1935-11-22 — Page 11

It Seemed So Easy

from Page 5.)

"Yes," said Budby, "that's right. | Let me have a pair of them as quick

* you can,'

"Two days would be the earliest time we could do them in” said the optician.

"Right-ho said Budby.

*TH call for them myself on Friday afternoon" ha added, as

he went awa

*Plus Ten glasses," he kept re pesting to himself. "I wonder exactly what that means in vision.” Min his "mind there was always tabulated a list of men who he knew might be useful to him ing Certain circumstances--a sbady lawyer, a judge of jewellery, an expert on travel routes and so on. Now he thought of a brilliant but alcoholic, general medical practi- tioner who was a noted habitue of

a certain Fleet-street bar.

At Dooshe made for the bar. found the man he sought, and-over a whisky and soda brenght up the topic of human vision.

"A cousin of mize up North- man in his ties," said be, "has Just taken to wearing glasses. Er tells me in a letter that he ought to have done it long ago, as hir glasses are Plus Ten sphere and a Plus Four cylinder. What does that mean 7′′

"Plus Ten," repeated the other. That's pretty bad. It means-let me see, it means that, at his age. he couldn't read a line of ordinazy print with the naked eye. The beadlines in a newspaper are about as much as he could manage.”

"By jove, that's tough," said Budby. Good job for him he hasn't a living to earn must hop it Cheerio!"

Well, I

He left the bar and returned to his room in Jermyn-street, where be locked himself up in his sitting- room and settled down for several bours to plan his great coup

This was the proposition that). confronted Lim.

Among the London properties owned by Sir Peter Cavell was a large oldfashioned, vinegar bre- wery, standing on an island -site in close proximity to Shaftesbury- avenue, the theatrical quarter of -London. The brewery had been losing money for years, but be- cause of the sentimental reason that it was Covell's Vinegar Brewery, established by his great- grandfather 100 years before, and also beca he had ample wealth, Sir, Peter had let the business drag on. But the buildings had now become so dilapidated that they were certain of being condemned shortly by the authorities, and very soon the brewery would have to disappear.

Now Budby, whose enger ears missed nothing of importance to himself, had heard of the keen rivalry among three or four enor- ahous American cinema concerns to build the largest and finest picture palace in the world" in the West End of London. But sites were few: and no other one could compare with the splendid stretch of ground now covered by Covell's Brewery. As a treehold site, it would realise one hundred thousand pounds at least from ane of those Hollywood azyazisations, which thought only in gigantic sums of money.

.:

Budby wanted to sell this plot of land to one or other of the American firms, and make a prince- By profit on the deal. As against that, the property belonged to Sir Peter Covell, and if the latter de cided to sell he was wide awake enong. to secure the maximIDEN frost for himself.

Badby planned, therefore, by hook or by crook-chiefly the lat ter, as he admitted sardonically to himself to get an option on the sale of "the land, from Sir Peter, and this without the latter's knowledge.

Fortunately, for the. swindler, he was already a mem of the Universal Club of which Peter a leading fig

Universal with its thousands

members could not help

a certain percentage

and he had cultă

tance so winek

I NEVER

THE CHINA MAIL, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1935

ALWAYS

THE BAR

DRINK

BEHIND

PAPA-WILL

THEY COME

Bringing Up Father

TAKE A MILD

BACK AND HARE ON THER

PICK THAT

SOLLY, DIN

OW DID I KNOW ITWDZ YONEXPEC

GO DOWN TOWN", OK AT ME WATCHI

CIGAR.

WHY DIDNT YOU TELLMERTAWO

SO LATER LE MURDERED WHEN

I GET HOMES.

ME

INZ

TIME IT IS 2-

MAYBE

WHERES

FANLESS THEY

VICTIM?

WAY HOME

PH

MAN UP

AMBULANCE

TWISH MY HEART "WOULDN'T BEAT

SO LOUD-IT'S LIABLE TO WAKE

· HER UP-

YOU MORON- JUST GOT IN- EH? WHO WERE YOU HOLLERING TO OUTSIDE OF. “THAT WINDOW?.

Rosie's BEAU

BY

GED MCMANUS

45. Patent OffiEN

AHI ALLIS WELL-IF 1

TO. MY ROOM-

MY DARLING BOY-I ARCHE-IS GOING TO CALL ME UP AT FOUR- IN JUST ONE MINUTE: ILL HEAR HS SWEETS VOICE-MY-HOW LONG THIS MINUTE 15-~

Z

Z

SHOP TO ̈ ̈ ̈ OU KNOW WHAT”.

am

DLANCE

RIGHT MOX

TAM-IWANT YOU TO DRIVE ME HOME AN F MEWFEIS OP-III NEED A LOT OF

- MEDICAL

TENTION

NOW IF SHE'S ASLEEP-ILL HOLLER OOT THE WINDOW- "AS I WON'T

NEED YOU

WAIT FOR THE SIGNAL

AMBULANI

EASY, MAGGE-SAVE A CUP FER ME

FFEE IN THE

HEY- COME BACK-BOYS! -I'M READY. FOR

THE HOSPITAL-

Cass, King Features Syndicum, Jac. Grant Bubala'

WELL-NOW THAT THE BOSS IS OUT TEL GO IN AND CAL UP MY SWEENE-

PE-ROSE-

ALLIS WEL BOYS H WILBEN

BATTLE

NIGHT THANKS

FOR THE BUGGY-RIDE-

IT'S THE GYPSY IN ME

-LOOK THE

-MAR-

170.27