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Show Kathleen Norris Says: y ecl Does Your Family Go to Church? Beh Syndicate. WNU Features. .' 0t Jroch 3fatteiinc JunpHe, Coiorui JJouAccoat de-(J3uttoii- & yi- - w ... &S8 BY CUAPTEE I Such a small thing as a shrimp may save a mans life by putting new heart Into him at a time when his digestive organs have ceased to function for lack of fuel. If the will to live or die is dependent upon a bunch of nerve cells and ganglions, the proper activity of the latter is contingent upon the regular carbonisation of commonplace foods. Dick Jordan had reached the point and physical exof haustion when lethal forgetfulness seemed the greatest boon to man to drift off painlessly into a world of dreams and fancies that ends in death. He didnt want to live; he had lost the will to go on and suffer; he craved surcease from the torture of wind and sun and waves and from thirst and hunger! Clinging to his frail support that had been the toy of the waves for days and nights he scarcely knew how many he raised his head for one last look around his narrow undulating horizon before releasing his hold to slip down into the green waters clamoring to receive him. It was the last despairing look of a dying man when the faculties flare op an instant, in full intelligence, before the final collapse. Then, coming on the crest of a rave, sliding down its slope to meet him, a small island of seaweed thrust its tentacles of and greenish fronds about his neck and shoulders, rustling and murmuring against the sides of his raft. Aroused an Instant by this unexpected break in the monotony of his horizon the castaway stared at it in stupifled wonder. It was alive with crustaceans and molluscs, those tiny forms of life that cling to algae and make their homes in their branches squids, snails, slugs, barnacles and anthropods. A tiny crab floated on the surface. Dick made a grab for it, but missed it His splash startled from their hiding place a school of shrimp. Catching one of these, he decapitated it and ate it raw. The taste awakened dormant impulses in him. He began fishing warily for the tiny creatures, driving them into the open with one hand and cupping them with the other, or corrallng them into a dense mass of seaweed, he would fling them on his float with the algae and scramble for them before they could leap back Into the sea. It became an exciting game, with real food as the prize. Every time ' he caught one and swallowed it, his appetite craved more, and his fagged brain power rallied to his assistance, giving him the necessary mental alertness and skill for the work. semi-starvati- A Handful of Shrimp Revives Will to Live It saved his life the shrimp and the game! By the time he had scavenged the mass of seaweed, robbing it of every form of life that could be called food, his mind was clearer through the functioning of his digestive organs, and the will to live and fight it out flared up again. But the handful of raw shrimps had, after all, been a mere morsel to a starving man, and the salt of them, which had tasted good at first, was beginning to intensify his thirst He had been fortunate in securing rain water for the first three days, but the last of it was gone, and the agony of thirst was beginning to add to the tortures of an empty stomach. fcui iZJl WN.U. collision in a rough sea. In a couple of hours each boatload was a separate unit, dependent upon the skill and exertion of its own crew for safety, with no knowledge of what was happening to the others. The black pall of night descended upon them, obliterating the rest of the world, and circumscribing for them an existence bounded by the gunwales of the boat. In this narrow space they huddled, awed and terrified as much by the sense of isolation as by the roar of wind and waves. Jordan was not greatly surprised when the accident he had been anticipating came; it seemed the inevitable climax to their adventure, A giant wave and unavoidable. lifted them clear out of the water and upset the frail craft, rolling it over and over before allowing it to descend Into the trough to be trampled upon by the mountain of surging green brine. After that it was every man for hlmsell There was no further opportunity for team work or mutual Dick Jordan found himself clinging to a few boards that had been in the bottom of the boat. It made an excellent raft for one, but hardly of use for two. In bis eagerness to take full possession of it, a fat man climbed upon it, overreaching himself by his greediness. The slender raft sunk out of sight, and when it finally came to th surface again the fat man was gone. Jordan retrieved it; clung to it; clutched it with both hands, refusing to yield his hold even when the waves rolled it over and over and buried him fathoms deep in the sea. He had been three days on the raft before the will to live had finally cracked, and then, fortified by the raw food washed up to him by the mass of drifting seaweed, revived, and once more struggled to reassert Itself over exhausted, tortured flesh. It was a real sail that his eyes saw this time, but he refused to believe it for a long time, laughing at his own inconsistency