out of his chair. “Let’s eat!" he said suddenly. “You’re probably starved.” She looked at him and smiled dim ly “I could do with a little some thing," she agreed. “What is there? I’ll get it ready.” "You’ll do nothing of the sort.” he letorted. "You’ll sit down and have another drink while I fry the bacon and eggs." Fifteen minutes later, they were seated amicably across from each other at the little table before the fireplace, feasting on bacon and cnvs. bread and. butter and marma lr.de. and the really excellent coffee or an had made Florian, remark ing with a derisive smile that they nvght as well have it as romantic as pc- sibk. Lad made a fire in the fire pk'op and had moved the prosaic lanio to a eluded alcove. Their talk was desultory and was concerned chiefly with the Parrs, since Autumn was reluctant to speak of her impending journey. Linda, be »r her. had found herself a new the Gl.ect of which, wag a bemedaled war veteran who had come to the Okanagan and bought himself a fruit ranch. “Just a matter of changing from sheep to fruit for Lin,” he remarked. “It’s great to have an easy con science.” And so they talked in quiet amia bility, while the firelight flickered pleasantly on the ruddy pine beams of the ceiling and coquetted with the shadows that lurked about the furnishings. Ever since Autumn had left that morning, an inexplicable sadness had lain upon Jarvis Dean, a heavi ness of heart that was more than mere regret at her going. She would be back again tomorrow, he told himself, and they would still have a few brief days together before she left the Castle for good. It would be for good this time, and when he joined her in England in the fall, that would be his own farewell to this land in which he had known the heights and depths of all pas sions. Searching his heart for the cause of his melancholy, he came with acute anguish upon the truth. Jarvis Dean had reached an end— an end of everything that had really mattered in life. An abyss of noth ingness yawned before him. Without these stark hills and un guessable valleys that had witnessed with silent compassion the drama of his life, he would be as a player upon a stage without an audience. Frequently during the day, his eyes had roved hungrily over the noble prospect that had been his for more than a quarter of a cen tury. By toil of mind and body and soul he had made it his own, and his being, in turn, had been deliv ered over in its entirety to the mag nitude of this earth. All that he had known of joy and sorrow, hatred and love, the saga of his failure and triumph, was writ ten across the bright tablet of this land, inscrutable to all but himself when he left it his epitaph would be graven there. The sun marked noon, and the less explicit hours of the west. To ward the latter end of the day Jar vis went on foot to the temporary camp where his young Irish herder, Clancy Shane, was tending the few hundred sheep he had brought down from the range to be sold. It had been a matter of great pride to the boy that he had brought the band down single-handed and Jarvis had expressed his dry pleasure by rais ing the lad’s salary. In a wooded hollow before he reached the rise from which the flock could be seen, Jarvis halted abruptly to listen. An unwonted clamor of excited barking was com ing from the direction of the flock, mingled with the mad bleat of sheep. In alarm, Jarvis scrambled up through the woods to the crest, where a furious spectacle met his eyes. The low, red sun shone obliquely across a turbulent livid sea of gray bodies, a sea which, while Jarvis stared at it aghast, seemed to be come a vortex spinning closer and closer to the brink of a deep arroyo, a sandy cleft in the ground that had been washed deeper by freshets of the last spring. The dog, in a fren zy, was striving to head the crazed flock away from the danger. Sud denly the Irish lad leaped into the maelstrom and began beating his way toward the churning center. Jarvis shouted a hoarse warning and began to run. Before he reached the arroyo, however, the outer fringe of the band had run off tangent-wise and were plunging headlong into the gap ing earth. Instantly the whirlpool broke, the main body of it follow ing the mad course of the first few imo tne arroyo. Wnen Jarvis came at last and looked over the edge of the cleft, he found the pit filling with writhing, kicking, screaming bod ies. A few had escaped and were straggling up the steep bank, bleat ing dementedly, their oblique, crazy eyes aglare. In the thick of the struggle, flail ing out with both arms and