The world's attention is focused on
a European continent which is poised to either create a legacy of
political order or unravel a system of post-World War checks and
balances.
It has been nearly four months
since the Italian Duce, Benito Mussolini, ordered his troops into
Abyssinia. The League of Nations, ignoring an impassioned plea by
Emperor Haile Salassie, removed all sanctions against Italy on the
Fourth of July.
Two weeks later, civil war broke
out in Spain and Generalissimo Franco called up Adolph Hitler and his
Nazi legions to aid the rebel troops. Even today, the German Luftwaffe
is practicing a new type of warfare called blitzkrieg because of the
lightning fast speed which it takes place. Less than a week ago, Il
Duce's son-in-law, Count Ciano, concluded the talks with Hitler that
created the Berlin-Rome axis of power.
In England, King Edward VIII's
coronation is being planned for early next year. His affair with
American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson is well-hidden from the
general public as the British press has agreed to publish nothing about
the relationship to avoid a scandal among the king's loyal subjects.
And, at the English country estate,
Conifers, Sir Hugo Smythe Armbruster's 70th party took place last night.
Sir Hugo had been knighted after The Great War for his contributions to
the war effort. His brilliant sense of both history and propriety
established him as an able publisher whose newspaper, The Daily Truth,
kept the citizenry informed of what was happening at the front.
The assembled guests celebrated the
event in a most fitting way - with enough food and drink to choke the
proverbial horse. But, it seems, the horse may have fought back. For,
this morning, Sir Hugo was found dead in the stables near the main
house. Although the death was at first viewed to be accidental, Scotland
Yard took little time in declaring that, indeed, evidence pointed toward
murder.
The old gentleman had been a cat
fancier, priding himself in the rare breeds that freely roam the grounds
of Conifers. It was said that he preferred cats to humans, pampering
them with catty trinkets. He had even threatened to leave his vast
fortune to The Royal Feline Society rather than have his millions
squandered by "fools and scoundrels." One could only imagine
what surprises would unfold when the will is read.