in hoping and praying that it was not an optical illusion, and declaring'in the same breath it could not be anything else. It was not only a real Bail that he saw, but it was coming in his direction, bearing down upon him at a speed that quickly disNo, not In the same boat, came pelled all doubts. As the boat drew nearer, Dick the unexpected reply. made out its nondescript character When all but two of the boats from its sails. A d lughad been cast off, and the sea was ger, quite common in the Caribbean full of them, bobbing around like for fishing and coasting, with lumpcockle-shellhe and Hen had come ish hull and mildewed canvas, spotface to face the only two passen- ted like the coat of a leopard, it gers left aboard. Hen had looked slopped along in the rough seas as at him, and nodded pleasantly. if unwillingly propelled by a power Youve done well, Jordan, were that it could not resist his words. Which boat do you want grim-lippe- men, d and weak-knee- d passengers of both sexes who needed help to get them In the small boats. Dick himself had helped women and children into the first boats, winning smiles of trust from the latter and glances of frightened approval from the former. There had been a few others of the passengers who actively arrayed themselves alongside the officers to maintain order and system. One of them was Pettigrew Hen Pettigrew whose whole life and training made him immune to fear Hen had distinand excitement guished himself in that melee, as he always did, and won the approval of the captain. Early in the confusion they had separated Hen Pettigrew and Dick Jordan for the exigency of the moment severed all conventional bonds. Dick had been allowed to go his own way, free as any other passenger; but he knew, or felt that the others eyes were on him, watching that he didnt slip into one of the boats filled mostly with women and children. He had an unpleasant sensation that he was still being watched as a criminal. The vigilance of the law never relaxed not even in the panic of a shipwreck.. d s, to go in? Dick was surprised into stammerUntil then ing by the question. there had been no choice. He still himself considered Pettigrews man; he had not thought of making a break for liberty. Ever since he had left the South American port in Hens custody he had been a model prisoner, and it seemed slightly dishonorable to take advantage of the disaster to escape. Why, the one you choose for me, he answered. It makes no difference. Is there room for both of us? No, not In the same boat, came the unexpected reply. "Thats why Pm giving you a choice. You deserve it after this. He waved his hand around to indicate his meaning. If there was a sail now1 he Pettigreiv Wishes Dick began, and then stopped. Insanity Luck in Future lay in that direction. He had looked Good for a sail so long that his eyes were Jordan was more astonished than sore and unsteady; he had prayed ever. Pettigrew was eyeing him as a man, and not as an officer of the for it until in a frenzy of disappointment he had anathematized all law; he even placed a hand familprayer as silly and misleading; he iarly on one shoulder. had hoped and longed for the sight Were just man to man now, Jorof a ship until he had seen them in dan, he added. Were not going his dreams a dozen of them sail- to leave this ship together cant, ing around and around him, mock- you know captains orders. You go ing him, tantalizing him even in his your way, and I go mine. If we waking moments. There had been meet again on shore Ill pinch strange illusions, mirages .of ships you. Its my duty. But Just now and argosies, pictures of Islands and were Well, laughing quietly, headlands, of towns and cities, of friends, I guess. I dont mind callpeople walking their streets. They ing you that I wish you good luck! had come and gone until the be- If you reach shore and I dont I wish fuddled brain was at odds with itwish self. Dick never knew what he intendThere isnt any sail! he mut- ed to wish, for at that moment the tered aloud, closing his teeth. harsh, grating voice of the first mate There are dream sails, mirages of Interrupted, and Jordan tumbled them, but nothing real. They dis- into one boat ' and Hen Pettigrew appeared from the ocean ages ago. into another. I know, for I. saw the last of them. i Almost instantly they were sepHe had glimpsed a sail a real arated in the blackness of the night. sail when he thrust his head up Dick was free, in truth, then not ward after his meal of shrimp; but on probation. He had the whole world he woutdnt believe it wanted to to roam so long as he didnt run believe it but wouldnt afoul of Hen Pettigrew, A they "Its only in my eye," he added. drifted through the darkness of the if I tried to look night, he smiled broadly, while the Id get cross-eyeat all the ships Ive seen since others sat and moaned or spoke in since that night. Would awed, frightened voices. That night was forever indelibly they ever reach land? How far were Impiessing itself upon his mind a they from the nearest shore? That nightmare of horror! The steamer was the burden of their conversahad struck in the middle of the tion. At first an effort was made to