sobbing frantically, Clancy Shane bobbed about, with hideous ludicrousness, like a cork. Jarvis yelled to him and plunged down the embankment, hurling out of his way the few half stunned animals that rushed up at him. With all the strength of his powerful frame he fought his way to the boy, lifted him bodily above the descending stream of gray forms, and flung him free. As he did so, a dozen grizzled shapes came down upon him and Jarvis fell back among them. Bruce Landor was driving home from town. On a sharp decline in the road where it approached the Dean place, his gaze was arrested by a wild figure that rushed fren ziedly toward him, apparently from nowhere. Bruce drew to the side of the road and stopped his car. The madman was young Clancy Shane. The boy collapsed against the run ning board, his breath a raucous wheeze. Bruce leaped from his car and lifted him to a sitting position. “What’s wrong, Clancy?” he de manded. The boy flung out an arm toward the pasture. “Over yonder!” he gasped. “The master—in the gully? Go quick!” With only a swift glance of hor ror into the blood-stained face of the youth, Bruce sped away. The sight that met his eyes in the arroyo froze his veins. There was a scattering of sheep, running and bleating idiotically still, with the dog valiantly struggling to bring them together. But across the gap in the earth there had risen a solid isth mus of dead or dying bodies. Of Jarvis Dean himself there was no sign. Bruce stood in stony horror. The sheep lay in the arroyo, ten deep. Two men came running from the direction of the Dean place. A strange quiet seemed to have fallen upon that land, when—it seemed to Bruce an eternity later— the western sky drew down an em erald curtain upon the glory that had been there. Three men stood back from their work, their bodies wet, and lowered their heads, battened,, still form of Jarv’ THE BLUFFTON NEWS, BLUFFTON, OHIO lay where they had placed it on the ground at their feet. Clancy Shane had told them the brief and tragic story of what had occurred. An eagle had flown down on the flock and terrorized a few stragglers that had wandered a short distance from the others. They had raced back and spread the con tagion of fear in the flock. The rest of the story they could read for themselves in the havoc that had been wrought during the brief mo ments of the hopeless struggle. Hannah, in the kitchen of the Cas tle, lifted her tear-drenched face from her hands. “You will have to go and fetch her, Bruce,” she sobbed. “She is stopping the night with the Parrs at their lodge. You know the place?” Bruce looked down at her. “Yes— I know where it is,” he replied. "Will you go, then?” His lips tightened. “I’ll go,” he said. In a few moments he was on his way, the dusk thickening about him as he sped along the winding trail that led southward into the moun tains. Two hours later he climbed up out of the troublous dark heat of the valley into the sheer, cool star light of the hills. Now the road be came narrow and capricious, and the black spires of the dense pines made a cathedral ominousness against the sky. How like Autumn, Bruce thought with frowning admiration, to have driven over this road alone! One false swerve of the wheel and she would have been at the mercy of this solitary wilderness until some one found her and brought her out. He strove to keep his mind on the deviousness of the way so that he might be possessed of a measure of composure for the difficult task that lay before him. He was glad, with a self-effacing bleakness, that her friends were with her—Linda Parr and Florian. They would be able to offer her comfort, as he himself was not qualified to do. He had telephoned to Hector Car digan from the Dean place. It had seemed proper that Hector should be the first to be informed of the tragedy—and, if possible, to break the news to Autumn. Bruce would have given much to have had the old friend of the family with him on this sorry mission, but Hector had not been at home and Hannah h’td urged that the tragic news should be carried to Autumn without delay. The road began to steepen treach erously as Bruce approached the comparatively open shelf on the mountain where the Parr Lodge stood. From somewhere in the shrouded darkness far above him came the sinister, feral wail of a cougar, a trailing sound of wounded malevolence. Closer at hand an owl hooted as though in mockery of that other more menacing cry of the wild. A gleam of light through the dark weft of the pines, and Bruce was driving in at the open gateway to the lodge. He