DOUBLE
TROUBLE
8
By ELSA S. GR ANT
© McClure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service.
Georgie ilake stood before
his dresser mirror adjusting a
lemon colored tie adorned with
red spots that matched Ids red
hair.
Georgie was in n deep reverie
brought on by the summer weather,
the Young People's lawn party, and
Miss Mabel Porter.
Georgie was preparing early to es
cort Mabel to the lawn party tliat
afternoon, when a penetrating call
from below stairs punctured his reverie.
“Georgie!"
“Yell, Ma?" He patted his tie, not
yet fully conscious of his surroundings.
“Your Aunt Cora just phoned and
I told her you’d take care of the twins
this afternoon. You’d better go right
over and get them.”
The beatific expression on neorgies
face disappeared instantly nnd was re
placed by one of intense horror.
He dashed out to the stair head.
•T>iit, hey, Ma, what about the lawn
party?” he called anxiously. “Gee
whiz I can't miss that! Good night!”
"You can take the twins with you,”
his mother answered front the kitchen.
“What!”
Georgie raced down the stairs.
“Hey, Ma, I can't take those kids
to the lawn party. Gee-whiz, wouldn't
I look swell draggin’ those brats
around!”
“Bertie nnd Bertha are not brats,
Georgie Blake,” Ills mother said sharp
ly. "They’re your first cousins nnd you
should be more respectful.”
"Yes'm,” Georgie agreed meekly.
He mooched Into the front hall and
picked up the telephone.
The lawn party was out.
Why, If he appeared at that fiesta
with Bertie nnd Bertha there would
be an instant riot, with the guests leav
ing immediately by tiie most accessible
exits.
People did not remain in the pres
ence of those five-year-old terrors any
longer than was necessary.
Georgie dialed a number while he
stood knee deep In tlie ashes of his
ruined day.
“Hello?” Tlie musical voice be
longed to Miss Mabel Porter.
“Hello, Mabel,” Georgie said, bright
ening with a sudden idea. ‘‘I Just
called you up to ask if you wouldn't
like to go on a picnic this afternoon.”
"Picnic?” Mabel sounded puzzled.
“What for?”
“Well, 1 don't think this old iawn
party will amount to much.” Georgie
said. "Besides," he went on casually,
“I have to take care of tlie twins and
I was flunkin'—”
“Not those terrilde twins, Georgie?"
“Uh-huh,” Georgie moaned, lie could
feel the air on tlie wire grow chilly.
“Well, really, Georgie," Mabel said
at last, "I ought to go to the lawn
party after planning nnd everything.
Ferdy Hoyt wants me to go with him.
so I guess I'd better.”
“All right,” Georgie said, “but I
hope he gets ptomaine poison!”
Georgie put down the telephone.
Ferdy Hoyt was the last bitter drop
In Georgie’s brimming chalice.
Ferdy was the son of Elston’s lead
ing banker and citizen, nnd since Ills
return from school for the summer
months had been cutting in on Georgie's
time witli Mabel.
Is it any wonder that Georgie was
blind to tlie sunshine nnd the Birds us
he set out to collect his charges?
Bertie and Bertha behaved properly
nntil three o'clock in tlie afternoon and
then they escaped into thin air.
Georgie set out in search of them
With a dire warning from Ids mother
ringing In Ins ears to tlie effect that
if the twins caused any damage he'd
have to pay for it out of Ids own
pocket
Twenty minutes later lie found Ber
tie and Bertha In Judge Blint’s front
yard.
They were seated In the Judge’s hot
beds yanking tulip blooms up by the
roots.
Georgie clung to the fence for sup
port at the sight of this destruction of
horticultural prizes.
There was a familiar sign on the
fence: “Beware of the Dog.’’
It referred to Judge Blint’s Ripper,
a bulldog with generous teeth and a
short temper.
"You eome out of there!’’ Georgie
ordered.
“Won't!” the twins chimed. Tulips
curved in the uir like colored comets.
Georgie moaned uloud.
“Old Ripper’ll get you," he warned.