night, and out of the staterooms had streamed an endless array of keep the Doats together, but Uils strange forms white-facewomen, was soon abandoned by the seamen. frightened children and nurses, There was always tha danger of d d oy TOE SEA Lugger Holes in Sight Two-Maste- d Long before any one aboard sighted Dick Jordan, he had studied the craft from stem to keel with greedy, anxious eyes, taking in everything from the clumsily bent topsails to the Jib that was forever shifting in the wind. he Fishermen, concluded, speaking his thoughts aloud. I cant be far from land. A moment later, when the lugger acted as if about to change her course, he raised his free hand and shouted with all the strength he could muster. Even at that distance, it seemed almost miraculous that they heard or saw him; but keen eyes had been scanning the sea closely, looking for Just such derelicts. It was their business to pick up flotsam and Jetsam of the ocean on the chance of finding a prize. His cry brought several black faces to the port rail, and Jordans former conclusion that the lugger was a native fishing craft seemed confirmed by the appearance of the crew. They were swarthy Caribs, an ancient type weakened and diluted by the blood of pure Negroes. A burly with the white part of him showing in his straight hair and mottled complexion, seemed to be in command, for the order came from him to heave the lugger up in the wind and lower half-bree- a boat Twenty minutes later Dick sat on the dirty, deck of the vessel, greedily eating and drinking food and liquid that under ordinary circumstances would have repelled him; but natures cravings had to be satisfied, and it was no time to be critical. The crew formed a half circle around him, with Captain Tucu. the skipper, and Black Burley, the luggers mate, in the Immediate foreground. They were inspecting him with something more than curiosity with greed and avariciousness, Dick thought, but he could not exactly translate half-bree- 0D hS AW I don't know why God is to good to us" certain obscure mothers say, their faces radiant as they contemplate tha safe arrival of Toms son, the happy Sister Annie. marriage of lonely (TO BE CONTINUED) 1538 2 By KATHLEEN NORRIS beauty of the old THE when everyone to church was that religion gives people a code a rule by which to live and by which to judge their own actions and those of others. Without religion it is hard to hold young persons to moral law. Their natural question Why? has no answer. Some years age, the daughter ef a friend ef mine secretly rented a small Park avenue her and entertained apartment friends there while her mother thought she was merely dining and visiting with perfectly nice school fellows. Her expenses and the apartment were shared by a boy of 18. Ta all of her heartbroken parents subsequent reproaches she only pertly answered why why? Why shouldnt she spend Grannys legacy that way? Why shouldnt girls and boys live together If they wanted te? Why should she tell her father and mother anything? What was there te be ashamed ef? She really did not knew the answers. At first glance yeungsters do not see the connection between decency as and religion. Religion itself demonstrated by many ef its exhas done little to connect ponents the two. Rituals, long sermons, incomprehensible formulas, greedy concern for interest, capital, bequests, collections, money-makin- g schemes have clouded the light Our children see only these, and they decline to believe the great mystical and unproven truths upon which all real religion Is based. If the lives ef the teachers were different then their effect upon our childrens lives would be different. Greed, Stupidity Hide Glory. As it Is, they are too often cheated out of their birthright of belief, partly because the blinding glory of faith is dimmed by so much human stupidity, partly because their parents have gone that same road before them and have decided that religion Is merely a profitable business Into which certain men enter; a good thing, if you happen to be that unthinking, hypocritical sort of man, willing to fool along murmuring things you dont believe or practice to women who dont believe or practice them either. But, thank God, under this accumulated heavy crust of age-ol- d human stupidity, there works continually the yeast of saintliness. The world is full of unseen, unrecognized saints, who have probed further than this mere outer seeming, who have discovered the magic of the word, and who are quietly spreading it with every word they speak and every contact they make. Such persons may be the humblest of mothers and fathers, working all their lives for food and shelter for those they love, but their and girls will grow up boys strong in true morality, believing that they must keep their hearts and their lips clean, that they must pay what they owe, that they must keep their word, and give to those In need, oomfort the sorrowing, forget self in service. There Is no more to it than that. Only somehow we dont find that unless we find God. It is belief in God, In our service to God, in the FORCE OF RELIGION Smart Side stronger force in American life than it is today. Too many