turned his car about, deferring for a painful moment the duty that was before him, and for mulating in his mind, with all the gentleness he could muster, the dol orous words that he must s-eak. As he got w’ f-on-i his r?r he could hear a door opening in the lodge behind him. A moment later he was face to face with Florian Parr. Even in that instant, when his dis tress of mind was uppermost, Bruce detected embarrassment in Flor ian’s manner. “Hello. Florian.” he said as he extended his hand. Florian took the proffered hand in a brief clasp, then seemed to draw back hesitantly. “Bruce!” he ex claimed softly. “You’re the last per son I expected to see here tonight.” Bruce glanced toward the house. “I’ve come with some pretty bad news, Florian,” he said in a low tone. “Autumn’s father was killed this evening.” Florian fell back a step. “Killed? Good God! How?” “He was over visiting the flock young Shane brought out to be sold. The boy says an eagle frightened the sheep and they got to milling. Shane ti led to break up the jam and they got into a ditch on top of him. Jarvis jumped in and saved the boy —but he never got out of it him self.” Florian ran his hand across his brow, speechless from shock. Bruce saw him glance abstractedly toward the house. “My God!” he groaned at last. “This will just about kill Autumn!” “You’d better go in and fetch Lin,” Bruce said tersely. “She’ll be the best one to break the news to her.” But Florian was regarding him in blank consternation. Bruce, puzzled, began to feel an impatience at his singular attitude. “There’s no sense in delaying it, Florian,” he said harshly. “She has to be told. And Lin is the one to talk to her.” As he spoke he glanced toward the house. It came to him that there was something strange about the place. It seemed deserted, some how, and although the windows were open no voices came out to them from within. “Lin isn't here,” Florian said heavily. “Autumn and I are alone.” Bruce stared at Florian through the gloom with eyes that seemed to go dim and lifeless with the dull flush that had suffused his whole being after that first sharp stab of incredulity. “Oh!” he said then, in a voice that had died before the sound is sued. “Oh—I see!” Florian’s face was turned toward him in the darkness. For a moment he did not reply. “You don’t see at all, you damn fool!” he broke forth at last. “Lin couldn’t get here. We were just getting ready to leave when we heard your car coming up the hill. If you think—” “Shut up!" Bruce rasped. “You don’t have to apologize to me. Go in and tell her. She’s needed at home—tonight. I’ll drive ahead. I don’t think I can be of any more use.” With his fists doubled up so that his nails were like blades in his palms, Bruce tore himself away. He had experienced for the first time in his life the. exhilarating and horrible impulse to kill. Blindly he staggered to his car, swung it through the gate so that it lurched crazily toward the brink of the trail before he righted it, then paused to await the sounds that told him that Florian and Au tumn had started from the lodge. All the way back down into the valley, with the shameless and heartbreaking sound of that other car following behind him, it seemed to Bruce that the stars rocketed through a delirious sky, and that the night with its burden of mad ness would descend and annihilate him. (To be continued) Rockport Word was received here Monday of the death of Miss Frances Con ner of Sharon, Pa. Miss Conner is quite well known in this community where she visited on numerous oc casions. Funeral services were held at Sharon Wednesday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs. John Mayberry, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Kidd and Mrs. W. R. May berry of Columbus Grove, cousins of Miss Conner, left Tuesday to attend the funeral. Herbert Marshall was a business caller in Cincinnati one day last week. Mesdames Walter Cupp and Harold Marshall attended a meeting of the Au Revoir club in the country home of Mrs. Melville Beckwith near Co lumbus Grove last Thursday. Fol lowing a bountiful dinner, the after noon was spent in needle work. Mrs. Orlo Marshall received word recently of the death of her uncle, Mr. A. E. Ransom at his home in Fairfield, Mich. He passed away at the age of 69 following a two year’s illness. Funeral services were held in Toledo, Sunday, Jan. 7th. He leaves four children all living in the vicinity of Toledo and one sister, Mrs. H. C. Eisenbach of Phoenix, Ariz. i The Presbyterian Missionary so ciety met Wednesday afternoon in the home