“Ain’t no dog! Ain’t no dog!" the
twins chanted singsong.
And to every appearance they were
right.
Georgie looked carefully .around and
put a cautious leg over the fence. In
another moment lie swooped down on
the twins.
Immediately there began a dizzy
race and a tremendous uproar.
Georgie shouted, the twins shrieked,
and suddenly into the midst of the tur
moil came the thunderous roars of
Ripper.
There was a scramble for the fence
in which Georgle was hopelessly out
distanced by (lie twins, and ns they
stood peering through the palings
shouting encouragement Itippor closed
his jaws on the stern of Georgie's flan
nels. There was a ripping sound as he
climbed over aud a disappointed bull
dog dropped bark Into tlie yard.
It Is a matter of historical detail to
report that there was an expanse of
Georgie's new silk underwear showing
nnd it was a brilliant orange.
Perceiving the look in Cousin
Georgie's eye as tic climbed tiic fence
Bertie and Bertha left tlie vicinity In
a hurry.
Georgie set oft in pursuit.
An old n.an waving a cane shouted,
“Bravo! Bravo!”- after him. hilt be
didn't stop.
The chase was short and just ns
Georgie was about to grasp Bertie j
and Bertha by their collars they turned j
into tlie high hedged ground of tlie
First Baptist eluirch and charged full
tilt Into tlie midst of tlie Young Pen- (
pie's lawn party.
Unerring Instinct led them to Ferily
Hoyt and Mabel Porter.
In full cry Georgia burst into the
middle of tlie curious guests before lie
realized Ids whereabouts.
He became conscious of Mabel’s
hotly accusing eyes.
"Teasing little children, she cried. |
“Shame on you, Georgie!”
"I—" Georgie gulped, trying not to
noticeably sit on his hands.
The twins, quick to perceive the turn
of events, began to run a mail circle I
around the group, shrieking, “Judge I
Hllnt's dog hit Georgie’s pants! Judge
mint’s dog hit Georgie’s pants!”
Where there had been titters before
there was now open laughter.
A rasping voice penetrated the laugh
ter.
"What’s this? What’s this?” The
elderly man, who had shouted "Bravo!"
at him came elbowing his way through
the crowd. lie was Seymour Hoyt,
Ferdy’s grandfather, lie peered at
Georgie with nearsighted eyes.
“Upon my word," he cried, “you’re
the young man I saw rescue these two
children from Judge mint's vicious
dog."
"Well," Georgie began, “I didn't ex
actly—”
“Now, now, young man,” Old Sey
mour Hoyt exclaimed, “there's no call
for modesty over a brave deed well
done.”
He glared at the group.
“I doubt,” he snapped, “if tiiere’s one
of you would have risked life and limb
as this young man did this afternoon.
Such bravery Is—Is—’’
“Hey, Mr. Hoyt,” Georgie began
uneasily, “I—"
"You shut up,” Old Seymour or
dered testily.
He took Georgie by the arm.
"We’ll go up to the house," he said,
meanwhile glaring at the abashed
lawn party. “If you people will ex
cuse us,” he said, "we gentlemen will
leave you."
As they started away Old Seymour
handed his large tweed cap to Georgia.
"For mercy’s sake, young man,” he
hissed, “cover up that underwear. It’s
the only tiling I have against you!"
Cuckoo Selects Nest of
Other Bird to Lay Eggs
In appearance the cuckoo is much
like the sparrow hawk or kestrel, and
just ns most of the smaller birds will
attack a hawk when they see It In the
air, so will they attack the cuckoo
when it shows itself.
The cuckoo has kept a secret for
thousands of years. From earliest
records, notes a writer In Tit-Bits Mag
azine, going hark to the ancient
Greeks, it was thought that she laid
tier egg upon the ground, picked It
up In her beak, carried It to the se
lected nest and dropped It in, but Inves
tigation proves that the cuckoo lays
her egg directly Into the nest.