people, particularly the young, see no reason why they can't do what they please. They see older people getting away with all sorts of crooked business deals, with deceit, with infidelity. What is the use of clinging to outmoded dogmas and restrictive moral codes, they ask. As Miss Norris says in todays article, the young people are deceived by the surface of things, where they see so much of greed, stupidity and sin. Much f it is alluring and apparently satisfying. What they dont see, Miss Norris points out, is the thousands and millions of humble people who obey the laws of God and find their greatest happiness in following His Word. These humble people know that faith and the Holy Law will save young lives from ruin. They realize that doing the generous, forgiving thing is worthwhile, that it brings peace and quiet happiness. It is the only power that can save the modern world from shortness of our term here and the necessity of making every moment of it valuable, that inspires this sort of teaching and this sort of conduct American children have not been deprived of moral teaching; It floods over them all during their home and school years. They have been deprived of the one thing that makes that teaching valuable. Will be a Settlement. They are like busy workers who have ne employer. The humble true believer learns of God through the life ef his expiating son, believes that it matters whether he is honest or not, truthful or lying, cruel or kind. There is a great employer, and eventually there will be a settlement. And acting blindly on this belief for a few years he begins to see that It works. Problems in his outer life smooth cut; the generous thing, the forgiving thing, the thing is suddenly and surprisingly the happiest possible thing. I dont know why God is so good to us, certain obscure mothers say, their faces radiant as they contemplate the safe arrival of Toms son, the happy marriage of lonesister Annie. ly, Yeu never hear that phrase except from believers. They see the surface-scuof human frailty in their leaders; they know of the wars, the slums, the selfishness and Chrisdishonesty of the tian civilization." that Everyone 8000 14-4- Easy-to-We- 6 Housecoat ar ''4 A Why lux?" tha girl asked pertly . - closing on this daytime frock. Wide es shoulders are comfortable accent a neat trim waist, v everywhere with assurance audience Is sure to approve A SIMPLE and very delightful wrap around housecoat for Pattern No. 1538 is designed moments of relaxing. Make it in 12, 14, 16, 3518, 20; 40 and 42. Sizt of or flower print and yards FALL a colorful The and WINTER lisne Is now ready . . . that spark edge with narrow ruffling. Youll ION magazine thats new and like it for cold weather, too, in a tern Kilty-tw- o pares of smart laslnn soft lightweight wool with three- - sews. directly to tho needs ef every wo: Special American Deslrm nals . , . beauty and quarter sleeves. 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Tha $2.98 Quart Economy Sica make 32 gallant. And Weed-No'Mo- I Name- - 1987. money-bac- k pock-marke- 2 d unkempt. Just dilute Wetwith water, spr it on, and weeds disappe When applied according No-Mo- WEED-NO-MOR- E CAN DO! Kills all these weeds and many mors re directions, most com lawn grasses are notharff soil is not injured. save yourself hours of t- WEED-NO-MOR- But they see further, too. They see that faith and the rule save young lives. The very leaders themselves may be lost. But the children to whom they taught love of God, and love of neighbor, are the only safe children in the world. Rob children of everything else for your which you are working and straining, but give them faith. Is E inexpensive , tool Kills Weeds or Yc Money Back Uo according fo dirootiont on ofo. Allow at teoot throowoek$t inf Motion. If not oatiaHod weed, ra POISON A PRODUCT OF SHERWIN-WILLIAM- & John Lucas & Co., Inc., Philadelphia Rogers Paint Products, Inc., Detroit . PtiTC RESEtf S lead . Co., Pittsburgh P aond pacM tho manufacturer and toll prico will bo refunded OAK DISTRIBUTED BY: Acme White W. W. lowrenco V Due to an unusually large der current conditions, slightly more required in filling orders for a fe most popular pattern numbers. Send your order to: sees Potatoes for Breakfast From a caloric standpoint, pota-top- s make an excellent substitute for bread. In addition, they contain many valuable vitamins and minerals. Fresh from the garden as they are at this time of year, they have a high vitamin C content and they are a good source of vitamins B and G. Farm families have served potatoes boiled or fried for breakfast for a long time, but few urban homes have adopted the practice. Potato pancakes make a good breakfast dish. Buttonei C GALLOPED side a striking trim Religion used to be a much d it in words. Captain Tucu had an evil, sinister face that in repose was hard and sullen, as if the white blood in him was silently protesting the injustice of the trick played in mingling negro with It; in action It lighted up with a fierceness of either Joy or anger that had an element of the fanatics. rr . & Color Works, Detroit The Lowe Brothers Co., The Martin-SenoCe.,0"r The Sherwin-Willia- Co Cle1 ki |