of Mrs. J. O. Cupp for the January program and election of officers. Those chosen to serve for the coming year were: Pres., Mrs. Edgar Begg V. Pres., Mrs. Glen Huber Sec’y., Mrs. D. C. Campbell Treas., Mrs. Orlo Marshall Sec’y. of Literature, Mrs. Charles Armentrout Over Seas Hospital Work, Mrs. Wm. Reichenbach Light Bearers Leader, Mrs. Lawrence Begg. The next meeting will be held on Friday, Feb. 9th to coincide with the World Day of Prayer, in the home of Mrs. Clarence Begg. Miss Beatrice Cupp, a student nurse at the State hospital in Toledo spent Sunday with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Cupp. Mr. and Mrs. Lester Buettner of Sylvania, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Begg and sons John and William and Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Marshall were Sun day dinner guests in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Glen Mayberry and family. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Cupp, sons William and Richard and daughter Margery and Mr. and Mrs. D. C. Campbell and daughter Elizabeth took supper Friday evening with Mr. and Mrs. Orlo Marshall. Mr. and Mrs. Guy Mayberry and family were six o’clock dinner guests in the home of Dr. and Mrs. Milo Rice in Pandora, Sunday evening. Mrs. W. E. Marshall was hostess to the 1938 Past Matron’s Club of District No. 8 O. E. S. last Thursday. Following a one o’clock luncheon at the Walnut Grill in Bluffton they adjourned to the home of Mrs. Mar shall where the business meeting and social hour was enjoyed. Those present were: Mrs. Helen Desenberg Mis. Margery Miller and Mrs. Netta Sullivan of Lima Mrs. Iva Shively of Leipsic Mrs. Beatrice Smith of Columbus Grove Mrs. Doris Mad dock of Continental Mrs. Elva Mc Clure of Lafayette, and the hostess. Dr. and Mrs. M. D. Soash of Bluff ton were supper guests of Mr. and Mrs. Orlo Marshall Sunday evening. Mrs. Clifford Fruchey will be hos tess to the Friendly Neighbors Club Thursday afternoon of next week with the following program: Music, Club Roil call, a Scripture verse Life of Leah, Miss Elnora Marshall Life of Elizabeth, Mrs. Lillian Bow ers Solo, Mrs. Marie Fruchey Con test, Mrs. Irene Miller. Eugene and Dorothy Augsburger were Sunday dinner guests of Mr. and Mrs.’ Francis Williams. After noon callers were Mrs. Eugene Tschiegg and Mr. and Mrs. Amos Tschiegg and son Carol. The Profit and Pleasure Club meet ing has been postponed one week due to injuries received in a fall by the hostess, Mrs. Bert Herron. World production of rayon fiber in 1938 was the equivalent of 4,583,000 bales of cotton. The 1920 production equalled only 78,000 bales. NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT Estate of Parthenia Akerman. Decrascd. Notice is hereby given that Myrtle Edward* whose Post Office address is Groverhill. Ohio. R. F. D. No. 2. has been «luly appointed and qualified as adrrinistrntrix of the Estate of Parthenin Akerman. late of Allen County, Ohio, dec D.ited this 27th day of December. 1989. RAYMOND P. SMITH. Judge of the Probate Court. 38 Allen County. Ohio NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT Estate of Samuel Steiner, Deceased. Notice is hereby given that Jens'* W. S:eine 3924 Rushlnnd. loledo, Ohio .nd Strrrron W. Steiner, 116s Hazel Ave., Lima, Ohio, have been duly appointed and qualified ns exerv tors of the E tate of Samuel W. Steiner, late of Allen County. Ohio, deceased. Dated ‘his 13th day of January, 1940 RAYMOND P. SMITH, Judge of the Probate Court, 40 Allen County, Ohio. News Notes From Four Counties (Continued from page 3) cording to Sheriff A. H. French. The man was said to have been seen in New Washington several days ago. At that time ,he is said to have told about two sisters in Hardin county and that he was en route to the county home near Ken ton. The only mark of identification was a hat with a Findlay stamp. The man had brown hair, streaked with gray and a mustache. He was about five feet, eight inches tall and weighed 160 pounds. Three toes of his left foot were grown together. He apparently died of exposure. Ada Institute Feb. 9-10 The Ada Farmers’ institute has been scheduled for Feb. 9 and 10 in the high school auditorium with Mrs. D. B. Phillips of Mt. Washing ton and Ralph White of Richwood as speakers. This will be one of six in stitutes to be held in the county this winter. $696 Paid For Sheep Claims Sheep claims totaling $696.56 and witness fees amounting to $33.66 were paid to Hardin county farmers during the last quarter of 1939, ac cording to county commissioners who approved