When the female cuckoo Is ready to
lay, she will sit on h perch almost
motionless from hnlf an hour to six
hours, and this corresponds to the
time that any other bird would sit on
the nest before laying. Then she
glides down to the selected nest, for
(luring tlie previous days she lias care
fully watched the owners. She wastes
no time, hut goes quickly to It, steal
ing one of the eggs. Holding this In
tier beak, she moves her body on to the
nest, lays her own egg in the place of
tht one removed, and dies off with the
stolen egg. Tills is devoured, some
times while she is Hying away, lint
more often when she reaches u con
venlent porch.
City and Country Advantage*
Great cities have the advantage at
concentrated wealth and man power.
They also have the disadvantage of too
many Inducements to lead an “easy
life." Smaller communities have, as a
rule, a wholesonier atmosphere. They
I are not kept on edge by the cut-throat
competition that prevails in the more
I highly competitive life of big cities.
■ A more neighborly, friendly spirit per
I vades them. They live more naturally
Beach of Coal Black Sand
In Hawaii, at Knlapana, tbere Is a
i beach of coal black snmL
Ikiuwi aAAXAAAiLr
Let Our Motto Be
GOOD HEALTH
RY DR. LLOYD ARNOLD
Professor of Bacteriology and Preventive
Medicine. University of Illinois,
| College of Medicine. j
MOTORING HAS GOOD
INFLUENCE ON HEALTH
A cartoonist In a Chicago newspaper
depleted » scene the other day that
had a very entlc
i n g appeal. 11
showed a man seat
ed at Ids desk, all
sorts of rush or
dors around him.
and through the
window a man with
a cowboy hat la
beled "The Call of
the Outdoors" was
rebelling in. and
grabbing him hv
the vest, was yell
log: “VIppe! Well,
tan my Hide! Look wliat I found
hibernatin' in here—C’ nion out an' git
some sunshine! Yippee!” And over
the cartoon was the caption, “The
First Time You Open the Window
Heal Wide on a Warm Spring Day.”
It was good health advice that grin
ning cowboy gave.
When spring comes, it’s good for us
to do like the bears—quit hibernating
and get out into the sunshine. And if
you have a family bus. it’s time to send
out for the latest road map. and away
for a week-end vacation trip.
The highways have always played
an important part In the health and
habits of man. There has ever been
an effort to make them safe from a
health standpoint. In ancient times
lepers and oilier unclean persons were
excluded from the highways, for It
was early recognized (lint pestilence
walked front community to community
with the footsteps of man.
'I'lie world in which we live Is now
a much bigger one. We can easllv
travel three hundred miles in any d!
rectlon within a day. We are its fa
miliar and conversant with a geo
graphical area several hundred miles
square as our grandparents were with
a thirty mile area.
The development of automotive
power has changed our life in many
ways. The social and family environ
ment has been altered. We compare
ourselves with more people. We are
broader minded In that we can see
more and, therefore. Judge values from
a better perspective. There is less dif
ference In social customs, dress and
living standards In adjacent communl
ties. The residents of Hose Creek and
Turkey Hun no longer regard each
other with suspicion. In other words,
we have become a more homogenous
population. This is very important
from a health standpoint. The com
inanity that has had a habit of an un
balanced diet, with consequent general
illness of the population can now see
tlie error of its ways and apply the
remedy. No community wants a repu
tation for disease.
Another Important health influence
due to hard roads and automobiles Is
the greater amount of time people now
spend in the fresh air and sunshine.
In the country we used to go to town
in the buggy or wagon when It was
neccessary. City dwellers did very
liille traveling. Now with the nutomo
bile we joyously seek the open road
It Is only during rainy or stormy
weather that we slay Indoors. Front a
health viewpoint, this Is ns it should
tie. The ride lifter supper that so
many people take nowadays provides
a period of relaxation, and It allow*
for restful digestion and family visit
ing. It Is much better than staying
home to wash the dishes.
One question thut naturally arises
Is: Are contagious diseases spread
more hy automobile travel than they
were before the use of such rapid
and easy transportation Increased tin
man contact? The answer Is that the
health level of the population Is much
better than It ever was before. There
Is plenty of fresh air to be had on
a trip and lots of sunshine and li111"
• lust. Tills keeps the healthy person
well and aids the sickly person to
regain health, and the sickly person
lias no contact with the healthy trav
elers In other automotive vehicles The
stimulating effect of the air forced
gainst the body during automobile
travels is a good tonic, (lerms arc
carried from the sick to the well per
son by shoe leather, not by the air
or wind.
It is intimate contact, such as cough
ing. sneezing and touching with the
hands, that transfers contagious mate
rials. Happy and contented people are
healthy folk. You see more laughs and
smiles among automobile travelers than
you do among the passengers in the
staterooms of the de luxe transconti
nental trains.
The one thing that the person trav
eling Into ‘'unknown parts” should
look out for is contamination of food
nr water. Typhoid fever and dysen
teries are about the only diseases you
need guard against
£ Western Newspaper Union.
Beautiful Madeira
Radio Tower* Crown Funchal’a Ancient Fort.
Prepared by the National Geographic Society.
Washington, d. C.-WNU Service.
CHANGING seusons do not touch
Madeira, the benutiful Portu
guese island on ttie fringe of
the eastern Atlantic. Its velvety
green mountains cleft by deep rnvlnes,
its terraced hillsides, brilliant with
(lowers nnd flowering vines are the
same, summer and winter.
In December the peaks of the tower
ing mountains, which rise like an
amphitheater back of Funchal, chief
city of Madeira, are sometimes tipped
with snow; but nil else Is vividly green,
with a riot of multi-colored blossoms
on every terrace of this quaint old
town, wldch climbs the Hills above n
sapphire sen.
Gardens are the striking feature of
the Mndeirnn capital. They hang one
above the other like balconies, radiant
with flowers of many climes.
Stiff Brazilian araticnria pines, tall
Australian eucalyptus, nnd leafy Asi
ntlc mango nod to palm, mimosa and
magnolia. The Indian fig. with its
wide-spreading branches, grows beside
the flambo.vnnt of Madagascar, the
coral tree of the West Indies nnd the
camphor tree of Japan.
Most effective In winter arc the flow
ering creepers—the deep-magenta nnd
brick-red bougainvilleas nnd the blaz
ing orange bignonia, which form solid
masses of color on the high walls.
Flaming polnsettins and red. pink nnd
white camellias grow ns tall ns trees.
Clinging to the sheer face of the cliffs
which border many of the gardens Is
a vnrlety of aloe which thrusts out
startling scarlet flower spikes nbovo
the blue sen.
Automobiles, motor busses, and
trucks now crowd Funchal's narrow
streets, but It Is the native "carro" or
sledge, drawn by a pair of patient oxen,
that catches the eye.
Riding In an "Oxen-Cab."
In one of these two-seated, curtained
and canopied “oxey-enhs.” which re
semble big baskets on runners, one
may glide over smooth, polished cob
bles to the cog railway that climbs a
steep Incline to pine-clad heights 3,300
feet above the sea. A feature of the
ascent Is the shower of flowers tossed
by blossom-laden children, who scamp
er after sledge and funicular.
The descent from the mountain can
he made In a toboggan sledge, which
offers nn exciting ride. The speed of
the passenger nnd cargo sledge is sinw,
but the downhill “running carro" pro
vides real thrills. The broad nrmclinlr
on runners is used in descending se
lected routes of tilted streets. Two
men hold the sledge in leash by guide
ropes; as It starts down the slippery
stone path they liop onto the hack
platform and the slide begins.
Then eome«flashes of town and sen
■ gaudy blossoms draping high, sunlit
courts, dark-haired women nnd big
eyed children framed in vine-hung
doorways, pedestrians flattened ngainst
1 the wail. As the sledge approaches n
curve, the crew Jump off to guide It
with vigorous tugs around the corner,
checking the speed when the lower lev
el is reached.