payment of the claims. The largest single claim was for $135. PUTNAM COUNTY Gymnasium Seating Re-arranged Work was expected to get under way this week on alteration of the bleacher section of the new Ottawa auditorium-gymnasium, designed to increase seating capacity and im prove vision. This action was taken by the Ot tawa board of education after invest igation of numerous complaints in regards to the poor vision of the bench section of the auditorium and apparent lack of proper seating ca pacity. Wire Fencing Reported Stolen Theft of 20 rods of six-inch mesh fencing from his farm just east of Ottawa, was reported by Sheriff Ar nold Potts by Robert Doty. Then fencing was along Route 224 on the Doty farm in a roll when it was stolen, the owner told Sheriff Potts. $21,150 More Paid To Farmers One hundred and eighty-one checks for AAA payments to Put nam county farmers were received last week and have been distributed by Arnold Schroeder, chaiiinan of the county sail conservation com mittee, and his assistants. The checks amounted to $21,150.80. Approximately one hundred checks totaling about $10,000 are expected in the near future to complete the payments to local farmers for par ticipation in the 1939 federal crop control program, Schroeder stated. Checks for Putnam farmers have been received in three groups and the total to date has amounted to $189,003.42. Drive Launched To Aid Finns The Putnam county chapter of the American Red Cross this week is conducting a campaign to raise funds for the relief of the Finns, ac cording to Harold Heitzman of Ft. Jennings, county chairman. He said that the superintendents and teachers in the schools thruout the county have been instructed to have their pupils bring any contri butions their families might wish to make. The amount collected in this county will be sent to the national Finnish relief fund. Ditch Controversy Believed Settled Settlement of the controversy be tween the state highway department and Putnam county officials over the construction of a ditch along Route 113 southwest of Continental seemed certain this week. Nine of the 11 property owenrs who live along the Eugene Roehrle ditch met with the board of county commissioners in the courthouse in Ottawa last Wednesday afternoon and signe'1 an agreement to pay PAGE SEVEN more assessments than originally set up so that construction of the ditch can be completed. The extra cost of $3,124.33 was necessitated when the highway de partment informed county officials that the only way it would approve the project was to move the ditch back 20 feet from the highway. Thru the agreement with the farm ers, the county will be able to do this, County Engineer L. H. Schmenk said. Visual Education Program Praised Because of the excellence of the visual education program in Putnam county, C. D. Vermilya, superintend ent of the county school system, has been placed on the executive commit tee on visual education of the Ohio Education Association. During the annual convention of the association last week end in Co lumbus, this committee told Vermil ya that Putnam county has the fin est visual education program of any county school system in Ohio and one of the finest in the United States. Regular schedules of both educational and entertainment films are shown in the county schools each year. Former State Official Dies John A. Hummon, 75, former Put nam county representative to the general assembly, Columbus, and prominent retired farmer, died at 2:45 o'clock Sunday afternoon at his home in Leipsic following an illness since October from heart trouble. Mr. Hummon first was elected to the assembly in 1918 and was re elected in 1920. Caught In Machinery, Killed Clayton Mull, 46, mechanic, was killed instantly Friday when he be came entangled in the machinery of a tile mill one-half mile north of Continental. Mull was repairing a shaft in the mill when the accident occurred. Catherine Mull, a daugh ter, is office nurse and secretary of Dr. B. W. Travis of Bluffton. In Russia religion was the opium of the people, in China opium is the religion of the people. For Vigor and Health— include meat in your menu. Always ready to serve you. Bigler Bros. Fresh and Salt Meats ... "T ....................................... .J- Egg Profits? FEED BANNER EGG MASH °nly$2i20perBag or balance your home grains with Old Fort or Dutch Master 40% Concentrates I The Bluflton Milling Co. WANTED—DEAD STOCK WE PAY TOP CASH PRICES Horses $5.00 Cows $3.00 Small Stock removed free of charge. 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