Madeira Is an oceanic Amazon whose
height from her crown, on the summit
of Pico Kulvo, to her base in the briny
deep south of Funchal Is nearly 20.000
feet. Only about one-third of tills
mountain queen Is visible above water
her head and shoulders draped In a
vivid emerald scarf.
The Islands forming this archi
pelago, Madeira. Pdrto Santo, and two
uninhabited groups, are of volcanic
origin. Considering the depth of the
surrounding sen, and the c.bysma'
chasms which everywhere cleave Ma
deira's mountainous surface. It Is evi
dent that a vast period of time must
have elapsed since the beginning of the
countless eruptions which went toward
the making of tills Island. Today no
live craters exist in tills group, us on
the r,»t>nrv end Clapp Vprde Islands
Much traditional lore Is associated
with the discovery of Madeira. Ro
mans, Arabs, Italians, Spaniards,
French, English, and Irish have all
been credited as the first to glimpse
the island. The most romantic of the
legends concerns two English lovers
of the Fourteenth century, Robert
Macliin nnd Anna d'Arfet, who eloped
from Bristol In a small craft nnd were
blown southward to Madeira's eastern
shore.
Early History of Madeira.
With the coining of the Fifteenth
century history Is on firmer ground.
It Is known that the Portuguese ma
riner, Zarco, sent out by Henry the
Navigator, reached Porto Santo In*
1419, then sailed across to a larger
island, 2!i miles away, braving a dark
cloud which hung over It, an evil omen
to the superstitious sailors of that day.
The forbidding cloud proved to be va
por hanging over the mountains of
a beautiful, densely wooded land.
Zarco and his followers landed on the
shore of a sheltered hay about 12 miles
northeast of Funchal. Because of Its
forests the new land was named “Ma
deira," the Portuguese word for wood.
Sugar cane. Introduced from Sicily,
was responsible for Madeira's pros
perity during the early years of its col
onization. Negro nnd Moorish slaves
were Imported from Africa to work
on the sugar plantations and to build
ronds and aqueducts. The stone Irrigat
ing ennuis, or “levadas,” extending for
miles down the steep mountnln sides
still render efficient service. Without
them the lower regions would be wa
terless a large part of the year.
Origin of Its Wine.
Soon after the colonization of Ma
deira, the Malavesi vine was Imported
by Prince Henry from Crete, and other
varieties were introduced at a Inter pe
riod. Today one type of Madeira wine
hears the old name, "Malvasln," or
“Malmsey.” famous in England when
western European wines of that nnme
were well known, nnd later when Ma
deira wines had taken their place.
Our naval hero. John Paul Jones,
was at one time master of the Two
Friends, a Madeira wire ship. The
finest wines of the Island wpre In de
mand In the America Colonies. Ships
from Boston. New York. Philadelphia,
nnd Savannah, laden with pipe staves,
timber, train oil. dried fish, nnd rice,
brought hack pipes of Madeira to the
wealthy American merchants nnd
planters.
Madeira is n small Island, little more
than 30 miles In length nnd less than
half this In width : but It Is so moun
tainous. so gashed h.v deep gorges nnd
guarded by gigantic headlands, that
access Is difficult to certain of Its sun
klsseri coastal villages, cool, mist-en
veloped uplands, and deep, fern-hung
canyons. Motor busses, which connect
the villages on the paved highways, •
have made n marked change In the
manner of life nnd outlook of the conn
try people.
The mountain village of Camacha,
above Funchal. Is the home of the Im
portant wickerwork Industry, for the
hitsh.v willow grows In the hods of
nearby streams. At nearly every dooi
men nnd women weave chairs, tables
and baskets.
Madeira hand embroidery has be
come ns well known In recent years
as Madeira wine. All through the
country one sees women, sitting In the
open. Industriously plying their needles
at odd moments between household
tasks, nnd girls ns young ns seven ot
eight stitching away like veterans
The Island of Porto Santo Is much
lower and drier than Madeira It has
stretches of sandy bench which tht
larger Island lacks, nnd In summer
residents' of Funchal brave the rough
four-hour passage to Villa Bnlelra tl
enjoy the gen bathing